Wearing a yellow military uniform and carrying a medicine box, Ning Ji saw the quaint city wall of the Zizhou Prefecture in front of the army.
In September of the 11th year of Wu Jianshuo, the year Zhou Yong died, Ning Ji turned from 13 to 14 and gradually became a teenager.
In the past two years, Ning Ji, who had been with the army, had seen more things than he had seen in the past 11 years.
He was born in the autumn of the 13th year of Jin Han, when the Female Immortal first went south. In the 14th year of Jin Han, Ning Yi killed the emperor and rebelled. He was only one year old when his family went to Little Canghe. His father didn't have time to give him a name at that time. Killing the emperor and rebelling were feared by the whole world. It seemed a little cold, but it was actually a name full of pride.
When he was young, he grew up in an environment like the Little Canghe and the Green Wood Stockade. When he gradually began to remember things, the army began to move to the southwest mountains. Because of this, Ning Ji had seen mostly barren and relatively simple environments since he was young. He could clearly remember his parents, brothers, enemies, friends, and all kinds of people.
As the Huaxia army fought their way out of Liang Mountain and entered the Chengdu Plain, Ning Ji joined the military doctor team. His surroundings gradually became complicated. He began to see vast plains, large cities, towering city walls, rows upon rows of gardens, extravagant people, numb people living in small villages, starving and dying gradually … These things were very different from what he had seen in the Huaxia army's territory.
In the days when he was with the military doctor team, he sometimes felt gratitude and kindness. But at the same time, there were all kinds of malicious attacks.
In the ten years since Ning Yi killed Zhou Zhe, the malice towards the Huaxia army and Ning Yi's family had never stopped. The Huaxia Army's internal rectification and management were effective. It was difficult for some conspiracies and assassinations to reach Ning Yi's family. However, with the expansion of the Huaxia Army's territory in the past two years, Ning Xi, Ning Ji, and the others couldn't live in the original small circle. Among them, although the news that Ning Ji joined the military doctor team was blocked within a certain range, it was soon spread out through various channels.
In the year when Ning Ji was 13 years old, he had encountered a total of nine assassination plots, two of which happened in front of him. In February of the 11th year, he killed someone for the first time, and in July, he did it again. Up to now, this young man, who was not even 14 years old, had killed three people.
For Ning Ji, the fact that he personally killed the enemy did not have much impact on his mentality. But in the past year or two, the many things he felt in this complicated world still made him a little taciturn.
Ever since Ning Ji was a child, the Huaxia Army did not have enough resources. Helping each other and being thrifty had always been advocated in the Huaxia Army. What Ning Ji had seen since he was a child was that people supported each other in a difficult environment. His parents shared their knowledge and understanding of the world with others in the army. In the face of the enemy, the soldiers in the Huaxia Army were always tenacious and unyielding.
After entering the Chengdu Plain, he found that this world was not like this. The rich people who lived a rich life lived a decadent life. It seemed that the learned scholars opposed the Huaxia Army with arguments that made people feel angry. Below them, the farmers lived a muddle-headed life. They did not have a good life, but they all took it for granted. Some people who lived a hard life even had a hostile attitude toward the Huaxia Army members who went to the countryside to give medicine to them.
Why did these people live like this? Ning Ji could not figure it out. In the past year or two, he had taken it for granted that the enemy deliberately wanted to kill him and occasionally pretended to be a pitiful person to attack him.
The education in the Huaxia Army that "the enemy should be as cold and ruthless as a harsh winter" was very effective. Since he was a child, Ning Ji felt that the enemy must be cunning and ruthless. The first assassin who really sneaked to his side was a dwarf. At first glance, she looked like a little girl. She mixed in the crowd of the countryside to see Ning Ji. Another of her companions in the team was seen through. The dwarf suddenly launched an attack, and the dagger almost stabbed Ning Ji's neck. She tried to take him as a hostage and escape.
The assassin underestimated the young man who had been trained by Lu Hongti, Liu Watermelon, Chen Fan, and Du Sha. When the dagger stabbed him, Ning Ji seized the opportunity to grab the knife and cut the opponent's throat with a backhand slash. Blood sprayed on his clothes. He also took two steps back, ready to kill the opponent's companions in the crowd at any time.
He was not confused about these encounters. Later, his parents and brothers came to comfort him in a hurry, but he did not think it was necessary. The complicated world outside made him a little confused, but fortunately, some simpler and more direct things were coming.
In the second half of the 11th year of Jianshuo, the situation on the Chengdu Plain had become extremely tense. The Wu dynasty was falling apart, and the war between the Female Zhenren and the Huaxia Army was about to become a reality. Against this background, the Huaxia Army began to methodically engulf and digest the entire Chengdu Plain.
The Huaxia Army began to fight out of the Liang Mountain area in the 9th year of Jianshuo. Originally, they planned to annex the entire Sichuan Fourth Road. But later, because of the Female Zhenren's southward attack, the Huaxia Army stopped in the area of Zizhou after breaking through Chengdu to show their attitude.
Zizhou was located 100 kilometers northeast of Chengdu. It was originally the second largest city on the Chengdu Plain and a commercial center. After passing Zizhou for another 100 kilometers, it was the most important pass to control the land of Sichuan: the Sword Gate Pass. With the approach of the Female Zhenren, these places would also become the most crucial places in the future war.
Two years ago, the Huaxia Army's entry into Sichuan scared away a group of local aborigines. Later, the war stopped at Zizhou. Many local gentry and scholars who were close to the Wu dynasty settled down in Zizhou. After the situation eased a little, some of them began to do business with the Huaxia Army. Zizhou became a transit station between the two forces and prospered in just a year.
In the second half of the year, the Huaxia Fifth Army began to advance to Zizhou, and negotiations with the various forces also began. During this period, there were naturally many people who came out to resist, criticize, and accuse the Huaxia Army's truce before the New Year as a show. But under the premise of the Female Zhenren's attack, everyone understood that these things could not be solved by simple verbal protests.
Because of this, the Huaxia Army successfully negotiated the unconditional merger between Zizhou and the Huaxia Army at the end of August, although the aristocrats and gentry near Zizhou seemed to be making a big fuss. Then, the army entered the city and took over Zizhou without any bloodshed.
On the 11th of September, Ning Ji carried his luggage and entered the city with the third batch of troops. At this time, three regiments of the Huaxia Fifth Army, about 5,000 people, had begun to advance in the direction of the Sword Garret. The engineering corps stationed in Zizhou on a large scale and strengthened the fortifications around it. Some gentry, officials, and ordinary people who originally lived in Zizhou began to evacuate to the rear of the Chengdu Plain.
In such a situation, the atmosphere inside and outside the ancient city of Zizhou was tense. People were moving southward, and the streets were crowded and hurried. Because some of the garrison patrols had been taken over by the Huaxia Army, the overall order was not out of control.
Ning Ji felt at ease with such an atmosphere. He followed the army through the city and temporarily settled down in a medical center near the military camp in the east of the city with the military team. The owner of the medical center was originally a rich man, but he had already left. The front shop and the back yard of the medical center were not small, but it seemed quiet at the moment. Ning Ji put his bag in the room and polished the three long and short knives he carried on his body as usual. Before dusk, a female sergeant in a dark blue military uniform came to see him.
The girl was a head taller than Ning Ji. Her short hair only reached her shoulders. She had a youthful and even rebellious beauty, which was rare in this era. She smiled warmly and looked at the lad who was squatting in the corner of the yard, sharpening his knife. She went straight to him. "Ning Ji, you're here. Are you tired?"
"Sister-in-law." Ning Ji smiled and washed the short knife in his hand with well water. When he stood up, the short knife had disappeared into his sleeve. He said, "Not at all."
"Your brother asked me to take you to dinner. He has too many things to do in the registration office in the north of the city. "
The girl who came was Ning Xi's fiancée, Min Chuyi. She was seventeen years old this year.
As the eldest son of Ning Yi, Ning Xi had gradually begun to participate in the overall planning in the past two years. With more work, it was hard for him to focus on practicing martial arts for self-defense. Relatively speaking, Min Chuyi and Ning Ji were the true disciples of Lu Hongti. Ning Xi was four years older than Ning Ji, but in terms of martial arts, Ning Ji, who was not even fourteen, had caught up with him. Min Chuyi, on the other hand, looked gentle but his martial arts skills were above Ning Ji's. The two of them practiced martial arts together and were as close as siblings. Most of the time, Ning Ji met Min Chu more often than he did with his elder brother.
The two put down their things and walked through the city towards the north. The temporary registration office set up by the Huaxia Army was near the original Zizhou government office. Because the two parties had just completed the transaction, the verification of the registration was done in a hurry. For the stability of the rear, the Huaxia Army stipulated that anyone who wanted to leave the city and head south had to go through the registration first. This caused the entire street in front of the government office to be noisy. Hundreds of Huaxia Army soldiers were nearby to maintain order.
Ning Xi's workplace was in the courtyard of a nearby teahouse. He had been following Hunchback Chen in contact with the spies and intelligence within the Huaxia Army for more than a year. He had stopped the assassinations of the people from the underworld and even the Female Zhenren. Ning Ji, who was much shorter than his brother, was a bit dissatisfied. He felt that he should participate in this kind of thing. But after seeing his brother, the young man who had just transformed from a child was still quite happy. He called out, "Big Brother." He smiled brightly.
The two brothers then went in to greet Hunchback Chen. Ning Xi asked for leave, changed into casual clothes, and brought his brother to the most famous red house in Zizhou for dim sum. The two brothers sat down in the corner of the hall. Perhaps Ning Xi had inherited his father's habits, he was very curious about famous food. Although Ning Ji was young, he did not have a strong desire for good food. He had killed three assassins this year. Sometimes he felt scared, but more like his father, he felt that he was invincible and longed for the upcoming war. He sat down and started to ask, "Brother, when will the Female Zhenren arrive?"
"The situation in Li Zhou is very complicated. After Luo Wen surrendered, Zong Han's army has already reached the outskirts. We can't say for sure yet, "Ning Xi said in a low voice and pointed at the menu." This place has the most famous crystal cakes. How about two bowls? "
"Brother, whatever you say." Ning Ji pulled the chair closer and placed his hands on the table like a serious student. "Brother, when are we going to Sword Tower?"
"You can have some barbecued meat. I heard it will be very thin and very flavorful. I've heard that many times." Ning Xi licked her lips.
"Brother, when are we going to Sword Tower?" Ning Ji repeated.
Ning Xi put down the menu. "You are a doctor, don't always think about running to the frontlines."
"I can help. I'm already very good at treating injuries."
"First, even if we take down Sword Tower, Dad doesn't plan on letting you go." Ning Xi frowned and then looked back at the menu. "Second, Sword Tower's matter isn't that simple."
"Si Zhongxian doesn't want to cooperate with us? That's a real man … "Ning Ji imitated the tone of an adult.
With the impending war, the Hua Xia Army often had meetings and discussions. Although Ning Ji was in the military medical team, as Ning Yi's son, he still had access to all kinds of information and even reliable internal analysis.
Sword Gate Pass was the most important pass in Shu, a place that was fought for by all militarists. Although it was under the jurisdiction of Li Province, Sword Gate Pass was guarded by 20,000 imperial soldiers. General Si Zhongxian was smart and capable. He had independent administrative power in Sword Tower. It was an important pass to prevent the Hua Xia Army from leaving Sichuan.
But until now, the Hua Xia Army didn't have any intention of leaving Sichuan and didn't have any major conflicts with Sword Tower. At the beginning of this year, Wanyan Xiyin and the others announced that they wanted to only attack the southwest to persuade them to surrender. The Hua Xia Army showed their goodwill and also sent representatives to discuss with General Si Zhongxian and the Chen Family to defend against the Jurchen together.
In the past, the Hua Xia Army had a high opinion of Si Zhongxian. They believed that he was loyal to the Wu dynasty, worried about the country, and sympathized with the people. At the critical moment, especially when the Jurchen Zhenren was rampant, he was worth fighting for and was a person who could think clearly.
This kind of communication was said to be quite smooth in the first half of this year. Ning Ji also received the news that there might be a head-on confrontation with the Jurchen Zhenren in Sword Tower. Sword Tower was an impregnable pass that could not be broken by ten thousand people. If it could be like this, it might be the biggest advantage for the Hua Xia Army, which lacked troops. But looking at his brother's attitude, this matter was reversed.
Ning Ji's first reaction was that Si Zhongxian was stubborn. He would rather face Wanyan Zonghan alone than join forces with the Hua Xia Army. But after saying this, his brother frowned and still looked at the menu. "Give me a small pig trotter for you."
"Si Zhongxian wants to surrender?" Ning Ji frowned. "Didn't you say he was a reasonable person?"
"The situation is very complicated. It's not that simple. Si Zhongxian's attitude is a bit strange now." Ning Xi closed the menu. "I originally wanted to tell you this. Don't be so anxious."
Ning Ji nodded. His gaze was slightly gloomy, but he calmed down. He wasn't originally very lively, but he had become quieter in the past year. Right now, he was clearly thinking about his own thoughts. Ning Xi sighed. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you about this first."
Ning Ji nodded. Ning Xi poured tea and continued. "In the past two months, the Wu dynasty has been on the verge of collapse. You know that. The Jurchen Zhenren is very arrogant, and more people have sided with us. Including Zizhou. We originally thought that we could take it down after a few battles, but in the end, we came in without a fight. Do you understand the reason in between? "
Ning Ji raised his chin. "In the world, only we can fight the Jurchen Zhenren. It's better to side with us than with the Jurchen Zhenren."
"That is a part of it. Many of us think that way. But Second Brother, the main reason is that Zizhou is close to us. If they don't surrender, we will defeat them before the Jurchen Zhenren arrives. If they are really in the middle, it is hard to say if they will side with us or the Jurchen Zhenren. "
"… So Si Zhongxian wants to side with the Jurchen Zhenren? Didn't they just kill a useless Emperor! They hate us so much! "
Ning Ji's eyes widened in rage. Ning Xi shook her head and smiled. "Not only that, the main reason is what Father mentioned in the letter he sent me half a month ago. Second Brother, when the Wu dynasty was still around, the people in the Wu dynasty said that they would force the tiger to swallow the wolf. They said that they would give the land to the Jurchen Zhenren so that the Jurchen Zhenren could attack us. This sounded interesting but no one dared to do that. Even if someone suggested it, their subordinates objected fiercely because it was a very embarrassing thing. "
"… But today, they have lost all their face." Ning Ji listened seriously. Ning Xi paused slightly before saying, "Today, the Wu dynasty is really finished. They have no face and their country is about to be destroyed. At this time, many of them think that it is not bad to let us fight with the Jurchen Zhenren to the point where both sides are injured. "
Ning Ji's eyes widened and he opened his mouth but didn't say anything. He was still young and his ability to understand was slow. Ning Xi took a deep breath and flipped open the menu again. He looked around and lowered his voice.
"In the last two months, there have been more assassination attempts against you, me, Father, and Mother. This is organized by a portion of the former Wu dynasty families. They know that the Wu dynasty is about to fall and that the war in the southwest is about to start. They hope that we will have more grudges with the Jurchen Zhenren. For example, they want to kidnap us and then throw us into the Jurchen camp after killing us. This way, when Father faces the Jurchen Zhenren, he will lose his mind. When we entered Zizhou half a month ago, we found a group of people. They want to attack Aunt Jin because she occasionally goes out to direct performances. They want to capture her and bring her to the Jurchen camp … "
Ning Ji's fingers grabbed the edge of the table. With a crack, the patterns on the wooden table cracked slightly. The youth suppressed his voice. "Aunt Jin lost a child!"
Ning Xi's eyes were bloodshot but his tone was still calm. "These people are not happy now. But Second Brother, I'm not telling you this so that you can vent your anger on the table. Don't forget the most important thing Father has warned us about since we were young. "
"I know." Ning Ji inhaled and slowly let go of the table. "I've calmed down."
"Anger is motivation, but the most important thing is to calmly see the reality and face it objectively. Only by systematically using everyone's strength can you exert your greatest ability and cause the greatest damage to the enemy, making them the most unhappy and uncomfortable … These few months, the danger outside has been great for us. Zizhou has just surrendered, so it's more complicated than the south. You have to stay alert … As for Si Zhongxian's relapse, it's likely due to the same reason, but we can't be sure now. I heard that they are still thinking of a solution."
"Mm." Ning Ji nodded. Suppressing his anger was extremely difficult for a youth who was not even 14 years old, but the experience in the military medical team over the past year gave him the strength to face reality. He had to watch his seriously injured companions get their legs sawed off, and watch people bleed and die in pain. There were many things in this world that surpassed human strength and could take away lives. No matter how great the grief and anger was, it was useless. Many times, it would make people make the wrong choices.
"Twenty days ago, your Sister Chuyi was also injured and bled for half the night. She just recovered recently … so we have to eat more. That's how it is for a family, and also for companions. If you are stronger and calmer, the people around you will be less hurt. Do you want us to order all the food that we haven't eaten yet? "
"… Brother, don't joke around. Just order what you like." Ning Ji smiled perfunctorily, clenching his fists slightly. After a while, he finally said, "But why? They can't beat the Female Zhenren, and their place is occupied by the Female Zhenren. Everyone is suffering! Only we can defeat the Female Zhenren, and we are good to the people around us. The army goes out to help people open up wastelands, and we go out to help people treat illnesses. We don't charge much … why do they still hate us? Are we more hateful than the Female Zhenren? Brother, how can there be such people alive in the world! "
He slammed his small palm on the table. "I can't wait to kill them all! They all deserve to die! "
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