Chapter 211: Zhongzheng Street Shops, Day of Ceremonial Guards
Chapter 211: Zhongzheng Street Shops, Day of Ceremonial Guards
It was near the beginning of the evening when Lu Yunyi led the scouts of the vanguard army back to the Puzikou camp.
As the ceremonial guards and soldiers returned from training, the originally quiet Puzikou City became lively and brightly lit.
Lu Yunyi ordered Wu Fuliu and Zhang Yu to settle the soldiers, and he returned to the military tent.
Liu Heiying had been waiting there for a long time. At this moment, he was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, looking solemn.
On the square table on one side of the tent was placed today's food from the military camp.
Steamed lamb with rice flour, pork stewed with cabbage, and stir-fried bean sprouts, also with a large bowl of rice and two steamed buns on top.
Seeing him come back, Liu Heying, who was pacing, his eyes lit up and he rushed over.
Lu Yunyi took off his head armor tiredly and handed it over.
His face was pale and dull, his eye sockets were sunken, and his eyes were dark circles. He looked like he was out of ammunition and food.
Having not slept for two days and two nights, he was exhausted both physically and mentally.
Liu Heiying put the head armor aside and said quickly:
"Brother Yun'er, wash your face and hands first and eat."
"Ah."
Lu Yunyi said this and went to wash his face.
The fatigue of the day cannot be removed by washing your face, it can only be slightly boosted.
He forced himself to cheer up, sat down at the square table, sighed lightly, picked up a steamed bun and started eating. At this moment, he felt that eating was a time-consuming and laborious task.
After swallowing the first bite of food, the aroma of mutton began to spread.
Lu Yunyi thought of something and said with a slightly tired look:
"Tell the fireman that the mutton must be cooked thoroughly. Eating half-cooked mutton can easily make you sick, and even gods can't help you."
Liu Heiying was stunned and nodded repeatedly:
"Got it, Brother Yun'er."
"Did you have a good day today?"
Liu Heiying's face was solemn, and he said in a deep voice:
"Things are going well, but there are people following us, belonging to different forces.
The most elite ones are the Jinyiwei, and there is another group that should be soldiers.
As for the other two stocks, it is unclear, they only followed them in the morning and then stopped. "
Lu Yunyi paused while eating, with an inexplicable look on his face. After a long while, he sneered:
"There really are such people. I thought we were the only ones with evil hearts, but I didn't expect there are many evil people in Yingtian."
Liu Heiying pursed his lips, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes, and he said softly:
"Brother Yun'er, I remember all those people's faces.
It just so happens that the day after tomorrow is the day of the ceremonial guards, why don't we take this opportunity to kill two of them and reduce their prestige?"
"Don't say these kinds of angry words anymore. They won't help the situation at all and will only push you to extremes."
Lu Yunyi spoke calmly and continued to eat his food.
The ruthlessness on Liu Heiying's face disappeared without a trace, as if nothing had happened.
"How do you see the shops?"
"Not bad, around 10,000 taels of silver. There are more than 40 shops in the city with good locations, and there are more than 10 shops not facing the street.
And there are only two or three of them in key positions.
The price is around 12,000 taels of silver. I will go and bargain with them tomorrow."
Lu Yunyi nodded:
"You have to choose a good location. When opening a shop and doing business, you can save money on everything except rent.
Since someone is following me, it is only reasonable to choose the best place.”
Liu Heiying chuckled: "Don't worry, Brother Yun'er, as for Li Wu... I think they might start with Li Wu."
His face was solemn. After one day of contact,
Li Wu is indeed a good person, eloquent and tactful.
He was diligent and hard-working, and he would still go out to work even though he had 30 strings of cash in his pocket.
If those people resorted to unscrupulous means, Liu Heiying would feel a little guilty.
Lu Yunyi's expression remained calm, without any ripples in his eyes, and his voice came slowly:
"Life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor are determined by heaven."
Liu Heiying pursed his lips and sighed softly.
He had expected such a reaction, and even remembered a sentence that had been lingering in his mind.
All gifts in the world have a price tag.
That's Li Wu.
"Brother Yun'er, I will observe Li Wu tomorrow. What should we do if he makes any unusual moves?"
Lu Yunyi stopped chewing, raised his head and glanced at Liu Heiying:
"Of course, we will go our separate ways and not get involved anymore."
Having said that, Liu Heiying breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing him like this, Lu Yunyi chuckled:
"We are military generals, not murderers. Killing people won't solve the fundamental problem."
Liu Heiying nodded, stopped talking and waited silently by the side.
After a full quarter of an hour, Lu Yunyi finally finished the large bowl of rice and two steamed buns.
The tired body regained strength, but the spirit became more sluggish.
His eyelids were already fighting back and forth, and there was a hint of dullness in his originally exquisite eyes.
Liu Heiying was a little worried when he saw this:
"Brother Yun'er, why don't we forget about it today and just rest first."
Lu Yunyi was somewhat tempted, but when he looked sideways, he saw that there was still nearly half of the military newspaper documents there.
He shook his head violently, with a fierce look in his eyes:
"No, tomorrow is the last day of training. Let's go to bed tomorrow night and continue tonight.
We are ordinary people, we don't have the abilities of those famous generals.
What we can do is to do everything in detail, accumulate small victories and win big ones! "
Liu Heiying was also somewhat encouraged by what he said and couldn't help but clench his fists!
"Good! Study by lamplight tonight and make great contributions in the southwest war. If you don't advance, you will retreat, and if you advance slowly, you will perish!"
Lu Yunyi picked up the bowl and chopsticks, handed them to the guard, walked quickly into the military tent, and stood beside the huge long table in the center:
"Okay, don't waste time, start now.
Let's categorize them as we did yesterday, picking out those who have specific battle commands and confrontations and putting them in one category.
The transportation of food, fodder, weapons and pre-war preparations will be grouped together."
"okay!"
Liu Heiying agreed readily, then sat down on the ground, took the document from the pile of books and looked at it carefully.
After a night, the two finally finished their day's work. They had gained a lot, but they also became more embarrassed and haggard.
Both of them were under 20 years old.
But time seemed to have passed quickly in just two days.
The tense heartstrings loosened, and the two lost their former brilliance in their eyes.
Filled with fine red bloodshot, the eye sockets are slightly sunken,
The eye bags hung heavily on the lower eyelids, like two dark shadows, revealing the struggle of fatigue and sleeplessness.
The complexion is pale and bloodless due to lack of rest, and the skin has a faint oily sheen.
His messy hair made him look even more unkempt.
Lu Yunyi shook his head, only to find that it was empty, as if there was a fruit core inside.
Every swing caused a back and forth impact, giving him a splitting headache.
He turned to look at Liu Heiying, only to see him holding more than a dozen documents and nodding frequently, closing and opening his eyes, looking dull and lifeless.
Lu Yunyi suddenly laughed out loud, walked over and kicked it:
"Black Hawk, you look like the most stingy miser who can't sleep all day when it comes to spending money."
"Brother Yun'er, I can sleep for two days and two nights now."
Liu Heiying's lips lost moisture, became dry and slightly cracked, and the color also faded a lot. At this moment, he was fighting non-stop and his speech became incoherent.
Lu Yunyi stepped forward and patted his shoulder:
"Okay, clean up quickly.
I'll reserve the shop today and bargain hard, as hard as I can.
Cheer up and don't show any flaws. It's enough to bow eighteen times. There's no need to show off in one last bow."
Liu Heiying tried to open his eyes wide, pretending to be energetic, and said in a sonorous and powerful voice:
"Don't worry, Brother Yun'er, I'll definitely get it done properly."
But after he finished speaking, he immediately became listless.
At this time, the front army scouts had assembled.
Wu Fuliu walked in from outside the tent and was stunned for a moment. Who were these two emaciated people in front of him?
He looked around the tent. Half of it was covered with open documents.
Pieces of map paper were scattered everywhere, and the air was filled with a strong scent of ink.
"Sir, what's wrong with you?"
Lu Yunyi shook his head, not wanting to talk, and went straight to wash his face. Then he put on his armor and walked out of the military tent.
Seeing Wu Fuliu still standing there in a daze, he looked at Wu Fuliu:
"Let's go, what are you standing there for?"
Wu Fuliu's face was full of weirdness:
"Sir, why don't you take a day off today? If you get sick, it won't be worth it."
Lu Yunyi forced himself to cheer up:
"Isn't it common to go on a march and fight for days and nights without sleep?
Don't be pretentious, hurry up, today is the last day of training, everything must be done well,
Tomorrow's honor guard, please don't embarrass our front scout unit."
"Yes, sir. The brothers are waiting for tomorrow."
"Um"
The voices of the two gradually faded away. Liu Heiying, shaking his head, forced himself to cheer up, returned to the military tent, washed, changed his clothes and went into the city.
The bargaining and bargaining in the shops lasted for a whole day.
Finally, Liu Heiying purchased the intersection of Zhongzheng Street and Zhuque Street for 11,500 taels.
It is a slightly old two-story building with an excellent location.
It is only one street away from the Nanjing Jiaofangsi and is also close to the Jingzhao Prefecture Yamen.
If the owner's son hadn't owed gambling debts, this place wouldn't have been sold easily.
It will just be left there and rented out every year as a rooster that lays golden eggs.
As evening approached, Liu Hei Ying was exhausted.
But the decadence of the previous two days was replaced by a happy mood and a smile on his face.
After giving Li Wu a bunch of money, he left Yingtian City in a hurry.
Hearing Li Wu shouting from behind, Liu Heiying looked back.
But he didn't look at Li Wu, but at the figures at the end of the street.
The shadow of the city gate covered his face, and he no longer hid his smile. His smile disappeared in an instant, replaced by coldness.
Today is still like yesterday, many people follow,
Only the Jinyiwei and the army could tell the difference, and no one else knew.
However, Liu Heiying had something in mind.
Since they have been following me for two days, they must have some bad intentions and are all enemies.
We took the ferry back to Puzikou City and then returned to the camp.
Since the guards of honor will be there tomorrow, we need to leave time for the Ministry of Rites and other government offices to set up the venue.
Today's training ended early. When Liu Heiying returned to the camp, most of the soldiers had already eaten and drunk their fill.
He greeted the soldiers and walked into the front army tent.
At first glance, he saw the figure lying on the central table with his eyes fixed.
"Brother Yun'er, why don't you take a rest?" Liu Heiying asked in surprise.
Lu Yunyi then raised his head: "Are you back? Are you done?"
"Don't worry, Brother Yun'er."
As he spoke, Liu Heiying took out the land deeds, house deeds, bills from the dental office, and the medical skills he had purchased from his arms.
Lu Yunyi just glanced at it and nodded with satisfaction.
"Is it the one on Zhongzheng Street?"
"Yes, the boss's son owed gambling debts and had to sell them out quickly, otherwise he wouldn't have done it so quickly.
The agent at the dental shop even said that if I delayed it for a few more days, I could save a few hundred taels, but I didn’t agree.”
Lu Yunyi frowned instantly:
"For what reason?"
Liu Heiying smiled and said frankly:
"Don't worry, Brother Yun'er. I refused on the grounds that I have something important to do tomorrow. Those who are monitoring me naturally know about the ceremony tomorrow."
"But they don't know that we are about to go on an expedition and are in a hurry."
Lu Yunyi's voice was hollow, his face thoughtful, and he continued:
"After the martial arts performance is over, I'll go find that yahang and throw a tantrum, and say I regret it."
"it is good!"
Liu Heiying agreed without thinking.
In fact, he didn't know why he should be so cautious, but it was always right to listen to Brother Yun'er.
Lu Yunyi threw the document in his hand casually, took the medical book from the table, and lay on the bed:
"Black Hawk, this is a time of great change, we cannot afford to make any mistakes.
Otherwise, a small omission today may lead to fatal disaster tomorrow. Once the seed of doubt is planted, it cannot be eradicated.
Finding the truth from subtle anomalies is the method you and I use most often.
The Jinyiwei is well-known, and there must be something extraordinary about them. We should not underestimate the heroes of the world."
Liu Heiying nodded repeatedly: "Brother Yun'er, I understand."
He didn't get a response until he heard a soft snoring sound.
The next day, before dawn, Lu Yunyi, who had his eyes tightly closed, suddenly opened them.
Hearing the slight noise outside, a sharp murderous look flashed in his eyes, and he grabbed the long knife placed inside in an instant.
But soon, a flood of memories came flooding back, and I was stunned for a moment.
Today is the day when the ceremonial guard begins, and the soldiers must assemble in advance.
Lu Yunyi let out a long sigh, his tense body relaxed, and his eyes swept across the military tent.
Lu Yunyi clenched his fists and felt refreshed. The fatigue disappeared, replaced by a strong sense of power.
Now that he was awake, he decided not to lie in bed any longer. He turned sideways and got out of bed, quickly washed up, and put on his armor.
On the eve of dawn, the sky is still a deep blue-purple, the stars are gradually fading, and the first ray of light has not yet broken.
Five thousand scouts of the vanguard army have quietly gathered, and the camp is filled with tension and solemnity.
The faint light of torches and lanterns intertwined into one,
The soldiers were wearing heavy armor, and every piece of fine iron gleamed coldly in the dim light.
For the honor guard, they wiped it carefully last night,
Every trace of dirt and rust was carefully removed.
Instead, there were dense white marks left by knives and axes, especially on the left and right arms, adding a touch of solemnity!
At this moment, the soldiers drew their swords, shining with a cold light.
In the dim light of the fire, it looked like a pouring galaxy, extremely sharp.
Military disciplinarians and clerks walked among the troops, inspecting every long sword to make sure there was not a speck of dirt on them.
At this time, Lu Yunyi, wearing a set of special armor used by the chief of ceremonial guards, walked slowly towards them.
The armor is made of black iron, and the surface is covered with delicate scales, shining with a cold light, which makes it look both majestic and sharp.
He wore a jewel-studded steel helmet with a long feather on the top that swayed gently in the wind, adding a bit of heroic spirit to him.
The armor's shoulder guards are broad and thick, making the figure more upright and imposing.
For some reason, the soldiers were shocked when they saw Lu Yunyi dressed like this.
Suddenly, I felt that he was much closer to me, and the murderous aura that used to keep me at a distance seemed to have quietly dissipated.
But as Lu Yunyi got closer, his expression became more serious.
Until he turned over and mounted his horse, drew his long sword,
The cold aura reappeared, even stronger than before.
Lu Yunyi pulled out the brass trumpet placed on the side, opened and closed it, put it in front of his mouth, and shouted:
"I'm sure everyone knows what the front scouts are going to do today.
I want to tell you that we are not only here for the honor guard,
We must also show the world the might of the Ming Dynasty's iron army and display the military power of the Ming Dynasty.
In the minds of this general and the imperial court,
It is the courage, tenacity, sacrifice and fearlessness of the Ming soldiers that have built the long Long Wall we have today.
And each of you is an indispensable brick and stone in the Great Wall of Ming Dynasty.
Looking back, the front army scouts killed countless people, and you and I have experienced countless hardships together.
Every battle makes you and me more united, and every victory makes you and me more elite.
Maybe some people say this is my own achievement, but I want to tell you,
It is what you practice day after day, year after year,
We are not afraid of difficulties or challenges, and have created today's glory with sweat and hard work.
Today's honor is not just an honor for me, but a common honor for our frontline scouts!"
All the soldiers had burning eyes, and the long-dormant morale had begun to slowly gather. A terrifying atmosphere echoed in the front army scout camp!
"Please remember that a true Ming warrior is not only about defeating the enemy,
It is more about constantly surpassing yourself, never stopping in the pursuit of higher honors, killing enemies, and making achievements!
You are the elite, responsible for defending our country.
The war in the southwest is about to begin. Please do not stop and defeat all the invading enemies.
Let our Ming Dynasty stand on top of the world and be invincible! "
Lu Yunyi raised his long sword high and swung it down heavily, his eyes were sharp and his voice was loud:
"Vanguard scouts, the entire army is moving out!"
(End of this chapter)