"Your Majesty is bedridden. Over at Tianhui, Zongfu and Zongbi intend to gather troops and plot against Jiangnan… According to reports, Lord Alubu is drilling troops in the south and has already led a large army to the Hebei camp. The new army trained by Zongpan, Zongjun, and others in Xijin Prefecture is also battle-ready. Lord Wanyan Chang submitted a request for military supplies yesterday, twice that of last year. Iron cannons, ammunition, and other items account for 70% of the Great Manufacturing Institute's reserves, and he's urging them urgently. This matter has been sealed by His Majesty..."

"If they're urging so urgently, how will they transport it all away?"

"The messenger said that Lord Gushen withheld the refined iron intended for Lord Zongbi's Iron Pagoda troops the year before last..."

Torrential rain poured down. In the marshal's mansion, as everyone took their seats, Wanyan Saba's report was the first to be heard. Gao Qingyi then chuckled, and Wanyan Saba retorted with the statement from the other side. Search: (WanBenShenZhan) to read high-quality literature for free.

Although a year's planning is done in the spring, the north's snowmelt comes late. Coupled with the major event of Wu Qimai's stroke, the coordination between the eastern and western powers this year was still ongoing as spring turned to summer. This involved finalizing the external strategy, and the old emperor's stroke meant the太子's succession would become a major event. In recent days, both open and covert games and alignments were taking place. Regarding the grand strategy of southward invasion, since it had been proposed year after year, this informal meeting felt rather casual.

"One can't speak recklessly. The Fourth Prince is strong and brave, a blessing to our Jin Dynasty. Planning the south isn't something new. If it really comes to fruition this year, it wouldn't be a bad thing."

"In that case, we should pave the way for him to conquer the Central Plains."

"Last year in the Central Plains, the Black Flag was stirring restlessly. We suppressed the chaos of Tian Hu's rebellion and didn't act. Now it seems it's time to make a move. Such great merit shouldn't be given solely to the princes in the west."

In the room, everyone spoke their mind. For example, Yin Shuke and others in charge of military affairs directly discussed the key points of a southward invasion. Southern expeditions were discussed every year, and everyone had ideas at their fingertips. However, within this casual atmosphere, everyone's words were tinged with a hint of unclear caution. Zonghan had gathered everyone not for a formal meeting, but listened with a smile. Wanyan Xiyin lowered his eyes and waited for the scene to cool down before tapping on the table.

"Invading south and conquering the Central Plains has never been difficult. Qi is originally part of our Great Jin Dynasty. Liu Yu is incompetent; we can just take it back. But the Central Plains is vast, and holding it is not easy. His Majesty has worked diligently, recuperating for more than ten years, but the number of our Jurchen people has not increased much. It was once said that the Jurchen were not to be feared until they reached ten thousand, but how many of the younger generation have become addicted to pleasure and disgraced our Jurchen name? These people exist in all our families. We've warned you many times to be vigilant!"

Xiyin's gaze swept over everyone. Those present were all veterans of bloody battlefields, and even the Han Chinese among them possessed courage and strength. They nodded in agreement. Xiyin paused. "Precisely because there are few Jurchens, we divide the people under our rule into five classes, governing them layer by layer, to ensure stability. Managing the former territory of the Liao Dynasty hasn't seemed too difficult, but if we were to swallow the Central Plains, these rules would have to be strictly defined and implemented. The Central Plains are vast, with a population of tens of millions in the south. If we really take back power from Liu Yu, we must begin promoting migration southward in the coming years. At least several hundred thousand, even a million, Jurchens, Bohai, Khitans, and Han Chinese need to go there to have an effect. These things originally needed to wait, but Zongfu and Zongbi have great ambitions, so we... can only pave the way for them."

His gaze was serious. At the end, he looked at Zonghan, and everyone also glanced at Zonghan. Gao Qingyi stood up and cupped his fist. "Gushen is right."

The others also expressed their opinions.

Zonghan looked at Xiyin, then smiled and cupped his fist. "Gushen speaks with the wisdom of an experienced statesman." He looked around. "Well, His Majesty is ill, the situation is uncertain, and the southern expedition... drains the people and wastes resources. Whether to do it or not, we'll have to gather all the generals in the next few days to discuss it clearly. Today I just called everyone to chat casually and see what you think. Don't leave today. Two new cooks have come to my house. They roast lamb well. We'll eat together later. I still have military affairs to deal with, so I'll take care of them first."

He beckoned for the steward to bring tea, refreshments, and dancers. Xiyin stood up. "I also have things to do, so I won't stay for dinner."

Zonghan raised his hand. "I'll see Xiyin out."

Zonghan wore a large cloak, looking bold and robust. Xiyin was also sturdy, only slightly taller and thinner. The two walked out together. Everyone knew they had something to say and didn't follow. As they walked, the steward waved away the servants in front of them, making the hallway and corridors seem quiet. They were now two of the most powerful people in the world, but the life-or-death friendship forged from humble beginnings had not been diluted too much by power.

They chatted casually along the way. Zonghan mentioned the newly hired cooks. "Bohai people, sent by Da Yuanxi. They have high airs and big feet, and they're very rough in bed. Their cooking is just average. I heard that I wanted them, and Da Yuanxi was very happy and rushed over to thank me. If you're interested, Xiyin, I'll give you one."

"Marshal is joking." Xiyin shook his head. After a moment, he said, "The generals' attitudes, Marshal, you saw them today. People don't have harmful intentions towards tigers, but tigers have intentions to hurt people. Marshal, you need to be more serious about the Central Plains."

"When have the men of my Jurchen feared bears and tigers?" Zonghan carried his hands behind his back, not caring. He took a few steps before slightly turning his head. "Gushen, in these years of southern and northern expeditions, has Nianhan ever been greedy for power?"

"Marshal has never been greedy for power."

"Only because I don't need to be greedy for power." Zonghan waved his hand. "My presence is power!"

The rain pounded.

"Back then, you, me, Aguda, and others started with a few thousand people. Zongfu and Zongbi were just wet-behind-the-ears kids. We've been fighting for many years..." His gaze was serious. At this point, he sighed slightly and clenched his fist again. "I promised Aguda to look after the Jurchen people. What do those kids understand! Without this marshal's mansion, the Jin Dynasty would be in great chaos, the Central Plains would be in great chaos! Even if I hand over the Central Plains to them, they can't swallow it!"

"I knew that's what Marshal was thinking."

"The Central Plains are a small matter. In the eyes of others, competing with the younger generation for power is embarrassing!" Zonghan waved his hand violently, turned, and walked forward. "If it were ten years ago, I would have slapped Zongbi to death!"

His voice contained anger.

Since the founding of the Jin Dynasty, although it had been invincible, the biggest problem it faced was always the small population of the Jurchens. Many policies stemmed from this premise.

The emergence of eastern and western political centers originated from this. With a vast territory and a lack of ruling class members, many problems simply couldn't be responded to if controlled by a single core. At this time, Zonghan's talent and strong attitude made up for this deficiency. The Marshal's Mansion not only managed the western part of the Jin Dynasty, but also managed a large number of affairs in the Central Plains. It seemed unwieldy, but if it weren't for this, with the Jurchens' primitive regime, let alone remotely controlling the Central Plains, even the Jin Dynasty's territory would be unstable.

In addition, the Jin Dynasty's current ethnic policies were also designed in recent years to compensate for the Jurchens' scarcity. In the Jin Dynasty's territory, the first-class citizens were naturally the Jurchens. The second-class citizens were the Bohai people, who had been friendly with the Jurchens. This was the dynasty established by Da Zuorong during the Tang Dynasty, later destroyed by the Liao Dynasty. A group of remnants, led by Da Guangxian, resisted the Khitans and attempted to restore their country, migrating to Goryeo. Another group was still oppressed by the Khitans. When the Jin Dynasty was founded, these people were treated favorably. Da Yuanxi, who sent the cooks to Zonghan, was a popular Bohai socialite in the current Jin Dynasty aristocratic circles.

The third-class citizens were the Khitans, who had been conquered but were still considered brave. The fourth-class Han Chinese were the Han residents who had been in the territory of the Liao Dynasty. However, the Han Chinese were clever, and some had done quite well in the Jin Dynasty regime, such as Gao Qingyi and Shi Liai, who were also considered trusted aides of Zonghan. As for the people of the Central Plains south of Yanmen Pass, they were not considered Han Chinese by the Jin Dynasty, but were generally called the Southern People. These were the fifth-class citizens, and many of them were slaves in the Jin Dynasty.

By dividing into classes and granting privileges, the Jin Dynasty's regime could be maintained layer by layer. Once the Jurchens officially conquered the Central Plains and Jiangnan, the difficulty would increase again. Even though the Jin Dynasty had recuperated for ten years under Wu Qimai's rule, the number of Jurchens was still insufficient.

Now that Wu Qimai was ill, Zongfu and others were, on the one hand, advocating for the reduction of Zonghan's Marshal's Mansion's power. On the other hand, they were secretly brewing a southern expedition. They wanted to gain military merit and build momentum for themselves, hoping to subdue the Marshal's Mansion before Wu Qimai passed away.

The Marshal's Mansion's response was simple, but Zonghan had spent his life on the battlefield and was extremely proud. Even when Aguda was alive, he was second only to him. Now, being provoked by a few children, he was very angry.

On the one hand, the other party was judging a gentleman's heart with the mind of a petty person, using despicable thoughts to guess his intentions.

On the other hand, no matter how many actions those children took – what could they do to him!?

He was touched on a sore spot by these things, and he remained silent to his subordinates' reminders. Xiyin and others hinted at him, on the one hand, advising him to choose the most rational response, and on the other hand – only Xiyin and a few others closest to him – were afraid that the marshal would take extreme actions in a fit of anger. The succession of the Jin Dynasty was not, at least for now, father-to-son. There might be other possibilities in the future, but the more so, the more cautious he needed to be – of course, these were things that could not be said at all.

After talking for a while, Zonghan, though angry, was in front of Xiyin, expressing his intentions. Xiyin smiled. "It's good that Marshal knows what he's doing. Beauties fade with time, and heroes grow old. The younger generation is at the age of tigers and wolves… If it were Zongfu, he would be more honest in nature, and it would be fine. Zongbi has been suspicious and self-willed since childhood. After Zongwang left, it's hard for others to control him. Ten years ago, I beat him until he cried, but ten years later, I have to be more wary. Someday, when you and I are gone, the younger generation in our families may be chased and beaten by him."

"Xiyin, you've read a lot and have a lot of worries. Bear them yourself." Zonghan smiled and waved his hand. "Zongbi can't stir up any waves, but since they're going to do things, how can we not take care of them? I'm old, and my temper is a bit bad, but I can still figure out what needs to be figured out."

During this conversation, they had gradually approached the outer perimeter of the marshal's mansion. Xiyin nodded, said a few casual words, and hesitated slightly. "Actually, I have one more thing to apologize to Marshal for today."

Zonghan turned his head. Xiyin had already cupped his fist and bowed. Zonghan's gaze became serious. He reached out and stopped him. "What earth-shattering thing has happened?"

"There's unrest in my family, some things that need to be dealt with, and it's related to Marshal… I'm going to deal with it now."

Zonghan looked at him seriously for a moment, then casually raised his hand. "Deal with the matters in your family yourself. What kind of relationship do you and I have, that you need to say such things… It's related to me? Are you going to deal with some people from the Marshal's Mansion?"

"That's not necessary..."

"Then go. This marshal is busy with thousands of things every day. I don't have time to listen to your Xiyin family's household affairs."

He saw him to the mansion gate and said, "It's raining heavily, so I won't see you off." He watched Xiyin put on his cloak, hang up his long sword, and get into the carriage. After cupping his fist in farewell, Zonghan's gaze became serious again for a moment.

Xiyin's wife was a Han Chinese. This matter was occasionally discussed among the Jurchen upper class. Could it be that she had done something and it had come to light now? That would be a real headache. Marshal Wanyan Zonghan shook his head and turned to walk into the mansion.

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

In the dim light, the sound of heavy rain drowned out everything.

The mountain cave was filled with a damp, fetid smell, and the scent of blood also permeated the air. Accompanied by the heavy rain, he woke up from his slumber. With the faint light of dawn, he knew he was not dead.

Since ten years ago, death had become more difficult than he imagined.

Perhaps it was because of the assassination ten years ago, everyone else had died, and only he had survived. Therefore, those heroes were always with him, insisting on keeping him alive.

However, it wasn't just him. Over the years, he had heard news that, on the day of the assassination of Nianhan, Senior Fulu, who was by the side of Grandmaster Zhou, had luckily survived. He had brought out Grandmaster Zhou's head from that great battle, and later buried it. He told the location of the burial to Xinmo Ningyi, saying that after the world was at peace, the Black Flag Army would make Grandmaster Zhou's burial place public so that future generations could offer sacrifices.

He didn't know if this was true, but in recent years, given that Xinmo's personality and style, he didn't think the other party would lie about these things. Even though assassinating the king was taboo, even those who hated Xinmo the most had to admit that in some respects, the other party was truly upright.

He couldn't compare, so he could only run over and do something rash.

He wondered where Senior Fulu was now. Ten years had passed; was he still alive in this world?

His body was covered in wounds, and he was tired. After thinking wildly for a while, he wondered if he would never die again. He had assassinated Nianhan twice, and when he recovered this time, he would have to kill him a third time.

Leaving his life to assassinate Nianhan three times was a feat that would shock everyone!

As he was thinking wildly, he suddenly heard some faint noises in the sound of the rain outside.

Shi Jin gripped the copper staff and struggled to stand up. Then, someone knocked randomly outside the cave.

--Was it her? Shi Jin frowned.

Then the person slowly came in. Shi Jin leaned over, his hand pressing lightly on the person's neck. He didn't press down hard, because the other person was a woman, but if she had any ill intentions, Shi Jin could instantly break her neck.

"...Hero...you're really here." The woman was startled at first, then calmed down.

"How did you find me?"

"This little woman said she would bring medicine to the hero."

He had seen this strange woman on the day of his second assassination attempt. She was Han Chinese, wearing a veil, and extremely familiar with the environment outside Datong City. After Shi Jin broke out of the city, he fled all the way, and later this woman found him. He had intended to kill her, but she had given him some wound medicine and pointed out two hiding places. Shi Jin didn't trust her identity. After taking the wound medicine, he had carefully identified it, but didn't choose the hiding places she had pointed out to hide. He didn't expect that after two days, she had found him again.

"I was originally the daughter of an official in the Wu Dynasty, but I was captured and brought to the north. Later, a Jurchen dignitary rescued me, allowing me to live here. Over the years, we have rescued many Han slaves and sent them back to the south. I know the hero doesn't trust strangers, but you are seriously injured. If you don't treat them, you will definitely not be able to endure it. These wound medicines are all of good quality and easy to prepare. The hero has been traveling the world for a long time, so you must have some experience. You can look at them and prepare them yourself..."

This time, the woman brought raw materials for gold sore medicine, all of good quality and not difficult to identify. Shi Jin had her eat some of the various medicinal materials before preparing them himself. As he applied the medicine, the woman couldn't help but talk about the news inside and outside Datong, and made some suggestions. Nianhan was heavily guarded, making him difficult to kill. Instead of taking the risk of assassination, with this kind of skill, it would be better to help collect information and do other things that would be more beneficial to the Wu Dynasty, etc.

Shi Jin listened to her nagging for a while and asked, "Black Flag?"

"This little woman is not a member of the Black Flag."

The woman shook her head, then talked about hiding, pointing out two new hiding places to Shi Jin. "If the hero doesn't trust me, it will be difficult to see each other again in the future. If the hero trusts this little woman, we can talk about other things in detail when we meet again. The north is dangerous, and people coming from the south don't live easily. The hero should take care of himself."

The woman got up and left. Shi Jin used the medicine and his mind calmed down slightly. Seeing the woman gradually disappear into the rain, Shi Jin was about to go to sleep again. However, having entered and left the battlefield for many years, even in the most relaxed situation, he never let down his guard. After a while, something seemed wrong in the woods outside.

Shi Jin put on camouflage made of leaves, left the cave, and sneaked away. After quietly moving for a moment, he saw searchers coming all over the mountains.

"Bitch!"

He cursed subconsciously in his heart, his body like water, disappearing into the pouring rain...

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

The rain continued to fall. On this early summer evening, it grew dark early. The prison on the outskirts of Datong City already had the light of torches.

Torture was in progress. The leather whip flew through the air, each strike taking away a piece of flesh. The woman tied to the rack screamed and begged for mercy hysterically. Her original clothes had been torn into strips by the leather whip. The interrogator simply tore off her clothes and pants. Nakedness was common in this kind of torture, but at least for now, the interrogator was eager to find out something and didn't put his own desires first.

They occasionally stopped torturing to ask her questions. The woman shook her head amid her cries and continued to beg for mercy, but later, she didn't even have the strength to beg for mercy.

The door was slammed open, and a tall figure and his entourage came in. The figure wore a black cloak, a dark gold long sword at his waist, and walked with agility. The torturers in the cell quickly knelt down to salute.

"The head constable stays, irrelevant people get out!" Looking at the bloody body of the woman in front of him, Wanyan Xiyin waved his hand, dismissing a large number of his followers. The interrogator stayed, as well as Mandu Dalu, who was in charge of the assassination case, and several other head constables, who were kneeling behind him, watching everything.

Wanyan Xiyin looked at the woman for a moment before slowly walking forward. "Qiuhe...Wu Qiuhe, you were originally the niece of the prefect of Kaifeng in the Wu Dynasty. After coming to the Jin Dynasty, the Madam rescued you, allowing you to avoid the dangers outside. Wanyan Xiyin is a Jurchen, and I can tolerate your disrespect for me, but if you have any conscience, I ask you... How did my Madam treat you? Has she ever wronged you in the slightest?"

The woman named Wu Qiuhe was originally a maidservant of Xiyin's wife, Chen Wenjun. Over the years, Xiyin and Chen Wenjun had a deep relationship, and naturally met Wu Qiuhe every day. At this time, Wu Qiuhe's mouth was dripping with blood. She shook her head. "No... no wronged..."

"Then why did you do such a thing?" Xiyin said, word by word, "Privately colluding with the assassin who assassinated the Marshal. Do you know how much trouble this will bring to me!?"

Wu Qiuhe stared blankly at Xiyin for a while. Her bloody mouth suddenly made a hoarse laugh. "It's not... not Madam's fault..."

After saying this, she paused, and then said, "I... I confess... It's... it's Senior Gao Qingyi..."

"Shut up--" As soon as the words "Gao Qingyi" came out, Xiyin suddenly spoke, his voice like thunder, trying to interrupt her words.

The woman's voice was mixed in between. "...He pitied me and loved me, saying that if he killed the Marshal, he could become the Marshal, and could marry..."

"Bitch--"

"Lord, you can't--"

At this moment, the deputy beside Mandu Dalu subconsciously shouted out. Mandu Dalu reached out and strangled the deputy's neck, cutting off his voice at his mouth. The torchlight flickered in the prison. Xiyin pulled out his long sword with a clang and slashed down.

Fresh blood splattered, the torchlight flickered for a while, and the stench spread.

Wu Qiuhe was dead beyond any doubt.

"Bury her!" Xiyin carried his blood-stained long sword and turned to leave.

After he had moved away from here, Mandu Dalu and others stood up. He quietly released the deputy's neck. The constables looked at the body in the room, each speechless.

"Lord..."

"This woman is very smart. She knows that once she says Senior Gao's name, she will never live." Mandu Dalu frowned and said in a low voice. "Besides, how can you know whether Lord Gushen would want her to live. Don't get involved in too many things of great men, lest you die a bad death. All right, call someone to collect the body..."

Outside, the search of the mountains in the heavy rain was still in progress. Perhaps because the dragnet search in the afternoon had failed, the leaders of the teams had a small quarrel. In a distant valley, Tang Minjie, who was soaked to the bone by the rain, squatted on the ground, looking at the fallen figure and stick in the mud not far away.

"Chen Wenjun, Wu Qiuhe... You guys are really local snakes. You can even find people here..." He murmured, "Unfortunately, I took advantage of you..."

In earlier years, the Black Flag's intelligence network in the north was established through the efforts of Lu Yannian, Lu Mingfang and his son. After Lu Yannian's death, Lu Mingfang established a relationship with Chen Wenjun, and the development of the intelligence network in the north truly became smooth. However, Chen Wenjun was originally the most confidential and highest-level informant in the Secret Investigation Division. Qin Siyuan died, and Ningyi committed regicide. Although Chen Wenjun also helped the Black Flag, the interests of the two sides were actually separate. As a person of the Wu Dynasty, Chen Wenjun tended to the entire Han group. The interaction between the two sides was always a cooperative model, not an integrated system.

This was also why Tang Minjie called Chen Wenjun and her subordinate Wu Qiuhe "local snakes."

"Idiot." When he had the chance, he would laugh at Wu Qiuhe.

He thought like this.

At this time, Wu Qiuhe had been buried in the dark soil.

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