The moon has been full for many days, illuminating the ordinary night in mid-June. The Han River flows quietly beside the sparsely lit Ankang City. Half of the rice in the fields on the bank has been harvested. They are stationed in the nearby military camp, and the firelight and
The figures all looked small.
Even though the shadow of war is around the corner, from a distance, this ordinary world and people are just living another ordinary day.
Ankang City, which was bustling with people during the day, was much quieter under the half-curfew. However, the heat of June has not dissipated, and most places in the city are still filled with a more or less fishy smell.
At Xu time, the lights in an old house to the west of the city were already on, and the servant opened the window of the living room to let the night wind flow a little. After a while, the old man entered the hall, met with the guests, and lit a small stick of incense.
"... When a distinguished guest comes to visit, the servants don't know the importance of the visit. It's disrespectful..."
"...I have been in Ankang for more than ten days. I deliberately concealed my identity and had nothing to do with anyone else..."
"...The battle in the northeast is about to begin. You and I are enemies, not friends. General, when you come here, aren't you afraid of being caught..."
"... When the two armies are fighting, they will not kill the envoys. Dai Gong is a Confucian leader. I think he is probably following the rules..."
"...The general has some misunderstandings about Confucianism. Ever since Dong Zhongshu deposed hundreds of schools of thought, the so-called Confucianism is all about a circle on the outside and a square on the inside. Old people like me have a way to be unreasonable.
For example, when the two armies were fighting, they did not kill the envoys, but they did not say they would not kill the spies..."
"...Dai Gong is honest and admirable..."
"...The general is in danger alone, so something big is bound to happen. Since you and I are in a dark room, we can just talk about it without going through too many twists and turns."
The swaying lights illuminated the scene in the room, and the tone of both parties talking seemed calm and calm. One of the older people was Dai Mengwei, who is now known as the sage, and on the other side, the middle-aged man who was talking to him was
He has a capable appearance and is dressed like a Jianghu man, but he used to belong to the Huaxia Army and is now following Zou Xu to lead the army in Luoyang. He is a close general named Ding Songnan. Theoretically, the frontline lobbying has begun, and he should go north to the frontline.
He was sitting in command, but unexpectedly he appeared in a city "behind enemy lines" like Ankang.
In the past, he was an officer of the Chinese Army. Now he was alone in danger. Facing Dai Mengwei, Ding Songnan didn't have much trouble on his face. He took the tea cup and said: "Ding came to Ankang, and he has no plans."
Simply put, on behalf of Zou Shuai, he came to discuss cooperation with Duke Dai. Or at least... to find out what Duke Dai thinks."
This was said so directly that Dai Mengwei narrowed his eyes: "I heard... Zou Shuai went to Jin to discuss cooperation with the female prime minister?"
"Be prepared with both hands. Mr. Ning often told us in the past that if we seek peace through struggle, we will survive in peace, and if we seek peace through compromise, we will perish in peace. Dai Gong, Liu Gong and others are eager to fight, so we have to have countermeasures. Zou Shuai is
He went to Jin to buy weapons. Before leaving, he asked me to come to Dai Gong and said that maybe you could talk and form an alliance. I have been here for more than ten days and it is true that Dai Gong was able to clean up the mess to where it is today.
He is worthy of being a sage today.”
"The words of sages are just nonsense." Dai Mengwei waved his hand, "But since you can prepare with two hands, how do I know that you didn't prepare with three hands and four hands? You are making a deal with the guy from Jin and coming to see me at the same time.
, and then send people to see Liu Shuai and even others. The war has not started yet, but we are half-hearted and can only defeat ourselves without fighting. It is also a good plan."
In response to Dai Mengwei's statement, Ding Songnan nodded and was silent for a moment: "Although Commander Zou and I have betrayed the Chinese Army, from the past to today, we have always known what the people who do things are like. Mr. Liu's inadequacies and strategies, from the beginning to the end
Wei, he is just a docile person, but Dai Gong has great ambitions, especially for us, Dai Gong can make up for Zou Shuai’s shortcomings, it is the so-called strong alliance and complementary advantages."
Dai Mengwei took a sip of tea: "Which piece?"
"The knowledge held by Duke Dai can help our army know why we are fighting."
"...Is this what Zou Xu thinks?"
Ding Songnan nodded.
"Everyone in the world...or maybe Liu Gong and others are staring at the one-third of an acre of land in front of them. At most, they can only raise their heads and look at the three or five steps in front of them. Liu Gong wants to take Bianliang, and he talks so much that it's just for the sake of it.
In the future, I may surrender or surrender, and seek a way out. But Dai Gong is different. From the moment he raised the flag and waved the flag, Dai Gong knew who the enemy would be in the future. This matter is the same for me and for Zou Shuai.
Since we rebelled, I have been tossing and turning all the time and have trouble sleeping day and night..."
"...Then why are you still rebelling?"
"The first one is of course a case of being hot-tempered and making mistakes; the second one...Mr. Ning's standards and requirements are too strict. The disciplines within the Chinese military are very strict. Meetings and rectifications will be held at every turn, in order to achieve the same goal."
In such a victory, all those who cannot keep up will be criticized or even excluded. In the past, this was the basis for the victory of the Chinese Army, but when it is ourselves who make the mistake, we have no choice... Of course, the Chinese Army
So, I’m not the only one who can’t keep up..."
"...there is a saying in "Da Dai Li Ji" of the Western Han Dynasty: when the water is clear, there will be no fish, and when people are careful, there will be no disciples. If you are honest, you will not deceive me."
"When we come out of the Chinese army, we will know what the real Chinese army is like. Dai Gong, it seems that the world is in chaos now. Liu Gong can even gather more than a dozen princes. In fact, he can stabilize his position in the future.
, but only a few. Now it seems that there is no suspense that the Fair Party will sweep across Jiangnan and annex the clown-like Tie Yan and Wu Qimei. The future will depend on what kind of fight He Wen can have with the small southeast court in Fuzhou;
The rest of the female prime ministers in Jin are from the princes. It is hard to say whether she can get out. Others want to break in, but they may not have the ability. Moreover, Mr. De Ning, from all over the world, looks up to her with special eyes. It is such a woman who is constantly striving for self-improvement..."
"Continue to strive for self-improvement..." Dai Mengwei repeated.
"This is what Mr. Ning said to her in the southwest. Zou Shuai heard it with his own ears." Ding Songnan said, "The land of Jin has a special relationship with Liangshan, but in any case, after crossing the Yellow River, the land should be divided between them, and
South of the Yellow River, it’s just Dai Gong, Liu Gong and I who fight against each other, and finally decide a winner..."
He paused and said, "Frankly speaking, in this three-party war, Dai Gong and Liu Gong seem to have stronger forces, but in terms of victory, our side may have the majority of the victory. The reason for all this is because Liu Guangshi is a
A weak general who can only fight with favorable conditions can be allowed to gather forces from all parties, but he cannot fight a tough battle. Among the parties here, Dai Gong may be awake, but what can you do? Just accept this season's
Sending rice to the battlefield may be enough to make you miserable in the rear, not to mention how many soldiers under Dai Gong are capable of fighting? Dai Gong must also know the quality of some of the gangsters who were eliminated after surrendering to the Jurchens. "
Dai Meng smiled: "The battle on the battlefield is not about words. You have to fight to know. Moreover, we can't fight a tough battle. You have betrayed the Chinese Army, so can we fight?"
"The main reason why the Chinese army can fight lies in its military discipline. Commander Zou has never let go of this aspect. However, these things are so hyped that they will be trivial matters in the future." Ding Songnan waved his hand, "Dai Gong, no matter what you say, these things will not matter.
No matter what, how the fight will be, one day in the future, sooner or later, the southwest army will fight out from there. On that day, no one of the so-called princes from all sides can stop it. How terrible is Mr. Ning? I and I
Zou Shuai knows best. When that day comes, does Dai Gong want to stand with a loser like Liu Guangshi to fight against a powerful enemy? Or... no matter how ideal it is, for example, if you defeat me and Zou Shuai, what will happen?
You are asked to drive away Liu Guangshi, eliminate all political opponents, and then... rely on these old soldiers under your command to fight against the Southwest?"
Ding Songnan tapped his fingers on the coffee table next to him: "Dai Gong, with all due respect, you are good at managing people, but you may not know how to fight. And Zou Shuai is a person who knows soldiers, but for various reasons, it is difficult to govern people in a legitimate way. Dai Gong has a right way.
, Zou Shuai has skills. If you want to choose someone to cooperate with in this area south of the Yellow River, for Zou Shuai, only Dai Gong is the most ideal."
The living room was quiet for a moment, except for the sound of Dai Mengwei fidgeting with the rim of the cup with the lid. After a while, the old man said: "After all, you still can't use the Hua Xia Army's methods..."
"Mr. Ning set two major development directions during his Xiaocanghe period, one is spiritual and the other is material." Ding Songnan said, "The so-called spiritual path is to make everyone develop through reading, education, and enlightenment.
The so-called subjective initiative, in the army, holding talks, recalling the bitterness and sweetness, telling the superiority of China, and wanting everyone...everyone to be for oneself and one to be for everyone, to become selfless..."
"As for the material way, it is the so-called theory of studying things, researching equipment and developing armaments... According to Mr. Ning, if you follow any of these two directions, you will be invincible in the world in the future. If you can really follow the spiritual way, tens of thousands of
The Huaxia Army can kill all the Jurchens with bare hands... But this path is too ideal, so the Huaxia Army has always followed two lines at the same time. In the army, more disciplines are used to restrain the soldiers, and in terms of materials, from the Dijiang River
If it appears, the Jurchen West Route will be defeated, and the effect will be seen..."
"Nowadays, the power of the Chinese Army is known to the world, and the only flaw is that his requirements are too high and Mr. Ning's rules are too tough. However, without long-term practice, no one knows whether it will work in the future. Zou Shuai and I
After rebelling from the Chinese Army, the rules of running the army can still be used, but what about telling the soldiers why they are fighting?" Ding Songnan looked at Dai Mengwei, "Dai Gong, the only two people in the world who can make up for this shortcoming are Southeast.
My little court, the second one is you, Duke Dai, who is today a sage."
Dai Mengwei held the teacup and shook it slightly subconsciously: "The so-called Fairness Party in the East does have its own version."
"The theory of the Fairness Party actually came from Mr. Ning. When Zou Shuai was in Southwest, he and others had many deductions. Mr. Ning once said that the purer the ideal, the more complicated and demanding the conditions for its realization. I
Once we are convinced that the Fairness Party will be defeated in the future, but before that, the more things we do right, the longer the Fairness Party can persist and the momentum will become stronger."
Dai Mengwei thought for a while: "In this case, the Fair Party's philosophy is too pure, and Mr. Ning found it too difficult, so he did not implement it. Southwest's philosophy was inferior, so he used material principles as a supplement. As for my Confucian philosophy,
Obviously it’s more of a wait..."
"Each king, minister, father and son have their own order. Confucianism and Taoism are the avenues that have been tested for thousands of years. How can they be described as being equal to others? It's just that people in the world have different wisdom and qualifications. How can we enforce equality at this moment? Mr. Dai, forgive me.
Let me put it bluntly, outside of Black Flag, the only person who fears Mr. Ning the most is Dai Gong, and outside of Black Flag, the only person who knows Black Flag the most is Zou Shuai. You would rather be cowardly with the Jurchens than with Southwest
Confrontation, and Zou Shuai is more aware of the consequences of future confrontation with the Southwest. In today's world, only if you are in charge of politics and people's livelihood, and Zou Shuai is in charge of the army, and the investigation of things, can the two parties join forces to achieve something in the future. Zou Shuai has no choice.
Choice, Mr. Dai, you don’t have either."
"...In fact, in the final analysis, Zou Xu and you want to get rid of the interference of Yin Zong and others."
"Yin Zong and others are short-sighted and unintelligent, just like Liu Guangshi and others. Does Dai Gong not want to get rid of the constraints of Liu Guangshi and others? Time waits for no one. While you and I are thinking about these small thoughts around Bianliang, Southwest
Things are developing over there every day. In the eyes of Mr. Ning, the plans of us are probably nothing more than clowning. But only the fact that Dai Gong and Zou Shuai join forces may be able to give Mr. Ning
It was a surprise.”
While the two were talking, there was a faint commotion in the distance of the courtyard. Dai Meng took a deep breath, stood up from his seat, and pondered for a moment: "I heard that General Ding was not a formal leader in the Chinese army before.
Soldiers and generals.”
Ding Songnan also stood up: "I belong to the Political Department and am mainly responsible for military discipline. In fact, as long as military discipline is upheld, it is not difficult to lead the army."
"...How many talents are there like General Ding in the Chinese army?"
"...It's everywhere." Ding Songnan replied.
Dai Mengwei walked to the window and nodded. After a long time, he spoke: "...This matter needs long-term consideration."
The commotion in the distance became clearer, and someone was shouting in the night. Ding Songnan stood in front of the window, frowning and feeling the movement: "This is..."
"There is a group of Jianghu people who have formed a group to kill me in the past year. The leader is a fierce man named Lao Ba. I heard that he went to the Huaxia Army and persuaded Mr. Ning to kill me. Mr. Ning refused and he confronted me
He spat on Ning Yi and ran to do things on his own."
Dai Mengwei lowered his head and shook the tea cup: "It's really interesting to talk about it. Back then, people in the Jianghu went to kill Ning Yi in batches, but he planned to kill them batch after batch. Today they came to kill me, and the same is true. As long as they design a little,
They couldn't wait to jump in, and even though Ning Yi and I didn't like each other, even Ning Yi didn't look down on their actions... It can be seen that if you want to do great things in the world, there are always some short-sighted people, regardless of their ideas and stances
No matter what, we should let them go away..."
He put down the tea cup and looked at Ding Songnan.
"...Then...let's talk about the plan."
*************
Under the low starry night, a small commotion broke out on the streets in the west of Ankang City. A group of gangsters fought and fled, and from time to time someone was hacked to the ground.
There were not many troops responsible for the interception. The ones who actually rounded up these gangsters were some green forest tycoons who had already become famous in the troubled times. After receiving the courtesy of Dai Mengwei, the sage of today, most of them shed tears of gratitude, bowed their heads and worshiped, and now they have abandoned their past grudges.
They formed the most powerful guard around Dai Mengwei. The assassination attempt against Dai Mengwei headed by Lao Ba also fell into the already prepared pocket at the beginning of the launch.
As Dai Mengwei said, similar dramas happened to Ning Yi many times in Bianliang more than ten years ago. But the same response is still sufficient until now.
"Old man!" rough shouts echoed in the streets, "I respect you as a man! Commit suicide, don't harm the brothers around you——"
The people who escaped were driven into a nearby warehouse, and the pursuers came to round them up. The speaker walked forward and waved his companions to surround the gap.
At the street corner behind the warehouse, a big man rode a war horse, held a broadsword, and quickly surrounded him with several fast-footed companions. He raised his sword and looked in the direction of the back door of the warehouse. A black figure had quietly climbed in.
Trying to fight. Behind him, someone suddenly shouted: "Who -"
The man on the horse looked back and saw a cloaked figure suddenly appeared on the empty street behind him, walking towards them. Two companions walked towards the man, one holding a gun and the other holding a knife. In an instant,
The cloak vibrated, violent sword light was raised, and only a few clanging sounds were heard. The two companions fell to the ground, and were thrown behind by the figure.
The man holding the knife was about to charge forward, but with a bang, he saw that a crossbow bolt had been hit in his chest, his cloak was flying, and the figure was approaching in an instant, and a bloody shadow appeared from the long knife in his hand.
Amidst the clanging sound, a young swordsman named You Hongzhuo and several other rounders were killed together, and warning fireworks flew into the sky. After a little longer, an explosion suddenly sounded in the streets. He arrived in China last year.
After Zhang Cun was lucky enough to undergo a period of real special forces training due to the appreciation of Lu Hongti, he had already learned the skills to use various weapons such as crossbows, explosives, and even lime powder to injure people.
He has been wandering around Dai Mengwei's territory for several months, investigating some of the inside stories. As a reward for last year's training, he was sent to the southwest and was ready to leave. At this time, he saw the assassination and round-up, and then he officially took action, trying to kill Lao Ba.
, Jin Chenghu and other assassins rescued him.
The battle that might have ended quickly took a long time because of his actions. People were fighting left and right in the city, and the commotion continued to expand in the night.
On the northeast side of the city, Ning Ji and a group of scholars climbed onto the roof, curiously watching the commotion in the night...
Dai Mengwei was discussing important matters with Ding Songnan in the yard. He was a little dissatisfied with the spread of the riot, but compared to the core of their discussion, such a thing could only be regarded as a minor episode. Soon after, he would
A group of experts were sent to Jiangning to spread their reputation.
Things big and small continue to happen, and even in the history books many years later, no one will put these fragments together. The curves of various events pass by...