Chapter 19: Military Households Before Jin

Chapter 19: Military Households Before Jin

Chapter 19: Qian Hu of Jinqian Army

One day later, in the central military tent of the Qianhusuo of Qingzhou Guard,
Qianhu Yan San slumped down on the bench weakly, his expression dull and full of disbelief.

He stared blankly at the soldier who brought the news, his hands trembling, and said slowly:
"Has the murderer been found?"

"Not yet. The general said he would ask a coroner to perform an autopsy after returning to Gyeongju."

Yan San's face froze, and he nodded slightly.
Standing on one side, Tian Bing, who had become Yan San's personal guard, also had a grim expression on his face.

He quickly waved his hand and asked the messenger soldier to retreat.

When they were the only two left in the military tent, Tian Bing took a deep breath, his face showing grief, and said in a deep voice:

"Sir, this must be Lu Yunyi's revenge!"

Yan San didn't move at all. He just stared blankly at the top of the camp with empty eyes and slightly open mouth, looking distraught.

In response, Tian Bing showed indignation, gritted his teeth and continued:
"Sir, I am willing to lead people to investigate this matter thoroughly. We will definitely find the murderer!"

His face was a little grim. He had arranged this matter and he had said it would be foolproof.
Now the talented person died just one day after leaving. What could he do? He could only seek an opportunity to make amends.

At this time, a gust of cold wind blew along the curtain and brushed over Yan San's head, making him more sober.
He then let out a heavy sigh, and he seemed to have aged ten years:

"Can you find it? Since you have already started, you must have made all the necessary preparations. Now that the convoy has arrived in Gyeongju, what's the point of you going back?"

Yan San couldn't help but think of Lu Yunyi's heroic and high-spirited appearance when he left the camp early in the morning.

There was an inexplicable fear in my heart, and a strong fear was revealed in my eyes.

He suddenly looked down at Tian Bing who still hadn't stood up, and asked thoughtfully:
"Tell me, why did the general's transfer order come yesterday instead of earlier or later?"

Tian Bing was stunned, then he looked up suddenly, with a look of disbelief in his eyes:

"You... you mean? This transfer order is his way of getting out of this situation?"

Yan San turned his head, his expression suddenly calmed down, and he looked at Tian Bing quietly:

"Isn't it? Someone died last night, and he left early this morning. Is this a coincidence?

The general commanded the northern border army, and was given the title of Marquis of Yongchang. He was a subordinate of the crown prince and was also a well-known figure in the capital.

Such a person would take the initiative to transfer orders to a centurion? Do you believe it? "

The hollow, emotionless voice echoed in the military tent for a long time.

At this time, outside Gyeongju City, the wind and snow were blowing, and the sky was full of white fog, making it difficult to see what was in front of them.

In this silver-white area, a spot of black rapidly expanded, just like ink dropped into clear water, slowly turning from a dot into a long dragon!
The sound of horse hooves rang out continuously, and a team of soldiers rushed out from the wind and snow!
The tall, black horse's hooves were raised high and landed heavily on the ground!

Until this moment, the word "Gyeongju" is clearly visible!
"Good boy, I heard from others that you walk around this grassland just like your own home. I didn't believe it at first, but now I do."

In front of the cavalry team, Shi Zhengyu, who was wrapped tightly, looked up at the sky. The sun was about to set, and he couldn't help but sigh.

"Hahaha, you are joking, sir. The general has given orders, so we must not take the usual route and hurry back."

On his side, Lu Yunyi was riding on a black horse and laughing loudly.

No matter what, it is always a happy thing to return to Gyeongju.

Shi Zhengyu nodded gently and tightened the reins:

"Okay, hurry into the city and follow me to report."

Soon, more than a hundred soldiers entered the former military camp located in the northeast corner of Gyeongju. It was much more lively here than when they left.

The number of soldiers increased by dozens of times. At a rough glance, the number of military camps was over a thousand, with perhaps more than ten thousand soldiers.

Moreover, when entering the camp, Lu Yunyi also saw a steady stream of civilians pushing donkey carts to transport food.
The line was like a long dragon, with no end in sight.

This made Lu Yunyi's eyes flicker, and he was slightly surprised.

It is only the end of January now, but the army has already begun to enter Gyeongju in an endless stream.
Could it be that because he detected the enemy situation in advance, the time of attack was advanced?

With doubts in his heart, Lu Yunyi carefully observed the things in the military camp and took note of them secretly.

From the storage of war horses and weapons, to the disposal of armor and swords,
The order of setting up camp and the deployment of personnel in the camps.
No matter how you look at it, Lu Yunyi's camp is much more sophisticated than the original camp set up by the thousand households, and he is worthy of being the elite of the Ming Dynasty.

If I remember correctly, these soldiers were from the Fengyang Garrison, Xu Pi and other places.
It is the real foundation of the Ming Dynasty and also the most capable army.
Now that everything has been handed over to Lan Yu, it at least shows that Lan Yu is safe now, which also makes Lu Yunyi feel a little more at ease.

"What are you looking at?"

Shi Zhengyu glanced at Lu Yunyi and saw him looking around.
Unlike the other soldiers who hurried on with their heads down, he asked.

Lu Yunyi smiled and said, "Learn how to set up camp. If I can lead an army in the future, I will do the same."

Shi Zhengyu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, attracting many soldiers to look at Lu Yunyi and others.

"Few people can notice the layout of this military camp. You are a good kid. You are much better than those guys who are ambitious but incompetent and only know how to shout about going out to kill the enemy."

"General, you are overpraising me. The military is about both attack and defense.

Just like this man's legs, if one is missing, he will have difficulty moving, walk unsteadily, and fight well. "

Shi Zhengyu had a strange look on his face. He stopped and stared at Lu Yunyi:
"How strange! Do you know who set up our military camp?"

"I don't know, my subordinate."

"It was done by the Marquis of Changxing. He once told the general,
Attacking is also defending, defending is also attacking, both are important, only by combining both can we defeat the enemy and win. Your idea coincides with that of Lord Changxing."

Geng Bingwen? Lu Yunyi was shocked. Another founding hero.
"Lord Changxing has made great military achievements, how can I compare with him?

Just the layout of the camp alone makes me dizzy and I lose sight of the big picture. My Lord, please stop making fun of me."

After hearing this, Shi Zhengyu was even more surprised. There were very few young people who could be so mature. He nodded slightly and led the way.

Soon, Lu Yunyi and others arrived at the central military camp.
"Wait here for me. I'll pass the message."

"Thank you for your help, sir."

When Shi Zhengyu entered the military camp, Lu Yunyi's eyes rolled around.
He looked up and down at the military tent, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

The layout of the military tent was exactly as he had imagined. Even the commander's tent could not be too conspicuous, otherwise it would be a sitting duck.

The military tent in front of us was exactly like this, and was very similar to the surrounding military tents.

Soon, Shi Zhengyu came over quickly, his face solemn: "Come in."

Lu Yunyi took a deep breath, straightened his head, and tried to calm down.
Even though he had seen it before, he was still a little nervous.

Now he is in the army, where Lan Yu has the final say.

Entering the military tent, what caught my eye was a huge hanging map.
There are smears and thin lines drawn on it.

Lu Yunyi quickly moved his eyes away and looked at the huge sand table in the center of the military tent.
Two figures were standing there, holding long strips in their hands and pointing here and there.

One of them was the familiar Lan Yu, tall, with a red face, thick eyebrows and angry eyes.

His face was a little red at this moment, and he was speaking something very quickly.

The other man was thin, like an old pine tree that had experienced the baptism of wind and rain. He seemed fragile, but his eyes were sparkling, revealing a soul-stirring power.

"Since we already know that Yuan Ting is near Bui'er Lake,

Then we can just march straight in, without stopping, and end this battle quickly. If we let them escape, we will not be able to face your majesty."

Lan Yu's eyes widened as he chattered non-stop at the skinny old man, and it was obvious that he was suppressing his orders.

But the skinny old man looked normal and spoke calmly:

"General, even if we send out troops now, how many soldiers can we have? How many war horses? How much food and fodder can we have?

Wang Bi and Li Jinglong are still mobilizing troops in Fengyang, and yesterday they wrote to complain.

It is said that now that the New Year is approaching, the morale of the soldiers is low, some people are still causing trouble, and they are exhausted both mentally and physically.

Now we just abandon them and walk away? It is not right to do so." "Okay, okay, that makes sense, I won't argue with you about this."

Lan Yu waved his hand helplessly, and then pointed at the location of Buiyuer Lake:
"Look, now is the first month, in two months it will be spring.
By the time the ice and snow melt, the Yuan court will have already fled, so why would they wait for us?"

"Even so, we can't rush to send out troops. We have to wait until February, after the Chinese New Year, to let the soldiers calm down.
In addition, food, fodder and weapons are still being deployed. It will take at least April to be fully prepared, and it may take May to send troops."

Without waiting for Lan Yu to speak, the skinny old man continued with a serious tone:

"General, you and I have been on the march for twenty years, and we know the hardships of the soldiers.
Many soldiers will not be able to return from this battle. They will all live this year as if it were their last.
It was not easy for us to summon them.
Now that we are leaving the country, I cannot imagine how low the morale will be.”

"Geng Bingwen, are you scared?" Lan Yu turned around, put his hands on his hips, and glared at him.

So he is Geng Bingwen?
Lu Yunyi looked around and saw Geng Bingwen speaking earnestly:
"General, we have known each other for twenty years. It is a bit self-deceptive to say this.
Now the front army has only 20,000 soldiers and horses, and they are short of food, fodder, weapons, and armor.
If you want to travel a long distance, you must at least wait until the military supplies are sufficient before you can march."

"No matter what you say, you still can't send troops. I don't need to teach you that opportunities for war are fleeting.
So hurry up, and send the order to all places now, all military supplies must arrive in Gyeongju in advance,

The same goes for Wang Bi and Li Jinglong. You must send 100,000 troops to Qingzhou before March, otherwise I will not let them off!"

Lan Yu stared at Geng Bingwen with wide eyes, as if he was ready to fight.

Geng Bingwen's face froze and he sighed deeply:

"I will do my best, but General, you must not send troops ahead of schedule. We can only win this battle and not lose!"

"I know, I know." Lan Yu waved her hand and stopped looking at him.

Geng Bingwen bowed and left quickly.

When passing by Lu Yunyi, he hurriedly bowed his head and saluted, so as not to be implicated.

After Geng Bingwen left, Lu Yunyi slowly raised his head.
But the next moment he was stunned. He saw Lan Yu sitting calmly at the head of the table, holding the teacup in his hand and gently waving the hot steam.
His expression also returned to the calm and cold expression when they first met, completely different from when he was angry just now.

Shi Zhengyu bowed and said, "Reporting to the general, the person has been brought back."

Lu Yunyi bowed his head and bowed his hands: "I am Lu Yun, a captain of the Qingzhou Guard, and I pay my respects to the general."

Lan Yu put the teacup in his hand aside and nodded gently:

"You are a good kid. You have made some progress after not seeing you for a few days."

"I followed the military order to go into the grassland for an investigation. It was a fluke that I made any gains. I am very honored, General."

"As expected, they are of the same lineage. They are just like that old man Liu, speaking in a timid way. They are pretending to be nice."

Lan Yu cursed, then looked at Shi Zhengyu and said:
"You go out first."

"Yes."

At this point, Lu Yunyi and Lan Yu were the only ones left in the room, which made him feel nervous for no reason.

The military tent was silent for a moment before Lan Yu's voice was heard:
"You just saw that the army could not be deployed in time. If I had not urged them again and again, the troops would have been sent out until summer.
Even so, it is impossible to send troops in the near future.

I asked you to come here to ask what you saw and experienced in Buiyuerhai.
Tell us everything, don't hide anything, this is related to when the army will go out to fight!"

Lu Yunyi thought about it and knew that Lan Yu wanted to judge whether Yuan Ting would escape in the near future, so he said in a deep voice:

"I obey your orders and will not hide anything."

So, Lu Yunyi will lead people to investigate and find the traces.

How could he find out that Yuan Ting had told him everything, no matter how big or small.

During this time, there were some questions from Lan Yu.
What is the enemy's armor like, their horses like, their swords like, their organization like, and their whereabouts like.

"That's it."

Lu Yunyi let out a long breath and glanced at Shichen.

I realized that half an hour had passed, and I suddenly felt physically and mentally exhausted, and my throat was hoarse as if it was burning.

Lan Yu sat at the top, taking a sip of tea from time to time, looking relaxed and comfortable.

Noticing his gaze, Lan Yu glanced over and said in a deep voice:

"You are a capable person. You can come back alive even when surrounded by thousands of people. That's not bad."

"It was a fluke... it was really a fluke."

Lan Yu waved his hand and said, "Don't be like Liu Lao'er who is self-deprecating. Military personnel are arrogant and domineering.
You should be young and energetic. It is not good to be too steady at a young age, as it will make people jealous. "

Lu Yunyi didn't know how to respond to this and could only stand there blankly with a wry smile on his face.

"By the way, did you improve this thing?" Lan Yu put down the teacup and picked up something from the table.

Lu Yunyi took a closer look and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes. It was the horseshoe he had improved earlier.

"Reporting to the general, this item was improved by me three years ago. I will take this as my merit and promote myself to the general flag."

"It was really three years ago?"

Lan Yu's face darkened, and the atmosphere in the military tent suddenly became like a violent storm, with a depressing atmosphere.

"This thing just changed the general flag? Damn, these good-for-nothings, are they all blind?"

Lan Yu was furious. He smashed the table with the horseshoe in his hand, making a loud "bang". He looked at Lu Yunyi with murderous intent in his eyes:
"You have been the general flag for the past three years and have never been promoted?"

Lu Yunyi raised his head, his eyes full of innocence:

"Reporting to the general, although I have been out exploring frequently in recent years, I have not gained much and have never been promoted.
It was not until I returned a few days ago that I was promoted to centurion."

"It's rotten! This local garrison is rotten. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe that you can only be a centurion with your ability."

As he spoke, Lan Yu changed the subject:
"I have a military mission here, it's extremely dangerous, are you willing to take it?"

Lu Yunyi knew that he could not hesitate at this moment, so he immediately said in a hoarse voice:

"Whatever the general orders, I will not refuse, even if it means death."

Lan Yu slapped the table, shouted "OK", stood up, and said loudly:
"From now on, you will join the front army as a thousand-man commander, leading the front army scouts.
When the army sets out, your troops will clear the way for the army, meet the enemy and clear the obstacles for the army to move forward and find the location of the royal court.
You have to think clearly. When two armies fight, scouts have a nine out of ten chance of survival. Considering our old friendship, I will give you a chance to choose."

Lu Yunyi's eyes narrowed, his whole body tensed.

A tragic atmosphere unique to the battlefield suddenly spread, followed by overwhelming pressure.
But he spoke loudly without thinking;
"I obey your orders and will not let you down!"

Lan Yu's eyes gleamed with brilliance:

"Good! You are a real man. This position of a thousand households is what you deserve.
If you return victorious from this trip, I will personally ask for your credit and reward!"

"Thank you, General!"

"Well, you should stay in Qingzhou for a while, select some soldiers to be included in the scout team, and train them strictly. We cannot afford to lose this battle."

Hearing this, Lu Yunyi was stunned, his face was full of confusion, and he quickly asked:

"General, why do scouts need to train new troops?"

Lan Yu's mouth twitched slightly, and her expression turned a little colder:
"After years of marching north, I don't have many elite scouts under my command. Last year, during the decisive battle with Nahachu, all of them died in Liaodong."

Nahachu?
Lu Yunyi raised his eyebrows. This man had stationed troops near Qingzhou in the early years.
However, all the elite scouts were killed, which was a tragic thing.

Of course, a big reason is that Lan Yu served under the Prince of Kaiping in his early years.

He is not a founding hero, has a weak foundation, and probably does not have many elite scouts under his command.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Yunyi said in a deep voice:
"I beg you to accept my condolences, General. There is no such thing as a war without casualties. We die today so that we can live tomorrow. I will do my best to train the new army."

After these words came out, a rare smile appeared on Lan Yu's originally stern face.
The person in front of me has a clean background and decent skills, and more importantly, he is one of our own, so I can trust him.

"Remember what you said, go down, the appointment from the Governor's Office will be delivered tomorrow."

"Thank you, General!"

(End of this chapter)