The leaves on the trees turned from green to dark. Spring rain fell and the red flowers lost their color. Spring passed in the blink of an eye. In late March, willow catkins were still fluttering on the Qinhuai River, but summer had truly arrived. Ning Yi and Tan'Er's family boarded a ship outside Jiangning and embarked on the waterway back to the capital.
After returning to Jiangning for a month, Ning Yi and Tan 'er did not need to do many things. Apart from paying respects to their family members who died in the accident last year, they only had to send congratulatory gifts to Prince Kang's Mansion, which they had to do immediately. However, in the days leading up to the wedding, Xiao Pei wasn't in Jiangning, so Ning Yi didn't see this female disciple who was about to get married.
The young princess was about to get married, which meant she was already an adult. Prince Kang didn't neglect Ning Yi, who was only a guest teacher in name. He personally came out to receive Ning Yi and accepted Qin Siyuan's calligraphy and paintings as well as a large number of gifts from the Su family. However, he didn't give too much detail about Zhou Pei's whereabouts. Later, when Ning Yi went to visit Kang Xian, he understood the specifics.
At this time, the royal family of the Wu Dynasty didn't have much freedom. Only a few people could barely be an exception. Princess Cheng, Zhou Xuan, owned properties of the royal family all over Tiannan. To a certain extent, it was enough to influence the political situation. Now that Zhou Xuan and Kang Xian were both old, it was time to choose their successors.
Although they had a few children, when it came to financial and numerical sensitivity, no one could compare to Zhou Pei. Because of this, when Zhou Pei showed some interest in this area, Zhou Xuan decided to hand over some of the matters to her. During this time, Zhou Xuan decided to go to various Imperial Plantations and brought Zhou Pei with her. First, she could understand the specifics, and second, she could let the stewards come and identify people. Zhou Pei was talented and interested in this matter, so Kang Xian casually told Ning Yi about it.
Regardless of whether it was a good thing or not, Zhou Pei had found her position. On the other hand, although the Little Prince Zhou Junwu's Gewu Society was not looked upon favorably by others, it had more or less reached a certain scale. In the past, he had found a group of his friends to work on it casually. After Ning Yi talked to him last year, he began to look for craftsmen from all over the place. Starting from making kites, he gradually increased the size and firmness of the kites and chose more ideal materials. By this year, the kites that could carry things were getting bigger and bigger. On the other hand, work on the enlargement of the Kongming lanterns was also underway.
In the beginning, the Gewu Society was only a small organization, and the Prince Kang's estate only turned a blind eye to it. However, after the scale expanded, the problem of money inevitably came up. Zhou Junwu was a self-aware person. Since a few months ago, he began to understand the income sources of the Prince Kang's estate and tried to put some of the shops that had income under his name.
The Little Prince showed that he wanted to make money and gain power, and he was more or less upholding the righteous path. He did not blackmail a group of friends, nor did he act like other members of the imperial family. He only wanted money and didn't care about the consequences. Kang Xian saw this as a symbol of his ambition. When he told Zhou Yong about it, Zhou Yong was also quite happy. The Prince Kang's estate couldn't compare to Princess Cheng's estate, but he could do whatever he wanted. Therefore, during this period of time, the Little Prince Junwu extorted a few profitable shops from the butlers of the Prince Kang's estate. He used the income from the shops to subsidize the Gewu Society, and lived his small life with difficulty.
After Ning Yi came back, the Little Prince Junwu happily showed off his achievements to him and also brought Ning Yi to see. He remembered Ning Yi's words about giving status to the craftsmen, so he never mistreated the group of craftsmen he recruited. In fact, he even treated them a little too politely. Ning Yi also gave him some opinions and told him to optimize the reward and punishment system. He needed to be efficient, and he couldn't treat everyone well. At the same time, he also taught him some business experience.
As for what the Gewu Society would eventually produce, Ning Yi was not willing to worry about it. It might be possible to make a hot-air balloon that wasn't very safe, but even he couldn't make a plane. The important thing was that Jun Wu would find survival experience in the future through these things. Because of this, Ning Yi especially told Jun Wu to be frugal with his income and expenses. It was okay to be frugal, but a lot of normal social expenses were still needed. Fortunately, Jun Wu was also born with an excellent education, so he was very clear about this. He was not harsh when interacting with other children of the royal family, but his usual snacks, watching plays, and other items were all deducted. Ning Yi looked at the little prince and felt that he was a little pitiful.
"Ask your sister for money in the future." Ning Yi patted him on the shoulder and said so.
Jun Wu nodded naturally, "Yes, of course."
Except for the little walk after returning home, on weekdays, Ning Yi usually only gave lectures at Yushan Academy and didn't go out much. At this time, Jiangning was completely in the atmosphere of singing and dancing to celebrate peace. There was no fanaticism like in Bianliang, but it always contained the elegance of Jiangnan. The Qinhuai River was brightly lit every night, and scholars sometimes came out with good works to celebrate the prosperity of the country and the smooth progress of the Northern Expedition. Some people came to look for Ning Yi to attend meetings, but Ning Yi rejected them all.
Of course, sometimes when the time was right, it wasn't just these people who came to look for him. As the richest man in Jiangning, the young master of the Puyang family, Puyang Yi, had visited several times, and sometimes he would bring one or two people. The Puyang family had some connections with the government, and part of it was in the salt and tea business. Although it might not be famous in Bianliang, in the south, it was probably a family that could be involved in the recent accounts. He came to look for Ning Yi and Su Tan'er for business matters, so I won't go into details here.
*****
When the royal girl named Zhou Pei returned to Jiangning, it was already May of this year.
After learning that her teacher had returned to Jiangning and then left, the girl went to the warehouse to look through the gifts sent by the Su family one by one, and then she didn't show any strange thoughts. The auspicious day of the wedding was on the sixth of June of this year, and everything went according to plan.
Not many people knew about the budding feelings in the girl's heart, including her brother Junwu, who was close to her. Even he didn't know about the small feelings she had when she was young. The young girl finally decided to bury everything. On the eve of the wedding, she went to find the Jun Ma Qu Zonghui for a private talk. No one knew the specifics of what they talked about. They only knew that after this talk, the wedding was held as scheduled. The two equally outstanding people became a young couple who respected each other and were envied by others.
The stars moved and the sun changed. In the tide of time, the fate of one or two people couldn't become the focus of everyone's attention. In this summer, droughts and floods occurred frequently, the Huanghuai River flooded, and heavy rain became a disaster. Parts of the south were plunged into extreme heat, and no rice was harvested.
At the same time, the situation of the Northern Expedition was constantly changing.
Over the past six months, although the Wu dynasty had been celebrating the success of the Northern Expedition with songs and dances, and the literati were all in high spirits, writing articles to praise this rare prosperity. But north of Yanmen Pass, the situation was beginning to become tense, and this tension came from several sources.
In the alliance between the Wu dynasty and the Jins, it was agreed that after they joined forces to conquer Liao, the Wu dynasty would get a share of the sixteen provinces of Yan Yun. Now that Yanjing had been conquered and the sixteen provinces of Yan Yun had changed hands, the negotiations for the return of the sixteen provinces had become quite difficult since last year.
For the civil officials of the Wu dynasty who participated in the negotiations, the Jins were no longer the modest and amiable group they had been before. They had forgotten that the martial artists had been restraining the Liao people all this time, and had become arrogant because of a series of victories. And for the Jins, the slow progress of the Wu dynasty in the Northern Expedition, as well as their previous defeats, had gradually turned their confusion into contempt. Although some of the core members of the Jins, such as Wanyan Xiyin, still respected the foundation of the Wu dynasty, most of them had already begun to look down on the court in the south.
Of course, there were not many Jins. After quickly swallowing more than half of the Liao, they had already slowed down a little and began to enjoy the income at hand. They had no need to fight the Wu dynasty, but when the Wu dynasty came to demand the sixteen provinces of Yan Yun, they could refuse to give them.
This delay made most of the officials in the court of the Wu dynasty who supported the Northern Expedition anxious. At the end of last year, Tong Guan and the others made the decision to buy back Yanjing and six provinces of Yan Yun, Yi, Tan, Shun, Jing, and Ji. At this time, the court was still flattering and rewarding them, but the following negotiations had reached an impasse.
As for the remaining provinces, the Jins were too lazy to give them. They even had a saying, "You can't beat the Liao people, so you have to pay tribute to them. Why don't we have a fight at the border? If we win, you will add more coins. If you win, you will win back the coins. What do you think?"
In order to maintain their victory, Tong Guan and the others had already gathered more than fifty million coins of coins and began to gradually buy cities from the Jins. At the same time, they announced to the south, "This is what we fought for." On one hand, it was the "victory" of Tong Guan and the others, and on the other hand, it was the Jins going back on their word. Emperor Zhou Zhe began to issue orders in the capital, saying unhappily that they had to be "tougher" with the Jins. This caused the people working in the north to be in a dilemma.
But the ones who were really in a dilemma were not Tong Guan and the others. They still had money, and they could continue to buy cities, whether they were empty or broken. Now, Guo Yaoshi and the others who were stationed in the north were really in conflict with the Jins. The reason for the conflict was the agreement made before the six provinces were handed over.
In order to take back the credit, the agreement that Tong Guan and the others signed with the Jins not only stipulated that the Wu dynasty would give the Jins a million coins, but also that Tong Guan promised that when the six provinces were handed over, the Jins could take away all the officials, gentry, and rich families in the six provinces. Tong Guan did not care whether there were people in the places he handed over or not. As long as the places were in his hands, the credit would be there.
The Jins were short of people, but they could only mobilize a limited force. They began to sweep away the officials, gentry, and rich families in the area. Their first priority was money, and then they would grab some able-bodied men. On the other hand, Guo Yaoshi had already realized the importance of the troops under his command before he came to the capital to receive the reward. During the process of handing over, he ordered his subordinates to start searching for civilians to become soldiers. Thus, in the next few months, what happened on the blurry border between Wu, Jin, and Liao became the true portrayal of the proverb, "Even if you die, you will not cross the Yanmen Pass."
The Jins started to attack the rich families, and the ever-victorious army mostly attacked the poor families. In a sense, it could be said that Guo Yaoshi deliberately wanted to avoid friction. But no matter what, when the two sides started to come into contact, there would definitely be friction. The Jins provoked them several times, but they were not really going to pick a fight with the Wu dynasty at this time. Guo Yaoshi's side also tolerated it a few times. At this time, the negotiations were still going on. The Wu dynasty officials kept negotiating about the return of the 16 provinces, but the Jins could not be bothered to deal with them. When the Jins got angry because of the friction, the civil officials led by Wang Anzhong had to go over to negotiate, mediate, and apologize. As for the common people, they were in ruins and had long been destitute.
Many people in the south were well aware of this situation, including people like Qin Siyuan and Ning Yi. In the end, the attitude of the Office of Secret Investigations was very simple: support Guo Yaoshi. When Guo Yaoshi asked for money, weapons, and logistics from the Wu dynasty, the Prime Minister's Residence gave him full support. And Guo Yaoshi's continuous recruitment of new recruits to expand the army actually gave some of the people who had entered the army a way out.
On the civil officials' side, Wang Anzhong and the others were also depressed. The Wu dynasty had always been controlled by the civil officials, but here, not only did they have to listen to Guo Yaoshi for everything, but they also had to apologize to the Jins. In this chaotic situation, as a "parent official," Wang Anzhong was also very embarrassed.
As the officials who were sent here, it wasn't that they didn't have the slightest bit of integrity or ability. As the parents of the land, they naturally had to protect the territory and pacify the people. But at this time, the people under their rule were already full of grievances, and they didn't even have the ability to reach out and control it. Guo Yaoshi's Ever-Victorious Army was also a factor that caused them trouble. In Wang Anzhong's eyes, Guo Yaoshi was arbitrary and domineering. He was inhumane when it came to arresting able-bodied men. He plundered money everywhere and gave it to all kinds of officials. Although he couldn't ignore it even if he gave it to him, this only deepened his hatred for Guo Yaoshi: a despicable person who made friends and used benefits to drive people away!
Perhaps all of this could only be attributed to the fact that he had no way to control Guo Yaoshi, who was currently the most popular person in the country. He even had to put on a smiling face. As a civil official, he had originally come to the north to build a career, but now … being an official was too meaningless!
In June, the tense atmosphere swept across the land against this background.
Ever since Yan Jing was conquered, the Liao dynasty had fallen into a state of being at death's door. Emperor Tianzuo had gone into exile, and Yelu Dashi and the other pillars of the Liao dynasty had either scattered or fled to the west. In the first month, just when Guo Yaoshi had come to the capital to receive his reward, the King of the North Court, Xiao Gan, proclaimed himself emperor and gathered the troops of the Liao dynasty to establish the Kingdom of Daxi. Xiao Gan was a man of great talent and bold strategy. He had rejected the Jins on several occasions. He was able to defeat the generals of the Jins, let alone the martial artists. When Guo Yaoshi had founded the Resentful Army, it had originally been under his control. During the battle of Yan Jing, it was he who had killed his way back in time. Guo Yaoshi and the others had almost died at his hands, which had left quite a shadow in his heart. In June, due to the lack of food, Xiao Gan finally made his move against the Wu dynasty again. He sent his troops to Lulong Mountains, and before long, he had easily broken through Jingzhou and pressed on.
The atmosphere was somber.
At this time, although the Wu dynasty was fighting in the name of a northern expedition, there weren't many troops who could fight, especially in front of a general like Xiao Gan, who could fight against a Lady Zhenren. Everyone was anxious. At this time, the Ever-Victorious Army had expanded to fifty thousand men, but they were still in the midst of training. Under their command, the village soldiers, which were the militia that could be mobilized, numbered three hundred thousand. Under the urging of all sides, in the middle of the month, Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunren, who were also generals of the Ever-Victorious Army along with Guo Yaoshi, set out to meet Xiao Gan.
After that, Xiao Gan defeated Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunren at Shimen Town. In the blink of an eye, he had captured Ji Province.
This was truly a dangerous war. At this time, General Tong Guan had already returned to the capital to receive his reward. He had sent out several letters to reprimand Wang Anzhong and Guo Yaoshi. At the same time, they contacted the Jins and began to persuade them to defeat Xiao Gan and hand him over to the Wu dynasty. The contents of this deal became a laughing stock among the Jins.
In the middle of July, autumn had already arrived. The continuous summer heat seemed to have yet to subside. In the capital, many high-ranking officials were busy dealing with the disaster in the north and south. In such a gap, many people would involuntarily look to the north as they chatted. This included Qin Siyuan, Ning Yi, Yao Zunian, and the others.
At the same time, in the Sixteen Provinces of Yan Yun, Guo Yaoshi's army had finally arrived at a place called Yaopu. His vanguard army began to confront Xiao Gan.
Guo Yaoshi rode on a horse and looked at the fiery red flag that belonged to Xiao Gan from afar. His expression had become silent and determined. He remembered how he felt when he first saw Xiao Gan more than two years ago.
The formation of the Resentful Army had actually begun seven years ago. At that time, Gao Yongchang of Bohai had rebelled. The Liao people had failed in their crusade and were defeated by the Nü Zhenren who had supported Gao Yongchang. Thus, Emperor Tianzuo had Yelu Chun, the Prince of Yan, recruit starving people from Liaodong to join the army. He wanted to take revenge on the Nü Zhenren and named it the "Resentful Army".
At that time, this group of Liaodong people had only joined the army to fight for food. But at that time, the Liao was already declining and treated this army poorly. In the end, the "Resentful Army" did not win many battles. Instead, they repeatedly rebelled. Two years ago, the leader of the Resentful Army, Dong Xiaochou and the others, rose up because they were not doing well in the war. Yelu Yujian, Xiao Gan, and the others came to quell the rebellion. Guo Yaoshi knew that the Resentful Army was no match for them. After killing Dong Xiaochou and the others, he accepted the enlistment. That was the first time he met Xiao Gan.
At that time, there was a rumor that Yelu Yujian, in order to solve the problem of the Resentful Army's rebellion, discussed with Xiao Gan and decided to kill all of the Resentful Army once and for all. But Xiao Gan was an open and honest person. He believed that "there might be loyal soldiers who were threatened by others. How could they all be killed?" Xiao Gan's words saved the lives of Guo Yaoshi and the others. When the news spread, everyone was deeply grateful to Xiao Gan. The first time Guo Yaoshi saw Xiao Gan, he felt the other's graceful and noble aura. It was the aura of a true superior. It was the aura of a hero who did not fear challenges and looked down on everyone.
But in his heart, he did not feel subservient. There was only fear and insignificance.
In the eyes of these people, the Resentful Army was not even considered human. Back then, the other party had recruited these starving people as soldiers with the intention of giving them a life out of charity. Originally, Guo Yaoshi and the others only wanted to live. But after joining the army, they did not have a good life either. In fact, how many thoughts could a starving person have? If it wasn't for the fact that the army's pay and rations were constantly deducted and their status in the army was lower than that of a dog, how many of these starving people would really be born rebellious and want to rebel?
He understood the helplessness of Dong Xiaochou and the others, and he also knew the helplessness of personally killing them. When they knelt in front of Xiao Gan and the others as meritorious subjects, and when Xiao Gan and the others praised them for their contributions, he still felt fear.
Above them was a tiger, and they could not even be considered dogs. Perhaps they could only be considered cockroaches. The other party could casually talk about whether or not they would kill all ten thousand of them, and they could also easily leave the lives of the ten thousand of them alive to express their benevolence. While the others were rejoicing, he only felt fear when he saw Xiao Gan's graceful figure.
The tiger stretched out his claws and lazily prodded the cockroach in front of him. He yawned and spared the cockroach's life.
After that, the veteran Guo Yaoshi only felt fear when he saw Xiao Gan a few times.
Initially, this thought was not very strong. After knowing that the Jin and Wu people had joined forces to attack the Liao people, Xiao Gan and the others had begun to distrust the army that was not part of the Liao people's system. Due to the history of the Resentful Army's rebellion, Xiao Gan, who had originally let the Resentful Army go, wanted to attack them. Only Medicine Master Guo was the most quick-witted. He suddenly reacted and encouraged everyone to join the Wu dynasty first. Later, it was proven that this decision was indeed correct.
That day, Medicine Master Guo suddenly realized that he could not be a cockroach or a dog. He could more or less be a human.
He then planned the attack on Yanjing, but his comrades in the Wu dynasty were too stupid. Xiao Gan's return was like a nightmare. He had also thought of fighting with all his might on the battlefield, but the speed of the Wu dynasty's army's collapse had disrupted his plans. In the end, he did not even have the chance to fight with all his might. He could only flee pathetically under the coercion of a few of his brothers.
Apart from cursing loudly in the camp, he did not complain to the Wu people. He could only continue to expand his army and seize more men to accumulate power. He used his position to obtain large amounts of money. On one hand, he helped his brothers settle down, and on the other hand, he went around giving gifts to the officials of the Wu dynasty. This was because the officials of the Wu dynasty all liked this.
If they liked it, he could ask for support such as provisions and weapons, and he could make them turn a blind eye to the matter of him seizing more men. He also knew that some dissatisfied civil officials had submitted memorials to the court against him, so he sent them even more money. After the Ever-Victorious Army expanded, some of his brothers began to become arrogant. In the conflict with the Jin people, he was the first to step forward and suppress the dissatisfaction of the people. "Without victory, you are nothing. All of you, bear with it!"
This time, when Xiao Gan went south, he had secretly endured for a long time, withstanding the pressure from all sides. First, he had Zhang Linghui, Liu Shunren, and the others test the other side's strength, and then he had quietly waited for the right opportunity. Until now …
Clouds moved, and the sky was bright. Under the summer sun, the fiery red flag looked like a blazing flame condensed by the Great Liao Empire. Under that flag, there was a hero like a mountain. Now, on the battlefield where tens of thousands of people were confronting each other, he was about to press down.
Guo Yaoshi sat quietly on his horse, looking in that direction like a boulder. Only the steed beneath him seemed to feel uneasy, moving slightly. He stretched out his hand and patted its neck, silently saying something in his heart. The expression on his face, however, only became even colder and steadier.
A murderous aura had already spread.
In the Yellow River in the south, every spring, carps would go against the current to climb the Dragon Gate Mountain. Heavenly fire would burn their tails and turn them into dragons.
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