Chapter 38 Punishment
Chapter 38 Punishment
Time passed quickly, and Yan San's team marched for a day.
We arrived in Gyeongju in the evening before the heavy snow fell.
Everyone's face was filled with joy of having survived a disaster.
Staring at the not-so-tall city wall of Gyeongju in a daze,
The familiar bluestone road and the familiar low houses on both sides of the street.
And the familiar figures along the way made them feel very happy.
Only by experiencing the chaos and complexity of the outside world can you realize the calmness when returning home.
Nothing has changed in Gyeongju, except for the growing military camp.
Yan San did not delay after returning to the camp.
The general's report and the spoils were handed over to the commander of the garrison, who then presented them to the general.
Military affairs cannot be reported to a higher level, otherwise where would the superiors be placed?
After doing all this, he saw Liu Huaipu and Xiao Shunzi who came to take away the previously seized items.
Seeing the two of them busy, Yan San became even more fearful.
In his team, there are people who are disloyal and work for Lu Yunyi.
He originally wanted to delay it for a few days, at least to make Lu Yunyi less unhappy.
But I didn't expect that less than half an hour after entering the city, someone came to my door.
Yan San didn't want to get entangled with them, so he waved his hand and let them take the spoils away.
Liu Huaipu and Xiao Shunzi left the camp in a hurry.
They paraded through the streets with the seized goods and soon arrived at a warehouse of the Liu family.
The cattle and sheep were driven into a corner, and a bunch of debris was piled up on one side, appearing overwhelming.
Liu Huaipu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At this time, a figure appeared silently at the door of the warehouse.
Liu Huaipu was so scared that he was about to shout loudly, but was immediately stopped by Xiao Shunzi beside him.
"Uncle Liu! We are one of us!"
Liu Huaipu finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the person who came.
He looked to be in his forties, with some white in his beard, looking a little old.
His face is full of wrinkles and his facial features are piled up together. At first glance, he looks like someone who often does heavy work.
Xiao Shunzi introduced: "Uncle Liu, this is Chen Jingyi, the general flag of the army.
In the past, we all called him Brother Chen in the army.
He is very good at solving cases with mock corpses and has also worked as a coroner. It was he who brought the news."
"Greetings, Lord Chen." Liu Huaipu bowed quickly. He was a businessman and hated the sight of officials.
Chen Jingyi nodded slightly, his eyes swept back and forth in the corner of the warehouse, and said:
"Is that all? Nothing missing?"
Liu Huaipu nodded, his fat body still panting:
"Yes, Master Chen, everything is here.
I just don't know what Black Hawk is going to do? It's so urgent."
"Looking for something."
Chen Jingyi did not hide anything and took out an oil-paper bag from his arms.
Gently open it to reveal a yellowed paper inside.
After opening it, a square seal appeared on the paper, with two green bulls roaring towards the sky on top, and a peg button on the top.
“This seems to be something from the grassland.”
Liu Huaipu had interacted with many grassland people in Peking.
The seals they carry are similar to this, but not as majestic.
Chen Jingyi nodded gently, his face solemn:
"This is the Great Seal of the Prairie, and it's also what Liu Heiying asked me to find."
Chen Jingyi held the paper in front of the two of them and said:
"This thing is less than the size of a palm. Don't miss it when you search for it later. Have you written it down?"
Liu Huaipu and Xiao Shunzi nodded gently: "I'll remember this. It's very obvious."
Chen Jingyi nodded slightly, then folded the paper in half.
Amid the shocked expressions of the two, he just chewed and swallowed.
"This? This thing is so important?"
Liu Huaipu's eyes widened. Such cautious actions made him feel scared, but at the same time he felt a sacred sense of participating in a major event.
Chen Jingyi thought about Liu Heiying's appearance at that time and nodded:
“It’s never been more important.”
"Is this thing among these seized items?" Xiao Shunzi spoke at this time.
"I don't know, so we have to look for it bit by bit. Put all the livestock to one side and look for debris first.
If it is not there, then open up the animal and search inside its body. No corner should be left untouched.”
Chen Jingyi walked towards the pile of seized goods as he spoke, his expression solemn.
The two of them hurriedly followed.
In the Gyeongju camp, Ding Xianzhi, the commander of the Gyeongju Central Guard, came to the Central Army tent with a military report.
Shi Zhengyu, who was guarding the door, had an icy expression on his face. He raised his hand to stop them and said coldly:
"Stop."
Ding Xianzhi is a middle-aged man in his forties.
He didn't look old at all, his eyes were bright and his steps were light. But now he was stopped.
He was not surprised at all, but just smiled lightly:
"General, I am Ding Xianzhi, the commander of Qingzhou Guard, and I have an important matter for you, General Bingming."
Shi Zhengyu looked straight ahead and spoke in a cold voice:
"Wait outside the tent."
After he finished speaking, Ding Xianzhi smiled coquettishly and stood aside.
Shi Zhengyu did not choose to pass the message and still stood there, which made Ding Xianzhi feel unhappy, so he asked:
"General, why don't you pass on the message?"
"Nothing to tell you. Just wait." Shi Zhengyu still looked straight ahead and spoke sparingly.
In response to this, Ding Xianzhi sighed.
The strong dragon suppressed the local snake, and he could only wait.
Half an hour later, a horn sounded softly in the camp, and Shi Zhengyu then stepped into the military tent.
After a while he slowly came out:
"Go in, don't make any noise, and wait quietly."
Ding Xianzhi breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, General."
Entering the military tent, Ding Xianzhi saw General Lan Yu, who was processing military reports behind a desk.
Military reports and correspondence filled the desk.
Lan Yu sometimes wrote furiously, and sometimes lowered his head to think.
Seeing this scene, Ding Xianzhi thought of Shi Zhengyu's previous instructions.
He just stood there silently without saying a word.
Time passed little by little, and another half hour passed.
Lan Yu suddenly became furious. He dropped the military report in his hand, stood up quickly, and went to the huge map to check it, cursing:
"Useless, all of them are a bunch of good-for-nothings!!"
The atmosphere in the military tent was extremely tense.
Ding Xianzhi already felt a little regretful at this moment.
He shouldn't have come to report overnight just to seek credit, but should have followed proper procedures.
At this time, Lan Yu did not move, his eyes still scanning the map.
"What's the matter?"
When Ding Xianzhi heard this cold voice, he felt very disappointed.
But now that I'm here, I still have to be clear.
Taking a deep breath, Ding Xianzhi took a step forward.
He held up the general's report and the seized documents and said in a deep voice:
"Reporting to the general, the Qingzhou Central Guard Rear Thousand Households and the Front Army Scouting Unit jointly killed a thousand elite Naiman tribesmen on the grassland.
We beheaded more than 300 people, captured more than 700 people, seized 500 war horses, 400 armors, and a great deal of treasure.”
"Ok?"
Lan Yu slowly turned around and glanced at Ding Xianzhi.
He walked straight up to take the document and just stood there examining it carefully.
Slowly, the hostility in Lan Yu's eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by a fleeting smile at the corner of her mouth.
He took the military newspaper, returned to the long table and sat down, saying calmly:
"Yes, the Qingzhou Guards finally did not disappoint me and performed a great deed this time."
Ding Xianzhi was delighted and said quickly:
"As for assisting the Qingzhou Guards, as long as the army needs it, I will never shirk my responsibility."
Lan Yu nodded slightly, then picked up the military newspaper and opened it to check.
"Hmm?" He glanced at her,
Lan Yu frowned slightly, looked up at Ding Xianzhi, and continued to read carefully with his head down.
Gradually, even Ding Xianzhi felt that something was wrong.
The dissipated solidified breath gathered again,
It was like a mountain pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe.
He was the commander of the garrison and a third-rank official.
But there are so many garrisons in the world, and the same is true for the commanders.
In this world, there is only one Marquis of Yongchang.
So even though both of them hold high positions, the gap between them is huge.
After a while, Lan Yu snorted coldly and threw the military report out:
"What a crap thing! Have you read the military newspaper?"
Ding Xianzhi thought to himself that it was bad, and quickly picked up the military newspaper:
"Reporting to the General, I have read it."
"Do you have any objection to what he said?" Lan Yu's eyes became increasingly gloomy as he stared at Ding Xianzhi.
"What is mentioned above was written by Yan San, the commander of the Later Thousand Households Office. I don't think there is anything wrong with it." Lan Yu's voice was cold. He leaned back in his chair and stared at Ding Xianzhi coldly:
"How brave! The rear 1,000-household unit hid in the corner of the dam mountain.
It was clearly an attempt to flee, but it was said to be an attempt to lure the enemy deeper into our territory.
It was clearly the front scouts who formed a battle array to block the enemy, but they said the two divisions were resisting together.
This Bayar was clearly captured by Liu Heiying, the captain of the front army, who led his troops to block the way.
You tell me, how can the people hiding in the military tent cooperate with those outside the camp to capture the enemy commander?
Is there some magic? If you, the guards of Qingzhou, have this magic,
Please capture Wusar Khan of the Northern Yuan Dynasty and I will take over the position of the general from now on."
Lan Yu's voice became louder and louder, and his tone became more severe.
In the end, he almost yelled, causing Ding Xianzhi to tremble like a sieve.
"I dare not. I am stupid and have not been in battle for a long time.
I didn't see the clues, please forgive me, General."
Ding Xianzhi immediately knelt down and kowtowed, his face full of horror.
General Lan Yu threw the newspaper out and said coldly:
"Qian Hu Yan San, you should punish him yourself and rewrite the military report. If this military report is sent to the Governor's Office, even you will not be spared."
"Yes, yes. Thank you, General." Ding Xianzhi let out a long sigh and crawled away.
"Wait." Lan Yu's voice came from behind him, causing his body to stiffen and he squatted in place.
"It's just this once, it won't happen again."
"Yes, yes. Thank you, General."
Ding Xianzhi let out a long sigh and walked away quickly, his forehead covered with cold sweat.
Silence returned to the military tent. Not long after, a hoarse voice suddenly came from the darkness:
“Why not punish him?”
Lan Yu was indifferent. After reading the military report in his hand, he said coldly:
"Don't kill the general before the battle."
"Everyone says that the general acts recklessly.
But I have watched for a long time and found that the general is particularly cautious in military affairs.
They refused to punish even a small commander."
Lan Yu sneered:
"The commander of the garrison is a third-rank official, with five garrisons and nearly 6,000 people under his command. Is this considered a low-ranking official?
I have seen that you have been in the capital for too long and have seen many wealthy and powerful people. You are too picky and too incompetent. "
The figure in the darkness remained silent. After a long while, a faint sigh was heard:
“What the general is teaching is that someone was too arrogant.
The county magistrate who ruined the family, the prefect who wiped out the family, and the people,
A local official is already a person you cannot afford to offend.
What's more, the commander of a place must be deeply involved.
If they are punished lightly, it will surely cause unrest in Gyeongju and instability among the people."
"It is easy to dodge an open attack but difficult to guard against an arrow from the dark. We should not be afraid of people who are in the open, but we should be afraid of them doing evil things behind the scenes.
Ding Xianzhi needs to be watched closely. Qingzhou has been outside the border for many years.
Many soldiers were killed or wounded, there are many tricks involved, please investigate carefully. "
Hearing Lan Yu's words, the black shadow suddenly thought of something and said slowly:
"Yan Wujian, the illegitimate son of Yan San of Hou Qianhu Suo, was killed on his way back with the captured weapons.
Yan Wujian once served as a flag bearer under Lu Yunyi, and killed Wu Fuliu, a centurion of the front army.
Yan San suppressed the matter and sent the two back to Qingzhou overnight.
But...Yan Wujian died on the road in unclear circumstances, and the murderer has not been found yet.
It snowed heavily that night, and the person in charge of the investigation was Chen Jingyi, who had experience as a coroner.
He once said that the murderer was extremely strong and might be a grassland man.
But it was icy and snowy that day, so this statement did not hold water.
There are only two people in the entire Gyeongju defense who can shoot 200 shots.
Lu Yunyi and Liu Heiying.
There is one person who can open 180, and that's Wu Fuliu.
He was in the convoy that day, but he was seriously injured.
Chen Jingyi's son died at the hands of his own people outside the Great Wall three years ago.
The matter was left unresolved, and he gave up being a coroner and joined the army.
The strange thing is, two hours ago,
Chen Jingyi sent a letter to Liu Huaipu, Liu Heiying's father.
He was asked to lead Xiao Shunzi, who depended on Wu Fuliu for survival, to Qingzhouwei and take away all the previously captured items.
Can you think deeply about the connection between them? "
"That ends here. Lu Yunyi will be fined three months' salary."
Lan Yu didn't look up, but just said coldly.
No more sound came from the darkness.
Ding Xianzhi left the central military camp and quickly left the military camp and returned to the headquarters of the Qianhusuo in Qingzhou.
Yan San just stood outside the military tent, pacing back and forth waiting, with an anxious look on his face.
Seeing him coming back, Yan San hurriedly came up to him and said, "Sir, how is it?"
Ding Xianzhi's face was gloomy. He didn't say anything and went straight back to the military tent.
When Yan San saw this, his heart skipped a beat and he immediately had a bad feeling, so he hurriedly followed.
"The matter has been leaked, and the general asked me to punish you."
"what?"
In the military tent, Ding Xianzhi sat there with a gloomy face, staring at Yan San:
"Since we have already greeted Lu Yunyi, why not make the military report more attractive?
Now that the general has seen through our plan, we have done nothing but eat up all our food and still have to bear the consequences!"
Yan San was speechless for a moment. He had read the military newspaper and found no problems.
He was a little shocked and asked:
"How could the general read such a military report?"
Ding Xianzhi looked gloomy and said, "I don't know either. People say that the general is lazy.
I thought he would just glance over it.
Even just looking at the captured items, I didn’t expect him to examine them carefully.”
As he spoke, Ding Xianzhi's face looked extremely strange.
Because he usually only read the captured results in the military newspapers,
Only when we suffer a great defeat will we read detailed military reports.
Thinking of this, Ding Xianzhi sighed: "Rumors in the world cannot be trusted."
Yan San's face was gloomy at the moment. Not only did he not get any credit,
He was also punished by the general and all the spoils he had previously captured were lost.
For some reason, he remembered what Lu Yunyi said to him last night.
Greed will only lead to more harm than good.
"Sir, what should we do now? What about my punishment?"
Yan San suddenly felt somewhat relieved at this moment.
Fortunately, the punishment was carried out within the command post, rather than by the general himself.
This way there is room for maneuver.
"How about a demotion?" Ding Xianzhi sat there and squeezed out a few words coldly.
Yan San's face changed drastically, and his pupils suddenly contracted:
"Sir, for the sake of our past kindness, please spare my life."
"No, the general has already explained this matter personally.
If I let you go, wouldn't that mean I'm pushing myself into the fire pit?" Ding Xianzhi shook his head slowly.
Yan San stood to one side with a changing expression. The dim candlelight made his face flicker.
He suddenly gritted his teeth and said:
"If you help me through this difficult time, I will send Ning Xin to your residence."
Ding Xianzhi raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of greed flashed in his eyes, but he said nothing.
Yan San said again: "Your Excellency may not know that after Ning Xin became a widow,
More beautiful than ever, more plump, with a spring in her brows.
Plus, there is no man around him, and he has been holding back for so long, so the lord will surely be able to succeed easily."
"She's still investigating her husband?"
"It's been quiet lately. The man has been dead for three years. What's the point of investigating further?"
A hint of joy flashed across Yan San's eyes, and knowing that Ding Xianzhi was somewhat interested, he quickly said:
"Ning Xin is a lady from Peking, from a family of scholars.
He has been an official in Peking since the previous dynasty and is quite capable.
Because of her husband's reasons, she had not been in contact with her family.
After all, their scholarly family has always looked down on us warriors.
But if you take it into your arms, it will be different.
No matter how high your lordship is, he is still a third-rank official. He will surely impress her family.
Then the adults and Ning Xin's family will work together.
Your wish to transfer out of Gyeongju can be easily realized.
I have also heard that
The Daning Dusi and the Beiping Dusi have been shirking responsibility and drawing boundaries with each other recently.
My Lord, you should take this opportunity to find a good job."
As soon as these words came out, Ding Xianzhi's heartbeat quickened.
Thinking of Ning Xin's graceful figure, my breathing became heavier and I couldn't help but look up.
If this is accomplished, not only will you get the beauty back, but you will also have a promising future.
Taking a deep breath, Ding Xianzhi said calmly:
"Then I'll fine him one year's salary, so he can learn a lesson and never do it again.
I think the general won't pay too much attention to this little thing."
Yan San let out a long sigh; "Thank you, sir."
(End of this chapter)