It was snowing heavily, and the night was dark. Gradually, only the boundless night remained in the forest.
The wind and snow howled on the mountainside. In this barren mountain cave, a bonfire was burning, and simple food was being stewed over the fire. Several men wearing leather cloaks and swords were gathered by the fire. After a while, someone else came in through the wind and snow outside the cave. He exhaled a breath of white air, and when he came in, he first saluted the person in the innermost part of the cave.
"The snow won't stop for a while …"
Sitting in the innermost seat of the cave, Tie Tianying threw a branch into the fire and watched the fire crackle. The person who had just entered sat by the fire, and when the meat was cooked, he hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"I heard … in Bianliang …"
The words left his mouth, but he stopped immediately. The people in the cave all had different expressions. Most looked at Tie Tianying, then lowered their heads in silence. Most of them were experts from the Ministry of Justice. They came from the capital, but some of them had families in Bianliang. A few months ago, when Ning Yi rebelled, the Wu Rui Battalion plundered the capital and headed north. They fought two consecutive battles, defeating several troops who were chasing after them. After the new emperor ascended to the throne, he gathered manpower and established the Treason Eradication Division. Tan Zhen was directly in charge of killing traitors.
Because Tie Tianying had previously come into contact with Ning Yi, he had even been aware of Ning Yi's devious intentions in advance. After Tan Zhen took office, he had promoted him, Fan Zhong, and the others to the position of Commander of Squad One of the Eliminating Treason Division. With the command medallion, the Six Divisions would listen to them. It was truly an extraordinary promotion.
However, not long after the Treason Eradication Division was established, the Jin troops had already flooded south. By the time they arrived in the northwest, they had a rough idea of the situation. By then, the Jin had almost reached Bianliang, and the world was in chaos. The Treason Eradication Division was like a newborn child who had been abandoned outside. Communication with their superiors was cut off, and the troops were in a state of panic. Moreover, they were in the northwest, where the people were tough. Tie Tianying and the others could run to the yamen and ask for cooperation, but if they really needed help, even if they had the imperial sword, they might not necessarily listen to them. For a moment, they didn't even know what to do.
And today, there was news that the capital had fallen. Everyone couldn't help but wonder if the Empire was going to perish. Was there still a chance for the Rebel Division to exist?
"… If the people of Xixia come and take back Hengshan, there will be no more days of peace in the northwest. The world is in chaos. " After remaining silent for a long time, Tie Tianying threw another piece of firewood into the bonfire. Looking at the movement of the flames, he slowly opened his mouth. However, what he said inevitably made people think of the prophecy spread by that person.
Within a year, Bianliang had fallen, and everything north of the Yellow River had fallen. Within three years, everything north of the Yangtze River had fallen into the hands of the Jurchen. Millions of people had become pigs and sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
From the looks of it, the situation was exactly as the inner demon had expected.
"But if that demon hadn't committed such a heinous crime, I would have been killed!" How could my Wu dynasty be in such a predicament today! " At this point, Tie Tianying's eyes suddenly turned cold and he raised his eyebrows. "I know what you're thinking, but even if you have family in Bianliang, how can you enter the city when the Jurchens surround it? We are working in the north. As long as there is a chance, how can Lord Tan not take care of our families? Everyone, to put it bluntly, if our families and relatives really meet with misfortune, why don't you think about who will be blamed for it? How can we avenge them? "
"My Wu dynasty has lasted for hundreds of years and has a deep foundation. Even that demon only dared to say … he only dared to say that he would retreat to the south of the Yangtze River within three years. However, if he hadn't killed the Emperor in court, causing the morale of the people in the capital to fall again and again, causing more than 200,000 people to leave the capital within a few months, how could Bianliang have fallen so quickly? This kind of rebel … I, Tie Tianying, will kill this demon with my own hands sooner or later! "
When he finished speaking, his words were resolute and filled with hatred. The other people in the cave looked at each other. One of his trusted subordinates walked over and reached out to press on the back of Tie Tianying's hand. "Sooner or later, we will kill the traitor."
The others also came over one after another and said, "Sooner or later, we will kill the traitor …"
When everyone had said this, Tie Tianying nodded slightly. "We are alone here now and can't fight them. But as long as we keep an eye on that side and figure out the situation of the traitor, we will have the opportunity sooner or later."
After a while, he said, "No matter how strong the Wu Rui Ying Camp is, they are only 10,000 people. This time, the Xixia people are coming aggressively. With him blocking the front, it is hard to say whether we will have the opportunity to kill the traitor."
The wind and snow were howling outside. Most of the people in the cave nodded and said a few words to boost the morale. But in reality, there were not many who could still be determined at this time. Most of them were constables and constables and had good martial arts skills. Most importantly, they were smart and used to the slick people of the underworld. Not many people believed that if the Wu Rui Ying Camp did not rebel, Bianliang could be defended. On the contrary, they were very clear about the intrigues and all kinds of dark secrets of the upper echelons of the imperial court. It was just that they were used to seeing people rolling around in the dark, but they had never seen someone flip the table like this and kill the Emperor.
But at the moment, of course, they could only agree and express their stance.
The night was getting darker. In the cave, Tie Tianying sat in the innermost part, silent and determined. At this time, the wind and snow were rushing, and the world was boundless. All he could do was to close his eyes and sleep in this cave to preserve his strength. Only in the gap that others could not detect, he would wake up from this deep sleep, open his eyes, and then clench his teeth and sleep quietly.
Of the two promoted chief arresters of the Ministry of Justice, Fan Zhong's task was to contact the heroes of the underworld and respond to the great plan to kill the traitor. Tie Tianying led a few teams to the northwest to collect the traces and information of the Wu Rui Ying Camp, and even to assassinate the Inner Demon at the appropriate time. But at this time, only he knew the anxiety and pressure in his heart.
After coming to the northwest, it was not very difficult to find out the traces and movements of such a large army. He could even send one or two scouts to the Green Wood Stronghold, which was one of the bases of the traitor, to find out the actual situation. In these days, the Green Wood Stronghold and the Little Cang River, as well as the soldiers and families of the Wu Rui Ying Camp, could finally gather in bits and pieces. His subordinates could all find clues and even observe from afar.
In such a situation, with outsiders constantly entering the Little Cang River, it was not impossible for them to put people in there. Back when the Wu Rui Ying Camp rebelled, those who left directly were a group of people who had relatively no worries, and most of those who had wives and children stayed. The imperial court had implemented strict control on this group of people, and had also found some of them to incite them to become spies, to help kill the traitor, or to pretend to join the Wu Rui Ying Camp and pass on information. But now that Bianliang had fallen, it was hard for Tie Tianying to distinguish the truth of those who said they were "pretending" to join the Wu Rui Ying Camp.
Some of his subordinates wanted to get in touch with these people, and some wanted to strike them as a warning to others. Tie Tianying only told them to quietly gather information. On the surface, he naturally told them not to act rashly and alert the enemy. However, these days, Tie Tianying woke up several times in the night because he dreamed of the figure of the inner demon.
The enemy investigated in the opposite direction, and then attacked!
No one knew that the closer Tie Tianying got to the Inner Demon, the more vigilant and even afraid he was.
Compared to the time in the capital, the situation between the two was completely different.
At that time, Tie Tianying dared to provoke the enemy, and even threatened him, trying to make the enemy angry and desperate. At that time, in his heart, he was no different from the man named Ning Liheng. Even the position of the Chief Arrester of the Ministry of Justice was much higher than that of the advisor of the Prime Minister who had lost his power. After all, the nickname of the Inner Demon came from his scheming. Tie Tianying was a top master in the martial arts world, and if he went higher, he might even become a grandmaster. After knowing a lot of inside information, how could he be afraid of a young man who only relied on some scheming?
When the two of them had some conflicts, he punched the young man on the street, and the young man did not even dare to get angry. Even when there was no news of his wife, he looked angry on the surface, but in reality, he could not do anything to him.
From the beginning to the end, he could not do anything to him. It was not until the young man flew into a rage, broke through Bianliang, and killed the Supreme Emperor in front of all the civil and military officials that Tie Tianying suddenly realized that the young man did not take him seriously at all.
Otherwise, under the situation that the City Patrol Division, the main hall of the Ministry of Justice, and the White Tiger Hall of the Ministry of War were all raided, how could he, the Chief Arrester of the Ministry of Justice, escape from the pursuit of the young man?
Now that the young man had become the enemy of the world and raised the flag to rebel, how could he not be on guard against a pursuer like him? With the scheming of the young man, if he rashly went up to him, he might deliberately set up a trap in some place or some intelligence. Maybe one day when he was asleep, the young man would order his men to counterattack and wipe out a group of eyesores like him.
If the young man was a reckless and domineering traitor who was as powerful as Liu Dabiao, Fang La, and Zhou Dong, Tie Tianying would not be afraid. But this time, he really felt that it was possible. After all, Lin Eechan, who was probably the best in the world in martial arts, could only run away miserably when faced with his inner demon. He was the Chief Arrester of the Ministry of Justice and was used to seeing shrewd and slippery people. However, if he were to stand in front of a lunatic who was so scheming and had casually overturned the throne room, he would not be able to make a move at all. He would have to worry that every step he took was a trap.
Even for Lin Eechan, when Ning Liheng raised the flag and left, the Great Radiant Sect only entered the capital and did not dare to follow him to the northwest to seek revenge. And now, the Great Radiant Sect had only entered the capital for a few months, and the capital had already fallen. They could only run back to the south with their tails between their legs.
This was not something that could be made up for with strength.
If he treated this cautiously and did not make a move rashly, he might really find a chance to make a move in the future when the situation became chaotic. But now was the time when the other party was most vigilant. If he went up foolishly, he would be like a moth flying into a flame.
Perhaps his subordinates didn't understand these things, but he understood them clearly.
Of course, now that the Xixia people had come to the south, the Wu Rui Battalion only had a little more than 10,000 soldiers. If they set up their camp here, it was not impossible that they would fight with the Xixia one day and be destroyed here.
If that was the case, it might be the best outcome for him and his subordinates …
Such a thought flashed in the deepest part of his heart …
*****
The Little Cang River was also shrouded in wind and snow. In the courtyard on the mountainside, a warm light was faintly shining through the window lattice.
The light from the brazier was warming the small room. In the room, the family of the Great Devil was about to go to sleep. Surrounding the Great Devil was a woman who was still young in the future but was now a married woman, as well as his two children. The pregnant Yunzhu was putting on an insole under the light. Yuan Jin'er was hugging the little Ning Ji and teasing him occasionally. However, the little child was already yawning and squinting his eyes.
Ning Xi was sitting on a small chair, listening to his father tell interesting stories from ancient books. His mother, Su Tan'er, was sitting beside him. Xiaochan would occasionally look at the hot water on the brazier and add some to the teacups. Then, she would return to Yunzhu's side and put on an insole with her. Then, she would cover her mouth and squint her eyes, yawning slightly — she was also a little sleepy.
After returning from a long journey and settling some matters, everyone gathered together late at night to tell the children a story or to chat softly. This was considered the Ning Family's bedtime pastime.
Outside the courtyard was the deep night sky and the sky was filled with snow. The heavy snow that had just fallen at night seeped into the coldness of the night, as though the entire mountain had become mysterious and dangerous. There weren't many people out there anymore. However, at this moment, a figure appeared in the wind and snow. She slowly walked over and then stopped far away. It seemed like she wanted to get closer, but then she wanted to get further away. She could only stay in the wind and snow for a while.
In the courtyard, the family had started to disperse. Jin'er carried Xiaoning Ji and returned to the bedroom with Yunzhu. Xiaochan carried Ning Xi. In the room, the couple was probably still talking. The figure in the wind and snow watched this scene from afar. On the small path halfway up the mountain, she gently kicked the snow beneath her feet. She looked up at the night sky and finally turned to leave.
In the courtyard, Ning Yi appeared. He passed through the courtyard and opened the door. He walked over in his cloak. The figure in the darkness looked back and stopped. Ning Yi walked along the mountain path and slowly got closer.
"Hey, what a coincidence," Ning Yi said to Watermelon.
Watermelon frowned and turned to leave.
"Just joking." Ning Yi smiled. "Let's walk together."
The figure in front didn't stop. Ning Yi still walked over slowly. In a short while, they were walking together. The snow in the middle of the night was frighteningly cold but they only spoke softly.
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