Chapter 469: Huguang Military Training, Mediocre Response

Chapter 469: Huguang Military Training, Mediocre Response

Chapter 469: Huguang Military Training, Mediocre Response

The group left the Prince's Mansion chatting and laughing.
At this moment, Li Jinglong, who had just dismounted, had a strange and absurd look on his face. He looked at the group of people walking out of the Crown Prince's Mansion and thought to himself:
"What's going on? Where are you going to play without asking me?"

"Jiujiang? Why are you here?" The prince also saw him, raised his eyebrows, and asked first.

Li Jinglong calmed himself down and bowed:
"I have met His Highness the Prince's Mansion. I went to the military camp to ask about some military matters, but was told that Lu Yunyi had come to the Prince's Mansion, so I hurriedly followed him."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao only took one look at him and knew that Li Jinglong was lying.
"Humph, you want to go to a brothel and have some fun, right?"

Li Jinglong was shocked. How did he discover this?
Fortunately, a year of fighting had made Li Jinglong much more thick-skinned, and he quickly said:

"Your Highness, you are wronged. I have always loved my wife and daughter at home and never go to a brothel. I came to Yun Yi today just to drink, hehe, to drink."

Seeing the prince's stern face, Li Jinglong quickly changed the subject and pointed at the bicycle:

"Your Highness, what is this? It looks very novel."

The prince glanced at him and shook his head:

"It just so happens that you are here too. Let's go to the palace together. This is a new item that Lu Yunyi has made. It is excellent."

"Yes!"

Li Jinglong agreed without thinking, his eyes always on the bicycle.

The group headed towards the imperial city in a mighty procession.

Lu Yunyi rode a horse as a guard, and the prince sat in a carriage.

Li Jinglong was running below, following Zhu Yunhuan and shouting at him to ride one as well.

In less than a cup of tea, Zhu Yunhuan was annoyed by his cousin's nagging and was defeated.

Amidst everyone's strange gazes, a strange scene unfolded.

Li Jinglong, as an adult, was riding on the carriage, while Zhu Yunhuan, who was not yet grown up, trotted beside him and told him many things to pay attention to!

Li Jinglong was also very smart. He quickly grasped the essence of the matter and could not help but exclaim:

“It’s moving!!”

“This stuff is great!!!”

The loud shouting almost made the guards and eunuchs who followed them cover their faces.
"This is for me. This is for me."

Zhu Yunhuan ran beside him, waving his little hands around, his cheeks flushed, and he kept yelling.

Li Jinglong pretended not to hear, kicked hard twice, jumped out, and shook Zhu Yunhuan off.

Then he turned the car around, made a gorgeous turn and came next to Lu Yunyi, driving parallel to him.

"Yun Yi, you have to make me one too. Make it a big one. This one is too small and the legs can't curl up comfortably."

Lu Yunyi, who was sitting on a tall horse, looked sideways at the short Li Jinglong.

Suddenly I understood why Li Jinglong was notorious and famous in Beijing.

Zhu Yunxun chased after him, shouting:
"It's my turn, it's my turn."

Li Jinglong didn't care: "Wait a moment, cousin, I'll study it and see if it's safe!"

As he spoke, Li Jinglong pedaled hard and quickly ran to the front of the team.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at the rapidly receding figure and burst into tears, causing the eunuch following behind him to be at a loss and rush forward to comfort him.

At this time, the prince, who was fed up with the noise, opened the curtain and shouted:
"Li Jinglong! How can you be a father if you snatch things from a child?"

At this point, Li Jinglong reluctantly returned the bicycle to Zhu Yunhuan.
Finally, I pedaled hard twice and got a lot of satisfaction.

When he returned to his warhorse, he came to Lu Yunyi and continued to chatter, begging him to make one for him.

Lu Yunyi was also annoyed by the constant noise. He rubbed his dry eyes and nodded repeatedly:
"Okay, okay, I'll make one for you."

Having received the promise, Li Jinglong clenched his fist and waved his hand vigorously:
"Yun Yi, this thing is better than a war horse. It doesn't rub your crotch and you won't feel tired when riding it.

But if you are going on a long journey, you still have to ride a warhorse."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao opened the curtain of the carriage and cast his eyes out:
"Not bad, I can see some things clearly."

Li Jinglong raised his chin proudly:
"Your Highness, you don't know that I was so exhausted when I rode to Yunnan. My crotch was full of blood."

"Okay, okay, I know you've worked hard." Zhu Biao stopped his long speech and said:
"The court is planning to send you to train troops in a few days. You should be prepared and don't embarrass yourself."

Li Jinglong, who had just smiled, froze in place, opened his mouth, and suddenly raised his voice by two tones:

"I'm going to train?"

The prince frowned slightly and scolded:

"Keep your voice down. The soldiers from Huguang haven't trained for a long time.

In a few days you will go there with others and be stationed in different places.

We must not only train the soldiers, but also keep them safe and secure, and not let those with bad intentions take advantage of us."

As soon as these words were spoken, Lu Yunyi on the side narrowed his eyes and felt the hairs on his body stand on end.

here we go! !
He was now almost certain that the purpose of the Northern Expedition was to transfer the generals and soldiers away.

The military training at this moment may be to screen out those people and soldiers with evil intentions, and then pack them up and send them to the grasslands, away from the Ming Dynasty court.

Li Jinglong also fell into deep thought. He lowered his voice and asked:
"Your Highness, who else is going with you?"

"Duke Ying will be in charge of this matter. He will train troops in more than ten places inside and outside the city." The prince said nothing more and lowered the curtains.

Li Jinglong's face changed slightly. From his previous experience,

Most of the people who could go to various places to train troops were dukes, nobles, or several governors of the governor's office.
Now more than ten dukes and marquises have to be sent out at a time. Has the situation become so serious?
He turned his head to look at Lu Yunyi, worried.

Lu Yunyi gave him a reassuring look and whispered:
"Don't worry, if we can win the external war, we can also win the internal war."

Time passes, and the afterglow of sunset is coming to an end.
The last ray of brilliance passed across the sky, leaving a thick golden color on the Ming Imperial City.

The vermilion gauze lacquer looked even more magnificent under the setting sun. Rows of halls were closely connected, and a solemnity began to permeate the imperial city.

In the northeast corner of the imperial city, a huge mud area sits in the majestic imperial city.

Several old farmers dressed in coarse linen clothes were hunched over, moving busily on the muddy ground.

Their hands were covered in dirt, but they didn't care.

Carefully digging the soil, every movement was full of caution.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on them, outlining golden outlines.

Not far away, several eunuch-like people stood aside.
Holding a pen, ink and a notebook in his hands, he was recording something from time to time.

At this time, a young eunuch in blue clothes hurried over, stood in front of the eunuch in scarlet robe, and said softly:
"Grandfather, the prince has entered the palace."

The eunuch glanced at him and nodded slightly:

"Understood, let's go down."

"Yes."

After the young eunuch left, the senior eunuch looked at His Majesty, who was busy working in the fields, wearing a sweatshirt like an old farmer.

After thinking for a moment, he lifted his clothes and walked in carefully on the open space.

Soon, his actions were noticed by Zhu Yuanzhang, who turned his head sharply and shouted:
"What are you doing here? Get out!"

The eunuch stopped in his tracks and stepped back cautiously, whispering as he did so:

"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has entered the palace."

Zhu Yuanzhang stopped when he was about to bend down and looked back:
"What are you doing here so late?"

Without waiting for the eunuch to answer, he looked at the people who were also working in the fields and shouted:
"You guys keep busy, I'll be back soon."

The "old farmer" wearing a straw hat next door did not stand up, but just raised his head:

"Your Majesty, please don't cause trouble. Among so many, yours is the only one that is not growing well."

Zhu Yuanzhang's mouth twitched slightly, his expression somewhat embarrassed, and he cursed:

"I am just neglecting government affairs and not taking care of them diligently. When I am done with this busy period, I will deal with you old bastards!"

As soon as these words came out, several "old farmers" who were bending over to till the fields raised their heads and laughed. One of them said, "Your Majesty, these sweet potatoes can indeed survive.
In my opinion, you should not come, let him grow on his own, maybe he will grow better. "

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious. He pulled off the straw hat on his head, threw it hard, and walked away cursing!

The eunuch looked at His Majesty's angry expression, sighed helplessly, and spoke earnestly:
"My dear elders, you are all old, please don't make His Majesty angry.

Your Majesty is a competitive person. He has been running around in the fields all day and has delayed government affairs. Let Your Majesty take a break."

The old farmer in the straw hat curled his lips and cursed:
"What do you know, old eunuch? You sit in the imperial study all day, dressed in fancy clothes. If you don't move around, something bad will happen. It won't hurt to sweat a little more in the fields."

"That's right, we have known His Majesty for decades, and you are here to give us orders. Get out of here right now."

The group of old farmers started to scold them, but the eunuch did not dare to provoke them. He just bowed and walked away quickly.

He couldn't afford to offend any of these masters in the Agricultural Administration Bureau.

Especially now that we have planted sweet potatoes, we can see that they are getting bigger and bigger.
No one can get close to the northeast corner of the imperial city, and there are 3,000 imperial guards guarding it.
Zhu Yuanzhang, dressed as an old farmer, walked quickly in the imperial city.
A group of eunuchs followed behind him, and the chief eunuch often shouted:

"Your Majesty, please walk slowly."

But Zhu Yuanzhang ignored him, walked in front with his sleeves swinging, and soon arrived in front of the Wuying Hall.

Before he could get closer, he saw a group of people in the square in front of the palace and narrowed his eyes.

He slowed down his pace and his gray beard trembled slightly.

As he got closer, he saw his eldest grandson Zhu Yunhuan.
He was also seen sitting on a strange-looking object, moving his legs and walking around the square in front of the temple.

His pace became slower and slower, and he kept wondering in his mind what this thing was.

Zhu Yuanzhang soon saw Lu Yunyi standing there, and he had some understanding in his mind that this might be the new object that this kid had researched.

This also explains why the prince entered the palace in a hurry.

After realizing this, Zhu Yuanzhang felt differently when he looked at the new object.
"This thing. This thing is new!"

He was emperor for nearly thirty years and was always at the forefront of the Ming Dynasty's reforms.

He realized the value of this thing after just a moment's thought. He quickened his slow pace and returned to his usual hurried state.

At this time, the people in front of the hall also saw Zhu Yuanzhang rushing over.

Although he was dressed strangely, he did not dare to neglect him and bowed quickly:
"Greetings to Your Majesty."

The prince was not surprised at all. He quickly stepped forward to support his father and whispered:

"Father, Lu Yunyi gave Yunxun a good item. Come and take a look."

"I see it." Zhu Yuanzhang walked closer.

Zhu Yunhuan's face was red, but he showed no fear at all and smiled brightly:
"Grandpa Huang, look, this is a bicycle!"

Zhu Yuanzhang saw the beads of sweat on his forehead, and the eunuch next to him also saw it and quickly took out a handkerchief from his bosom.

After Zhu Yuanzhang took it, he wiped his sweat and smiled:

"That's right. Run more and sweat more, so that your body can grow taller and bigger."

"Uh-huh."

Zhu Yunxun looked like a good kid.
He was still a little afraid of the majestic-looking but rare emperor grandfather in front of him.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't care about this at all, and even his many sons were quite afraid of him.

He looked at the bicycle standing next to Zhu Yunhuan, looked at it frequently, and then looked at Lu Yunyi:
"Did you do this?"

"Your Majesty, this was made by me."

"A little too small."

After Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him for a moment, his cloudy eyes seemed to become clear at this moment, and his power was at its peak.

“Reporting to your majesty, it can be expanded and can bring people with it.

Even the small car in front of you can be ridden by an adult.”

Li Jinglong stood up proudly. He had the most say in this matter:

"Your Majesty, I can testify that everything Lu Yunyi said is correct."

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him and said, "How can you testify? Are you fighting with a child for a toy again?"

"Uh" Li Jinglong looked embarrassed and explained:

"Your Majesty, I just wanted to test whether this bicycle is safe or not.
After my inspection, I found that although this thing has a strange shape and cannot stand when not moving, it is very stable and safe when moving. "

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored him and looked at Zhu Yunhuan with a warm expression:
"How about Yunxun riding for grandpa to see?"

Zhu Yunxun smiled and nodded vigorously: "Okay!"

Then, under the shocked gazes of the palace maids and eunuchs,
Zhu Yunhuan moved his calves and kicked twice.

The car, which was originally unstable, suddenly started moving, and at a fairly fast speed.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes also narrowed. Judging from the fact that even children could ride it, it would take very long to get the hang of it.

"How much does it cost?"

Lu Yunyi bowed and replied: "Now this one costs two taels. If we open a workshop to make it, the cost will not exceed five cents."

"Five cents." Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his body tensed up a lot.

It would cost at least five taels of silver to transport a horse to Yingtian.
They also need to be fed with grass every day, if this food can replace war horses.
I don’t know how much money I can save.

Lu Yunyi then began to introduce the origin of this item and where it might be used in the future, speaking in much more detail than before.

In fact, Lu Yunyi still had some ambitions in his heart.

If bicycles could be used on a large scale, the Ming Dynasty would inevitably launch a road-building craze.

By that time, he will be able to gain a lot of fame in Daning.

In fact, since I went to Yunnan,

He then deeply understood what it meant to build roads first if you want to get rich.

If the road is blocked, it will be useless even if it is a place with outstanding people and beautiful scenery.

Lu Yunyi talked freely, but for some reason,

He felt that His Majesty's attitude was much colder than the Crown Prince's, and was not as exciting and shocking as he had expected.

When he said that further cost reduction required obtaining rubber from Annan,

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyes with a smile and looked at him indifferently.

Lu Yunyi felt that he looked at him a little strange, but he didn't care and continued talking.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Lu Yunyi had already told everything that might happen in the future because of the bicycle.

"Your Majesty, these are just some of my humble opinions.
How bicycles will be used in the future still needs to be decided by the court.”

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said calmly: "Not bad."

Then he turned and left, heading towards Wuying Palace, and a voice was heard afterwards:

"Prince, come."

"Yes, Father."

Zhu Biao responded and looked at Lu Yunyi to comfort him:

"This is related to the military and people's livelihood, the court will certainly be cautious, but don't worry, the court will not treat you unfairly."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Lu Yunyi did not act pretentiously.

Zhu Biao then looked at Li Jinglong, his face solemn:
"After returning to Beijing, I stayed at home all day, and visited the military to learn more when I had time."

Li Jinglong was somewhat puzzled. He just bowed and responded:
"Your Highness the Crown Prince is right."

"Okay, you go back first."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao waved his hand and went straight to the Wuying Palace.

(End of this chapter)