He had been mentally prepared to see the darkness of the world, but the first thing he encountered when he came to Dai Mengwei's rule was that the law here was clear, and illegal human traffickers were severely punished. Although it might be an exception, such a thing still caught Ning Ji off guard.
The pedantic scholar's group of five was quite excited after being received by the county magistrate.
After they left the southwest, their emotions were complicated. On one hand, they were awed by the development of the southwest. On the other hand, they were conflicted by the Huaxia Army's deviance and the fact that they, as scholars, were unable to integrate with it. This was especially true after they passed through Bazhong and saw the great difference in order and ability between the two sides. After making a comparison, it was very difficult for them to lie through their teeth.
Who would have thought that after entering Dai Mengwei's side, they would see something different?
Although they seemed to be lacking in resources, they managed the people under their rule in an orderly manner. Even though it could not compare to the panicked atmosphere of the southwest expansion, one had to take into account the fact that Dai Mengwei had only been in charge for a year and that the people under her rule were originally a motley crew.
The southwest was an untested and effective 'new method', but on Dai Mengwei's side, it could be considered an 'ancient method' with a long history. This "ancient method" was not old-fashioned, but it was the ideal state that the Confucian school had thought about for over a thousand years. The monarch, the minister, the father, the son, the son, the scholar, the farmer, the merchant, and the merchant would all have their own positions. As long as everyone lived according to the predetermined rules, the farmer would farm at home, the craftsman would forge the necessary tools, the merchant would carry out the appropriate circulation of goods, and the scholar would manage everything, naturally there would be no major turbulence.
If applied to practice, scholars were the country's strategy to manage the major aspects. Virtuous people and middle-level officials would cooperate with each other to educate the people, and the people at the bottom would be content with their duties and listen to the arrangements of the higher-ups. Thus, even if there were some bumps, as long as the people were united, they would naturally be able to overcome them.
Of course, this was the principle of the ancient method. When it was put into practice, it was hard to avoid all kinds of deviations. For example, in the more than two hundred years of the Wu dynasty, commerce was so developed that the lower classes of people became greedy and selfish. This atmosphere changed the governance of the middle and lower class officials, so that when foreign invaders came, the whole country could not be united. In the end, because of the development of commerce, it finally gave birth to inner demons, monsters that only cared about profit, only recognized documents, and did not care about morality.
Dai Mengwei, on the other hand, was undoubtedly a person who utilized the principles of ancient techniques to the extreme. In a year's time, he had managed to arrange the people under him in an orderly manner. It could be said that he was the epitome of ruling a large country like cooking a small fish. What's more, his family members were all respectful of the wise.
Although that Dai Zhen was a county magistrate, when he heard that there were innocent travelers among the people who were arrested, he personally led them to the rear hall. After giving an explanation of the case, he also conversed with them one by one, exchanging pointers. Any random nephew in Dai Mengwei's family had this kind of virtue. As for the evaluation of Dai Mengwei as a sage of the present that had spread throughout the southwest, they finally understood more of the reason and began to empathize with her.
…
After experiencing all this, he had a better understanding of Dai Mengwei's greatness. He still had to move forward.
The leader of the caravan had been beheaded, and the rest of the caravan members were imprisoned. The group of five asked around and learned that although there were many regulations for commoners under Dai Mengwei's rule, merchants and travelers were not excluded. The only thing was that the rules on the roads were relatively strict. As long as one reported in advance and didn't stray from the main road, there wouldn't be too many problems. At this time, they also got to know the county magistrate, Dai Zhen. With his document, there wouldn't be much trouble on their way to Ankang.
However, Dai Zhen also reminded them of one thing: Now that both the Dai and Liu sides were gathering their troops, preparing to cross the river north and recapture Bianliang, they were going to Ankang to board a ship. Those east-bound merchant ships might be affected by the deployment of troops, and the tickets were tight. Therefore, they might have to be prepared to stay for a few days after arriving at Ankang.
The Confucian scholars came here with the idea of reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles. At this time, hearing that there was a big event like the deployment of troops, they did not wait for the caravan that was on the way. They gathered a few attendants, servants, and the lovely Ning Ji to have a discussion, and immediately set off for the north.
Wang Xiuniang and her father, who usually liked to get close to Lu Wenke and Ning Ji, also followed them. This pair of father and daughter had been performing in Jianghu for several years and had rich experience in traveling. This time, they took a fancy to Lu Wenke's profound knowledge and good family background. Wang Xiuniang, who was in the prime of her youth, wanted to find a place to settle down. From time to time, she would show her youthful aura by playing with Ning Ji. For more than a month, Lu Wenke and Wang Xiuniang also had the feeling of flirting with each other. However, he had traveled in the southwest and gained a lot of knowledge. When he returned to his hometown, it was the time for him to realize his ambitions. It was fine if he flirted with a girl from a brothel, but he didn't want to easily be tied with an ignorant woman who performed in Jianghu. This relationship would eventually be entangled for a while.
As for Ning Ji, he was a little annoyed by the group of five pedantic scholars who began to flatter Dai Mengwei. However, he was only fifteen years old and did not intend to travel alone and cause trouble. He could only endure the chatter of a few fools and the flirting of a silly woman while turning his attention to the Heroes' Conference that might take place in Jiangning.
On the way to Ankang along the rugged road, they saw many villages that were strictly controlled. The people in the villages had blank looks in their eyes … They also saw many checkpoints and soldiers on the road. However, after checking the customs clearance document with the county magistrate Dai Zhen's seal, they did not question this team too much.
On this sunny day, the team passed through mountains and ridges. As they walked, several scholars were still discussing what they had seen and heard in the land under Dai Mengwei's jurisdiction. They had already used the "characteristics" of Dai Mengwei's side to overcome the inner demons from the southwest. At this time, they could talk about the situation in the world more "objectively". Some people discussed that the "Party of Justice" might become more powerful, some said that Wu Qimei was not useless, and some mentioned that the new rulers of the southeast had pulled themselves together.
Fan Heng, who was the oldest and most admired Dai Mengwei, would sigh from time to time. "If people like Duke Dai had come out to do things in Jinghan's time, the Wu dynasty would have been a great country and would not have suffered such a disaster today. It's a pity … "
"Very promising," Lu Wenke said. "Nowadays, Duke Dai's territory is not large. Compared to the Wu dynasty of the past, it is much easier to govern. Duke Dai is indeed promising, but in the future, when we are in a different place, we still need to see how his administration will turn out. "
Fan Heng shook his head. "Not so. Back then, the Wu dynasty was bloated from top to bottom. The Seven Tigers occupied the court and each had their own power. It was also because of this that a virtuous and promising person like Duke Dai was blocked at the bottom. Even if he came out, he would not be able to accomplish anything. If not for Cai Jing, Tong Guan, Qin Siyuan, and a bunch of other villains wreaking havoc in the Wu dynasty, how could it have fallen apart today and plunged the people into misery and suffering … cough, cough, cough … "
In the past, everyone talked about everything under the sun. From time to time, they would talk about someone or something and lose control of themselves, breaking out into curses. But at this time, when Fan Heng talked about the past, he was obviously not in high spirits, but gradually became depressed. His eyes were red and even tearing up, and he began to mutter to himself. Lu Wenke saw that something was wrong, so he hurriedly stopped the others and told them to rest by the roadside.
At this time, they were only a day's journey from Ankang. When the sun fell, they sat under a tree in the wilderness. From afar, they could see the matured rice fields in the mountain crevice. Fan Heng was already in his forties, with some white hair at his temples. Usually, he was a Confucian scholar who paid attention to his appearance and appearance. He liked to talk about the etiquette of worshiping gods and the rules of a gentleman. He had never lost his composure in front of others before. At this time, for some reason, he sat under a tree by the roadside and muttered for a while, then he held his head and cried.
The middle-aged man's crying was sometimes low and sometimes sharp. He even had a runny nose, which was extremely unpleasant to hear.
Lu Wenke and the others came forward to comfort him. They heard Fan Heng say something like, "Dead, they're all dead …" Sometimes he cried, "My poor darling …" After he cried for a while, his voice became clearer, and they heard him say in a low voice, "… When I came down from the Central Plains in Jingping, my children all died on the road … My child was only a little younger than Xiaolong … They got separated …"
His sudden outburst made everyone silent. Ning Ji, who was watching the scenery, thought for a while and said, "Then he should be about the same age as Lu Wenke now." The others did not say anything, and the old Confucian scholar's choked sobs still echoed on the mountain road.
In fact, all the families had experienced some tragic things in the past few years when the country fell into enemy hands. When a group of scholars talked about the world with great passion, all kinds of tragedies were just suppressed in the bottom of their hearts. Fan Heng suddenly broke down as he spoke, and everyone inevitably felt sad.
As for Ning Ji, he had grown up in the Huaxia army. How many people who could survive in the Huaxia army had not broken down? Some people's wives and daughters were raped. Some people's families were slaughtered or starved to death. What was even more tragic was that their children might have been eaten during the famine … He had seen these sorrowful cries many times since he was young.
However, from the beginning to the end, he had never seen the rich and prosperous Wu Dynasty, had never seen the guests from all over Bianliang, and had never seen the old dreams of Qinhuai River. Speaking of these things, he did not have too many feelings, nor did he feel that he needed to give the old man too much sympathy. If something like this happened in the Huaxia army, whoever was in a bad mood would have his comrades take turns going up to the arena and beating him black and blue, or even bleeding his head. After his injuries healed, he would be able to endure it for a while.
This kind of emotion had been vented once at the end of the southwest war, but most of it would have to wait until the north was flattened in the future before it could calm down. But according to his father, there were some things that could not be calmed down for the rest of one's life after experiencing them. There was not much meaning in the consolation of others.
The middle-aged scholar broke down for a while, but in the end, he calmed down and continued on his way. As the road neared Ankang, the number of matured rice fields with golden ears had begun to increase. In some places, the villagers were harvesting rice, and there were soldiers watching over them. Because of Fan Heng's emotional outburst, the crowd was in low spirits and did not talk much. It was just that in the evening, Chen Junsheng, who had always been a man of few words but always got to the point, said, "Do you think that after the rice is harvested, will it belong to the army or the villagers?"
His words caused the crowd to fall silent. Chen Junsheng said, "After the golden dog left, the two sides of the Han River were thrown to Duke Dai. There are many mountains here, but not much farmland. It is not suitable to live for long. This time, Duke Dai and Duke Liu are in a hurry to attack Bianliang. They want to use the fertile land of the Central Plains to get rid of this place … but before the three armies move, rations and fodder must go first. This autumn and winter, many people will starve to death here … "
The crowd lowered their heads and pondered for a while. Someone said, "Duke Dai also has no choice …"
Lu Wenke said, "Maybe Duke Dai … also has a plan. He will always leave some rations for the local people …"
Fan Heng, who had always spoken up for Dai Mengwei, did not respond this time, perhaps because of his emotional outburst during the day.
*****
The crowd rested for a night at a roadside inn and entered the ancient city of Ankang by the Han River at noon the next day.
This city had experienced a disaster when the Jurchen Western Army arrived. Half of the city had been burned, but after the Jurchen left and Dai Mengwei came to power, a large number of people were settled here. The gathering of people gave this place a feeling of a hundred things being done. When the crowd entered the city, they could vaguely see the traces of the army's encampment. The somber atmosphere before the war had already infected this place.
As the scene they saw along the way showed, the army was waiting for the rice harvest to begin.
There were some things that didn't need to be questioned too much. In order to support this northern campaign, Dai Mengwei's power, which was already short of food, had to requisition a large amount of rice planted by the people. The only question was how much he could leave for the people left behind. Of course, this kind of data would be very difficult to ascertain without investigation. Even if the five Confucian scholars went to the southwest and gained some courage, they still wouldn't dare to rashly investigate this matter under such circumstances — they didn't want to die.
They entered the city from the south gate and followed the directions of the low-ranking officials at the gate to the north. The entirety of Ankang City was half new and half old. There were a large number of huts where the people gathered, as well as streets that had been fiercely repaired by the government. But no matter where they went, there was a fishy smell pervading the air. Many of the streets were filled with dirty water that smelled of fish. This might be the effect of Dai Mengwei's encouragement of fishing.
Although the shadow of war hung in the air, trade within Ankang City was not prohibited. There were ships that sailed east along the Han River. Many of these ships were merchant ships that departed from Hanzhong. Due to the agreement between the Huaxia army and Dai Mengwei and Liu Guangshi, the trade routes from the Huaxia army to the outside were not allowed to be obstructed. To ensure this was carried out, the Huaxia army had even sent large groups of Huaxia representatives along the trade routes. Thus, on one hand, Dai Mengwei and Liu Guangshi were preparing for war. On the other hand, the merchant ships that departed from Hanzhong and from Hanzhong continued to sail on the Han River every day. Not even Dai Mengwei dared to obstruct them. Just like this, both sides carried out their own actions "as usual".
Of course, the atmosphere on Dai Mengwei's side was somber. No one knew when he would go crazy. Thus, some of the merchant ships that originally planned to dock at Ankang City canceled their plans. The number of merchant ships and passenger ships heading east decreased greatly. Just as County Magistrate Dai Zhen had said, they had to queue in Ankang City for a few days before they could board a ship. Immediately, they settled down at an inn called Tong Wen Xuan in the northeast of the city.
Most of the guests in this inn were stranded travelers who traveled from south to north. There were also many scholars who came here to broaden their horizons and seek for a better future. They had only stayed for one night, but in the noisy conversation in the lobby of the inn, they had already heard a lot of interesting things.
It was said that although the Dai and Liu armies had not completely crossed the river, the "battle" on the other side had already begun. The lobbyists sent by the Dai and Liu armies had already gone to Nanyang and other places to persuade Zou Xu and Yin Zong, who had occupied Luoyang and Bianliang, to surrender. There were even many scholars and scholars who thought they had connections in the Central Plains and boasted that they were familiar with the way of the world. This time, they came to the Dai and Liu armies and volunteered to come up with a plan to help them reclaim Bianliang. Many of the scholars who gathered in the city this time were asking for scholarly honors.
In the chaos of the world, the most important thing in everyone's mouth was, of course, all kinds of ideas for scholarly honors. On the side of the scholars, scholars, aristocratic families, and squires, Dai Mengwei and Liu Guangshi had already raised a flag. At the same time, a flag that was suddenly raised in the eyes of the people in the world was naturally the Heroes' Assembly that was going to be held in Jiangning.
This time, the Fairness Party had learned from the Huaxia army. They wanted to hold a gathering in Jiangning, and they also spent a lot of money on the outside world. They sent out invitations to the heroes in the world and invited many famous devils to come out of their seclusion. In the discussion of the crowd, it was said that even Lin Zongwu, the former number one in the world, might appear in Jiangning this time. He would oversee the assembly and test all the heroes in the world.
Night fell. In the old and old inn called Tong Wen Xuan, the candlelight swayed in the inn's lobby. None of the scholars and merchants who gathered here missed such an opportunity to communicate. They loudly shared their knowledge. In this noisy scene, Ning Ji finally found something he was interested in. He squeezed into the circle of other people's discussion and inquired with a smile, "Uncle, uncle, will that Lin Zongwu really go to Jiangning? Is he really that powerful? Have you seen him before? "
The scholarly uncle, who was spitting saliva at the table, saw that Ning Ji had a handsome face and a smiling face. He immediately slammed the table and said, "He is, after all, a great hero of the martial world. I have only seen him once from afar. I have a friend who is nicknamed the Heavenly Blade of the River North. I have interacted with him before. It is said that Lin Zongwu, the 'Piercing Forest Hundred Legs', has the best leg skills …"
Ning Ji didn't expect to hear such a joke from the Southwest after being so far away from the Huaxia army. His face immediately became flat …
"But, no matter what, I heard that this number one in the world will probably, probably, definitely come to Jiangning this time …"
"But Lin Zongwu is a big fatty …"
"Hey, that Lin Zongwu's nickname is Piercing Forest North Legs. How could he be a fatty? You young man, you are still too inexperienced! "
"That's right, that's right. There are only wrong names. How can there be wrong nicknames …"
The group of scholars talked about all kinds of knowledge from the Southwest and looked down on Long Aotian. Long Aotian sighed. At the beginning of this journey, he was even more lost.
On the second night of his arrival, he saw an assassination attempt …
(End of this chapter)
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