Chapter 404: The Army Returns North

Chapter 404: The Army Returns North

Chapter 404: The Army Returns North (There is good news in the writer's words)

At noon on April 20th, the 22nd year of Hongwu,
The sky is clear and cloudless!
The sun poured down like molten gold, and the spring spread wildly across the land. Tender green leaves and gorgeous flowers intertwined, creating a vibrant scene.

The once bustling city gate was now cleared out, and the official road outside the city was deserted.

The slightly mottled city gate was heavy and made a slight "creaking" sound.
A rumbling sound was heard, and the heavy city gate slowly opened.
A breeze from outside the city, mixed with the fragrance of soil and flowers, blew in and poured into the city.

On top of the city gates, tall war drums stood in a row.

Strong men with naked upper bodies stood in the back.
There was a red silk tied on his head and a huge drumstick in his hand, the hammer head was covered with brand new red cloth!

In the center, a soldier wearing armor and red silk, full of joy, shouted loudly.

"rise--"

As the voice fell, smiles bloomed on the faces of the strong men.
The muscles on his body flexed, and he lifted the trumpet suddenly.

Hit it again and again, hard!

dong dong dong-

The voice was heavy and rapid, filled with joy.

The next moment, heavy and solemn footsteps suddenly sounded.

Teams of Ming soldiers wearing iron armor and carrying banners on their shoulders,

In the warm spring sunshine, they walked out of the camp in an orderly manner and appeared on the bluestone road of Kunming city!

Their steps were heavy, and their eyes flashed with tenacity and a hint of sadness.

After the headcount was completed, the joy of returning home yesterday was dispersed at this moment.

When they came, they were 25,000 elite soldiers and were full of vigor and vitality.

When they left, there were less than 20,000 people.

Every face looked weathered and heavy, with unspeakable fatigue.

Their families, friends, brothers, fellow townsmen, and relatives stayed here, on the battlefield where the Ming Dynasty was conquering the southwest.

At the city gate, the city defense forces formed a human wall to keep the people who gathered spontaneously out.

As the crowd surged, a complex, heavy, solemn and sad feeling began to spread.

The team moved forward slowly, the dust flew gently in the sunlight, and particles of dust fell on the cleaned armor, making it feel a little heavier.

Soon, as the soldiers poured out,

The originally empty north of the city became crowded, and the official road outside the city changed from the original khaki dragon to a black dragon, stretching endlessly.

In the distance, there are continuous mountains, shrouded in clouds and mist, and a long black dragon penetrates deep into them.

The sound of drums gradually died down, and on the tall city gate tower appeared more and more eunuchs in brocade clothes.

A red-robed eunuch in the lead held the imperial edict in his hand and read it aloud.
A young eunuch beside him put a brass trumpet in front of his mouth.

Let the sound spread outward, and the same goes for other soldiers on the city wall.

[The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims:
Since ancient times, battles on the battlefield have been major national affairs and the safety of the people depends on them.

Since I ascended the throne, I have worked hard day and night to govern the country in order to achieve peace in the world and happiness for all people.

In the past, there were bandits invading from outside, and the borders were in turmoil.

I have sent the brave troops of the capital to expedition to all directions to ensure the safety of our country and protect our people.

Today, thanks to the heroic efforts of our generals and the obedience of our soldiers, the bandits have been pacified and peace has been restored to the border.

I am very pleased to hear good news one after another.

Considering that the soldiers have been away from home for a long time and miss their homes deeply, and that the country has just been established, they need to recuperate and rebuild their homes.

Therefore, I have decided to order all the troops in the capital and those fighting outside to return to the capital immediately so that we can enjoy peace.

Order:
1. All camps of the Beijing army should pack up and retreat in an orderly manner. They must not disturb the people along the way. Violators will be punished by military law.

2. All generals must ensure the safe return of the troops and escort them along the way until the army arrives at the capital.

3. After returning to the court, all military generals must report the battle situation in detail to the Governor-General's Office and the Ministry of War, and reward them according to their merits to commend their achievements.

4. After the soldiers return home, local governments must provide them with proper accommodation and reduce or exempt taxes to reward them for their hard work.

I am well aware that the most important affairs of a state are sacrifices and war.

This return does not mark the end of the war, but the beginning of a new governance.

I hope that my subjects will join us in this great undertaking, work together with one heart and one mind, and build the glory of the Ming Dynasty together.

Since this edict has been issued, I am personally present to carry out this order.]
The voice rose and fell, echoing near the city gate,

In order to hear the imperial edict clearly, the people held their breath and widened their eyes.

The adults stood on tiptoe, and the children were held high by the adults.

Even the houses on both sides of the street were crowded with people.

After the incident of heavenly punishment, they became more respectful of Emperor Hongwu.

Similarly, all the soldiers tried their best to slow down their pace so that their horses would not make any noise, so that they could hear the contents of the imperial edict clearly.

Soon, a group of soldiers with obviously different appearances appeared on the north street of the city, which still caused a commotion.

This group of soldiers was particularly eye-catching. Not only were their armors bright and shiny, but even their horses' hair was neatly groomed.

A number of carriages carrying luggage and weapons were neatly arranged.

There was no sign of a hasty retreat, as if they had been preparing for this day for a long time.

At the front of the team, a large flag with the word "Lu" written on it fluttered gently in the breeze, which was particularly eye-catching.

Under the big flag was a group of soldiers who looked a little weathered but unrealistically young.

Among this group of soldiers, the handsome general in the lead was particularly conspicuous.

He stood tall and straight, like a pine tree that never fell.

He has a handsome face, sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, tightly pursed lips, and a dignified look.

The sunlight shines through the clouds, dappling onto the armor, reflecting a dazzling light that complements the large flag behind him.

The young man held the reins, and the warhorse swayed gently.
But his upper body remained the same, without moving or shaking, yet seemed to contain infinite power.

His eyes were firm and deep, and as his gaze swept across,

The people around felt as if a sharp sword was coming at them, seeing through them all.

Next to him was an equally burly man.
But the sturdy soldiers with dark skin also pursed their lips with a solemn look.

"Lu Yunyi!"

Someone in the crowd around him exclaimed and recognized him.

Then, an uproar began to spread.
The originally crooked wall of soldiers suddenly became straight, and the people kept retreating.

The crying child stared at the young man in a daze, pursed his lips tightly, tried to tilt his head back, and tried not to let the crystal clear eyes fall.

After the divine punishment occurred, this young general who had made great contributions and killed many people became even more notorious.

It can prevent children from crying at night.

On the city wall, Xiping Hou Mu Ying and Agricultural Administration Shaoqing Gao Fusheng stood on the city gate tower.
He could clearly see the change in the atmosphere below, and couldn't help but look strange.

Gao Fusheng turned his head to look at Mu Ying and couldn't help asking:
"What's going on?"

"Uh"

Mu Ying laughed awkwardly.
"Yun Yi's reputation is not very good."

Gao Fusheng nodded, not caring.

He even took a step forward.
Some of them ruthlessly pushed aside a young eunuch who was reading the imperial edict and waved their hands towards the city wall.

Although he looks old, he is still full of energy and spirit in both his movements.

The young eunuch who was pushed aside looked at the big eunuch in the middle with some grievance.
The chief eunuch kept talking and looked over.

Seeing that it was Gao Fusheng, his eyes widened instantly.
He held the imperial edict with two fingers and waved the remaining three fingers quickly, asking the young eunuch to make way.

You can't afford to offend such a big shot!

"Sir, there are people on the city wall."

Wu Fuliu saw Gao Fusheng the first time, tilted his body and whispered.

Lu Yunyi looked over and a smile broke out on his originally serious face. He also raised his arm and waved towards the city wall.

Gao Fusheng was also a little excited. He jumped up and down on the spot like an old child, which scared Mu Ying so much that he quickly took a step forward.

Then Gao Fusheng snatched the loud speaker from the young eunuch, held it in front of him and shouted:

"Boy, when I get to the capital, I'll go drink with you!"

The voice rolled in, and many people looked towards the top of the city in unison, with confusion flashing in their eyes, not knowing who was in front of them.

However, some of the officials from the Provincial Government and the Censorate who were seeing him off recognized Gao Fusheng and their faces turned strange.

Why is he here?

Similarly, Li Jinglong in the army frowned and tilted his head.

Looking at the figure on the city wall, I felt that it looked familiar, but I forgot where I had seen it.
"Yun Yi, who is that old man? Why does he look so familiar to me?"

Lu Yunyi leaned to the side and lowered his voice: "It's Gao Fusheng from the Agricultural Administration Institute, Mr. Gao, he is in charge of our sweet potatoes."

After hearing this, Li Jinglong remembered!
His eyes suddenly widened, and his voice became louder:
"Gao Fusheng? He's here?"

When he was a child, he often went to the Imperial City to eat, and the food was all grown by His Majesty himself.

There are many old men working with your Majesty.

There was an old man named Gao Fusheng who kicked his own butt
After careful inquiry, I found out that he was an important figure worshipped in the former Yuan Dynasty imperial city, and his main job was farming.

He actually appeared here?

Li Jinglong suddenly thought of sweet potato, and felt that it seemed natural for him to be here.

"Yun Yi, is he here for the sweet potatoes?"

Lu Yunyi didn't know why he came, so he smiled and nodded:

"probably."

"Yun Yi, you don't know"

Li Jinglong then told Lu Yunyi everything he knew about Gao Fusheng, and Lu Yunyi's face changed repeatedly after hearing it.

He is truly an extraordinary figure.
The team poured out of Kunming City little by little, and the black dragon became more and more long.

In the front scout unit, there were two huge and luxurious carriages.

The whole body is made of mahogany and elegantly decorated.
It was wrapped with wedding cloth and had wedding characters pasted on it. On the carriage there was a character called "Mu" that looked like an iron painting or a silver hook.

Inside the carriage were Mu Chuting and Xu Zengshou's fiancée Mu Chengxiu.

Behind him, there were many carriages, also tied with wedding ribbons and with Chinese characters for "Fu" pasted on them. They were the dowry of the Marquis of Xiping. Inside the carriage, I could feel the carriage shaking.

Mu Chuting's face was no longer cold, she shed tears secretly, and the big tears kept dripping down.

The maid Xiaohong beside her also had red eyes and was sobbing softly.

"Miss, please don't cry. Xiaohong is about to cry too."

Mu Chuting slowly raised her face. Her delicate makeup was a little smudged. Her eyes were misty and her nose was red.

She gently raised her handkerchief and wiped the corners of her eyes.
He opened the curtain of the carriage, gently poked his head out and looked back.

She saw several figures on the city wall at a glance.

That's her father, mother, brother, and younger brother.
In an instant, Mu Chuting could no longer control her thoughts and burst into tears.

In the Ming Dynasty today, when a woman gets married, it sometimes means separation from her husband and wife, and they will never see each other again.

Although the Xiping Marquis's family was extremely wealthy, they were not as poor as ordinary families.

But the journey is long and it is very difficult to meet again
Whenever she thought of this, she felt sad.
The Beijing troops left, with less than 20,000 soldiers.

Nearly 50,000 laborers recruited from all over the country left Kunming, and the huge team stretched for hundreds of miles.

It was not until late at night that the north gate of Kunming City gradually became quiet.
The moonlight was rich and one could see the endless flames of torches.

Until the last group of soldiers left with food and fodder,

The sluggish city gate slowly closed, making a loud rumbling sound, and then slammed shut.
The departure of tens of thousands of people made the entire city of Kunming much emptier.

The curfew was still in effect, and the empty bluestone streets were deserted, with only the occasional shouts of the night watchman passing by.

"The sky is dry and things are dry, be careful about the fire~"

Dingxi Street in Kunming City, the night is as dark as ink, gently covering the streets and alleys.
Occasionally, a night breeze blows by, rolling up a few fallen leaves, making a rustling sound, adding a bit of loneliness.

At the pawnshop at No. 18 Dingxi Street, several lanterns swayed in the wind, emitting a faint yellow light.
A faint light shone through the crack in the door, casting streaks of yellow silk on the dull bluestone road.

Occasionally, you can see a human figure flickering in there, blocking the light.

A chair is placed in the center of the pawnshop's lobby.

Sitting on it was a middle-aged man with an extremely ordinary face.

He sat there alone, facing the mottled gate in front of him.

His eyes were as sharp as an eagle, and his ears kept moving slightly, always paying attention to everything in the pawnshop.

In the backyard wing, more than a dozen middle-aged men in ordinary clothes sat around a large table.

The table was covered with all kinds of documents and information, piled up layer by layer.

A few oil lamps were scattered everywhere, swaying gently,
Illuminating their resolute faces and furrowed brows,

More than ten people lowered their heads to study and talk in low voices, and a huge sense of doubt filled the room.

The air was filled with the scent of ink and tension.

At the side of the room, a middle-aged man with an imposing manner and a stout figure was leaning on a chair.

There were several documents on the small square table beside him, reflecting his shiny face.
From time to time, a gleam of light flashed from his eyes, which were narrowed into slits.

Du Pingping is the only deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

In the past few years, I have been handling specific affairs in the north.

After the war broke out in the south, he came to Yunnan to take charge of a number of specific affairs.

He is also the owner of Rongyuan Pawnshop at No. 18 Dingxi Street.

At this moment, all the Jinyiwei backbones in Kunming City have gathered in Rongyuan Pawnshop.

Speculate the mastermind behind the "divine punishment" and the methods used.

One letter after another was delivered.

Du Pingping took the letters one by one, read them quickly, and then put them directly into the brazier in front of her.

The Jinyiwei who delivered the document was not disappointed either.

Return quickly and continue the deduction, this is their long-term job.

Provide Shangguan with one possibility after another, check for deficiencies and fill in the gaps, and find out the truth of the matter.

But as time passed, the night watchman outside had already reached the fourth watch, the hour of Chou.

The atmosphere in Rongyuan Pawnshop became increasingly tense and chaotic.
Everyone was filled with anxiety.
As the superior officer, Du Pingping also felt a little annoyed.
"Okay, stop for a moment."

Du Pingping's voice was not as masculine as a man's, but rather had a bit of a sissy tone.

As soon as the words fell, everyone stopped what they were doing.
As if the pause button had been pressed, all heads turned around.

"Avoid all known intelligence information and rely solely on feelings.
Tell us what you think, who is the murderer? Who is behind it? "

Du Pingping's voice was soft but firm, which gave some strength to the people present.

"Shui Xiaochuan, you say."

Du Pingping looked at an old man sitting in the center.

He was not polite and said quickly:
"Marquis Xiping's Mansion."

"reason."

"Yunnan is in chaos, and Lord Mu has benefited the most."

Du Pingping nodded and looked at the next person:
"Lü Dehui, you go ahead."

"Lord Dusi Ning. The Fish Scale Atlas has been delayed in implementation over the years, and Lord Ning has repeatedly hit a wall."

"Mr. Zhang from the Provincial Administration Department, the Ministry of Personnel's evaluation is about to begin, and he wants to come to the capital."

A dozen people were talking at once, and there were only three of them.

Mu Ying of Xiping Marquisate, Ning Zheng, the commander-in-chief, and Zhang Gong, the provincial governor.

As for the deputy governor Feng Cheng, he had always been in charge of the military affairs of the military department and never liked to participate in such court struggles.
But Liao Chengxuan of the Censorate would not shoot himself in the foot.

After listening to everyone's comments,
Du Pingping's face looked normal, her eye sockets were deep and she looked thoughtful.

No one present dared to disturb him. They just sat there quietly, checking and filling in the gaps in their own thoughts.

Less than half a minute later, Du Pingping slowly raised her head, shook it gently, and murmured:
"Although the three adults have reasons to do this and have the ability to do this,

But without key evidence, we cannot jump to conclusions.

The guesses should be broad and bold, and the arguments should be careful.

Now we have set a trap for ourselves and are just wandering around in it, and this is not okay.”

At this point, Du Pingping's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, and she raised her eyebrows slightly and spoke in a deep voice:
"List all the houses where spies are stationed.

Select the mansions where people go in and out at night, and provide evidence one by one.

I want to know what they did at night!
It was clearly a curfew, but he left the city in the middle of the night. It must be because he had something urgent or something important to do.

Moreover, the mansion rosters should be arranged in order according to the number of times they entered and exited.
The more times we see it, the more attention we should pay to it!"

"Okay, let's do it, quickly!" Du Pingping waved her hand and gave quick orders.

The group of Jinyiwei became busy in an instant.

Piles and piles of paperwork were moved out of the box in the corner and placed on the long table.

More than a dozen people read it quickly, recorded it quickly, and checked it quickly.

Not only do we need to list the mansions and people, but we also need to infer what they are going to do based on what is happening at the time.
This made all the Jinyiwei backbones look a little sad.
Sometimes he was deep in thought, sometimes he frowned.

It was not until an hour later that Du Pingping received a document.
The small characters on it were densely packed, and under the dim candlelight they looked like ants, winding back and forth.

Du Pingping cast her eyes over there.

As previously speculated, the Xiping Marquis Mansion, Ning Mansion, and Zhang Mansion had the most people coming in and out.
And then, his eyes fixed and he uttered a light "eh",
"Ok?"

[Lu Mansion on Taihua Street: entered and exited four times.]
[Mu Sheng, Ning Zhong, and Feng Bin left at midnight. Liu Heiying, deputy general of the front army scout department, came over at this moment and left quickly.]
[Mu Sheng, Ning Zhong, and Feng Bin speculated that they were studying military tactics and training methods with Lu Yunyi.]
[Liu Heiying guessed that there was an important matter in his army and he came to report it.]
Du Pingping asked without even raising her head:
"How is Lu Yunyi doing?"

Shui Xiaochuan, who was sitting quietly below, immediately spoke:
“He was domineering and strict, and devoted all day to military affairs.

He has been suffering from hysteria recently and has consulted many doctors in the city."

"Hysteria? The kind of hysteria found in the military?" Du Pingping looked surprised and raised her head.

Shui Xiaochuan nodded: "Sir, it's that kind of hysteria,

Now I have some doubts that the thunder was caused by too much killing."

Hearing this, Du Pingping was not angry, but just waved her hand:
"Let's not explore the time of the thunder. This is the result. We need to know the process and cause.

In your opinion, does Lu Yunyi have any motive to do this?
The assassination of Cao Guogong a few days ago was done by some people in the brothel.
Now Qingyuan Pavilion is also a brothel, which is quite a coincidence."

There was a hint of weirdness on Shui Xiaochuan's calm face.
One is a soldier who has just made a great contribution, and the other is a brothel owner who has committed many evil deeds.

They are from the north and the south, and they have no intersection at all.

After thinking for a while, Shui Xiaochuan spoke in a deep voice:
"My Lord, there is no motive.
Moreover, even if such arrangements are to be made, it will take time to prepare, and the front-line scouts have just returned to Kunming."

Shui Xiaochuan did not continue to speak.
But Du Pingping knew what he meant and continued thinking.

As the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he knew too many secrets that others did not know.

He knew exactly who were the people behind those brothels.

With this in mind, there is a motive.

As for whether they know
There was a gleam in Du Pingping's eyes. Maybe Duke Cao didn't know, but Marquis Xiping must know.

So, we have the motivation, the purpose, and the consequences, but the most important process is missing.
Although three of the four elements are already there,

But Du Pingping thought for a long time and shook her head. Everything was wishful thinking. The most crucial evidence was needed.

If you look for problems with the answer in mind, you can only see that everyone is the murderer.

However, Lu Yunyi and Du Pingping did not believe that he had the ability to arrange such a meticulous arrangement in just one day after returning to Kunming.

Taking a deep breath, Du Pingping handed over the paper in her hand and instructed:

"Just follow this list, check them one by one.
If there are still three adults left in the end, then we will focus on investigating them.

After two screenings, you can’t go wrong.”

"Yes!"

The group of people lowered their heads slightly, breathed a sigh of relief, and continued to work.

Du Pingping still sat there like a dead tree, with a thoughtful look on her face.

He knew clearly that after the Heavenly Punishment, the court would no longer be as peaceful as before.

The undercurrent beneath the water will also turn into pervasive waves.
As a member of the Imperial Guard, there is no doubt that he is in the middle of the vortex.

Thinking of this, Du Pingping rarely showed a trace of worry and sighed softly:
"What a troubled time"

(End of this chapter)