Ding Songnan inspected the sentries near the courtyard in the dark, and after telling them to cheer up, he returned to the room. The accompanying orderly served hot tea, and he extinguished the lights in the room to only one.
Order the orderly to go out.
"Tell others not to use too many candles to avoid attracting unnecessary prying eyes."
The other party obeyed the order and went.
The fresh fragrance of tea was escaping from the hot water in the tea cup. Ding Songnan was sitting there holding the tea cup. The tea was really good tea, but the tea cup looked big and rough - he always used this big cup when he was in Xiaocang River.
My preference for drinking water and tea was developed in the Central Plains in the past two years.
In the past few years of dealing with Yin Zong, Chen Shiquan and others, he was surrounded by all kinds of treasures and countless valuables. If he wanted a woman, he would be there at the drop of a hat. Ding Songnan gradually learned to taste various kinds of good tea, and gradually developed a taste for it.
Although he was particular about himself, he still scorned the methods of brewing tea and chose to drink it slowly from a large, rough cup, which was more like a confrontation with the arrogant and luxurious atmosphere.
Shortly after Funiu Mountain decided to break with the Chinese Army and part ways, Zou Xu had several serious meetings with other members of the following working group. At the meeting, he analyzed his own abilities, strengths, and what Yin Zong, Chen Shiquan and others relied on.
What is your own...
Coming out of the southwest, people like myself have a mastery of military training, control, management, and organization that even bureaucrats and big landowners like Yin Zong and Chen Shiquan cannot match. The military law of the Chinese Army is too strict, and only responsibility
, without enjoyment, it ultimately goes against the principles of human nature. However, if people like themselves indulge in enjoyment after the breakup, once they indulge too much and lose their past abilities and talents, then they will be nothing more than Yin Zong, Chen Shiquan and others.
Pigs and sheep below.
During this kind of analysis and reflection, Zou Xu and other members of the working group were also cautiously managing the forces under their control. On the one hand, they admitted that they could enjoy the part, but on the other hand, Zou Xu still had extremely strict performance requirements when he was in power.
, never allow those below to delay things for pleasure.
Zou Xu's sobriety was supported by other members of the working group, including Ding Songnan. Since then, several "comrades" who had fallen too far were even expelled from Funiu Mountain's leadership team. But now, with Yin Zong,
In the long-term game between Chen Shiquan and other local leaders, the military system led by Zou Xu has also gained the upper hand in all aspects.
Has my ability improved or declined now?
Holding the teacup and smelling the appealing aroma of tea, Ding Songnan was reflecting like this.
If we really start a confrontation with Southwest, the result will be...
He was in a daze for a while thinking about such a thing. At a certain moment, there was a knock on the door outside, and the orderly came in again: "Mr. Chen is here."
"Oh, let him in."
Ding Songnan tidied up his desk and poured water to make tea. After getting ready, there were footsteps approaching from outside.
Under the leadership of the orderly, a thirty-year-old scholar came in, wearing a black gown and a hat. He looked like an ordinary accountant. This was Zou Xu, Ding Songnan and others who had settled in Bianliang and other places.
After rooting, a scholar named Chen Ting was admitted. After entering, he closed the door, and the two sides cupped their hands, and then the other party smiled and said, "Why have we changed the place again?"
Ding Songnan said: "I got some news, so I want to avoid the limelight."
"They are from the southwest..."
Ding Songnan smiled and nodded: "Sit down first."
Chen Ting nodded and sat on the chair, but he was also very curious about the news: "Do you know who is coming?"
"It would be better not to encounter a working group led by Qian Baye."
"Master Qian... Oh, Miao Jiang's 'Feather Sword'..." In the dim light, Chen Ting's expression changed several times, and then he smiled and said, "If there is a chance, I really want to see it."
"Maybe there's a chance."
Regarding the news about the southwest, the two sides chatted for a few words quite naturally, saying "I'm not afraid" and that was enough. At this time, the greetings were finished, and the other party took out a small cloth bag from his arms.
"I have contacted all parties in the past few days and found out a lot of information. Some of the information here has been summarized. If some of the information is true, the Jiangning incident will be difficult to resolve."
"Oh? What should I say?"
"Captain D, please take a look." The scholar opened the small cloth bag and took out several stacks of various pieces of paper containing information. "These are the information I bought from various channels in the past few days. They are all fair."
Among the most credible information that was smuggled out from the most reliable information channels of the five parties of the party, there are these several pieces of information about He Wen's actions, which are quite unusual. Then I found these pieces of information to corroborate each other...
"
While talking, Chen Ting spread out these messages on the table next to him. Ding Songnan brought an oil lamp over and watched the other party display these papers one by one.
"...the five forces of the Fair Party seem to be intertwined, but generally speaking, there are still several major development directions... After capturing Jiangning, Zhou Shang and Gao Chang went all out to the south, trying to capture the small town of Lin'an.
The imperial court, Xu Zhaonan and Shi Baofeng, one consolidated the inner circle and tried to use the guise of the Great Light Sect to encroach on the Fairness Party; the other expanded trade routes to the west and wanted to connect with Liu Guangshi and others. As for
He Wen, in addition to releasing news about holding this conference, the main thing he is doing is to extend northward, try to get through Xuzhou, and want to have a big battle in Xuzhou... But there are some pieces of news that are quite unusual..."
As Chen Ting spoke, he selected a few pieces of information: "... Captain Ding, look, in July and August, 'Hai Xian' He Miao was still deploying his fleet towards Taihu Lake. Look at this fleet.
It seemed that they were resting, but before the fleet set off, the price of food in Jiangbei showed unusual fluctuations. From the outside, it seemed that they were preparing for the Xuzhou battle, but in fact, Ji Luan, their leader in charge of logistics, this
At that time, they happened to appear in Suzhou and launched a round of official rule..."
The scholar named Chen Ting was originally a Confucian scholar who read the books of sages, but in the past two years, he had been taught by Zou Xu and Ding Songnan, and his analysis of intelligence had already become clear-cut.
"...There can be several explanations for this matter. For example, the capture of Xuzhou is imminent, and Taihu Lake is the most important rear area, so Ji Luan was ordered to stabilize the situation. However, among these messages, we discovered these two suspicious pieces of information.
information……"
"...The Fair Party started an uprising in the south of the Yangtze River. The most intertwined forces among the five parties were around Taihu Lake. We can now basically confirm that Long Xian's 50,000 troops directly under his command seemed to be heading north, but in fact they were still south of the Yangtze River, around Taihu Lake.
There is no movement to the north, and the Xuzhou strategy, which seems to be in full swing, is most likely covering the southward movement of six troops under He Wen's command..."
"...According to current judgment, Longxian Fu Pingbo's direct line is in Taihu Lake, and next to it is Xu Zhaonan's throat, his largest granary, Changzhou. Zhao Jingci's land reclamation army is wandering around Yangzhou at this time, corresponding to Zhenjiang The main force of Gaochang... He Miao's navy has been keeping a close eye on Shi Baofeng's fleet for two months... Military sage Lin Jiaojiu, the largest force under his command seems to have gone to Xuzhou, but he The most capable Eight Thousand Zhili under his command are now north of Jiangning, defending He Wen... In fact, in the past eight months, He Wen's new army, Shen Linglian, has drawn a large number of elite troops from Lin Jiaojiu's men. , no one knows where it is now. According to common sense, it seems that it went to Xuzhou, but in fact, there are very unusual movements in the Jingjiang and Jiangyin areas. Team D, please read these two pieces of news..."
Chen Ting compiled some key information, and Ding Songnan looked at it expressionlessly. When he put it down, he nodded.
Chen Ting's expression was a little excited. He was quick-thinking. After learning the Southwest's intelligence processing methods from Zou Xu, Ding Songnan and others, he conducted a lot of training and simulations. This was finally the first time that he put his personal abilities to use. for the practice of such a major event.
"The credibility of these intelligences may be high or low. In a short period of time, we will not have a more reliable source of intelligence..." He spoke cautiously, "But if these key intelligences are good, I have great confidence in judging that. Two to four months ago, He Wen had been carefully preparing for the showdown at this conference. Regarding the book club, he pushed back Shi Baofeng's objections. Others thought he was a bit stiff and felt that there was something wrong with him. He may be playing some kind of political trick to make the other four confused and confused, but... he may really have no room for it, he wants to fight four..."
After Chen Ting finished speaking, he became quiet. Ding Songnan picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea. The room was silent for a while.
"When he was in the southwest, He Wen was just a high-spirited scholar." After a moment, Ding Songnan slowly said, "Now it seems that after his family was destroyed, he still learned something."
"...In recent days, the reading club has also taken action." Chen Ting whispered, "According to the information that came in these days, since He Wen began to send orders to various places not to persecute members of the reading club, the other four members of the Fairness Party have An open confrontation began. They blocked roads in large places and began to arrest members of the Fair Party who were hiding pamphlets, but the whole thing did not go as smoothly as expected..."
"... In the past, the four parties arrested members of the reading club, mostly for those who had radical ideas and secretly linked up with people trying to move closer to the southwest. But this time, it was expanded to the point where anyone who retains the southwest classics is guilty. All parties immediately Tens of thousands of people were arrested, but then it was discovered that there were a large number of unjust, false, and wrongful convictions, and frame-ups... After all, the judgment of guilt for possessing books privately was too general, and some members of the reading club directly threw the books at their opponents or innocent people. There are also a large number of cases where similar means are used to eliminate political opponents in their homes..."
"... From the information that came to Jiangning from all parties in the past two days, we bought some and found that most of them were documents from the middle management who started to report this kind of chaos. Some of them were framed and framed so obviously that the local authorities arrested them. People do not dare to take action immediately, which is relatively rational. But after a few days, we can find at least a dozen towns or middle and low-level forces in the towns, chief officials and deputies arrested They took the opportunity to criticize each other, causing a fight."
Chen Ting handed over a report: "Look here, in Changshu's Guanghua Township, a deputy in the middle of 'Abiyuantu' rebelled, killed his boss, and thousands of people fought. But this report came this morning,
It is said that the chaos may have been caused by the incident at the book club. The two chief officers had a suspicion for a long time. After receiving the order, they framed each other immediately... Now it is no longer clear who is who. This deputy is killing the boss.
After his death, he also carried out purges in the local area, and then threatened to defect to Xu Zhaonan. He emphasized that he was not a rebel from the reading club..."
"The fights caused by the criticism between the chief officer and his deputies are a trouble, and framing the blame is also a trouble. At the same time, secret assassinations have also begun to occur. Some members of the reading club tried to go to the police as soon as they learned the news.
He Wen's territory has been transferred, but the road has been blocked. Some people in these reports have always shown a tendency to read books and love to talk about Southwest thought with others. They probably realized that they could not escape and took the risk directly.
Assassinations of chief officials and even indiscriminate killings... There are dozens of similar cases, but there are just a few more. These people all say that they are doing it for the future of the Fairness Party..."
There were piles of news on display. Ding Songnan took the oil lamp and looked at it briefly for a while, then put it down and spoke.
"Looking at these things, perhaps this is the main reason why He Wen wants to innovate."
"Team D refers to..."
"Organization." Ding Songnan sighed, "In the past when I was in Southwest China, Mr. Ning once said several times that the power of an individual is limited and depends on the number of people. The core indicator that determines the strength of a group is organization. Yuanda
Our ideal is for organization, strict discipline is for organization, and layer-by-level supervision is for organization. The biggest problem in violating organization is the weakness of human nature."
"Everyone has weaknesses. They want to enjoy themselves, want to be lazy, and want to get something for nothing. Ignorant people cannot see future benefits and feel that as long as there is a stutter in front of them, all kinds of troubles are unnecessary... Then there must be preaching, just
There must be education, the truth must be broken down and crushed, so that everyone can see the necessity of mid-term and long-term efforts. At the same time, it is best to have benign gains in the short term, so that long-term, medium-term and short-term benefits can reach a level with human nature.
The best balance point cannot be to make people stop eating in the short term for the sake of long-term interests. Only by finding these balance points can an organization obtain the best organizational degree... Mr. Ning once said frankly that he did not know the best
Where is the balance point?”
"But look at the Fair Party. The organization is in a mess. In two years, it seemed to be huge and unparalleled, but in fact it was a mess. The five kings have no restrictions on each other. As for the people below the five kings? What about eight leaders, three talents, four towns, seven
Kill, can the five kings really use their fingers like an arm? No, these leaders each have their own opinions and ideas. Under these people, the middle-level leader of Guanghua Township, the chief officer and his deputy also have conflicts.
Hilltop. To put it bluntly, the Fairness Party with tens of millions of people is actually more like the result of thousands of bandits gathering together randomly with a few flags..."
Ding Songnan paused: "He Wen made a fuss at this Fair Party meeting. His purpose...is not actually with these four kings. It is more like he has attracted everyone's attention and opened it again...to join the gang.
General Assembly?"
His words were low and hesitant. In the past few days, all parties in the world have looked at Jiang Ning, making up their mind and making guesses. Naturally, they are how the five parties of the Fairness Party will carry out a round of integration, even if there will be one in the middle.
A complex political struggle is nothing more than one or two parties being eliminated, and outsiders are betting on this to gain huge benefits in the future.
But if He Wen's idea is not to form an alliance at all, the direction of the whole thing will completely deviate from previous expectations.
Of course, the information gathered by Ling Ling Zongzong cannot yet form strong evidence to confirm this, and Ding Songnan also has some reservations about his thoughts.
Chen Ting also hesitated for a moment: "This matter... In fact, it is a bit unimaginable to be in a humble position... Although it sounds very grand, but relying on the big words in the reading club pamphlet, can it really convince these people who rely on burning
Kill and plunder those who make a fortune...innovate yourself and observe discipline?"
"...Ten years ago it was not possible at all."
Ding Songnan sighed: "But now... the Chinese army has defeated the Jurchens, Mr. Ning is selling his little book everywhere, about the four peoples, what freedom, the limitations of peasant uprisings, the corruption of feudal bureaucracy... These things are in Dai Mengwei's eyes
, Wu Qimei, Liu Guangshi and others can of course be banned from all places, but in the Fairness Party, they started under the banner of Southwest."
"...In the past two years, even if they arrested members of the reading club in private, they just thought that these people wanted to help the Southwest seize power. But in reality, no one in the middle and high-level of the Fairness Party has read a few books from the Southwest.
Something? Even if they are illiterate, they have already asked Master to read to them... Everyone doesn't like Southwest because they don't like him coming to seize power. How many people think that Mr. Ning is telling lies? "
"The fear of thinking is that no one will discuss it. Once someone discusses it, it is always possible to take root. What's more... there are some people who want to bet with Southwest even if they don't care about thinking..."
When Ding Songnan said this, he shook his head slightly: "He Wen knew that his Fairness Party had a big problem. He was not satisfied with the compromise alliance of all parties in the Jiangning talks. He wanted to further improve the quality of the organization, so he took the risk. Then
There are two possibilities next. First, the biggest possibility is that good slogans are no match for the evil in people's hearts, and the other four kings join forces to eat him... In fact, this is actually the best for us.
As a result, the Fair Party will really become a piece of disorganized sand at that time. After the battle of Bianliang, we can plot Jiangnan."
"But if He Wen is really allowed to find a group of like-minded 'comrades' under such circumstances and work hard to improve the organization by a few levels, then the future of the Fair Party may really be on the right track... In the short term
It will be chaotic, but in the long run, it will be very troublesome..."
Chen Ting thought for a while: "He Wen said outside that... people from the Chinese Army have arrived and are already on his side."
"I met He Wen a few days ago, and it was he who reminded me that the team coming from the Southwest was led by Qian Baye, so we moved the place." Ding Songnan chuckled a little, "If this is true, it means that he is borrowing money from the Southwest.
He also wants to hook up with us; if this matter is false, it means that few words from his mouth can be believed - so whether it is true or false, it at least shows that in the political arena, He Wen is not a
An honest person can do anything."
Ding Songnan paused: "But it's okay. Such a person must have breasts and a mother. As long as we still have value, he will definitely cooperate with us. On the contrary... there is no need to establish any friendship."
"...Then let's... which side is better to bet on?"
"We have nothing to be embarrassed about. The outcome of the Central Plains War has not yet been announced. Naturally, like Dai Mengwei, all parties are betting that if we defeat Liu Guangshi, then we will open the door to do business. If we lose, all the agreements will naturally be in vain.
Piao… the current situation is not difficult for anyone, it’s pretty good.”
After he said this with a smile, he stretched out his hand and patted Chen Ting's arm: "I'll leave this information behind. You can go back and rest first. Thank you for your hard work. There are still some things to do in the past two days. Once the general agreement is reached, we will leave the city."
"yes."
Chen Ting left the room, and Ding Songnan gathered the information, turned on the oil lamp, and read all the messages carefully. When the work came to an end, the tea had gone cold, so he did not add any more water. He took a few sips and walked out.
When I opened the door, the night outside had become darker. Occasionally, there was a sound in the distance of the city, intense and strange.
He walked under the eaves, went to the edge of the courtyard, and subconsciously inspected the sentry guards around him. The city was not peaceful at the moment. The original residences were already in a state of war, and the sentry guards were hidden in the darkness like a city wall.
, Ding Songnan stayed high in the darkness for a while, thinking of the days he spent in Jishan.
From the conversation just now, it can be seen that Chen Ting is very interested in the topic of the Southwest, but in fact, for people like him who come from the Southwest, the information about that place seems to be strange.
taboo.
In Funiu Mountain, Bianliang and other places, Zou Xu and himself would of course frankly analyze the shortcomings of the southwest, and they would always speak frankly in front of students like Chen Ting, as if they could avoid the excessive suppression of human nature.
Fear in the heart. But in today's dialogue, both parties have actually been avoiding the most important possibility.
What if the Chinese army really comes and encounters them?
As a force, what is the current attitude of the Huaxia Army towards its own side?
As an enemy, are you qualified to face them?
He was trying to get around these problems, which was caused by the fear in his heart - he analyzed himself using the self-examination method he learned from Southwest China, and worked hard to summarize.
However, there is still hope after all... According to the strict rules and rigid laws in Southwest China, it will not reach the future after all. According to Mr. Ning, in the game between human weakness and long-term interests, he did not choose Lao Niutou
Such a radical approach did not directly attack the local tyrants to divide their land on a large scale like the Fair Party - although he had already mastered this weapon - he chose a speed that the Chinese army can currently control, but will this speed
Is this world still too harsh?
Maybe in the end, his idea will collapse, but Zou Xu and his side can survive forever in the world?
Could it be... that he could tolerate Lao Niutou's radicalism, He Wen's extremes, even Dai Mengwei's conservatism, and ultimately, Zou Xu's path?
The city was noisy and uncertain in the darkness. Ding Songnan stood in the darkness and looked into the distance uneasily.
...Where will this troubled world go?
Under the same dark sky, at the northern end of the city, He Wen was meditating on a high balcony and looking into the distance.
In the northeast, Gao Chang declined the invitation of a group of brothers to have a carnival, drank some wine, and sat quietly in the deserted lobby. In the darkness, his eyes became clearer.
In the New Tiger Palace, after Xu Zhaonan visited Lin Zongwu, he began another round of secret summons.
Shi Baofeng saw his second son Shi Weiyang's injury, took a carriage, and traveled on the road to the next round of visits.
Zhou Shang sat in the old ancestral hall and read a book. Occasionally, someone would send messages of this kind or another.
Lin Zongwu was practicing boxing in the night. His steps and boxing techniques were slow, and his robe sleeves were waving as if he were in the dangerous water.
Meng Zhuotao visited his paralyzed junior brother as usual. He had not yet woken up. The doctor said he might not wake up. The junior sister and others looked at him with hatred under the eaves in the courtyard. There were lanterns hanging in the courtyard, rockeries and dwarf trees. Blurred in the light, it reminded him of thousands of lights.
Monkey King Li Yanfeng practiced boxing even though he was injured, but he still thrived.
More people are fighting in the chaotic darkness...
…
Zhong'anfang, a small square on the street outside Juxian Hall, Yan Tiehe staggered to the corner in front. When he saw the scene in the dimness, he leaned his body against the wall at the corner, as if he had lost his footing. The power of staying.
Yan Yunzhi came from behind and tried to help him, but was pushed away by Yan Tiehe.
"roll."
he said weakly.
There are corpses one by one on the platform in the small square ahead.
A few days ago, in order to attract Yan Yunzhi's appearance, Jin Yongsheng secretly found someone to injure Yan Tiehe and set up a trap as bait. After Shi Weiyang's arm was cut off, Hei Niu and others who happened to meet him rescued Yan Yunzhi and Yan Tiehe and tried to find out. Know the gossip between this little girl and Ning Ji.
Shi Baofeng immediately captured all the entourage who came from Yanjiabao, and today, all these people were killed on the execution ground outside Zhonganfang.
The situation in Jiangning City became more and more complicated. He took advantage of the reading club to make trouble. He originally hoped that the progress of cooperation in the city would become more in-depth. However, the situation at the Fairy King's side was out of control. The second son who had high hopes had his arm broken and was seriously injured. About Shi Baofeng finally didn't care about the Yan family's modesty.
"You..." In the dim light, Yan Tiehe's eyes looked like blood, pointing at Yan Yunzhi, "You... are the ones who killed them -"
Yan Yunzhi clenched her fists, pursed her lips into a straight line, and her eyes trembled slightly. She melted into the darkness and did not speak for a long time.
Not far away, Hei Niu and three other people were watching all this quietly. Yuwen Feidu spat on the ground.
"The fucked up place..."
…
At the other end of the city, Qu Longjun, who was like a beggar, took advantage of the night to return to the dilapidated courtyard where the "White Rakshasa" was. After one round of Wei Xuwen's hundred-day kill order had passed in the city, she quietly I came back and wanted to see what was going on here.
There was a firelight on the other side of the dilapidated courtyard.
She approached that side in the darkness, and not far from the road, Aunt Huo's body was hung on the street. The yard was breached, some women were killed in a pool of blood, and some were still alive. At this time, their necks were tied with ropes, and they were kneeling in rows on the street outside the courtyard. They were drenched with feces and urine. In the cold wind of late autumn, some of these skinny women trembled, and some cried softly, as if they were about to die. skeleton.
The people who broke into the courtyard vaguely carried the banner of "King Gao Tian".
Since the Jurchens went south for the fourth time, these women have experienced various tragedies. In the process since then, they have joined the "White Rakshasa" and caused all kinds of cruelty. However, what comes at this moment is not retribution. It is reflected in the song
In Long Jun's eyes, it was like evil ghosts from hell eating each other. She was trembling and huddled in the corner of the street.
After regaining her freedom in the southwest, she was trapped by her father's hatred, and the only place she thought of was to return to Jiangnan.
…There is no longer Jiangnan.
…
The night becomes deeper and deeper.
At midnight, He Wen completed a secret conversation with the person who came quietly. After the night person left, he sat in the room for a while, and then called the staff in the next room.
"Let the news go... I will be there at the next conference. I will... give everyone a thorough explanation of the matters that everyone is concerned about."
The staff agreed and left. Silence returned to the darkness. He Wen sat in the depths of the night and looked far away.
The darkness of the city connects with the sky, with occasional waves, as if looking up at the deep seabed...
The possibility of destruction looked down at him over there, but no matter how many times he thought about it, the people he valued had long since turned into darkness.