Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 870 Bored Lan Yu

Sizhou, Xiushan.

In the forest, there were shouts and cries of killing, and drums and horns blared. From time to time, the reflections of the sharp edges of swords and spears could be seen in the treetops. At the foot of the mountain, there was a guard every ten steps and a sentry every five steps. The camps at the foot of the mountain were densely packed, with flags blocking the sun and the sky. Even the fluttering banner with the four characters "Liangguo Gonglan" seemed to carry an infinite murderous aura, which could make the chieftains of various ethnic groups nearby feel cold in their spines.

Under the banner, a general sat on a cross-legged stool. He was wearing a long lacquered armor and a red-bottomed gold-edged battle jacket. He held a sword in his left hand and a book in his right hand. He looked very majestic. There were shouts from the mountains from time to time, and it seemed that there was a fierce battle going on. However, the general seemed uneasy, just looking at the book in his hand, not worried about the situation in the mountains. If he was seen by outsiders, they would definitely praise him for his demeanor of a great general.

"Duke, it will probably be dark in half an hour." A general stepped forward and reported.

"Hmm? Oh, it's so fast." The mighty general Lan Yu suddenly came back to his senses. Looking at his mighty appearance just now, anyone would think that he was reading some profound book. However, this was not the case. He was not reading any military books, but the most popular vernacular book in Ming Dynasty in recent years, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

He had just seen the part where Guan Yu went to the meeting alone. Although he had seen it before, he still thought it was wonderful, so he closed the book "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" reluctantly. "Since the time has come, let's call off the troops."

"We have almost finished suppressing the bandits today. Let's teach everyone to cook and we will continue suppressing the bandits tomorrow." Lan Yu patted the dust off his jacket and stood up, causing his armor to rustle. He was so engrossed in the story that he didn't notice it, but when he stood up, he couldn't help yawning. "Tsk, squatting at the foot of the mountain and looking at the mountain scenery every day is really boring."

"If I stay here for a few more days, I'm afraid I'll become a piece of rock, growing in this barren dirt mountain."

"... Duke, haven't we been suppressing the bandits for too long?" After hearing Lan Yu's complaints, the general under Lan Yu simply followed his words and expressed his own complaints.

"Those few rebellious barbarians were not even a match for us. We could have wiped them out on the first day we arrived... We have been suppressing them for several months now. The brothers have been wandering around in the mountains day after day, and they have almost become mountain monkeys."

"We have surrounded the Tuman tribe for a long time, and there are only a dozen people left... In the past few days, the brothers were afraid to use too much force when they took action, fearing that they would be killed by him accidentally."

"The barbarians couldn't surrender, and they couldn't defeat them. A few days ago, a dozen barbarians were driven crazy and wanted to kill themselves. But our brothers thought it was a pity to kill so many barbarians at once, so they hurriedly rescued them... Duke, what do you think of this?"

"If we continue to act like this in the mountains, I will go crazy, not to mention those barbarians...Why don't we quickly wipe out these bandits? Why torture ourselves like this..."

It was rare to be worried about the loss of lives in a war. Even Lan Yu was rarely amused and said, "What do you know? We can't suppress the bandits without any reason. We need real evidence."

"The 'bandit leader' sent down every day is clear evidence. Without these 'witnesses', how can the Fifth Prince in Lianzhou arrest people everywhere and make those chieftains convinced? It's easy to eliminate them, but will he tie you up as a 'witness' to confess and send you to Lianzhou to be beheaded with those chieftains?"

In the past few days, in addition to the Qin family, Zhu Su has been gradually eliminating other chieftains in Lianzhou Prefecture who have not cooperated with the court. The method used is also simple, just say "colluded with the Sizhou local barbarians and rebels, and plotted against the law", and then he can start. Those chieftains have tasted the sweetness of confiscation, so naturally they will not object to Zhu Su's action against those chieftains who are stubborn and have stood against them.

However, the imperial court still had to save face and it was impossible to accuse someone of a crime without any evidence. Therefore, Lan Yu had an additional task: to send the "confessed" barbarian "witness" to Lianzhou so that the people of Lianzhou would be convinced and know that the government was "fair and impartial in handling cases."

Because this matter could not be done all at once, but one had to do it one by one to force other chieftains who were not convinced and unwilling to join the market to surrender. Therefore, often a "witness" was needed today and another "witness" was needed tomorrow. Therefore, Lan Yu had to control his strength so as not to kill all the few remaining barbarians on the mountain.

It's rare to find an ignorant person who dares to raise the flag of rebellion. If we grab them all at once, where can we find others?

As for whether or not these rebellious barbarians would be driven to mental breakdown one by one... that was not within the concern of Duke Lan Yu of Liang.

"You have also studied martial arts. Where does the popular saying in martial arts come from? Oh, 'War is to serve politics.'" Lan Yu continued to preach to the general.

"We military commanders now have to study and become educated. We should use whatever strategies are beneficial. It is easy to rush up and kill those barbarians, but it would be a mistake if it ruins the court's important affairs!"

"Yes, yes, yes..." The general nodded in agreement. But he still looked resentful: "Even if that's the case, at least let us switch places with Cao Guogong and his men!"

"Duke Cao's men have captured many stubborn chieftains and earned some military merit. But we..."

"It took so long to suppress a few barbarians. Outsiders who don't know would think that the brothers and you, the Duke, are weaklings... We haven't gained much military merit, and we just waste our time in the mountains every day... When will this day end..."

Because the court decided to recuperate, military merit became more valuable. Li Wenzhong's troops had wiped out many rebellious chieftains in the past few days. On the other hand, these Liangguogong's subordinates, who used to be stationed in Lianzhou with Caoguogong Li Wenzhong, had not achieved any merit at all. How could they not be jealous?

Even if they cannot get military merit for suppressing the rebellious barbarians in the future...but it took them a long time to suppress the bandits, and the reasons inside cannot be made public. Other comrades in the army might even make fun of them for this. How can they happily accept this military merit?

"......Alas." Thinking of this, Lan Yu's eyes were also covered with a layer of gloom. Although he also knew that he was considering the overall situation, this approach did indeed cost his own reputation. He was finally conferred the title of Duke, but it was only a second-class duke, and the goal of overseas fiefdoms was still far away. How could he be willing to waste time in this place?

"…The Fifth Prince is not a person who favors one over the other. Perhaps he has made plans for us. We will just wait for His Highness's instructions." Lan Yu said, comforting the general and himself. He had fought side by side with Zhu Su in the past, so he was willing to trust this prince.

"Duke, His Royal Highness King Zhou's carriage has arrived ten miles outside the camp gate." Before he finished speaking, a soldier came over quickly and reported to Lan Yu.

(End of this chapter)