武朝建朔八年六月，一则令人振奋的消息正往长江以南传来。

In the sixth month of the eighth year of the Jian Shuo era in the Wu Dynasty, a piece of exciting news was spreading south of the Yangtze River.

The matter began in the first half of the seventh year of Jian Shuo when several major battles broke out between the Wu and Qi forces in the area north of Xiangyang, at the junction of the Central Plains and Jiangnan. By this time, it had been a year since the Black Flag Army disappeared in the Northwest. Although Liu Yu had moved the capital to Bianliang, the so-called "Great Qi" was nothing more than a running dog of the Jurchens. With the people suffering and the army lacking morale, a group of generals led by Li Heng, the Xiangyang Pacification Commissioner of the Wu Dynasty, seized the opportunity to launch a Northern Expedition, recovering more than a dozen prefectures and towns, and at one point pushing the battle line back to the old capital, Bianliang. Li Heng issued a call to arms to the various armies, urging them to attack Bianliang, and for a time, he was the center of attention.

Under these circumstances, Liu Yu repeatedly sought help from the north, finally prompting the Jin state to send troops. In the autumn of that year, Wanyan Zonghan ordered his fourth son, Wushu, to lead an army south. With the cooperation of Li Cheng, a general under Liu Yu, Wushu swept through Li Heng's army near Bianliang. After defeating the various armies, he continued to push south, successively capturing Xiangyang, Dengzhou, Suizhou, Yingzhou, and other strategic locations in the Jianghan area that originally belonged to the Wu Dynasty, before finally leaving.

This kind of humiliating war was not the first for the Wu Dynasty. However, after years of recuperation, it was still vulnerable to the Jurchen army. The battles between the Wu Dynasty and the puppet Qi, even with hundreds of thousands of troops, were still like children playing house in front of the Jurchen army, a situation that was ultimately frustrating.

Compared to the ferocity of the Jin and the tenacity of the Black Flag, which had once resisted the Jin in the Northwest, the resistance of the vast Wu Dynasty seemed as powerless as children in front of these forces. But even if the strength was like child's play, the price to be paid would not be discounted in the slightest. The soldiers who died in battle would not feel any better, the suffering of the people in the occupied areas would not be lessened, and the pressure of the Jurchens' southward advance would not be reduced in the slightest. North of the Yangtze River, people were scattering with wounds, and the tragedies and deaths brought about by the war, as well as the accompanying famines and oppressions, and even the darkness and hardship of fighting and robbing on the escape route, or even cannibalism, had been going on for several years. The evil consequences of this loss of order seemed to be continuing...

In the spring of the eighth year of Jian Shuo, Yue Fei, also known as Yue Pengju, led 30,000 of his Beiwei troops to launch another Northern Expedition, suddenly attacking Yingzhou, which was heavily defended by the Great Qi. Later, he scared away Li Cheng's army and took Xiangyang without bloodshed. After that, he launched a surprise attack on Dengzhou with a special force, defeating more than 100,000 Qi and Jin allied forces, successfully recovering the six prefectures of Xiangyang, and sending the good news back to the capital.

In the June of Lin'an, the heat was unbearable. In the study of the Crown Prince's residence, a round of discussions had just ended, and the staff members were leaving the room one after another. Wenren Bu'er was left behind, watching the Crown Prince Junwu walk around the room, opening the windows in the front and back.

But there was no wind.

The other staff members had gradually walked away, and the servants had taken away the bowls of iced sugar water. This young man, whom we first met when he was only eleven years old but who now had a beard and had cultivated an air of dignity, revealed a look of frustration, looking at the sunlight outside the window, seeming tired.

"Recently, I always think of the famine in the eleventh year of Jinghan... At that time, I was in Jiangning, and I saw my imperial sister and a group of merchants from Jiangning transporting grain for disaster relief, full of enthusiasm. Later, when I learned the truth, I realized a bit of a different taste. Mr. Wenren was a witness, what do you think?"

"...The world is difficult, there are indeed similarities."

"The world is difficult..."

Junwu's fingers tapped on the windowsill, repeating the sentence.

In the eleventh year of Jinghan, the Wu Dynasty suffered a famine in many places. Qin Siyuan, the Right Chancellor, was responsible for disaster relief. At that time, Ning Yi used external forces to impact the local merchants and gentry who monopolized grain prices. After making countless enemies, he managed to get through the famine. Thinking of this now, Junwu's感慨 came from a certain place.

At this time, the news that Yue Fei had recovered Xiangyang and defeated the Jin and Qi allied forces had already spread to Lin'an. Although the public opinion was enthusiastic, there were many different views in the court, and the arguments had been incessant for days.

Since the Wu Dynasty lost the Central Plains and moved south, the opinions of appeasement had occupied the majority in the court. The development of the war between the Jin and Wu had reached this point, and many of the realities were already evident and undeniable. The Wu Dynasty was unable to fight the Jurchens, who were at their peak. Years of war had already proven this. Some people felt that after years of reflection, they should always recover the lost territory and launch a Northern Expedition. However, the fact that Li Heng and others had reached Bianliang in the seventh year of Jian Shuo only proved that the time was still not ripe.

Even if they could compete with the armies of the puppet Qi, even if they could sweep all the way to the city of Bianliang, once the main force of the Jin army arrived, they would not be driven back with hundreds of thousands of troops, and even lose places like Xiangyang in return? So at this time, how could Yue Fei's victory over the puppet Qi prove that it would not be the prelude to a greater revenge from the Jin state? Back then, when they reached Bianliang, they lost strategic locations in the Jianghan area such as Xiangyang. Now that they have recovered Xiangyang, would they be attacked again across the Yangtze River?

Such doubts and worries were not without reason, and they made Yue Fei's victory seem tasteless in the court, and may even be subject to certain reprimands. Junwu naturally stood on Yue Fei's side, and the pro-war faction also had several reasons for this great battle.

First, whether they can win now or not, training troops is necessary if they want to have the possibility of defeating the Jurchens in the future.

Second, the Jin people have already taken the six prefectures of Xiangyang, which is a springboard for the Jin and puppet Qi to invade the south. If they are allowed to consolidate their defenses, the Wu Dynasty will only lose more territory the next time they come south. At this time, taking back Xiangyang, even if the Jin people go south with their main force, will always delay their pace of conquest.

Third, the Jin people's southern attack has a long logistics line, which is more difficult than for the Wu Dynasty. If they wait until they have finished recuperating and take the initiative to attack, the Wu Dynasty will inevitably be unable to resist. Therefore, it is best to disrupt the enemy's rhythm and take the initiative to attack, consuming the Jin people's national power in the back-and-forth tug-of-war. This is the best way to protect oneself.

Holding these reasons, the pro-war and pro-peace factions confronted each other in the court. If it were just these things, Junwu might not have made such a sigh. However, in addition to this, more troublesome things were actually piling up on the shoulders of this young crown prince.

The Wu Dynasty has moved south for several years now. After the initial prosperity and solidarity, many troubles are showing their signs. One of them is the opposition between the civil and military officials. The Wu Dynasty originally valued civil officials over military officials in peacetime. After the Jurchens invaded the south and the country was destroyed, although the system was difficult to change for a while, some expedient measures were taken in many aspects, and the status of military generals was improved.

When Junwu became the Crown Prince, the young man had his own fiery personality. After learning about the intricate relationships within the court, he used crude and sweeping methods to protect promising military generals such as Han Shizhong and Yue Fei under his own wings, allowing them to manage forces north of the Yangtze River, consolidate their power, and wait for an opportunity to launch a Northern Expedition. No one dared to speak at the beginning, but now, the conflict between the two sides has finally begun to show its signs. In the past year, the court has been constantly impeaching the military generals of the northern armies, mostly saying that they are recruiting private soldiers and not listening to the dispatch of civil officials. If this continues, there will inevitably be a major disaster.

This suppression of Yue Fei's military achievements is a continuation of the dispute between the two sides in the past year.

On the other hand, when northerners came south on a large scale, after the initial economic dividend, the contradictions and conflicts between the southerners and northerners have also begun to brew and erupt.

At this time, the Central Plains has been completely lost, and the refugees from the north fled to the south, penniless. On the one hand, their cheap labor promoted economic development, but on the other hand, they also took away a large number of job opportunities from the southerners. And when the situation in Jiangnan stabilized, discrimination between the two regions formed.

The refugees from the north were once wealthy Wu Dynasty citizens. When they arrived here, they were suddenly treated as inferior. After the initial patriotic sentiments faded, the southerners gradually began to find these poor relatives from the north repulsive. Most of those who had nothing were still law-abiding, but there were also many who took risks and became bandits, or there were beggars and swindlers. If they had no food, they might do anything. These people complained all day long and disrupted public order. At the same time, their constant talk of the Northern Expedition might break the deadlock between the Jin and Wu, causing the Jurchens to invade the south again. All of the above combined to cause friction and conflict in all aspects of society.

At the grassroots level, mutual discrimination between the north and the south has vaguely formed a trend. In the officialdom, a certain opposition has also formed between the southern officials who were initially far from the political core and the northern officials. Since the year before last, several major refugee gatherings have broken out south of the Yangtze River. In several prefectures and counties, the northern refugees, who were connected in series, held knives and sticks, surrounding and beating to death the local local bullies, and even officials. The conflicts between the local underworld gangs and the competition for territory have intensified. The southerners were originally local bullies, with powerful forces and many clans, while the refugees who fled from the north had nothing left and were fearless after experiencing the war. Several large-scale incidents were among countless small-scale frictions, and the court had to pay more and more attention to these issues.

By last year, some people in the court had already proposed "Southerners return to the south, Northerners return to the north", and no longer accepting refugees from the north. As soon as this statement was made, it received large-scale criticism. Junwu was also young and vigorous. Now that the country was destroyed and the Central Plains was lost, the refugees had no chance of survival. They were fleeing south, and he was going to push them away? Then what was the meaning of the existence of this country? He was indignant and refuted it in court. After that, the issue of how to receive the northern refugees fell on his shoulders.

The consequence of this this year is that the gentry and wealthy merchants who were originally closely related to the Princess Chang's Mansion began to put pressure on this side. Although no one dared not to comply with the various orders issued by the Crown Prince's Mansion, the problems of friction continued in the implementation of the orders, and the silver and profits collected by the national treasury by the Crown Prince's Mansion and the Princess Chang's Mansion dropped by 30%.

The gentry and wealthy families in the south also wanted to protect their own interests. If you collect money and speak for me, and even exploit those refugees from the north for me, then naturally everyone will be happy. If you don't help, who will be willing to serve you willingly? Everyone doesn't oppose you, and doesn't play with you, or is absent-minded when playing with you, can always be done.

However, on Junwu's side, the refugees from the north had already lost everything. If he leaned towards the southern forces a little more, then these people might really not be able to live as human beings.

Originally, since Zhou Yong claimed the title of Emperor, Junwu was the only crown prince, and his position was stable. If he only spent money operating some Gewu workshops, then no matter how he played, the money in his hands would probably be inexhaustible. However, after experiencing the war and seeing the tragedy of a large number of civilians being killed and thrown into the Yangtze River, the young man could no longer stay out of it. He could, of course, learn from his father and be a leisurely crown prince, only guarding the Gewu workshops in Jiangning, but his father, Emperor Zhou Yong, was himself a clueless emperor. There were problems everywhere in the court. Just talking about generals like Yue Fei and Han Shizhong, if he couldn't stand up, brave the wind and rain, and take the blame, most of them would become like those useless Wu Dynasty generals.

Once he stood up, he couldn't back down.

Trivial matters and dense pressure pressed in from all sides. In the past two years, Junwu has been living in Lin'an, and has not been able to spare time to go to the workshops in Jiangning many times, so that although the hot air balloon has been able to fly into the sky, it has not made a major breakthrough in carrying people and goods, and it is difficult to form a strategic advantage like the Northwest War. Even so, he could not smoothly solve many problems. He could not stand the cowardice of the pro-peace faction in the court, but could fighting really succeed? He couldn't find the best balance point on how to reform. The refugees fleeing from the north must be received, but does he have the ability to solve the contradictions arising from receiving them? He still didn't.

In the past two years, his sister, Zhou Pei, has been manipulating the power of the Princess Chang's Mansion and has become even more terrifying. She has built up a huge network of relationships in the political and economic fields, accumulated invisible influence, and secretly engaged in various conspiracies and intrigues. The Crown Prince's Mansion supported the open front, while the Princess Chang's Mansion did things secretly. Although Junwu had never greeted many things, he knew in his heart that the Princess Chang's Mansion had been transfusing blood to his side. Even several times when storms arose in the court, the officials who opposed Junwu were impeached, smeared, and even slandered, all of which were extreme measures played by Zhou Pei and her staff, such as Cheng Zhouhai.

On the surface, Princess Chang Zhou Pei had become broad-minded and gentle and dignified. However, in the few private meetings, his sister was serious and cold. Her eyes were full of selfless support and a sense of urgency. They both had this sense of urgency, and both vaguely understood each other's hearts, but they had never communicated it in person.

They all knew what it was.

Two years ago, Ning Yi died.

During the three years of the Northwest War, they covered their eyes and pretended not to see it, but when it finally ended, the shocking things still stirred up their hearts. Faced with this crisis of heaven and earth changing, even such a powerful person, after resisting in the front for three years, finally died. Before that, both the siblings seemed to have never thought about the possibility of this happening.

But when it finally appeared, the siblings seemed to suddenly realize that they couldn't rely on anyone else in this world.

What will they do when the Jin state attacks again in a few years?

They could no longer retreat and had to stand up. However, once they stood up, the world became even more complex and despairing.

There were one dead knot after another, so complex that they simply could not be untied. Everyone wanted what was best for this Wu Dynasty, but why did it become the cause of weakness in the end? Everyone was enthusiastic, but why did they become so vulnerable in the end? Accepting the Wu Dynasty citizens who had lost their homes was something that had to be done, but why did everyone only care about their immediate interests when the time came? Everyone knew that there had to be capable armies, but how could they ensure that these armies would not become warlords? Defeating the Jurchens was a must, but were those pro-peace factions really traitors, and were they not without reason?

When the adult eagle leaves, the eaglets can only learn to fly on their own. Perhaps Qin Siyuan once took on the burden of responsibility from a taller figure. After Qin Siyuan left, the younger generations took on the heavy responsibility of the world in new ways. Fourteen years had passed, and the young man who first appeared before us as a child could only try to shoulder the weight that was pressing down with still immature shoulders.

Their shoulders would naturally break, and people could only expect that after those shoulders broke, they would become more solid and stronger.

"In the past few years, I have finally realized that I am not a smart person..." Standing by the window of the study, Junwu's fingers tapped lightly. The sun shone outside, and the situation in the world was as hot as the windless afternoon in summer, making people feel tired. "Mr. Wenren, what do you think Master would do if he were still here?"

The Crown Prince mourned for a certain figure he once admired with such a sigh, but he wouldn't stop because of it. Wenren Bu'er bowed his hands in the room and just offered a few words of comfort. Before long, the wind passed through the courtyard, bringing a little coolness and blowing these scattered words away in the wind.

Young people inevitably stepped onto the stage, and in some parts of this world, perhaps old people were also re-emerging from the mountains. On a certain morning north of the Yellow River, You Hongzhuo, who had escaped from the pursuit of the Great Brightness Sect, was practicing his You Family Saber Technique in the mountains, the steel knife whistling in the morning light. On the slope not far away, one of his saviors was slowly practicing a strange set of boxing techniques. The boxing techniques were slow, beautiful, but made people a little incomprehensible: You Hongzhuo could not figure out how such boxing techniques could hit people.

While he was wondering in his heart, the female benefactor standing not far away frowned and scolded: "What kind of saber technique is this!?" Before this shout could finish, You Hongzhuo only felt a chilling murderous aura around him. The hairs on the back of his head stood up. The female benefactor waved her hand and slashed out a knife.

The wind of the knife seemed fast but slow. You Hongzhuo subconsciously waved his knife to resist, but then flew out with a bang, his shoulders and chest aching. He crawled up from the ground and realized that the female benefactor was waving a wooden stick in her hand. Although she was wearing a veil, the female benefactor's almond eyes were wide open, and she was obviously quite angry. Although You Hongzhuo was arrogant, he didn't dare to act rashly in front of these two for some reason, stood up, and apologized embarrassedly.

"I, I saw benefactor practicing boxing, and I was puzzled, I, I'm sorry..."

"What are you sorry for? Practicing the saber like this, you are sorry for yourself if you die, sorry for the parents who raised you!" After the female benefactor finished speaking, she paused, "Also, I'm not scolding you for being distracted, I'm asking you, is this saber technique the way it was passed down from your family?"

"I...I..."

"Hmph! Changing it randomly, what kind of master do you think you are! Practice it ten times as it was originally!"

When You Hongzhuo nodded and practiced obediently, the female benefactor walked away with a pile of firewood in her arms.

You Hongzhuo practiced the saber, but he was a little shocked in his heart. He had practiced the You Family Saber Technique routine since he was a child. After realizing that the actual combat of the saber technique did not determine the outcome by rigid moves, but by being flexible, he had doubts in his heart when practicing the saber in the past few months, and often felt that this move could be slightly modified, and that move could be faster. After he and his six brothers and sisters became sworn brothers and sisters, he asked the six of them for martial arts, and the six were amazed by his understanding, saying that he would definitely achieve something in the future. Who knew that this time when he practiced the saber, he didn't say anything, but the other party just glanced at it and knew that he had modified the saber technique, but asked him to practice it as it was originally. He didn't know why.

However, since the female benefactor casually killed Tan Yan and the other eight members of the Great Brightness Sect yesterday morning, and after spending a day together, You Hongzhuo understood that the two people in front of him might be the real reclusive masters in the Jianghu. The male benefactor had a gentle temperament, but he was knowledgeable and had the sea inside him. The female benefactor was his wife. Although she usually didn't say much, it was the female benefactor's idea to save him, because she felt that his saber technique was "interesting". Last night and this morning, she had him practice and give him guidance.

You Hongzhuo knew a little about the identities of the two benefactors last night. When he asked, the male benefactor said: "My surname is Zhao. Twenty years ago, my wife and I roamed the Jianghu and made some fame. People in the Jianghu gave us the nickname, Black Wind Double Fiends. Did your master mention this name to you?"

You Hongzhuo had only learned martial arts from his father since he was a child, and had not heard much about Jianghu legends and stories, and was quite ashamed for a while. The other party didn't blame him, but said with some emotion: "Young people nowadays... Forget it, it's fate that you and I can meet. If you encounter any unsolvable situation in the Jianghu in the future, you can report the names of my wife and me. Maybe it will be useful."

You Hongzhuo just nodded, but he thought in his heart that although his martial arts were low, he had received great kindness from the two benefactors who had saved his life, and he could not casually lose the names of the two benefactors. After that, even if he encountered a life-and-death situation in the underworld, he never said the names of the two of them, and finally he was able to overcome obstacles and become a generation of great heroes.

Of course, these things were just an idea in his mind at this time. He practiced the saber technique ten times obediently on the hillside. The benefactor Zhao had finished his boxing practice and called him over to drink porridge. You Hongzhuo heard him say casually: "Tai Chi, born from Wuji, the opportunity for movement and stillness, the mother of Yin and Yang, what I practice is called Tai Chi Quan. It is normal that you can't understand it now, so don't force it..." After eating in a moment, he told him the reason why the female benefactor had asked him to practice the saber in a disciplined way.

"When the saber technique is actually used, it emphasizes agility and adaptability, which is good. But the saber technique frame that has been tempered thousands of times has its reason. This move considers the opponent's moves and the opponent's response. Often, one has to exhaust all the changes to understand a move... Of course, the most important thing is that you are only a teenager. The principles you have learned from the saber technique will affect your behavior in the future. If the saber technique is unrestrained for a long time, you may not feel it at first, but over time, you will inevitably feel that life should also be unrestrained. In fact, young people should first learn the rules, know why the rules come from, and then break the rules in the future. If you feel that there are no rules in the world from the beginning, people will turn bad..."

In the mountains, the martial arts seniors who have re-emerged from the Jianghu are talking incessantly. You Hongzhuo has been taught martial arts by his clumsy father since he was a child, but he has never felt that the principles of the world have been said so clearly before. He listened respectfully with a look of admiration. Not far away, Zhao's wife, one of the Black Wind Double Fiends, was sitting quietly on a rock drinking porridge, with a smile in her eyes from time to time...

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