Chapter 970: Come and apologize!

In Dagu County, in the temporary residence

Ye Mingsheng, Murong Qingwu and Xiao Kexin sat together to eat lunch. The lunch was simple, three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes and a soup·························
Murong Qingwu personally served Ye Mingsheng a bowl of chicken soup and said with concern:

"My dear, this ginseng and black chicken soup was specially made for you by me!"

"You've been so concerned about the war these days that you haven't had a good meal or rest at night. It's just right for you to drink a bowl of this chicken soup to replenish your energy!"

Ye Mingsheng could smell the faint medicinal aroma from the chicken soup before he started drinking it. Besides, the chicken soup was as clear as tea, not greasy at all, and looked very appetizing.

Ye Mingsheng blew away the hot steam from the chicken soup and took a sip. The delicious taste of the chicken soup spread in his mouth.

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but nodded slightly and said:
"This chicken soup is really good. Qingwu, you've worked hard! You and Kexin should drink more too! This time you've been stranded in Dagu County with me, and you and your daughter have been scared!"

After he finished speaking, Ye Mingsheng looked at Murong Qingwu with some apology. Although there was no problem with safety in Dagu County, some time ago, a pharmacy not far from this mansion was temporarily requisitioned by the Fengwu Army and converted into a treatment center for the wounded.

Therefore, the tragic situations in the treatment center frightened Murong Qingwu and she had nightmares for several days, and Xiao Kexin also cried for several days···························
Ye Mingsheng also felt a little ashamed about this. He failed to protect his family better!
After listening to Ye Mingsheng's words, the little grievance that Murong Qingwu had left in her heart seemed to disappear. Although her daughter Ke Xin was by her side, the little girl was so focused on the chicken legs and desserts in front of her that she didn't care about her parents at all, so Ye Mingsheng and his wife also said some private words.

At the end of lunch, Murong Qingwu also remembered today's business and said to Ye Mingsheng:
"My dear, my family sent me a letter saying that my cousin Murong Zhengshan went to Jiangnan to visit Lu Jianchao in accordance with my uncle's last wish!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded calmly upon hearing this. In fact, the matter of Murong Zhengshan going to Jiangnan had already been reported to Ye Mingsheng by the Coordination Office.

Ye Mingsheng also realized that the Murong family wanted to break the current power structure of the Fengwu Army and seek greater development within the Fengwu Army.

According to Ye Mingsheng's plan, after the north is pacified and a little adjustment is made, the focus of the Fengwu Army will shift to the south. Therefore, although the Murong family did not report this action to him, Ye Mingsheng was also happy to see it happen...

However, because Murong Zhengshan was acting in a private capacity this time and did not represent the Fengwu Army and Ye Mingsheng, Ye Mingsheng did not make any statement on this matter or give any instructions to Murong Zhengshan. He just secretly asked the Coordination Office to keep a close eye on him to see what results Murong Zhengshan would get from this trip!
As for Jiangnan, although there was some friction due to trade before, which affected the relationship between the two sides, Ye Mingsheng wanted to adopt a conciliatory policy towards Jiangnan!
After all, Jiangnan is the richest region in the Great Zhou, and has very close trade with overseas. It is an important part of Ye Mingsheng's overseas strategy after unifying the Great Zhou.

Therefore, Ye Mingsheng doesn't want to fight if he can avoid it. For him, it is best to take over Jiangnan peacefully. After all, once the war starts, it will definitely have many negative effects on Jiangnan. It is not a good thing for the business environment and the people's livelihood. Even if it can slowly recover after the war, it will take time!

Therefore, for the sake of his own overseas strategy, Ye Mingsheng was willing to give Lu Jianchao some preferential treatment. If Lu Jianchao was willing to surrender, as long as his conditions were not too excessive, Ye Mingsheng was willing to actively consider it.

Of course, if Lu Jianchao insists on fighting to the end, or the conditions he proposes are too excessive, Ye Mingsheng will not indulge him. However, Ye Mingsheng hopes to use a conciliatory policy to reduce the Jiangnan Army’s will to resist, so that the Jiangnan region will not suffer too much loss in the war...

Murong Qingwu originally told Ye Mingsheng this news in order to see his reaction. However, Ye Mingsheng's expression at this time made her feel that he was as deep as the sea. Seeing this, Murong Qingwu had no choice but to continue:
"Zhengshan told me that before his death, my uncle confessed that he had helped the tyrants to commit atrocities and had followed the traitor Shangguan to do evil. He had done many wrong things. Although he came to his senses and wanted to turn over a new leaf and seek your forgiveness, his end was nigh and he could only die with regret and hatred!"

"Although my uncle is dead, his sins are hard to erase. So in order to have a little peace in the underworld, my uncle wants to follow you, my husband, and contribute to your great cause. Only in this way can he smile in the underworld and have some peace in his heart!"

"So this time Zhengshan went to Jiangnan, in addition to fulfilling my uncle's last wish, he also intended to test the attitude of Governor Lu of Jiangnan!"

"According to Zhengshan, this Governor Lu from Jiangnan has always been in love with you, my husband. The reason why he had some unpleasantness with you before was entirely due to the coercion of the traitor Shangguan. Governor Lu has always felt guilty about this and even wanted to come to Yijing to apologize to you, my husband!"

“However, due to the heavy workload in Jiangnan, Governor Lu is unable to get away from Linjiang. However, he has also entrusted someone to bring generous gifts to apologize to you, my husband…”

Ye Mingsheng was a little surprised when he heard this. The Coordination Office reported to him five days ago about Murong Zhengshan's latest progress in Jiangnan. It only said that Murong Zhengshan arrived in Linjiang and was warmly received by Lu Jianchao. Apart from that, there was no more useful information.

I didn't expect that five days later, Murong Qingwu reported this to me. Murong Zhengshan was really quick!
Although he knew very well that the words like he was coerced by the treacherous Shangguan and wanted to come to Yijing in person to apologize to him were just polite words, Ye Mingsheng was still quite satisfied with the fact that someone was sent with generous gifts to apologize to him. This also showed that Lu Jianchao was not so stubborn, and his attitude and will to resist were not so resolute.

Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng decided to give some positive responses, and then said to Murong Qingwu with great regret:
"Although we had different positions in the past, I also know that Minister Murong is a pillar of the court and a rare talent in the Great Zhou. It is a pity that I have never had the chance to meet him. The ancients said that it is the greatest thing to know one's mistakes and then improve them. It is not too late for Minister Murong to wake up before his death.

"Zhengde is the legitimate son of Minister Murong, so he must have inherited Minister Murong's talent. He is definitely a young talent!"

“If he can serve my Fengwu Army, that would be a very good thing. Now the court is in a state of disrepair, and it is a good time for young talents like him to make great achievements. I also look forward to him making some achievements...”

Murong Qingwu was naturally very happy to hear Ye Mingsheng say this, and quickly said to Ye Mingsheng:

"I would like to thank my husband on behalf of Zhengshan!"

Ye Mingsheng waved his hand and said with a smile: "We are all family, why should we be so polite!"

"Qingwu, as your cousin, you have to write a letter to Zhengshan, asking him to fulfill Minister Murong's last wish in Lin'an!"

Murong Qingwu nodded and praised:

"Please rest assured, my husband. Although Zhengshan is not very old, his style of doing things is very much like my uncle's. He is very sophisticated and steady. He will definitely achieve results in this trip to Jiangnan and will not let my uncle and my husband down!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly, and at this moment there was a sound of footsteps outside the door. Ye Mingsheng glanced and saw Ye Cheng standing respectfully outside the door.

Murong Qingwu also understood that Ye Cheng's appearance meant a change in the battle situation. Now that the meal was over and the matter was settled, she did not dare to waste Ye Mingsheng's time, and immediately took Xiao Kexin to say goodbye to Ye Mingsheng.

After Murong Qingwu left, Ye Cheng immediately entered the room and reported to Ye Mingsheng:

“Sir, the scouts reported that our army on Wugang Mountain attacked the Cuman camp last night and blew up the Cumans’ gunpowder depot and all their artillery, and created a great chaos in the Cuman camp. In order to reorganize his subordinates, Esidogan did not attack Wugang Mountain today…”

Ye Mingsheng was a little surprised when he heard this and asked immediately:

"How many casualties did the Kipchaks suffer in this battle?"

Ye Cheng thought for a moment and said:
"It is said that the raid last night was divided into two waves. The first wave of several thousand people feinted and lured the enemy out, creating an opportunity for the second wave of several hundred soldiers. This is how we achieved the results last night!"

"But because the second wave had a small number of people, it didn't cause too many casualties among the enemy. It only killed and wounded two to three thousand enemy soldiers!"

"However, the lack of supplies, including artillery and gunpowder, has burned a lot of supplies, which has greatly damaged the morale of the enemy. It is said that the morale of the Cumans is very low now, and they may even stop fighting and retreat completely!"

Upon hearing this news, Ye Mingsheng narrowed his eyes slightly, and Ye Cheng seemed to remember something and continued to introduce:

"There is also good news from Chief of Staff Guo. Chief of Staff Guo led his troops to defeat a part of the Cumans in Sandagou, killing and wounding two to three thousand people. They are currently heading towards Wugang Mountain, trying to carry out some harassment and sabotage in the rear of the Cumans' main force!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng nodded silently in his heart, but a slightly crazy idea gradually formed in his mind!

The two Tiger Divisions that Aisiduoan brought this time only had more than 30,000 people in total. They lost some of their troops when they attacked Dagu County, lost some of their troops in the consecutive attacks on Wugang Mountain, lost some of their troops in the night attack last night, and now some of their troops were defeated by Guo Zhiping...
Although the exact casualties of the Cumans were still unknown, Ye Mingsheng felt that the total number of casualties was not small.

Ye Mingsheng now doubts whether Estolan still has 20,000 troops capable of fighting!
At present, there are still more than 20,000 defenders in his city. Although he doesn't know the specific situation on Wugang Mountain, it seems that there should be several thousand people. Guo Zhiping also has several thousand people. In terms of total military strength, his side has an advantage!
Moreover, the enemy's morale is now severely damaged, while our side is well-rested, so considering all these factors, he should send troops to meet Eskimos. Ye Mingsheng was very angry about the previous continuous massacres by the Cumans, but due to his strength, Ye Mingsheng had to swallow his anger temporarily!

But now that the situation has changed so much, can I change my tactics and make Esidogan and these Cuman barbarians pay the price in blood for their actions?
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng was moved. After a brief pause, he ordered:
"Call all the generals to a meeting!"

"Yes!"

Following Ye Mingsheng's order, more than half an hour later, all the Fengwu Army generals in Dagu County gathered in a side room of the mansion.

In front of the sand table, Ye Cheng reported to the generals and commanders on the situation of Guo Zhiping’s troops and the situation of Wugang Mountain.

Everyone who heard the two good news was deeply encouraged, and the side room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere. After everyone was happy for a while, Ye Mingsheng did not announce his own ideas, but as usual, asked everyone to express their opinions on the next battle and let everyone speak freely.

Zhao Yongshun, the deputy general of the 14th Division who stayed behind in the city, stood up first to express his opinion. He first praised the achievements of Ye Fu and Guo Zhiping, and then flattered Ye Mingsheng, saying that these were achieved under the wise leadership of Ye Mingsheng. Without Ye Mingsheng's strong leadership, such results would never have been achieved.

Because Ye Mingsheng wanted to hear the soldiers' true thoughts rather than such polite words, when he saw that Zhao Yongshu's words were meaningless, Ye Mingsheng told him to shut up without waiting for him to finish. Zhao Yongshun returned to the queue. Realizing that he had flattered the wrong person, he could only shut up in disappointment.

Seeing Zhao Yongshun in trouble, the others were also a little confused for a moment. No one dared to stand up and speak, but there were always brave men. A commander of the 13th Division named Li Kang stood up and said:
"General, although the enemy has suffered a defeat, its main force is still there, so we still cannot underestimate the enemy! Therefore, I think our army should continue to implement the established strategy, focusing on consuming the enemy's forces and waiting for changes!"

Ye Mingsheng frowned slightly when he heard Li Kang's words. Seeing this, General Liu Zhi of the 13th Division, who had been silent and quietly observing, saw through Ye Mingsheng's true thoughts.

Just now when Ye Mingsheng allowed everyone to speak freely for discussion, Liu Zhi had a premonition that the Marshal’s inner will to fight was beginning to stir again under the encouragement of these two small victories...
(End of this chapter)