In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 614 Da Ning Bai Xue, the Great Wall in My Heart (End-of-Month Summary)

It was the 22nd year of the Hongwu reign, just as December began.

A biting wind carried with it the pure white snow.

The entire region was transformed into a world covered in silver.

Daning, as the core city of the Northern Pacification Command, was shrouded in heavy snow.

On the city walls, the snow was so thick it resembled a thick white velvet blanket, piled up in layers.

Each snowflake drifts in the cold wind, eventually finding its home.

They stand closely together, clearly outlining the winding contours of the city wall.

Between the wall crevices, snow squeezed out from the gaps and condensed into icicles of varying lengths.

On the streets of the city, the snow was deep enough to bury shoes and socks.

Pedestrians moved with difficulty through the snow.

Each step sank deep into the snow, leaving a clear footprint.

However, these footprints were soon filled with the falling snowflakes.

The houses along the street seemed to sag slightly under the weight of the heavy snow, with snow slowly sliding down the eaves.

They piled up on the ground, forming small "snow mountains".

Occasionally, wisps of smoke would rise from the chimney.
It drifted slowly through the snow, adding a rare touch of warmth to this cold world.

Despite the biting cold at the market.

However, many people were still busy at the stalls.

On the charcoal seller's stall, black charcoal was piled up into a small mountain.

Several customers, bundled up tightly, were gathered around him, haggling with the charcoal seller.

The white breath exhaled from the mouth instantly condensed into fog in the cold air.

The farmer's hands, red from the cold, were still warmly greeting passersby as she sold vegetables.

Her stall only had one type of vegetable: cabbage.

The emerald green leaves covered with white frost stood out against the silvery white background.

Just then, a patrol of soldiers came along.

They were dressed in thick cotton-padded clothes and wore leather hats.

Snowflakes drifted down and landed on their shoulders and hats.

It quickly melted into water, soaking the clothes.

Their eyes were firm, their posture upright, and their horses' hooves pounded the snow with a dull thud.

"It's so cold here. I never felt this cold when I was in Gyeongju."

"After spending two years in the south, I came back to find it this cold."

Qin Yuanfang spoke in a trembling voice.

He kept sniffling, his face red from the cold.

At the very front of the group, Wang Shen's face was also flushed, and the wrinkles on his face made his skin appear even darker.

At this moment, he held paper and pen in his hand, walking around and stopping, occasionally writing and drawing.

Hearing Qin Yuanfang's words, he looked around with some emotion and nodded slightly:

"You're right, the weather is indeed getting colder."

Yesterday I went outside the city to draw a map.

Many crops have been found to have frozen to death; it looks like next year will be another poor harvest.

A hint of worry flashed in Wang Shen's eyes.

As a northerner, what he feared most was not the cold, but a poor harvest.

In the south, such as Yingtian or Yunnan, one could barely survive for a while even without food.

But in the bitterly cold Daning...

Without food, people will freeze to death within a day.

"This awful weather. It's much better in Yingtian, where winters aren't that cold."

Qin Yuanfang rubbed his hands together, his gaze sweeping across the market.

I memorized the few buildings I could find, planning to add them to the map when I got back.

Wang Shen glanced at him, a dry laugh appearing on his aged face:
"That's what the grassland people think too."

For them, the weather in Daning is already considered quite good.

"If we all flee south, who will defend us against the steppe people?"

A strange look flashed across Qin Yuanfang's face.
He reached into his sleeve and pulled his felt hat down sharply to cover his ears:

"Sir, you're becoming more and more formal in your speech these days."

Wang Shen was taken aback, then suddenly laughed, a look of emotion on his face:
When the weather team was first established
Lord Lu simply wanted to find an old farmer in the army who knew how to read the weather.

I volunteered myself at that time, and to my surprise, I was actually selected and became the leader without even realizing it.

Two years have passed in the blink of an eye. If I don't learn some new things, I'll be left behind by you young people sooner or later...

What was that saying again? It was something General Liu always had on his lips.

Qin Yuanfang quickly added:

"The Yangtze River's back waves push the front waves, and the front waves crash onto the beach."

"Yes, if we just live off our savings, we'll eventually have to retire and go home to live out our retirement."

Wang Shen smiled and nodded, then picked up his pen and began to sketch on the document.

With just a few simple strokes, the terrain and landforms come to life on the paper.

It is also decorated with some square buildings.

Qin Yuanfang moved closer to him, looking at the document with a puzzled expression in her eyes:
"Sir, you're so old, why don't you think about going home and holding your grandchildren?"

"What? You want to take over my job?"

Wang Shen glanced at him.

"Of course. If Sun Si'an stays in the capital and you step down, wouldn't I become the boss?"

"Hahaha."

Wang Shen suddenly burst into laughter:

"Put away the documents and paper, and then you can wait."

Once I finish drawing the entire map of the Ming Dynasty, you'll be able to become the boss.

"Let's go check out the defenses of the city walls on the north side. I've always felt there's something strange about the terrain of Da Ning."

Wang Shen walked forward, with Qin Yuanfang following beside him, and quickly asked:

"What's weird?"

"Daning is located in the transitional zone between the southern Mongolian Plateau and the Haixi Plain."

It is also the intersection of the southern end of the Great Xianbei Mountains and the Yanshan Mountains.

The terrain is high in the west and low in the east, with rivers such as the Laoha River, Kundulun River, and Kundui River to the north.

Moreover, these rivers all flow from southwest to northeast.
This created a long, narrow plain.

"Building the Great Wall in this terrain wouldn't be easy."

Wang Shen's voice was somewhat heavy, and his face seemed thoughtful.

Qin Yuanfang reached out to scratch his head.
But as soon as he stretched out his hand, a gust of cold wind startled him back:

"My lord, Lord Lu has surely already considered these matters, so we don't need to worry about them."

Wang Shen glanced at him and shook his head:

"You, although you have excellent hearing and are a good scout on the battlefield, you can't always rely on your past achievements."

The adults asked us to draw a map of Daning, so we have to consider all the possibilities.

Even if the adults don't ask, we should still come up with one or two solutions.

If you don't understand this point,
Even if I retire and go home to live out my days, you still can't take over my job.

Qin Yuanfang blinked, and the frost in his eyes fell away:

"But we've never built the Great Wall before."

"That's why we need to learn. As Mr. Yang said, 'Learning without thinking is futile, and thinking without learning is dangerous.'"

To become a high-ranking officer in the military, one must always be ahead of others.

"Let's go, stop talking nonsense. The sooner we finish the drawing, the sooner we can go back. It's really cold outside."

The office of the Northern Pacification Commander-in-Chief stands in the central location of Daning City, facing south.

The newly built gate is tall and majestic.

The golden door studs on the vermilion gate were arranged in a neat row.

On either side of the gate, a pair of imposing stone lions crouched, their eyes wide open in anger.

Despite enduring countless storms, their patterns remain clearly visible, exuding solemnity and majesty.

Upon entering the gate, a wide bluestone path leads directly into the interior of the government office.

On both sides of the passageway are neatly trimmed pine and cypress trees.

Even in this freezing November,
They remain lush and upright, adding a touch of vitality to this solemn place.

The main hall features flying eaves and bracket sets, exuding a magnificent aura, while the chiwen (mythical beast) on the roof ridge remains unmoved in the cold wind.

A plaque inscribed with "Fairness and Integrity" hangs high inside the hall.

On the east and west sides of the yamen (government office), there are many side rooms.

The east wing was the document room, responsible for handling various official documents and military reports.

Inside the room, the officials were hunched over their desks, writing furiously.
The sound of paper turning and the rustling of a brush rubbing against the paper mingled together.

The west wing was an armory, its doors tightly shut and heavily guarded.

It contained all sorts of weapons and armor. The back hall was where the adults worked.

As the Deputy Commander of the Northern Expeditionary Army, Lu Yunyi naturally occupied the left wing room in the back hall.

At that moment, a group of soldiers in armor walked past the gate.
They were agile, and the white breath they exhaled swirled above their heads.

Their gazes drifted, intentionally or unintentionally, toward the tightly closed gate of the government office, their eyes gleaming.

"I heard that Lord Lu came to the yamen to work today."

A soldier muttered to himself.

"Yes, they just arrived yesterday and came to the government office today. The rumors were true!"

"What rumors?"

"Of course, it's because Lord Lu is diligent. Everyone in the army says that Lord Lu's achievements today are due to his hard work."

It was through diligent study and practice that I prepared for this opportunity for many years!

A young soldier spoke up.

Several older soldiers in the ranks scoffed at this claim and slowly shook their heads.

"Only young people like you believe this kind of nonsense."

"Old He, why are you always so unsociable?"

The older soldier, known as Old He, flicked his gloves and said:
There are plenty of diligent and hardworking people in this world, and Wu Su'an in the yamen is particularly good at writing documents.

Can he become a commander?
"Having connections in the imperial court makes things easier; you need a powerful backer to get an official position, otherwise all your efforts will be in vain."

"You're wrong. When Lord Lu was in Qingzhou, he wasn't as good as us."

The young soldier retorted.

"He was a regimental commander back then, were you?"

"Can you lead a few dozen men through wind and snow for thousands of miles to find the Northern Yuan court?"

Old He curled his lip and said bluntly.

The young soldier was immediately filled with anger, his lips trembling as he uttered:

"You can't do it either."

Old He didn't seem to care at all, and shook his head:
"I, Lao He, know I don't have the ability to be an official, and I never think about those things."

All I want is to finish my duties at the office as soon as possible and go back to my wife, kids, and a warm bed.

Sigh, those nomadic people from the grasslands north of the city are such a headache.
They don't sleep at night and are noisy all day long.

They even had a fight yesterday; I don't know which official handled it.

When the topic turned to the nomadic people of the grasslands, a shadow of gloom crossed the eyes of the patrolling soldiers.
He let out a heavy sigh.

"These bastards don't know what's good for them. Sooner or later, I'll throw them all out and let them freeze to death."

"Hey, you can't say things like that carelessly, don't let the adults hear it."

"Now that they've surrendered, the imperial court has to keep an eye on them," Old He reminded them.

When the group patrolled to the vicinity of the government office,
They all silently shut their mouths and walked over in an orderly and solemn manner.

Once they were away from the government office, they started chatting idly again.

In the left wing, Liu Heiying sat brazenly behind the desk at the head of the table.
Seeing Lu Yunyi eavesdropping at the door, a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes:
"Brother Yun'er, what are you listening to?"

Lu Yunyi glanced back at him, pointed to the door, and then raised an eyebrow:

"They're talking about me."

Lu Yunyi leaned his head down again.
After waiting for a long time without hearing any sound, he reluctantly pulled his head back.

"There are quite a few conflicts in the city, whether between superiors and soldiers."

The conflict between the Ming people and the nomadic peoples is an issue that cannot be ignored.

"Is there also a problem between the superior and the soldiers?"

Liu Heiying sat up straight, his face serious, and pulled out paper and pen from the table, preparing to take notes.

Lu Yunyi stood by the window, looking through the thick windowpanes.
Looking at the heavy snow outside, he said in a deep voice:

"When the weather becomes bad, it will affect people's health."

In Daning today, heavy snow is accompanied by low temperatures.

In order to maintain body temperature, people will use more energy to maintain their bodies.

This leads to a relative reduction in blood supply to the brain, thereby affecting the secretion and transmission of neurotransmitters.

Simply put, people become unhappy and their emotions become negative.

Moreover, bad weather can create a depressing and gloomy environment.

Look outside: a gloomy sky, a vast expanse of white snow, and a howling wind.

The environment is monotonous and desolate; from a psychological perspective,
Such an environment is more likely to trigger negative emotions such as loneliness and isolation.

Under the influence of this emotion,
People become unwilling to talk or communicate.

However, the most important thing between people is communication.

If superiors don't want to speak, soldiers don't want to speak, and clerks don't want to speak, then the conflict will only escalate.

Liu Heiying's expression immediately turned serious as he carefully recalled his experience in Qingzhou.

At that time, the atmosphere in the army was also very somber.
People are not only unwilling to talk, but they also often have wild thoughts.

"Brother Yun'er, will the old method work?"

Let's all eat more meat, and then sing some songs together.

Lu Yunyi nodded slightly:
"That is indeed one way, but we need to think of other ways."

With so many soldiers in the entire Beiping region, resolving the problems of a few individuals wouldn't be difficult.
The difficulty lies in solving the entire problem systematically.

Liu Heiying quickly jotted down the matter, then spoke thoughtfully:
"Brother Yun'er, is this really that important?"

"We've always gotten by like this before."

Lu Yunyi sighed, turned around, and sat down by the stove.
"Ideological development cannot produce immediate results in the early stages."

But as time goes on, it will become more and more important, and its advantages will become more and more obvious.

It's like pushing a snowball down a mountain; it's inconspicuous at first, but it will grow bigger and bigger as it rolls along.

However, a thorny problem now facing us is...

This kind of thing has low short-term effectiveness and no obvious results.
The military commander wouldn't waste his efforts for nothing, and the imperial court wouldn't waste its money on this.

"So, are we still going to do it or not?"

Liu Heiying scratched his head.

Lu Yunyi stared blankly at the roaring furnace in front of him, lost in thought.

"It must be done, and it must be done resolutely!"
In border regions like Daning

Building a Great Wall in people's hearts is more effective than actually building one.

"It will probably be very difficult."

Liu Heiying said with a hollow look in his eyes.

Lu Yunyi looked at the fire in front of him, a thoughtful expression on his face:

"It's difficult, but we have to do it. The economic base determines the superstructure, so we need to increase our income first."

We should start ideological work once everyone has money and can eat their fill.

Otherwise, without money, everything is just empty talk.

Upon hearing this, Liu Heiying felt a wave of dizziness and said helplessly:
"Brother Yun'er, I feel a bit lost about where to start."

The situation in Daning is worse than we imagined.

We have neither money nor manpower.

To put it bluntly, this place isn't even as good as Qingzhou, where we used to live. At least Qingzhou was self-sufficient.

Lu Yunyi waved his hand:
"Don't rush, eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time."

"Since the imperial court has sent us to Daning, we must do this job well no matter what."

"Brother Yun'er, what is Lord Zhou's attitude?"

Liu Heiying stood up, walked to the stove, sat down, and asked in a low voice:

"Logically, Lord Zhou is the chief official of Beiping."

If he doesn't agree, we'll be stuck.

Lu Yunyi nodded and said calmly:
"Once we have completed the initial planning, we will send the documents to Lord Zhou."

To get others to agree to our proposal,

We must be fully prepared so that no one can find fault with us.

However, Lord Zhou had been in Daning for a long time and had deep roots in the court.

He probably knew that the imperial court was dissatisfied with the situation in Da Ning.
As long as we do a decent job, I don't think he'll stop us.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded at the door, and Feng Yunfang stood there and called out:

"My lord, Lord Zhou has returned from his border patrol and wishes to see you."

Lu Yunyi was taken aback, then laughed:

"Speak of the devil and he appears. Okay, I'll go see him."

If we don't need to drink tonight, let's go to Ya Rong's place and see some old friends.

If you want to drink, go by yourself. It's a good opportunity to see your ex-lover.

Liu Heiying's expression was strange, and he scratched his head awkwardly:
"Brother Yun'er, I feel a little awkward."

Lu Yunyi stood up, walked to the door, and looked back at him:

"The passion between a man and a woman is like dry tinder and raging fire; one meeting is enough."

Okay, I'm going.

(End of this chapter)