The torrential rain enveloped the undulating mountain range near Wei Sheng. The fighting within the Celestial Pole Palace had reached a white-hot state. The soldiers' slaughter caused the rain to boil, and the generals led their troops in a charge. Line after line of defense weaved through the blood and corpses. The scene was extremely tragic.
The sudden downpour reduced the power of the gunpowder that was about to explode in the city. Objectively, it prolonged the originally scheduled time of attack and defense. And because Tiger King personally led the troops, his long-standing prestige supported the undulating battle lines. And because the battle here had not ended, the city was in an increasingly chaotic state.
On the other side of the Celestial Pole Palace, in the area that had already been occupied by the rebel army, the negotiations that were taking place might be the key to deciding the future of the Tiger King's territory — although in reality, the negotiations might not be able to decide the fate of the Tiger King. Sooner or later, the chaos in the city would be directed in a fixed direction. Outside the city, the army led by Great General Yu Yulin was already on the way. Although on the surface it seemed to be a political coup and counterattack in Prince Jin's territory, the situation inside was far more complicated.
"... Yang Shun, Fang Xiang, Su Ji, Shen An, Sheng Ben, Shi Xun, Sang Ying... Dou Zhao, Huang Da, Huang Xiaobing, Du Wei, Qian Linzhong, Hou Zhaolan..."
As the rain fell, the names in the room were listed one by one. The three old men opposite them had indifferent expressions. Dressed in black, Lou Shuwan calmly narrated. Her words were smooth and simple. She did not even hold a piece of paper in her hand. Clearly, she had already thought about these things countless times.
"... Because of the support of these people, today's operation was not only successful. At this time, Prince Jin's territory has already been set ablaze..."
"Prince Jin! Do you know that it was Prince Jin who took you in?! "
"Yuan Gong, there's no point in saying such things. Where were you when I was locked up in the cell? "
"So you colluded with the Chinese army!"
Lou Shuwan's gaze swept past Yuan Zhanxia and she ignored him.
"After this incident, China will sell us 200 heavy iron cannons and give us a list of spies infiltrated by the Chinese army. After the handover is completed, we will send them back to the southwest in batches."
When these words were spoken, the three old men were momentarily stunned. The old man surnamed Tang waited for a moment and said, "200 heavy cannons? Send back the Chinese army? "
The other old man could not help but say, "The Chinese army … they have the final say … how can we trust them …"
Yuan Zhanxia shook her head and sneered helplessly, "It's because of this …"
"It's because of this …" This time, most of the mobilizations were led by members of the Huaxia Army. They took the initiative to withdraw a large number of troops. Are you still not satisfied? If not for the fact that the Tiger King is muddle-headed, the three of you, get me 200 iron cannons and clear them out. "
Lou Shuwan's expression was cold. "Moreover, Wang Juyun and I agreed to launch an attack from the north at the same time today. However, Wang Juyun is cunning and scheming. He cannot be trusted easily. I believe that he has already sent his army to attack the pass last night. He is taking advantage of our internal strife to attack the city and occupy it. The three of you who have businesses in Gaizhou and other places are probably in danger … "
"As she spoke, Tang Shun slapped of the table and said and of of of Shan with of Mountain Sea Wan.
"You can't take back what has fallen into the tiger's mouth. However, if we send people there immediately, we might be able to persuade him to negotiate and withdraw. "After this, we will sell Wang Juyun a total of 200,000 dans of grain. The transaction will be done in three installments and will be completed within a year. The money, metal, and goods that the other party pays will be sold at 80% of the market price …"
"You even colluded with Wang Juyun."
"Yuan Gong, I respect you as a hero. Don't play dumb anymore. Now that things have come to this, it is meaningless to talk about collusion. It is the will of the times."
Thunder rumbled outside the hall. In the dim hall, on one side was a frail woman, and on the other side were three old men with different expressions but equally dignified. They faced each other in silence for a moment. Not far away, the smiling short and fat merchant watched everything quietly.
The will of the times.
Four simple words, but they carried an unparalleled weight.
Lou Shuwan pursed her lips and took a breath. "You know better than me what kind of person the Tiger King is. He suspects me and imprisoned me and a group of people. He is so scared that he has lost his mind! "
"King Jin Chaotang, this is not the first time something like this has happened. If you want to kill someone, the person has to stay alive. The Tiger King may not kill me this time. Rebelling or not is not the only way for me. However, if he wants to deal with the Black Flag, the Black Flag will deal with him. "
"If it is only the Black Flag, I don't mind risking my life. However, there are more than just the Black Flag in the Central Plains. What kind of person is Wang Juyun? The Black Flag is connecting them. How can he let go of such an opportunity? Even if I don't count the group of farmers under me, the Tiger King will still lose a layer of skin if he goes against these two parties."
Lou Shuwan's fingers tapped on the table twice.
"The three of you, all these years, the Tiger King's direct descendants have gone against the grain. You have seen clearly what they are like. What kind of trash is the so-called number one in the Central Plains … The Tiger King has great ambitions. He always thinks that he is pretending to be courteous under the eyes of the Jurchen so that he can have great ambitions in the future. Hmph, Hongtu, if he didn't do this, we wouldn't have to kill him today! "
When she said this, Yuan Zhanxia frowned. "You are just a woman. How dare you talk big and make arbitrary judgments about the great ambitions of a man! If you want to be a dog with the Jurchen, you don't have to say it so loudly! "
Lou Shuwan looked at him. "I don't know if I will be a dog or not, but I know very well if I will die! The Black Flag resisted the gold for three years just because they have great ambitions!? There is no group of relatives who abduct women and burn and kill among them! They have great ambitions but don't know how to reflect on themselves. Only death awaits them! "
"I can see it, Tian Shi can see it, Yu Yulin and a large group of people can see it. Following the Tiger King means death. Betraying the Tiger King is also going against the Jurchen. At least, the chances of survival are much higher than following the Tiger King! "
She spread out a hand. "In three years at least, five years at most, the Jurchen may dismiss Liu Yu and personally take charge of the Central Plains. After killing Tian Hu, 200 cannons will be connected to the Huaxia army's front line to eliminate the cause of internal strife. Then, they will join forces with Wang Juyun. There will be space and time to turn things around. Or, if the three of you are loyal to the Tiger King and don't cooperate with me to eliminate the internal strife, I will kill the three of you. The Huaxia army will make the matter bigger. Prince Jin's territory will be divided and there will be internal strife, and Wang Juyun will take the opportunity to pluck all the peaches … "
"The three of you, I am a woman. I only want to survive in this chaotic world. I can manage, but I can't fight. Even if I want to take power, you men are not afraid of me. When the Jurchen comes, I will immediately kneel. The three of you can choose to fight or surrender. But whether you fight or surrender, if you want to keep your life, you must let the Jurchen look up to you … That's all I have to say. Please consider it carefully. "
When she said this, there was a strange silence in the hall amidst the sound of the heavy rain.
In fact, the situation is stronger than people, stronger than anything else. In this silence, Tang Shun smiled and looked at the short and fat merchant at the side. They had seen this person long ago, but since Lou Shuwan didn't say, they didn't ask. At this time, it became a way to resolve the awkwardness. "May I know who this is …"
"The envoy of the Huaxia army," Lou Shuwan said coldly.
"Dong Fangxian, the shopkeeper of Takeshi, greets the three elders." The short and fat merchant smiled and took a step forward.
"Head shopkeeper, I've heard of your name for a long time."
Hearing this name, the three old men who were extremely arrogant in front of Lou Shuwan cupped their hands and bowed respectfully. One of the shopkeepers of the highest level in the Takeshi army, they had heard of this name before. Ever since the three years at Little Canghe, no matter which force in the Central Plains, when they saw someone of this status in the Huaxia army, it would be difficult for them to be arrogant.
These people were once the direct descendants of the Heart Demon, and the word "terrifying" couldn't describe them.
"Head shopkeeper," Yuan Zhanxia said, "This time, Black Flag has taken all the advantage."
"You're exaggerating, Yuan Gong." Dong Fangxian smiled and said, "These things are all for the sake of everyone. Prince Jin has high standards but little ability, and his achievements are limited. He will stop here, but everyone is different. As long as you set things right, you will have a bright future ahead of you. I, Takeshi, sold the cannons and withdrew my men. To be honest, Yuan Gong, this time, the Huaxia army has made a loss. "
"Oh? You made a loss for us, but the Huaxia army has made a loss? "
"Yuan Gong, you misunderstood. As long as you don't treat Takeshi as an enemy, you will realize that the Huaxia army has only made a profit from this transaction." Dong Fangxian smiled, but then his smile faded a lot and he said seriously,
"Before we went north this time, Lady Boss asked me to pass a message to everyone. The world has been overturned, and the greatest enemy of Huaxia is the Jurchens. Back at Little Canghe, you were forced by the Jurchens. Although you and I were on opposing sides, we had no other choice. Now that the Huaxia army has gone to the southwest, they won't go north for a while, so there will naturally be no conflict of interest with you. You and I are fellow Hans from Huaxia, so our interests are the same. "
"The Jurchens have taken over the Central Plains and established a fake Qi, but it is ultimately a strategy of delay and expediency. Once the country has stabilized, they will have the strength to conquer the south and will definitely not let go of this prosperous land. You may be able to feign civility under the fake Qi, but if the Central Plains were to fall into the hands of the Jurchens, I'm afraid your relatives, family members, and friends will not have a day of peace. Therefore, there will definitely be a conflict between you and the Jurchens, and the Huaxia army will follow suit. "
"Helping you to become stronger is to win time and space for us. We live in the harsh lands of Tiannan, so it is inconvenient for us to establish a good relationship with all of you. We will also be able to benefit from each other's needs and become stronger together. You and I are all citizens of Huaxia, and in this dangerous situation, we must join hands and fight against the Jurchens. I hope that you can get rid of Tian Hu this time, and get rid of the internal troubles and restore order. I hope that both of us can let go of our previous enmity. Only with a good first cooperation will there be a foundation for the next one. In this world, the living space of the Han people is too small, and it is better to be friends than enemies. "
After Dong Fangxian finished speaking, the three old men were silent for a while. Tang Shun said, "Even so, the Huaxia army has earned quite a lot of money..."
"Compared to fighting against the Jin army, it is not much."
This is just killing another Emperor, it is indeed not much... but hearing Dong Fangxian's words, the three of them felt that they could not refute him. Yuan Zhanxia asked in a deep voice, "Is the Huaxia army really sincere?"
Dong Fangxian said seriously, "Duke Yuan, please understand that the Huaxia army is now a thorn in the side of the Jurchens. Even if we are not afraid of them, we can only choose to stay in Tiannan for the time being. We will not be coming up for the time being. After fighting against the Jin army for three years and sacrificing hundreds of thousands of people, the reputation of the Huaxia army in the Central Plains has not been easy to build. Have you ever seen such a reputation being tarnished so easily? We killed Tian Hu because he wanted to attack us, and we want to tell everyone that the Huaxia army is not to be trifled with. Since we have a reputation, we need to open up trade routes and trade with each other. Only then can we exchange what we need and benefit from each other. Yuan Gong, our first business deal is for the world to see. Have you ever seen someone who would destroy his own reputation? If we destroy our reputation and disgust you, it will be difficult for us to have a chance to communicate with the Central Plains again. Everyone is afraid of the Huaxia army, what good will that do?
"However... in those three years, we have helped the Jurchens and killed many of your people..."
"Sigh! Look at what you are saying, Duke Yuan. "Dong Fangxian laughed and waved his hand." Only children talk about right and wrong. Adults only talk about gains and losses! "
His words were so generous that even the deaf could hear them.
"As long as there is a chance to cooperate in the future and fight against the Jurchens together, all the misunderstandings in the past can be erased! To solve the misunderstanding, someone must take the first step. Gentlemen, the Huaxia army has already taken the first step. "
"Sigh." Someone in the hall sighed and the silence continued for a while.
"... Actually, when the Tiger King insisted on lowering the gold … I tried to dissuade him, but in the end... the situation is stronger than the man..."
This voice and words did not seem to have much meaning. It was gradually drowned and dissipated in the heavy rain.
In the heavy rain, the soldiers surged.
Huge hammers slammed into the city gates.
Long knives flipped over human heads.
Countless footsteps and generals led their troops to kill the crowd.
Killings on the city walls. People fell over the high, long bluestone walls.
Kings who used to be hunters roared and ran.
Countless, countless raindrops.
A city of slaughter.
A city of destruction.
A city of madness …
Such chaos was still spreading in similar yet different ways, almost covering the entire territory of Prince Jin.
In Zezhou, someone was running. His hair was disheveled, and half of his body was stained with blood. He rushed through the huge, chaotic city.
"The Tiger King has been beheaded —"
"Tian Zeyun is rebelling —"
"All good citizens are not allowed on the streets. Anyone who disobeys will be killed — everyone listen up, all good citizens are not allowed on the streets. Anyone who disobeys will be killed. As long as you are at home, you will be safe — "
"Hungry ghost! Hungry ghost has entered the city — "
Countless chaotic shouts could be heard. Flames had already soared into the sky, and smoke rose into the sky.
Lin Zongwu's face was gloomy. He, Tan Zheng, and the others had already led a large number of people out of the temple and were making arrangements in the surroundings.
Then, Lin Zongwu saw Wang Nantuo, who was running over. He had obviously fought with someone and was injured. "Black Flag, Sun Qi …"
Lin Zongwu had already vaguely realized something.
"Sun Qi is dead."
After Wang Nantuo said this, he did not stop.
"The army, the army is coming …"
Lin Zongwu gritted his teeth, and his gaze was extremely fierce. At this moment, he thought of the figure he saw not long ago.
Turning around, Tan Zheng was still seriously making arrangements for people. He was constantly giving out orders, setting up defenses, or going to the prison to rescue the righteous.
The iron hooves of the military horses broke through the long street and surged over. "Under the orders of General Yan, we are to kill the rebels of the Manichaeism Cult. Anyone who is armed and refuses to surrender will be killed —"
This was just a small whirlpool in the chaotic city. At this moment, the heroes of the Green Forest, who had not done anything yet, were sucked into it. The city that was filled with opportunities had become a land of death.
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