The torrential rain enveloped the rolling hills near Weisheng, and the internecine strife within the Tianji Palace reached a fever pitch. The soldiers' onslaught surged through the downpour, and the generals led their teams in a charge, with lines of offense and defense crisscrossing through blood and scattered corpses, creating a scene of unparalleled devastation. Search: (、End、Book、God、Station、) to read high-quality literature for free.

The sudden downpour reduced the power of the gunpowder originally intended to explode in the city, objectively prolonging the originally scheduled time of attack and defense. Due to Tiger King's personal leadership, his long-standing prestige shored up the fluctuating battle lines. With the fighting raging here, the chaos within the city intensified.

On one side of the Tianji Palace, in an area already occupied by the rebel army, the negotiations taking place were perhaps the key to determining the future of Tiger King's territory – although, in essence, these negotiations probably could no longer determine Tiger King's fate. The chaos in the city would eventually lead to a fixed outcome, and outside the city, General Yu Yulin's army was already closing in. While the surface appearance seemed to be merely a political coup and counterattack in the Jin King's territory, the internal situation was far more complex than it appeared.

"...Yang Shun, Fang Xiang, Su Ji, Shen An, Sheng Ben, Shi Xun, Sang Ying... Dou Zhao, Huang Da, Huang Xiaobing, Du Wei, Qian Linzhong, Hou Zhaolan..."

Accompanying the falling rain was the recitation of names in the room, and the impassive expressions of the three elderly men opposite. Lou Shuwan, dressed in black, simply stated them calmly, fluently, and simply. She didn't even have a paper in her hand, indicating that these things had already been gone over countless times in her mind.

"...With the support of these people, today's uprising is not limited to Weisheng. At this moment, a great fire has already ignited across Jin King's territory..."

"Jin King! Do you know that it was Jin King who took you in in the first place!"

"Lord Yuan, there's no point in saying such things. Where were you when I was locked up in prison?"

"So you colluded with the Huaxia Army!"

Lou Shuwan's gaze swept past Yuan Zhanxia across from her, and she ignored him.

"After this matter, the Huaxia Army will sell us two hundred iron heavy cannons, provide a list of Huaxia Army spies infiltrating our side, and once the handover is complete, they will withdraw back to the Southwest in batches."

Upon hearing this, the three people opposite were stunned for a moment. Elder Tang waited for a moment, and then said, "Two hundred heavy cannons? Withdraw the Huaxia Army personnel?"

Another person couldn't help but say, "Huaxia Army personnel... they have the final say... How can we trust them..."

Yuan Zhanxia shook his head, and smiled weakly and mockingly, "That's precisely why..."

"If you don't trust them, what can you do? The uprisings in various places this time are mostly led by Huaxia Army members. They are voluntarily withdrawing a large number of them. Are the three of you still not satisfied? If Tiger King hadn't lost his mind, could the three of you have gotten two hundred iron cannons, and cleared out a batch of their people for me?"

Lou Shuwan's expression was cold, "Furthermore, Wang Juyun and I agreed to launch an attack simultaneously from the north today, with a large army pressing the border. However, Wang Juyun is cunning and resourceful, and cannot be trusted lightly. I believe he already launched a large army to knock on the gates last night, taking advantage of our internal strife to attack the city and seize land. Those of you who have businesses in Gaizhou and other places are probably already in imminent danger..."

Hearing this, Tang Shun across from her suddenly slammed the table, and pointed at Lou Shuwan with a fierce look, "You..."

"Things that have fallen into the tiger's mouth cannot be taken back. However, if people are sent immediately, they might be able to persuade him to negotiate and withdraw his troops. After this matter, our side will sell Wang Juyun a total of 200,000 shi of grain, with the transaction divided into three times, completed within a year. The other party will pay money, gold, and iron, discounted to 80% of the market price..."

"You also colluded with Wang Juyun."

"Lord Yuan, I respect you as a hero, don't pretend to be confused. Things have come to this, there's no point in talking about collusion, it's the force of circumstances."

Thunder rumbled outside the hall. In this dim hall, on one side was a slender woman, and on the other were three elderly men with different expressions but equal dignity. They faced each other in silence for a moment, and not far away, the smiling, short, and fat merchant quietly watched everything.

The force of circumstances.

These simple four words carried an incomparably real weight.

Lou Shuwan pursed her lips, and took a breath, "You know what kind of person Tiger King is better than I do. He is suspicious of me, throws me into prison, throws a group of people into prison, he is afraid beyond reason!"

"Such things are not new to the Jin Dynasty court. If you want to kill people, people will want to save their lives. Tiger King may not necessarily kill me this time. Whether to rebel or not is not the only path for me. However, he wants to deal with the Black Flag, and the Black Flag will deal with him."

"If it were just the Black Flag, I wouldn't care about risking my life, but the Central Plains is more than just the Black Flag. What kind of person is Wang Juyun? With the Black Flag acting as an intermediary, how could he let go of this opportunity? Even if we don't count the group of farmers under my command, Tiger King will have to shed a layer of skin to face these two forces."

Lou Shuwan tapped her fingers on the table twice.

"Thirdly, over the years, you have clearly seen what Tiger King's direct relatives have been doing, going against the tide. What kind of stuff is the so-called number one in the Central Plains... Tiger King has great ambitions, always thinking that if he feigns compliance with the Jurchens now, he will have great plans in the future. Hmph, great plans, if he hadn't done that, we wouldn't have to want him dead today!"

Hearing this, Yuan Zhanxia frowned, "You, a mere woman, dare to speak so presumptuously about the ambitions of men! If you want to be a dog for the Jurchens, you don't have to say it so loudly!"

Lou Shuwan looked at him, "I don't know if I'll be a dog, but I know very well if I'll die! The Black Flag has resisted the Jin for three years, just because they have great ambitions!? There isn't a group of relatives among them who forcibly seize women, and rob, kill and burn! Having great ambitions but not knowing how to introspect is a dead end!"

"I can see this, Tian Shi can see this, Yu Yulin and a large group of people can all see this. Following Tiger King is death. Rebelling against Tiger King is still going against the Jurchens, at least there's a better chance of survival than following Tiger King!"

She opened a hand, "In the short term, three years, in the long term, five years, the Jurchens may dismiss Liu Yu and personally take control of the Central Plains. Kill Tian Hu, first with two hundred cannons, connect with the Huaxia Army, eliminate the causes of internal strife, and then join forces with Wang Juyun, to have room and time to maneuver. Or the three of you are loyal to Tiger King, and don't cooperate with me to eliminate internal strife. I'll kill the three of you, the Huaxia Army will make a big deal of it, the Jin King's territory will split and be in internal strife, and Wang Juyun will take all the credit..."

"The three of you, I am a woman, I just want to survive in this chaotic world. I can manage the household, but I can't fight. Even if I want to seize power, you men don't need to fear me. When the Jurchens come, I will kneel down immediately. The three of you can choose to fight or surrender. But whether you fight or surrender, if you want to save your lives, you have to impress the Jurchens... I have said everything, please the three elders consider."

Her words were spoken, and in the rustling sound of the rain, the hall was eerily silent.

In fact, the force of circumstances is stronger than people, stronger than anything. In this silence, Tang Shun smiled and looked at the short, fat merchant beside him – they had already seen this person, but since Lou Shuwan didn't say anything, they didn't ask. At this time, it became a way to resolve the awkwardness, "I wonder who this is..."

"Envoy of the Huaxia Army," Lou Shuwan said coldly.

"Dong Fangxian, the shopkeeper of Zhu Ji, greets the three elders." The short, fat merchant stepped forward with a smile.

"Great Shopkeeper, we have long admired your name."

Hearing this name, the three elders who had been extremely arrogant in front of Lou Shuwan respectfully cupped their hands in return. One of the highest-ranking shopkeepers in Zhu Ji, they had heard this name before. Since the Xiaocang River incident three years ago, regardless of which faction's members in the Central Plains, it would be difficult to be arrogant when they truly saw someone of this status in the Huaxia Army.

These people, once the direct descendants of the heart demon, were not simply described as terrifying.

"Great Shopkeeper," Yuan Zhanxia said, "The Black Flag has taken advantage of this situation."

"Lord Yuan is too kind," Dong Fangxian said with a smile. "These things are ultimately for the sake of everyone. Jin King is ambitious but incompetent, and will stop here. Everyone is different. As long as you set things right, you still have a great future. Our Zhu Ji is selling cannons and withdrawing manpower. To tell you the truth, Lord Yuan, the Huaxia Army is purely losing money and gaining a reputation this time."

"Oh? You turned our side into this, and the Huaxia Army has lost money?"

"Lord Yuan misunderstands. As long as you don't treat Zhu Ji as an enemy, you will find that the Huaxia Army is only earning a reputation in this transaction." Dong Fangxian smiled, then restrained his smile a lot, and said seriously:

"When heading north this time, the Boss Lady asked me to pass on some words to everyone. The world is in turmoil, and the Huaxia Army's greatest enemy is only the Jurchens. Back then in Xiaocang River, everyone was forced by the Jurchens, and we were in opposition, but it was also unavoidable. Now that the Huaxia Army has gone to the Southwest, it will not go north again in the short term, and there is no conflict of interest with everyone. We are all Chinese compatriots, and our interests are the same."

"The Jurchens' taking of the Central Plains and establishing the puppet Qi is ultimately a delaying tactic, an expedient measure. Once the country is settled and there is surplus strength to swallow the south, they will not let go of this prosperous place. Everyone may feign compliance under the puppet Qi, but if the Central Plains is firmly in the hands of the Jurchens, everyone's relatives, family, and friends may no longer have peace. Therefore, today is the day your side and the Jurchens will inevitably have a conflict, and the Huaxia Army is even further behind it."

"Helping everyone to become stronger is to win time and space for our side. Our side is in the difficult land of the south, and things are inconvenient. Establishing a good relationship with everyone will allow our side to obtain what we need from each other and become stronger together. We are all Chinese people. At this time of national collapse and the danger of people being killed, we need to work together to resist the Jurchens. This time, to remove Tian Hu for everyone, we hope that everyone can eliminate internal troubles, set things right, and hope that our two sides can abandon past grievances and have the first good cooperation, which will lay the foundation for the next cooperation. The living space for Han people is too small. It's better to be friends than enemies."

Dong Fangxian finished saying these words seriously. The three old men were silent for a moment, and Tang Shun said, "Even so, the reputation you Huaxia Army are earning is quite big..."

"Compared to resisting the Jin, it's not that big after all."

It's just killing another emperor, it's really not that big... However, hearing Dong Fangxian's statement, the three people felt unable to refute it. Yuan Zhanxia said in a deep voice, "Is the Huaxia Army really sincere?"

Dong Fangxian said solemnly, "Lord Yuan understands, the Huaxia Army is now a thorn in the Jurchens' side, a thorn in their flesh. Even if we are not afraid of the Jurchens, we can only choose to live in the south for the time being. The three years of resisting the Jin, the sacrifice of tens of thousands of people, the Huaxia Army's reputation in the Central Plains was not easy to accumulate. Have you ever seen someone who would arbitrarily waste such a reputation? Killing Tian Hu is because Tian Hu wants to move our side. We also want to tell everyone that the Huaxia Army cannot be easily insulted. Since we have a reputation, we want to open up trade routes and engage in trade, so that we can exchange what we have and benefit each other. Lord Yuan, our first business is for the world to see. Have you ever seen someone who would smash their own brand? Smashing our reputation, disgusting you, our side will no longer have the opportunity to exchange what we have with the Central Plains. Everyone is afraid of the Huaxia Army, what good will it do?"

"However... during those three years, our side ultimately helped the Jurchens and killed many of your people..."

"Hey! Look at what Lord Yuan is saying." Dong Fangxian laughed and waved his hand, "Only children argue about right and wrong, adults only talk about gains and losses!"

This sentence was said generously, deafening.

"As long as there is an opportunity for cooperation in the future, to join hands and resist the Jurchens together, the previous misunderstandings can all be erased! To resolve misunderstandings, someone must take the first step. Everyone, the Huaxia Army has taken the first step."

"Alas." Someone sighed in the hall at some point, and silence continued for a moment afterward.

"...Actually, Tiger King insisted on surrendering to the Jin... I advised him against it, but in the end... the situation is stronger than people..."

This voice and words did not seem to have much meaning. In the heavy rain, it gradually disappeared.

In the heavy rain, soldiers surged.

The huge battering ram crashed into the city gate.

The long knife flew over heads.

Countless footsteps, generals leading the team to kill through the crowd.

The slaughter on the city wall, people falling over the high, high bluestone walls.

The king who was once a hunter ran in a roar.

Countless, countless raindrops.

A city of slaughter.

A collapsing city.

A frantic city...

Such chaos continued to spread in similar but different forms, almost covering the entire Jin King's territory.

In Ze Prefecture, someone was running away, his hair disheveled, half of his body stained with blood, rushing through the huge, chaotic city.

"Tiger King has been beheaded—"

"Tian Zeyun is plotting rebellion—"

"All good people are not allowed to go to the streets, violators will be killed without mercy—Everyone listen carefully, all good people are not allowed to go to the streets, violators will be killed without mercy. As long as you are at home, you can be safe—"

"Hungry ghosts! Hungry ghosts have entered the city—"

Countless chaotic shouts, flames soaring into the sky, smoke and dust rising straight into the clouds.

Lin Zongwu, with a gloomy face, had already left the temple with Tan Zheng and others, bringing a large number of Green Forest people, and was arranging things around them.

Then, Lin Zongwu saw Wang Nantuo running over. He had obviously fought a great battle with someone, and was injured: "Black Flag, Sun Qi..."

Lin Zongwu had vaguely realized something.

"Sun Qi is dead."

Wang Nantuo finished saying this, but did not stop.

"The army, the army is coming..."

Lin Zongwu gritted his teeth, his eyes fierce to the extreme. At this moment, he also remembered the figure he had seen not long ago.

Turning his head, Tan Zheng was still carefully arranging manpower, constantly issuing orders, arranging defenses, or going to the prison to rescue righteous people.

The iron hooves of the army trampled on the long street, rushing forward: "By order of General Yan, to kill the rebellious Manichaeans, all Green Forest bandits who gather here and carry weapons, who refuse to surrender, will be killed without mercy—"

This was just a small, small vortex in the chaotic city. At this moment, the Green Forest heroes who had not done anything were swept into it. The city full of opportunities had become a killing field of death.

A sea of ​​fireworks spread out in the night city...

Support (Complete Book God Station) share this site with those little friends who need it! If you can't find a book, please leave a message!