The intersection of the Yangtze River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, Zhenjiang.
The flying waterfowl bypassed the little white sails on the river, and the busy port was reflected in the scorching sun, and people came and went. As it approached noon, the city was still running rapidly.
"Zhenjiang has been a prosperous town for hundreds of years. When I was a child, the teacher in the mansion said that it is a hub from east to west, and it connects from north to south. I'm still not convinced. Is it more powerful than Jiangning? The teacher said that it not only has the Yangtze River, but also There is the Grand Canal, and the Wu Dynasty has prosperous commerce and trade. This place is the most important thing. I came here when I was eight years old, and there is no big circle outside."
The scorching sun shines down, and the green beech forest on the west hill of the city reflects the cool shade of the trees. When the wind blows over the hill, the leaves rustle. Outside the beech forest, there are hillsides of various weeds. Looking down from this hillside, there is a busy scene in Zhenjiang, surrounded by towering city walls, and there are residential areas that stretch for several kilometers outside the city walls. In the fishing village on the edge, the road passes between the houses and radiates into the distance along the river bank.
On the top of the mountain higher in the forest, and on the bank of the river farther away, there are military camps and a high platform for viewing. At this time, by the beech forest, the leading man was sitting casually on the stone under the tree. There were young people following him, as well as guards who followed, and in the distance there was a carriage that a group of people were riding on when they came up.
"In the two hundred years of the Wu Dynasty, Zhenjiang only looks the most prosperous right now, although it was broken by the Jurchen a few years ago... In the second year of Jianshuo, the mountains and seas were searched, such as birch, remember it. Yangzhou, I escaped from the river and met your sister here."
The man sitting on the stone still had a handsome face, but he had a beard under his jaw, and he was dressed in ordinary clothes. Although his eyes were gentle, he still had his majesty. This is Zhou Junwu, the prince of the Wu Dynasty. The young man sitting on the grass on one side was pale. Hearing him say this, he trembled slightly and nodded.
The pale-faced young man's name was Shen Ruhua, the brother-in-law of the current prince and the younger brother of Shen Ruxin, the third concubine Jun Wu married. Compared with her elder sister Zhou Pei's entanglement in marriage, the marriage of Jun Wu, who has lofty ambitions since childhood, is extremely bland. Today, there are one wife and five concubines in the mansion, but except for Shen Ruxin, the other five wives and concubines belong to wealthy families. The fourth wife of the Prince's Mansion, Shen Ruxin, was a friend in adversity that Jun Wu met during his escape from the mountains and seas. Not to mention that he was the most favored on weekdays, but to be the most special lady in the Prince's Mansion.
But today's Shen Ruhua is obviously not easy, and it even seems that the whole person is trembling slightly and is on the verge of collapse.
Jun Wu looked at Zhenjiang in front of him and was silent for a moment.
"In the second year of Jianshuo, that was eight years ago, I fled to Zhenjiang, and soon after, the Jurchen crossed the river and began to attack the city, and I fled first. 10,000 people. Like Hua and your family, the Zhenjiang prefect first sent people to the outside, and they survived, do you remember? 50,000 people... "
Jun Wu recalled the catastrophe in the past, raised his fingers slightly, his face became complicated for a long time, and finally smiled strangely: "So... it's really strange. 50,000 people died, and half of the city was burned. In eight years, you can see that Zhenjiang has become prosperous like this. The city walls can no longer be enclosed, and everyone lives outside. This year, the prefect of Zhenjiang is roughly ruled. 50,000 people. Before the Jurchen called, there were only a million people in Bianliang. Some people happily reported it, how difficult it is to prosper. Ruhua, do you know why?"
Shen Ruhua's face was sullen, and she almost cried when she saw it. Jun Wu looked at him for a moment and stood up.
"Let me tell you, because the people who come down from the north are the first to arrive in this part of Jiangnan. Zhenjiang is the hub of the north and south, and everyone gathers here... Of course, it is impossible for all of them to reach Zhenjiang. You can go, but there are too many people going south, and the big clans in the south are not allowed. They say they want people from the south to return to the north and people from the south to the north. There have been several problems and bandit troubles, and many people have died. Zhenjiang 750,000 people, 600,000 people are refugees who have escaped from the north with broken families or families.”
He pointed to the front: "In the past eight years, I don't know how many people have died. The remaining 600,000 people live here like beggars. No land, no belongings, six or seven years ago, let alone hiring them for money, even if you just send some gruel to fill your stomach, and then use them as livestock, they are all good people. Those who died, those who survived, had a house in or outside the city, no land, and could do some hard work, or go to serve as a soldier… Many people do this.”
"...It's better than animals." Jun Wu smiled at Shen Ruhua, "I have secretly visited a lot of people, and they are better than animals, so they can live on, and said, I hope there will be peace in a few more years. Life, from Jiangning to Zhenjiang, from Zhenjiang to Lin'an, millions of people live like this, give them some way to live, and the rich, let them work, and those with acres of land at home, hire them to farm..."
He took a breath, clenched his right fist and swung unconsciously by his side, and paused: "The Jurchen went south three times and kidnapped millions of Han Chinese from the Central Plains. Those people became slaves in the Jin Kingdom, and the Jin Kingdom people really took them. They are used as livestock to feed the carnivores of the Jin Kingdom. In the Wu Dynasty, in the ten years since the loss of the Central Plains, millions and tens of millions of people lost their lives and lost everything. Food, work, arable land, commercial affairs in various places prospered all of a sudden, and Lin'an was prosperous for a while. Some people said that my Wu Dynasty lost the Central Plains, and it was so hard to build a country. The reason is like birch. We have more animals from the whole Central Plains."
Jun Wu's eyes stared at Shen Ruhua: "For so many years, these people were originally good, they had their own homes, their own wives, children and parents, after the Central Plains was beaten by the Jurchen, luckily the whole family moved south. After the family property was acquired, it was a little more bumpy, the old parents were gone, and what was even worse, the parents, wife and children died... and the parents died, and the wife and children were taken to Jin Guo, leaving only one person. Ru Hua, Do you know what it's like for these people to survive? Just one person survived well, others died, or they knew they were suffering in the north and lived a life inferior to pigs and dogs... There are also people in Zhenjiang who have lost their lives, such as Hua, do you know how they feel?"
"Life is better than death..." Jun Wu leaned his fist on his chest, with tears in his eyes, "The prosperity of the Wu Dynasty depends on the ruin of these people's homes..."
"Brother-in-law..." Shen Ruhua also cried.
"But they are still not satisfied. They are afraid that these beggars who are not hungry and do not have enough clothing and clothing will disturb the good life in the south, so the southerners return to the north and the southerners return to the north. In fact, this is nothing, such as birch, it sounds very irritating, but It's actually very common. These people are beggars and animals. Don't disturb the good life of others. They also hope that they can live a few years or ten years in peace with their wives, and they can live in places like Zhenjiang... But There is no peace."
He said this, stopped, and a moment passed.
"In Yangzhou and Zhenjiang, hundreds of thousands of troops are prepared for war. Zongfu and Zongbi are fighting, and they are about to fight here. Ruhua, fighting has never been a child's play. It depends on luck and cannot be defeated. This time the Jurchen goes south, it is bound to win against the Wu Dynasty, but if it fails, the things that have happened in the past will be repeated again, but in Zhenjiang, how many of these 600,000 people will still be able to survive the next peace in the world..."
"In order for the army to fight this battle, I have offended many people in the past few years... Don't think that the prince will not offend others, no one dares to offend. The army wants to come up, and those who point fingers in the court have to go down, and the civilians are missing something. , The big family behind is not happy, the big family is not happy, and the officials are not happy. When they do things, they will take a step, everyone will take a step, everything will slow down... The army is not worried, the children of the big clan Entering the army, if you want to give your family some benefits, take care of your family’s power. If I don’t allow it, they will go against the grain. If there is no benefit, the world will not do it…”
Jun Wu smiled at Shen Ruhua, sat down in the shade of the tree, and rambled about the difficulties at hand. After a while, some birds flew over the top of the tree.
"These years... Military law has dealt with a lot of people, the people who should be rude, the people who should be killed, my subordinates are a bunch of orphans and rebels. It is said that the royal family likes orphans and rebels, but I don't like them. I like people with a little human touch. …Unfortunately, the Jurchens have no humanity..." He paused, "not to us."
Jun Wu clasped his hands, sat there and lowered his head. Shen Ruhua's body was trembling, and tears had been shed for a long time: "Sister, brother-in-law... I would like to go to the army..."
"Pretend to be sent to the army, and then replace it after a while, you can still live."
"I-I won't..."
Jun Wu looked at him and interrupted him: "They think so, they will say so."
"I, I only took seven hundred taels, no more, they... they all... "
"Seven hundred taels is also a capital offense!" Jun Wu pointed in the direction of Zhenjiang, "Seven hundred taels can make people live a good life for a lifetime, seven hundred taels can kill tens of thousands of people, and seven hundred taels can kill seventy soldiers. The annual salary... Yes, not much 700 taels. If it was more than ten years ago, let alone 700 taels, your sister married the crown prince and someone gave you 70,000 taels. You can also take it, but today, you have The seven hundred taels are worth your life or seven million taels... The evidence is conclusive, someone is trying to get you, and the reason for getting you is because they want to deal with me. Over the years, the Prince's Mansion has killed too many people, and some people have been killed. You are about to be killed in prison, if you don't kill you, others will not be able to kill you."
"Shen Ruhua, fighting is not that simple, it's almost impossible..." Jun Wu turned his eyes to the other side, "If I let you go today, my people will doubt me. I can let go of my brother-in-law, and Yue Fei will too. If he can let go of his brother-in-law, Han Shizhong wants to let go of his children. The people around me are also close to me. Those in the army who oppose me will tell these things, and those who believe will A little more, on the battlefield, there will be more people who want to run away, a little more shaken up, a little more people who want to be greedy for ink, and a little slower to do things. Add up a little bit, and there will be a lot of people, so I can’t let it go. past you."
Tears seemed to fall from his eyes, but when he turned around, there were no traces of it: "I have a wife and five concubines, and your sister is the easiest to get along with. Your sister is not in good health. I don't know how to see you again after this incident. She. Your sister once told me that you have a simple mind since you were a child, and you are a good child. Let me take care of you more. I am sorry for her. Your family has a single lineage. Fortunately, the girl you are close to is already pregnant. When the child is born, I will take him over... Take care of it as if it were your own, you can... rest assured."
Jun Wu started talking about the other party's sister, but he was hesitant in his words, and gradually became firm and decisive. After he finished speaking, he stopped looking at Shen Ruhua, and stood up with his hands on his knees.
Over the years, although the things he has done seem to be bloody, in fact, Jun Wu is only twenty-seven years old this year. He was not an authoritarian and stern character at first, but he was more forced by the current situation and had to be in charge. Shen Ruxin asked him to help take care of his younger brother. In fact, Jun Wu was also a younger brother, and he had no idea how to teach his brother-in-law. When I think about it, I feel really sad.
As for Shen Ruhua, he is only 18 years old this year, and his family education was good. After he became a relative of the royal family, he did not act very publicly. After several contacts, Jun Wu had a good impression of him. However, when Mu Ai was young, Shen Ruhua fell in love with a woman in the Qin Building, and the money and things in the family were not much. The surrounding people opened a gap here, and after several exchanges, Shen Ruhua was encouraged to accept the money and things worth 700 taels of silver. , ready to redeem the woman. The matter was stabbed out before it was completed. Although the matter did not spread among the lower class people for a while, it had already spread among the military and political upper classes.
No one commented on this, and no one even wanted to spread unfavorable remarks to the prince among the people, but Jun Wu's scalp was numb. This matter is at a critical time of preparation for the war. In order to ensure the operation of the entire system, the Military Law Division has done its best to clean up the black sheep, the corrupt people in the rear transfer system, the shoddy profiteers, and the military camps in the front who deduct the army's salaries and sell the army. The generals of the capital have all cleared a large number at this time, and naturally there are children of various families and clans among them.
If Shen Ruhua were spared, and even others helped cover it up, then everyone would be tied together more or less in the future. Similar things have happened more than once over the years, but this one thing made him the most embarrassed.
Raise your hand, and many things in this world still seem to work the same as before. However, the eyes of the dead were looking at him, and he knew that when all the soldiers faced the enemy on the battlefield, something would be different.
He got up and prepared to leave, even if Shen Ruhua begged for mercy again, he would ignore it. However, after walking a few steps, the young man in the back did not ask for mercy. There was crying from behind, and then the sound of Shen Ruhua kneeling on the ground and kowtowing. Jun Wu closed his eyes.
"The world perishes..." he said with difficulty, "This is to say... It was originally the fault of my Zhou family... The Zhou family was incompetent in governing the country and made the world suffer... I was incompetent in governing the army, so I blame you... Of course, in this world, there are people who are greedy It’s hard to tell the truth. I am today… I only promise you today…”
He paused for a long time: "I can only promise you that when the Jurchen kills me, I will go to the battlefield... I will shed the last drop of blood with the Jurchen. No matter what my identity is, I will never take my life."
Jun Wu did not emphasize his tone, and simply finished his words. Shen Ruhua burst into tears, Jun Wu got into the carriage, and without looking outside again, ordered the carriage to go to the barracks.
This day is the seventh day of the sixth lunar month in the tenth year of Jianshuo. The Jurchen East Route Army has been renovated in Xuzhou. In addition to the original main force of nearly 300,000, it has also mobilized nearly 350,000 puppet Qi and Han troops from all over the Central Plains. On the one hand, the westward troops that encircled and suppressed Liu Chengzong began to gather in the direction of Yangzhou.
At this time, in Zhenjiang, Yangzhou and even the surrounding areas, Han Shizhong's main force had already made several years of defense preparations with the help of the water network in the south of the Yangtze River. Although Zongfu Zongbi had the confidence to search the mountains and inspect the sea, but after breaking Xuzhou, he still did not They moved forward rashly, but tried to assist the original navy of the puppet Qi army to assist the attack. Although the troops of the Han army in the Central Plains are of mixed quality and slow in action, the official war between Jin and Wu is already imminent. The short time is three to five days, and the more than one month, the two sides will inevitably start a large-scale confrontation.
In the nights before the war, Zhenjiang still had bright lights. Jun Wu would sometimes stand by the dark river and look at the lonely city, and sometimes he would not be able to sleep all night.
There are many things in the daytime, most of them are public affairs, and naturally there are also private affairs such as Shen Ruhua. The date for beheading Shen Ruhua is set for the tenth day of June. On the night of the eighth day, Zhou Pei, who was supposed to be in Lin'an, rushed over from the capital.