In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 893 Going South by Going North: The Way to Prove Loyalty is to Have More People Die

The next morning, as dawn broke, Liaoyang City was still shrouded in a thin mist.

Lu Yunyi was leaving Liaoyang City to go to Sanwanwei to check on the news of Yingchengzi Iron Mine.

As if it had grown wings, it spread rapidly throughout the city.

Inside the yamen, clerks and officials gathered in small groups, whispering amongst themselves.

"I heard that Lord Lu is leaving. Could it be that he is afraid of the chaos in the city and wants to find an excuse to hide?"

A man dressed in the uniform of an official said with a suspicious look on his face.

A tall, thin man next to him frowned, shook his head, and sighed.
"Given the current situation, if I were in that position, I would also want to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible."

Inside the military headquarters, however, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
Pan Jing stood in front of the yamen hall, looking at Lu Yunyi with concern in his eyes:

"Lord Lu, please be careful on your journey and return soon."

Lu Yunyi smiled slightly and cupped his hands in greeting:
"Rest assured, Lord Pan, I will return as soon as possible."

We hope that Lord Pan will take good care of the road repairs.
Once the road is repaired, the Northern Pacification Command will also purchase some iron ore from Liaodong.

Zhou E stood to the side, a slight, almost imperceptible sneer playing on his lips, silently pondering:

"Hmph, they left quite decisively. They probably know the situation is beyond saving and want to find some peace and quiet."

But he feigned concern and said:
"Lord Lu, take care on your journey."

"The ore from our Yingchengzi Iron Mine has always been the best in the country!"

Lu Yunyi glanced at him, a barely perceptible sharpness flashing in his eyes, his attitude equally fervent:

"Thank you, Lord Zhou. When it comes to purchasing ore, please make sure you carefully select the appropriate pieces."

"Hahaha, definitely, definitely!"

After bidding farewell to Pan Jing and Zhou E,

Lu Yunyi, accompanied by his personal guards including Gong Xianzhi, mounted his warhorse and met up with his accompanying soldiers north of Liaoyang City.

The resounding clatter of horses' hooves echoed generously through the streets of Liaoyang.
Those who had been waiting there for a long time looked at each other in bewilderment.
They're actually leaving.

At the north gate, Liu Hongzhong sat on the second floor of a restaurant near the street, holding a wine glass, quietly watching them leave the city, his expression extremely strange.

Immediately, a smug smile appeared on his lips, and he let out a soft hum:
"Seeing the situation was not good, they ran away quickly."

At the Liu residence, Liu Sizhen's brows were furrowed.

He hurriedly returned from the business and arrived at the study where Old Master Liu Yanchen was.

As soon as he entered the house, he shouted:

"Father, what... what's going on here? Why are you leaving so suddenly?"

Liu Yanchen looked up from his book and glanced at him:
Why are you in such a hurry?

"Father, I already gave orders to all the merchants yesterday, instructing them to pool their funds."
The money should arrive in one more day.
"He's gone now? Is the road still going to be repaired?"

Liu Sizhen frowned. After returning home yesterday, he had thought about it himself.

I think my father is absolutely right.
Lu Yunyi is indeed a capable person.

But news broke early this morning that he had made a hasty escape.
Isn't that absurd?
Liu Yanchen put down the book, a complex emotion flashing across his eyes, and said softly:

"Don't worry, he's going to check out the ore at Yingchengzi Iron Mine and also to make some purchases."

Liu Sizhen looked absurd, sat down next to Liu Yanchen, and tentatively asked:

"So, are we going to pay you back?"

“Here you go!” Liu Yanchen said decisively.

"Perhaps Yun Yi is just using this opportunity to ease the tense atmosphere in the city. Everyone in Liaoyang City is on edge because of him."

Liu Sizhen thought about it for a long time, and finally listened to what his father had said yesterday. He nodded:
“When the money arrives, my son will send it over.”

"Well, go get busy."

After Liu Sizhen left, the indifference on Liu Yanchen's face disappeared.
Instead, there was suspicion, and he muttered to himself:
"Is there really no other way?"

Outside the city, Lu Yunyi, along with his personal guards and over a thousand soldiers, joined forces.

The densely packed, dark iron armor and the white mist exhaled by the nearly twice as many warhorses were particularly conspicuous on the official road.
Many passing merchants turned their gazes in astonishment!

They hadn't seen each other for a long time.

Liaodong now has such well-equipped soldiers.

Upon closer investigation, it turned out they were soldiers from Da Ning, which disappointed many people.

"Sir, this is the personnel roster. Everyone is in place."

Gong Xianzhi handed over a document and spoke respectfully.

Lu Yunyi opened it, looked at it, put it in the saddlebag, and said softly:
"Order the entire army to disarm and retreat fifteen li away, and proceed at full speed to Sanwanwei!"

"This time, we must leave the country as quickly as possible!"

Gong Xianzhi's expression hardened, his gaze became resolute, and his voice rang out firmly:
"Yes!"

With a command given, the messenger began waving his flag, and the entire army's formation began to shift.
It has transformed from its original robust form into a slender, sharp shape!
Lu Yunyi stood at the front of the group, raised his fist, and let out a loud shout:
"Da Ning soldiers, march!"

"drive--"

Having said that, Lu Yunyi charged forward, his body instantly lowering to the ground.
Bei Xiao also sensed the sharpness in his master's heart.
After letting out a neigh, it took off with all four hooves.
In an instant, a rut was carved out on the official road covered with a thin layer of snow!
The swirling snowflakes made their figures appear and disappear intermittently.

As the soldiers followed behind, the entire official road was filled with a solemn atmosphere, and the white mist seemed to be vying with the dark clouds in the sky for brilliance!
From Liaoyang City to Sanwanwei, if you take the official road and stop at the post stations, it will be nearly 500 li!
Even if the cavalry marched at full speed for fifty li a day, it would still take ten days!
However, the elite soldiers of the New City Guard, led by Lu Yunyi,

After many twists and turns, trekking through mountains and rivers,
Five days later, they arrived at the mountains beyond the 30,000 guards!

As the group of soldiers in black armor stood on the hillside

When they looked at the 30,000 guards with smoke rising from their chimneys at the far end of their line of sight, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

A feeling of joy, like surviving a catastrophe, welled up in my heart!

Along the way, all we saw were mountains and forests or snow that barely reached our waists.
Walking on it makes you afraid of falling into a deep pit.

It's not that they aren't brave,

But the fear of being lost and helpless in nature is completely different from that of killing enemies on the battlefield.

Dying in the mountains and forests will be silent and meaningless!
Fortunately, after the storm comes the calm.
They rushed out of the mountains and forests and arrived at Sanwanwei!

Lu Yunyi stood in front of them, his eyes bloodshot.
He removed the neck brace covering his face and let out a long sigh of relief.

At this moment, his skin had cracked, the dead skin had turned brown, and the pieces were tightly packed together, revealing the bright red tender flesh underneath.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Yunyi gave the order in a deep voice:
"Everyone stay put and rest. We will cross the border after dark!"

"Be careful, this place is very close to the 30,000 guards, there may be scouts patrolling around."
"No fire allowed! No light allowed! Wear armor before departure!"

"Yes, sir!" The messenger quickly relayed the order!

The soldiers, exhausted, dismounted and glanced at the faintly visible sun in the sky.
It's noon now; I can take a nap after lunch.
Therefore, even though the soldiers were so tired that their hands felt like lead, they still moved very quickly.

Lu Yunyi sat down on a large rock.
"map!"

Gong Xianzhi immediately brought up the map.

Together with another guard, they held it out in front of them.

Lu Yunyi took out a pen from his waist and started pointing at it.

"These are all places where outposts might exist."
After resting for an hour, scouts were sent out to investigate these outposts.
Remember, don't alert the enemy!
The objective this time is to locate the outpost. Do not mistakenly use past reconnaissance methods and expose yourselves!

Qin Yuanfang stood in front of him and nodded emphatically:

"Yes, my lord."

"After passing through the 30,000 guards, the land ahead is flat and open, with a few fortified strongholds along the border."

It becomes much more strict after experiencing war.
However, the fortresses are far apart, and once the scouts have located them, we can easily pass through them.

"Yuanfang, the location we pass through will be determined based on the information you send back. It's up to you."

Qin Yuanfang's eyes sharpened as he gripped his long sword, as if he had rediscovered the sharpness he possessed during battle.

"Yes, sir, I guarantee I will complete the mission."

"Yes, go ahead. After this is over, all the brothers will be richly rewarded."

"Yes!"

Qin Yuanfang grabbed the map and hurriedly ran away.

Only then did Lu Yunyi's tense nerves relax slightly, and a wave of fatigue washed over him.

While avoiding the official roads allows you to bypass post stations and travel in a roughly straight line, it is more time-consuming and laborious.

If he hadn't visited Liaodong once and explored many of the terrain features, he would never have dared to do this.

"My lord, please rest for a while. Your subordinate will prepare some food for you," Gong Xianzhi asked softly from the side.

Lu Yunyi shook his head and stood up, supporting himself on his knees. "No need, bring the telescope."

"Yes!"

Basong, who was standing nearby, quickly pulled out a telescope from the multi-functional backpack behind him and handed it over.

Lu Yunyi looked at him and smiled:

"We've arrived at our destination. Put your backpack down; it's too heavy to carry."

Basong shook his head:

"Sir, it's easier to carry things when you carry them on your back, but it's harder to carry them when you put them down."

Two years ago, Basong was still frail and skin and bones, but after a year he has become more well-proportioned, and with his dark and tired appearance, he looks very strong.

However, the backpack on his back was much taller than his head, which looked rather strange.

After he finished speaking, he made a gesture of reaching behind him, as if he could easily grab some objects.
This is the original design intention of the backpack.
Everything is designed for mountain warfare; as long as it's on your back, it's easy to carry.

Lu Yunyi took the telescope and looked around.

They quickly found a stable, tall tree and climbed it in no time.

The guards were originally packing their bags and preparing food.

Upon seeing this, they all rushed over and formed a circle around him, afraid that he would fall.

From the treetop, Lu Yunyi magnified the 30,000 guards in the distance through a telescope to its maximum.

Not only can you see the houses that are situated there,

You can even see tiny black dots moving around inside.

Compared to the first visit, this time the 30,000 guards seemed much quieter.

Of course, the fact that it was winter also played a role, but the bigger reason was the previous war.

Many of the 30,000 garrison soldiers died, and many of the villagers who had settled there were also taken to the front lines to work as laborers and died in the Jurchen invasion.

The damage caused by war extends beyond the lives lost at the time.

And the long period of desolation that followed,
It's unknown when it will be possible to recover.

Fortunately, the Jurchen tribes outside the Great Wall were even more desolate, and this winter was particularly cold, so many more would freeze to death.

I watched for almost fifteen minutes.

After gathering the information he wanted, Lu Yunyi climbed down from the tree.

"Go, go, go and rest."

With such thick snow on the ground, you won't die from a fall.

Lu Yunyi waved his hand, signaling them to move away.
He took a blanket, leaned against the tree, and drifted off to sleep.

Before we knew it, it was completely dark.
Darkness, like a huge black curtain, pressed heavily on this vast land.

Fifty li north of Sanwanwei, outside Zhenbeiguan.
Ten thousand cavalrymen of the Doyan Three Guards were stationed along the Zhuxi River.
The camp stretches for miles along the river.

Campfires were scattered everywhere, their orange-red flames flickering and dancing in the darkness, illuminating the busy figures of the cavalrymen around them.

The horses occasionally let out low neighs.

Intermingled with the occasional howls of wolves from afar, it added to the desolation!

Pairs of eerie green eyes gleamed menacingly in the darkness.

The wolves, drawn by the scent in the air, emerged from the forest.

Upon seeing the continuous flames, their menacing glint instantly turned clear.

Urged on by the wolf king, the pack of wolves turned and left without any hesitation!
They knew all too well that in these northeastern mountains and forests, whoever controlled the fire was the king.

The central military tent of the camp!

The atmosphere, however, was somewhat somber.

King Azashili of Liao sat opposite Tuoluhuchaer.

Azashiri is very old, his face is lined with wrinkles left by the years, and his deep-set eyes reveal a calmness that comes with the vicissitudes of life.

His beard was already white, and it trembled slightly with his breathing.

Torukcha was only twenty-one years old, in the prime of his youth, and handsome.

His eyes, however, revealed a dignity beyond his years.

He was the first to break the silence:

"Judging by the time, they should arrive in another six or seven days."

I always felt this operation was too hasty, and somewhat caught me off guard.

Azashili slightly raised her head, calmly looked at Tuoluhuchaer, and revealed a faint smile:
"Don't be impatient. Since the master has asked us to wait here, he must have his reasons."

You are still young and inexperienced; there are some things you don't need to worry about too much.

Tuoluhuchar sighed, leaned forward slightly, and rested his hands on his knees:
"This time we mobilized a full 10,000 cavalry, which is all our elite troops."

If anything goes wrong, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Azashili gently waved his hand, interrupting Tuoluhuchaer's words:
"You need to understand what it is that allows us, the Three Guards of Duoyan, to establish a stable foothold on the grasslands."
It's not just our bravery, but also our loyalty to the adults.

Since the adults have decided to put us in charge of this operation, there must be a deeper reason behind it.

"And now that we've come this far, can we possibly back out?"

He paused, his gaze deepening.
It was as if, through the cracks in the military tent, one could glimpse the distant past:
"Back then, the three guards of Duoyan occupied the mountains and ruled the land, surviving in the cracks."

Only after seeking refuge with an adult can one have a few days of peace.

Now the people of our clan have enough to eat and wear.

We need to save up some money this year so we can repair the road from our clan's territory to Daning City next year.

As life gets better and better, we should all learn to be grateful.

How can we disobey the orders given by our superiors?
Look at these people, going out to war in the freezing cold, and hardly one of them complains.

As Tuoluhuchar listened to Azashili's words, the worry on his face lessened slightly.
But a hint of unease still lingered in his eyes:
“I fear that as life gets better and better, our people will lose their courage, and I also fear that they will become complacent and soon be defeated.”

Azashiri smiled gently and reached out to pat Tuoluhuchaer on the shoulder:

"You're worried. In this world, it's always been the person who eats the most who's powerful."

The Ming army ate their fill at every meal, driving the Northern Yuan army far away.

There's no reason why the tribesmen's fighting strength would be lower than before after they've eaten their fill.

"Don't worry, even if something goes wrong during this operation and ten thousand people die outside, it won't be a big deal for the tribe."

Tuoluhuchaer's eyes widened:
"Absurd! These ten thousand cavalrymen are our lifeline!"

Azashiri shook her head, her eyes revealing a sense of open-mindedness:
"Torukchur, you don't understand. The best way to prove loyalty is to die!"

We can eat as much as we want now; the one thing we have in abundance is people.

And as long as we prove our loyalty, why worry about not living a good life?

The military headquarters replaced their weapons at the beginning of the year, but the city guards, who were the adults' own men, didn't get theirs replaced; they replaced ours first.

At that time we didn’t know why, but now we understand: it’s because we were on the front line against the enemy Jurchens.

The goods were given, the money was given, and the food was provided.
How can an immortal prove their usefulness?

Tuoluhuchaer fell silent.

He lowered his head, pondering Azashiri's words.

He felt a pang of sadness, seeing his tribe growing stronger, but with the possibility of breaking free from the control of the Ming Dynasty becoming increasingly slim.

Two years ago, during the Spring Festival, he was still able to make some plans and try a few things out.
This year, I can only dream about it.
He knew that if he revealed his plan, he would be taken to the military headquarters.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the military tent.

A soldier lifted the tent flap and hurried in, saying:

"Reporting to the two kings, there is a situation outside the camp."

Azashili and Tuolhuchar exchanged a glance, a hint of wariness flashing in their eyes at the same time.

Azashili asked in a deep voice, "What's going on? Explain clearly."

The soldier quickly replied:

“Some suspicious traces were found outside the camp, as if someone had approached our camp without any attempt to conceal it.”

Azashiri frowned, a hint of absurdity flashing in his eyes:
"So fast?"

However, he quickly realized what was happening and gave the following instructions:
"Quickly, quickly, prepare the entire army! Summon all officers of the rank of commander of a thousand or above to come with us to greet them!"

(End of this chapter)