Chapter 232: Dongting Lake, Jinyiwei Commander

Chapter 232: Dongting Lake, Jinyiwei Commander

Chapter 232: Dongting Lake, Jinyiwei Commander

More than thirty warships, like giant dragons, meandering on the blue waves,

After nearly half a month of sailing, we finally crossed the vast waters and slowly sailed into the world-famous Dongting Lake.

At this time, the sky has been stained with a touch of gentle sunset glow.

The lake is vast and sparkling, as if countless bright gems are gently jumping.
It is also like endless expanses of colored glaze gently spread out, contrasting with the gorgeous sunset glow in the sky.

In the distance, the mountains are surrounded, with layers of peaks and hazy shadows.
Where it meets the lake, it is shrouded in clouds and mist, like a fairyland, which makes people yearn for it.

Near the shore, there are clusters of reeds, swaying in the wind, making rustling sounds.

Occasionally, one or two water birds would fly over the water, stirring up ripples, and then quickly disappear into the horizon.

Only a few clear calls were left, echoing over the lake.

On the warships, almost all the generals came out and looked into the distance.

Day after day of sailing made everyone silent and depressed.

At this moment, I can't wait to see the second largest lake in Ming Dynasty.

Looking at the vast expanse of water, everyone felt relaxed and happy.

Lu Yunyi, Liu Heiying and others stood on one side, their eyes deep.
"Brother Yun'er, the lake is so big that I can't even see the end of it." Liu Heiying widened his eyes and muttered.

The same is true for Wu Fuliu, Chen Jingyi and others.

They were all border residents of the north, and the last time they saw such a big lake was when they went to Fishing Lake.

But compared to Bui'er Lake, Dongting Lake is more spectacular.

Lu Yunyi and Li Jinglong stood side by side at the front.

He was wearing a black uniform at the moment, his face looked a little haggard, his eye sockets were sunken, and the thick dark circles under his eyes almost showed through his body.

Even though he was a little tired, he was still in high spirits. He smiled:

"There's a bigger lake to the north."

"Is there a bigger one?" Li Jinglong on the side looked shocked and looked over.

Deng Zhen and Xu Sima, who were standing not far away, also looked over, as did some other generals accompanying the army.

After these days of contact, they found
Lu Yunyi, the scout of the front army, is simply a living map.

He can always tell some anecdotes wherever he goes, and his great talkativeness makes many people secretly envious.

"Lord Lu, where is it? How come we don't know?" A middle-aged general asked with a smile.

"Tell me quickly, don't keep me in suspense." Duke Shen Deng Zhen glanced at him with a cold face.

Lu Yunyi smiled and said in a deep voice, "It's in the northernmost part of Duogandusi, next to Shaanxi."

When these words came out, many generals who had fought in the south and the north had their eyes flickering.
Deng Zhen, the Duke of Shen, suddenly realized, "It's Qinghai."

"Duke Shen is very knowledgeable and I admire him."

"It seems to me that you are finding different ways to praise yourself." Duke Shen Deng Zhen curled his lips, and everyone present laughed.

Lu Yunyi laughed and said:

"Qinghai was so large that it was named Xihai during the Western Han Dynasty, which means the sea in the west.
It is also called "Xianhai", "Xianshuihai" and "Beiheqianghai".

Deng Zhen, the Duke of Shen, thought for a moment:

"I also went to Xihai when I went to Shaanxi to train troops.
It is just as vast as Dongting Lake, how do you know its size?"

Lu Yunyi looked around and found that many generals turned their eyes to him with puzzled expressions, so he explained:

"The West Sea was called Qinghai after the Northern Wei Dynasty.
However, in the Water Classic written by Li Daoyuan of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the West Sea was still referred to as the West Sea.

It is said that the sea is more than 750 miles in circumference, with two mountains in the middle, facing each other from east to west. The water is turquoise, and it never dries up or overflows in winter or summer. When viewed from the Sun and Moon Mountain, it looks like a black cloud slowly approaching.

The description of Dongting Lake is that it is 500 miles wide and round, and the sun and the moon seem to appear and disappear in it.
In comparison, Xihai is larger.

There is also a corresponding explanation in the "Da Ming Zhi" compiled in the third year of Hongwu. "

The group looked at each other in bewilderment. Some generals knew about the West Sea and Dongting Lake.

But it is absolutely impossible to talk like that.

Li Jinglong knew that he was well-read, but he still envied him when he could speak so casually.

"Yun Yi, have you memorized all the mountains, rivers and streams of the Ming Dynasty?"

shhhhh--

Lu Yunyi felt that he didn't know how many eyes were looking at him, so he smiled:

"Of course not, but we must remember these mountains and rivers. If they are needed in future battles, we won't have to look up books."

"Yes, opportunities on the battlefield are fleeting, not to mention flipping a page.
Even if we delay for a few moments, we may end up in complete failure."

Sima Xu, who had been silent, spoke at this moment, looking at Lu Yunyi with admiration in his eyes.

He swept his eyes around, looking at the many generals present, and snorted coldly:
"In my opinion, our Ming army is going backwards.

When I was fighting with Your Majesty, several generals knew the vast territory of the Ming Dynasty very well.
Unlike you guys now, you know nothing when asked!"

Many generals present lowered their heads and raised their eyebrows.
Even Deng Zhen looked embarrassed and could only listen.

Although he was a duke, Sima Xu was only an assistant to the Central Military Governor's Office.
But Sima Xu is your Majesty's adopted son, and has followed your Majesty in battles. He is also the oldest and has the most experience in battle.
Even though Deng Zhen is a duke, he is still a junior and has to listen.

Seeing Sima Xu started to talk non-stop,

Li Jinglong on the side quickly winked at Lu Yunyi, hoping for his rescue.

Lu Yunyi smiled, found an opening, and said:

"Before the Ming Dynasty was established, it only occupied a small corner of the southeast, while the Yuan Dynasty was entrenched in the north.

At that time, Your Majesty launched the Northern Expedition with great vigor and enthusiasm, and divided the army into several routes to destroy the Yuan Dynasty.

If a general does not know the mountains, rivers and streams, he will surely be defeated in one fell swoop.

As for the newly established Ming Dynasty, it dominates the vast country.
The enemies are all barbarians from all directions, we just need to study them in a targeted manner."

Sima Xu snorted coldly when he heard this:
"Now we are fighting easy battles. Even if we go abroad to fight, we have the support of Ming Dynasty.

But when we destroyed Yuan, we were alone and deep in enemy territory for thousands of miles. If we were not careful, we would die on the battlefield."

After saying this, he turned around and looked at the generals, cursing:

"Look at all the people like you. You are so depressed and playful all day. Why don't you take the time to find a map of Luchuan and take a look at it?
If you can destroy the Luchuan Kingdom in one fell swoop, you will have made a great contribution."

Seeing that he had no intention of stopping, Lu Yunyi shrugged at Li Jinglong and smiled helplessly.

Li Jinglong also became dejected and listened quietly.
Time passed, the sunset gradually sank into the horizon,
As night falls, Dongting Lake presents a different scene.

The moonlight poured down like water, covering the lake with a layer of silver gauze.
Lights were lit on the warships, echoing the stars in the sky.
The scouts of the front army, who had been waiting in the cabin for a long time, rushed out impatiently, looked at the lake in front of them, and exclaimed "Wow".
After half a month of sailing, most of the soldiers' seasickness had been cured.
Although ginger is still attached, the psychological effect is greater than the practical significance.

The ship will stop at Yuezhou Prefecture this time, where it will rest for three days to replenish supplies and repair the warships.

The scale of Yuezhou Port is huge.

It is far superior to the many ports we have seen in the past, such as Hezhou Port, Anqing Port, and Wuchang Port.
It shows an unprecedented prosperity and grandeur.

In the port, there are many ships and masts, and all kinds of merchant ships and cargo ships are shuttling back and forth.
Some are busy loading and unloading goods, some are ready to sail.

The lights of countless ships were reflected on the sparkling water.

Outside the port, merchants gathered and the place was bustling with noises of hawking, bargaining and laughter.

Not far away, about five miles away, the naval camp of Yuezhouwei stood majestically, completely different from the hustle and bustle of the port.

The warships were parked in an orderly manner on the shore.

They are huge and majestic, like sleeping beasts.

Lu Yunyi looked through the telescope and saw that the deck of the warship was densely packed with gun positions.
The pitch-black gun barrel extended from the side of the ship, exuding a strong sense of deterrence.

Li Jinglong, who had arranged for the soldiers, came over in a hurry.
At a glance, he saw the many warships in the haze, and suddenly remembered something, and whispered:
"Today I heard from Lord Shen that a naval commander of Yuezhouwei was involved in the previous smuggling incident and wanted to rebel, but was killed on the spot."

Lu Yunyi took down the telescope and said seriously:

"Have you found out everything?"

Li Jinglong's face was solemn, and he nodded slightly:

"The imperial court has launched a major war this time, and all the ports we stop at along the way have imperial censors by our side.
And this Yuezhouwei should be an important transit point for smuggling ships.
The imperial censor had just arrived this morning, and at noon the naval commander was killed for treason. I suspect there is something fishy going on."

Lu Yunyi's face was solemn, and he also nodded:

"It's probably murder to silence someone."

Li Jinglong sighed, feeling a little depressed:

"The tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop. To be honest, I do not want to get involved in the struggles of the court.
But what can we do? The turmoil in the court was too great.
It’s so big that even though you and I have already taken shelter on the boat, we are still affected.”

Lu Yunyi's expression was serious: "In a world of great contention, if you don't advance, you will retreat." Li Jinglong pursed his lips, a trace of annoyance on his face:
"I plan to contact the Jinyiwei in Yuezhou Prefecture and tell the court about Hezhou's affairs."

"So fast?" Lu Yunyi looked surprised.

Along the way, there were opportunities to come into contact with the imperial guards.
But they couldn't trust the people who were traveling along the way.
Therefore, what happened in Hezhou was never disclosed.

Li Jinglong's originally straight back bent down, as if he was carrying a heavy burden:

"No, it's too chaotic. I heard from Duke Shen that
Because the knight had not been found, the situation became chaotic.
Some people are suspicious of each other and throw dirty water on each other, making the atmosphere in the court a little subtle.
It's like a flawed gunpowder that's about to explode."

After these words came out, Lu Yunyi's face turned strange.
He looked Li Jinglong up and down, then stretched out his hand and waved it in front of him.

"What for?" Li Jinglong asked.

"I have been studying the art of naval warfare these days and have not had a rest. It's not you, how could you be so confused?"

"What do you mean?" Li Jinglong looked strange.

Lu Yunyi pondered for a moment, organized his words in his mind, and said in a deep voice:

"The court is in chaos right now. Isn't this a great thing for Your Majesty and the Crown Prince?
I have seen in the history books that those who sit high in the court can win in times of chaos and take chestnuts from the fire. "

Suddenly, Lu Yunyi came to his senses and patted his head in annoyance:
"You are not confused, I am confused."

Li Jinglong laughed heartily when he saw him being humiliated:

"That's what I told you. The person we need to tell is His Majesty, not the civil and military officials.

Yun Yi, you should rest more. We will be on the boat for another half a month.

The naval battle is not urgent, so why study day and night? How long have you not slept?"

"It should be two days, I can't remember clearly."

Lu Yunyi shook his head, forced himself to cheer up, and smiled bitterly.

Telling the Imperial Guards is equivalent to telling His Majesty and the Crown Prince.
In this way, Your Majesty and the Crown Prince can sit high in the court, sit back and relax, watch the officials in the court fighting openly and secretly, and better control the situation.

He shook his head and asked:

"Are the Jinyiwei of Yuezhou reliable?

Now that the navy has gone wrong, if the Jinyiwei has any mistakes, we will fall into the fire pit completely. "

Li Jinglong looked around, walked closer, took out something from his arms, and covered it with his body.

"Look."

Lu Yunyi stretched his neck, cast his gaze over, and his eyes widened instantly:

"I'm done!"

Li Jinglong raised his eyebrows, with a hint of pride in his eyes:
"How about this, His Majesty gave me this when I left Beijing.
They asked me to contact the Jinyiwei in the southwest after I arrived there, as they knew something about Luchuan.

But I didn’t expect that I would need it here.”

In front of him was a waist badge, about the size of a palm, forged entirely from cold iron, its surface polished to a mirror-like smoothness.

On it, intricate cloud patterns are carefully carved.
Between the cloud patterns, a few large golden characters stood out: Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards,
The handwriting is vigorous and powerful, shining with golden light.

It has to be said that Lu Yunyi still underestimated Li Jinglong's position in the emperor's heart.

The Jinyiwei was one of the twelve guards, only under the emperor's command, and the most important among them was the Jinyiwei.

Now the commander's badge appears in Li Jinglong's hands.
this.
Lu Yunyi didn't know what to say. His already sluggish brain became even more rigid and he just stared blankly.

After a long while, until Li Jinglong put away the badge, Lu Yunyi lowered his voice and said:

"Even if we have the Jinyiwei badge, it's not safe. There are so many links involved. If there is a leak, we will be the target of public criticism."

Li Jinglong patted his chest:

"Don't worry, since we have already decided on a strategy,

I am the mastermind behind this matter, so even if it is exposed, I will still be the one to take the blame.

Besides, this time I will deliver the letter, and it can only be opened by Your Majesty in person.

The hidden differences and omissions are only known to me and Your Majesty.

If there is any omission, everyone on this line will die, and your majesty will not spare them, so the gains will be greater this way."

Lu Yunyi believed it for the time being.
He wanted to say something else, but Li Jinglong raised his head and said in a low voice:
"I have shown you the badge of the Royal Guards, what are you still worried about?
The person we are looking for this time is an old spy who has been hiding for more than ten years. Only Your Majesty and Mao Xiang know him, so don't worry!"

Having said this, Lu Yunyi nodded gently:
"That's it. If something goes wrong, those people will come after you, and my name isn't on the list."

"Haha, don't worry, I will only tell your majesty the truth this time.
When I return to the capital, I will go to the palace and tell His Majesty what you and Black Hawk did."

Li Jinglong seemed to remember something, slightly surprised, and asked in a low voice:
"You're not worried that I'll take credit for myself, are you?"

Lu Yunyi rolled his eyes at him and said unhappily:

"You are already a duke, why do you need so many merits?"

"That makes sense."

Li Jinglong was very satisfied. He patted Lu Yunyi's shoulder vigorously and said in a loud voice:
"Let's go to Yangliu Street. I heard that the girls there are very beautiful. I'll pay for you to get an Oiran!"

Swah——

Liu Heiying, who was guarding not far away, turned his head and cast his eyes over.

Ok?
The next moment, he ran over in a hurry:
"What Oiran?"

Li Jinglong raised his eyebrows: "You heard it wrong."

Liu Heiying was shocked, his eyes widened:

"How can it be."

"Brother Yun'er, what did you just say? Are you going to look for the Oiran?"

Liu Heiying was so itchy that he scratched his ears and cheeks, looking a little funny.

Lu Yunyi glanced at Li Jinglong and chose to betray him without hesitation:
"He said he would take us to find the Oiran."

Liu Heiying's eyes sparkled, and he put his arm around Li Jinglong's shoulders:

"Once a word is spoken, it cannot be taken back. When are we leaving?"

Li Jinglong felt helpless and took a deep breath:

"You're still taking medicine, why don't you work harder?"

"Ah? How do you know?" Liu Heiying was stunned.

"You smell like medicine all day long, everyone on the ship should know it." Li Jinglong shrugged and stabbed you again mercilessly.

Liu Heiying stood there in a daze, his whole body shattered.

However, Liu Heiying quickly put the matter behind him.
I put on my most handsome clothes and prepared to fight tonight.

But before they got off the boat, the prefect of Yuezhou Prefecture came with a group of officials to visit the two dukes.

With no other options, Lu Yunyi and Liu Heiying had to wait on the deck, braving the cold wind.

It's October now, and the weather is getting cooler.
The water vapor blowing in their faces was even colder, making the two of them feel comfortable.

Lu Yunyi stood at the bow and spoke softly:
"Now Li Jinglong will go to see the Jinyiwei and inform the capital of the Hezhou incident.
Of course, our names will not appear during the transmission."

Liu Heiying narrowed his eyes, looked at the guards far away, and said in a low voice:
"In a brothel?"

Lu Yunyi pinched his brows tiredly:
"I don't know, but it should be.

He had shown no desire to go to a brothel at the previous few docks;
This time, I will be taken to see the Oiran. Anyway, it is unusual, so I have to be more cautious. "

Liu Heiying nodded repeatedly: "I understand, Brother Yun'er."

"Oh, by the way, he also has a badge of the commander of the Jinyiwei.

Help me think of some place where I can use it.

When he takes it out next time, I plan to write it all down and see if I can make one.

Of course I have to rest well. I just memorized it, but now I have almost forgotten it."

A hint of helplessness flashed across Lu Yunyi's eyes.
Without the tension of being on the battlefield, sleepiness came over him again and again, making him dizzy.

Liu Heiying nodded again, thinking:
"Even if you make one, the badge can only be used once.
But we can use it at critical moments to save lives."

Lu Yunyi frowned, and some thoughts seemed to flash through his mind.

He didn't say anything, but thought carefully.

Suddenly, his voice became hollow:

"You said, if everyone died,
If I hold my badge and tell the new emperor that I am a member of the Imperial Guard, will he believe me?"

(End of this chapter)