Chapter 857: Heaven and earth, wind and rain, no dream in the world
Lou Shuwan did not stay in a weak mood for too long.
Reminiscing about the past can make people's hearts clear, but looking back, people who have experienced the pressure of life and death still have to move forward on the road in front of them. Perhaps because of his slow thinking caused by indulging in drinking and sex over the years, Lou Shuheng failed to seize this rare opportunity to cynicize his sister. This was also the last time he saw Lou Shuwan's vulnerability.
In the next two days, news of the impending war spread throughout King Jin's territory, the army began to mobilize, and Lou Shuwan once again devoted himself to his busy daily work. On September 25, the ninth year of Wu Jianshuo, the envoy of King Tian Shi of Jin left Weisheng and rushed towards the Jurchen West Army, which had crossed Yanmen Pass and was about to fight Wang Juyun's army. At the same time, the King of Jin declared war on the Jurchen and called on all the Central Plains people to resist. The message of Jin's invasion was spread throughout the world.
The moth flew towards the flame.
Life was ruined and mountains and rivers fell. More than ten years after the Jurchens invaded the Central Plains, the Jin Dynasty's forces, which had always been shrinking, finally proved their Han heritage with actions at this unavoidable moment.
The anti-Jin campaign was impassioned, and at the same time it triggered a general trend of resistance in the Central Plains. The land of the Jin king was originally barren, but in the ten years since the Jin invaded the south, all the rich and fertile lands fell, and the people were in dire straits. On the contrary, this land had relatively independent administrative power, and later there was some peace. Nowadays, there are more than 8 million people living under the command of the King of Jin. After learning of this decision from above, some people's hearts are filled with enthusiasm, while others are filled with sadness and panic. Facing a formidable enemy like the Jurchens, no matter what the considerations above are, the lives and lives of more than eight million people will be affected.
Some people surrendered to the army, some migrated, and some were waiting for the opportunity to seek wealth and fame when the Jurchens arrived. During the discussions in the Weisheng court, in addition to the issuance of the proclamation, the first thing decided was the announcement of King Tian Shi of the Jin Dynasty. Lead a team to conquer in person. Facing the powerful Jurchen, Tian Shi's decision was unexpected. The ministers in the court tried to persuade him but failed. Yu Yulin, Lou Shuwan and others also tried to persuade him. That night, Tian Shi held a private banquet for Yu and others. Two people on the floor. When he first met Yu and Lou, he was still a dandy in his twenties. Under the care of his uncle Tian Hu, he always had a high eye. Later, when he followed Yu Yulin and Lou Shuwan to Luliang Mountain, they had a slight friendship.
When the world was in chaos, Tian Hu's regime was settled in the mountains, and a group of relatives and nephews of the Tian family ran rampant, Tian Shi's temperament became quiet and calm. Occasionally, Lou Shuwan wanted to do something. , Tian Shi is also willing to be kind to others and help others. In this way, when Lou Shuwan, Yu Yulin, and the Huaxia Army went on a rampage to overthrow the Tian Hu regime, Tian Shize took an early step to side with Lou Shuwan and others, and was subsequently elected as the new leader. The one-term King of Jin.
For Tian Shi, Lou Shuwan, Yu Yulin and others have always had a good relationship with him, but if you really want to talk about his evaluation of his ability, naturally he will not be too high. Tian Hu established the Jin Dynasty. The three brothers were born in Orion. Tian Shi had a solid body since he was a child and had a lot of strength. He was not a first-class expert. When he was young, he saw amazing and talented people. After that, he kept a low profile and kept a low profile. Although he was sharp, he was called What a passionate and decisive person he is. It's really strange that after taking over Tian Hu's position for more than a year, he decided to go on a personal expedition to defend against the Jurchens.
But regarding this matter, Tian Zhi did not shy away from the two of them.
“... Regarding the discussion of personal conquest, the court was in a commotion. Faced with the fierce Jurchen attack, it is right to run back, but it is a fool to rush forward. I don’t seem to be a fool, but the truth is reason, But I can only talk to you two in private. "
Tian Shi's private banquet was held in the garden high up in the Tianji Palace. Looking down from the terrace of the courtyard, there was a lot of traffic and a picturesque night view of Tian Shi. Minoru clasped his hands behind his back and sighed with a smile.
"When the Jurchens come to fight, there are only two choices, either fight or make peace. The Tian family has always been a hunter. When I was a child, I didn't read many books. To be honest, If we can really make peace, I also want to make peace. The master storyteller said that the general trend of the world will turn around in five hundred years, and the Wu Dynasty will be the same. The fate of the Jurchens is gone, and the world belongs to the Jurchens. It would be damn exciting to surrender the Jurchens and hide in Weisheng for generations to come... But it can't be done."
He shook his head: "The first time I and Miss Lou worked together, we went to Luliang Mountain to compete in martial arts to recruit a bride. Blood Bodhisattva, I saw a lot of heroes at that time, but I didn't have any consciousness at that time. Later, Ning Liheng killed the king and moved to the northwest. I was horrified at that time. King Jin was nothing. If I pissed him off at that time, My brain has long since disappeared. From then on, I started to read the thoughts of these big people. Go... read books and listen to people's stories. Throughout the ages, the so-called kindness is false. I'm afraid the whole family will be extinct. How can the princes and kings do it for you and me?"
His face still looked a little bit as unruly as before, but his tone was sarcastic and a little helpless. After saying this, he walked to the railing at the edge of the terrace and stood directly on it. Lou Shuwan and Yu Yulin both moved forward nervously. Tian Shi waved his hands behind him: "Uncle has a cruel temperament and never trusts people, but he can reach this stage from a bandit. He has good vision. General Yu and Miss Lou , you all know that when the Jurchens came south, although this territory has always surrendered, my uncle has always been doing things with the Jurchens. Is he really planning to go to war because he has a loyal character? In fact, he understands this. The world is in chaos, so the king of Jin is in a certain place, and there is no way for princes and heroes to survive. "
"But even so, Your Majesty can sit in the middle..." Lou Shuwan stepped forward and said something.
"Sitting in the middle, what is the difference between the King of Jin and Liu Yu, and the Emperor of Wu Dynasty? Miss Lou, General Yu, you all know what the outcome of this war will be like," he said Then he sat down on the dangerous railing, " ...The lights in the Central Plains will go out.”
The mountain wind blew past, and ahead were the bright lights of this era. Tian Shi’s words melted into the wind, like an ominous prophecy, but for the three people present, Everyone knows that this is going to happen.
"There are not many places like this in the Central Plains, but after this battle, there will no longer be this mighty city. Before the declaration of war, you have also seen the handwritten letter Wang Juyun sent privately. , the Central Plains will not win, the Central Plains cannot stop the Jurchens, Wang Shanyue defends his name, and is trying to slow down the Jurchens, Wang Ju Yun... there are a bunch of beggars who can't afford to eat. They can't stop Wanyan Zonghan. If we add them together, it will be a big defeat one after another. But I hope that after these big defeats one after another, the people of Jiangnan, Nanyan Wu, and even Heiqi, can finally fight to the death with the Jurchens. Only in this way can the Han people have a country in the future. "
"Now that I know it's a big defeat, all I can think about is how to move and regroup. If you can't defeat them, run away. If you can defeat them, fight. If defeated, go to the mountains. When the Jurchens pass by, cut their rear. King Jin I can get all of their possessions, but if the Jurchens really lose in ten or eight years... there will be a name for me in this world, and maybe I will be given a place."
"One way is to surrender to the Jurchens, enjoy the blessings for a few more years or more, and then be killed like a pig, and maybe be infamous for thousands of years. Besides, there is only one way out in a narrow escape, how do you choose? Choose the last one. One thing, I'm actually extremely scared."
He then turned around and smiled at the two of them, his eyes cold but determined: "But since I want to sell iron, I will sit in the middle and lead the army to conquer. , are two completely different reputations. Firstly, if I go into battle, the people below will be more confident. Secondly, General Yu, don’t worry, I don’t command blindly, but I will follow the army. If we are defeated, we can escape together. Haha..."
Yu Yulin also laughed, and Tian Shi laughed for a while and then stopped: "But in the future, my path will be different. Wealth is gained through danger, Ning Liheng told me. Reason, something , you have to risk your life to get it... Miss Lou, although you are a woman, I have admired you more and more over the years. After General Yu and I left, I have to trouble you to sit in the center, although you have been doing many things. Better than me, maybe you have already thought it through, but as this king, we have to talk to our good friends in private.”
"Fighting with the Jurchens is a good reputation, but there are too many people who don't want the reputation. Wei Sheng... I don't dare to stay for fear of being dragged out and killed in the middle of the night. I feel more at ease if I go with the army. Miss Lou, since you are here, don't be polite if you deserve to be killed." There was murderous intent in his eyes, "Anyway, you are going to sell the pot, and King Jin's territory is yours to deal with. Those old guys are unreliable and dare to mess around. They will be punished by the whole world and they will be infamed for the rest of their lives! Even if my father is involved in this matter, you can just go ahead and do it!"
In the previous coup by the Jin Dynasty, the three brothers of the Tian family, Tian Hu and Tian Bao, were all killed. The remaining Tian Biao was placed under house arrest because he was Tian Shi's father. In the battle with the Jurchens, the front is about strength, and the rear is about people's hearts and fears. The shadow of the Jurchens has shrouded the world for more than ten years. There must be some, even many, people who are unwilling to be sacrificed in this chaos. Therefore, in the Central Plains, which has evolved for ten years, the situation of rebellion against the Jurchens may be far more complicated than it was ten years ago.
Lou Shuwan nodded simply.
"I know that Miss Lou has people under her command, and General Yu will also leave some people behind. You can mobilize the people in the palace who are available. But the most important thing is, Miss Lou... pay attention to your own safety, go At this point, there won’t be only one or two people who want to kill you. The road is long and the three of us... are precious.”
He waved on this high terrace. He waved his hand.
Everyone can only go with the general trend.
When leaving Tianji Palace, Lou Shuwan looked at the prosperous Wei Sheng and remembered these words. Tian Shi has only been the King of Jin for more than a year, but he has not lost the energy in his heart, and what he says are words from the bottom of his heart that cannot be shared with outsiders. After ten years of operation in King Jin's territory, she has participated in almost everything she sees now. However, when the Jurchens came north, people like her wanted to go against the general trend and make a powerful attack. Everything in front of them also changed. There is a possibility of defection at any time.
The things people in this city and the court are willing to do in order to survive are unimaginable. She thought of Ning Yi. Back then in the capital, when Prime Minister Qin was imprisoned, public opinion in the world was raging. He was a man who braved the waves. She really hoped that he had such ability...
A few days later, The messenger declaring war arrived at the Jurchen West Route Army camp. Facing the letter of war, Wanyan Zonghan was in a happy mood and boldly wrote two words: Come to fight!
On that day, the Jurchen West Route Army defeated Wang Juyun's vanguard army of 160,000 people, killing countless people.
Soon after, Wei Sheng's army swore an oath. Tian Shi, Yu Yulin and others led the army to attack the north. Lou Shuwan sat in Wei Sheng and waved goodbye to the mighty army on the high tower. The Confucian scholar named Zeng Yuhuai He also joined the army and went up with the army.
Washeng followed the martial law. From that moment on, the severe suppression and control, including the bloody purge, to ensure the operation of the rear, never stopped, because Lou Shuwan understood that at this moment, including Wasion, All the territory of the Jin Dynasty, inside and outside the city, up and down the court, have been transformed into mountains of swords and seas of swords. In order to survive, facing all this alone, she could only become more unscrupulous and ruthless.
In the barren land from Yanmen Pass to the south to the ruins of Taiyuan, Wang Juyun was defeated again and again, and he was well prepared to collect the defeated troops time and time again. There were not many ways to survive here. The army lacked food and clothing, and the equipment was not elite. The people gathered by Wang Juyun in the form of religion moved forward with the last hope and encouragement. Indistinctly, they could see the Yongle Dynasty. some shadows.
The fierce battle in Daming Mansion was like a bloody hell. It continued day by day. Zhu Biao led more than 10,000 Chinese troops to harass and set fire to the surrounding areas. But insurgents from more places began to gather. From September to October, in the Central Plains north of the Yellow River, people who were awakened were like the last white blood cells in the bodies of sick and weak people, burning themselves and rushing towards the powerful enemy.
This is Zhongyuan’s last ditch effort.
In the northwest, the war on the plains is pushing towards the ancient city CD day by day. For the residents in the city, they have not experienced war for a long time, and news from outside the city comes every day. The prefect Liu Shaojing gathered "hundreds of thousands" of rebels to resist the Black Flag rebels. There were success stories but also rumors of defeat. Occasionally, there were rumors that Jiading and other places were wiped out by the Black Flag rebels.
Some people had fled before the war started, and there were always those who were unable to leave their homeland, or who hesitated a little and lost the opportunity to leave. Liu Laoshuan is one of the people who has never left. He has lived in CD for generations and has a small shop near the south gate. The business has always been good. When the first group of people left, he was still a little hesitant. Not long after he arrived, , CD was surrounded by martial law and could no longer leave. Next, various rumors were fermenting in the city.
Black Flag - This is an army that people in the Wu Dynasty do not understand. Speaking of its biggest retrograde, it is undoubtedly the regicide more than ten years ago. Many people even think that it is The devil's regicide led to the destruction of the Wu Dynasty's national destiny and its decline from then on. In the years since Black Flag moved to the southwest, the outside world didn't know much about it. Even those with business contacts wouldn't usually talk about it. Only after asking about it, did everyone know that this tough bandit had been there in the early years. Northwest and the Jurchens were killed in a bloody battle.
How cruel a group of people must be to be able to fight against those Jurchen barbarians? Under the premise of this understanding, rumors including that the Black Flag massacred half of the CD Plains, that Jiading had been burned to the ground, and that the Black Flag Army not only eats people, but also likes to eat women and children, are constantly expanding. At the same time, amid the news of success and defeat, Black Flag's artillery fire continued to extend towards CD.
In late September, in CD City, wounded soldiers who had retreated from the front line could already be seen from time to time. On September 27, the Chinese army, which had actually slowed down their offensive, arrived too quickly for the residents of CD City and began to besiege the city.
Liu Laoshuan picked up the fire fork at home, said goodbye to his wife and children at home, and prepared to go to the city to help at a critical moment.
On the first day of October, half an hour after the Chinese Army's charge horn sounded, before Liu Laoshuan could go out, the south gate of CD was breached due to the defection of the defenders.
The gate was pushed open under gunfire, and the black flag spread...
Wu Dynasty, Lin'an.
Not to mention the war in the southwest, in October, the weather has cooled down, and the atmosphere in Lin'an is boiling with ambition and joy.
The fierce war that broke out north of the Yellow River was already known to the people of the Wu Dynasty. The Jin King's tactics of spreading the word to the world and his generous march north seemed to mean that the Wu Dynasty was still the orthodox destiny. The most inspiring thing is Wang Shanyue's persistence in Daming Mansion.
The Guangwu Army first launched a provocation when the Jurchens came south, captured Daming Mansion, and defeated Li Xizhi. At first, people criticized it as reckless. However, when this army actually fought against the 300,000-strong army of Zongfu and Zongbi, The city miraculously defended itself against the attack. Every day that passed, people's thoughts became more generous. If more than 40,000 people can resist the Jurchen army of 300,000, it may prove that after ten years of training, the Wu Dynasty has no chance of winning against the Jurchens.
At the same time as the Daming Mansion War, there was also the vindication of the Taiyuan City Defense War. When the Jurchens went south for the first time, Qin Siyuan's eldest son Qin Shaohe defended Taiyuan for a year. In the end, because of the incompatibility, the city was destroyed and people died. This matter was originally a taboo topic after Ning Yi's rebellion, but now, it has finally been People picked it up again. No matter what happened to Ning Yi, Qin Siyuan was not without merit, especially his eldest son, who was truly a loyal man.
At least Emperor Jinghan Zhou Zhe’s handling of this matter was inappropriate.
This change in the tone of public opinion comes from the Princess Mansion, which now controls the lower-level propaganda power of Lin'an, but behind it, there are deeper reasons: First, over the years, Zhou Pei has Ning Yi has always been filled with hatred. The reason for the hatred is that she regards Ning Yi as a teacher rather than an enemy. However, as time passed and reality pushed forward, especially the fact that Ning Yi continued to become harsher in his treatment of the Wu Dynasty, the fantasy in her heart that she could not treat others with outsiders was broken. When she truly regarded Ning Yi as a human being, When the enemy looked at it, he realized that complaining was meaningless. Now that he had stopped complaining, he could only clearly weigh the pros and cons.
The second reason is because of the embarrassing situation in the southwest. It was a group of ministers headed by Qin Hui who chose to go to war in the southwest. It was the emperor who was unable to do his best because of fear. When the situation in the southwest got out of hand, the war in the north was imminent, and it was impossible for the army to make large-scale deployments to the southwest. Faced with such a strong combat power of the Black Flag Army, asking the imperial court to mobilize some remnants of the defeated generals and engage in fueling tactics again and again was just to give people a beating in the face.
How to alleviate the situation in the southwest, Prince Junwu behaved very rogue: you clean up what you have caused. The Black Flag Army made it clear in the message, we must protect the trade routes and temporarily occupy the city , if you want to take it back, just send someone to talk.
But how is it actually possible to talk about it? The Wu Dynasty and the Chinese Army had an irreconcilable hatred of regicide, and it had always been assumed that the Black Flag Army was just a bunch of bandits. Once the imperial court sends people to negotiate, no matter what the outcome is, this is the official admission of defeat, confirming that the Chinese Army is a large force equal to the Wu Dynasty. With this kind of characterization, let alone the fact that there is no guarantee of regaining Sichuan Si after negotiation, even if Black Flag really returns CD Plains, it will be an exchange that the Wu Dynasty cannot accept.
However, when the other party’s strength is really revealed, no matter how reluctant it is, in politics, people have to accept this status quo.
The vindication of Qin Shaohe is the first step in changing his attitude.
The world is too big, and huge changes or disasters are just around the corner. In Lin'an in October, everything was noisy. People publicized the deeds of the Wang family, pushed out the widows of the Wang family, and praised them constantly. The scholars wrote and sang songs generously. At this time, Long Qifei and others He is also constantly running around in the capital, publicizing the generosity and tragedy of facing the black flag bandits and the sages of the southwest, praying for the imperial court's "heavenly soldiers" to attack. Amidst this hustle and bustle, there are still some things happening quietly in the corners of the city.
Mingtang, where Li Pin is located, is a relatively quiet place these days.
During the years in Lin'an City, he engaged in journalism, education, and the so-called New Confucianism. Most of those who went to the southwest to be enemies of Ning Yi had some exchanges with him, but relatively speaking, Mingtang gradually moved away from the core of politics. During the recent turmoil in the world, Li Pin thanked guests behind closed doors and remained relatively quiet. Although his newspaper followed the pace of the Princess Mansion in its propaganda, he was no longer involved in more important family and country affairs. .
But occasionally acquaintances would come over, sit here for a while and then leave. Cheng Zhouhai, who had been working for the princess mansion, was one of them. On the seventh day of October, the eldest princess Zhou Pei's car also came over. In the courtyard of Mingtang, Li Pin, Zhou Pei, and Cheng Zhouhai sat down, and Li Pin said something briefly.
"... Over the years, it has been almost impossible to defeat the Chinese Army head-on. Their offensive on the Fourth Sichuan Road seems invincible, but in fact, they have slowed down as they approach CD. Ning Yi is very stingy in this regard. He would rather spend a lot of time inciting the enemy to rebel than to lose too many of his soldiers. The opening of CD was due to the army's defection on the battlefield, but among these messages, I only care about one... …”
In the daylight, Li Pin slowly poured tea: "The Chinese army swept through most of the Fourth Sichuan Road. At the beginning, there were some violations of laws and regulations. In Jiading, they were all caught and dealt with very severely. Continue. With the CD, the soldiers of the Chinese Army had almost no offense with the people in the city. They did not demolish houses or seize food. Except for necessary arrests, they had almost no incidents with the residents of the city. Conflict. Your Highness, Mr. Cheng, how many troops of the Wu Dynasty can do this? Yue Fei's Beiwei Army may be able to reach it, but only barely. The other armies have to implement such rules after breaking the city. Those who lead the troops will come to complain, and they will not be able to lead troops like this..."
Li Pin paused: "Ning Yi...he is right, he wants to fight If you defeat him, you can only become like him. So over the years, I have been thinking about what he said and what he did and thought... I have figured out some things, but I still can't figure out many things. In these words, I found that there are many contradictions in what he did and thought..."
"...At the beginning of his regicide and rebellion, some things may have It was because he didn't think clearly and spoke more impassionedly. When I broke up with him in the northwest, he said something about destroying Confucianism and the survival of the fittest. But in hindsight, he said something. He said he wanted equality and awakening, but from what I saw later, Ning Yi was very cautious in this regard, even his wife. ——The one named Liu has gone further than him, and there are often quarrels between the two... Before the deceased Zuo Duanyou Zuogong left Xiaocanghe, Ning Yi once made a joke with him , which probably means that if things get out of hand and everyone in the world becomes my enemy, I will equalize land rights..."
Li Pin held the tea cup and thought for a while: " Zuo Gong later talked about this matter with me, saying that Ning Yi seemed to be joking, but he was very sure about this matter... I talked with Zuo Gong all night long, thinking about this matter in detail. It's so scary to think about it... The reason why Ning Yi said this must be because he knew the horror of these words: equal land rights and equality for everyone... But he said, use it when you are desperate. Why didn't he use it right then? He looked very heroic when he came here, but in fact he didn't have an easy time. He wanted to destroy Confucianism, make everyone equal, make everyone awaken, and fight against the Wu Dynasty, the Jurchens, and the Jurchens. The whole world is so difficult, why doesn’t he use this method?”
“After repeated consideration over the years, I feel that behind Ning Yi’s ideas? First, there is a more extreme way. He is not sure about this way. He has always said that he should awaken first and then become equal. What if it is equality first and then awakening? Since everyone is equal, why are those squire and landlords in the world? You and I can sit in this position, so why can you and I live better than others? We are all human beings..."
The winter sun was not warm. He said these words and paused for a moment: "...In worldly affairs, the most important thing is to be moderate... When the Chinese army is about to come out, there will be more people talking. Ning Yi wants to leave. Zhongyong, we can give him a push..."
He took a sip of tea: "...I don't know what it will be like."
The city was restless and the whole earth was restless. Li Pin's eyes were cold and sad, like this The last quietness in the world is contained here.
The skylight of the mass shines down from the gaps between the trees. This is a sleepless, dreamless world... (End of this chapter)