The wind howled and the cranes howled as the green sea spun.
In the valley below, corpses were strewn all over the ground and fresh blood dyed the ground red. Wanyan Yuchi rode his black warhorse over the corpses. There were also people of the Greenwood Tribe on the side of the road whose faces were covered in blood but had chosen to surrender in the end.
His gaze swept past these people and he ran up the mountain in front of him.
Just like what had happened over a decade ago, when the army charged, the hot-blooded people of the Greenwood Forest would find it hard to defend against such an organized massacre. Their defensive formations would often be broken at the first moment, and only a small number of Greenwood Forest people would be able to cause any damage to the Jurchen soldiers.
But because Dai Jincheng's plot had been discovered, the assembled people of the Greenwood Tribe still managed to buy a moment of time to escape. The traces of battle spread along the mountain ridge towards the northeast, passing through the mountains and forests. The Jurchen cavalry had already chased after them. The forest wasn't large, but it was just enough to restrain the charge of the Jurchen cavalry. When some of the soldiers entered rashly, they were ambushed by the people of the Greenwood Tribe who had escaped here, resulting in many casualties.
The moment Wanyan Yuchi crossed the mountain peak, the cavalry had already started to light torches and prepare to set fire to the forest. Some of the cavalry tried to find a path around the forest and intercept the fleeing people of the Greenwood Tribe.
In the forest, the scarred man, half covered in blood, dragged a Jurchen knight to the ground and killed her with a swing of his sword. He then seized her warhorse, but the warhorse wasn't tame. It neighed and kicked, and the scarred man was thrown off the warhorse after getting on its back. When the warhorse tried to run, he rolled and pounced, ruthlessly chopping at the horse's neck.
The horse's blood sprayed all over him, and the stench was indescribable. He looked around and saw a woman dressed like an old woman running over. He waved his hand and said, "Old woman! The golden dog won't be able to enter the forest for a while. Set up the snake formation and let's fight them to the death! "
"The golden dog wants to set fire to the forest, we can't stay here for long!" The old woman said. The scar-faced man was stunned and then said, "The forest is so big, how long would it take to burn it all? We will die if we go out. Let's find the others first …"
Just as he was about to turn around and leave, a glint of a blade came from behind a tree trunk. In the blink of an eye, the glint of the blade was right in front of him. The old woman pounced on him while the scarred man retreated hastily. In the forest, three figures crossed each other. Three of the old woman's fingers flew into the air while the scarred man's right chest was slashed by the blade. His clothes were torn open and blood seeped out.
The one who had charged out was a skinny Jin scout. The Jurchens were also fishermen and hunters. Many of the scouts were hunters who had spent their entire lives killing. The middle-aged scout held a long saber in his hand. His gaze was sinister and sharp, and he exuded an indescribable sense of danger. If not for the scarred man's quick reaction and the old woman's three fingers as the price to block the attack, the scout's blade would have split the scarred man into two. At this moment, the blade was not fatal. The scarred man brandished his saber and wanted to attack again. His footsteps were extremely agile as he widened the distance between them. He moved to the side and was about to escape to the other end of the forest.
At this moment, a figure came whistling. The golden scout saw that there were many enemies and quickly retreated. The figure stabbed out with a spear. The tip of the spear changed several times along with the golden scout. It pierced straight into the scout's heart and pulled out again. The spear looked ordinary, but in the blink of an eye, it had traversed a distance of several feet. It sprinted and pulled back. It was indeed a skillful strike that seemed clumsy. The scarred man and the old woman recognized the identity of the person at a glance.
"Senior Fu Lu, why are you still here!"
"It's best if I stay." Fu Lu glanced at the two. "You two, leave quickly."
"We'll stay!" As the scar-faced man spoke, he took out a medicine bag and quickly bandaged and treated the old woman who had lost her finger. "Senior Fulu, you're the backbone of the Emerald Forest. You can't die. I'll wait here and try my best to stall the golden dog for a while. For the sake of the bigger picture, you should leave quickly."
"You two should leave quickly." Fu Lu's gaze was solemn. "I heard that Wanyan Yuchi had led an army to attack Western City. Now that Wanyan Yuchi has come here, he doesn't have many troops with him. Where did the main army go? Who is leading them? If Dai Mengwei really has bad intentions, what kind of situation would Western City be in? Old Eighth Brother, you always understand the bigger picture and know when to advance and when to retreat. I will stay here and delay Wanyan Yuchi. I might not die. The more people that escape from here, the more hope there will be in the future. "
"You are the backbone of the Green Forest."
"There are thousands of heroes in Western City that will die. What can a mere Green Forest do?" Fu Lu walked into the distance. "People with bones can stand up even without orders!"
The scarred man's chest injury wasn't serious. When he bandaged the old woman, the two of them also quickly treated the injury on their chests. Seeing Fu Lu's figure about to leave, the old woman waved her hand. "My injuries are not light. I can't leave. Senior Fu Lu, I will set up an ambush in the forest and help you."
"Thank you." Fu Lu's voice came from the other end.
The scarred man stood there in a daze for a moment. The old woman pushed him. "Let's go and send the message."
He gritted his teeth and finally cupped his hands. He said loudly, "I, Old Eighth, swear to the heavens that if I don't die today, I will definitely kill Dai Mengwei's entire clan!"
Someone chimed in from somewhere, "Me too!"
… …
"I, Old Eighth, swear to the heavens that if I don't die today, I will definitely kill Dai Mengwei's entire clan …"
The shout echoed in the forest. Fu Lu, who had a head full of white hair, was running in the forest. Along the way, he had persuaded several groups of heroes of the Green Forest who thought that the hope of escaping was slim and decided to stay to kill more Golden Dogs. Among them, there were people he already knew, such as Jin Chenghu, who had sought refuge with him and spent some time with him, such as Old Eighth, who had some dealings with him in the past, and heroes whose names he couldn't name.
These people didn't deserve to die. If one more person could live, perhaps there would be one more hope in the world.
In the first half of his life, he lived in this world as Zhou Dong's servant. He had a mild temperament and a relatively soft body when dealing with people. Even when he followed Zhou Dong to practice martial arts and kill people, he only did it when Zhou Dong said to kill people. Among the people around him, even his wife, Zuo Wenying, was more decisive and unyielding than him.
Zhou Dong was upright and cold. Most of the time, he was actually quite serious and kept to his word. In retrospect, Fu Lu and Zhou Dong were two completely different figures in the first half of his life. However, it had been more than ten years since Zhou Dong's death. During this period of more than a year, Fu Lu was summoned by Ning Yi to mobilize the people of the Lulin Forest to fight against the Jurchen. From time to time, he had to give orders, and from time to time, he had to think of a way out for everyone. He would often wonder what he would do if his master was still here. Unknowingly, he had become more and more like Zhou Dong in the past.
At the edge of the forest, flames leaped. The old man held a great spear and began to run forward. The rider at the edge of the forest was holding a torch and setting it on fire. Suddenly, a biting cold gust of wind whistled over.
The rider was still on his horse when his throat was pierced. He retracted his spear. The other two riders nearby also noticed the commotion and charged over. The old man held his spear and moved forward. His spear was as steady as a mountain. In the blink of an eye, a rain of blood exploded in the air. The warhorse that had lost its rider brushed past the old man.
The old man raised his head and saw Wanyan Yuchi on a mountain peak not far away. At this moment, Wanyan Yuchi, who was riding on a pitch-black warhorse, also looked over. After a moment, he gave an order.
The archers with flames on their arrowheads locked their gazes in this direction. The old man held his great spear and retreated into the forest.
The light from the fire arrows rose into the sky and descended into the forest. The old man held his spear and walked into the depths of the forest. Smoke and flames rose behind him.
The forest wasn't too big, but it would take some time to burn it all. At this moment, flames were also burning in other parts of the forest. The old man stood in the forest and listened to the faint sounds of fighting and the whistling of the flames. What rang in his ears were the sounds of the battle, the shouts, and the low chanting of the Crouching Blue Dragon from over ten years ago when Wanyan Zonghan was assassinated … This battle had never calmed down in his mind.
Wenying …
He thought.
Whether it was long or short, people would eventually die. Sometimes, it was just a matter of time …
In the sky, the wind howled and the cranes cried as Hai Dongqing flew.
In the forest below, they were fighting side by side with Zhou Dong and Zuo Wenying from over ten years ago …
…
The scar-faced man snatched a slightly tame warhorse and fought and fled all the way.
It was already close to evening when he finally approached the vicinity of West City. When he approached the forest in the south, his heart sank. There were traces of Jin scouts in the forest and Hai Dongqing was flying in the sky.
He abandoned his warhorse and carefully walked through the forest. But halfway through, he was still discovered by two Jin scouts. He tried his best to kill one of them. When the other Jin scout was about to kill him, someone else came out of the forest and saved him.
The one who came was also a martial artist who was covered in dust. "I am Jin Chenghu. Greetings, Eighth Master."
The scar-faced man cupped his hands.
Both of them fought their way out of the valley. They were concerned about the situation in the valley, but they were more worried about the situation in West City. They did not exchange too many pleasantries and walked toward the northern end of the forest together. The forest passed over the ridge. The further they walked, the colder their hearts became. In the distance, there was an unusual agitation in the air. Occasionally, through the gaps in the trees, they seemed to see smoke in the sky. When they walked out of the edge of the forest, the scar-faced man, who was supposed to be hiding carefully, could not help but kneel on the ground in exhaustion with the help of a tree trunk …
It had been more than a year since the south had fallen into enemy hands. As the war in the southwest took a turn for the better, Dai Mengwei and Wang Zainan's rallying cry had spurred several Han troops to rise up and gather in the direction of Western City. This was a spark that had been ignited with great effort. But at this moment, the Jurchen cavalry was tearing the Han army's camp apart. The war was coming to an end.
And on the battlefield was the flag of Wanyan Xiyin, who should have been hundreds of miles away …
*****
The evening breeze by the river in the summer, accompanied by the sound of horns on the battlefield, sounded like a desolate and ancient elegy. Wanyan Xiyin rode on horseback, watching the Han army gradually collapse in front of him.
Many of the troops had already put down their weapons and knelt on the ground. Some were resisting stubbornly, some wanted to escape, but the cavalry had mercilessly beaten them. These troops had already surrendered to the Jin Army. Seeing that the situation was not in their favor, and with the encouragement of others, they rebelled again. But their morale and courage had long been lost.
Even though he did not bring many cavalry here, with the information he had received, they easily defeated the tens of thousands of troops gathered here. This proved once again that although the Han army was large, they were all cowardly bandits.
Near and far, some of the Han soldiers in ragged clothes and incomplete weapons knelt on the ground, sobbing. But most of them looked numb and hopeless. Some of them were screaming in a pool of blood, but their voices were hoarse. The injured soldiers were still afraid of attracting the attention of the Jin soldiers. Wanyan Xiyin watched all this. Occasionally, a cavalry would come over and report to Xi Yin that they had killed a Han general. They would also bring along the heads.
Seven or eight heads that belonged to the generals had been thrown on the ground, and the captured ones were being brought over. Not far away, another group of people approached and came to pay their respects. It was the great scholar, Dai Mengwei, who was the mastermind of this incident. This person was over sixty years old and had a sorrowful expression. He was serious in speech and manner. Xi Yin originally admired him, and after he rebelled, she even told Wanyan Yuchi about the value of Confucianism. But now, she had a different impression of him.
He accepted Dai Mengwei's bow, then dismounted from his horse and allowed him to rise. The last time they met, although Dai Mengwei had surrendered, his back had always been straight. But after this greeting, he kept his back slightly bowed. The two exchanged a few pleasantries and strolled along the ridge.
"… To be honest, Master Dai caused such a ruckus, but in the end, you wrote me a letter and betrayed them. If this matter was told to someone else, I would believe it if they said that it was the destiny of the Great Jin, and that a wise man submits to circumstances. But since it's Master Dai, I have some doubts. The letter is brief, and I hope that Master Dai can enlighten me. "
Dai Mengwei bowed slightly. She kept her hands in her sleeves as she walked forward. She looked ahead and said calmly, "As long as the Goddess of Grains agrees to the conditions we agreed on earlier, they will die a worthy death … Moreover, they colluded with Black Flag, so they deserve to die."
"Master Dai, are you really afraid of the Black Flag? More than the Great Jin? "
"The Great Jin is the enemy of the Han family. But at this point, there will be a day when they retreat. After the marshal and the Goddess of Grains return to the north, the Black Flag will be able to cross the southwest and conquer the Wu dynasty. Ning Yi once said that he wanted to destroy the Confucians. Although he did not make any clear moves, from my point of view, this only shows that he is not reckless. Once he takes action, the disaster will be even worse. Goddess of Grains, Ning Yi can't destroy the Confucians, but he can make the world more turbulent for a few years, or even decades. Many people will die because of this. "
"Oh?"
"The Goddess of Grains might not agree with my views and look down on my actions. This is human nature. The Great Jin is a new country, sharp and full of vigor. Although the Goddess of Grains has studied Confucianism for her whole life, she can't stand my stale ways. But the Goddess of Grains, if the Jin Kingdom exists, it will become like this sooner or later. "
Dai Mengwei folded her sleeves and walked half a step behind Xi Yin from the beginning to the end. Her footsteps and words were calm, but there was an indescribable aura, like the aura of death, but also like an ominous prophecy. The figure in front of him with a slightly bowed body, a sorrowful face, and ominous words was the real heart of the old man. He listened to her continue.
"… During the early Qin Dynasty, there was a saying that the five virtues will end. Later on, it was said that there will be a king in 500 years. 500 years is too long. In this world, there will be a turbulence every 200 to 300 years. This turbulence may last for decades, or even centuries, and then it will be unified again. This is the law of nature, and it is difficult for humans to resist. Those who are lucky to be born in a peaceful world can live a few days of peace. If they are unlucky to be born in a chaotic world, look at them, how are they different from ants? "
"… There is no way to change the cycle of nature. As scholars, we can only make the rule of the world a little longer and the chaos a little shorter. Don't mess around blindly. That is the merit of thousands of people. Goddess of Grains, let me say something from the bottom of my heart. If the world can still belong to the Han family, I can die with a smile. But if the Han family can no longer rule the world, the world will belong to the Great Jin. Sooner or later, the Confucians will rule the world. By then, the Han people will be able to rule the world and suffer less. "
He looked at the Han soldiers who were kneeling on the battlefield. "But Black Flag can't do it … Ning Yi is known as Hua Xia, and his actions are indeed determined to improve himself. It is admirable. He is a hero, but not a king. A hero does not change his original intentions, but a king needs to know when to advance and when to retreat. From the beginning, he had set his ambition to destroy the Confucians. He wanted to use his so-called contract, fairness, and equality to start from scratch. In between, it fits the image of a strong and fragile person. "
"… Think about it, he defeated Marshal Zong Han. If he goes out with his strength, the governance will not be as simple as it was in the mountains. He can't change the world, and the world can't change him. The more he is unyielding, the longer the world will stay in the chaotic world. He brought with him the art of investigating things, using strange and obscene techniques to make his weapons even more powerful, and everyone in the world is learning from him. This is the atmosphere of a world of great competition. It sounds heroic, but in the end, it is just the world burning, and the common people suffering. "
Xi Yin clasped her hands behind her back and walked forward. She then said, "What Master Dai said is unheard of, but it is indeed thought-provoking."
"The Goddess of Grains is wise, and you may understand my helplessness in the future. But no matter what, you and I have to stop Black Flag now. In the past, when Ning Yi talked about destroying the Confucians, everyone thought that it was just a child's ravings. But Goddess of Grains, from March onwards, the situation in the world is different. Ning Yi has a strong army, and he may be able to occupy the southwest and get out of the Sword Garret. But in the future, every step he takes will be much more difficult. The Confucians have been in the world for thousands of years, and the Confucians who did not stand up to compete with them will start to go against them. Goddess of Grains, you can wait and see. "
Xi Yin turned her head and looked at the battlefield. "If that's the case, you really have a reason to cooperate with me. That's good, I will give you double what I promised earlier. But after we leave, Master Dai, you may not live for long. I believe you have thought it through? "
"My death is not to be regretted, and I trust you, Goddess of Grains. As long as the Goddess of Grains gives me the manpower, rations and supplies that the southwest army can no longer bring along, I will let the tens of millions of Han slaves stay behind and use the supplies as disaster relief, so that the millions of people in this thousand miles of land can survive, then I will be a Buddha to all. If the Black Flag Army wants to kill me now, then let them kill, it will let the world see the true face of the Black Flag Army. Let the world know that they call themselves the Hua Xia Army, but they are only fighting for power, and not for the welfare of the people. It will be a good thing for me to die under their blades. "
Xi Yin was silent for a moment. "The rations, supplies, and weapons that can't be taken away will be given to you. The cities that the Jin West Army has occupied will be given to you. The Han army that belongs to the Great Golden Tent will be under your command. The eight hundred thousand Han slaves that we captured will be given to you. I will not kill any of them. I promise you that when we retreat, if there is no reason, the Jin army will not massacre the cities to vent our anger. You can explain to the public that this is the agreement between us … but these people today …"
He pointed at the battlefield.
Dai Mengwei's eyes were calm. "The soldiers who surrendered today, as the Han people of the Wu Dynasty, colluded with the Black Flag Army. This is an unforgivable crime. Since they abandoned their weapons and surrendered, kill three of them as a warning to others. I will do this well, please rest assured, Goddess of Grains. "
"Alright …" Xi Yin nodded. He looked to the front and wanted to say something, but he couldn't think of much at the moment. He waved his hand and asked for a warhorse.
"From today onwards, Master Dai will be the next Liu Yu. I don't agree with what Master Dai did, but I have to admit that Master Dai is much more difficult to deal with than Liu Yu. Ning Yi is really unlucky to have an enemy like Master Dai."
"On behalf of the millions of people south of Nanjiang, I thank you for not killing them."
"You don't have to thank me."
Xi Yin replied as such. At this moment, there was also a scout who brought news. It was a change in the situation on the other battlefield. The Mountain Slaying Guards and the puppet army were outflanking the side of Hanshui River, blocking the path of Qi Xinhan and Wang Zainan's troops. Among them, Wang Zainan's troops had low combat power, but the Black Flag Army led by Qi Xinhan was the real tough nut to crack. Even if their path was blocked, it was not easy to take them down.
From the news that was reported, seeing that Dai Mengwei had surrendered to the enemy, the surrounding roads were difficult to pass through. Qi Xinhan, who was once deceived, had already reduced the scope of his action and started to build a line of defense based on the terrain. It seemed that he was going to use his main force of three thousand to cooperate with Wang Zainan's ten thousand Han troops to defend the place.
A similar situation had happened more than ten years ago. That was during the first Bianliang defensive battle in Xia Village. It was also in that battle that the embryonic form of the entire Black Flag Army of today was formed. Everyone in the Black Flag Army knew about this battle. Wanyan Xi Yin was not unfamiliar with it. And because of that, he was not willing to let this battle be dragged into a long and anxious rhythm.
Luckily Dai Mengwei had just betrayed. Wang Zainan's troops might not be able to gain the trust of the Black Flag Army. And what they were facing, was not Medicine Master Guo's Ever-Victorious Army, but the Mountain Slaying Guards that he had led over.
After Xi Yin left, Dai Mengwei's gaze turned to the entire battlefield beside him. There were tens of thousands of his compatriots kneeling down. Their clothes were tattered, their gazes were numb, pale and hopeless. They were his compatriots who were tossing and turning in hell. Even the soldiers who were being escorted here were looking at him with hatred. He was not moved.
How would a fool know the great justice of heaven? Compared to the lives of tens of thousands of people, what was the death of tens of thousands of people?
At this moment, the old man was one of the most powerful people south of Hanshui River.
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