The sunset is about to end, and there is the last light in the western sky and on the other side of the mountain.
Near the small village, the river meanders by. The spring flood has not stopped yet, and the water in the river has swelled. In the fields in the distance, the road winds past. Army horses walk on the road, and farmers carrying hoes cross the road.
go home.
Summer is coming, the humidity in the air has faded a little, making people feel refreshed both physically and mentally. A peaceful evening in the southwest.
Ning Yi was by the river, watching everything in the distance. After the sunset, lights lit up in the distance. At some point, someone came over with a lantern. The tall figure of the woman was Yunzhu.
She stood a few feet away from Ning Yi for a moment, and then came closer: "Xiao Ke told me that daddy was crying..."
Ning Yi took her hand and smiled slightly: "...No."
"The situation ahead is not good?"
"Well, Zhu Biao's side... something happened."
"Zhu Biao..." Yunzhu's eyes trembled, and she could realize the weight of this matter.
Ning Yi shook his head and looked into the distance in the dark night.
"I don't know..." He murmured, and then said: "I don't know."
"Since you don't know, then..."
"The Seventeenth Army... failed to come out and suffered heavy losses, almost... the entire army was wiped out. I was just wondering if some things are worth it..."
His calm tone spread in the air of late spring and early summer...
******************
In the north, Daming Mansion has become a deserted ruin.
After the war, the inhumane massacre has ended. The corpses dumped here and the mass graves began to smell foul. The army gradually evacuated from here. However, within a few hundred miles around Daming Mansion, manhunts are still ongoing.
continue.
As for April 15th, the last evacuating army escorted batches of prisoners to different places on the north bank of the Yellow River.
Beginning in late April, the residents of Hebei East Road, Jingdong East Road and other large cities originally ruled by Li Xizhi were alarmed by the sight of killings. Starting last year, people who despised the power of Jin Tianwei and rebelled against Daming Mansion
The bandits had all been killed and captured, as well as the Black Flag bandits who came to rescue them. They were all destroyed by Wan Yanchang. Thousands of prisoners were divided into teams of death row prisoners, transported to various cities, and beheaded in public.
.
In April, the summer rain has begun to fall, and what is locked in the prison car is a body that is almost no longer human. Prisoners who are unwilling to surrender to the Jurchens or are worthless and disabled have already been tortured.
Many people were severely injured on the battlefield due to severe torture. Wan Yanchang asked the medical officer to hang up their lives, causing them pain but never letting them die, as a warning to others who resisted Dai Jin.
The Eastern Route Army's front line had already pushed to Xuzhou, and the process of taking over the Central Plains had already begun. In order to promote the war, the excessive taxes and high pressure from the officials and the killings had been going on for half a year. Some people resisted, and most of them were in the army.
He died under the butcher's knife. Now, the myth of the Guangwu Army, which resisted the most fiercely, and the Black Flag Army, which was the only one in the legend to be able to compete with the Jurchens, has finally been shattered before people's eyes.
In Luozhou, when the convoy transporting prisoners entered the city, some of the people on both sides of the road were at a loss, some were confused, but a few who knew the situation shed tears on the street. Those who cried were dragged out by Jurchen soldiers on the roadside.
, beheaded on the street on the spot.
Shenzhou City, Xiaoyu, a prisoner-robbing attack suddenly occurred. The prisoner-robbing people were in ragged clothes, including Jianghu people and ordinary civilians, and there was also a group of monks among them. Because Wan Yanchang carried out a large-scale attack after taking over Li Xizhi's territory.
In a large-scale search and suppression, these people did not have all the swords and guns in their hands. A thin-faced man held a sharp long bamboo pole and stabbed two soldiers to death in the heroic fight. He was then chopped to the ground by several knives.
In the midst of the fighting around him, the big man, who was covered in blood and had his stomach cut open, stood up holding the prisoner and shouted in the middle of the fighting.
"I am also a Chinese Army! I am also a Chinese Army! I...should not have left the Southwest. I...will die with you..."
His last words were probably spoken to the prisoners in the prison car. Near him, a former Chinese soldier had his hands cut off and his tongue was smashed.
He shouted a few times and tried to stretch out his broken arm.
The soldiers who rushed over had already raised their steel knives behind the man's back...
In Hejian Mansion, when the beheadings started, it was already pouring rain. Outside the execution ground, people stood in darkness, watching the steel knives falling one after another. Some people were crying silently in the rain. In such heavy rain, they at least did not have to worry about being killed.
People see tears...
On March 28, the tenth year of Wu Jianshuo, outside Daming Mansion, the Chinese Army's rescue of the Guangwu Army was officially launched. Even though Wan Yanchang was prepared, the Chinese Army still divided into two groups and launched a surprise attack on the battlefield. After realizing that
Within half an hour after the chaos, the Guangwu Army's breakout officially began.
The desperate attack immediately put huge pressure on the 200,000 puppet troops inside the battlefield. In the streets and alleys of Damingfu City, the desperate fighting of more than 10,000 troops once made the puppet troops unable to retreat.
, the death caused by the stampede was even several times that of the battle on the front line. Shortly after the war began, Zhu Biao led 4,000 troops, together with 3,000 people who stayed on the periphery, to launch the most intense raid on Wanyanchang.
Wan Yanchang responded calmly. He responded to the attack of Zhu Biao and others with more than 10,000 elite troops under his command, and used more than 10,000 troops and thousands of cavalry to block all enemies who wanted to leave Daming Mansion. Zhu Biao was defeated several times during the attack.
He made a fake move to break out and then counterattacked, but Wan Yanchang was never fooled.
Even if the 200,000 puppet troops were defeated like a tide on the front line, the continuous flow of fresh troops was still like a huge quagmire, dragging everyone back and making it difficult to escape. And the thousands of cavalry originally led by Wan Yanchang controlled the largest swamp on the battlefield.
Taking the initiative, every raid they make on the periphery can cause huge casualties to the breakout troops.
During this period, the rebellion team headed by Yan Qing was still active on the battlefield. They lobbied several puppet troops to let them go a little privately, either by interceding or threatening them, and then they also gained the support of some puppet troops.
Turning a blind eye, the news that Wan Yanchang was dead caused a lot of chaos on the battlefield.
But all this still cannot make up for the slim power gap on the cruel balance of war.
From the night of the 28th to the early morning of the 29th, during the fierce battle between the Huaxia Army and the Guangwu Army, the entire huge battlefield was violently torn apart. Zhu Biao's team heading east and Wang Shanyue's team breaking out south were attracted.
Using the most intense firepower, the reserve cadre regiment went to the battlefield that night, boosting morale and fighting to the death. By the time the sun rose on the 29th, the entire battlefield had been torn apart and spread for more than ten miles.
At great cost, the perpetrators set foot into the surrounding mountains and woodlands.
At this time, a large number of soldiers had been captured either due to serious injuries or due to cowardice. The entire war still did not stop. Wanyanchang took the central position and organized a large-scale pursuit and search. At the same time, he continued to attack the surrounding cities controlled by the Jurchens.
Orders were given, troops were mobilized, and a huge encirclement network was organized.
On March 30th and April 1st... battles of various sizes broke out in the dense forests, swamps, mountains and rivers near Daming Mansion. The entire encirclement and manhunt operation lasted until the middle of April. Wan Yanchang had just announced this
The end of the great war.
In a short period of time, not many people can know how many soldiers and generals of the Chinese Army and Guangwu Army died in this extremely tragic raid and breakout. The number of prisoners, including the wounded, exceeded 4,000. Most of them were in
Within two months after being tortured, Wan Yanchang transported them to various cities and slaughtered them all.
There is also some certain information. In the early morning of the 29th, during the raid and transfer process, a group of Chinese Army soldiers were deeply surrounded. A general with a double whip led the team to continuously charge and kill. His steel whip
Every time he swung down, he would smash the head of an enemy. This general was constantly clashing, and his body was covered in blood like a god of war. It was frightening. But in the constant fighting, there were fewer and fewer soldiers around him.
In the end, the general exhausted his last strength and shed his last drop of blood in the endless encirclement.
This is a hero who is a soldier. Although he once returned to Liangshan, he finally returned to the right path, the "double whip" Hu Yanzhuo.
As dawn approached on the 29th, "Golden Gunner" Xu Ning died on the edge of the forest near Daming Mansion while blocking the Jurchen cavalry and covering the retreat of friendly forces.
The commander of the Chinese Army, Nie Shan, led hundreds of death squads to counterattack Wanyanchang's main formation at dawn. These hundreds of people kept rushing in like steel knives, making the defending Jurchen generals frightened, and also attracted many armies on the entire battlefield.
Attention. In the end, the entire army of hundreds of people was wiped out, and no one surrendered. Before the death of the regiment leader Nie Shan, there was no intact part of his body. He was covered in blood. After completing his ascetic path, he also saved the lives of the friendly forces behind him.
, fighting for a slim chance of survival.
More than 50% of the people who broke through were left on the battlefield on the first night. This number continued to expand afterwards. As for Wan Yanchang in mid-April, he announced the preliminary end of the entire battle. All the establishments of the Huaxia Army and the Guangwu Army
, almost all of them have been dispersed. Although some people will survive from the huge net, within a certain period of time, the two armies have been virtually destroyed...
In the messages from the Jurchens, Zhu Biao, Guan Sheng, Wang Shanyue... and many other generals were reported dead, with their heads hanging high.
***************
The carriage moved slowly through the night.
"I sometimes think that maybe we chose the wrong color flag..."
"Didn't my husband say before that black is the most determined."
"But after every war, it was dyed red."
The carriage stopped quietly by the road. Not far away was the entrance to the village. Ning Yi took Yunzhu's hand and came down. Yunzhu looked around, feeling a little confused.
"I often wonder if it's worth it... Bold words used to be loud, but the more I read them, the more weight I feel makes people breathless. Zhu Biao... Wang Shanyue...
Tian Shi... there are more people who have died. Maybe everyone is pursuing the three-hundred-year cycle, maybe it is already very good, maybe... the dead people just want to live, and they are all people who deserve to live...
…”
In the darkness, Ning Yi's words were calm and slow, like a whisper. He led Yunzhu through the path of the unknown village. When passing the dim stream, he picked up Yunzhu and stepped on it accurately.
He picked up every stone and walked over, which showed that it was not his first time here. Du Sha followed behind silently.
Yunzhu did not answer Ning Yi's words. She knew that Ning Yi's murmur did not need to be answered. She just followed her husband and walked slowly in the village hand in hand. There were several mud houses not far away, and they were bright.
With the lights on, they approached from the darkness, gently stepped onto the stairs, and walked up to the partition on the top of an earthen house. The tiles of this earthen house were broken, and the night sky could be seen from the partition. Ning Yi pulled her
, sat down by the earth wall. On the other side of the wall, the houses below were brightly lit, and some people were talking. These people were talking about some things about the "Four People" and the three counties of Hedeng.
Ning Yi sat there quietly, gestured to Yunzhu with his fingers, and said "shush" silently, and then the couple cuddled together quietly, looking at the sky outside the cracks in the tiles.
"Innovation and enlightenment...the process of thousands of years, the so-called freedom...in fact, not many people care...people are such weird things, what we want is always just a little more, a little better, and more than the status quo.
People cannot understand a hundred years of history... If a slave is a little better, he will feel that he has gone to heaven... A person with a good brain will be a little better, but he will still not be satisfied..."
His words came out softly from his throat, with a slight sigh. Yunzhu listened, and also listened to the words and discussions in the house on the other side, but in fact there was nothing surprising on the other side, and Deng San
In the county, many people will gather at night to discuss some new ideas and opinions, and many of them may be students of Ning Yi.
"...Innovation, freedom, huh, just like most people exercising, if they are in poor health, they will exercise, and if they are good, they will forget everything. It is a cycle of thousands of years... When people have food, they will feel that they have already
It's so awesome. As for reading more books, why...how many people can understand it? Too few..."
Ning Yi's words continued, it was just a sigh, a slight sigh. Yunzhu listened, but he also knew that his husband was not confused by the things he said. At this time, another person in the room at the other end had already spoken.
, at a certain moment, Yunzhu heard the man say:
"... Our Chinese Army's affairs have made it clear that all people in this world are the same! Why are those who farm the land inferior to others? Why do the landlords and gentry have to be superior? If they give a little charity, they are said to be benevolent.
A kind family. Why are they kind? They have more things than others. Their children can go to school and study, and they can take exams and become officials. Farmers will always be farmers! When a farmer's son is born, when he opens his eyes, what he sees is that he is inferior to others.
This is inherently unfair! Mr. Ning explained a lot of things, but I think Mr. Ning’s words were not thorough enough..."
"...Because Mr. Ning's family is a businessman himself. Although he married into his wife, his family is very wealthy. As far as I know, Mr. Ning is well-fed and well-dressed, and he is very particular about food and clothing...I am not talking about Mr. Ning here.
Bad words, I mean, is it because of this that Mr. Ning did not clearly say that everyone is equal!"
"...Look at those farmers, especially those who don't even have fields. They live the most miserable and hard life, and get the least. Isn't this fair... We have to think about this. Mr. Ning has many words to say.
Wrong, but it can be more right, what is more right? Everyone in this world is equal, we even killed the emperor, we want to have the most equal world, we should let everyone know,
There is no difference between them and other people by birth. If our Chinese army wants to succeed, it must even out the rich and the poor! Establish equality."
Many of these words were used by Ning Yi before, but when they were said now, their meanings were quite radical. There was a lot of noise below, and Yunzhu was lost for a moment, because beside her, Ning Yi's words also stopped. She preferred to
Looking up, my husband was leaning against the earth wall, with a quiet and mysterious smile on his face. This smile seemed to have seen something indescribable, and it also seemed to have a little bitterness and sadness, and was complicated.
Nothing.
"...I sometimes wonder, is this worth it...or not..."
He murmured one last word and stopped talking. The sound from the next room continued to come. Ning Yi and Yunzhu looked at it. There were hundreds of millions of stars spinning in the night sky, and the vast Milky Way was cast there.
Among the small cracks in the roof tiles...
Beyond the roof is a vast land, with countless creatures colliding together.
****************
March 27, the tenth year of Wu Jianshuo's reign.
The Chinese army that rushed to Damingfu bypassed a long road. In the evening, Zhu Biao stood on the top of the mountain and looked at the direction, and the team with flags flying passed under the road.
Guan Sheng came from below: "What are you looking at?"
Zhu Biao looked into the distance with hesitant eyes. After a while, he stopped looking at the map and said, "I was wondering if there is a better way."
"Have you thought of it?"
"……No."
"You pig head, I don't think you would have thought of it. Hey, but having said that, your city-burning gun Zhu Biao is a man who is not afraid of anything. My mother-in-law and mother are up today."
"...I don't really want to run into a turtle like Wan Yanchang."
"..." Guan Sheng was silent for a moment, "I don't want to either."
Zhu Biao smiled: "So I'm thinking, if the guy named Ning is here, can he think of a better way to defeat Wan Yanchang and save Wang Shanyue? After all, that guy... apart from not knowing how to pick up girls
, the brain is really useful.”
"I only know that Ning will not fail to save Wang Shanyue."
"yes……"
The two stood there, looking into the distance for a moment, and Guan Sheng said, "Have you thought of it?"
"No."
"Then let's go."
Some of the two figures laughed, some nodded, and then they all fell into the rolling torrent.
…
Above the ruins, there are still broken flags waving, blood and black melting together.