Chapter 934 Great Victory and Internal Problems!
Yijing, Ye Mansion.

Ye Mingsheng was checking the Central Council’s solution to the food crisis in his study. Ever since Ye Mingsheng and a group of civil servants determined a plan to deal with the locust plague, this plan was quickly implemented at the local level...

The effect of this plan is very good. The locust plague in Hebei, Henan, Shandong and Shandong has been effectively controlled, but there is still some distance to go before the goal of completely eliminating the locust plague.

At the same time, both the governor of Hebei and Henan, Murong Yuliang, and the governor of Qi and Lu, Sun Jing'an, stated in their memorials to Ye Mingsheng that due to the locust plague, the grain production in the two places would decline to a certain extent. Hebei and Henan were expected to see a 30% decrease in grain production, while Qi and Lu were expected to see a 35% decrease in grain production.

After years of hard work, the grain output under the Fengwu Army can basically meet the food needs of millions of people under its rule, and there is even a little surplus, but not much.

Qi, Lu, Hebei and Henan are major grain-producing provinces. Due to their population, the demand for grain is also high. This year's locust plague has undoubtedly meant that the grain produced cannot cover the local grain demand, and a rise in grain prices is inevitable!

As soon as the news of the reduction in grain production spread among the people, it caused panic among the people. People who were afraid of starving took their money and went to the grain stores to stock up on grain. Most of them bought by the stone, and some even bought by three or five stones...
The increase in demand while the supply remains the same has undoubtedly caused the price of grain to soar. Currently, the price of grain in many places such as Youyan, Jiyu, Qilu, etc. generally exceeds three and a half coins per dan.

The soaring food prices also intensified the panic of the people, and they began to hoard food crazily, and things began to gradually evolve into a vicious cycle!
The price of grain is a livelihood indicator that Ye Mingsheng attaches great importance to. He has always been committed to stabilizing the price of grain at a level of about three qian of silver per stone, preventing the price of grain from skyrocketing or plummeting in order to maintain the stability of order.

At present, the solution given by the Government Affairs Bureau headed by Cui Shao to this crisis caused by food is to use both administrative and market means!

On the one hand, we gave orders to all major grain stores to begin limiting purchases for the public, and to crack down on hoarding, price manipulation, and profiteering. Once discovered, they will be severely punished!
On the other hand, opening the warehouses to release grain increases the supply on the market, and the government at all levels should actively publicize to the people that the Fengwu Army's treasury is full, which can effectively ensure that everyone's rice bowl is full.
However, in the current situation, it is inevitable for the government to open the granaries and release grain to suppress grain prices, but how much grain to release is a problem!
After all, the Fengwu Army at this time not only has to face the problem of reduced grain production in Hebei, Henan, Qi and Lu, but the Fengwu Army has now captured Yunbing and will soon capture Guanzhong...
Both of these places are densely populated areas with very high demand for food. The local food prices currently generally exceed five cents of silver per stone. In some places, the food prices have even exceeded the mark of eight cents of silver, or one tael of silver per stone!

If the Fengwu Army wants to maintain its rule in these two places, the first thing it needs to do is to lower the price of grain. Ye Mingsheng also has some mature experience in this regard!
The first thing is to get rid of those merchants and illegal officials who hoard goods, so as to increase the supply in the market!

However, according to the joint opinions of the Political Affairs Bureau, the Coordination Office, and the Foreign Affairs Bureau, the food shortage in these places does exist, and it is not enough to simply solve the problem of hoarding, so the Fengwu Army must receive a transfusion!

According to preliminary investigations and statistics by the Political Affairs Bureau, the Foreign Affairs Bureau and the Coordination Office, the grain shortage in Yunbing and Guanzhong areas is at least 500,000 dan!
Ye Mingsheng had mixed feelings about the survey results. He was happy because the registered grain reserves in the Fengwu Army's warehouses were about one million shi. In addition to being able to meet the needs of suppressing grain prices internally, it could also make up for the grain gap in Yunbing and Guanzhong.

But the worry is that this survey result is only a preliminary statistical survey result and may not be accurate. If the actual food gap is much larger than this survey result, then the Fengwu Army’s food reserves may not be enough.··························
Secondly, even if it is enough, the food reserves of the Fengwu Army will drop to a very low level. If there are some natural disasters or man-made disasters next year, there will not be enough food. At that time, things will become very troublesome and may even cause unrest in order!

Although Ye Mingsheng was very worried about this, he didn't have a better solution. After all, agriculture, especially the current small peasant economy, depends on the weather to a large extent, so all he can do is to do his best and leave the rest to fate!
After approving Cui Shao's solution, Ye Mingsheng was about to deal with some military issues handed over by the General Staff when he saw Ye Cheng coming over excitedly with a battle report and said:
"Sir, news of a great victory has come from Guanzhong!"

Hearing Ye Cheng's words, Ye Mingsheng's eyes lit up. Then he took the battle report from Ye Cheng. After just two glances, a smile appeared on Ye Mingsheng's face.

Seven days ago, on May 20th, Yuan Song's Western Expedition Army ambushed Shangguan Changgong and his entourage who were fleeing south in Xingning Prefecture in Guanzhong.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Shangguan Changgong committed suicide out of fear of being captured by the Fengwu Army. On May 22, Yuan Song's troops took Shangguan Changgong's head and, with the cooperation of the Imperial Guard General Su He, captured Luoan without a fight!

At present, the Fengwu Army is dividing its troops into several routes, gradually conquering various prefectures and counties in Guanzhong, striving to complete the complete control of Guanzhong within one month·····························
Although the moment he learned that the Fengwu Army had broken through Wei Pass, Ye Mingsheng understood that the death of Shangguan Changgong, the capture of Luoan, and the conquest of the entire Guanzhong region would all come naturally and would become a reality!
But when Yuan Song finished all these things, Ye Mingsheng was very happy. Yuan Song really did not disappoint his expectations of him!
Ye Mingsheng was in a very good mood after reading the battle report, but he didn't expect that there was a surprising piece of news at the end of the report.

The news was that the young emperor Jiang Rui was dead, and he died at the hands of Shangguan Changgong!

The causes and consequences of Jiang Rui's death were described in detail at the end of the battle report.

The battle report wrote that Shangguan Changgong took the Great Zhou Emperor Jiang Rui with him when he fled south. After being ambushed by the Fengwu Army, Shangguan Changgong was unwilling to see Jiang Rui being rescued by the Fengwu Army, and the cruel and ruthless him actually killed the emperor!
Although the Fengwu Army tried its best to provide assistance, it was still a step too late. Emperor Jiang Rui was pierced by several arrows and died in Xingning Prefecture at the age of sixteen!

After seeing the last piece of news, Ye Mingsheng realized that things were not simple and the smile on his face faded. He told Ye Cheng:

"Call Huo San to me!"

"Yes!"

After an incense stick of time, under Ye Mingsheng's order, Huo San immediately came to Ye Mingsheng's study to meet him. As soon as he finished greeting Ye Mingsheng, he asked directly:

“How did Jiang Rui die…”

Facing Ye Mingsheng's question, Huo San immediately looked up and said something, but as soon as he looked up, he was met with Ye Mingsheng's deep gaze.

Feeling Ye Mingsheng's deep and unfathomable gaze, Huo San hesitated for a moment and immediately swallowed back the words he had not yet spoken, and then told Ye Mingsheng the truth:

"Your Excellency, under the suggestion of Lord Yuan, General Ye Dong ordered his men to pretend to be imperial guards, killed Jiang Rui in Xingqing Mansion and pinned the blame on Shangguan Changgong!"

After hearing the truth of the matter, Ye Mingsheng said to himself, "As expected", he knew that things were not as simple as they seemed!
However, Ye Mingsheng did not dwell on this issue, but continued to ask Huo San: "What's the news from the Golden Horde?"

Huo San organized his words after hearing this and said:

"Your Excellency, although the Golden Horde has completed the mobilization, assembly and deployment of two Tiger Divisions and three Eagle Divisions under the strong support of Esidogan, our army has already captured Weiguan and Luoan!"

"Esdogan, who wanted to help the Luoan court, was caught off guard. At the same time, because of the defeat of the Luoan court, the Golden Horde was once again in dispute over whether to continue to interfere in the south. A large number of conservative forces within the Golden Horde believed that the Robes should be dealt with first!"

“Because last time he decided to come to the rescue despite huge internal pressure, so after the Luoan court was defeated, Asdogan is now in a dilemma...”

"If we choose to retreat now, Esdoan will not be able to explain to the people, and his prestige as the Khan will be severely damaged. If we choose to continue fighting, then without the cooperation of the Luoan court, he knows that it will be difficult for him to achieve any decent results!"

"So I think that going south now is just a piece of chicken ribs for Esiduoan, which is tasteless and a pity to throw away!"

"However, based on the information we have obtained so far, it is very likely that Esidoan will find a way out for himself, take over the Yongliang area, and then withdraw his troops!"

"Because the Luoan court had already withdrawn the troops that Yongliang used to defend against the Golden Horde in order to concentrate its forces to deal with our army, now Yongliang only has some local militias left!"

"The Golden Horde has long coveted the Yongliang region. Now that Yongliang has a lack of ground forces, it won't be a big problem for the Golden Horde to capture Yongliang!"

"At the same time, taking over Yongliang will also allow Esidogan to have an explanation to the people of the Golden Horde, and it will help him maintain his prestige as the Khan!"

Hearing Huo San's well-reasoned analysis, Ye Mingsheng was a little surprised. He looked at Huo San and said with a smile:

"You have grown a lot!"

Huo San heard this and spoke humbly:
“Following your side, the Marshal, I am also learning all the time, so that I can keep up with your pace…”

Ye Mingsheng just smiled and ignored Huo San's flattery. He then asked:
"How is Jingchu's situation?"

Seeing Ye Mingsheng asking this, Huo San said without hesitation:
"Our Coordination Office is working closely with colleagues from the Foreign Affairs Bureau. Currently, everything is proceeding in an orderly manner and things are going smoothly!"

"With the death of Shangguan Changgong and the fall of the Luoan court, the Fengwu Army has become a dominant force. More and more people of insight are choosing to cooperate with our army and follow in your footsteps, Marshal!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded, and then ordered in a deep voice:
"I am looking forward to the work results of your Coordination Office and Foreign Affairs Bureau!"

"I will definitely not let you down!"

After discussing work with Huo San, Ye Mingsheng also talked to Huo San about some relatively relaxing topics, such as family and children. He also showed concern for Huo San's personal situation. After building up their relationship, Ye Mingsheng let Huo San leave.

After Huo San left, Ye Mingsheng fell into deep thought in his study alone. Compared with external issues such as the Golden Horde and Jingchu, Ye Mingsheng paid more attention to and attached more importance to some internal issues of the Fengwu Army!
Years of war have also allowed Ye Mingsheng to accumulate strong self-confidence. With the collapse of the Luoan court, he believes that looking at the world at present, perhaps some forces will be able to achieve some battle-level victories in some areas when facing the Fengwu Army!
But from an overall comprehensive perspective, they are unable to defeat the Fengwu Army founded by Ye...

Of course, Ye Mingsheng does not think that the Fengwu Army is invincible!

Isn’t there a saying that the biggest reason for the demise of a great country is often not external reasons, but internal ones!

Ye Mingsheng believes that this sentence is very applicable to the Fengwu Army!

On the surface, this time, Yuan Song and Ye Dong teamed up to get rid of Jiang Rui, clearing a stumbling block on their way to the pinnacle of power!

But from a deeper perspective, this is the Fengwu Army interest group that he represents and leads, and they are already eager for him to fulfill the political promises he once made to them!
It’s like when a company is about to go public, its executives want to cash in their company options immediately!

Ye Mingsheng was well prepared for this, and he also planned to fulfill some of his promises to appease and reward his subordinates!

However, Yuan Song and Ye Dong's current actions made Ye Mingsheng realize that he had underestimated the desire of these subordinates, and his previous preparations and plans might not satisfy them!
There has always been a strong voice within the Fengwu Army, wanting Ye Mingsheng to ascend the throne and become emperor immediately. Although this voice has been suppressed by Ye Mingsheng, as the Fengwu Army won victory after victory on the battlefield, this voice is becoming increasingly popular within the Fengwu Army...
(End of this chapter)