Chapter 552: Departure

After taking a few steps, Lu Chao stepped into the house. Although there was a pile of firewood burning in the messy house, it was completely unable to block the cold air. The temperature inside was not much better than inside. In the corner, Mrs. Lu stood up and looked at Lu Chao in surprise. Her hands were spread out and her lips were trembling, but she didn't say a word.

Lu Chao knelt down on the ground with a thud and kowtowed heavily, "Mother, your child is unfilial and makes you worry."

"It's good to be back, it's good to be back!" Mrs. Lu murmured, walking forward, staggering and almost falling to the ground. Lu Chao straightened his body and supported his mother. Mother and son looked at each other with tears in their eyes, speechless and choked.

This period of time was the most difficult for Mrs. Lu. Although she did not understand the laws of the Qin State, the news that Lu Bin brought from the outside made her panic, because there were rumors outside that Lu Chao's crime was enough to be punished. Sentenced to death by beheading.

She wasted no time in distributing all the assets she had brought from Liaoxi, part of which was used to open joints, and part of which was used to pay for criminal charges. Hundreds of thousands of taels of silver were thrown in, but she did not get a single letter of approval. Xianyang, she is a typical unfamiliar place, so she can only worry about it day by day and have trouble sleeping at night.

Fortunately, the money thrown finally had its effect, and Lu Chao came back intact.

"Mom, how could this happen? Why do people live here?" Lu Chao choked while helping his mother sit down by the fire.

"Master, my wife used all the money to save you, Master. Although we are not penniless now, we are not much different. We can only rent this yard to maintain necessary consumption." Lu Bin said on the side, He was very happy that the young master was back. Although he was extremely poor now, in his heart, as long as the young master came back, everything would be fine.

"Thanks to Butler Lu!" Mrs. Lu said with a smile: "Butler Lu is paying for all the expenses at home now. Mother, I am already penniless."

"Madam, what are you talking about? My money, isn't it the money of the Lu family!" Lu Bin added a few firewood to the fire. The firewood he just brought in from outside was still covered with snowflakes, which fell on the fire. Inside, there was a crackling sound immediately.

Lu Chao stood up and bowed deeply to Lu Bin, "Steward Lu, thank you very much, but I, Lu Chao, will make a comeback one day. I will never forget Steward Lu's kindness."

Lu Bin hurriedly stood up and returned the salute, "This can't be stopped, Young Master, Master treats me like a brother. Now that the Lu family is in trouble, I should do my best. Now that Young Master is well, I will have a bright future in the future."

Lu Chao smiled bitterly, "I have been deprived of all official positions. Now I am just a civilian. But you don't need to worry. After settling in, I will go to find the teacher. I think the teacher will not leave me alone."

"Young Master is right.

The Li family has a high status in Da Qin. With him here, the young master will not suffer any loss. "

The cold wind howls outside, but inside the house it is peaceful. Although his lunch was just a few dark steamed buns with a plate of pickles, Lu Chao ate it particularly deliciously.

How can you know the hardship of life without experiencing suffering. Lu Chao had never suffered such hardships since he was a child. This time he suffered a serious crime, but it was precisely because of this that he truly grew up.

"Is Senior Brother Lu at home?" A crisp voice came from outside. Lu Chao froze suddenly, and the steamed bun in his hand fell to the ground.

"Is Senior Brother Lu at home? The teacher has come to see you." The voice outside sounded again. Lu Chao jumped up, opened the door, and snatched it out. Outside the fence, a young boy holding a small box was proud of himself. Shouting, behind him, an old man stood with his hands behind his back, smiling.

"Teacher!" Lu Chao swallowed and knelt down in the snow.

Stepping into the house, he met Mrs. Lu and took a look at the situation in the house. Li Ru sighed: "Lu Chao, you have endured hardship this time."

Lu Chao stood with his hands lowered and said in a low voice: "It's all because the disciples are incompetent and failed to live up to the teacher's teachings. My mother also suffered from this. I feel so ashamed."

Li Ru nodded, lifted up his robe, and sat by the fire. Lu Bin quickly brought over a cup of hot water, but there was no better tea left at home.

Li Ru took the hot water and took a sip. "After this incident, I think you have learned a lot. Do you have any plans for the future?"

"Disciple now has nothing. All his official positions have been taken away. I want to ask the teacher for advice, and I also want the teacher to show me a clear path." Lu Chao said respectfully.

"If I go and tell the king that it will not be difficult to resume your official position, I think the king will not refute my face. But Lu Chao, if this happens, I am afraid that there will be countless discussions between the government and the public. You know , the reason why our Qin Dynasty is so outstanding is because of the strict laws. If a prince breaks the law, he is guilty of the same crime as the common people. You paid a large sum of money for the crime, so you are exempted from the criminal law. But if you are reinstated, it will not be in compliance with the rules and disciplines. ”

"Teacher is right, I wonder what should I do as a disciple?"

"I will show you a way. General Li is currently attacking South Korea. I will give you a letter of recommendation. You should serve under General Li in white clothes. General Li is fair and strict. If you can make meritorious deeds, , I will not treat you badly. In this case, it will be reasonable for the king to entrust you with important tasks again. What do you think?" Li Ru said with a smile. "It's just that it's bitterly cold in the army, and the military regulations are strict. You're all white. When you go to the army, you will naturally have to suffer. You have been well-fed and clothed since you were a child, are you willing to suffer such hardships?"

Lu Chao was overjoyed and said, "Thank you very much, teacher. My disciple is willing to go."

Li Ru took out a letter from his sleeve and said, "This is the letter of recommendation between me and General Li. You can keep it yourself. In fact, you have already done a good job in Shannan County. If it hadn't happened like this, , The king has prepared to transfer you back to the central court and entrust you with important tasks, but now, he can only postpone it. Although this matter is unexpected, someone must be responsible. General He has been killed in battle. This responsibility naturally falls. It’s up to you to carry it, not to mention that this fact has nothing to do with you.”

Lu Chao lowered his head, a trace of hatred flashed in his eyes, "Disciple, please spare it."

"This time Mrs. Lu spent her whole life trying to save you. Now that you're under General Li, you don't know when you'll be able to come back, Tong'er!"

Behind Li Ru, a child holding a box came out and handed the box to Li Ru.

"This is given to you by the king. Let you settle down your family and set off immediately!"

Opening the box, there was a whole box of gold inside.

With tears in his eyes, Lu Chao knelt on his knees and took the box, "My lord, Lu Chao, I would like to thank you for your great kindness. In this life, I will dedicate myself to the Qin Dynasty until my death."

"It's good if you have this intention. Get up! The king values ​​you very much." Li Ru smiled and helped Lu Chao up.

Three days later, Lu Chao left Xianyang. Different from the lively farewell scene when he first left Xianyang to take office in Shannan County, this time there was only a lonely carriage and two people, watching Lu Chao riding alone on the road to South Korea. , Mrs. Lu couldn’t help but shed tears again.

"Madam, the gold sent by your Majesty is enough to support us for a year. After one year, the young master will definitely be able to make great achievements and be reinstated. Madam, there is no need to worry. The young master is not going to fight on the front line. , there is absolutely no problem with safety." Lu Bin comforted Mrs. Lu who was in tears. "Madam, it's windy outside, let's go back!"

Just as Lu Chao was on his way to South Korea to help Li Xin, outside Niulan Pass, Meng Chong, commander of the First Army of the East Road Field Army, also welcomed the chief officer He Lanxiong and the governor of Zhengdong Prefecture Gao Yuan and his party.

Gao Yuan came here for Zhou Yuan, the former Dayan Taiwei who was repatriated by Donghu, and the first batch of repatriated soldiers.

Niulanshan Camp has undergone great changes compared to two years ago.

The original camp was built on the mountain and was extremely solid. During the Yan Army's Eastern Expedition, it became the Yan Army's major logistics camp and deployment center. Outside the camp, several more barracks were built. , although the materials inside have been moved away, the barracks have been left vacant. With a little renovation, the original camp has more than doubled.

Since Meng Chong arrived here, he has not relaxed the entire reinforcement here for a moment, because this is not only the base for the Eastern Route Army to attack Donghu, but in turn, it is also the key to resisting Donghu's invasion.

One by one, the forts extend out from the Niulanshan camp. Every five miles, there is a fort that stretches to the sky. Since Gao Yuan established the Niulanshan camp, his tentacles have penetrated hundreds of miles into the territory of Donghu. The nearby Donghu Xiao The troops were either forced to retreat or were wiped out. The establishment of these fortresses was a symbol of the actual control of this area by the Eastern Expeditionary Army.

"I've seen the governor, I've seen the commander!" Meng Chong strode forward and gave a military salute to Gao Yuan and He Lanxiong.

"Meng Chong, it seems that you haven't been idle since you arrived at the Niulan Mountain Camp. Things have changed a lot here!" Gao Yuan got off his horse and laughed.

Meng Chong smiled reservedly, "Captain, I dare not say that we are impregnable, but if the Donghu people dare to come, they will never come back."

"Okay, what I want is this arrogance." Gao Yuan laughed and patted his shoulder, looking at the dozens of generals behind Meng Chong. Most of them were veterans he knew. Behind these generals, An infantry phalanx and a cavalry phalanx stood solemnly and silently.

"Commander He Lan, how is Commander Meng running the army?" Looking back at He Lanxiong, Gao Yuan asked with a smile.

"Commander Meng manages the army well, Helan admires it!" He Lanxiong smiled slightly, "Commander Meng, from now on I will be stirring the pot, so please take care of me."

"Commander Helan's words are serious. You are my immediate superior, but if you have orders, you will not dare to disobey them!" Meng Chong said solemnly.

"Okay, okay, you two will be partners in the future, and there will be many opportunities for friendship. Now let's go in first, Meng Chong, how far is Zhou Yuan from here? When can we arrive!"

"Back to the Commander-in-Chief, we estimate that we will arrive at Niulanshan Camp this evening. The general has already sent a troop to greet us. In addition, Dean Cao has also led people there." (To be continued.)