Chapter 218: Cutting corners and killing for money
Chapter 218: Cutting corners and killing for money
As the sun sets, the sun that was originally hanging high in the sky gradually sets.
The sunlight gradually faded from its original incandescent color, replaced by orange-red.
Gently hitting the surface of the Puzikou River,
The reflection of the setting sun and the sparkling water complement each other.
Each ripple seems to carry fragments of the sunset, adding a red sun to the water.
After nearly two hours of study, Lu Yunyi had already begun to understand the nature of water.
Can swim in the water for a period of time with physical fitness and stamina,
This performance greatly shocked Cao Guogong Li Jinglong.
At this moment, he had to admit that there really was a genius in this world who was good at everything.
Liu Heiying and other soldiers also learned almost everything.
Although it is not as smooth as Lu Yunyi's, it can at least ensure that one will not drown immediately if he falls into the water.
Having reached this level, Lu Yunyi was already very satisfied.
He then called on the soldiers to go ashore and return to Puzikou City.
Puzikou City was a military town and implemented a stricter curfew than Yingtian.
Once the sun sets, soldiers are not allowed to leave the camp without orders, and the city gates will be closed.
Returning to the front scout camp,
Lu Yunyi saw the pile of tactical backpacks at a glance.
I couldn't help but be overjoyed and rushed forward quickly.
The backpack was folded like tofu and placed on the carriage.
Ten thousand backpacks filled nearly ten large carriages.
Lu Yunyi randomly pulled one out, untied the ropes that bound it, and looked at it carefully.
The outer leather of the backpack has been dyed yellow and green by an unknown dye.
Pat it gently with your palm, it is slightly hard.
Lu Yunyi pulled out the dagger from his calf and scratched it twice. There were only two white marks. It seemed that the Ministry of Works used the best cowhide when supervising its production.
Lu Yunyi took a water bag from a soldier's waist and poured it on him.
Clean water condenses into beads and adheres to the surface, rolling back and forth, and the waterproof performance is also excellent!
Look at the positions of many buckles and buttons.
It has been improved a lot since the original version and makes more sense.
Lu Yunyi put on his backpack and reached back.
He easily grabbed the buttons and opened the backpack with a slight pull.
Lu Yunyi showed admiration on his face. The craftsmen in the Ministry of Industry were much better than those in the army.
Many things he had not considered were considered and improvements were made.
At this time, the worker in charge of the Ministry of Works who was transporting the backpacks handed over a booklet and said:
"General Lu, this is the handover list of military supplies from the Ministry of Industry.
If the quantity and quality are correct, you can stamp it with your seal and I can go back and report back."
When Lu Yunyi opened it, he saw not only a backpack,
There were also many military supplies he had applied for on this trip, including bows, crossbows, long swords, long knives, and armor.
Lu Yunyi looked at the carriage with some suspicion, and pointed at the military supplies on the list:
"Where are these military supplies?"
The head of the Ministry of Revenue smiled. He looked no more than thirty years old, but his face was already full of wrinkles.
"General Lu has a lot of military supplies for this trip, and the Ministry of Works sent people and carriages to transport them to the south bank of Puzikou.
We will ship it directly tomorrow. If we transport it to Puzikou City and then ship it, it will be troublesome."
"I haven't even seen the military commander yet, how can I give you the seal?"
Lu Yunyi looked displeased and handed the booklet back:
"It will be loaded on the ship tomorrow. I will use the seal after my troops have inspected it."
The director of the Ministry of Industry looked a little embarrassed and spoke hesitantly:
"General Lu, we have always done things this way.
You have used the seal, it is not too late to check it tomorrow
If you don't use the seal, I won't be able to report back and will be scolded by my superiors.
The city gate is about to close, so please give me some convenience, General Lu."
"That is your Ministry of Industry's business. I cannot interfere.
Merchants in the market always pay for goods when they see them. For such a major matter as military funds, I have to use my seal before I even see them.
If anything goes wrong, I won’t be able to take responsibility.”
Lu Yunyi's face was solemn. He looked up and down at the head of the Ministry of Works and memorized his face.
He was in his thirties, not very tall, with a round face, hooked nose, and narrow eyes.
It looked a little sinister, which was inconsistent with his slightly embarrassed appearance at the moment.
This made Lu Yunyi even more alert. He looked at Li Jinglong beside him:
"Is the transfer of Yingtian's military supplies so hasty?"
Li Jinglong also frowned at this moment, he also realized that something was wrong.
But he didn't know the actual transfer of military funds.
After a brief thought, he looked at the director of the Ministry of Works and asked:
"I'm Li Jinglong, what's your name?"
The director of the Ministry of Works looked even uglier, straightened his body and bowed slightly:
"Greetings, Lord Cao. I am Han Sheng, the Director of the Ministry of Works. I am here to transport military supplies on the orders of Minister Chen."
Ministry?
Li Jinglong and Lu Yunyi looked at each other.
Lu Yunyi was full of confusion, but Li Jinglong knew who he was talking about.
There is only one official in the Ministry of Works with the surname Chen, and that is Chen Guangsong, the current Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.
Now that he is over sixty years old, rumors have it that he will soon retire from the court and return to his hometown to spend his remaining years in retirement.
The Ministry of Works is different from other ministries. The Shangshu is mostly used for overall planning, while the left and right vice-ministers are in charge of specific affairs and are not in the yamen all year round.
Now, the Right Vice Minister Chen Guangsong is in charge of the manufacture of military equipment.
He was also in charge of the repair of the city in Nanzhili, and he was also responsible for the repair of the city wall outside Yingtian City.
Li Jinglong had met him twice, and he didn't look like an official, but more like a craftsman.
After thinking it over, Li Jinglong felt that Chen Guangsong was not the person who would do this secretly.
But one must be on guard against others. He looked at Han Sheng, waved his hand and said loudly:
"The seal will be stamped tomorrow after we go aboard and inspect the weapons.
If Lord Chen blames me, feel free to push the blame onto me."
Han Sheng's facial features twisted together, and hesitation flashed across his face. Finally, he sighed softly:
"Thank you, Duke Cao."
After saying that, he was about to turn around and leave.
"Wait!" Lu Yunyi called out to him, and Han Sheng was a little surprised.
"Lord Han, you have worked hard transporting the weapons. Please come into the military tent and have a cup of hot tea.
Now that Puzikou City is about to close, it is better to stay in the front scout unit to rest."
Puzzles flashed across Li Jinglong's eyes, but he quickly reacted:
"Yes, Lord Han, you will stay in the camp tonight."
As he spoke, he looked at Xu Zengshou beside him and ordered:
"Take Lord Han downstairs to rest quickly, prepare some hot tea, and serve him well."
"Yes!" Xu Zengshou straightened his body and spoke loudly!
Han Sheng looked at the two soldiers who surrounded him, curled his lips and did not resist, then followed Xu Zengshou.
After the two left, Li Jinglong's eyes flashed with doubt:
"What happened?"
Lu Yunyi did not answer, but looked at Liu Heiying who was waiting on the side and ordered:
"Let the brothers unload the cargo and check each one one by one, and make sure nothing is missed."
Liu Heiying's face was solemn, and he immediately called over a hundred people over.
They began to unload the goods hurriedly and checked them one by one.
Li Jinglong blinked and looked at Lu Yunyi strangely:
"Yun Yi, it shouldn't be that serious."
Lu Yunyi's face was solemn and he said in a deep voice:
"We must be on guard against others. We will be going to war the day after tomorrow.
Military supplies are crucial to the outcome of a war, so we must not let our guard down at the last minute.
We have been in the limelight recently, and there are many people who want to see us fall, so it is better to be careful."
As Lu Yunyi spoke, he seemed to remember something, and a mocking expression appeared on his face:
"For some people with bad intentions,
Rather than elevate yourself, you discredit others.”
After hearing this, Li Jinglong's expression became serious and his face changed back and forth. He felt that this statement made a lot of sense!
He was born in a high-class family and knew that some people would do anything to get to the top.
He appears to be a righteous person on weekdays, but actually uses dirty tricks in secret.
He had no objection at this point, and nodded solemnly:
"Yun Yi, you are right, we must be on guard against others!
Last time, Yu Tongyuan and his men tried to suppress your contribution, but Your Majesty saw through it.
Who knows what other means will be used this time.
By the way, how did you become enemies with Yu Tongyuan?
There are some rumors in the army, but they don’t sound true to me.”
Lu Yunyi chuckled, his eyes scanning the front, his voice a little hollow:
"Different positions naturally make us enemies."
"During the Northern Expedition, he wanted to kill Usar Khan and the Princess of the Northern Yuan Dynasty to gain merit.
He received false information from my subordinates and believed it to be true, and thus formed a grudge. "Li Jinglong was slightly stunned, and then asked for no reason:
"Did you arrange that wrong information?"
Li Jinglong has been spending time with Lu Yunyi these days.
It was discovered that he was a person who worked hard on the details, so he would not forget such an omission.
Lu Yunyi smiled and turned his head, took a deep look at Li Jinglong, and said softly:
"nature."
Li Jinglong was completely stunned, and his breathing became rapid.
He doesn't care whether the information is true or false, and he doesn't care what Yu Tongyuan is like.
But at this moment he felt that he was already a member of the front army scout unit!
Even such important information was told to him, if he is not one of us, then how could he be one of us?
This touched Li Jinglong's heart for no reason, and he said in a sonorous and powerful voice:
"Don't worry, Yun Yi. I don't like people like Yu Tongyuan either. I will keep it a secret."
Lu Yunyi smiled and nodded without saying anything.
Time passed by little by little, and Lu Yunyi did not return to the military tent, but just watched here.
The last bit of warmth from the sun has dissipated.
The sky turned completely dark and torches were lit in the military tents.
More than a hundred people checking is still too slow.
Liu Heiying added the number to five hundred and examined it carefully.
The number of backpacks piled on the cart decreased little by little, and soon reached the bottom.
At this time, a soldier who was checking under the firelight frowned slightly and found some clues.
He stood up, grasped the two straps and shook them vigorously, his expression becoming more and more strange.
Liu Heiying, who was standing on the side, cast his eyes over instantly:
"what happened?"
His words also attracted the attention of Lu Yunyi and Li Jinglong.
Lu Yunyi's expression suddenly became solemn and cold.
Li Jinglong frowned. Is there really a problem?
The two of them walked over quickly.
At that moment, the three most senior members of the front army scout unit gathered here.
The soldier felt nervous for no reason.
But he still didn't get nervous. Instead, he continued to hold the backpack and shook it vigorously, explaining:
"My Lords, this backpack is too light!"
"Too light?"
Doubts flashed through the minds of the three people. Liu Heiying did not hesitate at all and went straight forward to grab the backpack.
He grabbed another from the backpack beside him.
He weighed them back and forth in each hand, and his brows furrowed in an instant.
"Brother Yun, you're at least three taels short!"
"so much?"
Lu Yunyi was startled, his face suddenly turned cold, and he ordered:
"Take it apart and see where the weight is missing."
Liu Heiying nodded, drew a long knife from his waist and began to dismantle it carefully.
Lu Yunyi turned around and looked at the soldiers and shouted:
"Pay attention to the weight of the backpack at the bottom!"
At that moment, the soldiers who were originally suspicious were also certain.
He hurriedly rummaged through the checked backpack. More and more soldiers stood up and spoke.
"My lord, this is too light."
"My Lord, I still have this!"
"There are two here."
Lu Yunyi pointed to an empty space on one side:
"Put the lighter ones here."
At that moment, the crowd was bustling.
The scene became noisy, and more than a hundred backpacks were piled up on the open space.
Li Jinglong's face looked extremely ugly, his hands on one side were clenched tightly, and his breathing was a little rapid.
"Someone is actually plotting something! If my father were here, there would definitely be no one who would use these conspiracies and tricks!!!"
He was the Duke of Cao and the nominal commander of the Beijing army in the southwest war.
Adding sand to military supplies and equipment is a slap in his face.
At the same time, he secretly felt lucky and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Yun Yi was cautious and did not stamp the seal.
Otherwise, if there is a problem with the military funds, there will be no way to appeal!
On the other side, Liu Heiying quickly dismantled the backpack into pieces.
He even tore apart the tightly bound cowhide!
When the main structure of the backpack was opened, the trick immediately emerged.
Liu Heiying widened his eyes and quickly greeted:
"Brother Yun'er, Jinglong, come here quickly!"
The two rushed back upon hearing the news, and saw Liu Heiying handing them a piece of cotton cloth:
“Brother Yun’er, the thin sheepskin that was waterproof on both sides has been replaced with cotton cloth!
And this strap, originally it was made of linen inside and outside, with cowhide in the middle.
It has to be comfortable and strong, but now."
As he spoke, Liu Heiying pulled the strap, gritted his teeth, and exerted great force!
There was a loud "pop"!
The seemingly strong strap was torn off by Liu Heiying, revealing its dark brown linen!
As he spoke, he took out a complete backpack from the side.
Pulling the straps hard, even if he tried his best,
It just stretched the strap a little, but didn't break it!
There's a huge difference between the two, and almost everyone present can see it clearly!
"Damn it, you're playing tricks on me!"
Before Lu Yunyi got angry, Li Jinglong was already furious. He put his hands on his hips and paced back and forth!
This was his first time going out for an expedition and someone was trying to trip him up. It was clear that they didn't want him to have an easy time!
He looked at the guards beside him, and seeing that they were still standing there in a daze, he became furious and kicked them:
"What are you still standing there for? Catch that Han Sheng for me!"
It was not until this time that Li Jinglong looked at Lu Yunyi and asked:
"Yun Yi, what impact will this difference in workmanship have?"
Lu Yunyi's face was calm, but his eyes were cold and his voice was a little chilly:
"The waterproofing of the front and back of the backpack is a consideration for the complexity of the war in the southwest, where there may be water wading.
If it is not waterproof, the military supplies inside will be easily destroyed and the backpack will become extremely heavy!
To put it mildly, this move will affect the progress of most people, and to put it seriously, it will be a murder.
Duke Cao, the battlefield situation is changing rapidly.
If the soldiers' backpacks were filled with water, and the weight they carried increased, they would not be able to reach their original speed.
It is easy to kill people in the mountains.
In addition, the change of strap material is also important.
When designing a backpack, using cowhide interlayer is redundant.
In extreme cases, the backpack needs to be loaded with more weight than the load capacity, such as escaping from a pursuit, or running in a large area.
At this time, some soldiers would unload their loads and other soldiers would carry the backpacks instead.
This is where the backpack connects.”
Lu Yunyi pointed to the two buckles at the top and bottom of the backpack.
With a simple snap of the two buttons, the two backpacks are connected.
"At this point, the weight of the two backpacks has to be borne by the two shoulder straps.
If it breaks because it cannot bear the weight, some of the supplies will be discarded.
This is a suicidal act on the battlefield, especially in the complex terrain of the southwest. "
Lu Yunyi explained it in great detail.
Even Li Jinglong, a military expert of different background, heard it clearly and understood it.
But the more he understood, the angrier he became.
This is not withholding weapons, but taking human lives lightly!
At this time, the director of the Ministry of Works named Han Sheng was brought up.
Li Jinglong kicked him without even thinking:
"Damn it, you dare to use military equipment to do this? Are you tired of living?"
In fact, Li Jinglong knew that the Ministry of Works had cut corners when repairing some cities and digging ditches.
This is almost an open secret in the court.
A few years ago, His Majesty killed many people because of this matter, and the Ministry of Works was at peace for a few years.
In the past two years, wars have occurred frequently and the court is short of money and grain, so the Ministry of Works started to use tricks again, and the court has not had time to punish them.
The more he thought about Li Jinglong, the angrier he became. Although he neglected his training,
But his physique was still much stronger than Han Sheng's. With just one kick,
He kicked Han Sheng so hard that he fell backwards to the ground, with a look of shock and confusion on his face!
Seeing him like this, Li Jinglong became even more furious.
He drew out the long sword from his waist and gently turned it sideways.
He just chopped back and forth with the back of the knife, cursing as he chopped, causing everyone present to look at each other in bewilderment.
Lu Yunyi's expression also looked a little strange. No one knew why he was so angry.
Han Sheng was beaten so hard that he kept wailing, his face was bruised and swollen, and he kept begging for mercy.
"Please spare my life, Lord Cao, please spare my life!"
"Ouch! I don't know what I have done wrong, please spare my life!"
"Stop hitting me, ouch"
(End of this chapter)