Ye Yongjia has been sitting in the hall for a long time. The clerks serving him tea and water on both sides did not see him say a word. They were all looking at the sky in ecstasy, not seeming to be thinking. They spent half the time like this. hour.
"Tinglong! Tinglong!"
He suddenly raised his head and saw Niu Yuan waving at the door. Then he walked quickly to the front of the hall, bowed with a smile, took off his official robe and put it on the shelf. Ye Yongjia reluctantly stood up and returned the salute.
"Oh, isn't it hard to make Mr. Ye wait for such a long time?" Niu Yuan asked with concern.
"It's okay." Ye Yongjia slowly sat down again.
Niu Yuan saw what he was thinking, and the smile on his face gradually faded. He pinched his sleeves and sighed.
But Ye Yongjia still kept his head down, pretending not to hear and saying nothing.
"Master Ye, it seems that he is still brooding over what happened at that time, and may still have misunderstandings about me," Niu Yuan said earnestly, "but please rest assured, I have been forging ahead with determination since I came out of the army. I have never done anything sloppy. This is not something I am boasting about, it is something that anyone with a discerning eye can see. Controlling the border troops and going on the Eastern Patrol, which task is not on my shoulders? Even if they all end in failure, I will not avoid it. He has a heart of responsibility and endures all the ridicule without complaining. How can he be like those empty-talkers who do nothing but only want to gain a false reputation for themselves. Such sincerity can be learned from heaven and earth!"
"As for the last reform of the Ministry of War, there was too much controversy. In addition, Shi Yiyi was attached to Ye Lian, making it difficult to manage. Therefore, he threw in the rat weapon and did not dare to follow Tinglong's words. It was not out of his heart. After checking in the palace that time, , I think there must be someone secretly gossiping to destroy the relationship between you and me. But at that time, they did not dare to offend Mr. Liu, so they proposed to the court that you should take the blame. I was helpless and helpless. "
Ye Yongjia saw that his words had reached this point, so he did not dare to respond. He had to force a smile and said respectfully: "It's just some past events. I have almost forgotten them. How can I have any objections? I know it in my heart." , only by following the Prime Minister to complete this reform plan can the border be free from chaos."
After hearing this, Niu Yuan clapped his knees and laughed: "Okay, okay! Tinglong is indeed very sensible, and he is worthy of being appreciated by Duke Liu! I am willing to entrust you with all my power on this tour, and I will definitely make you leave no regrets!" "
"I obey my orders."
"But you don't have to worry. After two days, I will send two eunuchs to accompany you to announce the imperial edict and replace the new commander. By the way, I have one more thing to give you." With that, Niu Yuan came out of his arms. He took out a letter wrapped in brown paper and said, "This is the official letter from the Ministry of Household Affairs that verified Shi Yiyi's corruption last time. Although it was found to be fake at the court, I didn't touch it and kept it instead. , just for today.”
Ye Yongjia took the official letter hesitantly and was stunned when he saw that it was indeed stamped with the seal of the Ministry of Revenue.
"What is the use of this official letter now?"
Niu Yuan replied: "Shi Yiyi is deeply entrenched at the border. His soldiers will be kept under his care for many years. Only to be escorted back to the capital because of the defeat will be unsatisfactory. If anyone in the army complains and resists the imperial order, please take out this official letter." , informed the soldiers that Shi Yiyi had committed illegal acts such as corruption of ink, money, and food. This solid accusation would naturally silence their mouths. After the incident was completed, the letter was burned in the camp to show the imperial court's intention to pardon the soldiers. The combination of kindness and power is great. It can stabilize the morale of the army."
He looked at this old official letter sadly, not knowing what to say, only regretting that it came too late. "I understand..."
"Do you have any other requests?" Niu Yuan tried every means to please him in order to calm his mood.
"I sincerely ask the Prime Minister to choose a deputy for me to help me resolve the difficult border issues."
"Who do you want?"
"Chief of the Ministry of War, Cai Xianqing."
Two days later, in front of Ye Mansion.
"Hey, here we come!" Cai Xianqing was wandering around in the streets like a headless fly. He heard someone calling him twice from behind, and then he saw the Ye Mansion signboard. Under it stood an old slave, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Brother, the roads in this capital city are confusing. You can get lost no matter how many times you come here!" He complained to the old slave for a few words, and then followed him straight into Ye Mansion. Walking to the inner courtyard, seeing that he was about to reach the study, he asked again: "What's going on, Mr. Ye?"
The old servant smiled and said: "Master Ye is afraid that you will not agree, so I want to tell you in person, lest I can't explain clearly and spoil the matter!"
"Why is this Ye Tinglong even guarding me? I agree to whatever he says!"
"Is this true?"
Cai Xianqing heard footsteps behind him and looked back, seeing Ye Yongjia walking from the corner door holding an old book.
"You go and have a rest first. I'll have a few words with Master Cai." After he gave the instructions to the old slave, the latter left quickly.
"Tinglong seems to be holding this book lately." Cai Xianqing pointed to the book in his arms.
"Have you forgotten?" He closed the book and handed it to Cai Xianqing for a closer look. "This is the military book presented by the Westerner Jian Wensheng."
"Then you asked me to come, I'm afraid it has something to do with this thing." Cai Xianqing said, tapping the cover of the book.
When talking about this, Ye Yongjia's face lost any trace of relief: "Mr. Cai is really good at knowing things. Let's go and talk in the room."
The two of them walked to the study together and sat down respectively. Ye Yongjia took a sip of warm tea and continued: "Niu Yuan lost power due to the Rong Qing incident, and probably wanted to regain his prestige, so he brought back last year's border army reform. I have been ordered to inform the border troops that there must be wise men like Mr. Cai by my side, so I ask you to go with me to help with the reform."
"You don't need to ask me to do this, I will go with you no matter what!" Cai Xianqing said resolutely, "But I don't know what Tinglong thinks."
Ye Yongjia smiled bitterly: "Junior has already told you that I can only fulfill my part of the responsibility for the New Deal. I cannot build any new ideas on this foundation like Mr. Wei did. I have no choice but to let others manipulate me and resign myself to fate."
"Tinglong doesn't have to be so pessimistic. Maybe this is a great opportunity to save the country." Cai Xianqing encouraged.
"You don't have to worry about me. I can't help but think about things when I have nothing to do..." Ye Yongjia shook his head and sighed, "I hope it won't affect you anymore."
"Your views are also very insightful. It's called preparing for a rainy day," Cai Xianqing said with a smile, "but now the things in front of you are the most important."
"Yeah." Ye Yongjia closed his eyes and rubbed his brow bone, trying to interrupt his previous thinking.
"What do you want to do when you get there?" Seeing him open his eyes, Cai Xianqing immediately went up and asked.
"Mr. Cai, after reading this foreign book, I understand the importance of firearms more and more." Ye Yongjia took out the book again and put it on the table. "The most important thing now is to form a group of people who are accustomed to using guns and artillery." The new army will surely be able to defend the enemy from outside the country!"
