Chapter Thirteen: When Will Pyongyang's Song and Dance Stop?

  On August 25, Nie Shicheng had returned to China the day before. Ye Zhiwei led the three battalions of cavalry and infantry, totaling over 1,700 people. They were divided into two battalions of Lutai Huailei Army, one battalion of Yongzi Camp, and a team of nine teams with open-fire cannons. Among them were five Krupp-style breech-loading cannons (two of which were captured from the Japanese army, whose artillery at that time consisted of old German Krupp cannons and old bronze cannons, which were inferior to the steel cannons of the Beiyang Army), four Gruson-style steel cannons (quick-firing guns), a special warfare team, and over 400 Korean soldiers who had retreated with Cheng Huan were also handed over to Ye Zhiwei to command.

  At this time, there were four routes of Huai Army stationed in Korea. They were the "Sheng" army led by Ningxia Town General Wei Rugui, who was a titular general; unfortunately, this army "encountered bandits and fled, encountered objects and looted, without any scruples". On the way to Korea, they "harassed along the way, causing their reputation to be tarnished, and their harassment in Korea was even more severe"; General Ma Yukun led a part of the "Yi" army with 2,000 soldiers; Gaozhou Town General Zuo Baogui led the "Feng" army, which was originally stationed in the Fengtian area, with 3,500 soldiers; Deputy General Fu Xing'a led the Fengtian Xingziying and Jilin Xingjun, which were originally stationed in the Fengtian area, with 1,500 soldiers. The Fengtian Xingziying under Fu Xing'a had no combat effectiveness and was notorious for its weakness, being sarcastically called "duck egg soldiers" to mock their " inability to withstand bumps". In addition, there were 35 battalions of Ye Zhi's troops, totaling 17,000 people.

  The five armies gathered inside and outside Pingdu City, with Ye Zhi-chao as the commander-in-chief. Suddenly, a strong wind blew and a storm was approaching.

  On the evening of the 25th, Min Byeong-seok, the governor of Pyongan Province, invited the military commanders to a banquet. Ye Zhi-kui had been busy for several days with the special troops' affairs and the new two battalions he had just taken over. Although Feng Guo-zhang and Wen Bai-shan were helping him, some decisions could only be made by himself. Ye Zhi-kui regretted that his parents did not give birth to a few more pairs of hands and feet for him. At this time, Ye Zhi-chao had not yet convened the commanders to discuss battle plans, but Min Byeong-seok was already hosting a banquet, it seemed that the generals were indeed "confident" about this war.

  Ye Zhi Kui wouldn't pretend to be noble and refused the invitation. He led Feng Guozhang, Wen Baishan, and that little sycophant Linglong to the Pingyang Taoist Temple with its yellow glazed tiles and hard mountain peaks, which looked extremely beautiful. Ye Zhi Kui didn't have the heart to appreciate the scenery and walked straight in.

  Ye Zhi Kui arrived relatively late, inside was already a lively and bustling scene with cups and dishes clinking together.

  Ye Zhiwei led the crowd to greet Ye Zhichao and sat down, from the strict military camp to this bustling place, Ye Zhiwei, although not adapted for a while, still got up to visit other leaders, first of all, that famous war hero who insisted on fighting to the death at Pyongyang Xuanwu Gate, Zuo Baogui. Zuo Baogui's parents died early, he was alone and had no one to rely on, he had sold goods on the street, repaired shoes, didn't read much, but valued literature and art.

  After Ye Zhiwei, he had to borrow more from him, and he was very respectful of this old general, so he was very strict in his etiquette, with great respect. Zuo Baogui was very enthusiastic about Ye Zhiwei, without much pretension, with a smile on his face, and praised the young man as not bad.

  Weiruogui and Mayukun were both brave men, and they were also quite uninhibited. They pulled Ye Zhikui to drink several large bowls of wine, and as a junior, Ye Zhikui could only be bullied. Often when they drank one bowl of wine, Ye Zhikui had to drink two. This made Ye Zhikui's heart tremble with fear. Finally, Mayukun patted Ye Zhikui's shoulder forcefully and praised: "Good kid, you can drink, you're a real man."

  Ye Zhi Kui's face twisted in a snarl, and he muttered under his breath. "Tonight, this arm is useless." The last Da Tong, Feng Sheng A, was from a noble Manchu family of the Zheng Bai Banner, and he didn't fit in with the entire banquet at all. Why would he even bother with you, a newly promoted little general?

  Ye Zhi Kui had just sat back in his seat for a short while when Min Bingzhu appeared in front of him, escorting a woman who walked in with a group of palace maids following behind. The woman's hair was piled high on her head, and she shone with a clear and icy beauty, her pearls and jewels sparkling brightly, her elegant clothes shimmering. Her steps were light and hesitant, as if she was about to stop but hadn't yet come to a halt. Among this group of rough men and the chattering courtesans, she stood out as exceptionally noble and refined. Little Ling'er put down the pastry in her mouth and pointed at the woman, saying to Ye Zhi Kui, "Uncle, it's Sister Min."

  Ye Zhi Kui had already recognized Min Fei, but was just lowering his head to drink wine and not making a sound. When he heard the words, he said: "Good, good." Wen Bai Shan understood what was going on but pretended not to know, while Feng Guo Zhang didn't understand what was going on but seemed to be thinking deeply.

  Min Byung-seok first introduced Min-hui to the crowd, and Min-hui smiled slightly and bowed slightly to greet everyone. Then, Min-hui went around one by one, leading the toast, expressing gratitude to the generals for saving Joseon from the flames, hoping that the generals would continue to resist the Japanese invasion, and wishing the army to defeat the Japanese.

  When it was Ye Zhi's turn, Empress Min's eyes flickered and she didn't dare to look directly at him. Ye Zhi also ignored her and quietly drank his wine. After drinking three cups, he left. Even someone as clever as Feng Guozhang could see that there was an illicit relationship between the two of them.

  After Queen Min finished a round of toasts, she took her leave with the palace maidens. It was only then that the people below began to discuss and express their admiration for the queen of Joseon (the wife of the king of Joseon is referred to as "fei", but in reality holds a position equivalent to an empress). Ye Zhi Kui felt a bit stifled in his chest, stood up and said: "Hua Fu, Bai Shan, you two take your time, I'm going to relieve myself." Little Ling'er was left behind.

  He quickly walked out the door, and Ye Zhi Kui saw that Empress Min was about to disappear around the corner. He couldn't care less about his demeanor, and with one swift step, he rushed forward. The palace maids saw him approaching and stepped forward to block him. Ye Zhi Kui's face darkened as he shouted, "Scram!" Empress Min had no choice but to order her attendants to leave first.

  After only two people were left, Queen Min looked at Ye Zhongkui and said: "General Ye, you and I have different identities, please don't make it difficult for me."

  Ye Zhi's eyes stared blankly at her, not saying a word. Suddenly, he pulled her into the side room with one hand, kicked the door shut with his foot, and pressed her against the wall, with only the sound of each other's heartbeat between them.

  Ye Zhi Kui hadn't waited for Min Fei to react before he kissed her lips, Min Fei first used force to pat Ye Zhi Kui's shoulders, then hugged him tightly and responded passionately, their tongues entwined together, only separating after a long time. Ye Zhi Kui gently stroked Min Fei's face and said softly: "Xian Zhu, I will take you away from here."

  He finished speaking and ignored Empress Min's reaction, striding away quickly, leaving behind a beauty secretly wiping away tears.

  When Deng Yujiao returned to the banquet again, the dinner party was almost over, and everyone said goodbye and left.

  Ye Zhi Kui walked out of the door with a bit of annoyance, followed by Feng Guo Zhang and Wen Bai Shan. Both were intelligent men who didn't dare to speak to him.

  It was around 8 or 9 o'clock in the evening, as the war was about to break out, Pyongyang implemented a curfew, and there were few people on the streets, and those who were there were hurrying to and fro.

  Xiao Ling pulled at Ye Zhi Kui's sleeve and asked in a soft voice, "Uncle, uncle, look, Ling has so many pastries." She showed him the pastries she had just taken from the banquet.

  Ye Zhi's heart was actually not good, and he perfunctorily said: "Yes, yes, my little Ling is very fierce."

  Xiao Linglong stuffed a pastry into Uncle Ye's mouth, muttering: "Uncle is unhappy, give uncle something to eat."

  Ye Zhi pinched the small Ling's chubby cheeks and smiled: "It's still our little Ling who cares about Uncle."

  "Who's there?" Behind him, Feng Guozhang suddenly shouted. Ye Zhiyuan looked up and saw a black figure holding a knife jumping down from the eaves, stabbing at him with one swift motion. The black figure hadn't arrived yet, but his voice had: "Ye sir, today is the day you meet your demise."

  Japanese! Ye Zhi Kui judged from his strange emphasis, and at this time, five or six black-clothed men came running from the corner, the situation was very critical.