The setting sun was as red as blood.
The dog was already tired. It limped around the blood-stained slope, then went to the half-collapsed courtyard at the bottom of the slope and lay down, licking its limp hind leg. Its master was lying beside it. When it turned its head, it saw the long wooden pole stuck in its master's body. Its nose arched forward, then shrank back with a whimper.
Dog, courtyard, corpses, arrow shafts, and blood. The noise came from a place not far away.
It was an old dog, so old that it probably didn't have many years left to live. It had always lived with its equally old master in the small courtyard near the big wall. Occasionally, it would go out for a walk, and when it was tired, it would slowly come back. Right now, its favorite thing to do was to lie on the bluestone slab under the tree by the doorstep to bask in the sun. It would close its eyes and take a nap in the sun and the cicadas. When its old master sat next to it and touched the hard tendons on its neck, it would occasionally whimper in comfort.
Until a few days ago, when it saw the birds fly away, and then the earth moved, collapsing the big wall. Then, people came and went, all of which it couldn't understand. The place where the big wall collapsed was filled with the screams of those people for several days. On that day, a dense crowd of people swarmed in through the hole in the wall, and countless people swarmed out from everywhere. The sea of people bumped into each other. The old master stood at the hole in the courtyard and looked at the faint movement over there. When he was mumbling something that it didn't understand, he fell down without warning.
It saw the wooden pole propped up on its old master's body, and smelled the ominous smell of blood. The blood gushed out. It quickly ran over, sniffing and dragging its old master, trying to get him to move again. However, the old man only opened his eyes and glanced at it for a moment before his gaze froze forever.
Blood was still flowing out. It ran to the street, climbed up the slope behind it and barked. Some people with blood on their bodies rushed over. It barked and rushed over to bite them, but it was also old. Its leg was broken by the hilt of a knife, and it whimpered to the side. Some rushed into the yard and then out again. After a long time, a large number of people were once again chased out from the breach. The clamor continued to boil over there, only this small courtyard had cooled down. Only the old dog was slowly pacing back and forth here.
From time to time, people would rush in through the hole in the wall, and there were also many people who fell over there. It had not eaten for a few days. Occasionally, it would look out from the mound, dragging its crippled leg. When it could call out, it would call out a few times. When it was tired, it would go back to the yard and look at the flies on its old master's body.
The weather was hot, and the blood-like setting sun finally drowned out the rolling clouds and mountains. Outside the courtyard, a red maple tree's half-wrinkled leaves danced in the evening heat wave and stench. When it was getting dark, the old dog climbed up the slope again. His figure and the slope blended into a lonely silhouette in the orange color.
At some point, the dog stood up straight on the slope and looked into the distance. Countless arrow shadows rose into the sky like locusts.
One of the arrows pierced through the old dog's body. Its body rolled down, and a few scattered arrows fell on the slope. Then, outside the city, someone shouted, "Saint Duke!"
Someone else shouted, "It's Dharma Equality! There's no difference! Saint Duke is here! "
"Saint Duke! He's here!
Countless voices merged into one, rumbling and pressing in this direction!
*****
It was another dreary evening. Every day, the riots in and outside Hangzhou had almost become a part of daily life. In Taiping Alley, Ning Yi sat on the roof of the wooden building that had not collapsed. He looked at the setting sun and the city not far away. The water near Taiping Alley was a small tributary of the Grand Canal. Due to the blockage of the upstream and the danger of the war these days, the river water had become muddy.
Since the earthquake, there had been many days of chaos, internal and external troubles, and the flow of water in the city was not smooth. At this moment, there was a faint rotting stench.
When a few people came from outside Taiping Alley on horseback, Ning Yi came down from the building. Among the people who came, the leader was called Qian Haiping. He was Qian Xiwen's nephew, but he was already in his forties. He was a civil servant in Hangzhou Prefecture and had real power. This time, when Fang La attacked the city, he was in charge of many things in the city. A few days ago, he had interacted with Ning Yi to a certain extent.
He had come to Taiping Alley a few times in the past two days. The people guarding the alley basically knew him, so they let him in. When he saw Ning Yi, the travel-worn middle-aged man did not stand on ceremony. He cupped his hands and took out a piece of paper. "Nephew Ning, you don't have to be so courteous. This morning, Lord Xi 'an's house was ambushed by bandits. There was a fire, and more than ten people died. After that, we received this information … "He lowered his voice." Right now, we can preliminarily confirm the mastermind of the enemy … "
"But Uncle Qian isn't sure yet." Ning Yi looked at the piece of paper and frowned slightly. Then, he extended his hand and invited them into the house. Su Tan 'er curtsied under the eaves not far away and did not come over.
A few days ago, for the first time, Ning Yi put his life on the line. He gathered the forces that he could persuade and mobilize in the nearby streets. This could be considered as an activity he had done for himself. When he saw Qian Xiwen again, he casually told him some of his thoughts. It was obvious that the other party had been active in Hangzhou for a period of time. At this moment, it was obvious that the person in charge of planning and planning was another expert. It was not a reliable idea to search out the people while defending against the attacks outside the city.
However, since the other party had come to the city and had some understanding of the situation, they would definitely confirm some suitable places to attack. The scariest thing in this world was a lunatic who acted on a whim without any warning. For example, when Ning Yi was kidnapped by someone hired by Gu Yanzhen, it was really simple. There were no clues at all. However, if the other party also had a lot of information, the range of choices they could make would often be much smaller. If they could not find the culprit at once, they could invite the enemy into a trap.
If they attacked in places that could make Hangzhou more chaotic, they might as well show the enemy that they were weak. As for this matter, all Ning Yi knew was the port in the south. As for more detailed things, it was better to let people who were familiar with Hangzhou do it. Let them destroy, or even lure them to destroy. First, they had to prepare enough measures to deal with the aftermath, and in the process, they had to catch the other party's behavior. After Ning Yi said this, he gave a few simple examples. Purposely causing chaos at the port in the south of the city was one of them. When he said this, it was already the third day of the war. On the afternoon of that day, the port in the south of the city was indeed stirred up by someone. An official wanted to escape, and the bandits hiding in the crowd took the opportunity to attack. And the secret agent hiding in the crowd also caught the other party's tail for the first time.
This clue was broken after two hours, but the aftermath was handled properly, and in the end, it did not cause a big mess. After that, Qian Haiping also came to find Ning Yi under Qian Xiwen's urging. She passed some ideas and information to Ning Yi. At the moment, Ning Yi only had experience in the big picture, but when it came to combining local customs and understanding of the plan, he was extremely cautious. He did not speak carelessly, and most of the time, he would even discuss with Su Tan'er. Qian Haiping and her subordinates had experienced this a few times, and could not help but feel admiration for this couple.
After Ning Yi finished reading the information on the slip of paper, he also called his wife over to have a look. Su Tan'er only nodded silently, and after reading it, she returned it to Qian Haiping. Over the past few days, Qian Haiping's subordinates had set up a large net in the city. At the moment, it had already shrunk to a certain extent, and they could confirm the information of a few of the masterminds.
"… These people are almost all famous martial arts experts in the past. That Shi Bao is extremely good at using a broadsword. At present, we can already confirm that in the fire in the north of the city, he was the one who killed Deputy General Yuan with one blow. Two days ago, we saw the tall and thin man with long hair wielding a broadsword in the city, which should be Wang Yin. This person is cruel and merciless, and his martial arts are excellent, not inferior to Shi Bao. Moreover, Wang Yin's strategy is outstanding, and we now suspect that he may be the leader in the city at this time. But it is also possible that it is another person. Fang La has the Seven Buddhas under his command, and people call him the Buddha Marshal. He is second only to Fang La in the chaotic army, and some even say that he is knowledgeable, and is a person like Zhuge Liang. Unfortunately, we can't confirm whether he is in the city or not. Otherwise, if we can find him and catch him in one fell swoop, it would be equivalent to cutting off one of Fang La's arms. "
As Qian Haiping said so, he entered the room and sat down. When Su Tan'er personally served tea, he also nodded in thanks. "But that Big Biaozi Liu is a bit strange. This person was originally quite famous in the Southwest Greenwood, and people called him Tyrannical Blade. But I have a piece of information here, saying that Big Biaozi Liu passed away a few years ago. It says that Big Biaozi Liu was rough and bold, and his face was full of sideburns. He had a strange temper, and was often proud of his chest hair. Whether it was winter or summer, he always wore short clothes. Although nephew Liheng saw him that day, that man in his forties didn't have sideburns. And with his identity, he joined the chaotic army, and had to be led by a young girl. Could this young girl be Fang La's daughter? If so, it would be a great merit to capture and kill him. "
At this time, there was a lot of information on the table in the room, and Ning Yi had basically read it many times. At this time, he added the note to the pile. "I'm afraid it will take another day or two. A cunning rabbit has three burrows. At this time, the city is too chaotic, and they can only confirm one gathering point. If we act rashly, I'm afraid we will return empty-handed."
"Yes, these people are all experts. At this time, we don't have a foolproof plan. I'm afraid that even if we act, we will be killed." Qian Haiping also nodded. Then, she remembered something and laughed. "Oh, right, I heard that Liheng and the Lou Family had some conflicts. Since I was free today, I asked someone to knock on their door. Haha, they smashed their door and helped nephew vent his anger."
Ning Yi frowned and looked at Qian Haiping who was laughing happily. "It's just a small matter, not a big grudge. At this time, we need to unite against the outside world. If uncle does this, I'm afraid …"
"Ah, it's okay." Qian Haiping waved her hand. "Although the Lou Family has some power, in the eyes of the Qian Family, they are just like chickens and dogs. Uncle didn't know that Liheng was humiliated before, but now that he knows, it is my problem. If he has a grudge, that's fine too. Uncle will take the opportunity to help you get rid of him! I know that Liheng is kind, hehe, but there is no need to worry about this. Right now, Liheng's problem is my Qian Family's problem … Alright, there is nothing else today, I will leave. I hope to hear the good news tomorrow. "
He smiled and stood up. Accompanied by Ning Yi, he walked out of the room. At this time, the setting sun was like blood. One could only hear the shouting from the west side of the city. In the distant sky, it was boiling.
"Again …" Qian Haiping shook her head. After sighing, she left in boredom.
Ning Yi looked at the sky and frowned.
*****
"The Sage Duke is here. It seems that in one or two days, the city will be breached!"
Someone was talking. Under the setting sun, it was a relatively intact courtyard. Shi Bao rushed in and laughed loudly.
Wang Yin, with his long hair, was sitting by the well, cleaning his steel spear. No one knew what he was thinking. At this time, he looked to the west and listened carefully to the sound of the wind. Then, he did not seem happy. "I originally thought that the city would be breached in two days. I didn't expect it to be delayed until today. These few days, I feel that something is wrong in the city. "
"Wrong? What's wrong? " Shi Bao was stunned. Then, he sat down beside Wang Yin and patted his shoulder. "Hey, stone chisel, you are always like this. You think too much. These few days, we have been killing so happily that the city is in chaos. I think it's reasonable. Previously, the Buddha Marshal said that you scholars think too much. That's why it's impossible for scholars to rebel in ten years. Oh, I'm not saying that … "
Wang Yin smiled and waved his steel spear in a straight line. The water droplets on the spear exploded. There was even a bang in the air. "Chaos? I feel that something is wrong … It's not chaotic enough. Although there are no problems every time, I feel that the results are not clear. It's like hitting a cotton ball. The force is released, but there is always someone who can roughly repair the hole. It makes me feel that there are people watching us in the dark … "
"No way, stone chisel, are you sure?"
"Heh, perhaps I was thinking too much. I originally wanted to attack the city from the inside and outside before the Holy Duke arrived. But since the Holy Duke is already here, attacking the city is even easier. Next … Oh right, where are Xu Fang, Gou Zheng, and Liu Dabiao?"
"Hurry over. The news has been delivered."
While they were talking, someone opened the door and hurried over. This person was called Xu Fang. He was quite familiar with Shi Bao and Wang Yin. After entering the courtyard, his expression was solemn. "We have to leave."
"What's the matter?"
"Liu Dabiao was recognized and followed. An official spy was caught. Things … are a bit serious."
Shi Bao and Wang Yin stood up at the same time. Then, they grabbed their weapons and walked out of the door while disguising themselves. They went out of the courtyard, passed through the ruins, streets, and pedestrians. After turning two streets, lights began to be lit on the streets. Some people who had lost their families were cooking by the roadside, and children were running around. They entered another courtyard. After the setting sun, the courtyard was a bit dark. On one side of the corridor under the eaves, a girl in a blue floral dress and a black veil hat was sitting quietly in the dark with her arms around her knees. On the other side, a big man carrying a long wooden box was washing his hands by the well. Blood soaked into the grass. In a room in front of them, there was a bean-like oil lamp, and there was blood on the floor of the room.
Wang Yin first walked into the room and saw a broken corpse. When he turned around, the middle-aged man who had finished washing his hands had also walked over. He clapped his hands and whispered something. Wang Yin gradually frowned, and after a long time, he laughed again. In the night wind, their voices could be vaguely heard.
"Ning Liheng …"
"Married into the family … Ha …"
"There is such a person in Hangzhou …"
"I really want to meet him …"
After a moment, Shi Bao threw the treasure knife in his hand and caught it.
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