In the early morning of March 11th, Fuzhou.
The lights were on in the courtyard of the temporary palace. Zhou Junwu woke up with a start and realized that he had fallen asleep.
A tall pile of account books was stacked on the table. Because of his big movement, the papers that were originally pressed under his head made a sound. The maid who had stayed up all night with him outside also woke up and hurried over.
"Your Majesty."
"What time is it? Why didn't you wake me up? "
"It's almost a quarter to three in the morning." The maid knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty … hasn't had a good rest lately …"
"When did I sleep?"
"About … past midnight. Your Majesty is too tired. "
"It's okay." Jun Wu rubbed his forehead and cheeks. "It's okay. Get me a basin of water. And get me a cup of ginseng tea. I need to keep reading. "
After the maidservant left, Jun Wu was still rubbing his temples. He had been staying up late for the past few days and had slept very little. Last night, he finally couldn't stay up any longer and had slept for about four hours. But for a young man, he still had enough energy.
On the table were the records of all kinds of supplies since he took over Fuzhou, as well as the income and expenditure of the army and the royal court. Originally, the emperor didn't need to pay attention to these things. For example, when he was doing research in Jiangning, Wenren Buer and Lu Agui were in charge of the income and expenditure. But now that the army was stationed in Fuzhou, Jun Wu didn't stop. Instead, he started to learn about the supply and expenditure of his subordinates.
Now that he had become the head of the household, it was easy to imagine that he would soon be surrounded by a large house. From then on, it would be difficult for him to know the specific suffering of the people. Therefore, he had to understand the details of various affairs as soon as possible. It was the easiest to go through the account books. He knew how much a soldier needed every month, how much food he ate and wore, how much swords and guns cost, how much compensation was given to the soldiers who died, and even the prices of goods in the market. After he had a thorough understanding of these accounts, he could have a clear picture of these things in his mind.
It was actually very troublesome to understand a set of accounts. Jun Wu asked Cheng Zhouhai to find him a reliable accounting teacher, who not only taught him how to keep the books, but also taught him all kinds of tricks and tricks. During this time, Jun Wu dealt with government affairs and met people from all sides during the day. At night, he studied and studied the account books, writing down his understanding and opinions, and then found time to discuss and compare them with the accounting teacher.
In March, the situation in Fuzhou seemed to be stabilized, but in fact, it was only a corner of peace. Jun Wu had been on the run ever since he became the emperor, and it was only in February that he reunited with his sister, Zhou Pei, in Fuzhou. Now that he had a foothold, he had to try to restore the Wu Dynasty in the name of legitimacy. At this time, the eastern army of the Jurchens had already broken camp and headed north, leaving only a little over ten thousand soldiers in Lin 'an to support the small imperial court. But even so, it was not easy to get everyone to stand on the side of the orthodox Wu Dynasty without hesitation.
Over the past year, the destruction of the Jurchen people had affected all aspects of the Wu Dynasty. With the cooperation and promotion of the small court, the system between the civil and military officials had become chaotic. From Lin 'an to the Wu Dynasty, various large clans and gentry had gradually formed a separatist situation in which they supported, promoted generals, and drew troops.
After the Jurchen people easily defeated the court in Lin 'an, the gentry everywhere had to protect themselves out of fear. After Zhou Yong's death, Jun Wu had been fleeing in a dangerous situation. In fact, the inheritance of political power had not been clearly passed on to him. In the past six months, the large clans had basically begun to tighten their grip on the power in their hands. Although there were many people who claimed to be loyal to the Wu Dynasty, in fact, the control Jun Wu could exert over the Wu Dynasty was less than half of what it was a year ago.
These large clans, gentry, and generals who claimed to be loyal to the Wu Dynasty were divided in different places. Their loyalty still needed to be determined, and many of them had their own demands. There was even a possibility that negotiations would break down in the future. At present, Jun Wu's power had not even recovered Fujian, so it was not very realistic to hope for these people to help or take refuge with him.
Consolidating himself, setting rules, and gaining a firm foothold were the first problems that Jun Wu needed to solve. At the moment, the most stable force in his hands was the army of nearly one hundred thousand led by Yue Fei and Han Shizhong. These troops had been free from the interference and suppression of the large clans in the past. But if he wanted to move forward, he had to think about how to give benefits to those large clans and gentry, as well as how to maintain the military's combat strength. He also needed to have a balance.
These new rules had to be established step by step, and in order to do that, Jun Wu, as the newly crowned emperor, had to have a clear understanding of each and every one of his subordinates. He needed to know what kind of people they were and what they wanted from them.
This was the reason that Jun Wu had been working day and night for half a month. He expressed his ideas to Zhou Pei and the other officials. But only a few people around him knew that there was a deeper and darker reason behind Jun Wu's overworked work.
The pressure of being an emperor had fallen on Jun Wu's back.
And the process of suppressing it was definitely not easy at all.
Last year, Jun Wu had won a decisive victory outside Jiangning and became the new emperor. However, he was unable to defend Jiangning and could only lead his army to break out of the encirclement. Some of the people in Jiangning had escaped under the protection of the army, but a large number of them had died in the subsequent massacre. That was the first wave of pressure on Jun Wu.
After Jiangning was slaughtered, the army was chased by Zong Fu and Zong Bi. It took them a month to reach Haiyan, south of Jiaxing. At that time, Zhou Pei had already conquered Fuzhou. Her fleet had come to the north to help and asked Jun Wu to move first. But Jun Wu, who still had a shadow in his heart, refused to do so. At that time, the army had built a line of defense around Haiyan, which still protected a large number of people.
He wanted to escort the people to move first. But this was a naive choice. Not only would the civil officials refuse, even Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, and the others suggested that Jun Wu leave first. The biggest reason was that the Jin State had almost defeated the Wu Dynasty, and they were now chasing after them because of the new Emperor. Once Jun Wu entered the sea, Zong Fu and Zong Bi, who had no way of chasing after him, would not be in the mood to stay in Jiangnan for long.
But while such a reason was reasonable, how different was the entire course of action from Zhou Yong's original choice? In the eyes of bystanders, would they think that it was the same thing? Jun Wu was tormented. He hesitated for a day and finally boarded the ship under Wenren Bu 'er's persuasion. He led the fleet of dragon ships back to Qiantang River and went straight to Lin' an. The situation in Lin 'an suddenly became tense. The people of the small imperial court were anxious. Zong Fu led the army back, but in Haiyan County, Zong Bi, who was angry with Han Shizhong, was not willing to give up. He attacked wildly for several days and finally caused a large number of people to scatter and die.
After this battle, the pressure in Haiyan County had been greatly reduced. But the news that Jun Wu had abandoned the people and fled to the sea was still widely spread by the people of the Jin State and Lin 'an. Many people in Jiaxing and other places even went to the mountains to protect themselves after escaping the massacre.
At this time, the forces of several volunteer armies and refugees also rose and expanded. Among them, the people in the north of Haiyan County who had been massacred by Zong Bi formed a volunteer army under the name of the black flag. One after another, they gathered tens of thousands of people, but they no longer surrendered to the Wu dynasty. These scattered and slaughtered people's responsibility to Jun Wu was also a scar and a heavy burden in the heart of the new emperor.
His father, Zhou Yong, was different. Once an emperor wanted to take responsibility, the pressure would be ten times or even a hundred times greater.
He squeezed his life out of his busy work, but the people around him did not excessively explain or advise him on this matter. In a sense, it was not a bad thing for a young man in his twenties to take over a country. The darkness and suffering in his heart were also the fastest way for a person to grow up.
But when the situation in Fuzhou calmed down a little, Zhou Pei checked the supplies in the city and took out some of the stored food to load two ships. Then she asked Wenren Bu 'er to escort them to the north and hand them over to the refugees in Haiyan County who were still struggling with the famine. Cheng Zhouhai had gone to these refugees and volunteer armies to persuade them. He told them the pros and cons, and some of them gave up on their opinions of Jun Wu. But the volunteer army under the name of the black flag was no longer willing to follow the orders of the Wu dynasty. But this time, Zhou Pei asked Wenren Bu 'er to escort the supplies there. Even if they disobeyed the orders, they would still provide some food for free. When Jun Wu heard about this, he didn't say anything, but he was a little less anxious.
Of course, there were also other news that made him feel relieved. For example, the result of the battle in Changsha had already reached Fuzhou. Jun Wu was very happy when he heard about it.
That day, he read the account books until dawn. He went to the yard to practice a round of boxing before washing up and having breakfast. After breakfast, he heard someone report that Wenren Bu 'er had returned, so he quickly asked her to come in.
Although the purpose of the delivery was to save people, the main reason for asking Wenren Bu 'er to come along was to negotiate with the leader of the volunteer army, He Wen. He said that Jun Wu had no choice but to leave in a month. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Jun Wu still had a lot of things to deal with, he might have been more willing to go over and meet this "former member of the Huaxia Army" who had saved a large number of civilians during the massacre and chat with him about the southwest.
Among Jun Wu and Zhou Pei, the most capable person was Cheng Zhouhai, who was determined and cruel. He didn't manage to persuade He Wen before, but this time, Wenren Bu 'er went to show his goodwill. When Wenren Bu 'er came in and made a report, Jun Wu knew that He Wen was determined and that he hated the Wu dynasty. He didn't change his mind, so Jun Wu wasn't angry. When he was about to ask for more details, someone hurriedly reported that Princess Royal Highness had come for an urgent matter.
After a while, Zhou Pei appeared at the door. She was wearing a plain dress, graceful and light. She held a letter in her hand and walked quickly. After she came in, she greeted Wenren Bu 'er and asked him to skip the formalities. Then, she handed over the letter that seemed to carry some weight. "The spy from Lin' an has sent a message. It's something that Your Majesty is concerned about. I have summoned General Yue to the palace immediately. Mr. Wenren happens to be here, so you can see it earlier. "
"Oh? There's a follow-up to the battle of Tan Zhou? " A few days ago, when he received the news that the battle of Changsha had been settled, it was the happiest moment for Jun Wu. He took the letter and guessed. Then, he took the letter out of the envelope. There was a lot of information in the envelope. There were several articles. Jun Wu didn't hold the paper firmly and it fell to the ground. When he picked it up, he saw that the first one was "On the Death of Qin II". "What's this?"
Zhou Pei glanced at it and said with a faint smile, "It's a new article written by Duke Mei in Lin 'an. I heard that it's been spreading like wildfire in Lin' an recently. Your Majesty, why don't you take a look?"
"Oh?" Jun Wu calmed down and read it word by word. After a while, he frowned. "It's not good enough for 'On the Death of Qin' … But, why did Wu Qimei write such a thing? Does he have nothing better to do … Is he insinuating that I'm militaristic? "
"Of course there's a reason. This article is written for the big families in Jiangnan. If you're impatient, you can turn to the next page. "
Jun Wu flipped a page.
He read it for a while, then pulled out the page that was originally on the top. He took a step back and sat on a chair. He read it over and over again with a solemn look on his face. The morning sun shone in from the courtyard outside the room and the sound of birds chirping could be heard in the air. Jun Wu looked at Zhou Pei and then at the information. "It's …"
His voice was a little hoarse. He paused for a while and then said, "Is it true?"
At this moment, Zhou Pei was also silent for a while. "The news first came to Lin 'an, but we didn't have enough people so we couldn't confirm it. Like Wu Qimei, we waited for a few days until Lin' an released the article. Only then were we able to confirm the truth. So, they sent the news and the article to me … I came as soon as I read it. "
The letter was about the situation in the southwest. Jun Wu nodded and couldn't help but stand up. "February 28th … I wonder what the situation in the southwest is like now …"
He paused and casually flipped through some information at the back, then handed it to Wenren Buer, who was curious. She paced back and forth in the hall and said, "This is what you call fighting a war! This is what you call fighting a war! Teacher killed Xie Bao! He killed Xie Bao in front of Zong Han! Haha, if I can fight side by side with Teacher … "
"Your Majesty," Zhou Pei smiled weakly. "You're the Emperor of the Wu dynasty, Your Majesty."
"What Emperor? What's the use of a name? What's the right thing to do? " Jun Wu waved his hand in the room. At this moment, he was wearing a dragon robe. His face was thin and he had a beard on his chin. At first glance, he already looked like a dignified leader, but at this moment, he showed a rare childishness that he hadn't seen for a long time. He pointed at the information in Wenren Buer's hand twice. His eyes turned red and he couldn't speak.
"… He … defeated … the Female Zhenren. Sister, have you ever thought about it? It's been more than ten years … more than thirty years. All I've heard about is defeat. The Female Zhenren attacked. The Emperor of the Wu dynasty was so scared that he ran away … The southwest was defended. He actually fought against Wanyan Zonghan and killed his son … I can't even think about it. Even when I heard the news from Tan Province a few days ago that Yin Shuke was killed, I still didn't dare to think about the southwest. My sister … He, he fought against tens of thousands of people and fought against hundreds of thousands of people … Umm, is this news fake? "
Jun Wu's eyes were red. He spoke with difficulty. Sometimes he laughed hysterically, but in the end, he felt that it was all a dream. Zhou Pei didn't argue with him this time. "… I'm not sure."
Wenren Buer looked at the information and remained silent for a long time. They had fought their way out of Jiangning. They had been in danger several times because of the Female Zhenren's pursuit. Although a man's heart was as hard as iron, in fact, the shadow of the Female Zhenren was like a boundless sky, like a long night where no light could be seen. The entire Wu dynasty was falling apart in this nightmare. It seemed that this suffering would continue for a long time. But at this moment, someone said that thousands of miles away, Ning Yi had brazenly overturned Zonghan's army.
Everything seemed to be a bit unrealistic.
The three people in the room were silent for a long time. Then Jun Wu opened his mouth. He said with longing, "… The southwest must be in the flames of war."
His words were full of longing.
At this time, someone came in to report that General Yue had arrived.
…
It was early in the morning. The sunlight was clear and warm outside the courtyard. After Yue Fei arrived, according to the information he had received, they brought over a map and made a round of deduction and review of the battle thousands of miles away. During this time, Cheng Zhouhai, Han Shizhong, and a group of civil officials also arrived one after another. When they heard the news, they all showed complicated expressions.
They all chattered and chatted. In reality, those who were acquainted with Ning Yi were rather silent. Jun Wu only slightly lost his composure in front of those he was familiar with, but when the civil officials came in, he no longer said those inappropriate words. Zhou Pei walked to the side and looked out the window at the waterside pavilion and the scenery. She also thought of Ning Yi.
In truth, the figure that she had been thinking about for a long time had already become extremely blurry in her memory. The Ning Yi of the past had been nothing more than a relatively refined scholar. After their parting in the capital, the two had never met again. The things he did after that, whether it was the massacre of Liangshan or the rebellion against the Lulin Forest, had always seemed somewhat illusory.
When it came to regicide and rebellion, Ning Yi had become more of a dark silhouette. This silhouette would sometimes do extreme things, but it had to be admitted that he was the embodiment of true power. This was a power that her position could not define. Even after taking over Princess Cheng's residence and seeing all sorts of things for more than a decade, she still could not completely define the extent of his power when she thought of the man who had once been her teacher.
Defeating the Jin army was like a dream to the people of the Wu dynasty, but this was not the first time that he had done it. More than a decade ago in Bianliang, he had gathered a motley crew and defeated Medicine Master Guo, who could wrestle with a Lady Zhenren, in Xia Village. In the end, he had cooperated with Grandpa Qin to break the siege of Bianliang. Later, at the Little Canghe, he had killed Lou Shi and Ci Bushe, causing the Jin to suffer a huge setback in the northwest.
All of this could only be considered a local war with the Jin, but when it came to the war in the southwest, the Huaxia army was truly facing off against half of the Jin's territory. Everyone was surprised by the victory in Tan Province, but it was not incomprehensible. At most, it could be considered a pleasant surprise. But when it came to the war in the southwest, even those who were the most optimistic and most confident in Ning Yi would not be able to guess the results of today's battle.
At most, people thought that the Huaxia army would take advantage of the terrain to delay the Jurchen Western Army in the southwest, and by stalling for time, they would finally obtain a chance of survival under the Jurchen's all-out attack. No one could have imagined that the Huaxia army, with only tens of thousands of men, would be able to fight to a draw with the Jin elite army of nearly two hundred thousand. Then, Ning Yi led seven thousand men to attack. In just the first attack, he had defeated the thirty thousand Yan Mountain Guards led by Wanyan Xibao and killed Wanyan Xibao in front of Ni Han.
In his life, he had almost never been truly at a disadvantage against anyone. Even the Jurchen, a demon who had slaughtered his way out of the white mountains and black waters, had been dealt such a heavy blow after ten years of training?
What did Wanyan Zonghan think of him?
The southwest … was truly in the flames of war …
She was thinking about these things in her mind. This was the first time in many years that she had thought of Ning Yi so seriously and forcefully. Although she could no longer see his figure clearly, when facing the nightmare of the Jurchen Zhenren heading south, he had gone too far … At this moment, she was still recalling these things in vain. She was also thinking, "If only those bastards in the imperial court, including Zhou Zhe, would not have been so stupid after the battle of Xia Village. Everything today would have a different trajectory …"
On the tree outside the window, the peach blossoms had all fallen. She closed her eyes and sighed softly, softly.
None of this would ever come true again …
…
Not far away, Jun Wu, who had been silent for a long time, also called Wenren Bu 'er to the side and asked about the matter that had been interrupted before.
"… Mr. Wenren, this time when you went there, the leader of the volunteer army called He Wen, was he really … someone who had stayed in the southwest?"
…
Outside the window, the sun was falling. In the peaceful corner of Fuzhou, the people were delighted by the news. However, under this bright and beautiful sky, along the way to the north, the dark clouds did not disperse in their sight. Hundreds of thousands of troops and millions of Han slaves were forming a bloated group and crossing the Yangtze River.
Victory and defeat converged here. Triumph and desolation intertwined. The high and mighty victors drove millions of their own kind like livestock to the north. One side was the way home, the other side would never have a way home. Every day, there were corpses being rolled up by the water of the Yangtze River, floating and sinking to the distance of hell.
The news that came later also interrupted this pure joy and sorrow.
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