In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 613 With a spirit of enterprise, we head to Da Ning!
Chungu Town, five miles outside Yangzhou City, was the garrison of the vanguard scouts.

As evening approached, Lu Yunyi returned to the military camp with his two wives after wandering around all day.

At this moment, a lazy atmosphere permeated the military camp.

The soldiers leaned idly against the wall, enjoying the afterglow of the setting sun.

Upon seeing Lu Yunyi, they struggled to rise and bow.

Lu Yunyi waved his hand, indicating that they should get some rest.

After escorting the two ladies back to their residence
Lu Yunyi went to the military tent where Liu Heiying was located.

Hua Jieyu was also there, quietly reading a book.

Hearing footsteps,
Liu Heiying, who was handling military affairs behind his desk, was the first to look up.

Upon seeing that it was Lu Yunyi, a smile immediately bloomed on his face.

Hua Jieyu stood up somewhat awkwardly, looking uneasy.

Since revealing her identity, she has been hesitant to face the young general directly, always feeling afraid.

"Brother Yun'er".

"Greetings, Lord Lu." Hua Jieyu bowed.

She was beautiful, and although she looked reserved at the moment and was without makeup, her natural beauty was still undeniable.

Lu Yunyi nodded, glanced at Liu Heiying, and then looked at Hua Jieyu:
"You're pregnant and still traveling with the army, you must be exhausted."

Hua Jieyu smiled knowingly.
"It's not tiring at all. The carriage that Lord Lu had the Ministry of Works build is excellent. It's not bumpy at all when you're sitting in it."

Lu Yunyi nodded with a smile:

"If you find it tiring, you can slow down your journey."

Enjoy the scenery along the way, take your time heading to Daning, no need to rush.

"Thank you, sir. Please continue with your work while I prepare some tea."

"Ah."

After Hua Jieyu left,
Lu Yunyi sat down directly opposite Liu Heiying, took out several letters from his pocket, and handed them over:
"Look, the capital is even more bustling than we imagined."

A strange glint flashed in Liu Heiying's eyes as he opened the letters one by one.

His previously smiling face instantly turned serious and solemn.

A shadow fell over his brow, and his hand, gripping the letter, trembled slightly with the force of his grip.

"This is really unreasonable!"

"This is practically a counterattack and revenge!"

"What a mess this once-thriving business has been turned upside down! These treacherous officials!"

The letters mostly recounted the merchant's experiences over the past few days.
And many decisions made by various government departments of the imperial court.

Despite the grand and righteous words, the final result was that the business closed down.

The Ministry of Justice was allowed to investigate the case, and even the Ministry of Revenue got involved in settling accounts with the merchants.

"Brother Yun'er, I'm really angry."
"How about we head back and fight these bastards?"

Liu Heiying's face was full of murderous intent as he gritted his teeth and said.

"Hey~ don't worry, we expected things to develop to this point."

As long as the lime and concrete workshops keep running, victory is assured.

As for businesses that close down, people must know when to advance and when to retreat; a temporary retreat is for a better counterattack.

The business will reopen after the Korean official leaves.

Lu Yunyi comforted Liu Heiying again.

But Liu Heiying was still furious. He stood up abruptly and paced back and forth in the military tent.
"Brother Yun'er, the factional struggles are truly ruthless and unscrupulous?"

They're capable of setting fires in the middle of the night? And they even mobilized their elite troops!
"If we hadn't been prepared, the trading company would have been burned down."

"This is nothing, this is just the beginning, there's a long road ahead."

Lu Yunyi's expression was calm, but he couldn't help feeling a bit angry inside.

After all, the business, which had been painstakingly built up over a long period of time, eventually closed down.
A correct path of development has been temporarily blocked.

"Then what do we do? Just go to Da Ning to take up a post? And then ignore the affairs of the capital?"

Liu Heiying sat down and asked.

"The affairs of the capital are for His Majesty and the Crown Prince to worry about."
If we get involved, it will only make them more hesitant.

It would be better to hide in Daning, settle down as an official, and at least be a local tyrant.

"Brother Yun'er, you can't say things like that!"

Liu Heiying's expression changed drastically, but he quickly recovered and scratched his head:
"I'm surrounded by my own people, so it's okay to talk about it."

Lu Yunyi's expression was solemn as he asked:

"So, are you sure?"

If the suspicion is cleared, then we can let her do some things.

Liu Heiying pondered carefully, a deep thought flashing in his small eyes, before finally nodding heavily:

"Brother Yun'er, it should be fine."

Xiaoyu changed after becoming a mother.

He told me everything about his connections in the Embroidered Uniform Guard and his actions in Yuezhou, down to the smallest detail.

Even before leaving Beijing,
She even went to see Mao Xiang to inquire about the follow-up actions.

"You went there on purpose? That's not good; it might alert the enemy."

Lu Yunyi became wary.

Liu Heiying explained:

"They discussed it with me before going."

Mao Xiang's reaction was normal. At present, the Embroidered Uniform Guard's attention is not on us, but on the Marquis of Pingliang and others.

Xiaoyu's arrangement was to continue her undercover work.

Oh, and I also have a list of people in Beiping (Beijing). You can contact me if necessary.

Do you think this list is reliable?

Liu Heiying thought for a moment, then shook his head:
"Unreliable; such operations typically only involve specific contacts and dedicated dead mail boxes."

Giving someone a list directly doesn't make any sense.

It's best to be cautious and avoid using it if possible.

"Keep an eye on things when our fruit and vegetable business opens in Yingtian."

Lu Yunyi nodded solemnly, then asked:
"The fruit and vegetable shop hasn't opened yet?"

“It’s open. My dad said there are already three stores, each with a different name.”

However, the employees are all ordinary people.

We'll arrange for someone to replace them once we get to Daning.

"If Yingtian Trading Company opens a day later, we'll earn one less day's profit, and all the fruits we brought in will go to waste."

"Building a supply chain is more important than anything else."

Although the business has closed down, it does not affect the establishment of a supply chain.

"I estimate that by the time we arrive in Daning, the trading company should be open, and we can start operating immediately."

Liu Heiying nodded with emotion, then suddenly laughed:

"Brother Yun'er, now that the fruit and vegetable business is all arranged, we'll have informants in Yingtian."

We also have informants in several important cities.

Even if the intelligence we gather is useless, it will still help us understand the situation in the South.

Lu Yunyi smiled and nodded repeatedly:
"You've done a great job. You've opened so many shops in such a short time. Thank you for your hard work."

At this point, Liu Heiying collapsed completely.

"Things went smoothly, but it was really tiring."

Zhang Yu is really something; he just stirred things up in Yingtian.

This immediately drew everyone's attention.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were all working hard at the transit points in the eight counties of Yingtian.
Little did they know, we had already deceived them all.

"We can't let our guard down. Our behavior of selling both land and houses is strange."
It's hard to guarantee that no one will investigate where the money goes; it's best to be careful.

"Hey hey hey."

Liu Heiying raised an eyebrow, jumped up from his chair, and moved closer:

"Brother Yun'er, I've thought of a way."

"any solution?"

Liu Heiying muttered to himself:
“My dad made a lot of money a while ago, so I wrote him a letter and told him to keep the money.”

When we get home, we'll get the money back without anyone knowing!

Consider it money from selling land and houses. We can spend it freely in Daning; no one will ever imagine that our money has been used to open a business.

Lu Yunyi was stunned and speechless.

He leaned closer, scrutinizing Liu Heiying's cunning face, and cursed:

"You are such a filial son."

Liu Heiying, however, remained unconcerned:

"My father only had one son, and now the Liu family has an heir."
Why would he keep so much money? It'll all be mine sooner or later! Lu Yunyi pursed his lips, thinking that there seemed to be some truth to that.

"Unfortunately, my father didn't have much money."

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Just then, footsteps came from outside the tent, along with soft voices:

"General, would you like hot tea or cold tea?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Lu Yunyi's eyes after hearing this, and he leaned closer and whispered:
"Although she was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, she was indeed a good woman."

Liu Heiying chuckled and nodded:

"That's natural. Only after experiencing fighting and killing can one appreciate the value of ordinary days."

"Xiaoyu, come in."

Have some herbal tea or hot tea, it's hot lately, don't get heatstroke.

Hua Jieyu walked in with a smile, carrying a tea tray.

There are four cups of tea on the tea tray: two cups of cold tea and two cups of hot tea.

"General, sir, please enjoy your meal."

After saying that, she left.

Lu Yunyi didn't drink tea. Instead, he got up, took a bottle of cola from the ice bucket next to him, and drank it with relish.

Liu Heiying noticed his actions and reminded him:

"Brother Yun'er, the army doctor said that eating too many sweets is bad for your health."

"I already have a lot of health problems, what am I afraid of?"

Lu Yunyi, unconcerned, turned and asked:
Have you been in contact with Ya Rong recently?

Liu Heiying took a sip of her cold tea and nodded.
"We have already made contact through the fruit and vegetable market."

With our financial support, she's doing quite well in Daning; she even opened a restaurant.

"Selling boiled pork from the grasslands, business is pretty good."

Lu Yunyi nodded somewhat absentmindedly.

He suddenly felt that the days were passing very slowly.

But upon reflection, it all happened so fast it caught me off guard.

Two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

They have grown from naive teenagers into powerful generals, with a bright future ahead of them.

Lu Yunyi sighed and said:

"Hua Jieyu is a member of the Imperial Guard, and Ya Rong is a grassland person."

For the time being, keep those two out of contact.

People's hearts are unfathomable; if the Embroidered Uniform Guard discovers anything, it will be troublesome.

Once the situation improves, the Embroidered Uniform Guard won't wield as much power.

"It's not too late to let them get to know each other; then you can have them on both sides."

Liu Heiying understood the meaning behind his words.
Thinking of the token that had already been made, he said thoughtfully:
"Brother Yun'er, will the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard decline?"

Lu Yunyi nodded:

"Even being laid off is a possibility."

"so serious?"

Liu Heiying's eyes widened suddenly.

In the Ming Dynasty, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was the palace's henchman.

A tiger never breaks its own claws or teeth; if such a thing were to happen...
It was either due to external pressure or the situation had become extremely dire.

“The Embroidered Uniform Guard closed the Zhaoyu prison and destroyed the instruments of torture in the twentieth year of the Hongwu reign. All prisoners arrested were transferred to the Ministry of Justice.”

Although Mao Xiang is now breaking the rules and privately detaining and interrogating prisoners,
But ultimately, since their positions were not legitimate, some officials still had to be sent to the Ministry of Justice prison.

This situation will only get worse.
After all, His Majesty is getting old and doesn't have the energy to fight with his court officials. Let things be peaceful for now.

Liu Heiying wholeheartedly agreed:

"Brother Yun'er, you're right."

A few days ago I asked my father if he wanted to retire in Yingtian or Jiangnan.
He said he didn't want to make any more trouble and that staying in Beiping was fine.

A few years ago, he kept saying he wanted to retire in Jiangnan, but he never had enough money.

Now that I have enough money, I don't want to come anymore.

"Yes, people always change, especially as they get older, their mindset becomes more peaceful."

Liu Heiying scratched his head, thought about it for a moment, and then shook his head violently:
“Brother Yun’er, I can’t do this again. We have to be ambitious and enterprising.”

To achieve something great, at least to make Daning as prosperous as the rest of China.

If we lose Daming in a muddle, we'll become nomads of the grasslands again.

Lu Yunyi laughed, a bright and cheerful laugh:
"It's time to be enterprising. This trip to Daning, I'll say it again..."
Minimize military action, prioritize winning hearts and minds, and focus on developing cultural and humanistic endeavors.

We all have yellow skin, black hair, and brown eyes; fighting and killing each other is really bad.

Upon hearing this, Liu Heiying was somewhat bewildered.

It felt strange coming from Yun'er's mouth.

"Alright, while we have some free time, we need to come up with a good strategy."

The grassland people united under the Ming Dynasty
Crack down on those grassland people who extend their reach into the grasslands.

Yes. At least in daily life, the difference should be apparent.

Even if we can't attract the grassland people to join us, we must at least ensure that the grassland people of Daning don't run away.

As for murder, rules must be set; a carrot and a stick approach is the right way.

After hearing this, Liu Heiying felt a deep sense of exhaustion and his whole body slumped down.

Seeing this, Lu Yunyi burst into laughter, stood up, and patted him on the shoulder:

"As before, I will draft the general outline."

You will develop a detailed implementation plan, covering every single detail!

"Puff."

Liu Heiying slumped onto the table, looking dejected.

Lu Yunyi ignored everything and waved the cola in his hand:
"I'll take this pot."

The sound faded into the distance
Once the military tent was completely quiet,

Hua Jieyu pursed her lips and darted in.

She stood in front of the table, a look of relief on her face, and patted her chest:

"General, Lord Lu seems very kind, but for some reason, I'm a little afraid of him."

"Don't be afraid, Brother Yun'er is a very nice person."

Liu Heiying straightened up and walked to the bedside.
He threw himself up, making a muffled thud.

Hua Jieyu approached with pursed lips, sat down, and a delicate fragrance wafted over.

"General, you must be tired. Let me massage your shoulders."

"You're pregnant, let me massage it for you."

Liu Heiying muttered to himself with his eyes closed.

After a while, he opened his eyes, looked at the smiling Hua Jieyu, and was somewhat puzzled:
"Why do you seem happier lately?"

Hua Jieyu smiled, radiating maternal warmth and displaying the gentle temperament of a mature woman.

"General, a huge weight has been lifted from my heart, and I feel much more at ease."

With a general as a reliance
"I no longer need to live in constant fear of those Imperial Guards."

"However, I am no longer young, and I did not meet the general sooner."

"Early?"

Liu Heiying thought for a moment, bewildered:
"I was still young ten years ago."

"Get out of here, General! You can't say that! It hurts my heart!"

"Hahaha, I'm not going to say anymore."

"Once we get to Da Ning, I'll get you a nice house so you can rest and prepare for your pregnancy in peace. You'll have someone to take care of everything, and you'll live like a god."

Liu Heiying said with a smile as he touched Hua Jieyu's fair and smooth thigh.

"General, what is Da Ning like?"

"Da Ning, ah."

Liu Heiying's eyes were vacant as he muttered:

"Not good. The city is dilapidated, but the city walls are quite high."

Daning City was renovated last year, so it should be much better now.

As for the area outside the city, it is mostly wasteland, and further out is an endless grassland.

By the time we get to Daning, it will probably be snowing.

I'll take you to see it then; as far as the eye can see, everything is white.

"it is good"

(End of this chapter)