A year later, he once again set foot on this frontier land. Suidi Town was no longer as peaceful as it used to be. The wooden fences in the camp were nailed tightly, there were soldiers carrying wood everywhere, and the officers shouted at the top of their lungs.
They were shouting and cursing, and there was a tense atmosphere in the air - this place has become the first line of defense against the barbarians.
"Where is Shi Yiyi now?" Before Ye Yongjia could speak, the accompanying eunuch asked.
When the officer leading the way saw these eunuchs arrogantly arrogant and surrounded by several groups of elite soldiers, he was surprised and more cautious: "May I ask... why did the envoy ask the governor to come here? I can convey it to you."
"Pay attention to who is holding your Majesty's edict." Cai Xianqing said coldly.
"Oh, it was due to neglect of duty." The officer quickly turned to look at Ye Yongjia.
Ye Yongjia saw that the two father-in-laws were quite displeased, so he smiled and said to him: "We are all sent by the imperial court, how can we separate them in order? Chief Cai is too strict with the rules. But I think it is better to call the deputy governor first.
, what do you two think?"
The two eunuchs didn't know what kind of medicine he was selling in his gourd, but they were afraid of his identity, so they had no choice but to agree: "Everything is up to your discretion."
The military official breathed a sigh of relief and ordered someone to ask the deputy governor to come and talk.
This deputy governor was newly appointed, and his name was Du Qing. Because his predecessor took the blame for the loss of Xuanhua for Shi Yiyi, he was dismissed according to law, so he was promoted. This man has a plain temperament, cares deeply about the hardships of the soldiers, and is deeply loved by the border troops.
Shi Yiyi relied on him to organize the defense line of Suidi Town, forcing the captives to retreat and maintaining their only dignity.
At this time, when I heard that the imperial court had suddenly issued an imperial edict, I was shocked. I expected that it must be something serious, so I hurriedly followed the officers out of the tent and walked to Ye Yongjia and others.
"Du Qing, a humble official, has met Ye Shilang, Chief Cai, and the two lieutenants." He bowed calmly several times.
Cai Xianqing was very happy to see that he was calm and steady in his actions. He was the first to respond to him: "I heard about Vice General Du's achievements in fighting the invaders a few months ago. I met him today. He is indeed very dignified. I am really lucky to meet him."
"Vice General Du, can you take us to see General Shi?" the eunuch asked impatiently.
"Yes. But Governor Shi is currently observing the troops in the camp. It is far away from here, so it is better to ride on horseback." Du Qing replied.
Ye Yongjia waved his hand and said: "No, let's walk there. You can take advantage of your free time on the road to tell me about the situation in the army."
Du Qing glanced at him and thought to himself: 'This Minister Ye is neither impatient nor impetuous. He can really keep his composure! If the imperial court sends this person to deliver orders, he will definitely succeed immediately!' Then he cupped his hands and said: "I will listen to your orders!"
"What I'm most interested in is how your firearms are developing. I wonder if there has been any progress since I last came here?"
"There has been some progress, but to tell you the truth, the effect is really not good." Du Qing smiled, "At the end of last year, Master Shi organized a new army to use fire cannons to defend against the Northern invaders. Those
All of the fire blunderbuss were polished beautifully, but who would have thought that when they went to the battlefield, they would injure their own men and make them laugh and cry. This thing is troublesome to make, and the gunpowder and lead used consume a lot. Even if you teach soldiers, how can you defeat the enemy?
"
"The power of the fire gun is huge. Vice General Du must not let a leaf blind him. The New Army can't tolerate any sloppiness, otherwise how can it be effective? In the future, we will still need to rely on the general's decision-making. I hope you can support it."
'How can I, a deputy, make a decision for him? Could it be...' Du Qing suddenly realized, suddenly stopped and looked at Ye Yongjia seriously: "Du doesn't know the essence of fire and gun, and a little nonsense is nothing to worry about. Whenever the court orders me to practice,
How dare I refuse and obstruct the New Army! If it is in accordance with the Holy Spirit's will, the ministers should fight to the death and never dare to mention the word 'no'!"
Ye Yongjia finally felt relieved after hearing his last words: "General Du is so loyal to the country, it seems that my trip will definitely be a waste!"
Shi Yiyi sat in the military tent, looking worriedly at everything in front of him. The scene of discarded helmets and armor on the battlefield still frightened him, so much so that his face was now as white as paint.
The breeze outside the tent suddenly picked up his temples. Shi Yiyi didn't even bother to raise his head and asked directly: "Vice General Du, what's wrong?"
"The envoy from the imperial court has arrived. Please invite Mr. Shi to come out to receive the order."
"Who to send?"
"Ye Yongjia."
"Okay, okay..." Shi Yiyi rubbed his temples helplessly, "It's really a fucking comeback."
"No matter what, we must accept the imperial decree." Du Qing advised in a gentle tone.
"Tell Ye Yongjia to come to the tent, I don't want to go out."
Du Qing was also afraid of arousing his anger, so he said "yes" and called Ye Yongjia outside the tent.
Ye Yongjia ordered several forbidden soldiers to stand on both sides with weapons in hand, ready to catch people at any time. After all the instructions were given, they went into the house.
He didn't hesitate, just took out the imperial edict from his arms and glanced coldly: "Shi Yiyi, kneel down."
Shi Yiyi gritted his teeth and knelt down with disdain. Du Qing turned and walked behind him.
"The edict states: Xuanhua is an important town in our dynasty. However, Shi Yiyi does not know where his duties lie, and he humiliates his division. He should be escorted to the capital..."
Shi Yiyi was so excited that he broke into a cold sweat. Just as he was about to stand up, his shoulders were already firmly held down by Du Qing, making him unable to move.
"Tie me up!"
Before Ye Yongjia finished speaking, the Imperial Guards rushed into the tent and quickly controlled Shi Yiyi.
When the soldiers in the school field heard the commotion in the tent, they all hurriedly put down their weapons and rushed to take a look, but they saw that Shi Yiyi had been pushed out by being tied up.
Everyone's eyes were red with anger, and they waved their arms and shouted, and there was an uproar: "Why does the court have to tie Master Shi! Why does the court have to tie Master Shi!"
"Sirs!" Du Qing hurriedly appeared and spoke, "Shi Yiyi lost his troops and lost ground. His fault is the worst since this dynasty. He should be executed according to military law! You all go back quickly and wait for Lord Ye to announce the order!" Then he motioned for them to leave, but everyone remained as usual.
Don't move a step.
The situation was critical, Ye Yongjia winked at Cai Xianqing, and the latter came to the front and took out the official letter from the Ministry of Household Affairs: "Everyone! Look at this official letter, it has the seal of the Ministry of Household Affairs! It's all about Shi Yiyi's embezzlement of food and salary.
Proof of guilt! The imperial court is sensible and has committed both crimes. It is intolerable and that’s why it sent us to arrest him!"
Everyone looked at each other in disbelief and couldn't agree on what to do. After arguing for a while, they all calmed down, folded their hands and obeyed the order, and shouted in unison: "I am willing to obey the order!"
Ye Yongjia then continued to read out the edict: "The army cannot be without a commander for a day. Du Qing has made great achievements in repelling the enemy and is diligent in prevention and control. He is the commander-in-chief of Xuanhua. Do not disappoint me. I admire this!"
After Du Qing heard this, his eyes were shining brightly, he knelt down neatly on his knees, and knelt his head on the ground: "I thank you for your holy grace!"
The soldiers had always respected Du Qing, and when they heard that Du Qing had taken over, they cheered and knelt down one after another: "Thank you for the grace!"