Ye Shikai’s parents passed away, and at the age of eighteen he was all alone. If the tiline had stopped at that point, perhaps he truly wouldn’t want to go back, as there was nothing worth longing for; returning would be aningless. However, Chen Yuxin is pregnant, and that unborn child is Ye Shikai’s flesh and blood, he has no reason to abandon them, not to ntion those friends and brothers.
"To say I don’t want to go back at all would be a lie." Frankly, Ye Shikai is not a heartless person, moreover, there are many people in Yanjing that he misses. When he was inexplicably transported by that beam of light to the Qin Dynasty, he didn’t even have ti to explain the situation to them.
"Husband, wherever you go, I will follow." He Linghan’s eyes flashed with seriousness, and after speaking, she tightly embraced Ye Shikai’s arm. Clearly, she was unwilling to let Ye Shikai go.
"Alright, Ling’er, I will always be with you." Ye Shikai casually pulled her into his embrace.
"Husband, if you truly want to go back, then I will accompany you."
"Don’t overthink it." Ye Shikai gently stroked her forehead. To be honest, he currently has no idea how to go back, and investigating it is very difficult. First, he must find a cultivator, and not just any cultivator, but one who understands ’strange arts’, like Xu Fu. However, Xu Fu should have already crossed to Penglai by now and isn’t here. Even if he found Xu Fu, there’s no guarantee he would tell Ye Shikai the way back. Moreover, if people found out that Ye Shikai traveled here from another era, it would undoubtedly affect him, perhaps even pose a mortal threat. Hence, such questions cannot be asked recklessly. In his mind, the only person who might be able to help him is Hua Liandie. But... how should he approach this topic?
"Just stay at ho and live well. If there’s nothing going on in the camp, I’ll often co back to visit. You also shouldn’t overwork yourself at ho." Ye Shikai said with concern.
"You need to be careful too. Things are busy in the camp; don’t overstrain yourself. I heard from Xue San that lately, you’ve been training the convict soldiers."
"You seem to know quite a bit." Ye Shikai lightly flicked her forehead and said softly, "Alright, you must be hungry. I’ll cook for you myself."
"Husband." He Linghan suddenly grabbed his arm, "Let the servants do the cooking. You’re the master of the house now; it wouldn’t be fitting for you to cook. Or, let cook instead."
Ye Shikai nearly forgot, this is the Qin Dynasty, where the concepts differ from modern tis. If it were modern tis, a husband cooking for his wife is quite common. But in a feudal society, cooking is not the work of the master.
"Let the servants do it then."
...............
The camp.
"Old Ye, here’s the supply list from the Commander Mansion. I’ve sent soldiers to receive it." Ye Shikai took the bamboo slip handed over by Shangguan Jian and opened it for a careful look.
"Why is there so much less? I’m commanding ten thousand troops, last month they sent twelve thousand stones of grain, but this month there’s only seven thousand stones. As for armants, there’s only sixty percent compared to last month." After reading it, Ye Shikai frowned, anger subtly brewing; logistical support is the foundation of command, without sufficient supplies, how can he lead troops?
"Shangguan, how did the Commander Mansion explain this?" Ye Shikai pressed on.
"Mr. Ma did not co out; it was explained by the Prefecture Governor. He said that the yield in the county was bad this month, so the supplies given to us are only according to regular Qin Army standards."
"Damn it." Upon hearing this, Ye Shikai threw the bamboo slip onto the ground. This is clearly an excuse. Now, to prevent grain from falling into the hands of the rebel armies and robbers, all counties are intensifying the collection from the villages. How in the world could there be a lack of grain in the county? Ye Shikai is not a three-year-old child, he is not that easy to trick.
"Old Ye, if you ask , previously the county was willing to provide so many resources to encourage us to train these convict soldiers wholeheartedly. Now that they see results, they want to kick us to the curb. If any accidents occur due to this, we’ll have to resolve it," Shangguan Jian expressed his opinion.
"You’re right, they don’t want us to expand." Ye Shikai nodded in agreent.
"Old Ye, currently there’s less than fifty thousand garrison troops in East County, with ten thousand elite under your command. Among the remaining generals, none have greater military authority than you. Mr. Ma might be secretly scheming against us." Shangguan Jian’s worries were not unfounded, as from ancient tis, accomplishnts overshadowing rulership have happened before. Although Ma Yao is not Emperor, he is the Commander of the county, the one in charge of leading troops. His support for Ye Shikai primarily stems from wanting to secure his position, possibly seeking promotion. As long as Ye Shikai remains under his command, every victory scored, Ma Yao could claim half the credit for "leading well."
But should Ye Shikai’s military command grow larger, it would directly threaten Ma Yao’s official position, potentially replacing him one day. Don’t forget, Ye Shikai has earned the favor of ng Tian, as the Great General of the court, the Emperor’s most trusted general. If ng Tian were to say a few words, promoting the battle-winning Ye Shikai to beco Commander wouldn’t be impossible.
"Not for now. At present, the rebel armies and robber bandits in the county remain the primary threats to the Commander Mansion. Without , who under Ma Yao has the capability to handle them?" Ye Shikai waved his hand. Ma Yao is no fool, he’s an ’old fox’; he wouldn’t commit the foolish act of ’cutting off his own arm.’
"What should we do now?"
"Are the provisions sent enough to use?" Ye Shikai inquired.
"Barely."
"Alright, this month we’ll hold off. I’ll personally go talk to Ma Yao so other day." Ye Shikai nodded, acknowledging that there’s no other way. He’s a general now, and can’t just ’raid’ the county for grain like before; such folly Ye Shikai wouldn’t commit.
"Old Ye, I’m afraid you won’t even get to see him. If Ma Yao truly wants to brush us off, he won’t make himself available; he’ll just find so excuse to evade."
"Alright, you head off first; give so ti to think."
"Alright then."
"Report, Commander Wan Qi requests an audience." Suddenly, a guard entered the tent to report.
"Wan Qi Yuan has co, please invite him in." Ye Shikai said calmly. Although Wan Qi Yuan is a Wolf Clan man, Ye Shikai has made an exception and promoted him to the new commander of the cavalry unit. As part of Ye Shikai’s old team, Wan Qi Yuan commands two thousand iron cavalry, showing how much Ye Shikai trusts him.
"Greetings, General Ye."
"Wan Qi Yuan, what brings you here?" Ye Shikai understood him well; this Wolf Clan man is usually not talkative nor fond of socializing, with a sowhat solitary character. But for him to co voluntarily today, there must be sothing important.
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