"… The Jurchen has already gone south?"
The autumn wind blew under the awning. After a long silence after Ning Yi's question, Lu Qiaoshan opened his mouth and did not directly answer Ning Yi's request.
Ning Yi nodded. "I received news from the north yesterday. Six days ago, Zong Fu and Zong Bi sent 300,000 troops into Hebei. Li Xizhi will not resist. As we speak, the vanguard of the Jurchen army is probably approaching Jingdong East Road. General Lu, you should receive this news soon. "
In the world today, the Huaxia army led by Ning Yi was the army that paid the most attention to intelligence. After he said this, Lu Qiaoshan fell silent once more. The Jurchen were the enemy of the world, and they could fall on the head of the Wu dynasty at any time. This was the consensus of all those who could understand the current situation. But when all of this was finally confirmed, the feelings in people's hearts were heavy and indescribable. Even for Lu Qiaoshan, this was the most critical reality.
He looked back at the army behind him, silently thinking about all of this. Ning Yi waited for a while.
"I've prepared for a period of time to instigate Liu Yu to defect. This is the last chance for all the rebels in the Central Plains, and also the last chance for the Wu dynasty. Is it worth it to use this time to cause internal friction with me? Most importantly … can you do it? "
Lu Qiaoshan turned his head, revealing a practiced smile. "Mr. Ning …"
At the same time as his smile, Ning Yi smiled back. "General Lu …" Then the smile disappeared. "When you were looking at me, I was also analyzing you. There's no need to say lies. The court ordered your army to blockade and not attack. You wanted to drag the Huaxia army to their weakest moment and fight for a chance of victory. Anyone would do this, and there's nothing wrong with it. But the opportunity has already been missed. Xiaoliangshan has stabilized thanks to the cooperation of Li Xiannong's group. "
"But what could I have done?" Lu Qiaoshan smiled helplessly. "The court's orders, and those people are watching from behind. When they captured Mr. Su, it wasn't that I couldn't save him, but a group of scholars blocked my way. If I took a step forward, I would be a traitor. When I fished him out, I had already risked falling out with them. "
Ning Yi shook his head. "Compared to the Female Zhenren who has to fight all the way to Jiangnan to save the lives of 100,000 people, there are many ways to feign civility. Even if someone really makes trouble, the Female Zhenren will come over before they can do anything. At least you can preserve your strength. General Lu, stop pretending to be confused. If you can't pretend this time, I'll treat you like an enemy. "
Ning Yi's voice became low. He turned around to look at Su Wenfang, who had been carried away on a stretcher. Su Tan'er followed behind him. "You're carrying the lives and deaths of tens of thousands of people on your shoulders. Many times, you have to choose who will die. Su Wenfang has returned. Six of us have died innocently in this matter, including the matter of the Greater and Lesser Liang Mountains. I could have just flattened the Mang Mountain Tribe, but I followed them to set up a trap. Sometimes, I might have put more people in danger. I know how many people will die, but I can't not let them die … General Lu, if we fight this time, the Chinese army will lose even more people. If you are willing to let go, then we will eat this in silence. "
Lu Qiaoshan nodded. He looked at Ning Yi for a long time and finally said, "Mister Ning, I have a question … why didn't you just flatten the Mang Mountain Tribe?"
"Good question." Ning Yi was silent for a moment. He nodded and then let out a long sigh. "Because in order to deal with foreign aggression, we must first settle our internal affairs."
Lu Qiaoshan laughed, but the smile on his face became very faint. Perhaps this was his true face, "Yes, the Chinese army has stationed troops in the three districts of Hedeng, and now eight thousand of them have gone out. The three districts of Hedeng still look strong, but if you really want to send troops to fight with me, your rear will not be stable. I already guessed that you would try to solve this problem, but I also sincerely hope that Li Xiannong and the others can achieve some results … Sealing off Liang Mountain, you are consuming yourself every day. I sincerely hope that this process can last longer, but I also know that in front of Mister Ning, this little trick won't last long. "
"Then there's only one problem." Lu Qiaoshan said, "You also know that in order to deal with foreign aggression, we must first settle our internal affairs. How can my Wu dynasty not guard against your black flag?"
"The answer is that I can flatten the Mang Mountain Tribe, but your Wu Xiang army can't defeat the black flag behind me." Ning Yi looked at him. "If it was during normal times, I would call you a hero for doing what you know is impossible. But now that the Jurchen army is going south, you are using 100,000 soldiers to fight me. It's worthless. "
Lu Qiaoshan walked to the side and sat down on a chair. He said in a low voice, "But this is the value of an army."
"What?" Ning Yi's voice was also low. He sat down and reached out to pour tea. Lu Qiaoshan's body leaned against the back of the chair. He looked to the side. For a moment, the two of them looked like good friends who were casually sitting down to chat.
"Mister Ning, all these years, many people have said that the Wu dynasty is weak. Against the Jurchen, they are defeated again and again. What is the reason? If they want to win, what is the way? After becoming the head of the Wu Xiang army, I thought hard and came up with two points. Although they might not be right, they are at least my humble opinion. "
"I'd like to hear the details." Ning Yi pushed the teacup over.
"In this world, in this Imperial Court, the civil and military officials are all at fault. The army can't fight. One reason is that the civil officials don't know how to fight. They think they are full of knowledge, but they want to defeat the enemy just by talking on paper. That's the root of trouble. But are military officials not at fault? Infighting with their colleagues, eating without pay, spending money on grain fields, playing with women, flattering those above and bullying those below — are these generals who have lost their bones not at fault? These are two faults. "
Lu Qiaoshan raised a finger. "It's not easy for me to say how to correct it. I can only control myself. But after thinking for a long time, there's one thing I've figured out. In the end, the world is managed by the literati. If one day, things can really be done well, then the high officials of the Imperial Court will send down the correct order, and the military officials will do their job well. Only when these two points are realized, can things be done well. "
"Mister Jinning might be right to say that to resist foreign aggression, we must first pacify the internal affairs. But the Imperial Court may be wrong to only let the Wu Xiang army raise the Black Flag Army with a hundred thousand people. But who can say for sure? Maybe this time, they made the right decision? Who knows what those bastards are thinking! "Lu Qiaoshan looked at Ning Yi and smiled." Then there's only one way. "
"The Wu Xiang army will obediently carry out the orders of the Imperial Court. If they are wrong, it looks like I'm not worth it. But I, Lu Qiaoshan, am here today, not because it's worth it, I want the world to walk the right path. If I do the right thing, as long as I wait for them to do the right thing, the world will be saved. If I do the wrong thing, no matter if they are right or wrong, this round … I will lose. "
"The army has to listen to orders."
Lu Qiaoshan's voice echoed in the autumn wind.
"I can trade with the Black Flag Army because you have the cannons, we don't. To get benefits, the rest is minor. But in the end, getting benefits is to win the war. Now that the fate of the nation is at stake, Mister Ning, the Wu Xiang army can only do the right thing. Leave the rest to the Imperial Court. "
His voice was calm and firm, no longer the frivolous smile he usually had. Ning Yi's fingers drummed on the table in front of him. He had been listening quietly. When the voice faded, the drumming gradually stopped. He raised his head and took a deep breath.
"I know." There was no persuasion in the voice. Ning Yi stood up and straightened his robe. Then he opened his mouth, closed it silently, and then opened it again. His fingers fell on the table.
"… War," Ning Yi said.
The wind blew from the nearby mountains, rustling along the ground. The pergola that had been built for a long time stood silently, not knowing that it had witnessed a historical event. After a simple farewell, Ning Yi walked towards the fluttering black flags. Behind Lu Qiaoshan, the three thousand Wu Xiang army also stood tall, as though to prove and tell of their commander's courage.
In Zi Zhou, Long Qifei and a group of scholars were gathered, denouncing Lu Qiaoshan's shameful actions of letting people go to prison to take away the Black Flag members. The people were filled with righteous indignation, wishing they could immediately kill this traitor. Not long after, the declaration of war between the Wu Xiang army and the Hua Xia army was sent.
After a moment of shock, the people started to cheer, jumping in joy for the upcoming war.
On the second day after the declaration, the one hundred thousand Wu Xiang army officially advanced into Xiaoliang Mountain to attack the Black Flag bandits and support the Lang Ge tribe. By now, the Ni tribe in Xiaoliang Mountain had basically submitted to the Black Flag army. However, the large scale fighting had not started. Lu Qiaoshan could only use this time to force the Ni tribe to make a choice, and at the same time, interfere with the Black Flag army's autumn harvest.
The scholars wrote many poems to praise the efforts of Long Qifei and the others in this matter. If not for the righteous people risking their lives to capture the traitors of the Black Flag Army, causing the wavering Wu Xiang Army to have no choice but to break off relations with the Black Flag Army, with Lu Qiaoshan's weak personality, how could he really make up his mind to fight with the enemy?
The grand advance of this army signified that the Wu Dynasty had finally begun a formal and vigorous campaign against this despicable regicidal traitor. If there came a day when this traitor was accepted, the scholars knew that their names would be added to the book of merit. They were looking forward to a great battle in Zi Zhou, constantly boosting the morale of the people. Many people were already rushing to the front.
Not long after, the people were going to witness a crushing defeat.
In the north, the huge army was advancing on the winding road to the south. The Jurchen army was organized and vast, spreading out endlessly. In front of them were the mountains and rivers of the Divine Prefecture that had already submitted. In their field of vision, the mountains rose and fell, the rivers stretched out. Outside the Jurchen army, Li Xizhi's army that had gathered had already moved out, gathering and sweeping away the surrounding obstacles.
Although after Liu Yu was captured and issued a declaration of surrender to the south, there were many rebels and people in the Central Plains who responded to the call. However, in the territory of Pingdong General Li Xizhi, the will to resist was not strong.
Right in the hinterland of Li Xizhi's territory, in a stretch of barren hills and unruly rivers in Shandong, two teams of knights gradually walked up a hill. Not long after that, the light from the torches faintly shone on the faces of the two leaders.
At one end of the field of vision was a man with a face even more beautiful than a woman's. This was Wang Shanyue, who was known as the "Wolf Thief" many years ago. Beside him was his wife, "Yi Zhangqing" Hu Sanniang.
And at the other end of the field of vision, a man gradually appeared. He had a slovenly beard, making it hard to tell his age. But his eyes were still firm and spirited. On his back, there was a long spear that had already shocked the world.
This was the "City Burning Spear" Zhu Biao.
Ever since Ning Yi regicide and the world was in chaos, Wang Shanyue, who was involved, first returned to Shandong under the protection of his wife. Zhu Biao returned during the three-year war at Little Canghe. Because of Li Xizhi's power and the encirclement and suppression of the Black Flag Army, Dulonggang finally disappeared from the public's field of vision after a few battles. The Zhu family and the Hu family also fell out because of their different standpoints. In a few years, this might be the first time the three of them met.
Hu Sanniang, who was once engaged to Zhu Biao, was extremely vigilant towards the man in front of her. But Wang Shanyue did not care about the danger Zhu Biao was in. He smiled and urged his horse over. Looking at Zhu Biao in front of him, he did not say much. Back then, when they worked together at Ning Yi's side, the two men already had a deep friendship. Even though they went their separate ways because of their different beliefs, this friendship did not disappear because of this.
"What do you want to do?"
"Maybe the same as you."
"Then let's cooperate."
"Okay."
"After we succeed, the credit will go to the imperial court."
"In terms of acting, can you compare to Takeshi?"
"… Let's give it a try."
Wang Shanyue turned his horse around and stood side by side with him. Hu Sanniang also came over, her vigilant gaze still following Zhu Biao.
The first world-shocking attack against the Female Zhenren was about to begin. The moonlight on the hill was like a wash, the starry night was lonely. No one knew, after this war, how many people would be able to survive while looking up at the stars at this moment …
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