In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 808 Refreshing Iced Tea: The Unfortunate Couple of Daning City
Time flies by, and before we know it, it's the end of August.

The Governor-General's Office has not yet decided on the rewards for the Liaodong campaign and the suppression of the rebels.

As a result, the entire city of Yingtian was in chaos, with a restless atmosphere pervading the area.

Inside the city of Puzikou on the north bank of the Yingtianfu River,

Lu Yunyi was sitting in the office of Marquis Yongding, Zhang Quan.
Enjoying the coolness of ice cubes while idly sipping tea.

The sounds of drills that occasionally drifted in from outside filled him with emotion.
He was having such a wonderful time that he almost forgot about home.

It's worth mentioning that the Market and Exchange Bureau was eventually established.

However, a strange balance was achieved between the palace and the court officials.

The Market Exchange Bureau had no chief official, only a deputy director of the third rank, Han Yike, the vice minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

As for the trading companies he oversaw, that's quite straightforward: there were only three.
These are Yingtian Trading Company, Yingtian Construction Trading Company, and Yingtian Cement Trading Company.

At this point, the civil and military officials of the court understood the Emperor's and the palace's intentions and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The various trading companies that existed before Yingtian Trading Company were not under the jurisdiction of the Market and Commerce Bureau.
However, in the future, there will be other merchant firms like Yingtian Trading Company that work together with the government and the people.

The accounts should be brought under the overall coordination of the Market Supervision Bureau and the accounts clarified.

A turmoil that had continued to escalate due to the Li family's rebellious faction was thus quietly quelled.

The capital city seemed to have returned to its former calm and tranquil state.

Lu Yunyi leaned back in his chair, his legs propped up on the table, leisurely looking at the documents in his hands.

The above records the training of many soldiers in Puzikou City.

And the most top-secret weapons development in the Ming army,
These documents were recorded separately in the Governor's Office, Puzikou City, and the Military Department.

Having nothing to do these past few days, Lu Yunyi has visited many places and has already gotten a pretty good grasp of the current state of military equipment research and development.

It must be said that once the mindset of using firearms against the enemy was opened up,

All sorts of strange and unusual firearms emerged one after another.
The raw materials were treated like they were free, and the military craftsmen crafted them into all sorts of shapes.

It was something even a well-traveled and knowledgeable person like him found fascinating.

The documents at that time recorded a weapon called "Thunderclap".

Resembling a hand grenade, this weapon was not developed to kill enemy troops.
Instead, they amplified the sound of the explosion to a sufficiently loud level to achieve the desired result of the startled horse.

Even more so, after the explosion, there was a pungent odor that steppe horses disliked, which they used to launch a fierce attack on enemy warhorses.

The only drawback is that this type of weapon cannot distinguish between friend and foe.
Not only will the enemy's warhorses be affected, but our own warhorses may also be suffering during training.

"Training warhorses to be unafraid of cannon fire already takes a lot of effort; any louder noise would be too difficult."

Lu Yunyi thought to himself silently,

His first job in the army in Gyeongju was raising horses, and he knew that these horses were even more difficult to take care of than people.

Just as he was thinking of a solution, hurried footsteps came from outside the government office.

Marquis Zhang Quan of Wuding, clad in armor, strode in, his forehead covered in sweat and his cheeks flushed.

He immediately noticed Lu Yunyi, who was unusually comfortable in the room, and his brows furrowed instantly.
"You little rascal, you sure know how to enjoy yourself."
"I'm dying of heat outside, and you're hiding in the yamen."

Lu Yunyi smiled and put the document down:

"My lord, this humble general only gets one month of rest a year."

Zhang Quan waved his hand, sat down in the chair, and tossed the helmet aside.
He picked up the iced tea from the pot and gulped it down.

Only after downing a pot of iced tea in one gulp did he let out a long, satisfying sigh:
"Cool!"

"This tea has a unique flavor when it's chilled."

"Hehe." Lu Yunyi chuckled and picked up his teacup.
"This iced tea sells extremely well in the shop. Although the honey frosting inside is expensive, it's an essential item for relieving fatigue."

"How much does the merchant sell a pot for?"

"Not expensive, only five coins."

"so cheap?"

Zhang Quan looked at the kettle in his hand with some shock, lost in thought:
"There are nearly 90,000 soldiers in the city now. If each soldier drinks a pot of wine a day, how much would that cost per month?"

Lu Yunyi gave the answer readily and decisively:

"Thirteen thousand five hundred taels of silver. If Your Excellency purchases in bulk, the merchant can charge four copper coins per pot."
That makes 10,800 taels.
Including the manpower and resources for transportation, 11,500 taels a month would be enough.

Zhang Quan was extremely shocked.

"The sugar water and salt water that the soldiers drink now cost nearly 15,000 taels of silver a month."

Lu Yunyi smiled:
"My lord, if you want everything to be handled from start to finish, it will naturally be much more expensive."
The reason the trading company was able to complete this task so cheaply was because of the collaboration between upstream and downstream workshops, which shared the costs.
This way, costs are reduced, everyone can make a profit, and they can still support their employees.

"Wow, this stuff is great! It can save four thousand taels a month, and if we calculate six months a year, that's more than twenty thousand taels."

Zhang Quan seemed to be deep in thought, then pointed at Lu Yunyi:
"Have the manager of your trading company in charge of this matter come to the army."

This Marquis will send someone to study with him.

If it's suitable, we'll replace the sugary drinks in the military with this iced tea from now on.

"My lord, won't you take another look?"

"What are you looking at? This iced tea is sweeter than sugar water and even more thirst-quenching!"
Besides, the army only issues one bowl of sugar water a day, so this big pot is enough for three bowls—it's a good deal.

"My lord, there are quite a few soldiers in the army who live off a business that pays ten thousand taels of silver a month."

Lu Yunyi tried to persuade him, saying that taking someone's money is never easy anywhere, especially in the military.

"Who cares where it is, let's save money first."
You have no idea, the imperial court only allocates so much money.

"I'm already stretched thin to the limit, so I'll save every penny I can. Anyone who makes a fuss will have their head chopped off."

Lu Yunyi nodded in deep agreement:

"Your Excellency is right. Maintaining an army costs money like water every day."

Zhang Quan seemed exhausted, or perhaps he had lost all will to live.

He placed the kettle on the table and slumped into the chair.
"In the past, I only cared about fighting, and I would often yell at those in charge of logistics and supplies. Just looking at them made me angry."
But now I know, they are really having a hard time.

"Your method is better; you don't keep idle people, you only keep elite soldiers."

"My lord, it's all about adapting to local conditions."

In Daning, even if I, a humble general, wanted to maintain a fully-fledged garrison, I would be powerless; there simply wouldn't be enough food.

The number of highly skilled personnel who have been given leave of absence is kept to a minimum, in order to barely maintain operations.

Although Puzikou City didn't have much extra money, at least they had enough food, and that was enough.

Lu Yunyi answered with a smile.

Zhang Quan waved his hand and sighed:
Things are different now. Back then, we were poor, and all we needed was a meal.

Now that our Great Ming Dynasty is growing stronger day by day, the people in the capital region are living a life of luxury.
These soldiers are even more difficult to please; they can't be neglected.

"Hahaha, Lord Marquis, your money might be wasted anywhere else, but it won't be wasted on the army."
When neighboring small countries came to pay tribute, they saw that our capital had nearly 200,000 elite troops.

Feeling lingering fear, they will be more docile and may cancel any planned battles or provocations.
"As long as we can avoid fighting one less war, the money will all be recovered."

"That's true, but those bastards in the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War don't think that way."
They're constantly eyeing the little money I have; they'll try to save wherever they can.

Zhang Quan shook his head helplessly, feeling utterly exhausted. He picked up his beard and looked at it:
"Look, your beard was black when you left Beijing last year, but now it's all white."

Thankfully, my sons are all doing well, so I can work here with peace of mind.

"My lord, when may I leave the capital?"

Lu Yunyi asked the same question he had been asking for the past few days.

Zhang Quan pursed his lips:

"It'll be soon, it'll be soon. Your reward is simple, it won't be much in total."

The difficult task lies with the young generals who quelled the rebellion in the capital.
The Governor-General's Office and the Ministry of War have already identified some problematic individuals; once they are arrested, the matter will be settled.

"Are you about to make arrests?"

Lu Yunyi raised an eyebrow, thinking of the young general who had visited his home several times to seek advice.
"Hmm, there are quite a few people."
Among these people, many are promising talents favored by various adults, who intend to nurture them carefully.

When the Ministry of War sent the incriminating documents, they couldn't believe it." Zhang Quan shook his head with regret, feeling it was a pity that such a promising young man had been arrested and imprisoned.

He suddenly remembered something and asked:

"Yuan Hong's distant nephew often visits your residence. What do you think of him?"

"Yuan Chang?"

"Yes, that's him."

"It's alright, but his family background is good, so he gets promoted faster than ordinary soldiers. However, he also acts much more recklessly."

Zhang Quan nodded and said:
"He was originally part of this cleanup, but Yuan Hong intervened and he was spared punishment. However, whether he can be promoted in the future depends on fate."

Lu Yunyi was taken aback for a moment, then understood and nodded slightly:
“He’s still a distant nephew. It’s not right to ignore him like this in front of the family.”

After Liu Sili rescued Liu Zixian
Lu Yunyi then understood that these large families had both internal conflicts and collaborations.

They fight amongst themselves in ordinary times, but they are very united in their dealings with outsiders.

Such things are nothing new.

At this moment, the government office door was pushed open a crack.
Feng Yunfang walked in, bowed in turn, and then said to Lu Yunyi:
"My lord, Lord Tan has arrived in the capital."

"Oh?" Lu Yunyi's eyes lit up, and he suddenly stood up.
"Where have you been?"

"Sir, we just disembarked and should still be at the ferry dock."

"Go and have a look."

Lu Yunyi looked at Zhang Quan at the head of the table and bowed deeply.
"My lord, someone from Da Ning has arrived. This humble general shall take his leave now."

Zhang Quan raised his hand to stop him and asked:
"Wait, is that Tan Wei who's coming to set up camp in Puzikou City?"

"Exactly."

"Then hurry up and go to the Governor's Office. After you report to the Governor's Office, tell him to come here when he has time. I also need to see him."

"Yes!"

Lu Yunyi led a group of personal guards away from Puzikou City and soon arrived at the Yingtianfu River ferry.

He spotted the group of people who had taken their seats at the tea stall at a glance.

Tan Wei, who was leading the group, was dressed in civilian clothes and had a gray beard.

He was wiping away sweat with a handkerchief, clearly not used to the hot weather.

"General Tan, we've finally arrived."

Even from a distance, Lu Yunyi took the initiative to greet him.

Tan Wei was seeing stars. After searching for a long time after hearing the commotion, he finally spotted Lu Yunyi, who was dressed in a black robe, walking towards him.
A hint of joy flashed in his eyes, and he quickly stood up and bowed deeply:
"Your humble servant Tan Wei greets Your Excellency!"

This scene was witnessed by many people; both groups exuded an aura of authority, clearly officials.

Many people around looked puzzled, wondering why the older ones were worshipping the younger ones.
"General Tan, please don't be so polite. Please get up. You must be tired from your journey."

"My lord, it's not tiring at all, it's just that the capital region is so hot."

Tan Wei wiped his sweat and shook his head, deeply moved:

"I suppose it's because I've gotten used to the icy and snowy north and can't stand the heat anymore."

Hahaha, you'll get used to it.
"I was like this when I first came here, but now I'm quite content."

Lu Yunyi laughed heartily and pointed to the city gate:
"Let's go, let's go to the Governor's Mansion to report for duty. A welcome banquet has been arranged for you there."

"Have a drink, get a good night's sleep, and you'll feel better tomorrow."

"Thank you, sir!"

Time passed, and the group was busy until evening before they could finally relax.

The welcoming banquet was held at the Lu residence. Many of their signature dishes were already laid out in the main hall, along with some delicacies ordered from restaurants outside.
After Lu Yunyi took his seat, he gestured for him to sit down.
"Please sit down. The capital is not peaceful right now, so please make do at home for the time being."

"Tomorrow we're going to Zuixianlou. We'll invite General Tan's many former colleagues for a good meal and drinks."

Tan Wei changed into a brand new casual outfit.
Although his face still showed signs of fatigue, it was mostly filled with joy.

"My lord, we are so fortunate to have you here today."

Otherwise, running around all that way would have taken me a lot more effort, and it wouldn't have been able to get it done so quickly.

"Sigh~ the procedures for taking office are all fixed."

However, both the Governor-General's Office and the Ministry of War are currently short-staffed.
With so many people transferred from other places, some are overwhelmed.

The weather was hot, and the adults were all holding back their anger, so they were a bit careless.

Tan Wei nodded. Today, during the registration process at the Governor's Mansion...
He met at least twenty other military officers like himself who had come to the capital from the provinces.

However, he was the highest-ranking official and had people helping him.

Most of the others were middle-aged generals who faced considerable difficulties.

Lu Yunyi personally poured him wine, and the two toasted each other, finishing the pot of wine in no time.

After a few rounds of drinks, Lu Yunyi finished his drink, waved his hand, and...
The attendant standing nearby immediately understood and slowly walked out.
Once the music in the room stopped and everything was completely quiet, Lu Yunyi began to discuss the important matter:

"How's it going in Daning City?"

Tan Wei put down his chopsticks, his face solemn, nodded, then shook his head:

"My lord, it went very smoothly, but there were always some setbacks and obstacles along the way."
The land survey alone resulted in numerous deaths.
People in some remote villages were also fooled into causing trouble.

Fortunately, the nomadic people from the northern grasslands were particularly well-behaved and did not cause any trouble, so the unrest was quickly quelled.

Lu Yunyi slowly nodded:
"There will be difficulties, but we are just as determined to overcome them. What about Black Hawk's children?"

Tan Wei laughed and nodded repeatedly:
He was extremely robust and chubby.

"Last time you came to the yamen, I saw you; you're practically a carbon copy of Lord Liu."

"Hehe, I saw in the document Black Hawk sent that it says rebels have been discovered in the city? What's going on?" Lu Yunyi asked.

Tan Wei's expression was solemn. After thinking carefully, he organized his thoughts and said:
"Sir, it's quite a coincidence. Do you remember Mi Bin, the second manager of the Mi Family Trading Company?"

"You remember, you had something to do with him?"

"Yes, it all started with the Mi's Trading Company."
A few months ago, Mi Bin planned to marry a courtesan named Yueyao who came from Beiping.

It was a very grand affair; all the important officials in the government received invitations.

"I estimate that the wedding preparations alone will cost at least three thousand taels of silver."

At this point, Tan Wei's face showed a strange expression, and he lowered his voice:
"But then, for some reason, news spread that the engagement had been called off."

The city was abuzz with discussion for a while, and it wasn't until several days later that rumors began to circulate.

It turns out that Yueyao had an affair with an outsider.

When Mi Bin found out, he flew into a rage and beat her severely.

Presumably out of consideration for past relationships, they didn't kill the person but simply kicked them out without causing them any trouble.

That was the end of it; there was no real trouble.

However, the rumors circulating in the city grew more and more outrageous, consisting of vulgar and offensive language.

Mi Bin was furious, so he stormed into the door of the adulterer, Tao Xuan, the manager of Bao Cui Xuan in the north of the city.
You have no idea, the scene was so lively!
A hundred or so people rushed in and started smashing and destroying things.

Finally, they discovered a secret passage behind the bookshelf on the second floor!
This was quite alarming; the yamen officials who had followed quickly went inside to investigate.

Upon investigation, it was found to contain intelligence information about the city of Daning.
There was even a sand table of Daning City, with streets and shops exactly the same as those in the city.
This alarmed the government office, and they sent people to investigate.

Upon closer investigation, it was discovered that they were all spies from the Northern Yuan.

Later, in order to minimize the impact, Lord Liu ordered that Tao Xuan and Yue Yao be beaten to death on the spot, and that Mi Bin should be credited for the beating.

The government owed the Mi family a favor in order to settle the matter.

"Oh~" Lu Yunyi looked enlightened and nodded repeatedly:

"So this is ah."

(End of this chapter)