In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 619 Using war to stop war, peace and life after the war ends.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and a tense atmosphere permeated the entire command post.

Kuang Xiaofei has been arrested for three days, but there is still no sign of his release.

This led many people to speculate.
Duan Zhengze was defeated by Lord Lu's "first fire".

Even if they weren't defeated, they had already given up and ceased their efforts.
At least that's how it seems, judging from his current state.

Duan Zhengze sat in the yamen office, his eyes vacant.
He stared blankly at the delicate little bamboo cup on the table.

Steaming heat could be faintly seen rising from the cracks, along with some dampness.

The door to Duan Zhengze's office was wide open.

The passing officials and clerks couldn't help but cast their gazes over.

Seeing his appearance, I couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Now, rumors are even circulating in the government offices.

It is said that within two months, Lord Duan will have to relinquish his duties of land reclamation and become a sinecure.

Some busybodies even set up betting games.

Speculating on when Duan Zhengze will completely lose power.

All of this caused undercurrents to surge within the previously calm Commander's Office.
The surface appears calm, but beneath lies a turbulent sea.

At noon, the government office closed, and the noise outside the office continued.

The officials went to the canteen to eat, chatting and laughing, while some from well-off families went out to eat together.

The entire government office was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

After all the officials had passed by the gate,
Duan Zhengze gradually recovered from his stiff state.

A glimmer of life returned to his dull eyes.

He looked at the door with a somewhat blank expression.

He glanced at the bamboo cup on the table, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, and let out a cold laugh.

Duan Zhengze suddenly stood up, picked up the bamboo cup, and drank the cold tea inside in one gulp.

He then picked up his cloak and felt hat and quickly left the office of the Commander-in-Chief.

Qingxu Restaurant at No. 11 Wenchang Street

Duan Zhengze used to come here to eat every day.

But now, three days have passed since his last visit, so much so that the staff were quite surprised to see him.

"Master Duan, you've arrived. The usual three dishes?"

Duan Zhengze took off his snow-covered felt hat, patted it gently, and said in a deep voice:
"Let's not eat in the main hall today. Let's find a private room and order another pot of hot wine."

The waiter was slightly taken aback, then quickly bowed and replied:

"Okay, follow me."

Before long, a fire was lit in the private room on the second floor, and a warm atmosphere filled the room.

Duan Zhengze sat to one side, with a pot of wine in hot water, three small dishes, and two steamed buns already laid out on the table.

"Master Duan, please enjoy your meal. I'll head out now. Please let me know if you need any more charcoal."

"Ah."

The waiter checked the temperature of the stove one last time, rubbed his hands together, and went outside.

Not long after, the curtain of the private room was suddenly yanked open.

A middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe and draped in a fox fur sat down without any hesitation.

He took off his heavy hat.

He shook off the snow, placed it on a stool nearby, and muttered to himself:

"This weather is so cold."

In winter, I don't want to go out even for a day.

"Brother Duan, why didn't you find a bigger restaurant? This place isn't warm, and there's no underfloor heating."

Duan Zhengze sat there quietly, took a sip of wine, and hummed softly:
"Old turtle hibernating, so many problems."

The middle-aged man was slightly taken aback, then burst into hearty laughter:
"Brother Duan, are you in a bad mood? Here, have a bite too."

Without any hesitation, the middle-aged man picked up the wine pot in the porcelain bowl and took a big gulp.

He smacked his lips loudly and exclaimed:
"This wine is not as good as the one in Beiping."

Let me tell you, I went to Beiping (Beijing) a few days ago.
A new restaurant has opened there, and the wine they serve is a premium liquor transported from Yingtian.
It has a sweet taste and a lingering aftertaste.

Their manager was a cripple, but I heard he was very influential in Beiping and had connections with many powerful and influential people.

Next time, let's go together, try some wine, and meet some new friends.

Duan Zhengze listened to his incessant rambling, took a deep breath, and a shadow of gloom flashed in his eyes:
"Brother Mi, with the situation so dire, you still have the mind to think about drinking?"

The middle-aged man was the second-in-command of the Mi family in Yiren Street, Daning City, and also the younger brother of the family head. His name was Mi Bin.

He smiled nonchalantly.
He picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of the side dish, and said casually:

"Brother Duan, is the situation urgent?"

Where is it? I can't see it.

His slightly flippant tone ignited Duan Zhengze's anger.
He slammed his hand on the table and leaned forward:
"Kuang Xiaofei has been arrested, and he even implicated me."

Lu Yunyi has recently been checking the accounts of the military farms, and I heard he's even looked at the Yellow Register.

"We've come this far, isn't it a matter of life and death?"

"Don't rush, don't rush, Brother Duan"
The knife hasn't even fallen yet, so how can we still drink so heartily?

If they were frightened by this commotion, that would be panicking and leading to foolish decisions.

"What do you mean?"

Duan Zhengze frowned and asked thoughtfully.

Mi Bin looked at him, smiled, and shook his head:

"The other day you told me that Lu Yunyi had ordered the Duoyan Three Guards to send troops to wipe out the Baisong tribe."

But after careful investigation, I learned that
The three guards of Doyan didn't move at all, and the military order to annihilate them was completely fabricated.

"what?"

Duan Zhengze straightened his back instantly, his eyes flashing with intense light.

These days, he has been constantly worried about Bai Songbu's matter.

The relationship between the grassland people and them was merely one of cooperation.
In a life-or-death situation, anything can be revealed.

Is Shiramatsu alright now?
Mi Bin smiled:
"I have another piece of good news for you, Brother Duan. Although the imperial court has ordered the Three Guards of Doyan to be under the command of Lu Yunyi..."
But military power is not something that can be resolved with a single edict.

Even the three guards of Duoyan have to be willing to listen.

Lu Yunyi inflicted such a crushing defeat on the Duoyan Three Guards a few years ago, wiping out their elite troops.
Marshal Duoyan had one of his hands cut off.

Would he accept this? Would he listen to Lu Yunyi?
The Prince of Liao and the Prince of Huining are now in their twilight years.

Currently, among the three guards of Duoyan, Marshal Duoyan is the one who calls the shots and is the undisputed leader.

He and Lu Yunyi didn't get along.

A mere imperial edict could make him bow down? That's a joke!

Mi Bin spoke casually, with a relaxed and self-satisfied demeanor, and even a smile on his face.

Duan Zhengze stood there, stunned.

When I came to my senses, a surge of joy welled up inside me!
"Since the Bai Song tribe wasn't wiped out, is Lu Yunyi bluffing me?"

"Ok!"

Mi Bin suddenly raised his voice and nodded repeatedly:
"Brother Duan, you've finally regained your former cleverness. It was worth coming all this way in this freezing weather to meet you."

"Dong dong dong."

Duan Zhengze felt his heart pounding, and a long-lost excitement welled up in his heart, making his face flush red.

At that moment, he felt like he had come back to life.

However, Mi Bin quickly poured cold water on the idea:
"Brother Duan, don't be too happy yet."

Kuang Xiaofei has been arrested after all, and the matter of the military settlements and farmland can no longer be kept secret.

Judging from Lord Lu's actions, he has already noticed something fishy going on.

Even if Shiramatsube's evidence is gone,

"Finding evidence in the city could bring you down."

Duan Zhengze's face instantly turned cold, and his eyes became gloomy.

He sat there for a long time before finally speaking in a deep voice:
“I won’t sit idly by and wait to die, otherwise I wouldn’t have come to you today.”

"Yes, we won't just sit here and wait to die."

Daning is a desolate place, but we've lived here for generations.

Now that the imperial court has arrived, a military command has been established.

They divided our land into military settlements, and took away our fertile fields.

So after working for over a century, we've gained nothing?

Duan Zhengze chuckled lightly:
"Didn't they also give him the official title of a wealthy landowner?"

"Bullshit about being a rich man!"

"Without this official title, would people stop calling me Master Mi when I go out?"

Mi Bin's voice suddenly rose, clearly hitting a nerve.

Duan Zhengze laughed and nodded repeatedly:

"That's the truth."

"My family, the Mi family, is taking back the fertile land that rightfully belongs to us."
It's absurd that they've even been accused of buying land that the imperial court was cultivating.
"That land originally belonged to the Mi family!" Duan Zhengze suddenly said.
"It was indeed the imperial court that sent people to cultivate the land; the laborers were all soldiers."

“That’s also my Mi family’s land. Whether or not it’s cultivated is up to me.”

The imperial court is now hypocritically trying to cultivate the land.
Then they distributed a few acres of land, and even said it was out of imperial grace.
They're doing things that cut off people's livelihoods!

Mi Bin spoke eloquently, his face flushed, and he was extremely agitated.

"Brother Mi, don't get agitated."

I asked you to come today.
They were discussing how to deal with Lu Yunyi together, not bringing up old grievances.

Over the years, you've received a lot of benefits from the military command, at least you've gained fertile land for free.

Although Mr. Mi felt wronged,

But the imperial court saw it differently.

Now, the enemy is right in front of us.
We need to figure out a solution quickly; we can't just give in like this.

Duan Zhengze's expression suddenly turned strange, and he said in a deep voice:
"Lu Yunyi once said something that I think makes a lot of sense."

"Why are you starting to support him too?" Mi Bin asked, looking up.

"No, it makes perfect sense."

"What?"

"To stop war with war, peace will prevail when war ceases. To seek peace through concession, peace will be destroyed when concession reaches its extreme."

"What's the meaning."

"It means that true peace can only be achieved through war and struggle."

Peace gained through constant concessions is not true tranquility.

Duan Zhengze's voice was ethereal, and his eyes were sunken.

Mi Bin's pupils contracted slightly, and his expression turned somewhat strange.

He was stunned for a long time, then suddenly laughed:

"Hehehe. That actually makes some sense."

Back when the imperial court came to Daming,
We tolerated everything, thinking that we could avoid conflict and live a better life in the future.

But now, the fertile fields are gone, the tribe is gone.

Instead, he became a mysterious wealthy man, which is truly outrageous!

My brother has told me more than once,

They shouldn't have agreed to the court's conditions in the first place; they should have continued to fight against the court.

Unfortunately, at that time, Feng Sheng's army was pressing in.
We are not united, we dare not fight, we don't even dare to have the thought of resistance.

Duan Zhengze laughed.

The Da Ning Military Command was established in the twentieth year of the Hongwu reign (1380).
At that time, the imperial court was at war with Nahachu, and the commander of the army was none other than Duke Feng Sheng of Song.

That battle not only subdued Nahachu,
This also deterred the various tribes of Daming, and incidentally, a military command was established.

Duan Zhengze waved his hand: "Alright, let's not talk about the past."

If you made the wrong choice back then, then choose again.

Brother Mi, what do you think is the best way to deal with this new magistrate?

Mi Bin replied, "How can we deal with him? He's trying to cut off our roots; we can only fight him!"

"Okay, how do we fight?"
He had 5,000 elite soldiers under his command, as well as many garrison commanders.

Within the military command, even Lord Zhou couldn't control him without the support of Beiping.
What can we use to fight him?

"What do you mean? Are you telling me to back down?" Mi Bin looked at Duan Zhengze with a serious expression.

Duan Zhengze shook his head:
"No, strike the snake at its vital point."

Our strength is no match for Lu Yunyi's, but his influence is far less than ours.

If we can join forces with the other families in the city to spread rumors and cause trouble, Lu Yunyi will definitely be under a lot of pressure.

Then we'll negotiate with him.
"At least let him maintain the status quo, what do you think?"

"That's all?" Mi Bin said thoughtfully, then continued:

"Lu Yunyi comes from a military background. Do you think he would be afraid of these rumors?"

Whether he's afraid or not is another matter.
But it is enough that we make the people of Daning City and the Commandery fear him.

"After all, we just want to maintain the current situation, not really want to kill him," Duan Zhengze said bluntly.

He continued:

"But before that, Kuang Xiaofei cannot fall into Lu Yunyi's hands again."

Over the years, he has done a lot of things for me, and he has helped cover up many documents.

As long as Lu Yunyi has him under his control, he can continuously obtain evidence.

Mi Bin's face darkened, and after a long while, he quietly made a throat-slitting gesture, his eyes questioning.

Duan Zhengze nodded slightly: "Now that things have come to this, this is the only way."

Mi Bin suddenly let out a long sigh:

"I don't quite agree with what Brother Duan said about spreading rumors in the city."

But I agree with killing Kuang Xiaofei.

"I'll arrange for people to do it, and I'll make sure everything goes smoothly."

Seeing his certainty, Duan Zhengze couldn't help but become suspicious and asked:
"Who do you plan to send to carry out the operation?"
Kuang Xiaofei was imprisoned in the government office, where there were definitely elite soldiers guarding it.

Even if there are insiders in the government office, killing someone won't be easy.

Mi Bin suddenly laughed:

"The person I've found this time will definitely make Lu Yunyi hesitate to act, putting him in a difficult position."

"Oh? Who is it?"

Mi Bin turned around, lifted the curtain of the private room, and looked at the guards outside:
"Bring them in."

A short while later, the curtain was lifted.

A burly man wearing a fox fur coat walked in.

He sat down by the fireplace without any hesitation, and the snowflakes on his head gradually melted.

Mi Bin introduced to Duan Zhengze:
“Brother Duan, this is Urigen, the cousin of Marshal Doyan Tuoluhuchaer.”

"Oh?"

Duan Zhengze's eyes shone brightly, and he instantly understood Mi Bin's intention.

"You want him to do this?"

Mi Bin nodded:

“Urigen arrived before Lu Yunyi came to Daning and met with me.”

The original plan was to discuss buying some grain and ironware.

But now, we need to protect ourselves first and discuss how to survive in Daning City.

Duan Zhengze looked at Wurigen.

He had a rugged appearance and was only in his early twenties, exuding a sense of impulsiveness and recklessness.

"Does Marshal Duoyan know that you've done this?"

Urigen glanced at Duan Zhengze indifferently:
"My older brother's wrists ache terribly every winter."

He hated Lu Yunyi to the core, wishing he could drink his blood and eat his flesh.

"Then I don't know."

Duan Zhengze nodded thoughtfully, glancing at Mi Bin with a subtle look.

Their eyes met, and they understood each other perfectly without saying a word.

This Urigen in front of us is simple-minded; we'll use him if he's useful.

Regardless of the outcome, it will only annoy Lu Yunyi.

Mi Bin then laughed, took a pot of wine, poured it into a porcelain bowl, and said:

"Brother Wurigen, have a pot of wine first to warm yourselves up."

Since we have a common enemy, we should unite in our hatred of that enemy.

Urgen's stern expression softened somewhat.

He downed the wine in the pot in one gulp and said in a deep, muffled voice:
"I brought about a hundred brothers, all of whom were skilled soldiers."

Where is the person I'm supposed to kill? Tell me, and after I've killed him, I'll take the food and ironware with me.

"No problem, no problem. I'll send someone to tell you where they are later."

I'll send you a batch of grain and ironware first; brothers, Urgen, please accept them.

"We'll take action tonight; my men will cooperate with you."

Mi Bin smiled warmly, showing none of the cunning and calculating look he had just displayed.

Duan Zhengze nodded repeatedly:

“I have some trusted confidants in the government office, and I will have them cooperate.”

Tonight, no matter what, we must succeed!

Urgen had no objection, he simply nodded:

“You Ming people are no good; we have to be the ones to kill someone.”

The two were taken aback, exchanged another glance, smiled slightly, and did not refute.

(End of this chapter)