Okay, here's the translation of the provided Chinese novel excerpt:

After recording the trivial matters that needed attention, Hou Yuanrong came to take Yu Hezhong away. Only then did Shishi ask Xiaoling to bring in some food. She picked up a piece of pastry, continuing to ponder the information Yu Hezhong had just presented. Looking up, she saw Xiaoling hesitated, so she asked, "What's wrong?"

"I just think... Mistress Shishi is too worried about Mr. Yu..."

Xiaoling smiled, but her words sounded somewhat insincere. Shishi ate the pastry and then smiled as well, "Xiaoling, you don't really have a good impression of Mr. Yu, do you?"

"I just think... it's so late, Mistress Shishi should rest earlier..."

She was Shishi's personal secretary, understanding and following up on all kinds of trivial matters. After learning about Yu Hezhong's character, she naturally couldn't agree with him. Especially with Shishi's recent arrangements for him, which were so devoted and undoubtedly took up a lot of energy and time, she couldn't understand why.

Shishi thought about it behind her desk for a while before speaking, "Mr. Ning... often talks about revolution."

"Mm..."

"The word 'revolution' means revolutionizing one's own life and revolutionizing others' lives. So how can we revolutionize others' lives, Xiaoling?" Shishi held a brush in her hand and smiled, "We run schools in the countryside, write stories in books. When some people learn something and are inspired, we are of course very happy. We think these people are... active, motivated, and worthy of our efforts. We enjoy seeing them. But Mr. Ning... once said to me, 'Shishi, look at this world. Some people are born with good qualities, or they have ambition when we meet them, and they become people we like. But most people, whether in the city or the countryside, are lazy and have repulsive faces. Sometimes, even if you sincerely offer them good things, they won't take them. Even if you explain good principles to them clearly, they won't understand... What do we do with these people?'"

Shishi paused, "The Huaxia Army in the past... united some of the first enlightened people as comrades, and also began to enlighten those who were easily enlightened through various means. Back then in Bianliang, Mr. Ning said that those who hadn't awakened would die... But sooner or later, the Huaxia Army would march out, and everyone would come to us. Xiaoling, what do we do with those who have flaws? Just talking doesn't work. Telling them stories, they don't understand. What do we do with those who are cunning or simply lazy and selfish? This 'what do we do' mainly refers to what should we do. Sooner or later, we have to think about it..."

She tilted her head slightly, thought for a moment, and smiled faintly, "I remember... at that time, I mainly protested to him, 'Why can't we write our stories more elegantly?' He said we could write more elegantly, but we should also have something more vulgar, because we will face these people in the future. We can deal with them or even kill them if they commit crimes. But if they just lack ambition or are very lazy and stupid, shouldn't we consider using various methods, such as making the stories more appealing, explaining the principles more clearly, even if you think they are not so beautiful, they might be useful to others..."

"...Brother Yu is a very ordinary scholar. He has been taken care of by me since he was in his teens and twenties, seen the good life, has limited ability, and is somewhat unambitious. In the past year or so, the life of pleasure has made him lose himself. Compared to many people in the Huaxia Army, he is somewhat repulsive. But looking at it from another direction, he has at least read books and knows some characters, understands some principles, is not very courageous, but can heed some advice, and even if he has power and influence, he only spends money to throw at people and does not bully others... Can we also have some ways to make such a person... be a little more motivated?"

"...Of course, because Brother Yu is a friend of mine, I thought of some ways just for him, and even used the people of the Huaxia Army. It's a bit selfish. Whether it's right or wrong is hard to say, but it's like the monks I saw when I was a child. They save the world, and they also save individuals. Saving one brings a bit of joy... Xiaoling, for example, if you have such a friend that you dislike, would you help him if you could?"

"Uh..." Xiaoling hesitated for a moment, "I just... think Mistress Shishi should take care of your health so you can help more people, and... I haven't thought that much..."

Shishi laughed. After a while, as Xiaoling was about to turn around, she asked, "Xiaoling, have you heard any rumors about General Li Rulai?"

"General Li... what rumors?"

"...Rumors about him giving women away everywhere."

"This..." Xiaoling thought for a moment, "No, I haven't. I've only heard... that although he is a surrendered general, he has a lot of connections. There are rumors outside that they are going to take away his military power here. As a reward for his merits, maybe he'll become very wealthy and be allowed to open many factories. But giving women away... even if others knew, they wouldn't tell me..."

"I see." Shishi nodded.

After Xiaoling left, Shishi sat there and thought for a while. Li Rulai sending women to the army violated Ning Yi's bottom line. But as Xiaoling said, even if someone knew about this, they wouldn't easily publicize it to the female soldiers. So did Ning Yi know about this? Had he already put Li Rulai on the blacklist? Then should she ask about this matter, or should she investigate and then mention it? These were all things that needed to be considered.

Theoretically, if Ning Yi was vigilant, he should know about this. But if he didn't, how should she investigate? If someone in the intelligence system she asked had also received benefits from Li Rulai, what would she do? She had to be vigilant.

If only she could run a Jia Fan Lou... Thinking about it later, this thought arose in her heart. Brothels had always been a gathering place for all kinds of intelligence. Back when she was in the capital, all kinds of news, big and small, would eventually fall into her hands. But now, thinking about Ning Yi's possible reaction when she proposed this idea, she couldn't help but smile.

After thinking about it for a while, she went to bed to rest.

The next day, when she woke up, there was light snow in the courtyard outside. She did a set of dance moves outside as exercise, and then returned to the study. After organizing her thoughts, she sat down and wrote a letter to Ning Yi.

When she went to work, she took it to the Secretariat and asked them to wax-seal and deliver this "secret report."

This was the morning of December 17th.

The Secretariat packaged the various important intelligence and letters that had been compiled yesterday and quickly left Chengdu by fast horse. At about Shen Shi (3-5 PM) this afternoon, they met up with Ning Yi's convoy, which was on inspection. At this time, Ning Yi's team was temporarily resting at a military camp of the Fifth Huaxia Army north of the plain. At the same time, Ning Yi met with He Zhicheng, the commander of the Fifth Huaxia Army, who happened to be here. They were going to have a detailed discussion about Dai Mengwei's "big move" a few days ago and the current situation of the Huaxia Army.

At the second quarter of Shen Shi, the daylight was already fading. The two of them didn't bring too many guards and were fishing by a small river outside the military camp. The surrounding land and hills were covered in a thin layer of snow.

As the commander of the Fifth Army, He Zhicheng was thin and dry. Besides taking care of the army, his only hobby was occasional fishing. He was calm, meticulous, and patient. Some even joked that Ning Yi had let him manage the Fifth Army's affairs because he liked fishing.

Around noon, Ning Yi mentioned fishing, and He Zhicheng dragged him to this river, then chattered about the rules of fishing, such as the winter weather being cold, the best time to come out was noon, the hook should be placed deep, the bait should be alive as much as possible, and the taste should be strong. Ning Yi valued efficiency and didn't actually like fishing. He preferred using nets or simply bombing fish, but since the words had already come out of his mouth, he had to pretend to accompany the other party for two hours.

In between, they talked about military affairs.

After the victory of the Southwest War, the two main forces of the Huaxia Army were currently eager for war. There was no problem with conducting a new round of propaganda to cooperate with the land reform. But...

"...Recently, I've been considering letting the troops go to Chengdu and Zizhou less often. The idea is still brewing. I originally planned to talk about it when we meet for the New Year."

"What's going on?"

"Luxury and extravagance are causing some problems," He Zhicheng said, "Originally, it wouldn't be a big deal in the Wu Dynasty. You know, soldiers eat rations and put their heads on their belts. As soon as they are dismissed, the soldiers want to find fun. Sometimes, even after winning battles, the soldiers can't control themselves, burning, killing, looting, and bullying women... You have been leading everyone to kill Zhou Zhe over the years, governing the army, training soldiers, and enlightening them, and the army has taken on a different appearance. This is what I am most happy about..."

"Get to the 'but'."

"But in the past year and a half, things have been a little different. In the past, everyone was poor, and the place was also poor. We survived the hard times from Xiao Cang River to Liangshan, and the discipline was good. But recently, Chengdu and Zizhou have been very lively, even more so than Bianliang was before. Some soldiers went there and raved about the delicious food and fun things, and they don't want to come back. Actually, if they just spend their own money, even if they find a woman, eat, drink, gamble, that's nothing. Soldiers, after all, have to find some fun in life. But many times, some people are willing to get to know them and entertain them..."

"..." Ning Yi listened quietly.

"In August this year, Niu Chengshu led a team to Chengdu to handle affairs. Several of his men went to a brothel and almost fought with people from a brother unit on the street. Niu Chengshu was conscious of the situation, punished everyone, took them out of Chengdu immediately, and reported to the higher-ups, canceling any vacation for a year and not allowing them to go there again... I've investigated carefully, and similar things are probably not just one or two cases. Sometimes it's one or two soldiers drinking too much in the city and getting into fights, but it's not too big of a deal. But the fact that someone is treating them will cause big trouble sooner or later... For this matter, I can only strengthen discipline for now, requiring them not to go to the big cities unnecessarily even when they're on vacation, but you can't really restrict them when they're on vacation..."

"Who are the people treating them? Is there a record?"

"Some have been recorded, all kinds of people, those who are trying to smooth relations, those who want to build relationships, which wasn't strange in the Wu Dynasty. But they are just treating, and there aren't many incidents right now, so we can't arrest people. And it's only because it's rare in the past ten years, and suddenly it's happening again, I don't know whether to say it's normal or abnormal."

Ning Yi nodded, remained silent for a long time, and then sighed in a complex manner, as if talking to himself, "Developing capital... will affect the army..."

"I said, it wasn't a big deal in Bianliang before, but you have trained the army so well, I suddenly feel a little reluctant. Such soldiers are rare... It can't be said that in order for the soldiers to be able to fight, the city can't be prosperous. It must be prosperous, but... we have to think of some ways. I will continue to strengthen discipline here, and you can see what else can be done there. Actually, if I can find out a few typical cases of wrongdoing, I will deal with them all, but they are all small..."

"It will slowly become bigger."

"Why don't we just fight out earlier?"

"...The land reform has to be completed, the manpower has to be trained, and the army has to be expanded. It will take a year or two. The place outside is so big, if I give it to you, how will you govern it? Even if we add Chen Fan, Zhu Biao, and Liu Chengzong, we are just barely catching our breath. Taking the place is all about events. Look at a land reform, and the people who can be used are stretched thin. They have to be able to hatch eggs..."

"Alright, I know. I'll continue to maintain the army here..."

"Strengthen discipline, and I'll think of a way to add some food to your meals. How about adding a few more art troupes?"

"The little girls are pretty, and a bunch of animals fight every day, a bunch of gossip..."

"Pursuing love is better than going out to play with money. Getting married calms them down, and if they fight, you can still find an excuse to punish them, run cross-country, do some training. It's good, alright, add some people..."

"I still have the power to expand the art troupe, what are you worrying about..."

"I'm just giving you advice, Old He."

They chattered on and on, and continued talking until it was getting dark. Ning Yi then took a few big fish from He Zhicheng's fish basket and walked back together. After returning to the living quarters, he opened the various intelligence and requests sent from Chengdu and made approvals in the time before dinner. Along with these things came two relatively important letters. He opened Shishi's letter first.

The information in this letter was relatively gentle. Besides a subtle love poem at the beginning saying she missed him, the middle roughly explained the new phase of changes in the public opinion battle in Chengdu, and some of her handling of Yu Hezhong out of selfishness. In the latter half of the letter, she relayed the problem regarding Li Rulai that Yu Hezhong had explained.

Since she was not sure whether Ning Yi knew the inside story, Shishi decided after careful consideration to entrust the investigation of this matter to Ning Yi, because if Ning Yi knew, there was no need to mention this matter, and if he didn't know, the impact of this matter would be very great.

She finally mentioned the idea of ​​whether the Huaxia Army's intelligence system should operate a few brothels in Chengdu, Zizhou, and other places.

After reading the details of Li Rulai's affair, Ning Yi sat there for a long time in silence. It was not until he saw the suggestion of a brothel that he could not help but smile, but his face was still cold.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table, and the room was as quiet as ice. This continued for a long time before Ning Yi put the letter away and opened another letter.

This was a message from Jin, from Lou Shuwan.

This emotionally irritable woman didn't have any nice words to say, but she talked about mostly serious matters. Ning Yi tore open the letter and saw that the other party went straight to the point and started talking about the Northwest issue.

Since the Jurchen invasion, the entire Central Plains had been in chaos. By the time the Jin army withdrew for the fourth time, many places had been devastated and could not be rebuilt.

The Northwest, after experiencing several years of fighting in Xiao Cang River, was almost massacred into a wasteland by the Jurchens. After the Jurchens left, they left behind surrendered warlords such as the Zhe family to guard it, but a few years ago, the Zhe family was slaughtered, and the group of steppe people who had conquered Western Xia entered the Central Plains from there. Later, taking advantage of the Jurchen's empty rear, they went north from Yanmen Pass into the Jin territory, plundered, and returned to the steppe.

When the Wanyan Zonghan army went south for the fourth time, it did not spare the Jin Tiger King forces who advocated resistance. Lou Shuwan even burned Weisheng into a wasteland. Even though Liao Yiren died later, Jin still retained a bit of vitality, but even now, there are still few people north of the Yellow River, and many places cannot be taken care of.

And the Northwest is the gateway to the Central Plains.

After several massacres, that area was almost deserted for thousands of miles, with only some bloodthirsty bandits and a very small number of refugees still surviving in it. It is said that the living environment is harsh, and many places are in a completely lawless and hellish atmosphere.

After receiving technical assistance from the Huaxia Army, Lou Shuwan tried to find a new owner everywhere. She set her sights on the Northwest and even the steppe people further away, and while sending people in this direction and investigating the surrounding ecology, she had realized the huge problem here.

If the steppe people advance eastward from here, the original Hengshan defense line is no longer defensible. Of course, it is still doubtful whether the steppe people are so vicious and are enemies. They may fight with the Jin Kingdom, they may be planning for Tibet, or even become allies. Taking a step back, even if they kill into the Central Plains, they may not pose a threat to Jin. Just like Zou Xu can also cross the Yellow River, although he kills, Lou Shuwan is not afraid.

But in any case, despite the lack of manpower, out of prudence, Lou Shuwan is still considering taking back the Northwest in advance, establishing the Hengshan defense line, and making early plans.

Of course, her proposal was relatively clever. In the letter, she said in a hypocritical way about the glorious years of the Huaxia Army's battles in the Northwest, saying that this place is now a land without an owner, but the Huaxia Army still has a grand reputation. Should Ning Yi consider transferring Liu Chengzong's department from Liangshan back to this land without an owner, and cooperate with Lou Shuwan and Wang Juyun's people to jointly develop and operate this fertile land?

This past year has been the best year for Jin. Even when discussing major issues in the letter, it is possible to clearly feel Lou Shuwan's emotional relaxation. She did not really regard the bandits of Western Xia as great enemies. From past communication and exchanges, Ning Yi could feel that she was actually coveting that unit from Liangshan.

During the time shortly after Tian Shi was assassinated during the fourth Jurchen invasion, Zhu Biao and others led more than 10,000 Huaxia Army troops and fought well with the Jurchen West Route Army. It was not until Wang Shanyue was trapped in Daming Prefecture that these more than 10,000 people went to rescue him before they were scattered. However, later the remnants reunited again. In the past two or three years, they had a hard time by robbing Jin, but Lou Shuwan was willing to release goodwill and lend food. In addition to the transaction with the Southwest, wasn't she also drooling over Zhu Biao, Liu Chengzong and others?

When the Jurchen East Route Army returned north, it almost fought with Liangshan again. She even secretly hinted that otherwise, all these people should come to Jin to take refuge - this woman actually wanted to use all kinds of sugar-coated bullets to incorporate this Huaxia Army.

After catching her breath slightly, Lou Shuwan wanted to expand to the Northwest and reorganize the Hengshan defense line. Perhaps it was a casual move, and it was also a provocation or test of the Southwest - if Zhu Biao and Liu Chengzong and others really came, she would be able to take the opportunity to poach people from them while cooperating - but for Ning Yi, he felt something else that needed to be taken more seriously from this letter.

——Mongolia.

Lou Shuwan despises them. Although out of the keenness of a politician, she also saw the key to the Northwest at the first time, but she is not afraid of the steppe people. She even subconsciously thought that if the steppe people came to compete with her for Hengshan, the three parties working together would not be a concern.

So what are the steppe people doing? If Lou Shuwan has vaguely felt these...

Ning Yi folded the letter and placed the two letters on the table.

A wonderful feeling.

The most important information this day actually came from the letters of two women.

It was even difficult to tell which letter had more important things written on it.

He looked at it quietly, thought for a while, until He Zhicheng came in from outside and asked him to come over to eat fish, then he put away the letter and got up and went out.

The end of the year is approaching.

Lou Shuwan said.

He needs to make a decision soon.

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This chapter originally wanted to be called "Letters from Two Women"