Chapter 1202 The Raging River (Part 2)
The time is noon, and the sound of gongs and drums in the city can be heard faintly outside. There is a pool and rockery in the courtyard, decorated with winter snow. It is a wealthy family, but it also appears to be somewhat simple and elegant. A large table was set up in the main hall, with a hollow center and a blazing charcoal fire. Even if the banquet was opened, the diners at the table would not feel cold.
However, at this time, the faces of everyone around the table were white.
It only took a moment after the commotion outside was heard. Soldiers and secretariat staff in civilian clothes had already come in. Most of the time, this was already a means of controlling prisoners in the political arena, and then Ning Yi The sudden appearance of such a place at such a moment is as incomprehensible as the descriptions in fantasy novels on the market.
In today's southwest, his status is too high, and Li Rulai's status is too low. In terms of status, even if Li Rulai wants to rebel, Ning Yi does not have to come forward to meet him. As for the location, given his status, it was an inappropriate move under any circumstances to directly enter Li Rulai's private house by controlling prisoners.
Such a strange anomaly, no matter what, things are going to be big.
The first time he saw the figure in a dark coat walking in, Li Rulai subconsciously reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He even forgot to lower his head, while Li Dong took a step back and stood. After straightening their military posture, the remaining people had confused expressions, but most of their bodies were frozen there.
Ning Yi glanced at everyone, and then his eyes shifted to the courtyard outside and the dishes on the table. His eyes seemed calm, he pulled up a chair and sat down, then looked at the courtyard and nodded. : "Sit."
No one dared to sit down. Everyone hesitated. After a while, there was only silence in the hall. Some people looked at each other. In the silence, no one dared to sit down.
Ning Yi glanced at everyone again. He put his hands on the table and smiled slightly: "The yard is well built. It took a lot of effort, but you can still hear the sound of gongs and drums. The place is It’s not big enough, so it loses the grace of Jiangnan gardens. Did you buy the land when you first arrived in Chengdu, General Li?”
Li Rulai opened his mouth, then lowered his head: "Yes, yes..."
"I've wronged you. When will the new garden be built?"
"...Press, follow. The construction period is tomorrow and March next year."
"Hmm."
Ning Yi nodded, reached out and took a pair of bowls and chopsticks from the side. These were bowls and chopsticks used by an officer earlier. There were still some leftovers in them. When he saw him holding the chopsticks, he wanted to use them. Li Dong frowned: "Ning... Ning... this..."
"What's wrong with this?"
"This...used...you..."
"Back then in Xiaocanghe, supplies were so scarce. What you had eaten was passed on to me. What I have eaten is passed to him. What does it matter today? You belong to Xiaocanghe. As an old man, you have status in the eyes of others, so don’t become squeamish.”
He picked up his chopsticks and picked up something to eat. He seemed to be amazed at the deliciousness of the dishes. After nodding slightly, he looked up. He glanced at Li Dong and his eyes were serious for a moment.
“You guys are going to the city to do business, right?”
"Yes."
"I asked you to sit down, but you didn't sit down. Are you full?"
"...Yes...Yes."
"Not full. Just sit down and eat. When you are full, go to work. I don’t want my mother-in-law to lead the troops. I have something to discuss with General Li Rulai. It’s more important and I won’t leave you alone.”
“…Yes.”
Li Dong and others only hesitated slightly, then raised their hands in salute and headed outside the courtyard one after another.
Ning Yi moved the chair closer to the round table and picked up a few more dishes to eat. After Li Dong and others disappeared from the yard, he waved, followed by people from the Security Department and the Secretariat. After leaving the room one after another, at least within visual range, only he and Li Rulai were left. Li Rulai stood there with his head lowered, took a deep breath, and moved slightly. Ning Yi raised his head. This time, his words were calmer.
"Stand."
After he said this, he put down his chopsticks, and his tone sounded like he was facing a dead person.
So the courtyard was quiet for a while.
When he spoke again, he said: "A few years ago, when the Jurchen Wangyuan Bridge was defeated and I sent people to recruit you to surrender, you asked me, if I do things this way, won't I be afraid of being pushed down when the wall falls down... Right?"
Ning Yi looked at Li Rulai, as if he was tired, but also filled with compassion that he hated the iron. Tathagata's body trembled slightly: "That...that was...this time and that time..."
"In your Wu Dynasty, many of the generals who got ahead are like this. You are, Liu Guangshi Also, if you understand the ways of the world and what is normal in the world, but you can't fight a war, what's the use of a soldier who can't fight a war? After that, I didn’t reuse you. You had complaints in your heart. You were obsessed with eating, drinking, having fun, and making friends. Now you have made so many heroic friends. Have you learned how to fight? "
"I..."< br>
“…for you…and your little brothers, we have already made a set of arrangements, and you will proceed step by step. Damn, I will do things step by step. After two years, everyone's affairs will be settled. But I have been thinking about something recently. I was supposed to go back to Zhangcun during the Chinese New Year, but I was transferred to your side. I just want to ask In one sentence, if you give women to officers in the army, how many times will you deserve to die according to your worldliness and feudal rules? "
"..."
"...If you know the rules so well, you should know that in any dynasty, the whole family is killed. So today, I came here like this, which is not very in line with the rules, but no matter what I do, In terms of rules and your sophistication, there should be no difference. You must be able to accept it calmly."
Li Rulai raised his head slightly, the last trace of blood on his face disappeared, and sweat dripped down. Coming out, Ning Yi sighed.
"The cook is good, sit down and have your last meal."
There was wind blowing in from outside the hall, and Li Rulai's figure was swaying. He is in his fifties. He was a tall, well-maintained person, with black hair, but at this moment, he seemed to become transparent and disappear from the screen. Ning Yi opposite was nearly forty years old, but the pressure in his eyes was far greater than that. He picked up a tea cup and looked at it, then put it down again. Suddenly, he slapped his hand on the wooden table, and the whole The wooden table and the floor seemed to be shaking, and he yelled out an angry voice.
"Sit -"
Li Rulai pulled out the chair and sat down at the table. He put his hands on the round table: "I, I..."
His voice trembled, He wanted to say something, but in the end he couldn't. Ning Yi sat across from him for a while. For some reason, he seemed a little tired as he was preparing to kill his whole family. After a while, as Li Rulai's expression changed several times, he said: "What are you thinking of?"
"I...I was thinking...I was just speculating, speculating...Chairman... If you really want to kill me...kill my whole family, will you...not come in person..."
...
"...Before I came here, I was just thinking about some questions."
The voice in the hall came again after a while.
“After surrendering, I have my personal likes and dislikes in treating you idle, but in general, is it really unfair to you, just like Lu Qiaoshan, who you have been comparing to? The defeated general was completely transformed after being captured. Now he can be put to great use. But after the Wangyuan Bridge, he decided to treat you as a typical example and a rich man, but in the end he didn't do anything to you. Making proper arrangements may be a mistake that we need to review in our work."
"Of course this is a small aspect...but in a big way, human beings are not the rules of the world. No, we always say in the Huaxia Army’s study class that there is a way and a way to do things. In terms of the way, we must trace the source and ask about our original intentions, and in terms of skills, we must You must seek truth from facts. The rules that exist in the world cannot be treated as if they do not exist just because your goals are great. We say it again and again. Of course, it is because many people cannot separate Tao from technique when doing things. Then it suddenly occurred to me. I have solved your problem..."
"General Li, you have been in the hometown of human beings for so many years. When you surrendered, you couldn't understand the Chinese army. It's understandable. In your fantasy, the so-called conquering the world is nothing more than uniting a bunch of capable soldiers and ruffians like you, eating hot pot and singing songs together at such a dining table, and then promising to conquer the world in the future. What kind of fame and fame? Such things, from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to Liu Bang, Xiang Yu and Li Shimin, are all human nature and the norm in the founding of the country..."
"At that time, you couldn't think of too many things, but what I'm curious about is, General Li, you went to great lengths to make so many friends of the Chinese Army. In the process of eating, drinking, having fun, and corrupting them, what did you think of the Chinese Army every day? The purpose of shouting, are you... somewhat clear about what we plan to do? "
Ning Yi's hand scratched lightly on the table.
“We want to break the cycle of Confucianism, we want to enlighten the people’s wisdom, we want to study things, and promote the four peoples. At the top, we want to break the cycle of chaos, and at the bottom, we want to break the rule of the rural sages. We hope The people can more or less stand up after studying. We want to make changes that have not happened in thousands of years... A few years ago, these things were very far away from you. Your human feelings The sophistication tells you that these things cannot be realized, and you even have your own firm opinions on why they cannot be realized, and even your opinions are relatively complete. But today, a few years later, General Li, we are in the same boat, even if you still I don’t quite agree, but you should already understand the whereabouts of this ship.”
There was a slight pause.
"Generally, when faced with such a problem, there are two choices. First, you get off the boat and die by yourself. Second, where are the rocks and problems on this route? Use your worldly experience to think of them. How to get rid of these sophistication problems, I'm wondering if I can get some surprises from them, and you can't say anymore, I didn't give you a chance, Li Rulai."
He looked at the other person quietly for a moment.
"It's not enough to lead an army. I'll give you a village. You know that the land reform is being carried out recently. In fact, it is to seize power from the hands of the rural sages. I will give you the 101st experimental village. What are you going to do? It's up to you, whether you cooperate with the work group or work alone, as long as you don't break any laws or disciplines, in a few years, you can The people in the village must become rich, listen to the command of the Chinese army and understand the truth, the children must be educated, and the widows and widowers must be well-educated. If you do well, I will give you more things. In the future political negotiations, there will be Your place will be recorded in the history books.”
Ning Yi pushed away the table and stood up.
"It was an accident to think of these things about you. Even if it were not today, I would carefully consider today's issues in the future. But at that time, your whole family was already dead, so it was you who came here today. Good luck... Of course, whether you take this path or not is your own business. , someone will come in later, explain the past clearly, just treat it like you bought a life and start a new life, then we will ride on the donkey to look at the ledger, we will see."
He left the hall and walked outside. Go, just as you were approaching the courtyard gate, you heard Li Rulai's voice coming from behind.
"Yes! Chairman!"
The voice was faintly filled with excitement. I don't know whether it was the excitement of surviving the disaster or the excitement of being able to do things.
The people in the Security Section put down their sniper rifles aimed at Li Rulai, and the Secretariat personnel also gradually withdrew. When they were approaching the gate outside, they came over and reported to Ning Yi: "Captain Li is still waiting outside. ." Ning Yi nodded and called him over.
The two of them rode together in a carriage for a while, and Ning Yi talked about something: "When we were fighting in Xiaocang River, I talked about an emperor who would skin and plant grass from officials who had embezzled five taels of silver. You guys Everyone clapped, will you still clap now?"
Li Dong thought for a while: "Yes"
"Okay." Ning Yi looked at him for a moment and nodded, "Go back and make a self-examination, and be careful when making friends in the future."
After Li Dong saluted and left, the carriage drove all the way back to Zhangcun, It passed for a while, Several more cars came up. They were also going to Zhangcun to celebrate the New Year. Sitting in them were Juan'er and Li Shishi. However, it was Su Tan'er who knew that Li Shishi was alone in Chengdu and ordered Juan'er to invite him to Zhangcun. Stay temporarily and spend the New Year together.
“There are ghosts and ghosts...”
After learning the ins and outs of the matter, Ning Yi smiled and cursed, but he did not seem very happy.
Shishi asked Ning Yi about the arrangements for Li Rulai.
In the past, Ning Yi had already planned this, and even asked the teacher to participate in the preliminary preparations for the propaganda. However, the incident of Li Rulai sending women to the army had a bad impact. She reported it to Ning Yi. This time Ning Yi When she came back, it was said that she went directly to Li Rulai's home, and she was already prepared for Li Rulai's house to be ransacked.
After hearing Ning Yi talk about the handling this time, Shishi stared, and for a moment, he was quite surprised.
******
In Jindi, the time is afternoon.
After giving Yuan Xiaoqiu a holiday and finishing his official duties, it was already overcast when he left the Qing Palace.
The carriage passed through the snow-covered city. The bustle in the morning was still continuing, but many people had already begun to go home one after another. The New Year is the time to worship the stove, and many people still have to return home in the evening. A ceremony. Opening the curtain slightly, Lou Shuwan could see the lights on in some shops, the bustle of people and the occasional smell of food.
She went to a mansion on the side of the city.
She hasn’t been to this yard for a long time.
The person who opened the door for her in the yard was a middle-aged woman with plain clothes and plain appearance. Probably because she didn’t meet her often, when she saw Lou Shuwan, she looked a little scared. Lou Shuwan Wan said something to her, then asked her entourage to hand over some cloth and food, and she walked towards the yard.
The courtyard has two entrances. The outside is a symbolic living room, and the inside is the living area. You can see a few chickens and ducks in the inner courtyard, and there is also the smell of feces. At the door of the bedroom in front of the courtyard, a man is salivating at the corner of his mouth. A seemingly demented middle-aged man was wrapped in a thick quilt, sitting there and staring blankly at the sky.
This is her second brother, Lou Shuheng.
His mind and body have been destroyed in the past three years.
For a long time, Lou Shuwan raised her last relative in this world like a pig or a sheep, providing him with food and drink, and finding a woman for him, hoping that this would be the only one. The elder brother was able to leave a descendant to the Lou family with his worthless life, but Lou Shuheng did not shoulder such a responsibility. During Tian Hu's incident, he was tortured and frightened as he was already weak. Got brave.
Since the last time the Jurchens went south, the situation in Shanxi has been critical. Lou Shuwan once scrimped on food and clothing, and was so hungry that his whole body was swollen. He no longer had time to care about his brother who was raised at home and had become a waste. During that time Lou Shuheng Ye Jing After experiencing many times of hunger and suffering various transfers, he was so frightened that he broke his head during one transfer. He was barely alive after that. Even though Lou Shuwan had given up on him, he became demented. The earth still survives.
After that, the situation in Jin Dynasty gradually eased. Lou Shuwan felt annoyed every time he saw his demented brother, so he simply turned a blind eye and found a reliable country peasant woman and gave her a sum of money. , let her raise her brother like this. Whether he is a proprietor or a husband, it doesn't matter to her. From now on, she will only come to visit him occasionally when she has free time.
Perhaps because the other party took good care of him, Lou Shuheng's body did not collapse anymore. Most of the time, perhaps because of his physical weakness, he liked to sit under the eaves and watch the sun. This habit continued even in winter. . And I have to admit that my brother after dementia is more pleasing to the eye than the manic him before.
Looking at the other person for a moment, Lou Shuwan sat next to him, poured a bowl of warm water, and fed him to drink spoonful by spoonful.
Lou Shuheng was babbling and seemed to be smiling a little.
Seeing that smile, Lou Shuwan's eyes warmed.
For many, many years, she has not seen her brother smile like this. It was like a childhood smile. Since she became an adult, the smiles she has seen have only been crazy.
"...It would be great if you had become like this, if you had smiled like this...maybe Su Tan'er would have fallen in love with you..."
"...Do you still remember Su Tan'er, her man... ...Oh, you said I was so discerning back then. You and my eldest brother are not as good as me. We are a family. I am so discerning... We are a family, eldest brother, father..."
"... You don't live up to expectations, you don't You're trying to live up to your expectations... You said you could keep a child, and I could help you raise it. Today is the 24th, and the Kitchen God is going to heaven. There is no man in the family, so I can't even sacrifice the stove. I'm alone... You're not living up to expectations..."
She looked at Lou Shuheng, murmuring, her eyes were slightly red, but she had experienced too many people, even when talking about these, There were no tears either. Lou Shuheng also looked at her babbling like a child. He became the happiest person in the family, but she was always unhappy.
In the white city outside, the festive firelight reflects on the ground and the sky, and people are in a festive atmosphere. And she was always unhappy.
"...It's all your fault...It's all your fault...I became an idiot and the most irresponsible one...I forgot that you still have a sister..."
"Ha... Ha..."
Lou Shuheng blew up the foam, and his saliva exploded, as if it was gone suddenly A period of life, reflected in countless laughter, fireworks, and in the eyes of sadness and regret...
PS: Let me tell you, some people pointed out that the small year in the north is twenty-three, but in fact it was the Qing Dynasty The rules in the palace changed. Before the Qing Dynasty, it was always December 24th.
(End of this chapter)