son-in-law

Chapter 980: No Return

March [-], early morning, Fuzhou.

The courtyard that served as the temporary palace was lit with lights, and Zhou Junwu woke up from his desk and found that he had just fallen asleep.

A tall pile of account books was stacked on the table, and because of his big movement of getting up, the paper that had been pressed under his head made a sound.The maid who stayed up late outside was also awakened and hurried over.

"His Majesty."

"What time is it? Why didn't you wake me up?"

"It's almost three quarters of Yin Shi." The maid knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty... I haven't had a good rest recently..."

"When did I sleep?"

"About...it's been a while. Your Majesty is too tired."

"It's okay." Jun Wu reached out and rubbed his forehead and cheeks, "It's okay, get a basin of water. Also, pour me a cup of ginseng tea, I have to watch it later."

The maid went down, and Jun Wu was still rubbing his forehead. He had been staying up late a few days ago. He slept very little in the past few days. He finally couldn't stay up until last night. By this time, he probably fell asleep. Two hours later, but for young people, there is still energy.

What is on the table at this time is the records of the entry and exit of various materials after taking over Fuzhou, as well as the income and expenditure of various military resources in the military and the court.These things did not need the emperor to personally ask about it - for example, when the research and development of Gewu was carried out in Jiangning, various income and expenditure were managed by Wen Renbuer, Lu Agui and others, but now that the army is stationed in Fuzhou, the Jun Wu, who was able to breathe a sigh of relief, did not stop, but began to understand the inflow, outflow and cost of various materials under his hands.

I don’t know about Chai Migui when he is not a family, but he is now a family member. It is conceivable that he will be surrounded by a big mansion soon. From now on, it is difficult to know the specific sufferings of the people. Therefore, he needs to quickly explain the details of various affairs. make an understanding.The easiest way to go through the account book is how much salary a soldier needs every month, how much he needs to eat, how much he needs to wear, how much is the price of swords and guns, how much is the pension if a soldier sacrifices... and even what is the price on the market.After reading through the account books in this regard, he will be able to have a clear framework for these things in his mind.

It is actually very troublesome to really understand a set of account books.Jun Wu asked Cheng Zhouhai to find a reliable accountant teacher for him, not only to teach him the bookkeeping on the surface, but also to teach him various accounting methods and tricks inside.During this time, Jun Wu dealt with government affairs during the day, met with people from all walks of life, studied and studied the ledger at night, recorded his own understanding and opinions, and then found time to discuss and compare with the accountant teacher after summarizing.

In the spring of March, the situation in Fuzhou seemed to be initially stable, but in fact it was only a corner of the peace.After Jun Wu proclaimed himself emperor, he fled all the way, and only came to Fuzhou in February to join his sister Zhou Pei. After having a preliminary base, Jun Wu must try to restore the Wu Dynasty in the name of orthodoxy.At this time, the Jurchen East Route Army had already withdrawn from its camp and headed north, and there were only more than [-] troops left in Lin'an to support the small court, but even so, it was not easy for everyone to stand back to the orthodox position of the Wu Dynasty without hesitation.

In the past year, the destruction of Jurchen has touched every aspect of the entire Wu Dynasty.With the cooperation and promotion of the small imperial court, the system between the civil and military has become chaotic. From Lin'an to the Wu Dynasty, a separate situation has gradually begun to be formed, supported by various clans and gentry, pushing generals and pulling the army.

This was an inevitable means for the gentry to protect themselves after the Jurchen destroyed the Lin'an court.After Zhou Yong's death, Jun Wu fled all the way in a dangerous situation. In fact, the inheritance of political power was not clearly passed on to him. The power at hand, although there are many people who claim to be loyal to the Wu Dynasty, but in fact the control that Jun Wu can exert over the Wu Dynasty is less than half of what it was a year ago.

These big clans, gentry, and generals who claim to be loyal to the Wu Dynasty are divided into various places, and their loyalty needs to be distinguished. Many people still have their own demands, and there is even a possibility of collapse in the future.From the current point of view, Junwu's power has not even recovered from Fujian, and it is not very realistic to hope that these people will help or seek refuge.

Consolidating oneself, setting rules, and gaining a firm foothold have become the first problems that the regime of Junwu needs to solve.Now he has the most stable armies of nearly [-] troops headed by Yue Fei and Han Shizhong. These armies have been freed from the interference and restraint of the big clan in the past, but if they want to move forward, how can they benefit those big clans and gentry It is also a must have regulations, including how to maintain the military's combat power, and it is also a must have a balance.

These new rules need to be established step by step, and in order to establish them, Jun Wu, the emperor who has just ascended to the throne, must also clearly understand everyone under his command, what kind of people they are, and what kind of appeals they have.

This is the obvious reason why Jun Wu has been turning around day and night for half a month in a row.But only a few people around him understand that, in addition to the idea of ​​​​this year, Jun Wu's overloaded work these days has a deeper and darker reason.

The heavy pressure of being a king has already fallen on Jun Wu's back.

And the process of pressing it down is definitely not easy at all.

Last year, outside Jiangning City, Jun Wu won a big victory like a bead curtain with the momentum of breaking the boat, but then, the new emperor who could not be trapped in Jiangning could only lead the army to break through.Part of the Jiangning people fled under the protection of the army, but there were also a large number of people who died in the subsequent massacre.This is the first round of heavy pressure in Jun Wu's heart.

After Jiangning was killed, the army was chased by Zongfu and Zongbi, and in January, they arrived near Haiyan County, south of Jiaxing.At that time, Zhou Pei had already captured Fuzhou, and her fleet came north to aid her and asked Jun Wu to transfer first, but Jun Wu, who had a shadow in his heart, refused to do so - at that time, the army built a defense line around Haiyan, and there were still a lot of protection within the defense line. of the people.

He hoped to escort the people to transfer first.But such a choice is naturally naive. Not to mention that the civil servants would express their rejection, even Yue Fei, Han Shizhong and others have also entered into words one after another, asking Jun Wu to go first. The biggest reason for this is that the Jin Kingdom has almost defeated the Wu Dynasty, and now The reason for chasing after his own group is that the new emperor, once Junwu enters the sea, Zongfu and Zongbi, who cannot be chased, are actually not in the mood to stay in Jiangnan for a long time.

But it is reasonable to say such a reason, but how different is the whole behavior from Zhou Yong's original choice?In the eyes of others, will they think it is the same thing?Jun Wu was tormented in his heart and hesitated for a day, but finally got on board with the persuasion of Wenren.The situation in Lin'an City suddenly became tense, and everyone in the small court was uneasy. Zongfu led the army to return, but in Haiyan County, Zong Bi, who was angry with Han Shizhong, refused to give up. The separation and death of the masses.

After the war, the Jurchen returned from the camp, and the pressure on Haiyan County has been greatly relieved, but the fact that Junwu abandoned the people and fled into the sea was still widely publicized by the people of Jin and Lin'an, and there were even many people in Jiaxing and other places. After escaping the slaughter, he went up the mountain and fell to the grass to protect himself.

Several rebels and refugees also rose and expanded at this time. Among them, the people who were scattered when Zongbi massacred the north of Haiyan County gathered into a rebel army under the name of the black flag, and successively gathered tens of thousands of people. The scale of people, but no longer surrender to the Wu Dynasty.The duties of these scattered and slaughtered people to Jun Wu are also a scar and a round of heavy pressure in the heart of the new emperor.

Unlike his father Zhou Yong, once an emperor wants to take responsibility, such pressure will appear tenfold and a hundredfold.

He was squeezing his own life in his busy work, but the people around him did not give excessive explanation and persuasion to this matter.In a sense, young people in their 20s want to take over a country. Such an overdraft is not necessarily a bad thing. The darkness and suffering in their hearts are precisely the fastest way for a person to grow up.

It was only when the situation in Fuzhou had calmed down a little, Zhou Pei counted the supplies in the city, took out some of the stored grain and loaded two boats, and asked Wen Ren Buer to escort them to the north to hand them over to the refugees in Haiyan County who were still struggling with the famine.For these refugees and rebels, Cheng Zhouhai once went to lobby to talk about their interests and interests. Some teams put down their views on Junwu, but the rebels under the name of the black flag were not willing to accept the orders of the Wu Dynasty. This time, Zhou Pei asked Wen Ren Buer to escort the supplies over, and even if he did not respect the order, he also asked him to provide some food for free.After Jun Wu heard about this, although he didn't say anything on the surface, the anxiety in his heart eased slightly.

Of course, there have also been other relaxing messages in the past few days: for example, the result of the Battle of Changsha has now been introduced to Fuzhou.After Jun Wu heard this, he was very happy.

On this day, he flipped through the account book until early in the morning, went to the yard and punched a round before washing and eating.After breakfast, I heard someone report that Wenren Buer had already returned, and he hurriedly called him in.

This time, the delivery of supplies in the past, although it was to save people, the reason for Wenren Buer to accompany him is more to negotiate with the leader of the rebel army named He Wen, Chen said that Jun Wu left in January as a last resort.In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Jun Wu still has a lot of things to deal with and coordinate, he may be more willing to take it easy on the past, meet the "former Huaxia Army member" who saved a large number of people in the massacre, and have a chat with him. Talk about the Southwest.

At Jun Wu and Zhou Pei's side, the one with the strongest ability to handle affairs is probably Cheng Zhouhai, who is determined and mean-spirited. He has never persuaded He Wen before that this time, he is the only one in the past, and more is to release goodwill. .When Wenren Buer came in and played a little bit of correctness, Jun Wu knew that He Wen had a firm mind and hatred for the Wu Dynasty. He had not changed it, and he was not angry. Your Highness is here in an emergency.

After only a moment, Zhou Pei appeared at the door. She was dressed in a long plain dress, graceful yet light. She held a letter in her hand and walked quickly. Li, and then handed over the letter that seemed to have some weight: "Spy from Lin'an, a message has arrived, and there is something that your Majesty is concerned about. I have summoned General Yue to enter the palace immediately. some to see."

"Oh? Is there a follow-up to the Battle of Tanzhou?" A few days ago, he received the news that the battle in Changsha had been decided. I took it out, and there was a lot of news in the envelope, including several articles.Jun Wu didn't hold the paper for a while, and the paper fell on the ground. When he picked it up, he saw that the top one was "On the Death of the Second Emperor of Qin": "What?"

Zhou Pei glanced at it with a half-smiling smile: "My lord Mei's newly written xiongwen in Lin'an, I heard that it has been widely circulated in Lin'an in recent days. Your Majesty may wish to take a look."

"Oh?" Jun Wu calmed down and read it word by word, and after only a moment of reading, he frowned, "The wisdom of the "Guo Qin Lun" is still lacking... But why did Wu Qimei write such a thing? ? You're full... Are you mocking me for being a soldier?"

"Naturally, there is a reason. He wrote this article for the Jiangnan clan to read. If you are impatient, look it up."

Jun Wu turned a page.

He looked at it for a while, then pulled out the page that had been placed on the top, took a step back and sat on the chair, with a solemn expression, he read it back and forth twice.The morning sun shines in the courtyard outside the room, and the sound of birds chirping can be heard in the air.Jun Wu looked at Zhou Pei, and then looked at the message: "Yes..."

His voice was hoarse, and after a pause, he said, "Is it true?"

At this moment, Zhou Pei was also silent for a moment: "The news first spread to Lin'an, we are short of manpower, and we can't be sure. Like Wu Qimei, we waited for a few days to release these articles in Lin'an before we could confirm the truth of this matter. So I sent the news along with the article... After I read it, I came over immediately."

The letter sent contained the situation of the Southwest Battle Report. Jun Wu nodded and stood up involuntarily: "February 28...now I don't know what's going on in the Southwest..."

He paused, flipped through some information at the back, and then handed it over to Wen Ren Buer, who was curious.The man walked back and forth in the hall and said: "This is called war! This is called war! The teacher actually cut the oblique guard! He cut the oblique guard in front of Zong Han! Haha, if you can fight side by side with the teacher..."

"Your Majesty." Zhou Pei smiled weakly, "You are the emperor of the Wu Dynasty, Your Majesty."

"What is the use of a name if not an emperor! What is the right way to do something!" Jun Wu waved his hand in the room. At this moment, he was wearing a dragon robe, with a thin face and a beard under his jaw. A rather dignified superior, but at this moment, he rarely showed the childishness he hadn't seen for a long time. He pointed to Wen Renbu's second-hand information, and pointed it twice, his eyes were red, and he was speechless.

"...He... defeated... the Jurchen. Sister, have you thought about it... It's been more than ten years... For more than 30 years, all you have heard is that the Jurchens are fighting. The emperor of the Wu Dynasty was scared Got to run around... Southwest resisted, he actually resisted Wan Yan Zonghan, and killed his son... I can't even think about it, even if I heard the news from Tanzhou a few days ago, and killed Yin Shuke, I don't even dare to think about things in the Southwest. Sister Huang... he, tens of thousands of people against hundreds of thousands, took it head-on... Uh, isn't this news fake?"

Jun Wu's eyes were red, he spoke with difficulty, and sometimes he laughed nervously, but at the end, he felt a little illusory.Zhou Pei didn't quarrel with him this time: "...I'm not sure either."

Wen Ren Bu'er looked at the information and remained silent for a long time without speaking.They had been out of Jiangning before, and they had tossed around all the way, and they fell into danger several times under the pursuit of Jurchen.Although the man is so determined to die, in fact, the shadow of Jurchen is indeed like the boundless sky, like a long night where the dawn cannot be seen at all. The entire Wu Dynasty fell apart in such a nightmare. But at this moment, some people said that thousands of miles away, Ning Yi had already overthrew Zong Han's army.

Everything seems a little unrealistic.

The three people in the room were silent for a long time, and then Jun Wu opened his mouth. He said with some longing: "... There must be a continuous war in the southwest."

In the words, the heart yearns for it.

At this time, someone from outside came to report that General Yue had arrived.

……

In the morning, the sun was shining brightly and warmly outside the courtyard. After Yue Fei arrived, in response to the information, everyone brought a map and conducted rounds of deduction and review of the war thousands of miles away.During this period, Cheng Zhouhai, Han Shizhong and a group of civil servants also came one after another, and everyone showed a complicated look to the news.

People chatting and talking.In fact, the people who were old with Ning Yi seemed to be a little silent. Jun Wu only made a slight rudeness in front of a few people he knew well, and when the civil servants came in, he stopped saying those inappropriate words.Zhou Pei walked aside and looked at the waterside pavilion and the scenery outside the window, she also thought of Ning Yi.

In fact, the figure she has been thinking about for a long time has become very vague in her impression.Back then, Ning Yi was just a relatively elegant scholar. After the separation from the capital, the two had never seen each other again. What he did after that, whether it was slaughtering Liangshan or fighting against Lulin, always seemed a little illusory.

When he got the monarchy and rebelled, Ning Yi became more of a dark outline. This outline sometimes did extreme things, but he had to admit that he was the incarnation of real power.This is the indefinable power of her position. Even today, after taking over the Chengguo Princess Mansion and seeing various things for more than ten years, when she thinks of the man who used to be her teacher, she can't fully define the opponent's power. degree.

It was not the first time that the defeat of the Jin Army, which seemed like a dream to the people of the Wu Dynasty, had been placed on the opponent's body.When he was in Bianliang more than ten years ago, he gathered a group of rabble, and in Xia Village defeated Guo Yaoshi, who could wrestle with Jurchen, and finally cooperated with Grandpa Qin to solve the siege of Bianliang.After that, in Xiao Canghe, he successively executed Lou Shi without losing his words, causing Jin Guo to suffer a huge setback in the northwest.

All of this can only be regarded as a partial war with the Jin Kingdom, but in the battle of the Southwest, the Huaxia Army has truly fought against half of the Jin Kingdom.Everyone was surprised by the victory in Tanzhou, but it was not incomprehensible. It was a surprise at best, but even the most optimistic and confident person in Ning Yi could not guess the war in the southwest. to today's results.

At most, people believed that the Huaxia Army would take advantage of the favorable location to drag the Jurchen West Route Army to the southwest, and after a lot of time, they would finally gain a glimmer of life under the Jurchen attack.No one would have imagined that the Huaxia Army, with only tens of thousands of people, had a tie with Jin Kingdom's most elite army of nearly 20, and then Ning Yi led 7000 people to attack. With just the first blow, they defeated the three troops led by Xiebao. Wanyan Shanwei beheaded Wanyan Xiebao in front of Nianhan.

In his entire life, facing anyone, he has almost never been at a real disadvantage.Even a demon like Jurchen who came out from the white mountains and black waters and overturned the whole world, after ten years of tempering, he actually gave the opponent such a heavy blow?
What does Wanyan Zonghan think of him?
Southwest...is really in the midst of continuous war...

She had these in her head.This was the first time in years that she thought of Ning Yi so seriously and forcefully. Although the figure was no longer clearly visible, when faced with the nightmare of Jurchen going south, he went too far to meet her... She was at this time. I was still recalling these things in vain, and I was also thinking: If the beasts in the courthouse, including Zhou Zhe, would not have been so stupid after the Battle of Xia Village that year, everything today should be more than one. different trajectory...

On the tree outside the window, the peach blossoms have all fallen.She closed her eyes and sighed softly, softly.

All of this will never happen again...

……

Not far away, Jun Wu, who had been silent for a long time, also called Wen Ren Buer aside and asked about what was interrupted before:

"...Mr. Wenren, when you went over this time, the leader of the rebel army called He Wen was really... someone who stayed in the southwest?"

……

Outside the window, the sun is falling.In Fuzhou, a remote corner of the city, people were delighted by the news, but under this bright sky, all the way to the north, the clouds never dissipated in the field of vision. Hundreds of thousands of troops and millions of Han slaves were on Form a bloated group and cross the Yangtze River.

Victory and defeat come together here, triumph and desolation are intertwined, and victorious victors drive millions of beasts of their kind to the north.One side is the way back, and the other side never returns.Every day, corpses are swept up by the waters of the Yangtze River, drifting up and down to the far reaches of hell.

This pure joy and sadness was interrupted by the incoming message.

(End of this chapter)