In the fourth month of the first year of the Jin dynasty, Yunzhong Mansion.
Summer had arrived in the south, and the snow and ice in the north had just begun to melt. More and more people began to walk in the wild near the city of Xijing, which was the capital of Jurchen.
Near the eastern city gate, the spacious streets had almost been cordoned off. Solemn guards guarded the carriages from outside. In the snow that had not yet melted, pedestrians and peddlers looked at the fluttering flags and whispered to each other.
"Another prince …"
"How many has it been in this half a month …"
"This one is amazing, King Taran of Lu …"
"It's going to be a fierce fight …"
"Don't panic. The Mountain Guards are not weak. Just let these people come …"
When the nobles of the Jin Kingdom went out, they did not need to kneel. Most of them had a certain status and wealth. At this time, when talking about the carriages of the princes entering the city, there was no joy on their faces. Some were worried, but some were angry, waiting for the Mountain Guards to teach them a lesson.
The struggle between the eastern and western prefectures of the Jin Kingdom had begun in the middle of March.
Zong Han Xiyin set off from Shangjing during the Spring Festival. It was late February when he returned to Yunzhong. Zong Bi did not set off much later. He arrived in Yunzhong on the tenth of March. In addition to the two princes of the Jin Kingdom, a large number of substitute officials with official documents came with him. Before the competition, they began to try to take over some important positions near Yunzhong. Therefore, the first round of conflict between the two sides began.
In the past, Zong Han was in charge of the land thousands of miles west of the Jin Kingdom, including the Sixteen States of Yan and Yun. Nominally, the "Western court" could not be established. The appointment of countless officials in the west was, in fact, an order from Shangjing. Although Zong Han had the real power in the past, it was a fact created by the cooperation of Wu Qimai.
In the matter of the new emperor's ascension, Zong Han Xiyin used too much tricks. At this time, he was hated by both Zong Gan and Zong Pan. Therefore, a round of suppression was inevitable. Although Zong Bi had said that the results would be revealed in the martial arts competition, in reality, he had already begun to snatch the official position in advance. As long as it was a slightly weaker official, even if the Mountain Guard won the martial arts competition, it would be difficult to get it back in the future.
In response to such a situation since March, the atmosphere in Yunzhong had been solemn and stirring. Many of these events had been orchestrated by Xi Yin, Gao Qingyi, Han Qixian, and the others. On one hand, they had played up the bitterness of the southwestern war, and on the other, they had publicized the painstaking efforts of Zong Han, Xi Yin, and even Emperor Wu Qimai in this transition of power.
In order to deal with the future threat in the south, the marshal and the Goddess of Grains had decided to give up most of their power and focus on running the West Residence. They also had to prepare for the war. The threat of the Black Flag was also recognized by the upper echelons of the Jin Kingdom. At this time, Zong Bi and the others still wanted to provoke a fight. Then let them experience the sharpness of the Mountain Slaughtering Guards!
The expeditionary army that had returned from the southwest had suffered heavy losses. After returning to Yunzhong, the atmosphere was already mournful. Many people's fathers, brothers, and husbands had died in this battle. There were also those who had survived and experienced a narrow escape from death. And in such a situation, the people from the east still wanted to attack aggressively. This kind of behavior was actually looking down on these heroes who had sacrificed themselves — this was really too much!
Although the bravery of the army in the Jin Kingdom had declined every year, before the southwestern war, the army of the Western Court led by Zong Han was still the most capable army in the entire Jin Kingdom. Although they had experienced a defeat, whether it was the survivors or the families of those who had sacrificed themselves, their hearts were still filled with anger. Although they had been defeated in the southwest war, it did not mean that the Eastern Army could step on the people here.
Just like that, starting from the middle of March, with Zong Bi's arrival, a few other princes from the other big clans had also led their teams over. One of them was to supervise and witness the fairness of the upcoming martial arts competition, while the other was naturally aiming to reap some benefits from the territory of the West Residence. In the City of Yunzhong, Zong Han and Xi Yin held a large-scale memorial service. On one hand, they relied on their deep foundation to provide sufficient compensation, and on the other hand, they stirred up the morale of the people in the territory. This made everyone feel suffocated, waiting for the ferocious performance of the Mountain Slaughtering Guards in the martial arts competition in April and May.
On the eighth of April, Dalan (Wanyan Chang), a veteran general who could be called the pillar of the country, arrived in Yunzhong, raising the serious atmosphere in the city even more.
The carriages passed through the city streets that had been cleared of snow, heading towards Zong Han's mansion. Along the way, the passersby knew the identity of the people who had come, and they looked at the road for their eyes. Of course, among these people, there were also some who were happy. They were either the officials who had followed Zong Bi, or the people of the East Residence who had been arranged to stay here. There were also many merchants or nobles who had some connections. As long as there was a change in the situation, there would always be opportunities for them to rise in power or gain benefits. They also privately passed on the news, waiting expectantly for the arrival of this serious but not harmful conflict.
At the same time, in a prison at the southern end of the city, Mandu Daru was in a torture room, watching his subordinates use all kinds of methods to torture a prisoner who was already shouting hoarsely and covered in blood. When a prisoner was almost done, another one was brought in. He, who had already become the Chief Patrol Officer of Yunzhong Prefecture, did not join the interrogation. He only frowned as he quietly watched and listened to the prisoner's confession.
Halfway through the torture, his subordinate came to report that a Black Flag spy who was originally in the prison could not hold on any longer. Mandu Daru got up and went to the prison. He glanced at a corpse and flipped it over to do some inspection.
The original torture was already over, and the information had already been squeezed dry. It was inevitable that the spy could not hold on any longer. Mandu Daru's inspection was because he did not want the spy to find a way to escape with his death. After the inspection, he ordered the jailer to dispose of the corpse and left the prison.
The prison was gloomy and austere. Walking in it, not a single flower could be seen. After he led his group of followers out, he could only see people coming and going on the streets nearby. Mandu Daru and his companions went to a stall selling cooked food at the corner of the street and sat down. They called for food. He looked at the scene in the nearby market, and his brows relaxed slightly.
Although he was a Jurchen, Mandu Daru did not have a good background. His father was once a deserter on the battlefield. Because of this stain, although he later fought bravely, he did not have many opportunities to be promoted. He retired to Yunzhong Prefecture and became a Chief Patrol Officer. Later on, he was promoted to a Chief Patrol Officer. This was the ceiling of an ordinary official. He also knew that it was very difficult to really cross that invisible barrier and become an official.
However, Xi Yin had a good eye for talent. At the end of February, she promoted him to the Chief Patrol Officer of Yunzhong Prefecture. Perhaps he might even be promoted one or two ranks later. The last three to four months were the most exhilarating period of his life. He promoted his old comrade-in-arms who had a good relationship with him in the past. Suddenly, there were more people in his family who cared about and fawned on him. Such a feeling was really intoxicating.
Of course, it was impossible for everything to be smooth sailing in the officialdom. For example, among the four Chief Patrol Officers of Yunzhong Prefecture, there was a Bohai person named Gao Puhu. He was a person planted by the East Prefecture and was originally not on good terms with Mandu Daru. This time, when Mandu Daru was promoted, he also did not give him face. He even secretly announced, "After five months, we still don't know who the Chief Patrol Officer will be …" Such small conflicts were considered unavoidable in the field of fame and fortune.
In terms of rank, Mandu Daru was already the most crucial level higher than the Chief Patrol Officer. However, in Yunzhong Prefecture, the Chief Patrol Officer had a high degree of freedom. Mandu Daru also did not want to directly engage in a power struggle after he was promoted. Therefore, he followed Xi Yin's orders and focused on searching for the Hua Xia military spies who might commit crimes. Of course, the current situation was not optimistic.
At the end of February, Zong Han and Xi Yin returned to Yunzhong. Under Xi Yin's leadership, the Marshal's Residence issued an order to treat the Han slaves well. However, in reality, when the winter was coming to an end, it was also the time when the resources were running low. Although the Marshal's Residence issued a "good governance", the pitiful Han people who were wandering on the edge of life and death did not decrease by much. Mandu Daru took advantage of this wave of orders to exchange the relief rice for a lot of information that was hard to get on a normal day.
In the entire March, he cast a net among the Han slaves and sorted out all kinds of information. Subsequently, he arrested dozens of people who were suspected to be Black Flag spies. However, after interrogating and filtering them one by one, there were only two people whose identities could be roughly confirmed. These two people's positions were not high. From their mouths, Mandu Daru did not obtain too much crucial information. Instead, it was the information that they said that Black Flag had been dormant since the second half of last year. This made him slightly depressed.
As a newly promoted Chief Patrol Officer, he naturally hoped to catch some of the big bosses among the Black Flag spies as soon as possible. This way, he could really establish his authority among the rest of the detectives. The information about dormancy was hard to confirm. It was impossible for him to report to the Goddess of Grains. However, if it was true, it meant that during this period of competition, the chances of him catching an important person among the Black Flag Army would be very small. Even the Goddess of Grains would be disappointed with his ability.
Of course, it was not that he was completely helpless.
Gathering information from the Han slaves and casting a wide net to catch suspicious people was one way to do it. Aiming at the upcoming martial arts competition, he could find a few key figures among the Mountain Slaying Guards and use them as bait, waiting for the enemy to take the bait was another way. Other than these two ways, Mandu Daru also had a third way that was slowly spreading out.
The clown that had been identified among the Black Flag had been moving more and more mysteriously in the past two years. It was hard to catch him. However, a few years ago, he had carried out a lot of activities in the Residence of the Clouds. During this period, he had dealings with or colluded with many people from the underworld. Back then, there was not enough investigation in this area. Many people had died in these few years. However, if one were to trace back, there would always be a few survivors who had more or less seen this person.
Mandu Daru was now the Chief Patrol Officer. This time, he was ordered by the Goddess of Grains to track down the Black Flag. In the past three to four months, some of the underworld forces that he was not willing to touch in the past had come knocking on his door to interrogate him. Many people had died in his hands. At this point, the sketch of this "clown" was more or less complete. There was a relatively reliable understanding of his height, general appearance, and behavior.
"Is there anything going on in the city today?"
"I heard that King Lu has entered the city."
"The people in the east really don't want to give us a way out."
"Let's watch the Mountain Slaying Guards."
Everyone was eating and chatting by the roadside.
It was afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly from the sky. Most of the snow on the roadside had melted, and the roads were either muddy or wet. On the small square at the corner, pedestrians came and went, and from time to time, they could hear the clanking sounds and shouts from the smithy. When Mandu Daru and the others by the roadside talked about the Mountain Slaying Guards, their faces were ferocious. They looked like they wanted to go into battle and kill the enemy.
Wanyan Chang's carriage entered the Zong Han Residence. After a while, he came out again. Zong Bi and the others were laughing beside him. In the Yun Zhong Residence, there were more than ten people with the status of a prince. This night, they would gather again at the banquet to welcome Wanyan Chang. Zong Han, Xi Yin, Gao Qingyi, Han Qixian, Zong Bi, Wanyan Chang, and the others would engage in a battle of words again, waiting for the moment when the real deal would be revealed.
Wanyan Dezhong, Wanyan Youyi, and the others were also very active in this kind of atmosphere. They were either visiting the Mountain Slaughtering Guards or participating in all kinds of banquets, cheering for everyone. Sometimes, the young nobles would even fight because of their pride. Sometimes, when they were walking on the streets, they would also find that the trees in the city had new leaves. Other than the black and white colors in the city, there were also the blooming of spring buds and the atmosphere was ready to explode.
To the people of the Yun Zhong Residence, the most desperate moment was when they learned of the defeat in the southwest. The nobles in the city were even mentally prepared for the worst. Who knew that the marshal and the Goddess of Grains would decisively go north. Even though they were already at a disadvantage, they still managed to settle Zong Gan, Zong Pan, and the others in the chaotic Shangjing City and helped the young new Emperor to ascend the throne. The arrogant Zong Bi thought that the West Prefecture had lost its edge and wanted to have a fight with the Mountain Slaying Guards.
What could be more wonderful than a glimmer of hope after being at the end of the tunnel?
Looking back to the days in early April, everyone in the Yun Zhong Residence had the same hope in their hearts. Even though the challenge had arrived, they all believed that the most difficult time had passed. With the marshal and the Goddess of Grains' planning, there would not be much of a problem in the future. Within the entire Jin Kingdom, even though they knew that small-scale conflicts would inevitably occur, many people were relieved. All parties had put aside the idea of fighting. Whether it was the veterans or the backbone, they could all start working for the country. It was great that the Jin Kingdom could avoid the worst situation.
Outside the City of the Yun Zhong Residence, a large number of soldiers had already gathered. They trained every day and waited for the arrival of the "fight". Not far from them, there was a village where the Han slaves lived. It was still lifeless. The slaves who had died from the cold and hunger in the winter had not been transported out yet, but the survivors seemed to be better off than they were in the winter.
Passing through the wilderness, the ice on the bend of the river would let out a thunderous roar from time to time. That was the sound of the ice cracking.
It was like a city that was full of energy and waiting to be done …
Tang Minjie stood on the street and looked at everything …
Man Dudaru was looking for clues in the city. He formed a huge net and tried to catch him …
*****
The ninth day of the fourth month was an ordinary sunny day. Many years later, Man Dudaru would remember it.
Not much happened that day that surprised him. In the morning, following the clues of others, he caught a bandit who had been on the run for many years. From him, he found out one or two things that were related to the "clown", which further enriched his knowledge of the high-level Hua Xia military spy.
The bandit was tortured until the afternoon. Not long after he left the yamen, Chief Constable of the North Gate, Gao Puhu, who had always been at odds with him, hurried out of the yamen with his subordinates. An incident had happened in the area under his jurisdiction. Wanyan Linqi, the son of a marquis who had followed Zong Bi to Yun Zhong from the east, was mysteriously kidnapped by bandits when he was strolling in an antique shop.
Although the purpose of these noble sons who had come to the west was to fight for power, it was not a small matter to be kidnapped in the territory of Yun Zhong. Of course, Man Dudaru was not in a hurry. After all, that was the area under Gao Puhu's jurisdiction. He even hoped that the matter would be solved as slowly as possible. In private, Man Dudaru arranged some subordinates to secretly investigate the crime. If Gao Puhu was powerless and the higher-ups punished him, then he would solve the case. Then, it would be a solid slap to Gao Puhu's face.
On this day, the sun was setting in the west. Then, the streets were lit up. There were carriages and pedestrians walking on the streets. All kinds of soft sounds gathered in the world. Until late at night, nothing more happened.
Many years later, he would think of this day again and again, when he had spent it carelessly. On this day, he sang the elegy of the West Mansion.
Before the net was formed, a member of the Hua Xia military named Tang Minjie fell into a painful chess piece …
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