In the famine, others ate Guanyin soil, but he had space to build a farm.

Ye Cheng's current situation is indeed enviable, and he is in the prime of his career. More than two years have passed since he was entrusted with the important task of governor of Henan County. During this time, he devoted himself to local governance with all his heart and soul, winning unanimous praise from senior officials at the time and being regarded as a rare doer. Ye Cheng's talent is not only reflected in his strategy and command on the battlefield, but also in his deep understanding and innovation in many fields closely related to the military. For example, in reforming the settlement system and solving the problem of military pay shortage, he showed extraordinary insight and execution, which won the emperor's appreciation and praise.

Ye Cheng's contribution did not stop there. He also strictly supervised the sale and transaction of land, effectively curbing the phenomenon of large-scale annexation of land by wealthy households and officials. This policy made the financial situation of Henan County significantly better than that of other counties, and it was able to collect generous taxes for the country every year. Ye Cheng firmly believed that with his talent and governance ability, he should have the opportunity to enter the court and become an important figure of the cabinet, leading the Great Kun Kingdom to a more prosperous future, just like the prosperity he created in Henan County.

In sharp contrast, the situation in Northwest County, Southwest County and their surrounding counties was extremely bad, with frequent rebellions and people living in poverty. Ever since Sun Ting transferred him to command this rebellion operation, Ye Cheng knew that his opportunity had come. He firmly believed that as long as he completely eliminated these rebels, he would not only be rewarded by the emperor, but also have the opportunity to step into the capital's first cabinet and become a member of the country's decision-making level.

However, this success seemed to make Ye Cheng a little conceited and proud. He always had the lofty ambition of "who else but me can suppress the bandits". Sun Ting, the Minister of War, was both his superior and his mentor, but he couldn't help but look down on him. Today, he has forced Lin Kunlun's army to only more than 2,000 people, and surrounded them tightly. He firmly believed that the feat of capturing Lin Kunlun and presenting him as a prisoner to the emperor, which he had dreamed of for many days, would soon become a reality. He couldn't help but feel poetic and wanted to chant today's glorious military exploits.

Just as Ye Cheng was immersed in the joy of his upcoming victory and was about to chant his glorious military exploits, a soldier hurried over to report that he had brought a messenger from Sun Ting. The messenger conveyed Sun Ting's message, saying that there was an important matter that needed to be discussed in person. Ye Cheng immediately realized that this might be a message of emergency from Kyoto, and the court once again urged him to return to the capital quickly. When he thought of the upcoming battle with the barbarians, his poetic inspiration suddenly disappeared.

Ye Cheng returned to the central military tent without hesitation, preparing to face the upcoming challenge.

"Congratulations, sir! After tonight, we will be able to put down the rebellion! You will be promoted rapidly!" As soon as Ye Cheng stepped into the central military tent, all his officers immediately knelt on the ground and congratulated him in unison.

Listening to the compliments from his subordinates, Ye Cheng's face flushed, and his mood became much happier. After all, he had indeed experienced countless hardships and challenges during this period of time.

"Sir! Please look! This is the victory report we drafted!" At this moment, a trusted aide held a memorial in his hand, carefully placed it on the table, and then respectfully stepped aside.

Ye Cheng quickly picked up the memorial and began to read it carefully. However, as he read more, his expression gradually became heavy.

"Sir! What do you think? Is there anything missing in the memorial?"

Ye Cheng raised his head and glanced at several confidants present, his expression was complicated and unpredictable.

"If this memorial was published under normal circumstances, it would naturally be impeccable. But now that the barbarians are invading the capital, it may not be appropriate for us to exaggerate our achievements at this time..." Ye Cheng frowned and slowly put down the memorial in his hand.

"Sir! I think there is no exaggeration in this memorial. If it weren't for your planning, how could these rebels be trapped here! Moreover, the soldiers who followed you have made great achievements, how can these achievements be easily erased! Now our army is about to quell the rebels. It only takes half a day to defeat the enemy and pacify this area! If you can take this opportunity to make more achievements, the emperor will definitely reward you. By then, your achievements will surpass those of the ministers in the court and reach a higher level!"

"If it were any other time, your thoughts would be understandable. But this time, the timing is not right. If we act too aggressively, I'm afraid the ministers in the court will be afraid of us. They just need to let us go with the flow and face the challenge of the barbarians. Do you think our troops can really resist those barbarians?" Ye Cheng was full of contradictions at the moment. He was eager to show his achievements to the court, but he was not sure whether he could defeat those barbarians.

In fact, it was not just them. All officials in the entire Dakun, including those in the court, could not help but show some fear when they mentioned the barbarians. As we all know, although the barbarians were less than tens of thousands, they dared to compete with the Dakun Dynasty! In a field battle, a few hundred of them could defeat the Dakun Dynasty's elite troops of thousands of people. That was the most elite border army of the Dakun Dynasty.

Dakun has been trying his best to suppress the barbarians, but these barbarians have not only not perished, but their power has grown day by day, and now their population has reached one million. What is even more remarkable is that the tribes in the entire northern grassland now seem to be secretly led by them. As we all know, the tribes on the grassland are all unruly, and the fact that they are willing to accept the leadership of the barbarians is enough to prove that the fighting power of the barbarians is extraordinary.

As soon as Ye Cheng said this, all the generals present immediately fell silent. They all knew their own strength. Even against those rebels who had just put down their farm tools, they already felt powerless. If they really had to fight those barbarians head-on, it would be good if their soldiers didn't flee, let alone defeat them.

"Lord Ye! Didn't the Northeastern Frontier Army send troops to support Kyoto?" Ye Cheng took a deep breath, frowned, and after thinking for a moment, he slowly said: "The Northeastern Frontier Army did send reinforcements, but as far as I know, the Northeastern Army only sent a small number of elite cavalry! Even if they followed the barbarian army closely, it would be useless! Therefore, we still need the cooperation of other local armies to completely expel the barbarian army..."

He hadn't finished speaking yet, but everyone had understood what he meant. If they just handed in this memorial seeking merit, the officials in the court would probably take the opportunity to let them directly participate in the battle against the barbarians.

"Sir, what should we do?" a general asked worriedly.

Ye Cheng was silent for a moment, with a hint of determination in his eyes: "I have to inconvenience my brothers this time. This memorial needs to be slightly modified! Our casualties can be written as more serious! Moreover, the reporting time can be postponed for a few days. In this way, we have a few days to redeploy!"

"What about the rebellion here?" another general couldn't help but ask.

Ye Cheng smiled slightly, with a sly look in his eyes: "Lin Kunlun is trapped in a jar. We don't need to rush. Just continue to besiege him! Although they are under siege now, their fighting power is still strong! Fortunately, there is a lack of water on that mountain! I believe they can't hold on for too long. When they are exhausted, their fighting power will surely be greatly reduced! Therefore, we don't need to rush to attack."

After hearing this, everyone expressed their agreement. Ye Cheng's order was quickly passed down, and the entire army immediately began to move. Soldiers set up more roadblocks at various dangerous intersections to prevent the rebels from escaping.

At this moment, the messenger sent by Sun Ting was finally brought to Ye Cheng.

"Greetings, Marshal Ye!" the soldier said respectfully.

"What business does Minister Sun have in sending you here for?" Ye Cheng asked in a deep voice.

"Reporting to Marshal Ye, the current situation is critical! How can we allow barbarians to trample on the important land of Kyoto! The Minister instructs you to end the battle here as soon as possible and lead the army to provide support..."

Sun Ting?

Ye Cheng raised his eyebrows slightly, cursing in his heart: "This old fox actually interferes at the critical moment! Isn't he afraid that my efforts will fail and the rebels will slip away?"

"We are currently at a critical moment in the encirclement and suppression of the rebels! But the main force of the rebels is unprecedentedly powerful! Please tell Minister Sun to give us ten days! We will be able to end the battle within ten days! By then, I will lead the soldiers to rush to support us overnight!" Ye Cheng even hoped to delay it for a day. It was not that he was unwilling to contribute to the country, but he knew that with these soldiers who had never experienced a real war to face the barbarians, the chances of winning were slim.

"Marshal Ye! Lord Sun is also under great pressure! His Majesty has ordered him many times to mobilize troops from the west to provide support!" The messenger was obviously close to Sun Ting.

"We can't rush into this matter! We have worked so hard to create today's situation! Now these rebels have been surrounded by us! If we are careless and let them escape, all our previous efforts will be in vain! What's more, if they flee to Henan County or other counties, they can get more supplies! In that case, they will be even more difficult to deal with!" Ye Cheng naturally would not reveal that he was actually confident that the battle could end tomorrow.

"Marshal Ye! Today's observation shows that the rebels are only trapped between a few hills. Why delay for so long? Marshal Ye should understand that there is no greater merit than saving the Lord! No matter how many rebels you kill here, how can it compare with the merit of going to Kyoto to defend the king!" The messenger's words at this moment revealed his guess - these generals were obviously unwilling to go to Kyoto to fight the barbarians. However, his mission was to persuade them to go to Kyoto. Otherwise, the pressure on Sun Ting as the Minister of War would be too great.

"A trapped beast will still fight! What's more, this rebel group is different from other rebel groups! There are many veterans from the Northeast among them! We must first surround them and starve them of food and water! In this way, their combat effectiveness and control over the soldiers will be reduced! Then we can use benefits to induce those soldiers to surrender without a fight in order to survive!"