"Rebels have their own ways, and the pugilistic world has its own rules."
Facing the wind and snow, the woman called Watermelon spoke softly after turning a corner on the mountain road. Her hair fluttered in the wind and snow. Although she looked childish, her words were not frivolous.
"Since I have a foothold in this world, my father's vengeance is absolutely irreconcilable. It wasn't something that anyone could let go of just because they wanted to. After I return to Miaojiang, you have to look after the three brothers of the Qi family. "
"I heard about what happened tonight. I'm glad they didn't fight." Ning Yi nodded and sighed. "What's with the Three Knives and Six Holes?"
"The fifth brother of the Qi family is talented. He might achieve great things in the future and be able to beat me. It's wise not to fight now."
The Qi family originally had five brothers. After the destruction of the family, only the second, third, and fifth brothers were left. The fifth brother was Qi Xinhan. Watermelon paused.
"As for the Three Knives and Six Holes, I won't die. I feel guilty for killing Uncle Qi. If I can really solve it, I'll have gained something. "
"Three Knives and Six Holes … Not good."
"Pfft …"
Watermelon laughed and tilted his head to look at Ning Yi. The two of them were now walking side by side. After passing through the small forest, they reached a small flat land halfway up the mountain. Usually, they could see the construction scene in the distance, but now it was snowing so they couldn't see it. The two slowed down their pace. Watermelon found a fallen log and sat down.
"After I return to Miaojiang, bring Sister Lu with you, or Chen Fan or Zhu Biao. With them, even if Monk Lin comes, he can't hurt you. You've offended too many people. Now that you're rebelling, you can't afford to make mistakes. Your martial arts have always been bad, and you can't be a top master. Don't think these things are troublesome. "
"You always say I can't be a top master, but I think I already am." Ning Yi sat down next to her. "At first, Hongti said that. I thought about it later. She had too high a definition of a master. And you said the same thing … Don't forget that I defeated Tong Guan with one slap in the Throne Room. "
"You are using your power to oppress others. It has nothing to do with martial arts." Watermelon laughed. "Being in a high position, fighting with your life on the line, bristling with anger, and being bold and confident in the right — these are all signs of power. You were able to suppress those powerful ministers in the throne room. That's very impressive, but it's also because you threw caution to the wind and didn't leave any leeway. He couldn't risk his life every time, right? Your influence isn't used to fight. Let those who can fight with their lives on the line. "
The dispute between her and Ning Yi wasn't just a day or two. In the past few months, they would often bicker with each other. However, at this moment, when the snow was swirling and the world was silent, she felt a little embarrassed to sit together on this log. He jumped out, walked forward, and casually threw a punch.
"After I leave, leave Zhuo Xiaofeng and the others behind for you."
She threw a punch, ran two steps, and threw another two punches.
"They were your disciples in the first place. Teach them for a few more years and see what they can achieve. When they were in Miaojiang, they had already come into contact with many things. They should be able to help you. "
Watermelon wasn't tall, and with her childish face, she seemed petite. When she spoke, her voice wasn't loud. After she finished speaking, she stopped and looked at Ning Yi. Seeing that Ning Yi didn't move with a smile that wasn't a smile, she turned her head and slowly pushed out the wind from her fist.
"A few years ago in Hangzhou, you learned a few Tyrant Blades. Sister Lu taught you the Six Dao Break, which is indeed a good way to exert force. However, the Six Dao Break is fierce and harms the body. To help you recuperate, Sister Lu has her ways, but my figure originally wasn't suitable for Tyrant Blades. Although I found a way later, and Father also taught me a set of fist techniques, this fist technique is only for Qi cultivation. This fist technique is only for the cultivation of Qi, it was specially modified for me, no one else knows how to do it. I only learned it in the past few years, and taught it to others. I practice every day. You can take a look. "
"Back in Hangzhou, Lan Huandong had some inkling of what you said about democracy. You also killed the Emperor. If you want to establish a foothold in the northwest, then do it. However, with the current situation, if you can't stand it, you can go south. I … also hope that you can go to Lan Huandong to take a look. There are some things that I can't think of, and you have to help me. "
As she spoke, in the wind and snow, her fists went from slow to fast. Strikes, swings, smashes, hits, knees, elbows, leaps, and gradually, her fists danced like a wheel, like a thousand-armed Little Wisdom King. Ning Yi had seen this fist technique called Little Vajra Consecutive Fists before. Back then, when she fought with the three brothers of the Qi family, she still advanced without stopping. At this time, only the wind from her fists could be seen, and the figure in his eyes was somewhat cute. It was as if this cute girl was continuously dancing. Only the falling snowflakes rose, floated, gathered, scattered, and collided in the air, and there was a whistling sound.
The range of each fist was short, but her figure was advancing, and her Qi was long. As a result, her voice was light and calm from beginning to end. Her fists became faster and faster, but her words didn't change at all.
However, in this half a year, she had always found fault with Ning Yi and bickered with him out of habit. Now that she was about to leave, her words became quiet for the first time. The anxiety in her heart was revealed as she punched faster and faster.
"… You're twenty-three years old this year, right?"
"… Since the rise of the Holy Duke, in this … uh …"
As Watermelon spoke, the Little Vajra Consecutive Fists in her hands were still punching faster and faster. When she heard Ning Yi's abrupt question, the movements of her hands and her words suddenly stopped. At this time, her fist was slightly bent, and her other fist was stretched forward. Her expression stiffened, and her small fist was still shaking in the air. Then, she stood up straight. "What does it have to do with you?"
"How many years has it been since we got married?" Ning Yi walked down from the log.
"Are we … considered to be married?"
"It's been so many years, it should be."
She had originally assumed a posture and continued to punch. When she heard this, she stopped again, put down her fists, and stood there.
"In these few years, it's not that I haven't married anyone. It's just that the matter of Lan Huandong has never been settled. You … your wives and children are all growing up. Between you and me … between me … "
Without her punches, the snowstorm returned to its original state. Only then did her words become slightly stiff. Her figure was also stiff. She just stood there straight, her fists clenched at her sides, and her head slightly tilted.
Just as Ning Yi said, she was twenty-three years old. In this era, she couldn't even be considered an old lady. It could only be said that she was at an age where no one wanted her. Even at such a young age, in the past few years, other than that one time when she was betrayed by him, the twenty-three-year-old girl had never had a stiff hug in the wind and snow …
As the snowflakes fell, she stood there and watched as Ning Yi walked over. She was about to leave. In this kind of snowstorm, perhaps something was going to happen.
At least … there should be a stiff hug …
In the room in the middle of the mountain, the oil lamp was still slightly lit. Under the light, Su Tan 'er flipped through the records in her hands. When he turned around, Xiao Chan and Ning Xi were already asleep on the bed not far away.
She looked at the window. Although she couldn't see the situation outside through the thick paper window, she could still hear the sound of the snowstorm getting stronger.
He probably wouldn't come back to rest at such a night.
As she thought about this, she tilted her head and smiled. She didn't know when, but the figure in the room blew out the light and went to bed to rest.
The snowstorm engulfed this place again.
*****
The winter night passed. In the morning, the snow in the sky became peaceful. The entire world was slowly covered in silver, replacing the desolate colors of late autumn.
When she woke up in the morning, Shishi's head was a little heavy. Duan Sue came over to take care of her, cooking porridge for her. Then, she boiled some medicinal herbs to help her get rid of the cold.
Duan Sue was originally Fort Master Lu's personal guard. After coming to Small Canghe, she was arranged to stay by Shishi's side. On one side was a village woman who practiced martial arts and killed people, on the other side was a weak and melancholic courtesan from the capital. But between the two of them, there wasn't any animosity. This was because Shishi was quite knowledgeable. After she came over, she didn't want to have too much contact with the outside world. She only helped Yun Zhu organize all kinds of ancient scrolls from the capital.
Duan Sue had a family in the mountains. Her husband died for the sake of the Green Wood Stronghold, and she had a son who had already reached the age to read and write. Recently, the environment of the Green Wood Stronghold was quite good. She wanted her child to have the opportunity to read and write. In the future, they would be able to understand and be sensible. This was the woman's greatest hope. Usually, she would talk to Shishi about what happened in the valley. When she was free, she would come over to ask about her experiences in studying.
The real courtesan of this era was a superstar that people in the future believed in. Compared to superstars, they were more sophisticated, insightful, and knowledgeable. Duan Sue admired her. In fact, in her heart, she admired this woman who could raise a child optimistically after her husband's death.
"I heard that the Watermelon Lady from the south is going to compete with the three masters of the Qi family. Everyone went to watch. I thought it would be a big fight …"
"The Watermelon Lady is so young, but she's like a master. I wonder how she practices. Just by looking at her Tyrant Blade skill, she's probably not much worse than Fort Master. The three masters of the Qi family have a grudge against her, but it seems that they can't take revenge for the time being. But everyone will keep this matter in mind … "
"Right now, everyone is talking about the capital. The city has been breached, and the people inside are probably having a hard time. Miss Li, you don't have any relatives over there, right?"
When Duan Sue occasionally spoke, Shishi would wake up from her stiff thoughts. She naturally didn't have any relatives in the capital, but … Mama Lee, the sisters in the building … How were they now? Even if she thought of such a question, she didn't dare to touch it.
When the Jurchen besieged the city for the first time, she had helped at the foot of the city and witnessed all kinds of tragedies. The reason why she experienced such a tragedy was to avoid an even more unbearable situation from happening. But if she continued from here … ordinary people would probably find it hard to think about it carefully. Those hysterical clashes, the shouts after broken fingers, the wails after bearing all kinds of injuries … What could be more tragic than this? Her train of thought couldn't help but be stuck here.
After so many years in the Fanlou Building, Mama Lee always had a way to escape by luck …
However, after the fall of Bianliang City, thousands of miles away, the women of Fanlou were indeed desperately seeking shelter. However, most of the girls that Li Shishi once knew were on the list of the first batch of prostitutes sent to the Jurchen's military camp. Her mother, Li Yun, who had taken good care of her since she entered the Fanlou Building and was also a very wise woman, had committed suicide with several other women in the Fanlou Building four days ago. And after the other women were sent to the Jurchen army camp, dozens of the most unyielding ones had committed suicide because they couldn't bear the humiliation and were thrown out.
She would not know these things until many years later.
The snow kept falling in the valley, but the atmosphere in the valley, even though Shishi didn't go out often, could feel the change at this time. In the falling snow, she could occasionally hear the shouts from the opposite side of the valley. Soldiers carrying logs ran on the mountain road in such heavy snow, and there were also teams of people shoveling the snow between the warehouse and the construction site, shouting in unison. The spirit contained in the voices and shouts of the people was obviously different from a few days ago.
This was the change brought about by the fall of the Bianliang city.
It snowed for two or three days before it showed signs of stopping. During this period, Su Tan 'er, Nie Yunzhu and others came to visit her. And the news brought by Duan Sue was mostly about the troops of the Western Xia Country. The people in the valley kept discussing whether to help. Then, another news suddenly came.
A few days ago, Zhong Shidao, the Husband of Old Zhong who had been guarding the northwest for many years, died in the old house of Qingjian City.
When Shishi heard this news, she sat in a daze for a long time. In the first battle to defend Bianliang, the generals who guarded the city were Left Prime Minister Li Gang and the famous Husband of Old Zhong. Shishi's status was different from his, but the old man played a very important role in the defense of Bianliang. Shishi respected this old man very much.
The snow had stopped. Shishi went out of the room and saw that the world was covered in white. Someone was walking in a courtyard not far away. On the roof of the courtyard, a woman was sitting cross-legged, holding her chin with one hand. The woman was dressed in a white mink velvet dress and white snow boots. Her delicate and even slightly childish face made people think of the women of the southern water villages. However, Shishi knew that this childish girl sitting on the roof in front of her had killed countless people. She was the leader of the rebels in the south, Overlord Blade Liu Watermelon.
She usually liked to bicker with Ning Yi, but between the two of them, Shishi could see that there were some unclear personal feelings. In these years, that childhood friend who was skilled in both literature and martial arts had traveled the world, just how many strange friends had she made, how many things had she experienced, she actually did not know.
According to Duan Sue, this young lady was also going to leave for the south in the next two days. Perhaps it was also because of the impending separation, her expression on the roof, was somewhat lost and reluctant.
She could sit on the roof, which meant that Ning Yi was in the room below giving a lecture to a group of middle level officers. Shishi did not dare to listen to the things he was talking about. She went around the courtyard and walked along the mountain road. From afar, she could see the bustle of the settlement in the valley. Thousands of people were spread out, the snow that had fallen over the past few days had already been pushed away. On one side of the mountain, dozens of people were shouting in unison, pushing huge rocks down the slope. On the other side of the river, the soldiers who were preparing to build a dam were digging a stream to divert water. The clanking sounds from the blacksmith shop could be heard clearly from here.
There were already children, big and small, running around to help.
She passed through the woods on the side, and the number of people began to increase. It seemed that some women were coming here to watch the bustle. Shishi knew that there was a large flat land halfway up the mountain, and then she saw from afar that the soldiers had already gathered. There were a total of two squares, about a thousand people, and someone was talking loudly in front of them.
"… We have cannons … Once we gather, the strongest Iron Sparrow Hawk of Western Xia is actually nothing to be afraid of … What we need to worry about the most is the Western Xia Buba … We … are surrounded by many mountains. In the future, when the war breaks out, the Buba will be the fastest to travel on the mountain road. As for how to deal with the attack, all the units need to … This time, we are saving people, but also to train the soldiers …"
The admonishing voice came from afar. Duan Sue, who was not far away, saw her and greeted her.
"Miss Li, you came out for a walk …"
"Sister Sue, this is …"
"We are going to send troops."
"Ah?"
"The army of Western Xia has arrived at Qingjian City. We will send out two teams, each with 500 people, to attack the attacking army from both sides …"
"There are … a lot of Western Xia people, right?"
"The Western Xia has sent out nearly 100,000 soldiers. Even if we send out all our troops, I'm afraid we have no chance of winning. Moreover, Old Zhong's Husband has passed away, and we have no one here who can talk to the Western Xia Army. These 1,000 people are only to hold back the Western Xia when they attack the city. The most important thing is that if the city is breached, they can kill the Western Xia Buba Zi in the forest, so that the refugees can escape quickly … This is all we can do. "
After living together for a few months, Duan Sue also knew that Shishi was kind, so she whispered some of the information she knew. In fact, the winter had arrived, and the various winter construction of the Small Cang River was not yet complete. Even in this winter, part of the dam's drainage work had to be done to wait for the next spring flood, so there was a shortage of manpower. It was not easy to send out these 1,000 elite soldiers.
As they talked, they walked to the top of the hill. The valley, the drill ground, and the troops gradually came into view. Then Shishi heard thousands of people shouting in unison. The troops stood still. Although there were only 1,000 people, their morale was high, and their murderous intent was soaring!
There was white snow in the distance, and the valleys and mountain crevices were separated from each other. In the endless winter sea of snow, the troops of thousands of people crossed the foothills, winding like a long dragon.
Shishi slightly opened her mouth, and white air came out.
Since half a year ago, the Wu Rui Battalion rebelled and broke into Bianliang City. Ning Yi killed the emperor in court. Now, the Jurchen Kingdom went south and broke into Bianliang City. The Central Plains was in turmoil, the Western Xia people came to the south, and Old Zhong's Husband passed away. In this northwest area, the morale of the Wu Rui Battalion could still be so high even in the chaos. She had never seen such a high morale after guarding the city for so many days …
The world, the Wu Dynasty, was it really over?
Her body swayed, and she felt a little dizzy in the reflection of the white snow.
I … where should I go …
*****
Love or fear, there were thousands of human emotions, and they could not stop what should happen. This winter, history still rolled over like a giant wheel.
In December, the Western Xia people broke into Qingjian City and Yanzhou City. In the cold winter, the people in the northwest were uprooted, and the refugees scattered. Zhong Lie, Zhong Shidao's nephew, led the rest of the Western Army to the north bank of the Yellow River, unable to escape. When Qingjian City was broken, the Zhong family's ancestral hall and ancestral tomb were all destroyed. The Zhong family's Western Army, which had guarded the northwest of the Wu Dynasty for more than a hundred years and had five generations of generals, died here.
In the capital, the turmoil and humiliation continued to ferment for several months. During the siege, the Jurchen Kingdom repeatedly asked for gold and silver, and the Feng Prefecture plundered the city several times. They seized the gold and silver from the rich and poor families in Bianliang City and offered them to the Jurchen Kingdom, including the Bianliang Palace, which was almost empty.
This was only the tip of the iceberg of the tragedy in Bianliang. During the several months, tens of thousands of women in Bianliang City were sent or captured into the Jin army. In the palace alone, the Empress Dowager, the Empress, the imperial concubines, the palace maids, the singers, and the women of the rich families in the city numbered in the thousands. At the same time, the Jurchen Kingdom also searched for craftsmen and young men and women in Bianliang City to be slaves.
This cycle of plundering and capturing young men and women did not stop for several months. At the beginning of the next year, the supplies originally stored in Bianliang City were exhausted. The people in the city began to eat food, and the cats, dogs, and even tree bark in the city began to exchange their children for food. Countless people died of starvation. The imperial court of the Wu Dynasty, which still existed in name, set up points in the city, allowing the people in the city to exchange their valuables for some food to survive, and then send these valuables to the Jurchen Kingdom's camp.
It was not until the third month of this year that the Jurchen Kingdom began to escort a large number of captives to the north. At this time, the number of women and women who committed suicide or were raped to death in the Jurchen Kingdom's camp had reached ten thousand. Along the way, a large number of female corpses were still thrown out of the Jurchen Kingdom's camp after being tortured and humiliated every day.
Historians of later generations were more willing to record the sufferings of the thousands of imperial concubines, imperial concubines, and the women of the rich families, or the humiliation suffered by the emperors to show their misery. But in fact, the Jurchen Kingdom still held back a little when they raped these women of certain statuses. As for the tens of thousands of civilian women and women, they were truly treated like pigs and dogs along the way. They were beaten and killed at every turn.
By the time they reached the Jin territory, the number of Han men and women captured by the Jurchen army from the south, excluding the dead, still amounted to more than a hundred thousand. Among these people, the women were reduced to prostitutes and the men to slaves. They were bought and sold cheaply. From the beginning of this thousand-mile bloody journey to the north to the next few years and decades of their lives, everything they had experienced was the real …
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