When the morning mist rose, the high mountains and low hills around Hangzhou were covered with encampments.
The low temperature in the early morning froze the smoke and smell of blood that had pervaded the air not long ago. The frenzy of war that had lasted for several days had died down. From the encirclement of the city to the city walls of Hangzhou, countless corpses, fresh blood, arrows stuck in the ground or on the corpses, and destroyed siege equipment formed a scene of bright red and pale white. It was a scene of passion and deathly stillness. Some corpses had fallen on the ground, and red blood seeped out. Flames had also ignited the surroundings, and black ashes were thrown out. Red, white, and black interweaved and spread across the entire battlefield, extending all the way into the drifting fog and being covered by a thin layer of ice after a night.
Occasionally, warhorses would leave the encampment in twos and threes, heading in the direction of the battlefield. Occasionally, one or two black figures would appear in the deathly stillness. They were soldiers with a certain degree of authority to leave the encampment. They were rummaging through the corpses of their friends in a safe area, or a small number of opportunists in the army sneaking out to rummage through the belongings on the corpses. Most of these searches were in vain, but the occasional small gain was enough to tempt people.
On the opposite city wall, the light from the burning torches was faintly drifting, like ghosts shrouded in a sea of clouds and fog.
Around the year 1000, the unpredictable weather during the Little Ice Age temporarily stopped the battle. After five days of continuous attacks, Tong Guan finally gave up on the idea of taking Hangzhou in one go. He let the soldiers besieging the city rest for a while and then come up with a plan later.
Although the army besieging the city fell silent for the first time in five days, the defending side still could not let their guard down. Tong Guan was not mediocre in the art of war. During the five days, the army launched attacks from three directions in Hangzhou. The attacks were like raging waves, but each wave of attacks was sometimes strong, sometimes weak, and sometimes real. At least in the current Wu dynasty, the 150,000 imperial guards heading south could be considered the elites in the world. Their fighting capacity was still far superior to that of the peasants in the city. If Fang La's camp had not gathered all the elites in Hangzhou at the moment and had sufficient manpower, as well as the weather that kept getting colder, Tong Guan would probably have found opportunities to tear a hole on the city wall several times.
Because of this, even though the besieging army had stopped attacking, the defense of the city still did not relax at all. No one knew if Tong Guan would suddenly launch a new wave of attacks.
Hangzhou City, which had just become a little livelier, fell into a tense and pale atmosphere again. However, compared with the panic in the city when Fang La's army attacked the city last time, half of the people in Hangzhou City had become rebels. What was presented here was a different ecological environment.
The area around Fine Willow Street was the perimeter of the Tyrant's Saber Camp. At this moment, it was surrounded by long fences and tall watchtowers. At this moment, this place looked more like the Tyrant Saber Manor that was several hundred kilometers away. It had already been surrounded into a stronghold. Nobody would believe that such precautions were taken against Tong Guan's army outside the city. Ever since he completely broke off with Bao Daoyi, Liu Dabiao had ordered such precautions to be taken outside, mainly because the conflict between him and Bao Daoyi was getting more and more heated, and Fang La and the rest of them could not stop him anymore. However, the real reason that not many people knew was that Liu Dabiao did not want to be disturbed by something that was going on in Fine Willow Street at this time. Therefore, he made use of this pretext and made the Tyrant's Saber Camp independent.
After Fang Qfo, Wang Yin, Si Xingfang, Deng Yuanjue, and Shi Bao returned, Tong Guan's army had already approached Hangzhou. Therefore, they had no time to mediate the conflict between the Tyrant's Saber Camp and Bao Daoyi. However, after the siege, the two sides temporarily put aside the idea of seeking revenge against each other and chose to help each other on one side of the city wall.
During this period, Fang Qfo had restrained Tong Guan's army, causing the elites of the Tyrant's Saber Camp to suffer heavy losses. During the battle of defending the city these days, the members of the Tyrant's Saber Camp were not assigned too many tasks. Instead, they tried their best to fill in the gaps in safer places. On the other hand, no matter how willful Liu Dabiao was, the members of the Tyrant's Saber Camp were still the strongest supporters of Fang La. No matter whether the city might be breached or chaotic in the future, a force like the Tyrant's Saber Camp was still the core force that Fang La needed to protect. As long as the Tyrant's Saber Camp was free, the city would not be too chaotic. Even if someone schemed to replace Fang La as the emperor or wanted to ruin Fang La's future, they would not dare to do anything because of the existence of the Tyrant's Saber Camp.
When Fang Qfo attacked Jiaxing, the main force of the Tyrant's Saber Camp was more than 3,000 people. Later, Liu Dabiao turned back midway, and there were still more than 2,000 people left with Fang Qfo. In order to realize the strategic idea of delaying Tong Guan's attack on the city until autumn, Fang Qfo led a group of soldiers to forcibly delay the pace of Tong Guan's 150,000 troops. In fact, his subordinates had suffered heavy losses. More than half of the people of the Tyrant's Saber Camp had died along the way, and only a few hundred survived.
With such heavy casualties, Hangzhou City finally won a lot of time to build a defense. At that time, Liu Dabiao had roughly recorded the progress of the battle situation to the people in Fine Willow Street. This time, after the army returned to the city, the atmosphere in Fine Willow Street naturally could not be lively. But after several days of siege, because Tong Guan had stopped, the people on the street could finally rest in the early morning. In the fog that was not too thick, there were occasionally pedestrians on the street, and when they spoke, they were also speaking softly. And in the main residence of the Tyrant's Saber Camp, there was a window that had been lit since early morning. At this time, two people in the room were talking about some matters.
"… The people are important, the country is secondary, and the emperor is light … When we first talked about it, we said that everyone is equal. It is difficult to understand it from Confucius, so it is best to understand it from Mencius. Liu Xiyang is an expert in this aspect. Although his explanation of this article is a little careless, and I am afraid there is no sincerity, it is easy to understand and not bad. In the future, it can be used as an introductory reading material … I think it is worth a dipper … "
"Since there is no sincerity, why give him a dipper … I am only allowed five liters."
"It is not that there is no sincerity, there is still sincerity …"
"Anyone can explain it in a shallow way. If you randomly pick a group of people on the street, there will be a bunch of such articles. Since he is a great scholar, of course, I will force him to write a few articles that are worth pondering. Moreover, he is very knowledgeable, but he wrote a shallow article to fool people. It is obvious that he is conflicted. If he does not finish a bucket of rice, he will not understand the second article … I will only give you five liters. "
"Okay, Liu Xiyang, five liters … Guo Jiliang's article will be a little deeper. Since I want to give Liu Xiyang a warning, I will give Guo Jiliang's article seven liters. Also, Han Fangjun's article is a little lacking … "
The light flickered slightly. The two people in the room who were talking were Ning Yi and Liu Watermelon, who were reading the articles one after another. Although both of them spoke seriously, the difference of one liter and one dipper made people feel a little strange. Recently, Liu Watermelon had also been at the top of the city wall. She had rested for a while yesterday and woke up early today. She looked for Ning Yi to discuss some matters. They talked about the articles for a while, and then talked about Manichaeism.
"… That woman Wu Yunying is brainless. She is loyal, but she is not from Tyrannical Saber Manor. She is not on our side. You have to be careful of her." Fang La had caused the uprising of the Manichaeism by eating vegetables, so there were quite a lot of followers in the army. However, Tyrannical Saber Camp was strong to begin with, and there was no shortage of followers. This religion, which emphasized on sharing weal and woe and uniting the strength of the peasants, did not have much faith in Tyrannical Saber Camp. Wu Yunying was the Branch Leader of Manichaeism in Tyrannical Saber Camp. Liu Watermelon did not take her seriously, because she was the nominal Saintess of Manichaeism here.
"She is fine. She has been attending classes recently. When I asked her, she said that this saying has something in common with the doctrine."
"Oh … okay."
"However, they usually preach, and the Branch Leader does not study the classics. Wu Yunying has not even read the 'Praise of the Last Part'. So, it will be difficult for her to help us change the doctrine."
"The other Branch Leaders are very knowledgeable, but Wu Yunying is a little stupid … But you don't need to know too much to preach in the countryside. Uncle Fang said that it's enough to share weal and woe …"
"That's true … That's all. Oh, I got a few articles recently …"
"If I want to change my name, what do you think I should be called?"
"After you showed them to those kids … what?" Ning Yi was stunned.
"Uh … change my name." The girl named Liu Watermelon, who was wearing a simple unlined dress and a big cloak, waved her hand casually. "Let's talk about you first … Uh, anyway, I'm just asking … Of course, I don't really need your help … You are quite knowledgeable. Let's see what you think."
"… There was a child who read it, asked some questions, and wrote two short essays. I think he has potential … Did he change his name and return to his surname Liu?"
"Of course … Who is that kid?"
"Chang, Chang Qing. I plan to reward him with something. Of course, his family is not short of rice. I'll get a certificate, and you can help me write … Uh, stamp it, the kind that can be mounted … Liu, Liu Yifei, how about that? "
"Oh, you can take the stamp yourself. I'll put it on the table. I won't tell Uncle Tiannan … What did you say?"
"Liu Yifei." Ning Yi began to put away the essays on the table. He said it casually. He was thinking about other things, so he didn't take it seriously. He even smiled to himself.
"Liu Yifei … Oh no, there are nine people with the surname Liu on the street called Liu Yifei … Forget it, I'm just asking for fun. You go back first, if you have time in the afternoon … "
"Nine out of ten, is that right?"
"Yes, the day before yesterday, I heard that Aunt Liu Ahua's great-aunt is also called Yifei, and the second wife of Wenke's niece has a cat named Yifei, Yifei. Wenke wanted to kill you, so he asked someone to stew the cat when he was free … You have business to attend to, so you can leave now. I'm just asking."
After Ning Yi left, Liu Watermelon took out a piece of paper full of names from the drawer and wrote the new name on it. Then, he put it away and continued to deal with business …
*****
After officially breaking up with Bao Daoyi, Ning Yi no longer closely participated in this matter. Liu Watermelon asked him to be in charge of some more practical, or more practical, work in the Tyrant's Saber Camp, which was to change the system of the entire Tyrant's Saber Camp. At that time, it seemed like a good idea.
The Tyrant's Saber Camp had already carried out the so-called election for the first time, so it didn't seem good to stop. However, Tong Guan's army was marching south, and the Tyrant's Saber Camp's future was uncertain. Naturally, it would be ridiculous to ask the entire Tyrant's Saber Camp to cooperate with some childish "reforms". But in any case, since they were going to war, they had to be prepared to win as well as lose. If Fang La could really persist, it would not be a problem for Liu Watermelon to give her a piece of land if she wanted to be the ruler of a county in the future. As for what they were going to do in the future, they could start making arrangements now.
Ideas such as democracy and freedom were mostly used to trick Liu Watermelon, but on a psychological level, Ning Yi did want to do an experiment. Of course, democracy was never a problem of the system, but of the human heart. In this era, democracy was just a rootless tree, and few people would think about it. It was absolutely impossible for the Tyrant's Saber Camp to build a world of Great Unity just by imitating the election system.
In fact, in the poor history that Ning Yi knew, there had been many experiments of a Great Unity in China's history. Some rich or scholars donated their family property to build a village similar to a commune. Everyone ate from the same pot, and their children went to school together. Everyone did things together, and the elders voted together. But in the end, they all failed. No matter whether the Great Unity was like this or not, it was useless to just give people a system. The essence of democracy was also the dictatorship of the majority over the minority. To be democratic, culture was needed first. People had to fight for it spontaneously, and they had to agree with the legitimacy of fighting for it. Such a theoretical foundation was needed.
After having the power to take action, Ning Yi first started with a group of scholars from the Wenlie Academy.
He held a short class every day, and many scholars from both inside and outside the academy were gathered. Every day, he would explain the relationship between production and distribution, and talk about the theory of capital. From this, a simple social essence could be separated. That was, the essence of a country was a group where everyone gathered together to help each other obtain benefits. In this essence, no one was superior or inferior, and the progress of society was to make the distribution of benefits more and more fair. Then, he asked people to explain these basic cooperative relationships in any language that others could accept and write an article. It didn't matter if the theory of Confucius, Mencius, Mohist, Han Fei, or Laozi could be used. If they could make up an article with Sun Tzu's theory, if it was of good quality, they could also buy it.
At this time, Hangzhou had turned into a wartime state.
Although it was the autumn harvest when Fang La occupied Hangzhou, and he had gathered a lot of resources to prepare for Tong Guan's war, Hangzhou still had enough resources. However, it was difficult to circulate all kinds of resources in a wartime state. Anyone who had money and food could hardly take them out. The Confucian scholars of Wenlie Academy once again became idle people. Ning Yi gave them such a price. There were articles, and there was food.
Ning Yi tried to explain all kinds of modern theories as simply as possible. In short, these people who had read books could generally understand him. Whether they agreed or not, he forced them to make up some far-fetched theories based on Confucius and Mencius. It didn't matter if they were right or wrong. These scholars had written a lot of articles, and there would always be one or two interesting articles out of a hundred rubbish articles. In the future, he could use these articles to enlighten children and turn a lie into the truth. Then, he could let people gradually verify and improve it in their daily lives. There would always be some rebellious people who could see something that seemed to make sense.
But first, he had to make an article. He was bored anyway. What he needed to do now was to break up "Capital" and mix it with Confucius and Mencius. As for what this bomb would become in the future, he didn't care.
Just like that, when he came out of the main house, he met Chen Fan whom he hadn't seen for a few days. He was injured again and smelled of medicine, but he still looked vigorous. After greeting Chen Fan, he said that he had gone to the battlefield in a few days.
"In war, the most important thing is not martial arts, but luck … Although you are a master, your luck is not good. It's better not to go to the top of the city wall. Did you just come out from there? How is the girl Watermelon? Did she get injured? "
"It seems that her luck is better than yours." Ning Yi laughed. "I heard from the Director of Tiannan that you almost fought with her a few days ago. What's wrong?"
"I'm kidding. I didn't fight. At that time on the city wall, she suddenly said that if she changed her name, I think it would be better to change it … Recently, she has been asking people about this. She is very mysterious. I said that her father's name is Liu Dabiao. It's not good for her to be called Liu Dabiao and Watermelon at the same time. It's better to combine the two … "
Speaking of this, Chen Fan couldn't help but burst into laughter. He bent down. Ning Yi's mouth twitched. "Uh, what's her name?"
"Hehe, of course it's … Haha, huhu … Liu … Big Watermelon Liu, or Big Watermelon Liu … Hahahaha …" Chen Fan couldn't stop laughing. "Then, then, then she broke down and pulled out her sword to cut me. She couldn't do it on the battlefield. I laughed so hard, hahahaha …"
He couldn't stop laughing. Ning Yi's mouth also twitched for a long time. Finally, he patted Chen Fan's shoulder. "I think you better not let her see you for the time being."
"Of course, of course, oh, wait, I have something to talk to you …" When Ning Yi walked over, Chen Fan pulled him back. After laughing for a while, he straightened his body and tried to maintain a square face. "It's like this. Tong Guan has been attacking for five days. The weather is getting colder and colder. When it snows, he won't be able to fight anymore. The city should be able to be defended. However, Master said that with Tong Guan's character and the tense situation in the north, he might not give up. He might attack one or two more times. No matter what, he wants to see you when he is free. Let me tell you first, it might be soon. If Tong Guan is free, it might be this afternoon … "
Ning Yi thought for a moment and nodded. The two chatted for a while. After Chen Fan left, he stood there for a while before letting out a sigh and smiled.
"Fang Qifo …"
*****
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