Lou Shuwan didn't stay in the weak mood for too long.
The memory of the past can make one's heart clear, but looking back, those who have experienced the weight of life and death still have to continue on the road in front of them. And perhaps because of the slow thinking caused by indulging in alcohol over the years, Lou Shuheng failed to seize this rare opportunity to ridicule his sister. This was the last time he saw Lou Shuwan's vulnerability.
In the next two days, news of the imminent war spread in King Jin's territory, the army began to mobilize, and Lou Shuwan once again threw herself into her busy daily work. On the 25th day of September, the ninth year of Wu Jianshuo's ninth year, the envoy of King Tianshi of Jin left Wasing and ran towards the Jurchen West Road army that had crossed Yanmen Pass and was about to fight with Wang Juyun's army. At the same time, King Jin declared war on Jurchen and called on all the people of the Central Plains to resist The letter of the Jin State's aggression was scattered throughout the world.
Moths flew towards the flames.
Life was ruined and mountains and rivers fell. After more than ten years of Jurchen's invasion of the Central Plains, the forces of the King of Jin, who had always been shrinking, finally proved the Han blood in their actions at this unavoidable moment.
The anti-Jin text is very impassioned, and it also detonated the general trend of resistance in the Central Plains at the same time. The Jinwang site was originally barren, but in the ten years of the Jin Dynasty's southern invasion, all the rich and rich places were occupied, and the people were struggling to live. It has relatively independent administrative power, and later it has some peaceful appearance. Today, there are more than eight million people living under the command of King Jin. When they learned of this decision, some people are full of blood, and some people are sad and panic. In the face of such a big enemy as Jurchen, no matter what the above considerations are, the lives and lives of more than eight million people will be taken into account.
Some people joined the army, some migrated, and some people waited for the Jurchen to take the opportunity to get rich and famous. During the discussion in the Weisheng court, in addition to the issuance of the letter, the king of Jin Tianshi led a team to go on a personal expedition. Facing the powerful Jurchen, Tian Shi's decision was unexpected. The ministers in the DPRK failed to persuade them. Yu Yulin, Lou Shuwan and others also tried to persuade them. On this night, Tian Shi held a private dinner for Yu, Floor two. When he first met Yu and Lou, he was still a playboy in his twenties. He had uncle Tian Hu to take care of him.
Later, when the world was in chaos, Tian Hu's regime was partial to the mountains. When the relatives and nephews of the Tian family ran rampant, Tian Shi's temperament became quiet and calm. Occasionally Lou Shuwan wanted to do something, and Tian Shi was also willing to be kind to others. , help. In this way, when Lou Shuwan, Yu Yulin, and the Huaxia Army went into a frenzy and overthrew the Tian Hu regime, Tian Shi stood on the side of Lou Shuwan and others, and was later elected as a new leader. One term King of Jin.
As for Tian Shi, Lou Shuwan, Yu Yulin and others have always had a good relationship with him, but if you really want to say the evaluation of ability, naturally it will not be too high. Tian Hu established the Jin Dynasty regime. The three brothers were not Orion. Tian Shi had a solid body since he was a child, and he had a lot of strength. Not what a bloody and decisive character. After taking over Tian Hu's position for more than a year, it is really strange that he has decided to fight against the Jurchen himself.
But for this matter, Tian Shi did not shy away from the two.
"… For the discussion of personal expedition, there was a lot of uproar in the court. In the face of Jurchen's aggressive approach, it is reasonable to flee backward, and it is a fool to rush forward. This king does not seem to be a fool, but the real reason can only be with The two talk in private."
Tian Shi's private banquet was set in the garden at the height of Tianji Palace. Looking down from the patio of this courtyard, the Wasion was full of traffic and the night scene was picturesque. Tian Shi put his hands on his back and sighed with a smile.
"When the Jurchen calls, the only choice is two, either fight or reconcile. The Tian family is a hunter. When I was a child, I didn't read any books. To be honest, if I can reconcile, I also want to make peace. The master storyteller said that the general trend of the world has been in rotation for five hundred years, and the fortunes of the Wu Dynasty have gone, and the world will belong to the Jurchen. It's also his mother's motivation... But, it can't be done."
He shook his head: "This is the first time this king and Miss Lou have worked together. They went to Mount Luliang, competed in martial arts, recruited relatives, and entered the marriage with that bloody Bodhisattva. I saw many heroes at that time, but I didn't have any self-awareness at that time. Later, Ning Liheng killed him. Jun, when I moved to the Northwest, I was horrified at the time. What is King Jin? If I annoyed him at that time, I would have lost my mind. From then on, I read the thoughts of these big men, and went to... Read books, I heard people tell the story. From ancient times to the present, the so-called kindness is false. The Jurchen first took control of the Central Plains, and the strength is not enough, so there is Liu Yu and Jin Wang. Once the world is settled, with the ferocity of the Jurchen, Tian's lineage is afraid. I'm going to die. Princes, how can you be me?"
His expression was still a little rebellious, but there was a little bit of powerlessness in his tone of ridicule. After saying this, he walked to the railing on the edge of the terrace and stood up directly. Both Lou Shuwan and Yu Yulin moved forward nervously, and Tian Shi waved his hand to the rear: "Uncle has a ferocious temperament and never trusts people, but he can come this far from a mountain bandit, he has a vision, General Yu and Miss Lou. , You all know that when the Jurchen came to the south, although this territory has always been surrendered, my uncle has always been planning to fight the Jurchen. Is it because of his loyal temperament? In fact, he understood this point. Where the king lives, the world is certain, and there is no way for princes and heroes to survive."
"But even so, Your Majesty can sit in the center..." Lou Shuwan stepped forward and said something.
"Sitting in the middle, what's the difference between King Jin and Liu Yu, and Emperor Wu Chao? Miss Lou and General Yu, you all know what the outcome of this war will be like." Sitting down on the railing, "...the lights in the Central Plains will go out."
The mountain wind blew past, and ahead was the splendid lights of this era. Tian Shi's words were dissolved in the wind, like an ominous prophecy, but for the three people present, everyone knew that this was a fact that was about to happen.
"There are not a few places like this in the Central Plains, but after this battle is over, there will be no such a mighty city. Before the declaration of war, you have also seen the handwritten letter that Wang Juyun sent privately, that the Central Plains will not win, The Central Plains can't stop Jurchen, Wang Shanyue keeps his name, he wants to slow down Jurchen's pace, Wang Juyun... A bunch of beggars who can't even get enough to eat, they can't stop Wanyan Zonghan, we add it, it's a game It's a big defeat in the field, but I hope that after this big defeat, the people of Jiangnan, Nanwu, and even Heiqi will finally be able to fight the Jurchen to the death and the net will be broken, so that there will be a country for the Han people in the future."
"Since you know it's a big defeat, all you can think about is how to move and regroup. If you can't beat it, run away. If you can beat it, you can fight. If you beat it, go to the mountains. When the Jurchen passes, cut to his rear, King Jin. I can get in with all of my family, but if it takes ten or eight years, the Jurchen really loses... There will be a name for me in this world, and maybe it will really give me a seat."
"One way is to surrender to the Jurchen, and enjoy a few years or ten years of happiness, and then be killed like a pig, and perhaps it will be bad for thousands of years. Besides, there is only one way out of the nine-death life, how do you choose? One, I'm actually terrified."
He then turned around and smiled at the two of them, his eyes were cold but determined: "But since I want to sell iron, I sit in the middle and lead the army in person, which are two completely different reputations. Once I go into battle, the people below I will be more confident, and secondly, General Yu, don’t worry, I will not lead blindly, but I will follow the army, and if I lose, I can escape together, haha…”
Yu Yulin also laughed, Tian Shi stopped after laughing for a while: "But in the future, my path will be different. Wealth and wealth are in danger, what Ning Liheng told me, some things, you have to take your life. Go to get it... Miss Lou, although you are a woman, I have admired you more and more over the years. After I leave with General Yu, I have to trouble you to sit in the center. Although you have always done better than me in many things, maybe you also I've figured it out clearly, but as this king, there are some words that our good friends will share in private."
"Your Highness, please show me." Lou Shuwan bowed her hands.
"Fighting with Jurchen is a good reputation, but there are too many people who don't want fame. Wasion... I didn't dare to stay, for fear of being dragged out and killed in the middle of the night, I was more at ease when I went with the army. Lou. Since you are here, you should be rude." His eyes showed murderous intent, "Anyway, you are going to smash the pot and sell the iron, and the king of Jin's territory is up to you. There are a few old people who are unreliable and dare to mess with them, and punish their nine clans! Tell the world to give them eight lifetimes of infamy! Even if my father is involved in this rear case... you can do it as much as you can!"
In the previous coup d'état by the forces of King Jin, the three brothers of the Tian family, Tian Hu and Tian Bao, were all killed, and the remaining Tian Biao was placed under house arrest because he was Tian Shi's father. In the battle against Jurchen, the front is fighting for strength, and the rear is fighting for people's hearts and fears. The shadow of Jurchen has shrouded the world for more than ten years, and there must be some, or even many, who are unwilling to be sacrificed in this chaos. Therefore, in the Central Plains, which has been evolving for ten years, the situation of revolting against Jurchen may be far more complicated than it was ten years ago.
Lou Shuwan simply nodded.
"I know that Miss Lou has someone under her command, and General Yu will also leave someone behind. If you have the people in the palace, you can assign whatever you can. But the most important thing, Miss Lou... Pay attention to your own safety. When you come this far, you want to kill someone. There are not only one or two of your people. The road is long and the road is long, the three of us... are all dear to the mother."
He waved from the high terrace.
People can only follow the trend.
When leaving Tianji Palace, Lou Shuwan looked at the prosperous Wasion and remembered this sentence. Tian Shi has only been the King of Jin for more than a year, and he has not lost the qi in his heart, and what he has said are all words from the bottom of his heart that cannot be shared with outsiders. In the ten years of operation in the Jinwang site, she has participated in almost everything she has done and seen. However, when the Jurchen came from the north, these people wanted to go against the general trend and hit the waves, and everything in front of her was also There is always the possibility of defections.
It is unimaginable what people are willing to do in order to survive in this city and in the court. She remembered Ning Yilai. Back then in the capital, when the Prime Minister Qin was imprisoned, the public opinion in the world was fierce.
A few days later, the messenger who declared war went to the Jurchen West Route Army camp. Facing the letter of war, Wanyan Zonghan was very happy and wrote two words: Come to fight!
On that day, the Jurchen West Route Army defeated Wang Juyun's vanguard army of 160,000 people and killed countless people.
Soon after, Tian Shi, Yu Yulin and others led the army to attack the north of Wasion's army. Lou Shuwan sat in Wasion and waved goodbye to the mighty army on the high tower. The Confucian scholar named Zeng Yuhuai. He also joined the army and went up with the army.
Wasion followed up with martial law. From this moment on, in order to ensure the strict suppression and control of rear operations, including the cleanup of bloody storms, it has not stopped, just because Lou Shuwan understood that at this moment, all Jinwang sites including Wasion, Inside and outside the city, the upper and lower halls have all turned into mountains of swords and seas of swords. In order to survive, facing all this alone, she can only be more unscrupulous and ruthless.
In the barren land from Yanmen Pass south to the ruins of Taiyuan, Wang Juyun was defeated again and again, and he was prepared to gather up the defeated soldiers again and again. Originally, there were not many places to live here. The army was short of clothing and food, and the equipment was not elite. The people gathered by Wang Juyun in the form of religion moved forward with the last hope and encouragement. Vaguely, they could see the Yongle Dynasty. some shadows.
The fierce battle in Daming Mansion was like a blood pool hell. Day by day, Zhu Biao led more than 10,000 Chinese troops to harass and set fires all around. But there are also more places where the insurgents began to gather. From September to October, on the land of the Central Plains north of the Yellow River, the awakened people were like the last white blood cells in the body of a sick person, burning themselves and rushing towards the powerful enemy.
This is the last fight in the Central Plains.
In the northwest, the fires of war on the plains are advancing day by day to the ancient city of Chengdu. For the residents of the city, they have not experienced war for a long time, and news from outside the city is coming every day. The prefect Liu Shaojing gathered "tens of thousands" of rebels to resist the black flag rebels. There were rumors of victory and defeat, and occasionally there were rumors that Jiading and other places were slaughtered by the black flag rebels.
Some people had fled before the war began, but there was always a homeland that was difficult to leave, or they hesitated a little and lost the opportunity to leave. Liu Laoshuan is one of the people who have never left. He has lived in Chengdu for generations. He has a small shop near the south gate. The business has always been good. When the first group of people left, he was a little hesitant. , Chengdu was under martial law on all sides and could no longer leave. Next, all kinds of rumors are fermenting in the city.
The Black Flag is an army that people in the Wu Dynasty did not know about. To talk about its biggest retrograde, it is undoubtedly the slaying of the lord more than ten years ago. The national fortune of the Wu Dynasty was seized, and it has since turned into decline. In the years since the Black Flag was transferred to the southwest, the outside world did not know much about it. Even if there was a force in business dealings, they would not usually talk about it. The Northwest and the Jurchen killed in a daze.
What a savage group of people do they have to have a relationship with those Jurchen barbarians? Under the premise of this recognition, rumors that the Black Banners massacred half of the Chengdu Plain, Jiading has been burned to the ground, and the Black Banners not only cannibalize people, but also like to eat women and children are constantly expanding. At the same time, amid the news of the victory and defeat, the artillery fire of the Black Flag continued to extend towards Chengdu.
By the end of September, in the city of Chengdu, the wounded soldiers who retreated from the front line could be seen from time to time. On the 27th of September, it was too fast for the residents of Chengdu, and the Huaxia Army, who had actually slowed down their offensive, arrived to the south of the city and began to besiege the city.
Liu Laoshuan picked up the fire fork at home, bid farewell to his wife and children at home, and prepared to go to the city to help at a critical juncture.
On the first day of October, half an hour after the Huaxia Army's charge horn sounded, before Liu Laoshuan could go out, the south gate of Chengdu was breached by the defection of the defenders.
The gate was pushed open in the artillery fire, and the black flag spread...
Wu Dynasty, Lin'an.
Not to mention the war in the southwest, in October, the weather has cooled down, and the atmosphere in Lin'an is boiling with ambition and joy.
The war that broke out violently north of the Yellow River was already known by the majority of the Wu Dynasty people at this time. King Jin's tactics and generous northward journey seemed to mean that the Wu Dynasty was still the orthodox where the destiny returned. And the most inspiring thing is Wang Shanyue's persistence in Daming Mansion.
When the Jurchen South came, the Guangwu Army first provoked a provocation, seized the Daming Mansion, and defeated Li Xizhi, which was initially regarded as reckless. In the city, every day that passes, people's minds spend a day with generosity. If more than 40,000 people can compete with the Jurchen army of 300,000, it may prove that after ten years of tempering, the Wu Dynasty is not without a chance of winning against the Jurchen.
At the same time as the war in Daming Mansion, there was also the vindication of the Taiyuan City Defense War. The first time Jurchen went south, Qin Siyuan's eldest son Qin Shaohe held Taiyuan for a year, and eventually the city was destroyed due to lack of relationship. People picked it up again. No matter what happened to Ning Yi, Qin Siyuan back then was not without merit, especially his eldest son, who was truly a loyal and righteous person.
At least the handling of this matter by Emperor Jinghan and Zhou Zhe was inappropriate.
This change in the tone of public opinion comes from the Princess Mansion, which has now mastered the propaganda power of the lower classes in Lin'an, but behind it, there are deeper reasons: one is that over the years, Zhou Pei has always been with Ning Yi. Those who have hatred, the reason for hatred is that she somewhat regards Ning Yi as a teacher rather than an enemy, but as time passes, reality pushes, especially Ning Yi's approach to the Wu Dynasty. The status quo that was constantly becoming fierce broke her fantasy that she couldn't be with outsiders. When she really regarded Ning Yi as an enemy, she realized that complaining was meaningless. Now that she stopped complaining, she could only Can soberly weigh the pros and cons.
The second is because of the awkward situation in the southwest. It was the ministers headed by Qin Hui who chose to fight the southwest. It was the emperor who could not do their best because of fear. When the situation in the southwest was out of control, the war in the north was imminent, and it was impossible for the army to make large-scale deployments to the southwest. In the face of such a strong fighting force of the Black Flag Army, let the imperial court adjust some remnants of defeated soldiers and engage in fueling tactics again and again, but it is just sending the face over to be beaten.
How to ease the situation in the southwest, the prince Junwu is very rogue: you make things, you clean up, the black flag army made it clear in the letter, we want to protect the business road, temporarily occupy the city, you want to take it back, Just send someone to talk.
But how is it actually possible to talk? The Wu Dynasty and the Huaxia Army were mortal enemies, and it was always determined that the Black Flag Army was just a bunch of bandits. Once the court sends people to negotiate, no matter what the outcome is, this is an official confession, confirming that the Huaxia Army is a big force equal to the Wu Dynasty. This kind of characterization, let alone talking about it, cannot guarantee the return of Sichuan Si. Even if the black flag really surrenders Chengdu Plain, it is an exchange that the Wu Dynasty cannot accept.
However, when the strength of the other party is really displayed, no matter how reluctantly, politically, people have to accept this status quo.
For Qin Shaohe's vindication, it is the first step to change his attitude.
The world is too big, and huge changes, or disasters, are imminent. In Lin'an in October, everything was noisy. People publicized the deeds of the Wang family, pushed out the widows of the Wang family again, and kept praising them. The scholars wrote and sang generously. At this time, Long Qifei and others He is also running around in Beijing, publicizing the generosity and tragicness of the black flag bandits and the sages in the southwest, and praying for the imperial court's "heavenly soldiers" to attack. In this hustle and bustle, there are still some things happening quietly in the corner of this city.
The Mingtang where Li Pin is located is a relatively quiet place these days.
During these years in Lin'an City, he engaged in news, education, and so-called Neo-Confucianism. Most of the people who went to the southwest to meet Ning Yi's enemies had some exchanges with him, but relatively speaking, Mingtang gradually distanced himself from politics. Core. In the recent turbulent situation in the world, Li Pin closed his door to thank guests and kept a relatively quiet state. Although his newspaper was in line with the pace of the Princess Mansion in its propaganda, he has not participated in more family and country affairs. .
But occasionally, acquaintances would come over, come to sit with him and then leave, and Cheng Zhouhai, who has been working for the Princess Mansion, is one of them. On the seventh day of October, the eldest princess Zhou Pei's car also came over. In the courtyard of Mingtang, Li Pin, Zhou Pei, and Cheng Zhouhai sat down, and Li Pin briefly said something.
"... Over the years, it is almost impossible to defeat the Huaxia Army head-on. Their offensive on the Fourth Sichuan Road seems invincible, but in fact, they have slowed down when they approach Chengdu. Ning Yi is very stingy in this regard. He would rather spend a lot of time fighting against the enemy, and he doesn't want his soldiers to lose too much. The opening of Chengdu is because the army is about to defect, but in these news, I only care about one..."
In the sunlight, Li Pin poured tea slowly: "The Huaxia army swept most of the four Sichuan roads. At first, there were some violations of discipline. In Jiading, they were all caught and dealt with very severely. In Chengdu, the soldiers of the Huaxia Army and the people in the city almost did not commit any crimes in autumn. They did not demolish houses or rob food. Except for necessary arrests, there were almost no conflicts with the residents of the city. Can you do this? Yue Fei's Beiwei Army may barely be able to get there, but it's only reluctant. Other armies, after breaking the city, set such rules, and they still have to implement them. Soldiers…”
Li Pin paused: "Ning Yi... He's right, if you want to beat him, you can only be like him. So over the years, I've been scrutinizing what he said, what he did and what he thought... I figured out some things, but there are a lot of things I can't figure out. In the words I figured out, I found that there are many contradictions in what he did and thought... "
"... At the beginning of his rebellion against the monarch, he may not have thought clearly about some things, and he said it more impassively. When I was in the northwest, when I broke with him, he said some things, saying that he wanted to destroy Confucianism, and he said that things were competing with him. Natural selection of the fittest survives, but in retrospect, his steps are not so radical. He said to be equal and to be awakened, but based on what I saw later, Ning Yi was very cautious in this regard, and even he His wife, the one whose surname is Liu, has gone farther than him, and there are often quarrels between the two... Before the deceased Zuo Duanyou Zuo Gong left Xiao Canghe, Ning Yi once made a joke with him, It probably means that if the situation gets out of hand and everyone in the world is against me, I will evenly divide the land..."
Li Pin held the teacup and thought about it: "Zuo Gong talked to me about this later, saying that Ning Yi seemed to be joking, but he was very sure about this matter... I had a long talk with Zuo Gong all night. The matter has been scrutinized back and forth, and I am extremely afraid... The reason why Ning Yi said this must be because he knows the horror of these words. Equal land rights plus equality for everyone... But he said, when there is no way out, use it. Why didn't he use it at the time? He came all the way, and he looked very heroic, but in fact, it was not easy. He wanted to destroy Confucianism, to make everyone equal, to awaken everyone, to fight the Wu Dynasty, to fight the Jurchen, and to fight The whole world is so difficult, why doesn't he use this method?"
"Over the years, after repeated deliberation, I think there is a more extreme way behind Ning Yi's ideas, and he is not sure about this way. He has always said that he should wake up first and then be equal. After awakening, since everyone is equal, why are those squires and landlords sitting in this position, why can you and I live better than others, everyone is human..."
The winter sun is not warm, he said these words, and paused for a moment: "...things in the world, the middle way... The Huaxia Army is about to be killed, and there will be more people who speak. Ning Yi wants to walk in the middle, We can give him a shove. So... "
He took a sip of tea: "...I don't know what it will be like."
The city is restless, the whole earth is restless, Li Pin's eyes are cold and sad, like the last silence in the world, all installed here.
The skylight of Mass shines down from the tree crevices, this is a sleepless, dreamless world...