In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 805 War is like business; women come knocking on your door.

"what?"

"Wei Hua is missing? What does that mean?"

In the Lu residence, Lu Yunyi had just heard his subordinates report the success of the mission when he turned around and heard an even more shocking and horrifying piece of news.

"My lord, news of Wei Hua's disappearance in the imperial city has spread."
Lord Mao and Governor Yu got into a fight, and in the end they both went to the Wuying Hall.

Both the Ministry of Justice and the capital city government were searching, but they couldn't find the murderer that Governor Yu had mentioned.

Rumors are circulating in the government office that Lord Mao let the man escape.
But Lord Qin said that Lord Mao might also have been framed.

Wang Chen, the Director of the Water Conservancy Department of the Ministry of Works, looked strange and hurriedly reported the news.

"Who killed him? Wei Hua?" Lu Yunyi's expression was utterly absurd.
Wang Chen nodded repeatedly:

"My lord, Lord Qin said that Wei Hua might be a remnant of the Li faction that has not yet been discovered in the capital."
He used murder to sow discord between the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Military Governor's Office, causing trouble for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, in order to exact revenge.

"what?"

Lu Yunyi finally understood. The anticipated fight between two tigers or between a snipe and a clam had not materialized.

Instead, an insignificant nobody took the blame for everything.
They harmed both the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Governor's Office.

"Has Mao Xiang become a victim?"

Once Lu Yunyi understood this outcome, a sense of absurdity welled up in his heart.
After two days of hard work, this is the result?
After a moment's hesitation, Lu Yunyi suppressed his shock and turned to look at Wang Chen:
"Thank you very much. I rarely have time to relax in my residence."

"If you hadn't come to inform me, I wouldn't have known that such a major event had occurred in the capital."

Wang Chen chuckled:
"My lord, you have no idea how lively it was back then."
Lord Mao and Governor Yu got into a physical fight.
Finally, it was Marquis Wuding who came, and the two of them stopped.

It's a pity that the two never actually fought, which many people in the government office found regrettable.

Lu Yunyi rolled his eyes at him helplessly:
"Be careful what you say. You're going to Henan to manage the floods, so you need to keep your mouth shut at this time."
If someone else snatches it away for free, you'll have no one to blame but yourself.

Wang Chen glanced around nonchalantly and chuckled.
"Sir, there are no outsiders here, so you may speak freely."

"Alright, alright, hurry back. I'm an official in the Censorate now."

"If someone sees you, an official from the Ministry of Works, visiting my residence, gossip is bound to follow."

Wang Chen's smile faded, his expression turning solemn. He bowed deeply.
"My lord, this farewell today may be a long time before we meet again. I hope you will take care."

Lu Yunyi's expression was solemn, and he nodded slightly:

"Flood control is a matter of great importance. You and Li Zhigang must be extremely cautious during your trip to Henan."

Until King Zhou returns, you should keep your heads down and behave yourselves.
Do not offend the three judicial organs, and even more so, do not try to force the issue onto the horse.

A dike needs to be built little by little, and an official needs to be tempered little by little.

"Yes, sir. This humble official takes his leave!"

"Giving away"

Lu Yunyi waved his hand, and the butler, Gu Chunzhu, came forward, handing him a small square box.

"Lord Wang, these are some wild ginseng from Liaodong and specialties from Daning. Please take them."

Wang Chen was taken aback, but without noticing the stranger accepting it,
Then he turned back and bowed to the figure sitting in the main hall before turning and leaving.

As soon as Wang Chen left, Feng Yunfang, the guard at the door, rushed into the house with a strange expression.
"My lord, what...what...what exactly is going on?"

Lu Yunyi tapped his fingers on the armrest of the seat, considering many possibilities, then gently shook his head:
"Those members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who are stationed outside the capital are much better at assessing situations and making judgments than those in the capital."

I guess Wei Hua sensed something was wrong and ran away.

"Ran?"

Feng Yunfang's voice suddenly rose, his face full of confusion.

He simply couldn't connect the Embroidered Uniform Guard with the fact that they had escaped.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guards were too careless in their work, leaving many clues."

Less than half a day later, Yu Tongyuan came knocking on their door, presenting evidence that left the Imperial Guards with little chance of rebutting their claims.

Unexpectedly, Wei Hua acted so decisively and ran away, which inadvertently did Mao Xiang a great favor.

Lu Yunyi shook his head, gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of the saying, "Man proposes, God disposes."

He asked himself if his plan was thorough enough.
The matter will neither escalate nor remain completely uneventful.
But by a twist of fate, things turned out this way, allowing Mao Xiang and Yu Tongyuan to escape unscathed.

Feng Yunfang's eyes darted around, and he leaned closer, whispering:
"Sir, should we bring Wei Hua back and send him back to the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Lu Yunyi shook his head and sighed with some emotion:
"No need. Things have come to this point, and it's already the perfect ending. It's better to avoid trouble. Let's leave it at that."

"Yes, sir. When will Gong Xianzhi and the others be able to return?" Feng Yunfang asked.

"Things have changed, but we still need to do what needs to be done."

"Proceed according to plan; once you reach Zhenjiang Prefecture, you will return, still using the merchant guild's channels."

"Yes!"

Feng Yunfang left in a hurry, leaving Lu Yunyi alone in the main hall.

After sitting for a long time, he stood up and walked to a table to the side.
I picked up a pen and paper and began writing down each point, carefully considering any oversights.

Although for these high-ranking officials, doubt is the truth,

However, there is a big difference between having evidence and not having evidence, leaving much room for sophistry.

Time flies, and noon is over in the blink of an eye.

Three sheets of paper, filled with writing, were already laid out on the smooth table.

The plan included preparations and follow-up from beginning to end, as well as the reactions of officials in the court and subsequent developments.

Lu Yunyi read the text over and over again, and only relaxed a little after confirming that it was correct.

As a member of the military, his greatest skill is anticipating and resolving difficulties, so that he can face them calmly when they actually arise.

Now, although this matter has taken an unexpected turn,

But with Wei Hua's escape, the story has already reached its zenith.

"call"

Lu Yunyi let out a long sigh, swept the papers on the table one last time, and placed them in front of the ever-burning oil lamp on the table.
Small flames rose from the corner of the paper, and the light spread rapidly like starlight, quickly engulfing the paper.

Lu Yunyi stared blankly at it, and finally let out a sigh.

He was still somewhat disappointed that things hadn't escalated to the worst possible outcome.

He genuinely wanted to see who would gain the upper hand in the struggle between the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the noble families.

Time flew by, and before we knew it, evening had arrived.
The afterglow of the setting sun rolled down, enveloping the entire Lu residence in a golden glow.

In the main hall, Lu Yunyi and Duke Li Jinglong of Cao State sat facing each other.

A long table was placed between the two people, on which was a simple sand table.

At this moment, the red flag representing Li Jinglong advanced rapidly.
A large hole has already been torn in the blue flag defense line representing the enemy.

"On the night of April 30th, I led 600 light cavalry to break through Hongshi Township, engaged the enemy in battle, won the battle, and continued to advance towards Xiaoao Forest."

"stop!"

Lu Yunyi's expression turned serious, and he called out, "Stop!"

Feng Yunfang immediately stopped reciting the document and turned to look at the sand table in front of him.

The guards gathered around, as well as the generals under Li Jinglong's command, all focused intently on the scene.

Lu Yunyi said in a deep voice:

"Since six hundred light cavalry have already broken through the enemy's defenses..."

The immediate priority is not to continue the advance and gain victories.

Instead, they advanced outwards to ascertain the enemy's defenses and determine the authenticity of their lines.

There are two reasons: if 600 light cavalry could break through the defenses, then at a single point, there could be no more than 300 men.

In the midst of a large-scale battle, it is highly unlikely that such a small force would be used for key defense.

Therefore, either this defensive line is fake,
Either the enemy forces are not elite enough, or some are slacking off.

If the defensive line is fake, be wary of the real defensive line behind it and prepare in advance to avoid falling into a trap.

If the defensive line is real, then since the enemy forces are not elite...

The outer defenses must be completely cleared, and all advantageous terrain must be occupied.

Step by step, compress the enemy's space to maneuver.

Expand the fog of war around your own forces to ensure victory.

Li Jinglong frowned deeply:
"But I led six hundred cavalrymen in and broke through, and won a great victory."

"The result was correct, but the process was wrong, and the victory was only a temporary fluke."

In military campaigns, the task is to eliminate variables; correct procedure is more important than correct result.

If you prepared and executed the strategy correctly, winning is great, but losing is also fine.

Adjust the deployment in a timely manner according to the correct strategy, and fight again.

Continue until you find the correct and repeatable winning strategy.

This is the correct way to fight on the battlefield.

Instead of a chaotic mess of pre-war preparations, in-war battles, and battlefield decision-making.

Even if we win, can we repeat that victory?

Just like this breakthrough in Hongshi Township,
If they changed battlefields and again advanced with 600 light cavalry, breaking through the enemy lines and continuing their advance deeper, they would succeed.
Can we achieve the same results again?
If so, it means that the strategy or decision is correct, repeatable, and can be used indefinitely.

If not, it means this victory was just luck.

To use it again is to commit suicide.

Li Jinglong's brows were furrowed to the extreme.
Some of his trusted generals were also filled with doubt, having personally experienced that battle.

But they felt that things might not be as serious as they thought.

"I still don't quite understand."

After a long silence, Li Jinglong spoke slowly, somewhat bewildered:

"My father said that no matter how you fight, a good fighting method is one that can win."
"Now that I've won, how has it become a bad tactic?"

Lu Yunyi thought for a moment and explained:

"Duke Cao, before you become a famous general, you should spend less time studying your family's traditional learning."

What the Prince of Qiyang said was mostly the essence of his many battles, the result, the final hundredth step.

But Duke Cao, you've only taken one step.
If it is applied blindly and haphazardly, it will mislead both oneself and others.

The actions I described, in the eyes of a renowned general like the Prince of Qiyang,
It might just be the most basic thing in the military, not worth mentioning, and there's no need to mention it.

But this most basic thing is precisely the easiest to overlook, yet also the most important.

Seeing that he still looked puzzled, Lu Yunyi scratched his head and explained in another way:
"Duke Cao, waging war is like doing business."

Finding the best shop location, hiring the best staff, controlling costs, and expanding sales channels will naturally lead to profits.

Moreover, if one store makes money, you can open another and make money again using the same method.

If the store location isn't good, the staff won't work, and the cost of goods is high...

But you happen to be the Duke of Cao, with power and influence.
They were able to ship goods to the entire capital region, expanding their sales channels and making money.

So tell me, which of these two methods is the right way, and which is easier to make money with?

In other words, the second method, combined with your status as Duke Cao, could earn you one tael of silver.
The first method, combined with your status, would earn you one hundred taels.

"It can still be consistently and repeatedly given out one hundred taels!"

Upon hearing this, Li Jinglong suddenly understood.

"I see! I see!!"

Meanwhile, many of the generals standing nearby seemed to understand, though not quite, a hint of realization flickered in their eyes.
Lu Yunyi felt somewhat exhausted, but continued rambling:

"As I said before, military operations are like licking blood from a knife's edge; we must eliminate variables."

Maximize your chances of winning, then steadily advance.

Only when the overall strategy remains unchanged can detailed operations be carried out.
After all, the ultimate goal of war is to win. If suffering losses leads to victory, then there's no need to hesitate.

"I understand! I understand!!"

Li Jinglong was extremely excited, his eyes fixed intently on the sand table before him.

While I was happy, a sense of lingering fear also welled up inside me.

I realized I had made so many oversights.
This resounding victory was truly a result of perfect timing, favorable location, and harmonious relationships.
Lu Yunyi took the document from Feng Yunfang's hand, glanced at it, and breathed a sigh of relief:
"Alright, that concludes the final battle."
After that, it was just a matter of everyone wrapping things up, acting together with the majority; there's not much else to say.

"Okay, okay! I'll come back tomorrow. I'll figure this out today."

Li Jinglong seemed even more anxious than Lu Yunyi.
He stood up and hurriedly gathered the documents, seemingly wanting to go home to verify them again.
"Duke Cao, then I won't keep you for dinner."

Li Jinglong glanced at him:
"Come on, let's eat at my place. You're all alone at home anyway."

Let's go back and study it, then we can share a bed tonight!

Lu Yunyi shook his head wearily, his voice weak and feeble:

"Duke Cao, I won't go. I've been idle for so long, and suddenly looking at the sand table is too tiring. I want to rest at home."

"Come on, there's a delicious meal waiting for you at home."

I recently brought a cook from the Sichuan military command; his cooking is absolutely delicious.

"No, no, I'm not going."

Lu Yunyi shook his head vigorously, looking at Gu Chunzhu standing at the door:

"Come, come, see the guests out. Quickly carry away all of Duke Cao's belongings."

Gu Chunzhu stood there stunned for a long time before cautiously stepping forward.

Although he was a professional manager, he had never experienced anything like this before.
Drive the Duke away
Gu Chunzhu felt that she had probably gone mad.

After a brief struggle, Lu Yunyi finally saw Duke Cao off.

Just as Li Jinglong arrived at the door, and was feeling reluctant to leave,

A lavishly decorated carriage slowly approached.

Before they had even come to a complete stop, a beautiful figure descended the steps, looked at Lu Yunyi standing on the stairs, and smiled gently:
"This humble woman greets Lord Lu."

Lu Yunyi was taken aback. "Manager Mu, what brings you here?"

Mu Jinghe's eyes were filled with resentment, and her voice carried a hint of sadness:
"I made some pastries and brought them here especially. Perhaps you don't welcome me, sir?"

Before Lu Yunyi could speak, Li Jinglong, who had just mounted his warhorse, exclaimed in surprise.

"So that's why you didn't come back to the manor with me. It turns out your roots are here."

"Who's this? You've only been in the capital for a few days, and you've already hooked up with another beautiful woman."

Upon hearing this, Mu Jinghe turned her gaze in that direction.

Her face was cold and indifferent; she was just about to rebuke this shameless thief.
But she immediately spotted the insignia of the Duke of Cao's mansion on the warhorse.

He also noticed the Duke's armor worn by the young man before him, and his pupils contracted slightly.

"This humble woman, the manager of Miaoyin Pavilion, greets Duke Cao."

"Miaoyinfang? That Miaoyinfang that sells women's items? Are you the manager?"

Now it was Li Jinglong's turn to be shocked, and he asked a series of questions.

"That's right." Mu Jinghe felt uneasy.

Li Jinglong looked at Lu Yunyi standing on the steps with great admiration, his eyes wide open, as if asking how he did it.
Even with no female relatives in the family, he still managed to hook up with a shopkeeper who catered to women.
Especially now, it's getting dark.
The meaning behind delivering food at this time is self-evident.

Li Jinglong considered himself a seasoned womanizer, and he was almost certain that the shopkeeper in front of him had come at this time prepared to be kept.

Lu Yunyi sensed the strange atmosphere in the room and waved his hands repeatedly:
"Go away, hurry home, I don't have time to serve you."

He then treated Mu Jinghe with kindness and elegance:
"Manager Mu, please come in."

(End of this chapter)