The flames burned fiercely, and shadows danced on the walls of the cave. The glint of the blade carried the shadows in the air. In the cave, it was a dance of power and ferocity.
The man dancing in the flames was tall. His shirtless upper body was muscular, and his face was covered in scars. It was a man's bravery and battle record. Lang Ge, the leader of the Mang Mountain Ni tribe in the southwest, had hunted countless ferocious beasts in the wilderness. The hunting knife in his hand had killed hundreds of brave enemies. He was one of the most prominent leaders of the Mang Mountain Ni tribe in the southwest.
The blade danced, and his body was like a tiger or leopard hunting its prey. He roared and attacked with his knife, maintaining great tension. The burning flames reflected off his powerful body. On the side of the cave, a thin old man in black was squatting, watching the knife dance.
Occasionally, the old man would speak, and Lang Ge would reply. The language of the Ni tribe was difficult for outsiders to understand, but at this moment, we knew what they were saying.
"Fighting with outsiders is bad luck. Have you really thought it through?"
"Outsiders are outsiders. The mountain is ours. If my Lang Ge wants it, he can have it!"
"What's in it for us?"
"Two years ago, the tribes in Eastern Mountain had dealings with outsiders and obtained the Thunder God Cannon."
"We have it too."
"We also have to take it from outsiders. We don't take much, and we have to look at their faces! Also, most of it is not good for us. Otherwise, why would we have blown up our own people last year? "
"Oh, they said they didn't learn it."
"The mountain is ours. If outsiders come here, they will become the master. I want to take it back. A scholar from outside the mountain told me that these people killed the Han Emperor a few years ago and are being hunted by the whole world. They hide in the mountain and order us around. Moreover, they come to the mountain to buy roads. Our tribe is in the west, so we take the least. If this continues, we will have to look at their faces … "
"The people who come here always have manners."
"That's because they are afraid of us! In any case, I have already decided. Without those outsiders, I have already taken over Eastern Mountain. It's not too late now. The people outside the mountain are willing to help us. Granduncle, they will send their troops in. As long as we can kill all those black flags and take the head of that Han with the surname Ning, the people outside the mountain have already promised me … "
"…"
"… At that time, I, Brother Lang, will be the king of the millions of Ni tribe in Tiannan! I can have as many cannons as I want! Lian Niang also supports me in this matter, you don't have to say anymore … "
After the fiercest slash, Brother Lang's figure slowly came to a stop in the flames. He tossed his thick braid to the back of his head and walked towards the skinny old man. He smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
Walking to the entrance of the cave, a beautiful woman with a plump body came to greet him. She was Brother Lang's wife, Shui Luoyisha. In the Mount Mang tribe, Brother Lang was brave, and his wife was smart. She had been assisting her husband to strengthen the whole tribe, and people called his wife Lian Niang. In this mountain, the husband and wife were both ambitious people, and now they were in the prime of their lives. Together, they decided the entire strategy of the tribe.
Leaving the cave, clusters of flames spread out into the distance in the lush forest below. The powerful Mang Mountain Tribe was ready to send their troops.
*****
It was already June in the blink of an eye. In the morning, in the military hall of Black County, Luo Ye walked to the front of the podium.
This was a farewell ceremony. More than two hundred members of the Huaxia Army were about to leave.
It was a parting ceremony.
Luo Ye looked around at everyone.
"Some of you have been here for four years, and some for three. I know most of you. The Huaxia Army cares about the people's rights. In this … time of war, if you want to leave for your families, we will not stop you, but … as usual, we have some reminders for you. "
"You are not the original members of the Huaxia Army. When we first met, we were probably enemies. After the battle of Little Canghe, we were all mixed up together. After coming to the southwest, many of you were homesick. In the past, some ran away, but later on, we talked things over and parted ways. In these years, at least tens of thousands of people have returned to the Central Plains, but the Central Plains is not a good place now. Liu Yu, the Jurchen Army, and the Huaxia Army are irreconcilable enemies. Once people know about your experiences, you know what will happen. In the past few years, many people from the Central Plains who had come to the southwest were captured like this … "
"You can tell us about the situation of the Huaxia Army. It doesn't matter. What we think, how we train our soldiers, what discipline we have, there is nothing the Huaxia Army can't do outside! But it doesn't mean that they will let you go if you say it … According to the information that Takeshi sent back, those who are involved in these things will suffer. "
"So there is only one way. Hide yourselves, or if you have the conditions, bring your parents and brothers to the south. You can come to the southwest. If you feel that the southwest is not safe, you can go to the Wu Dynasty. Find a place that you feel is safe and spend the rest of your life. Of course, I hope that you can bring your families and brothers back. It is very difficult to defeat the Jurchen Zhenren and save the world. Without you, it will be even more difficult … "
As he said this, someone shouted from below, "We will come back!"
Thus, someone reconciled. Luo Ye nodded. "Of course, if you come back too late or can't come back, the credit for defeating the Jurchen Zhenren will be mine …"
The farewell in the hall was not grand. In Bly's Huaxia Army, there were many people from the Central Plains who had been recruited after the battle of Little Canghe. Many of them were still reluctant to leave. When they first came to the southwest, most of these people were still captives. During this period of time, the number of people who had secretly escaped was probably more than the ten thousand that Luo Ye had mentioned. Later on, the ideological work caught up and the number of people who left gradually decreased, but there were still people who came one after another. Recently, the situation in the world had been tense. After all, there were still people who had family members in the Central Plains who had not been able to come back in the past. They were homesick and made such a request, but they were all elite soldiers of the Huaxia Army. The higher-ups had approved some of them, and in the past few days, they had also warned them about many things. Today was the day to set off.
In reality, most of these people who had been pulled into the army were poor people from the Central Plains. Their daily lives were poor and they had not seen many things. After coming to the southwest, the military life of the Huaxia Army was not different from the university life of the future. Meetings, training, lectures, listening to stories, discussions, watching plays — these things had basically never happened in the past. Relatively speaking, communicating, thinking to a certain extent, and having a group of brothers, these ties could not be easily severed.
A group of people were either crying or encouraging each other. Luo Ye sent these two hundred people to the mountain pass outside the county. He watched as their figures completely disappeared. However, a group of people came down from the mountainside. He fixed his eyes on them and went over to salute. "Teacher."
"This is the batch that left today, right?" Ning Yi came over and saluted, then patted his shoulder.
"Yes," Luo Ye said. "They should all come back. Even if they don't come back for a while, I think they will sprout like seeds. There will be surprises in the future."
"There will always be surprises." Ning Yi smiled. "Those who left in the past will also have surprises."
"Those who fled in the beginning have no feelings after all."
"It's fine as long as there is fear." Ning Yi waved his hand and beckoned him to go up the mountain. "Ethnic rights, people's livelihood, people's wisdom, and the idea of the Huaxia Army. It sounds nice, but not many people understand it. Among those who left today, how many of them truly believe in it?"
"…" Luo Ye was stunned.
"These few years, even with the military success of Little Canghe, we have not been able to expand our territory. On one hand, we are surrounded by ethnic minorities. On the other hand, we are afraid that if we expand too much, we will muddy the waters. But in the end, what can we bring to others? No matter how beautiful the ideology is, if it is not linked to people's interests, it is all nonsense. If we can't live a good life, why would we follow you and ruin other people's good days? But the situation will soon be different. "
"Female Zhenren …"
"When the Central Plains goes to war, it will become a pot of porridge. Even if you only stayed in the Huaxia Army for a month, if you run back and survive, you will remember the Huaxia Army when the Female Zhenren comes to kill you. If you don't understand the slogan, you can use it first. Since you want to use it, you have to think about it. Once you start thinking about it, it is not far from accepting it … Whether we can move forward or not, it does not depend on how well we say it. Wisdom of the people? Ethnic? People's livelihood? Civil rights? What is that? It depends on how much the Wu dynasty failed. "
Luo Ye's eyes lit up. "The Wuxiang Army is about to besiege Xiaoliang Mountain, and the Mang Mountain Tribe is ready to move. Teacher, have you decided to fight? When do you want to go? Luo Ye is willing to be the vanguard. "
"Don't be petty. The Wu dynasty failed, but it does not need to rely on defeating the Wu dynasty to prove it. A few days ago, Li Anmao's men from Xuzhou came to Hedeng and made a request, hoping that we can send troops to defend Xuzhou. "
"Xuzhou?" Luo Ye frowned. "That is too far. Moreover, why do they want us to send troops? This east and west …"
"It is a little whimsical." Ning Yi smiled. "Xuzhou is a battlefield. If the Female Zhenren go south, they will bear the brunt. They are thousands of miles away from us. No matter how you think about it, they should go to the Wu dynasty. However, Li Anmao's envoy said that because the Wu dynasty is unreliable, for the survival of Xuzhou, they had no choice but to ask the Huaxia army to come out. Although Xuzhou has changed hands several times, the stockpile of all kinds of military equipment is quite rich. Many of the local clans are also willing to pay, so … the price is quite high. Heh, a place that has been shaken by the Female Zhenren several times can still take out so many things. These people's ability to hide their private stash of money is really impressive. "
"Teacher wants to … accept this deal?"
Ning Yi looked outside the mountain. "In these years, many people have left the Huaxia army and returned to the Central Plains or Jiangnan. Some were captured, and some survived. Those who survived are all seeds. Xuzhou is bait, but we have considered it. This bait may not be impossible to eat. The initial consideration is to have General Liu Chengzong lead about eight thousand people to the east. Along the way, they may not be able to bring too many supplies and there will be danger, but they must fight beautifully. I suggest that you bring an elite regiment with you. You are a fire. If lit, a single spark can also start a prairie fire. "
Luo Ye nodded. In these years, the Huaxia army had been stationed in the southwest and could not expand. There were objective reasons. Talking about Huaxia, the nation, and the independence of the people did not have much meaning to the outside world. In the initial formation of the Huaxia army, the Wu Rui Battalion was the elite soldiers who had fought against the Jin. The Battle of Xia Village had stimulated their courage. The Green Wood Stronghold was in a land of death and had no choice but to seek survival in death. Later, the people of the Central Plains had no way to live, and the people of the northwest were also plunged into misery and suffering. Now, the more than two hundred thousand people who were willing to listen to these slogans and finally began to write about things that were slightly different from before had basically accepted these ideas in a desperate situation. As for whether they had accepted strength or ideas, it was still debatable.
After entering the southwest, it was not efficient to publicize the people's livelihood and other matters to the outside world. The power that people could bring after a war for themselves could only be felt when they had no choice but to fight. Even after experiencing three years of blood in the Little Canghe, the power of the Huaxia army could only be trapped inside and could not truly influence the outside world. Even if they took down a few cities, what could they do? It would only cause people to hate the Huaxia army or even corrode the Huaxia army.
From the southwest to Xuzhou was a distance of a thousand li. Along the way, they might encounter all sorts of difficulties. But if they operated well, perhaps they could really light a fire. In the near future, they would receive the support of the people of the world. As for fighting against the Wu dynasty in the southwest, the effect would be much smaller.
I wonder how the Central Plains is …
As Luo Ye thought about this, he silently clenched his fists.
*****
In the Central Plains, the howling hot wind stirred up the dust in the air. Silhouettes walked on the ground. In the distance, huge columns of smoke rose.
The walking silhouettes crowded in our field of vision. Men, women, the elderly, and children. They were all skin and bones. The swaying silhouettes gradually formed a tide. From time to time, people would fall and be drowned in the tide.
Hungry ghosts, these swaying beings, seemed to unconsciously surge in one direction.
Bianliang, once the most prosperous city in the world, was their target.
The horns of war had already sounded. On the plains, the Enlightened Masters had begun to form their formations. General Ali Shao, who was stationed in Bianliang, gathered his troops. After the thirty thousand Han soldiers were swallowed up, he assumed an intercepting stance. When he saw the 'army' that wasn't even an army, he let out a long sigh.
"Damn … Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva …"
After a lifetime of slaughter, this old general, who was over sixty years old and had taken countless lives, actually believed in Buddhism.
This was perhaps an 'army' that he had never seen before.
Ever since spring had begun to wreak havoc, this summer, the Hungry Ghost troops had spread out. Most people wouldn't have thought that these refugees would be so resolute. But under Wang Shitong's leadership, the Hungry Ghost troops attacked cities and conquered land. Everywhere they went, they stole and burned everything. The small amount of food stored in warehouses was plundered. The cities were set on fire, and the rice that had just been planted was also destroyed.
The starving people who had lost everything destroyed the hopes of others. Everything in their homes was destroyed, and the residents along the way had no choice but to join in. This army had no rules. If they wanted revenge, they could kill as many as they wanted, but no one would compensate them. Those who didn't die joined the army. When they passed through the next town, they couldn't control the destruction and had no choice but to join in. At least, they had enough to fill their stomachs.
The number of Hungry Ghosts soon exceeded the endurance of the surrounding towns. They swept and devoured like locusts. The more people there were, the hungrier they became, and the more hungry they became, the more destruction they caused. Swapping children for food had already appeared in this army. Those who fell in the army would quickly be turned into nutrients before they rotted away. How many months would it take for a person to turn into a beast in hunger? The correct answer was not calculated in months …
After a few months of accumulation, Wang Shitong finally led the army to Bianliang.
The elite Jurchen army was not something that the Great Qi army could compare to.
The Hungry Ghosts pushed forward, and Ali Shao also led the cavalry forward.
At the forefront was the heavy cavalry known as the 'Iron Buddhas'. Although there weren't many of them, there weren't many of them.
The tall warhorses with heavy armor charged into the sea of people. The Hungry Ghosts at the front retreated in fear, and the people at the back pushed forward again. When the two armies collided, the straw-like bodies of the Hungry Ghosts were smashed into pieces. The smell of blood spread, and the cavalry plowed a path of blood like a meat grinder.
Every collision, every swing of the saber, they could truly knock away or kill the enemy in front of them. In the midst of the battle, the hungry ghosts charged forward with meaningless cries. In the first hour, the Jurchens slaughtered these starving Han people who had no formation. However, the hungry ghosts did not stop and continued to surge forward like a tidal wave. The Iron Buddhas were crushed to the ground by the bodies of the Hungry Ghosts. They got up and continued to fight. More people came forward, holding stones and smashing the armors. Some people's armors were torn open, and the skinny Hungry Ghosts pounced on them. They tore open the enemy's flesh and devoured them …
In many places, it was a one-sided massacre. People who had lost their reason and choice in the hunger kept surging forward. The battle lasted for an afternoon, and the vanguard of the Hungry Ghosts was defeated. The plains were littered with corpses and blood flowed like rivers. However, the Jurchen army didn't cheer. Many of their sword-wielding hands began to tremble. There was fear, but also exhaustion.
As one of the oldest generals among the Jurchen, Ali Shao had even participated in the Battle of Hubu Dagang with Aguda. At that time, the Jurchen army had chased down the 700,000 strong army with 20,000 people. It was an unforgettable pride for the Jurchen. But today, everything was different. After the 8,000 elites defeated nearly 60,000 people, more than a thousand of them were killed in the meat grinder. The others didn't feel the joy of victory.
On the battlefield, in the sea of blood, there were starving people moaning and crying with broken arms and legs. More and more hungry ghosts were gathering around them.
That night, Ali Shao retreated back to Bianliang and relied on the strong city to defend it. The crowd of starving people spread across the majestic city, as if they were showing off their strength and wreaking havoc in all directions …
*****
Tubo.
At this moment, it was the quietest place in the world.
The climate on the plateau was unbearable, but they had already adapted to it after living here for many years.
In the big tent, Medicine Master Guo was eating barbecued meat and reading the news from the Central Plains.
The situation was chaotic. The chess pieces of all sides were filled with the smell of blood. A great war was about to break out. This reminded him of the rise of the Jin people and the decline of the Liao Kingdom more than ten years ago. At that time, he was extremely talented and wanted to take advantage of the collapse of the world to do something amazing.
He was the first Han to challenge the Jurchen and almost defeated Wanyan Zongwang, who was known as the God of War of the Jurchen.
Everything came and went quickly. Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunchen's betrayal and the incompetence of the Wu dynasty forced him to submit to the Jurchen. Then, the battle of Xia Village completely shattered his hopes of making a name for himself in the Jin army. After killing Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunchen, he led the army west to Tubo in an attempt to recuperate and start all over again.
If there was such a possibility of breaking the Wall after ten years of meditation, then the ten years would have passed by now.
The war between the Jin and the Wu was about to break out. The hot-blooded people of the Central Plains would also take this last chance to participate in it. If he came out of seclusion, would he also shine brilliantly in the world? These days, he often thought about it.
As he thought about it, his thoughts would turn to the valley in the south …
Dayang …
From the intelligence sent by the Central Plains, whenever the world thought about the Black Flag Army, it was mostly about the three counties in the southwest under the command of Ning Liheng, its trade with other places, and Ning Liheng's tricks and tricks. But only Medicine Master Guo, who lived in Tubo, could understand that it was not the main force of the Huaxia army.
Ever since Xiao Cang Nan went down the river and fought a bloody battle with the Female Zhenren, he had once cut down Lou Shi and the majority of the Black Flag Army's main force … Guo Yaoshi had once led the resentful army, unable to restrain himself, and clashed with the army in Dayang's direction.
Only he understood how terrifying the combat strength of this army, which had always been lying in wait in silence, was. When would it go out? When the day came when the Jurchen faced it again, what kind of situation would it be?
Every time he thought about this, Medicine Master Guo gradually gave up the idea of leaving.
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