Chapter 219 I will not retreat even a single step
Chapter 219 I will not retreat a single step
Han Sheng was in a miserable state at the moment. He was beaten to the ground by Li Jinglong with a knife, but the soldiers present all looked happy!
These backpacks will be used by them at that time. If there is a problem, it will harm their lives.
At this moment, even if they beat Han Sheng to death, they would not show mercy.
At this time, Wu Fuliu ran over and lowered his voice:
"Brother Yun'er, there are about a thousand backpacks with problems. The backpacks we just checked need to be re-weighed, so there may be more."
Lu Yunyi nodded solemnly:
"I understand. Go and pull Duke Cao away."
"Yes!"
Liu Heiying walked straight forward, hugged Li Jinglong's waist, then lifted him up and put him aside!
Li Jinglong used his hands and feet to flutter his body, "Let me go! I want to beat this dog official to death!"
Lu Yunyi walked forward with a serious expression and said in a deep voice:
"Duke Cao, the most important thing now is to find out who is behind this.
Is there any problem with the weapons that will be transported on board?
If you kill him, we will get nothing tonight."
Li Jinglong gradually calmed down, tried to calm his breathing, threw the long sword in his hand to the ground viciously, and waved his hand casually:
"Don't worry, Yun Yi. Although there is a curfew in Puzikou City, it can't stop me."
Lu Yunyi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that the Duke of the current dynasty could indeed go anywhere.
Even Li Jinglong and Your Majesty could enter the palace at night.
Li Jinglong walked forward angrily and picked up the long sword he had thrown away. With a swish, the long sword emitted a cold light!
He chopped towards Han Sheng's head and finally stopped at his forehead!
Han Sheng was startled by the sudden long knife, and he let out a cry of surprise and retreated repeatedly.
Li Jinglong had no intention of letting him go. He brought his long sword closer and closer, and asked coldly through his teeth:
"Tell me, who did this?"
"Duke Cao, I don't know. I am just a director of the Ministry of Works. It has nothing to do with me!!"
Li Jinglong heard what he was referring to, his eyes flickered:
"So it's related to Chen Guangsong?"
Han Sheng shook his head repeatedly with fear on his face:
"I don't know, I really don't know!!!"
Lu Yunyi took a backpack and placed it in front of him, looking at him calmly:
"Which workshop produced this backpack?"
Han Sheng shook his head. Seeing Lu Yunyi's increasingly cold eyes, he quickly explained:
"This is a court secret and cannot be disclosed!
If I reveal this, I will definitely lose my job. I beg General Lu to forgive me!"
"Losing office? How dare you tamper with military equipment and put the safety of the army in jeopardy?
If this matter is found to be related to you, then you will be skinned alive and beaten!"
Li Jinglong on the side spoke in a sinister and cold voice.
Nowadays, there are many small actions in the court.
But as long as he is not caught in the act, he can get away with it. If he is caught, he will naturally be punished according to the Ming Dynasty laws.
Li Jinglong suppressed his emotions and said in a deep voice:
"Master Han, you must think it through. Tampering with military equipment will not only bring disaster to yourself, but may also implicate your family!
If you tell me who is behind this, I will ask His Majesty to spare your life.
It can also be said that you took the initiative to disclose this matter, which has nothing to do with this case. You should think carefully and don't miss the chance to save your life."
The head of the Ministry of War is considered to be a high-ranking official in the capital.
But Han Sheng was like a lost dog at this moment, crying with snot and tears, mumbling incoherently:
"Duke Cao, I am only here to hand over the weapons and ammunition, and I don't know about this matter."
Li Jinglong snorted coldly and ignored him.
He grabbed two shoddy backpacks from the ground, and asked his guards to pick up two normal backpacks. He looked at Lu Yunyi:
"Don't worry, Yun Yi. I will immediately respond to the sky and investigate this matter. I will definitely give an explanation to the army!"
Lu Yunyi pondered for a moment and nodded gently:
"Thank you, Duke Cao. Please bring more guards and pay attention to your safety.
Also, please keep quiet, most of the weapons of the front scouts are missing.
If we act hastily and alert the enemy, there is a chance that the person behind the scenes will destroy the evidence and replace the defective weapons with good ones, thus reducing the serious matter to a minor one. "
A cold light flashed in Lu Yunyi's eyes:
"If it was just a matter of cutting corners on a few thousand backpacks, and we just randomly find someone responsible to take the blame, the matter would be over."
As he spoke, Lu Yunyi glanced at Han Sheng.
If there really is a mastermind behind this, then Han Sheng in front of us is just a discarded pawn.
Li Jinglong's expression changed back and forth. Hearing what he was referring to, he nodded solemnly:
"Don't worry, Yun Yi. I will have people seal up the weapons sent to the front army scout unit and inspect them carefully after I return to Yingtian!"
Li Jinglong looked a little embarrassed and lowered his voice:
"If things change, please Yun Yi, please put the overall situation first.
I am afraid that this matter involves a lot of people. The atmosphere in the government and the public is very tense.
If Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince choose to keep things quiet and settle the score later, please be lenient with Yun Yi, and hold the court now."
Li Jinglong showed a bit of bitterness on his face and pursed his lips:
"It is difficult to ascend to the throne. As your subjects, we should understand your majesty's hardships."
For some reason, Lu Yunyi felt his throat was dry.
He had long been aware of the serious situation in the court, but he did not expect it to reach this point.
Lu Yunyi seemed to be thinking about something.
In the 23rd year of Hongwu, the aftermath of the Hu Weiyong case will resurface, and the Duke of Korea Li Shanchang and others will be wiped out.
Although it is now twenty-one years, the secret struggle should have already begun.
Suppressing his thoughts, Lu Yunyi looked at Li Jinglong and said comfortingly:
"We in the military are loyal to our king and love our country, and we defend our homeland.
We should understand the hardships of being in power, Jinglong, please rest assured, Yunyi knows the overall situation. "
Li Jinglong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He was actually a little afraid that Lu Yunyi would make the matter known to everyone, which would then leave no room for reconciliation for either side.
"Even if this matter has been temporarily resolved, Yun Yi, please rest assured.
The imperial court will not let the soldiers like us who fight for our country feel disheartened. Even if we don’t punish them today, we will punish them in the future!”
Lu Yunyi nodded solemnly. Politics is the wisdom of compromise, and he has always kept this in mind.
"Well, I will respond to the heavens and investigate this matter right away!"
After saying that, Li Jinglong pointed at Han Sheng, waved his hand heavily, and shouted:
"Capture him and take him back to heaven!"
Soon, Li Jinglong left the camp with more than 20 guards.
At the entrance of the camp, Lu Yunyi and Liu Heiying stood under the blazing torches and watched the figure gradually disappear into the darkness.
The firelight flickered, illuminating their faces in the same way.
Liu Heiying's face was dark, and there seemed to be a flash of confusion in his eyes. He asked in a low voice:
"Brother Yun'er, is it that Yu Tongyuan who is behind this?"
Lu Yunyi's face was calm and he shook his head slowly:
“No, it’s not the right time.
We are setting out on the expedition the day after tomorrow, and we have a free day tomorrow. If I were to arrange this matter, the weapons and backpacks would be delivered tomorrow evening, leaving us no time to check the time.
What we can consider, those powerful people can also consider. "
Having said that, Liu Heiying frowned, with a hint of doubt in his eyes:
"Brother Yun'er, do you mean this is a coincidence, or is it that the Ministry of Industry often does this and we just ran into it?"
“I don’t know.”
A deep sense of doubt flashed through Lu Yunyi's mind.
He was a low-ranking official, and trapped in Puzikou City, he could not see anything clearly.
But he keenly realized that all this was too coincidental and seemed to be intentional.
He looked at the darkness ahead, listened to the stagnant sound of the gate of Puzikou City slowly opening, and suddenly felt a little emotional:
"Black Hawk, after coming to Yingtian, I suddenly understand why those big shots pursue power."
"why?"
“Standing high, you can see far. What seems mysterious to us now may just be so-so in the eyes of those powerful people.
Just like now, those who are banned from going out on the streets may be punished with 20 lashes at the least or be charged with treason at the worst.
As a duke, he can travel back and forth between Puzikou City and Yingtian. How can such power not be envied? "
Lu Yunyi's voice was hollow, and Liu Heiying also looked serious after hearing it.
Liu Heiying asked curiously: "Brother Yun'er, are you envious?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Of course I envy you. Aren't you envious?"
Liu Heiying thought about the brothels in the capital and the money he earned every day, and nodded repeatedly:
"I envy you. I heard from Li Wu that those brothels in Beijing have big shots behind them, otherwise they wouldn't be able to open."
Lu Yunyi was stunned, then he laughed and patted Liu Heiying's belly:
"Then fight well. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. We may have a chance to run rampant in Yingtian City."
Li Jinglong, who hurried back to Yingtian City on his warhorse, did not go to the palace first.
Instead, he came to the Prince's Mansion, which was not far from the Imperial City.
Before he could get closer, he was stopped by the guards on duty.
Li Jinglong did not exchange pleasantries with him and said in a loud voice: "I, Li Jinglong, have something important to report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
The guard immediately bowed upon seeing this and said, "Greetings to Duke Cao. We will pass the message on!"
"Go quickly, it's urgent!"
The guards hurried away, and Li Jinglong also came to the gate of the Prince's Mansion with his guards.
Soon, the guard came out trotting and gestured for invitation:
"Duke Cao, please come in. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is in the study."
Li Jinglong had a serious expression on his face, which was already somewhat dark and expressionless under the light.
The many guards present couldn't help but feel the pressure.
It’s different now. It’s different from the smiling Duke Cao that I saw before.
Soon, Li Jinglong saw Crown Prince Zhu Biao, who was bowing his head over the desk in the study.
"Your Highness, Li Jinglong, pays respect to His Majesty the Crown Prince."
The prince was in casual clothes at the moment, with a thick pile of memorials on the table, and only half of his forehead was exposed.
Hearing the voice, he half showed his face, with a serious expression:
"Jiujiang, you have come here in such a hurry, what are you doing here?"
"Reporting to His Royal Highness, I would like to seal up the many weapons that the Ministry of Works has made for the Western Nanjing Army and conduct a strict inspection of them!"
Speaking of military equipment, Crown Prince Zhu Biao's eyes narrowed, and he put down the memorial in his hand.
He pushed the memorial in front of him aside and asked in a deep voice:
"What happened?"
Li Jinglong bowed slightly and told everything that happened in the front army scout unit in detail!
Crown Prince Zhu Biao listened quietly with a calm expression, but his hands, which were blocked by the memorial, were clenched tightly, with veins showing, and his mind was not at peace.
"Where is Han Sheng? What can we find out?"
"Reporting to His Royal Highness, Han Shengjian said that this matter had nothing to do with him."
Crown Prince Zhu Biao snorted coldly: "How can you easily admit a crime punishable by death? Come here."
The door was gently pushed open, and a middle-aged man in casual clothes walked in and bowed slightly:
"Your Highness."
"Take Han Sheng to the Jinyiwei prison and interrogate him strictly."
"Yes."
Crown Prince Zhu Biao looked at Li Jinglong and asked, "Does anyone else know about this?"
"Reporting to His Royal Highness, no.
The situation is unclear now. If we rashly cause trouble, we might fall into a trap."
Crown Prince Zhu Biao nodded expressionlessly, then took out a piece of paper and wrote on it, then took out a large seal from the side and stamped it, then threw it to Li Jinglong:
"Dispatch the Imperial Guards' Jinwu Vanguard to the weapons workshop to seal up the weapons and conduct a strict inspection!"
"Yes!"
Li Jinglong's eyes narrowed, he quickly stepped forward to take the document, and then quickly left.
After Li Jinglong left, Crown Prince Zhu Biao's face was already covered with frost, his expression was extremely solemn, and his chest was heaving.
The imperial court had waged foreign wars for three consecutive years, and the loudest voice from both inside and outside the court was to stop the fighting and recuperate, and they would use any means necessary to achieve this goal.
The newly made backpack did not seem like a provocation, but rather a warning.
Crown Prince Zhu Biao sat quietly, feeling the breeze coming through the window gap, looking at the dim candlelight with empty eyes.
After nearly half an hour, hurried footsteps sounded from outside the door.
The middle-aged man who had left earlier returned to the house, put his hands together, and bowed slightly:
"Your Highness, Han Sheng has already instructed that it has become a custom to take one out of ten of the weapons and military supplies produced by Yi Zi No. 6."
"One out of ten?" Crown Prince Zhu Biao asked with an increasingly serious expression.
"If it's military equipment, 10% of it is made up of defective products.
As for other military supplies, 10% of them were cut corners.
The money saved will be shared by several superiors of the No. 6 Weapon Workshop, and Han Sheng, as the person in charge of transporting the weapons, will also get a share."
"So simple?"
"Now the interrogation is like this..."
Zhu Biao has now determined that this is a warning sent through the Yi Zi No. 6 Weapon Workshop.
The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes slightly, a strong cold light flashed in his eyes, he looked at the time, and said in a deep voice:
"Prepare the sedan chair and enter the palace."
"Yes!"
The Ming Imperial Palace was brightly lit, and even the darkness of night could not conceal its lights.
Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting behind the imperial desk in the Wuying Hall at this moment, looking at the memorial in his hand calmly, and his red brush was moving from time to time.
The hall was extremely quiet until the sound of hurried footsteps was heard.
Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyebrows slightly, and a eunuch in red came quickly and lowered his voice:
"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has entered the palace."
Zhu Yuanzhang, who had originally had a calm expression, frowned slightly:
"What happened?"
"Your Majesty, Duke Cao left Puzikou City late at night and went to the Prince's Mansion.
The Crown Prince then dispatched the soldiers of the Jinwu Vanguard to seal off many weapon workshops in the capital, which should be related to this incident."
"Jiujiang?"
A hint of surprise flashed across Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.
Soon another steady sound of footsteps was heard, and the tall figure of Crown Prince Zhu Biao appeared at the gate of Wuying Palace.
Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, and the eunuch bowed slightly and retreated.
Zhu Yuanzhang's slightly gloomy expression suddenly melted away like a spring breeze, and was replaced by a warm expression:
"Could it be that it was too dark and Biaoer couldn't sleep, so he came to the palace to look for his father?"
The solemn expression on Crown Prince Zhu Biao's face instantly disappeared, replaced by a bitter smile.
He bowed and said, "Greetings, Father."
After the fight, the atmosphere in Wuying Hall was no longer as solemn as before.
Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and walked straight to the table on one side, pointing at the pots and pans on the plate:
"Biao'er, come and sit down. The soup cooked in the dining hall is said to nourish the blood and replenish qi.
But I never like to drink these things, you drink it for me, so I can deal with those imperial doctors."
Zhu Biao smiled bitterly and walked over and sat down slowly.
He didn't hesitate to pick up a can and took a sip, then slowly told him what Li Jinglong had said.
After everything was said, Crown Prince Zhu Biao put down the bowl:
"Father, the one who makes all the weapons in the capital is Yun Gong. In my opinion, the purpose of this move is to make things difficult for the court."
Zhu Yuanzhang looked frosty, with wrinkles all over his old face, but his majesty could not be concealed:
"Have you found out who is behind this?"
"According to Han Sheng, this was done by the Yizi No. 6 Weapon Workshop on its own. It's a common practice."
"Humph, that's easy to say. It wouldn't have happened earlier or later, but it happened at this time. If there is no ghost, who would believe it?"
The prince looked solemn and asked tentatively:
"So what do you mean, Father?"
Zhu Yuanzhang did not speak, but said in a cold voice: "Someone come!"
In an instant, the Wuying Palace, which had been relatively quiet, became noisy, with the sound of armor colliding resounding everywhere.
Guo Ying, the Marquis of Wuding, who was on duty outside the gate, entered the Wuying Palace wearing armor and holding a long sword, with a solemn expression:
"The minister is here."
"Arrest all those involved in this matter and send them to the Jinyiwei prison. Let Mao Xiang interrogate them strictly. If he cannot find the mastermind behind this, he will apologize and end his life."
"Yes!"
The sound of armor colliding was heard, and Wuding Hou Guo Ying quickly left Wuying Palace!
Crown Prince Zhu Biao showed a look of hesitation, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes:
"Father, this matter involves Yun Gong, should we be more cautious?"
Emperor Ming Zhu Yuanzhang had no expression on his face and snorted coldly:
"Biao'er, they are using Yun Gong as a shield, just to make you and me back down and take the initiative to make a big thing small.
I quit this time, but what about next time?
Cut five cities today and ten cities tomorrow.
Take a step back, step by step, until there is no room for retreat.
Since they want to test me with this matter,
Then I will use this opportunity to inform all the people and officials of the world, and let those who have evil intentions see it. "
"I will not retreat even a single step."
(End of this chapter)