In the early morning, people swept away the snow in the courtyard behind Zhuji Restaurant. In the still-bright scene, people had already begun to gather and greeted each other in low voices.

The courtyard was quite large, and there were about sixty or seventy people there. Most of them were wearing robes, and some even carried musical instruments such as erhu. They found long stools and sat up in twos and threes in the cold weather.

They were all storytellers, and Lu Si was one of them. He was holding his erhu and holding a few pages of paper in his hand. His eyes were slightly red from staying up late. After sitting down, he saw the shopkeepers in front of him and his boss came in.

"Gentlemen, I'm sorry for gathering everyone together in a hurry. There is a shortage of supplies in the city, and there is no fire. I will make a long story short. After I finish speaking, I invite everyone to eat noodles. You should have read some of these short stories I have sent to you.

Already."

"I've seen it." Lu Si replied in the crowd, and most of the answers around him were neat. They are usually storytellers, and they pay attention to eloquence, but at this time there are no jokesters. On the one hand, the people in front have high prestige.

, On the other hand, during the Jurchen siege, everyone experienced too many things. Some people they once knew went to the city wall to participate in the defense and never came back. There were also people who had their hands and feet cut off by the Jurchens before.

Dead. After all, it is because most of these people are literate and numeral, and were assigned to the logistics side. Now they have survived. It was only after reading the stories of some people inside and outside the city last night that I realized that so many things happened during this period.

matter.

Lu Si read the two stories that were sent to him overnight last night, and his mood was agitated. Sometimes they tell stories about fantasy and weirdness, and sometimes they can't help but tell anecdotes that they heard and add to the story at hand.

These things are ultimately different, especially if you have participated in them yourself.

The aroma of noodle soup could already be heard in the adjacent courtyard, and the owner in front continued to talk.

"The book printing department has just started to resume work. We don't have enough manpower, so we can't send them all to you for the time being. You can pass them on to each other after you read them. This battle with the Jurchens was not a good one. Many people died, but in

In this battle, there were many people inside and outside the city. They rushed forward and sacrificed their lives. They rushed forward and sacrificed their lives, not while escaping. Just for them, we need to keep these stories...

…”

"There is no need for impassioned exaggeration, no need for everyone to talk about Li Guang, Huo Qubing and others, saying that those who offend our strong men will be punished no matter how far away they are, or about the great achievements of sealing the wolf to Xu. This time we will only talk about individuals, and we have sorted it out.

There are many such things that have come out and have not been sorted out. If you have heard about it, you can also help sort it out. We may make people laugh by telling stories on weekdays. But now, everyone in this city is very sad. You have to go and help.

They want to express their gratitude, nothing else. We will remember those who sacrificed their lives... We talk about tragedy, not generosity. Do you understand? If you don't understand, you can raise it and discuss it with each other."

Then someone started talking, and someone asked: "My boss, have the peace talks outside the city been finalized?"

"The peace has not yet been decided." Nowadays, storytellers are often well-informed people in society. Sometimes after talking about something, they can't help but discuss some evidence with others. Naturally, someone may ask about the negotiation, and the boss replied, "That's right.

We have an idea, and both sides may be inclined towards peace talks, but everyone, don’t forget the wolf nature of the Jurchens. If we really take it as a sure thing and take it lightly, the Jurchens will definitely pounce on us. All the old hunters in the mountains know that when encountering

When meeting a ferocious beast, the most important thing is to stare into its eyes. If you don't stare at it, it will definitely bite you. If you go out, you can emphasize this point."

"...If we are prepared to fight, we are qualified for peace. If we have no intention of fighting, we will definitely be beaten."

The noisy conversation continued for a while, and the noodles were cooked and brought out hot.

This morning, Bianliang was still covered in white. After breakfast, the storytellers went out one after another. Together with the Zhuji guys, they mostly worked in groups of two. Lu Si found a small market next to the river to sit.

Next, he pulled up his erhu.

The siege of the city has been going on for a long time, the weather is cold, and there is nothing to buy in the market. The two white sheds erected not far away are perhaps the most eye-catching things. Under such circumstances, it is possible to hold a funeral for the family to express condolences.

Most likely his family had a lot of money. After he played the erhu for a while and began to talk, some people from nearby came over.

Erhu's voice was sad, but what he told was actually not an exciting story. When the Jurchens were attacking the city, he had seen many people die. He spent most of his time in the rear, and he survived by chance, but saw people die.

, or the desolate scene before death, they were not much touched at first. Only when combined with these stories that were originally recorded and compiled, did the people who died suddenly seem to have meaning and destination. Come around.

Many people, including those listening from afar at nearby homes, have had such experiences to some extent. After being pulled out of reality by the story, most of them could not help but feel sad and pitiful in their hearts.

After he finished telling a story, some people had gathered nearby, and there were also children wearing sackcloth and mourning. There was a small incident afterwards. A woman in sackcloth from nearby came over to beg for help. She set up a mourning hall for her husband-in-law, but at this time

There were too many dead people in the city. Not to mention the monks, there was no one around who could play a musical instrument. Seeing that Lu Si could play the erhu, he brought money over and begged Lu Si to come and help.

After Lu Si refused, the woman was so sad that she sat on the ground and cried, muttering about things at home. Her husband was a small landowner nearby. He was still young and liked to dance with swords.

When the real person came, the man left his wife and two young children at home and went to Xinjuanmen, where he died. The two children were now two and four years old. Although the family left a small fortune, she

How could a woman in her early twenties keep the family? She had set up a mourning hall for her husband, but she couldn't even invite monks or musicians. The woman had no choice but to send her young husband away in such a difficult winter.

It is a small family, and it is difficult for a young woman with two children to support this matter. In the past few days, the pressure on her has been too great to describe. Now she cried and said it, and everyone around her also wiped it out.

Tears. A **-year-old child wearing sackcloth and mourning beside him cried and said: "My daddy is dead too. My daddy is dead too..." There was a lot of crying.

People who are storytellers in the city on this day generally encounter such a situation. No matter inside or outside the city, there is often not much impassionedness about a person's death. For the survivors in the city, the death of their loved ones is not a very emotional experience.

What makes people see more is the reality that is pressing in front of them. Only so many people with different identities and the same death can add a little meaning to these deaths. Even if a lot of the propaganda of this meaning is artificial

, at least it won’t make people sink directly into the abyss of darkness.

While there was a slight commotion in the city due to the operation of thoughtful people, outside Bianliang City, the military camps facing the Jurchens were not peaceful either.

When Zhong Division led the Western Army in a fierce battle with the Jurchens, everyone in the Wurui Camp arrived a step late. Then word came out about the peace talks. The Wurui Camp and hundreds of thousands of people who came from behind gradually formed a formation to confront the Jurchens in front.

Wurui Camp chose a snowy slope that was not too steep to set up camp. Then they built fortifications, arranged their equipment, and began to prepare for large-scale battles. Seeing Wurui Camp's actions, the others also began to build fortifications.

As the peace talks progressed step by step, the Jurchens did not want to fight anymore, and public opinion began to emerge that the peace talks had been decided. The remaining more than 100,000 troops did not come to fight the Jurchens head-on. It was just that the attitude of the Wurui camp was revealed.

On the one hand, the war was coming to an end, and they had no choice but to follow. On the other hand, they rushed here to carve up a piece of this elite army before others intervene. Their morale was not high at first, and the fortifications were done hastily and sloppily. Then it became even more obvious.

Perfunctory.

Only Wurui Camp regards building fortifications and conducting offensive drills as a daily routine. At first sight, they immediately show their superiority and superiority. After a day or two, someone will say that during the peace talks, don't do it again.

To start a fight, you show your teeth and claws in front of the Jurchen formation all day long, as if it is a provocation. If the other party becomes more vicious and continues to fight, who can bear the responsibility of sabotaging the peace talks.

During this period, private exchanges and lobbying among various armies were the norm. Although Wu Ruiying could refuse some, there were also some who could not refuse. A few days later, at the suggestion of the Zhuji Staff Group, the same

Send out lobbyists to instigate those who can fight in the opposing army's formation.

In this way, although it can be regarded as defeating the opponent's army, privately, it is floating. There is another discussion, review, and reflection in the army. Naturally, they cannot target the opponent's actions, but discuss them together with the woman.

Why do real people lose in battles, what are the differences between the two sides, and what needs to be done to defeat these people. Regardless of whether there are talented people in the army or those who are not talented, they gather together to talk about their thoughts, and then summarize,

Unification and so on and so forth.

Everyone has brains, even if he was an illiterate farmer before joining the army, we can always distinguish between what makes sense and what doesn’t make sense after discussing it together. Why did I lose the battle with the Jurchens? Because I

Why are we afraid of death? Why do we all become afraid of death when we get together... As long as we go into these things a little deeper, we can filter out some problems. These discussions over the past few days have made some

Sharp things have been floating among the middle and lower-level soldiers, which has solved the crisis of differentiation to a certain extent. At the same time, some energetic things have begun to sprout within the military camp.

Walking through the not-so-thick snow, Chen Dongye returned from training with his men. When he approached his tent, he saw an officer standing outside. At the same time, he also heard the discussion in the tent.

The man outside the tent was familiar to him. He seemed to be standing casually, but in fact he looked like he was letting out some wind. Seeing that it was him, he winked and waved to let him in. After he opened the curtain and went in, he saw

There were already six or seven junior officers at the rank of captain in the tent. Seeing him come in, everyone stopped talking for a moment, and then started talking again.

What everyone is talking about is that the superior officers of the other armies are causing trouble behind the scenes and pulling people away.

"...My brother came to me and said that as long as he is willing to go back, he will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver and will be promoted to the third level immediately. These people are afraid that the world will not be in chaos, and they will spend more and more money every day..."

"Do you dare to say that you are not tempted?"

"Hey, am I short of money? Let me tell you, at that time I drew my knife and told him clearly, I said this again, brother is not appropriate, I slashed him with my knife!"

"Brother He is domineering!"

"There's nothing domineering or arrogant about it. How do we get here these days?"

"These days I finally understand how we lost and how those brothers died..."

The people in the tent were all lower-level officers, and most of them were young. They suffered defeats at first, but after fighting out of the battle in Xiacun, they were at their peak of vigor and violence. Luo Luo, who was in the same camp with Chen Dongye,

Among the businessmen, there is a family background in Beijing. He has always dared to speak, and he dared to attack and fight. This is probably why everyone gathered here. After talking for a while, his voice became louder, and someone patted the wood sitting next to him. Chen Dongye said:

"Please keep your voice down."

"What's there to be quiet about!" said a man with a scar on his face across from him, "I dare to say this at the discussion in the evening! Before the Jurchens leave, they will fight among themselves! Now this army

Who can't understand! We only have hope if we stay together. If we are separated, we will be like before, and we will all be together like before! So what if we are rewarded with a hundred taels of silver, or promoted to the third level! We turn people into bears!"

"What I'm saying is: let's not cause trouble to the superiors. I'm afraid General Qin and the others will have a hard time..."

After this period of time, everyone has quite agreed with the chief officer above. Especially at this time, during the daily discussions, they probably know some of the difficulties above, and they feel more united and have the same hatred in their hearts. He changed the topic.

.

"Master Ning is quite powerful. He gave them a powerful blow."

"But I heard from Zhu Ji's brother that this is also a benefit plan."

"Whether it should be demolished or not is ultimately decided by the superiors..."

"If we are really torn apart, we will be like before? To be honest, if we are really torn apart, give me a hundred taels of silver. I will be promoted to the third level. Next time the Jurchens come, I have no confidence that I can beat them. After saving the money,

Before the Jurchens come, I have to run to a place where no one is around..."

"Hey, what more money do you need to go to a place where no one is around..."

"Put things first!" the man shouted. "I didn't know it before, but I fought with the Jurchens and lost like that. Now I run back and follow those sons of bitches. If the Jurchens come again, will I still dare to fight? Go up.

Once, after I charged, I saw the Jurchens coming towards me and I was injured before I ran away. The next time the Jurchens came towards me, I would probably have to turn around and run away first, following those officials, stealing chickens, greedy money and taking empty pay. Why?

Is it reliable to fight? It’s hard to get through it. So many brothers have died. To be honest, if we are together, General Qin, Mr. Ning and I will fight wherever they point me. If I take a step back, my ancestors have been bullies for eighteen generations.

of!"

As the man spoke, his eyes turned slightly red, but no one could say anything to him. This man was a little sentimental, but he was always the most ferocious in killing enemies on the battlefield.

Someone on the side said: "I don't know so much, but if it really needs to be demolished, what do you think we should do?"

"Yes, we, a bunch of soldiers, have nothing to say about the affairs of the superiors..."
To be continued...