Chapter 981 No Return (Part 2)
On March 11th, the first year of Wu Zhenxing, the area around Taihu Lake still remains in the traces of the raging war, and has never recovered.
In the past six months, battles and massacres have ravaged this place over and over again. From Wuxi to Suzhou, to Jiaxing, the gates of the rich and gorgeous cities were opened several times. The Jurchens ravaged the place, and the Wu Dynasty army recovered it, and then changed hands again. One massacre after another, and one robbery after another, from the end of Jian Shuo to the beginning of Zhen Xing, it seemed that they never stopped.
More than a million Han people died last winter. An equal number of Jiangnan craftsmen, strong men, and some pretty beauties were captured by the Jin army and dragged north as trophies.
Large-scale wars and raids ended in February of this year, but even after the Jurchens had enough to eat and drink and decided to return to the court, the situation in the south of the Yangtze River still did not ease, and a large number of refugees formed Bandits and big clans raised armies, and people defined territories and plundered everything that was left as much as possible for their own livelihood. Small but frequent fights and conflicts still appear in every part of this once-rich paradise.
Forgive us for not staying in one place for too long. During the long night of war, many people suffered more every day than in a lifetime in peacetime.
As he followed the fleeing people for more than two months, He Wen felt the seemingly endless night. Unbearable hunger, unrelieved raging pain, people eating their own or other people's children in desperation, many people were driven crazy, and there were still enemies chasing after them.
In the constant escape and transfer, the organizational skills of the new emperor, who claimed to protect the people, were not ideal. He never saw the hope of solving the problem. Many times, the price of a strong man breaking his wrist is like an ant. deaths of people. He was in it and couldn't imagine it.
After leaving the prison, one of his hands was disabled and he could no longer use any strength. His body was also broken, and his original martial arts skills were gone. A few years ago, he was a Confucian knight with both civil and military skills. Although he could not boast of being knowledgeable, he had a strong will. The corrupt officials of the Wu Dynasty ruined his family, but he actually didn't have much hatred in his heart. He went to kill Ning Yi but failed. When he returned home, who could prove it to him? The admiration in his heart was clear, but in reality, his wife and children were separated. This was his fault and failure.
But on the way to escape, the torment of hunger and powerlessness often made him wail unspeakably. This pain was not temporary or intense, but a continuous feeling of powerlessness and anger. , tearing apart angrily but powerlessly. If he were asked to stand from an objective perspective and analyze everything calmly, he would also admit that the new emperor had indeed made great efforts. The army he led at least tried hard to stay in front of the situation. Stronger than others, no one can resist it.
But he was trapped among the fleeing people, and what he saw at every moment was blood and wailing. People seemed to have a blank slate whose souls had been wiped out after eating human flesh, and they were suffering in despair. Seeing that his wife could no longer run, the husband screamed like an animal. After witnessing the death of her child, the mother walked like a zombie, fell to the ground and curled up in a ball after being touched by others. The sound from her mouth will be heard by people. It echoes constantly in the sleep, tugging at the heart of anyone who still has a conscience, making it impossible to sink into any place of peace of mind.
Is this enough?
Have you really tried your best?
He will think of everything he saw in the southwest.
The life there is also difficult, people will scrimp on food and clothing, and practice frugality on an empty stomach, but after that people's faces will have a different look. When the army named after China faces war, they will go up to it. They will face sacrifices and accept sacrifices, and then the people who survive will enjoy the joy of peace.
He thought of the righteous speeches made by countless people in the southwest - including him. They asked Ning Yi: "What's wrong with the people! How can you expect everyone to be sensible and make the right choice!" He would think of Ning Yi's criticized cold-blooded answer: "Then they must die!" He Wen once felt that he had asked the right question.
He Wen was unable to come up with the correct way to refute many of the questions Ning Yi answered. But this question alone reflects Ning Yi's cold-bloodedness. He Wen doesn't appreciate Ning Yi like this. He has always believed that from this perspective, people can despise Ning Yi - at least, not stand with him.
But at this moment when many people were being hunted and died weightlessly for various desolate reasons, he would think of this issue.
They must die.
Jiangnan has always been prosperous. Even though it has been ravaged by war and tortured over and over again for more than half a year, there are not many people fleeing all the way at this moment. Some of them are even wealthy families. They In the past, I had a good life and even a beautiful heart. They fled, cried, and died, and no one gave them any preferential treatment because of their beauty.
Even the Wu Dynasty's army, the one in front of them, was already fighting very hard. However, is it enough?
If the enemy attacks and cannot be blocked, he will die. There is no point in talking about the difficulties and reasons.
——If Ning Yi was around, he might have said such extremely cold words. But due to the fear of death, Southwest has been strengthening itself for so many years, using every strength of everyone, hoping to survive the war. As for the people born in the Wu Dynasty, no matter how well-founded their weakness was, no matter how powerless they were, it made people feel pity.
They are dead.
Ning Yi looked at him: "They have to die."
One day in January, the Jurchens came and people fled aimlessly. He Wen, who was completely weak, saw the right direction and shouted around with a hoarse voice, but no one listened to him until he Shout out: "I am a soldier of the Chinese Army! I am a soldier of the Black Flag Army! Follow me!"
People who heard clearly followed, and then spread the word, and on this day he led Many people fled to nearby mountains. It was almost dark and people were hungry again. He Wen cheered up. On the one hand, he arranged for people to search for better than nothing food in the mountains in early spring. On the other hand, he collected more than a dozen weapons and wanted to follow the Jurchens nearby. Surrender to the Han army and grab food.
Fleeing all the way, even those who were previously strong in the team had little strength at this time. In addition to the rout along the way, it has become a habit to not dare to go forward, but there is no other way. He Wen told everyone about the Black Flag Army's record, and then promised: "Just believe in me!"< br>
With more than a dozen anxious people, he approached a surrendering Han army of nearly a hundred people and wanted to report the transfer information of Han Shizhong's brigade.
At that moment, He Wen was in ragged clothes, weak, and thin, and his severed hand seemed increasingly weak. Unexpectedly, the leader lowered his guard in He Wen's weak voice.
Soon after, He Wen took out his knife and slashed open the general's neck in front of the surrendering Han army. Blood spurted out in the light of the bonfire. He took out the black flag he had prepared and raised it high. , in the darkness in the surrounding mountains, torches were lit one after another, and shouts came and went.
More than a hundred people put down their swords and guns.
This is the beginning of his flag raising. If we look at his pure thoughts, He Wen is actually not willing to raise this black flag. He has not inherited the mantle of the black flag. It is just a cry in despair. But after everyone gathered together, this name could never be changed.
The war is raging everywhere. As long as someone is willing to put up an umbrella, a large number of refugees will soon come to surrender. The rebels were at odds with each other, and some would even take the initiative to attack the Han troops who had sufficient supplies. They were the most ferocious group among the rebels. It was such an army that He Wen pulled up. He recalled the southwest The training content and organizational methods of the army include the deployment of the gathered refugees. Those who can hold a knife must hold a knife. They must never retreat after forming a formation. They cultivate mutual trust among their comrades. They hold meetings from time to time to recall the bittersweet and accuse the Jurchens. Even for women and children, he will definitely arrange collective work for them.
The hastily organized team was extremely dull, but it was enough to deal with the nearby Jin Han army. It was this style of work that made people believe that He Wen was really a member of the legendary army. In just over a month, the number of people gathered continued to expand. People are still hungry, but with the growth of all things in spring and the principle of fair distribution set by He Wen among this rabble, the hungry people no longer need to change their children to eat.
Cheng Zhouhai, an important member of the new emperor's command, once approached He Wen and told him about Zhou Junwu's necessity to leave and the determination to revitalize the Wu Dynasty. He also talked to He Wen about many things about the southwest - He Wen did not appreciate it. In fact, , Cheng Zhouhai didn't understand that He Wen didn't hate the new emperor of the Wu Dynasty in his heart. He also tried his best many times, and his heroic posture outside Jiangning City finally defeated Zongfu's siege army. However, trying your best is not enough.
On the other hand, he was actually not willing to mention too much about the Southwest, especially in front of another person who knew the situation in the Southwest. He knew in his heart that he was not a real soldier of the Chinese Army.
In March, this army of refugees with black flags became famous throughout Jiangnan, and many people in the mountains even had contact with him. Wenren Buer came over to give something away once, and while showing his goodwill, he also chatted with He Wen about Ning Yi - like Cheng Zhouhai, he didn't understand He Wen's knot, and the final result was naturally in vain.
On the eighth and ninth day of March, the achievements of the southwest had essentially spread to the south of the Yangtze River. The rebel army under the name of the black flag made a great announcement, followed by Wu Qimei's article in the Lin'an court Word spread to the wealthy clans everywhere, and there were stories about tyranny and equality, which later spread to the ears of many people.
He Wen received the news from Lin'an on the way north. He traveled all the way through the stars and nights, and crossed the road near Taihu Lake with several companions, heading towards Zhenjiang, and got it near Suzhou. According to the news from the refugees here, among his companions, a swordsman named Huangfu Qing also read poetry and books. After reading Wu Qimei's article, he became excited: "Mr. He, Southwest... is really so equal. Place? ”
"...He did say that everyone is equal."
After reading Wu Qimei's article, He Wen understood the sinister intentions of this old dog. The description of the situation in the Southwest in the article was all based on conjecture and not worth mentioning. However, when it came to the word equality, He Wen hesitated slightly and did not make too much discussion.
His identity in Hedeng was discovered after Ning Yi returned to the Southwest. Regarding the "hungry ghosts" in the Central Plains, at his original level, he had also heard some reports from the General Staff. Argumentative. Ning Yi gave Wang Shitong advice, but Wang Shitong refused to listen. In the end, the group of hungry ghosts who lived on robbery continued to expand, and millions of people were affected.
How similar is the situation in Jiangnan and my own situation to that of a hungry ghost?
After the Jurchens broke camp, the supplies in Jiangnan were about to be exhausted, and people could only fight with swords and devour each other. Refugees, bandits, rebels, and the Han army that surrendered to the Han Dynasty all competed with each other. They waved black flags, and the number of people under their command continued to expand. After the expansion, they attacked the Han army, and continued to expand after the attack.
——This will eventually kill itself.
He never commented too much on Wu Qimei's article. He thought silently along the way. By the afternoon of National Day, he had already entered a place about a hundred miles south of Zhenjiang.
The camps of the Jin army were stationed on both sides of the Yangtze River, including the millions of Han slaves they drove up. The procession across the river stretched into a long stretch. On the periphery of the team, there were also Han troops stationed and patrolling after the gold was dropped. He Wen and his companions quietly approached this most dangerous area.
In the evening, they took a rest in the mountains. The small team did not dare to live and ate the little dry food in silence. He Wen sat on the grass and watched the sunset. His clothes were shabby and his body was still weak, but there was a power in the silence, and no one else dared to disturb him.
Until the moment when the sunset turned red, he called Huangfu Qing and others over.
"... When Mr. Ning was in Southwest China, he indeed said many times that everyone is equal. He said that this is undoubtedly the ultimate and highest pursuit of human society. In other words, the world is changing and changing. In the end, it must change in that direction.”
Some of the people sitting around did not understand, some understood part of it, and most of them looked solemn at this time. He Wen recalled: "When I was in the southwest, I once... saw such an article. Now that I think about it, I remember it very clearly, it is like this... From the basic concepts of gewuxue and the understanding of the world of human existence Observing society, we can see this basic rule: In the society where human beings live, all conscious and influenceable changes are caused by Under the guidance of this basic rule, in order to seek the fairness and justice that human society can realistically achieve and seek together, we believe that people are born with the following reasonable and legal rights. : 1. The right to survive..." (The memory should not be so clear, but this paragraph will not be modified or disrupted).
He Wen sat in the sunset and said those words. Everyone was more or less confused, but He Wen paused and said:
"You know, Lin'an Why Wu Qimei wrote such an article is because he was The foundation of the imperial court lies in the various gentry families. What these gentry families are usually most afraid of is the equality mentioned here... If real people are equal, why do they have good clothes and fine food, and why do everyone suffer from hunger in the landlord's house? There are thousands of hectares of fertile land, but you can only be a tenant for the rest of your life. Farmer? Wu Qimei, this old dog, he thinks that if he talks about the Chinese Army like this to these gentry and wealthy people, these wealthy people will be afraid of the Chinese Army and want to defeat the Chinese Army."
He waved his hand and dismissed Wu Qimei and others. Some people's articles were thrown out, and pieces of paper were flying in the evening In Yangzhong, He Wen's words became sonorous and firm: "...and we should do what they are afraid of! They are afraid of equality, and we must be equal! After the success of this matter, we will stand up and Tell everyone about equality!”
"Everyone, this world is dead!" He Wendao said, "How many families have been broken up, their wives have been separated, and their families have been separated! As for those wealthy families, when the Wu Dynasty was around, they relied on the Wu Dynasty to survive and lived better than anyone else. They didn't do business, and their corpses were just eating! take one Point, they have to occupy a little bit there to bring down the Wu Dynasty, and they continue to live a good life by selling the Wu Dynasty and us! This is because they occupy and take more things than us, and the lives of the common people are at stake! Valuable, like oxen and horses in peacetime, We fight like ants! We can't continue like this. From now on, we will not let these people be superior to others!"
He Wen raised his fist, his brain is already good, in the southwest. Over the past few years, he has actually been exposed to a lot of styles and information within the Huaxia Army, and even many "isms". Regardless of whether they are mature or not, discussions and debates are encouraged within the Huaxia Army. At this time, he recalled Tell me, and finally make a decision.
"...How many gentry families are there in this world? Nowadays, the majority are those whose families have been destroyed! Everyone is exploited by the gentry family and driven away like pigs and sheep by the Jurchens, because the largest number of people in the world are They are just a bunch of people. But from now on, we have to tell them the truth. Why should we? They don’t deserve to be human beings. We need to wake them up and unite! From today on, we are called——”
He paused, and finally tapped the ground calmly and firmly: “——Mr. ! Ping! Party!"
Everyone looked excited. Some people wanted to stand up and shout, but were stopped by people around them. He Wen looked at these people. In the setting sun, he saw himself and Ning Yi when they were in the southwest a few years ago. He remembered what Ning Yi said and what he said, "Study first, then take exams." . I also remembered the premise of equality that Ning Yi said. I also remembered the complicated look on his face when he talked about "taking out the local tyrants to divide their land" several times. In fact, many methods have been there for a long time.
Things in the world are always driven by wind and rain.
We don’t have that luxury anymore, do we?
Since they are so scared.
Since there is no way ahead.
Then attack the local tyrants and divide the land.
Originally, I wanted to write the entire plot in one chapter, but I only wrote this here today. I have no choice.
(End of this chapter)