Around midnight, it started to rain lightly in Zizhou, and the gray rain covered the earth.
A group of people inspecting the garrison site went up to the city wall and did not come down for a while. Ning Yi looked out through the windows on the city tower and saw that there were only a few small spots of light on the city wall in the rainy night.
A little bit of light every few tens of meters outlined the vague outline of the city. The soldiers who were changing their defenses were covered in raincoats and walked away along the city wall, gradually submerged in the darkness of the rain, and occasionally the sound of human voices could be heard.
Within the inner perimeter of the high wall, the city's buildings stretched vaguely into the distance. The green tiles and gray walls in the day, as well as the large and small courtyards, were gradually melting into one piece. In order to defend the city, there were originally dozens of feet near the city wall.
Houses should not be built, but during the two hundred years of peace in the Wu Dynasty, Zizhou, located in the southwest, had never had a war disaster. In addition, it was located on an important road and had developed commerce. Residential houses gradually occupied everything in sight, starting with the houses of poor households.
, later there were also courtyards for wealthy households.
The coming war has scared away 30% of the people in the city. Residents living near the northern city wall have been given priority to persuade them to leave. However, sparse lamps can be seen in the large and small courtyards. It is not known whether the owner is up at night or doing something.
What's more, if you look carefully, you can see in the nearby courtyard that there are traces of items left behind by the owner who left in a hurry.
Two watchmen carried lanterns and took shelter under the eaves outside the uninhabited courtyard.
More than ten years have passed since the first Jurchens went south. Blood, battles, life and death... scenes of drama have been staged in turn, but for most people in the world, everyone's life is still ordinary.
Continuing, even if war is coming, what troubles people is that they will still have tomorrow’s food, rice, oil and salt.
Before rushing to Zizhou, Ning Yi received a message of failure from Jiangnan.
Ever since the Chinese army broke out of Liangshan and entered the Chengdu Plain, Jiange has always been a key point in the next strategy. The fight for and lobbying for Si Zhongxian, the guard of Jiange, has always been ongoing.
Si Zhongxian was loyal to the Wu Dynasty. He was wise, kind and flexible. In the past, the Chinese army communicated with the outside world and sold weapons. Most of the business went through the Jiange line. For supplies to the regular troops of the Wu Dynasty, Si Zhongxian was loyal to the Wu Dynasty.
Si Zhongxian has always facilitated the orders made by some families, gentry, and local forces, and he has been quite severe in cracking down on private goods that some families, gentry, and local forces want. And his ability to distinguish and select these two types of business proves this general's mind.
There is a considerable overall view in it.
The overall perception of Si Zhongxian by the Chinese Army General Staff is positive. Therefore, Ning Xi and Ning Ji will also think that he is a good general worth fighting for. But in reality, the division of good and evil will naturally not
It's so simple. Whether Si Zhongxian was loyal to the people of the world or to the orthodoxy of the Wu Dynasty is a matter worthy of discussion.
In short, in the first half of this year, it was a logical thing to leave Sichuan Fourth Road to attack the Jurchens through Si Zhongxian's borrowed road. It was with the cooperation of Si Zhongxian that Liu Chengzong's 10,000 people went to Xuzhou——
This was in line with the fundamental interests of the Wu Dynasty. However, in the second half of the year, the Wu Dynasty declined, Zhou Yong passed away, and the orthodox court was still divided into two. Si Zhongxian's attitude obviously wavered.
There are more complex situations in between.
Si Zhongxian was originally from Xiuzhou, Zhejiang. His father, Si Wenzhong, served as the minister of the Ministry of War more than ten years ago. After he became an official, his family has been living in Pingjiang Prefecture - later Suzhou. The Jurchens conquered the capital, and Si Wenzhong took his family back
To the countryside of Xiuzhou.
In July, Wanyan Xiyin led the Jurchen army to attack Xiuzhou. After the city was defeated, he asked Si Wenzhong to come out and was given the post of Minister of Rites. He then sent Si Wenzhong to Jiange to persuade him to surrender. At that time, the Chinese army in the south of the Yangtze River had few manpower.
, Ning Yi ordered the front line to respond, and to deal with it as appropriate after careful inquiry. He repeated the caution required in this matter in the order. If he was not sure, he could even give up the action, but the front line personnel finally decided to rescue people.
In this operation, the Chinese army lost five people, and the Si family also suffered casualties. After the frontline action reports and reviews were sent back, Ning Yi knew that the balance of the Jiange negotiations was already tilting towards the Jurchens.
At this time, Ning Yi couldn't help but review his shortcomings in organizational construction. The construction of the Chinese Army imitated the Chinese army in some outlines, but there were a lot of differences in specific links.
In essence, the main axis of the Chinese Army is derived from the modern military management system, strict military law, strict top-down supervision system, and in place ideological management. It is more similar to the modern US military or the modern flower-growing army. As for the original
That Red Army, Ning Yi could not simulate its unwavering belief system.
In the world that Ning Yi once lived in, there were too many things in modern China that could not be copied. At that time, the West was developing rapidly with science and technology, and China was a backward thinking and political system. More than a hundred years of humiliation and pain that had penetrated the bone marrow, countless
People kept hitting walls and looking for paths, and finally they forged such an army with firm proletarian beliefs.
The humiliation experienced by the Wu Dynasty was too little. More than ten years of hitting the wall have not been able to make people realize the urgency of taking another path, nor can they allow several minds to collide and finally come up with the result - or even the emergence of a second
There is not enough time to reach a consensus at the first stage. On the other hand, Ning Yi cannot give up the industrial revolution and the sprout of capitalism that he has been cultivating.
Because of these reasons, the Huaxia Army broke with Lao Niutou. It is also because of these reasons that the Huaxia Army is more like the big companies of later generations in some directions. Although Ning Yi also carried out a lot of "Huaxia" concept propaganda, but the real support
What makes everything possible is a professional system and professional methods of doing things that transcend the times. After experiencing victory after victory, the military personnel have a high morale and a spirit of optimism that is almost proud.
For this kind of spirit, Ning Yi has carried out a lot of rectification, but the effect is of course limited. There is no hundred years of humiliation, no countless failures, no April 12 massacre, and no embarrassment of always being at a disadvantage and the deep belief in this embarrassment.
No doubt, it is impossible to cultivate the kind of persistence and seriousness that goes deep into the bones. After defeating Luqiao Mountain and easily taking over half of the Chengdu Plain, some Chinese soldiers even had contempt for the Jurchens.
In this year’s external work, the casualty rate has been higher than Ning Yi expected. Under such circumstances, generosity and heroism are no longer things worthy of publicity. Every doctrine has its pros and cons, and so does every thought.
Leading to different directions and contradictions, what really troubled Ning Yi's thinking in the past few years has always been the connection and turning point of these things.
How to make people understand and deeply accept the necessity of the study of things and society, how to bring about the sprout of capitalism, how to let go of the thinking of "democracy" and "equality" when this sprout is born, and make capitalism move towards ruthless pursuit.
Even when the extremes are extreme, there can still be another relatively gentle order to balance them...
And Si Zhongxian's incident will also determine the direction of the entire world.
The saint is unkind and treats the common people as stupid dogs. It was not until he came to Zizhou that day that Ning Yi discovered that what troubled and worried him the most were not all the major events in the world.
When the news about Ning Ji came, what he was originally worried about was that his second son saw the chaos in the world and became cruel and murderous. Ning Xi was willing to pass the news back, and I am afraid that this is the vague worry. We will meet him later.
Later, the child's confession made Ning Yi understand the whole story.
As a warrior, after seeing the confusion of this world, the child has been keenly aware of the way to become stronger. The wildness in his subconscious is growing out of the safe range prepared by his father and brother. If he wants to experience battle, he wants to become
Strong, wanting to accept an equal challenge when the other party is risking his or her life.
This is a commendable thought.
Ning Yi was also fighting along the way.
He is not a real outlaw.
From the dock outside Jiangning City to the present day after the regicide, he has faced off against the Jurchens and fought for his life countless times. This is not because he is a desperado who does not take his own life seriously. On the contrary, he
Not only cherish life, but also cherish everything in front of you.
However, countless experiences in the past told him that if you really want to fight with people in this cruel world and risk your life, it is only a basic condition. People who do not meet this condition will have a higher probability of losing and a lower probability of winning. He
He is just calmly pushing up the probability of winning every point, using cruel reason to suppress the fear of danger. This is an instinct repeatedly tempered in the experience of the previous life. If he does not risk his life, he will only lose more.
.
No matter in prosperous times or troubled times, the essence of how the world operates is always a selection competition that focuses on ranking. Although there is continuity and complexity in actual operations, the fundamental nature remains unchanged.
There are second generations of rich people and second generations of power in this world, which is a manifestation of continuity.
To do things well in this world, you must not only think hard and act hard, but also have the right direction and the right method. This is a manifestation of complexity.
For mediocre people, many things in this world seem to depend on luck. So-and-so chose the right direction, so he succeeded. There are problems with his timing and luck... But in fact, what really determines a person's choice is
It is a careful observation of the world and careful thinking about the laws again and again.
At the top of this world, smart people think hard, choose the right direction, and then risk their lives to overdraw their own results. Even when Ning Yi came into contact with the previous world, a relatively peaceful world, every successful person
Most capitalists and leaders also have certain characteristics of mental illness: perfectionism, paranoia, consistent self-confidence, and even a certain anti-human tendency...
The definition of mental health by ordinary people is nothing more than the public's empathy and weakness towards pets. In the prosperous times, people raised the bottom line through order, so that people would not be overly embarrassed even if they failed. Correspondingly, the ceiling was lowered and
With the solidification of the upward path, the public sells "possibility" that they do not urgently need in exchange for the stability and solidity that they can understand. The world is so magical, its essence never changes, people just make adjustments in this way after understanding the rules.
.
Ning Yi knew all this clearly, so he risked his life.
Now, it's his child's turn.
Thirteen-year-old Ning Ji wants to choose "possibility" and give up stability and pragmatism. This idea is not reflected in reckless death, but it will definitely determine his choices when facing danger countless times in the future, just like he did before.
It was the same as choosing to fight with the enemy instead of being protected. Ning Yi knew that he could also choose to kill his idea here - that way naturally existed.
That night, under the ginkgo tree in the medical center, he and Ning Ji chatted for a long time, talking about Zhou Tong, Hongti's master, Xigua's father, and other things. But until the end,
Ning Yi did not try to kill his idea. He just made an agreement with the child, hoping that he would consider his mother at home and study medicine until he is sixteen. Before that, he would retreat a little when facing danger. After that, he would support
Ning Ji makes any decision.
"I hope that in two years' time, your brother will realize that practicing martial arts cannot save China, so he should become a doctor or write novels."
After chatting with Ning Ji that night, Ning Yi once made such a joke with his eldest son. But in fact, even if Ning Ji becomes a doctor or writes articles, they will face many dangers in the future. As a matter of fact,
Ning Yi's son and family faced the greatest risk from the beginning.
A few years ago, Ning Xi was more or less ready to move, but as the eldest son, his parents, and the public opinions and atmosphere of the people around him since childhood set the direction for him, and Ning Xi also accepted this direction.
In the end, with the assistance of Chen Tuozi and others, Ning Xi became a relatively safe trader. Although he did not face the dangers and bloodshed on the front line like Ning Yi, which would make his abilities less comprehensive, he would eventually make up for it.
method. On the other hand, one day when he faces the greatest danger, he may also pay the price for it.
In recent years, when talking about these things to the outside world, such as Li Pin and Song Yongping, Ning Yi has appeared to be calm and bachelor, but in fact, whenever such imagination arises, of course he cannot avoid painful emotions. These children
If something really happened, how sad would their mother be?
Tan'er has always been strong, and maybe she will fall because of this. What will happen to Xiaochan, who has always been gentle? To this day, Ning Yi can still clearly remember that when he first arrived more than ten years ago, the little maid jumped up and down with him.
The way he walked together on the streets of Jiangning...
In a few years, I'm afraid children like Wenwen and Ning Ke will gradually give him headaches.
No matter how great the world is, children will go through their own trajectories, grow up slowly, and gradually experience wind and rain. That night, Ning Yi looked at Zizhou in the darkness on the tower and was silent for a long time.
Looking back to the other end, across the open space outside Zizhou City, the watchtower on the mountain in the distance is still shining with the smallest light, and the construction sites for building fortifications are crouching in the dark night rain...
*********************
No matter how great the world is, children will go through their own trajectories, grow up slowly, and gradually experience ups and downs...
When a young man named Ning Ji in the southwest made the decision to face the wind and rain, another child thousands of miles away in this world had already been carried by the wind and rain, walking on a bumpy road.
Mu Anping, who was born in the third year of Wu Jianshuo, is eight and a half years old. More than two years have passed since the night he lost his parents. He was renamed Pingan by Lin Zongwu, shaved his head, and walked alone in the troubled times of Jin.
It has been more than a year.
In September of the eleventh year of Jianshuo, Ping An returned to Wozhou where he had lived for many years in shabby clothes, but he could no longer find the house where his parents had lived. After the Jurchen attack, the Jin region was divided and continued to spread.
In the war disaster, Wozhou has completely changed its appearance. Half of the city has been burned down. Skinny beggars-like people live in this city. In the spring and summer, there were people who changed their sons and ate them.
The tragedy of the city eased slightly in autumn, but it still could not hide the aura of death inside and outside the city.
The little monk in ragged clothes searched for two days in the city, but he could not find the memory of his parents. He ran out of food. He secretly shed tears in the dilapidated house in the city and slept for a day, feeling confused.
He wandered the streets again. At this time, he wanted to see his master, the only monk he could rely on in this world, but his master never appeared.
Dozens of feet away from him on the street, Lin Zongwu, wearing a large monk's robe, was handing a small bag of coarse-grain steamed buns to the skinny martial artist in front of him.
Soon after, the warrior followed the young monk. When no one was around, he pulled out his sword.
Ping An turned around, tears still hanging on his face, and the light of the sword shook his eyes. The thin villain stopped for a moment, and the bag beside him suddenly tore, and some food fell to the ground. The adults and children
I couldn't help but be stunned...
In the corner of the street, Lin Zongwu clasped his hands together and smiled.
Tigers and leopards grow claws in order to hunt; crocodiles grow scales in order to protect themselves; apes come out of the woods and build sticks...
In the wind and rain, people's blood will flow down. Before dying, people can only try to change themselves to become stronger.