Seeing Zhao Qingyao make trouble, Lü Tu didn't care. After all, all of this was within Lü Tu's expectations. How could Yun Tian and Ye Qingyu willingly hand over their elite troops to Lü Tu?
They would be more than happy to see Lü Tu killed. Prince Duan was sending elite troops, armor, and weapons, which was like taking the life of a ruthless person like Yun Tian!
Yun Tian gave a wry smile: "Your Highness, to be honest, Wu Chuan doesn't have many elite soldiers left. These are the most energetic young men in the border army. If you don't believe me, you can send someone to investigate."
Prince Duan didn't care about the elite troops' approval rating. The reason he scolded them so angrily was simply to give Lü Tu face and also to shut Lü Tu up indirectly.
Zhao Qingyao looked at Lü Tu and asked, "Vice General Lü, are you satisfied with these border troops?"
Lu Tu nodded: "Satisfied. Just as Yun Tian said, Wuchuan had an outbreak of plague before. After I sent people to cure it with great difficulty, it will take some time to recover. If we want to find a group of strong and burly men at this time, wouldn't that be too much trouble?"
Yun Tian nodded repeatedly after hearing this. Although he didn't know why Lü Tu had suddenly become so understanding, at least he had passed this hurdle.
Ye Qingyu made the decision: "Since Vice General Lü has agreed, these 3,000 elite soldiers will be under your command. Don't forget the kindness of Prince Duan and the Princess, and of course, the Emperor!"
When Ye Qingyu mentioned the word "Emperor," he even cupped his hands towards the southern sky, displaying an extremely obsequious and servile demeanor, which only fueled Lü Tu's contempt.
Prince Duan was even more dissatisfied with Ye Qingyu for interrupting him. He snorted and said, "Since General Ye is so loyal to my brother and to the Great Yu Dynasty, why don't you also show your appreciation to Lü Tu, the greatest contributor this time?"
These words put Ye Qingyu in a difficult position. He didn't expect that Prince Duan, who usually didn't break off relations with him, would target him at this time.
But the words had already been spoken, and his previous display of loyalty had now put him in an awkward position. He wasn't as thick-skinned as Lü Tu, so he could only vent his anger on Yun Tian.
"I came to Wuchuan with no other gifts after receiving the imperial decree. You should express your appreciation on my behalf."
Yun Tian felt a chill run down his spine. He had just had 3,000 elite soldiers selected, and his heart was already bleeding. Now he was being asked to make further concessions? Wasn't this just bullying an honest man?
But Yun Tian dared not show it, and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Since Vice General Lü is the biggest contributor this time, shouldn't we ask him what he needs?"
Zhao Qingyao nodded after hearing this: "Commander Yun is right. In that case, Deputy General Lü, please be frank and tell me what you want?"
Lu Tu's most powerful trump card right now is explosives, but he has almost used up the saltpeter he obtained from Pangjia Village in Huai Shuo. This is a very good opportunity.
Without any hesitation, he cupped his hands to Zhao Qingyao and said, "I need saltpeter, a lot of saltpeter!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingyao, Prince Duan, and Ye Qingyu all frowned and asked in unison, "What do you need that thing for?"
Lu Tu glared at Ye Qingyu and said, "What's it to you?"
Ye Qingyu was furious! He was, after all, a high-ranking official of the second rank and the Right Protector of the Shence Army, yet he had been repeatedly humiliated by Lü Tu. More importantly, under such circumstances, Lü Tu had lost the most basic respect for him, meaning he no longer treated him like a human being.
"How dare you talk back to me!"
Upon hearing this, Lü Tu took a step back with a disgusted expression: "You'd better watch your words! I'm not into men, so you're not allowed to come any closer!"
Ye Qingyu, who was already furious and on the verge of exploding, swallowed back all the words he had been holding back when he heard these words, and could only keep stammering "you you you".
Upon hearing this, everyone around instantly understood.
Even though homosexuality was not prevalent in the Great Yu Dynasty, the Shence Army soldiers present were from the capital.
In the homes of high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital, there were always page boys. These page boys were not there specifically to accompany the young masters in their studies, but rather to keep the young masters entertained and relieve their boredom in the school!
Of course, Ye Qingyu's words were not ambiguous, but Lu Tu's additional statement was far too powerful for this relatively simple era, directly distorting the literal meaning of the word "confrontation".
Hearing even his own soldiers sneer at him, and even his beloved Zhao Qingyao covering her mouth and chuckling, Ye Qingyu flew into a rage and shouted, "Lu Tu, I will fight you to the death today!"
Lu Tu held his halberd horizontally in front of his chest, his sword-like eyebrows raised, and shouted, "Come on then, I'm not afraid of you!"
The atmosphere between the two sides was extremely tense, with a chilling aura permeating the surroundings, and everyone's expression turned serious.
Zhao Qingyao then spoke up, "Yun Tian, do you have any saltpeter?"
Yun Tian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "I'll have to ask the treasury to find out."
"Go quickly!"
At this moment, Zhao Qingyao spoke to Ye Qingyu and Lü Tu again: "Both of you are loyal and patriotic generals. Our Great Yu Dynasty is in dire need of capable people right now. Generals, please do not act rashly."
Ye Qingyu pointed to his nose, incredulously saying, "I acted impulsively? This kid..."
Lu Tu cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes, Princess, I won't expose his past."
"Lu Tu, I'm going to fight you to the death!"
As Ye Qingyu spoke, he was about to rush forward, but was stopped by a group of Imperial Guards: "General Ye, the princess has already spoken, you must not do this."
Upon seeing this, Lü Tu, Nie Yun, and the others couldn't help but burst into laughter, which could be considered as revenge for the arrow they had been shot.
They were initially reluctant to accept only 3,000 wounded soldiers, but when they heard that Lü Tu was asking for saltpeter, Nie Yun, Liu Hong, and the others immediately felt it was well worth it!
You have to understand how difficult it was to obtain those saltpeter stones; hundreds of brothers sacrificed their lives for them.
Later, the entire village's military force was mobilized to transport it back, making it a truly arduous journey.
If we could obtain a large amount of saltpeter from Wuchuan City, it would greatly enhance our strength!
Everyone present had participated in the night raid on the Saili tribe that day, and they knew better than anyone the power of those explosives and detonators. Upon hearing about saltpeter, their eyes lit up, making the surrounding Shence Army soldiers feel a chill in their hearts.
Soon an old man came running over with an account book, even losing his hat in the process. He immediately knelt down and said, "Your Excellencies, there is no saltpeter!"
Lu Tu added, "What about the iron ore?"
"Yes, there are. There are a total of 185,000 jin!"
Lu Tu waved his hand: "I want them all!"
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