In the early morning of February 17th, near the Dabie Mountains.
For some people, the death of Fang Qifo had actually been predicted to some extent. However, most people also had unexpected emotions in their hearts about his death, which were more or less mixed with anger, sadness, loss, astonishment and so on.
For Tie Tianying, Zong Feixiao and the others, the death of Fang Qifo was the most important part of the whole plan. But in the end, Fang Qinfo was still rescued in the most impossible situation. During the chase, he kept a close eye on the group of escaped bandits. He still had the thought of getting lucky in his heart. At this time, everything could no longer be redeemed. The Ministry of Justice was almost not prepared for Ning Liheng's sudden attack at this time.
For them, the first thing they felt was anger, but for Fang Baihua and the others, anger was actually secondary. It was just a conditioned reflex driven by sadness. This kind of emotion was even more complicated for Lin Eechan, Sikong Nan and the others, including Wang Yin, who was hiding in the distance and quietly watching the development of the situation. In a sense, they even faintly felt a sense of frustration from failing at the last step.
After Fang Qifo was rescued, he said a few words to Chen Fan, one of which was to admit that he didn't know about the three Manichaean constables. He didn't know, and Wang Yin didn't necessarily know. Besides Fang La's system, the only other Manichaean constables was Sikong Nan.
Of course, the case of the Manichaean Sect involved a lot of people, because the tentacles of religion were also very long. It was possible that Fang Qifo and the others couldn't fully grasp the details of such a large sect, and it was eventually found by the meticulous Wang Yin. This speculation was not confirmed even after many years had passed. However, the rescue of Fang Qifo did not directly bring a good influence to everyone. Perhaps Fang Qifo had already thought this through the moment he left the cage.
He was a real burden. He would make Fang Baihua and the others lose the chance to escape. He would make Fang Baihua, Chen Fan and the others use their last strength to fight desperately. He would also let the Ministry of Justice really exert its power to pursue and attack fiercely, leaving no chance for others to get lucky. On the other hand, to let all the people he really cared about die in front of him might be the best revenge in some people's hearts.
Fang Qifo's head was suddenly chopped off. Looking at the young man dressed like a scholar on the slope above them, Lin Eechan and Sikong Nan's minds were somewhat blank. Among these people, the one who was truly shocked and confused was not the outsiders, but Zhu Biao, who was currently following beside Ning Yi.
He had never imagined that such a scene would happen.
After the battle with Chen Fan, he had followed Ning Yi all the way to the South. He was the only one who knew part of the inside story. Ning Yi wanted to save Chen Fan, he wanted to save the woman named Watermelon, and he even wanted to talk to Fang Qisfo. In the end, he became the obsession of Chen Fan and the others. He roughly knew about these things.
However, the situation was serious. It was too late for the Office of Secret Investigations to head south, and Ning Yi didn't have many people he could use. Although all kinds of trivial information had been collected, a detailed outline couldn't be organized in two days. Zhu Biao had more than once seen Ning Yi sitting in the room with his eyes closed and fingers tapping. The last time he saw Ning Yi like this was in the Zhu Village. After that, tens of thousands of people in Liangshan died directly or indirectly in the hands of Ning Yi.
But Zhu Biao was not a fool. Although he was usually careless, he was still a quick-witted person who could practice martial arts to this level. In such a situation, there were many forces involved, but there was little information. If it were him, he wouldn't be able to think of any way. Even for Ning Yi, Zhu Biao could see the anxiety that accumulated on him as time went by. He couldn't meet Fang Qisfo, and if he wanted Chen Fan and Liu Watermelon to escape, he could only rely on luck.
However, luck didn't come after all. In these two days, Ning Yi ran back and forth, calculating the changes. As the situation became more and more clear, he also asked about the terrain of the area leading to Dabie Mountain in detail. However, due to time constraints, he didn't have the time to investigate it. Later, he also sent a few documents to the surrounding counties as a seemingly unintentional foreshadowing, but it didn't play a role in the end.
Zhu Biao knew these things in his heart. When things came to the climax that night, he, Ning Yi and a group of people were still rushing to the front of the hunting team. Along the way, Ning Yi had speculated a few possible places to ambush. There were two miscalculations because it was difficult to understand the terrain clearly based on what others said, and one of them missed the time. Only the last mountain road allowed them to rush there in a hurry.
The firing of a few elm cannons messed up the whole situation. At that moment, Ning Yi's posture and momentum really overwhelmed everyone present. But Zhu Biao could understand that in this forceful momentum, there were not many chips that Ning Yi could use. Eight elm cannons and more than 20 people couldn't decide the whole situation. Even Ning Yi's action this time had taken a great risk.
After that, along the way, his violent posture was enough to frighten many people around, but the limit was the limit. Ning Yi's plan to destroy Liangshan was exquisite. Every time he thought about it, it was admirable. But it was also because he participated in the whole thing that Zhu Biao also understood that the so-called ingenious plan was not a castle in the air built on a delusion. Every step of Ning Yi was just to expand the power he could use to the maximum, and eventually cause a chain reaction. How could these people escape with Fang Qifo? At present, it had become a dead end. Only at this time, this move of Ning Yi was almost completely beyond Zhu Biao's expectation.
Even if Fang Qifo would die tonight, in front of his friends and women, whether he died in the hands of the enemy or in his own hands were two completely different concepts. When Ning Yi rushed up and slashed down with his saber, Zhu Biao's heart was filled with astonishment, but at the same time, he also had a flash of understanding.
But … how did this guy do it …
The mountain wind was whistling, and on the suspension bridge behind, the woman's crying and complaining voice came. Ning Yi stood in the flickering fire on the top of the mountain, with a saber in one hand and a head in the other. He coldly glanced at the two groups of people from the Manichean Sect and the Ministry of Justice below, then turned around and went down the mountain from the side. "Kill them! Find a chance to cut the suspension bridge! "
Fang Baihua and others attacked fiercely, but Zhu Biao blocked them with his spear and shot the crossbow from behind. Because Ning Yi said to "find a chance to cut the suspension bridge," Fang Baihua gritted her teeth. After exchanging two blows with Zhu Biao, she finally retreated and led a few people to surround the other end of the suspension bridge. She knew that there was not much time left. If they did not leave now, the people on the suspension bridge would not be spared. She shouted towards the other side, "Let's go!" On the suspension bridge, Luo Bingren and the others pulled Watermelon's arm and ran towards the other end.
Zhu Biao understood that Ning Yi's goal was not to take Fang Baihua's life. Seeing that the other side had retreated, he called for a member of the Office of Secret Investigations who was holding a crossbow to go to Ning Yi's side. The constables below surged up, and the fire flickered. Fang Baihua led the four people beside her to block the incoming attacks. In the blink of an eye, there were only three people. Some constables tried to throw torches onto the suspension bridge. Fang Baihua tried her best to knock a few down, but the other end of the bridge still caught fire.
On the other side, Watermelon, who had been dragged back, followed the figure of Ning Yi as he walked down. After a long time, he finally shouted, "Inner Demon! Ning Yi! No matter how fierce or powerful you are! I will find you! Just you wait — "
This sentence was filled with a threatening aura. In the distance, Ning Yi raised his knife. His cold words traveled through the night. "I will wait for you!"
The conversation between the two sides ended here.
Threatening words were common in the jianghu. No one took these two sentences seriously. Ning Yi walked down the slope. Zhu Biao and the others hurried back. Zong Feixiao, Tie Tianying, and Fan Zhong had also caught up.
"Ning Yi, you dared to kill Fang Qifo …"
Ning Yi raised his head coldly. "So what?"
"Do you know that he is a criminal designated by the imperial court? The Ministry of Justice has strict orders to bring him to the capital alive …"
"You want this head?" Ning Yi lifted Fang Qifo's head and handed it to Zong Feixiao. Zong Feixiao said in a low voice, "I want to deal with you …" Tie Tianying, who was beside him, reached out to take it. Before he could touch it, Ning Yi threw the head to the back, into Zhu Biao's hands.
"Seal this head with lime! Zong Feixiao! Tie Tianying! Fan Zhong! Escorting Fang Qifo to the capital is your mission. You set this up on your own and made a mess in the end! You want me to help you clean up this mess! Zong Feixiao, how dare you talk to me like this!? "
"Talking to you like this, even if I beat you to death today —"
Zong Feixiao's face was already filled with anger. Now that he pointed his finger over, the constables behind him immediately pulled out their swords. On the other side, the members of the Office of Secret Investigations also raised their crossbows in an instant. Ning Yi stared coldly at the three. In terms of aura, he did not seem to be at a disadvantage.
"Constable Zong. If you're sure that you can bear the consequences of angering me, I'll play with you. "
This sentence was not loud, but it was enunciated word by word, sending chills down one's spine. In the past, Ning Yi might not have said such a superficial threat verbally, but at this moment, it was hard to tell what exactly he was feeling. After confronting each other for a few seconds, Ning Yi's gaze slowly swept across the three, and his finger pointed downwards.
"Go back and think carefully! Are you all arrogant and conceited? Did your plan go wrong? Did you lose Fang Qifo in your hands? Did I help you clean up this mess? Fang Qifo's threat, and you actually hesitated. How can you throw away the face of the imperial court? Think carefully, I'll return the head to you! Also, Fang Qifo is dead, but the bandit leader is still there. Fang Baihua, Sikong Nan, Lin Eechan, Wang Nantuo, and the other Mani Cult demons, how long are you going to wait — "
When he reached the latter half of his words, his tone became louder and louder. Lin Eechan and the others on the other side of the hill could probably hear him, and no one knew what they were feeling.
However, no matter how Lin Eechan and Sikong Nan felt, or what decision Zong Feixiao, Tie Tianying, and the others would make, On the other side of the suspension bridge, the number of subordinates around Fang Baihua was decreasing. When the last of her companions fell, the woman's body was already covered in blood and wounds. Even her face had a terrifying knife wound. However, the woman waved her red spear and continued to attack the area in front of her, trying to force back the bailiffs who were rushing to the suspension bridge.
Finally, a grappling hook pierced through her shoulder blade. A few bailiffs exerted their strength at the same time and pulled her to the ground. Fang Baihua let out a loud cry and brandished her spear, stabbing towards the crowd. She also entangled the chain. A few bailiffs rushed over from the surroundings. Both sides exerted their strength again, and a green object rose into the air. It was impossible to say how much power she had used to break the chains and repel the attackers. She was also struck several times, causing blood to spray out in all directions as she tumbled backward. When she rose to her feet, she grabbed an old green flag that belonged to the Euphoria Dynasty and placed it on her long spear.
Blood almost covered her eyes, but she took one last look at the headless corpse of Fang Qifo. The approaching bailiffs had already started to drag the corpse away. Then, she turned around and rushed out!
When Ning Yi turned around, Lin Eechan, Sikong Nan, and the others turned around, they saw the figure leaping out from the side of the suspension bridge into the air. The blood-stained green flag unfolded in the air for an instant. As the figure fell, Fang Baihua's last words could be faintly heard in the air.
"Laws are equal … there is no difference between superior and inferior … get rid of the evil and eradicate the strong … bring eternal happiness to the people …"
That was the slogan shouted by Fang La during the uprising. The voice and the green flag only stayed in the air for a moment. The last afterglow of Fang La's uprising in Jiangnan dissipated here.
The flames burned the suspension bridge and swung the long, old suspension bridge to the other side of the cliff. The surviving dozen people rushed into the distant forest. Lin Eechan and the others were still chasing from below …
*****
In the last years of the Wu dynasty, due to the intensification of land annexation, the increase of the imperial court's exorbitant taxes, and the implementation of tyrannical regimes such as Hua Shi Gang, the Manichaeism Uprising led by Fang La shook half of Jiangnan. After being suppressed, the Manichaeism Cult continued to survive and develop at the bottom of the common people. In the following years, Manichaeism Cult Uprisings broke out one after another and were all suppressed.
At this time, due to the internal and external troubles of the Wu dynasty, the idea of using strong medicine to deal with the aftermath of the rebellion mostly resorted to mass killings. By the time the Wu dynasty fell, more than two million people had died under the knife of the Manichaeism Cult Uprisings.
Due to the limitations of the peasant uprising at this time, although there were very few leaders of the uprising who had relatively good and beautiful ideas, there were many cases of peasants who had gained power in the uprising becoming more brutal and inhumane than the previous imperial court officials.
The oppressed rebelled against the oppressor in the end only to gain the power to oppress others in turn. It seemed that this was the only principle that had never changed in all the chaos and turmoil.
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