The leaves on the tree turn from green to dark, the spring rain is gone, the safflower has lost its color, and time has passed in the blink of an eye. In late March, there were still catkins flying on the Qinhuai River, but summer had really come. Ning Yi and Tan'er's family boarded the boat outside Jiangning City and boarded the waterway back to the capital.
After returning to Jiangning for a month, Ning Yi and Tan'er didn't have much to do. Apart from paying respects to the family members who died in last year's accident, the rest was just the effort of sending congratulatory gifts to Prince Kang's mansion. manage. However, in the days before the marriage, Xiao Pei himself was not in Jiangning, so during this journey, Ning Yi did not see the female disciple who was about to marry.
The little princess is about to get married, that is to say, he is already an adult. For Ning Yi, a teacher Keqing who seems to be just a name, King Kang did not take too much of it. Lots of gifts. It's just that Zhou Pei's whereabouts were not described in too much detail, and Ning Yi only understood the specifics when he went to visit Kang Xian.
At this time, the clans of the Wu Dynasty had never had much freedom, and there were only a few people, and it was barely an exception. The royal family's property under the name of Princess Zhou Xuan of Chengguo spread all over Tiannan at this time, which was enough to influence the political situation to some extent. Now that Zhou Xuan and Kang Xian are both old, it is time to choose their successors.
Although they themselves have several children, when it comes to economic and numerical sensitivity, no one can match Zhou Pei. It is also for this reason that after Zhou Pei showed some interest in this aspect, Zhou Xuan decided to hand over part of the matter to her. During this time, Zhou Xuan decided to go to various imperial villages and brought her with her. Zhou Pei came to let her know about the specific matters, and came to let the stewards come to recognize people. Zhou Pei was very talented and interested in this matter, so Kang Xian casually told Ning Yi about it.
Whether it's a good thing or not, Zhou Pei has found his position. on the other hand. Although the little prince Zhou Junwu's Gewu Club is not well-received, it has a certain scale. In the past, he found a group of his friends to mess around with him. After Ning Yi talked to him last year, he started to go around. Looking for craftsmen, starting with a kite, gradually increasing the size and firmness of the kite, and choosing a more ideal material. By this year, the kites that can carry loads have become larger and larger. On the other hand, the enlargement of Kongming lanterns is also underway.
In the beginning, such a gewu club was just a small fight, and the King Kang's mansion only turned a blind eye, but after the scale was expanded. The question of money inevitably comes to the fore. Zhou Junwu is a self-conscious person. Since a few months, he has been understanding the source of income of the palace, trying to bring some profitable shops into his name.
The little prince showed his desire to make money and gain power, and he still upheld the right path to some extent, not blackmailing a group of friends or thinking that other royal children generally only want money without consequences. Kang Xian regards this as a symbol of his progress. Talk to Zhou Yongyi. Zhou Yong was also quite happy. The property of King Kang's Mansion is not comparable to that of the Princess Mansion of Chengguo, but it is up to him to toss. So recently, Xiao Junwu extorted a few profitable shops from the housekeepers of the palace and held them in his hands. He used the income of the shops to supplement the Gewu Club, stumbling and living his small life tightly.
After Ning Yi came back, Jun Wu happily showed off his achievements to him and took Ning Yi over to see it. He remembered what Ning Yi said about giving the craftsman status, and for the recruited group of craftsmen. However, he has never been treated badly, and even treated him a little too much. Ning Yi also gave him some opinions, so that he still has to optimize the reward and punishment mechanism, to be efficient, and not to be good to everyone. By the way, teach him some business experience.
As for what the results of the Gewu Society can finally produce, Ning Yi is not willing to worry about it - a hot air balloon with low safety may still be possible, but even if it is himself. It is also unlikely to build a plane - the important thing is that Jun Wu will find future survival experience in these things. It is also for this reason that Jun Wu has to calculate his income and expenditure a little too tightly. Ning Yi especially reminded him that saving can be done, but a lot of normal social interactions are still needed. Fortunately, Jun Wu also came from an excellent education. He understands this very well. He is talking to other royal nobles. The children are not harsh in their dealings, but their usual items such as snacks and watching dramas are all deducted. Ning Yi looked at it and felt that this little prince was a little pitiful.
"Go back to your sister for money." Ning Yi patted his shoulder and said so.
Jun Wu also nodded as a matter of course: "Well, for sure."
Except for this little walk after returning home, on weekdays, Ning Yi usually only gives lectures in Yushan Academy, and does not run more. At this time, Jiangning was completely full of singing and dancing, and there was no fanaticism of Bianliang, but it always contained the elegance of Jiangnan. The Qinhuai River was lit up every night, and the literati were born in good times, celebrating the prosperity of the country and the people, and the success of the Northern Expedition. Some people came to look for Ning Yi to attend the meeting, but Ning Yi rejected them one by one.
Of course, sometimes when the heat comes, it's not just these people who come to the door. As the richest man in Jiangning, Puyang Yi, the son of the Puyang family, visited the house several times, and sometimes brought one or two people. The Puyang family has some official relations, and the salt tea business also accounts for a part. Although it may not be famous in Bianliang, in the south, it is probably the family that can be involved in the recent batch of accounts. He came to look for Ning Yi and Su Tan'er, naturally for business matters, so I won't list them one by one here.
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When the royal girl named Zhou Pei returned to Jiangning, it was already May of this year.
Knowing that the teacher came back to Jiang Ningxuan and left, the girl went to the warehouse to read the gifts sent by the Su family one by one, but she didn't show any strange thoughts. The auspicious day for getting married is on the sixth day of the sixth month of this year, and everything is proceeding step by step.
Not many people can know about the little budding in the girl's heart, including her close younger brother Jun Wu, who has never known the small relationship she had in her youthful age. The girl finally decided to bury it all. On the eve of the wedding, she had a private conversation with Jun Maqu Zonghui. No one knew what they talked about. They only knew that after this time, the wedding was held as scheduled. The two equally outstanding people, They became a respectful and enviable young couple.
The stars shift day by day. In the tide of time, the fate of one or two people cannot become the focus of attention. In the summer of this year, droughts and floods occur frequently. Huanghuai flooded, and torrential rain caused disasters. Parts of a point in the south were plunged into extreme heat, and no rice was harvested.
At the same time, the situation of the Northern Expedition is still developing and changing.
In the past six months, although the Wu Dynasty has been celebrating the success of the Northern Expedition with singing and dancing, the literati and writers are all in high spirits. The author praised the prosperous world that has been unseen for hundreds of years. But north of Yanmen Pass, the situation is starting to get tense, and the tension comes from several sources.
In the original covenant between the Wu Dynasty and the Jin people, it was agreed that after jointly attacking the Liao Dynasty, the Wu Dynasty would be divided into the sixteen states of Yanyun that were originally lost. Now that Yanjing has overcome, the sixteen states of Yanyun have also changed hands. Negotiations about returning the sixteen states have been quite difficult since last year.
For the civil officials of the Wu Dynasty who participated in the negotiation, the Jinren at this time were no longer the modest rebel group they used to be. They forgot that the warriors had always restrained the Liao people, and became arrogant due to a series of victories. For the Jin people, the Wu Dynasty was slow in the Northern Expedition. Including their long-term failures, they have gradually turned from confusion to contempt. Although some of the core members of the Jin people, such as Wanyan Xiyin and others, still have respect for the heritage of the Wu Dynasty, most people have begun to disregard the southern court.
Of course, the number of Jurchens is not large. After quickly swallowing most of the Liao Kingdom, they have slowed down a little and began to enjoy the income at hand - they have no need to fight the Wu Dynasty. But when Wu Chao came to ask for the sixteen states of Yanyun, he could not give them.
This delay made most of the officials who supported the Northern Expedition in the Wu Dynasty began to worry. At the end of last year, Tong Guan and others bought back Yanjing as well as Zhuo, Yi, Tan, Shun and Jing on the condition of increasing the million-year-old coins. , Ji and other six states, at this time the touts and awards in the court are still going down, but the next negotiations. has reached an impasse.
The rest of the prefectures, the Jurchens are too lazy to give them, and even the Jurchens already have a saying: You can't beat the Liao people, so you will pay tribute to them later. Now, let's set up a fight on the border. If we win, you can add more New Year coins. If you can win, how about winning back the New Year coins
In order to maintain the victory, Tong Guan and others have raised more than 50 million guans of property, and began to gradually buy cities from Jurchen. On the other hand, the Jurchen went back on his word. Emperor Zhou Zhe began to give orders in the capital, expressing very unhappy that he would be "tougher" with the Jurchen. .
But it's not Tong Guan who is really embarrassed. They still have money, whether it's an empty city or a broken city, in short, they can continue to buy. Now, Guo Yaoshi and others, who are stationed in the north, have really had friction with Jurchen. The reason for the friction lies in the pre-delivery agreement of the six states.
In order to take the credit back first, Tong Guan and others agreed on the agreement signed with the Jinren not only the million-year-old coins that the Wu Dynasty would give the Jinren, but also Tong Guan promised that at the same time as the six states were delivered, the Jinren would It is possible to snatch away all the gold, silk, sons and daughters, officials, gentry and wealthy households in the six states - Tong Guan doesn't care whether there are people in the place where he delivered it, as long as the place is in hand, the credit will come.
The Jurchen lacked people, but their spare power was also limited. They began to sweep away the wealthy, gentry, and wealthy households in this area. They mainly focused on money, and then grabbed some strong men. On the other hand, Guo Yaoshi had already realized the importance of his subordinates before he entered Beijing to receive the reward. During the delivery process, he instructed his subordinates to start searching for civilians to serve as soldiers. In the next few months, Wu, Jin, and Liao were divided into three parties. What happened on the blurred boundary line of , became a true portrayal of the proverb "death is beyond Yanmen Pass".
The golden people started from the rich, and the people who won the military expedition were mostly the poor. In a sense, it was considered that Guo Yaoshi did it deliberately to avoid friction. But in any case, when the two sides start to touch, there is bound to be friction. The Jinren side provoked several times—they wouldn’t really fight with the Wu Dynasty at this time—Guo Yaoshi also forbeared several times. At this time, the negotiation was still in progress, and the officials of the Wu Dynasty kept negotiating to return the sixteen states. The Jurchen was too lazy to take care of the matter. When the Jurchen became annoyed by the friction, the civil servants headed by Wang Anzhong had to negotiate, adjust and apologize. As for the folks, the homes are broken and people are dying, and the people have long been unable to survive.
Many people in the south are aware of this situation, including Qin Siyuan and Ning Yi. In the end, the attitude of the Secret Investigation Division was also very simple: to fully support Guo Yaoshi, and when Guo Yaoshi asked Wu Chao for money, weapons, and logistics, the Prime Minister's Mansion gave full support. And Guo Yaoshi's continuous capture of Ding and expansion of the army has made some people who enter the army have some way to survive.
On the civilian side, Wang Anzhong was also depressed. Wu Xiang had always been a civilian and controlled military officers, but when he came here, not only did it depend on Guo Yaoshi's face, but he also had to compensate Jinren. A "parental official" like him also looked extremely embarrassed under the chaotic overall situation.
As officials who can be sent here, they are not without the slightest integrity or ability. As parents in one place, they naturally want to protect the environment and the people. But under the rule, the resentment was already full at this time, but they didn't even have the ability to take care of them - Guo Yaoshi's Chang Shengjun was also a factor that caused them trouble. In Wang Anzhong's eyes, Guo Yaoshi was arbitrary and domineering, grabbing the strong men. Inhumane, he scavenged for money and goods and gave them to various officials. Although he had to give it to himself, it also deepened his hatred for Pharmacist Guo: a villain who made friends with cronies to help drive people away!
Perhaps all of this can only be attributed to: he has no way to control Guo Yaoshi, the current celebrity, and he has to lose a smile. As a civil official, he originally went north to make achievements, but now... It is too boring to be an official. !
In June, tension swept across this backdrop.
Since the destruction of Yanjing, the Liao Kingdom has been in a state of lingering. Emperor Tianzuo went into exile, and Yelu Dashi and other pillars of the Liao Kingdom were scattered or fled westward. In the first month, when Guo Yaoshi went to Beijing to receive an award, Xiao Gan, the king of the Northern Academy, proclaimed himself emperor, and gathered his followers of Liao to establish the state of Daxi. Xiao Qian is a man of great talent and talent. He has repeatedly rejected the Jinmen in front of the battle, and can beat the Jinmen generals. Not to mention fighting martial artists. When Guo Yaoshi founded the Resentful Army, it was originally under his control. In the battle of Yanjing, he was also able to kill him in time. Guo Yaoshi and others almost died at his hands, which cast a shadow on him. In June, due to lack of food, Xiao Qian finally attacked the Wu Dynasty again and sent troops to Lulongling.
The atmosphere is chilling.
At this time, although the Wu Dynasty was in the name of the Northern Expedition, there were not necessarily many troops that could be fought, especially in front of a general like Xiao Qian who could compete with the Jurchen, everyone was apprehensive. At this time, the Changsheng Army had expanded to 50,000 people, but it was still in training, and its subordinate rural soldiers—that is, mobilized militiamen—were known as 300,000 people. Under the urging of all parties, in the middle of the month, Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunren, who were both generals of the Changsheng Army along with Guo Yaoshi, set out to attack Xiao Qian.
Then, Xiao Qian broke Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunren in Shimen Town, and in a blink of an eye, captured Jizhou.
This is the real danger of a fierce battle. At this time, the general Tong Guan has returned to Beijing to receive the reward, and he has published several times to rebuke Wang Anzhong and Guo Yaoshi. Give it to Wu Chao. This transaction content once became a laughing stock within Jinren.
In mid-July, autumn has arrived, and the lingering heat seems to have not faded. In the capital, many senior officials are busy with the disasters in the north and south, and in such a gap, many people will still involuntarily look north in the chat, including Qin Siyuan, Ning Yi, Yaozu. The same is true for Nian et al.
At the same time, in the sixteen states of Yanyun, a place called Yaopu, the army under Guo Yaoshi finally arrived here, and his former army began to confront Xiao Qian.
Pharmacist Guo rode on his horse, looking at the red flag belonging to Xiao Qian from a distance, his expression had become silent and determined. What he remembered was how he felt when he saw Xiao Qian for the first time more than two years ago.
The formation of the grudge army was actually seven years ago. At that time, Gao Yongchang rebelled in the Bohai Kingdom, and the Liao people were unfavorable in the crusade at that time, and they were defeated by the Jurchen who supported Gao Yongchang. Therefore, Emperor Tianzuo recruited Yeluchun, the king of Yan, to recruit the hungry people of Liaodong to join the army, taking the meaning of retribution for the Jurchen, and named it "The Army of Resentment" .
At that time, this group of Liaodong people only served as soldiers to fight for a bite to eat, but at this time, the Liao Kingdom was already declining, and the treatment of this army was extremely poor. In the end, the "Grievous Army" did not win many battles, but instead rebelled repeatedly. Two years ago, Dong Joker, the leader of the resentful army at the time, and others rose up because of the unfavorable battle. Yelu Yujian, Xiao Qian and others came to quell the rebellion. Guo Yaoshi knew that the resentful army was definitely not the opponent's opponent, so he killed Dong Joker and others and accepted the recruiting. That was the first time he saw Xiao Gan.
At that time, there were rumors in private that Yelu Yu Jian discussed with Xiao Qian in order to solve the rebellion of the resentful army once and for all, and simply killed all the resentful army once and for all. However, Xiao Qian was upright and honest, thinking that "there may be loyal and righteous people who will be coerced by others for a while. How can they kill them all". Xiao Gan's speech saved Guo Pharmacist and others' lives. When the news came out, everyone was grateful to Xiao Gan. When Guo Pharmacist first saw Xiao Gan, he felt the grace and nobility of the other party. That was the real superior. The breath of the hero, the spirit of a hero who is not afraid of challenges and looks at all directions.
But in his heart, he did not feel surrender. Yes, only fear and insignificance.
In the eyes of these people, the resentful army is not really a human being. Back then, when the other party recruited their own group of hungry people as soldiers, with the idea of giving away a life, they originally only wanted a life. However, in the army, everyone also had a bad time. In fact, how many thoughts can people who are about to starve to death? If they are not always deducted from military rations, their status in the army is inferior to that of dogs. How many people who were about to starve to death are really born to rebel and want to rebel.
He understood Dong Joker and their helplessness. I also know the helplessness of killing Dong Joker and others with my own hands. When they knelt in front of Xiao Gan and others as heroes anyway, when Xiao Qian and others praised their contributions, he still felt fear.
The ones above are tigers, and they, not even dogs, may only be cockroaches. The other party can easily talk about whether they want to kill tens of thousands of them. They can also easily save the lives of tens of thousands of them to express the benevolence of the other party. When others felt lucky, when he saw Xiao Qian's graceful figure, he was only afraid.
The tiger stretched out its claws, fiddled lazily with the cockroach in front of him, yawned, and let it go.
After that, I saw Xiao Qian several times. After all the battles, he only felt scared.
This kind of thinking was not that strong at first. Knowing that the Jin people and the warriors joined forces to attack the Liao Dynasty, Xiao Qian and others had begun to distrust the army of the non-Liao people, due to the history of the rebellion of the resentful army. That time, Xiao Qian, who had let the resentful army once, really wanted to do something to himself and others. Only Guo Yaoshi was the most astute. He suddenly reacted and encouraged everyone to join the Wu Dynasty first. It was later proved that this decision was indeed correct.
That day, Pharmacist Guo suddenly discovered that he could not be a cockroach or a dog, but could be more or less a person.
He then planned a battle to capture Yanjing. However, his colleagues in the Wu Dynasty were too stupid. Xiao Qian returned and was crushed like a nightmare. Disrupting his thoughts, in the end, he didn't even have the chance to desperately run away.
Except for the curse in the camp, he didn't complain about the warrior. There is only continuous expansion and capture of the army and accumulation of strength. He took advantage of his position to loot a lot of money. On the one hand, he settled his brothers, and on the other hand, he gave gifts to the officials of the Wu Dynasty, because the officials of the Wu Dynasty liked this.
If everyone likes it, he can ask for support such as food, grass, weapons, etc., so that everyone can turn a blind eye on the matter of his arrest. He also knows that some dissatisfied civil officials have handed the court to the court. , he will send more money to the other party. After the Changsheng Army expanded, some brothers have begun to become arrogant. In the friction with Jinren, he was the first to come forward and press the dissatisfaction of everyone: "If you don't win, you don't count, just bear it all for me!"
This time Xiao Qian went south, he also secretly endured for a long time, under pressure from all sides, first let Zhang Linghui, Liu Shunren and others test the quality of each other, and then quietly waited for the opportunity, until this time...
The clouds were flowing and the sky was shining brightly. Under this piece of sunshine that was still summer, the fiery red flag looked like the blazing flames condensed by the Great Liao Empire. Now on the battlefield where tens of thousands of people are facing each other, they are about to press this way.
Pharmacist Guo sat quietly on his horse, looking over there like a rock. Only the horse under him seemed to feel uneasy and moved slightly. He reached out and patted its neck, and said something silently in his heart, but the expression on his face was only more indifferent and calm.
Murder has spread.
In the Yellow River in the south, every spring, the carp goes upstream to the Longmen Mountain, and the sky fire burns its tail and turns into a dragon.
Ahead, that is his gantry...