Due to the sights and sounds of that night, the fourteen-year-old boy had strange and fantastical dreams. The scenes in his dreams were blush-inducing, truly something to behold.

The situation was awkward when he woke up the next morning. From a medical standpoint, he naturally understood that it was a sign of good health, but the still ignorant young man felt ashamed that he, who had slain countless enemies on the battlefield, was now being seduced by a blonde girl he knew to be an enemy. Women are indeed a source of trouble.

Fortunately, he was living alone at the moment, and no one would discover his embarrassing situation. He got up before dawn, finished his morning exercises, and hurriedly went to the deserted river to wash his pants—adding a whole basin of clothes to cover his tracks. He washed for a long time, thinking as he washed that his martial arts were still too weak. If he practiced for a few more years, his internal energy would be higher, he would refine essence into qi, and such a wasteful situation of essence and blood would not occur. Yes, he really needed to practice diligently.

Thinking this, he exerted force, tearing the clothes he was washing. His mother made this piece of clothing, so he had to find someone to mend it when he got back.

His emotions were agitated, so he couldn't control his strength. This was also a sign of weak martial arts. If he practiced for a few more years, he would have precise control, and this wouldn't happen… practice diligently, practice diligently…

With these thoughts in mind, he finished washing his clothes and returned to the courtyard to continue his morning practice, internal energy, boxing, saber, spear… The ancient city of Chengdu gradually awakened in the darkness, and thin fog floated in the sky. Soon after dawn, a cart selling steamed buns rumbled to the outside of the courtyard. Ning Ji paused his practice, went out to greet the owner, and bought twenty steamed buns—he bought them every day and was already familiar with the owner, who would stop outside for a moment every morning.

At this time, the steamed buns were also called "cage cakes," with fillings inside, actually equivalent to the later generations' baozi. Twenty steamed buns filled a cloth bag, roughly the amount for three to five people. Ning Ji bought breakfast, ate two casually, and then went back to continue exercising. By the time he finished exercising, the morning sun had already risen in the sky, he washed up briefly, changed into new clothes, and then, carrying the cloth bag, left the courtyard while eating breakfast.

It was still early, and considering last night's situation, he went all the way to Yingbin Road near Mohe Pond, intending to catch a familiar face from the intelligence department and secretly inquire about Shan Gong's news.

At this time, the Huaxia Army had occupied Chengdu and would likely operate it as a power center in the future. As for the intelligence department, it had already designated a fixed office location. But Ning Ji did not intend to go there ostentatiously.

After the great battle, the Huaxia Army was short on manpower. The rear had been reorganizing and training the surrendered Han army, and settling the Jin prisoners. Chengdu was currently in an open state, and here, many forces, both openly and secretly, were in a new period of testing and competition. The Huaxia Army was monitoring the enemy in Chengdu, and various enemies were probably also monitoring the Huaxia Army at the doors of various departments. Before the Huaxia Army completely digested the results of this great battle, it would not be surprising for games, frictions, or even firefights to occur in Chengdu.

This was also a training exercise for the Huaxia Army—expanding its sphere of influence from one million to ten million, and opening up to the outside world in terms of policy. Such tests would have to be experienced in the future. Of course, it was also because of this reason that, although it was decided to hold a conference in Chengdu, at this time, the only members of the Ning family who could stay in Chengdu were his father, Aunt Gua, his elder brother, and himself. Aunt Hong Ti, who had the highest martial arts skills, was now staying in Zhang Village to be responsible for internal security, to prevent any hot-blooded fools from taking risks and coming to make trouble.

Of course, on the other hand, Ning Ji was unwilling to let the intelligence department participate too much in the matter in his hands—anyway, it was a chronic event, a weak woman with ulterior motives, and a few silly old scholars. He could take action at any time. If he really found some big inside story, he could even drag his elder brother and Sister Chu Yi into the water. At that time, brothers working together can break gold, ensuring that they wouldn't be able to turn the tables.

Thinking this, he ate the steamed bun and arrived near Mohe Pond, observing the crowds entering and leaving Yingbin Road. There were many young people in the inner layers of the Huaxia Army's intelligence department, and Ning Ji knew quite a few—this was also determined by the situation where the army was short-handed that year. Most of those with combat power had to be pulled onto the battlefield. Those staying in the rear included the elderly, children, and women. Trustworthy teenagers initially helped to deliver messages, and gradually became skilled internal personnel.

At the third quarter of Chenshi, Hou Yuanyong trotted out of Yingbin Road, glanced at the nearby pedestrians, identified several suspicious figures, and then saw the young man who was walking through the crowd and giving a concealed gesture. He went to the side road, walked through a few streets, and met the other party in an alley.

Ning Ji was stuffing the steamed bun in his hand into his mouth, then handed him one: "This is the last one."

"I've already eaten." Hou Yuanyong looked at the completely deflated cloth bag he was carrying by his side and smiled, "Xiao Ji, why didn't you go in?"

"There are people watching outside. I don't have anything very important, so forget it. I came here this time to find you, Brother Yong."

"Hmm?"

"I want to investigate someone."

"Xiao Ji, tell me."

"An old man called 'Shan Gong' or 'Haoran Gong,' a scholar, with a long face and a goatee, probably in his fifties…"

Ning Ji described the other party's characteristics to Hou Yuanyong. Hou Yuanyong nodded as he wrote them down. When Ning Ji finished speaking, he frowned slightly: "Why are you investigating him? Is something up? If there's anything suspicious, I can report it first."

"Not now. If it was a big deal, I wouldn't be blocking people here."

"Okay." Hou Yuanyong nodded. He naturally understood that although he had been hidden because of his special identity after the great battle, the young man in front of him had ways to contact the upper levels of the Huaxia Army at any time. Since he didn't use official channels and ran over to block people, it was obviously out of consideration for confidentiality. In fact, he had a general idea about the information regarding that Shan Gong as soon as he heard it, but he had to ask before he could answer.

"...If it's 'Shan Gong' plus the title 'Haoran,' it should be Guan Shanhai who entered the city at the end of May. I heard he's an old Confucian scholar, courtesy name Haoran. He has some influence outside Jianmen Pass. After entering the city, he found a newspaper here and published three articles. I heard his moral essays are forceful, so he's indeed on the list of recent people to watch."

"Moral essays..." Ning Ji scratched his cheek with his fingers, expressionless, "I heard he 'holds the ear of the Chengdu gentry...'"

"He doesn't hold the ear." Hou Yuanyong laughed, "But he's probably in the top few. What's wrong... If someone is bragging about him like that, they probably want him to do something."

"Does the intelligence department have him under surveillance?"

"We don't have him under surveillance, after all, we need a lot of manpower. Unless we determine that he might cause trouble, we can't arrange it. But we should have a record of some basic information. If you can confirm a direction, I can go back and inquire. Of course, if he has any big problems, you have to let me report it upwards."

Ning Ji thought for a while: "I want to know who he usually associates with, who are the helpers he can mobilize, and who he would go to if he wanted to inquire about information."

"Understood." Hou Yuanyong nodded, "Let's make an appointment to meet, I'll try to get you the information tonight."

The two discussed and agreed on a time and place before parting ways.

At this time, the morning sun had become bright, and the streets and alleys of the city looked peaceful. Ning Ji finished eating the steamed bun and sat by the roadside for a while. The rattling carts were accompanied by the stench of mud in the market, the conversing scholars walked among the simple people, the happy children held their parents' hands, and the street performers had just started yelling at the end of the street... You couldn't see any bad people anywhere. But Ning Ji knew the real reason why his mother, aunts, younger brother, and younger sisters couldn't come to Chengdu.

After the Southwest War ended, his mother took him to visit the widows of some comrades who had sacrificed in the war. The Huaxia Army had endured hardship for more than ten years, and seeing the first great victory so close at hand, these people had sacrificed before the victory. The crying of their parents, wives, and children was touching. After that, Ning Ji's mood fell. Others thought it was just the visit that had affected him.

But in fact, it was more than that. For a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy, fighting the enemy on the battlefield, being injured, or even dying, all felt heroic. The heroes who could rise up and fight died, and their families would feel sad or even despair. This kind of emotion would certainly infect him, but if he regarded these families as his own, there would always be ways to repay them.

But then they talked about the celebrations in Chengdu.

Ning Ji originally thought that after defeating the Jurchens, the sky would be clear and open. But in fact, it wasn't. Aunt Hong Ti, who had the highest martial arts skills, had to stay in Zhang Village to protect the family. His mother and several other aunts persuaded him not to go to Chengdu for the time being. Even his elder brother talked to him about the same thing. When asked why, it was because a more complex struggle would arise in Chengdu next.

The great families who had previously neglected the power of the Huaxia Army would come to test its weight. Such-and-such Confucian scholars would come to oppose the rise of the Huaxia Army, just like Dai Mengwei and others. Those guys who were powerless in the face of the cruel Jurchens would tentatively want to get some benefits from the Huaxia Army, or even want to tear off a piece of flesh from the Huaxia Army—and the only difference was that the Jurchens would exterminate them, but the Huaxia Army was of the same Han ethnicity as them.

And countless civilians would choose to wait and see, waiting to be won over.

This was what made Ning Ji feel confused and angry.

Why?

They were beaten like pigs and dogs in front of the Jurchens. The Central Plains fell, the country was robbed, and the people were massacred. Wasn't this because of their cowardice and incompetence?

The Huaxia Army defeated the Jurchens for them, so why could they still have the face to antagonize the Huaxia Army?

Their failure was so obvious, and the victory of the Huaxia Army was also evident. Why did the losers have to lie with their eyes open?

Isn't right and wrong clear?

Why couldn't those so-called book-reading gentlemen, those scholars who were often called "great Confucians," distinguish the most basic right and wrong?

Were they doing it on purpose? But even he, who was only fourteen years old, could imagine that if he were to lie with his eyes open to someone, he would blush with shame. He also read books, and the teachers had said these things from the beginning. Why did people become like that when they reached forty, fifty, or sixty years old?

"The Huaxia Army won, but it will fail in fifty years." People who hadn't won a single battle, why did they say such things? What were they relying on?

This kind of thinking made him angry.

These things also made him understand that the heroes who fell in the great battle were only considered heroes in the Huaxia Army. There were thousands and millions of people in the world who didn't understand, didn't comprehend, and didn't acknowledge their sacrifices and value, and would even continue to oppose them in the future.

The Huaxia Army only had a million people at the moment, but it had to fight against tens of millions or even tens of millions of people. According to his elder brother and others, they had to slowly change them and "beg" them to understand their ideas. Then they would continue to fight the Jurchens. The people who had awakened would rush to the front, and the people who had awakened would die first. But those who had not awakened, they failed, complained, and waited for others to pull them up.

This kind of world was wrong… In this kind of world, wouldn't it always be the right people who had to pay more and more, while the weak and incompetent people had no responsibility at all? The Huaxia Army made countless efforts and sacrifices to defeat the Jurchens. In the end, the Huaxia Army still had to change them and save them. The Huaxia Army had to "beg" for their "understanding." Perhaps there would be a good result in the end, but in this case, wouldn't the latecomers not have paid anything, and everything would be placed on the shoulders of the first payers?

Awakened people get good results, weak and dirty people die. A fair world should be like this. Those people read books only to distort their hearts, became officials for selfishness and profit, were weak and incompetent in the face of the enemy, couldn't work hard after being massacred, and when others defeated the powerful enemy, they were still secretly making dirty little calculations… All these people deserve to die… Perhaps many people would continue to live like this, still not repenting, but at least, no one would regret their deaths.

For a fourteen-year-old boy, this feeling of "death is not a pity" certainly had his "incompetent rage" that he couldn't understand or change the other party's thinking. But it did indeed become the main theme of his thinking during this period. He gave up showing his face and looked at these outsiders in the corner, like looking at clowns.

These people had distorted thinking, dirty minds, and meaningless lives. He didn't care about them. It was only for the sake of his father, elder brother, and family's views that he hadn't started a massacre against these people. He ran to monitor Wen Shoubin and Qu Longjun in that small courtyard every night, and naturally held the same mentality.

If he wasn't discovered, he would see what kind of distorted drama they were going to put on. If he was discovered, or the drama began to get out of control, he would kill them. Anyway, they deserved to be killed—he was extremely happy.

After watching on the street for a while, Ning Ji then went to the martial arts tournament to start work.

At the same time, Yan Daolun led Yu Hezhong to the Qunying Hall at the southern end of Yingbin Road and submitted a name card. This place was used by the Huaxia Army to house foreign guests, and now many people had moved in. The overt delegation sent by Liu Guangshi was also staying here.

"Military Commander" Liu Guangshi thought deeply and sent out the delegation overtly and covertly. On the surface, he was the first force among the original Wu Dynasty factions to make a change. If the Huaxia Army wanted to show sincerity and spend heavily to attract talent, it would inevitably treat him favorably. But considering the previous bad impressions, he also chose various covert lines, and this covert force was controlled by Yan Daolun.

A few days ago, Yan Daolun, led by Yu Hezhong, visited Li Shishi for the first time. Yan Daolun was very measured, said hello and left immediately, but then went to the door alone to submit a name card. After this name card was rejected, he found Yu Hezhong again and brought him to join the overt delegation.

"The heroes of the Southwest are gathered now, and the first batch of people who came are all settled here."

This Qunying Hall occupied a large area. Going all the way inside, the road was wide, the leaves were lush, and it seemed to have a better scenery than the north. Between the various gardens and flowers, you could see groups of two or three people with different clothes gathered, either talking casually or looking at each other, with exploration and caution in their eyebrows. Yan Daolun led Yu Hezhong in, introducing him as he went.

"The one who was placed in the north and took the main seat was the team from Jin, the hand of Lou Shuwan of Female Prime Minister and Wang Juyun of Rebel Leader. They used to have such-and-such exchanges, the name of the leader is An Xifu, with a stern face, not easy to mess with. This time they want to take the lion's share... The east side is settled by the Zuo family, Zuo Gong Zuo Xiuquan, Zuo Jiyun's right-hand man, also considered the Zuo family's steward. They rely on Zuo Duanyou's blessing and always play the role of peacemaker between the Huaxia Army and the Wu Dynasty. This matter of regicide cannot be reconciled, but pretending to be confused and wanting some benefits for Fuzhou, it's not a big problem... And except for these two families who used to have a relationship with the Huaxia Army, it's our turn next..."

"In today's Chengdu, the ones standing on the surface are nothing more than three forces. The Huaxia Army is the landlord, occupying one side. Like these here, who can have a relationship with the Huaxia Army and get some benefits, are the second party. The Huaxia Army says it wants to open the door, and to put it bluntly, it wants to win us over, so the first ones to stand up will get some advantages in the following negotiations, but what kind of advantages it is, of course, depends on how the talks go. Please Yu Brother to take action, is for this matter..."

Yu Hezhong thought, "As expected." He felt relieved and tentatively asked: "I don't know what specific benefits the Huaxia Army will give..."

"Technology." Yan Daolun lowered his voice, "The Huaxia Army summoned all parties to come and has secretly revealed some clues. At this Chengdu conference, Mr. Ning will not only sell things, but also sell the manufacturing technology of some things. You must know, that is the hen that lays golden eggs..."

Yu Hezhong frowned: "This is a conspiracy. In this way, the various parties outside will not be united, and the Huaxia Army can succeed."

"Brother Yu is insightful and sees it." Yan Daolun cupped his hands and smiled, "Great events in the world are like this. The Huaxia Army has the upper hand, and it is willing to take out the benefits, so everyone does their own thing and gets what they need. People like Dai Mengwei and Wu Qimei, who have long been at odds with the Huaxia Army, have certainly sent people to disrupt this conference, but who knows who they sent secretly to pretend to be merchants and take advantage? It is precisely because they have these third parties who are determined to be enemies with the Huaxia Army that General Liu is more likely to get benefits from the Huaxia Army."

He smiled and paused: "Looking at ancient and modern history, the Three Kingdoms game is the most interesting. The strong can be weak, and the weak can be strong. It is precisely because the situation is chaotic that it is the time for you and me men to make contributions and win a merit. This is Yan's heartfelt words. I am in harmony with Brother Yu, that's why I said it. Whether it makes sense or not, please Brother Yu, do not spread it."

Yu Hezhong nodded solemnly. The other party's words also spoke to his heart. If it weren't for this situation, if it weren't for the fate he and Shishi had accidentally made, how much connection could Yu Hezhong have with this world? Now the Huaxia Army wants to win over outsiders, Liu Guangshi wants to stand up first and ask for some benefits, and he mediates in the middle, which is exactly helping both sides. On the one hand, he gets some benefits, and on the other hand, isn't it also for the country and the people, a win-win-win situation.

Thinking like this, the leader of the delegation had already come out to welcome them from the hall. This was an important minister under Liu Guangshi. Then the group went in and introduced Yu Hezhong to many famous scholars under Liu Guangshi. These big shots from the past gave Yu Hezhong a lot of compliments, and then everyone discussed and said the expectations of the delegation's mission this time: gun and cannon technology, iron smelting technology, gunpowder technology... If the situation was ideal, of course, they wanted everything. At the very least, they hoped to buy back a few important technologies.

Yu Hezhong, who had been flattered and elated, then fell from the clouds, thinking, aren't you kidding me? You hope that I can use my relationship with Shishi to bring back so many things? Are you crazy, or is Ning Yi crazy? Thinking like this, in the midst of everyone's discussion, his heart became more and more uneasy. He knew that after this conversation, he would inevitably take a few important people to visit Shishi. If Shishi knew these things and gave him the cold shoulder, he would probably find it difficult to be an ordinary person when he returned home...

"Actually... this humble brother and Miss Shishi are just childhood friends, and can say a few words. Regarding these things, this humble brother dares to ask Miss Shishi to pass on a message and think of a way, but... after all, it is a matter of national importance. It is difficult to say whether Miss Shishi has this kind of status in the Huaxia Army now... Therefore, I can only try it reluctantly... and do my best..."

After everyone discussed for a while, Yu Hezhong finally couldn't help but say these words. A group of big shots in the meeting place smiled and looked at each other, and the gaze towards Yu Hezhong was kind and friendly.

"Of course, of course..."

"Just do your best..."

"Brother Yu is working hard..."

"Don't have any burden, whether it succeeds or not..."

Everyone said many righteous words, and then selected two representatives to follow Yu Hezhong to visit Miss Shishi.

While handing in the name card and waiting for a reply, Yu Hezhong's entire inner shirt was soaked...