In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 689 The Jurchens number over ten thousand, and unexpected complications arise.

The shouting stopped abruptly, and the sound of the raging wind took over again.

Lu Yunyi stood in the wind and snow, with rice-grain-sized ice particles hitting his body with a soft pattering sound.

The two Jurchen women had already held their breath.

He bit his lip hard with his teeth, and blood instantly seeped out.
His eyes also turned blood red instantly, clearly unable to bear the excruciating pain of having his arms severed.

They stared blankly at the strange man before them, their hearts filled with extreme fear.

"Strange, a Yeti."

Lu Yunyi frowned slightly as he listened to their somewhat broken Mandarin.
A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.
When will the Jurchen people be able to understand the official language of the Ming Dynasty?
"Which department are you from?" Lu Yunyi asked coldly.

"Ula Tribe"

One of them spoke, trembling.
My emotions have calmed down somewhat, probably because I've realized that the person in front of me is not a Yeti.

Hurrah?

As Lu Yunyi felt a sense of unease, his brows furrowed even deeper.

The Ula tribe was one of the four tribes of the Hulun, belonging to the Haixi Jurchen.

It is very close to the Doyan Three Guards and Liaodong.

Moreover, they were quite powerful and often clashed with Liaodong and surrounding tribes.

If it were the Haixi Jurchens, who could speak Mandarin, then it would make some sense.

But why would the Haixi Jurchens be here?

As the investigation deepened, Lu Yunyi felt that the fog in front of him not only did not lessen, but became even thicker, making it difficult for him to see clearly.

Lu Yunyi looked at Feng Yunfang and his guards who had followed him:

"Interrogate them separately."

"Yes!"

The two were dragged to the ground under two completely different trees.

The blood flowing from the severed arms had barely dripped down when it turned into icy slush, and the wounds were rapidly freezing.
The two men's faces grew increasingly pale, suggesting they wouldn't live much longer.

While the two were being interrogated, Lu Yunyi searched the belongings of the remaining three.
Apart from some dry food and water, there was nothing to prove their identity.

"That's really strange."

Lu Yunyi looked in the northeast direction from which they had come, pondered for a moment, and quickly made a decision.

The snow fell heavily, despite the trees blocking its path.
But in less than fifteen minutes, the mess left by the battle was smoothed over by the wind and snow.

It wasn't that the snowfall was heavy enough, but rather that the wind blew snow from elsewhere to this area, filling the gullies.

Both of them died from excessive blood loss.

"My lord, these two are soldiers under the command of the Ula tribe's thousand-man unit."
They were the ones who followed the clan leaders out to raid and fight against the Bai Song tribe and others.

They are currently stationed northeast of Haramuren, numbering approximately one thousand.

Feng Yunfang's expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice,
"This time, the Ula tribe sent a total of 4,000 troops, but they don't know where the other 3,000 are."

"Four thousand people? What about the other three departments?"

Lu Yunyi frowned and asked,

"Reporting to you, sir, they are unaware of this."

Lu Yunyi's lips twitched, revealing a hint of mockery:
"What a strange thing, the Jurchen barbarians are invading the border."

So far, they haven't seen a single savage, but instead have encountered a well-organized army of the Haixi Jurchens.

It seems we were right; someone is indeed trying to mislead us.

Liaodong is simply too amazing.

"Go back first, gather ten squads, and make a total of thirty people."
We'll head northeast that night to see how the Haixi Jurchens were organized.

"Yes!"

A day passes in the blink of an eye.

In a secluded cave on the south side of Haramulin, a pre-arranged meeting point was set up.

As evening approached, many scouts from the forward scout unit began to converge on this spot.

Firewood was burning inside the cave, and the entrance had been blocked by a makeshift fence made of weeds.
Leave a ventilation gap; it's wonderfully warm inside.
However, a black bear with an arrow stuck in its head at the end of the cave was a bit of an eyesore.

Lu Yunyi sat by the campfire, wearing a cotton coat, carefully examining the information collected by various departments that day.

The words flowed into my mind one by one, and the information began to be summarized at the fastest speed.

One red nail after another was driven into the map in my mind.

These red nails were stationed along the Huanghe River, and each red nail represented a gathering place of the Jurchen people.

In a daze, the entire Jurchen people had severed the connection between the Doyan Three Guards and the Liaodong of Daning!

"What are they trying to do? Are they going to fight the Three Guards of Doyan or attack Liaodong?"

Lu Yunyi's eyes were filled with surprise and uncertainty.

Such a dangerous arrangement could easily lead to being attacked from both sides if not handled carefully.

At that time, the elite troops of the Haixi Jurchens would be destroyed in an instant.

Lu Yunyi felt that even the Jurchen barbarians would not have arranged such a foolish military formation.

But the information we gathered was exactly what was arranged.

At that moment, the gate was pushed open again, and Lu Yunyi looked over.
Qin Yuanfang, dressed in a snow-white cotton coat and covered in snow, walked in.

"Take off his clothes."

Lu Yunyi waved his hand, and two scouts immediately stepped forward.
They helped Qin Yuanfang take off his heavy backpack and clothes.

A short while later, Qin Yuanfang, dressed in black armor, walked over to the torch and sat down, saying in a deep voice:
"My lord, I am located on the south side of Haramuren."
A large camp was discovered right next to the Liaodong border.

"The main camp? How many people are there?" Lu Yunyi asked.

"There are over two hundred military tents, with at least a thousand men stationed there," Qin Yuanfang replied.

After listening, Lu Yunyi fell into thought, took the temporary map handed to him by Feng Yunfang, and drew a huge red nail on the south side of Halamulin.

Qin Yuanfang turned his gaze over, and was immediately startled:
"Sir, so many?"

Lu Yunyi nodded solemnly:

"Based on the current testimonies and investigations,
The Jurchen population had reached nearly ten thousand, of which the Haixi Jurchen comprised four thousand.

"Ten thousand people?" Qin Yuanfang was stunned.

"My lord, wasn't it supposed to be the Savage Jurchen? How did it become the Haixi Jurchen?"

"You ask me, who should I ask?"

Lu Yunyi rolled his eyes at him.
"Fortunately, just to be on the safe side, we've come to investigate first."
Otherwise, if we hastily lead our troops in, it will likely be a bitter battle.

The scouts around them nodded, still shaken.

Marching through such heavy snow is difficult enough, but if they get surrounded, their chances of survival are slim.

"My lord, I think we should retreat back to Quanning Guard first."

Judging by the timeline, it's almost mid-March now. The snow should have stopped by now. Let's come back when it stops snowing.

Qin Yuanfang spoke in a deep voice.
As the leader of the scouts,
His advice on military matters was even more effective than that of some military staff officers.

Lu Yunyi nodded slightly:
"You're right, waiting for the snow to stop is the right decision."

So you can bring your people to rest here.

I'll take thirty men to check out the camp in the northeast, to assess their strength and weaknesses. We'll return when I come back.

Qin Yuanfang suddenly stood up:
"My lord, I'll go with you."

“No need. You’re exhausted from just getting back. Find a brother who’s in good shape to come with me.”

"Three people per group, nothing serious will happen."

Lu Yunyi patted his shoulder, then looked at the brothers in the cave and said in a deep voice:

"Get dressed, and under the cover of darkness, we'll sneak up there."

"Yes!"

Feng Yunfang stood up straight, her heart pounding.
There's a mix of trepidation and excitement about embracing the unknown!
In the stillness of the night, the moon over the grassland seemed exceptionally bright.
Even with the clouds obscuring the view, the jungle was brightly lit.
It made Lu Yunyi feel as if he had returned to Qingzhou.

On a clear summer day in Gyeongju...
The moonlight at night can illuminate the entire city.

Walking through it, you can see the bluestone slabs on the road without even carrying a lantern.

Now, the group is walking in the jungle.
There was no candlelight.

You can also clearly see the thick snow on the ground and the silvery-white sand.

The heavy snowfall had long since stopped, and only the biting cold wind blew by, but the group didn't care. They split into ten groups and explored forward at predetermined intervals.

Lu Yunyi was in the center, and he would occasionally look up at the sky and the direction in which the trees grew in order to determine his direction.

After repeatedly correcting their course, the team at the very front suddenly stopped and raised their command flags!

Almost instantly, all thirty people stopped abruptly.
He dropped to the ground with lightning speed.

The jungle fell silent, as if no one was there.

Before long, the sound of footsteps came from not far away!
Ten warhorses carrying heavily armed soldiers strolled past them.

Moonlight filtering through the leaves,
You can see their dark brown leather armor and thick felt hats!

Everyone held their breath as they walked past.

After they left, Lu Yunyi waved his command flag, signaling a group to stay behind and record the patrol time in order to estimate the patrol area.

The three people on the far side waved their command flags to indicate that they understood.

Then the three of them separated.

One person stayed on the ground, while the other two climbed the tree!

"Everyone disperse and proceed as you see fit. Retreat in half an hour!"

Lu Yunyi continued waving the command flag, and the squad scattered in all directions.

He then led Feng Yunfang and Gong Xianzhi and sped off ahead.

This time, they didn't skimp on speed.

There was a brief lull in the patrol of Jurchens!

After charging forward for about fifteen minutes, Lu Yunyi waved his hand, and the three of them came to an abrupt stop!

Lu Yunyi looked at the slightly raised patch of snow ahead, pulled a probing pole from his backpack, and extended it.
With a "bang," the snow in front of them seemed to explode, springing away in an instant.

A wooden trap with spikes snapped the probe in two!

Feng Yunfang's pupils suddenly contracted.
Suddenly looking at the other ground, the flat, white snowfield before him was filled with murderous intent!
"Put on your leg armor, be careful."

Lu Yunyi remained calm as he pulled out four semi-circular leg guards made of refined iron from his backpack.

Then they stood there, fastened the two pieces together, and tied them to their legs!

The same applies to Feng Yunfang and Gong Xianzhi.
A look of relief flashed in their eyes. Fortunately, they had prepared well enough; otherwise, they really wouldn't know how to get through this stretch of road.

After fastening his leg braces, Feng Yunfang lifted his feet to look at them; his military boots were also specially made.

The soles of their shoes were made of soft iron and rattan, which allowed them to remain unharmed even if they stepped on sharp spikes.

"Continue on, watch out for traps all around."

"Yes!"

The three continued on their way, walking for about three miles.
After passing through a dense forest and wading through eight animal traps, we finally saw the Jurchen camp!
The camp was situated in a slightly open clearing in the woods.
A simple fence was formed around the perimeter using sturdy wooden stakes.

Animal hides hung on the fence, swaying slightly in the wind and making a rustling sound.

Inside the fence, rows of low tents were set up in a neat and orderly fashion.

The path was covered with a thick layer of snow, but no one was clearing it, making it look somewhat messy and disorganized.

The gate at the entrance to the camp was extremely simple.
Two large doors, pieced together from wooden planks, stood crookedly, the gaps between them wide enough to fit an arm.
The few remaining crossbeams were teetering on the brink of collapse, as if they might break at any moment.

On either side of the gate stood two Jurchen women wrapped in thick fur coats.

He was sitting on the ground, fast asleep, with his back against the camp fence.

Two other Jurchen soldiers leaned lazily against the wooden stake.
With a stalk of grass in its mouth, spitting out saliva from time to time, and with a dazed look in its eyes,
Clearly, they did not consider guarding the camp gate an important matter.

Their leather armor was covered in grime, and dried bloodstains clung to the seams, making them look old and shabby.

Moreover, their armor was only half-armor, and their lower body was covered with thick cotton trousers, which looked quite comical.

In the center of the camp, a large cauldron was steaming.

Several Jurchen women sat around a pot, holding large chunks of meat in their hands.

They were eating heartily while making a lot of noise.

Their faces were covered in grease, their hair was disheveled, and their clothes were rumpled.

The broth in the pot was bubbling and boiling, with a thick layer of oil and debris floating on top.

Lu Yunyi looked through the binoculars for a while.

I couldn't help but frown.
How can meat be made like this?
Further away, through the half-open tent door,

You can see a group of Jurchens gambling.

They shouted loudly and banged on the table.

Looking at the few bones on the table, his eyes revealed greed and excitement.

In the entire camp, only the few warhorses tied to the trees looked somewhat respectable.
The fur was neatly combed, and neatly piled hay was placed to the side.

Lu Yunyi frowned slightly and said in a low voice:
"The military discipline was lax, and it looked like a temporary encampment without rigorous training."

Feng Yunfang nodded and responded in a low voice:
"In this state, if there is an enemy attack, it will probably fall into chaos."

Gong Xianzhi, with piercing eyes, stared at a tent inside the camp and said:
"Judging from the size and location of that tent, it must be where their leader is."

Lu Yunyi nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the entire camp as he quickly made plans in his mind.

This type of loosely disciplined military camp,
Although they are numerous, a surprise attack might have unexpected results.

However, their purpose in this trip was merely to investigate the situation, and they should not act rashly.

"Remember the layout of the camp and the guard situation. Draw it out when you get back. Retreat in half a quarter of an hour," Lu Yunyi instructed in a low voice.

Feng Yunfang and Gong Xianzhi responded.
He carefully examined the camp ahead.

Half an hour later, the three of them quietly retreated and put the animal trap back in place.

Half an hour later, the group returned one after another from the cave on the south side of Halamulin.

Lu Yunyi waited at the door, and when he saw a soldier limping back, a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes.

When the soldier saw him standing at the door, he immediately lowered his head.
Even the two soldiers supporting him didn't dare to look up.

"Today's trap is made of wood, so it won't break a leg. But if it were made of iron, would half a leg be left here?"

Lu Yunyi spoke without any politeness, hands on his hips, with a half-smile.

"grown ups."

"Reflect on your actions carefully, and if it happens again, you will be removed from the scout team."

"Yes"

After all thirty people had returned,
Lu Yunyi had just crawled into the cave and blocked the entrance with a makeshift wooden door.

"Rest for an hour, then leave this place at the beginning of Chou hour and return to Quanningwei."

"Yes!"

Liaodong Military Command, 30,000 guards!

Even at night, the place remains brightly lit.

However, the 30,000 guards looked somewhat desolate amidst the pure white snow.

This was because both the houses and the outer camps showed signs of burning and scorching.

On the official road to the south, hurried footsteps slowly began to sound.

Tiny sparks appeared at the edge of the horizon.
As time passed, a long line of lights quietly appeared.
What's even more impressive are the Tianjin garrison soldiers in black armor with resolute faces standing beneath the long line!

They traveled a long way
The 30,000 guards have finally arrived in the northernmost part of Liaodong today!
Huang Ying was in the vanguard and could see the camp of the 30,000 guards from a great distance.
He glanced at her for a moment, then nodded almost imperceptibly.
Whether it's the marks of flames or the messy knife marks on the house,
Unsurprisingly, all of this indicates that a fierce battle has taken place here!

This not only relieved Huang Yingzhi,
Yao Xiujie, who was following beside him, let out a long sigh, finally relieved.

"My lord, we've finally arrived."

"Um"

Huang Yingzhi looked back and saw Mei Yi, the Liaodong Commander, in the central command position.

Although it's not clear

But he felt that this Marquis of Runan, Mei Yi, was not simple.

At this moment, a group of men rushed out from the Thirty Thousand Guards.
The leader was in his forties, wearing tattered armor.
He dismounted and bowed deeply.
"Shi Jianu, the Vice Commander of the 30,000 Guards, may I ask if you are General Huang?"

Huang Yingzhi rode up and looked him up and down:
"I, Huang Yingzhi, have been ordered to rush to Liaodong's aid. Where is your commander, Xu Cheng?"

Shi Jianu's face stiffened, and he bowed even lower:
"Reporting to General Huang, Commander Xu was mortally wounded in the previous battle and died."

"what?"

Huang Yingzhi frowned and gripped the jade pendant at his waist tightly.
(End of this chapter)