There was an endless stream of tractors, carriages, and pedestrians on the official road from Lan City to the Yun Nation.
Ever since the construction of this road, it had brought abundant vitality to these two areas. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this road the main artery of Dayao, the giant.
At this time, a group of 100 cavalrymen was rushing on the wide road, passing by a tractor carrying a lot of goods from time to time.
This new type of transportation had gradually replaced the previous ox carts and carriages.
This trend was getting faster and faster.
Although the cement road was flat, it required a lot of animal power.
The people here didn't understand the role of animal power, but they understood that it was because the road was too hard. The horses needed to rest after a few trips on the cement road.
Every 100 kilometers along this road, there was a so-called relay station where people could rest, eat, sell biodiesel, and inspect and repair tractors.
This made everyone feel convenient and at ease.
The sky was getting dark, and the 100 cavalrymen stopped in front of a relay station.
The relay station was located at the side of the road. It had been expanded into an area of several thousand square meters, and there was a row of two-story brick buildings. Just like the new buildings in Lan City, they had a completely different style from the previous buildings.
The walls were made of red bricks, and they were covered with plants that looked quite exquisite.
The tempting aroma of food was coming from a small building near the edge.
"Stop, get off your mounts and rest."
Following the leader's order, the cavalrymen stopped one after another, jumped off their mounts, and tied them to the animal pen at the side.
The 100 jumping goats only took up one-third of the space.
Everyone entered the relay station and saw a row of electric lights hanging above the lobby. Like the street lights in Lan City, they didn't require grease or other combustibles, and there was no choking smoke. They were clean and bright.
The hall was very big, and there were dozens of wooden tables. Most of them were occupied. The aboriginal tractor drivers, who were dressed in animal skins, the Yun Nation merchants, who were dressed in silks, the solemn-looking guards, and the low-profile Jing Tribe people, who were sitting in the corner, were all sitting in the hall. Occasionally, the sweet voices of girls could be heard.
The entrance of the 100 cavalrymen attracted a lot of attention, but they looked away after seeing their attire.
The words "Ducha" were written on their clothes, and the saber at their waist was the standard long saber of the winged cavalry. It was three times longer and one times wider than the saber of the ordinary aboriginal army.
Ren Baqian did not know what new department this was. New departments often appeared in Dayao, such as the Department of Commerce, the newly established Department of Transportation, and the Department of Price.
Although they didn't know which department they were from, everyone could tell that these people were from the winged cavalry. When traveling outside, one's eyes had to be sharp. These merchants who traveled this road all year round knew this principle very well.
The one in front was a woman with a scorpion tattoo on her cheek. Nearly a hundred burly men were also brimming with murderous auras. When they looked at people, their gazes seemed to be filled with provocation and ridicule.
The hundred people sat at ten tables, ordered roasted meat, vegetable broth, roasted potatoes, and wine, and began to eat in silence.
However, he also paid attention to his surroundings while eating.
Soon, the few of them stopped eating and looked to the side.
A man dressed in embroidered clothes walked towards them.
"May I ask if this is Lieutenant Hua?" The man cupped his fists at the leading lady and smiled.
"Who are you?" Hua Qinghua raised her head and glanced at him.
"Last time at the bank, I was saved by Military Officer Hua. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to meet him after that. Since we've met by chance today, I wonder if I can invite Captain Hua to have a drink with everyone? This is just a small token of my appreciation! "
"Are you done?" Hua Qinghua looked at the roasted meat in front of her without batting an eyelid.
"Uh, I'm done."
"You're delaying my meal." Hua Qinghua's meaning was obvious. You're a hindrance, so get lost.
The middle-aged man didn't look too surprised. Although he felt a little awkward, he still maintained his gentlemanly manner and cupped his fists at Hua Qinghua. "In that case, I shall take my leave. Thank you, Military Officer Hua, for the previous matter. "
Hua Qinghua didn't say anything and continued to serve the roasted meat in front of her.
The middle-aged man returned to his seat and laughed self-deprecatingly.
"You must have suffered a setback!"
The man sitting at the same table with him was a wealthy merchant of similar age.
"As expected," the middle-aged man replied.
"Aboriginals are all rocks! The kind that can't be moved. "The wealthy merchant laughed softly.
The middle-aged man agreed with him.
However, he was still a little concerned about the 'Imperial Inspector' uniform that Hua Qinghua and the others were wearing.
Previously, when Hua Qinghua and the others arrived, everyone heard the sound of hooves and knew that they were heading toward the Yun Nation.
They didn't know what to do.
…
This incident was just a small interlude. Hua Qinghua and the others rested at the relay station for a night before continuing their journey.
Two days later, everyone arrived at Pingdu.
First, they obtained some information from the Rearguard Commandery, rested for a night, inquired about some matters, and then headed straight for the Protectorate of Yun Nation.
After some time, Hua Qinghua finally saw Zi Donglai.
Zi Donglai was a handsome man who looked to be in his thirties.
His face looked as if it had been carved by a knife or an axe. It was angular, and his eyes were full of spirit.
If one were to say that Zi Donglai was the most handsome man of the aboriginals, there wouldn't be many people who would object.
Even Hua Qinghua was momentarily dazed when she saw Zi Donglai.
"Imperial Inspector? Never heard of it. Why are you here? "Zi Donglai sat at the seat of honor and asked faintly.
Hua Qinghua became serious and took out an imperial edict. The gist of it was that the Imperial Inspector was responsible for investigating the conflicts and contradictions between the aboriginals and the Yun Nation people in the Yun Nation, as well as investigating the harassment of the civilians by the soldiers of the Protectorate of the Northeast.
Zi Donglai's eyes flickered and turned a little colder.
"Is this the intention of Her Majesty or Zhao Prince Consort?"
"Since it was personally written by Her Majesty, it naturally has her intention." Hua Qinghua flipped the imperial edict over and showed it to Zi Donglai.
"The Yun Nation is newly settled, and there are many revolts among the civilians," Zi Donglai said with a cold face.
In fact, Zi Donglai always had a cold face.
"It's one thing to rebel, but it's another thing for the soldiers of the Protectorate of Yun Nation to harass the civilians!" Hua Qinghua took out another piece of paper from her waist and said, "On the 11th of September, Commandant Tie Fengbao beat up a local merchant, Li Jingwen, after drinking in a brothel, seriously injuring him!"
"On the 19th of September, Commandant Qin Huya's soldiers collided with someone on the road and started a fight with the local people. Huang Qu, Shen Du, and 13 other people were seriously injured."
"On the 6th of October, Commandant Xu Sanhua and his soldiers beat up four scholars, Yuan Qing, Liu Dong, and two others in a restaurant. After that, their names were left behind and had a bad influence …"
"11th of October …"
"Enough. You're well prepared. They are all my soldiers. What are you going to do about it, Imperial Inspector? "Zi Donglai waved his hand and interrupted Hua Qinghua.
"In the past three months, there have been 13 cases of harassment of civilians in Pingdu alone. There are even more cases in the entire Yun Nation. According to Her Majesty's order, these people must be punished according to military law. Moreover, they must be punished in an eye-catching place in the city to serve as a warning to others! "
"They should be punished according to military law. Even if it's an order from Her Majesty, I won't accept it!" Zi Donglai stood up after finishing his sentence. "All of you may leave."
"Protector Zi! Are you going to defy the order? "Hua Qinghua moved in front of Zi Donglai in a flash.
"How dare you!" The guards in the tent were furious.
"You dare to stop me?" Zi Donglai looked at Hua Qinghua with a dangerous coldness in his eyes.
"Protector Zi, the order is from Her Majesty! I, the Imperial Inspector, have the duty to investigate such matters! "Hua Qinghua blocked his way without backing down. "If you defy the order, Her Majesty will definitely be furious!"
"I, Zi Donglai, and the soldiers of the Protectorate have made great contributions to the Yun Nation. Even if I have some flaws, I can't be punished in public. I refuse to accept Her Majesty's order. You can go back and report to Her Majesty. If Her Majesty wants to punish me, I'm willing to accept it! "
Hua Qinghua saw that Zi Donglai had made up his mind and gritted her teeth.
She had just arrived, but Protector Zi had already refused to accept the order. This job was indeed difficult.
Just as she was feeling angry, she felt a strong force pushing her away.
Zi Donglai waved his hand in the air, causing her to retreat several steps.
By the time Hua Qinghua came back to her senses, Zi Donglai had already left the tent. Hua Qinghua quickly chased after him.
"Stop!" Zi Donglai's guards stopped Hua Qinghua.
"I have Her Majesty's order, so I can move freely. Who can stop me?" Hua Qinghua sneered and took out the order from her pocket.
The guards' morale immediately stagnated.
Zi Donglai glanced at her, snorted coldly, and left without bothering with her.
However, he didn't expect Hua Qinghua to follow him blindly.
Whether he was eating or sleeping, Hua Qinghua would definitely appear by his side and read out the empress's orders from time to time.
If it were someone else, Zi Donglai would have killed them with a slap.
However, Hua Qinghua had the empress's order.
After a period of time, Zi Donglai was quite annoyed. He couldn't beat her up or chase her away, so he simply instructed the guards to curse at Hua Qinghua and force her to retreat.
He didn't expect Hua Qinghua to curse so badly that the guards couldn't open their mouths.
However, Zi Donglai couldn't do as the imperial edict said and let the soldiers receive military law in the streets and be surrounded by the people of the Yun Nation.
This was the stubbornness of a general.
No matter what they had done, they were still his soldiers. How could he allow them to be humiliated in front of others?
The two sides continued to be in a deadlock.
When Ren Baqian received the news, he felt rather helpless.
Hua Qinghua's dog-skin plaster tactic was suggested by him. After all, Zi Donglai was extremely famous and had made great contributions. Even the empress wouldn't easily touch him.
However, if these matters weren't dealt with, the people of the Yun Nation would always be hostile to the aboriginals.
In order to absorb a nation as a part of Dayao, a combination of strength and gentleness had to be used. Rewards and punishments had to be fair.
Zi Donglai had no choice but to make such a move.
Now, he just had to wait and see how long Zi Donglai could endure!
Ren Baqian put this aside and waited for Zi Donglai's reaction.
He still had too many things to do and couldn't put too much energy into this.
…
A year had passed, and the two were still in a deadlock.
Hua Qinghua moved directly to the protectorate and was like Zi Donglai's shadow every day.
Even Zi Donglai's guards and the generals from the protectorate were used to her presence.
Hua Qinghua never forgot her duties. Almost every day, she would read the empress's orders to Zi Donglai. At the same time, she would also get her subordinates to bring news of the harassment of the people by the protectorate soldiers.
Perhaps it was due to her efforts, but such incidents seemed to have decreased in the past six months.
…
Two years had passed, and Ren Baqian sometimes almost forgot about this matter.
Today, he had just finished looking at the phone sample that had just been produced and asked about Hua Qinghua's current situation.
He didn't expect Zi Donglai to be able to hold on for so long, which made Ren Baqian feel rather helpless.
"Your Highness, I just received news that Protector General Zi is going to marry Hua Ducha in three months!"
Ren Baqian was confused.
Ren Baqian's expression suddenly became extremely interesting.
He felt depressed and didn't know what to say.
That feeling was as if he had been f * cked.
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