Autumn passed and winter came. The weather began to turn cold. On the plains, waves of merchants came and went.
In the land of the southwest, in the area administered by the Huaxia People's Government, the number of workshops near several large cities began to increase at a visible rate. Courier stations, whether simple or complicated, also began to flourish with the coming and going of merchants. The surrounding villages, along with the roads, also began to form more obvious clusters of people.
The riots and pageants that occurred in Chengdu in July and August also brought a large number of trade orders to the southwest. After seeing the excitement in Chengdu, the merchants among the people chose to carry out simple transactions of money and goods. The representatives representing the various warlords and large clans who came to observe the ceremony obtained a trade plan of an even larger scale with the Huaxia army. Other than the first batch of superior military supplies, there were also a large number of technology transfer agreements that would be carried out in the next year or two.
For these warlords and large clans, both types of trade had their advantages and disadvantages. If they chose to buy the Huaxia army's cannons, guns, and well-tempered steel knives, they would buy a little, but the advantage was that they could use them immediately. If they chose to transfer technology, the Huaxia army would send out skilled workers to be teachers, from the structure of the workshops to the operation and management of the assembly lines. The Huaxia army would charge a high price and take a long time to train, but the advantage was that they would have their own things in the future and would no longer have to worry about becoming enemies with the Huaxia army.
At this time, in the outside world, the Wu dynasty existed only in name. It hadn't been long since it disintegrated. Every new warlord and power was still in a sensitive period of adjustment and adaptation. Some people who realized that the Wu dynasty could no longer control them began to take control of their own fate. Some of the noble clans began to step forward from behind the scenes, and the disciples of the noble clans prepared to shoulder their own responsibilities. Meanwhile, those who had experienced countless hardships in the chaos of war began to shout, "Do the nobles and generals have guts?" During this period, there were also some local officials who were still waiting for the return of the Wu dynasty's emperor, but who was shouting slogans and who was speaking the truth still needed time to verify.
In such a chaotic situation and complicated transition, it was hard to say who could not guarantee the food of the people under their rule and would raise their weapons and begin to beg for food nearby. Therefore, buying a batch of swords, guns, and cannons produced in the southwest was the most reliable guarantee for their survival in this chaotic world. Of course, this was also the usual excuse used by the Huaxia military officers when promoting their products.
And because the southwest had just experienced the fires of war, materials and production lines were extremely tight, so orders for weapons could only be placed on a first-come, first-served basis. Of course, those who could provide large quantities of weapon materials and trade metals for cannons would receive a slight preference.
Among them, Liu Guangshi, who had a wide circle of friends and was full of ambition, was the Huaxia army's first big customer. He used large amounts of iron, copper, grains, ores, and other goods to order the largest amount of military supplies from the Huaxia army. After the entire order was settled and reported, even Ning Yi, who was used to seeing the world and had just taken over the position of chairman at the August Congress, could not help but praise, "Bright and generous. If Liu Guangshi is going to be popular, he should be the boss …"
From his words, it was obvious that he wished he could give up his position as the boss to him in exchange for more orders.
Of course, there were indeed enough orders. Starting from Liu Guangshi, the orders were mainly focused on the military, and it was enough to allow the Huaxia army's current production plan to last for two years.
Apart from supplies, there were all sorts of ways to transfer technology. Some invited the Huaxia army's technical personnel over, but the problem with this method was that it was not well-equipped. All the personnel had to be trained from scratch, and it was more time-consuming. Some recruited reliable local personnel or directly sent their children to Chengdu, and according to the contract, stuffed them into the factories for training. It would take some time on the road, and the speed at which they became talents was faster. There were also those who wanted to recruit people in Chengdu, train them, and take them away. The Huaxia army could not guarantee that they would really follow them after they finished their training …
Of course, the more humane and complicated the training method, the higher the fee. This was also very reasonable.
Liu Guangshi also bought the most expensive and crucial military technology. At least in terms of the contract, at this time, he would completely copy the entire set of military industry of the Huaxia army, except for the rockets. Although such an order would also empty his pockets, the surrounding warlords would definitely follow his lead in the next few years, including Ning Yi. When he saw the group of envoys, including Yan Daolun and Yu Ho-chung, he had a very warm smile on his face.
Since September, there was an endless stream of ships and carriages coming and going on the land trade route from Chengdu to Jiange. The rugged mountain roads and plank roads near Jiange were carefully widened and reinforced by the Huaxia army's engineers. As for the waterway out of Sichuan, it was even more prosperous. Large boats came and went on the Jialing River, and all the shipyards sped up their work.
The nearby forces, large and small, were now busy transporting supplies to the southwest. Only when the things were delivered could the artillery be shipped out first. When the artillery was shipped out, whether it was to attack or defend against thieves, they would have the upper hand. The words of the Huaxia military officers were also reasonable, and no one would think it was ridiculous. Although they were not crazy, who knew if the one next door would suddenly go crazy. Now that the emperor was not in charge, people could only trust the knives, guns, and sticks in their hands.
The trade on the surface was extremely prosperous, and the black market business and smuggling in the dark were gradually flourishing. Even if it was not an official caravan, if some new guns could be shipped out from the southwest, Dai Mengwei and others, who could not directly do business with the Huaxia army, would be happy to buy them. They could even ship them to Lin 'an and sell them to Wu Qimei. Maybe they could make more money. The reason why they said maybe was that there was not enough time for them to go to Lin' an and return, so people still did not know how trustworthy Wu Qimei was.
The huge prosperity brought about a huge impact and chaos, so much so that since August, Ning Yi had been sitting in Chengdu, personally suppressing the whole situation and slowly getting it on the right track. Within the Huaxia Army, several batches of officials were ruthlessly cleaned up.
After the victory, they were rewarded according to their merits. Now they suddenly became the center of the whole world, being pursued and tempted by all kinds of people. They were the first group of people who began to reach out. Just like what Ning Yi had said in the previous meeting, he treated them as examples of severe punishment, from execution to imprisonment, and so on. All the offenders' duties were investigated to the end.
In this way, in the middle of December, Ning Yi temporarily released Chengdu, which was basically on the right track and could run on its own under the leadership of officials. He returned to Zhang Village on December 20th, ready to celebrate the Little Lunar New Year with his family.
The carriage passed through the road on the field. It rarely snowed in the southwest in winter, but the temperature still dropped. Ning Yi sat in the carriage and felt tired when he was idle.
Recently, he had a lot of "why bother" thoughts, because the pace of his work was getting closer and closer to the rhythm of his previous life. Meetings, inspections, conversations, weighing people's hearts … every day, he worked around the clock. The situation in Chengdu was uncertain, and other than Watermelon, it was not good for the other family members to come here. He was getting more and more powerful, and his style of work had always been domineering. When he was just starting out, he might have been meticulous, but once he was on the right track, he was the kind of person who said, "You don't need to understand me, just look up to me." Occasionally, he reflected on himself and felt that there was no difference between the recent and the previous life.
It was afternoon when he returned home. At this time, the school in Zhang Village had not started its winter vacation yet. The children at home, including Yunzhu, Jin 'er, and the others were still at school. When he got out of the carriage at the gate of the courtyard, he saw a figure waving on a hillside not far away. It was Hong Ti, who had been protecting the safety of Zhang Village these days. She was wearing a camouflage military uniform, and even from a distance, the smile on her face could be seen. Ning Yi also waved exaggeratedly, then signaled for her to come quickly.
Hong Ti pointed to the courtyard: "You go first."
There were not many people in the courtyard outside. When he entered the courtyard inside, he saw two figures sitting in front of a small table, cutting vegetables. Su Tan 'er was wearing a white dress with red stripes, a red cape on her back, and her hair was tied up in a long ponytail. The young girl's dress looked a little strange at first glance, but Ning Yi thought for a moment. It was many years ago, after he woke up from his coma, when he first met his wife who ran away from home.
At that time, she wanted to meet this strange husband for the first time. On the one hand, she wanted to give him a show of strength, and on the other hand, she wanted to make peace. Therefore, she was very particular about her dress, and probably chose it for a long time. Perhaps it was because of this that she still remembered this dress.
Xiaochan, who was sitting at the stone table, had already seen him and waved her hand. Tan 'er turned to look at him, and a smile appeared on her face: "How is it?" She had an oval face, and it did not change much after so many years. It was just that after taking care of the family for so many years, there was a bit of reserved wisdom and maturity between her eyebrows. At this time, she was sitting sideways, and her long braid hung down, and she looked a little more like a young girl. Ning Yi looked at her dress with a smile.
"It looks like it's about to fade, but you still have it."
"Husband, you still remember this dress?"
"I can't forget it."
"I almost forgot about it. When I ran away from Jiangning, I deliberately brought this dress with me. Later, I kept it in the cabinet, and recently, I took it out to dry. I used to like this red cape, but now it's a bit fluffy. "
Ning Yi smiled: "I heard that you've been wearing a red cape recently, and it's almost frightening. Those who come to kill you all think that you're the Blood Buddha."
He was referring to the commotion that happened in Zhang Village in July and August. At that time, a group of people excitedly ran over and said that they wanted to attack Ning Rentu's family and children. Most of them failed and were caught, and when they were punished, they could see the cold face of Tan 'er. The punishment here had always been the highest. As long as someone caused serious injury, they were all shot to death. If they caused property damage, they were all sent to the mine to be locked up with the Jurchen coolies. They did not accept money to buy them. Most of these people could only be released after working as coolies in the mine for more than ten years. Most of them may die because of various accidents during this period of time.
This was the result after Ning Yi persuaded them. Tan 'er was smart, and many of her ideas were more open-minded than other women, but when it came to these things about her family, she was no better than a simple landlady. It was not enough for a group of people to make trouble for her husband in Chengdu, but they also came here and tried to kill or kidnap the children of her family. According to her original heart, those who had such ideas should be killed.
It was also because of this that during that time, she personally asked about every incident that happened. Ning Yi asked to be punished according to the law, and she demanded that they must be punished according to the provisions of the law.
At the end of July, many people in the forest were still celebrating. They were very busy because of the Chengdu incident. Most of them went to Zhang Village, and most of them were also impassioned. It was not until August that the military parade ended and the congress began. Details about the incident in Zhang Village were spread. Those who really went to Zhang Village did not have a good ending.
As for the woman who appeared at the scene like the King of Hell, she was also described vividly in the rumors. Everyone said that she was the bandit "Blood Bodhisattva" among Ning Yi's wives. Back then, she killed people like flies on Mount Luliang, and even Lin Zongwu was defeated by her. It was just that she did not fight much after she got married. This time, those who went to Zhang Village had offended this Great Grandmaster.
In the past, there were only a few people in Jianghu who knew about Hong Ti, but Takeshi's publicity often avoided her. Therefore, for more than ten years, the Great Grandmasters that people cared about were usually the righteous "Iron Arm" Zhou Dong, the villain "Piercing the North Forest" Lin Zongwu, and the indescribable Great Grandmaster Ning Rentu. This time, the incident in Zhang Village caused an uproar. Only then did someone dig out the matter from the depths of their memories, and gave Hong Ti a strong sense of existence.
Speaking of this, a hint of anger flashed between Tan 'er's brows. Then, she smiled and said, "I have discussed with Sister Tizi. From now on, the nickname' Blood Bodhisattva 'will be given to me. She will use another one."
"Use what?"
"Blood Grape." Xiaochan rushed to say.
"…"
Tan 'er burst into laughter. Ning Yi was stunned for a while. Then, he sat down next to her, hugged Xiaochan, and kissed her hard on the face. "She is … still … quite cute. Then it's decided. In our family, we have a Blood Bodhisattva and a Blood Grape. Grape sounds like a follower, but in fact, she is the most skilled in martial arts. That's good too. "
After the three laughingly made up the name of the most skilled and easy-going person in the family, Ning Yi began to ask about the children in the family.
At this time, from Ning Ji to Yunzhu, the eldest daughter, Wenwen, was already twelve years old. She was quiet and loved to read. When she smiled, she looked like a replica of her mother. Ning He was not a strong-willed boy. At the age of nine, he looked like an ordinary boy. Without external pressure, he did not even show the martial arts talent of his mother, Hongti, and his grades were only average. Perhaps Hongti, who lived in peaceful times, would not become the best in martial arts in the world. In fact, Ning Yi did not intend to exploit his potential too much.
Ning Ke, who was the same age as Ning He, maintained her usual lively and helpful character. She had the most friends and the best popularity in the school. She worried about this and that every day, and became a member of the recreational committee and the daily life committee in the school. However, her enthusiasm for other people's affairs always made her homework fall behind, which made Jin 'er very worried. Jin 'er had always flaunted herself with selfishness. She could not figure out why her daughter was always so silly.
Of course, Ning Yi could understand some of it when he thought about it in private. If Jin 'er had not been sold because of her family's poverty, and had not experienced so many ups and downs, perhaps the Ning Ke of today would be a different person.
Ning Shuang and Ning Shuang, who were seven years old, were in the first grade this year. The two children, who grew up like conjoined twins, were very good. Watermelon's daughter, Ning Shuang, was very talented in martial arts. However, as a girl, she preferred swords and not sabers. This made Watermelon quite distressed. However, when he thought about it, he learned to use a saber when he was a child and was brainwashed to say that "Chest-haired Linlin is a great hero." It was also because he met an unreliable father, so he was relieved. In addition to martial arts talent, Ning Shuang had good grades and could recite ancient poems one by one. This made Watermelon quite happy. His daughter was not stupid, and neither was he. He was led astray by his unreliable father …
The only shortcoming of Ning Shuang, who was well-versed in both literature and martial arts, was that she did not talk much. Like her name, she liked to be quiet. As the second daughter of Yunzhu, Ning Shuang was often the spokesperson between the two. If there was anything to say, Ning Shuang would usually say it. So Ning Shuang talked a little more than her, but still less than others. Perhaps this was because she had found suitable friends since she was a child, so there was no need to talk too much.
The only accident was that Ning Shuang fell on her way home recently. As a beautiful and quiet little beauty, she broke one of her front teeth. She did not say it, but she was actually very concerned about this matter.
"When you see her later, don't laugh at her front teeth, or she will cry." Otherwise, she will cry. "Tan 'er warned him. She felt that Ning Yi was likely to do such a thing.
"Don't worry, I'll treat it as if I'm working. I definitely won't laugh." Ning Yi said and laughed. He felt that this kind of thing was really a copy of what Watermelon did in the past. With a straight face, he smashed his front teeth …
In addition to these few little ones, Ning Ji's recent situation was actually also worrying. Perhaps it was because he went to the battlefield too early and saw life and death, his mood had always been unstable. Of course, he was skilled in martial arts, good-looking, and quite popular among his younger brothers and sisters. But these days, his temperament had been turning from extroverted to introverted. Especially after ten months, sometimes he would sit on the roof in a daze for a long time. He would even sit there for a long time and even sigh. No one knew what he was sighing about. Later, he actually began to look for books to read.
Xiao Chan's heart was pounding. Someone like Xiaoji had actually started to read. She had a feeling that he was sick, or that he would suddenly become a monk one day.
Of course, in addition to these abnormalities, he didn't stop practicing martial arts. He could even easily adapt to some special combat training in the military and the espionage training in Takeshi. Red grapes and Watermelon also said that his future was limitless.
"This is the second stage of middle school. He's all the same. In the future, Wenwen, Ning He, and Ning Ke will be the same. At this age, children can't control themselves and have a lot of ideas. They will gradually get better when they are seventeen or eighteen." Ning Yi comforted Xiaochan with the attitude of an educator that said, "No one knows education better than me."
In fact, he understood that Ning Ji was thinking about a bigger world and a bigger Jianghu. If he couldn't keep him, he might have to let him go out for a walk when he was 17 or 18 years old. Of course, it would be better if he didn't want to go out after the second stage of middle school. The most important thing now was to use the tactic of "delaying" to make Red Grapes and Watermelon give him more difficulties and tell him that he was still far from being able to go out.
"But Ning Xi didn't do this …" Xiaochan frowned.
"Ning Xi is silly."
Ning Yi said without thinking. Then he got hit on the hand by Tan Er. "Don't talk about him like that."
After they finished talking about the children, Red Grapes also came in. Ning Yi told them about some things in Chengdu. He talked about his business with various families and how he took advantage of them. He also talked about Zuo Wenhuai and the others. They left Chengdu at the end of August. According to the distance, they should have arrived in Fuzhou by now. He didn't know what it was like there.
In such a conversation, Yunzhu, Jin Er, and the children came back one after another. They greeted and played. Ning Shuang was made to cry by her unreliable father. She wanted to run to a corner with no one in tears, but Ning Yi held her in his arms and didn't let her go. She could only bury her head in Ning Yi's arms and hide her tears.
When it was time to eat, the two brothers, Su Wenfang and Su Wenyu, also rushed over. Ning Yi asked about the situation in the family when the Su family was split. There were naturally protests in the family, but after being scolded and beaten by Su Tan Er, Su Wenfang, Su Wending, and the others, they were suppressed.
In the past, the old grandfather, Su Yu, was always worried that the children in the family wouldn't grow up. At this time, the Su family not only had Ning Yi and Tan Er, but also Su Wenfang, Su Wending, Su Wenyu, Su Yanping, and the others who could already take charge. The fourth generation had also been trained. For the people in the family who didn't have the ability or knowledge, there was no need to give them the right to speak.
After eating, Wenfang and Wenyu said goodbye and left. That night, they played with the children for a while, and Ning Yi began to visit upstairs and downstairs, ravaging innocent women. He was less than forty years old and practiced martial arts, so his body was excellent. He tossed and turned all night until late at night. After everyone and the children had gone to sleep, he went to each room in the courtyard and looked at the faces of his sleeping wives and children. Then he went outside to sit on a bench in the courtyard and quietly thought about things.
He didn't know when, but Tan Er came out from inside and gave him a coat: "What are you thinking about?"
"You want to defile a woman from a good family?"
"Don't toss and turn like this. You're not young anymore. You're going to become an innocent woman soon."
Ning Yi laughed and pulled her into his arms.
"You know that when I do things, it's different from when I'm at home, right?"
"En, at that time … according to what you said, it's more handsome."
"Recently, I've dealt with several groups of people, some of them … you know them before … In fact, it's almost the same as before. In these years, either people die in the war, or when it comes to a certain time, people die in the rectification. Again and again … the Chinese army is getting stronger and stronger. When I talk to them, my temper is getting bigger and bigger. Sometimes, I really wonder, when will it end ah. "
"Probably there's no end …" Tan Er stretched out her hand from his arms, stroked his eyebrows, and then quietly lay down on his chest. "Before, when I said that I wanted to tear down the Su clan, I was also a little unhappy. My family became even more noisy, making trouble here and there. But later on, I thought, what are we doing in this life? When I was a girl, I just wanted to help my grandfather take charge of this family. When a child with potential comes out, I will give this family to him … After giving it to him, I hope that everyone can live well, that this family has hope and something to look forward to … "
"… Now, the things under the hands of the Su family are ten times more than in the past. There is hope and something to look forward to. Then, will it be thousands of times more? Could his days be any better than today? When I think of these, I feel that it's enough. I see that they take the benefits of the Su family and endlessly want more. If this goes on, they will all become extravagant second generations … So, I beat them up again. Every month, I cut a lot of their monthly salary. They work recklessly in the factory, and even don't allow them to take money! If my grandfather is still here, he will also support me like this … But Husband, your side is different from mine … "
"It's a good thing that you've gotten over it." Ning Yi hugged her and sighed. "I originally thought … Sigh … I really can't let go of myself today. So many people who shouldn't have died have died. Fighting the Jurchens, recovering the Central Plains, I don't know how far ahead I will go. In the future, I will let down everyone's expectations. But in between, I always feel that I'm becoming a bad person again …"
Tan Er's head swayed on his chest. "Since ancient history books, people who have the world in their heart do not use the words' good or bad '."
"Actually, that's not what I mean …" Ning Yi paused and was silent for a while. Finally, he just smiled and said, "Fortunately, you are still here, if not …"
While they were talking, it seemed that someone poked his head outside and then shrank back. Ning Yi frowned and waved to that side. "What's the matter? Give it to me. "
The person who appeared was from the secretariat. The person came in with a document. "It's urgent from Chengdu, but it's not very urgent."
"Give it to me."
The secretary handed the document to Ning Yi and turned to go out.
Tan Er said beside him, "Then I'll go to sleep first?"
Ning Yi glanced at the document and shook his head. "Stay with me for a while. It's not a secret."
"Then what's the matter …"
"The Jin Kingdom has a new emperor … Zong Han and Xi Yin … are amazing …"
The news of Wanyan Xue's ascension to the throne had reached here at the fastest speed possible. It had already been two months. The first-hand information was extremely simple and was basically the first official document issued by the Jin Kingdom. However, many of the details could be guessed. Because of the ascension of this young emperor, the Jin Kingdom temporarily avoided internal strife. This meant that when the Huaxia army attacked the Jin Kingdom, it might take a year or two more, or tens of thousands of lives.
The husband and wife sat together for a while. Ning Yi briefly told Tan Er about the General Staff's deduction of these matters.
"Logically speaking, the balance between the Eastern and Western Prefectures of the Jin Kingdom is already very fragile. Did Takeshi not make any moves in the north?" Tan Er asked in a low voice.
"After the end of the war in the southwest, I thought that the Jin Kingdom would become more hostile and even kill the Han people. I had already ordered the intelligence network in the north to stop all activities and go into hibernation to protect ourselves. However, we still received the news earlier. It was too late. Lu Mingfang died in the middle of this year …"
"Lu Mingfang … Then Shopkeeper Lu's family …" A look of sorrow flashed across Tan Er's face. She had also known Lu Yannian back then.
"Shopkeeper Lu's family is gone …"
"Why didn't he leave behind any children when he came back?"
"He stayed there all year round. Who would want to leave behind children for him … In fact, he didn't want to …"
There was a faint yellow light flickering in the courtyard. Actually, compared to the heroes who were still fighting in various places, the little trouble he had in the rear was nothing. The quiet atmosphere lasted for a while. Ning Yi sighed.
"Do you still remember … Tang Minjie?"
"I do. When he was learning from you in Little Canghe, he came to our house to help. He was the one who moved things. I remember that he was a little plump and liked to smile. However, when he squinted his eyes, he gave off a murderous aura. He was a person who did great things … Later on, he committed a crime in Liang Mountain. You sent him out … "Tan Er looked at him and hesitated for a moment." … He is also … Hmm? "
Ning Yi did not answer. He folded the information in his hand, bent down, and pressed his hand against his head. "I hope that he … can calm down …"
There were countless things in this world that caused pain.
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