Chapter 30: Armored and Riding Horses, Heading North to the Grassland

Chapter 30: Armored and Riding Horses, Heading North to the Grassland

Chapter 30: Armored and Riding Horses, Heading North to the Grassland

The night was dark and the sky was covered with dark clouds, which obscured the stars and the moon, making the atmosphere in the entire camp depressing.

The torches flickered in the cold wind, and the flames lit up the dark faces of the soldiers.

Their figures flickered in the interweaving of firelight and shadow, revealing fatigue and tension inside.

Lu Yunyi walked alone on the path of the camp, his figure seemed lonely and heavy under the light of the torch.
His brows were furrowed, and his eyes sometimes showed hesitation, sometimes fear.
When walking into the shadows, there is a hint of confusion and regret.

I gained a lot from my visit to the central military tent today.

At least he knew that the two marquises' control over the military camp was beyond his imagination.

Moreover, this seemingly stable and orderly military camp,
Inside, however, things are turbulent, treacherous, and full of hidden dangers.

Lu Yunyi looked up at the sky. The thick dark clouds seemed to be crushing the entire sky.
He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the depression and complexity in his heart.

However, the gloomy weather and the darkness surrounding the camp seemed to be against him, making him feel even more depressed.

Slowly, Lu Yunyi's eyes regained their firmness and sharpness. He still stood straight, quickened his pace, and continued to move forward.

In less than a quarter of an hour, he returned to the camp where the front scouts were located.
At this moment, the soldiers had already had dinner and returned to the camp early to rest.

The entire training ground was lonely, with only a fat figure standing in the distance, pacing back and forth.

Lu Yunyi walked straight across the training ground. The fat figure also saw him and rushed over as usual.

"Brother Yun'er!" Liu Heiying's face was full of solemnity.

Lu Yunyi looked at him and nodded slightly: "Let's go back to the military tent and talk."

Soon, the two returned to the military tent.

Lu Yunyi sat at the table, poured himself a cup of herbal tea, drank it all, and then raised the cup:

"do you want?"

"Have a drink."

Lu Yunyi nodded and said something that puzzled Liu Heiying.
“It’s not going to be a happy hour next.”

"how?"

Liu Heiying sighed: "Guo Quan has been arrested."

Lu Yunyi tightened his grip on the teacup and his pupils shrank:
"Who caught him? When and where?"

"Two quarters of an hour ago, Marquis Wu Ding ordered the commander of his personal guards to arrest him. Many soldiers saw him at the time and he was beaten with ten military sticks."

"Four quarters of an hour ago." Lu Yunyi murmured, looking thoughtful.

There is a huge difference between being arrested by the commander of the imperial guards and being arrested by a military disciplinary officer, which is the difference between public and private.

"Guo Quan has a strong background. Even if he wants to die in this army, it will be difficult. At most, he will be humiliated."

"What about us?"

Liu Heiying was somewhat uneasy. The more he thought about it, the more scared he became.
How could such a list fall into Guo Quan's hands so easily? Even if he was the eldest son in the family, it would be impossible for him to have it.

A trace of gloom flashed across Lu Yunyi's eyes, and he narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking carefully about everything that had just happened, and finally sighed:

"It should be fine. Before arresting Guo Quan, I met the Marquis of Changxing. He knew about the dried apricot incident a long time ago, and..."

Lu Yunyi's eyes became deep:

"He said some inexplicable things at that time, I guess he was reminding me,

If you have any problems that you can't solve, go to him.
Considering that Guo Quan is being held under protective custody, this should be what he meant.
Lift it high, put it down gently, and the matter is settled."

"What is protective custody?" Liu Heiying thought thoughtfully.

Lu Yunyi thought for a moment and said:
"There was a play in the previous dynasty called "Prince Chenxiang Splits Mount Hua", in which Erlang Shen imprisoned the Three Holy Mothers on Mount Hua.

It is protective detention, which looks like a punishment, but is actually to save lives.”

After hearing this, Liu Heiying suddenly realized and understood, but he soon became serious:

"But what about us? We don't have the protection of Marquis Changxing."

Lu Yunyi comforted her, but his mood was a little complicated:
"We should be safe too, because Guo Quan has the Marquis of Changxing behind him, and we have the general behind us.

When he found out about this, he fined me three months' salary.

And he agreed to my request to change into the stirrups, so the matter should be over."

As soon as these words came out, Liu Heiying's tense body suddenly relaxed.

His straight back bent slightly, and he picked up the teapot on the table and started drinking.

After a while, he said with lingering fear:

"Brother Yun'er, I'm so scared. Does this count as dying before realizing your ambitions?"

Lu Yunyi was also secretly afraid and nodded slightly:

"In the future, you should do less of this kind of speculation. There are too many eyes in the army.
My brother and I are too popular, and I think we have become thorns in the eyes of others for a long time."

Liu Heiying thought about it, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he said sinisterly:
"Brother Yun'er, it must be coming for us."

Lu Yunyi frowned, looking strange:

"You mean you're here for the two marquises?"

Liu Heiying nodded like pecking at rice:

"If this is accomplished, it will implicate the two marquises in the army, and maybe even Guo Quan's father.

If I had been secretly planning this, I would have certainly done so, and then cut the Gordian knot and make it a reality.
But now it seems that the two marquises are faster."

The candlelight on the wooden table flickered, casting a flickering shadow on the faces of the two people.
After a long time, Lu Yunyi finally let out a deep sigh:
"It was really luck that I was able to escape this time.
As military personnel, we should focus on military service and making contributions first before we ascend to high positions."

Liu Heiying looked nervous and agreed:

"We should go to the grassland as soon as possible and take this opportunity to accumulate more military merits.
Compared to dealing with these adults, I am still used to killing people."

Lu Yunyi nodded:
"You are right. Let's get away from this troubled place first.
When the horseshoes are finished, we leave.

Ask your father to be careful these days, and it would be best if he could live in my house.

I told my father about this and asked him to give me some advice. Scholars are better at backstabbing than us. "

"Okay, tomorrow I will tell my father to stay away from Guo Quan and not get involved."

As he spoke, Liu Heiying seemed to have thought of something, with a blazing fire of gossip burning in his eyes. He moved closer and said in a low voice:

"Brother Yun'er, speaking of the gentleman, I have always had a doubt in my heart."

"what?"

"Originally, there were two juren in Qingzhou, but Mr. Wei died of an inexplicable illness. Was it Mr. Wei who was behind this?"

Lu Yunyi glanced at him and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Mr. Wei was angry to death."

Liu Heiying smacked his lips and smiled slyly:
"Whoever benefits the most is the murderer. Mr. Wei is dead, and Mr. Wei benefits the most!"

"After Mr. Wei died, his new wife became pregnant a year later.

In this case, wouldn't his son gain the most money and the people?"

Liu Heiying blinked his eyes, not understanding for a moment, but soon he widened his eyes:

"Brother Yun'er!! You really do know who did it. Why didn't you tell me when I asked you before?"

Lu Yunyi shrugged: "Qiu He heard this from my father, I didn't know about it before."

Liu Heiying sat on one side, blinking blankly, and stretched out his hand to scratch his head.

After this interruption, the atmosphere in the military tent eased a lot, and the two men were no longer as nervous as before.

After a while, Lu Yunyi sent the guest away.

Liu Heiying left scratching his head.

Mr. Wei's son was having an affair with his aunt. How did Mr. Wei know about this?
On the evening of the next day, the craftsmen in the camp delivered the stirrups they had made overnight to the scout tent of the front army, and Lu Yunyi gladly accepted them.

Just as Lu Yunyi was sitting in the military tent checking one by one, Liu Heiying ran in hurriedly and said in a low voice:

"Brother Yun'er, the Marquis of Changxing has summoned you."

Lu Yunyi frowned slightly and slowly raised his head: "Where is the person?"

"Only one messenger has come and is waiting outside."

"I see."

A quarter of an hour later, Lu Yunyi, led by a messenger, arrived at the tent of Marquis Changxing.
Just as he expected, it was still no different from an ordinary tent and was not noticeable at all.

Seeing this, the guards standing at the entrance of the tent immediately stepped aside.

He waved his hand and let Lu Yunyi in. Lu Yunyi narrowed his eyes slightly, his heart hanging in the air.

I was thinking what to do if there were suddenly a lot of big men around.

But he finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, fiddling back and forth in front of the sand table.

"Your subordinate Lu Yunyi pays homage to Lord Changxing."

Geng Bingwen turned around, smiled at him, and pointed to a long table on the side:
"sit."

Then he sat down first, picked up two teacups, and poured tea into each. Seeing Lu Yunyi still standing there, he laughed dryly:
"You are a soldier, there is no need to be so polite. Please sit down."

When Lu Yunyi sat down, he smiled and handed him a cup of tea, then said:
"I asked you to come here because I have something to tell you."

Lu Yunyi's face was solemn:
"Thank you Lord Changxing for your help. If Lord Changxing has any instructions, please tell me. I will never refuse."

Geng Bingwen, the Marquis of Changxing, glanced at him with a half-smile:
"It's just as what's written in the military household register. He's too scheming. He's testing me just by opening his mouth."

Lu Yunyi's body stiffened, and he secretly regretted it.

He has long developed the habit of asking questions in his statements.

Now that he had blurted it out, there was no time to regret it, so he quickly added:

"Please forgive me, Lord Changxing. I was very anxious and restless this day and lost my composure for a moment."

Since his intentions were seen through, he simply took advantage of the situation to back off.

But the next moment, he wanted to slap himself. This was another test.

Geng Bingwen was stunned for a moment, then he smiled and said, "It seems that you will not give up until I tell you today."

"I"

Geng Bingwen waved his hand gently:
"No need to do that, the past is past.
It's just a test from some people, not a big deal.

I came here today for something else."

"Please tell me, Lord Changxing. I am all ears and will not refuse."

Geng Bingwen drank the tea in the cup, put away his smile, his face became solemn, and after thinking for a while he said:

"I heard that you are going to the grassland to investigate the enemy situation today?"

If you have enough time, you can cruise around outside Gyeongju first.
Find the Qianhusuo under the jurisdiction of Qingzhouwei and tell them to stop wandering around and come back as soon as possible."

As he spoke, Geng Bingwen's face turned cold:

"Not only have they not gained anything in recent days, they have also suffered heavy losses.
Some got lost in the snow, some starved to death, some froze to death, some were killed by the Yuan tribes,
Anyway, there are all kinds of strange ways to die. If we continue like this, sooner or later we will alert the enemy."

Lu Yunyi frowned slightly after hearing this, and then looked strange:

“Why not send troops to recall them?”

"I have already sent them out. We have found four of them now. The only one left is the one where you were originally stationed.

So I think you can go look for him first to see what happened. If he’s alive, I want to see him. If he’s dead, I want to see his body.”

Yan San is lost?
This was the first thought in Lu Yunyi's mind, but he quickly denied it.

Although Yan San is not a good person, he still has some skills and will not get lost.

After thinking about it, Lu Yunyi nodded slightly:
"Lord Changxing, please rest assured that I will find my former colleagues."

Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, showed admiration on his face and said in a deep voice:
"You are a capable person. I don't care about the grudge between you and Yan San.
But you have to find those thousand-plus soldiers, even if they are just corpses!"

Lu Yunyi's heart sank again. These marquises knew everything!

He nodded gently: "Please rest assured, Lord Changxing."

But what Geng Bingwen said the next moment made Lu Yunyi's face change.

"Well, Guo Quan will join your army tomorrow, so go out and avoid the limelight first."

"Didn't he get hit with ten military sticks? Is he okay?" Lu Yunyi's mind raced as he tried to think of excuses to decline.

Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, glanced at him and snorted:
"Humph, everyone knows about this matter. I underestimated you.

I will not hide it from you. He is the sixth son of Marquis Wu Ding. The soldiers dare not provoke him. The sticks are like tickling. It is no big deal. "

Lu Yunyi's face darkened, and he thought to himself,

But then he showed shock, and when he met Geng Bingwen's meaningful eyes,

The shock quickly dissipated, replaced by sneers.

"This boy joins your army, first to avoid disaster, second to gain experience, even if he dies, it doesn't matter."

Although he said so, Lu Yunyi couldn't take it seriously. He sighed and said in a deep voice:

"Please rest assured, Lord, I will definitely handle this matter properly."

"Well, I'll give you a credit."

A day later, the front army camp was no longer filled with the roars and shouts of the day, but was instead silent.

The sky was as gloomy as a thick sheet of lead, with low clouds gathering in the sky.
It seems to foreshadow the coming storm, which makes people feel depressed.

On the parade ground, more than a thousand soldiers stood in an orderly manner.
They wore black armor, red helmets, held long swords in their hands, and carried bows and arrows on their backs.

Next to him is the tall, muscular Hequ horse.

Feeling the oppressive atmosphere, paddling its hooves restlessly,

From time to time, he would look back and smell the long and narrow stirrups that he had never seen before.

On the high platform, Lu Yunyi, wearing armor and with a sharp gaze, stood there quietly. He just waved his hand lightly.

The soldiers on both sides, who had been ready for a long time, blew their horns.

The desolate horn sound seemed to come from ancient times, deep and distant.
The first sound is like the low roar of a wild beast in the mountains, desolate and gloomy.
Later, it was like the rising morning light that split the darkness and stirred the soldiers' hearts.

They kept rubbing their hands around the long swords, even though they were still a little nervous.
But war is a matter of great importance to a country, a matter of life and death, a matter of survival and destruction, and it must be carefully considered.
As a member of the Ming army, we should fight bravely.

Slowly, a trace of murderous intent appeared in the soldier's eyes.
They slowly gathered on the training ground and condensed in the sky, as if fighting against the sky.

Lu Yunyi stood on the high platform and nodded secretly when he saw the soldiers who were completely different from before.

The unification of territory is just the beginning; the unification of people’s hearts is the foundation of the Ming Dynasty.

Now Hongwu has just been established, and the morale is high, fighting in the south and the north.

Everything was moving in a good direction, and it gave him the opportunity to lead his troops and display his talents.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Yunyi placed the modified speaker in front of him and shouted:
"You are young and strong, most of you have wives and children at home.

We fight for the court, for your majesty,

For yourselves and for your children to enjoy peace in the world,
So that they don't have to eat coarse food, train hard, and put their heads on their waists to fight like us.

Now there are rebels in the south and remnants in the north.
It is not time to let our horses go to the mountains and put our weapons away, so we must not relax.

In the past, Yue Fei served his country with all his heart and soul, and we should do the same.
We are setting out today to make the seas and rivers peaceful and the world peaceful!"

The next moment, Lu Yunyi's eyes focused, his right hand tightly grasped the hilt of the knife, and the long knife came out fiercely.

The cold light suddenly scattered, adding a touch of chill to the army formation!
"Comrades, please mount your horses!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yunyi kicked his foot and his whole body became as light as a swallow.
He jumped onto the warhorse beside him, his tall body became slender, and his handsome face also took on a hint of coldness!
In the training ground, the sound of armor clashing continued.
The soldiers present were all fierce warriors. When they mounted their horses, their whole spirit was lifted.
No longer are the soldiers who are sick and itchy due to training, but instead are the brave soldiers of the Ming Dynasty!
The sharp bloody smell was like a heat wave, rolling back and forth layer by layer.
The sound echoed throughout the entire parade ground, causing many soldiers who were peeking at the side to hold their breath.

No, these scouts in the front army are different from ordinary soldiers.

Then, Lu Yunyi gripped the reins tightly and pulled back.
The war horse's hooves jumped high, let out a neigh, and then fell heavily.

boom!
Suddenly there was a loud thunderclap between heaven and earth, and raindrops began to fall. At first they were a few sparse drops, and then gradually became denser.
The raindrops hit the ground gently, making a soft "tick-tock" sound.

But the dripping sound was getting louder and louder!

The sound of horse hooves is like thunder, and every sound is pleasing to the ears!
More than a thousand cavalrymen had cold eyes and lowered their bodies.
They rushed out of the camp in an unstoppable manner and ran wildly on the newly paved bluestone road in Gyeongju.
The iron hooves struck the hard stone slabs, making a clear and powerful echo.

Gyeongju was not big, and the cavalry formation reached the city gate in an instant.
Lu Yunyi took the lead and rushed through the city gate.

Passing by the mother who had been waiting here with a gentle face,

And passed Qiu He, who was full of excitement, worry and concern,

He also passed by the doorman, Old Zhang, who had a serious face and put away his yellow teeth.

The last person to cross over was his father, who was dressed in a gentleman's suit, had a calm face and an encouraging look in his eyes.
As the two looked at each other, the father lowered his head and nodded slightly, and the son did the same.

On the 20th day of the first month of the 21st year of Hongwu,

Lu Yunyi, a scout commander of the vanguard army under the command of Lan Yu, the Marquis of Yongchang, led a thousand cavalrymen northward to the grassland.

(End of this chapter)