Chapter 516 Imperial Guards
Chapter 516 Imperial Guards
Xuanwu Guard Assistant Officer Fang Tao's mind was in a state of confusion and confusion at the moment.
When he heard the news that rebels appeared outside the city, he felt dizzy and almost fainted on the spot.
What’s more crucial is that the rebels attacked Lubudang while wearing armor!
He rode on his warhorse and led a group of his men, galloping out of Jubao Gate in a mighty manner.
Along the way, his eyes were empty, as if he had lost his soul, and no one knew what he was thinking.
The gang issues from the past few days have not been properly dealt with.
Today, a thunderbolt suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and rebels emerged.
This made him secretly wonder if God was deliberately against him?
Why did such accidents happen one after another during the ten days he was on duty?
When he hurried to the battlefield five miles south of Yingtian City, the scene before him made him unable to believe his eyes.
There were corpses scattered all over the ground, and the wailing of war horses was still echoing in the air, and had not stopped yet.
Blood flowed freely on the official road and the ground was muddy.
The wheat fields on both sides of the official road were in a mess, and one could clearly see the marks left by the horses' crazy trampling.
Witnessing this scene, he couldn't help but blurt out:
"What's going on?"
Seeing him coming, the captain of the Xuanwu Guard who had arrived earlier hurriedly told him everything he knew.
However, he himself was confused and disoriented by this sudden situation.
More than twenty unarmored cavalrymen, relying on their superb riding skills and battle formations, successfully defeated more than a hundred armored rebels?
Hearing this news, Fang Tao was full of doubts. This was simply unbelievable.
But the facts were before his eyes. He looked towards the official road.
I saw Lu Butang bandaging the wounds of his personal guards.
They were talking and laughing, not looking like they had just been harassed by rebels.
Fang Tao took a deep breath, suppressed his inner panic, shook off his subordinates, and walked straight towards Lu Yunyi.
Before he even got close, he bowed and said respectfully:
"I am Fang Tao, the deputy general of Xuanwu Guards, and I am honored to meet Mr. Lu."
Lu Yunyi turned around and looked at him with a half-smile, which made Fang Tao's heart start to beat fast.
"Minister Fang, this place is only five miles away from the capital. We can get there in a quarter of an hour if we gallop our horses.
There are rebels here, do you know what that means?"
Although Lu Yunyi's voice was gentle, Fang Tao could hear it.
But it was like the cold wind in the coldest days of winter, icy and bone-chilling.
Especially when I think of your majesty's methods,
Fang Tao only felt a chill in his spine and his body trembled slightly, as if a cold blade was placed on his neck.
“Please forgive me, Minister Lu. Now that the rebels have appeared, we will investigate thoroughly.
Once the investigation is complete, the Xuanwu Guards will come to apologize."
Lu Yunyi shook his head slightly, smiled, and handed the linen in his hand to a guard beside him.
He walked to Fang Tao's side, pointed at the pile of corpses in front of him, and the chaotic "battlefield".
"Sir Fang, I am not asking you to give me an explanation, but you must give the court an explanation.
If any official from the imperial court were here to deal with what happened today, he would probably lose his life.
You should be thankful that I know a little bit about military tactics."
Fang Tao's expression suddenly turned serious and his lips were tightly pursed.
"By the way, heading south, there are two more battlefields."
"what?"
When Fang Tao heard this, his pupils suddenly contracted and his face was full of shock.
Lu Yunyi ignored his surprise and continued:
“One is a gang of more than 50 people, another is composed of hundreds of rebels disguised as merchants, and this one is in front of us.
If it were someone else, even if they could hold off the first and second waves of attacks, they would probably find it difficult to resist the third wave.
These thieves were extremely cunning, pretending to be city defense troops.
I can see through them, but that doesn't mean others can too.
As for how to deal with it, you Xuanwu Guards can decide for yourselves, so hurry up and submit your apology letter."
Fang Tao only felt cold sweat on his back and his whole body was shaking uncontrollably.
Now this attack, with long swords, armor, and war horses,
This is obviously not something that an ordinary person can do, and there must be military support behind it.
Lu Yunyi looked calm and spoke slowly:
"I'll give you an idea. Start by investigating the deputy commanders of each of the guard posts in the capital."
Fang Tao's body was shocked, and he couldn't help asking:
"May I ask, Lord Lu, why do you want to start the investigation with them?"
A trace of helplessness flashed across Lu Yunyi's eyes, and he pointed at the pile of corpses in front of him.
"There are no bows and crossbows here, but bows and crossbows and arrows are needed.
There must be a transfer order from the chief officer of the garrison and the chief assistant, or a document from the Governor's Office and the Ministry of War.
Since we can get armor, swords, and war horses, can't we get bows and crossbows?
If there are no bows and crossbows, there must be something hidden.
It is possible that the person behind the scenes is the one who has the ability to use bows and crossbows."
Although the words were a bit difficult to understand, Fang Tao still understood them. He held his breath suddenly.
As a deputy of Xuanwu Guard, he naturally knew the ins and outs of it.
He can mobilize bows and crossbows by himself, and there are no more than two hundred people like him in the entire Beijing Guard.
However, there are many people who can mobilize war horses, armor and long swords; even a small general can do it.
In this way, the enemy did not use bows and crossbows, most likely intentionally confusing us!
"Mr. Lu, I understand."
Fang Tao suddenly realized and bowed to express his gratitude.
This idea alone can save the city defense forces a lot of trouble, and maybe even save their own heads.
Lu Yunyi turned around, put his hands on his hips, and looked down at him:
"The first attackers were gang members.
Your city defense forces are so ineffective? Are they really doing their job well?
Arresting a few gang members has caused such a big disturbance. I don't know what to say to you."
Fang Tao immediately broke out in a sweat and quickly bowed his hands to apologize:
"Mr. Lu, please forgive me and give Xuanwuwei a chance to atone for my sins."
If it were someone else, Fang Tao would not be so humble. But the Lord Lu in front of him seemed to be a civil servant.
In fact, he is a military man at heart.
He went in and out of the Governor's Mansion all day long and had close relations with many princes and dukes.
For him, if he could get the protection of Lu Butang, he might be able to save his life.
“I still say that, you don’t need to explain to me, go and tell the Governor’s Office, His Majesty, and the Crown Prince.
If the explanation is reasonable and appropriate, perhaps his life can be saved.
If it doesn't work, don't blame me, blame those rebels instead."
After hearing this, Fang Tao felt his legs and feet go weak and he almost collapsed to the ground.
His expression seemed neither smiling nor crying, and his facial features were squeezed together.
Just then, more rapid horse hoof sounds came from a distance.
Lu Yunyi looked in the direction of the voice and raised his eyebrows slightly.
At the end of my sight, I saw a huge army of thousands of people coming like a tide.
They rode on tall horses, held spears in their hands, and wore shiny silver armor instead of black.
There was no red tassel on the helmet, but it was black with a gold border.
The Twelve Guards, the Imperial Guards!
The person in the lead was someone Lu Yunyi was very familiar with, Duke of Liang, Lan Yu!
Beside him were Xu Huizu, Duke of Wei, and Guo Ying, Marquis of Wuding.
At this moment, all three of them were wearing armor, and before they came close,
Everyone felt a strong pressure coming towards them.
Fang Tao beside him had dry lips, his throat kept rolling, and his pupils were slightly dilated.
He whispered in a trembling voice:
"Lord Lu, please save my life. I will reward you handsomely in the future."
Lu Yunyi just glanced at him indifferently and did not answer.
Fang Tao felt hopeless upon seeing this, and instantly became listless.
As soon as the imperial guards arrived, they arrested all the Xuanwu Guards present without saying a word, removed their armor and swords, and placed them aside in an orderly manner.
Fang Tao, as the assistant commander, was also forcibly taken away by four tall and mighty imperial guards.
He remained silent. Things had come to this point and quibbling would not solve any problem.
Only after the "battlefield" in front of them was completely taken over by the imperial guards did the three leading generals slowly walk over.
Lan Yu walked forward, looked Lu Yunyi up and down, raised the corners of his mouth slightly, chuckled, and said jokingly:
"He is not dead yet. He is really lucky."
As soon as these words came out, Wuding Hou Guo Ying's expression suddenly became strange:
"What are you talking about!"
Duke of Wei Xu Huizu could not help but laugh, and his smile was a little bit hilarious.
Lan Yu ignored the two of them, stepped forward, and patted Lu Yunyi on the shoulder:
"Your Majesty and the Crown Prince already know what happened here. Don't worry, the person behind the plot will definitely pay a heavy price."
Speaking of this, Lan Yu sighed with emotion:
“When I heard the news, I thought you were in great danger.
I didn't expect that you, a kid, could always bring me surprises. Not only are you alive,
They also successfully defeated the rebels, which was impressive."
Guo Ying was a little surprised and looked at Lan Yu. It was rare to hear such nice words from him.
"General, these rebels are not equipped with bows and crossbows."
Lu Yunyi hurriedly told the key information he knew.
As soon as these words came out, a gleam of light flashed in the eyes of the three people.
Lan Yu nodded gently and said calmly:
"I understand. All the members of the Beijing Guard have returned to the camp. The Jinyiwei and the Imperial Guards will start an investigation. We will soon find out where these things came from."
"Thank you, General!"
Lu Yunyi hurriedly bowed to express his gratitude and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The Governor's Office acted even faster than he had imagined.
"What are you doing here, kid?" Wuding Hou Guo Ying said unhappily.
"This is a critical moment. If there is nothing serious, don't go out of the city and wander around."
"Lord Wuding, I am taking officials from the Ministry of Works to the brick kiln workshop to take care of some important matters. We have no choice but to leave the city."
"Brick kiln? Are you really planning to make a name for yourself in the Ministry of Industry?"
Wu Dinghou was a little surprised and looked at him.
Xu Huizu, who was standing by, also had a strange look on his face.
"Reporting to Lord Wuding, it is about the Yellow River flood control.
There are some important materials that require my personal supervision and processing, so I have to come here.
For this purpose, I also brought bows and crossbows, muskets and soft armor just in case.
Unexpectedly, it actually came in handy.”
When the three heard this, their faces turned a little strange.
As top dignitaries, they naturally knew about the 10 million taels of silver.
Lan Yu looked him up and down and said, "The Yellow River water control is in the charge of the Du Shui Si.
If you can't do it, that's fine. There's no need to try so hard and put yourself in danger.
You come from the military and should be familiar with the military's tactics.
I was lucky enough to escape this time, but I may not be so lucky next time."
Lu Yunyi's face turned serious, he nodded slightly, and took a few steps forward.
He looked at the three people in front of him and said in a low voice:
"General, Marquis of Wuding, Duke of Wei,
The Ministry of Industry's brick kiln is developing a new type of stone.
If successful, water control will no longer be out of reach and the cost can be greatly reduced.
Not only that, if this thing is successfully developed, it will also be of great help to military battle formations.
At least in terms of strengthening the city and building fortifications,
There is no need to spend huge manpower, material resources and time as before. "
"So magical?"
Lan Yu frowned slightly, her flushed cheeks twitched slightly, but she soon believed it a little.
After all, people are different. If someone else said this, he would definitely not believe it.
"Reporting to the general, this item is still in the process of being fired, and the results will not be known until at least tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
"You're going to leave the city again? Isn't there any workshop in the city?"
Wuding Hou Guo Ying widened his eyes and glared angrily.
"Young people are just brave." Xu Huizu shook his head helplessly.
Lu Yunyi looked a little embarrassed, scratched his head and said:
“The brick kiln workshop was filled with black smoke all day long, and the Ministry of Works issued a strict order that no construction should be done within five miles of Yingtian City.
Most of the workshops in the Ministry of Industry are far away from the city.
But please rest assured, Marquis Wu Ding, after this incident, those villains probably didn't have time to hide, and the possibility of them attacking again should be small."
"fart."
Lan Yu was so angry that his eyebrows were throbbing wildly, and he couldn't help cursing.
"I think your mind has become muddled after being in the Ministry of Industry.
Military strategies change rapidly, who would hide when there is a chance to attack? "
Lu Yunyi was a little discouraged. He smacked his lips and thought about reasons to leave the city.
Seeing him like this, Lan Yu sighed:
"How about this, the Governor's Office will issue a transfer order.
Transfer all of your men to the city defense force and have them put on their armor!
As for you, you also need to wear armor."
Lu Yunyi suddenly raised his head, his sadness turned into joy, and he hurriedly said:
"Thank you, General. If I were wearing armor today, these rebels would be like chickens and dogs, vulnerable to a single blow!"
"Alright, alright, it's all over, stop showing off."
Lan Yu waved his hand impatiently, then looked at Xu Huizu and raised his eyebrows.
Xu Huizu showed some helplessness, and after thinking for a moment, he nodded:
"Let's go back to the city and talk about it."
“This is a good idea. The city defense forces really need to conduct a thorough investigation.
The criminals pretended to be merchants, and hid their long knives under the car.
If Lu Yunyi hadn't come, they would have to enter the city. There are a lot of tricks involved."
For a moment, the faces of everyone present became solemn.
Today long swords can enter the city, tomorrow bows and crossbows can enter the city, and the day after tomorrow... no one knows what will happen.
Guo Ying looked at the city defense soldiers who were tied up and said:
"You two can reminisce about the past. I have things to do."
As he spoke, Guo Ying walked towards the group of people.
Seeing Fang Tao kneeling there, he couldn't help but kick him hard, cursing:
"What the hell?"
"Okay, General, Yun Yi, let's go back to the city first."
Xu Huizu looked at the two men, then at the wounded guards.
"Yun Yi, send me a list of names to be transferred to the city defense army. Remember to wear armor when you go out. It will be safer this way."
"Thank you, General, Duke of Wei!"
The group marched towards Yingtian City in a mighty manner.
Before reaching the city gate, Lu Yunyi noticed that today's Jubao Gate was very different from the past.
The soldiers guarding the city have been replaced by imperial guards wearing silver armor.
The soldiers guarding the city who were originally wearing black armor disappeared.
After the imperial guards were replaced, the inspection procedures for entering the city became much more complicated.
The soldiers carefully checked every person entering the city, and almost every basket was opened for inspection.
The group was not hindered from entering the city, and even no inspection was required.
It is worth mentioning that Lu Yunyi also saw people from the Ministry of Justice rushing over and heading out of the city, presumably to investigate the case.
After entering the Jubao Gate, Lu Yunyi carefully looked at the drivers around him.
Soon, a familiar figure came into view.
That’s Li Wu under the awning.
When Li Wu saw Lu Yunyi, he seemed particularly excited and a simple smile appeared on his face.
He didn't say hello, but just smiled and pointed at the young man next to him.
The young man was about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a dark complexion and a rather immature look. He was currently standing next to a cart that was 70% new.
Lu Yunyi immediately understood, smiled and nodded, knowing what he meant.
This young man must be the fellow villager that Li Wu found from his home.
Li Wu's actions attracted everyone's attention, especially the imperial guards.
General Lan Yu also turned his head, looking surprised: "Know him?"
Lu Yunyi smiled and replied, "I know him. He is the coachman in the city. He was the one who drove me to the house given by the general.
Later, the army also learned from him some techniques for regulating breathing and long-distance running, which were quite practical. "
"Oh?"
Lan Yu looked at him in surprise and nodded slightly.
“It’s a good habit to learn wherever you go.
Did these methods come in handy during the Luchuan battle?"
“Reporting to the general, it will certainly come in handy.
In mountain warfare, the proper distribution of physical strength and the regulation of breathing are crucial."
"Well, we need to give them some compensation. We can't let them help us for free."
"Don't worry, General, I've already given you the silver.
He wanted to open a car dealership, and his subordinates gave him some ideas. "
"Car dealer?"
Lan Yu rode on the warhorse, his body swaying gently with the horse's pace.
"This is not a good business right now. Li Jinglong has been jumping up and down recently.
We have been planning to put tricycles into the hands of the public as soon as possible.
His car dealership is expected to replace the first batch of vehicles, and now he is squatting in the workshop all day. "
"No wonder I haven't seen him these days."
Finally, when approaching the imperial city, Lu Yunyi's eyes flickered, he slightly turned sideways, and said in a low voice:
"General, there are some things I would like to report to you in private."
Lan Yu narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Well, come with me."
(End of this chapter)