The sudden martial law brought heavy pressure to the originally lively city of Lin 'an, and the atmosphere of the New Year that they had worked hard to create faded under the cold pressure. On December 29th, when the carriage passed through the market, Li Pin looked out from the gap in the curtain and saw the faintly panicked and slightly confused eyes of the people walking on the street.
Because of the martial law of the imperial army, the news of the leaflets was immediately controlled. But the so-called control only prevented the news from spreading to the lower classes of people. For the upper and middle classes of the Wu dynasty, the things that had already entered the eyes of the Imperial College students could not be suppressed.
The increased patrols of the imperial army, the somber atmosphere of the capital, and even the tension and unusual movements of many middle and upper class officials and various forces would eventually pass on all kinds of atmosphere layer by layer. The people who had not left before were now on the street buying the last New Year goods, but they also unconsciously exchanged all kinds of information. The New Year was close at hand, and the shadow finally fell.
Feeling this strange and discordant feeling, people always wanted to do something, but the actions of the lower classes were ultimately insignificant. In Lin 'an, in this world, many people and many things had already taken action or were in the process of taking action.
Li Pin took in the scene on the street, but his deep and melancholy eyes did not have much fluctuation. In his early years, he had followed Qin Shaohe to guard Taiyuan, and later fought against Ning Yi in the northwest. Later, he experienced the disaster of the Central Plains' fall and followed the refugees through the road of despair to the south. He had already seen too many similar things.
The carriage passed through the streets and alleys, and finally entered through the back door of the Princess Royal Residence, stopping in the courtyard at the back. Li Pin got out of the carriage and lifted the curtain. Inside was a box wrapped in black cloth. The driver and guards who came with him, along with two guards of the Princess Royal Residence, carried the box down. Then a steward of the Princess Royal Residence led Li Pin into the depths of the Princess Royal Residence.
Through the gaps in the various corridors, many people had already gathered in the Princess Royal Residence.
Li Pin and the people carrying the box entered the study room inside the Princess Mansion. After a while, Zhou Pei arrived first, followed by Cheng Zhouhai leading six men of different ages. They all had experienced eyes. Cheng Zhouhai introduced the six people one by one, "They are all old friends that I can trust." Li Pin greeted the six people one by one. He already knew some of them.
After ordering the servants to serve tea, Zhou Pei dismissed all the servants other than her trusted guards and had everyone sit down in the room. Li Pin sat down for a moment, her eyes sizing up the remaining people before she stood up again. "Many of you here are old acquaintances. Time is of the essence, so I won't beat around the bush. Previously, I established a school and a newspaper in Lin 'an. Although the school did not achieve much, the newspaper did have some results. The newspaper was originally meant to spread the news of the world to everyone. After a long time, a lot of news would come to me. In the past few years, I have taken advantage of my free time to sort out many seemingly useless news and analyze the clues within … Now that Wu Shu has come to the south, the various arrangements of the Jurchen have either been activated or are about to be activated. It is time to bring these things out. "
As he spoke, everyone's gazes turned to the box wrapped in black cloth on the ground. Cheng Zhouhai had already walked over and lifted the black cloth. Li Pin took out a key from his bosom and handed it over, then took out a blue-sealed booklet.
"The wind rises at the end of a duckweed, pulling one hair will affect the whole body … Everything in the world is connected. This principle has been understood in the past, but in recent years, the one who has used it to perfection is Ning Liheng, who is now in the southwest. As for the information in the box, I have recorded all the clues that I can see. The rest will depend on you to analyze and refer to. Among the high officials and large clans of the Wu dynasty, those who are already in contact with the Jurchen, those who are not strong-willed and have been lobbied, if you can find one, it is one … "
The light in the room was a little dim. Li Pin's voice was calm, but it seemed that her face was a little pale. She only said, "Wu Shu's 50,000 men could not break through Lin 'an. Everything he did was to attack the heart. These tricks are what the Inner Demons are best at. In recent years, Xi Yin and the others in the north have done the same and have often made achievements. It is all because of the Inner Demons' method of alternating plots and schemes. Once it forms a general trend, it is difficult to resist, and this trend was already in place by the Jurchen ten years ago. In these ten years, the Inner Demons have struggled bitterly for a chance of survival. The Jurchen came with the general trend and lobbied and instigated defection, often achieving twice the results with half the effort … "
As he said this, someone in the room said, "However, with De Xin's box, we have more confidence in defending Lin 'an. Although that Xi Yin is intelligent, she is after all born a barbarian. Although she is scheming and taking advantage of the moment, she cannot overturn the universe. We have just discussed and speculated like De Xin. With Wu Shu's 50,000 cavalry lightly armed, it is impossible for them to break through Lin 'an. As long as the rear is stabilized, His Highness the Crown Prince will definitely be able to find a counterattack strategy. "
Li Pin shook her head gently and looked at the other person. She sighed and nodded, "Even so … I hope so, but we cannot be careless. These years, I have reviewed the information in the north for the past thirty years. Ever since the Jurchen tribe rose up, they have been unusually valiant. To the outside world, they said that they were invincible. Of course, there is no debate about this. However, what people do not know is that during the process of the Jurchen destroying Liao, they were not proficient in the use of siege weapons and the study of tactics. Under such circumstances, when the Jurchen conquered Liao, it only took them half a day to go to the Imperial Residence of Lin Huang. Although there were many lucky coincidences in between, there are many things that are worth pondering. "
"… After the Jurchen destroyed Liao, they captured a large number of Liao craftsmen and gradually became familiar with the siege weapons. Later on, when they invaded the south, their siege skills were quickly perfected. Especially during the process of the fall of the Central Plains, the Jin people valued the craftsmen more than anything else. Many of these things coincided with Ning Yi's thoughts … the prosperity of the Jin country was only in the hands of Aguda, Wu Qimai, Zong Han, and Xi Yin. Although they were born in the wilderness, they did not have any prejudices. As long as it was something good, they would quickly learn. In this aspect, the dukes of our Wu dynasty could not compare to them. "
His gaze swept across the crowd and everyone's eyes became solemn, "After the northwest war, Lou Shi and Ci Buliu were both killed by the Black Flag. Zong Han and the others valued the Black Flag even more than our dynasty. Xi Yin built a large courtyard and the Jurchen supported it with the entire country's strength. The Crown Prince was interested in things, but everyone looked on coldly from the sidelines. They all thought that after defeating the Jurchen in the future, they could easily abandon this strange and perverted path. In the past few years, not only did the Jurchen build a large courtyard, Xi Yin also secretly imitated the southwest and formed a team to lobby our Wu dynasty, making promises and using both carrot and stick … "
He sighed, "… for example, Tian Shi rebelled against the Jin in Jin. He cut off his wrist to clean up the internal affairs, but in the end, he was still assassinated by Xi Yin and lost everything. This time, the Jurchen are determined to win against our dynasty. The eastern and western armies have temporarily put aside their former enmity. Since Wu Shu took the risk to go south, I'm afraid that Xi Yin's plot against Lin 'an is not limited to this. Everyone must not ignore it … "
When Li Pin said this, he cupped his hands, and everyone nodded solemnly and cupped their hands. After a while, when everyone began to analyze the information brought by Li Pin, Li Pin, Cheng Zhouhai, and Zhou Pei went to a room at the side and talked about another more urgent matter.
"… We have already noticed the news that Brother Li sent yesterday and the plan has been finalized. We are waiting for Brother Li to come over and make the final analysis …"
On the 29th of the twelfth month, Lin 'an was covered with a thin layer of snow. The Princess' residence was bustling with activity. On this day and night, many people came one after another. Among them, a travel-worn traveler draped in a straw raincoat entered the vicinity of the Princess' residence in the middle of the night. He took off his straw raincoat and bamboo hat. In the firelight, his head was covered with uneven white hair, but his aura was still as imposing as a mountain and his gaze was dignified. This was the former chief constable of the Six Fan School and the current leader of the Caohe Gang, Tie Tianying.
His gaze looked towards the courtyard corridor in the middle of the night. Under the door not far away, there was already an acquaintance greeting him …
…
On the same 29th of the twelfth month, at the defensive line of Xiangyang and Fancheng.
The catapults hurled huge stones, shaking the towering city walls amidst the roars. The siege of the city continued as usual.
In the twelfth month, Zong Han's army had steadily uprooted all the fortresses and cities around Xiang and Fan. His main force and hundreds of thousands of surrendered Han soldiers besieged Fan City. At the same time, they launched a large-scale attack in an attempt to monopolize the Han River. Xiangyang's navy had engaged in several battles with the enemy. Although they ended up victorious, they could not defeat the enemy's effective forces. Some Jin soldiers had already crossed the river from upstream and downstream. The complete encirclement of Xiang and Fan would become a reality in a month's time.
On the drill ground, tens of thousands of soldiers gathered one after another. Yue Fei walked up to the platform in front and spoke to the soldiers. Then, he fetched some strong wine and poured it on the ground.
On the thirtieth of the twelfth month, two hundred miles east of Xiang and Fan City. Xi Yin, who was leading an army of sixty thousand, was already on the road to the east when she received an urgent report from Xiangyang.
Late at night on the 29th, Yue Fei led forty thousand elite Beiwei troops to abandon the city. A group of thirty thousand navy troops headed south along the Han River, while another group of cavalry left the city. Before the encirclement of Zong Han's army could be completed, they rushed to Wu An in the south to rest and reorganize.
Xi Yin pointed her finger on the map, and a smile appeared on her serious face.
The battle between Xiang and Fan had been going back and forth for nearly five months. Even though the Wu dynasty's army relied on the terrain to hold their ground, it was still an incomparably long battle for Zong Han's army, who had risked everything to attack. In these five months, they gradually became familiar with each other. Zong Han and Xi Yin also had a general outline of the young general guarding Xiang and Fan.
The two cities of Xiang and Fan were incomparably important. They were an important pillar of support to prevent the Jurchen Western Army from destroying the Wu dynasty. But the focus of this battle was not here — especially since the Jurchen side wanted to destroy the Wu dynasty. Even if they conquered Xiangyang, there was still thousands of miles of land south of the Wu dynasty.
But here, half of the Wu dynasty's military strength was gathered.
Zong Han attempted to pull out the support around Xiang and Fan bit by bit. With the Jurchen army as the main force and a large number of Han troops from the Central Plains, he would directly surround Xiangyang. Even if his goal was not to break the city, he would still surround this fulcrum. At the same time, he would send elite troops into the hinterland of the Wu dynasty to expand the chaos.
But it was clear that the other side had given up on Xiang and Fan.
Without this young Yue Pengju and the core Beiwei Army, the siege of Xiang and Fan would only be a matter of time. But just as Zong Han and the rest of the besieging army were about to gradually encircle the Wu dynasty's navy, the other side broke through with their elite troops.
The Wu dynasty navy on the Han River still held the advantage. They headed south toward the Yangtze River and then down it until they finally reached Zhenjiang. Needless to say, the destination of the other ten thousand cavalry, which had gathered the strength of the entire country, would inevitably be the Asura battlefield between Zhenjiang and Lin 'an.
"Fine …"
In the flickering light, Xi Yin said softly.
Outside the tent were countless military tents. Heavy snow was falling. On the Han River more than a hundred miles away, the fleet of the Beiwei Army rushed to the future more than two thousand miles away in the wind and snow …
…
The moment before the possibility of destruction arrived, thousands of troops and horses gathered, from the court officials, soldiers and generals, to the heroes of the underworld, to the peddlers and pawns … Near Lin 'an, some people left, and some people came …
New Year's Eve was approaching. Tie Tianying was at a high place in Lin 'an, secretly watching the movements of a family with a telescope. This was one of the many operations in Lin 'an. Tie Tianying came back as a professional to help oversee it. The former chief arrester of the Six Fan School was just an official and could not enter the eyes of the higher-ups. But over the years, he had followed Li Pin and worked against Ning Yi. Later, he led the Caohe Gang to deliver a lot of intelligence, which made him have a far more important identity and qualifications than before.
Cheng Zhouhai came in from the outside. "How is it going?"
"More than 30 people are desperadoes who want to risk their lives for wealth. There are traces of fire and thunder gunpowder buried outside the yard. If they stubbornly resist, it will be very noisy …"
"If it doesn't work, let the imperial army drag the artillery here and blow up this place first."
"Well, Lord Cheng's consideration is not unreasonable. However, my men have already made some arrangements. Let them try it out first. "
It seemed that there was a little disagreement on both sides, so both sides were quiet. In fact, when Qin Siyuan had an accident, Tie Tianying was one of the people who hit him when he was down. He criticized Li Pin and Qin Shaoqian face to face, and naturally had disagreements with Cheng Zhouhai. Over the years, Tie Tianying followed Li Pin to do things because of the colleagues and reconciliation in the northwest, but he was not on good terms with Cheng Zhouhai.
But today, many people who were not on good terms with Tie Tianying had gathered together. At this time, in the princess' residence, there were enemies that Tie Tianying had made enemies with in the past, as well as his former colleagues. They were all old now, and at this time, there were many things that no longer needed to be placed in their hearts.
"In the past, you followed Li Pin to the northwest." After a period of silence, Cheng Zhouhai said.
"Mm."
"When you were still in the capital, you also kept an eye on Ning Liheng. What was your impression of him?"
"In the past, I regarded him as a nobody. I chased after Fang Baihua and Fang Qifo and formed a grudge with him. I always wanted to kill him … Later, when I found out, I naturally thought it was a joke." Tie Tianying was already old at this time. As he spoke of this matter, he faintly smiled. "In these years that I have traveled the world, I have hoped that Ning Liheng would die, but there are some things that he is right about."
"Mm? What things? "
"I began to wander in Jianghu. Later, I served in the Six Fan School. After the disgrace of Jingping, I was disheartened, so I left the Six Fan School and returned to Jianghu. After many twists and turns, there were ups and downs. Sometimes I was stupid, sometimes I wanted to escape, and sometimes, like the people of Bianliang, I cursed the Female Zhenren and the Black Flag Army. Now, I have to come back to Lin 'an and do these things that I should have done long ago … There is only one thing that I have thought clearly." The old man turned around and smiled. In his smile, there was tiredness, relief, and simplicity and purity after being extremely complicated. At this time, outside the unlatched window, countless people were walking in the entire city of Lin 'an.
…
"For the rest of their lives … they can only rely on themselves …"
…
Hazy and livid.
Between the boundless sky and the earth, heavy snow was swirling.
The Jin Kingdom, Jin, Liangshan, the Central Plains, Xiangyang, Jiangning, Zhenjiang … People were running, crawling, bleeding, and fighting. Wu Shu's cavalry came to Lin 'an. Tie Tianying walked to the enemy, and countless people walked to their enemy. Sails broke through the heavy snow, and armored horses crossed the crisscrossed land. Fireworks exploded and flew into the sky.
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