In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 930: Cutting the weeds without eradicating the roots, the spring breeze will bring new growth

The atmosphere inside the yamen was extremely tense!

Pan Jing gave Zhou E no further chance of survival and immediately issued an order:
"All soldiers of Dingliao Central Guard shall immediately leave the city and station themselves in the western camp outside the city."

No one may enter the city without the Commander's order!

When the order reached the north gate, Assistant Commissioner Yu Yuanchu was standing on the city tower, still clutching the troop deployment token given to him by Zhou E.

The street command caused his fingers to tighten suddenly, the edge of the token digging painfully into his palm.

The centurion beside him asked cautiously:
"Sir, are we really going to leave the city?"

Yu Yuan Chu closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, the ruthlessness in his eyes had dissipated, leaving only helplessness:
"Even Lord Zhou has been arrested, how can we disobey orders?"
"Pass down the order: pack your belongings and leave the city in half an hour."

The soldiers of Dingliao Central Guard packed up very quickly, but also very silently.

The soldiers, carrying armor and spears, walked slowly out of the city.
As they passed by the military headquarters, they caught a glimpse of Pan Jingzheng standing on the steps, followed by a group of guards who were staring at them with sharp eyes.

The soldiers instinctively lowered their heads, none daring to meet Pan Jing's gaze.

They knew that Lord Zhou had fallen.

The good days for Dingliao Zhongwei are over.

At the same time, a large-scale arrest operation was quietly launched by the military commander and the prefectural government.

Pan Jing had someone bring Zhou E and Wen's confessions.
They went to investigate the officials and generals who participated in the mutiny one by one.

First, it was the several commanders in the garrison.

Then there are the prefectural magistrates and clerks.
Everyone mentioned in the confession escaped.

In the back hall of the military headquarters, candles burned all night long!
Some of the arrested officials cried out that they were innocent, while others trembled as they confessed the truth.

"It was Lord Zhou who instructed us to deliberately delay the delivery of road construction materials."

"On the day of the mutiny, it was Lord Zhou's personal guards who delivered the news to us."

"We were just following orders, please spare our lives, Lord Pan!"

Various testimonies piled up on the table.
Pan Jing sat to the side, his face growing increasingly grim.

Lu Yunyi stood by the window, looking at the night outside, occasionally turning back to ask:
"Has Zhou E contacted anyone in Goryeo?"

The commander in charge of the interrogation quickly replied:
"I asked, and Lord Zhou did want to make contact, but Goryeo didn't dare to respond."

Lu Yunyi nodded and didn't say anything more.

The Goryeo court is too busy to get involved at this time.

The massive crackdown lasted for three full days.

By the evening of the third day,
When the last garrison commander who participated in the mutiny was brought to the military headquarters...
Pan Jingcai breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his throbbing temples.

"Finally, some peace and quiet."

Lu Yunyi handed him a cup of hot tea:
"There are still some loose ends to be cleaned up. The Wen family and those powerful clans have done some shameful things, so we need to teach them a lesson."

Pan Jing took the tea and took a sip:
"Don't worry, I've already sent someone to talk to Wen Mingyuan."
He agreed to hand over all the materials and weapons he had previously hidden for Zhou E, and was even willing to offer an additional 20,000 taels of silver as an apology.

After saying this, Pan Jing's expression became extremely strange:
"This raid was thorough; they dug deep. The silver they found is almost enough to repair the roads."

Lu Yunyi also had a strange expression and shook his head helplessly:
"These wealthy families are truly richer than a country; just wait and see."

In early April, the weather in Liaoyang City cleared up completely.

The snow had melted, and the mud on the official road had mostly dried.
Sunlight shone on the city wall, and even the moss in the cracks between the bricks seemed to exude vitality.

In the open space of the military headquarters, more than a dozen carriages carrying silver brought by Xu Cheng were lined up in a row. Passing officials frequently stopped to look and exclaimed in surprise.

"So much silver, it must be several hundred thousand taels, right?"

Pan Jing, Lu Yunyi, Zhang Gou, and several other core officials of the military command stood beside the carriage.

Xu Cheng personally stepped forward and opened the wooden box in the first carriage.

The silver ingots inside were stacked neatly.
Each piece was about the size of a palm, gleaming with a cold, white light.

The sunlight was so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

"Lord Pan, there are a total of 200,000 taels of silver here. They were transported in two batches and are all here."

Xu Cheng bowed and reported, his tone carrying a hint of relief.

The arduous journey was ultimately worthwhile.

Zhang Gou strode forward, squatted down, and reached out to touch the silver ingot.

A cool touch followed, along with a faint smell of damp copper rust.

He looked up at Pan Jing, his eyes filled with shock:
"Lord Pan, where did you get this silver?"

Pan Jing smiled, but didn't answer directly. He simply patted Xu Cheng on the shoulder.

"Thanks to Lord Xu and Lord Lu for their help."

Zhang Gou frowned and pressed for an answer:

"Lord Lu? Where did they get so much silver?"

Even if the Beiping Military Command is wealthy, it's impossible for them to come up with 200,000 taels all at once, right?

Pan Jing still didn't say it explicitly, only vaguely stating:
"Lord Zhang, all you need to know is that the money came from a legitimate source and is enough to cover the road repairs. That's all."

Seeing that Pan Jing refused to speak, Zhang Gou's expression darkened.

His gaze shifted and landed on Lu Yunyi, who was standing to the side.

Lu Yunyi was standing beside the carriage, playing with a small silver ingot in his hand, his expression indifferent, as if the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in front of him had nothing to do with him.

But the more Zhang Gou looked at it, the more he felt something was wrong.

He remembered the anonymous letter he had received before.

The letter stated that Lu Yunyi had led troops into Goryeo without authorization, and had engaged in burning, killing, and looting.

At the time, he thought it was a false accusation, but now, looking at this cart full of silver...

Considering Lu Yunyi's previous excuse for inspecting the iron mine at the 30,000 Guards,

An idea suddenly popped into my head.
Could this silver have come from Goryeo?

Zhang Gou took two steps forward, walked to Lu Yunyi's side, and asked in a calm tone:

"Lord Lu, what did you find when you inspected the iron mines at the 30,000 Guards?"

Lu Yunyi raised his head, put the silver ingot back into the wooden box, and said with a smile:
"The harvest was quite good. The ore at Yingchengzi Iron Mine is of very good quality, and we can also smelt some brass, which can be used to make cannons in the future."

Zhang Gou stared into his eyes and asked again:
"When you were at the Thirty Thousand Guards, did you hear anything about what was happening in Goryeo? For example, were Ming troops sent there?"

Lu Yunyi's smile remained unchanged as he glanced at him indifferently.
"Lord Zhang, if you want to know what's going on in Goryeo, go look at the military command's documents. Why are you asking me?"

Zhang Gou was momentarily speechless, but he didn't give up:

"But even if the Beiping Military Command is rich, it can't come up with that much silver, right?"

Lord Lu is the commander; he should know some inside information.

"Lord Zhang, the finances of the Beiping Military Command are managed by a special official."

I only handle military affairs, not financial matters.

Zhang Gou naturally didn't believe this.
However, since things had already come to this point, Zhang Gou knew that asking any further questions would be pointless.

Looking at Lu Yunyi's confident demeanor, his doubts grew heavier.

"Could what was written in that letter be true?"

Zhang Gou muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously clenching.

He suddenly realized that he had been too naive before.

The waters of Liaodong were deeper than he had imagined.

Lu Yunyi is a much more complex person than he appears.

At this moment, Pan Jing walked over and patted Zhang Gou on the shoulder:

"Lord Zhang, don't just stand there, let's go to the military headquarters to discuss the road repair."

Now that we have the money, we need to set a start date as soon as possible, so we can give the court an explanation.

Zhang Gou snapped out of his daze, nodded, but didn't move immediately.
His gaze remained fixed on the silver ingots.
Questions flooded my mind like a tide, but I couldn't find the answers.

Inside the council hall of the military headquarters, officials were engaged in heated discussions, with shouts and curses erupting incessantly!
Some suggested building the section from Liaoyang to Zhenjiangbao first, using it as practice; others argued for building the section from Liaoyang to Jinzhouwei first, both for practice and to save time.

The main hall was bustling with activity. Pan Jing sat at the head of the table, nodding in agreement from time to time.

Lu Yunyi sat to the side, occasionally interjecting a word or two, but each word hit the nail on the head.

Zhang Gou sat in the corner without saying much, his mind constantly occupied with the silver.

He remembered the letter he had previously asked Yu Xin to deliver.

Inquire whether Ming troops had entered the country.
The letter has been sent, but there has been no reply yet.

Is it that Korea is deliberately delaying, or is there no such thing at all?
If this is true, why doesn't Yi Seong-gye make it public?

"Lord Zhang, which section of the road do you think should be repaired first?" Pan Jing's voice interrupted Zhang Gou's thoughts.

Zhang Gou raised his head, composed himself, and said:
"Let's build the road from Liaoyang to Jinzhou first. The imperial court has decided to build the road from Liaoyang to Daning."
"We've already wasted some time; we must hurry so we can report back to the court."

Pan Jing nodded:

“What Lord Zhang says is true; that’s what I think too.”

After the meeting ended, the officials left one after another, but Zhang Gou deliberately stayed behind.

He walked up to Pan Jing and said in a deep voice:
"Lord Pan, I still want to know where all that silver came from."

It's not that I'm being nosy, it's just that 200,000 taels of silver is too much.
If the acquisition was illegitimate, and the court inquired, I, as an official, would not know how to explain it.

Pan Jing's smile faded, and his tone became more serious:

"Lord Zhang, I know what you're worried about."
But don't worry, no one will check the money.

"You all supervise the road construction carefully. Once the road is completely under construction, return to the capital to report back. You don't need to worry about anything else."

Looking into Pan Jing's determined eyes, Zhang Gou knew he wouldn't get any more information from him.

He sighed and turned to leave the council chamber.

When leaving the military headquarters,

The setting sun cast a long shadow over him.

He looked up at the sky above Liaoyang City and made a silent decision.
Once he receives a reply, regardless of the outcome, he will investigate the origin of the silver and find out whether Lu Yunyi actually went to Goryeo!
Goryeo and Ming have always been friendly, so it would be too audacious of them to launch a military campaign recklessly!
At this moment, Lu Yunyi was standing in the garden of the Liu family mansion.
Watching Liu Wanyi and Mu Chuting fly kites in the yard.

Old Master Liu strolled over slowly, looking much younger than before. He handed Lu Yunyi a cup of tea.

"I heard that Zhang Gou has been pressing about the origin of the silver?"

Lu Yunyi took the tea and nodded:
"He's an imperial censor, so it's understandable that he's suspicious. Don't worry that he won't find anything out."

Liu Yanchen smiled:

"Just keep it in mind. The matter has been settled. When is Wang Junping coming to Liaoyang?"

Lu Yunyi put down his teacup and looked at the kite in the distance:
"Soon. He has already set off from Goryeo and should arrive in about ten days. We can discuss the trade matters then."

Liu Yanchen nodded and said nothing more.

In the garden, the kite flew very high, becoming a tiny dot in the sky.
Looking at the kite, Lu Yunyi was filled with emotion.
Once the roads are open, the four locations of Beiping, Daning, Liaodong, and Goryeo will be closely connected.
That would give the entire north an economic pillar!
When confronting some southern provinces, they would have more resources to spare.

At least it won't be a complete defeat like before, where the North won't get any good things.

Five days later, the winds of Liaoyang finally dissipated the biting chill of late winter, revealing the dark blue-green stone slabs on the streets.

More and more people are coming and going.

Even the air is filled with the freshness of spring.

Zhang Gou, however, had no interest in basking in this vibrant atmosphere at the inn.
He had been waiting for five days, and finally, there was news of a reply from Goryeo.

"My lord, the Goryeo messenger has arrived."

The attendant tiptoed in to report.
Seeing that Zhang Gou was staring intently at the documents on the table, he spoke in a very slow tone.

Zhang Gou abruptly raised his head, his fingertips pausing unconsciously on the table, a hint of urgency flashing in his eyes, and he said in a deep voice:

"Let him in."

A short while later, a series of slightly hesitant footsteps came from outside the door.

A man dressed in a blue round-necked robe from Goryeo walked in, with a black leather belt around his waist and a small hat on his head. He had a fair complexion and a hint of nervousness in his eyes.

He held a neatly folded letter on mulberry paper in both hands.

He strode forward, bowed, and handed the letter to Zhang Gou:

"The Ministry of State of Goryeo, by order of the King, hereby presents this reply to the Imperial Envoy of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhang Gou took the letter and carefully examined the red seal sealing it.
The texture is clear, and the stripes are textured and distinct, unlike a fake.

He slowly opened the envelope and took out the letter inside.

His gaze swept over the first few polite words,

The further he looked, the more his brows furrowed, and even his breathing became heavier.

It was written very clearly in the letter.

There have indeed been looting incidents along the Goryeo border recently, but these were not committed by the Ming army. Rather, they were caused by the Jianzhou Jurchens who, due to lack of food in the winter, had no choice but to harass the south.

As for the rumors of Ming troops entering the country, they are pure nonsense!

Goryeo and the Ming Dynasty had been friendly for generations, and there would never be anything like this that would damage diplomatic relations.

At the end of the letter, he specifically mentioned that if the imperial envoy did not believe it, he could send someone to Goryeo to investigate and clear Goryeo's name.

"Jianzhou Jurchen?"

Zhang Gou slammed the letter onto the table; the sound of the paper hitting the wooden table was particularly jarring in the room.
"They certainly know how to find scapegoats!"

He looked up at the attendant standing to the side, his tone tinged with impatience:
"Take him away and invite Yu Xin here. Tell him that I have important matters to discuss with him."

Yu Xin arrived quickly. Seeing Zhang Gou's grim expression and the letters on the table, his heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly bowed.

"Lord Zhang summoned me here, is it because there has been a reply from Goryeo?"

"look by youself."

Zhang Gou pointed to the letter on the table, his tone indifferent.

Yu Xin carefully picked up the letter and read it word by word.

The more he read, the more complicated his expression became.
Having spent over two months in Liaodong, although I didn't personally witness any evidence of Ming troops entering Goryeo,
But the anonymous letters received earlier, the rumors circulating in the government offices, and the readily available silver...
He's already convinced that Lu Yunyi has indeed entered Korea!
He just couldn't understand why Goryeo would help cover it up.
He stole a glance at Zhang Gou's expression, then remembered that he was only a fifth-rank official, and made up his mind:
"Since this was written by the King of Goryeo himself, it must be genuine, right?"
Perhaps it really was a raid by the Jianzhou Jurchens?
After all, the Jurchens were short of food in winter, and raids to the south were commonplace.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gou couldn't help but sneer, his eyes filled with mockery:
"Lord Yu, you have been in Liaodong for nearly three months. Have you not heard of the Jurchen customs?"
Their raids were always swift and decisive; they would loot the entire village, taking everything, including the grain and livestock.

Moreover, even if the Jurchens were to plunder, it would be before winter.
There's no reason to head south in such heavy snow; countless people would die along the way.

Yu Xin was speechless at the question and could only lower his head and stammer:

"This humble official is merely making a guess. The actual situation should be based on what the Korean side says."

Seeing his timid and hesitant demeanor, Zhang Gou didn't bother to say anything more to him and turned to his attendants:
"Bring the Goryeo messenger here. I have some questions for him."

The messenger was quickly brought in, and the atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.

His legs began to tremble, and he quickly bowed in respect.

"Does Your Excellency have any further instructions?"

If there is nothing else, I wish to return to Goryeo as soon as possible to report back.

"Report back?"

Zhang Gou sat in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the table. His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.
"You want to leave before I've even finished asking all the questions?"

The messenger froze, then quickly said:
"Whatever you wish to ask, my lord, I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

"I ask you, did you really witness the Jurchens' rampant looting?"

Zhang Gou looked up at him, his gaze sharp as a knife!

The messenger paused for a moment, his eyes darting around, and quickly said:

"Although I did not see it with my own eyes, it was all based on the facts ascertained by special personnel dispatched by my department, and there is absolutely no falsehood in it."

The border guards also confirmed that they had indeed seen Jurchen horse hoofprints and arrows left behind by them.

"Arrows? Hoofprints?"

Zhang Gou slammed his hand on the table, causing the candlelight to flicker and a few sparks to fly.
"lie!"

(End of this chapter)