Lin'an Mansion, where the city of Hangzhou was originally located. During the nine years of Jinghan, the fire of Fang La's uprising continued to burn here, and the city defense of Hangzhou was broken. In the days that followed, a man named Ning Yi was trapped here. Facing the precarious situation, he also witnessed and participated in many things later. He once faced the leader of the rebel bandit and also He used to walk on the streets of the night shift with the woman who was in charge of one party. In the end, he assisted Wen Ren Buer and made efforts to open the gate of Hangzhou City again and speed up Fang La's defeat.
This name is like a taboo in today's Lin'an. Although some people can hear this past story from the mouths of the people who hear it, but occasionally it is remembered and talked about, but it only brings private sighs or sighs. It is a silent emotion.
A man who was able to move forward in a situation where he was surrounded by powerful enemies and had nothing, was so reassuring when he was a companion. However, when he becomes an enemy one day, it is enough to make those who have seen his methods feel deeply powerless.
The snow fell and stopped again. Looking back at the city behind, there was not much snow accumulated on the pedestrian-like streets, merchants came and went, and children were chasing and making trouble. On the old city wall, the woman in the snow-white fur coat tightened the hat on her head, as if she was frowning at the traces of the past, the figure who had been wandering in this street more than ten years ago, so as to see him clearly The forbearance and ferocity that can break through in such adversity.
Not far behind, the reported message has been ringing in the wind.
"... The incident was urgent. The arrest of Zhao Xiangye was on October 16th. Li Lei's photovoltaic method was a mountain of ironclad evidence. From his side, the Southwest military capital that was greedy for ink was about 37,000 taels, and then he confessed Wang Yuanshu. And Wang Yuanshu's housekeeper Shu Da... At this time, Wang Yuanshu was being impeached by Hanlin Changgui and others. In the book, he took advantage of his brother-in-law's power to occupy the land and mu as a disaster. There are also some words in it, which are quite insinuating the meaning of Lord Qin... In addition to this Besides, with the help of Li Leiguang as a medicine lead, Zhao Xiang has already begun to intervene in the problems of the Southwest's previous military affairs and logistics..."
"That's why Qin Hui resigned again... He didn't make any excuses."
The eldest princess said something calmly, looking down at the city without moving.
These days, when she gave up her fantasy of that figure, she could better understand the ruthlessness of the opponent's attack on the enemy. It is also more able to understand the cruelty and fierceness of this world.
"Master Qin has never defended, but his hands are also very fierce. There may have been a few murders in private in the past few days, but the incident happened suddenly.
"If you don't stop it, it doesn't exist. Even if it really does happen, it can only prove that Mr. Qin has great skills and is a responsible person..." She said this, and she was not very good at answering the convenience. It took a long time to see you. She turned around and said, "Wenren, you said that Ning Yi asked the Secret Investigation Division to investigate this Lord Qin more than ten years ago. Did he think he was a good person? Or a bad person?"
At this time, it was Zhou Pei and Wenren who were talking on the old city wall. At this time, the time of the early court had passed, and the officials returned to the palace. It seemed that the city was still prosperous, and it was a lively day. Only those who know the inside story can feel the undercurrents surging up and down the court these days.
The beginning of major political disputes is often like this. They make moves and tests with each other. As long as one move is responded to, an avalanche-like outbreak will follow. It's just that the situation is special at the moment. The emperor pretends to be deaf and dumb, and the important forces of his own side have not made a clear statement. The bullets are only loaded, and the gunpowder has not been ignited.
The thing is quite ironic. No matter what people think at first, once they reach the height of involving millions of people, fairness and justice often lose their qualifications to measure things. Qin Hui's wife and brother are called Wang Yuanshu, Wang Yuanshu's housekeeper is Shu Da, and under Shu Da is a scoundrel called Li Leiguang. Li Leiguang is a junior general in charge of military logistics in the southwest. The shot is like a mountain of iron proof, and then bites all the way to Wang Yuanshu.
In conjunction with the previous failure of the Southwest and the several memorials in the court before the arrest of Li Leiguang, if the above nodded and responded, a purge of the Qin Department would begin. Zhao Ding and Qin Hui have an old feud, and God knows how many other backers are ready to be there. But the need to consider whether to clean or not has never been greed.
After moving to the south, Zhao Ding represented the radical faction who fought the main battle. On the one hand, he cooperated with the prince's call for the Northern Expedition, and on the other hand, he was also promoting the integration of the North and the South. On the other hand, Qin Hui represents an interest group headed by the Southerners. They unite the upper layers of the current Nanwu political and economic system. They seem relatively conservative. On the one hand, they hope to maintain the stability of the Wu Dynasty through peace. On the other hand, at least In the mainland, they are more inclined to the basic interests of the southerners, and even once began to promote the slogan "Southerners return to the South, Northerners return to the North".
Every direction is a manifestation of interest. It is true that if Zhao Ding is killed, there will be a second main battle faction, and if Qin Hui is removed, Zhang Hui and Han Hui will also be added, but in addition, there are naturally more factors that can be measured.
The most special one is the question that Zhou Pei just raised.
More than ten years ago, when Ning Yi was still working in the Secret Investigation Division, he once investigated Qin Hui, who was already the Censor.
At that time, Qin Hui and Qin Siyuan belonged to the same family with the same surname, and the political philosophy in the court was similar. Although Qin Hui's work style was radical on the outside and smooth on the inside, he basically appealed to the idea of the main battle. After ten years of defeat and chaos, now Qin Hui is more inclined to the main peace, at least to break the Southwest first and then control the Jurchen war order. There's nothing wrong with this, after all, the simple idea of seeing the main battle and scolding the traitors when seeing the main battle is the real child.
Ning Yi's investigation in the Secret Investigation Division started for a while, but it was later dismissed as Jurchen went south. After that, when Wenren Buer, Cheng Zhouhai and others took it out for review, they found it intriguing. With Ning Yi's character, after planning for two months, the emperor said he would kill him. The civil official who covered the sky was Cai Jing, and the military general of Zongheng I was Tong Guan. He did not pay special attention to these two people, but the latter was slapped and maimed on the Golden Palace by him, and he died miserably. How many special places can Qin Hui have among these many influential figures
Facts have proved that Ning Yi never attacked Qin Hui because of any personal hatred.
"... There are so many people in the world, since there is no personal hatred, why does Ning Yi focus on Qin Shumi alone? Is he recognizing this Master Qin's ability and means, and wants to make friends with him, or is he wary of this person because of something? He even guessed the possibility of becoming an enemy one day in the future? In short, there must be some reason for him to pay attention... "
"This Master Qin does have some means. From the following point of view, his means are similar to that of Mr. Qin Siyuan. However, it would be a bit far-fetched to say that Ning Yi thought about this ten years ago. At the end of the First World War, Ning Yi was disheartened and wanted to live in seclusion in Beijing. After the old man fell from power, he stayed for a long time, and he just arranged a way back for everyone. Unfortunately, the incident of the eldest lady falling into the water completely angered him. Because of him, there will be the later Xu and Wei Snake and the ninth day of the sixth lunar month..."
Wen Ren Buer paused: "Also, although this Lord Qin is skilled in doing things now, he is too smooth in some aspects and retreats in spite of difficulties. When Emperor Jinghan saw that the Jurchen was aggressive, he wanted to leave the capital to hunt in the south of the capital. The old man led the city officials to stop him, and this Master Qin would not dare to do it. Moreover, the change of this Master Qin’s point of view was also quite clever…”
He said: "Not long ago, Zhouhai told me about this Lord Qin. He was the leader of the battle in the past, and Emperor Xianjinghan was high-spirited for the king, and he never gave in. He has been in power for 14 years. Although he has flaws, he still cares about him. In the end, it was to take back the sixteen states of Yanyun and destroy the Liao Kingdom. At that time, Lord Qin was the imperial censor, and he participated in countless people, but he always cared about the overall situation, and Emperor Jinghan led him as his confidant. As for now... His Majesty supports His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Bei, but the most important thing in my heart is the stability of the world. Lord Qin has also experienced ten years of ups and downs, and began to tend to make peace with Jurchen, which is exactly in line with His Majesty's heart... If Ning Yi saw it more than ten years ago This Lord Qin will soar into the sky, um, it's not impossible, but it still seems a little strange."
"Yeah." Zhou Pei thought for a long time before nodding, "No matter how much he is appreciated by his father, he can't compare to Cai Jing back then... What do you mean by the prince?"
"About the matter of the capital, an express message has been sent to Xiangyang. As for His Highness's thoughts, I dare not speak rashly."
"After the eldest and Grandpa Kang left, you and Zhou Hai and others are both friends of my sister and brother, and they are also teachers. There is nothing to talk about." Zhou Pei smiled, and the smile was plain, "The prince is here. When training troops on the front line, he has an upright temperament, and when it comes to the rear, he probably says that he should act according to the law. In fact, his father likes Lord Qin privately. He feels that Qin Huizhi is similar to Qin Siyuan, and he said that he will not repeat the mistakes of Emperor Jinghan..."
Saying so, Zhou Pei shook his head. Preconceived ideas are a taboo in measuring things, but this father of his own is to drive ducks on the shelves. On the one hand, he is timid, but on the other hand, he is very emotional. Jun Wu is generous and aggressive, shouting that he wants to fight Jurchen to the death. I don't agree with it in my heart, but I can only let my son go, and I hide in the Golden Palace, afraid of the collapse of the front line.
Whether Zhao Ding or Qin Hui, both belonged to the "reasonable" side of the father and emperor. After all, the son who was motivated could not compare to these ministers who were chosen by thousands, but he was also a son. Once Jun Wu has smashed his game, in the heart of the father and emperor, it is still up to the ministers in the court who can clean up the stall. Including his own daughter, I am afraid that in the father's heart, he may not be a person with "ability". At most, he is sincere to the Zhou family.
In this drama-like courtroom, it is really difficult to compare to that ruthless and determined demon. If he was a minister in the court, he would probably also want to use up the power of his sister and brother. Thinking about it, many of the views of these adults are also reasonable.
She thought about it this way, and then turned the topic away from the matter up and down the court: "Mr. Wenren, after this big storm, I can still survive if the Wu Dynasty is lucky... In the future, the court should be ruled by a virtuous ruler. "
Wenren Buer smiled and said nothing.
Today is the first snow in Lin'an, and it is only Zhou Pei's interest to meet at the top of this old city. The city wall on this side was breached by Fang La more than ten years ago, and now it is just an ornamental platform. Looking south from the city wall, the Imperial Street extends to the temporarily suspended imperial city at the foot of the Phoenix Mountain. The palace has been under construction since the day the capital was moved. There was a major construction last year, but then the military was urgent and the emperor stopped After the construction of the palace city, the horses and horses were fiercely defended against the threat from the north. This stopped Miyagi has become a symbol of today's emperor's progress, and every time the scholars in the city talk about it, they are generous.
The cold first snow reflects the busy traffic in the city, and the turbulent undercurrent under the city is connected to every part of the world. The fighting on the battlefield is about to come, and the fighting on the court has never stopped, and it is impossible to stop.
As the southern cities such as Lin'an began to snow, the temperature of the Chengdu Plain in the southwest began to cool down. Although the place has never snowed, the wet and cold climate is still a bit difficult. Since the Huaxia Army left Xiaoliangshan and started the expedition, the original commercial activities on the Chengdu Plain have gone to seven out of ten. After the capture of Chengdu, the Huaxia Army once forced Zizhou, and then suspended operations because of Zizhou's strong "defense". In this winter, the entire Chengdu Plain is more depressed and chilling than before.
Fifteen miles south of Chengdu, it was just dawn. In the simple military medical station where the First Division of the Fifth Chinese Army was temporarily stationed, an eleven-year-old boy had already woken up and started exercising. He practiced breathing and breathing on the small soil flat on the side of the military medical station, then started boxing, and then practiced a set of swordsmanship and a set of marksmanship. After the martial arts practice, he toured the surrounding rooms of the wounded barracks, and then went to the cafeteria with the military doctors to have breakfast.
The fierce fighting has stopped for a long time. The military medical station is no longer brutally surrounded by mutilated limbs every day. The wounded in the barracks are also recovering one after another. The special eleven-year-old child in the station began to get acquainted, and occasionally talked about the experience of being injured on the battlefield, which made Xiao Ningji often gain.
Many people who can be called seriously wounded in the military medical station may find it difficult to live like a normal person in their entire life. The killing experience summed up in their mouths is enough to become the most valuable reference for a martial artist. Xiao Ningji began to temper his martial arts direction for the first time in such a thrilling experience. In the morning of this day, after he finished the things that the apprentice should take care of, he went outside to practice his marksmanship, and a strong wind suddenly came from the rear of the house: "Look!"
Ning Ji waved the spear and fought with the attacking figure. The man was taller than him and had stronger martial arts. Ning Ji blocked and retreated all the way. He circled around Xiaotuping for several times. The opponent's attack had never broken Ning Ji's defense. With the stick in his hand, he rushed forward: "Second brother is amazing!" Ning Ji also rushed forward: "Big brother, you are here!"
The person who came was naturally Ning Xi, the eldest son of the Ning family. He was three years older than Ning Ji and nearly four years old. Although he was now learning more about things and logic, he was still able to suppress Ning Ji in martial arts. One of a kind. The two danced together for a while, and Ning Xi told him, "Dad is here, and Aunt Chan is here too. I'm here to pick you up today. If we leave today, you can see Wenwen and the others in the afternoon..."
Ning Xi only spoke at the beginning, Ning Ji whistled and ran towards the barracks. Ning Yi, Xiaochan and the others came quietly and did not disturb too many people. In a ward at the other end of the camp, Ning Yi was visiting the seriously wounded people who were staying here one by one. Some of these people were burned by the flames. Unrecognizable, some limbs were disabled, Ning Yi sat by the bed and asked them about the wartime situation, Xiao Ningji rushed into the room, her mother Chan'er looked over from her father, her eyes were full of tears.
"Father, mother." Ning Ji hurried a few steps, then stopped and bowed to the two of them. Ning Yi smiled and waved his hand, Ning Jicai quickly ran to his mother again, only to hear Ning Yi ask: "How did Uncle He get injured, do you know?" He was talking about the seriously injured person next to him.
"I know." Ning Ji nodded, "Uncle He led a team into the city when they attacked Chengdu, and when they reached the Laojun Temple in the west of the city, they found a group of soldiers from the Wu Dynasty were robbing things. Fire, in order to save people, Uncle He was pinned down by the falling beam, his body was burned, the injury could not be treated at the time, and his left leg was not saved."
Ning Yi nodded and held the hand of the wounded soldier for a moment. There were tears in the wounded soldier's eyes. At this time, he said, "I, I... I... I'm fine."
This wounded soldier surnamed He was originally from a very bitter farmer. Ning Yi asked him about the condition of his injury and the cause of the injury, but he couldn't say anything because of his emotions. At this time, he squeezed out this sentence, and Ning Yi patted him. Hand: "Take care of your health." In the face of such a wounded person, in fact, it seems superfluous to say anything, but other than that, what else can you say
He then pulled over to Ning Ji: "This kid is here, he didn't do anything bad, right?"
The wounded blushed: "Second Young Master... Treat us well..."
Ning Yi nodded, comforted and exhorted a few more words, and pulled Ning Ji to the next bed. He inquired about the injuries of the people. These injured people had different emotions. Some were reticent, and some gushed about the battle situation when they were injured. If there were some who were not very good at speaking, Ning Yi asked the child to introduce them on his behalf. After visiting a ward, Ning Yi took the child to the front and thanked all the wounded for their dedication to the Huaxia Army and their work in the army. In recent times, tolerance and care for children.
After seeing several wards in the camp like this, it was past noon. In the gap between the parents and brother talking, Xiao Ningji realized that after the army captured Chengdu, it had entered a period of rest. After the expansion of the site, considering the efficiency of the command, the core of the Huaxia Army, which was originally located in Liangshan Mountain, is currently preparing to move to the Chengdu Plain. During this process, my father came out with his family and took a look outside.
After the Huaxia Army started, they first went to the northwest, and then moved to the southwest. A group of children were born during the war. Most of what they saw were hills and soil slopes. This time out of the mountain is a big day for the family. In order not to disturb too many people, Ning Yi, Su Tan'er, Ning Xi and others did not make a big splash. This time Ning Yi and Xiaochan brought Ning Xi with them. To pick up Ning Ji, Tan'er, Yunzhu, Hongti, Wenwen and other children are still camping by the mountains and rivers more than ten miles away.
After lunch, Jian Cong's group got into the carriage and headed south...
****************
The carriage left the barracks and went all the way to the south. In front of the field of vision, there was a lead-blue grassland and low mountains.
Although the Chengdu Plain is prosperous and prosperous, it also snows when the cold is deep in winter. At this time, the grass blanket has already been stripped of its greenness, and some evergreen trees have also been stained with gray in winter. Under the infiltration of water vapor, the entire field looks The emptiness is infiltrating people, and the cold means seems to be immersed in the bone marrow of people.
Ning Ji's body was quite warm. First, he has always practiced martial arts, and his body is much healthier than ordinary people. Second, his father called him into a car and talked to him a lot on the way. First, he was concerned about his martial arts and literacy progress. Second, his father The tone of speaking to him was quite gentle, which made the eleven-year-old feel warm in his heart.
Over the years, although Ning Yi's fierce reputation has spread all over the world, his attitude towards his family is not tough. He is always gentle and sometimes jokes with children. But even so, Ning Ji and others don't get along much with their father. The two years of disappearance made the children in the family experience the sadness of their father's death early. After returning, Ning Yi spent most of the time in his busy work. . So this afternoon's drive turned out to be the longest time Ning Ji and his father had been alone in a few years.
"Have you been to Chengdu?" After asking about martial arts and literacy, Ning Yi asked him with a smile, and Ning Ji nodded excitedly: "After breaking the city, I went once... but I didn't stay long."
"Is it big?"
"Yeah, but Big Brother said he still remembers Bianliang, and Bianliang is bigger."
"He left when he was three years old, how can he remember anything, he lied to you." Ning Yi said with a smile, Bianliang, for him, is also a memory of more than ten years ago, and now it is probably too worn out. "We will stay in Chengdu for a while this time, and we will take you to have a good time and see. Your martial arts are not bad now, and then you can help watch a few younger brothers and sisters."
"Hmm." Ning Ji nodded again and again: "...Aren't we going to live in Chengdu in the future?"
"Chengdu is too big and too prosperous, and it is temporarily in the front, it is not suitable to move the command point there." Ning Yi replied, Ning Ji did not understand, but nodded, Ning Yi looked at him, thought about it, and then He smiled and said, "Think about it, we have just defeated Chengdu, and there is still a battlefield in front of us, how can we bring our younger siblings to such a dangerous place, not to mention the enemies on the battlefield, and some bad guys, who will hide among ordinary people. Is it difficult to guard against those who came to do damage, or who wanted to rob you, your younger siblings?"
Ning Ji is now someone who has seen the battlefield. After hearing what his father said, his face became serious and he nodded heavily. Ning Yi patted him on the shoulder: "You are allowed to go to the battlefield at your age. Do you blame me and your mother?"
Ning Ji pursed his lips and shook his head solemnly. He looked at his father, the emotion in his eyes was somewhat decisive, and he also had the complexity and compassion after witnessing so many tragedies. Ning Yi reached out and touched the child's head, hugged him with one hand, and stared at the lead blue outside the window.
"There are some things that don't make sense. I told you about the Jurchen thing. I also told you about your grandfather Qin. We Huaxia Army don't want to be a coward and offend many people. You and your younger siblings, I can't live a peaceful life. Assassins will kill you, and I can't hide you for the rest of my life, so I can only put you on the battlefield and let you exercise..."
"Kill the bad guys, I'll kill them..." Ning Ji whispered.
"It's not that simple. The enemies on the battlefield are not necessarily scary, they are upright and upright, and everyone in our Huaxia army can fight. But there are always some enemies, we can't see it at a glance, your aunt Hong is so skilled in martial arts, and you can't protect everyone's well-being. , so if you want to practice martial arts, it is also a good thing."
"My eldest brother and I can also protect my younger siblings..." Ning Ji said angrily.
"Yeah." Ning Yi paused for a moment, then said, "Since you want to become a martial arts master, I will give you a new task in a few days."
"Um."
"Here in Chengdu, there will be no wars in winter. Next, military medical teams will be sent to the surrounding villages to see patients and administer medicine. After a battle, many people's livelihoods will be affected. If it snows, the sick and the poor will freeze to death. There will be more people than in previous years, you follow the master in the military medical team, go to see, treat the disease and save people..."
Ning Yi paused: "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. The same is true of martial arts. You can't practice anything in the martial arts arena. When you walk around, you will meet good people and bad people. You Look more and think more, and in the future you will know how bad people hide in the crowd. One day in the future, you and your elder brother will take responsibility for taking care of your younger siblings. "
Ning Ji nodded his head harder, Ning Yi smiled and said, "Of course, it's been a while. I'll see my younger brother and sister later, let's go to Chengdu to have a good time. I haven't seen you for a long time, Wen. Wen, Xiaoshuang, Xiaoning and Xiaoke, they all miss you so much, and Ning He's martial arts are laying the foundation, you go and urge him..."
The carriage galloped fast, and the father and son chatted all the way. Before the evening was over, the motorcade arrived at a small camp in the west of Xinjin. The camp was surrounded by mountains and rivers, and there were not many people around. Tan'er, Hongti and others took Wenwen with them. When the children were playing by the river, there were also a few children from Du Sha, Fang Shuchang and others in the middle. A bonfire was already raging up. Seeing Ning Ji's arrival, the enthusiastic little Ningke had already screamed and rushed over. On the way, Ba Haw fell, got up and continued to pounce with a smile, his face covered in mud.
A group of adults around looked anxious and funny. Yunzhu had already run up with the handkerchief. Ning Yi looked at the children running together by the river with a smile on his face. This was the time for family reunion. All seem soft and warm.
Not long after, Ning Xi, who had already started to think and manage affairs, came over and privately asked her father about Ning Ji's walk with the military doctor. Eleven-year-old Xiao Ningji probably only understood the enemy's viciousness, while Ning Xi understood more. Over the years, there have always been assassinations against my father and their relatives. Even if Chengdu has been won, this time the family went to play, there is actually a considerable security risk. I would rather avoid walking with the military doctor. A deliberate assassin, the consequences are unspeakable.
Ning Yi looked at the children playing on the beach not far away, and was silent for a moment, then patted Ning Xi on the shoulder: "A doctor will take an apprentice, and two soldiers will be escorted, and the security on the second side will be handed over to. I will take care of your grandfather Chen. Since you have the heart, go and give your grandpa Chen a shot... Your grandfather Chen was famous in the green forest back then. If you learn some of his skills with modesty, it will be very useful in the future. "
The "Grandpa Chen" in Ning Yi's mouth is Chen Tuozi who has been in charge of security work by his side for a long time. Previously, he followed Su Wenfang out of the mountain to do business. When Long Qifei and others suddenly attacked, Chen Tuozi escaped back to the mountain with injuries. Now that the injury has gradually recovered, Ning Yi planned to hand over the safety of the child to him. Of course, on the other hand, he also hoped. The two children can learn more skills with him.
Ning Xi got this arrangement and nodded happily. Ning Yi sat down by the beach and sighed. If possible, he would hope that his children would live in an era where they would not have to worry about fear. The old child went to the battlefield, and let him go to see the mutilated corpses up close.
However, what corresponds to this cruelty is not the mild possibility that the child will accomplish nothing. In the process of playing against the world, the relatives and children around them are facing a real and incomparable threat of death. Fifteen years old, eleven years old, and even the youngest Ning Shuang and Ning Ning, the possibility of being killed by the enemy suddenly or dying in an untimely life is generally the same.
So he closed his eyes and sighed softly. Then he got up and went to the beach in the light of the bonfire. He fished and barbecued with a group of children that day, and played for a while. When night fell, Fang Shu often came over to inform him of something. A special guest has been brought here.
That is Song Yongping.