Chapter 766 Secret Control!

Dongning, 3:30 pm

A carriage slowly stopped in front of the gate of Lu’s mansion. With the help of the coachman, the tired-looking Lu Chaogui slowly got off the carriage and entered the mansion...

"Master, why did you come so late today?" Yun said with some complaints while serving Lu Chaogui a cup of hot tea:

After listening to his wife's words, Lu Chaogui didn't say much. He just took a sip of the hot tea in the quilt and leaned back in the chair weakly.

Seeing Lu Chaogui's listless look, Yun was also a little surprised. After hesitating for a moment, she dismissed all the servants and came to Lu Chaogui, massaging his shoulders and whispering:
"Didn't Ye Zhanpeng commit suicide by taking poison? Haven't those lackeys from the Coordination Office finished their investigation yet?"

Hearing this, Lu Chaogui sighed and said:

"The higher-ups are serious this time. Most of the non-essential work of the Chief Secretary and the Justice Department has been suspended. Many people are undergoing internal investigations. The lackeys at the Coordination Office have even taken away all the files!"

Hearing her husband say this, Yun also said with some worry:

"Did they find you?"

Seeing Yun asking this, Lu Chaogui fell silent. After being silent for half a cup of tea, he slowly said:
"They are investigating the Censor first, and then the Chief Secretary. They should not have found me yet!"

At this point, Lu Chaogui smiled bitterly and said:
“But that’s not certain. Maybe those people from the Coordination Office have already found out something…”

Yun was undoubtedly even more frightened after hearing this. Her parents' family asked her to talk to Lu Chaogui and help get a mine approved in Posa Prefecture. She had originally planned to talk to Lu Chaogui about this, but she never expected that Lu Chaogui was in a difficult situation now.

After thinking for a while, she reminded softly:
"Didn't you go to see Governor Gu? Doesn't he think highly of you and want to promote you to be a councilor?"

"He is the governor of Liaoyang. If he comes forward to protect you, those people from the Coordination Office probably won't dare to do anything to you!"

Lu Chaogui shook his head helplessly and said:
"It's not as simple as you think. Gu Zhongshi himself is not valued by the Marshal. He is a Youyan native who came to Liaoyang to serve as the governor. To put it bluntly, he was driven out of the core of power of the Fengwu Army by the Marshal. He will retire as the governor in just a few years!"

"Gu Zhongshi himself knows this, and he basically doesn't have much to do with the governor's office. Now that such a big thing has happened during his tenure, what he wants to do most is to distance himself from it. He will never come forward to protect me!"

"Besides, I heard that the Marshal has issued a death order to the Coordination Office. The lackeys in the Coordination Office have gone crazy. Everyone is now unable to take care of themselves!"

At this point, Lu Chaogui sighed heavily again, with endless confusion and fear in his heart. Although he felt that his dirty deeds were very hidden and would not be discovered by others, looking at the current situation, he was also very worried and scared!

Lu Chaogui knew very well that if he was really found out, with all the things he had done, even if he had ten heads, they would not be enough for the higher-ups to chop off...
Feeling her husband's fear and anxiety, Yun was also distressed. After hesitating for a moment, she gritted her teeth and said:

"Tomorrow I will go find my uncle and ask him to go find Master Cui Shao Cui! Chaogui, many of the things you have done over the years were for the family. Now that it is a critical moment, the family cannot ignore you!"

When he heard Cui Shao's name, a glimmer of hope appeared in Lu Chaogui's eyes. Cui Shao was the recognized leader of the civil service system in the Fengwu Army. In addition, he was the uncle of the Marshal and the cousin of the old lady. He had a lot of say in the Fengwu Army, and even the Marshal valued and respected him very much.

If this adult could come forward and say a few words for me, then maybe I could get through this difficult time safely!

Thinking of this, Lu Chaogui immediately said to Yun:

"Ma'am, there's no time to lose! Can you go now?"

Yun was also a little confused when he heard this and asked back:
"Go now? But it's already the evening hour, and it's already dark!"

Lu Chaogui said anxiously:
"Ma'am, it's just dark, it's not like it's raining knives from the sky and we can't go out!"

"Madam, our lives and fortunes are at stake here. If we make a small mistake, we will be doomed. In this situation, we'd better do more and prepare for a rainy day!"

After hearing this, Yun realized the seriousness of the matter and nodded and said:
"Okay! I'll go right away!"

Seeing this, Lu Chaogui felt comforted. Just as he was about to say something, the housekeeper of the mansion ran into the room in a panic and said:
"Master, something bad has happened! The troops from the Coordination Office have surrounded the mansion..."

As soon as these words came out, Lu Chaogui was shocked and fell to the ground. At the same time, a large number of agents from the Coordination Office entered the room. The leader was Captain Zhang Qiankun. He glanced at Lu Chaogui who was sitting on the ground and sneered, saying:

"Sir Lu, our Coordination Office has some matters that require your assistance in investigating. Please come with me!"

After saying this, Zhang Qiankun didn't wait for Lu Chaogui to reply. He waved his hand and asked his men to carry Lu Chaogui and walk out the door. After doing this, Zhang Qiankun asked his men to search the entire Lu Mansion.

Soon, the agents of the Central Coordination Office searched the Lu Mansion and found tens of thousands of taels of silver, more than 20 land deeds, and all kinds of gold and silver utensils, hundreds of antiques, the total value of these things is at least more than 30,000 taels, which is obviously not something that Lu Chaogui, a deputy governor, can accumulate.

Because Huo San's order to him was only to arrest Lu Chaogui, and did not say how to deal with the other people in the Lu Mansion, and Yun Shi was still a bit of a follower, so Zhang Qiankun did not arrest the others, but said to Yun Shi:

"Mrs. Lu, while Lord Lu is assisting us in the investigation, we will block your entire Lu Mansion and forbid you from interacting with anyone. You all need to cooperate, otherwise it will be embarrassing for everyone!"

Hearing what Zhang Qiankun said, Yun originally wanted to argue with him. She had already made up her mind to go back to her parents’ home to ask for help to save Lu Chaogui. However, when she saw the shining sword on Zhang Qiankun’s waist, she, as a woman, immediately lowered her head in fear...
After dealing with these things, Zhang Qiankun sealed off the entire Lu Mansion and took Lu Chaogui to the office of the Coordination Office in Dongning. He wanted to interrogate Lu Chaogui personally overnight. He had a hunch that there were many things that could be dug out from Lu Chaogui, and digging out these things would bring them one step closer to the truth of the matter.

However, when Zhang Qiankun was about to interrogate him, his subordinates came to report that his mother was ill and asked him to go home immediately. Zhang Qiankun was a well-known filial son. When he heard that his mother was ill, he immediately ordered his subordinates to keep Lu Chaogui in the cell and wait for him to come back for interrogation the next day. Under Zhang Qiankun's order, Lu Chaogui was quickly put into the cell. However, in the middle of the night when Lu Chaogui was hungry and cold, a note and a few white steamed buns appeared in front of him quietly.

Looking at the note and white steamed bun in front of him, Lu Chaogui's face suddenly showed surprise, and he immediately hid the note and white steamed bun in his arms.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Lu Chaogui immediately checked the contents on the note. A look of joy suddenly appeared on Lu Chaogui's face. Then he hesitated for a moment, but still put the note into his mouth and swallowed it into his stomach. Then he began to wolf down the white flour buns!
As the assistant governor of Liaoyang, a high-ranking official in the provincial government, Lu Chaogui's daily life might be a bit exaggerated to describe him as having fine clothes and delicious food, but he did eat the best food and drink, with delicious fish and meat served at every meal. The last time he had a white flour steamed bun was probably several years ago when he was performing a show during an inspection in the countryside.

However, in today’s cold and hungry conditions, he felt that these white flour steamed buns were more sweet and delicious than any big fish or meat...

·······································
·······································
Lingyuan County, Fengwu Army Camp.

At this time, Lin Huaiwu was inspecting the military camp, checking the training of his soldiers, and visiting the recovery of the wounded. In the past few days, a total of 2,091 seriously injured soldiers and lightly injured soldiers who had to recuperate for a long time in his Second Army had all been transferred to the rear.

Those who were staying with the military doctor at this time were basically soldiers who could return to the team after a few days of recuperation. During the inspection, Lin Huaiwu was very satisfied to see that the morale of the soldiers had gradually recovered and they were all eager to avenge their previous defeat.

After giving a speech to the soldiers, Lin Huaiwu received an order from Yi Jing. Looking at the description in the order, Lin Huaiwu was very happy. He immediately ordered his men to find Xun Ke. About an incense stick later, Xun Ke came to his tent.

"Commander Lin, you're looking for me?"

In response to Xun Ke's question, Lin Huaiwu asked him to sit down and talk, and handed him the order he had just received.

After scanning the contents of the order, Xun Ke said happily:

"I knew the Marshal would make the right decision! Now we can finally let go and do it!"

Listening to Xun Ke's words, Lin Huaiwu nodded happily and said:

"With the Marshal's order, we now have nothing to worry about!"

At this point, Lin Huaiwu seemed to have remembered something, and he still reminded Xun Ke:

“Although the tactical policy has been determined, the financial situation of our Fengwu Army is not very optimistic, so we still have to end the battle as soon as possible…”

Hearing what Lin Huaiwu said, Xun Ke also understood something and asked:
"Minister Cui, Director Zhang and the others have different opinions?"

Lin Huaiwu hesitated for a moment, and thought that he should tell Xun Ke about the situation. He organized his words and said:

"In addition to exempting Jinzhong from taxes this year, the Marshal also did not return the fiscal revenues of Qilu, Jiyu, and Anqing to the central government in order to better implement reforms and benefit the people. As a result, the central government's finances are in some difficulties now. Some people in the civil service think that since the war here is not going well, we should stop wasting money and food!"

As soon as these words came out, Xun Ke became very angry and said:

"This is truly a woman's opinion!"

"If we don't take back the remaining two counties now while the enemy is still unstable, when the enemy builds these two counties into solid fortresses, our army will inevitably suffer more casualties if we want to attack them!"

Lin Huaiwu nodded and said:

"General Xun, what you said makes sense, but you also have to understand that they are civilians. They don't understand this principle. They only know how much money and food our army consumes here every day. The accounts of the Finance Department are calculated every day. However, with the Marshal's order, I believe they dare not act rashly!"

After listening to Lin Huaiwu's words, Xun Ke hesitated for a while and said:
"I understand. If the situation permits, I will end the battle as soon as possible..."

After getting Xun Ke's promise, Lin Huaiwu changed the subject and asked:
"General Xun, what are your plans for the next step?"

Although he was the commander-in-chief of the Yunbing battlefield appointed by Ye Mingsheng, Lin Huaiwu lost a lot of confidence after the last failure. Moreover, the tactic of delaying and waiting for changes was also proposed by Xun Ke, so he now relies more on Xun Ke, the deputy commander-in-chief.

Facing Lin Huaiwu's question, Xun Ke also said confidently:

"The next step is simple, that is to surround but not attack!"

"Our army must prepare to attack at any time in the direction of Dagu County and Pingyun County, so that the enemy will always be on edge!"

"When the time comes, please ask Commander Lin to take charge of the central army and coordinate the overall situation! I will lead our Third Division's cavalry deep into the enemy's hinterland and turn the enemy upside down!"

After hearing this, Lin Huaiwu was also shocked and hesitated for a moment before saying:
"If I remember correctly, General Xun, there are only about 5,000 cavalrymen left in your Third Division? Isn't this a bit too dangerous?"

Xun Ke smiled and nodded and said:

“Don’t worry, my lord. I will leave two thousand men under the command of Commander Lin, and I will lead the remaining three thousand men to fight our way out! As long as you, my lord, firmly attract the main force of the enemy in Dagu and Pingyun, I will not be in any danger behind the enemy…”

(First of all, I would like to thank the big brothers who voted for me! In addition, I would like to ask if there is any activity? The monthly votes in the past two days are more than those in the previous twenty days!)

(End of this chapter)