"Outside the city of Chang'an there are white clouds and autumn clouds, the wind is desolate and the water is flowing. Because he longed for the chaos of the Han Dynasty, Zhongxuan went to Jingzhou from now on..."
The ancient stage faced the rolling river. The person singing on the stage was an old man with a rich but slightly hoarse voice. His singing was accompanied by sonorous drums.
A round table had already been set up in front of the stage. Not long after, several people in armor or colorful clothes entered. Some knew each other and greeted each other in the sound of the poem. Some just sat down quietly and watched the others.
A few people. A total of nine people came here, half of them looked a little tired from work.
The drums on the stage stopped for a moment, then started again, and the old singer sang: "Xian Mountain looks back at Qin Pass, and it will take a few days to return to Jingzhou in the south. I can only cry when I climb today, and I don't know where the scenery is."
The old man's singing was very contagious. One of the people sitting there sighed: "I can only cry when I come here today. I don't know where the scenery is..."
A man wearing a scribe's robe next to him smiled: "Looking back at Qin Pass from Xian Mountain, how many days will it take to go south to Jingzhou... Sikong Shu wrote about Xianshan Pavilion, how many days will it take to get here..."
He patted his palms on the table and said, "I sang it wrong."
As he was talking, someone in military uniform came up from the steps on the side. As soon as the tenth man appeared, the previous nine people all stood up one after another: "Master Liu."
"General Liu."
"Uncle Ping."
The tenth man cupped his hands and smiled: "Time is short, I have neglected you all." His words were majestic and steady. This man was Liu Guangshi, who after the turmoil of the Wu Dynasty, held heavy troops and occupied Baling, Jiangling and other places.
The scholar who had said that he had sung the wrong song said, "Uncle Liu, this guy on the stage, what he sang has a profound meaning. You must have done it on purpose."
"To be honest, this old man's singing is different from the previous customs of the Wu Dynasty. It is tragic and generous, which is Liu's favorite, so I asked him to sing a few songs specifically for me in the army. Today's meeting will be conservative.
Secret, secondly, it was really a bit hasty, so I called him out to help sing one or two. I know the preferences of nephew Ping Baoxian. If you don't leave today, there are two singers in Jiangling City who are amazing in their skills recently.
Ji, Chen Fu, Yan Jiuer... After the business is over, Uncle Shi will make arrangements for you." He smiled majestic yet kindly, "Sit down."
Everyone sat down and Liu Guangshi waved his hand to send the old singer away. A maid came up to make tea. After the maid went down, he looked around and spoke with a smile.
"The world is changing rapidly. The things to be discussed in today's meeting are not simple. Some of you are here on behalf of the master's family, and some are here in person. Your status is sensitive, so I won't introduce them one by one here. Anyway, for now, I have a good idea.
,how?"
It was obviously a secret meeting. Liu Guangshi had thought carefully about it, but when he finished speaking, a man wearing half armor across from him shook his head: "It's okay, Mr. Liu has checked and selected, and those who came here today are all Han people."
, I have a big family and a big business, so I can trust everyone here. I, Xia Zhongxin, am not afraid of being known by everyone. It doesn’t matter whether you tell me or not.”
"I have long admired the reputation of General Xia." The young scholar from before bowed his hand.
Na Xia Zhongxin said: "Fighting and defeating, defeating and fighting again and again, there is no prestige to speak of, just lingering on."
The young scholar stood up with a smile: "My Excellency, Xiao Pingbao, and my father, Xiao Zheng, would like to send my regards to all uncles and elders."
Liu Guangshi looked at these things with a smile. After a while, the other people also expressed their opinions and stood up to make self-reports. The names in each person's words now represented a force in Jiangnan, like Xia Zhongxin, who had already voted for the Jurchens.
Now under the command of a Han army under the control of Wanyan Xiyin, the Xiao family behind Xiao Pingbao is a wealthy family near Hanyang.
Although such a gathering is held on Liu Guangshi's territory, it is equivalent to a gathering of friends. If only Liu Guangshi clearly knows the identities of everyone, then he will become the truly dominant leader. Everyone also understands this
It makes sense, so Xia Zhongxin simply showed his side as a bachelor, and Xiao Pingbao followed, slightly breaking the asymmetry.
Liu Guangshi didn't mind. Although he was a military general, he had been hanging around in the civil service circles all his life, and he rarely saw such scenes. He no longer stuck to this level.
He waited until everyone had been introduced and there were no more pleasantries, then he smiled and said: "Everyone's appearance here is actually a statement. Now that we all know each other, Liu will no longer beat around the bush. Southwest's
You are all aware of the changes in the situation."
Everyone looked seriously and nodded. Someone said: "Coupled with the situation of the Battle of Tanzhou, everyone is now a grasshopper on a rope."
"I never thought that Wanyan Zonghan's fame would be so great that he would suffer such a huge loss."
"You can't say that. The defeat of the Jurchens is a good thing after all."
"But Black Flag won?"
Everyone said a few words, and Liu Guangshi raised his hand: "What you all said makes sense. In fact, the defeat of the Jurchens was not bad, but Black Flag won both battles. This situation is a bit unexpected after all.
To be honest with you, Liu has seen a lot of people in the past ten days or so, and Ning Yi’s actions are terrifying."
When he said this, he took a sip of tea, and everyone was silent. They could all understand the shock in their hearts. Southwest fought fiercely for four months, and Wanyan Zonghan was still pushing forward with difficulty, but as Ning Yi led 7,000
They attacked, and the Jurchens' 100,000-strong army collapsed directly on the front line. Then the entire army was pushed back in the southwest mountains. Ning Yi's army still bit back reluctantly. Now in the southwest mountains, like two
The giant pythons entangled themselves and beat them bloody. The originally weak one actually tried to bite the Jurchen West Route Army, whose original strength was several times his own, to death in the vast mountains inside Jianmen Pass.
In the eyes of everyone, such an attack was even more shocking than his regicide in anger back then. More than ten years later, the devil has become so powerful that he can kill anyone in the world.
Even Wanyan Zonghan, a military general who was almost recognized as the best in the world before, was now slapped hard by him, and even looked like he was about to be beaten to death.
At present, the winner has not yet been decided in the southwest mountains, but countless people are already making plans for the future in private.
After all, things happened too fast. There was no plan beforehand, so everyone seemed to be in a hurry during this round of activities.
"Let me tell you about the situation over there." Xia Zhongxin said, "On the tenth day of the third month, something happened on Qin Laoer's side. The Jurchen Wanyan Xiyin was also very powerful. He had already deployed his troops early.
Beware of the other end. But everyone knows the result. Lao Yu was unlucky. Twenty thousand of his men were attacked by Qin Lao Er in one attack. They were seriously injured and their lives were lost. Next, Wanyan Xiyin almost died three times.
It's just like playing chess, and you don't know who will be unlucky next time. We all said that they might attack Jiange Pavilion next, and if they are blocked at both ends, Nianhan will really never be able to return."
"Last year... I heard that they fought seventeen battles in a row. General Qin's side was not damaged at all." Someone answered, "Is the Chinese army really that strong in combat?"
"It's seven days, seventeen games in a row." Xia Zhongxin said expressionlessly, "I can't tell you how powerful the method is. If you encounter it, you will lose. Wanyan Xiyin is powerful, but he doesn't treat us Han people as human beings.
Well, what he holds is the Jurchen's strongest Tushan Guard. He doesn't dare to charge directly, he just plans to slowly wear it down. Speaking of which, in fact, Mr. Qin's men are the same group of people from Xiaocanghe. Think about it.
, in three years, they killed one million troops in the Central Plains, killed them without mercy, and made the Jurchens miserable, and finally managed to create 20,000 people. They also endured for several years in the west where birds do not lay eggs.
Just came out, damn, this is not a human being, this is a ghost seeking life."
He paused and said, "To be honest with you, everyone on the front line is afraid of everyone now. We won the southwest battle, and Lao Qin came here with the intention of exterminating his family. There is a blood feud. Once the chess is played, the plot will be broken. In the dark,
Between Qi and Tushanwei, whoever touches him will die."
Xiao Pingbao on the side twitched the corner of his mouth and smiled: "Forgive my nephew for speaking frankly, why don't you just throw a black flag."
His words had the meaning of asking questions knowingly, but when everyone sat together, there were steps to unify the meaning in the words, so he was not angry, and just said expressionlessly: "Why did Southwest accept Li Tulai? Now everyone
We all know that if you vote for the Jurchens, you will be sent to fight against Lao Qin, and if you vote for Lao Qin, you will be sent to fight against the Tushan Guards, it is a dead end."
He paused: "In fact, death is not what everyone is afraid of, but what those old boys in the capital said is not unreasonable. Since ancient times, if you want to surrender, you must have a bargaining chip and be valued by others. Only if you surrender can
I have a high position, and now I surrender to the black flag. I am just hanging on for a few years. Who knows what it will be like. Secondly... General Liu has a better idea, which may not be a good way. A man can't do anything in this world.
Japan has no power. If there is still a way to go, Xia doesn’t want to join the Black Flag and just become a fire-headed soldier."
With such words, everyone naturally turned their attention to Liu Guangshi, and Liu Guangshi laughed: "General Xia belittles himself. In today's situation in the Wu Dynasty, many crimes are not war crimes. For more than two hundred years, the country has emphasized civility over military affairs, and it is difficult to recover.
, we have no choice but to face today's predicament. In fact, Liu admires how brave General Xia is on the battlefield and his superb military planning. But to put it bluntly, General Xia was born in cloth and has been commanding troops for many years. There is no day when all parties are not
With constraints, the civil servants are gesticulating, coming and going in the autumn wind. To be honest, Liu has only a few fighting soldiers left in his hands, but they are just the shadow of his ancestors."
Liu Guangshi's words were considered to have reached Xia Zhongxin's heart. The cold-faced middle-aged man cupped his hands and was speechless. Liu Guangshi then said: "The situation is different now. To be honest, Lin'an City's
These clowns have no chance of achieving anything. Guangshi has a saying here: If everything goes well, within five years, if we send troops to Fuzhou today, we will definitely regain Lin'an."
When he said this, he cupped his hands and everyone looked at each other, obviously understanding the hidden meaning of Liu Guangshi's words. Liu Guangshi stood up and asked someone to push up a map: "Actually, Guangshi this time
I invite you to come here just to discuss the future situation with you, so please take a look."
He clicked his finger on the map: "The world has changed. The situation today is completely different from half a year ago. But speaking of it, there are only two things that are unexpected. Chen Fan occupied Tanzhou, Ning Yi stabilized the southwest, and the Jurchen army
Well... the best situation is to escape all the way back to the north along Jingxiang and other places. Next, the Chinese army has actually lost its vitality to some extent. Of course, they will regain their strength within a few years, and then the two sides will be connected.
To be honest, the little territory Liu currently occupies is right at the angle between the two sides of the Chinese army."
When Liu Guangshi said this, he just smiled: "Destroy the Jurchens, the Chinese army will become famous, and it will sweep the world in the future. It is not impossible. But, first, General Xia is right. If you want to surrender, go and be the leader."
They may not be able to accept the soldiers yet. Secondly, it is true that the Chinese army is strict in its administration. Once it wins a big victory, it may go too far internally. Liu also feels that it is inevitable that some problems will arise. Of course, regarding this matter,
We’ll just wait and see for the time being.”
"In any case, we have a few years." Liu Guangshi reached out and drew a circle between Tanzhou and Southwest, "But we only have those few years. Sooner or later, this area will have to compete with Black Flag.
When friction arises, we have to consider where to go."
"Liu has a few considerations about how to deal with this situation." Liu Guangshi smiled, "First, there is nothing wrong with strengthening yourself. Whether you want to fight or make peace, you must be strong. Today
Everyone here, no one party may be able to compete with forces like Black Flag and Jurchen, but if we join forces, taking advantage of the fact that the strength of the Chinese army is weakened, we will have some advantages in this local area for the time being. Secondly, without the constraints of the civilian officials, we
After learning from the experience, there may not be no opportunities for development.”
"But just joining forces is not strong enough. In fact, to put it bluntly, even if we repeat the old view of Wu Dynasty, between Jin Kingdom and Black Flag, Wu Dynasty is still the weakest party, but it is not qualified to win, and it is always qualified to talk.
There will be. Let's take a look at the situation. Black Flag needs to regain its strength, stabilize the situation, and stay put. The Jin army will withdraw to the north and now confront Lin'an in the east. Look at how many places are now vacant.
"
Liu Guangshi slapped his palm on the map, and his eyes were shining brightly: "Everyone, Central Plains! As long as the battle in the southwest stops and the Jurchens go north, we will join hands to break the Yangtze River and capture the Central Plains, return to Bianliang, and repeat our Wu Dynasty
Old view, everyone, this is an unparalleled achievement! For our Wu Dynasty, for our Han people, and for our China."
When his voice fell, someone at the table stood up and slapped his palms with a folding fan: "Indeed, if the Jurchens are defeated and leave, their control over the Central Plains will be at its lowest point, and they will no longer have any influence. And Lin'an Na
On the other hand, a bunch of clowns can't take care of the Central Plains for a while."
Another person said: "Zong Han was beaten to a disgrace in the southwest. Regardless of whether he can be evacuated or not, the people guarding Bianliang will no longer be Jurchen troops. If there are only a few people on the scene, we may be able to recover easily without any effort.
The old capital."
Liu Guangshi smiled: "Besides, if the name is not right, the words are not right. Last year, our Wu Dynasty collapsed. Yue Fei, Han Shizhong and others went to the east, but even the late emperor failed to defend them. Liu can't talk about these things.
Blame them. Later, when the Jurchens became more powerful, some people were traitors! They really surrendered, but there were also many people who were still loyal, like General Xia. Although they had to compromise with the Jurchens, they were always loyal to our Wu Dynasty in their hearts.
Those of you who are waiting for the opportunity anyway, everyone, Liu is also waiting for the arrival of this opportunity. We accept the emperor's order according to God's will, keep the fire for our Wu Dynasty, restore the old view of the Central Plains, no matter who we deal with in the future, we can explain it to you.
It’s over.”
As he said these words, he took out a charcoal pen and circled areas one after another on the map. That large circle of land that included Bianliang and other places seemed to be one of the largest forces in the entire world.
Someone clapped their fists on their palms.
Liu Guangshi stopped laughing and tapped the charcoal on the top with a serious look.
"Everyone, in this place, anything can happen in a few years. If we learn from the experience, innovate with determination, and learn from the Southwest, what will happen? If a few years pass, the situation changes, and something goes wrong in the Southwest, then everything will happen
What will happen? And even if it is true as people say, our Wu Dynasty's national destiny will eventually decline. Everyone, if we protect the people on one side, it will be a great merit. We can do good to the world and to China."
The wind in the river was rustling, and Liu Guangshi's words were loud and clear. Everyone stood there, looking solemnly and silently at the scene for a moment, before anyone spoke.
"After defeating the Jurchens in the Southwest, our vitality has been damaged, and we will definitely be unable to continue the Northern Expedition. Millions of people in the Central Plains have suffered for more than ten years. If we have this opportunity, if we continue to sit back and watch, what will happen to the people? Everyone, General Liu is right, in fact, it is
No matter what the plans and interests are, the people of the Central Plains now need everyone to put aside their past grudges and save them from the fire. They can't delay it any longer. General Liu is taking the lead in today's matter. In fact, in the entire Han world, General Liu is the only one with high moral character and high respect.
, can take up the position of leader of the alliance in this matter. From now on, all the Chen family in Jiangdong will listen to General Liu's deployment and dispatch!"
In the landscape that goes eastward, there are many meat-eaters, making difficult choices for the future of this country.
The king's flag changes at the top of the city. How many people will remember them?
It was the end of March, and Zong Han had not yet left the Jiange Pavilion. Qin Shaoqian and Wanyan Xiyin were constantly mobilizing troops to confront each other north of the Jiange Pavilion. On March 27, Qin Shaoqian's general Qi Xinhan led 3,000 people and appeared nearly a thousand miles away.
Near Fancheng, they tried to attack Xiangfan Ferry. Wanyan Xiyin was already prepared.
The first round of fighting between the elite Seventh Army of the Chinese Army and the Jurchen Tushan Guards began.