The Imperial Guard camp all stayed in Biyang.
Ye Suijin had already decided that the Imperial Guards would withdraw from farming in the future and become full-time combat soldiers. There was no choice but to withdraw from farming in order to train elite troops.
The soldiers Third Son Ye brought back were all garrison troops. Now rushing back, they could still help harvest soybeans and plant winter wheat.
Among these soldiers, some also quietly asked their superiors, "So does passing the third major exam mean we've been officially recruited?"
"Of course, fool," the superior laughed and said, "Being alive now means you've been officially recruited."
The troops went to Fangcheng first, because Fangcheng originally belonged to Tangzhou.
Qin Huailu, the county magistrate of Fangcheng, was originally the county magistrate of Neixiang County. He was recommended to Ye Suijin by He Zhou because of his expertise in practical affairs. Ye Suijin appointed him as the magistrate of Fangcheng.
When he first arrived, Fangcheng was a complete blank slate. There were many bodies to be buried, and not a single living person left in the county government.
Fortunately, he had been informed of the situation here beforehand, so what more could he say? He just rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
At that time, several of the Ye sons were in Fangcheng for disaster relief, as well as Mr. Yang. Everyone worked together wholeheartedly to clean up Fangcheng, followed by receiving refugees.
But Third Son Ye was called back early, because he was appointed to Nanyang.
Therefore, Qin Huailu was not as familiar with Third Son Ye as with other sons like Zhao Langjun, but at least they had some connection.
When the grain was delivered, Qin Huailu heaved a huge sigh of relief. He stroked the bags of grains as if he was about to press his face against them.
"Now I can rest assured," he said with great satisfaction.
Third Son Ye smiled.
When they sat down for tea, Qin Huailu naturally wanted to ask about the situation on Ye Suijin's side.
Third Son Ye said, "We now have effective control over Shangma, Ciqiu and Biyang. Everything has been cleaned up very thoroughly."
What does “clean up” and “thorough” mean? No one understood better than Qin Huailu.
How “clean” Fangcheng had been "cleaned up"!
It could be said that nine out of ten houses were empty.
Now Fangcheng's population consisted entirely of outsiders with accents. There were also few elderly people, mostly young and middle-aged.
If Third Son Ye considered this “clean”, it meant the Ye family army had strong control over the place, and there should be no local resistance left.
Qin Huailu raised a finger and pointed up: "Then..."
To Qin Huailu’s surprise, Third Son Ye understood his meaning.
Qin Huailu was from Dengzhou, not like those people from Biyang who were fooled by Ye Suijin's fake seal. He was very clear that in the emperor's appointment of Ye Suijin, she was only appointed to govern Dengzhou.
So he understood very well that Ye Suijin's actions in Tangzhou were actually unauthorized, killing first and reporting later.
Qin Huailu had been worried all along.
Because Fangcheng was further north than Ciqiu! He was at the northernmost end of Tangzhou!
Further north was the territory under the emperor's direct control.
How could he not be anxious? Of course he was afraid that Provincial Governor Ye's unauthorized actions would provoke the emperor's wrath.
"Don't worry. We and the other side..." Third Son Ye gestured northward with his thumb, "have already talked it over."
Not the emperor, but the "other side", and he used the word "talked over". This meant everything was handled under the table.
As an official of low birth, Qin Huailu understood instantly.
"Oh, great, great!" Although this was not good to talk about openly, his rubbing of his hands expressed clear joyful emotions.
Third Son Ye felt it very clearly.
He left Fangcheng and entered Dengzhou, first going to Pingnan County's Changping Warehouse - the grain for this mobilization was mainly from Changping Warehouse in Nanyang. Because Nanyang was closest to Dengzhou.
So of course the Changping Warehouse in Nanyang also had to be replenished first.
Ye Jingyi was also very happy to see him.
After looking him up and down, he affirmed, "You've killed many more people again."
Third Son Ye was surprised: "Is it that obvious?"
"I don't know if others can see it," Ye Jingyi said, "But I can definitely feel it."
Third Son Ye didn't say anything more, just grabbed his shoulder and squeezed hard.
Ye Jingyi held his arm and also squeezed hard.
When people have gone through something together, sometimes no words are needed to communicate.
Now Dengzhou had been fortified, and it was very safe throughout.
The grain did not need to be personally escorted to Neixiang and Ruan counties by the third and fourth sons. The convoy was split up, and the brothers returned to the Ye Family Fort.
Soybean harvesting had already started now. The people in the fields were very happy to see their men coming back with them. After the soybean harvest came turning the soil and planting winter wheat, all labor-intensive work, and it was a race against time.
The men's return was so great.
Some families' men had joined the Imperial Guards and did not come back. That was fine too. Since garrison troops were allocated, there would naturally be arrangements in the fort.
Grain was more important than anything.
Before entering the fort, they went past the barracks first.
The trained soldiers had been taken away in large numbers by Ye Suijin, and there were constant mobilizations. But new recruits were housed in the dugouts of the barracks, training.
Because it was cold, the stoves at the entrances of the dugouts were kept burning, so inside the dugouts was warm.
Now dugouts were also built in the refugee settlements in Dengzhou's counties. Very useful, far better at retaining warmth than the shacks built by the refugees themselves.
Ye Suijin had made refugee survival through the winter a hard standard for county magistrates' performance reviews, so no one dared to cut corners.
The military craftsmen camp was not far from the barracks, the fires burning intensely, non-stop day and night.
There really was no other way, because the speed of production could not keep up with the scale of expansion.
For now, they could only prioritize weapons first.
But everything would get better in the future, Third Son Ye knew, and believed deeply.
Not long after leaving the barracks, they saw the ramparts of the Ye Family Fort.
The towering fort walls that had seemed so tall since childhood now looked different.
"They look shorter," Fourth Son said with feeling, "How did they get shorter?"
Third Son peered at them.
Of course it was because they had seen higher walls, owned bigger cities.
Ye Family Fort, it's so small!
Once they reached Ye Family Fort and saw the elders who stayed home, reported on things, the elders smiled and said, "Go on, hurry and go see your wives."
Especially Third Son Ye, whose wife was six months pregnant. She must miss her husband when he was not by her side.
Fourth Son was already impatient, and with the elders' permission, said to Third Son, "Third brother, we're home!"
Third Son said, "Go on."
Fourth Son hurried off like the wind.
Third Son Ye also returned to his own home.
His mother, Fourth Madam, and his wife were already waiting for him. Since the men had to see the elders first when they came back to talk about important matters, the two women could only wait eagerly at home.
Third Son Ye finally came back: "Mother, I'm back."
Fourth Madam held his hand and looked closely, distressed, "You're tanned."
He didn't seem to have gotten thinner, on the contrary he looked even sturdier.
But as a mother looking closely at her son, she always felt there was something different about his face compared to before, though she couldn't say exactly what.
His features hadn't changed. Still thick brows and big eyes, straight nose, very upright and pleasing features.
Third Son Ye smiled and said, "We all got tanned. Only Sixth Sister and Ajin won't tan no matter how long they're exposed, so annoying."
While he complained verbally, his eyes looked towards his pregnant wife.
Of course his mother understood. A good relationship between the young couple was a good thing. Fourth Madam laughed and said, "After such a long and dusty journey, you must not have slept well outside either. Go on, go back to wash up and rest well."
But when the young couple bowed to take their leave, she covered her mouth and coughed loudly.
Third Son: "What's wrong? Did you catch a cold?"
Fourth Madam: "No, ate too much candy, throat's a little sticky."
Third Son reprimanded: "Eat less."
But his wife lowered her head, not daring to look up.
Before Third Son came in, Fourth Madam had repeatedly warned her: "He's young and vigorous, don't indulge him. You're precious now, can't have any mishaps. You must remember!"
With her mother-in-law's cough, only she understood, blushing to her ears.
The young couple returned to their own courtyard.
After entering the main room, Third Son casually closed the door, then hugged his wife. He buried his face in the crook of her neck.
She was startled, thinking her mother-in-law's words had come true, her husband had been holding back his urges for half a month.
"No, no, my belly..." she said in a fluster.
But instead of any further moves, Third Son just buried his face in her neck and murmured, "Tong Niang, don't move, just let me hold you for a while."
Tong Niang stopped.
As his bedmate, how could she not understand?
She raised her arms and hugged him back, asking softly, "Killed many more people again, right?"
It was the same last time too, when he came back from Nanyang.
The whole Ye Family Fort was immersed in the joy of Sixth Miss becoming the military governor of Dengzhou. But when Third Son Ye returned to his room, he hugged her tightly without saying a word, just holding her.
Then he fell into a deep slumber.
"Mm," Third Son Ye murmured lowly, "Don't ask."
The last time, he had only ordered the soldiers to put in shackles those who deserved death and carry out the executions together.
This time, he killed fathers in front of their children, husbands in front of their wives, and sons in front of their mothers.
Because the Li family were bold and reckless, when the Ye family troops went to ransack their home, they organized the family guards to resist.
This could not be allowed.
This was something Sixth Miss would never tolerate.
For people like them, Sixth Miss only gave them one path.
The path of death.
And he was the one responsible for blocking off that path.
Breathing in his wife's scent, Third Son Ye finally relaxed completely. It was winter, and the wind was strong, blowing the skies clear of every cloud, so the sunshine was very nice.
Tong Niang sat at the edge of the bed, gently caressing her bulging belly, and glancing up to see the dust motes floating in the air.
She desperately hoped this child would be a boy as well.
Every man with a household and business needed sons. The Ye family's current circumstances especially called for that.
It was a pity her first child had died prematurely.
Of course everyone had comforted her about it. But some less tactful women had said, "You'll get used to it."
How could she get used to it?
Tong Niang stared blankly at the floating dust.
Of course she also knew that typically seven births would result in four premature deaths and three living.
This was what had happened in her husband's family. Third Son Ye's mother had given birth seven times in total, and in the end only Third Son Ye, Fifth Son Ye, and Twelfth Sister Ye had survived.
Third Son Ye was the eldest brother of this generation in the main family, because the older Big Brother Ye and Second Brother Ye had died prematurely. But those were children who had at least lived past five years old, were officially entered into the family records, and given "Big Brother" and "Second Brother" as their birth order.
Those who died before five years old were never recorded in the family tree.
Her first child had been like that. There wasn't even a grave, because the child was too small to be buried with ceremony.
She gently stroked her bulging belly with one hand.
This time, the baby must grow up strong and healthy!
Hearing movement beside her, she turned her head. Third Son Ye was sleeping deeply, his furrowed brows slowly relaxing.
He'd said a good long sleep would make everything better.
But only at home with her by his side could he properly get that sleep.
Tong Niang carefully extracted her other hand from Third Son Ye's grip and tucked the quilt snugly around him.
She leaned over with difficulty and planted a light kiss on his temple.
Third Son Ye's brows smoothed out completely.
