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Although it was the so-called golden autumn of August in the South, the north wind in Jin State never ceased. The further one went towards Shangjing (Upper Capital), the colder the temperature became, and snowflakes were about to fall.

Fortunately, the Jin people in Zonghan's army were all warriors seasoned by wind and snow. Although the temperature dropped, they were much more comfortable with the northern cold, wrapped in coats and fox furs, than with the humid cold of the South. Mandu Dalu had heard these military generals talk about their days in Jiangnan (South of the Yangtze River) more than once. The summer and autumn seasons were still good, but the coldness of winter and spring, accompanied by water vapor, seeped into their clothes, which was not a good place at all. Sure enough, the feeling of returning home was the best.

A cavalry team of nearly two thousand people moved along the official road to Shangjing. Occasionally, local nobles would come to visit Marshal Zonghan and discuss matters privately. The people who had set out from Yunzhong (Cloud Prefecture) this time had also been received by the marshal or Gushen Xiyin (God Valley Xiyin), one after another. These families had many connections and were key figures for future activities and connections in Shangjing.

Mandu Dalu, however, did not have much of a background. It was not until the seventeenth day of August that he was summoned on the way, one of the few. It was Gushen Xiyin who summoned him. Although their statuses were far apart, they had met several times before. This time, it was not for the matter of Shangjing, but to understand from him the many problems that had occurred privately in Yunzhong over the past two years.

"...Regarding the problems in the Yunzhong area, before the expedition, there had been some consideration, and I had also greeted all parties. Any ideas, any contradictions, wait until the Southern Expedition returns. But in the past two years, in my opinion, people's hearts have been fluctuating a bit too much."

The army was advancing, and Wanyan Xiyin, riding on his horse, spoke to Mandu Dalu beside him.

"The marshal and I are not there, and some people have been provoked in private, impatient, and turned their swords against each other. There is something strange about this, but until now, it is not clear in the documents. Including the incident that happened to the Qi family and Shi Yuanji in July of the year before last. It's not a battlefield, but half a city was thrown into chaos, and hundreds of people died. Although Lord Shi suppressed it, I want to hear your opinion. Who did it—who do you think did it, how did they do it, you can explain it in detail..."

The sound of hooves came from all around. This time to Shangjing was for the issue of the Emperor's succession and the victory or defeat of the East and West Mansions. Moreover, due to the defeat of the West Route Army, the possibility of the West Mansion losing power was almost in front of everyone. But with Xiyin's question, Mandu Dalu could understand that what the Gushen in front of him was considering was something even further.

He pondered for a moment, and then began to narrate the various clues he had discovered in the Yunzhong incident that year.

"...There are quite a few bandits active near Yunzhong these years. Many seek wealth, and there are also those who seek revenge, but in my humble opinion, most bandits do not act meticulously. In the past ten years or so, those who are good at planning are few. Among the remnants of the Liao Kingdom, there were several like Xiao Qing, and then there was the secret detection system of the previous Wu Dynasty. However, Xiao Qing was beheaded three years ago, and the secret detection of the Wu Dynasty exists in name only after losing the Central Plains. The great thief Huang Gan, who had risen up before, was rumored in private to be the leader arranged by the Wu Dynasty. However, he has not been contacted by the South for many years, and later became a bandit. His actions of劫(jie) [kidnapping] Han slaves to the South also seem like it, but he died in internal strife two years ago, and there is no proof of death..."

"Apart from Xiao Qing and Huang Gan, the remaining ones are naturally the Black Flag bandits. These people act meticulously and have a very detailed division of labor. They have indeed done a lot of major cases over the years... The Yunzhong incident the year before last was extremely involved, and I am not sure whether it was their doing. There are indeed many clues that look like the work of the Black Flag. For example, Qi Yan had a great feud with the Black Flag in the Central Plains. Before the tragedy broke out, he also asked for some prisoners of the Black Flag from the South, wanting to abuse them to vent his anger. It is certain that the Black Flag wanted to kill Qi Yan..."

"...After the tragedy broke out, I inspected the fire scene and found some suspected man-made traces. For example, Qi Yan and his two great-grandsons hid in a water tank to avoid danger, but were later boiled alive by the fire. You must know that when people enter hot water, how can they not struggle to climb out? Either they took medicine and were weak all over, or something was pressing on the water tank... In addition, although there is the possibility that they climbed into the water tank, put on the lid, and then something fell down and pressed on the lid, this possibility is too coincidental after all..."

"Of course, this matter later involved Lord Shi, and the clues from Wanyan Wenqin pointed to Lord Zongfu's side, and the subordinates were not allowed to investigate further. It is not surprising that this matter was done by the Black Flag, but on the other hand, the whole thing is interlinked and involves a great deal. On one side, a Han slave named Dai Mo manipulated Wanyan Wenqin, and on the other side, a calculation included all the bandits and even the grandson of Lord Shi. Even looking from the back to the front, this calculation is extremely difficult. Therefore, without detailed investigation, I cannot be sure..."

Hearing this, Xiyin said, "What about the disciples of the Heart Devil (Xin Mo)?"

Mandu Dalu said, "The South all rumors that the Heart Devil is powerful and has the ability to bewitch people's hearts, but in my humble opinion, even if they bewitch people's hearts, there must be traces to follow. It can only be said that if the Qi family affair the year before last was deliberately arranged by the Black Flag, this person's methods are cruel and his scheming is unfathomable."

Xiyin smiled, "After all, you still caught him."

Mandu Dalu thought for a while, "I dare not deceive you, Lord. Although the one I killed was indeed also the leader of the Black Flag in the North, he seems to have lived in Shangjing for a long time. According to the investigation in recent years, the Black Flag has another powerful leader in Yunzhong, who is known as 'Joker (Xiao Chou)'. Although it is difficult to determine whether the Qi family tragedy is related to him, after the incident, this person acted as an intermediary, spreading rumors in private that Lord Zongfu and Lord Shi had a feud and took the lead, which greatly incited several firefights, causing many casualties..."

"Pick out the things you noticed that were suspicious and tell me in detail."

"Yes..."

The team moved forward all the way, and Mandu Dalu sorted out many things in Yunzhong over the past two years. Originally, he was worried that these things were too verbose, but Xiyin listened carefully, and occasionally asked a few questions pertinently. When talking about the recent period, he asked about the situation of killing Han slaves in Yunzhong Prefecture after the defeat of the West Route Army, and remained silent for a moment after hearing Mandu Dalu's description.

"...In this world, even the most docile dog will bite when pushed too hard. The Han people used to be weak, but after more than ten or twenty years of humiliation, they finally formed a Black Flag. Dalu, one day in the future, there will be a decisive battle between my Great Jin and the Black Flag. Before that, the Han people captured to the North will farm for us and make things for us. Just for a little anger, we have to force them to death. Sooner or later, there will be some people who are not afraid of death and will oppose us. In the Qi family tragedy, Dai Mo, who instigated Wanyan Wenqin to act and eventually led to the tragedy, may be such a person... What do you think?"

Xiyin turned his head to look at him, and Mandu Dalu bowed and saluted, "What you say is very true, Lord."

"I heard that you caught the leader of the Black Flag by borrowing a Han woman to set up a game, right?"

"Indeed." Mandu Dalu said, "But the situation of this Han woman is also quite special..."

He introduced the situation of the Han woman, and Xiyin nodded, "After this Shangjing affair is over, how to fight against the Black Flag spies and maintain order in the city after returning to Yunzhong will be a major event. For the Han people, no more killings should be done, but how to manage them well, and even find a group of usable people to help us catch the 'Joker' and his gang, are also some things to consider carefully. At least, I want a result for Shi Yuanji's case, which can be regarded as a little explanation to Lord Shi."

Mandu Dalu lowered his head, and Xiyin stretched out his riding crop and tapped him on the shoulder, "After returning, I intend for you to be in charge of all security and patrol matters in Yunzhong. You should think carefully about how to do it in these days."

Hot blood surged to Mandu Dalu's head. He dismounted and knelt down to thank him. Xiyin waved his hand with a smile, "No need to be too polite, come up, let's go another distance!"

Mandu Dalu got on his horse in a few steps and followed him.

……

Zonghan and Xiyin's team traveled north all the way. On the way, the emotions of the people were both heroic and uneasy. Mandu Dalu had originally come to accept an inquiry in front of the Gushen, but now that he had been promoted, he could not help but be more concerned about the future fate of the marshal and others, and was uneasy.

There are rumors outside that the late Emperor Wugumai has already passed away in Shangjing, but the candidate for the new Emperor has not been determined, and the capital is secretly not announcing the mourning, waiting for Zonghan Xiyin and others to arrive before making a decision. But how can such a thing be so easy to say? Zongfu and Zongbi returned to the capital in triumph, and they must already be active in Shangjing. As long as they convince the people in the capital and let the new Emperor ascend the throne in advance, maybe their team of less than two thousand people will be surrounded by tens of thousands of troops before they arrive. At that time, even if the marshal and Gushen are in charge, and they encounter the change of emperors, it will be difficult for their group to escape.

As a veteran and constable who has been in the middle and lower ranks, Mandu Dalu can't figure out what is happening in the capital, and can't imagine who is blocking the inevitable attack of Zongfu and Zongbi, but when camping every night, he can clearly detect that this army is also ready for combat or even a breakout at any time. This shows that they are not unaware of the worst possible outcome.

"When people die, birds face the sky, and immortality is impossible..."

Since things have come to this, worry is inevitable, but Mandu Dalu had to sharpen his sword and prepare food every day, waiting for the worst possible outcome on the one hand, and expecting the marshal and Gushen to be heroes of a generation, and to be able to turn the tide in such a situation after all.

On August 24th, there was light snow falling from the sky. The attack did not arrive, and their team approached the boundary of Shenzhou, having already traveled half the distance...

……

At the same time, thousands of miles away in Chengdu, Southwest China, the autumn sun was warm and gentle. In a secluded health center, Ning Ji returned in a hurry from outside, holding a small package in his hand, and found Aunt Gu: "...Please pass this on to her."

He briefly introduced the contents of the package, and Aunt Gu hesitated as she held the package: "Why don't you give it to her yourself..."

"It's the same whoever gives it to her, it was originally hers. Aunt Gu, you and she are both women, so it's easier to talk to her. I have to pack my things, and I'm going back to Zhang Village tomorrow."

Aunt Gu laughed: "Are you really going back to study?"

"Yeah, if I don't go back, my mother will beat me." Ning Ji reached out and rubbed his nose, and then laughed, "And I miss my mother and younger siblings too."

"Then...aren't you going to say goodbye to her?"

"Yeah, I'll go see her later...what's there to say goodbye to her..."

Ning Ji jumped and skipped in, leaving Aunt Gu sighing softly here.

……

The afternoon sun was shining obliquely into the courtyard, falling in through the open window. After a while, the young military doctor in a white doctor's coat knocked on the door of the ward and walked in.

"Doctor Long, you're here."

Qu Longjun, sitting on the bed, showed a smile to the teenager.

A month had passed, and there was not much communication between the two, but Qu Longjun finally overcame her fear and was able to smile at this Doctor Long, so the other party's face looked better. He nodded naturally to her.

"Well, let me take your pulse."

He sat down by the bed, and Qu Longjun reached out her hand, letting the other party's fingers fall on her wrist, followed by a few routine inquiries and conversations. Until the end, Qu Longjun said, "Doctor Long, you seem very happy today?"

"My brother is getting married."

"Oh, congratulations to them."

Their communication ended here...

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