In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 713 The World's Largest Armory
As May approached, the strange weather in Daning City finally dissipated.
The weather has warmed up, and the thick dark clouds in the sky have thinned out considerably.

Fifty miles west of Daning City, Liu Heiying arrived at the location close to dusk.
The sky was getting dark, but the continuous lights along the official road dispelled the gloom.

Every time he made this trip, Liu Heiying felt a surge of joy in his heart.

The construction site stretches for nearly a hundred miles and is densely populated with nearly 20,000 people!

This is the largest fortification in Da Ning since the establishment of the military command, and also the fortification with the most participants.

Just seeing these lights filled Liu Heiying with a surge of pride.
This is what it means to achieve anything through human effort!

Liu Heiying dismounted, and the soldiers who had been waiting there rushed over, their expressions serious.
"Greetings, General Liu!"

Many of the laborers who were still splitting rocks and clearing the mountain turned their gazes toward Liu Heiying.
His eyes held a mixture of gratitude and awe.

They all knew that it was the two young officers, the Commander and his men, who had pushed this matter forward, which had given them such a stable livelihood.

Although the work was dirty and tiring, and the camp smelled terrible.

But they provide food and lodging and even pay you.

Such a good job is hard to find even inside the pass, let alone outside it.

They are now extremely angry about the frequent problems that are occurring at construction sites and on roads.

This is practically taking away their livelihood.
If we find out who did it, they will surely be skinned alive!

Now that Commander Du has arrived, they almost immediately stopped what they were doing and swarmed over.

They were talking all at once.

Some said they had someone they suspected, while others said they saw suspicious people.
Others said they saw will-o'-the-wisps at night.
The atmosphere suddenly became lively.

As faces drew closer,
Liu Heiying felt his head buzzing, and a sudden surge of irritation rose within him.

Taking a deep breath, Liu Heiying looked at the soldiers beside him and asked:

"Were their statements all recorded?"

The soldier looked somewhat embarrassed and said softly:

"Sir, there are too many people."

The chatter was chaotic, with hardly any truth in the words; most of it was hearsay and rumors.

Liu Heiying sighed and nodded slightly.

He stepped forward, pulled out a megaphone from his waist, and shouted:
"Fellow villagers, I have come here today to deal with the matter of the blocked road."

Don't worry, this won't affect your livelihood or your work.

Go back to work now, it's not time to wrap up yet.

This official intends to investigate the case alongside the soldiers; no one may disturb him.
Otherwise, you will be court-martialed!

From the initial warmth to the final seriousness,

The scene gradually quieted down, and the people looked at each other in bewilderment.

As if by unspoken agreement, they scattered with a loud bang.

They each picked up hoes, shovels, and wheelbarrows and got to work.

Liu Heiying breathed a sigh of relief.
Several major tasks are currently being carried out simultaneously by the Commandery.

The elite soldiers were not even within the command headquarters.
The ability to suppress opposition forces is thanks to these ordinary people.

It can be said that the 20,000 civilians who built the road were, to a certain extent, more useful than 20,000 elite soldiers!

At least, that's true in terms of public opinion.

"Take me to see the scene." Liu Heiying waved his hand and pointed ahead.

"Sir, please follow me."

The group of over a hundred people quickly passed through the construction site and barracks and arrived at the side of the official road.

At this moment, the once bare official road has been completely transformed.
Beside it, a road that is wider and smoother than the official road extends.

There were some laborers pulling something that looked like a stone millstone.

Roll it back and forth on top to solidify the foundation.

But before them, the smooth road came to an abrupt end.

A nearly three-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) gap appeared before them.
The compacted soil, stones, clay, and other building materials were all excavated.

It looks like the soil that has been turned over repeatedly before spring plowing.

Silvery-white pebbles were faintly visible among them.
The yellowish earth was covered with white frost, clearly frozen again.
Upon seeing this, Liu Heiying's eyes twitched violently, and a surge of anger welled up in his heart.

He knew the specific techniques for road construction.

The permafrost is the biggest obstacle to laying roads in winter.

If this permafrost isn't removed,

When the weather gets warmer, the permafrost thaws.

The road will become full of potholes in an instant!

The reason the repairs are progressing so slowly is largely due to the work being done on the permafrost.
Now, the foundation that was painstakingly laid has been overturned.
Liu Heiying was furious. He gritted his teeth and asked:
"Damn it, who did this?!"

Liu Heiying's gaze was icy as he abruptly turned his head.

Looking at the hundred or so people around him, his voice was cold and tinged with anger:
"Are you all just sitting around doing nothing?"

"The commander gives you so much money and treats you to good food and drink, yet you can't even keep an eye on a section of the road?"

"grown ups."

The centurion stepped forward to explain, but was interrupted by Liu Heiying raising his hand:

"Shut up."

"Hu Xiaowu!"

"My subordinate is here!"

All personnel were recorded and given a major demerit in the military.
The centurion will be fined two months' salary, and the banner commander will be fined one month's salary.
The rest of you will be fined half a month's salary. And if this happens again, you're all out of the army!

Hu Xiaowu pursed his lips, which were a little dry.

"Yes!"

The soldiers were terrified, heads bowed, not daring to utter a word.
The laborers unconsciously quickened their pace and lowered their heads even further.

Liu Heiying looked at everyone present and said in a deep voice:

"If I remember correctly, this is the third time this has happened."

Once is never enough, twice is never enough, and you never took this seriously before!

From now on, all roads outside the city that are either unpaved or already constructed will be classified as large-scale military equipment by the Commandery.

The road was damaged, and the guards were punished according to the law.
Anyone found damaging the road will be punished according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty!

"Do you understand everything?"

"Understood!"

The centurion was the first to respond, his voice loud and clear, his eyes blazing, and his whole being exuding a fierce aura.

Liu Heiying looked at Hu Xiaowu:

"At tomorrow's meeting of the Military Command, this matter should be recorded as the top priority!"

"Yes!"

After finishing all this, Liu Heiying looked at the many laborers who had been working and shouted loudly:
"Anyone found damaging the road will be rewarded with ten taels of silver upon verification!"

A reward of five taels of silver will be given to anyone who provides a clue!

"A reward of one hundred taels of silver will be given to anyone who reports the murderer on this road!"

"Now, does anyone know who broke the road?"

The scene was completely silent; everyone stopped working.

He stared blankly at the young yet dignified commander.

Three breaths passed, and still no one spoke.

Hu Xiaowu's eyes darted around, and he leaned closer, whispering:
"Sir, there are too many people around now, and they might be afraid of retaliation."

Liu Heiying nodded, then spoke:
"It doesn't matter if you don't say it now, before dawn tomorrow..."

Secretly reporting the news to Commander Chen, or even to this official, will still work!

And you can rest assured.
The commander will absolutely eliminate those who damage the roads, leaving them no chance for retaliation!

After speaking, Liu Heiying looked at Chen Baihu:
"Did you hear that clearly?"

"Reporting to my lord, I understand clearly. I will not sleep tonight; I await your arrival to report!"

"Very well, I must know the result before dawn tomorrow!"

After saying that, Liu Heiying hurriedly left, heading towards the camp.

It's clear they don't plan to go back today.

Once he left, the tense atmosphere immediately eased, and a cacophony of voices erupted.

Regardless, everyone focused their attention on the road beneath their feet.
Are the roads going to be turned into military installations starting tomorrow?

This is something I never imagined.

Even Commander Chen was filled with curiosity, but inwardly he was also groaning with frustration.
How are we supposed to inspect such a large piece of weaponry?
"Sir, this job is impossible to do."

Commander Chen's sharp gaze swept over the soldier who had spoken: "If you don't want to do it, then go home. If you don't want to do it, there are plenty of people who will!"
"You can't even keep a clean road for one tael of silver a month? I'm ashamed of you!"

Suddenly, all eyes turned to him, and Commander Chen felt somewhat embarrassed:
"Of course, there's also me!"

The atmosphere relaxed again, and Commander Chen spoke loudly:
"If anyone has any news tonight, please come to my camp."
That's a hundred taels of silver! You couldn't earn that much in a lifetime!

"Gudong"

In the whistling breeze, one could almost hear the sound of swallowing saliva.

Liu Heiying casually found a camp to rest in and sat down in a chair.

He accepted the hot tea that Hu Xiaowu handed him.

"Sir, please don't be angry."
The fact that they damaged the road shows they are afraid to face people.
They dared not do anything else, so they could only do things like this to disgust people.

Liu Heiying remained silent, only sipping his hot tea.

After a long while, he put the teacup aside and said in a deep voice:
"Go to the new city garrison and transfer five hundred elite soldiers, with two hundred muskets, all fully armored!"

Hu Xiaowu looked at him with some surprise, then, his expression wary, he glanced around the tent:

"Sir, is there danger?"

"This is the first time in months that I've spent the night outside the city. I can't guarantee that someone won't do something desperate."

Just to be on the safe side, let's call in more troops.
Fortunately, it's not far from the new city garrison; it'll only take half an hour to get there.

Liu Heiying thought of the Liaodong documents he had received that day.
The ongoing power struggles within the imperial court can escalate into a life-or-death battle.
He's even going so far as to use foreign powers; what he's doing now is robbing people of their livelihoods and cutting off their means of survival.
We've reached this point.
Taking risky measures and launching unexpected ambushes are now options.

"Go, and once they arrive, have them enter the camp discreetly without making a sound."

"Yes!"

Hu Xiaowu ran away in a hurry
As time passed, it approached the hour of You (5 PM), and the entire construction site came to a standstill.

The laborers and guards began to line up one after another.
At the front of the line was a plate of food that smelled deliciously of meat.

Thanks to the superb pig-raising skills of the people of the Dusi Grassland, pigs die almost every day.

The commander adhered to the principle of not wasting resources.
They brought them all to the construction site.

Today's meal was stewed cabbage with pork and meatballs. The broth was ladled into bowls with a large spoon, making a sizzling sound.
The aroma is so enticing that it makes your mouth water and you can't stop swallowing.

"Li Laosan, eat less. You eat five or six steamed buns every time. How can you eat so much?"

The laborer distributing the steamed buns stuffed five buns into an iron basin and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Li Laosan was a burly man, eight feet tall, covered in lumps of flesh.
Although it's approaching May and the weather is getting warmer,
But he seemed impervious to the cold, wearing a thin shirt that revealed his muscular arms!

He looked at the laborer and retorted without hesitation:

"It's not your family's food that's being eaten, and the adults haven't said anything, so why are you making such a fuss!"

After being choked, the laborer couldn't help but shake his forehead:

All you do is eat, eat, eat.

Instead of joining the army, he's become a laborer.

"I do what I want, what's it to you!"

Li Laosan retaliated without hesitation.
"Hahaha--"

A burst of laughter filled the air; the laborers in line were delighted to see the person waiting for food get their comeuppance.

It's just that they learned it from somewhere, and the adults all say you can eat whatever you want.

They kept shaking, as if they were eating at their own home.

Behind them, Mongko Asir carried a food bowl and had measuring tools tucked under his arm.

He watched with a discreet expression as the very tall Li Laosan walked past him, secretly making a mental note of the man.

"He has a fiery temper; he should have joined the army. Why is he working as a laborer? It's a real pity. It's also a bit suspicious."

Nearly three months of working on the construction site had made Asir look much stronger, and he had even grown taller.
The work they do has evolved from hauling building materials to surveying.
The monthly salary I received has increased from one and a half qian to four qian now.

He has no other way of knowing how to read!

At that time, he was the only one in the entire vanguard who could recognize a hundred characters.
And just like that, I became a surveyor without really knowing what was going on.

Although it's harder work, I'm earning more, plus another monthly income.
Asir can stand tall and say without exaggeration
With the money he earned, he could keep his family of four from going hungry and cold!
Asir was very satisfied with this kind of life.
Not only are they becoming more and more meticulous in their work, but they are also becoming increasingly adept at the behind-the-scenes tasks.
I wonder if it's because I often observe people,
He now feels he has a good eye for people; he can tell at a glance whether someone has a secret or not.

It's been almost three months, and he's discovered six spies from the grasslands and two from Liaodong.
Finally, after I decided to report it...

They all disappeared without a sound.

As for where he went, Asir knew perfectly well.

They either went underground or went to heaven; in any case, they can't be on earth.

And just now, Li Laosan,

He saw many suspicious points and this was the subject of his recent close attention.
Soon it was his turn in line, and he held out his food bowl.

The person serving the food smiled when they saw it was him.

"Hey, isn't this Mongke? Why are you back so early today?"

Asir smiled:

"It's windy today, so the measurement is inaccurate. We'll dry it tomorrow morning."

"Thank you so much for finding us such a great place!"

Otherwise, you'd be freezing while cooking.
You have no idea!

Last time in that place, the wind was so strong that you couldn't even light a fire.

The person serving the food gave Asir an extra portion of meat.

He then placed three more white steamed buns in a bowl beside him and instructed them:

"If it's not enough, bring more, there's more."

"Thank you."

Asir left with a smile, prompting many laborers nearby to grimace.
He was still muttering things like "looking down on people."

Asir ignored it; he planned to study arithmetic again soon.
One of the members of their surveying team could do math.
One tael of silver a month, and hardly any work to do.
He was extremely envious of their carefree lifestyle.

The dining area was not far from the cookhouse; several tents were arranged to form one large tent.

There were benches inside, so that the laborers could gather together to keep warm and chat to relieve their boredom.

After all, spending months in the middle of nowhere would drive anyone crazy.

Asir kept subtly observing everyone present while eating.

Especially focusing on Li Laosan.

He quickly noticed something was wrong.

Normally, after Li Laosan finished eating five steamed buns, he would go and get another one.
But today was a bit unusual; he only ate two steamed buns before finishing the stewed cabbage and meat, as well as the soup.

He stuffed the remaining three steamed buns into his pocket and hurriedly left.
"Did someone come to his house?"

Asir thought of a possibility.

There are many shady things happening on construction sites.

For example, some children under the age of fifteen were hiding inside.

They usually do odd jobs in the corner.

But he never eats in the cafeteria; his family members always bring his food home for them to eat together.
At first, Shangguan tried to manage things, but later, seeing how pitiful the children were and that they could do some work,
Just turn a blind eye, as long as it's not too excessive.

Seeing Li Laosan's behavior,

Asir's first thought was that someone had come to visit.

Asir picked up his food bowl and followed, but by the time he left the camp, Li Laosan had vanished.

"That's strange, why are they walking so fast?"

Time passed quickly, and it was soon midnight.

Some laborers were still working, while others had already rested.

The camps lining both sides of the road emitted dim candlelight.

A long, fiery red dragon formed in the darkness, illuminating the few remaining glimmers of darkness.

suddenly
The torches at the edge of the camp seemed to be obscured by something, creating a brief darkness.

Then, it sounded as if people were walking by quickly, and the candlelight flickered.
Inside Liu Heiying's camp, he went to bed early because he had to get up before dawn the next day to rush back to Daning City.

Just as he was fast asleep,
Hu Xiaowu walked in with a serious expression!

Liu Heiying, who was sleeping soundly clad in armor, suddenly opened his eyes and gripped the long sword in his hand tightly!

"what happened?"

His voice was somewhat hoarse.
"General, our men on the perimeter have spotted unidentified individuals approaching; their numbers are nearly a thousand."

Hu Xiaowu lowered his voice, his expression grave.

Upon hearing this, Liu Heiying sat up abruptly.
He wasn't shocked, but rather absurd, and he burst into curses:

"Liaodong is unstable, and now Daming is also unstable? Are they going to follow suit?"

"Gather the brothers and prepare to meet the enemy."

"I want to see who has the audacity to launch a military campaign at this time!"

(End of this chapter)