Here's the translation of the provided Chinese novel excerpt into English, following all specified rules and guidelines:

Early morning, in the courtyard behind Bamboo Tavern, people swept away the accumulated snow. In the not-yet-bright light, people were already gathering, greeting each other in low voices.

The courtyard was quite large, with about sixty or seventy people, most wearing robes, some carrying instruments like the erhu. They found long benches and sat down in twos and threes in the cold weather.

They were all storytellers. Lü Si was one of them. He held his erhu, with a few pages of paper in his hand, his eyes slightly red from staying up late. After sitting down, he saw the managers and owners entering from the front.

"Gentlemen, I apologize for gathering you all so hastily. The city is short on supplies, and there's no fire. I'll keep it brief. After I'm done, please have some noodles. You should all have read some of these short stories handed out to you."

"We've read them," Lü Si answered from the crowd, the surrounding responses mostly uniform. They were storytellers, priding themselves on their quick wit, but at this moment, there was no one cracking jokes or being facetious. On one hand, the person in front commanded great respect; on the other hand, during the Jurchen siege, everyone had experienced too much. Some who used to be acquaintances had gone to the city walls to participate in the defense and never returned, and some who had been maimed by the Jurchens were still alive. Ultimately, because most of these people were literate and numerate, they were assigned to logistics. Now, having survived and read the stories of some people inside and outside the city last night, they realized how much had happened during this time.

Lü Si had finished reading the two stories he received last night, and his heart was stirred. They, as storytellers, sometimes told fantastical novels, and sometimes they inevitably recounted hearsay and added embellishments. These were different from the things at hand, especially since he had participated in them.

The aroma of noodle soup already drifted from the neighboring courtyard. The owner in front continued speaking.

"The printing press has just started to resume work, and there aren't enough people, so we can't distribute everything to you all for the time being. You can pass them around after you've read them. This battle against the Jurchens wasn't fought well. Many people died, but in this battle, whether inside or outside the city, many people rushed forward and sacrificed their lives. They rushed forward to sacrifice themselves, not sacrificing themselves while fleeing. For them, it's necessary for us to preserve these stories…"

"No need for passionate rhetoric, no need for everyone to talk about Li Guang and Huo Qubing like they did, saying 'Those who offend our mighty Han, though far away, must be exterminated,' or the great achievement of Fenglang Juxu. This time we only talk about individuals. There are many such things that have been compiled, and many that haven't. You can help compile them if you hear about them. We tell stories, maybe just to bring a smile to people's faces, but now everyone in this city is very sad. You need to boost their morale. Nothing else. We will remember those who sacrificed themselves… We speak of solemnity, not enthusiasm. Do you all understand? If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask and discuss it with each other."

Immediately, people began to speak. Someone asked, "Owner, has the matter of negotiating peace outside the city been settled?"

"The negotiations haven't been settled." The storytellers were often the best-informed members of society. Sometimes after telling a story, they inevitably discussed it and sought verification. Naturally, someone might ask about the negotiations. The owner replied, "It seems there's progress. Both sides may have a tendency to negotiate, but gentlemen, don't forget the Jurchens' wolfish nature. If we treat it as a sure thing and become careless, the Jurchens will definitely pounce. Old hunters in the mountains know that when encountering a beast, the important thing is to stare into its eyes. If you don't stare at it, it will definitely bite you. Gentlemen, you can emphasize this when you go out."

"...If we are prepared to fight, we have the qualifications to negotiate peace. If we have no intention to fight, then we will definitely be beaten."

The noisy chatter continued for a while. The noodles were cooked, and steaming bowls were brought out.

This morning, Bianliang was still a white expanse. After breakfast, the storytellers left in succession. They, along with the Bamboo Tavern's staff, were mostly in groups of two. Lü Si found a small market by the river and sat down, tuning his erhu.

The siege had lasted for days, and the weather was cold. There wasn't much to buy at the market. The two white tents set up not far away were perhaps the most eye-catching things. In this situation, those who could hold funerals and offer condolences for their families were mostly those with surplus wealth. He played the erhu for a while, and when he began telling stories, some people still came over.

The sound of the erhu was mournful. The story he told wasn't uplifting. He had seen many people die when the Jurchens attacked the city. He was mostly in the rear, luckily surviving. Seeing people go to their deaths, or the desolate scenes before their deaths, didn't move him greatly. Only when these original, recorded, and compiled stories were put together did it seem like those who died had suddenly gained meaning and a destination. The people who came over, including those listening from afar near their homes, mostly had such experiences. Being pulled into reality by the stories, most couldn't help but feel sorrow and compassion.

After he finished one story, some people had gathered nearby, including children wearing mourning clothes. Then there was a small interlude. A woman from a nearby house, wearing mourning clothes, came to plead for something. She had set up a mourning hall for her husband, but there were too many dead people in the city at this time. Not to mention monks, she couldn't even find anyone who could play an instrument. Seeing that Lü Si could play the erhu, she brought silver and pleaded with Lü Si to help.

After Lü Si refused, the woman sat on the ground, heartbroken, and cried, muttering about her family's affairs. Her husband was a small landlord nearby, young and liked to practice swordsmanship. When the Jurchens came, the man left his wife and two young children at home and went to Xin Suanzao Gate, where he died. Now the two children were two and four years old, and although the family had some meager wealth left, how could a woman in her early twenties protect this family? She had set up a mourning hall for her husband, but she couldn't even hire monks or musicians. The woman could only send off her young husband in this difficult winter.

It was not a big family to begin with, and it was hard for a young woman watching over two children to hold up this matter. Over the past few days, the pressure on her was already great. At this time, crying out, the surrounding people also wiped away tears. A child of eight or nine wearing mourning clothes next to him cried, "My daddy is also dead. My daddy is also dead…" It was a scene of crying.

On this day, the storytellers in the city mostly encountered such situations. Whether inside or outside the city, one person's death often didn't have much enthusiastic grandeur. For the survivors in the city, the death of relatives made them see more of the reality in front of them. Only so many people, different identities, dying in the same way, could add a little meaning to these deaths. Even if a lot of the promotion of this meaning came from human beings, at least it wouldn't let people sink directly into the abyss of darkness.

While the city was stirring up some clamor under the operation of people with good intentions, outside Bianliang City, in the military camps confronting the Jurchens, things were not peaceful either.

When Zhong Shizhong led the Western Army to fight fiercely with the Jurchens, the Wu Rui Camp was one step late. Then news of peace talks came out. The Wu Rui Camp and tens of thousands of people who came one after another from the rear formed a formation and confronted the Jurchens in front of them. The Wu Rui Camp chose a snow slope that was not very steep to set up camp. Then they built fortifications, reorganized equipment, and began to prepare for battle on a large scale. Seeing the Wu Rui Camp's actions, the others also began to build fortifications.

As the peace talks progressed step by step, the Jurchens were unwilling to fight again, and the public opinion that the peace talks had been settled began to appear. The rest of the hundreds of thousands of troops were not here to fight the Jurchens head-on. It was only the Wu Rui Camp's attitude that was put out there. On the one hand, the war was coming to an end, and they had to follow like this. On the other hand, they came here to divide a piece of this elite army's pie before others intervened. Originally their morale was not high, and the fortifications were built hastily and sloppily. After that, they became even more perfunctory.

Only the Wu Rui Camp, day after day, regarded the construction of defensive works and offensive exercises as daily routines. At a glance, the superiority and inferiority were immediately apparent. After a day or two, someone came to say that during the peace talks, do not start any more military provocations. If you are in front of the Jurchen formation showing off your claws and teeth all day, like a provocation, if the other party's ferocity comes up, who can bear the responsibility of destroying the peace talks if you continue to fight.

During this period, private exchanges and lobbying between various armies were even more common. Although the Wu Rui Camp could refuse some, there were also some people who could not refuse. After a few days, on the suggestion of the Bamboo Tavern's staff, they also sent envoys to instigate those who could fight in the other army's formation.

In this way, although it was also considered a checkmate, in private, things were fluctuating. There was another round of discussion, review, and reflection in the army. Naturally, it was not aimed at the other party's actions, but rather to discuss together why the battle with the Jurchens was lost, what were the differences between the two sides, and what needed to be done to defeat these people. In the army, whether there were talented people or not, they gathered together to talk about their ideas, and then summarize, unify, and so on.

People all have brains. Even if they were illiterate farmers before joining the army, everyone can distinguish some things that are reasonable and unreasonable when they discuss them together. Why was the battle with the Jurchens lost? Because we were afraid of death. Why were we each not afraid of death, but when we gathered together, we became afraid of death… As long as these things are slightly deepened, some problems can be filtered out. The discussions over these days have caused some sharp things to float among the middle and lower-level soldiers, which has solved the crisis of being divided to a certain extent. At the same time, some vigorous things have also begun to sprout inside the army.

Stepping on the not-thick snow, Chen Dongye returned after training with his subordinates. When he approached his tent, he saw an officer standing outside, and at the same time, he heard the voices of discussion in the tent.

The person outside the tent was considered familiar to him. He seemed to be standing casually, but in fact, he had the air of being a lookout. Seeing that it was him, he winked and waved, letting him in. After he lifted the curtain and went in, he saw six or seven junior officers of the captain level in the tent. Seeing him come in, everyone stopped talking for a moment, and then started talking again.

What everyone was talking about was the fact that the superiors of the other troops were causing trouble and pulling people away behind their backs.

"...My brother came to me and said that as long as I was willing to go back, I would be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver and immediately promoted three ranks. These people are afraid that the world will not be in chaos, and they are spending more and more money every day…"

"Dare you say you weren't tempted?"

"Hey, do I lack money! Let me tell you, I directly drew my knife and told him clearly that if he said these words again, our brotherhood would be over, and I would chop him with one knife!"

"Brother He is domineering!"

"There's nothing domineering about it! That's how we've been fighting these days!"

"I've figured it out these days how we lost, how those brothers died…"

The people in the tent were all lower-level officers, and most of them were young. Although they had initially suffered defeats, they had fought their way out of the Xia Village battle, and their vigor and ferocity were at their peak. Luo Ye, who was in the same camp as Chen Dongye, had a family background from a noble family in the capital and had always dared to speak his mind and dare to charge and fight. Everyone had gathered for this reason. After talking for a while, the voices gradually rose, and someone patted the wood on the side. Chen Dongye said, "Keep your voices down."

"What's there to keep quiet about!" A man with a scar on his face said, "I dare to say this at the discussion meeting tonight! The Jurchens haven't left, and they want to fight internally! Who in the army doesn't understand this now! We have hope if we stick together. If we really break up, everyone will be like before, and a group of bears! What's the use of a hundred taels of silver and a promotion of three ranks! They turn people into bears!"

"What I'm saying is: let's not cause trouble for the superiors. General Qin and the others are probably not having an easy time either…"

After this period of time, everyone had quite recognized the superiors, especially at this time. During the daily discussions, they probably knew some of the difficulties above, and they felt more united and shared the same hatred for the enemy in their hearts. They changed the topic.

"Young Master Ning is quite powerful, giving them a show of strength."

"But I heard from the brothers at Bamboo Tavern that this is also a measure of expediency."

"Whether to break up or not is ultimately up to the superiors…"

"If we really break up, will we become like before? To be honest, if they really break us up and give me a hundred taels of silver and a promotion of three ranks, I won't have the confidence to defeat the Jurchens next time. Before the Jurchens come, I'll have to run away to a place where no one is…"

"Hey, what do you need money for when you go to a place where no one is…"

"Buy things first!" The man shouted, "I didn't know before, and I fought the Jurchens and lost so badly. Now if I run back and follow those bastards, will I dare to fight when the Jurchens come again? Last time, I charged and then I ran when I saw the Jurchens attack, and I was injured. Next time the Jurchens charge over, I guess I'll run away first, following those officials, stealing chickens, grabbing money, and eating empty salaries, how can we fight, can we rely on them! It's hard to get a foundation, so many brothers died. To be honest, if we are together, wherever General Qin and Mr. Ning point, I will fight. If I take a step back, my ancestors for eighteen generations are ****!"

As he said this, the man's eyes were slightly red, but no one could say anything to him. This man was a little sentimental, but he had always been the most ferocious in killing the enemy on the battlefield.

Someone on the side said, "I don't understand that much, but what do you say we should do if we really break up?"

"Yes, we soldiers don't have a say in what the superiors do…"

"It's not that we can't speak," an officer named Luo Ye said. "The people above have their own ways of fighting, and there aren't many things we can do to help, but first of all, we still have to stick together!"

"When have we not stuck together since we've been fighting until now!"

"Sticking together is not just saying it! Their literati have ideas, that is, speaking. We soldiers have ideas, we have to stand up, we have to fight!" This Luo Ye, although he was the son of a noble family, was the most daring to fight and not care about the consequences. At this time, he glared his eyes, "What is sticking together? My family knows a lot of people in the capital. Whoever doesn't obey, kill him, that's called sticking together! I admire General Qin and Mr. Ning. Now those bastards are causing trouble behind their backs. They can only deal with it from the upper level, which is basically seeing who has more people and more influence. We are also people, why do these people send envoys in private, it's just because they think we are easy to deal with. If they want to stab General Qin and the others in the back, then we have to tell them: I'm not easy to deal with, we are a solid piece of iron! In this way, it will be easier for General Qin and Mr. Ning to do things."

"Brother Luo, what do you say we should do?"

"Fight! Beat whoever doesn't obey! It's the same as fighting the Jurchens! Haven't you all understood yet, in a few years, the Jurchens will definitely come again! If we are broken up and follow those petty and opportunistic people, we will be doomed. Since it's a dead end, then let's fight! Just like in Xia Village, we more than 10,000 people are gathered together, who can't we beat! We will beat whoever comes to cause trouble, and we will befriend whoever is a hero. Now it's not just your business or my business, the country is in trouble, and it's about to collapse. There's no time to play around with them…"

Everyone nodded as if they understood. In the wind and snow, in the camp in front of them, many similar things were fermenting. Like sparks, although they could be extinguished at any time under external pressure, at least during this period, people who were holding the same mood and began to stick together under external pressure, determined to do something, had finally appeared.

Like undercurrents under the ice, these things appeared among countless complex things, and then sank again. In the process of these things happening, outside the Jurchen military camp, there were convoys transporting some herbs, food and other items in, which was a move to appease the Jurchens during the negotiations. The Right Chancellor's office was responsible for these matters, and it was also criticized a lot.

Time flowed by in the quiet of the wind and snow. In Bianliang City, the publicity led by Bamboo Tavern gradually stirred up the morale of the people who had fallen into grief. Topics about those who sacrificed in the war and about heroes began to be discussed more and more. Negotiations continued. Fan Lou, Shishi, in the midst of the clamor of this information, looked forward to Ning Yi and others putting the right effort into the negotiation - Ning Yi and others, as well as the people from the Right Chancellor's Office, were now running around in the capital for this matter, she could occasionally hear about it over a few days - but what she didn't know was that even if they put in effort, this time, the feedback from the Right Chancellor's Office's operation was not ideal.

On December 23rd, on the evening of the fourth day that Ning Yi had quietly returned to Bianliang, he came down from Wenhui Tower, discussing matters with an advisor by his side.

"...The situation in the capital is a bit strange now, everyone is playing Tai Chi. The only real feedback is from Tang Ke's faction who advocated peace... Tang Qinshou is a person with good personal virtue, but he is not important. Regarding the negotiations outside the city, the important point is that with our side sending troops to escort the Jurchens out of the pass, the inside point is the question of the Wu Rui Camp's return. If these two points are implemented, the north can be preserved by the Wu Rui Camp aiding Taiyuan... Now it seems that everyone is ambiguous, and every day that is delayed is a day less..."

"...Could it be that the gentlemen in the court have other ways to protect Taiyuan?"

"In this battle, Zong Wang swept through the Central Plains. Even if Zong Han doesn't have any major actions, he has already cleared out the area next to Taiyuan. After the two armies converge, who can stop them? The Wu Rui Camp is the only troop with victories. Going north with hundreds of thousands of people and cooperating with the Taiyuan defense line has a little bit of deterrence. Otherwise, it's basically watching them cut the meat with a knife. Chancellor Qin is lobbying His Majesty, but His Majesty's side... the attitude is not very clear either..."

In Bianliang City, Ning Yi's real responsibility was still public opinion propaganda, connecting with the lower and middle levels, and some things related to the military. But even though he was not personally responsible, the attitude of the Wuchao upper echelons was strange enough.

Qin Si Yuan, Jue Ming, and Yao Zunian were all shrewd people, and there was no problem with their ability. However, after operating for so long, Qin Si Yuan met with the Emperor many times, but he could not get a clear answer in all aspects, which made people anxious and frustrated. What was the Emperor's attitude towards the army, what was everyone's attitude towards Taiyuan, and was it possible that the negotiations in front would be stuck on key issues? All of these things were imminent, rolling over like wheels. Once you hesitated, you would have to watch the opportunity slip away.

The negotiations outside the city should be settled in a few days. Ning Yi was also a little strange about the silence and hesitation of the upper echelons. Just as he came out of Wenhui Tower, he suddenly heard a voice in front.

"Mother****er - it's so cold, there aren't many dead people on the street, I'm so bored, when will... I! ~ Damn! ~ Ning Yi! Hahahaha, Ning Yi!"

The voice was extremely arrogant. As soon as he heard it, he knew who it was. Ning Yi looked up and saw that it was Gao Muen, a libertine, who was wrapped up like a panda and looked wretched. When he saw Ning Yi, the expression on his face changed several times, and then he put his hands on his hips.

"You mother****er is back! Hahahaha! Ning Yi! You mother****er dares to come back... Your good days are numbered! Mother****er! I'm going to kill you when the time comes -"

He pointed at Ning Yi with one finger, saying these unclear words. Ning Yi tilted his head slightly and frowned slightly. At this moment, there was a sudden loud bang.

"Kill the traitorous dog -"

On the street, someone suddenly shouted loudly, and one person lifted the cloth covering a carriage nearby. Snow flew everywhere, and the light of the blade lit up, and hidden weapons flew. A small vendor who was originally setting up a stall on the long street overturned his stall. Not far from Ning Yi, a woman wearing a headscarf and carrying a basket suddenly raised her hand, and double knives slashed over. Someone jumped down from the top of the building, and two assassins rushed past Gao Muen. At this moment, an assassination formation of more than ten people suddenly unfolded on the street and pounced on Ning Yi, who was dressed as a scholar.

At the same time, the figure next to Ning Yi rushed out. Knives flashed everywhere, and from the side and rear, the spear came out like a dragon's roar, sweeping across a piece. Shouts also broke out at the same time, like the essence of wolf smoke on the battlefield, shaking the entire street in an instant, and the killing intent soared.

Snowflakes, figures colliding, the sound of weapons, the sound of fighting, the sound of steel knives slashing into flesh, and then, the outlines of blood splattering everywhere.

This was a sudden assassination. Gao Muen stood there, originally just pointing at Ning Yi, also staring at Ning Yi. In the blink of an eye, things were dazzling. Figures rushed out, and fierce men rushed towards Ning Yi. At the end of his vision, Ning Yi's eyes suddenly changed color. Gao Muen only saw this moment, and then he was obscured by the figures. The big man rushed in front of Ning Yi, and in the next moment, his whole body curled up, and he flew to one side of the long street with a bang. The goods on a freight carriage were scattered by him, and boxes flew around. Someone using ground-level knives rolled over, and the light of the knives bloomed like lotus flowers, and then was pierced by a steel spear, rolling over with a scarlet color. In front, crossed knives, heads flew, and viscous and warm blood splashed on Gao Muen's face. A hunchbacked swordsman waved a long knife, slashing all the way like flowing clouds and flowing water, making a creepy scream in his mouth.

"Waaah -"

In a blink of an eye, blood and chaos had filled everything in front of him -

Gao Muen couldn't figure out what was happening in front of him at all. After a moment, he realized it, and suddenly shouted, "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah - blood! There are assassins, protect me quickly, I want to go back and tell my father -" He hugged his head and scurried into the group of guards, and kept scurrying over, banging into a tree, covering his nose and rolling on the ground.

Because of the war, the assassination of Ning Yi by the Green Forest people had stopped for a while. But even so, after this period of training on the battlefield, the guards around Ning Yi were only stronger, so how could they be unfamiliar. Although he didn't know how they got the news that Ning Yi had returned to the city, as soon as these assassins moved, they immediately hit a hard spot. On the long street, it was simply a sudden massacre. Several assassins rushed into the opposite restaurant. Then, they didn't know what they encountered, and someone was beheaded and pushed out. Several of Ning Yi's followers then rushed in. After a moment, they heard someone shouting. The words were passed out.

"The Prince is here, who dares to disturb the royal presence -"

After that, guards also rushed out of the building.