After a year, he once again set foot on this frontier land. Suidi Town is no longer as peaceful as it used to be. The wooden fences in the camp are nailed tightly, and there are soldiers carrying wood everywhere. The officers are shouting and cursing at the top of their lungs, and the air is filled with tension - here It actually became 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 a little 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 His Majesty's edict." Cai Xianqing said coldly.
"Oh, it was due to neglect of duty." The officer quickly turned his face to 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, his name was Du Qing. He was promoted because his predecessor took the blame for the loss of Xuanhua for Shi Yiyi and had been dismissed according to law. This man had a plain temperament and cared deeply about the hardships of the soldiers. He was loved by the frontier troops. It was thanks to him that Shi Yiyi organized the defense line of Suidi Town, forcing the captives to retreat and maintaining his only face.
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 and Chief Cai, two lieutenant envoys." He bowed calmly several times.
Cai Xianqing was very happy to see his calm and measured 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 really extraordinary. 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. He is far away from here, so it is better to ride on horseback." Du Qing replied.
Ye Yongjia waved his hand and said: "No need, let's walk. 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 impatient, he can really keep his composure! If the imperial court sends this person to deliver the message, he will definitely succeed immediately! ’ Then he cupped his hands and said, “I obey your orders!”
"What I'm most interested in is how your firearms are developing. I wonder if there has been any improvement since I last came here?"
"There has been progress, but to tell you the truth, the effect is really not good," Du Qing smiled, "At the end of last year, Lord Shi organized a new army to use fire cannons to defend against the Northern invaders. Those The fireguns were all polished beautifully, but when they went to the battlefield, they actually injured their own troops and made them laugh and cry. It was troublesome to build this thing, and the gunpowder and lead used cost a lot. Even if you teach the 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 Jianxin Army cannot tolerate any sloppiness, otherwise how can it be effective? In the future, we will still need to rely on the general to make decisions. I hope you can support me."
'As a deputy, what decision can I make for him? Could it be..." Du Qing suddenly understood, suddenly stopped, and looked at Ye Yongjia seriously: "Du doesn't know the essence of fire and gunfire, and there is no need to worry about a little nonsense. Whenever the imperial court orders me to train the new army, how dare I refuse and stand in the way! If the Holy Spirit joins me, According to the decree, as a minister, I will fight to the death, and I will 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 sight of discarded armor on the battlefield still frightened him, so much so that his face now looked 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, the imperial decree must be followed." 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 says: 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 dropped their weapons and rushed to take a look, but they saw that Shi Yiyi had been pushed out with his hands tied.
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!"
"Fellow soldiers!" Du Qing hurriedly appeared and spoke, "Shi Yiyi lost his troops and lost ground. His fault was the most serious 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, and everyone remained the same. Not moving a step.
The situation was critical, Ye Yongjia winked at Cai Xianqing, and the latter walked 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, guilty of both crimes, and intolerable, so 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 continued to read out the edict: "The army cannot be without a commander for a day. Du Qing has the merits of repelling the enemy and is diligent in prevention and control. This generation is the governor of Xuanhua. Do not disappoint me. I admire this!"
After hearing this, Du Qing's eyes shone 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. When they heard that Du Qing had taken over, they cheered and knelt down one after another: "Thank you for the grace!"
