Chapter 798: The Shadow of the Deep Water Undertide and Catastrophe (Part 1)
In July of the eighth year of Wu Jianshuo, in the vast Central Plains, the Yellow River and the Yangtze River were still rushing. When the autumn wind blows, the leaves turn yellow and wild flowers bloom. All living things also live like wild flowers and weeds. From the land in the north of the Yangtze River to the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River, they show a variety of different postures.
Happily and happily we part by the river, and we call together to the southeast of Shanxi... These proverbs that once applied to the Wu Dynasty have now moved southward after ten years of war. After crossing the Yangtze River and heading north, the security situation was no longer peaceful. A large number of refugees from the north gathered, terrified and helpless, waiting for help from the court. The army is the dominant force in this place, and any army that can win wars and has an independent backing is busy recruiting troops.
Most of the civilians from the north to the south have nothing to live with. Their families need to be accommodated, and their children need to eat. For families who are still young and strong, joining the army naturally becomes the only way out. These men have seen the cruelty of bloodshed and the sorrow of dying in vain. With a little training, they can at least go into battle. They sold themselves to get the first gold and silver for their families to settle in Jiangnan, and then left their families behind and rushed to the battlefield. Over the years, I don’t know how many epic rumors and stories have been brewing.
And those who went south with the gold and silver they had acquired by selling their fathers and brothers might have to experience exploitation by corrupt officials, harassment by gangs and gangsters along the way. When they arrived in the south of the Yangtze River, they were also ostracized by the southerners. . Some people who went south to visit their relatives may have discovered that these relatives were not completely good people until they arrived at their destination after a near-death experience. Stories starting with "Don't bully young people who are poor" were brewed by poor literati.
If the Wu Dynasty can still have a century-old national destiny, in the foreseeable future, people will surely see these stories full of good wishes appearing one after another. Generals died in hundreds of battles, and heroes returned after ten years. People who were separated from their families at the conscription station still had a moment to reunite. The young man who was looked down upon in the south of the Yangtze River finally stood on the top of the court, returned to the alley of his childhood, and enjoyed The arrogant and courteous relatives in the family, the young girl who has endured hardship in a cold house but remains pure, will finally wait until she meets a handsome young man in the future...
The wishes are so simple and beautiful, how can we say that they are wishful thinking?
Xiangyang, at night.
As an important ancient city at the throat of the Central Plains, it has lost its original prosperity. Looking down from the sky, except for the torches on the four walls of this majestic ancient city, there are not many lights in the city where people originally lived. Compared with the scene when the Wu Dynasty was prosperous, the lights in the city often stretched all night long, at this time Xiangyang is more like an original fishing village or small town. Under the Jurchens' military front, this city, which changed hands several times in the past few years, also drove away too many local residents.
Of course, a month after the city fell into the hands of the Wu Dynasty army, many refugees in the vicinity eventually gathered after hearing the news. Within a period of time, this place will become the most southbound place nearby. Best way.
The military camp extends on the north side of the city. It is full of buildings, supplies and half-built barracks. The patrol team returns from the camp and the war horses gallop into the school grounds. A victory brings high morale and vitality to the army. Combined with the army's strict discipline, even from a distance, it can give people a sense of progress. In Nanwu's army, there are very few troops with this appearance. In a barracks in the center of the camp, the lights were brightly lit and there were many galloping horses, indicating that the core members of the army were gathered here because of something.
The soldiers passing by from afar looked at all this with anxiety and nervousness.
Even though the morale of this army was boosted by the victory over Xiangyang, the worries that followed were inevitable. After occupying the city, supplies came from the rear, and the various actions taken by the craftsmen in the army to repair the city walls and strengthen defenses also showed that this city at the cusp of the storm may encounter counterattacks from the Puppet Qi or Jurchen armies at any time. The high-level military officers who had their own tasks suddenly gathered around, probably because the enemy forces ahead had made a big move.
But not long after, the news that was vaguely passed down from the top and was not deliberately concealed slightly calmed everyone's nervousness.
In the northern part of the Central Plains, the black flag moves unexpectedly.
After two years of lurking, this giant beast that sank under the water finally turned around under the undercurrent. This movement caused half of the power in the Central Plains to overturn, and the strongest prince of the puppet Qi The bandit king was suddenly thrown down.
“...catching spies and purging the internal black flag forces is what all parties have been doing since two years ago. In cooperation with the Jurchen army, Liu Yu even asked his subordinates to launch several massacres, but As a result... no one knows whether they have killed the right one, so for the Black Flag Army, the north has long been in a state of indifference..."
In the brightly lit barracks, the person who spoke was from Tian Hu's forces. middle-aged scholar. After Qin Siyuan's death, the Secret Investigation Department was temporarily disbanded, and part of the inheritance was ostensibly divided among Tong Guan, Cai Jing, Li Gang and others. It was not until Ning Yi killed the king that the real remnants of the Secret Investigation Department were brought together again by Kang Xian, and later belonged to Zhou Pei and Jun Wu. Ning Yi was in charge of part of the Secret Investigation Department at the beginning, and it was more focused on Green Forest, On the front line of business, he went through a thorough transformation of this part, and then firmly After being tempered by the confrontation between Bi Qingye and Bianliang, after Zhou Zhe rebelled, those who followed him were the most determined members. But after all, not everyone could be moved, and many of them stayed. Until now, it has become the most available intelligence agency in the hands of the Wu Dynasty.
With his narrow eyes and mustache, this middle-aged scholar looks like a shrewd, cunning and timid master—perhaps this is also his usual disguise—but now that he is in the camp, he is truly He showed a solemn look and clear logical thinking.
“As far as we know, the situation in Tian Hu’s court in the north has been very tense since the beginning of this year. Although Tian Hu was born as an Orion, he has been operating for more than ten years and is now the king of the puppet Qi. The most powerful one among them, he also had the hardest time enduring the fact that there were Black Flag spies lurking in his court. If he wanted to take action after more than a year of forbearance, we expected that there would be resistance from the Black Flag side, and we also arranged for manpower to investigate. On June 29, both sides took action.”
The scholar inserted signs one after another on the large map in front: "The black flag forces are joining forces with Wang Juyun, Tian Shi, and Yu Yulin... On Tian Hu's territory, Fenyang, Weisheng, Jinning, Gaizhou, Zhaode, Ze Prefectures...and other places launched the campaign at the same time. Only Zhaode failed to succeed. The rest of the places changed their colors overnight. We are sure that Dingheiqi is the main force in this series, but in Weisheng, which we pay most attention to, it is mainly the power of Tian Shi and Yu Yulin's group, among which there is also the invisible influence of Lou Shuwan. Later we determined that, The real planning center for this Black Flag operation is Zezhou. According to our intelligence, Zezhou is A group of people suspected of being the rebel Ning Yi appeared, and the top person involved in the plan in Black Flag was codenamed Black Sword. "
Many people gathered in the room at this time, led by Yue Fei and Wang Gui. , Zhang Xian, Niu Gao, Li Dao, Gao Chong, Sun Ge, Yu Peng...etc., etc., these may be The military generals or staff initially formed the core of the Beiwei Army at this time. In an inconspicuous corner of the room, there was even a girl in military uniform, with a slim figure but obviously not very old. She was unknown. Not yet sixteen years old, with a sword at his waist, he was listening to all this with excitement and curiosity.
Seeing the scholar pause, Zhang Xian among the crowd asked: "What is the black sword?"
The middle-aged scholar frowned: "The remnants of the black flag went south and changed the state the year before last. There were people in Guangdong, Zizhou and other places who were ready to move to block his attack. In the end, there was chaos in several places. Several cities in Jinghu and other places were destroyed, and all county and state officials were arrested. Guangnan Jiedushi Cui Jing Hearing that he was almost killed, it was Chen Fan who led the troops in southern Hunan. In Bianzhou, Zizhou and others, the codename was "Black Sword". This person was one of Ning Yi's wives, who was under Fang La's command at the time. "Ba Daozhuang Liu Xigua."
In the past few years, Nanwu has been very strict about black flag matters. Although the people in the room are all high-level military officials, they have not had much contact with them in the past. Hearing the name Liu Xigua, some people couldn't help laughing, while others secretly realized the power of it and looked serious.
The chaos in Jinghu two years ago was said to be caused by refugees, but in fact it was caused by Black Flag going crazy. The armies in Jinghu and Guangnan were located in the south. Even against the Jurchens and King Qin from the north, they did not fight much. I heard that the black flag was crippled in the north. Some big shots in the court wanted to pick peaches. The man was named Chen Fan. The young general led the black flag army in southern Hunan to conquer several cities and defeated two armies of tens of thousands. And because of the changes in Bianzhou, Zizhou and other places, Nanwu's imminent move was suppressed. .
At that time, everyone was an officer. Even though they didn’t know about Black Sword, they also initially knew that Black Flag still had such an army in the south, and that there was a general named Chen Fan, who was originally from Yongle. The rebel bandit who started the rebellion was a direct disciple of Fang Qifu. During the Yongle Dynasty, Fang La became known to everyone for his fame. His brother Fang Qifu was the real literary and military leader. At this time, everyone saw the power of his mantle.
Of course, for those who really know Green Lin, or those who have actually met Chen Fan, the battle two years ago was truly shocking.
Over the years, Chen Fan's image has always been that of a knight with extraordinary courage. His internal image is bright and bold, while externally he is a master of martial arts. During the Yongle uprising, Fang Qifu only allowed him to serve as a vanguard in the army. Later, he gradually grew up and even killed Sikong Nan together with his wife, which shocked the world. When following Ning Yi, there were many masters in Xiaocanghe, but the only one who could really overpower him was Lu Hongti, and even Ba Dao Liu Xigua, who grew up with him, was probably not as good as him in this regard. Showing his strength to others, he has always been a bodyguard when following Ning Yi.
No one expected that when he took charge of the army for the first time, he would be like a pot of boiled soup. Every aspect of the march and combat was impeccable. On the battlefield facing tens of thousands of enemies, he calmly attacked with a team of less than 10,000, defeating the enemies one after another, and even attacked the city and captured the county with precision and calmness. Up to now, Black Flag has occupied several places. The easternmost Miao village in southern Hunan is guarded by him. In two years, no one dared to move.
"So, is it possible that Ning Yi was the leader of this chaos in Tian Hu's forces?" Seeing everyone discussing or thinking, Sun Ge, an aide, asked.
The middle-aged scholar shook his head: "I can't make a conclusion at this time. In the past two years, news about Ning Yi's death has appeared occasionally, mostly because of the black flag. This time, their launch in the north, except Dropping Tianhu also has the intention of demonstrating, so it is not surprising that we want to deliberately attract people's imagination. Because of this chaos, we found some central connections. , the person who caused the trouble is suspected to be a member of Black Flag, but since they are related to both Wang Juyun and Tian Shi, it seems that they are unable to move for a while."
The scholar paused: "This. Three days after the Great Rebellion, all the Tian Hu relatives who were running rampant in the north, except Tian Shi, were arrested and imprisoned, and those who resisted were beheaded on the spot. When Weisheng left for the south, Tian Shi's family had almost taken over. They had already prepared for the bloodbath of the Tian Hu family's relatives, followers, gangsters and many other forces. Most of the outsiders applauded, and it was probably too much. It will stabilize soon."
"Tian Hu originally surrendered to the Jurchens, but Wang Juyun became prosperous. The army resisted the Jin, and the Black Flag was a thorn in the side of the Jin Kingdom. "Sun Ge said, "Now that the three parties have joined forces, what is the attitude of the Jurchens?"
"When I went south, the Jurchens had sent people to reprimand Tian Shi - it is said that Tian Shi. In fact, he admitted the crime in writing and said externally that he would stabilize the situation as quickly as possible to prevent the situation from being unstable and affecting people's livelihood. ”
"He is going to delay. Once the situation stabilizes and the internal troubles are eliminated, Tian Shi and others will be stronger than when Tian Hu was there. And where his power is located is mountainous, and it will be difficult for the Jurchens to capture it. As long as they surrender in name, they will probably be able to Will turn a blind eye... This abacus is not easy to play Okay." Sun Ge analyzed and paused, "However, there are also people among the Jurchens who are good at planning. Will they give Zhongyuan such a chance?" The room became quiet, and everyone was thinking. Everyone has thought: What if the Jurchens send troops?
For everyone in Nanwu, this is a real problem that they face every day. The Lord and Faction in the court are all here because of this. When we attack Xiangyang, what will happen if the Jurchens send troops? We assume an attack posture. What if the Jurchens send troops because of this? We walked too loudly today. What if the Jurchens sent troops because of this? Although some ideas are too unambitious, too often they are real threats.
If everyone who captured Xiangyang could still be lucky, Black Flag's action this time was obviously another sensitive signal.
Sun Ge stood up, walked forward, pointed at the map, and drew a circle to the southwest: "Now the black flag is here. Although there was the three-year war at Xiaocanghe, after retreating, Most of the places they occupy are poor. In the past two years, our Wu Dynasty has tried its best. Blockade and no trade with it, Dali, Liu Yu and others also adopted a stance of rejection and blockade. The northwest has become a white land, and there are not many people left. Almost the entire country was wiped out in the Xixia War, and everything around Black Flag is in trouble. Therefore, it took two years. , they asked for a way out.”
"Tian Hu endured it for two years and couldn't bear it anymore. He finally took action and hit the black flag's hand. In this place, there were Tian Shi, Yu Yulin and others who wanted to rebel, while Wang Juyun was looking at him from outside. The two sides were fighting each other. , he was run over by the black flag We all know Ning Yi's business skills. As long as there are people on the other side who cooperate, he can win over the Central Plains. The middle section ...Liu Yu has nothing to fear. To be honest, with the arrangement of the black flag, if they want to kill Liu Yu at this time, they probably won’t put much effort into it..."
Sun Ge is on the territory of King Jin. Circled in a circle: "The person who maintains people's livelihood here in Tian Hu is a woman named Lou Shuwan. She was one of the first people to do business with Qingmuzhai in Luliang Mountain and Xiaocang River in the early years. Under Tian Hu, she was also the last Pay attention to the relationship with all parties. Why is this area now the Central Plains? The most peaceful place is because even after the destruction of Xiaocanghe, they have continued to maintain trade with the Jin Kingdom. In the early years, they wanted to receive the green salt from Xixia. Once the Black Flag Army is connected to this place, he can turn around. reach into gold They can go anywhere in the country..."
"We don't have to worry about carrying the Wei Army. Once the black flag is broken, the Jurchens will have a headache." Sun Ge looked at the map. "But playing chess Love, it's not that if you act, others will wait. I can see Black Flag's plan on the surface. It's hard to say whether the Jurchens will follow his wishes..."
As Sun Ge spoke, some of the people present looked indifferently, some frowned in thought, and some, such as Gao Chong and others, laughed fiercely: "Then there will be a war. .”
This is something that everyone can think of. Once the Jurchens really send troops, they will never stop just bulldozing a Jin land. Over the years, every time the Jurchens went south, it was a catastrophe that turned the world upside down and devastated all living beings. The Xiaocang River back then had given Nanwu six or seven years of opportunities to cultivate and recuperate. Even if there were large-scale battles, it would not be the same as the Wushu in those days. The cruelty of others "searching mountains and seas" is simply incomparable.
Now that the news has come, everyone has realized this: perhaps, the world is on the verge of a new catastrophe... (End of this chapter)