In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 894 The Real Route of Advance

The silvery moonlight illuminated the frozen, hard surface of the river.

You can still vaguely see the fish frozen in the image, so lifelike.

Outside the camp of the Three Guards of Duoyan, a group of people crossed the ice and headed towards the camp.

Their black armor concealed their figures in the night.
Only some military flags and command flags could be vaguely seen.

The elite troops of the Duoyan Three Guards were stationed along the river, their expressions extremely tense.

After all, in this icy and snowy place,
The sudden appearance of over a thousand people was bound to be astonishing.

Moreover, what puzzled them was that,
After the military intelligence was reported, the clan elders surprisingly stopped their preparations for battle immediately, which was quite strange.

Soon, the soldiers, who had been holding their breath, heard a commotion behind them.

A slight glance back revealed the camp gates wide open.

The group hurriedly came out.

Soldiers holding torches surrounded them, clearly illuminating their faces.

Upon seeing them, many of the guards were startled.
It was actually the King of Liao and his marshal!

Why are they here?

The soldiers looked ahead again, at the approaching shadowy figures. Who were they?

Soon, their doubts were answered.

A huge yellow flag was raised.

It is surrounded by a red border made of woven red linen.
Fire generates earth, symbolizing the military might that is as fiery and everlasting.

More importantly, it features the character "陆" (Lu) written in a bold and elegant style.

A large flag bearing the character "陆" (Lu)!

The appearance of the banner excited the grassland soldiers who were defending the edge of the camp.

Although they didn't recognize the word, they recognized its shape.

This is the surname of Lord Lu, the chief officer of the military command, a surname that allows them to get through the winter in peace.

A considerable commotion arose among the soldiers.
Many people whispered among themselves.

The military discipline that had been so hard to maintain,
It seemed to collapse at that moment, turning back into a mob.

Tuoluhucha'er's face darkened, and he sighed helplessly.

He still doesn't understand.

Why does Lu Yunyi suddenly have such great prestige?

Long Baiqiu, standing beside him, looked around and was quite satisfied with this performance.

This means that the strategy of "staying away but infiltrating" implemented by the Dusi was very successful!
"coming."

King Azashili of Liao, who was walking at the very front, spoke.
The hoarse voice corresponded to the cold weather.

This inexplicably heightened everyone's vigilance, causing them to look ahead.

In the darkness, a huge horse's head emerged from the cold, shadowy mass of shadows. It was a size larger and taller than a normal warhorse.

Its mane, swaying in the wind, shimmered with specks of ice.

Upon seeing this, many people held their breath.
A gasp of amazement escaped my lips.
so big!

As Bei Xiao's figure emerged faintly from the darkness,
The figure on horseback gradually became clearer.

The young general, in his early twenties, was tall and upright, a perfect match for his warhorse, Beixiao.
Despite his youth, an aura of authority naturally emanated from him.

Following them were rows of black-armored cavalrymen, who also emerged from the darkness.

The narrow, long spears gleamed coldly, their forest-like shape suggesting they were about to pierce out at any moment.

The long sword, gripped tightly, remained unsheathed.

But a chilling atmosphere arose spontaneously.

Upon seeing this, Liao King Azashili and others gasped for breath.
He quickly stepped forward to greet her, letting out a hearty laugh:

"General, I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly!"

The group walked onto the ice, where both sides met. Azashiri and the others bowed deeply.
"Greetings, General Lu."

Lu Yunyi sat high on his warhorse, his gaze sweeping around.
Seeing that the temporary camp of the Doyan Three Guards was well-organized,

Although the soldiers were thin, they were in good spirits and nodded almost imperceptibly.

He dismounted and went to meet them, his voice cold and clear:
"No need to be so polite, let's go into the camp."

"General, the camp is ready. Soldiers may proceed."

Azashiri smiled and pointed to Long Baiqiu standing to the side.
"It was arranged personally by Lord Long."

Lu Yunyi looked over, his stiff expression melting like ice and snow, revealing a slight smile as he sized him up:
"Not bad, the arrival of the Duoyan Guards has actually made them stronger."

Long Baiqiu suddenly felt a little awkward, standing there unsure of what to do with his hands, and smiled:

"General, you have lost weight."

"The journey has been tiring, so we've prepared some good food for the brothers and let them rest well. They haven't been sleeping well these past few days."

"Yes!"

The group continued walking forward, and Azashiri asked with a smile:

"General, according to the schedule, it should have been six or seven days before they arrived, how come it's so fast?"

Lu Yunyi's expression was solemn:
"There have been some mishaps within the Liaodong Military Command. If we don't act quickly, unforeseen complications may arise."
The brothers have been rushing here day and night for the past few days.

"variable?"

Azashili's expression changed slightly, and Tuoluhuchaer, who was standing next to him, also became restless.

As agreed, a road was to be built from Daning to Liaodong.
Thirty percent of the laborers must be grassland people from the three tribes of the Doyan, to provide them with a livelihood.

If the road construction is delayed, they themselves will suffer, so how could they not be anxious?

Tuoluhuchaer said hastily:
"General, what variable is it?"

"What else could it be? Someone is opposing the road construction, and they've made quite a fuss about it."

The military command now only has ten thousand taels of silver left; even the one hundred thousand taels given by the imperial court have been squandered.

Lu Yunyi spoke as he walked, his face stern and his expression icy.

Everyone present could tell that the adult was in a bad mood.

Upon hearing this, the faces of Azashili and the other generals of the Doyan Three Guards turned so dark they seemed to drip water.

Tuoluhuchaer even started cursing:
"Absurd! What are these Liaodong Military Commanders good for? They can't even handle this simple matter!"

The grassland generals behind him also showed anger on their faces.

When it concerns oneself, how can one not be anxious!
Now that everyone in the tribe has enough to eat, the next step is to eat well.
If we don't find them a job that can make money, trouble will inevitably arise sooner or later.

Soon, the group arrived at the central command tent.
This was a very large and conspicuous military tent, with even ornate decorations at the entrance.

A team of guards stood at the entrance, looking quite imposing.

"General, this is your residence." Azashiri said with a fawning smile.

Lu Yunyi frowned and stopped in his tracks.

He looked around the central command tent, then sighed softly.
He pointed to an ordinary-looking tent not far away.

"where to."

Having said that, he walked straight ahead, leaving the group looking at each other in bewilderment.

What's wrong? Are you dissatisfied?
Gong Xianzhi walked over, pointed to the central command tent, and reminded him:
"Sirs, you are too conspicuous."

Azashili looked at the large tent with a blank expression, not understanding what was so conspicuous about it.

Long Baiqiu, who was not far away, had a drastic change in expression.
He slapped the back of his head and cursed himself for being stupid.

"Quickly, quickly, retreat! This place is so conspicuous, others won't be able to spot the commander at a glance!"

Upon hearing this, everyone realized what was happening.
Tuoluhuchaer stood there, stunned.
He looked back at the luxurious tent and suddenly realized something.

Why was it that during the first encounter with the enemy, my own army formation was easily located and subjected to a fierce attack?
So that's where the problem lies.

Lu Yunyi stood at the entrance of the ordinary military tent, waiting for the soldiers to give instructions.

Taking this opportunity, Lu Yunyi pointed out some shortcomings in the camp's layout.
This greatly shocked the grassland generals.

While it might not be considered a perfect scathing critique, it was certainly a moment of profound enlightenment.
It turns out that the meticulously arranged camp had so many oversights.

Azashili ordered someone to change it, but Lu Yunyi waved him off:
"I'm leaving soon, just remember that next time."

"General, why don't you take a rest?" Azashili asked.

"No rest. We don't have much food this time, so we can't delay. We still need to plunder some from the Jurchens on the way to Goryeo."

"Yes!"

"Be careful of casualties; it's not worth losing manpower to seize some grain and fodder."

"Yes!"

Before long, the military tent was tidied up, and the group entered. Although the outside of the tent was ordinary, the inside had changed dramatically.

A long table, pieced together, was placed in the center. The sand table was already neatly arranged, and a map hung on a literacy board not far away.

Upon entering, a chilling atmosphere immediately arose, causing everyone present to tense up.

The layout of this military tent,
This must be the kind of military tent that the lord in front of him likes the most.

As expected, the young adult at the head of the group strode forward, stood before the sand table, and scanned the area with his gaze.
He picked up several flags representing the garrison and defense line, and fiddled with and adjusted them one by one.

Soon, the left side was completely full.
The empty sand table on the right then appeared.

The left side represents the eastern defense line of Liaodong, in the face of the Jianzhou Jurchens.
The imperial court established hundreds and thousands of fortified positions on the frontier.

Several garrisons are located in the middle of various defenses, ready to provide support to all sides at any time.

To the west lies the Jianzhou Jurchen territory!
Only a few major gathering points had representative flags planted.

Soon, Lu Yunyi took another red thread.
From the north of Sanwanwei where it is now located, it extends southward, passing through the Jianzhou Jurchen territory, and reaching Huining City on the northern border of Goryeo.

Entering from here, travel south along the border between Goryeo and Jurchen, heading straight into Dingzhou City.

Thus, a route spanning thousands of miles appeared before everyone's eyes, causing them to look at each other in bewilderment.

They discovered that the adults in front of them seemed to have gone in a big circle.
It was clear that they could have penetrated deep into Goryeo from the southeastern side of Liaodong.

Upon reaching Dingzhou, one must instead detour through the Jurchen territory.

Azashiri, a veteran of many battles, frowned and said in a deep voice:

"General, this journey will likely be nearly 1,300 li, and we will be passing through enemy territory along the way."
"Aren't our ten thousand cavalry too conspicuous?"

Tuoluhuchaer was also a soldier, and he realized this as well.

"General, the Jianzhou Jurchens suffered heavy losses in the last conflict."

They've been suspicious lately, and their vigilance regarding forest defenses within the territory will likely be even greater than before.

It will probably not be an easy task for us to pass through.

Moreover, Goryeo is currently extremely wary, and any large-scale troop movements would likely be detected by them.

Lu Yunyi put his hands on his hips, his gaze fixed on the sand table, and spoke firmly:
"Therefore, we must be quick, marching rapidly during the heavy snows of winter, so that the wind and snow can conceal our tracks."
In this kind of weather, the enemy's defenses will become weak.

"Furthermore, since we are entering from Jianzhou Jurchen territory, we must disguise ourselves."

We can no longer just swagger in and out like this.

Otherwise, if they are recognized in Korea, it will cause a lot of trouble later.

"what do you mean?"

King Azashili of Liao felt a chill run down his spine, as if his vision was shrouded in a layer of bloody light.

This southward march will inevitably result in bloodshed.

Lu Yunyi turned around and looked at the map, then at the sand table.

He gestured to the known locations of the Jianzhou Jurchen strongholds and said in a deep voice:

"If we can uproot most of these hidden mountains, we should not hesitate to seize all the money inside and distribute it proportionally."

Upon hearing this, pairs of fiery eyes lit up, and their breathing became rapid.

Although the Jurchens were considered savages living in the mountains and forests, they were not without money or goods.
In the last battle, they plundered the territory of the Haixi Jurchens to their heart's content.
Truckloads of various herbs and ginseng were being hauled back.

There were also many unrefined gold ores and a lot of furs, which can be described as making a fortune.

Azashiri sensed the thoughts of the generals in the tent and quickly pulled them back, reminding them:
"General, we must not underestimate the enemy. The Jianzhou Jurchen tribes are constantly changing."

Now that the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, they are all staying deep inside and refusing to come out.
"It won't be easy for us to break in."

Lu Yunyi nodded:
"After annihilating most of these tribes, we should have sufficient disguise."
"Then we will enter Goryeo under the name of the Jurchen."

Seeing that Lu Yunyi did not restrain himself at all despite the reminder,
Azashiri's mouth opened and closed slightly, unsure whether to speak.

"Xianzhi, bring me the map of the Jianzhou Jurchens."

"Yes!"

A short while later, Gong Xianzhi took out a neatly folded map of the Jianzhou Jurchen from his luggage.
After receiving it, Lu Yunyi smiled at the generals around him who looked shocked:

In this world, money can do anything.

The map was obtained by the Bai Song tribe through business dealings with the Jurchens.
It records the specific locations of several major tribes of the Jianzhou Jurchen.

After saying that, Lu Yunyi continued speaking.

While doing so, they slightly moved the flag representing the majority of the Jianzhou Jurchen tribe on the sand table.

"This is the exact location."

Tuoluhuchaer's pupils suddenly contracted, and his head jerked closer.

"General, although the Jurchens are stupid and foolish..."
But there are intelligent people in their tribe; how could they so easily leak such a map?

Lu Yunyi smiled and spread the map out to the side, emphasizing:

"For small countries with few people, money can accomplish 99% of things."
These directions were derived by combining the directions from maps provided by forty caravans.

A caravan might deliberately mislead people.
But the same applies to forty caravans; it's very difficult.

If the Jurchens truly possessed such strategic planning abilities, they wouldn't have needed to hide in the mountains. Even if they couldn't conquer the Ming Dynasty, they could have conquered Goryeo.

Therefore, most of the Jianzhou Jurchens were located in these areas!

rational!

Everyone was immediately convinced, their eyes remaining bright and eager.
I originally thought this would be just hard work, but I didn't expect there would be extra income to be made.

Lu Yunyi tilted his body slightly.

Seeing that they all looked so cheerful, he reminded them:

"I believe the soldiers of the Doyan Three Guards are capable of annihilating most of these Jurchen tribes."
However, it's important to note that things won't be as easy after entering Goryeo as they were with the Jianzhou Jurchens.

If Yi Seong-gye discovers this, we could suffer heavy losses if we are not careful.

Therefore, all generals and officers must spread the word.

Be neither arrogant nor impatient, avoid rash actions and do not seek personal credit.

If you do these three things well, you will surely succeed!

Alright, I've told you all the methods to make it happen. Now, tell me your own thoughts.

The generals looked at each other, and finally their eyes fell on Tuoluhuchaer.

He didn't mince words and spoke loudly:
"General, may I ask what the purpose of our trip is?"

Lu Yunyi looked around and asked:
"Where is Wang Junping? Why can't we find him?"

“General, Lord Wang is exhausted from his journey and is resting now. He is being looked after by a military doctor and his personal guards,” Azashili quickly explained.

Lu Yunyi nodded:
"He can't afford to make any mistakes; he needs to be well taken care of."

The purpose of this trip is to visit an old friend in Dingzhou and pick up some things.

Having said that, Lu Yunyi put his hands on his hips and glanced around:
"You probably already know that a road is about to be built between Daning and Liaodong."

Tuoluhuchaer's cold, hard face broke into a smile:

"General, the people are all waiting to get to work."

"Yes, there are people obstructing the road construction and colluding with foreign enemies. The person they are colluding with is Yi Seong-gye of Goryeo!"

With Goryeo now stationing troops on the border, the Liaodong Military Command has to devote a large amount of money and energy to the eastern defense line.

Construction has been delayed for so long, and we've come to relieve the Liaodong Military Command's siege.

Of course, it's also to get ourselves out of a tight spot!

The atmosphere in the room was extremely tense, and a fierce aura emanated from the hearts of each general.

They instinctively grabbed the long swords at their waists, their eyes flashing with ferocity!
"I see. That explains why they haven't called us to the construction site yet, even though it's already the new year."

Azashiri's aged face was very stern, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
For him, life was already nearing its end.

What I hope to see most is that my clansmen can live a peaceful and good life.

But to go and repair roads as a laborer is to find a great path.
Moreover, all three guards are now relying on the road construction in Liaodong to gain some experience.
I'll be able to build a road for myself next year!

This matter has now been blocked by Goryeo, how can this be allowed!

Azashiri said emphatically:
"My lord, please rest assured that the soldiers on this mission are all brave warriors from our tribe. They will have no problem defeating the enemy, Goryeo!"

"General, we must teach Goryeo a lesson this time, for daring to get involved in such matters!" Tuoluhuchaer also expressed his stance.

Lu Yunyi was very satisfied with the two leaders' statements and nodded with a smile:

"Alright, go and fetch the rosters of the soldiers from each unit."

From today onwards, all military personnel will be under my direct command. Any objections?

The two looked at each other and shook their heads repeatedly.

Some of the generals in the arena raised an eyebrow, their confidence soaring.

If a commander is parachuted in, he needs to have achievements, experience, ability, and prestige to win over the troops.

The person right in front of me has everything!
(End of this chapter)