The summer night glowed with leaden green, and in the small county town under the night, the flames were burning, and the voices of people were chaotic, accompanied by the crying of women and children.

The black flag was unfurling, but it was only in the night, and only in the place where the fire was lit could people see the flag.

On the shore of Taihu Lake, a small county town on the north side of Pingjiang Prefecture, after suffering last year's military disaster, there were not many people. At this moment, it was a group of displaced people called the Fairness Party, and after entering the county seat, they did not carry out large-scale burning, but the homes of several local gentry and wealthy families on the west side of the county town were damaged.

At this moment, the flames and killings continued, and another group of men and horses came from the field outside the county with banners held high, in this night, the two sides played the same flag, and the displaced people who took the gate of the county town shouted and exchanged words with each other in the night, and they knew that this team of people and horses had a very high status in the party of fairness. They didn't dare to stop them, and it wasn't until they got closer that someone recognized the identity of the middle-aged man who looked emaciated in front of them, and the entire homeless people near the city gate called them "King of Justice", and they all knelt down.

The "King of Fairness" is He Wen, after the exchange he rode in, and his direct soldiers began to take over the defense of the county, and another law enforcement team entered the county and began to shout: "If anyone attacks and disturbs innocent people, kill!" Take advantage of the chaos to rob the wealth, kill! Whoever insults a woman is killed ......"

He Wen led the guards, towards the direction of the firelight, there is the mansion of the big clan, in order to guard the courtyard of the house, it seems that the two sides have also experienced an offensive and defensive battle, at this moment, as He Wen stepped into the house, you can see the corpses lying on the ground between the courtyards. Among the corpses, there were not only young men with knives, guns and weapons, but also women and children who were obviously slashed and killed in the process of fleeing.

He didn't speak, all the way forward, and a deputy led a man to pay homage, this is a black scarf, more than 30 years old fair party leader, the status was not high, this time is to peep into the defense of this county, temporarily summoned nearby helpers to come over to break the city - after the Jin people left, the livelihood of all parts of the south of the Yangtze River has not recovered, and there are homeless people everywhere, they can beg when they enter the city, and they can be bandits when they enter the mountains. During this period of time, the momentum of the Fairness Party has gradually risen, the core team controlled by He Wen is still under construction, and the forces on the periphery have also followed when they heard about the name, so there are countless forces.

After a brief explanation of what happened, the leader began to talk about the stubborn resistance of these big clansmen during the attack, which led to many dead and wounded brothers on his side. What about the patriarch? ”

The leader hesitated slightly: "A few old things, stubbornly resisting, would rather die than surrender, so they have to ...... Killed. ”

"Take me somewhere."

“…… Ancestral hall, ancestral hall. The leader led the way in front, and then said, "These things, the people outside are not living, everyone is going to starve to death, and the gold, silver, grain and grass they hoard at home are piled up into a hill, but the gold and silver utensils are innumerable, and I have people carry them to the ancestral hall, and I dare not be greedy for ink...... That, San'er, come and talk to Mr. He, tell me about what it looked like when you opened the grain warehouse, those rabbit cubs, and they wanted to set fire to the grain......"

Everyone walked while talking, and when they arrived at the ancestral hall, they could see the corpses lying upside down, and there were large and small wooden boxes of gold and silver, piled up on the side of the ancestral hall, and the leader immediately went over and opened the box to He Wen. He Wen walked to the pile of corpses and looked at it a few times, and then came to the pile of gold and silver, took out a few gold utensils to play with, and then asked about the grain and grass.

"Call all the brothers who participated in this invitation at your invitation, and I have something to say to them, and I want to thank them."

At this time, his expression and tone became gentle, and the leader went out with his deputy to call someone, and after a while, the rest of the leaders were summoned to see the "Fair King" Mr. He, He Wen looked at them a few times before waving his hand.

"Go to the weapon, take care of it first, and let it go later."

His order has been given, the deputy in charge of execution next to him also waved the order flag, some of the several people in the courtyard shouted grievances, some drew knives in their hands, and there was some movement outside the courtyard, but because the elite at hand had been prepared before, the commotion soon subsided, and a group of guards in the courtyard also surrounded the leaders, some bluffed, and the leader of the fair party had already knelt down. He Wen looked at them.

"Murder and destruction of the family, in order to vent their anger, they kill all the people, and there are even women's corpses outside, after being insulted, you have no time to hide, beasts do it! Whoever did these things and who didn't do them will all be found out later, and in a few days, you will be tried in front of all the people! Do you want to be a fair party? This is the Fairness Party! ”

Some of them scolded: "Hypocrite! We have worked so hard for you, and we have shed blood for our dead brothers, and you have done this to us! We watched the people in our hands, and the people outside didn't commit any crimes! The people here are full of gold and silver, and there are mountains of grain and grass, you look at how well they are dressed, they are all killed by the people, you are a hypocrite of the fair party! It's just trying to snatch these things, regardless of the benefits—"

He Wendao: "A well-dressed person is a bad person?" Then everyone in the world can wear rags and kill people! You say they are wicked, what evil have they done? What year, month, and day did it? Where is the bitter master? With so many dead people, which one did the evil thing? Did this old man do it, or did a ten-year-old girl lying outside! If you don't say anything clearly, you are robbers! That's not fair! ”

"They are so rich, the people outside are dying of starvation, the evil things they do, as long as you inquire a little, there will definitely be them, this is all in front of you, Mr. He, don't pretend to be confused-"

"The little girl out there did it too?"

"How can there be such a clear distinction between war and chaos—"

"-Take it!"

There was a burst of chaos and commotion in the night, and the flames in the Hao clan compound finally gradually went out, He Wen went to look at the food stored in the homes of these Hao clans, and ordered the soldiers to collect the remains, and then gathered in the outer compound with the deputies and relatives who came with him this time. Some people talked about the food, and mentioned the homeless people and famine outside, and some people said that the leader of this time could restrain the homeless people and not disturb the ordinary people, and he did a good job, He Wen ate some dry food, and slammed the bowl in his hand on the green bricks in the courtyard, and the courtyard was silent for a while.

"In which village and street did you live in before, there were scoundrels, right?"

He said: "Usually idle, not doing business, there is a chance to go to this house to fight the autumn breeze, as long as there are good things that are not earned, the kind of person who is indispensable." This kind of person is not a gangster who kills people and oversells goods, nor is it an outlaw who doesn't care about other people's eyes, they live next to you, as long as they can have some benefit, they find reasons and explanations, one set of ......"

"This kind of splashing has a characteristic, if you are a bandit or an outlaw, maybe one day you can make a fortune, splashing skin will never make a fortune, they spend their lives just to get a little cheap, they have no rules in their hearts......"

"Today, you smashed this big courtyard, and when you see it, it is all gold and silver, and it is all grain, and ordinary people will never see so much in their lives. Look at it again, hey, these people are so well dressed, the people are fat and the people, my fair party, do the right thing for heaven, you fart-"

He Wen waved his hand and glared at him and shouted.

"Didn't these people kill the wrong people? What should I do if I kill the wrong one? You haven't thought about it! Because there is a reason to kill the wrong one! In the chaos of the war, no one is allowed to kill a few old and weak women and children! Who can't find a reason for doing something? But if you look for it after you do it, you are just pointing at the splash skin who takes advantage! Once you take advantage of this, you will not be able to do anything big in the future. ”

"If you want to do something big, do something real, in your hearts, just! Get! Yes! Rules! Rule! ”

He Wen stood in the courtyard, word by word.

The fire raged in the night, and in May the party of fairness, which had been growing for a period of time, began to divide within itself, and began to produce a more mature programme and code of conduct.

At the same time, among the ruins of the Daimyo's Mansion on the north bank of the Yellow River, there was a black flag fluttering quietly.

Beginning in April, the Huaxia and Guangwu armies, which had been cowering in Shuibo Liangshan, began to emerge from the base areas in batches, and there were several frictions with the Wanyanchang troops in order to ensure the return of the Eastern Route Army to the north.

In the past two years, these units in Liangshan have shown a tenacious will to fight, and although the Jurchen Eastern Route Army is powerful, the hundreds of thousands of Han Chinese prisoners who followed them north are extremely bloated, which is the weakness of the Eastern Route Army. Once opened, the chaotic situation that will be encountered will inevitably make Zongfu Zongbi have a headache.

But at the level of world domination, headaches are not such a serious problem.

In the face of the decisiveness of the Liangshan troops, Zongfu Zongbi had gathered elite troops and was ready to cross the Yellow River and start a big battle. In the middle, Wan Yanchang used troops intensively, and the speed of aggression was like fire, and the styles of the two sides echoed each other. So in mid-May, as many as hundreds of thousands of troops from the East Route Army were about to unleash a net to pull out the last nail on the way back to the north.

The news of the defeat of the Jurchen Western Route Army and the fiasco of the decisive battle in Hanzhong was also poured on the land on both sides of the Yellow River like boiling oil at this moment. On the north bank of the Yellow River, Zhu Biao, Wang Shanyue, Liu Chengzong and others were inspired, and they were all determined to fight a beautiful battle here, for this purpose, the staff department has made countless plans and deductions for many days, although the number of people on their side is small, but they are all veterans who have experienced the most brutal fighting, and the other camp is bloated and eager to go home, as long as this weakness is identified, the ants may not be able to bite out a tragic wound on the elephant.

On the south bank of the Yellow River, Zongfu Zongbi was looking forward to such a battle and victory to prove that he was different from the Western Route Army Muhan and Xiyin. In the context of the fiasco of the Battle of the Southwest, as long as he can bury Shandong, a Black Flag Army that has been tested by the Japanese in the past, on the bank of the Yellow River, the morale of the military and the people in the country will be boosted.

Against this background, on May 15, in a deserted village west of the Daimyo on the north bank of the Yellow River, Zhu Biao, Wang Shanyue, Liu Chengzong, and others met temporarily, and they greeted the envoy from the southwest, Dong Fangxian, the "big treasurer" of Zhuji. Zhu, Wang, and Liu roughly stated to Dong Fangxian their thoughts on the next battle, and it was only in the afternoon of this day that Dong Fangxian began to relay some of the words that Ning Yi asked him to bring over.

"Mr. Ning asked me to bring an idea, it's just an idea, a specific decision, it's up to you to make it. Moreover, it is only after you have sufficient combat readiness that such an idea has practical significance to consider. ”

After Dong Fangxian said this, Wang Shanyue already laughed: "What bad idea does Lao Ning have?" Say it. ”

"Negotiate, make peace."

Dong Fangxian looked at Wang Shanyue and said calmly. The scar on Wang Shanyue's face immediately became unsightly, and he spat on the ground.

"It's just a reference choice, and as for the final decision, it's up to you to decide." Dong Fangxian repeated.

Wang Shanyue raised her head, stretched out her hand and shook it on Zhu Biao and Liu Chengzong: "There are many of you here, decide...... How? ”

"We will listen to everyone's opinions to the fullest, Mr. Ning said, and can even vote in the military." Dong Fangxian is a little fat, there is already a lot of gray hair on his head, he looks kind on weekdays, but at this time, in the face of Wang Shanyue's scorching gaze, he is also calm and quiet, without any flinching, "When he came, Mr. Ning said, at least there is a little bit of Wang Gongzi can rest assured, there is no bad breed in the Huaxia army." ”

Wang Shanyue stared at him for a moment: "You say, I'll listen." ”

Dong Fangxian nodded: "On the north bank of the Yellow River, the Huaxia Army and the Guangwu Army combined, the current lineup is less than 30,000 people, and the advantage is that they have all fought, and they can take advantage of the geographical advantage to fight guerrillas. Everything else is a disadvantage, the Jurchen East Route Army is 200,000, plus Wan Yanchang and Shulie Su, they are indeed wearing shoes, they have to fight, and the gains outweigh the losses, but if you really go out to fight, what are your chances of survival...... Not high, that's a very polite way to put it. ”

Wang Shanyue said: "First, we are not afraid of death; Second, Zongfu Zongbi is in a hurry to go back to fight for power and profit, which is also our advantage. ”

Dong Fangxian said: "First, no one is afraid of people, we are talking about how to die; Second, under the premise that the Western Route Army has been defeated, if Zongfu Zongbi really goes out, they can go back first, leave the 200,000 army to Wan Yanchang, and finish suppressing you in Shandong, they will not die, they will be very troublesome, but at least it will not be more ugly than Sticky Han. ”

Dong Fangxian's gaze turned to Zhu Biao and Liu Chengzong: "In the most troublesome speculation, your entire army was annihilated, bringing huge losses to the Jurchens' Eastern Route Army, and they took hundreds of thousands of Han people to the north, and tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people died in this battle. As for the possibility that you will kill Zongfu Zongbi in a certain decisive battle, it is not impossible, but it is very rare. In terms of combat strength, you are short of materials, and even if you have been hungry for so long, you should still not be able to compare to Tu Shanwei on the frontal battlefield. ”

"After all, fighting a war is not just a matter of paper." Liu Chengzong said, "It's not ...... You speak first. ”

Mr. Ning feels that the first crux of the situation in Shandong is that neither side thinks that the other side has the possibility of retreating. Wang Gongzi has been guarding the Daimyo's Mansion for so long, and he has already put life and death out of the way, and the Zhu Biao brothers have never retreated from the Shangshu Column two years ago, and in the face of the crisis in the Daimyo's Mansion, they still resolutely came to save people. Our past records have shown that no one in the Huaxia Army is afraid of death......"

"I'm not a Huaxia Army." Wang Shanyue interjected.

Dong Fangxian laughed: "It is also because of this that Zongfu Zongbi does not think that he has the possibility of crossing the border easily, he must fight, because there is no choice, and our side also thinks that Zongfu Zongbi will never let go of Liangshan." But Mr. Ning thinks that in addition to fighting, we have at least two choices, such as leaving, giving up Liangshan, and going to Jindi first......"

"We've been running this side for a long time, and we've made a big ......"

"If you want to fight, these operations will be difficult to continue." Dong Fangxian said, "Then there is another choice, when you are ready to face the battle, I will cross the river and negotiate a result with Zongfu Zongbi, and we will both make way for each other in some form and in a certain step." Considering that Wu Qimai of the Jin State is about to breathe, and the Eastern Route Army is bloated, Zongfu Zongbi is likely to agree to such negotiation conditions, and you will retain the possibility of development for now, and one day in the future, you will become the vanguard of the invasion of the Jin State. ”

Wang Shanyue was silent, Dong Fangxian said: "Shandong has been broken before, there are no wheat seedlings for last year's winter wheat, your current rations are only enough to eat for a month or two, Mr. Ning and Jindi borrowed grain and seedlings, after this pass, you will slowly recover your vitality." And Shandong, you will really operate ...... next."

"What about the hundreds of thousands of people who were captured by the Eastern Route Army?" Wang Shanyue raised her head.

Dong Fangxian said: "Can you save it?" ”

"If we attack, some people can take advantage of the chaos and escape."

“…… Some people will flee, many more will die, and then, when you die, the disgraced Eastern Route Army will seize all the people who can be caught and send them to the north. ”

"Because of this, we will avoid it, how will the world think of us in the future?"

"There are no good options here, and it's hard to tell which one is worse. So Mr. Ning said, you can make your own decisions, if you decide to fight, I will do my best to cooperate with you. If you decide to talk, I'll do my best to talk about it. We are all martial arts practitioners, and of course we all know that many times we withdraw our wrists in order to punch the enemy in the face with more force......"

His fat arm shrunk, and when he fought out, he also had a lot of strength: "Fighting here right now can inspire the hearts of the world, and it is even possible that you really met Zongfu Zongbi on the battlefield and killed them, this is the simplest choice." And if you retreat today, you will have a regret in your heart, and even one day in the future will be turned out, or even leave a name, five or ten years later, it is difficult to say whether it is possible for you to use greater strength to enter the Jin Kingdom...... Be cautious. ”

Wang Shanyue looked at him: "It's also possible that you, a fat man, crossed the river, and the two fools of Zongfu and Zongbi were unwilling to talk, so you became a sacrifice that we sent to them, and burned the sacrificial flag for you first." ”

Dong Fangxian laughed: "It's very possible, but if someone else talks about such a thing, it probably can't be discussed, so I can only make it difficult for me to make a trip." ”

His words were calm, and of course he was fearless in putting life and death out of bounds. In fact, most of the four people present had already known and dealt with each other more than ten years ago, even though Wang Shanyue was quite unhappy with Ning Yi and the idea he proposed, but he also knew in his heart that this idea was put forward not out of fear, but because in the past two years, the battles and losses experienced by the Liangshan army were indeed too tragic, and at this time, the vitality had indeed not recovered. In another fearless fight, they were able to tear off a piece of flesh from the Jurchens, but that was all......

As the Yellow River surged down, the sun gradually receded to the west, and Zhu, Wang, Liu and others on the banks of the river talked to each other, considering their next choice. In the barren mountains and mountains more than ten miles away from them, Luo Ye and the others, who were already a little emaciated, were doing weapon maintenance in the sun, and not far away the troops led by Guan Sheng were resting, and Lu Junyi was active with the scout troops in a farther place. They were ready to cut off a certain dog's head in the next fight.

In the same context, more than 100 miles south of the Yellow River, there is also another contingent of envoys with the mission of negotiation, which is approaching the camp of the Jurchen East Route Army on the bank of the river. This is a negotiation envoy sent from the small court of Lin'an, the head of the person is the small court of the Ministry of Rites Shangshu Huang Zhong, this is one of the left and right hands that Zuo Xiang Tieyan relies on the most, clear mind, eloquence, the purpose of his trip, is to impress Zongfu Zongbi, so that these two Jurchen princes in the current situation, let back a part of the Lin'an people who were captured by them and went north.

This is the inspiration that the Lin'an small court got after knowing Dai Mengwei's deeds: after the southwest fiasco, in order to maximize the balance of the Huaxia army, Xi Yin instead left a lot of benefits to Dai Mengwei, who was against the Huaxia army, and now the life of the Lin'an small court is not easy, in the foreseeable future, the Black Flag Army will become the most terrible force in the land of the original Wu Dynasty, so as one of the forces against the Black Flag, they also hope that the two princes of Zongfu and Zongbi can give them some support as much as possible before leaving.

When the Eastern Route Army left, hundreds of thousands of people in Jiangnan were taken away one after another, and in the current situation, if the other party could be convinced, at least 10,000 people, or even thousands, who originally belonged to Lin'an, would be able to release the 10,000 people, or even thousands, who participated in this lobbying would be famous, and Tie Yan and others' rule over Lin'an would be more solid.

That's how they think about it.

(End of chapter)