Chapter 48 The Beheading Deal

Chapter 48 The Beheading Deal

Chapter 48 The Beheading Deal
Two days later, the soldiers who had returned from leave came back to the camp one after another, with smiles on their faces.

Although the rewards for the war had not yet been distributed, the army still distributed salaries in advance as the year was approaching.

During this holiday, they sent some of their money back home.

The other part ate, drank and had fun to relieve the psychological trauma caused by fighting on the battlefield.

But even so, there were still some soldiers who were not used to scouting the battle formation.
When they were infantrymen, they could only see the space in front of them.
There weren't many dead bodies, nor many broken limbs.

But now they are cavalrymen,
A warhorse can cross the entire battlefield with just a few steps, and the horrors they witness are far more horrific than when they were infantrymen.

So Lu Yunyi discovered that some soldiers had suffered serious psychological trauma.
They did not go out to eat, drink or have fun in the past two days. They just sat in the barracks with dull eyes.
Even at night you can hear their low roars.

Lu Yunyi had anticipated this, so he did not return home in the past two days.

Instead, he moved around between the military tents, guiding the soldiers who stayed behind.

At this moment, he was sitting in the military tent, and opposite him sat a soldier in his twenties, who looked dazed and frightened.

Lu Yunyi's face was gentle, without the excitement he usually had during training, and his voice was calm instead:
"Xu Qi, when I was patrolling the camp yesterday, I saw you tossing and turning for a long time without falling asleep. Why is that?"

Xu Qi shuddered when he heard the voice, then slowly raised his head, looking nervous and not daring to speak for a moment.

Lu Yunyi spoke again: "Relax, there are only you and me here.
So you don't have to hide, only I can hear what you say.

Do you remember the psychological issues I talked about with you last time during training?

This is a process that every soldier has to go through.

In my first battle, I killed two grassland people with my own strength.

I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but I used a lot of force because I was afraid I couldn't kill him.

They even chopped off their heads. That scene almost scared me to death.”

Xu Qi just listened in a daze, with an expression of disbelief on his face.

At this moment, Lord Lu seemed quite friendly, in stark contrast to his usual harshness.

"My Lord, will it be the same?"

Lu Yunyi smiled calmly, poured him a cup of hot tea and placed it in front of him:
"Naturally, the first charge into battle, the first kill of the enemy,
Seeing corpses everywhere for the first time, handling the remains of the war for the first time,
The first time I faced the horror of a cavalry charge, I was terrified every time.

I was frightened all the way, and slowly came here.
Tell me, why can't you fall asleep? Are you frightened?"

Xu Qi took the teacup flattered, pursed his lips, thought for a moment and said:

“Sir, when I close my eyes, I see the fallen brothers and Yuan people, and the screams on the battlefield echo in my ears;

Especially after the cavalry charge, the horses trampled the enemy troops. The scene was still fresh in the memory of the subordinates.
I dare not deceive you, sir. I have seen battles before, but none as brutal as the cavalry charge.
After the long knife slashed, at most it would leave a wound, but after the war horse's hooves trampled me, I couldn't sleep."

Lu Yunyi reached out and patted his shoulder:

"I understand how you feel. Battlefields are always cruel. You are not the first soldier, nor will you be the last to experience this."

Xu Qi suddenly became choked up:

"My Lord, I am afraid. I am afraid that I will become like that in the next fight.
I was afraid that I would never see my relatives in my hometown again. I was embarrassed by my parents. "

Lu Yunyi smiled slightly and said gently:

"It's human nature to be afraid, Xu Qi, there's nothing wrong with your feelings.

A brave soldier is not one who cannot feel fear, but one who still has the courage to stand up even in the face of fear.

Xu Qi stared blankly at the teacup in his hand, his voice hollow:
"Then what should I do? Am I still brave?"

"If I order you to charge into battle now, are you willing to go?" Lu Yunyi looked serious.

"certainly."

Lu Yunyi's expression then eased, and he said seriously:
"Xu Qi, you are certainly brave, you found courage in fear.

Don't worry, you've done well.

You protected your comrades, protected the Ming Dynasty, earned money, supported your family, and killed the enemy."

Xu Qi's face showed a trace of emotion, and he slowly raised his head: "I just don't know how long I can hold on."

Lu Yunyi stood up and took out an old book from the pile of books and handed it over:

“I had the same feelings as you when I first joined the army.

At that time, my father gave me this book, which recorded the story of Han Xin, the Marquis of Huaiyin.

Whenever I feel lost and scared, I read it. Even the great warriors had their share of wasted years and faced the same difficulties as you and me. "

"Really?" Xu Qi's pupils dilated slightly, and a hint of curiosity appeared on his face.

Lu Yunyi nodded:
“Of course, joy, anger, worry, thought, sadness, fear, and shock are all emotions we are born with.
Can't forget, can't get rid of,
I know you can't read a lot, but that's okay.
I will give you this book today. You can read it when you are free.
By the way, learn some more words. You have children, right? "

"Yes. He's five years old."

When talking about children, Xu Qi showed a long-lost smile on his face, and he looked a little reserved.

"That's a good time to learn to read, when the war is over,

When you return home, you can tell your children the stories you read in the books and teach them the words you know.
Then you can tell your child.”

Lu Yunyi paused and raised his voice, revealing the courage to command the world, and said in a deep voice:

"Han Xin is a hero of the Han Dynasty, and your father is also a warrior of the Ming Dynasty. We are both brave men."

Xu Qi on the opposite side suddenly laughed, and the gloomy atmosphere in the room seemed to be swept away, and the depression in him also dissipated a lot.

"Sir, is this really possible?" Xu Qi asked.

Lu Yunyi smiled and nodded.

"Of course, at home, you are the father of your children; in the army, you are the hero of the Ming Dynasty."

Fear is something that everyone has.

But this does not prevent you from being brave, nor does it prevent the Ming Dynasty from remembering your merits.

When you return home, with your reward in one hand and your achievements in the other, you will become a hero in your family.

Well, take the book. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. "

Xu Qi seemed to have gotten rid of the haze in his heart, and smiled and shook his head:

"No more sir, thank you sir."

Lu Yunyi smiled and nodded, "After you finish this cup of tea, please call the next soldier."

Xu Qi smiled, picked up the hot tea and drank it all, then bowed to Lu Yunyi, more sincerely than ever.

Then he held the book in his hands, as if he had found a treasure, and walked out slowly.
Watching Xu Qi leave, Lu Yunyi's smile gradually disappeared. He sighed softly and drank the tea in the cup.

In recent days, the accumulated negative emotions have made him feel exhausted and heavy-hearted.

After a while, the curtain of the military tent was lifted.

A tall and fat figure squeezed in and rushed to him quickly, shouting:

"Brother Yun'er, Brother Yun'er..." Lu Yunyi frowned, looked at the time and asked:
"It's not time to return to camp yet, what are you doing here?"

Liu Heiying's face was strange, his eyes were full of surprise, and he said anxiously:
"There has been some progress! Guo Quan is indeed a descendant of a noble family.
He may seem insignificant on weekdays, but his career is so vast.
Yesterday I asked him to investigate this matter, and today he turned the Qingzhou Central Guard upside down and actually found some things. "

Lu Yunyi showed a strange expression on his face, nodded slightly and said:

"We'll talk about this later. Go out and call the soldiers in. I don't have time now."

"Ah?" Liu Heiying was immediately shocked and said quickly:
"Brother Yun'er, let's investigate the case first. This is a big case. You can get credit for it if you investigate it."

Lu Yunyi glanced at him and poured himself a cup of hot tea:
"If a soldier wants to achieve merit, he must do so on the battlefield.
The mental health of the soldiers is related to the overall combat effectiveness and also to our future. This is the most important thing. Let's put the investigation aside for now.
Go out and call them in, there aren't many left."

Having said this, Liu Heiying stood up with a look of suspicion on his face, muttering as he walked out of the military tent.

Not long after, a soldier about the same age as Xu Qi walked in, looking anxious.

Lu Yunyi still showed a warm smile, took out a cup, and poured a cup of hot tea:
"sit"

Two hours passed in a flash, and the night was like thick ink, silently covering the military camp.

In the winter of the Ming Dynasty, a hazy crescent moon hung in the sky, casting a faint silver light.

But it is obscured by thick clouds from time to time.

The tents were arranged in an orderly manner, and the flags fluttered gently in the night breeze, rustling.

In front of Lu Yunyi's tent, the snow had not been completely compacted, leaving a trail of footprints.

These footprints appeared particularly clear under the candlelight.

Occasionally a cold wind blew by, blowing up snowflakes that floated in the air, then gently covered the footprints, gradually blurring their traces.

Looking at these footprints, Lu Yunyi, who had just finished a day of psychological counseling, stood in front of the tent, let out a long breath, and stretched hard. Although he was tired, he felt extremely satisfied in his heart.

Although he is not a psychiatrist, he can only provide some comfort by relying on his own status.

But even so, some soldiers who could not read a single word were flattered.

He stood at the entrance of the military tent for a moment, then walked towards the military tent nearby, pushed aside the curtain and went straight in.

Suddenly, I saw Liu Heiying lying on the table and writing furiously.

Noticing someone coming, Liu Heiying raised his head to see Lu Yunyi, and a look of surprise appeared on his face:

"Brother Yun'er, you're finally done. The flowers I've been waiting for have all wilted."

Lu Yunyi had no interest in joking with him. He walked to the table with heavy steps, sat down gently and asked:

"What's the catch?"

Liu Heiying's face suddenly showed excitement. He lowered his head and said in a deep voice:

"What a great harvest, Brother Yun'er. I guess you can't imagine how this kid Guo Quan does things."

"What did he do?" Lu Yunyi was also a little surprised.

Liu Heiying lowered his voice again:
"This guy went straight to the central military camp, took the marquis's badge and checked everywhere.
He first went to Zhongwei, Qingzhou, and looked through all the accounts and rosters of the past years.

Then he went to Qingzhou government office and asked Liu Zhizhou to cooperate in the investigation.

Now, Magistrate Liu and his staff are checking the accounts."

Lu Yunyi's pupils slightly dilated, and he looked shocked. He guessed that Guo Quan's investigation might be easier than theirs.
But I didn't expect it to be so easy.

Liu Heiying also sighed:
"This rich and powerful kid is different from us. He does things recklessly and is not afraid of offending others.

I heard from the soldiers that you don’t know how scared Ding Xianzhi was at that time, his face was pale and his whole body was shaking.”

"Have you found out anything?" Lu Yunyi asked.

Liu Heiying looked at the paper in front of him, sorted it out, and handed it over:

"Brother Yun'er, look, this is the list of soldiers I have listed who have gone missing and who have been killed in previous years."

A trace of anger appeared on his face. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted in a low voice:
"These people are going too far. Although Gyeongju is located on the border and there are often fights, the number of deaths is too high.

In recent years, dozens of soldiers have died inexplicably every year.

Many people went to report to the authorities, but the answers given by the military camp were either that they were killed in battle or that they were missing.

That would be fine, soldiers who died in battle should be given compensation, but these bastards don't even give any compensation and keep delaying it.

There was a soldier who died in the 16th year of Hongwu, and his pension has not been fully paid to this day. One of his parents has died.
I think they want to drag everyone to death and let the matter go.”

Liu Heiying became angrier and angrier as he spoke, and his voice became louder and louder, until bloodshot appeared in his eyes.

There were many scandals in the military camp. Liu Heiying knew some of them and participated in some of them.
But he had never seen such an excessive superior. This was the Qingzhou Central Guard, a thousand-household unit led by the commander-in-chief himself.

Now that they think about it, it is lucky rather than unlucky that the two brothers have met their superior Yan San in the Houqianhu Suo.

Compared with the dirty things those people did, Yan San was pure and innocent.

Lu Yunyi's face was solemn and he clenched his fists involuntarily. If the army had not come here, it would have been unknown how long this matter could have been kept secret.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Yunyi suppressed his emotions and asked in a trembling voice:
"Any results? How is Ding Xianzhi now?"

Liu Heiying shook his head slowly: "The matter has not yet come to a conclusion, but it is still under investigation. I think the truth will be revealed in a few days.

After this incident, even if Ding Xianzhi was not beheaded, he would at least lose his job. Now he has been imprisoned by the Marquis of Changxing.

Guo Quan once interrogated him, but because he could not torture him and Ding Xianzhi refused to say anything, he did not get anything out of him.

Lu Yunyi nodded gently. Ding Xianzhi was a third-rank commander.
He is now imprisoned, and I think the two marquises in the army have already known about it.

This makes things much simpler. We just need to find the key evidence and figure out what they are doing, and then everything will come to light.

"Any clues about what they did?" Lu Yunyi asked.

Liu Heiying sighed, feeling heavy-hearted:

"It's all about money. Although there are no problems with the accounts,
But after asking around, some soldiers have said that the food and fodder in recent years is a bit stale and difficult to eat."

Lu Yunyi frowned slightly, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes:
"Old grain for new grain?"

But Lu Yunyi immediately realized that something was wrong. The price difference between old grain and new grain in Qingzhou was only 20%.

It's not worth doing this life-threatening business just for the 20% price difference.

But Liu Heiying nodded heavily, with a gleam in his eyes:
"That's how it should be."

"Hmm? You're willing to kill someone just for 20% of the money?"

Liu Heiying shook his head slowly:
"Brother Yun'er, Qingzhou is a cold and bitter place, and the people don't have much money.

I would rather buy cheaper old grain than expensive new grain.

But it was completely different in Beiping. Beiping was the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, and there were countless powerful and wealthy people in the city.
The difference between the new grain and the old grain in Peking is at least 50%. If it were in winter or spring, the price might be 70% to 80% more expensive.

Moreover, if this new grain is sold to the powerful people on the grassland, it will be more than 70% to 80% profitable.”

Liu Heiying stewed the tea for a while, then drank the tea in the cup, his eyes bright with ferocity:
"But ten times!!"

(End of this chapter)