In April of the first year of Jin Tianjuan, Yunzhong Mansion.
Summer has arrived in the south, and the ice and snow in the north have just begun to melt. Near the Jurchen city of Xijing, more and more people are walking in the fields.
Near the city gate to the east, the spacious streets were almost under martial law, with solemn guards guarding the convoy coming in from the outside. In the lingering snow far and near, pedestrians and merchants looked at the hunting flag and whispered to each other.
"Another prince..."
"I've been here for half a month, where are you..."
"This man is incredible. King Lu is so lazy..."
"It's really going to be a fierce fight now..."
"Why panic? Tushanwei is not a vegetarian, so let these people come..."
Most of the nobles from the Kingdom of Jin did not have to kneel down to avoid the situation. Most of them had a certain status and family background. When talking about the carriages of these princes entering the city, there was no joy on their faces. Some were worried, but others had anger in their eyes, waiting for the Tushan Guards to pick them up.
Give these people a good look on the way down.
This round of wrestling between the Eastern and Western Prefectures of the Kingdom of Jin has already begun in mid-March.
Zong Han set off from Shangjing during the Spring Festival and returned to Yunzhong in late February. Zong Bi's departure was not too late. He arrived in Yunzhong on the tenth day of March. With him, except for the two kingdoms of Jin,
In addition to the prince, there were also a large number of substitute officials with noble status who came with official documents. Before the competition, they began to try to take over some important positions near Yunzhong, and the two sides started the first round of conflict.
In the past, Zong Han took Yunzhong as the center and took charge of the land thousands of miles west of the Jin Kingdom, including the sixteen states of Yanyun. This substantial "Western Court" was naturally impossible to establish in name, and countless officials were appointed in the west.
, speaking more broadly, he still accepted the order to go to Beijing. Although Zong Han had real power in the past, this was only the result of Wu Qimai's cooperation.
In the matter of the new emperor's ascension to the throne, Zong Han and Xi Yin went too far. At this time, he was hated by both Zong Qian and Zong Pan, so a round of suppression against him was inevitable. Although Zong Bi had agreed to see the real chapter in the martial arts competition, in reality
However, they started to snatch it one step ahead. As long as it is a slightly weaker official, after the official position and power are handed over, even if Tushanwei wins the competition, it may be difficult to get it back in the future.
Faced with such a situation, the atmosphere in Yunzhong has been tragic since March. Many of these things came from the operations of Xi Yin, Gao Qingyi, Han Qixian and others. On the one hand, everyone exaggerated the brutality of the Southwest Battle, and on the other hand, they promoted the sect.
Han Xiyin and even the late emperor Wu Qimai and others worked hard in this power transition.
In order to deal with future troubles from the south, the commander-in-chief and Gushen have decided to give up a lot of power and only concentrate on running the Xifu and reserve force to prepare for war. The threat of the black flag has also been recognized by the upper-level leaders of the Jin Kingdom. At this time, Zong Zong
Bi and others still want to provoke a fight, so let them see the sharpness of Tushanwei!
The expeditionary force returning from the southwest suffered many losses, and the atmosphere after returning to Yunzhong was already sad. Many people's fathers, brothers, and husbands died in this war, and some survived and experienced a narrow escape. But in such a situation
After the situation, the people from the east came to kill them aggressively. This behavior is actually contempt for these sacrificed heroes - it is really too much!
Although the bravery of the troops in the Jin Kingdom has declined every year, before the Southwest War, the Western Imperial Army led by Zong Han was still the most capable force in the entire Jin Kingdom. Although it has experienced a defeat now, no matter whether it is a survivor or a sacrifice,
The families of the victims still felt that way in their hearts. Although they were defeated in the southwest, it did not mean that the Eastern Route Army could step on the heads of the people here.
In this way, beginning in mid-March, with Zong Bi arriving first, several princes from other wealthy families also led their teams over. One of them was to supervise and witness the fairness of the subsequent competition, and the two of them naturally pointed at
They obtained some benefits from the original territory of Xifu. In Yunzhong City, Zong Han and Xi Yin held a large-scale memorial event. On the one hand, they relied on their profound foundation to provide compensation, and on the other hand, they incited the momentum of the people within the territory to make them
Everyone held their breath deep in their hearts, waiting for the ferocious performance of the Tushan Guards in the competition in April and May.
On the eighth day of April, veterans such as Ta Lan (Wan Yanchang), who can be called the pillars of the country, arrived in Yunzhong, which heightened the serious atmosphere of confrontation in the city.
The convoy passed through the city streets where the snow had been cleared away, heading to Zong Han's palace. Pedestrians along the way knew the identity of the visitor and looked at the road. Of course, some of these people would also be happy.
Either the officials who followed Zongbi, or the people from the Dongfu who had been arranged here, and there were also many well-connected businessmen or nobles. As long as the current situation could change, there would always be someone who would be in a high position or a nobleman from time to time.
It was an opportunity to make a profit, and they were also passing on the news privately, waiting expectantly for the arrival of this conflict that, although serious, would not harm the country.
At the same moment, in a prison at the south end of the city, Mandu Daru was in the torture room watching his men torture the prisoner who was hoarse and covered in blood in various ways. After one prisoner tortured him to the point where he was almost done, he brought another prisoner.
He, who had already become the patrol inspector of Yunzhong Prefecture, did not end up. He just frowned, watched quietly, and listened to the prisoner's confession.
In the middle of the torture, his patrolman came over and reported that a Black Flag spy who was originally detained in the cell could no longer hold on. Mandu Daru got up and went to the cell, glanced at a corpse, and turned it over.
Did a little inspection.
The original torture had gone too far, and the information had been squeezed out. It was inevitable that he would not be able to hold on any longer. Mandu Daru's inspection was just because he did not want the other party to find a channel and use death to escape. After the inspection, he ordered the jailer
Dispose of the body as you please and leave the cell.
The prison was eerie and solemn, and you couldn't see any flowers or grass while walking there. After leading a group of followers out, you could see pedestrians coming and going on the nearby streets. Mandu Daru and a group of his companions went to a street corner to sell
He sat down in front of the cooking stall and called for food. He looked at the scene in the nearby market and his eyebrows relaxed slightly.
Although he is a Jurchen, Mandu Daru's background is not good. His father once served as a deserter on the battlefield. Because of this stain, although he later fought bravely, he did not have many opportunities for promotion, so he retired and became a soldier in the clouds.
Patrol officer, and later promoted to chief officer, was the ceiling for ordinary officials. He also knew that it was difficult to truly cross that invisible hurdle and become an official.
However, Xi Yinhui has a good eye for people and promoted him to the capital inspection of Yunzhong Mansion at the end of February. He may be promoted to one or two levels in the future. In March and April, it was the most proud period of his life. In the past
He promoted an old comrade with whom he had a good relationship, and suddenly more people in his family cared and fawned over him. This feeling was really intoxicating.
Of course, in the officialdom, everything cannot be smooth sailing. For example, among the original four chief arresters of Yunzhong Prefecture, there was Gao Puhu, a Bohai native. He was a man assigned by Dongfu, and he was originally at odds with Mandu Daru.
This time Mandu Daru was promoted, but the other party also made a show of not giving him face, and even secretly announced: "After May, I still don't know who the inspector is..." This kind of small friction can be regarded as a vanity fair.
things that are inevitable.
In terms of level, Mandu Daru is already the most critical level higher than his opponent, but in Yunzhong Mansion, the freedom of the chief arrester is already high, and Mandu Daru does not want to engage in a power struggle directly after taking office, so he follows the
Xi Yin ordered to concentrate on hunting down Chinese army spies who might commit crimes next. Of course, the situation is not optimistic at the moment.
In late February, Zonghan Xiyin returned to Yunzhong. Under Xiyin's auspices, the Marshal's Mansion issued an order to treat Han slaves well. But in fact, when winter was coming to an end, supplies were at their lowest point.
Although the Marshal's Office issued "good governance", the number of poor Han people wandering on the edge of life and death did not decrease much. Mandu Daru took advantage of this wave of orders and exchanged the relief rice grains for many things that were difficult to obtain on weekdays.
message.
Throughout March, he cast a net among the Han slaves, sorted out all kinds of information, and subsequently arrested dozens of people suspected of being Black Flag spies. However, after being tortured and filtered, only two people could finally be roughly identified.
, and the status of these two people is not high. From their mouths, Mandu Daru did not learn much key information. Instead, it was the information that the other party said that Black Flag had entered dormancy in the second half of last year, which made him slightly
A little depressed.
As someone who has just ascended the metropolitan patrol position, he naturally hopes to catch some of the big bosses among the Black Flag spies as soon as possible, so that he can truly establish his authority among the other arresters. The dormant message is difficult to determine, and it is impossible for him to report it to the God of Ceres like this.
Make a report, but if it is true, it means that his chance of catching an important figure in the Black Flag Army during this competition will become very small, and even Ceres will be disappointed with his ability.
.
Of course, he was not completely helpless.
One way is to cast a wide net to capture suspicious persons by inquiring about information from Han slaves; for the upcoming competition, one way is to identify a few key figures in the Tushan Guards to use as bait and wait for the enemy to take the bait.
In addition to these two methods, there is also a third road in Mandu Daru, which is slowly being rolled out.
As for the "clown" who has been identified in Black Flag, his whereabouts have become increasingly mysterious and difficult to capture in the past two years. However, a few years ago, he carried out a lot of activities in Yunzhong Mansion, during which he had contacts with many underworld figures.
Or collusion. There was not enough investigation into this aspect back then, and many people died one after another in the past few years. But if you go back further, you can always find a few survivors who have seen this figure more or less.
Mandu Daru is now on patrol in the capital, and this time he has been ordered by the God of Grain to track down the black flag. In March and April, some underworld forces that he was unwilling to touch in the past now came to his door to question him.
Over and over again, many people died at his hands. Up to now, the sketches of this "Joker" have been roughly sketched. About his height, general appearance, and behavior, we have a relatively reliable picture.
cognition.
"Is there anything going on in town today?"
"I heard that King Lu has entered the city."
"The people in the east really don't want to give us a way to survive."
"Look at Tushanwei."
Everyone was eating and talking on the roadside.
It was afternoon, the sun was shining brightly from the sky, most of the snowdrifts on the roadside had melted, and the roads were either muddy or wet. In the small square at the corner, pedestrians were coming and going, and from time to time the tinkling sounds of the blacksmith shop could be heard.
With such and such shouting, when Mandu Daru and others on the roadside talked about the Tushan Guards, they also had ferocious expressions on their faces, as if they wanted to go into battle to kill the enemy.
Wan Yanchang's car drove into Zonghan's Mansion, and after a while he came out again. Zong Bi and others were already beside him and laughing. Now in Yunzhong Mansion, more than ten people with the status of prince alone gathered. This
In the evening, they will gather again at the banquet for Wanyanchang. Zong Han, Xiyin, Gao Qingyi, Han Qixian, Zong Bi, Wanyanchang and others will start to argue with each other again, waiting for the person who will see Zhenzhang next.
moment.
Wanyan Dezhong, Wanyan Youyi and others are also active in such an atmosphere. They either visit and visit the soldiers of Tushan Guard, or participate in banquets of one kind or another, cheering for everyone. In some cases, young Xun
There will also be fights between the nobles because of disputes of temper. Sometimes when they walk in the street, they will also find that the trees in the city have new leaves, and in addition to the colors of black, white and black, there are also spring colors in the city.
The buds are blooming, and the breath is ready to go.
For everyone in Yunzhong Mansion, the most desperate moment was when they learned about the defeat of Southwest. The nobles in the city had even prepared for the worst possible loss of power. Who knew that the commander-in-chief and Gushen would decisively
Traveling north, even though he was already at a disadvantage, he still managed to level out Zong Qian, Zong Pan and others in the chaotic Shangjing City, and helped the young new emperor ascend to the throne. However, the arrogant and arrogant Zong Bi believed that Xifu had lost its spirit and wanted to fight with Tu Shanwei.
Start a competition.
What could be more wonderful than the looming beauty after the end of the road?
Looking back from the past to the present, in those days in early April, everyone in the Yunzhong Mansion was encouraged in their hearts. Although the challenges had come, they all believed that the most difficult time had passed.
By strategizing with Ceres, there won't be much of a problem in the future. In the entire Jin Kingdom, although they realize that small-scale frictions will inevitably occur, many people have already breathed a sigh of relief, and all parties have put it aside.
With the idea of struggle, both veterans and backbones can start doing things for the country, and it is really great that the Kingdom of Jin can avoid the worst situation.
Outside Yunzhong City, a large number of soldiers have gathered. They practice every day, waiting for the "competition" to come. Not far away from them is a village where Han slaves live. It still looks lifeless, with people dying of cold and starvation in the winter.
The slaves have not been transported out yet, but the survivors seem to be better off than in the winter?
Across the wilderness, the ice on the river bend would make thunderous roars from time to time. That was the sound of the ice cracking.
It seems that everything is ready to be done, and the city is full of vitality...
Tang Minjie stood on the street, watching all this...
Mandu Daru is looking for clues in the city and has built a huge net to try to catch him...
*************
The ninth day of April was an ordinary sunny day. Many years later, Mandu Daru would think of it.
Not many surprising things happened that day. In the morning of that day, following the clues from others, he caught a gangster who had been on the run for many years, and found out one or two things about the "Joker" from his mouth.
The related events further enriched his assessment of this senior Chinese military officer.
The torture of the bandit continued into the afternoon. Shortly after leaving the yamen, Gao Puhu, the chief arrester of the North Gate who had always had a quarrel with him, hurried out of the yamen with his men. Something happened in the area under his jurisdiction: from the east
Faced with Wanyan Linqi, the son of a marquis who followed Zongbi to Yunzhong, he was kidnapped by bandits while wandering around an antique shop.
Of course, the purpose of these noble disciples who came to the west is to fight for power, but being tied up in the territory of Yunzhong is really not a small matter. Of course, Mandu Daru is not in a hurry, after all, it is the jurisdiction of Gao Puhu
, he even hoped that the matter would be resolved as slowly as possible. In private, Mandu Daru arranged for some subordinates to investigate the crime secretly. If Gao Puhu was unable to do anything, he would be punished by the superiors.
If the case is solved again, the slap on Gao Puhu's face will be solid.
The sun was setting in the west that day, and then the lamps were lit on the street. Cars, horses and pedestrians were walking on the street. All kinds of small sounds gathered in the world until late at night, and nothing more happened.
Many years later, he will think of this day he spent carelessly again and again. What he sang on this day was the elegy of Xifu.
Before the net was formed, a member of the Chinese Army named Tang Minjie fell into a painful chess piece...