One year's plan starts in spring. In the Wu Dynasty, after bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, everything on earth recovered. As usual, the imperial court held a grand court meeting to summarize the past year and look forward to the coming year, which Jun Wu naturally had to attend.

This year, he stayed in the capital for half a month, and the verbal battles in the court also lasted for half a month. As the crown prince, no one dared to be openly disrespectful to Jun Wu. However, after a series of praises, the courtiers' words revealed malice. These adults stated the various problems behind the prosperity of the Wu Dynasty and the reasons for the setbacks. In the end, no one said it explicitly, but various opinions were ultimately directed towards the Crown Prince's residence.

Even though they had lost the Central Plains, the vigorous development of the Southern Wu over the past few years, the expansion of its economy, the abundance of its national treasury, and even the growth of its military strength, all seemed to prove the strength of a dynasty after learning from its pain. These constantly leaping numbers confirmed the wisdom of the monarch and his ministers, and since everything was growing, the slight flaws behind them were understandable and tolerable.

No one could prove that the country could still take off like this without a bias. Therefore, some flaws, pains, or necessities existed. Now, with the shame of Jingping in the past and the Jurchens still eyeing them covetously, if the imperial court fully leaned towards appeasing the northern refugees, would there still be a national treasury, would the market still develop, and would military preparations still increase?

Great Confucian scholars eloquently quoted classics to demonstrate the inevitability of many things, subtly highlighting the unworthiness of the Crown Prince and the Princess's faction as obstacles to the development of the Wu Dynasty. Jun Wu lingered in the capital for half a month, and because of a certain piece of news, he returned to Jiangning. A group of ministers then submitted memorials, earnestly advising the Crown Prince to be wise and accept advice, and how could he leave in a fit of anger? Jun Wu could only reply one by one that he had been taught.

Between February and March, the snow melted, the ice thawed, and the orioles flew and the grass grew. Wenren Bu'er, who was stationed in the capital, also came over. The host and guest stood on the city wall of Jiangning, watching the huge yellow balloon fly into the sky.

Someone in the balloon's basket threw something out. The thing fell from the sky and crashed on the grass with a bang, spraying mud. Jun Wu frowned. After a while, people ran over one after another: "It didn't explode!"

"Ten years ago, the master's side... researched hot air balloons. My side has been stumbling along with little progress. Later, I discovered that the material used to seal the air was actually pulp. Paper can be used for Kongming lanterns to fly into the sky, but such a large ball, lit with fire, you can't imagine that it can still be used with paper! It was delayed for another two years before Jiangning finally had this. Thanks to me rushing back..."

The wind on the city wall was strong, and Jun Wu's voice was also loud. The twenty-six-year-old crown prince's robes were wide, and after growing a mustache, he already had a bit of majesty. At this time, his arm waved lightly, making him look even more high-spirited. Wenren Bu'er just bowed solemnly.

"Your Highness, be careful with your words about that rebellious person."

"Senior Brother Wenren is right. We will never coexist with that regicide villain." Jun Wu smiled frankly. Wenren Bu'er was a disciple of Qin Si'yuan, and Jun Wu had also been taught by him when he was young. He was easygoing and relied heavily on Wenren Bu'er, so he often addressed him as Senior Brother.

"Your Highness left the capital in anger, and the Lin'an court is already in an uproar. You will need to be cautious in the future."

"Yes, this is a flaw in my character." Jun Wu said, "I also know it's not good. I've been restraining myself in recent years, but sometimes I still can't calm my heart. At the beginning of the year, I heard that there was progress in this matter, so I simply abandoned the court and ran back. I said it was for this hot air balloon, but after thinking about it, it was just that I couldn't bear the trivialities of the court and was looking for an excuse."

He directly admitted his mistakes, and Wenren Bu'er didn't say anything more. The two walked along the city wall, and Jun Wu said, "However, after thinking about it, I originally wasn't suited to be the crown prince. I like to study the science of things, but in recent years, I've been entangled in various matters, and the study of things has long been neglected. The world is turbulent, and I have a responsibility and no brothers. I thought about shielding Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, and others, and also saving some refugees from the north, reluctantly. However, only when I'm in it do I know how many problems there are."

He walked down the city wall stairs with agile steps: "The aristocratic families have been in business for more than two hundred years, and their forces are intertwined. Their interests are deeply rooted. The generals are short-sighted and afraid of death, and the civil officials are corrupt and unscrupulous, forming a large net. In the early years, I intervened in the southward migration of the northerners. On the surface, everyone applauded, but turned around and instigated people to make trouble, beat people to death, and even incite rebellion. Killing people according to the law, this relationship and that relationship, finally made it to the father emperor's desk, more than once. In the end, they said that the southerners should return to the south and the northerners should return to the north, and also said that it was really helpless - how can the north return! The north is devastated!"

"Look at General Yue's side. He is upright and grasps all kinds of things in his jurisdiction, never compromising with anyone, and finally maintains such a strong army. In recent years, there have been hundreds of memorials saying that he is domineering, overbearing, competing with the people for profit, and even has rebellious intentions. This is still with me watching from behind, otherwise he would have been beheaded by someone with ulterior motives. Han Shizhong's side is better at maneuvering. However, he takes care of the ministers in the court one by one, and spends a lot of money. I see that his military equipment is slightly worse than Yue Fei's."

The two went down the city wall, got into a carriage, and Jun Wu waved his hand: "What else can you do if you don't do this? Oh, you train an army, and today a civil official comes and says you should train like this, give me some money, or I'll impeach you.

Tomorrow another one comes and says that his brother-in-law should be a battalion officer here. The day after tomorrow, his brother-in-law embezzles military pay. You want to kill him, and he says his sister is the prime minister! Then don't fight, just go die."

The carriage drove out of the city gate, onto the official road outside, and then turned into the fields. Jun Wu vented for a while, then lowered his voice: "Do you know why rebellion requires killing the emperor?"

"Your Highness, be careful what you say!"

"To give an example, you want to do... a big thing. The people under you have dealings with these guys. You want to first pretend to be friendly and deal with them with smiles, just like... dealing with them for two or three years, but you have no backing above you. Today someone comes and divides a bit of your stuff, you endure it. Tomorrow they'll stuff a brother-in-law in, you endure it. Three years later, you want to do big things, and when you turn around, you see that everyone around you is just like them... haha. Haha."

Wenren Bu'er narrowed his eyes. Today's Jun Wu was obviously in a strange mood, slightly excited, and even more reckless. He had never seen such a situation before: "Your Highness, have you... encountered something?"

"No." Jun Wu waved his hand, then lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked ahead. The hot air balloon was still in the distance, "Look, this hot air balloon, when it was being made, the censors impeached it again and again, saying that this thing was rebellious and ominous, because ten years ago, it could bring people into the palace, it flew higher than the palace walls, and could spy on the palace... what rebellious and ominous, this is pointing at me wanting to commit regicide. For this matter, I left all these workshops in Jiangning, running back and forth for big and small things. They impeach me, and I apologize and admit my mistakes. Apologizing and admitting mistakes is okay... I finally made it."

"Your Highness..."

"Senior Brother Wenren, this world, in the future, may have another appearance, one that you and I can't understand." Jun Wu closed his eyes, "Last year, before Zuo Duan'you passed away, I went to visit him. The old man said that the words from Little Cang River may be right. If we want to defeat him, we must at least become like him. Cannons have come out and are still getting better and better. This hot air balloon has come out. If you don't have it, how can you fight people? Li Pin is talking about Neo-Confucianism, and he hasn't skipped the study of things either. These people in the court, those aristocratic families, say this and that, and all those who have contact with them have had no good results. But maybe in the future, when the study of things flourishes, there will be other methods?"

The carriage shook and stopped in a green field. Many craftsmen were gathered nearby, and another hot air balloon was being inflated here. Jun Wu and Wenren got out of the carriage.

"I am not very proficient in Confucian learning, and I can't think of how to reform or strive forward specifically. Two or three hundred years of deeply rooted interests, the inside is all broken. Even if you have great ambitions and a noble mind, once you enter here, thousands of people will block you, and thousands of people will reject you. You will either become bad or leave. Even if I have some luck and become the crown prince, I can only do my best to protect Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, and these few people. If one day I become the emperor and can't even act impulsively, I won't even be able to protect these people."

"Relying on them alone, we can't defeat the Jurchens." Jun Wu stood there, still talking. The hot air balloon in front was expanding, growing taller, and pulling the basket: "But fortunately, there is the study of things. Perhaps... we can rely on these people and strength to find some turning points. Even if I get a reputation for being stubborn and self-willed, I don't want to give up this stall. I only see hope here."

"Your Highness..."

Jun Wu walked forward: "I want to go up to the sky and take a look. Senior Brother Wenren, would you like to go with me?"

"Your Highness!"

As soon as he said this, there was an uproar around him, and words such as "Your Highness, think twice," "Your Highness, you can't," and "This thing is not safe yet" resounded like thunder. The craftsmen in charge of the technology were so frightened that they all knelt down, and Wenren Bu'er also rushed forward, trying to dissuade him. Jun Wu just smiled.

"Since the end of the year, this hot air balloon has flown up and down six times in a row, and it's very safe. I have also participated in the production of this hot air balloon. I know what problems it has. You can't fool me. Regarding this matter, I have made up my mind, so don't say any more. Now, my luck is everyone's luck. If I fall from the sky today, everyone should just think that their luck is bad and be buried with me. Jun Wu thanks everyone here... Senior Brother Wenren."

The crown prince turned back at the edge of the basket: "Do you want to go up and take a look?"

Wenren Bu'er was silent for a long time, and finally sighed. In recent years, Jun Wu had worked hard to shoulder the burden. Although there were always some impulses of young people, he was generally very rational. However, this balloon had always been the crown prince's great concern. When he was young, he studied the science of things, and it was precisely for this reason that he wanted to fly, to go up to the sky and see. Later, the identity of the crown prince made him have to be distracted, but he had always kept this dream of flying in mind and never forgotten it.

It had only been two or three months since this thing was truly made. Flying into the sky with such a thing, he certainly understood the danger and the fear of leaving the ground. It was just that he had made up his mind at this time, and it was difficult to change it again. If it weren't for this, he probably wouldn't have said those words just now.

The past Confucian techniques... the art of governing the country, in front of such a powerful enemy as the Jurchens, had no way out.

"Your subject should follow the crown prince."

"If you are afraid of heights, you can naturally not come. I just think this is a good thing."

Ignoring the people kneeling all around, he climbed into the basket without explanation. Wenren Bu'er also went over. There was also a craftsman in the basket who was operating the ascent, kneeling there. Jun Wu looked at him: "Master Yang, get up and do your work. You don't want me to operate it myself, do you? It's not like I don't know how."

The craftsman got up tremblingly. After a moment, he began to throw the weighted sandbags below.

Jun Wu held the rope next to the basket with one hand, stood there, his body swaying slightly, looking ahead.

"How much time do the adults in the court think we have left?"

"The Prime Minister and several members of the Privy Council believe that the situation is not good. Two or three years. If we are lucky, we may have five years to recuperate." Wenren Bu'er also looked ahead, his body stiff and tense, "After the Jurchens captured the Central Plains, they established Liu Yu as king, precisely because there were too few members of their clan, and they needed to stabilize the entire Liaoning region first. After they are completely stable north of Yanmen Pass, the first thing they will do is to formally annex and digest the Central Plains."

The huge hot air balloon shook and began to rise into the sky.

"It's just that although the original Central Plains was defeated, Liu Yu's control is difficult to be dominant. In these years, those with dissenting views have appeared one after another north and south of the Yellow River. Many of them submit to the Jurchens on the surface, not daring to show their heads, but if the Jin Dynasty really wants to carry out annexation, there will still be quite a few who will rise up to resist. Defeating is different from ruling. If the Jin Dynasty wants to formally annex the Central Plains, the effort it will take will be even greater. Therefore, there may still be a respite of two or three years... um——"

The field of vision below was constantly shrinking. They had risen into the sky, and Wenren Bu'er's originally tense statement was interrupted. Jun Wu was no longer listening. He stood there, looking at the fields and farmland below, the people planting rice in the fields, the cattle and horses pulling the plows, and in the distance, the houses and cooking smoke were spreading out. The city walls of Jiangning extended, the rivers flowed through, and the boatmen on the black-awning boats raised their long poles... In the bright spring light, vibrant vitality spread like a scroll.

Six years ago, the Jurchens' search of the mountains and seas had been here. Jun Wu still remembered the corpses outside the city, Grandpa Kang who died here. Now, all these living beings were alive so vividly again. These lovely, hateful, and difficult-to-categorize fresh lives, just seeing them exist, could make people happy, and yet, based on their existence, countless pains were born...

The hot air balloon drifted upwards.

Throughout his life, Zhou Junwu never forgot the earth he saw in this one glance.

In the spring of the ninth year of Wu Jianshuo, he flew into the sky for the first time.

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

Under the same sky, north across Yanmen Pass, when the snow melted and the ice disappeared, Datong, the Western Capital of the Jin Dynasty, ushered in the peak season for commercial travelers.

Goods flowed, merchants came and went, and traffic was heavy. After more than ten years of plunder, digestion, and internal recuperation, the Jin Dynasty, this emerging regime, gradually gave birth to a prosperous appearance. Entering through the four gates of Datong, flags on the city walls fluttered in the wind like a forest. Walking on the great wall were teams of strong bows and sharp knives of Jurchen soldiers. The city market extended, pedestrians were like weaving, and the patrolling yamen runners walked among them with their backs straight. Occasionally, when they saw a fight in the crowd that was out of control, they stepped forward to stop it—the folk customs of the north were fierce, and such things were common.

In the thriving blacksmith shops, there was a clanging sound and a fiery atmosphere. In the restaurants, food and pastries from all over the country were sold, but most of them catered to the tastes of the Jin people. Storytellers pulled their fiddles and slammed the table with a wooden block.

Ragged Han Chinese slaves were mixed among them. Some were as thin as firewood, with chains tied to their bodies, only used as livestock. There was no life in their eyes. There were also waiters and cooks in various restaurants, who might live better, but their eyes were only timid and they dared not look at people too much. In the prosperous powder street alleys, some brothels still had Han Chinese women captured from the south. If they were from small families, they were just materials for people to vent their lust like livestock. There were also ladies and children from the families of high-ranking officials, who could often be priced at a high price. There were also a few women from the imperial family, who were still cash cows for several brothels.

Even among the Jurchens, there were many who had a fondness for poetry and writing, and when they came to the brothels, they were more willing to chat with the knowledgeable ladies from the south for a while. Of course, this was different from the south.

There were no pure singers here.

A woman in colorful clothes danced madly in the streets, singing songs of the Central Plains, and then was dragged into the gate of the brothel by a rough Jurchen, dragged into the room, and the laughter had not stopped. In the Wu Dynasty, many people here could now understand the language. The crazy woman was laughing: "Haha, husband, you've come to pick me up... Haha, ah——haha, husband, you've come to pick me up..."

In that room, she made this sound while being raped. But people nearby knew that her husband had been killed long ago—he was originally a craftsman who wanted to resist and escape, and his head was cut off in front of her, and his head was made into a wine vessel... As the镖队 (Biao Dui, escort team) passed by the street, Shi Jin lowered his head and listened to the sound, and his companions whispered about these things.

"...Great Hero, don't think too much. There are too many of these things. The Wu Dynasty emperor still kneels in the palace every year as a dog, and the queen is the same... Oh, Great Hero, look, that is Xi Yin Gong's (Duke Xi Yin) Great Manufacturing Yard..."

Shi Jin looked up and saw courtyards stretching along the river, with pillars of smoke rising into the air, surrounded by patrolling soldiers, heavily guarded. His companion pulled at his sleeve: "Great Hero, you can't go there, and don't let them see you..."

Shi Jin nodded and withdrew his gaze.

He had been in the north for three months.

Shi Jin was chivalrous and generous by nature. A few months ago, when he first arrived in the north, he could not bear to see countless Han Chinese slaves suffering, and he couldn't help but violently kill people, and was subsequently hunted down by Jin soldiers in the heavy snow. Shi Jin was highly skilled in martial arts and was not afraid of this. He had put life and death aside. He roamed in the heavy snow for more than a month and killed more than a dozen Jin soldiers, causing a great uproar. Later, he went all the way north and rescued a镖师 (Biao Shi, escort), and finally found a companion and arrived in Datong in a low-key manner.

Although there were many Han Chinese slaves in the north, there were naturally also Han Chinese and Liao people who originally lived here. It was just that the Wu Dynasty was weak, and the Han Chinese in this area, although they could also have the status of good people, had always been quite oppressed and despised. The镖师 (Biao Shi) in this镖队 (Biao Dui) were mostly natives of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. They were first oppressed by the Liao people and then by the Jin people. They were people who licked blood from their knives, and they admired heroes like Shi Jin. Even though they knew that Shi Jin was dissatisfied with the Jin people, they were willing to take him along.

Although Shi Jin was traveling with these people, he naturally did not tell them about his idea of assassinating Nianhan (粘罕). Along the way north, he saw the gathering of Jin soldiers. Datong, which was originally the military and political center, began to become more and more solemn. He couldn't help but want to inquire about it. Later, when he saw the cannons among the Jin soldiers, he inquired a little and learned that the Jin soldiers had also researched and equipped these things, and that the person in charge of this among the high-level Jin people was Wanyan Xiyin (完颜希尹), known as the God of the Valley.

After the Jin Dynasty's southern expedition, it obtained a large number of Wu Dynasty craftsmen. Xiyin, with reference to the study of things, built the Great Manufacturing Yard together with ministers such as Shi Li'ai (时立爱) to develop firearms and various new technological objects. In addition to weapons, there were also many novel items that are now circulating in the Datong market and have become popular goods.

Amidst the noise of carriages and horses, the镖队 (Biao Dui) arrived at their destination in Datong. Shi Jin was unwilling to procrastinate, and clasped his fists with them to say goodbye. The镖师 (Biao Shi) was very affectionate and righteous, and greeted his companions. He first took Shi Jin out to eat. He set up a table of seats in a relatively high-end restaurant in Datong City, which was considered a thank you to Shi Jin for saving his life. This person knew what was good for him and understood that Shi Jin's northward journey must have a purpose, so he introduced the situation and layout of Datong City that he knew, more or less, to Shi Jin.

After drinking a few rounds and his face was flushed, his words were somewhat ashamed.

"...I know that Great Hero's coming here is definitely not for traveling. Although I am a northerner of Han descent for generations, I also know the heroism and chivalry of the south. The grace of saving my life can never be repaid by this mere table of wine. However, although I am also angry at the Jin people's arrogance, my family is here, with a wife and children... Great Hero, Datong is, after all, no ordinary place. In the early years, the Jurchens called this place the Western Court, but at that time, among the Jurchens, there was still the Second Prince Zongwang (宗望), who could suppress Zonghan's (宗翰) arrogance. After Zongwang's death, the Jin Dynasty was divided into east and west, and Marshal Zonghan's authority here was no different from Tianhui (天会) in the east..."

"...In this Datong City, heavy troops are gathered, and there is also Gu Shen (谷神) Xiyin, with many experts under his command. The Great Manufacturing Yard is also heavily guarded. Although Great Hero is highly skilled in martial arts, he is, after all, from the south and of Han descent, which is too eye-catching. Please... be cautious and take care..."

This鏢师 (Biao Shi) urged Shi Jin to be cautious, and he was not without fear that he would be exposed and implicated. However, Shi Jin was a heroic and righteous person, and he knew that the other party had taken on too many risks in order to repay his kindness, so he naturally did not say much. The鏢师 (Biao Shi) thought for a while, and then told Shi Jin some anecdotes about Datong City, such as the knights who opposed the Jurchens and were wanted or hunted down, and the great thieves who specialized in stealing treasures. That Wanyan Xiyin had extensively recruited warriors and had carried out several sweeps and cleanups of these Jianghu (江湖) people, but some people were always able to escape and become legends that everyone talked about.

The镖师 (Biao Shi) thought that if the other party really encountered trouble in the city, he would be unable to intervene, and these people might become his companions.

After the feast, the two officially said goodbye. Shi Jin carried his package and watched the other party leave on the street. Turning around, he saw the Han Chinese slaves who were like pigs and dogs in the clanging blacksmith shop at the other end of the restaurant.

This year, in the Jin Dynasty, it was the twelfth year of Tianhui (天会). It had been twelve years since Wanyan Wuqimai (完颜吴乞买) succeeded to the throne. In these twelve years, the Jurchens had consolidated their rule over the臣民 (Chen Min, subjects) below, and the Jurchens' presence in the north had been formally stabilized. And accompanying this was the pain and disaster of countless Han Chinese.

Three invasions of the Central Plains, the Humiliation of Jingping, the Search of the Mountains and Seas... The Han Chinese slaves who were captured and taken north, after so many years, there were still many who were still living on this land, but they were no longer like human beings at all...

Shi Jin's life had been chaotic. He was brave and fierce when he was young, and later became a bandit, and then fought against the Jurchens and had internal strife... The killings he experienced were both righteous and unbearable. He was reckless when he was young, and his hands were naturally stained with the blood of innocent people. Since then, he had seen countless tragic deaths. But there was no time that he felt the distortion and pain as deeply as he felt now in this prosperous Datong street.

He walked from that street, and the figures of the slaves came into his eyes. Most people had long been accustomed to it, and he did not stop for a moment. In the next few days, he squatted and searched near the Yuan帥府 (Yuan Shuai Fu, Marshal's Mansion). On March 23rd, he launched an assassination against Zonghan (宗翰). A bloody battle shocked Datong...

Support (完本神站, Wanben Shenzhan) and share this site with the little friends who need it! Leave a message if you can't find a book!