"...and Uncle Song Mao, I don't know how he's doing, is he in good health?"
The sky was already dark, and a bonfire was burning in the distant river bend. Occasionally, the laughter of children and the voice of women could be heard. Song Yongping walked slowly under the leadership of Ning Yi, and when he asked about his father's condition, Song Yongping glanced at him.
"My father's body is still tough. After he left office, he has lost a lot of common things, but he has become more prosperous in the past two years."
"Uncle Song Mao was the official who went after I killed Zhou Zhe?"
"… Um."
The two were talking about this shocking thing for others, but they seemed indifferent in their words, Ning Yi said: "When things started in a hurry, the Song family couldn't care about it, and it's hard to invite you to come with me. Later, when Zhou Yong became emperor, with Zhou Pei and his sister and brother on top, it wouldn't be too difficult for you, so I felt relieved. In the past few years, Tan'er and Wenfang have occasionally talked about you, among in-laws. , Take your knowledge as the best, I am afraid that it will delay your career, but I think that when people are young, it is the age to take detours. Good to go."
He said this with a smile: "Of course, it's me who made you and Uncle Song Mao lose their jobs. I'm going to be a little offended when I say this. If you say that I got cheap and sold well, there's no way to refute it."
Listening to Ning Yi talking about this topic, Song Yongping also laughed, his eyes seemed calm: "Actually, it's true, when I was young, everything was smooth sailing, I always felt that I was a great talent in the world, and only later did I understand my own limitations. Days, people in the family come and go, only to know that the world is full of flavors, and my vision was too small back then..."
He smiled and shook his head: "When I was young, I read Huang Lao, Confucius and Mencius with the elders in the family, memorized ancient books and classics like a fluent, and I can also sprinkle a lot of moral articles. When I think about it in the past two years, I feel the deepest is the Book of Changes. Open the book two sentences... Tian Xingjian, a gentleman is self-improvement. Thirty years have passed, and I have gradually understood something."
When we first met more than ten years ago, Song Xiaosi, who was in his early twenties, had a high-spirited expression on his face, but now he is in his thirties. He became an official, grew a beard, and experienced ups and downs. If we say that he was calm before The few paragraphs of dialogue he used to maintain calm, the current paragraph is from the bottom of my heart.
Ning Yi nodded, Song Yongping paused for a moment: "If you say that you don't have any complaints about your cousin and cousin-in-law about these things, it's a lie, but even if you complain, it's meaningless to think about it. Mr. Ning, who is all over the world, could it be because of someone? If you complain, you won't do anything?"
Ning Yi laughed "haha", he patted Song Yongping on the shoulder and motioned him to move forward: "There are many truths in the world, but I only have one. Back then, when the Jurchen went south, watching hundreds of thousands of people were killed and utterly defeated, Qin Equal manpower can turn the tide, and in the end, the family will be destroyed. If you don't kill the emperor, these people will die worthless. Of course, you have thought about the consequences after killing them. Of course you know your situation before killing people, but you have to do it after you have measured it. The county magistrate is also like this. Some people have sympathy in your heart, but you can only give them thirty big board. Why, this is a little better ."
"But over the years, brother-in-law has really... not been confused?"
"There are always, and there are many, but... In comparison, this road is a little better." Ning Yi said, "I know what you are thinking of coming here, and if you find a flaw, maybe you can persuade me to withdraw troops or surrender, and give Wu Chao one. It’s okay to go down the stairs. It doesn’t matter. In fact, the situation in the world is very clear. You are a smart person. You will understand if you look at it more. I will not hide it from you. However, I will show you the child first.
During the conversation, the campfire was approaching. Ning Yi led Song Yongping over to introduce the distant uncle to Ning Xi and others. After a while, Tan'er also came over to meet Song Yongping. The two sides talked about Song Mao, talking about Su Yu, who had already passed away, was a very ordinary reunion of relatives.
While Su Tan'er and Song Yongping were talking, Ning Yi led a group of children to grill fish by the fire. Ning Ji and Du Sha, Fang Shuchang and other children had dinner and rested for a while, and set up a small arena to compete in turn. After they were all famous, the competition was quite intense. Little girls such as Wenwen and Ning Ke either cheered on their brother by the side of the ring, or ran here to entangle Ning Yi. After a while, Ning Yi, who had burnt the fish and had no face, walked over to the arena and wrote a couplet to reward the winner. Then let Song Yongping come over to comment on the axe, and then let Song Yongping also write a pair of words to add to it.
Song Yongping's heart was somewhat moved by the slapstick beside the river, but after all, he was the story of a certain strategist who came to be a lobbyist and persuaded the princes to change their minds. During these years, It's not really an exaggeration. In the feudal world, the popularity of knowledge is not high. Even the princes of one party may not have broad horizons. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Zongheng family laughed exaggeratedly and raised a certain point of view. It is not surprising that the princes bowed their heads. . Li Xiannong was able to persuade the barbarian king in the Liangshan Mountains, which may have been the same way. But in this brother-in-law's case, no matter the alarmist words or the generous remarks, it is impossible to reverse the other party's decision. Without the most thorough analysis, the rest can only be gossip and jokes.
After meeting Ning Yi, he has become more and more aware of this in his heart. Looking back at Cheng Zhouhai's attitude when he set off, the other party probably understands this very well. After thinking about this for a long time, when Ning Yi went to rest, Song Yongping followed and decided to throw the problem back first.
"Brother-in-law, isn't there a good solution to the matter in the southwest?"
"For Wu Chao, it should be difficult."
Ning Yi took a branch, sat on the stone by the beach to rest, and answered casually.
"The Jurchen is coming, the world will fall, what's the benefit?"
"The Wu Dynasty is the world, the women are really the world, the Huaxia army is also the world, whose world will perish?" He glanced at Song Yongping, the branches knocked on the stone beside him, "Sit down."
"The humidity is heavy, and it is not suitable for maintaining health." Song Yongping said, and sat down too.
"How many children do you have?"
"Three, two daughters, one son."
"As a very learned uncle, what do you think of Ning Xi and the others?"
"Okay. Xi'er taught very well." Song Yongping said, "Ning Ji's martial arts seems to be much stronger than that of ordinary people."
"After you were born, you looked at it to death. Next, go to Chengdu and have a look, but it is difficult to squeeze into the crowd and join in all kinds of fun like ordinary children. I don't know when I will encounter an accident and compete for the world. We call it saving the world and this is one of the costs, in case of an accident, it is good to die, and it is possible that life is worse than death.”
There is a flowing river in front, Ning Yi's expression is hidden in the darkness, although the words are calm, the meaning is not calm. Song Yongping didn't quite understand why he said this.
"There is already a fight north of the Yellow River. Near Taiyuan, millions of people have blocked Yan Zonghan's hundreds of thousands of troops. Now there is heavy snow there, and more people are dead on the battlefield, and more frozen to death on the snow. 50,000 people have been defending the city, and it has been almost two months now. Wanyan Zongfu and Wanyan Zongbi led the main force to fight for nearly a month, and then crossed the Yellow River. I don't know how many defenders in the city..."
Ning Yi said in the dark: "... Now Wanyan Chang is leading 30,000 Jurchen elites and more than 200,000 Han troops to besiege the city. In front of the Han army are the people who are being driven forward. They throw corpses with slings every day. Go into the city, luckily it's winter, and the plague can't get up for the time being... Zhu Biao led more than 10,000 Huaxia troops and wanted to open Wanyanchang's defense line, but he couldn't open it."
"... I don't know how many millions of hungry ghosts have died in the south. I sent 8,000 people to Xuzhou to block Wanyan Zongfu's southward road. The main force of these hungry ghosts is now surrounded by Xuzhou. I don't know what it will be like to meet the hungry ghost. Further south is the direction of the prince's arrangement. The army of one million, whether it wins or loses, is in this battle. And then here... tens of thousands of people have already died. Yongping, it's not a bad thing that you came for the Wu Dynasty, but if you were me, would you be willing to give them a way to live, or not?"
"Maybe there is a better way..." Song Yongping said.
"Maybe, maybe... There is always such a person in the world. He can not only let the people of the Wu Dynasty live well, but also strengthen himself and save the whole world. Yongping, it's not a joke, if you With this idea, it is worth the effort.”
"… "
"But I can't do it. It's been more than ten years since the first Jurchen went south, and the Wu Dynasty has grown a little bit, probably... so much." He raised his hand and gestured for a distance about the size of a grain of rice. " We know that the Wu Dynasty has a lot of troubles and complex problems, and it is not easy to make a little progress. It is not easy to see them, and we want them to get better rewards, such as living longer, we can even write a This kind of progress is regarded as a rare light of humanity. However, is this enough? You like the Wu Dynasty, so he should survive, and if he doesn't survive, you hope... I can hold your hand high?"
Ning Yi shook his head.
"... If you can't stop it, there will be nothing. In that letter, I want to force the Wu Dynasty to negotiate with me. After the negotiation, the Huaxia Army and the Wu Dynasty are equal forces. If the Wu Dynasty wants to join forces with me to defend against the Jurchen, I will also Yes, Wu Chao can have more time to breathe. He has to play tricks in the middle, and he doesn't work hard. It's okay. Everyone plays chess. Yes, in such a world, everyone is strengthening their minions, and no one has a chance on the battlefield. The problem of the Wu Dynasty and the problem of Confucianism is not a one-time improvement, and one or two heroes can help it up. If It is possible that the Jurchens quickly corrupted, but because of the existence of the Huaxia Army, the speed of their corruption is actually not that fast, and they can still fight…”
Ning Yi tapped the branch three times on the ground: "Jurchen, Huaxia, and Wu Dynasty, let's not talk about the present, in the end, two of them will be eliminated. Yongping, I will say something today to make Wu Dynasty 'better'. , that is also to pave the way for the elimination of the Wu Dynasty. To stop the Huaxia Army, the method is very simple, as long as the people of the Wu Dynasty are united, the court, the power of the various big families, and the power of each big family, all show the spirit of preferring to break the jade rather than the tile. Come to attack my Huaxia army, I immediately stopped and apologized... But the Wu Dynasty couldn't do it. Now the Wu Dynasty thinks it is very difficult, in fact, even if they lose the Southwest, they should not negotiate with me. Back, then I will eat the southwest. Without strength, Wu Dynasty will feel that it is humiliating to lose face? In fact, not only, they will have to kneel down next, without strength, the day when they will be forced to eat shit, there must be of."
"After the Southwest fight, they sent you over, of course, but it's not a stupid move. In that kind of overall situation, there is no way to use it. Qin Siyuan back then was the same way, tinkering with paper and paper, forming a party, entertaining guests and giving gifts, you should kneel down. When the time comes, the old people are also very willing to kneel down. Maybe some people will be moved by family affection and let go, but Yongping, I don’t dare to let go of this mouth. After the battle is won, the next step is to increase the strength. One point is more than one point. There is no such thing as selfishness to raise your hand. Even if you raise it, it is because you have to raise it. Because I don’t dare to have any luck…”
The calm voice mixed with the gurgling sound of water in the dark, Ning Yi lifted the branch and pointed to the firelight on the other side of the river beach, where the children played.
"Northern Tian Hu fought against Zong Han with an army of millions. If he lost, he would die. Wang Shanyue is famous. I hope Zhu Biao can save as many people as possible, but it is also possible. Inside. There are millions of hungry ghosts. In one winter, they will die. Yongping, Ning Xi, Ningji, Wenwen Xiaoke, are my children. If someone tells me, there will be flukes in this world. , I can ask God to worship Buddha and kowtow a thousand times every day, hoping that they will be happier than me in this life... But there is no luck in this world, not even a trace, so I will not kowtow. If the strength of the Huaxia Army can be increased by one point, I will Never dare to let him lose a point."
The voice was silent for a long time.
…
"...I read books in the past two years, and I also have a very deep feeling. There is a sentence in the nineteen ancient poems that says: 'Life is like a traveller from afar', this world is not ours, we just came here by chance, It's only been a few decades in the past, so I'm always worried about things in this world, and I don't dare to be arrogant... The most useful truth in the middle, Yongping, you have already said it before, it's called 'Tianxingjian, a gentleman is self-improvement. ', Only being strong and useful, and interceding for the Wu Dynasty, is actually not necessary."
…
Laughter came from the small river bend. In the next few days, Ning Yi's family went to Chengdu to see the bustling ancient city. Except for Ning Xi, a group of children saw such a prosperous city for the first time. It was completely different from the situation in the mountains. Occasionally, I will talk about the scenery and stories when I was in Jiangning and Bianliang, and that story has passed for more than ten years.
Song Yongping followed it, just like Zuo Duanyou back then, understood Ning Yi's thoughts, and then discussed it every day. The two sides sometimes quarreled, sometimes broke up, and lasted for a long time.
Not long after that, Ning Ji followed the doctors in the military medical team to start a medical and medical trip to nearby counties and rural areas. Ning Xi followed Chen Tuozi to sit in the center, responsible for arranging security, coordinating and other things, and learning more skills.
The winter is already deep, the south bank of the Yellow River, the cold wind and snow suddenly came. The Jurchen army heading south had already left the ferry crossing of the Yellow River quite a distance away. The further south they went, the more desolate the road became. Small towns had been destroyed and burnt down, like ghosts, and starved corpses could be seen everywhere along the way. This time, the "hard walls and clear fields" are more thorough than that of more than ten years ago.
In the heavy snow, the small-scale Jurchen grain transport team was trapped on the road. The wind and snow roared for more than an hour. The centurion who led the team stopped the team to avoid the wind and snow. At a certain moment, something gradually appeared from the front. come over.
Staggering and swaying, something passing through the snowstorm gradually came into view, and it was actually a figure of a person. The figure is swaying, dry and thin like a skeleton, making people look at it, the scalp is numb, and it seems to be holding a motionless swaddle in her hand. This is a woman who was starved to the bone. People know how she got here.
"Skull" stood there in a daze, looking at the carts and goods here, and then she shook it, opened her mouth, and made an inexplicable sound, and there seemed to be water in her eyes.
She ran towards this side.
The centurion walked over with a long knife and slashed the woman to the ground with a swipe. The swaddle also rolled out. There was no "baby" in it, so there was no need to make another knife.
"Seeing these things, kill without mercy."
The centurion also knew that there were still hungry ghosts roaming this place. The woman who killed him was about to go back when another figure came towards him in the wind and snow.
The Hungry Ghost, and then the Hungry Ghost, saw the troops transporting military supplies, and the figures who were almost unhuman were all stunned, and then they just hesitated for a while, and then they shouted and ran. They have no strength, and many people have fallen in the wind and snow, and their shouts at this time are almost hoarse. The centurion slashed the two of them, slapped the armor with a long knife, and shouted for his subordinates to build a line of defense.
Those figures came running one after another...
In the world of life, suddenly it is like a traveller.
With a whole body of icy cold, with dry tears, and a hoarse voice...
That is their last figure running in this cold world.
In the wind and snow, endless hungry ghosts came over