Flames roared, casting ferocious, dancing shadows on the cave walls. Gleaming blades flashed in the air, accompanied by these menacing silhouettes, creating a dance of power and ferocity within the cave. Search: (¨Complete¨ Book¨ Divine¨ Station¨) to read quality literature for free.

The man dancing in the firelight was tall and muscular. His bare upper body displayed rugged features and numerous scars, showcasing his courage and achievements. Lang Ge, the chief of the Ni tribe in the Mangshan Mountains of southwest China, had hunted countless fierce beasts in this wilderness and slain hundreds of brave enemies with his hunting knife. He was one of the most prominent leaders of the Ni tribe in the southwest at this time.

With the flashing of blades, his body moved like a hunting leopard, maintaining great tension amidst roars and strikes. The firelight accentuated his powerful physique. On one side of the cave, a small, thin, black-robed old man squatted, watching the blade dance.

Occasionally, the old man spoke, and Lang Ge responded. The Ni language was difficult and obscure to outsiders, but their meaning was roughly as follows:

"Fighting with outsiders is ominous. Have you really thought this through?"

"Outsiders are just outsiders. The mountains belong to us. Lang Ge wants anything he desires!"

"What are the benefits?"

"Two years ago, those tribes in the eastern mountains who interacted with outsiders obtained thunder cannons."

"We have them too."

"We must also take them from the outsiders, and if we don't take enough, we must watch their faces! Besides, what they give us is mostly bad. Otherwise, why did our own people get killed last year?"

"Hmm, they said they didn't learn how to use them properly."

"The mountains are ours. When outsiders come here, they try to become the masters. I will take it back. A scholar from outside told me that these people who came a few years ago killed the Han emperor and were hunted down throughout the land. They hid in these mountains, ordering us around. Moreover, they buy passage through our mountains, but our tribe in the west gets the least. If this continues, we will have to watch their faces..."

"Those who come are always polite."

"That's because they fear us! Anyway, I've decided. Originally, without those outsiders, I would have already swallowed the eastern mountains these past few years. It's not too late now. People from outside the mountains are willing to help us. Uncle, they will send troops to attack. As long as we can kill all those with the black banners and take the head of that Han named Ning, the people from outside the mountains have guaranteed me..."

"..."

"...At that time, I, Lang Ge, will be the king of a million Ni people in Tiannan! I will have as many iron cannons as I want! Lian Niang also supports me in this matter, so there's no need to say more—"

With a final, powerful slash, Lang Ge's figure slowly came to a halt in the firelight. He casually tossed his thick braids behind his head, approached the small old man, smiled, and patted him on the shoulder.

Walking towards the cave entrance, a voluptuous and beautiful woman greeted him. This was Lang Ge's wife, Shui Luoyisha. In the Mangshan tribe, Lang Ge was valiant, and his wife was wise. She had always assisted her husband in strengthening the entire tribe, and outsiders respectfully referred to her as Lian Niang. In these mountains, the couple were ambitious and vigorous people in their prime. They had decided on the entire strategy of the tribe.

Leaving the cave, clusters of firelight stretched out into the distance amidst the lush mountains below. The powerful Mangshan tribe was ready to send out troops.

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

Time flew by, and it was now June. Bulai County, in the morning, in the military camp's auditorium, Luo Ye stepped onto the platform at the front.

This was a farewell ceremony. Over two hundred members of the Chinese Army, sitting upright below, were about to leave this place.

It was a harmonious parting.

Luo Ye looked around at everyone.

"Some of you have been here for four years, some for three. I know most of you. The Chinese Army speaks of people's livelihood and rights. At a time when... a great war is about to break out, you want to leave here for your families, and we will not stop you. However... as usual, we have some words of advice for you."

"You are not the original members of the Chinese Army. We may have been enemies when we first met. The Battle of Xiaocang River brought us together. After coming to the southwest, many people missed their homes. In the past, some people ran away secretly, and later, after we clarified things, we parted peacefully. Over the years, at least tens of thousands of people have returned to the Central Plains, but the Central Plains is not a good place now. Liu Yu, the Jurchens, and the Chinese Army are sworn enemies. If people find out about your experience here, you know what the consequences will be. In recent years, in the Central Plains, many people who had been to the southwest were caught in this way..."

"You can talk about the situation of the Chinese Army. It doesn't matter. You can talk about our ideas, how we train our soldiers, what kind of discipline we have. There is nothing about the Chinese Army that cannot be seen in public! But that doesn't mean that if you say it, people will let you go... The intelligence returned by the Bamboo Records is terrible regarding these matters."

"So there is nothing else, only one thing: hide yourselves. Or, if you have the means, take your parents and siblings south. You can come to the southwest, or if you think the southwest is unsafe, you can go to the Wu Dynasty. Find a place you think is safe and live out your life. Of course, I hope even more that you can bring your families and brothers back with you. It is very difficult to defeat the Jurchens and save this world. Without you, it will be even more difficult..."

As he said this, someone below shouted out: "We will be back!"

Then others echoed. Luo Ye nodded: "Of course, if you come back too late, or don't come back at all, the credit for defeating the Jurchens will be mine..."

The farewell in the auditorium was not grand. In the Chinese Army of Bulai, there were many people from the Central Plains who were incorporated during the Battle of Xiaocang River. Many of them were still resistant to those who were leaving. When they first came to the southwest, most of these people were prisoners. For a period of time, perhaps more than the ten thousand people Luo Ye mentioned secretly escaped. Later, after ideological work caught up, the number of people leaving gradually decreased, but they still left from time to time. Recently, as the situation in the world tightened, there were still family members in the Central Plains whom they had not been able to bring back in the past. Longing for their hometowns, they made such requests again. However, they were already elite soldiers in the Chinese Army. The superiors approved a portion, and in these days, they had given a large number of instructions. Today was the moment of departure.

In fact, most of these people who were drafted were poor people from the Central Plains. Their daily lives were poor, and they had not seen much. After coming to the southwest, the military camp life of the Chinese Army was like a university in later generations. Meetings, training, listening to lectures, listening to stories, discussions, and watching plays—these things had basically never happened in the past. They were relatively more articulate, able to communicate, able to think to a certain extent, and had a group of brothers. These bonds were difficult to break easily.

A group of people either cried or encouraged each other. Luo Ye sent these two hundred people to the mountain pass outside the county, watching their figures disappear completely. A group of people came down from the mountainside towards this side. He focused his eyes and saluted: "Teacher."

"This is the batch leaving today, right." Ning Yi came over, returned the salute, and then patted him on the shoulder.

"Yes." Luo Ye said, "They should all come back, and even if they can't come back for a while, I think they will sprout like seeds, and there will be surprises in the future."

"There will all be surprises." Ning Yi smiled, "Those who left in the past will too."

"After all, those who escaped in the beginning didn't have much feelings."

"Having fear is enough." Ning Yi waved his hand, beckoning him to walk up the mountain, "Nationalism, people's rights, people's livelihood, and people's intelligence. The ideas of the Chinese Army sound very beautiful, but not many understand them. How many of these people who are leaving today can understand them and truly believe in them?"

"..." Luo Ye was stunned.

"In these years, even with the victory of the Battle of Xiaocang River, our territory has not been able to expand. One aspect is that there are ethnic minorities all around, and another is that we are afraid of expanding too much and muddying the waters. But in the final analysis, what can we bring to others? No matter how beautiful an idea is, if it is not linked to people's interests, it is all nonsense. If they can't live a good life, why should they follow you, ruin other people's good lives, and still have to kill you with a knife... However, the situation is about to change."

"The Jurchens..."

"When the war breaks out in the Central Plains, it will become a mess. Even if you only stayed in the Chinese Army for a month and ran back, if you survived, when the Jurchens come to kill you, you will remember the Chinese Army. If you don't understand the slogan, you can use it first. If you want to use it, you have to think about it. Once you start thinking, it's not far from accepting it... Whether we can move forward depends not on how well we speak—people's intelligence? Nationalism? People's livelihood? People's rights? What are those things—but on how unsuccessful the Wu Dynasty is."

Luo Ye's eyes lit up: "The Wu Xiang Army is about to besiege Xiaoliang Mountain, and the Mangshan tribe is also ready to move. Teacher, have you decided to fight? When are we going? Luo Ye is willing to be the vanguard."

"Don't be narrow-minded. The fact that the Wu Dynasty is so unsuccessful doesn't necessarily have to be proven by defeating the Wu Dynasty. A few days ago, Li Anmao's people from Xuzhou arrived in Hedeng and made a request, hoping that we would send troops to defend Xuzhou."

"Xuzhou?" Luo Ye frowned, "That's too far, and why would they want us to send troops? It's on opposite sides..."

"It's a bit of a pipe dream." Ning Yi smiled, "Xuzhou is a place of strategic importance, and the gateway that bears the brunt of the Jurchen's southward advance. It's thousands of miles away from us, and logically they should rely on the Wu Dynasty. However, Li Anmao's envoy said that it was precisely because the Wu Dynasty was unreliable that, for the survival of Xuzhou, they had no choice but to ask the Chinese Army to come to their aid. Although Xuzhou has changed hands several times, its inventory of military equipment is quite rich, and many local clans are willing to contribute money, so... they are offering a considerable price. Hey, a place that has been scraped over several times by the Jurchens can still come up with so much stuff. These people are really good at hiding their private money."

"Teacher wants to... accept this deal?"

Ning Yi looked out at the mountains: "In these years, many people have left the Chinese Army, returning to the Central Plains and Jiangnan. Some have been caught, and some have survived. Those who survive are seeds. Xuzhou is bait, but we have considered that this bait may not be uneatable. The preliminary consideration is to let General Liu Chengzong lead about eight thousand men eastward. On this road, supplies may not be able to be carried too much, and there will be dangers, but we still have to fight beautifully. I suggested that you accompany the team with an elite regiment. You are a fire. If you ignite it, even a small spark can start a prairie fire."

Luo Ye nodded. In these years, the Chinese Army's inability to expand while residing in the southwest has its objective reasons. Talking about China, talking about nationalism, talking about the people being able to be autonomous—for the outside world, that may not be of much significance. The initial composition of the Chinese Army consisted of the Wu Rui Camp, which were elite soldiers who had fought against the Jin people, and the Battle of Xia Village, which stimulated their bloodthirst. The Qingmu Village was in a desperate situation and had to fight to survive. Later, the people in the Central Plains were in dire straits, and the Northwest was also devastated. Now, the twenty-odd thousand people who are willing to listen to these slogans and have finally begun to think about writing things and are slightly different from before have basically accepted these ideas in desperate situations. As for whether they accept power or ideas, it is probably still worth considering.

After entering the southwest, it is not very efficient to promote things like nationalism and people's livelihood to outsiders. The power that people bring when fighting for themselves can only be felt when they have to fight. Even after three years of bloody battles in Xiaocang River, the power of the Chinese Army can only be confined within itself and cannot truly infect the outside world. Even if we capture a few towns, what can we do? I am afraid that it will only make people hate the Chinese Army or, conversely, corrupt the Chinese Army.

From the southwest to Xuzhou, thousands of miles away, there may be various difficulties along the way, but if it is operated well, it may really be a cluster of ignited fire. In the near future, it will receive the echo of the people of the world. As for having a big fight with the Wu Dynasty in the southwest, the effect will be much smaller.

I wonder what the Central Plains is like...

Luo Ye thought, his fist silently clenched.

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

Central Plains.

The whistling hot wind stirred up dust that filled the sky. Figures walked on this earth, and in the distance, huge columns of smoke rose.

These walking figures stretched out endlessly, crowding into our field of vision. Men, women, old people, and children, emaciated and staggering figures, gradually crowded into a sea, and people fell from time to time, drowning in the tide.

Hungry ghosts—these staggering lives seemingly unconsciously surged in one direction.

Bianliang, once the most prosperous city in the world, was their target ahead.

The sounds of war had already sounded. On the plain, the Jurchens began to form ranks. The general Ali Gu, who was stationed in Bianliang, gathered his troops. After more than 30,000 Han troops were swallowed up in front, they adopted an intercepting posture. When they saw that the "army" in front was not an army at all, they silently breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Damn it... Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva..."

After a lifetime of slaughter, this old general, who was over sixty years old and had countless lives on his hands, actually believed in Buddha.

This was perhaps the "army" he had never seen before.

Since the spring began to rage, this summer, the ranks of hungry ghosts had spread around. Ordinary people could not imagine the determination of these refugees, but under the leadership of Wang Shitong, the troops of hungry ghosts attacked cities and seized land. Wherever they went, they robbed everything, burned everything, and the originally scarce grain stored in the warehouses was plundered. The city was set on fire, and the newly planted rice in the fields was also destroyed.

People who had lost everything and tasted hunger to the full destroyed the hopes of others, and everything in their homes was destroyed. The residents along the way had to join in. This army had no rules. If you want revenge, kill as much as you want, but no one will compensate for anything. Those who had not died joined the ranks and had to join in when passing through the next town because they could not control the entire state of destruction. They had to eat as much as possible—at least enough to fill their stomachs.

The number of hungry ghosts soon exceeded the carrying capacity of the surrounding towns, sweeping and devouring like locusts. The more people there were, the hungrier they became. The hungrier they became, the greater the destruction. Cannibalism had already appeared in this army. Those who fell in the army would be quickly converted into nutrients before they rotted. How many months would it take for a person to turn into a beast in hunger? The correct answer is not counted in months at all...

After months of accumulation, Wang Shitong finally led everyone to rush towards Bianliang.

The elite army of the Jurchens was not comparable to the army of Great Qi.

The hungry ghosts crowded up, and Ali Gu also led his cavalry to launch an assault forward.

At the forefront were the heavy cavalry, which, although not numerous among the Jin soldiers, were known as "Iron Pagodas".

Tall warhorses carrying heavy iron armor charged into the crowded sea of people. The hungry ghosts at the front were frightened and retreated, and the people behind squeezed up again. When the two tides collided, the wheat-like bodies of the hungry ghosts were directly knocked flying and crushed. The bloody smell spread, and the cavalry plowed a bloody path like a meat grinder.

Every impact, every swing of the knife, could indeed knock open or kill the enemy in front. In the battle, the hungry ghosts rushed up with meaningless wails. In the first hour, the Jurchen soldiers easily killed these chaotic Han Chinese famines, but the hungry ghosts were endless and still surged like a sea. The Iron Pagoda soldiers were crushed to the ground by people's bodies. They got up and continued to fight. More people came up. People used stones to smash those armors. Some people's armor was lifted, and emaciated hungry ghosts pounced on them, tore open their flesh with their mouths, and ate it...

In more places, it was still a one-sided massacre. People who had lost their minds and choices in hunger continued to come. The great battle lasted for an afternoon. The vanguard of the hungry ghosts was defeated. Corpses lay across the entire field, and blood flowed like a river. However, the Jurchen army did not cheer. Many of them began to tremble with the hand holding the knife. There was fear in the middle, and there was also exhaustion.

As the oldest batch of generals among the Jurchens, Ali Gu had even followed Aguda in the Battle of Hubudagang. At that time, the momentum of two thousand people chasing and killing seven hundred thousand troops was a pride that the Jurchens could never forget. But today, everything was different. After eight thousand elite soldiers defeated nearly sixty thousand people, more than a thousand people were consumed in this meat grinder, and the others had no joy of victory.

On that battlefield, in the sea of blood, there were still amputated and crippled famines groaning and crying. More hungry ghosts were still gathering.

That night, Ali Gu withdrew to Bianliang, relying on the strong city to defend it. The swarm of famines spread mightily across this majestic city, as if showing off its power, wreaking havoc in all directions...

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

Tibet.

At this moment, it was the quietest place in the world.

The climate on the plateau was uncomfortable, but after being here for many years, they had long been accustomed to it.

In the big tent, Guo Yaoshi watched the news from the Central Plains while eating roast meat.

The situation was chaotic, and the game of chess between the various parties contained a huge bloody smell. A great battle was about to break out, which often reminded him of the rise of the Jin people and the decline of the Liao Dynasty more than ten years ago. At that time, he was amazingly talented and wanted to take advantage of the collapse of the world to make an amazing career.

He was the first Han Chinese to challenge the Jurchens and almost defeated Wanyan Zongwang, who was known as the Jurchen military god, on the frontal battlefield.

All this came and went quickly. The betrayal of Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunchen and the incompetence of the Wu Dynasty forced him to defect to the Jurchens. Then, the Battle of Xia Village completely shattered his hope of making meritorious service in the Jin army. After killing Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunchen, he led a large army westward into Tibet, trying to recuperate and start all over again.

Spending ten years facing the wall to break through the wall, if there is really this possibility, now the ten-year period has passed.

The Jin and Wu are about to fight a great battle, and those in the Central Plains who have not extinguished their blood will also participate in it during this last opportunity. If he goes out, will he also emit brilliant light and heat in this world? He often thought this way these days.

As he thought about it, his thoughts would turn to the mountain valley to the south...

Da Yang...

In the intelligence sent from the Central Plains, when the world often thinks of the Black Flag, they look at the three counties in the southwest where Ning Liheng is stationed, its trade with various places, Ning Liheng's tricks, and the means of turning his hands into clouds and covering his hands into rain. But only Guo Yaoshi, who is in Tibet, can understand that that is not the main force of the Chinese Army at all.

Descending from Xiaocang River, fighting a bloody battle with the Jurchens, the main force of the Black Flag Army that once killed Lou Shi and Ci Bushi... Guo Yaoshi once led the Resentment Army and had conflicts with the army in the direction of Da Yang in his restless mind.

Only he understood how terrifying the combat power of this army, which had been lurking quietly, was. When will it go out? When that day comes, what will be the situation when the Jurchens face it again?

Whenever he thought of this, Guo Yaoshi would gradually dispel the idea of ​​leaving.

Since ancient times, beauties are like famous generals, and they are not allowed to see white hair in the world. This world, in the gradual waiting, has made him unable to understand it...

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