Midnight approached, and a drizzle began to fall on Zizhou, shrouding the land in a misty rain. A group inspecting the garrison construction had ascended the city wall and remained there. Ning Yi gazed out through a window in the gate tower. Only a few small points of light still shone in the rainy night atop the wall.

These faint glimmers, spaced tens of meters apart, sketched out the city's vague outline. Soldiers on shift change, cloaked in rain gear, moved along the wall into the distance, gradually disappearing into the dark rain, with occasional snippets of voices drifting back.

Within the high walls, the city's structures extended indistinctly into the distance, the grey tiles and walls of the day, the large and small courtyards, all merging into one. For the sake of defending the city, construction wasn't supposed to take place within several dozen meters of the wall. But the Wu Dynasty had enjoyed over two centuries of peace, and Zizhou, situated in the southwest, had never experienced war. Combined with its strategic location and thriving commerce, residences had gradually occupied everything within view, starting with homes of the poor and later including the courtyards of the wealthy.

The impending war had already driven away thirty percent of the city's residents. Those living near the northern wall were given priority to evacuate. But among the large and small courtyards, sparse lights could still be seen, whether from residents rising in the night or something else. Upon closer inspection, traces of hurriedly abandoned belongings could be seen in nearby courtyards.

Two watchmen with lanterns huddled beneath the eaves of an uninhabited courtyard, sheltering from the rain.

More than a decade had passed since the first Jurchen invasion. Blood, battlefields, life and death… a series of dramas had played out, but for most people in the world, life continued in its ordinary way. Even with war looming, people were still troubled by daily necessities.

Before coming to Zizhou, Ning Yi had received news of the failed operation from Jiangnan.

Since the Huaxia Army had broken out of the Liangshan range and entered the Chengdu Plain, Jianmen Pass had always been a key point in their strategic plans. Efforts to win over and persuade Si Zhongxian, the garrison commander of Jianmen Pass, had been ongoing.

Si Zhongxian was loyal to the Wu Dynasty, intelligent, and not lacking in kindness and flexibility. The Huaxia Army's external communications and arms sales largely depended on passing through Jianmen Pass. Si Zhongxian always facilitated orders for regular Wu Dynasty troops, while cracking down harshly on private deals sought by certain families, gentry, and local powers. His ability to distinguish between these two types of business demonstrated a considerable sense of the big picture.

The Huaxia Army General Staff's overall impression of Si Zhongxian was positive. This was why Ning Xi and Ning Ji believed him to be a good general worth winning over. But in reality, the distinction between good and evil wasn't so simple. Whether Si Zhongxian was loyal to the common people of the world or to the Wu Dynasty's legitimacy was a matter of debate.

In the first half of the year, borrowing passage through Si Zhongxian to leave the Sichuan Fourth Circuit and attack the Jurchens was logical - it aligned with the fundamental interests of the Wu Dynasty. Liu Chengzong's ten thousand troops had also passed through Si Zhongxian's cooperation to go to Xuzhou. However, in the second half of the year, as the Wu Dynasty weakened and Zhou Yong passed away, with the legitimate court split in two, Si Zhongxian's attitude had clearly wavered.

There were even more complex circumstances.

Si Zhongxian was originally from Xiuzhou, Zhejiang. His father, Si Wenzhong, had served as Vice Minister of the Ministry of War a decade earlier. After retiring, the entire family had resided in Pingjiang Prefecture - modern-day Suzhou. When the Jurchens captured the capital, Si Wenzhong had taken his family back to their hometown in Xiuzhou.

In July, Wanyan Xiyin led the Jurchen army to attack Xiuzhou. After the city fell, he invited Si Wenzhong out, appointed him Minister of Rites, and then sent Si Wenzhong to Jianmen Pass to persuade the garrison to surrender. At the time, the Huaxia Army's presence in the Jiangnan area was limited. Ning Yi ordered the frontline to react, carefully investigate, and handle the situation as appropriate. He repeated the need for caution in his orders, stating that they could even abandon the operation if they weren't confident. But the frontline personnel ultimately decided to attempt a rescue.

In this operation, the Huaxia Army lost five men, and the Si family also suffered casualties. After the frontline's report and self-criticism were sent back, Ning Yi knew that the scales of the Jianmen Pass negotiations were tilting towards the Jurchens.

At times like this, Ning Yi couldn't help but examine the shortcomings in his organizational structure. The Huaxia Army's structure, in some respects, imitated that of the Chinese army of later generations, but in specific aspects, there were significant differences.

Essentially, the Huaxia Army's backbone originated from the management system of modern armies: strict military law, a rigorous system of top-down supervision, and thorough ideological management. It was more similar to the modern American or Chinese army. As for the original Red Army, Ning Yi couldn't replicate its unwavering belief system.

In the world Ning Yi had once lived in, modern China possessed too many things that were impossible to replicate. In that era, the West experienced rapid technological development, while China suffered from backward thinking and a flawed political system. Over a century of deep-seated humiliation and pain, countless individuals constantly faced obstacles and sought a path forward, ultimately forging an army with unwavering proletarian faith.

The Wu Dynasty had experienced too little humiliation. A decade of setbacks hadn't made people realize the urgency of needing to take a different path, nor had it allowed different schools of thought to collide and ultimately reach a conclusion – not even enough time to establish a first-stage consensus. On the other hand, Ning Yi couldn't abandon the industrial revolution and capitalist seeds he had been cultivating.

For these reasons, the Huaxia Army had broken with Lao Niutou. Also for these reasons, the Huaxia Army was, in some ways, more like the large companies and enterprises of later generations. Although Ning Yi engaged in extensive propaganda of "Huaxia" ideals, what truly supported everything was a professional system and method of operation that transcended the times. After experiencing repeated victories, the army's personnel possessed high morale and a nearly arrogant sense of optimism.

Ning Yi had conducted extensive rectifications of this spirit, but the effects were limited. Without a century of humiliation, countless failures, the April 12th Incident, and the constant state of being at a disadvantage with unwavering faith, it was impossible to cultivate that deep-seated persistence and seriousness. After easily defeating Lu Qiaoshan and seizing most of the Chengdu Plain, some members of the Huaxia Army even held the Jurchens in contempt.

The casualty rate in external operations this year was higher than Ning Yi had anticipated. In these circumstances, generosity and valor were no longer things worth promoting. Every ideology had its advantages and disadvantages, and every idea would lead to different directions and contradictions. In recent years, what had truly troubled Ning Yi's thinking was always the connections and transitions between these things.

How to make people understand and deeply accept the necessity of physics and society, how to allow the seeds of capitalism to sprout, and how, at the same time as these seeds sprout, to let go of the thinking of "democracy" and "equality", so that even when capitalism moves towards the ruthless pursuit of profit, there can still be another relatively gentle order to restrain it…

And the Si Zhongxian affair would determine the direction of the entire world.

Sages are ruthless, treating the people as straw dogs. Only when he arrived in Zizhou did Ning Yi realize that what troubled and concerned him most was not entirely these great matters of the world.

News about Ning Ji had arrived. His original concern was that his second son, seeing the chaos of the world, would begin to become fierce and bloodthirsty. Ning Xi's willingness to send the message back probably stemmed from the same unspoken worry. After meeting, the child's honesty allowed Ning Yi to understand the whole story.

As a martial artist, having seen the confusion of the world, the child had keenly perceived the path to becoming stronger. The wildness in his subconscious was growing out of the safety net woven for him by his father and older brother. He wanted to experience combat, wanted to become stronger, wanted to accept an equal challenge when the opponent risked their life.

This was a commendable thought.

Ning Yi's journey had also been a path of slaughter.

He wasn't truly a desperado.

From the shipyard outside Jiangning, to the present after assassinating the emperor, and confronting the Jurchens head-on, countless deadly fights, it wasn't because he was a reckless man who didn't value his own life. On the contrary, he not only cherished his life, but also cherished everything before him.

However, countless past experiences had told him that to truly fight in this brutal world, risking one's life was just the basic requirement. Those who didn't meet this requirement had a higher probability of losing and a lower probability of winning. He was simply calmly increasing the probability of each victory, using cruel reason to suppress the fear in the face of danger. This was an instinct repeatedly honed in his previous life. If he didn't risk his life, he would only lose more.

Whether in times of prosperity or chaos, the essence of how this world operated was always a selection process that emphasized ranking. Although it possessed continuity and complexity in actual operation, its fundamental nature remained unchanged.

The existence of rich and powerful heirs was a manifestation of continuity.

To do things well in this world, one not only had to think hard and act diligently, but also had to have the right direction and the right method. This was a manifestation of complexity.

For mediocre people, many things in this world seemed to depend on luck. So-and-so chose the right direction, so they succeeded. Their own timing and luck were problematic… But in reality, what truly determined a person's choice was repeated serious observation of the world and serious reflection on its rules.

At the top of this world, intelligent people worked hard to think, chose the right direction, and then risked their lives to overdraw their results. Even in the relatively peaceful world that Ning Yi had experienced in his previous life, every successful person, capitalist, and leader mostly had certain characteristics of mental illness: perfectionism, paranoia, consistent confidence, and even a certain anti-human tendency…

What ordinary people defined as mental health was just the empathy and weakness that the masses treated pets with. In prosperous times, people raised the bottom line through order, so that even if people failed, they wouldn't be too embarrassed. Correspondingly, the ceiling was lowered and the path of ascent was solidified. The masses sold their "possibilities" that they didn't urgently need in exchange for understandable stability and security. The world was so magical, its essence never changed, people just made adjustments after understanding the rules.

Ning Yi understood all this clearly, so he risked his life.

Now, it was his children's turn.

Thirteen-year-old Little Ning Ji wanted to choose "possibilities" and give up stability and security. This idea wasn't reflected in reckless suicide, but it would determine his choices in the face of danger countless times in the future, just like he had chosen to fight the enemy instead of being protected before. Ning Yi knew that he could also choose to stifle this idea of his here - that kind of method naturally existed.

That night, under the ginkgo tree in the clinic, he talked to Ning Ji for a long time, talking about Zhou Tong, talking about Hong Ti's master, talking about Xigua's father, talking about this and that. But until the end, Ning Yi didn't try to stifle his idea. He just made three rules with the child, hoping that he would consider his mother at home, study medicine until he was sixteen, and before that, take a step back when facing danger. After that, he would support any decision Ning Ji made.

"I hope that in two years, your younger brother will discover that martial arts can't save China and should become a doctor or write novels."

After talking to Ning Ji that night, Ning Yi once joked with his eldest son like this. But in fact, even if Ning Ji became a doctor or wrote articles, many of the dangers they would face in the future wouldn't be reduced at all. As Ning Yi's sons and family, they faced the greatest risks from the beginning.

A few years ago, Ning Xi, more or less, also had the restlessness in his heart, but as the eldest son, the public opinion and atmosphere of his parents and those around him since childhood had set the direction for him, and Ning Xi had accepted this direction.

Finally, with the assistance of Chen Tuozi and others, Ning Xi became a relatively safe operator. Although he didn't directly face the dangers and bloodshed of the front line like Ning Yi, this would make his abilities less comprehensive, but there would eventually be ways to make up for it. On the other hand, when he faced the greatest danger one day, he might also pay the price for it.

In recent years, Ning Yi had appeared frank and carefree when talking about these things to outsiders, such as Li Pin and Song Yongping. But in fact, whenever such imaginings arose, he was inevitably filled with painful emotions. If these children really had an accident, how sad would their mothers be?

Tan'er had always been strong, but perhaps she would fall because of it. What would the always gentle Xiao Chan do? Even now, Ning Yi could still clearly remember the appearance of the little maid jumping and walking with him on the streets of Jiangning when he first arrived more than ten years ago…

In a few more years, probably Wenwen, Ning Ke and these children would gradually give him headaches.

No matter how much the world turned upside down, the children would follow their own trajectories, slowly grow up, and gradually experience the storms. That night, Ning Yi looked at Zizhou in the darkness on the city tower and remained silent for a long time.

Turning back, beyond the open space outside Zizhou City, in the distant mountain watchtower, the faintest light was still shining. The construction sites for defensive fortifications were crouching in the rainy night…

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

No matter how much the world turns upside down, the children will follow their own trajectories, slowly grow up, and gradually experience the storms…

While the young man named Ning Ji in the southwest was making the decision to face the storms, another child thousands of miles away in the world had long been swept up in the storms and was walking on a bumpy road.

Mu Anping, born in the third year of the Wu Jianshuo reign, was eight and a half years old this year. More than two years had passed since the night he lost his parents. He was renamed Ping An by Lin Zongwu, had his little head shaved, and had been walking alone in the chaos of Jin for more than a year.

In September of the eleventh year of Jianshuo, Ping An, dressed in rags, returned to Wozhou, where he had lived for many years, but he couldn't find the house where his parents used to live. In the Jurchen invasion, the division of Jin, and the continuous wars, Wozhou had completely changed. Half of the city had been burned down. Thin and emaciated beggar-like people lived in this city. In the spring and summer, there had been a tragedy of cannibalism. In the autumn, it had eased slightly, but still couldn't cover up the deadly atmosphere inside and outside the city.

The ragged little monk searched in the city for two days, but couldn't recall the memories of his parents. His food ran out. He secretly shed tears in an old house in the city and slept for a day. With confused thoughts, he wandered the streets again. At this time, he wanted to see his monk master, the only person he could rely on in this world, but his master never appeared.

Dozens of meters away from him on the street, Lin Zongwu, wearing a wide monk's robe, was handing a small bag of coarse grain buns to a thin and emaciated martial artist in front of him.

Soon after, the martial artist followed behind the little monk. When he reached a deserted place, he drew the knife from his body.

Ping An turned around, tears still on his face, the light of the knife flashed in his eyes. The thin villain paused, and the bag beside him suddenly broke, some food fell to the ground, and both the adult and the child couldn't help but be stunned…

In a corner of the street, Lin Zongwu put his hands together and smiled.

Tigers and leopards grow claws to hunt; crocodiles grow scales to protect themselves; apes walk out of the forest and build sticks…

In the wind and rain, human blood will flow down. Before dying, people can only try to make themselves stronger.

Survival of the fittest.