In March, Tianhui, the capital of the Jin Kingdom, the warm atmosphere arrived as scheduled.
It was an ordinary day.
When the convoy passed by the fields on the side of the road, it stopped for a moment. The person in the big carriage in the center lifted the curtain and looked at the green fields outside. There were farmers kneeling on both sides of the road and the ground.
So the person in the carriage put down the curtain again and said, "Let's go."
The convoy and the escorting army continued to move forward.
The procession spread out and the dragon flag fluttered. Sitting in the carriage was the Jin Kingdom's Emperor, Wanyan Wu Qimai. He was 59 years old and dressed in mink wool. His body was as big as an old bear, and his eyes were slightly drowsy. He was good at charging and breaking through enemy lines, and his arms could stop the wind and thunder. But now he was old. The wounds left on the battlefield in his early years had been haunting him for the past two years. This made the Jurchen Kingdom's Emperor, who was steady and kind after ascending to the throne, occasionally become irritable and reminisce about the past.
"I remember when I lived in Tianhui, there were not so many fields here and the palace was not big. I saw people living behind you and raising pigs, horses, chickens, and ducks. I often came out to see, but there were not so many carriages and horses. I don't often ask people to kneel. I have killed countless people, so why should I be afraid of assassins? "
As the old man spoke, Wanyan Zongfu in the carriage nodded and said, "However, the country has become bigger. Gradually, we need to be dignified and particular. Otherwise, it will be difficult to manage."
"Look at that Wu dynasty emperor. He is also particular. Being particular can't make a living." Wu Qimai said, and then a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Don't take it to heart. I am too free. I can't wait for an assassin to come and play some tricks."
"Uncle, you haven't put down your martial arts. I also saw it on the drill ground yesterday," Zong Fu said.
"If I shoot at the drill ground, the target won't fight back. My martial arts have been wasted after all. Recently, I have been sick all over my body. I am old. "
Among Aguda's sons, the eldest son had passed away the earliest. The second son, Zong Wang, was originally a brilliant and outstanding character. But, he had been fighting in the north and south, and had passed away due to an old injury a few years ago. Now, the third son, Zong Fu, and the fourth son, Zong Bi, were the leaders. Zong Fu's temperament was benevolent and amiable. Therefore, Wu Qimai was quite fond of him. As they chatted, the carriage entered the city. Wu Qimai lifted the curtain and looked outside for a while. The bustling city outside, including the entire land, was something he had spent twelve years supporting. If he had not become the emperor, he would have been charging and breaking through enemy lines in high spirits during these twelve years, conquering cities and conquering lands.
"Ni Han is also old." After looking for a moment, Wu Qimai said this.
Zong Fu lowered his head. "The two uncles are in good health. They can live for at least another twenty years. By that time, our Jin Kingdom will have unified the world, and the two uncles will be able to enjoy their lives in peace. "
"That's what you said … We have to accept our old age." Wu Qimai waved his hand. "The Han people have a saying, 'The earthen jar never leaves the well'. A general will inevitably die in battle. Even if he is lucky enough to survive, half of his life will be wasted on the battlefield. I have no regrets for my entire life on the battlefield. However, I am already sixty years old. Ni Han is five years younger than me. It is not surprising that he suddenly passed away that day. Nephew, there are only a few mountains in the world. "
Zong Fu listened respectfully. Wu Qimai leaned back on the chair and recalled the past. "When I followed my elder brother to rise up, there were only a few mountains. Chickens and dogs could be heard everywhere. Cutting trees and hauling water, fishing and hunting, there were only these few people. The world … has been conquered, and there are only a few people left. I see Niao Jiannu (Ni Han's nickname) once a year. He still has that bad temper … His temper is bad, but he will not block the path of you juniors. Don't worry. Tell Ah Si, and he will be at ease. "
"Yes," Zong Fu replied.
"It was reasonable to let Ni Han stay there. We don't have many people to begin with … There is also Wu Shi (Wanyan Xiyin). I know Ah Si is afraid of him. Alas, in the end, he is your uncle. What is there to be afraid of? Wu Shi is a man who descended from the heavens. His intelligence must be learned. He beat Ah Si, which means that Ah Si was wrong. Do you think he beats anyone? But if he can learn some superficial knowledge, it is enough for him to preserve his achievements … You youngsters have learned many bad things over the years … "
Wu Qimai rambled on, shaking his head and sighing. He was like an old man who resented the degeneration of young people for failing to live up to his expectations. Zong Fu listened and nodded from time to time. On the way back to the palace, Wu Qimai began to read through the memorials and sent Zong Fu away. After Zong Fu returned to the prince's mansion, Zong Bi came. That year, Zong Bi was thirty-seven years old. Among the younger generation of the Jurchen people, he was one of the most high-spirited radicals. A few years ago, Zong Fu was in charge of the eastern army and Zong Bi was the vanguard. Most of the massacres, raids, and massacres in Jiangnan were his handiwork. Now, the notoriety of the 'Fourth Prince's Golden Crow Technique' had gained some momentum in the south.
Zong Fu relayed Wu Qimai's words to him.
Wu Shu had always been an obstinate and self-opinionated person. After listening, his expression became unhappy. "Uncle is getting old. After recuperating for twelve years, where did the killing intent from the battle go? His mind is muddled. Can this vast country be the same as the mountain village? Even if they want to be the same, can the people behind them be the same? He misses the good old days too much. He has long changed! "
"Fourth Brother, don't talk nonsense."
"I'm not talking nonsense. Third Brother, don't think that I'm trying to stir up trouble because I want to be the Emperor. There will definitely be a big battle between the Eastern and Western courts!" After saying this, he also felt that he had gone overboard. He cupped his hands. "Of course, with His Majesty around, it is still too early to talk about this. However, we must prepare for a rainy day. "
Zong Fu said, "Fourth Uncle can still use a strong bow and wield a sword and spear in the hunting grounds. Although he has been a little sick recently, it is not a big problem."
The two brothers chatted for a while and talked about the strategy to take back the Central Plains. In the afternoon, the palace's security suddenly tightened and a shocking piece of news spread.
*****
A few days later, in the bustling streets of Datong, Xijing, Tang Minjie was wearing a blue manservant uniform and a headscarf. He carried a teapot and ran in the lively second floor lobby.
"Little Jiangnan" was both a restaurant and a teahouse. It was a very famous place in Datong City. The decoration of this restaurant was gorgeous. It was said that the owner had a background in the upper class of the Jurchen people. The first floor was affordable, while the second floor was relatively expensive. There were many women in the back, and it was a place where the Jurchen nobles spent a lot of money. At this time, the second floor was filled with the sound of storytellers and singing. The martial arts stories and legends from the Central Plains were very popular even in the north. Tang Minjie was serving the nearby customers. Then, he saw two noble-looking merchants coming up and quickly went to serve them.
The two of them booked a private room facing the street. Tang Minjie followed them in and introduced various dishes to them. Then, he closed the door alone.
"Why are you back so fast …"
Tang Minjie, who was standing by the table, was wiping the table enthusiastically with a towel and talking in a low voice. One of the people at the table was Lu Mingfang, who was in charge of affairs in the north.
"Something happened to Tianhui." Lu Mingfang smiled.
"What happened?"
"Wu Qimai suffered a stroke."
"Dead?"
"Paralyzed."
"Alright, please wait a moment, dear customer …"
Tang Minjie shouted loudly and turned to go out. After a while, he came back with hot tea and appetizers. "How serious is it?"
"He won't die for now, but it's enough to make the Jurchen panic." Tang Minjie poured the tea. Lu Mingfang picked up the teacup and put it to his mouth. "How about you?"
"There are some clues, but it's not clear yet. But it seems that we have to bite the bullet and do it."
"Why do you think so?"
"The children of Zong Han and Aguda want to seize power."
"Internal strife sounds like a good thing."
"Internal strife can be compared with military strength, and it can also be compared with merit."
At this point, the three of them were silent for a moment. Then, Lu Mingfang nodded. "After the incident with Tian Hu, Teacher no longer lives in seclusion. Zong Han is almost ready to take over the Central Plains. Zong Fu and the others are already following. It seems that …"
"The Mongolians that Teacher mentioned will more or less make Zong Han hesitate to take action." The person across the table said.
"Even if they are afraid of our Huaxia army, how much can they be afraid of?"
"I will speed up the matter of the Great Construction Institute." Tang Minjie said in a low voice.
"Don't force yourself."
"Okay!"
As the three of them talked, a convoy passed by on the street outside. Loud shouts came from the front, and the pedestrians on the road retreated to the sides. At this time, if they were in the Central Plains, the pedestrians on the road would have to kneel and salute when a Jin Kingdom official went out on patrol. But there was no such rule in the Jin Kingdom. This was Zong Han's convoy passing by. The three of them saw that the soldiers had gathered and did not speak anymore. Tang Minjie put a towel on his shoulder and turned to leave with a polite smile. When he turned halfway, someone jumped out of a house diagonally opposite.
The spring sun shone diagonally, dazzling. The figure simply glanced at the corner of his eyes. Abruptly but resolutely, he raised his Qianjun Cudgel in the sunlight.
Then he fell —
With a bang, there were screams, horses neighing, and chaos. Tang Minjie, Lu Mingfang, and the other two were stunned for a moment.
The pedestrians on the street reacted, and the voices below also boiled over …
*****
In the ninth year of Wu Jianshuo, and in the twelfth year of Tianhui, the Central Plains was struggling in an awkward mud.
The political power of the Great Qi Kingdom, which was established by the Jurchen, was now in a state of conflict and warlords. All the forces were living a difficult and anxious life.
In all fairness, as the nominal ruler of the Central Plains, the best days of the Great Qi Kingdom were perhaps a few years after they first surrendered to the Jurchen. At that time, Liu Yu and the others played the role of pure villains, plundering, conscripting, digging up people's graves, and extorting the wealth of the people. Even after the three years of defeat at Little Canghe, at least they were protected by the Jin, and the rulers could still live happily.
If it was in the history of the Song Dynasty, Liu Yu and the others lived like this. They attached themselves to the Jin Kingdom, wholeheartedly suppressed rebellions, searched for loyal soldiers, sent troops to attack the south, and then cried to the north to ask for more troops … However, after the battle at Little Canghe, everything became complicated.
The problem of spies left behind by the Hua Xia army after the fierce struggle caused countless people a headache. Although on the surface, they had been searching for and cleaning up the remnants of the Hua Xia army, but in private, they were very careful. Especially Liu Yu's side. One night after Hei Qi's death, the remnants of the Hua Xia army came to his bedroom and beat him up. Since then, he had a nervous breakdown. Every night, he would wake up with a start, and during the day, he would occasionally go crazy on the court officials.
In the beginning, all parties reacted fiercely to these Hua Xia army spies, and they all carried out a purge. Later on, they all became silent and covered up, thinking that the world would be at peace. After two years, Tian Hu, who was the most powerful, wanted to pull out this evil thorn in his heart, but the counterattack that followed made everyone feel cold.
Tian Hu's power changed overnight.
The kingpin who had occupied the north of the Yellow River for more than ten years was quietly executed.
Liu Yu went crazy at that time. It was said that at night, he held a sword in his bedroom, shouting and slashing as he ran. Of course, not many people could confirm that this kind of rumor was true.
The war lasted for more than ten years. Even if the world was turned upside down, life still had to go on. The people in ragged clothes gradually adapted to the miserable years. Without the oxen, the people picked up the plow and continued to plow the fields. But in this year's Central Plains, many forces found themselves in an uneasy situation.
In this world, in terms of strength, the ruler was naturally the Lady Zhenren. The new Jin Kingdom had won every battle and looked down on everything. On the other side of the Lady Zhenren was the Wu Dynasty, which seemed to be struggling at death's door. However, since Tian Hu's imperial court was overturned last year, more and more news came from the rugged mountains in the southwest. The most shocking news was that Mister Ning was still alive.
No one could directly confirm all this, but the news in the dark was getting more and more obvious. The Huaxia army had played dead for two years, but in the spring of the ninth year of Jianshuo, they seemed to be infected with a heavy and dark malice. In February, at the court meeting of the Qi Kingdom in Bianliang, a minister laughed and said, "I knew this person was playing dead." He wanted to liven up the atmosphere, but all he got was an awkward silence. It seemed to show the weight of this news and everyone's feelings.
Ten years ago, when this person killed the emperor in anger, people could still think that he was reckless and incompetent. When he went to the mountains of the Little Cang River, people could also think that he was a stray dog. When he defeated the Western Xia, it could be said that he had taken an unconventional course of action. But when he stayed at the Little Cang River for three years, the mournful wails of millions of soldiers and the death of the two Jurchen generals, people could still think that they had at least crippled … or at least Ning Yi was dead.
After that, he struggled at death's door in the southwest mountains and had to rely on selling core goods such as iron cannons to survive. People sighed with emotion. After all, a hero was born at the wrong time.
Until now, Ning Yi was not dead. In the barren mountains of the southwest, every piece of information in the past and present seemed to be the tentacles of a terrifying evil beast. Wherever it passed, there was only mud, and every time it shook, there would be black sludge that was full of malice dripping down with dripping sounds.
At least in the Central Plains, no one could look down on this force anymore. Even though there were only hundreds of thousands of them, they had been unconventional, fierce, decisive, and violent for a long time. All these proved that this was a force that could fight against the Women Zhenren head-on.
No one knew what would happen next. But now, Ning Yi quietly came out and faced the general trend of the Jin Kingdom. Once the Jin Kingdom went south, and the Jin Kingdom was bound to go south, this crazy army would most likely face the Jin Kingdom. At that time, the Central Plains forces who were caught in the middle would be beaten badly …
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