"…The Xiaocang River emerges from the valley, with a dam built at the valley entrance at the beginning of the year, standing over two *zhang* tall. S.e.a.r.c.h: (Complete Book Website) to read high-quality literature for free. The southeast face, directly opposite the valley entrance, was originally the easiest for people to traverse. If a large army were to attack, it would inevitably come from this direction. After the dam was built, the people in the valley became fearless… As for the other sides of the valley, the roads are rugged and difficult to navigate… It’s not entirely impossible to enter or exit, but only seasoned hunters can bypass and climb up. At key points, watchtowers have been erected, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, often there are 'hot air balloons' tethered to the watchtowers for surveillance…"

"…The army within the valley underwent a reorganization after entering the mountains, last October. They established a black flag with a *Chen* star as their military banner. According to that traitor, the black background symbolizes steadfastness, decisiveness, and immovability, while the *Chen* star signifies that a single spark can start a prairie fire… After the reorganization, the Wu Rui Camp was organized into squads of about ten, platoons of about thirty, companies above the platoons of about a hundred, and battalions above the companies of about three to five hundred. Three battalions plus a special operations battalion form a regiment. Currently, the rebel army is composed of five regiments, also referred to as the Black Flag Army or the Chinese Army…"

"…The rebel army trains every three days, but the rest of the time they are occupied with various tasks. The rules are strict, and every sixth day they have a day of rest. However, since the fall of Bianliang, the rebel army's morale has been high, and half of the soldiers are unwilling to take their rest days… That traitor has established many courses in the army. I infiltrated the valley disguised as a winter refugee, so I was not eligible to attend the classes, but I heard from the rebels in the valley that much of what is said is rebellious…"

In the dimly lit cave, a man dressed as a mountain dweller, his clothes tattered, stood respectfully, detailing the information he had gathered in a clear and organized manner. Li Pin sat in front, occasionally coughing, meticulously recording what the man said. Near the entrance, where sunlight streamed in, sat Tie Tianying, his Giant Que sword laid across his lap, his eyes closed in rest. However, when Li Pin occasionally asked about trivial matters, it was evident that Tie Tianying’s mood was not good.

"The traitor did not suppress the talk of grain shortages in the valley?"

"Why has there been no mutiny?"

"How many refugees entered the mountains in winter?"

"How did they screen them?"

Li Pin's questions were minute and numerous, often asking for more details after receiving an answer: "Why do you think so?" "What signs lead you to think that way?" The mole that Tie Tianying sent into the valley was originally an elite among the constables, with clear and logical thinking, but even he could not withstand such questioning. Sometimes he hesitated, and Li Pin even pointed out some discrepancies.

But most of the questions were consistent with the information that Tie Tianying had already provided to Li Pin.

Since winter, the defenses of the Xiaocang River have become much tighter. Ni Yi's experts have thoroughly surveyed the terrain around the river valley. Most of the time, Tie Tianying's constables dared not approach, fearing to alert the enemy. He infiltrated the Xiaocang River with more than one mole during the winter, but calling them out without necessity, just to ask about some trivial details, was almost like nitpicking to him.

There were a lot of things happening in the Xiaocang River valley, but also not a lot. The mole was interrogated back and forth for most of the day by Li Pin, who coughed incessantly. Many of the questions were repetitive. After the interrogation, Li Pin said a few kind words and added, "If there's anything else you've missed, we'll need this brother's help these next couple of days." Tie Tianying rose, letting the man leave. He walked closer to examine Li Pin's notes and the map he had drawn of the Xiaocang River.

"Is Mr. Li finished?"

"Cough, there might be something I haven't thought of." Li Pin frowned, looking at the notes.

"Then Mr. Li, please enlighten me. Are there any discrepancies between what I have recorded and what you have?"

"…Not many."

"Then there are some! Come, I really want to go over this with Mr. Li today, to see which of these pieces of information I got wrong, so that Master Li can record my negligence!"

Li Pin, who had been looking at the information, finally looked up at him, then covered his mouth and coughed with difficulty. He said, "I only seek to be foolproof. Captain Tie has misunderstood."

"Foolproof? Master Li, do you know how much effort it took me to plant my eyes in the Xiaocang River! You called him out like this, asking about trivial things, at the wrong time! You're really showing your official authority!"

Li Pin was silent for a moment, his gaze becoming serious: "Forgive my frankness, Master Tie, your information is indeed too careless. It is correct in the broad strokes, but the wording is sloppy, and much of it is just guesswork… Cough cough cough…"

"I have been in the Ministry of Justice for many years. I know better than you, Master Li, what information is useful!"

"Cough cough… But are you his opponent?!" Li Pin grabbed a stack of papers and threw them on the ground in front of Tie Tianying. Such an action from a sickly scholar startled Tie Tianying.

"Cough cough… I haven't had many opportunities to work with Ni Yi, but I do know something about his conduct in the Prime Minister's mansion. Zhu Ji and the Secret Intelligence Division are under his control. The requirements for information are very clear and precise. If numbers can be used, they are never treated vaguely! It has reached the point of hair-splitting! Cough… His methods are fantastical, but most of them are built on this hair-splitting! We have repeatedly deduced the situation of his regicide in the Golden Hall. He had at least several backup plans. The most obvious one was that his preferred strategy was to have Lu Hongti of the Qingmu Stronghold make an appearance before the Emperor. If the late Emperor had not summoned him in advance, cough cough cough…"

He rambled on, talking about these things, then bent down to pick up the stack of intelligence: "Now that the North is lost, we are already at a disadvantage here, and the government can hardly help. If we are sloppy again, we will only be courting death. I know that Master Tie has his own way of handling cases, but if that way doesn't work, perhaps the opportunity lies in these trivial matters…"

Tie Tianying was silent for a moment. He couldn't outargue a scholar, but he wouldn't be fooled by the other party's words. He sneered, "Hmph, has Master Li seen anything that's not working for me?"

"There are many doubts, and I can't figure out the logic." Li Pin said softly, "The Xiaocang River is the biggest doubt. Why did he choose this place as his base? On the surface, it can be said to echo the Qingmu Stronghold, but in reality, both sides are mountainous, and the roads are not smooth. He initially started an uprising with seven thousand soldiers from the Wu Rui Camp, defeating tens of thousands of troops twice in a row. If he really wanted to grow bigger, he would have chosen a city in the Northwest to defend. He would have both land and people. With the combat power of these people, even if the Xixia army attacked, they could defend the city and have a chance to fight. It would be far better than being trapped in the mountains now…"

Tie Tianying retorted: "But in that case, the imperial army and the Western army would take turns attacking. He defied the world and had few allies. How long could he last?"

"He might not be able to hold on. To take a step back, if he really can't hold on, he can naturally enter the mountains again. With the supplies from the city, it would be better than the current situation." Li Pin tapped the information in his hand. "And it seems that he doesn't see the current situation as a predicament at all. When winter comes, he takes in refugees, which costs grain. Secondly, doesn't he know that the imperial court will send people to watch him now? He's not even afraid of spies, and he directly drove away the Xixia envoys. He's not afraid of offending the Xixia King. What kind of person is this…"

"He is not afraid of spies." Tie Tianying repeated, "That may mean that some of the information we know now is false information that he deliberately leaked. Perhaps he is pretending to be calm, or perhaps he has secretly been in contact with the Xixia people… No, if he wanted to pretend to be calm, he should have chosen a city outside the mountains to defend from the beginning. It's more likely that he's secretly been in contact with the Xixia people. Such a person, without a king or father, doing such a thing as being a traitor, is not surprising."

"If he has really surrendered to Xixia, then everything we do here is useless. But I don't think it's possible…" Li Pin looked at Tie Tianying. "But in the meantime, why doesn't he prohibit people in the valley from discussing the issue of grain storage? Why does he always make people discuss politics inside and outside the valley? It should be known that the more people think, the harder they are to control. He's so confident. Is he really not afraid of mutiny in the valley? Becoming a rebel, seeking a dead end, rejecting Xixia, and taking in refugees in winter… These things… Cough…"

The two were originally arguing, but Li Pin was indeed not messing around. Many of the things he said were also doubts in Tie Tianying's heart. When they were pointed out at this time, he felt more and more that the valley called Xiaocang River was full of contradictions.

"Ha, all these things together can only show that Ni Liheng has long been crazy!"

"It would be better if he were really crazy." Li Pin breathed a sigh of relief. "But this person plans before he acts and can never be measured by common sense. Hey, he assassinated the emperor in court! He said that it was hard to calm his anger. If he really intended to rebel, he would have left the capital first and slowly arranged things. Now that the Jurchens are disturbing the world, when doesn't he have a chance? But he did it anyway… You say he's crazy, but he is clearer than you and I about the situation. In the messages he released, within a year, all of the land north of the Yellow River will belong to the Jurchens. It seems that within three years, it is not impossible for the Wu Dynasty to lose the Yangtze River line…"

"…I can't figure out what he wants to do."

Muttering softly, Li Pin sat down on the stone behind him. Tie Tianying frowned and looked to the side. After a moment, he spoke, "I can't figure it out either, but one thing is very clear."

"If he has really taken refuge with Xixia, he now has a backer, and no one in the entire Northwest can do anything to him." Tie Tianying said, "But if he hasn't, the grain shortage in his valley can't be faked. Before the grain runs out, he will definitely take action! No matter what action he takes, that is our best opportunity!"

After saying this, he waved his hand abruptly, took two steps and stopped again. He turned back and stared at Li Pin: "I'm just worried that even this opportunity is in his calculations. Master Li, you are familiar with him, and your brain is good. You should figure out what the dangers are!"

"Cough cough… Cough cough…"

Tie Tianying left the cave, and Li Pin sat there, coughing a few times. He took the information in his hand, opened it and looked at it again, his eyes confused, his brow slightly furrowed. Then he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes for a long time.

"What… do you want to do…"

His voice was hoarse. Outside the cave, sunlight poured in. Tie Tianying walked up the hillside, looked in the direction of the Xiaocang River, and then looked back to the southeast for a long time.

When he first took on the task of coming here, he had a strong desire to prove himself. By the time he actually arrived, that desire had diminished. Human power is sometimes limited. He is not the opponent of this madman who wants to be the enemy of the world. Now, he knows that the reasons why everyone is staying here are slowly disappearing. In the news brought by Li Pin, he knows that in the southeast, dignitaries are leaving Bianliang. This is the decline of an era, and the people who once led are losing their color.

Tong Guan, the most successful king of a different surname with military exploits in decades, died on the day Ni Yi rebelled, and the emperor also died on the same day. More than a month ago, Tang Ke, the left minister who was in charge of the court, after meeting all the requirements of the Jurchens and emptying Bianliang, hanged himself in his home, but before he died, he did not take any action. The old man, who had always been the leader of the pro-peace faction, confiscated Cai Jing's home as soon as he took office. Cai Jing, who had once had party members all over the world and manipulated the court for decades, was starved to death during his exile.

…Eighty-one years of past events, three thousand miles away from home, flesh and blood are separated, looking at the Divine Land with tears. Five times worshiping as Prime Minister in the Golden Hall, ten times announcing decrees in the Jade Hall, reminiscing about the past, it turned into a dream…

This is Cai Jing's last poem. It is said that he was resented by the people of the world because he did many evils, and he could not buy anything with gold and silver during his exile, but in reality, how could such a thing happen? The fact that this eighty-one-year-old powerful minister was starved to death may also prove that, at this point, the remaining powerful figures may not have had any complaints about him.

But what's the use?

All the imperial family in Bianliang City were taken away and are now being driven back to the Jurchen territory like pigs and dogs. The officials are moving south, and they are really going to give up this piece of land in the north. If the Yangtze River becomes the boundary in the future, half of this world is collapsing on his head at this moment.

He looked back at the Xiaocang River, thinking: This madman!

************

In May, the world is collapsing.

After the Jurchens left, a large number of officials in Bianliang City began to move south.

The emperor is no longer there, and the royal family has been swept away. The one who will succeed next must be the clan in the south. Although the situation is not yet stable, there are also officials in the south: This credit for supporting the new emperor, is it going to be given to those idle people in the south?

Tong Guan, Cai Jing, and Qin Siyuan are all dead now. The other treacherous ministers who were once called the "Seven Tigers" by the people in the capital have been dismissed and demoted. The court has finally returned to the hands of many righteous people. Qin Hui and others began to cross the Yellow River in a mighty manner, preparing to support the new emperor. Zhang Bangchang, who reluctantly accepted the throne of the Great Chu, also promoted the transfer of various materials to the south in this May, and then prepared to go to the south to plead guilty. From Yanmen Pass to the Yellow River, and from the Yellow River to the Yangtze River, there are many questions about whether people should go or stay. For a time, an even greater chaos is brewing.

In the south, a dignified and festive atmosphere is gathering. In Jiangning, where Ni Yi once lived, Prince Kang Zhou Yong, under the promotion of Princess Chengguo, Kang Xian, and others, will soon become the new Wu Dynasty emperor. Some people have already seen this clue. In the city and in the palace, Princess Zhou Pei knelt in the hall, watching the kind old grandmother hand her the ring that symbolized Princess Chengguo's mansion, thinking of those members of the Zhou family who had been driven to the north by the barbarians, their lives and deaths unknown. They all have tears.

The young prince sat on the high stone pier, looking towards the north, the sunset casting magnificent colors. He also sighed.

"…For forty years, the family and the country, three thousand miles of mountains and rivers. Phoenix pavilions and dragon buildings connect with the sky, jade trees and coral branches are made of smoke and mist, how many times have you known war?"

This "Breaking the Formation Tune" is Li Houzhu's elegy for the subjugation of his kingdom. He looked at the flowing clouds in the sky and recited half of it in a low voice, then sighed.

"Master…"

He jumped down from the stone pier and stood there, looking at the sunset for a long time, until the evening wind blew over, stroking his clothes, he waved his hand.

"I will promote the study of things, and I will help the Zhou family protect the Wu Dynasty. Watch me."

He spoke softly and made such a decision.

He should become the Crown Prince.

——So he can build bigger workshops!

The summer sun was blazing, as if unaware of the cataclysm outside. In Xiaocang River, the days passed by, one by one.

By the end of May, many messages had already been leaked out. The Xixia people blocked the southwest passage, and the Jurchens also began to rectify the rich households in the Lyuliang area for smuggling. Qingmu Stronghold, the last few trade routes, were being cut off. Soon after, Li Pin, Tie Tianying, and others also learned of this news.

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