Chapter 254: Yunnan Rebellion, Forgiveness Where Possible
Chapter 254: Yunnan Rebellion, Forgiveness Where Possible
Seeing Yue Zhongda coming forward, Lu Yunyi's eyes flashed with doubt.
She raised her hand to stop him from approaching, and said thoughtfully:
"Now that we are at war, foreign deserters will not implicate Lord Yue, please rest assured."
After the words fell, Yue Zhongda showed some embarrassment on his face, and some difficulty in speaking. His expression changed back and forth, and finally he stammered:
"Sir Lu, can we not report this matter to the military commander and Xiping Marquis's residence for the time being?"
Lu Yunyi's eyes narrowed, and a hint of suspicion flashed across his face. If he remembered correctly,
Those six wounded soldiers were the ones who went to report the news. Why did they change their minds now?
"Master Yue, what do you mean by this? Please tell me."
Lu Yunyi spoke calmly, with a hint of coldness in his voice.
The guards standing at the door hurriedly moved closer, looking alert.
The candlelight in the military tent was dim, flickering gently with the breeze, illuminating Yue Zhongda's cheeks and making his eyes flicker.
After a long time, he let out a heavy sigh and spoke in a deep voice:
"Master Lu, you may not know that someone from the Dusi came this morning.
He ordered more than ten garrisons, including Dingyuan Garrison, to dispatch 2,000 soldiers to the three prefectures' defense line.
The Dingyuan Guard to which I belong belongs to Chuxiong, so we need to be stationed on the east side of Lishe River.
But Luchuan is coming with great force. I have already dispatched a thousand soldiers to Dali.
My Dingyuan Guard is not fully staffed to begin with. If another 2,000 soldiers are transferred away, there will be no one left to use.
If there is any trouble near Dingyuan, I will not be able to take responsibility."
After saying this, Yue Zhongda was afraid that Lu Yunyi would not believe him, so he took out the troop transfer document from his pocket and handed it over:
"General Lu, please take a look. This is the document that was just delivered this morning."
Seeing how well prepared he was, Lu Yunyi was somewhat surprised.
I took the document and looked at it carefully, then handed it back and understood what he was thinking.
Regardless of whether those deserters were foreigners or not, they were soldiers of Dingyuan Guard after all, and nearly a thousand people could always be put to use.
And the Yue Zhongda in front of him should be planning to send these thousand people to the front line of the three prefectures.
After he finished reading the document, Yue Zhongda's slightly old face showed a bit of pleading:
"I dare not deceive you, sir. After these people fled the city,
I was greatly shocked and immediately sent someone to report the incident to the governor.
But then I felt a little regretful, but I didn't expect that now the situation has taken a turn for the better.
Lord Lu actually brought all these soldiers back, which made me very grateful.
If Lord Lu would be so kind as to spare my life, I would reward him handsomely."
Lu Yunyi's eyes flickered and he asked:
"May I ask how many soldiers are on the roster of Dingyuan Guard, Lord Yue?"
"There are less than 5,000 people now. Two months ago, there was a rebellion in Shizhi Village in the south.
Our troops were ordered to clear out the enemy, and suffered hundreds of casualties, which have yet to be replaced."
Lu Yunyi nodded. In this case, the soldiers would usually be assigned after the war was over.
Either fill it with rescued people or fill it with captured soldiers.
Seeing that Lu Yunyi remained silent for a long time, Yue Zhongda stepped forward, took out a document from his arms and handed it over, saying in a deep voice:
"If Lord Lu would be so kind as to not make this matter public, Lord Lu can take away the long swords and armor of those deserters. I will not make this matter public."
Lu Yunyi was a little surprised. For soldiers, long swords and armor were more important than silver.
He took the document, looked at it, chuckled, closed it, handed it back, and said softly:
"The Military Law stipulates that the first time you flee, you will be punished with 100 military sticks, and the second time you flee, you will be executed.
The deserters were originally from Dingyuan Guard, so it was naturally up to Lord Yue to make the final decision.
As for whether to report to Xiping Marquis Mansion and the Military Commissioner, it is also Lord Yue who decides, why do you have to come and complain to me?"
As soon as these words came out, the solemn atmosphere in the military tent disappeared instantly.
Yue Zhongda, who originally had a very solemn expression, became a little dazed.
Then he heaved a sigh of relief, and immediately showed gratitude, a smile on his face, and he bowed repeatedly:
"Thank you General Lu for your kindness. I will never forget this favor."
Lu Yunyi's face was calm, he spoke lightly and said softly:
"How long has Lord Yue been in Yunnan?"
"I dare not deceive General Lu. I have only been here for less than two years."
Yue Zhongda's face was gloomy, and he continued:
"In less than two years, I have suppressed more than ten rebellions, both large and small.
In comparison, I have been in Fujian Dusi for more than five years, and the number of soldiers in the garrison has never been concealed. "
Hearing this, Lu Yunyi's face became a little serious.
The situation in Yunnan Dusi is now more serious than imagined.
In the past two years, Silunfa only deployed troops on the border and had not yet invaded. Now that the war is about to break out, no one knows how many people will rise up in rebellion.
Lu Yunyi put away his thoughts and said in a deep voice:
"I have an unwelcome request. I wonder if Lord Yue can satisfy it?"
Yue Zhongda's face was solemn, and he spoke in a deep voice:
"General Lu, please tell me what you want to say. As long as it's not a big mistake, I will definitely do my best."
Lu Yunyi smiled:
"It's not a big deal. I'm from the northern border.
I have only been in Yunnan for half a month and know nothing about the war in the southwest.
I want to take a look at the military reports of Lord Yue’s past battles with the rebels, so as to gain some experience in fighting the enemy.”
Yue Zhongda was stunned for a moment, looking a little dazed.
He had seen many generals asking for silver and weapons, but this was the first time he had seen a general asking for military reports.
But he quickly reacted and said:
"Of course, I'll have someone send it over right away."
"Thank you, Master Yue!"
Lu Yunyi also smiled, and the atmosphere in the military tent became harmonious again.
Yue Zhongda hurriedly walked out of the military tent to give instructions to his subordinates, and soon he returned to the tent.
Lu Yunyi pointed to two chairs on one side:
"Master Yue, please take a seat. I have some fine tea leaves from Yingtian. Please have a taste."
A hint of joy flashed in Yue Zhongda's eyes.
General Lu rose to a high position at such a young age.
He was not domineering in his dealings with others, which greatly changed his impression of Lu Yunyi.
I couldn't help but think that General Lu must be from a wealthy family.
"Thank you, General Lu."
After sitting down, Yue Zhongda looked at the furnishings in the military tent. It was extremely simple, with only some documents and maps piled on the table.
After pondering for a moment, he asked tentatively:
"General Lu is from Yingtian?"
"That's right. I am a member of the Beijing Army and serve under the command of Li Jinglong, Duke of Cao."
Yue Zhongda's eyes widened slightly, his brows raised slightly, and a look of understanding flashed in his eyes. It turned out that he was from a noble family.
The Dingyuan Guard where he was located had only 500 Yunnan horses, and not a single grassland horse.
And the man in front of him had 7,000 war horses.
This number is almost more than the war horses of the entire Fujian Regional Military Commission, and they are tall and strong horses from the grassland.
For a moment, Yue Zhongda's heart was filled with bitterness.
He had no support in Yunnan, and even his soldiers begged him.
The soldiers assigned to him by his superiors were also foreigners from the rebel armies in various places.
In ordinary guards, only 10% of the people are from other ethnic groups, but in Dingyuan Guard, where he was stationed, foreigners accounted for almost 20%.
In addition, his troops have not been fully staffed, so it may take up 30%.
The gap between people is sometimes even greater than the gap between people and dogs.
He sighed in his heart and said with some envy:
"General Lu is young and promising. I admire him."
Lu Yunyi smiled and handed over a cup of tea:
"We are all soldiers, doing things that are bloody and dangerous. We are just lucky for the time being."
Yue Zhongda took the teacup with both hands, looking relieved:
"It is fortunate that General Lu came to my aid today, otherwise I really don't know what to do.
Luchuan in the west was ready to make a move, and it looked like a big battle was about to start.
In the past half month, Dingyuan Guard has had no less than 30,000 troops pass through, all of them are elite troops from various places.
Such a large-scale mobilization of troops will certainly make many ambitious people aware of the opportunity.
If there is another rebellion, and we have no soldiers to use, it would be a grave sin.”
Lu Yunyi remained calm in response to Yue Zhongda's explanation.
The Ming Dynasty would not impose severe punishment for defeat.
At most you will have no hope of promotion in the future, but you will not lose your life.
Those who abandoned the city and fled, failed to kill the enemy, were cowardly and afraid of death, or deserted from the battlefield were all severely punished.
Those who lost a city would most likely be executed, and if they abandoned the city and fled, their families would also be in trouble.
What Yue Zhongda was worried about at the moment was not the war in Luchuan in the west, but the rebellion near Dingyuan.
Lu Yunyi asked in a deep voice:
"Master Yue, how did you deal with the rebellion in the Yunnan Provincial Administration Office?"
Yue Zhongda thought for a moment and replied:
"The handling of rebellions by tribes still depends on their scale.
If there were only a hundred people rebelling, then it would be a matter for the army to suppress them and kill the leader. If there were several hundred people, not only me, but also the chief officer of Dingyuan would have to intervene.
They did not really want to rebel, but they were dissatisfied with the court's military farming policy and taxation policy.
After all, during the Yuan Dynasty, some of their tribes in the mountains did not have to pay land taxes.
For this kind of rebellion, the main approach is to appease it. The provincial government will reduce or exempt land taxes and provide certain compensation.
However, killing people is also necessary to establish authority, otherwise other departments will follow suit, and the provincial governor and the military governor will also have a headache.
As for rebellions of more than a thousand people, the governors and provincial governors would not appease them, but would send troops to suppress them.
The main culprit and the young men who participated were all killed, and the women and children were distributed to various guards or other tribes. "
Lu Yunyi nodded thoughtfully, this kind of treatment was reasonable.
Yue Zhongda continued:
"In recent years, some people from the Annan Dynasty, south of Lin'an Prefecture, have often come to our Ming territory to stir up trouble.
In order to be appeased,
In the early years, they were very violent, burning, killing and looting, so the Dusi naturally sent troops to suppress them.
Lord Mu even wrote a letter to Shenglong City himself.
He said bluntly that if anyone crossed the border and caused unrest again, the southwestern troops would go straight into Thang Long City.
Later, the south became much more peaceful, with no more than a hundred people crossing the border, and they would not burn, kill, or plunder, but would only steal some things in order to seek peace.”
As he spoke, Yue Zhongda smiled bitterly:
"Those people think that our Ming Dynasty is the Celestial Empire with endless food.
After arriving here, I found that I still had to work and plow the fields, and even pay taxes.
At first they felt good when they were hungry, but once they were full, trouble arose.
So much so that most of the rebellions in recent years were caused by the Annamites and Laotians.”
Lu Yunyi listened carefully. If one does not live in Yunnan in person, some things cannot be fully understood by just relying on written records.
He looked puzzled: "Aren't there still some Indians?"
"Indian?"
Yue Zhongda looked surprised, with a bit of weirdness and even some mockery in his eyes, and explained:
"The Indians don't like to cause trouble, but if others cause trouble they will certainly get involved.
During the previous rebellions, the lower officials also captured some Indians.
When asked later why they participated in it, they couldn't explain it.
They just heard that rebellion would make them live a good life, so they followed it. "
Lu Yunyi's expression was extremely strange, which was pretty much the same as his impression of his third brother.
"So that's how it is. Back in Yingtian, I heard that there was quite a bit of chaos in the Yunnan Provincial Administration Office.
Now I have seen it with my own eyes, it is indeed worthy of its reputation.
If it weren't for people like Lord Yue who are loyal to their emperor and love their country, there would definitely be chaos in Yunnan."
"Thank you for the compliment, Lord Lu. This is just my duty.
I am now thinking about finishing the battle in Luchuan in the west as soon as possible.
So that the troops from the garrisons in various places can return and deter some ambitious people.
Instead of living in fear all day long like now."
Yue Zhongda showed some worry on his face. Lu Yunyi smiled and asked:
"Master Yue, do you have any good solutions for the many rebellions in Yunnan?"
"Me?" Yue Zhongda was surprised, then smiled bitterly:
"How can a lowly commander like me know all this?"
Lu Yunyi smiled, picked up the cup of tea and sipped it gently, then said:
"Master Yue, don't worry, I'm just taking it as a reference.
Now I also have the duty of serving as the Crown Prince's guest.
If I return to the capital after my victory, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asks me about it, I will be able to tell you something."
For a moment, Yue Zhongda's mouth opened and closed back and forth.
There was a deep envy in my eyes, and I didn't know what to do.
But he could feel that General Lu in front of him was not asking for a show, but was asking sincerely.
Yue Zhongda suddenly felt a little frustrated.
He thought to himself that since he was over 40 and was a senior official, there would be opportunities for him to make further progress.
But today, I can't help but feel a little discouraged.
He is younger than him, holds a higher position than him, and the people he relies on are the crown prince and Duke Cao.
Yue Zhongda couldn't think of a way to surpass it, so he could only sigh secretly in his heart:
"I dare not deceive Lord Lu. For the local chieftains and foreigners who rebel, we can either kill them or wait.
These chieftains and foreigners were stubborn and some of the things they said were completely incomprehensible, so they had no choice but to be killed, but this was only a temporary solution.
If you want to truly resolve the rebellion here, you still have to wait.
Wait until their children grow up, speak the official language of the Ming Dynasty, recognize the characters of the Ming Dynasty, and learn the principles of the Ming Dynasty. Only then can the situation be gradually resolved.
But this will take time. Yunnan has only been in our hands for six or seven years.
If we want to wait for the next generation to grow up and take charge, it will take at least twenty years, and I don’t know how many people will die during this time.”
Yue Zhongda's voice became increasingly hollow.
Lu Yunyi could hear the deep fatigue in his voice, so he stopped talking.
I don't know how long it took, but the tea in the cup had already cooled down.
The soldier who went to get the military report returned, and heavy footsteps were heard outside the military tent. The two men's eyes, which were slightly empty, suddenly became solid.
The guard walked into the tent with a cloth bag in his hand and handed it to him respectfully:
"grown ups."
Lu Yunyi nodded, and when the guards left the military tent, he looked at Yue Zhongda:
"Thank you, Lord Yue. I will have someone escort you to the camp tomorrow when I leave Dingyuan."
A hint of surprise flashed across Yue Zhongda's eyes. He slowly stood up and bowed to Lu Yunyi:
"Thank you for your help, Lord Lu. I will take my leave first."
"Master Yue, take care."
Yue Zhongda slowly withdrew from the military tent.
Lu Yunyi sighed. In this war-torn area, one needs to be on high alert all the time, whether it is a soldier or an officer.
Their mental and physical health are not so good.
Especially Mu Ying who was in charge of the southwest.
The last time they met, Lu Yunyi had already noticed that his face was gray and dark, his eye sockets were deep, his skin was wrinkled, and he looked very bad.
Thinking of this, Lu Yunyi breathed a sigh of relief.
He then took the military report to the long table and sat down, silently opening it and checking each letter one by one.
Less than half an hour later, he had just finished reading a military newspaper.
Liu Heiying came in cautiously, grinning.
"Brother Yun'er."
"what's up?"
Liu Heiying came closer:
"Just now, people from Dingyuan Guard came and took away all those deserters."
"understood."
Liu Heiying looked strange:
"Brother Yun'er, are we just going to let this matter go?
Should I write a letter to inform the military governor and Xiping Marquis's residence?
What if something goes wrong with these deserters and implicates us?"
"Transferring Dingyuan Guard is a normal procedure. We don't need to care how they deal with it.
We are all soldiers, so let us show mercy when we can.
Right now, the camp is empty, and the Dingyuan Guards are poor inside. If you can help, please help.
Those deserters went to the front line, where there were large troops watching over them, so there wouldn’t be any trouble.”
Having said that, Liu Heiying chuckled:
"Brother Yun'er is right. You are Marquis Mu's son-in-law now. He will definitely protect you!"
"The war is not over yet, and it is still unclear who will win or lose."
Lu Yunyi spoke lightly with a hint of a smile on his face.
Liu Heiying raised his eyebrows:
"Brother Yun'er, you have never made any mistakes since we were little. I believe in you this time. You will definitely win this bet!"
Lu Yunyi smiled and asked:
"Have you written to that shopkeeper Hua?"
Liu Heiying nodded repeatedly: "Of course I wrote it. Zigong also wrote a letter and cried while writing it."
"Have you written to your father?"
"I have written it. I plan to give it to the Qingyang Guard tomorrow and send it back through the military channels."
Lu Yunyi nodded and handed over the four letters placed on the side:
"Please send these letters back as well. I hope you have arrived in Yunnan safely. I have to let you know that you are safe."
Liu Heiying blinked his eyes, looked at the four neatly arranged letters, and felt that he should write one to Mother Li as well!
"Alright, alright, leave now if you have nothing else to do. I still have a lot of things to do."
"Okay. I'm leaving now."
(End of this chapter)