Xiao Zhong smiled knowingly upon hearing this: "I understand, sir. Shall we use it to build the city wall first?"
"There's no rush for the city wall. You should build your brick kiln first. Then, take the bricks that come out of the kiln to the Gubeifeng Pass and give them to Chai Yong to build a barbican!"
Xiao Zhong slapped his thigh: "Great idea! This way, if the Wuhuan people dare to invade again, they will truly have no chance of returning."
Lu Tu nodded: "Then we'll use it to build a warehouse. I urgently need a larger warehouse, especially before summer arrives. Otherwise, when summer comes, there will be many snakes, insects, and rodents, making it very difficult to store the grain."
"Understood, I will immediately send another 500 people to work in two shifts."
This coincided with Lu Tu's idea. The weather was gradually warming up, and although they hadn't taken off their winter clothes, they no longer needed so much wood.
The two discussed for another half an hour. Just as Lü Tu was about to leave, Xiao Zhong suddenly remembered something and called out to Lü Tu: "Sir, here is a letter for you. It came from Huai Shuo."
Upon hearing this, Lü Tu knew it must have been sent by Deng Lang. He took the letter and asked, "Has anyone come to cause trouble in Huai Shuo these days?"
"No, Deng Lang is quite capable. It's obvious that he has restrained his subordinates, and they haven't offended us at all during this period."
This only increased Deng Lang's importance in Lu Tu's mind. It seems that Deng Lang wasn't bragging; he really did have some skills.
Unfolding the letter, Lü Tu glanced at it and his expression turned extremely serious.
Xiao Zhong hurriedly asked, "My lord, has something changed?"
Lu Tu handed over the letter, and after Xiao Zhong finished reading it, he crumpled it into a ball, then paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.
"Huai Shuo Zhao is Zhao Wuyou, the younger brother of Zhao Wuji, the current Commandant of Huai Shuo! I met him when I was in Huai Shuo, and he has been colluding with the Wuhuan people again."
Lu Tu nodded: "Since Zhao Wuyou sent Deng Lang to trade with the Wuhuan people this time, it seems to me that it was most likely a test."
Xiao Zhong seconded, "Yes, sir. Moreover, the letter also mentioned that Zhao Wuyou deliberately let Deng Lang pass through our area via Aiying Mountain before going to the Great Wall to trade with the Wuhuan people. This shows that he already has some suspicions about Deng Lang. Should we inform Deng Lang in advance?"
Lu Tu pondered for a moment: "In that case, let's put on a good show for Lord Zhao of Huai Shuo."
Xiao Zhong's brow twitched: "How should we act it?"
"Let them pass first, and then seize their supplies after the transaction is complete. Otherwise, Lord Zhao won't feel at ease."
Xiao Zhong nodded: "This is the only way, but it will be difficult for Deng Lang. He will most likely suffer in prison."
"Not necessarily. Acting depends on how it's done. Since we've decided to let Deng Lang be the mole, we have to pay a price."
"Are we brothers supposed to cooperate with him in this charade? And get hurt again?"
Lu Tu said coldly, "Summon Liu Hong!"
Liu Hong quickly received the order and trotted over: "Sir, what is it?"
After Lü Tu explained the plan to him, Liu Hong frowned slightly: "Does the lord mean we have to fight them with real swords and spears? And then let their main force leave?"
"That's right."
"This might be a bit troublesome to implement. After all, we can't tell all the soldiers the truth, otherwise they will be hesitant to fight and the Huai Shuo border army will easily see through our scheme."
Lu Tu patted him on the shoulder: "This is up to you. It's not convenient for me to show up this time. After all, it would be unreasonable for them to escape from my control if I did.
Liu Hong thought for a moment and said, "I understand."
Lu Tu patted his shoulder: "Remember one thing, try not to let the brothers get seriously injured. It's best to just get a couple of superficial cuts, but make it look realistic. It doesn't matter if you kill a lot of Huai Shuo border troops."
"I'll think about it carefully," Liu Hong said, clasping his hands in a fist salute before taking his leave.
Xiao Zhong watched his retreating figure and said, "Sir, if you don't step in, can Liu Hong really manage?"
He was unaware that the men Liu Hong led were former Imperial Guards of the Southern Army, so it was understandable that he asked this question.
Lu Tu nodded: "Right now, we can only trust him."
"I hope so."
...
That night, Lü Tu and Xiao Zhong were drinking in a house in Daozhuang Village when they soon received a report from Liu Hu: "Brother, we have discovered that about a hundred Huai Shuo border soldiers have crossed our border."
Lu Tu tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup: "Alright, I understand. Just don't reveal your whereabouts, keep an eye on things secretly, and let Liu Hong handle it himself."
"clear!"
Liu Hu has been a fast runner since he was a child, and he usually does the work of passing on messages. He is becoming more and more like a qualified spy.
Xiao Zhong poured Lü Tu a full glass of wine: "Sir, what do you think they were trading?"
"It's nothing more than salt and iron. The Wuhuan people have a lot of cattle and sheep. Not only do they need salt, but their livestock also need it. So I estimate that their trading volume will be very large this time, after all, the Wuhuan people are going to graze their livestock."
After a long three-hour wait, around midnight, Xiao Zhongdu had already fallen asleep on the table.
At this moment, shouts of battle came from the border between Luzhuang Village and Huaishuo. After putting a sheepskin coat on Xiao Zhong, Lü Tu mounted his horse and galloped towards Luzhuang Village.
He doesn't have to show up, but he must keep an eye on things nearby in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
This was also the first time he hadn't participated in a fight, and he was even more nervous than Liu Hong.
If Lü Tu were to join the battle, the morale of the soldiers would be greatly boosted, but this was a step that Lü Tu had to take.
He can't participate in every battle in the future; he's just a top soldier, not a superman.
So when he arrived at the place of battle about a mile away, Lü Tu dismounted and let Xiao Hei graze quietly, while he groped his way through the darkness.
Ahead, flames raged, and the intensity of the battle between the two sides exceeded Lü Tu's expectations.
In the short time he had been watching, two of his own men had already been stabbed, and several Huai Shuo border soldiers had also been killed.
Lu Tu frowned deeply. These were all his elite troops; they absolutely could not die!
Liu Hong, who was originally quite skilled, went straight into battle with Deng Lang. In this fight, he appeared hesitant and restrained. Several times, when his killing moves were about to kill, he forcibly changed his moves and did not aim for vital points, instead slashing Deng Lang's arms and buttocks.
Deng Lang was also very skilled, and he wielded his long sword with all his might throughout, clashing with Liu Hong's broadsword and sparks flying.
The Huai Shuo border soldiers standing nearby, seeing their squad leader so brave, couldn't help but shout, "Squad leader, let's retreat!"
Deng Lang angrily said, "Why should we retreat? We are the border troops, and Wu Chuan is also a border troops. Why should we retreat?"
The Huai Shuo soldiers around them were dumbfounded and shouted desperately, "Squad leader, but we're doing something shady!"
Liu Hong shouted, "Give me your life!" He slashed Deng Lang's shoulder with his sword, and a jet of blood spurted out. The Huai Shuo border soldiers beside him quickly dragged Deng Lang onto his horse.
"withdraw!"
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