Wearing a yellow military uniform and carrying a medicine box and a sword and gun on his back, Ning Ji saw the simple city wall of Zizhou Prefecture in front of the army.
In September of the eleventh year of Wu Jianshuo, the year when Zhou Yong died, Ning Ji gradually became a teenager from thirteen to fourteen years old.
In the past two years, Ning Ji, who traveled with the army, saw more things than he had in the past eleven years.
He was born at the time when the Jurchens first went south, in the autumn of the thirteenth year of Jinghan. In the fourteenth year of Jinghan, when Ning Yi committed regicide and rebelled, and his family went to Xiaocanghe, he was only one year old.
His father had no time to name him at that time. He had committed regicide and was a taboo in the world. It seemed a bit cold, but in fact it was a name full of pride.
When I was young, I grew up in an environment like Xiaocang River and Qingmuzhai. When I gradually started to remember, the army began to turn to the southwest mountainous area. Therefore, what Ning Ji saw since he was a child was mostly a barren environment and a relatively simple environment.
, parents, brothers, enemies, friends, all kinds of people are quite clear.
As the Chinese army fought out of Liangshan and entered the Chengdu Plain, after Ning Ji joined the military medical team, the surroundings gradually began to become complicated. He began to see large wilderness, large cities, towering city walls, row upon row of gardens, and extremely luxurious
People with lust, people with numb eyes, people living in small villages starving and dying... these things are very different from what you see within the scope of the Chinese army.
During the days when the military medical team is active, I sometimes feel different kinds of gratitude and goodwill, but at the same time, there are also all kinds of malicious attacks.
In the more than ten years since Ning Yi killed Zhou Zhe, the world's hostility towards the Huaxia Army and Ning Yi's family has actually never stopped. The Huaxia Army has been very effective in its internal rectification and management, and it is difficult to detect some of the conspiracies and assassinations.
Reaching out to Ning Yi's family, but with the expansion of the territory in the past two years, the life world of Ning Xi, Ning Ji and others cannot shrink to the original small circle. Among them, Ning Ji joined the military medical team
Although news about the incident was blocked to a certain extent, it was soon spread through various channels.
In the year when Ning Ji was thirteen years old, he encountered a total of nine assassinations, two of which happened in front of his eyes. In February of the eleventh year, he committed murder for the first time, and again in July.
Now, a young man under the age of fourteen already has three lives on his hands.
For Ning Ji, killing the enemy personally did not have a great impact on his psychology, but in the past two years, the many things he experienced in this complicated world still made him become
Some became taciturn.
Since childhood, the supplies within the Chinese Army have not been very abundant. Mutual assistance and frugality have always been things advocated by the Chinese Army. Ningji has seen since he was a child that people support each other in a difficult environment. Their fathers will be more responsible for the world.
Share their knowledge and insights with others in the army. Facing the enemy, the soldiers in the Chinese army are always tenacious and unyielding.
After entering the Chengdu Plain, he found that the world was not like this. People with abundant and prosperous lives lived a decadent life. It seemed that the educated scholars were against the Chinese army, and they were outrageous with their arguments.
Below, the farmers live a miserable life. They live a poor life, but they all take it for granted. Some people who live a hard life are even hostile to members of the Chinese Army who go to the countryside to donate medicine and medicine.
Attitude.
Why do these people live like this? Ning Ji has no idea. Over the past year or two, he has taken it for granted that his enemies have deliberately tried to kill him and occasionally pretended to be pitiful people to attack him.
The education in the Chinese military to "be as ruthless as the harsh winter to the enemy" is extremely in place. Ning Ji has always felt that his enemies must be cunning and violent since he was a child. The first assassin who actually sneaked into his side was a dwarf. At first glance,
Like a little girl, she mingled with the crowd in the countryside to see a doctor at Ning Ji's side. Another of her companions in the team was discovered. The dwarf suddenly got angry and almost stabbed Ning Ji's neck with his dagger, trying to seize him and turn him around as a hostage.
And escape.
The assassin underestimated the young man who was jointly trained by Lu Hongti, Liu Xigua, Chen Fan, Du Sha and others. When the dagger was stabbed at him, Ning Ji grabbed the knife and cut the opponent's throat with a backhand slash, and blood spurted on his
Clothes, he also took two steps back, ready to kill the opponent's companions in the crowd.
He was not confused about these encounters, and the consolation that his parents and brothers came over in a hurry only made him feel warm, but did not feel necessary. The complex world outside made him a little confused, but fortunately, some simpler and more direct things could also make him feel warm.
Coming soon.
In the second half of the eleventh year of Jian Shuo, the situation on the Chengdu Plain had become extremely tense. The Wu Dynasty was falling apart, and the war between the Jurchens and the Chinese Army was about to become a reality. Against this background, the Chinese Army began to devour and digest the entire Chengdu in an orderly manner.
plain.
The Chinese Army began to break out of the Liangshan area in the ninth year of Jian Shuo. It was originally planned to annex the entire Fourth Sichuan Road. However, due to the Jurchens' southward movement, the Chinese Army, in order to show its attitude, attacked Chengdu and entered the Zizhou area.
Stopped.
Zizhou is located one hundred kilometers northeast of Chengdu. It was originally the second largest city on the Chengdu Plain and an important commercial town. One hundred kilometers beyond Zizhou is the most important pass that controls Sichuan and Shu: Jianmen Pass
.With the Jurchens approaching, these places have become the most critical locations in the future war.
The entry of the Chinese army into Sichuan two years ago scared away a group of local aborigines. Later, the war stopped in Zizhou. Many local pro-Wu Dynasty gentry and scholars settled in Zizhou. After the situation eased slightly, some people began to fight with the Chinese army.
When doing business, Zizhou became a transit point between the two forces and prospered in just one year.
In the second half of this year, the Chinese Fifth Army began to advance towards Zizhou, and negotiations with all parties also began. During this period, many people naturally came out to resist, criticize, and accuse the Chinese Army of the truce years ago.
It was just for show, but under the premise that the Jurchens came to kill, everyone understood that these matters could not be solved by simple verbal protests.
For this reason, although the wealthy gentry near Zizhou seemed to be making trouble in July and August, at the end of August the Chinese army successfully negotiated the unconditional merger of Zizhou and the Chinese army. Then the army entered the city and captured Zizhou without any blood.
.
On September 11th, Ning Ji entered the city with the third group of troops carrying his luggage. At this time, three regiments of the Chinese Fifth Army, about 5,000 men, had begun to push towards Jiange. The engineering corps stationed in Zizhou on a large scale to strengthen the surrounding defenses.
After the fortifications were completed, some gentry, officials, and ordinary people who originally lived in Zizhou began to evacuate to the rear areas of the Chengdu Plain.
In such a situation, the atmosphere inside and outside the ancient city of Zizhou was solemn and tense. People were busy migrating south. The streets were crowded and people were walking in a hurry. Since some garrison patrols had been taken over by Chinese army soldiers, the entire order was not out of control.
Ning Ji felt kindly to such an atmosphere. He followed the army through the city and settled down temporarily with the military medical team in a medical clinic near the military camp in the east of the city. The owner of this medical clinic was originally a wealthy family and had already left.
The store in front and back of the hall is not small, but it seems quiet at the moment. Ning Ji put the packages in the room and polished the three long and short knives on his body as usual. Before evening, a young lady officer in dark blue military uniform came to see him.
he.
The girl is a head taller than Ning Ji, with short hair that only reaches her shoulders. She has a youth and beauty that is rare in this era, even deviant. Her smile is warm, and looking at the young man sharpening a knife squatting in the corner of the yard,
He came straight over and said, "Ning Ji, you're here. Are you tired from the journey?"
"Sister-in-law." Ning Ji laughed and rinsed the short blade in his palm with well water. When he stood up, the short blade had disappeared into his sleeve and said, "I'm not tired at all."
"Your eldest brother asked me to take you over for dinner. He is at the residence registration office in the north of the city and has too many things to do."
The girl here is Min Chuyi, Ning Xi's fiancée, who is seventeen years old this year.
As the eldest son of Ning Yi, Ning Xi has gradually begun to participate in the overall planning work in the past two years. When there are too many administrative tasks, it is difficult for him to focus on practicing martial arts and self-defense. Relatively speaking, Min Chu is the first and Ning Ji is the second.
Talent can be regarded as a true disciple of Lu Hongti. Ning Xi is four years older than Ning Ji, but in terms of martial arts, her skills are already tied by Ning Ji who is less than fourteen years old. On the other hand, Min Chuyi seems gentle, but his martial arts is not.
He was more stable than Ning Ji. The two practiced martial arts together, and their relationship was like that of brother and sister. Many times, Ning Ji met Min Chuyi more than his brother.
The two put away their things and headed north through the city. The temporary household registration set up by the Huaxia Army was located near the original Zizhou government office. Since the transfer between the two parties had just been completed, the review and comparison of household registrations was done in a hurry. For the sake of the rear
Stable, the Huaxia Army stipulated that those who wanted to leave the city and go south must first undergo a household registration review. This made the entire street in front of the Defu Yamen seem noisy, and hundreds of Chinese soldiers were nearby to maintain order.
Ning Xi's workplace is in the courtyard of a nearby teahouse. He has followed Chen Tuozi to contact the spies and espionage work within the Chinese Army for more than a year. He has blocked several assassinations of Ning Ji by green forest people and even Jurchens.
Ning Ji, who was now much shorter than his brother, was a little dissatisfied with this and thought that he should also participate in such things. However, after seeing his brother, the young man who had just transformed from a child was still quite happy and shouted: "
Brother." He smiled brightly.
The two brothers then went in to greet Chen Tuozi. Ning Xi reported for leave, changed into casual clothes, and took her brother to the most famous Red Mansion in Zizhou for snacks. The two brothers sat down in the corner of the hall. Ning Xi may have inherited her father's habit.
, is quite curious about the famous delicacies. Although Ning Ji is young, he does not have a strong appetite. He has killed three assassins this year. Although he sometimes feels scared, he feels more like his father.
He was already invincible, and he was eager to fight in the future. After sitting down for a while, he began to ask: "Brother, when will the Jurchens arrive?"
"The situation in Lizhou is very complicated. After Luo Wen surrendered, Zong Han's army has been pushed to the periphery. It's still unclear." Ning Xi whispered, reaching out to order on the menu, "The crystal cake here is the best."
Famous, how about two bowls?"
"Brother, you have the final say." Ning Ji pulled the stool and sat closer, folding his hands on the table like a serious student, "Brother, when will we go to Jiange?"
"You can have some barbecue slices. I heard they are very thin and delicious. I heard this several times." Ning Xi licked her lips.
"Brother, when are we going to Jiange?" Ning Ji repeated.
Ning Xi put down the menu: "As a doctor, don't always think about running to the front line."
"I can help. I'm pretty good at healing injuries."
"First of all, even if we win the Jiange Pavilion, dad has no intention of letting you go there." Ning Xi frowned, then returned her gaze to the menu, "Secondly, the Jiange Pavilion is not that simple."
"Si Zhongxian refuses to cooperate with us? That's a real man..." Ning Ji said, imitating an adult's tone.
The war was approaching, and there were frequent meetings and discussions within the Chinese Army. Although Ning Ji was in the military medical team, as Ning Yi's son, after all, he still had access to various sources of information, and even reliable internal analysis.
Jianmen Pass is an important pass in Shu and a battleground for military strategists. Although it is under the jurisdiction of Lizhou, the defenders of Jianmen Pass are mainly composed of 20,000 forbidden troops. The guard general Si Zhongxian is shrewd and capable, and has an extremely independent administration in Jiange.
Power. It is an important barrier to prevent the Chinese army from leaving Sichuan.
However, until now, the Chinese Army has no intention of forcibly leaving Sichuan, and there has never been a major conflict with Jiange. At the beginning of this year, Wanyan Xiyin and others expressed their intention to surrender in the capital by attacking only the southwest, while the Chinese Army released
On the other hand, he sent representatives to discuss with Si Zhongxian, the guard of Jiange, and the Chen family, the leader of the gentry, about jointly defending the Jurchens.
In the past intelligence of the Huaxia Army, Si Zhongxian was highly regarded. He was believed to be loyal to the Wu Dynasty, worried about the national crisis, and sympathetic to the people. At critical moments - especially when the Jurchens were running rampant, he was worthy of
Someone who can think things through even when being won over.
This kind of communication was said to be quite smooth in the first half of this year. Ning Ji also got the news that he might face off against the Jurchens at Jiange - Jiange is a great pass that cannot be opened by one man.
For the Huaxia Army, this may be the biggest benefit, but depending on his brother's attitude, this matter has been repeated.
Ning Ji's first reaction was that Si Zhongxian was stubborn and would rather defeat Yan Zonghan alone than join forces with the Chinese army. But after saying this, his brother frowned and still looked at the menu: "Let's have one
I’ll give you a small portion of pig’s feet to replenish it.”
"Si Zhongxian wants to surrender?" Ning Ji's brows rose, "Don't you think he is a sensible person?"
"The situation is very complicated, not that simple. Si Zhongxian's attitude is a bit strange now." Ning Xi closed the menu, "I was going to tell you this originally, so don't be so anxious."
Ning Ji nodded, his eyes a little gloomy, but he became quiet. He was not very lively at first, but he has become quieter in the past year. At this time, he was obviously thinking about his thoughts in his mind. Ning Xi sighed: "
Okay, okay, let me tell you about this first."
Ning Ji nodded, and Ning Xi poured the tea and continued: "In the past two months, the Wu Dynasty has failed, you know it. The Jurchens are so arrogant that more and more people have turned to our side. Including
Zizhou, I originally thought that it would be possible to win in one or two battles, big or small, but then we came in without a single blow. Can you understand the reasoning behind this?"
Ning Ji raised his chin: "We are the only ones in the world who can fight against the Jurchens. It is better to take refuge with us than to take refuge with the Jurchens."
"This is part of it. Many of us think so, but second brother, the most fundamental reason is that Zizhou is close to us. If they don't surrender, the Jurchens will be defeated by us before they come. If it is really
In the middle, it is really difficult to say whether they will seek refuge with us or with the Jurchens."
"...So Si Zhongxian wants to join the Jurchens? Isn't it just to kill a useless dog emperor! They hate us so much!"
Ning Ji's eyes widened and he was filled with anger. Ning Xi shook her head and smiled: "Not only these, but the main reason is what my father mentioned in the letter to me half a month ago. Second brother, the Wu Dynasty is still here
At that time, people in the Wu Dynasty court said that they would drive away tigers and devour wolves, and that they would cede the land thousands of miles west of Xiangfan to the Jurchens so that the Jurchens could attack us. This idea sounded interesting, but no one really dared to do this.
Even if someone brings it up, the opposition below them will be fierce because it is a very shameful thing."
"...But today, he has really lost face." Ning Ji listened carefully. Ning Xi paused slightly before saying this. He said: "Today, the Wu Dynasty is really almost over.
, they have no shame, they are going to perish. At this time, many of them thought that it would be really good for us to fight with the Jurchens and both sides would lose."
Ning Ji stared, opened his mouth, and said nothing. After all, he was still young and his understanding was a little slow. Ning Xi took a breath and opened the menu again. He looked around and lowered his voice:
"In the past two months, there have been more and more assassination attempts against you, me, my father, and my mother. This was organized by some of the former Wu Dynasty families. They knew that the Wu Dynasty was about to fall, and they also knew that the Southwest War was about to break out.
They hope that there will be more unending hatred between us and the Jurchens. For example, they will kidnap you and me, kill you and throw them into the Jurchen camp. In this way, Dad will lose his mind when facing the Jurchens.
.When we marched to Zizhou for half a month, we found a group of guys. They wanted to do something to Aunt Jin, because Aunt Jin occasionally went out to conduct performances, and they wanted to arrest Aunt Jin and take her to the Jurchen camp...
"
Ning Ji grabbed the edge of the table with his fingers and heard a click. The texture of the wooden table cracked slightly. The young man suppressed his voice and said, "Aunt Jin has lost a child!"
The edges of Ning Xi's eye sockets also showed a little blood red, but her words remained calm: "These guys are very unhappy now. But second brother, I am not telling you this to let you vent your anger on the table. I am angry because I am angry."
.Don’t forget the most important thing that dad has warned us since we were young.”
"I know." Ning Ji took a breath and slowly let go of the table, "I calmed down."
"Anger is motivation, but the most important thing is to calmly see the reality clearly, face it objectively, and systematically use the power of everyone, so that you can exert your greatest ability, cause the greatest damage to the enemy, and make them the most unhappy.
It is also the most uncomfortable... In the past few months, the danger outside has also been great for us. We have only surrendered here in Zizhou. It is more complicated than in the south. Cheer up... As for Si Zhongxian's repeated relapse, it is probably because of this reason.
, but I’m not sure now, I heard that we are still trying to figure it out.”
"Yes." Ning Ji nodded. It was extremely difficult for a boy who was not yet fourteen years old to hold back his anger. However, the experience of the military medical team in the past year or so gave him the strength to face reality. He had to watch.
The seriously injured companion had his legs amputated, and had to watch people bleed and die in pain. There are many things in this world that surpass human power and take away lives. No matter how great the grief and anger, there is nothing that can be done. In many cases, it will make people do things.
Wrong choice.
"Twenty days ago, your first-year junior high school sister was also injured. She bled for half the night. She just recovered recently... So we have to eat more. This is how a family is, and so is the companion. You should be stronger and calmer.
, the people around you will be less hurt. How about we order all these things we haven’t eaten before?”
"...Brother, stop joking, just order what you like." Ning Ji smiled perfunctorily, slightly clenching his fists in his hands, and after a moment, he finally said: "But why? They can't beat women.
Real people, their place has been occupied by the Jurchens, and everyone is suffering! Only we can defeat the Jurchens, and we are still kind to the people around us. The army goes out to help people reclaim wasteland, and we go out to help people see doctors, but we don’t charge much...
...Why do they still hate us! Are we more hateful than the Jurchens? Brother, how can such people be alive in the world!"
He slapped his small palm on the table: "I can't wait to kill them all! They all deserve to die!"
Ning Xi was silent for a moment, and then handed the menu to her brother: "Forget it, let's order first..."