Chapter 549: The setting sun on the mountainside, the slanting sun behind the wild geese, the old fr

Chapter 549: The setting sun on the mountainside, the slanting sun behind the wild geese, the old fr

Chapter 549: The setting sun on the mountainside, the slanting sun behind the wild geese, the old friend is hard to see
As evening approaches, the sun slowly sinks to the west.
The orange-red afterglow was like a soft veil, covering the entire Lu Mansion in a warm golden color.

Lu Yunyi was wearing casual clothes, lazily leaning on a recliner.

Facing the gradually dimming light, his eyes were empty.

At the side, the maid Xiaohong held a medical book and read weakly in a low voice,

The sound was like a lullaby, not only making Lu Yunyi drowsy,
Even Xiaohong herself was yawning and reading listlessly.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps broke the silence.

Feng Yunfang, wearing armor, came hurriedly with a serious look on his face.

Lu Yunyi looked over warily.

"What's the matter?"

"Reporting to the Lord, the palace has issued an order,
Order Your Excellency and all the officials of the Governor's Office to go out of the city to welcome the victorious return of the Southern Expedition Army."

Lu Yunyi was slightly startled, and looked up at the sun that was about to disappear behind the mountains, with a puzzled look on his face:
"Didn't it say that we'll arrive tomorrow afternoon?"

Feng Yunfang was also confused and explained:
"Sir, the clerk who came to deliver the letter said,

Duke Ying led the vanguard troops ahead and are now almost at Yingtian City."

Hearing this, Lu Yunyi immediately sat up straight.

Xiaohong, who was standing by, also perked up instantly, and hurried forward to help him up, saying with concern:

"Master, please be careful."

"Go, prepare your armor."

Lu Yunyi gave an order, shook his body, and brushed off the melon seed shells on his body.

A quarter of an hour later, he was already in armor,

He rode on a swift and vigorous horse and galloped towards Jubao Gate.

Soon, he arrived at the city gate.

At this time, Jubao Gate had been strictly cleared, and was surrounded by soldiers in three layers inside and outside.

Lu Yunyi saw many familiar faces at a glance.

Several governors, a group of assistants, and dukes of the Governor's Office are all here.

He came to Mu Ying and bowed respectfully:
"Greetings, father-in-law."

"coming."

When Mu Ying saw him, a kind and friendly look immediately appeared on his face, which surprised Xu Huizu who was standing beside him.

He clearly remembered that Marquis Xiping had always had a cold face.

Lu Yunyi scratched his head and asked:

"Father-in-law, why is it so sudden?"

Mu Ying shook his head helplessly, and Xu Huizu beside him explained with a smile:
"Speaking of which, this matter has something to do with you.

The Duke of Ying sent someone back to scold us."

Lu Yunyi's face was full of astonishment, and his originally confused brain was now filled with confusion.

He glanced at everyone present.
He found that everyone's eyes were more or less on him, which made him even more confused.

Xu Huizu didn't intend to keep the secret and said directly:
"It was the tricycle of the business that was spotted by Duke Ying.
He gave us a lot of abuse.
He also questioned why such a confidential item was used for business purposes, and asked us to hurry up and produce it.

Mu Ying suddenly burst into laughter, and seemed to be in an especially happy mood:
"It seems that Duke Ying had a hard time on the way here from Yunnan.

I don’t know how many mule and horse carts have been broken while crossing the mountains and hills.”

Hearing this, Lu Yunyi couldn't help but shudder.

Although the Beijing troops returned by boat, the journey from Yunnan to Guangxi was truly arduous.

The army marched for nearly two months, and countless mules and horses died of exhaustion.

If there had been tricycles at the time, the journey would have been much smoother.

After all, whether it is horses or cattle and sheep,

They are far inferior to others in crossing mountains and long distances.

At this time, the Prince's Guards appeared inside the Jubao Gate.

They were dressed in silver armor, and under the reflection of the setting sun, they looked particularly majestic and powerful, with extraordinary imposing manner.

The Crown Prince Zhu Biao's carriage also slowly drove over.

When he reached the door, Zhu Biao stuck his head out.

Looking at the long winding official road and the endless green wheat fields in the distance:

"Let's go and meet the army."

"Yes"

Everyone mounted their war horses and marched towards Jiangning in a mighty procession.

Along the way, perhaps the scenery outside Yingtian was too charming,
Everyone was immersed in this beautiful scene, speechless.

Only the gentle sound of horse hooves echoed in the air.

The adults present looked at the lush wheat fields and the earth-yellow roads, squinted their eyes slightly, and enjoyed this rare quiet time.

However, not long after,

Everyone's attention was attracted by the scenery on both sides of the official road, and they looked around.

On both sides of the official road, flat roads like silver ribbons stretched into the distance.
You can vaguely see many craftsmen and laborers with their upper bodies naked, sitting on both sides of the road to rest.

They squinted their eyes, their bronze skin looked even darker in the sun, and beads of sweat hung on their bodies.

Seeing the huge procession passing by,
They didn't move at all, still squinting their eyes, enjoying the moment of tranquility and breeze.

Lu Yunyi looked over and was impressed at how fast the palace was moving.

Large-scale road construction had already begun before the best and cheapest mix of concrete was fully explored.

And these thin people in front of me,
They were not real civilians or craftsmen, but soldiers of the Tuntianwei.

In Lu Yunyi's opinion, they are the hardest working people in the world.

On weekdays, they have to reclaim wasteland, build dams and level roads.

During wartime, they also had to serve as auxiliary troops and transport food and fodder over long distances.

Sometimes, a soldier from the Tuntian Guard was sent to the frontier as an auxiliary force.

When I came back, I didn't know what year or month it was.

Because they are likely to stay in the frontier to engage in construction work.

Generally, only those who are so poor that they can barely afford to eat and will starve to death will do such a hard job as a Tuntianwei.

Others were captured enemy soldiers.

Lu Yunyi once inquired and found out that their biggest wish was to be able to actually go to the battlefield and fight a war.

It is not important to have military achievements or not, what is important is to die on the battlefield.

This will leave a pension and preferential treatment for the family.

However, the entire Ming Dynasty was in constant war.

For these soldiers of the Tuntian Guard, going to the battlefield is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Some regular guards had been in service for nearly twenty years.
It is not uncommon that we have not even seen the shadow of an enemy.
What’s more, these are the soldiers of the Tuntianwei.

Now, Yingtian Capital needs to build roads.
They came without stopping and worked day and night.

Judging from the progress of the project and the torches burning on the roadside,
It is non-stop work for twelve hours a day.

In this regard, Lu Yunyi could only sigh helplessly, as he could not think of any solution.

Throughout history, whenever a new dynasty was established, it was mostly impoverished.

If one wanted to build a large project at this time, one could only rely on these unpaid soldiers.

In fact, Lu Yunyi had read the documents from the Governor's Office.
Before the sixth year of Hongwu, it was only used to provide food for the laborers and soldiers who were building the city.

The imperial court was almost at the point of selling off everything it had.

At that time, many remnants of the previous dynasty were arrested, and the situation was slightly eased after their houses were confiscated everywhere.

Although we no longer have to worry about food and have salary, life is still tight.

This is the limitation of productivity development.
Before the advent of sophisticated mechanical equipment, people could only rely on manpower to clear mountains and cut rocks.

As the team entered Jiangning,

Most of the roads connecting villages with official roads are under construction in full swing.

Looking around, there are about seven or eight silver-white cement roads under construction.

Lu Yunyi knew that if the workshop outside the city could produce cement faster,
The number of roads being worked on simultaneously could double.

Lu Yunyi looked at his father-in-law who was also paying attention to the construction situation and asked softly:

"Father-in-law, does the court have any follow-up resettlement plans for these Tuntianwei soldiers?"

Mu Ying turned around with some surprise in his eyes. He understood what he was asking and shook his head:

“Although the Tuntianwei has its drawbacks, for now, the benefits it brings can allow the court to ignore these drawbacks.

And
The Tuntianwei is far from enough.

Yunnan plans to set up four military farms in the next two years.

Mainly responsible for the reconstruction and wasteland reclamation of Jingdong.

At least at this stage, the more military households there are in the Tuntianwei, the more beneficial it will be to the Ming Dynasty."

"but."

Mu Ying suddenly laughed, pulled the reins, and moved closer:
“Thanks to sweet potatoes, the court originally planned to open dozens of military farms in various places next year, but now only two in Yunnan are left.

By then, if the sweet potatoes are planted well, they will not be afraid of insect pests no matter where they are.
Then the establishment of Tuntianwei would not be so urgent. "

Hearing this, Lu Yunyi was surprised and couldn't help asking:
"Father-in-law, what should we do with those uncultivated wastelands? We can't just leave them like this."

Lu Yunyi knew very well that land reclamation was the most difficult thing in the world.
Not only do they eat poorly, they also have to work hard, and every bit of strength is squeezed out of their bones.

When he was a child, he had seen with his own eyes the Qingzhou Right Guard who was responsible for the military farming.

It took a year to reclaim more than ten acres of wasteland, and more than a dozen people died.

The amount of uncultivated wasteland in the Ming Dynasty was so numerous that even the court documents could not accurately record it. Because the area actually controlled by the Ming Dynasty was constantly expanding,

After defeating Luchuan, the entire southwest region became the sphere of influence of the Ming Dynasty.
There are wastelands all over the mountains waiting to be reclaimed, but there is far from enough manpower.

Mu Ying replied after a long while:

"The court proposed two solutions: one is to relocate the people to the border areas;

The imperial court would give out some silver and grant tax exemptions to encourage them to reclaim wasteland.

The second is to supplement the captives accumulated over the years to the Tuntianwei.

Let them do hard work like reclaiming wasteland and digging ditches.

It would be best if the work was done and the person died of exhaustion in the fields and became waste, which would also save a lot of food.

The Luchuan delegation has arrived with the army, and will discuss specific matters in a few days. You should also come and participate then to serve as a deterrent.

As for those captives, Si Lunfa did not intend to take them.

The imperial court couldn't support them for nothing.

We are planning to incorporate them into the Tuntianwei in Yunnan and Guizhou."

"No more?"

Lu Yunyi's voice unconsciously rose, and his eyes widened.

I am amazed at Si Lunfa’s “generosity”.

"Father-in-law, is Si Lunfa confused?"

Mu Ying shook his head and said:

"He is very smart. Luchuan needs a strong foreign enemy, and also needs the Ming Dynasty as its opponent.

If we release all the prisoners, wouldn't it be a perfect demonstration of the Ming Dynasty's good neighborliness?
In this case, Silunfa's throne will be unstable."

After hearing this explanation, Lu Yunyi suddenly understood.

A powerful foreign enemy can not only ease the conflicts within Luchuan,

It can also consolidate Silunfa's ruling position.

The current situation is that it is not that Ming needs Luchuan,
But Luchuan cannot do without the "opponent" Ming Dynasty.

After learning about the court's subsequent disposal plan for the Tuntianwei, Lu Yunyi began to think secretly.

If we go to Daning, how can we carry out large-scale infrastructure construction?
Since it is impossible to set up more military farming guards, we can only focus on the three Wuliangha guards.

But how can we make them willingly serve the Ming Dynasty?

Lu Yunyi had no idea for a moment and kept scratching his head anxiously.

As the sky grew darker, his actions caught Mu Ying's attention.
"What are you thinking?"

"Father-in-law, I am thinking about how to make the three Wuliangha guards willingly work for the Ming Dynasty."

"Do something? What are you going to do?" Mu Ying was also a little confused.

“Since I have gone to Daning, I cannot just sit there doing nothing and do nothing. That would be a disservice to the trust placed in me by the court.

My son-in-law plans to reclaim wasteland and develop Daning's characteristics.

At least we should make this area outside the Great Wall feel more at home with the Ming Dynasty."

Lu Yunyi did not lower his voice this time.
Zhu Biao in the carriage in front lifted the curtain and glanced at him with admiration in his eyes.

Mu Ying was also shocked by his words, and then burst into laughter:
“Young people are just so energetic!
The three Wuliangha guards were foreigners. If they didn't obey, they would be killed. If one out of ten didn't work, one out of five would be killed.

Once they are scared, they will naturally work obediently. "

Lu Yunyi was not surprised by this simple and crude military method.

Li Jinglong, who was not far away, also turned around and nodded in agreement:

"Yun Yi, this method is very effective.
My father said that those foreigners would not obey unless they were beaten. "

Lu Yunyi pursed his lips and did not respond.

Li Wenzhong fought outside the Great Wall three times, and wherever the Northern Yuan court stopped, he killed people and caused rivers of blood.

Especially Yingchang in the third year of Hongwu,

Almost all the officials of the new Northern Yuan Dynasty were killed, and even many concubines were not spared.

Lu Yunyi did not intend to adopt this method.

If killing can solve the problem, he will never hesitate.

But in Daning, killing people cannot solve the fundamental problem.

It was also impossible to change the embarrassing situation of Daning being located outside the pass and having a low strategic priority after the establishment of Shanhaiguan.

Just as he was racking his brains to think of a countermeasure, several exclamations came from the front.

Everyone followed the sound,

At the end of my sight, a black dot appeared on the official road.

Soon, the black spot gradually grew larger.

It became huge and long, and in the blink of an eye it turned into a long khaki dragon.

Accompanied by the thundering sound of horse hooves, the long dragon quickly approached them!

Lu Yunyi clearly felt that some of the imperial guards around him suddenly became nervous and clenched their spears tightly!
Especially the soldiers near the prince's carriage,

He has drawn his sword and is on high alert, ready to engage in battle at any time.

This made Lu Yunyi nod secretly.
The prince's security measures were quite adequate, and the imperial guards were also very diligent in their duties.

At this time, the eunuch accompanying him had already confirmed the identity of the visitor.
Hold high the banner and shout loudly:
"The army that conquered the south has returned to the imperial court, and they dismounted to greet us—"

Everyone present dismounted, and the more than a thousand men and horses coming towards them also stopped about a hundred steps away and dismounted.

The figure of the leading Ying Duke Fu Youde was clearly visible.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao stepped down from the carriage, straightened his sleeves, and walked quickly forward.

With a kind and familiar smile on his face.

"Well--"

The dull sound of horns rang out in front and behind the convoy. The desolate sound seemed to come from ancient times and spread for miles.

Throughout the lush wheat fields,

Mosquitoes, birds and animals were frightened and flew into the sky.

"The army returns in triumph, and hundreds of birds welcome them—"

The eunuchs who were accompanying him opened the cages on the carriage one by one.

The imprisoned birds flew out one after another,

Circling above the convoy, the scene was spectacular.

When Lu Yunyi saw this scene, he was stunned at first, and then a sense of longing surged in his heart.

One day, I want to be like this and be welcomed like this.

In the center of the two teams, Duke Ying Fu Youde had already spotted the figure of Crown Prince Zhu Biao.
My pace unconsciously quickened a bit.

Before he even got close, he fell to his knees with a plop.
The people behind him also knelt down.

"Your servant Fu Youde has received the emperor's grace and has returned triumphantly!"

"Boom boom boom——"

The gentle yet heavy drum beats sounded at this moment, and the atmosphere became solemn and dignified, with a hint of tragedy.

Fu Youde was in tears, and his tears flowed uncontrollably due to his deep emotions.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao also quickened his pace, tears welling up in his eyes.

He quickly stepped forward, supported Fu Youde, and tried to pull him up.
"Duke Ying, there's no need to be so polite. You've been gone for a year, and the old general has worked hard."

Fu Youde stood up tremblingly.

Somehow he looked older than ever.

“Although I am old, my fighting spirit is as strong as ever. I am willing to fight for Your Majesty and the Crown Prince until my death. How can I say it is hard?

I just feel sad for the soldiers who died on the battlefield."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao's eyes were red and his voice was choked with sobs.
He held Fu Youde's hands tightly and said solemnly:
"Please rest assured, Duke Ying. My father and I have always treated the soldiers who shed blood and sacrificed their lives for the Ming Dynasty well, and we will never be stingy!"

"To all the soldiers who died in this generation, thank you, Your Highness!"

"The ceremony begins—"

Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, the chief eunuch raised the command flag and shouted loudly.

The accompanying officials of the Ministry of Rites immediately began to play.
The cheerful instrumental music sounded, dispelling some of the gloom brought by the war.

The two talked for a full quarter of an hour before walking back to the team hand in hand.

The people who came to greet them bowed and saluted:
"Greetings to the Duke of Ying, congratulations on the return of the Southern Expedition Army."

Fu Youde's bloodshot and somewhat turbid eyes swept across the familiar faces, with emotion revealed on his face.

He didn't say anything extra polite, just one sentence:
"You are all old acquaintances. It's great to see you again."

Most of the people present were over 50 years old, and after hearing this, they all showed emotion on their faces.

When they reach their position, they see fewer and fewer old friends.
When people who are familiar with each other reach old age, they may not even see each other for several years.

Especially for a general like Fu Youde who is over sixty years old, he might never return one day.

Lu Yunyi did not have such feelings.

If all goes well, he will be able to see everyone present off.

If it doesn’t go well, that’s okay, we will all leave together.

Fu Youde searched the crowd and soon saw Lu Yunyi, who stood out from the crowd.

He raised his hand and waved, showing a hearty smile:
"Come here, little brat! I saw something good on the road."

Lu Yunyi's heart tightened and he subconsciously wanted to hide behind the crowd.

But the people present were all old men, hunched over.
He is young, tall and very conspicuous.

Especially after seeing Fu Youde's eager eyes,
Lu Yunyi knew he couldn't avoid it, so he could only smile awkwardly and slowly walked over:
"I am Lu Yunyi, your humble servant, and I greet the Duke of Ying."

(End of this chapter)