On the first day of the eighth lunar month, the sound of a gun salute from the east and west walls of Chengdu shook the earth and the sky. Under the bright autumn sun, this loud and rhythmic sound covered the ancient city of Shu from two directions.
The first military parade of the Huaxia army officially began. The Fifth Army entered the city from the west and the Seventh Army entered from the northeast. Flags embroidered with their respective designations spread out, accompanied by the orderly pace of the Huaxia army, majestically passing through the long street filled with pedestrians.
The military parade was not like a temple fair. There were no knife-throwing acrobatics, and there were no dragon and lion dances. However, in this day and age, there was a lack of large-scale activities for the entire population. Many residents of Chengdu had already taken up positions on the roadside. People waved red flowers in their hands. Adults and children all wanted to see what this powerful army that had defeated the insufferably arrogant Jurchen looked like.
Half of the people came to join in the fun, and the other half had begun to sincerely support this army. The Jurchen had wreaked havoc for more than ten years, and the Wu dynasty had been turned upside down. Although Chengdu was located in the southwest and had not experienced the flames of war, after more than ten years, the number of people who had fled from the famine was not a small number. On the other hand, although the Huaxia army had not occupied Chengdu for long, and because the war was imminent, some of their measures could not be considered very close to the people. However, there were indeed many policies that had gathered the hearts of the people.
"Do you see those women?" The Huaxia army had already entered the city. In a teahouse on the north side of the city, a middle-aged scholar pointed to the crowd below and gestured to his companions around him.
"After the Huaxia army occupied the southwest, one of their measures was to encourage women to work … In the past, there were some small workshops here. Businessmen often went to the farmers' homes to collect silk and cloth, and some women would work and embroider during the slack season to supplement the family income. However, the profits of these businesses are hard to say, because the quality of the goods and how much they charge are mostly controlled by the merchants. From time to time, there are also cases of women being bullied … "
"… This Mr. Ning of the Huaxia army started his business. His wife's family, the Ning family, was originally a cloth business. After the Huaxia army occupied Chengdu, they encouraged farm women to work in the workshops. They listened to orders and received a lot of subsidies. I have been in Chengdu for more than a month and have privately inquired about it. Before these women start working, they all have … something called training. A teacher teaches them how to do things and unifies the craftsmanship. In this way, it avoids the drawbacks of merchants who collect silk and cloth of different quality. In addition, this Mister Ning has strictly ordered that the income of these women will not be embezzled. Some of them have actually killed some people … "
"In this way, both the men and women of these families can earn money to support their families. Although it will only be a year, they will become rich. These women's families benefited from this, and they worked for the Huaxia Army, and the Huaxia Army also benefited. Why were their voices so loud now? They're tied to the Huaxia Army. "
"The Huaxia army's businesses are not limited to the weaving industry. They also have workshops for paper making, book printing, glass making, brick making, and perfume. Those who work in these workshops are on the same side as the Huaxia army … Today, we are watching the army from above, but in reality, the roots of the Huaxia army are not limited to just these armies."
"… In the past, we have always said that the Yunshang Jia is a lowly business. Looking at it now, is it lowly? You give people food, and they will work for you. In my opinion, in the future, the right to do business should be taken back and allocated by the imperial court. Not only important businesses like salt and iron, but all other businesses should be led by the imperial court. If you give them money, they will share a common enemy with you. After leaving Chengdu this time, I will write down everything I have seen and heard on this trip … "
The people downstairs waved red flowers and shouted. Upstairs, there were scholars giving pointers on the country and summarizing the experience of this trip. At every corner of the street, the propagandists arranged by the Huaxia Army were loudly announcing the military achievements and achievements of the passing armies.
The newly built Victory Square northwest of the Maha Pool in the city was originally an abandoned house with a drill ground that belonged to the Chengdu yamen. At this time, it had been completely cleared out and widened to be opened to the public. It would take some time for the fifth and seventh armies to return, but a large number of people had already gathered.
In the viewing hall to the south of the square, the guests invited by the Huaxia Army had already begun to gather upstairs. This was a delegation representing various forces, large and small, who were willing to accept the goodwill of the Huaxia Army on the surface. An Xifu who came from Jindi, Zuo Xiuquan who represented the Zuo family, an official representative sent by Liu Guangshi, as well as merchants and middlemen who had been traveling around for a long time interacted with each other and talked to each other. Most of them came with a purpose. Their statuses were relatively soft and their methods were also flexible. Even if they could not get anything from the Huaxia Army, they could still do business with each other in the future. In fact, among them, there were people who were on good terms with Dai Mengwei, Wu Qimei, and the others, but usually they would not point it out directly.
On the viewing platform to the east of the square, gathered the various famous figures and great scholars who had come to Chengdu this time. This time, there was no distinction between civil and military officials who had received the invitation. For example, Lu Liutong, his son Lu Xiaolun, and some others, as well as some relatively famous heroes of the underworld who had not caused any trouble on the 20th of July, came up after being screened. The rest of the various great scholars and young talents who had recently risen to fame also received a batch of invitations.
Yang Tiehuai took the invitations upstairs and looked around. He saw some famous Confucian figures who were relatively familiar with him in the past, such as Chen Shichun, Guan Shanhai, Lang Guoxing, and so on. Among these great scholars, some originally disagreed with his ideas and had quarreled with him, such as Chen Shichun, and some others, such as Guan Shanhai and Lang Guoxing, had discussed "important matters" with him in the previous days but found out that he had not taken action in the end. At this time, when everyone saw him come up, they all showed a look of contempt.
No one scolded him on the spot. Perhaps they were afraid that he would reveal more things in a moment of anger, so no one came over to beat him up. Scholars used words instead of violence. But Yang Tiehuai knew that he had been completely isolated by these people.
His gaze was cold and clear. He raised his chin and tidied up his clothes, feeling extremely disdainful of these people's pretense. The reason why he had not taken action was that he had seen clearly that things could not be done. It was fine if the foolish people did not understand the difficulties involved, but why were they pretending?
He looked up at the square. Demon King Ning and the other villains had not appeared yet. But it did not matter …
He clenched the invitation in his hand.
The decision had been made, and there was no other way. This was what Yang Tiehuai thought. When those villains appeared, he would do something that would shock everyone.
"Old Mister Yang, please follow me. This is your seat."
The soldiers on the viewing platform led him to the back of the platform and pointed out a place for him.
In front, the crowd was discussing spiritedly with each other. Some were seriously debating, some were loudly stating. The old man sat there … None of this had anything to do with him.
…
The cannon at the top of the city wall stopped after twenty-eight shots. Then, it was the heavy and rhythmic beating of war drums that guided the procession forward. The people on both sides of the road were shouting, and some people tried to throw flowers into the procession.
The pace of the army was neat and uniform. Their footsteps were almost exactly the same. Even the armless soldiers were walking at the same pace as the ordinary soldiers. Many of the troops had wheelchairs in front of them. The soldiers who had lost their legs for meritorious service were sitting upright and still. Their gazes were also faintly flashing with a sharpness that could kill.
Mao Yishan walked in the procession. Occasionally, he could see figures kowtowing on the side of the road. Too many people had died in the hands of the Jurchens over the past ten years.
There were three thousand people participating in the parade of the Fifth Army, which stretched through several miles of the long street. At the back of the army, 146 Jurchens prisoners of war were held in 30 prison wagons and were passing through the streets of the city. The person in charge of making the announcement gave a rough introduction of their identities. Some people threw mud and other things into the wagons. Although they were immediately stopped by the soldiers who were maintaining order, a lot of mud, vegetable leaves, and rotten eggs were still thrown in.
Behind the thirty prison wagons that held the Jurchens, there were four other prison wagons that followed. Among them were the vicious Han war criminals who had appeared during the war, as well as some criminals who had caused trouble and killed people in the rear of the southwest. Two of them used to be nobles second to none in the city of Chengdu.
Many people recognized their identities from the introduction of the announcers on each street.
…
Wanyan Qingjue leaned on the railing of the prison wagon and looked out.
His body was hit by a few clumps of mud and a few rotten eggs, but as a prisoner, this kind of humiliation was nothing.
Along the way, he had been carefully listening to what the announcers on the street were saying. He wanted to know how the Chinese army would introduce them and how they would be dealt with. Wanyan Qingjue hoped to hear some clues from the beginning.
Unfortunately, he was in the first prison wagon. Often, the announcer had only started to talk before the prison wagon passed by. As a result, he could only hear the beginning of the announcer's words.
Most of the time, he couldn't hear it very clearly. The people on the side of the road were in an intense mood. Their faces were twisted and full of curses. Because of the occasional junk that flew over, Wanyan Qingjue could only turn his body sideways and glance at them from the corner of his eye. He wasn't afraid of these people. These people were the weaklings of the Han people. If he opened the carriage door and removed the shackles, who knew how many of these people he could kill in the past? He had also seen these people kneel and cry for mercy countless times.
They were just a fox borrowing the tiger's might …
That was what he told himself when the mud hit his head.
Perhaps these people had never experienced such glory in their entire lives. And he had spent most of his life in glory — thinking of this, he calmed down a little.
Bang!
The rotten egg exploded on his head. He wiped it with his hand. It was full of the stench, but his expression didn't change much.
"… Han Xin still endured the humiliation of being under his crotch." The words of his teacher, who looked down on the world, echoed in his mind. "Most of the people who can become great people have also experienced the bitterness of suffering …"
This … is my bitterness … as long as I've experienced it …
As long as I've experienced it …
*****
The sound of the war drums spread through the city.
Ning Xi jogged all the way, passing through the security around the square, passing through the drum tower to the north of the three-story building.
Entering the small hall, Ning Yi, Qin Shaoqian, Chen Fan and the others were still drinking tea and discussing matters. After Ning Xi came in, she roughly reported the new round of security in the city.
"… We ran another round from the beginning to the end. We caught a total of three groups of people who wanted to cause trouble. At the moment, there aren't any major problems. The few districts that the parade passed through didn't have serious traffic jams. According to what I said earlier, after we passed through, we unsealed a few key openings. Anyway, we went through one round and the people in charge of each district signed and marked them … "
Ning Xi had walked through the entire city since morning. At this time, she was so tired that her forehead was covered in sweat. Ning Yi nodded. "Yes, the parade is just a formality. Let's do it step by step. There's not much to do after this. Pour a cup of water and clean up. We'll be going out to meet people later … Also, I have my own ideas about the militia …"
He casually sent Ning Xi away and started to discuss government matters with Qin Shaoqian. Ning Xi pouted and turned around to clean up her image.
…
At around 15: 45, the sound of the war drums seemed to be getting closer to the square.
On the viewing platform, several members of the Huaxia Army, who had been arranged to receive and explain, began to persuade the elders and scholars to take their seats and be quiet. Yang Tiehuai looked ahead. In the north, Ning Yi and the others seemed to have come out.
He stood up and prepared to walk towards the side of the platform.
Two Huaxia soldiers walked over and stretched out their hands to stop him.
"Old Mister Yang, it is almost time, please take a seat."
"I just want to take a look."
"Please take a seat, you can't stop others right?"
"Isn't he not here yet …"
"Sorry."
The two Chinese soldiers smiled and reached out to stop him. They were strong and the old man couldn't get past them. Although they were wearing uniforms, their smiles didn't look like real frontline soldiers. Moreover, they apologized too casually.
The old man thought about it and returned to his seat.
Not long later, the first two batches of soldiers came from different directions and entered the square at the same time.
The old man stood up. He walked a few steps and the two soldiers came over.
"I, I need to go to the toilet."
"Please, I will bring you there, the toilet is below …"
The soldier brought him down.
…
Yu Ho-chung sat in the front row and watched as the soldiers lined up and entered the square.
Although he and Yan Daolun had accepted Liu Guangshi's mission, they weren't part of the envoy group, so their seats were arranged to be the same as the great Confucian figures on the east side of the viewing platform.
At this moment, he didn't notice the actions of the old man called Yang Tiehuai at the back of the platform. He didn't know much about war and the army. Seeing the army walk in in an orderly manner, he felt that it was a bit fancy. He could only vaguely feel that this army was different from the others.
The connoisseur knew the ropes, while the layman could only watch the show. Most of the people here were scholars. When they heard this, someone said, "It looks like there's a difference in their energy, Qi, and spirit. But they wasted their training time on these steps … What's the use of walking so neatly on the battlefield? I think they're just nitpicking …"
"After fighting for so many years, the Black Flag finally has something to show off. With so many people watching today, it's understandable that they're walking orderly. I just don't know how long they've been training … "
"The wounded at the front of the line are very interesting. So many of them survived on the battlefield with broken arms and legs. This shows that the doctors of the Huaxia army are quite good. I've seen many places in the Huaxia army recently. They're quite good at treating external injuries and injuries …"
"Brother Xu, you can see the whole picture from one spot. It's really impressive …"
As the crowd spoke, Yu Ho-chung couldn't help but want to nod in agreement. Then, he heard someone say, "The Huaxia army has strict discipline. They can practice the steps that you think are completely useless to this level. This shows that the army strictly obeys orders. Once on the battlefield, when the army orders to advance, the soldiers know that no one will retreat. You all are so frivolous. Outside of the southwest, which army can do this? "
These words made Yu Ho-chung's mind alert. However, it was immediately drowned out by the discussion of the crowd. The crowd pretended not to hear it and didn't respond.
Lu Xiaolun sat on a stool at the back, rejoicing that Domineering Blade and the others didn't really open the back door for him and let him enter the Black Flag Army as an instructor. He could do other things, but as an instructor, he would be beaten to death soon after. It seemed that his father and Domineering Blade really did have some true friendship. He almost misunderstood them in the beginning.
…
Yang Tiehuai walked up from below after using the restroom. Under the 'escort' of the Huaxia soldiers, he returned to his seat at the back.
He looked at the soldiers gathering in the plaza. There seemed to be countless people shouting in the city. Time gradually passed. Not far away, two Huaxia soldiers looked at him with a faint smile.
People were discussing and talking. Occasionally, someone would turn around and look at him with a faint smile. With his status in the jianghu in the past, he always sat in the front row. It was only this time that he was arranged to sit in the back …
He looked to the north, at Demon King Ning, Qin Shaoqian, and the other villains. It was they who had trampled on the orthodoxy of the Wu dynasty. It was they who had used all kinds of methods to drive a wedge between the people of the Wu dynasty. He wanted nothing more than to rush over and smash Demon King Ning's face to death. But how could these villains be so easy to deal with? They had long been prepared and had their eyes on him. It was laughable that no one on the so-called viewing platform realized this.
Look at those two Huaxia soldiers. They were sent by Ning Yi to deal with me.
No one saw it.
Yang Tiehuai sat there in a daze for a long time.
Finally, he took a deep breath and stood up for the third time. He straightened his clothes and walked out of the viewing platform.
The soldier walked over again. "Where are you going, Old Mister Yang …"
"I'm going down. I have something to do. I won't be watching anymore." Yang Tiehuai stared at him coldly. "May I?"
"Oh, of course. I'll send you down."
The soldier escorted him out of the viewing platform and then out of the inner area of Victory Square.
At this time, more than four thousand soldiers representing the two armies had already gathered in the square. The vehicles used to hold the captives had also arrived. Batches of captives were getting off the vehicles and lining up in the open space on the side of the square. The streets around the square were almost filled with a sea of people.
The sun hung in the sky. Yang Tiehuai took a deep breath. The sky was vast and the city of Chengdu was colorful. But at this moment, to him, everything was gray.
The servants and students nearby had already seen him and were struggling to make their way over from afar. The old man lifted his long robe and hurriedly ran toward the tallest teahouse in the vicinity other than Victory Square.
The teahouse was three stories high. Including the roof, it was four stories high. The old man paid downstairs and was checked. Then, he went all the way up.
The people in the teahouse were looking at the movement not far away. No one saw him at the moment.
*****
The flags of the Fifth and Seventh Armies of Huaxia officially met in Victory Square. After a simple ceremony, they were raised in the sky together with the black flag that represented the entire Huaxia army. Around them, there were dozens of military flags with the numbers of various regiments.
Wanyan Qingjue was dragged out of the carriage and led by the soldiers to stand on the open space on the southeast side of the square. They could only watch from afar as the flags were raised and the steps of the meeting were carried out. Of course, he knew in his heart that it was nothing more than a formality and an act.
Many people gathered on the nearby streets. When they got close, they were separated by the Huaxia army. Some people threw mud here, but at this moment, they couldn't throw it on the Jurchen captives. Some people knelt on the street and cried and cursed. Maybe it was because they had killed their relatives. A few people wanted to rush over, but the Huaxia army stopped them.
Actually, Wanyan Qingjue didn't care about being humiliated, but the Huaxia army was always so strange. There was nothing he could do.
On the street not far away, the announcer was loudly narrating the movements in the square. Wanyan Qingjue didn't care. He just listened to the things about them.
At some point in time, he finally heard …
…
The old man passed through the third floor of the teahouse and climbed up to the top of the building along a small unguarded staircase.
The upper floor was made of green tiles. Because it hadn't rained recently, it was still dry. But for an old man of his age, it was still too scary.
He stood on the top for a moment.
From here, he could see the open space of the square where the captives were standing not far away. He could also see a corner of the military parade in the distance. Demon King Ning and the other villains must be chatting happily over there.
You will have retribution!
He thought in his heart.
In the crowd not far away, his servants, students, and the others seemed to still be coming over here.
He remembered many things.
He remembered the will he wrote in the room of the Xiangwu Guild Hall.
He remembered some pointers on how to make use of the news of his death in his will.
He remembered the scene when everyone began to regret after his death and felt that they had misunderstood a great Confucian scholar.
He wanted to take a step out …
But it was too steep.
The old man looked back at the ladder behind him.
He didn't know why, but he actually walked a few steps on the roof.
It was too steep over there.
On the street not far away, the announcer seemed to say something. Immediately, a hubbub of voices spread out.
Hatred surged in the old man's heart. He gritted his teeth and thought that it was too steep.
In the teahouse, people whispered to each other.
"What did he say? What did he say over there … "
"Hua —", "Ah —" A black shadow suddenly flashed in front of them with tiles. Then, banging and crashing sounds rang out from below.
The people upstairs poked their heads out. Only then did they realize that someone had fallen from the roof and smashed a small noodle stall downstairs into pieces. A wooden stick used to support the canopy of the small noodle stall had pierced through the person's body, causing the body on the ground to be twisted and red with blood.
Many people upstairs and downstairs fell silent for a moment. Some turned their heads to look at the roof and the ground … Then, screams began to ring out.
… …
At some point, Wanyan Qingjue had heard the announcer's voice — this was the part that he had been paying attention to this entire time.
But his mind was in a knot, and when the voices outside suddenly grew louder, he still didn't quite understand the meaning of those words.
"… After the southwestern war, our army has conducted a strict screening of the female captives we have captured. After obtaining evidence, we have decided to deal with them as follows …
"… For these war criminals who have accumulated a heavy debt of blood in the long war of aggression, the Huaxia People's Court has listed 146 of them as the most vicious and evil. Today, their crimes will be pronounced in public, and their sentences will be immediately carried out!
"… The first of these criminals, Wanyan Qingjue …"
Wanyan Qingjue's mind buzzed.
He still didn't know what the Huaxia army would do to him, but a few clues had already appeared in his mind.
'Most vicious and evil.'
… Me?
His mind filled with doubt, he looked at the people around him. These were the ones who could be considered vicious and evil. In this entire war, he had maintained the dignity of a scholar from beginning to end. He had even been captured twice before he had achieved victory. How could he be a vicious and evil person?
He recalled the scene from the last time he had seen Ning Yi.
Ning Yi was a person who valued benefits, and was not someone who was easy to kill …
Now that Ning Yi was in the plaza, he simply wanted to go in and take a look.
Ning Yi should have remembered him.
That rabbit boy surnamed Zuo and a few others should have presented his letter to Ning Yi …
Could it be that he had not seen …
The announcer's sentence was rather long. After giving a rough introduction of his background, he began to recount his actions in Lin 'an.
"… Assisting Wanyan Xiyin in opening the gates of Lin 'an, which directly led to the Lin' an Massacre … causing the people to be plunged into misery and suffering …"
Wanyan Qingjue remembered the whistling sound in the wind that day and the battle in Lin 'an. Many people wanted to stop the Jurchen emissaries from entering the city. They killed the fake emissaries. However, when Wanyan Qingjue came out later, the corpses and bright red on the ground were like the red carpet in front of him.
That was the greatest victory he had plotted in his life. He walked to the imperial palace of Lin 'an, and all the Han people on the ground and the entire Wu dynasty surrendered to him. Then there were countless intoxicating cries and blood …
"… After deliberation by the Huaxia people's court, the sentence is death. It will be carried out immediately … "
The voices around him were boiling.
Wanyan Qingjue stood there. He wanted to say something, he wanted to do something, he wanted to escape, he wanted to rush into the plaza, he wanted to curse loudly, he wanted to struggle with all his might … He knew that the shackles at his feet did not completely restrict his movements. There were more than a hundred "vicious and evil" original Jurchen generals around him. Although they were all standing beside the soldiers of the Huaxia army, it was not impossible for him to resist … He wanted to resist, he wanted to start agitating …
He stood there, staring.
He couldn't move …
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