"Just leave this to Xiao Zhong," Lu Tu said, then called over Nie Yun and Liu Hong and asked, "How many brothers do we have in total now?"
The two knew that Lu Tu was asking about soldiers who could fight, and Nie Yun said, "We have 130 men here."
Liu Hong cupped his hands and said, "The brothers from the former coal mine slaves are all here, a total of 200 people."
Lu Tu nodded: "We have captured 400 long knives, enough to distribute to everyone. Go and distribute the knives now, and then Liu Hong will take 200 men to the city to buy some grain."
Liu Hong was a little curious. Usually, it was the brothers Liu Yang and Liu Hu who would go to the city to make purchases, since it involved money and was naturally a sensitive matter.
Seeing that Lü Tu showed no sign of distress, he cupped his hands and said, "Yes, sir! May I ask, is the main concern grain?"
Lu Tu pointed to the more than 100 Wuhuan heads that were being guarded in the distance: "We'll call Xiao Zhong later, and you can go with him to hand over the military merits."
"Yes, sir! This humble general takes his leave." Liu Hong still habitually referred to himself as "this humble general," which Nie Yun found somewhat distasteful. After Liu Hong left, Nie Yun watched his retreating figure and muttered, "Brother, what did Liu Hong do before? Why does he speak with such an official tone?"
Lu Tu gave him a deep look, patted him on the shoulder and said, "His official position used to be much higher than mine, so it's normal for him to have some bureaucratic airs."
"The past is the past, and the present is the present. I really can't stand his arrogant attitude in front of my older brother."
Lu Tu nodded and said, "Nie Yun, come for a walk with me."
Nie Yun understood that Lü Tu had something to say to him, so he took the reins of his warhorse and followed behind Lü Tu.
"Nie Yun, how long have we known each other?"
"It's been three months, brother. Do you still remember the day you helped avenge our father's death?"
Lu Tu's tone turned somber: "I've noticed you've been quite restless lately. Have you started to enjoy the feeling of power and become ambitious, wanting to rise to the top?"
Upon hearing this, Nie Yun threw down the reins, quickly knelt on the ground, and said in fear, "Brother, Nie Yun dares not, Nie Yun will always be your soldier!"
Lu Tu snorted coldly: "Then you have recently shown a lack of tolerance for others and a penchant for grandstanding. You are educated, so you know what I mean."
Nie Yun remained silent upon hearing this, though his hands were trembling slightly.
“I know you learned martial arts and literacy from your father since you were a child, so you think highly of yourself and think you are different from other villagers. But have you ever thought that you are exactly the same as everyone else and are not superior to anyone else? All your achievements are thanks to me, so why do you think you are superior to others?”
These words were extremely profound. Nie Yun had always been very proud, and when he heard them, he wanted to explain, but he hesitated and pursed his lips, remaining silent.
“Your father passed away early, and no one guided you as you grew up, so you can’t blame yourself.”
"Because you think too highly of yourself, you can't stand Liu Hong calling himself a lowly general. But when you encounter someone with more power than you, your fragile self-esteem will vanish. That's why you chickened out when faced with Yuan Xu's insults today."
Nie Yun's self-respect and dignity, which he had carefully maintained for so long, were ruthlessly exposed by Lü Tu and even trampled underfoot. He shed tears of humiliation, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
Lu Tu sighed softly: "All of this is because your core is unstable. You have never accomplished anything independently. In fact, you don't even recognize yourself in your heart. Am I right?"
Nie Yun had never thought about this question before, and was shocked after hearing Lu Tu's explanation.
He respectfully kowtowed three times to Lü Tu and said, "Brother, save me!"
Lu Tu raised his hand at him and said, "Get up first."
"I don't want to. Actually, I've recently realized that I'm very restless. I don't know why, but I just can't stand anyone and always want to find fault with others."
Lu Tu didn't force him to get up. Since things had already come to this point, he might as well give him some strong medicine: "If you want to change the status quo, you must first recognize your own abilities. You are no more outstanding than others. If you continue to act like a nagging old woman and talk badly about others behind their backs, you will start as a foot soldier!"
"Only when a person understands himself can he find his source of confidence. The confidence you have now is because of me. That's why you didn't dare to utter a word even when Yuan Xu was scolding you like a pig's head. You only dared to make a move when I came!"
Lu Tu turned his horse around and headed home, leaving Nie Yun alone to reflect. Now that he had said this, whether Nie Yun could digest it depended on his comprehension.
When she returned home, Song Yuxi was already sitting in the courtyard, teaching several maids needlework. Upon seeing Lü Tu return, Jiang Wanyu and the other maids quickly took their leave.
Lu Tu helped her up and carried her into the house: "I sent Liu Hong to hand over the heads."
Song Yuxi was taken aback: "Husband, didn't you say that the journey to hand over the heads would be very dangerous?"
Lu Tu bluntly stated, "I just want to see what the Southern Palace Imperial Guards are capable of."
Song Yuxi nodded: "That's how it should be. Since they came back from the coal mine, they haven't participated in labor with the other villagers or received any training. It's time for them to prove their worth to their husbands."
"Aren't you angry? They are your brother's subordinates, after all."
Song Yuxi smiled and took a towel to brush the dust off Lü Tu's body: "You and I are of one mind. My husband didn't even go to the coal mine to let them recover from their injuries, so they have to do something. If they can only do this because of my relationship, then who will be willing to do labor in the future? How can my husband lead the troops?"
As expected of a lady from a prominent military family, her perspective was completely different from other women. Lu Tu happily picked her up and placed her on his lap, his hand slowly slipping inside her clothes.
Song Yuxi let out a soft moan, her face flushed crimson: "Husband..."
Seeing her like this, Lu Tu, who had been abstaining for more than half a month, felt a surge of heat in his abdomen. He gently bit Song Yuxi's earlobe and said, "My wife, I heard from the doctor that we can have sex in three months."
"My dear husband, you're so naughty. You always like to torment me like this. Xiaoyu has gone out to play and will be back soon. Please bear with her a little longer."
It had been some time since he had touched Song Yuxi. Now, with Lu Tu's gentle caresses, Song Yuxi involuntarily exhaled fragrant breaths. Her hot breaths landed on Lu Tu's nose, adding even more pleasure to the encounter.
Lu Tu picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bed: "I can't favor one over the other. I have to make it up to you for how many times I've favored Xiao Yu during this time!"
Song Yuxi's eyes were already glistening with tears. She gently bit her lip with her pearly teeth and nodded shyly, "Husband, be gentle, don't hurt the baby."
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