In the Northwest, during the dog days of summer, there were large tracts of wheat fields. In the distance, there was a tree.
People in ragged clothes gathered under the tree. Zheng Huixin was one of them. She was eight years old. She was wearing ragged clothes. Her face was stained with sweat and dirt. Her hair was cut short and messy. No one could tell that she was actually a girl. Her father, Zheng Laocheng, was sitting next to her. Like all the other refugees, he was weak and exhausted.
In Yanzhou City, the Zheng family used to be a well-educated family. Zheng Laocheng ran a private school and was respected by the people nearby. When Yanzhou City was breached, the Xixia people plundered the city and took away most of the Zheng family's belongings. At that time, the Zheng family had a few cellars that were not discovered. After the Xixia people stabilized the situation in the city, the Zheng family was not forced into a dead end.
However, it was precisely because of the existence of those cellars that the Zheng family was reluctant to leave. They didn't know where to go. The nearby Xixia soldiers occasionally came to the Zheng family, and they were often bullied. Perhaps the Xixia people realized that the Zheng family was hiding surplus grain, the frequency of the Xixia people coming to the Zheng family's door gradually increased. Half a month ago, Zheng Huixin's mother died.
Zheng Laocheng didn't tell her how her mother died. But soon after, her father, who was like a shell, carried a bundle on his back and took her out of the city. They began to walk to a place she didn't know. There were also many refugees in ragged clothes on the road. The Xixia people had occupied the vicinity. In some places, there were traces of houses and cottages that had been burned down during the war. There were also large tracts of wheat fields where there were traces of people. Sometimes, Zheng Huixin saw her fellow travelers standing on the road and looking at the wheat fields like her father. Their expressions were so empty that it reminded people of the sand on the ground.
When the Xixia people attacked, they robbed and massacred the city. But soon after, things calmed down, and the survivors resumed their former lives. After all, no matter what kind of rule, there must be subjects. They couldn't surrender to the Wu dynasty. Even if they surrendered to the Xixia, their lives would still be the same.
But Zheng Laocheng was a scholar. He knew that the more difficult days and the hellish scenes were still ahead. The wheat that the people had planted this year and all the harvests were no longer theirs. No matter how well the wheat was planted this autumn, most people would not be able to obtain any food. Once the previous reserves were exhausted, the northwest region would experience an even more unbearable food shortage and cold winter. Most of the people would starve to death. Only the genuine obedient people of Xixia would be lucky enough to survive after that. It wasn't easy to be a submissive citizen.
With the arrival of the harvest season, more and more people were able to see this scene. Those who were looking at the vast expanse of wheat fields on the road had the paleness of true despair in their eyes. They had planted these things, and now these things were still in front of them. They had grown so well, but it was already destined that they would not belong to them. What awaited them was possibly starving to death. There was nothing more despairing than this.
Along the way, they would occasionally come across the soldiers of the Western Xia. They would threaten them with bows and arrows, swords and spears, and forbid them from getting close to the wheat fields. Sometimes, they could even see corpses hanging on the edge of the wheat fields. At this time, it was noon. The group of people were resting under a tree by the roadside. Zheng Laocheng was too tired. He leaned against the roadside and fell asleep not long after. Zheng Huixin sat next to him, hugging her legs. She felt thirsty and wanted to drink water. She also wanted to find a place to relieve herself. The little girl stood up and looked around. Then, she walked toward a hollow not far away.
She took off her pants in the hollow and squatted for a moment. She didn't know when, but her father's voice came faintly, and there was a little anxiety in his voice. Zheng Huixin couldn't see the situation over there. She had just broken two branches from the ground when she heard another voice. It was the shouting of the Western Xia people. Her father was also anxiously shouting, "Huixin — my daughter — where are you —"
The voice of the Western Xia people was still ringing, but her father's voice stopped abruptly. The little girl pulled up her pants and ran out. She saw two Western Xia soldiers, one with a bow and the other with a sword, shouting on the roadside. The people under the tree were in chaos. Her father's body was lying on the edge of the wheat field in the distance. There was an arrow in his chest, and there was a pool of blood.
"Ah … Ah …"
Heaven and earth became chaotic and pale. She walked in that direction, but someone held her back …
After that, her memory was chaotic.
Someone fed her, and someone dragged her along. Sometimes, they carried or carried her on their back. It was a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties. His clothes were shabby, and he carried a bag on his back. His arms were strong. Sometimes, he talked to her, but she was in a trance. It was raining on the road. She didn't know when, but the people who were traveling with them had disappeared. They had passed through the desolate mountains. Of course, the little girl didn't know where they were. She only knew that they were surrounded by tall and short trees, rugged mountain roads, and loose rocks.
It was noon, and the sun was shining brightly. They stopped in a small forest. Zheng Huixin could already eat like a machine. She held a small broken bowl and ate the fried rice inside. Suddenly, a strange voice rang out. It sounded like a ghost.
"Yi — Ya —"
Zheng Huixin only felt that her body was being pushed. Then, she heard the rapid and fierce voices of the Xixia people. In her field of vision, she could see the shadows of people intertwining with each other. The man who had been leading her all the way was brandishing his saber again and again. A dark red light shone in her field of vision. The little girl seemed to see him suddenly stabbing a Xixia person to death on a tree trunk. Then, the other party's face suddenly enlarged. He rushed over, grabbed her with one hand, and sprinted through the forest at lightning speed.
The trees fell backward in her field of vision. She could hear the terrifying screams in her ears. The Xixia people were also rushing over. The man held a saber in one hand and fought fiercely with the other party. There was a moment when the little girl felt his body tremble. It turned out that the person chasing after him had slashed him with a saber. The smell of blood filled her nostrils.
In the blink of an eye, the light in front of them expanded. The two of them had already rushed out of the forest. The Xixia villain was chasing after them. They were on a steep slope. One side of the mountain was tilted horribly, and the strange rocks were loose. The two of them ran and fought. Then, the wind whistled, and their field of vision spun rapidly.
A crashing sound could be heard. The man was carrying the little girl, forcing the Xixia man to run down the steep slope. Their footsteps were accompanied by the speed at which they were dashing down the slope. The soil and rocks flowed rapidly in their field of vision, raising a huge cloud of dust. Zheng Huixin felt the sky shrink rapidly. Then, there was a bang!
After a long time, Zheng Huixin felt a slight movement in her body. It was the man who was carrying her trying to stand up from the ground. They had already reached the bottom of the slope. Zheng Huixin tried her best to turn her head and look. She saw that the man was holding a badly mutilated human head with his hand. Judging from the man's hat and braided hair, she could tell that he was the Xixia man from before. The two of them rushed down the steep slope together. The Xixia man was at the bottom of the slope. His head was broken and bleeding, and his internal organs were ruptured. Zheng Huixin was protected in the man's arms, so she suffered the least injuries. The man's body was covered with wounds and the blood of the Xixia enemies. At this time, half of his body was dyed red.
"Are you okay?"
She heard the man ask weakly.
"It's good that you're okay."
The man put her down. He untied the Xixia man's clothes in front of her, searched him, and took away his waist tag and dry food. The sun was still blazing. The man, half covered in blood, held a knife in one hand and a child's hand in the other. He staggered to the other side of the mountain.
In the evening, they arrived at a place. A few days later, Zheng Huixin learned the man's name from others. His name was Qu Qing. The valley they came to was called Little Cang River.
*****
During the month of June, the daily construction and training of the soldiers in the valley never stopped.
Everything was running smoothly. When the daily work was done, the soldiers would go to listen to storytellers, opera singers, or listen to the news from the outside world. They would discuss the current situation with their friends. It was just that at this time, the Xixia and Jin people's blockade on the outside world had begun to show its power. The news that came from outside the mountain was relatively less. However, those who were more sensitive could often sense more personal information from the atmosphere of this blockade. The imminent crisis, the urgent need to take action, and so on.
The communication between Little Cang River and the outside world was not only through the informants. Sometimes, there would be lost refugees who accidentally wandered into the wilderness. Although they didn't know if they were spies from the outside, the guards in the area usually wouldn't make things difficult for them. Sometimes, they would even kindly give them the few rations in the valley and send them away.
And in this interaction with the outside world, there was one thing that was the strangest and most thought-provoking. The first time happened at the end of last year. There was a caravan that was probably transporting grain. There were dozens of porters who came to this mountain. It seemed that they had lost their way. When the people of Little Cang River showed up, they were so surprised that they put down all the grain and ran away. As a result, Little Cang River obtained dozens of grain. This kind of thing happened again when spring was about to end.
Not many people in the valley knew about the whole thing. Ning Yi directly made the decision to seal up nearly a hundred loads of grain in the warehouse. And the third time it happened was at noon on the 11th of June. Dozens of grain were carried by porters and some guards into the territory of Little Cang River. But this time, they put down the load and did not leave.
A white-haired, graceful, and sharp-eyed old man stood in the middle of this team. When the sentries guarding Little Cang River came over, he handed over a name card.
There were only three words on the name card: Zuo Duanyou.
After a while, Qin Shaoqian, dressed in military uniform, came out of the valley to welcome him. He was now a rebel who rebelled against the entire world, but he didn't dare to slight this person.
*****
When the Wu dynasty was still prosperous, Emperor Jing Han and Zhou Zhe had just ascended to the throne. There were three famous scholars in the imperial court. They held high positions and were like-minded. They planned many things together. The Office of Secret Investigation was one of them. Instigating civil strife among the Liao people and making the Jin people rise was another. These three people were Qin Siyuan, Zuo Duanyou, and Wang Qisong.
There were many problems in the process of implementing these great plans that could topple the world. Among the three, Wang Qisong's theory and methods were the most correct. Qin Siyuan's attainments in Confucianism were profound, but his methods were relatively utilitarian. Zuo Duanyou's temperament was extreme, but his family was deep. After many years of cooperation, they finally parted ways because of various problems. Zuo Duanyou retired. Wang Qisong took the blame for protecting Qin Siyuan's position in a political dispute and left. After that, the Liao people's Blackwater Alliance went south.
This time, Wang Qisong led his family to resist the Liao army. Almost all the men in his family died, except for Wang Shanyue.
After the Blackwater Alliance, because of the tragedy of the Wang family, Qin and Zuo Duanyou broke up and almost never contacted each other again. After the disaster relief in the north, the Zuo family's Zuo Houwen and Zuo Jilan were involved. Qin Siyuan then wrote a letter to Zuo Duanyou. This was the first time the two contacted each other in many years. In fact, it was also the last time.
After Qin Siyuan's death, the three people who used means to stir up the world were left with only this old man.
Many years ago, the Qin and Zuo family were on good terms. This was not the first time Qin Shaoqian saw him. After so many years, the stern old man had a head full of white hair. The once high-spirited young man was also weathered and had lost an eye. When they met, there was not much greeting. The old man saw the black eye mask on Qin Shaoqian's face and frowned slightly. Qin Shaoqian led him into the valley. That afternoon, they paid respects to Qin Siyuan's cenotaph in the valley. They did not talk much about the situation in the valley. As for the food he brought, it was stored in the warehouse like the previous two batches.
That night, Ning Yi, Su Tan 'er, and Ning Xi attended the family banquet to welcome the old man.
On the morning of the second day, Ning Yi accompanied the old man on a stroll around the valley. Ning Yi respected this old man. While the old man had a stern expression, he would often size up him, who was the brains of the rebel army. In the afternoon, when Ning Yi went to see him again, he gave him a few bound new books.
"This is what Elder Qin was doing before he died. No one in the world will dare to read the books he annotated in a short period of time. I think you can bring them back to read. "
The Four Books, Chapters, and Sentences Collection, signed by Qin Siyuan. Zuo Duanyou had just woken up from his afternoon nap. He reached out to touch the cover of the book, his gaze moved. His stern expression relaxed slightly, and he rubbed it twice before speaking.
"I came over today and saw the situation in your valley. My Zuo family can help with the lack of food."
It was expected that the two sides would talk in this direction. Sunlight poured in from the window, and the cicadas chirped in the valley. In the room, the old man sat, waiting for the other party to nod and solve the problem for this small valley. Ning Yi stood there quietly for a long time before he cupped his fists and said, "I already have a solution for the lack of food in Little Cang River. There is no need to trouble Grandpa Zuo."
Zuo Duanyou looked at him, his gaze like lightning. "I am a man of my words. I do not like to beat around the bush or bargain. When I was outside, I heard that the inner demon Ning Yi is cunning, but he is not an indecisive person. If you want to use your schemes on me, don't you think you don't know when to stop?! "
Ning Yi cupped his fists and lowered his head. "Old man, I am telling the truth."
"Are you joking with everyone's lives?"
"If the Zuo family only provides the food and does not say anything, I will naturally take it. But I don't think it is that simple, right? "
The old man frowned. After a while, he snorted. "The situation is stronger than the person. You have told me everything that we need. Do you think the Zuo family is relying on you? Young man from the Ning family, if it was not for the fact that you are the last branch of the Qin family, I would not have come. I think you know this. The Zuo family is helping you because they have something to ask of you, but they will not restrict you too much. You even killed the Emperor, what is there to be afraid of? "
Many major events in the world were sometimes tied to the tireless efforts and negotiations of countless people, but there were also many times when a decision was made with just a few words. There was no doubt that Zuo Duanyou and Qin Siyuan had a friendship. He came to Little Cang River to pay his respects to Qin Siyuan and received Qin Siyuan's writings. His emotions were not fake either. But this friendship was between gentlemen and would not affect the overall situation. Qin Shaoqian also understood this, which was why he asked Ning Yi to accompany Zuo Duanyou. Because Ning Yi was the decision maker in this aspect.
With Zuo Duanyou's status, he had already given Qin Siyuan face by taking the initiative to ask for the food. But he did not expect that Zuo Duanyou would reject him. It was just a simple rejection, but it became a real problem. It was the life and death of tens of thousands of people.
Ning Yi looked at him and said calmly, "I understand your kindness, but Little Cang River does not accept restrictions from people who do not share the same principles. So, I appreciate your kindness, but we do not want the food. The food that you sent the last two times is still sealed in the warehouse. When you return, you can take it with you. "
After he said this, Zuo Duanyou was really angry. Just as he was about to speak, someone ran in. "Something happened!"
The person who came in was Chen Fan. He looked at Zuo Duanyou and said, "Something happened to Ning Xi …"
This small accident interrupted the confrontation between the two.
For a period of time, picking wild vegetables, fishing for fish and food had become the norm for the children in Little Cang River.
It was already the dog days of the summer. The lack of food in the valley was a problem that had yet to be solved. Under Ning Yi's management, the people in the valley did not appear to be in a mess. However, sometimes the pressure could be suppressed in the heart, and sometimes it could be seen in all aspects. The children's actions were the direct manifestation of this pressure.
They could eat the things in the mountains, the things in the water, the wild vegetables, the tree bark, and according to Min Chuyi, there was even a type of soil that could be eaten. This made little Ning Xi feel optimistic. But even though she was optimistic, the children and some of the women were picking wild vegetables. Near Little Cang River, there weren't many edible wild vegetables and roots. The adults could still organize groups to hunt and dig, but the children were strictly forbidden from leaving the valley. Because of this, every day she stayed in the valley, Ning Xi didn't have much harvest in her basket.
He thought that it was because he was too weak and couldn't take hardships as well as Min Chuyi and the other children. Many times, after searching for an entire day, he would look at his little wicker basket dejectedly. Actually, Min Chuyi did not have much harvest in his wicker basket, but he would still share some with him from time to time. Out of the vanity of claiming credit in front of his parents, he finally accepted it.
Therefore, every morning, he would give Min Chu a small half of a wild vegetable pancake — he couldn't finish it anyway.
He had never thought that he would find a rabbit in the valley. When the furry little animal ran out from the grass, Ning Xi was frightened. She pointed at the rabbit and stammered, "This, this …"
The seven-year-old girl was already rushing towards them. The rabbit turned around and ran.
"Catch it! Catch it! Ning Xi, grab it … "
"Ahhhhhh —"
The two children's shouts rang out on the hill. The two of them and the rabbit ran with all their might. Ning Xi bravely charged over and jumped off the high ground to block the rabbit's escape route. Min Chuyi ran from below and jumped, grabbing the rabbit's ear. Ning Xi rolled on the ground and climbed up. She blinked and then pointed at Min Chuyi, "Hahaha, hahaha … Uh …" He saw the rabbit in the little girl's hands and then it fell down.
"Uh, catch it, catch it, it ran, it ran …" Ning Xi wanted to chase, but she stopped after two steps. Min Chuyi was looking at her with a weird gaze. His gaze was filled with fear and then tears flowed out.
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