The summer night glowed with blue light, and in the small county town under the night, the flames were burning, and the voices of people were chaotic, accompanied by the crying of women and children.
The black flag was fluttering, but it was only in the darkness, and people could only see that flag in the place illuminated by the fire.
On the shore of Taihu Lake, the small county town on the north side of Pingjiang Mansion, after the military disaster last year, there were not many people. At this moment, a group of refugees called the Fairness Party attacked again. After entering the county seat, they did not start a massacre, but the homes of several local gentry and wealthy families on the west side of the county city suffered.
At this moment, the flames and slaughter continued, and another group of men and horses came from the field outside the county town with high banners. After shouting and exchanging a few words with the other party, he knew that this team had a very high status in the Fair Party. They didn't dare to stop them, and when the other party got closer, no one recognized the identity of the emaciated middle-aged man in front of Ma Kuang. All the homeless people near the city gate, who were called "King of Fairness", all knelt down.
The "King of Fairness" is He Wen. After the exchange, he rode in, and the soldiers directly under his command began to take over the defense of the county town. Another law enforcement team entered the county town and began to shout: "If there are those who harass innocent people, kill! Those who take advantage of the chaos to steal money, kill! Those who insult women, kill…”
He Wen led the guards towards the direction of the burning fire. It was the mansion of the big family. In order to protect the house and yard, it seemed that the two sides had also experienced some offensive and defensive battles. At this moment, as He Wen stepped into the mansion , you can see the corpses lying on the ground in different directions between the courtyards. Among the corpses, there were not only young men with swords and weapons, but also women and children who were obviously slashed while fleeing.
He didn't say a word, he walked all the way, and a deputy led a man to visit the shrine. This is a fair party leader with a black scarf and more than 30 years old. His status was not high. There were loopholes in the defense, and he temporarily summoned nearby helpers to come and break the city. After the Jinren left, the livelihood of the people in the south of the Yangtze River was not restored, and there were refugees everywhere who were ruined. During this period of time, the Fairness Party's momentum has gradually increased, and the core team under He Wen's control is still under construction.
After briefly explaining what happened, the leader began to talk about the stubborn resistance of these big clansmen during the attack, which resulted in the death and injury of many brothers on his side. He Wen asked about the treatment of the wounded, and then asked, "Where is the outside member? What about the clan leader?"
The leader hesitated slightly: "A few old people, resisting stubbornly, would rather die than surrender, so I had to... kill them."
"Where to take me to see."
"...the ancestral hall, the ancestral hall." The leader led the way in front, and then said, "These things, the people outside are not living well, and everyone will starve to death. There are too many silver utensils. I have them carried to the ancestral hall. I don’t dare to be greedy for ink... Well, San’er, come over and tell Mr. He about what it looked like when you opened the grain warehouse. I want to set fire to the food..."
Everyone talked and walked, and when they got to the ancestral hall, they could see the corpse that was upside down. There were also gold and silver in large and small wooden boxes stacked on the side of the ancestral hall. The leader immediately went over and opened the box to He Wen to see. . He Wen walked over to the pile of corpses and glanced at it, and then he went to the pile of gold and silver, took out a few gold utensils to play with, and then asked about the food and grass.
"Call all the brothers who participated in your invitation this time. I have something to say to them, thank them."
At this time, his expression and tone softened, and the leader went out with his deputy to call someone. After a while, several other leaders were summoned and came to see Mr. He, the "King of Fairness", and He Wen watched them. After a few glances, he waved his hand.
"Go to the weapon, watch the custody first, and then send it off."
His order has been issued, and the deputy in charge of execution also waved the flag. Some of the people in the courtyard are complaining, and some people have drawn swords. There are some movements outside the courtyard. Be prepared, the commotion will subside soon, and a group of guards in the courtyard also surrounded the leaders. He Wen looked at them.
"Murdering and breaking the family, just to vent your anger, you will kill all the people, and there are even women's bodies outside. After you have been insulted, you have no time to hide them, what the beasts did! Whoever did these things and who didn't do it, then all We will find out, in a few days, you will be put on trial in front of all the people! Do you want to be a fair party? This is the fair party!"
One of the few people scolded: "Hypocrite! We worked hard for you, the dead brother shed blood, and you treated us like this! We have taken care of the people in our hands, and the people outside have not committed any crimes! The people here are full. The house is full of gold and silver, and the food and grass are like mountains. Look at how well they dress. They are the ones who are killed by the people. You are a hypocrite of the fair party! You want to snatch these things, regardless of the benefits.”
He Wendao: "A well-dressed person is a bad person? Then everyone in the world wears rags to kill people! You say they are evil people, what evil did they do? What year, month and day did they do it? Where is the bitter master? There are so many. The dead man, who did the evil thing? Was it the old man or the ten-year-old girl lying outside! If you kill someone without speaking clearly, you are robbers! This is not fair!"
"They are so rich, and the people outside are starving to death. If you ask a little about the evil things they do, they will definitely be there. It's all in front of you, Mr. He, don't pretend to be confused."
"The little girl outside did it too?"
"How can the chaos be divided so clearly?"
"Take it!"
In the darkness of the night, there continued for a while of chaos and commotion, and the flames in the aristocratic family's compound finally died out. He Wen went to see the food stored in these aristocratic families' homes, and then ordered the soldiers to restrain the remains, and only then did they come with this time. The deputy and personally gathered in the outer courtyard. Some people talked about the food, and they mentioned the refugees and famine in the outside world. Some people said that this time the leader could restrain the refugees from disturbing the ordinary people, and he did a good job. He Wen ate some dry food and slammed the bowl in his hand. The ground fell on the blue bricks in the courtyard, and the courtyard was silent for a while.
"In which village and which street you lived in before, there were rogues, right?"
He said: "I usually idle around and don't do business. If I have the opportunity to go to this house or that house to fight the autumn wind, as long as there is something good for nothing, I must be the kind of person who is indispensable. This kind of person is not a gangster who kills and steals money, and does not care about other people's opinions. The outlaws, they live by your side, as long as there is some benefit, they will find reasons and explanations, one after another..."
"This kind of prankster has a characteristic. If you are gangsters or outlaws, maybe one day you can make a fortune, pranksters will never make a fortune. Their life is to get a little cheap, and they have no rules in their hearts..."
"Today, you smashed this big yard to see that it is full of gold and silver, and it is full of grain. Ordinary people will never see so much in their lives. Look again, hey, these people are dressed so well, people's fat and people's cream, I'm fair. Party, act for heaven, you farts"
He Wen waved his hands and stared, and shouted.
"These people didn't kill the wrong ones? What if they killed the wrong ones? You haven't thought about it! Because there are reasons for the wrong killings! Whoever is in a mess can't kill a few old and weak women and children! Do things to find a reason, who can't find it? But do If you look for it later, you are just pointing at the pranksters who take advantage! Once you point at taking advantage of this, you will not be able to do anything major in the future."
"If you want to do something big, do something real, in your heart, just! Gotta! Have! Rules! Rules!"
He Wen stood in the courtyard, word by word.
The fire was restless in the night, and in May, the Fair Party, which had been expanding for a period of time, began to have internal divisions, and began to produce a more mature program and code of conduct.
At the same time, among the ruins of Daming Mansion on the north bank of the Yellow River, a black flag fluttered quietly. At this moment, the army on the Jurchen East Road returning to the north was stationed on the south bank of the Yellow River and was considering a proper strategy for crossing the river.
Beginning in April, the Huaxia and Guangwu armies, who were once huddled in the waters of Liangshan, began to come out of the base in batches, and there were several frictions with the Wanyanchang troops who were returning home from the East Route Army. Several battles were all close at hand, but the troops led by Zhu Biao, Wang Shanyue, and Liu Chengzong all clearly showed their future combat intentions: once the Jurchen army was ready to cross the river, they would never let go of harassing them. Ferry opportunity.
In the past two years, these units in Liangshan have shown a tenacious will to fight. Although the Jurchen East Route Army is powerful, the hundreds of thousands of Han prisoners following them north are bloated. Weaknesses of the Army. Once opened, the chaotic situation that will be encountered will inevitably give Zongfu Zongbi a headache.
But at the level of hegemony, headaches are not such a serious problem.
In the face of the decisiveness of Liangshan troops, Zongfu Zongbi has assembled an elite force, ready to cross the Yellow River and start the war. At the same time, Wanyan Chang and Shulie speed led tens of thousands of troops to press from the north. Come. In the middle, Wanyan Chang used his troops intensively, and his tactics were quick and aggressive. The military styles of both sides echoed each other. So in the middle of May, as many as hundreds of thousands of East Route troops will start a net to remove the last nail on the way back to the north.
The news of the defeat of the Jurchen West Route Army and the catastrophic defeat of Nianhan in the decisive battle of Hanzhong was also poured on the land on both sides of the Yellow River like boiling oil at this moment. On the north bank of the Yellow River, Zhu Biao, Wang Shanyue, Liu Chengzong and others were inspired to fight a beautiful battle here. , Although there are not many people on my side, they are all veterans who have experienced the most brutal fighting, and the other side's camp is bloated and eager to go home. As long as this weakness is identified, the ants may not be able to bite the tragic wound on the elephant.
On the south bank of the Yellow River, Zongfu Zongbi was looking forward to such a battle and victory to prove his difference from Nianhan and Xiyin of the West Route Army. In the context of the fiasco in the Southwest Battle, as long as he can bury the Shandong Black Flag Army, which has been tested in the past, on the bank of the Yellow River, the domestic military and people's hearts will be lifted.
Against this background, on May 15th, in a barren village west of Daming on the north bank of the Yellow River, Zhu Biao, Wang Shanyue, Liu Chengzong and others met temporarily, and they welcomed the envoy from the southwest. , Zhuji's "big shopkeeper" Dong Fangxian. Zhu, Wang, and Liu gave Dong Fangxian a general statement about the next battle ideas. It was only this afternoon that Dong Fangxian began to relay some of the words that Ning Yi asked him to bring over.
"Mr. Ning asked me to bring an idea. It's just an idea. The specific decision is up to you. Moreover, after you are fully prepared for the battle, such an idea has practical significance."
After Dong Fangxian said this, Wang Shanyue had already laughed: "What's wrong with Lao Ning? Tell me."
"Negotiate, make peace."
Dong Fangxian looked at Wang Shanyue and said calmly. The scar on Wang Shanyue's face immediately turned ugly. He moved towards the ground and spit.
"It's just a reference choice. As for the final decision, it's up to you." Dong Fangxian repeated.
Wang Shanyue raised her head, stretched out her hand and shook it on Zhu Biao and Liu Chengzong: "There are so many of you here, decide... what to do?"
"We will listen to everyone's opinions as much as possible. Mr. Ning said that we can even vote in the army." Dong Fangxian is a little fat, and has a lot of gray hair on his head. He looks kind on weekdays, but now he faces Wang Shan. Yue Zhuo's eyes were also calm and calm, without flinching, "Mr. Ning said when he came, at least one thing Wang Gongzi can rest assured, there are no cowards in the Huaxia army."
Wang Shanyue stared at him for a moment: "You speak, I will listen."
Dong Fangxian nodded: "On the north bank of the Yellow River, the Huaxia Army and the Guangwu Army combined, the current lineup is less than 30,000 people. 200,000, plus Wanyan Chang and Shu Liesu, they are indeed wearing shoes, and if they have to fight, the gains outweigh the losses, but if they really go to fight, the chances of you surviving... are not high, this is a very polite way of saying. "
Wang Shanyue said: "First, we are not afraid of death; second, Zongfu Zongbi is eager to go back to fight for power and profit. This is also our advantage."
Dong Fangxian said: "First, no one is afraid of people, we are talking about how to die; second, under the premise that the West Route Army has already been defeated, if Zongfu Zongbi really goes out of his way, they can go back first and spend 200,000 yuan. The army is left to Wanyanchang, and after killing you in Shandong, they will not die, they are very troublesome, but at least they will not be more ugly than Nianhan."
Dong Fangxian's eyes turned to Zhu Biao and Liu Chengzong: "In the most troublesome speculation, your entire army was wiped out, causing huge losses to the Jurchen East Route Army. They brought hundreds of thousands of Han Chinese who went north to fight in this war. Tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people died. As for the possibility of you killing Zongfu Zongbi in a certain decisive battle, it is not impossible, but it is very rare. In terms of combat power, you are lacking in materials, and you are even so hungry. After a long time, Tu Shanwei should not be able to compete on the frontal battlefield."
"After all, fighting isn't just talking about soldiers on paper." Liu Chengzong said, "But... you say it first."
"Mr. Ning feels that the first crux of the situation in Shandong is that neither side believes that the other side has the possibility of retreating. Wang Gongzi has been guarding the Daming Mansion for so long, and he has already put his life and death at risk. Brother Zhu Biao faced surgery two years earlier. The speed has never retreated, and in the face of the crisis in the Daming Mansion, he still came to save people. Our past achievements have shown that the Huaxia Army is not afraid of anyone, not afraid of death... "
"I'm not the Huaxia Army." Wang Shanyue interjected.
Dong Fangxian laughed: "It's also because of this, Zongfu Zongbi doesn't think he has the possibility to easily cross the border, he has to fight, because there is no choice, we also think that Zongfu Zongbi will never let Liangshan go. But Mr. Ning I think that besides fighting, we have at least two options, such as we can leave, give up Liangshan, how about going to Jindi to turn around first..."
"We have been operating here for a long time, and we have already played a powerful role..."
"If you want to fight, these operations will be difficult to continue." Dong Fangxian said, "Then there is another option. When you are ready to fight, I will cross the river and discuss a result with Zongfu Zongbi. Come on, both of us, in some form and step, make way for each other. Considering that Wu Qimai of the Jin Kingdom is dying, and the lineup of the East Route Army is bloated, Zongfu Zongbi is likely to agree. Under such negotiation conditions, you will reserve the possibility of development at the moment, and one day in the future, you will become the vanguard of the Jin Kingdom."
Wang Shanyue was silent, Dong Fangxian said: "Shandong has been smashed before, and there was no wheat seedlings for winter wheat last year. Your current rations are only enough for one or two months. Mr. Ning asked Jindi to borrow grain, Borrowing the seedlings, after passing this level, you will slowly recover your vitality. And in Shandong, you will be able to start a real business…”
"What about the hundreds of thousands of people kidnapped by the Eastern Route Army?" Wang Shanyue raised her head.
Dong Fangxian said: "Can you save it?"
"If we attack, some people can get away."
"...Some people will escape, and more people will die. Next, if you die, the disgraceful East Route Army will seize all the people who can be caught and send them to the north."
"Because we avoid it, what will the world think of us in the future?"
"There are no good choices here, and it's hard to judge which one is worse. So Mr. Ning said, you can make your own decisions. If you decide to fight, I will do my best to cooperate with you. If you decide to talk, I will Just try to talk about it. We are all martial arts practitioners, and of course we all know that many times we withdraw our wrists in order to hit the enemy with a more powerful punch..."
His fat arm shrank, and when he hit it, he also had a lot of power: "The battle here now can inspire people in the world, and it is even possible that he actually met Zongfu Zongbi on the battlefield and killed them. , this is the most straightforward and simple choice. And if you step back today, you will have regrets in your hearts, and even be turned out one day in the future, or even be infamous. Five years from now, is it possible for you to use more It's hard to say if you have a lot of strength to break into the Jin Kingdom...you have to judge carefully."
Wang Shanyue looked at him: "It's also possible that you are a fat man crossing the river, and Zongfu Zongbi and the two fools don't want to talk, so you become the sacrifice we sent to them, and burn you the sacrificial flag first."
Dong Fangxian laughed: "It's very possible, but it's probably impossible for someone else to talk about such a thing. I can only make a run for the fat man."
His words were calm, and of course he was fearless in putting his life and death out of the way. In fact, most of the four people present had known and dealt with more than ten years ago. Even though Wang Shanyue was quite unhappy with Ning Yi and the idea he proposed, he also understood in his heart that the idea was proposed. Not out of fear, but because the battles and losses that Liangshan's army has experienced in the past two years are indeed too tragic, and by this time, their vitality has indeed not recovered. With another fearless fight, they were able to tear a piece of flesh from the Jurchen, but it didn't stop there...
The Yellow River was surging down, and the sun gradually fell to the west. Zhu, Wang, Liu and others on the riverbank talked with each other and considered the next choice. In the barren mountains and ridges more than ten miles away from them, Luo Ye and others, who had already seemed a little emaciated, were maintaining their weapons in the sun. Not far away, the troops led by Guan Sheng were resting, while Lu Junyi was active with the scout troops. further afield. They were already gearing up to chop off a dog's head in the ensuing fight.
Under the same background, more than a hundred miles south of the Yellow River, there was another team of envoys with a negotiating mission, approaching the Jurchen East Route Army camp on the river bank. This is a negotiator sent from the small court in Lin'an, headed by Huang Zhong, Minister of Rites of the small court. The purpose is to impress Zongfu Zongbi, so that the two Jurchen princes will release some of the Lin'an people who were captured by them and go north under the current situation.
This is the inspiration that Lin'an small court got after learning about Dai Mengwei's deeds: after the fiasco in the southwest, in order to maximize the balance of the Huaxia army, Xi Yin left a lot of benefits to Dai Mengwei, who was against the Chinese army, and now the days of the Lin'an small court are also It's not easy, in the foreseeable future, the Black Flag Army will become the most terrifying force on the land of the former Wu Dynasty, so as one of the strong forces against the Black Flag, they also hope that the two princes of Zongfu Zongbi can leave before leaving. Try to give them some support before.
When the East Route Army left, they took away hundreds of thousands of people in Jiangnan one after another. In the current situation, if they can persuade the other party, at least 10,000 people, or even thousands of people who originally belonged to Lin'an, can be released to participate in this lobbying. Everyone will become famous, and Tie Yan and others will rule Lin'an more firmly.
They think so.