Chapter 156 The backer has fallen

Chapter 156 The backer has fallen

Chapter 156 The backer has fallen
The moonlight shines through the dense treetops, casting mottled silver light.

The night wind blew gently, sweeping across the hearts of Lu Yunyi and others.
The rustling sound in my ears accompanied by their crisp footsteps made my heart even heavier.

The collusion between Liaodong Dusi and the Northern Yuan Dynasty was deeper than they imagined.
After the fall of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, the King of Liao and others could no longer obtain military equipment from the Northern Yuan Dynasty, but they could obtain military equipment from Liaodong.

Although they were all defective products, they were rare treasures for the King of Liao and others who were short of craftsmen.

It is much better than the weapons they made themselves.

Feeling a little heavy-hearted, Lu Yunyi returned to the No. 27 checkpoint.
The two men had been pinned to the ground, one side of their cheeks rubbed bloody by the sharp stones on the ground.

At this moment, the soldiers pulled them up and raised their heads. Their eyes were filled with fear and they looked at the tall figure in front of them with evasive eyes.

Lu Yunyi looked at the soldiers beside him and asked, "Did they give any instructions?"

"My lord, they are a little stubborn and have not yet explained."

Lu Yunyi suddenly felt annoyed, and his breathing became a little faster. He walked around with his hands on his hips, pointed at one of them, and shouted coldly:

"Stop his mouth and chop off his hands."

“No no…”

The person being pointed at showed fear on his face and shook his head repeatedly.
But it was too late, a piece of sackcloth had been stuffed into his mouth.

Another soldier held his arm, raised his knife and slashed, blood splattered.

A slightly rough hand fell to the ground, with blood splattered from the bloody wound.

The man's eyes suddenly bulged, and were instantly filled with bloodshot, with cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

Lu Yunyi looked at him with a calm expression and said lightly:
"Where are you from? Where are you going to deliver the things? Who ordered you to do so?"

The soldiers tore the sackcloth from his mouth, and the man began to wail.
A hint of murderous intent flashed in Lu Yunyi's eyes, and he slapped forward fiercely and forcefully!
puff--

Several bright red teeth fell out, and the man fainted instantly, with half of his face swelling up rapidly.

The soldier who controlled him quickly slashed his arm to wake him up.

Lu Yunyi asked again:
"To smuggle weapons and weapons through foreign countries, the whole family will be executed and the three clans will be exiled.
If you don't tell me, I will take your head to the guard post and interrogate everyone one by one, and I will definitely find your accomplices and family members."

"No no no, I'll tell you, I'll tell you!!"

Fear flashed in the man's eyes, his speech became unclear, and tears flowed one by one.

Lu Yunyi snorted coldly, and without looking at him again, he waved his hand: "Drag him away."

After that person left, Lu Yunyi looked at the remaining person who also had a frightened look on his face and asked:
"You tell me, if you two say something different, you will all die, and your whole family will not be able to escape."

"I'll tell you, sir, please spare my life." The man nodded like pecking at rice.

"We are the laborers of Jing'an Fort. Our superiors asked us to deliver these carts of goods to a place 20 miles outside Sanwanwei.

There is a cave there, so put it there.

What's inside, I really don't know.

My Lord, I didn't know it was a weapon.

Otherwise, even if I had ten times the courage, I would not dare to do this, because it is a matter of death."

The man's voice was intermittent and a bit pleading.

Lu Yunyi narrowed his eyes, keenly aware that something was wrong, and asked:
"Do you usually give away other things? Or do you dare to give away other things?"

The man froze in his pleading motion, a trace of panic flashed in his eyes, and after hesitating for a moment, he stammered:
"We usually deliver food and cloth. This time we thought it was food, but it turned out to be weapons."

The man looked ashen and fell to his knees.

Seeing him like this, Lu Yunyi sneered.

The weight difference between the weapons and the food and cloth was more than just a little bit. These people must have noticed it, but they were just hoping for the best.

With a cold snort, Lu Yunyi called over a soldier and ordered:
"Ask all the questions you need to ask and write down his confession."

"Yes!"

Soon, the soldier took out a booklet from his bosom and wrote in the moonlight while asking questions.

Lu Yunyi came to one side and saw the man who lost one hand was also talking intermittently, so he ignored him.

He quickly came to the four-horse carriage and tried to push it.
To deliver it to a distance of twenty miles, at the speed of these four carriages, it might take until dawn.
When Liu Heiying saw him, he ran over and said with emotion:
"Brother Yun'er, these people are too brave.
That person had been delivering things for nearly a year, with only three to five days or at most ten days in between.
A few days ago, due to the war, the Liaodong Border was under martial law, so they stopped.

The battle has just ended, and they have started it again, and they are sending weapons. How audacious! ! ”

Liu Hei Ying didn't care about their secret dealings with foreigners.
What he was thinking about at the moment was how much money had been made from these smuggling routes that had existed for who knows how long.

Those slightly defective long swords might only be worth one or two taels of silver in the Ming Dynasty.
But if I sell it to the King of Liao, it will cost at least five taels of silver.

In times of war like this, even ten taels of silver is possible.

As for food, it is even more expensive, ten times the normal price is considered.

Lu Yunyi's face was solemn. He lowered his head and thought deeply. He kept thinking in his mind whether he should continue the investigation.

The water in Liaodong and the Northeast is deeper than you might imagine, and you’ll be dragged into it if you’re not careful.

But soon, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes.

He came here to fight, and as long as the battle can be won, the cost doesn't matter.

Lu Yunyi looked at Liu Heiying and ordered:

"Let those carriages continue on their way, and send a hundred or so soldiers to follow them to see who received the goods.
If they are grassland people, we will kill them all, bring the goods back, and hide them in a secret place near Sanwanwei."

"Yes!"

Liu Heiying's face was solemn and he quickly went to make arrangements.

The statements of the two people next to him have been recorded.

Lu Yunyi pointed at the bloody and miserable man:
"Bandage his wounds and bring him back to the camp at daybreak."

"Yes!"

Time passed by little by little, and the night passed quickly in the blink of an eye.

At daybreak, Lu Yunyi led his soldiers back to Sanwanwei.

After waiting for a whole night, he only saw the four carriages, which made him a little disappointed.

Among the 30,000 guards, Xu Cheng, who had been anxiously waiting for them, rushed over when he saw them coming back.

He wasn't even wearing armor, but just ordinary clothes.

Seeing the soldiers looking dusty and exhausted, and seeing that there were only cavalry and nothing else, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, Xu Cheng arrived in front of Lu Yunyi's military tent. Xu Zengshou and Guo Quan were still on duty.

This time, Guo Quan's expression eased a little, and he quickly reported, then said:

"Come in, Master Xu."

Xu Cheng glanced at him in surprise and felt flattered.

Entering the military tent, Xu Cheng saw Lu Yunyi, who was covered in mud. He was startled and asked immediately:
"What happened to General Lu?"

Lu Yunyi took off his head armor and hung it on one side, his face somewhat surprised:

"Master Xu, is this concerning the safety of this general?"

Xu Cheng looked a little unnatural. The young general in front of him was an envoy sent by the general to persuade him to surrender.
If he was injured among the 30,000 guards and the army pursued him, he would be in big trouble.

After hesitating for a long time, Xu Cheng forced a smile on his face:
"I'm glad General Lu is alright. I'm relieved now."

Lu Yunyi glanced at him, sat down, and said lightly:
"Sir Xu, you are the commander of 30,000 guards, don't you want to talk about the smuggling caravans crossing the border?
This is a business that can get you killed, but some people dare to take this risk.
"As the commander of 30,000 guards, you actually concealed the truth? What is your intention?"

Lu Yunyi's voice became louder and louder.

In the end, it became a loud roar in Xu Cheng's heart, causing his whole body to tremble.
Panic flashed in his eyes, his face looked a little unnatural, his muscles twitched repeatedly, and he quickly explained:

"I don't know what General Lu is talking about. It is indeed a capital crime to have secret dealings with foreigners. No one would be so bold as to do that." "Really?"

Lu Yunyi glanced at him. After what happened yesterday, he was almost certain.

Xu Cheng, the commander of 30,000 guards, only knew some things but was not involved.

If he was involved, the scouts of the vanguard army left the camp with great fanfare yesterday.

He should have gone and informed Lu Yunyi, and Lu Yunyi would not have gained anything.

"Master Xu, you may not know that yesterday we captured a few people not far to the north of Sanwanwei.
They set out from Jing'an Fort and headed for Weiyuan Fort, 20 miles north of Sanwanwei.
What is being transported, Lord Xu, do you know?"

"What?" Xu Cheng's face was filled with horror.

A huge rock was thrown into the already restless lake of my heart, causing huge waves and a layer of cold sweat on my back.

"You, you caught the smuggler?"

Lu Yunyi smiled, but in the blink of an eye he lost his warmth and slapped his palm on the table.
"Snapped!"

With a gloomy look, he stared at Xu Cheng intently and spoke meaningfully:
"Whether he is caught or not is not Mr. Xu's concern.

I just want to know how many smuggled horse and donkey carts have traveled on the dirt roads in the north of Sanwanwei.
How many things did the Liaodong Military Command send to the Northern Yuan Dynasty and to where the Liao King is now?
The most important thing is who is running these businesses behind the scenes.”

As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere in the military tent suddenly turned cold.

Xu Cheng's body was covered with goose bumps, and the dark skin brought by the wind and sun seemed to turn a little pale.

Xu Cheng's pupils shook violently, his breathing became a little faster, and there was a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

He knows, he knows!!
When these fully armored soldiers transporting military equipment arrived, Xu Cheng already felt something was wrong.
Although the weapons are huge and valuable,
But no matter what, it was not the turn of a thousand fully armored elite soldiers to escort them.
On the battlefield, if more than a thousand soldiers charged forward without regard for their lives,
How could he be sent to deliver military equipment when he was able to break through the blockade of tens of thousands of grassland soldiers in a short period of time?
Seeing that he was still silent, Lu Yunyi smiled, took out the long sword from his waist and placed it on the table, and said casually:

"Could it be that Lord Xu is also involved in the smuggling? Then I will not be polite."

Lu Yunyi's expression gradually turned colder, his eyes were sharp as a blade, and he swept straight over:
"If I remember correctly, Lord Xu was also a warrior who had made great contributions and fought bravely on the battlefield.
How did he get involved in such things when he arrived at the local guard post? It really made Lu unbelievable.

If they colluded with foreigners, their entire family would be executed, and even their relatives would be harmed.

Could it be that this third-rank official position and the lives of the entire family are worth no more than a few tens of thousands of taels of silver?"

As he spoke, Lu Yunyi shook his head, and the sharp edge of the long sword in his hand gradually came out of its sheath.

Xu Cheng just stood there without saying a word, his face extremely bitter.

After a long time, he finally sighed:
"General Lu, you are a smart man, so don't use such means to scare me. If I had participated in the Liaodong incident, how could I have ended up with only 30,000 guards?"

Then, Xu Cheng began to talk bit by bit, and Lu Yunyi did not interrupt him, just listening.

Slowly, Lu Yunyi's expression became a little weird.

There was a hint of pity in his eyes when he looked at Xu Cheng. If what was said was true, then he was really a miserable man.

Although Sanwanwei has the Yingchengzi iron mine, which is one of the richest mines in the Ming Dynasty, it also manufactures military equipment.

But it's a real chore.
Like Gyeongju, this place is the northernmost part of Ming Dynasty.

Ordinary laborers and craftsmen were unwilling to come here, so there was always a shortage of staff.
But the monthly military affairs could not be neglected at all, and all of this had to be managed by him as the commander.

In desperation, all the soldiers entered the workshop and mine.

Gradually, his title as commander became unworthy of its title, as all his subordinates were craftsmen and had no soldiers capable of fighting.

Moreover, the biggest hidden danger of coming to these 30,000 guards is that one day the smuggling in Liaodong will be exposed and someone will be dragged out to take the blame.

The roads were placed in the mountains in such a grand manner.

To say that he couldn't detect it would be a joke.

But what can he do?

Explain the pros and cons to the governor and tell him that there are smugglers here? Wouldn't that be walking into a trap?

All the things about the Thirty Thousand Guards flashed through Xu Cheng's mind, and his eyes became increasingly dim.

If he is really a corrupt official, then there is no better place than Sanwanwei.

He controls the iron mine workshop, is far away from the emperor, and is close to the border. It is a good place to make money no matter how you look at it.

But Xu Cheng is not a greedy person, so he can be said to be waiting to die here.

After a long time, the sky was already bright.
The sunlight from Liaodong came in little by little, shining into the military tent and revealing all the dust in the air.

Xu Cheng smiled miserably, pointed at the beam of light that came in, and sighed:
"General Lu, the dirty things in Liaodong are like the dust floating in the air.

It's not obvious at ordinary times, I know the air is full of dust,
But I cannot draw back the curtain,

Otherwise, if this beam of light shines into Liaodong and reveals the filthiness of this place, this beam of light will be guilty, and I will die without a burial place."

Lu Yunyi nodded slightly, his face becoming somewhat serious. He asked:

"How will you deal with the dirt roads outside of Sanwanwei, and what will you do with the smuggled vehicles that travel on them?"

"I turned a blind eye." Xu Cheng smiled bitterly:
"Master Lu, you don't know that I haven't left this camp for nearly two months because I don't want to see the compacted dirt road outside."

"Hiding like this is not a solution. The Liaodong Regional Command has not been exposed.
It’s just that the imperial court has been busy with the war in the northern border recently, and now that the Northern Yuan Dynasty has been destroyed, the situation in Liaodong can no longer be concealed.” Lu Yunyi said lightly.

"I have sent letters to many colleagues.
Please ask them to help me with the transfer of the Dusi.
But you also know that even transfer within Liaodong is difficult, let alone transfer away from this bitter cold place.

Now half a year has passed, and there is still no news. "

After these words came out, Lu Yunyi's face turned strange.
Not only did his father-in-law have to be transferred to another place and leave the bitter and cold land in the north, but he also had to go to Beijing and become an official.

A third-rank official has no way to survive and cannot be transferred.
A fifth-rank official will act as he pleases and go to the capital when the time is right.

The gap between people is sometimes greater than that between people and dogs.

Xu Cheng seemed to have let go of the burden in his heart and was no longer so anxious.
He just sat down casually and picked up the teapot to pour himself a cup of tea.

It was not until this time that he began to possess some of the aura of a third-rank military official in the imperial court.

"General Lu, to be honest with you, when I was in the army, I always wanted to go to the local garrison to act arrogantly, but after arriving at the garrison, I found that it was far less comfortable than in the army."

Lu Yunyi looked strange and asked:

"Master Xu, where is the superior you followed before? Why don't you ask him to help with the transfer?"

Xu Cheng was a third-rank commander and had made great contributions in the army. He was at least a lieutenant general.

Now when the Ming Dynasty is at war, the chief officers are almost all founding heroes and nobles, so a lieutenant general can still have some say.

At this point, Xu Cheng sighed again, his face darkening to the extreme:
"I used to be the right lieutenant general under the command of Marquis Yuzhang."

Lu Yunyi was stunned, his face froze, and a look of relief flashed in his eyes.

No wonder this person couldn't be transferred and was even assigned here.
It is obvious that they are bullying him because his backer has collapsed.

Marquis of Yuzhang is today's Marquis of Linchuan Hu Mei, who was the general who conquered the south before the establishment of the Ming Dynasty. He held a very high status, and most of Fujian was conquered by him.

However, he was convicted and imprisoned in the 17th year of Hongwu, and remains in prison today.

Once he was imprisoned and lost his power, his subordinates would naturally be ostracized.
The Xu Cheng in front of us is probably the most miserable person.
Not only was he transferred to this cold and bitter place, but he also had to take the blame at any time.

For a moment, Lu Yunyi didn't know what to say. After hesitating for a long time, he asked:
"Commander Xu, do you know who is doing business with the grassland people?"

There was a flash of anger in Xu Cheng's eyes. It was obvious that he didn't want him to live!

But Lu Yunyi raised his hand and said:

"As long as you tell me everything you know, I may not be able to protect you, but there are people who can."

There was a hint of doubt in Xu Cheng's eyes, and then there was a hint of hope.

Lu Yunyi smiled and shouted towards the entrance of the military tent:

"Guo Quan, come in."

(End of this chapter)