In the early morning of the 13th of June in the second year of Jingping in the Wu dynasty, there was a short period of chaos in the valley of Little Cang River.
The sun had not risen yet and the night was cold. Not long after the warm yellow lights were lit up one by one, voices of discussion could be heard in the barracks in the valley. This was the time when the soldiers of Little Cang River received their daily tasks. Not long after the buzzing subsided, groups of soldiers gathered in the surrounding open space and began their daily running training along the road in the valley. Then came the crowing of the roosters that signaled the dawn.
Zuo Duanyou had also woken up. The old man was old and used to getting up early every day. Even if he came to a new place, he would not change it. He put on his clothes and went outside to practice his martial arts. He was still thinking about the conversation he had with Ning Yi last night. The mountain breeze was quite cool. On the mountain path not far downwind, the soldiers were running and shouting their war cries. They formed a long line and passed through the mountain ridge, the head and tail of which could not be seen.
They were good soldiers with a murderous aura and rules. Zuo Duanyou had seen them in the past two days.
Then Qin Shaoqian came to greet him and have breakfast. After breakfast, the old man was thinking in his room. Little Cang River was located in a remote area and the hills on both sides were not green. Under the sunlight, there was only yellow and green, but it looked peaceful. The training slogans could be heard from outside the house occasionally, which could calm people down.
The rise of the Jin Kingdom and the decline of the Wu dynasty. Since Bianliang was conquered by the Jurchen, the north of the Yellow River had only existed in name. For Little Cang River, the world was a cage. The Jin Kingdom was in the north, the Xixia Kingdom was in the west, and the Wu dynasty was in the south. Their food reserves were almost exhausted and it was hard to find a way out. But for the Zuo family, it was the same. This was a change of dynasty. The Zuo family had a bigger business and the Jurchen Kingdom was stabilizing the situation in the country and had not really taken over the north of the Yellow River. They might be able to hold on for a little longer, but what had to happen would happen one day.
As Ning Liheng said, one day the Jin Kingdom would come south and the Zuo family would have to make a choice. This was not an alarmist but an inevitable situation. As for Zuo Duanyou, he did not like the imperial court and had long been disheartened by the world. However, there was one thing that he did not need to consider — he would never consider surrendering to the Jins.
In order to resist the Liao people heading south, Wang Qisong's entire family of males died. In order to revitalize the Wu dynasty, Qin Siyuan's reputation was swept away and he died in the hands of vile people. The three good friends had different beliefs and had long since broken up. However, that was only a difference in techniques. In the Way of the Gentleman and the Confucian Way, some things would never change. On this Great Dao, the three of them never had any differences.
The old mansion in Jinzhou was also quiet. However, ever since last year, the old man's life had lost its peace. Of course, he was willing to die, but the children of the Zuo family had to have a way out. He didn't like being a Female Zhenren either. These children really submitted to the Jin Kingdom and were subservient. Living in the courtyard of the old house, he felt anxious every day. To him, facing such a situation, he was really … a little too old.
Coming to the Small Canghe, of course, he had the intention to let go of a lifeline. However, since the negotiation had failed, in this unfamiliar place, seeing unfamiliar things and listening to unfamiliar slogans, it was actually better for him to calm down. In his free time, he would even suddenly think of the choice made by Qin Siyuan that year. In the face of many things, the one surnamed Qin was the most clear-headed and rational one.
Outside the window, the white clouds were leisurely. A good morning had just begun. He wanted to put the matter of Ning Liheng to the back of his mind. A Zuo family's chief steward who had accompanied him here walked quickly outside the house.
"There seems to be some movement in the main house."
"Hmm? What? "
"Come out and have a look. The army in the valley is moving."
Zuo Duanyou propped himself up with his walking stick and walked out of the house.
To show respect to the old man, the house that was arranged for him was also located on the upper part of the mountain. From the side, he could overlook the entire valley. At this time, the sun had just risen and the temperature was pleasant. White clouds floated across the sky and the scene in the valley seemed to be full of vigor and vitality. However, when one looked carefully, everything seemed to be a little different.
The settlement area in the river valley had the small square as its center, extending in all directions. At this time, the houses were still being built. Every day, a large number of wheelbarrows and soldiers carrying supplies passed through the streets, filling up the settlement area inside and outside. Meanwhile, at the riverbank, open space, hillside, and other places further away, the figures of the soldiers training were active, and they were in no way lacking in vigor.
However, at this time, the entire settlement seemed to have been diluted. Other than a few troops maintaining order, the rest were just ordinary residents and some children playing in the valley. From the settlement to the surroundings, all the riverbanks, empty land, and even the riverbank on the other side of the river were now filled with the figures of the soldiers training.
Zuo Duanyou compared the impression he had two days ago and asked, "Are they all participating in the training today?"
"I have already inquired about it. The army in the valley has three days as one training session and the rest of the soldiers take turns to work. It has been going on for more than half a year." The supervisor reported in a low voice, "But today … the practice has stopped."
The mountain breeze blew over pleasantly. The old man frowned and held the walking stick in his hand tightly …
*****
It was gradually noon. In the canteen of Little Canghe, there was an unusually quiet atmosphere.
The soldiers who were coming and going were quiet, but this silence did not make them feel depressed. At the dining table, there were people whispering to the people around them. People ate and swallowed their food in big mouthfuls. Some people purposely ground their teeth and looked around with a strange expression. Many of the others also had the same strange expression.
Occasionally, a noisy loud voice suddenly came out, "It must be …" Looking at the gazes of the people around them, he hummed twice with a proud expression. Not far away, the squad leader at the dining table shouted in a low voice, "Don't talk nonsense!"
Someone picked up the chopsticks and picked up a piece of meat, "The meat is bigger than usual." The person across the table laughed and ate with big mouthfuls.
The discussion was not too loud, because the question that everyone was curious about and interested in had been ordered to be kept quiet in the morning. The sudden change of work schedule seemed to have startled everyone, so much so that when the squads and platoons gathered, there was a moment of whispering to each other. This made all the high-ranking officers lose their temper at the same time and even made them travel a lot more. Under the situation where no one dared to talk about it on a large scale, the whole scene became like this.
Hou Wu came over with the food and sat down beside Mao Yishan. Mao Yishan leaned over with interest, "Brother Wu, did you go to see Brother Qu?"
Hou Wu nodded.
"What did Brother Qu say?"
Hou Wu smiled, "He wants to come out."
"Ah, is Brother Qu still injured …"
"Hey." Hou Wu lowered his voice, "He just said that the time has come. He can't miss such a big event."
"Brother Qu really said so? What else did he say? "
"He didn't say it clearly, but he mentioned …" Hou Wu lowered his voice even more. However, at this time, everyone at the table lowered their heads to eavesdrop. "He said … the wheat harvest should have started in the northwest …"
A soldier across the table leaned over and reminded, "The wheat hasn't ripened yet, right? In another two days … "
"The Xixia people have occupied this place, of course, it's early …"
Before the other person finished speaking, the battalion commander of their battalion, Xu Lingming, came over, "What are you talking about sneakily! Didn't you run enough this morning? "
Xu Lingming was usually a good person, so the people were not afraid of him. A young soldier stood up, "Battalion commander! We can still run another ten miles! "
Another person stood up, "Boss, we've finished eating. We're going to train now!"
"We've also finished eating." Several people around him, including Mao Yishan, also stood up. They had indeed finished eating.
"What training! We've just finished eating. Wash the dishes and go back to rest! "
The guy who said that he was going to train was stunned, "Uh … yes! We're going to rest. "
The group of people at the table quickly left. They couldn't talk here, but they could at least talk in the dormitory. Hou Wu, who had been delayed because he was delivering food to Qu Qing, saw that the table was suddenly empty, and the corner of his mouth twitched, "Wait for me, you bastards!" Then he quickly buried his head in eating.
*****
After leaving this mountainous area, the northwest had indeed started to harvest the wheat.
The Xixia army had forced the people of the occupied areas to start harvesting since a few days ago. The people of the northwest were swift and fierce. When the wheat was really harvested in large tracts, and they only got a limited amount of rations, a part of the resistance began to appear one after another.
Near Yanzhou, an entire village was slaughtered for resisting. Outside Clear Stream City, all kinds of rumors about Old Master Zhong gradually spread. In the village outside the city, some people began to burn down the wheat fields that originally belonged to them at night. This was the revenge of the Xixia soldiers. The roving bandits began to appear more actively. Some mountain bandits tried to rob the grain from the Xixia people, but the Xixia people's counterattack was also fierce. In just a few days, many mountain strongholds were found, destroyed, and slaughtered by the Xixia soldiers.
In the area of Huanzhou, Zhong Lie led the last thousands of soldiers of the Xixia army to attack. He also wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to gather more followers. However, they encountered the main force of the Xixia Iron Sparrowhawk at the riverside and were defeated again.
Spots of blood and large patches of gold were blooming on this land along with the harvest of the Xixia people.
*****
The army's training continued until the beautiful sunset was swallowed by the dark night. The Little Cang River was lit up. In the small square in the center of the settlement, the news that the Xixia people had begun to harvest the grain had spread.
With the arrival of the night, all kinds of discussions were spreading in the barracks of this settlement. The soldiers who had trained for a day still had an irrepressible excitement on their faces. Some people ran to ask Luo Ye if he wanted to fight his way out. However, at this moment, the military leaders still adopted a taciturn attitude toward the whole matter. Everyone's speculation was nothing more than private fantasies.
The whole Little Cang River Barracks seemed to be boiled in a small fire at this time.
Deep into the night, the feeling of nervousness and excitement didn't stop. Halfway up the mountain, Ning Yi walked out of the small courtyard. Just like every day, he overlooked the lights in the distance.
On one side of the mountain, a figure was moving slowly and silently in the darkness. Not long after, he went over the top of the mountain.
That figure walked along the rugged mountain road and then went down the slope cautiously. The moonlight was like water. Suddenly, he stopped in such a light.
Some footsteps swept past from afar. In front of him, there was also a figure walking slowly, the edge of a spear appearing.
"Old Six Li, where are you going?"
A young man's face appeared in the moonlight. The figure called Old Li slowly stood up and drew out the two sabers at his side. "Zhu Biao … and Yuwen Feidu."
After saying this, he jumped up with his saber! In front of him, the shadow of the spear whistled up like a raging fire, swallowing him —
In the darkness further away, the young man called Yuwen Feidu showed up. He drew his bow and put an arrow …
"Today, you won't be leaving …"
*****
On the 14th of June, there was a heavy rain. The black rain clouds seemed to cover the sky. The rain washed away everything, and lightning flashed and thunder roared. As a result, the training in Little Cang River could no longer continue. All the soldiers stayed in their rooms for the whole day. It was not until the evening that the rain finally stopped. The sun had not set yet, and the sky was clear and bright as if it was new. On the 15th of June, the training continued again.
In the evening, in the small courtyard halfway up the mountain, Su Tan'er came back. She ate an extra bowl of rice, which was rare for her. Her work was coming to an end. With her head wrapped in bandages, Xiaoning Xi complained about not being able to go to class for the past two days. She didn't know if Min Chuyi was studying well.
After dinner, Ning Yi went out to enjoy the cool air. After a while, Jiner came over and told him about the girl named Min Chuyi who came to class today. Maybe it was because she accompanied Ning Xi out to play that caused Ning Xi to be injured. Miss Min's parents beat her and even slapped her on the face.
She talked about trivial things like this, and then talked about the training in the valley and some rumors. Jiner recalled Ning Yi's question from a month ago, so she mentioned a few words. Ning Yi looked down at the valley and smiled.
"What does Little Cang River look like? The old man from the Zuo family said it looked like a dangerous egg on a cliff. You said it looked like a bag, like this or that. Of course, it's not wrong. I just thought of that question on a whim. I just thought … hmm? "
As he spoke, Tan'er walked over. Ning Yi was sitting on a tree stump. There was grass next to him. Su Tan'er smiled and asked, "What are you talking about?" Then she sat down on the grass.
Ning Yi repeated the question he asked Jin'er. Tan'er looked down at the valley and hugged her knees. She put her chin on her knees and replied softly, "Like a knife."
Yes, it was like a knife …
Ning Yi nodded.
…
In the river valley, Battalion Commander Pang Liu 'an was walking on the street, frowning as he told the young men beside him to leave. He was already annoyed to death. Over the past few days, he had been asked many times, and now there were people asking him if he was going to go out and attack some rich family.
"Fight, fight, fight. Even if we are going to fight, it's not as useless as you say! Think bigger … "
He revealed a little bit of the answer to the riddle. He thought of the meeting three days ago.
…
"... Last autumn, we came to this area of the Little Blue River. Our original plan was to attach ourselves to the Green Wood Stronghold and make use of the geographical advantages of the surrounding area to open up a commercial road or even a commercial network to solve our current difficulties. At that time, the Western Xia did not make any big moves. Moreover, the Western Xia Army's commander, Zhong Shidao, was still alive. We thought this goal was very difficult, but still possible … "
"… But since December, when the news of Zhong Shidao's death came, we completely rejected this plan …"
"… After the Western Xia came, the northwest was in chaos. In the foreseeable future, the Jins would gradually swallow the north of the Yellow River. We would definitely be isolated. In this situation, it was already confirmed that it was impossible to open a commercial road. So, we could only choose another path. If this path was told directly, it would only cause the morale of the entire Little Cang River to fall and the current foundation to collapse. Therefore, after making the decision, we carried out … all the work that we have done so far … "
"… For nearly a year, the core of all the work in Little Cang River was to raise the subjective initiative of the soldiers in the valley, to let them feel the pressure. At the same time, to let them think that this pressure did not necessarily need to be solved by themselves. A lot of work was done to increase their sense of identity with each other, to transmit information from the outside world, to let them understand what reality was and to let them feel everything that they needed to feel. Until that day, when they had already developed a sense of identity with themselves, they could identify with their companions, and they could identify with this group. They would no longer be afraid of this pressure, because they all knew that this was something that they had to overcome next … "
"Moreover, they could overcome …"
…
After nearly a year of polishing, little Cang He's eyes were now a blade.
It was hard and rough to the extreme. Because of the huge internal problems, once it encountered any kind of chaos, it could break. Every society was a complex whole. But this society, because it was too simple, the problems and flaws it encountered were also too simple, and it had already gone to the extreme.
What supported this valley was the belief that had been built up over the past year, but only this belief. This made it extremely fragile, and it could break easily. But this belief was also stubborn and fearless, and it had almost reached the peak that it could reach.
It was like a high carbon steel knife that was full of flaws, and if it was swung with force, it could break into pieces.
But the problem was, who would be able to withstand this full force blow …
On the 16th of the sixth month of the second year of Jingping, the chaos continued in the northwest. In the mountains, there was a group of people who were eyeing the small valley as an imaginary enemy. In the north of the Green Wood Stronghold, the atmosphere was equally somber, as everyone was on guard against the threat of the Jin soldiers. In this valley, the call to assemble rang out — —
Lightning flashed, piercing through the thunderclouds. Under the northwest sky, a storm was gathering. No one knew what kind of thunderstorm was coming.
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