In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 636 Digging Three Feet Deep, Finding Clues

As night deepened, the Mi Mansion on Yining Street was enveloped in a thick, inky darkness.

In the study in the backyard, the dim candlelight flickered erratically through the window.

A hunched and aged figure came into view.

The figure paced back and forth, revealing anxiety.

Inside, the stove emitted waves of heat, a stark contrast to the icy, snowy landscape outside.

Mi Chen paced back and forth in the warm air, his forehead already covered in fine beads of sweat.

He kept folding his hands together.
Sometimes he clenched his fists tightly, sometimes he slapped his thighs.
He kept muttering to himself, his nerves on edge.

In the midst of this oppressive atmosphere, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.

The howling wind and snow should have drowned out this faint sound.
But those hurried steps struck Mi Chen's heartstrings one by one.

The candlelight cast a shadow on the door, but before Mi Chen could ask anything,
"Knock knock knock!" Three knocks sounded on the door.

Mi Chen suddenly looked up, a glint of expectation flashing in his eyes.
He rushed to the door and yanked it open.

The butler suddenly appeared at the door.

His face was full of emotion, and his eyes even welled up with tears:
"Master, the Second Master is back!"

Mi Chen's pale face instantly turned bright red, and his eyes flashed with a dazzling light.

His voice trembled uncontrollably:

"came back?"

"He's back. He's in the main hall now, and he has some injuries."

The butler's voice was filled with excitement, but also with a hint of apprehension.

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Let's go, let's go see."

Mi Chen couldn't wait any longer; as if he had wings on his feet, he was about to step out of the study without a care in the world.

Seeing his hurried departure, the steward rushed into the house, grabbed a fox fur coat, and quickly followed after him.

The two figures quickly disappeared into the night.

Only the open study door remained, creaking in the cold wind.

Meanwhile, inside the Beiping Regional Military Commission's office, a completely different scene unfolded.

Lu Yunyi was completely absorbed in working on the blueprints in his hands.

On the large table, all the documents had already been removed.
Instead, it has many oddly shaped parts.

They are of different shapes and arranged in a staggered manner.

Lu Yunyi frowned, his eyes filled with doubt.
He kept assembling the parts, sometimes bringing two parts close together to compare them.

Sometimes he would shake his head and separate them, trying to find the best combination.

Just then, the door to the yamen creaked open and was suddenly pushed open.

A biting cold wind howled in, carrying snowflakes.

Liu Heiying, clad in armor, stood tall and straight at the doorway.

The snow still clinging to their clothes brought a chilling atmosphere to the room.

Lu Yunyi was startled and almost dropped the part in his hand.
He looked up and immediately started cursing:
"You scared me to death! You're so jumpy!"

Liu Heiying trembled as he hurried into the house and quickly closed the door.

He then vigorously shook the snow off his body.

Snowflakes fluttered down.

Lu Yunyi put the parts in his hand aside.
Leaning back in his chair, a questioning glint in his eyes:
"How about it?"

"Brother Yun'er, things went smoothly, and Mi Bin has been released."

As Liu Heiying brushed the snow off his clothes, he spoke.
His tone carried a hint of ease.

After a while, he sat down opposite the desk, his expression suddenly becoming serious, and said in a deep voice:

"Brother Yun'er, Lu Cha'er has been captured."
Should they be executed immediately or questioned?
I always felt that so many troops were being moved around.

That Torukchaer couldn't possibly be unaware of it; he might even be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Lu Yunyi's expression was calm, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

Make a rhythmic "da da" sound,

After a moment's thought, he slowly answered:
"Kill them all, leave no survivors, and dispose of the bodies properly."

Let's pretend they never came or showed up.

Although Liu Heiying hesitated, he still nodded: "Okay."

Lu Yunyi then explained:

Last year, the elite of the three guards of Duoyan were all lost.
This year, we cobbled together so many seemingly elite troops from various sources.

Now that the last of the elite troops are dead, they are no longer a concern.

It's still the same old story; letting the three guards of Duoyan continue to eke out a living is the only proper course of action.

If you slap someone,
It wouldn't be good to force him to endure humiliation and strive for self-improvement.

Liu Heiying's expression was slightly grave:
“Brother Yun’er, I always feel that the Duoyan Three Guards are a hidden danger.”

"Such forced bonding will inevitably lead to hidden dangers."

But for the current situation in Daning
A united and intelligent enemy is far better than a scattered and stupid one.

If this matter completely weakens the Duoyan Guard...

Torukhur was punished.
The fact that the three guards of Duoyan are starting to fight amongst themselves is not good for the subsequent progress.

To reiterate, if killing could solve the problem...
The three guards of Duoyan have been dead eight hundred times over.

When dealing with these grassland people, winning their hearts and minds is the best approach.

As Lu Yunyi spoke, he picked up the parts again and continued tinkering.

"I understand, Brother Yun'er. I'll go kill Lu Cha'er right now."

Liu Heiying suddenly stood up and turned to leave.

"Do things cleanly, act like nothing happened."

"Yes!"

After Liu Heiying left, Lu Yunyi looked at the table full of parts.
He sighed softly and muttered to himself:
"How did this happen?"

The following morning, the whole world was still shrouded in a hazy darkness.
Yang Shiqi, still half-asleep and wearing a large hat, arrived at the military headquarters yawning.

As the year draws to a close, the days grow longer and longer.
Even when it was time to go to the yamen,

The sky remained shrouded in a thick black curtain, devoid of light.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the military headquarters, he immediately spotted the group of people waiting there.

He couldn't help but murmur "Hmm?" in his mind, and then let out a soft "Eh."

If I remember correctly, these people in front of me...

They should be the guards of the Three Guards of Duoyan.

In the past, the commanders of the Three Guards of Doyan would arrive at the capital to discuss matters before dawn.

Why are you here so early today?

Upon entering the military headquarters, Yang Shiqi immediately spotted several patrolling guards standing in the courtyard.
They all had wary eyes, keeping a close watch on everyone passing by.

Their tense demeanor, as if facing a formidable enemy, filled the air with a sense of urgency.

The strange atmosphere deepened his doubts.
What happened? Could it be that the Three Guards of Doyan have rebelled?

Filled with questions, he wandered around and finally arrived at the backyard cafeteria.

Once inside, he stood on tiptoe to see what was for breakfast.

When I saw those crystal-clear tea eggs with black patterns on them...

Yang Shiqi quickened his pace and a hint of joy appeared on his lips.

Holding the tray, he ladled out a large bowl of thin porridge.
I took four tea eggs and two large meat buns and left the food area happily.

A quick glance
He saw Wu Su'an sitting in the corner and walked over to her.

Wu Su'an was drinking a bowl of millet porridge when suddenly everything went dark.
I looked up and saw Yang Shiqi's bright smile.

Although the person in front of me does not hold any official position.
But everyone in the military command knew that this was someone that Lord Lu and General Liu valued, and that he was currently undergoing rigorous training.

Wu Su'an quickly put on a warm smile:

"Mr. Yang."

Yang Shiqi smiled and nodded:

"Lord Wu, you've arrived so early?"

"Hey, come earlier. It's almost the end of the year, and all the documents in the Commandery need to be sorted out."
Some more need to be sent to Yingtian.

If anything goes wrong, the Governor's Office might send a letter reprimanding us.

"Oh? Is there a problem with the documents?"

Yang Shiqi drowned two tea eggs with porridge.
Watching them tumble in the porridge, a feeling of satisfaction welled up inside me.

Wu Su'an didn't hide anything, and sighed heavily:

"There's a big problem; the documents left by Lord Kuang are incoherent."
Some quantities don't match up no matter how I count them, and I even suspect they were made up on the spot.

These all need to be remade.

Otherwise, if we base our planning for next year on the current numbers, something terrible is bound to happen sooner or later.

Yang Shiqi conducted calculations and inventories of supplies in the military.

Knowing how big of a job this was, I couldn't help but feel some sympathy for him.

He did not continue recounting such painful matters, but instead asked:

"Lord Wu, what happened at the Commandery today?"
Why is the atmosphere so strange? It's so quiet and deserted.

Wu Su'an felt a chill run down her spine, but quickly relaxed.
He glanced around indifferently, leaned closer, and whispered:
"I heard that a commander of the Duoyan Guard has gone missing in the city."

"Disappeared?" Yang Shiqi stood there dumbfounded, half a tea egg dangling from his mouth, his eyes filled with shock.

Inside the office of Tan Wei, the Vice Commander-in-Chief,
Tuoluhuchar paced anxiously among them.
He walked quickly and frantically, as if he were stepping on burning coals.

Tan Wei finally arrived, albeit late.

He hurried forward, his voice tinged with urgency and unease:
"Lord Tan!"

Tan Wei was startled to find someone else in his office.
His face darkened instantly, and he said in an unfriendly tone:
"It's you. What are you doing in my office?"

Tuoluhuchaer hurriedly explained:
"My lord, one of my commanders, a chiliarch, has gone missing."

Nearly three hundred of his soldiers also went missing.

Tan Wei frowned, casting his gaze over with suspicion in his eyes:
"Ran away?"

"grown ups!"

Tuoluhuchaer, enraged, quickly spoke up to stop him:

"Luchar has lived in the Doyan tribe for generations."

His family, friends, and relatives are all within the clan.
Even if he wanted to run, where could he run to?

Tan Wei nodded absently:

"I see. Have you searched both inside and outside the city?"

"My men have been searching, but they haven't found a trace of it all morning."
We would like to request that Lord Tan mobilize the city's garrison to help us search."

"Hmm, it's strange that a commander has gone missing."
"I can find someone, but I need Lord Lu's decree before I can act."

"here!"

Tuoluhuchaer quickly handed over the document in his hand and even unfolded it considerately.

Tan Wei took the document, glanced at it, and nodded slightly.

Then he picked up the large seal beside him, stamped it, and handed the document back:

"Alright, the city defense troops will search the city today."

Later, someone will come and ask Luchar about his appearance and where he went last.
"I request that Lord Tuoluhuchaer gather those who know the truth."

"Very well, thank you, sir! I'll take my leave now!"

Tuoluhuchaer bowed deeply with the document in his hand, then quickly left.

Leaving the yamen, the cold wind that rushed towards him calmed his panic slightly. His expression was somewhat bewildered as he muttered to himself:

"Luchar has always acted impulsively."

Although he promised me yesterday that we would take action next year.
But... it's hard to say whether they're just trying to fool me.

After much thought, Tuoluhuchar turned his gaze to the document in his hand.
It bears the seal of the Deputy Commander-in-Chief.
He stared blankly at the red seal, lost in thought.

Time flies, and two days have passed in the blink of an eye.
Although the Liao King and his entourage had completed many important tasks for the military command, they still did not leave.

The atmosphere inside the command post became increasingly eerie.

Tuoluhuchaer stood in the yamen,

Peering through the crack at the numerous officials hurrying to and fro outside, his face was terribly gloomy.

Luchar disappeared without a trace.
The city's garrison searched every building in the city, but still couldn't find a trace of him.
This gave him a sense of foreboding.

King Azashili of Liao sat at the back, sipping his tea gently, and spoke softly:
"I think it's best to forget about figuring out Luchar's matter in a short time."

They just disappeared without a trace, without any clue whatsoever.

They either ran away without permission, or they're buried somewhere.

Prince Huining sat to the side, completely at ease.
He nodded slightly and tugged at his beard.

"Hasn't Luchar been vying for power with you all along?"

Now that he's gone, it's good for you too.

Tuoluhuchaer suddenly turned his head, his sharp eyes piercing through.
Prince Huining's face stiffened, and he stopped abruptly before he could finish speaking.

Tuoluhuchaer snorted coldly:
Even if the two of us don't get along
But that's an internal matter for the Duoyan tribe, and it has nothing to do with anyone else!
Now he has mysteriously disappeared with his clan's elite troops.

If this matter isn't thoroughly investigated, what will others think of us?
They might think we're easy to bully!

Upon hearing this, King Azashili of Liao had a different opinion, and he slowly shook his head:
"Torhuchaer, you are still young, there is no need to be so impatient."

The opinions of others are not important to the current Duoyan Trilogy.

Once we regain our former strength, others will naturally look up to us.
Now, because of Luchar's actions, the city is in complete chaos.
It's really brought us a lot of bad reputation.

Toruqchar's attitude towards this elderly Liao king was relatively kind:
"What can we do? Just let it go and pretend nothing happened?"
A commander of a thousand men led his elite troops and vanished without a trace?

"Hey~"

King Azashili of Liao clapped his hands and said decisively:

"That's the problem. A commander has disappeared, yet the military commander can still sit still. What does that tell us?"

Tuoluhuchaer stood there, stunned.
For the past two days, he has been frantically searching for people with his men.

They searched inside and outside the city, and even further afield, but found no trace of it.

But it seems that Du Si is not in a hurry to find someone.

At this moment, Prince Huining, Haisanan Daxi, frowned and rolled his eyes:
"What else can it prove? It just means the Commander doesn't value us."

The King of Liao glanced at him helplessly, as if he disdained to associate with him:

"If we didn't value it, would we have been given three trial planting slots for sweet potatoes?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Huining frowned and gasped softly.
"yes."

Tuoluhuchaer then spoke:
"You mean, the commander knows where Luchar went?"

King Azashili of Liao nodded repeatedly:

"Otherwise, it simply doesn't make sense."

No matter what, Lu Cha'er was a registered commander of a thousand households under the command of the military, and he received a salary every year.

"They've just disappeared like that; the Commander-in-Chief should be more worried than we are."

Tuoluhuchaer frowned, thinking about it carefully and it seemed to make sense.

"Then I'll go find Lord Lu Yun and ask him?"

Tuoluhuchaer suddenly spoke.

"What are you looking for? We've been looking for two days and haven't found it."

It's obvious the commander doesn't want us to know the truth.

After saying that, the King of Liao curled his lip:
"I think there's something similar to the disappearance of Luchar and Urigen."
Nothing happened, everything was the same, but the person was gone.

Upon hearing this, Tuoluhuchaer stood rooted to the spot, lost in thought.
Soon, the fog in his mind was cleaved apart by a bolt of lightning.

He walked quickly to the clothes rack, picked up the robe, and hurriedly left.

"Where are you going?"

The Liao King felt the cold wind whistling as the door opened and asked a question.

Tuoluhucha did not answer.

A quarter of an hour later, Tuoluhucha'er rode his horse to Yining Street.
At a glance, one could see the exceptionally spacious Mi Mansion, with its entrance area kept spotless.

The servants at the door saw him coming and quickly went to greet him.

Tuoluhuchar rushed in without a second thought.
Soon they saw Mi Chen hurrying out of the main hall.

"Sir, you came in such a hurry, why didn't you give me a heads-up? I could have come out to greet you."

Tuoluhuchaer spoke coldly:
"Stop talking nonsense, I have something to ask you."

After saying that, he shook off Mi Chen and walked straight into the main hall.

Before long, only the two of them were in the room. Tuoluhuchaer asked:
Has Lucchar come looking for you?

Mi Chen sat there somewhat blankly, his expression shifting several times before he nodded slightly.
"I have."

"What do you want with me?"

Mi Chen sat there, his expression unreadable:
"Like the adults, it's all about revenge."

He said his younger brother, Urgen, died under mysterious circumstances, and he must find the murderer and avenge him.
He even said he wanted to cooperate with the old man.

"call"

Tuoluhuchaer breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling as if he had finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel.

"You agreed?"

Mi Chen quickly shook his head:

"Of course not, sir, you previously rejected my suggestion."
After I returned, I thought about it carefully.
The person was imprisoned, but still alive.

Spring is still far away; we can try to pull some strings later and get them out.

As for those farmland properties
At most, the Mi family would suffer some setbacks, but it wouldn't hinder their wealth and prosperity.

Now, let alone Luchaer...

Even if an adult came to ask questions, this old man had no intention of continuing.

Tuoluhuchaer's breathing was slightly rapid.

For some reason, he always felt that his vision was blurry.
There's always a thin veil separating us from the truth.

"Luchar has disappeared, did you know?"

Mi Chen nodded: "I know."

"Where did he go?"

"do not know."

Tuoluhuchar suddenly laughed, feeling furious but helpless.
He now understands why the person he's been searching for for so long has never been found.
He stood up abruptly and gave Mi Chen a cold glance:
"If you find any trace of him, or if you remember anything, tell me."

Having said that, he strode out of the room.

The figure quickly disappeared at the end of the street.
Only Mi Chen remained, standing in the room for a long time.

(End of this chapter)