On the eve of the early morning, the torches on the city wall were still emitting their light. In the darkness outside the south gate of Zezhou, clusters of bonfires stretched into the distance. The crowd gathered here gradually became quiet.
In a leeward place under the city wall, some refugees were sleeping, and some were still awake, guarding a man lying on the ground with many bandages. The man was about thirty years old, and his clothes were shabby and stained with a lot of blood.
, a mess of hair, even after being bandaged, you can still vaguely see some blood.
The man didn't want to sleep, but he was too tired. He leaned on the city wall and took a nap while lying down. No one wanted to wake him up, so they allowed him to sleep for a while longer.
A gust of wind howled past the city, and the man was suddenly awakened and opened his eyes. He woke up a little and tried to get up. A woman next to him came over and helped him up: "When is it?" he asked.
"It's almost dawn."
"You told me to wake me up, I want...yes, hot water, I want to wash myself." He looked a little anxious, "Give me...find me some better clothes, I'll put them on."
This man among the refugees is Wang Shitong, known as the "Ghost King".
Injured by torture, he was almost carried and supported by others and ran around for a long time. After finally comforting the refugees, he got some chance to rest. At this time, he did not stop. Under his instructions, everyone was
He found a relatively complete house, and the refugee woman who took care of his injuries changed his clothes, wiped them, and tidied them up for a while. After taking off his clothes, the injuries all over his body were shocking. However, at this moment, Wang Shitong
The mood is intense and exciting.
During the arrangement, someone else came in. This was deputy Yan Hong who was arrested together with Wang Shitong. He was seriously injured when he was arrested. Since he was not suitable for torture, Sun Qi and others gave him a little medicine. Later, the Chinese Army
After going to jail once and giving him medicine again, Yan Hong's condition was much better than that of Wang Shitong on the day he was rescued.
"Going to meet Black Flag's people?"
"Yes, we have already agreed." Wang Shitong smiled, "I am willing to die for it. I can't believe it... I can't believe it..."
His laughter was joyful, but immediately there was a sad look. Yan Hong could understand the feeling. After a while, he said: "I went to see it, and Zezhou has been completely pacified."
"Um."
"Those rumors, I heard, may be true. The Tiger King's territory has completely changed."
"It's not surprising." Wang Shitong pursed his lips, "The Chinese Army... The Chinese Army took action. It's not surprising at all. If they had taken action earlier, maybe nothing happened on the bank of the Yellow River... Hehe..."
When Wang Shitong said this, he reached out and patted the chair, turning his sad mood into laughter. Yan Hong may also have felt pain and despair in his heart. At this time, his eyes were red and he laughed together. The woman next to him couldn't bear it anymore.
The woman began to cry. As soon as the woman cried, the two men in the room laughed louder, but tears fell from their faces.
It is difficult to describe in words the difficult and sad things in the world, especially after experiencing those darkness and despair, it is even more difficult to describe the complicated emotions when you feel relieved overnight.
"I went to see them and asked them for help..."
"He will help, he will definitely help... You see, as the old saying goes, I always said that God will not give us a dead end. He will always give us a way, haha... hahahaha..."
The two men laughed happily in the room, and then they also infected the woman next to them. After a while, when Wang Shitong was helped out of the room, the first ray of fish belly white was about to appear on the horizon. I don’t know.
Wherever the rooster crows, the refugees by the bonfire in the nearby streets see Wang Shitong and others passing by, and they all stand up to say hello to him. Some of them cry loudly, and Wang Shitong comforts them.
"It's okay, it's okay. As long as I live, there will be a day for me... and there will be a day for you..."
Most of the people who came to Zezhou after the great rout and massacre on the banks of the Yellow River had pinned all their hopes on Wang Shitong. When they heard what he said, they were all happy and settled down.
At this moment, the dawn will shine, especially not long after, when Wang Shitong and the person he met met each other, the feeling of sunlight reaching its peak. After that...
Fall down——
************
"...The outside agreement is that on June 29th, in King Jin's territory, some personnel reserved by the Chinese Army will be mobilized at the same time to cooperate with Tian Hu's internal group to subvert the territory of nine states under Tian Hu's command. Theoretically speaking
, at this time, Wei Sheng had completely changed. Wang Juyun went south and took several cities such as Meng County and Xixian County. Tian Hu's original power was replaced by Tian Shi, Yu Yulin, Lou Shuwan and others. The Jurchens
Some nearby troops may be sent to pressure Tian Shi... This may be the current situation you will face next..."
"Then the Chinese Army..."
"Part of our manpower was exposed in this incident. According to the agreement, we should withdraw to the south. Of course, I can also leave some to help you."
"The Chinese army didn't go north?"
"In the three years of Xiaocanghe, the Chinese army lost a lot of people. Two years is actually not enough time to recover. The three parties of the North, Jurchen, Puppet Qi, and Nanwu are currently hostile to us... Come to the Central Plains
, it will just be another three years.”
"Um……"
The cool breeze in the early morning was blowing, and the streets and alleys were still filled with the astringent smell after the fireworks. In front of the ruins, the injured man said something to the scholar in light robes. After Ning Yi introduced the situation, he noticed the other person's emotions.
, smiled slightly.
"When you were doing something in the north, some Black Banner people gathered around you. They admired your bravery and chivalry, and persuaded you to go south with them and join the Chinese Army. At that time, General Wang, you said, how could you stand by and watch as the people were in ruins?
They are far away, and even if they die, I will take them to the south of the Yangtze River... I admire this idea very much. General Wang, do you still think so? If... I ask you to join the Chinese Army again, will you be willing?
?”
Wang Shitong was obviously thinking about other things. His eyes were complicated and he turned around for a while: "But... there are so many of them, Mr. Ning..."
"Um?"
"Mr. Ning, I'm here to ask for food for them..."
Wang Shitong thought for a moment and finally said this. Ning Yi nodded: "I understand this and have already made arrangements. One-third of Zezhou's grain reserves will be transferred to you, totaling nearly ten thousand shi."
, should be able to solve the urgent need. The available vehicles in the city are already being allocated, and you may also be responsible for some of them."
"...Mr. Ning, where can they go next?"
"Where do you want to go?"
"I want to take them across the Yellow River." Wang Shitong looked at Ning Yi and said, "To the south of the Yangtze River."
Ning Yi opened his mouth slightly and was silent for a moment: "I... personally think it is unlikely."
The scene became quiet, Wang Shitong opened his mouth, but finally did not speak for a while, until a long time later: "Mr. Ning, they are really... pitiful..."
His voice was floating in the wind, and Ning Yi did not speak. Wang Shitong recalled those tragedies and continued: "They used to have some family property and foundation. Since they went south, they have lost everything. They have starved to death along the way.
I don’t know how many people were killed. I took them with me, but I didn’t know how to go. My wife and daughter died on the way. They said we massacred the city... hundreds of thousands of people, wandering all the way.
The tree bark will be eaten, and they...someone started to eat children, Mr. Ning, I don’t understand how to speak..."
"... They just want to live, as long as there is a way to survive... But God will not give them a way to survive. There are locust plagues, severe droughts... and floods..." When he said this, his tone became more choked, and he pressed his head, "
I took them to the Yellow River with great difficulty, and there were Tian Hu and Sun Qi. If the Chinese army hadn't taken action, they would have all died, frozen to death and starved to death. Mr. Ning, I know you are good people and true
Good people, in those first few years, everyone else was on their knees, and you were the only one who really resisted the money..."
Ning Yi patted his shoulder gently: "Everyone is trying to save their lives."
"They will all die if they can't cross the Yellow River. Mr. Ning, go and see what they are like. Ten thousand shi of grain is a lot, but there are more than just those outside the city. Many people along the Yellow River have died, but at least there are
Two to three hundred thousand people survived, Mr. Ning, where can they stay if they can't reach the Yellow River?"
"Perhaps we can arrange for them to be dispersed into the territories of various forces?"
"You can't survive the winter by begging." Wang Shitong shook his head, "It's better in peacetime. In these years, Wang Juyun, Tian Hu, Li Xizhi, everyone is not well-off, and beggars will die here if they can't survive."
Ning Yi thought for a while: "However, crossing the Yellow River is not an option. That side is still Liu Yu's territory, especially... in order to guard against Nanwu, there are two Jurchen armies actually in charge there, with two or three hundred thousand people. After crossing
The Yellow River is also a dead end, have you ever thought about it?"
Wang Shitong nodded: "But if you stay here, you will die."
"...At least you will take care of them." Ning Yi paused and looked at him, "This is... a very difficult thing, but there is no other way. If you also let them go, no one will be able to care about them.
.Three hundred thousand people, I think... it is still possible to establish a foothold here, whether farming or fishing, eating wild fruits and chewing tree bark. If they stay here, they will definitely be safer than crossing the Yellow River.
.If necessary, Black Flag will try its best to support you."
"Support...what?"
"Swords, guns, and even iron cannons will support you to stand firm, be armed, and survive as much as possible. To the south, with the support of the prince, several generals headed by Yue Fei have begun to move north. They can only wait until they open this road one day.
, it is possible for you to pass safely."
"However, Black Flag...can't help?"
"Black Flag can help." Ning Yi sighed, "But we can't go north in the near future. Just to save people, everyone will die in the Central Plains. I can't make such a decision, but I promise that as long as possible,
I will try my best to support you in taking root and moving south."
Wang Shitong was silent for a long time: "They will all die..."
"Um?"
"Hundreds of thousands of people...are stationed here. They have never even served as soldiers and fought in a war before. Mr. Ning, you don't know how they died in the battle on the bank of the Yellow River. After being stationed here, all
People will regard them as a thorn in their flesh, and they will all die here."
"General Wang, with all due respect, in a world like this, there is no way to survive without fighting. If many people are killed, the remaining people will be tempered into warriors. The more people like this, one day we will
The greater the possibility of defeating the Jurchen, then the problem can be truly solved."
"But many people will die, and you...we will watch them die." He originally wanted to refer to Ning Yi, but finally changed it to "us". After a moment, he said softly: "Mr. Ning, I have an idea.
…”
"What do you think."
"Look at Zezhou City, the territory of the Tiger King. You...you arranged so many people. Once they launched their attack, the place turned upside down. At first, when it was said that the Chinese Army had many people left behind, everyone was doubtful. But now they won't doubt it.
Okay, Mr. Ning, since so many people have been arranged here, there must be people on Liu Yu's territory. Can... can you mobilize them? Mr. Ning, Liu Yu is much worse than Tian Hu and the others. As long as you activate
"The Central Plains will definitely change. Can you consider..."
Ning Yi's eyes gradually became serious, and Wang Shitong waved his hands.
"These are hundreds of thousands of people, hundreds of thousands of lives, Mr. Ning, they are the hundreds of thousands of lives in front of you. As long as you raise your hand, they may cross the Yellow River, cross the Central Plains and go to Jiangnan, they can
Survived. With the merit of hundreds of thousands of lives, Mr. Ning, if the Huaxia Army does these things, its reputation in the world will definitely be greater, and tens of millions of people will surely come to vote after hearing about it. Even the regicide can be washed away.
Lost……"
He said this, gritted his teeth, slowly stood up and knelt down, Ning Yi held his hand, waited for a while, and then asked him to sit down.
"This is a method that can be considered." Ning Yi thought about it for a moment, "However, General Wang, Tian Hu's launch is just to scare the monkeys. Once the Central Plains launches, the Jurchens will definitely come. At that time, another regime will be changed and they will lurk.
Those Chinese soldiers must also be purged on a larger scale. The Jurchens are different from Liu Yu. Liu Yu killed all the bones in the world. After all, he still needs someone to stand in court for him. When the Jurchen army comes, they can...
They were massacred one by one..."
"However, this is indeed hundreds of thousands of lives. Mr. Ning, tell me, if there is anything greater than this, you must save people first..."
"The biggest problem is that once the Jurchens go south, Nanwu's last chance to breathe will be gone. You see, as long as Liu Yu and the others are still there, they will always be a whetstone. They can sharpen Nanwu's swords.
Once the Jurchens go south, it will be time to test the sword. By then, I am afraid that these hundreds of thousands of people will not survive in a few years..."
"But maybe the Jurchens won't send troops. As long as you make the range smaller, we only have one way..."
"I will consider it carefully if there is any compromise. General Wang, please consider it carefully. Many times, we are helpless..."
The wind stirred up the morning mist, and the conversation between the two continued. On the other side of the city, You Hongzhuo walked on the street dragging his injured body with a knife on his back. His face was pale and shaky, but because of the
He received a special military insignia and no one stopped him on the road.
He went to a small square and sat down among a crowd of people, surrounded by the sound of tired snores.
After a whole night of madness, You Hongzhuo leaned against the wall, his eyes dull and lost in thought. He left the prison last night and fought several battles with a group of prisoners. Then he took weapons and went to find his fourth brother Kuang Wenbai with an obsession.
Seek revenge on him.
However, the temple of the Great Guangming Sect has been destroyed. The army fought several times nearby, and then set off a fire, burning it into a white ground. I don’t know how many Green Forest people died in the fire. The flames spread to the surrounding areas.
You Hongzhuo couldn't find Kuang Wenbai in the streets and buildings, so he had to participate in firefighting there.
At the end of the night, he wandered around the city and saw too much tragedy and desolation. At first he didn't think it was anything, but as he looked at it, he suddenly felt sick. Those burned down houses, innocent people killed in the streets
Or, the civilians who died during the army's attack, the children who were in a daze in a pool of blood because they lost their family members...
"Hey, is that you?" A voice came from the side: "That insecure boy in prison!"
Turning his head, You Hongzhuo looked carefully and realized that the big man next to him was the man imprisoned across from him in the cell. This man once asked him to take action to relieve the seriously injured inmate, but You Hongzhuo did not do so in the end, and the two sides had a quarrel.
.
You Hongzhuo became vigilant, but the other party had no intention of starting a fight: "I saw you kill someone last night. You're a good person. How about I just write off all my troubles with you?"
You Hongzhuo didn't speak, which was regarded as acquiescing. The other party was obviously tired, but still a little energetic. He said: "Haha, it's fun. I haven't been this happy for a long time. What's your name, brother? My name is Chang Jun. We have decided to go to the southwest to participate in Black Flag. You
going or not?"
"Black Flag..." You Hongzhuo repeated, "Is Black Flag a good person?"
"Of course Black Flag is a good person, why do you have an opinion against Black Flag?"
You Hongzhuo looked at the sky and was silent for a long time: "I can't see..."
Yes, he couldn't see it. At this moment, Kuang Wenbai's voice suddenly appeared in You Hongzhuo's heart. In this world, who is a good person? Big brother and the others say they are chivalrous and righteous, but in fact they are collecting money for Wang Juyun. The Da Guangming Sect is sanctimonious.
, In fact, he is filthy and shameless. Kuang Wenbo said, in this world, there is no one standing behind anyone. Black Flag? Is Black Flag a good person? Obviously so many innocent people died.
How do you count those people?
At this moment, he suddenly didn't want to go anywhere. He didn't want to be the person standing behind others. There should always be a way for those innocent people. Isn't that what a knight, the so-called knight, is like? He thought of Zhao, the Black Wind and the Two Evils.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhao, he was full of questions and wanted to ask Mr. Zhao, but Mr. Zhao disappeared.
——You have to walk the road to the world by yourself.
************
It was another sunny morning. You Hongzhuo carried his two swords on his back and left Zezhou City, which was gradually restoring order. From this day on, there was a road for him in the rivers and lakes. This road was filled with endless bumps and hardships, and the sky was full of thunder, lightning, wind and dust.
, but he clenched the knife in his hand and never gave up.
It was another heavy rainy evening, and there was a lot of mud. Wang Shitong was driving a cart on the road. There were countless panicked people in front and behind him. He could not see the end in the distance: "Hahahaha...hahahaha..."
Yan Hong saw him suddenly looking up to the sky and laughing, but the laughter was shrill and devoid of any joy: "General, what's wrong?"
"I understand, I understand..."
"What……"
"No one cares about us! No one has ever cared about us!" Wang Shitong shouted, his eyes turned red, "Sun Qi, Tian Hu, Wang Juyun, Liu Yu, hahahaha... The inner demon Ning Yi, never
People care about us people. You think he has good intentions, but he is just taking advantage. He obviously has a way. He watches us die... He just wants us to kill, kill, kill here until the last remaining people are left.
He came here to pick peaches! You thought he came here to save us, but he just wanted to... kill the chickens to scare the monkeys. He didn't come for us... Look at these people, he obviously has a way..."
Yan Hong looked at him, and Wang Shitong stood up in the car.
"There are evil people in this world! That's why you are hungry ghosts!" Everyone around looked at him in astonishment. Wang Shitong shook his head in the rain, "But it's okay, as long as I am... I will definitely look at you... As long as
With me..."
As long as I'm there...
He repeated these words, feeling the pain of countless people dying tragically in his heart. From then on, only the real hungry ghosts were left here...
Ning Yi, Xigua and his party left Zezhou and began to go south. During this process, he calculated the possibility of Wang Shitong and others retreating south several times, but in the end he could not find a way. Wang Shitong's final mental state made him
Wei Wei is a little worried. Although Ning Yi is hard-hearted when it comes to big things, he actually doesn't mind doing good deeds if it's really possible.
If Wang Shitong, as the leader, really has a problem, then if possible, he will also hope that there is a second way to go.
At this time, the internal strife within the Jin King's forces and the news that the Black Flag spies had finally spread their claws again had spread to all parts of the world.
A couple with their children had just returned to Wozhou from Zezhou. At this time, Mu Yi, who had settled in Wozhou with his wife and children, was a small yamen policeman in Wozhou city. Their family
This time I went to Zezhou to buy some things. My child Mu Anping was almost hit by a galloping horse on the street. A knight who was being chased saved the child's life. Mu Yi originally wanted to repay the favor, but the opponent was very powerful.
, not long after, Zezhou's army also arrived, and finally took the knight into prison as a bandit.
Mu Yi moved around secretly, but in the end it didn't matter and there was nothing he could do. During this period, he noticed that the atmosphere in Zezhou was not right, and finally left with his wife and children. Soon after, large-scale chaos occurred in Zezhou.
Along the way, his wife complained about him. She said, if something happens to that knight, I will never have peace in my heart.
In the Yunzhong Mansion of Jin State, a man with a gentle face and a gentle manner had just arrived and met with Lu Mingfang, a member of the Chinese Army who was working here at this time. His name was Tang Minjie. He did something wrong when he was in the southwest.
Later, he was transferred to the north. Lu Mingfang had been acquainted with him earlier and knew that this person was also a student of Mr. Ning and was quite talented in his work.
"I want to learn Jurchen dialect for a while first, and then get involved in specific work. It should be better this way." Tang Minjie is pragmatic and has an extremely affable personality. Lu Mingfang breathed a sigh of relief. He learned the skills from Mr. Ning.
There are many high-powered people, but many people are also high-spirited, and Lu Mingfang is afraid that he will cause chaos as soon as he comes over.
He seems to be an easy person to get along with... A few days later, the gentle-tempered Tang Minjie gave Lu Mingfang a great impression. At this time, the news of the black flag movement in the south came, and the two of them were excited again.
"You have to do such a big thing..." Tang Minjie sighed, and Lu Mingfang nodded in agreement.
At this time, Lu Mingfang could not understand what kind of light was flashing in the eyes of the young partner opposite him. Naturally, he could not predict that in the next few years, this Black Flag member, later codenamed "Joker", would be in the Jurchen territory.
The numerous sins and bloodshed sown...
In King Jin's territory, on the night when Tian Hu broke out of Wei Sheng and was caught back, Lou Shuwan came to see him in the prison.
"...You ****! ****! You can cooperate with the enemy who killed your father! I curse you **** to have no peace in hell. I'm waiting for you——"
While Tian Hu was cursing, Lou Shuwan just looked at him quietly. Suddenly, Tian Hu seemed to realize something.
"No... you, you ****, you like him! You like Ning Yi! Haha! Hahahaha! In the past few years, you have done everything to imitate him! I understand - **** is
****! You like him! You will never have peace for the rest of your life, and you don’t even have to go to hell... Hahahaha——"
He was still scolding while laughing, but Lou Shuwan had already turned around and left.
"Cut out his tongue," she said.
Tian Hu's tongue was cut out, but this move was of little significance, because not long after, Tian Hu was secretly executed and buried, and it was said that he died suddenly of illness. This man was lucky enough to survive in the troubled times.
The king of more than ten years has finally come to an end.
Soon, Ning Yi and his party arrived at the bank of the Yellow River. It was the late summer and early autumn, with green mountains on both sides of the bank, and the river was rushing as far as the eye could see. At this time, sixteen years had passed since Ning Yi came to this world.
Nine long years have passed since Qin Siyuan's death and Ning Yi's angry regicide in the Golden Palace.
In this autumn of the eighth year of Jian Shuo's reign, the dead have passed away forever, and the survivors can only continue to move forward in their own directions.
The green mountains are still there, and the sunset is red again. (To be continued.)