Ping, ping, ping!

The clash of blades echoed intensely across the training ground, occasionally sparking brief showers of light. In the still-chilly spring air, two figures in light clothing sparred fiercely, their battle a spectacle.

Liang Si'yi and a group of soldiers watched with rapt attention. Cheers erupted from the soldiers at times, but her gaze remained fixed, her hands clenched on her knees, a hint of anxiety etched on her face.

The duel only ended when a long saber snapped. As the two combatants broke apart, the tension finally eased from her face. A hearty laugh then filled the air.

"Haha! Satisfying! Utterly satisfying!"

Engaged in the near-full-strength combat with You Hongzhuo was the burly "Little Ming King," Chen Fangda.

Since their first duel a few days prior, when they discovered their evenly matched skills, these contests had become frequent. In the days since, Chen Fangda would seek out You Hongzhuo whenever he finished his duties, often greeting Liang Si'yi, who was busy preparing for her wedding, with a casual, "Sister, borrowing your man for a bit!"

Liang Si'yi, a veteran soldier, had grown weary of the endless bridal preparations. At Chen Fangda's call, she'd often sneak away, leaving the rebel army's sisters and aunts to fuss over the new home being prepared for her and You Hongzhuo.

However, these real-steel duels on the training ground carried inherent dangers. You Hongzhuo and Chen Fangda were closely matched in skill, and their passionate battles risked cuts, scrapes, or even more serious injuries. Though Liang Si'yi had seen battlefield carnage, she couldn't help but feel anxious, often complaining about their ferocity. You Hongzhuo would retort, "Sparring with Third Brother is just too hard on my weapons."

Chen Fangda would then roar with laughter, "That's battlefield skill for you! It's all about the single cut or thrust that decides victory... You wouldn't know it, but I used to be quite refined with my swordsmanship. But now, the refined stuff just doesn't cut it…"

He loved martial arts. Over the past decade, his refined techniques had been completely replaced by the sweeping, powerful moves of the battlefield. When the rebel army lacked resources, he had restrained himself, but now, with better living conditions and a full belly, he needed to unleash his pent-up energy in these duels.

Now that their match was over, both men were flushed with heat. They joined Liang Si'yi in the quarters beside the training ground to rest, sharing their martial arts insights. Chen Fangda often recounted tales of his own martial arts journey.

Stories of his early brilliance and natural talent for martial arts, marred by childhood poverty and inadequate nutrition that stunted his growth. He'd mention how, nearing thirty, the Jurchen invasion had moved him, inspiring him to join Wang Juyun's rebel army and abandon the wandering swordsman's path, which was why he could only fight You Hongzhuo to a draw. It was a tale of being forced into prostitution, of sorts. However, given his boisterous nature, You Hongzhuo found it amusing.

During their chats, Chen Fangda would also bring up the major happenings in the city, including the rebel army's planned westward advance. He would be leading this expedition, while the chief steward, An Xifu, would handle the logistics. The plans were mostly finalized. You Hongzhuo and Liang Si'yi's wedding was set for the end of February, a few days away. In early March, the vanguard would officially depart for the northwest.

"This time, for the northwest campaign, Madame Xiang's side will be led by General Shi Anzhen from Shi An Town. Besides us, the Huaxia Army will also send a team. You know, the guy Fang Monkey, who met Zou Xu at the teahouse a few days ago. They won't have many men, but the Black Flag's reputation will be useful during negotiations and surrenders…"

"Is it dangerous?" You Hongzhuo asked.

"...It shouldn't be too dangerous this time," Chen Fangda replied after a moment's thought. "Although that Mr. Ning sent a letter last month, reminding us to be wary of the Xixia steppe people, that's precisely why we're going to the northwest in the first place, to deal with those guys. We've made all the necessary preparations. As for the situation in the northwest, Madame Xiang has been sending people to scout things out since last year. We've got a clear understanding of their grudges and rivalries…"

"...It was probably around the eighth or ninth month of the eleventh year of Jian Shuo of the Wu Dynasty, the last year of Jian Shuo's reign. When the Jurchen Eastern Route Army was about to breach Lin'an, we here had finally taken a breather after Nianhan stepped down and were engaged in a fierce battle with Liao Yiren. Over in the northwest prefectures, a former Wu Dynasty official named Chen Shiqun, after his family was killed by the Jurchens, colluded with the steppe people, who had already conquered Xixia for several years. They took the last few cities in the northwest and killed the entire Zhe family…"

"...These barbarians from the steppes, they were the same ones hired by the Liao family to fight us at the end of that year. They had blood debts to pay... In the spring of the following year, they tricked their way into Qi County, which was defended by General Li Guotang at the time, and massacred many people. Later, these barbarians relied on their light cavalry to come and go like the wind. They only destroyed crops and didn't engage in battles in Jin, which gave us a bit of a headache. We only felt that Liao Yiren had gone completely mad... Before we could retaliate, they killed Liao Yiren's entire family and left with a flourish…"

"...Although they caused us some trouble back then, their light cavalry raids, indiscriminately slaughtering friend and foe, were the tactics of bandits and desperadoes. And speaking of it, if we put aside the blood debt in Qi County, it actually shortened that battle in Jin somewhat, so we didn't pay much attention to them afterward... Of course, Madame Xiang remembered this. Later, when some steppe merchants from Xixia wanted to discuss cooperation with us, Madame Xiang rejected them…"

"...Last year, we sent people to scout the northwest and discovered that although the steppe people handed over some of the original Zhe family's towns to Chen Shiqun after taking the prefectures, he failed to secure Zhe's position. Only two months after the steppe people left, his own men mutinied, killed Chen Shiqun, and started fighting…"

"...The northwest has been through several rounds of Jurchen massacres, and the only place the Zhe family managed to hold onto was massacred by the steppe people, and their resources were looted. After another year of fighting, only some bandits and small, self-defending forces remained. These forces are very weak and can't withstand an army sweeping through. We're willing to take over, and with the Huaxia Army's Black Flag as a guarantee, these starving guys shouldn't refuse…"

For this northwest campaign, both Jin and the rebel army's internal circles had certainly discussed it countless times, and Chen Fangda spoke with confidence. You Hongzhuo thought for a moment and said, "If there's anything I can do to help…"

Chen Fangda laughed. "There is! Before we set off, keep sparring with your brother for a few more rounds. Alas, brother-in-law, you wouldn't know it, but I wanted to become a great hero like Zhou Tong back in the day. I've been bogged down with mundane affairs these past few years, and I haven't been living the life I wanted. You know, battlefield combat is straightforward, it can't develop fancy moves, it can't produce true masters. These years... only when I fight with Father and Grandmaster Shi do I get a taste of the martial world…"

"...But Father is getting old after all, and Grandmaster Shi is guarding Madame Xiang, his task is heavy. After all, our friendship isn't deep enough to keep dragging him to train with me. You're different, brother-in-law. Our martial arts are evenly matched, and we've been fighting the longest. Sparring with you is the most satisfying. I feel like I've improved again these past few days. So, learning martial arts requires a nemesis. We'll be nemeses from now on…"

Chen Fangda rambled on about martial arts, spewing nonsense. You Hongzhuo couldn't help but smile.

"There's no need to be nemeses…" he said. "However, I've seen the Huaxia Army's training methods in the southwest. I've learned some skills. I've mentioned them to my father-in-law before…"

You Hongzhuo had learned many special training techniques from the southwest. He mentioned them to Wang Juyun, who said he hoped he could occasionally join the army as an instructor. However, with his wedding to Liang Si'yi imminent, this matter wasn't arranged in a hurry. Considering that Chen Fangda was about to set off on an expedition, You Hongzhuo roughly described the situation in the southwest. Chen Fangda listened carefully. After a while, You Hongzhuo stopped, and he smiled slightly and waved his hand.

"...Actually, that General Xue Guangcheng, who came with the technical team from the southwest, has also told us about some of the training methods in the southwest. Madame Xiang has also discussed them with him in the past. We've taken over some of the Huaxia Army's firearms and learned a lot, but later we realized that we can't use their best stuff yet…"

"Why is that?"

Chen Fangda sighed. "The Huaxia Army's greatest strength isn't in training one or two soldiers or elite scouts, but in the fact that Mr. Ning used various methods to enlighten most of the soldiers… I'm talking about teaching them to read, teaching them military strategy, even teaching them the principles of being a person, so they don't even have to fight for money, they can fight even when they're hungry. We can't use many of these things for now, either us or Madame Xiang…"

Unlike his passionate and rough manner when talking about martial arts, Chen Fangda was serious when talking about military matters, ticking off points on his fingers.

"...Father and I have discussed this several times, about what the Huaxia Army's methods are… First, we also have the technology to make paper, but then he used ideas like everyone is equal, remembering bitterness and thinking about sweetness, and third, he fans the soldiers' hatred for the Jurchens… We can barely use the second point, and we can use the third point even more, but when you really want to use them, you find that there are very few people in our army who can say these things."

"Right now… we're a bunch of sworn brothers, we're one family, but Xiao You, how many people do you think can say nice things? The most righteous thing they can do is not drink the soldiers' blood. The promises they can make are just big chunks of meat and big bowls of wine. Now that the situation is a little looser, the ranks between soldiers and generals have come out. Most of our generals are able to lead the charge on the battlefield. There are really too few who can speak well…"

"...Mr. Ning spent more than ten years on this, from Zhuji to Little Cang River, he personally taught people batch by batch, and each batch went on to lead the next batch. In the end, almost all the common soldiers were taught to read some characters, and then he picked out these talents from among them…"

Chen Fangda said, lowering his voice, "Madame Xiang was the first to understand this. She wanted to do it, but she didn't have enough time or ideas. Mr. Ning spent more than ten years, abandoning Confucianism, and teaching a group of people from scratch. They had to kill the emperor to abandon the Confucian classics and use their own ideas. What do we use here? We call out all the literate Confucians, and they also teach the Confucian classics, they teach about heaven, earth, sovereign, parents, and teachers…"

"...Moreover, there have been many great clans in Jin all these years. Even if Madame Xiang is in power, she still has to unite these great clans, so she can't mention that everyone is equal. If you can't mention that everyone is equal, then why should the poor soldiers go to think about the nation and the world for the great clans behind them? How many people can you get to leave the ranks and still fight bravely after being enlightened…"

"...So these things are not easy to do, but of course it's not that we're not doing them. Since last year, Madame Xiang has arranged for many people to follow the Huaxia Army's teachers to study, and some of the children of the great clans have been sent to the southwest, and some are studying and working in the classes we opened ourselves. Some of the officers in the army who can speak well and have good hearts have also been promoted and cared for… In short, these things are moving forward step by step…"

Chen Fangda's words showed his dedication and professionalism as a general. You Hongzhuo listened respectfully and cupped his fist in salute. "Third Brother is right." He had originally thought that the other party had a rough and bold nature, but now he was sincerely convinced.

Chen Fangda smiled and waved his hand. "Hahahaha, those were all said by Madame Xiang and Father. If I had my way, I wouldn't bother with these troubles at all."

After a moment's pause, he added, "But don't worry too much. There's never been anyone in the world who trains soldiers like Mr. Ning. As long as we don't compare ourselves to the Southwest Black Flag, whether it's Tiger Wang's army or our rebel army, we're not bad. We'll just have to see how things go in the northwest. After we get through this, our rebel army's territory will really be wide, and we'll still have to learn the methods of the southwest in detail."

In addition to sparring, Chen Fangda occasionally talked about these trivial matters. After drying off his sweat, he went to the camp's bathroom to shower. Afterward, he changed into dry clothes. It was often afternoon, and You Hongzhuo and Liang Si'yi would stroll around Weisheng City.

The cities of Jin, which had experienced many years of war, seemed to be full of vitality in the current series of open discussions. Merchants from the south and north began to gather, and the faces of the people in the streets and alleys were mostly filled with joy. The couple, who were about to get married, talked about the past and the future. The prosperity of Weisheng was certainly not as good as that of the southwest, and perhaps not even as good as the traces of the past that were vaguely revealed in some cities in Jiangnan, but the people here were like weeds, tenacious and rough. Their emotions also seemed more pure. Both of them, who had traveled all over the north and south, preferred the feeling here.

They walked and stopped in the streets and alleys that they were not familiar with in the past, bought some novel and interesting food, chatted, sparred, or went on outings in the warming spring. When they walked to a deserted place, they would always hold hands. Whether it was about the present or the future, their hearts were filled with happiness.

Chen Fangda came to You Hongzhuo for several more sparring sessions. Some of the outgoing brothers in the rebel army would also drag him to participate in gatherings. Wang Juyun occasionally gave him some pointers on his martial arts. After a few days, at the end of February, he and Liang Si'yi got married.

The crowd held a lively and grand wedding. Not only the people in the rebel army, but even Madame Xiang, Shi Jin, many members of the Huaxia Army, and many Jianghu heroes came to attend the ceremony.

Due to the large number of people who came to join in the fun, many people cheered for the wedding night pranks. Seeing that You Hongzhuo didn't have many helpers, the people in the rebel army, led by Chen Fangda, took on the identity of his family and stopped others from cheering and teasing the newlyweds. A group of people made a lot of noise and laughed in the courtyard of the bridal chamber for a long time.

Many years ago, the teenager who had his family destroyed in a mountain village and fought all the way out never thought that one day, so many people would come to congratulate his wedding so happily.

The rebel army's departure to the northwest was set on the second day of March of this year.

The newlyweds You Hongzhuo and Liang Si'yi waved goodbye to Chen Fangda, who led the army on the expedition, and many rebel army brothers. When the army passed through the city gate and left, they and a large group of people watched them go from the city wall.

The burly Chen Fangda carried the Peacock Ming King Double Swords on his back and rode his horse gradually into the distance. He finally clenched his fist with one hand and gestured to the people behind him, appearing mighty and spirited.

Wang Juyun, with his white hair, stood solemnly in front and didn't say too much. Generals die in hundreds of battles, and brave men return after ten years. No matter how small the war is, people will always die in the middle. The rebel army in the past experienced too much sadness of the departure of relatives year after year. Even if they were fully prepared now, those who truly understood the war would not cheer for such an expedition.

As the army gradually went away, You Hongzhuo asked Wang Juyun again, "Father-in-law, is there anything… I can do…"

Wang Juyun looked at him with calm and kind eyes, and after a moment of silence, he said,

"Xiao You, tell me, is Jin already peaceful? Can we rest easy from now on?"

"…Huh?" You Hongzhuo shook his head. "Of course not."

"Yes… It has been sixteen years since the Jurchens first invaded south. In these sixteen years, the only time we won against the Jurchens was in the southwest. Now, the new emperor of the Jin Dynasty is fighting with the old ministers, and the Huaxia Army in the southwest has brought various ideas and hope. It seems like all things are competing for spring, but in reality, Xiao You, everything is just a reflection in the mirror. The prosperity of Jin that we see today will sooner or later be tested in the next round of war with the Jurchens. We will have ten or a hundred more wars next. These things may all be burned sooner or later."

The old man's kind eyes looked at You Hongzhuo, but what he said was extremely fierce. Then, he reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

"So, what should we do… Xiao You, don't worry about them. We have to live in this world. Everyone has their own tests. Their difficulties are for them to overcome, and you will have your own difficulties here. Chen Fangda must have told you that when he was young, he wanted to be a wandering knight, he wanted to be Zhou Tong, but… he was delayed by various things, and barely became a person who led troops. What he said is true. If the rebel army didn't really lack people back then, he really had hope of making progress…"

You Hongzhuo thought for a moment, "But now… there is no shortage of wandering knights, perhaps…"

"You're wrong, Xiao You… There must be all kinds of people in this world. There must be leaders like Mr. Ning and Madame Xiang, there must be subordinate officials, there must be generals like Yu Yulin and Chen Fangda, there must be craftsmen who study science in the Huaxia Army, there must be teachers who enlighten, and there must also be great heroes like Shi Jin and Zhou Tong…"

Wang Juyun put his arm around You Hongzhuo's shoulder and walked slowly on the city wall, "When this world… comes to winter, when foreign enemies invade, many people like Chen Fangda have no choice. Even women like Si'yi have to go into battle and kill enemies. But when the situation is still relatively good, everyone should find what they are most capable of doing. Because you and Chen Fangda are like-minded and want to help him in the army, you will probably just become a third-rate general in the end, or a scout captain in a few decades. But if you continue to improve in martial arts, one day in the future, you may become a great grandmaster like Zhou Tong. At that time, if you lead a team of scouts again and cooperate with good generals, you may be able to do something amazing…"

The old man paused, then sighed slightly, "Actually, I can't be considered a good leader either. This set of Manichaeism, plus widely adopting adopted sons and daughters, was a measure of expediency back then. In fact, it will plant a hidden danger in the future, limiting the achievements of the rebel army. But Xiao You, there's no way…"

"You look at the many flowers and trees in the world, they always bloom in spring, grow vigorously in summer, leave behind offspring in autumn, and store nutrients for winter. In winter, they can't take care of so much… I learned the set of Manichaeism rebellion in spring and summer, so in winter, I can only take out this set of things to keep warm. As for you, and Si'yi…"

"…What you have to do is to absorb nutrients hard in spring, when it's good, since you have your own talents, you have to work hard and strive to do things that others can't do. This is the best preparation for everyone to get through the winter in the future… Do you understand?"

The white-haired old man asked with a smile, You Hongzhuo and Liang Si'yi thought for a moment and nodded solemnly. Wang Juyun laughed loudly.

"Good, good." He said to the people around him, "You are all like this, you have to do what you are, do the best thing."

The voices of the people answering echoed on the city wall.

The spring breeze blew over. You Hongzhuo looked down. The army in front was gradually going away, and on the spring earth, the leaves were new and green, and all things were growing. Even the unknown wildflowers were colorful. This was not only the spring of Jin, but also the second spring in his life. This time, he had a wife, family, brothers, and a dignified father-like elder who could point out the way forward for him.

[The old book friend who has known me for ten years recommended a book chasing app to me, Yeguo Reading! It's really easy to use, and I rely on this to read aloud and listen to books to pass the time while driving and before going to bed. You can download it here]

The cold of winter has passed, and the warmth of spring has arrived. Not far away on the city wall, Madame Xiang, the representative of the Huaxia Army, Zou Xu from Bianliang, and many representatives of merchant and aristocratic families were also smiling and watching the army leave. People talked and laughed with each other, and the atmosphere was harmonious. There was a beautiful prospect in front of them.

The thundercloud is about to arrive…

……

The thundercloud is about to arrive.

In the southwest, in Ning Yi's office at Maha Pond, Ning Yi woke up from his dream in alarm. Spring thunder sounded outside the window, and the rain was about to fall.

Perhaps not wanting to disturb his sleep, the secretary didn't come in to turn on the light. The approaching heavy rain made the room seem a little dim. He rubbed his forehead and lit the candle himself.

On the table were the official duties that had been roughly processed, as well as the intelligence collected from various places. The most important news recently was about land reform. After the initial hundred-village pilot program was forcibly carried out, many of the work groups began to split up in February. The ten-person work groups spread to more small and medium-sized villages, and entered the stage of large-scale deployment in an orderly manner. The active members selected in the first round of the hundred-village pilot program have now been classified and entered into different aspects of civil servant training.

All the work was trivial and complex, and the summarized information no longer had too much of the initial tendency of land reform. It seemed like just a vast amount of data, but discovering and finding problems was still the work that the central government could not relax for a moment.

It seemed that he had thought of something in his dream, but when he opened his eyes, he forgot it again. Ning Yi looked at the various notebooks on the table, and then raised the candle and walked to one side of the study. Several large maps were hung there. The most conspicuous one was the land reform schematic diagram depicting the village structure of the entire southwest. Many villages were densely covered with flags and even marked with numbers.

This was what he had been looking at the most in the recent period.

But in addition to this map, there were also maps of the forces in the Central Plains, Jiangnan, and even the whole world. Ning Yi held up the candle and turned around.

In the southeast, the little emperor's seizure of power was still in progress, which was crude, concise, and sharp. The great clans under his rule began to resist in batches, which was what it should be. It had little to do with the southwest.

The Fairness Party in Jiangnan entered a formal war atmosphere after the beginning of spring. He Wen proceeded in an orderly manner, accumulating strength in his hands. The savings of the other families were running out. Shi Baofeng and Xu Zhaonan, in the case that the attack on He Wen has no achievements, aimed at Tie Yan and Wu Qimei in Lin'an again. It is estimated that the small court of Lin'an will become history soon. They were just small fights. On the contrary, He Wen's orderly approach in the past few months was very methodical. Maybe he could really clean up a disciplined Fairness Party.

In Bianliang… Dai Mengwei was busy inviting scholars and green forest people from all over the world to gather in the old capital, and was now sending out invitations. According to the information previously transmitted by Lou Shuwan, Zhan Wu and others, what was really meaningful was probably Zou Xu's attempt to hug Lou Shuwan's thigh - this was unstoppable. As long as he was willing to give money, Lou Shuwan had no reason to push this sucker away. Even here… well, he still wanted to save face. The Huaxia Army was no longer barefoot, but began to wear shoes. After all, it was impossible to have any transactions with Zou Xu, so there was no need to think too much about this.

And in Jin, the attempt to plot the northwest should have begun to be implemented - this was something that had to be done. He also wrote a letter to them, telling them to be careful of the Mongols in Xixia. Although it was still hard to say how careful they should be, with the abilities of Lou Shuwan, Wang Juyun, Fang Chengye and others, there shouldn't be too many variables…

He thought about it like this. He still couldn't recall the clues in his dream. Until he turned around to leave, he suddenly raised the candle again and shone it on Bianliang and Jin.

"Zou Xu…"

……

"If I were him… what would I do…"

……

The vigilance in the dream seemed to come from this. This was a question that he hadn't thought much about for a long time, because the situation was obvious. As long as the land reform could be carried out smoothly, he basically didn't need to consider what other forces were doing.

He just thought about it at this time, but he didn't grasp any clues.

Just at this moment, the secretary knocked on the door and reported to him that a team that went to Jin to carry out the mission had now returned.

"Did you bring back Chen Wenjun?"

He asked.

Outside the door, the secretary answered.

Behind him, the spring rain was pouring down on Maha Pond…