"Outside Chang'an, white clouds in autumn, desolate winds blow by the Ba River. Searching: Complete Novel Site to read high-quality literature for free. Thinking of the days of Han Dynasty chaos, Zhong Xuan journeyed to Jingzhou from here..."

An ancient stage faced the rolling river. On the stage, an old man with a deep, slightly hoarse voice sang, accompanied by the resounding beat of a drum.

Round tables had already been set up in front of the stage. Before long, several people, some in armor and others in luxurious robes, entered. Some recognized each other and exchanged greetings with cupped hands amid the singing, while others simply sat down quietly, observing the rest. In total, there were nine people, half of whom looked somewhat travel-worn.

The drumming on the stage paused for a moment, then resumed. The old singer then sang: "Turning my head to look at the Qin Pass from Mount Xian, how many days until I return south to Jingzhou? Today, I ascend only with tears, not knowing where the scenery lies..."

The old man's singing was extremely moving. One of those seated sighed: "Today, I ascend only with tears, not knowing where the scenery lies..."

A man in scholar's robes beside him smiled: "Turning my head to look at the Qin Pass from Mount Xian, how many days until I return south to Jingzhou... Si Kongshu wrote about the Xian Mountain Pavilion, which is several days away from here..." He tapped the table with his palm. "He's singing it wrong."

As he spoke, a man in military attire ascended the steps to the side. As soon as this tenth person appeared, the previous nine stood up one after another: "Lord Liu."

"General Liu."

"Ping Shu."

The tenth person cupped his hands and smiled: "The time was short, please forgive any neglect." His words were dignified and steady. This man was Liu Guangshi, who, after the turmoil in the Wu Dynasty, held heavy troops and occupied areas such as Baling and Jiangling.

The scholar who had pointed out the mistake in the song said: "Uncle Liu, the old man on stage, what he sings has deep meaning. You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"To be honest, this old man's singing style is different from the previous Wu Dynasty's, tragic and stirring, it's a favorite of mine, so I asked him to sing a few songs for me in the army. Today's meeting, firstly, must be kept secret, and secondly, it was indeed a bit rushed, so I called him out to help sing a song or two. I know your preferences, Ping Baoxian nephew, if you don't leave today, there are two amazingly talented singers in Jiangling City recently, Chen Fu and Yan Jiu'er... After the serious business is done, your uncle will arrange it for you." He smiled, dignified and yet cordial. "Sit down."

Everyone sat down. Liu Guangshi waved his hand, dismissing the old singer. Maids came up to pour tea, and after they left, he looked around before speaking with a smile.

"The world changes quickly. Today's meeting is about something not so simple. Some of you are here on behalf of your masters, and some are here personally. Your identities are all sensitive, so I won't introduce you one by one. Anyway, just keep it in mind for now, alright?"

This was clearly a secret meeting, and Liu Guangshi had thought it through carefully. But as soon as his words fell, a man in half-armor shook his head: "It's fine. With Lord Liu's scrutiny and selection, and everyone here today is Han Chinese, with big families and big businesses, I trust everyone present. My name is Xia Zhongxin, I'm not afraid for you all to know. As for whether you all speak or not, it doesn't matter."

"I've long admired General Xia's reputation." The young scholar cupped his hands.

Xia Zhongxin said: "Repeatedly defeated, repeatedly fighting, there's no reputation to speak of, just eking out an existence."

The young scholar smiled and stood up: "My name is Xiao Pingbao, my father is Xiao Zheng, greetings to all uncles and elders."

Liu Guangshi watched these things with a smile. Before long, the others also expressed their positions, stood up, and introduced themselves. Each name in their words now represented a force in Jiangnan. Similar to Xia Zhongxin, he was a Han army commander who had already surrendered to the Jurchens and was now under the command of Wanyan Xiyin. Xiao Pingbao, behind the Xiao family, was a large aristocratic family near Hanyang.

Although such a gathering was held on Liu Guangshi's territory, it was equivalent to a gathering of righteousness. If only Liu Guangshi knew everyone's identity clearly, then he would become a truly dominant leader. Everyone understood this principle, so Xia Zhongxin simply and straightforwardly stated his affiliation, and Xiao Pingbao followed suit, slightly breaking this asymmetrical state.

Liu Guangshi didn't mind. Although he was a military general, he had spent his entire life mingling in the officialdom of civil officials, so how could he have seen few such scenes. He was no longer bound by this level.

He waited until everyone had finished introducing themselves, and after there was no more small talk, he smiled and opened his mouth: "The fact that you are all here is actually a statement. Now that you all know each other, I won't beat around the bush. The changes in the situation in the southwest, you are all clear on."

Everyone's expressions were serious, and they all nodded. Someone said: "Adding to the situation in the Battle of Tanzhou, everyone is now in the same boat."

"I never thought that Wanyan Zonghan's lifelong reputation would suffer such a setback, suffering such a great loss."

"You can't say it that way, the Jurchen's defeat is ultimately a good thing."

"But what if the Black Flag wins?"

After everyone said a few words, Liu Guangshi raised his hand: "What you all said makes sense. In fact, the Jurchen's defeat is not necessarily a bad thing, but the Black Flag has won both battles. This kind of situation is ultimately a bit unexpected. To be honest, in the past ten days or so, I've seen quite a few people. Ning Yi's move is frightening."

As he said this, he took a sip of tea. Everyone didn't speak, and they could all understand the shock of these days. The southwest fought fiercely for four months, and Wanyan Zonghan was still advancing with difficulty. But as Ning Yi led 7,000 men to attack, the Jurchens' 100,000-strong army collapsed directly on the front lines. Then, the entire army was forced to retreat in the mountains of the southwest. Ning Yi's army was still biting up relentlessly. Now, in the mountains of the southwest, it was like two giant pythons entwined, fighting bloody battles. The originally weak one was about to bite the Jurchen's western army, which had several times its strength, to death in the vast mountains within Jianmen Pass.

Seeing such a move, everyone was even more shocked than when he killed the emperor in a fit of rage back then. More than ten years had passed, and that demon had become so powerful that he could kill anyone he wanted to anywhere in the world. Even Wanyan Zonghan, who had previously been almost universally recognized as the number one general in the world, was now being slapped in the face hard by him, and it looked like he was even going to be beaten to death alive.

Now, the outcome in the mountains of the southwest had not yet been decided, but privately, countless people were already making plans for the future.

Things had changed too quickly after all, and there were no prior plans, so this round of activity seemed rushed to everyone.

"Let me talk about the situation over there." Xia Zhongxin said, "On the tenth day of the third month, Qin Laoer's side had changes. The Jurchen Wanyan Xiyin is also very powerful. He had already deployed troops and generals early on, guarding against that side. But you all know the result. Lao Yu was out of luck. The two thousand men under his command were attacked by Qin Laoer in one fell swoop, dying or being wounded. Their lives were gone. Next, Wanyan Xiyin deployed troops almost once every three days. He's playing chess, but I don't know who will be out of luck next. We all say that they may attack Jiange next, blocking both ends, and Zhanhan will really never be able to return."

"Last year... I heard they fought seventeen battles in a row, right? General Qin's side didn't even hurt his vitality." Someone interjected, "Is the Hua Xia Army's combat power really that strong?"

"It was seventeen battles in a row in seven days." Xia Zhongxin was expressionless, "I can't exactly describe how formidable they are, but they lose every time they encounter them. Wanyan Xiyin is powerful, but he doesn't treat our Han Chinese as people either. The strongest Tushan Guard under his command doesn't dare to charge directly, he only plans to slowly grind them down. Speaking of which, the people under Qin Laoer's command are actually that batch of people from Little Canghe back then. You all think about it, three years of time, wearing down one million troops in the Central Plains, killing Ci Bushi, and finally polishing out two thousand people who made the Jurchens look bad. They spent a few more years in that godforsaken place in the west before coming out. Damn, these aren't people, these are ghosts demanding lives."

He paused: "To be honest, everyone on the front lines is afraid now. If the southwest wins, Lao Qin is coming with the idea of exterminating families, with deep blood feuds, once the chess game is over, the mask will be off. Between the Black Flag and the Tushan Guard, whoever they meet will die."

Xiao Pingbao twitched the corner of his mouth and smiled: "Forgive my bluntness, why not surrender to the Black Flag?"

There was an obvious question in his words, but since everyone was sitting together, there had to be steps to unify the meaning in the words, so they were not annoyed, but said expressionlessly: "Everyone knows how the southwest accepted Li Rulai's surrender. Surrendering to the Jurchens means being sent to fight Lao Qin, and surrendering to Lao Qin means being sent to fight the Tushan Guard, either way, it's death."

He paused: "Actually, it's not that everyone is afraid of death, but the words of those old guys in the capital aren't without reason. Since ancient times, if you want to surrender, firstly, you must have chips, you must be valued, so that you can have a seat after surrendering. Now, surrendering to the Black Flag is just prolonging your life, living for a few years, who knows what it will be like. Secondly... General Liu here has better ideas, it's not necessarily a bad road. A man can't be without power for a day in this world, if there is still a road to take, Xia doesn't want to join the Black Flag just to be a cook."

In such words, everyone naturally turned their gaze to Liu Guangshi. Liu Guangshi smiled: "General Xia is being modest, the situation of the Wu Dynasty today is often not a crime of war. For more than two hundred years, the state has emphasized civil affairs and slighted military affairs, and it is difficult to reverse the accumulated problems. Today's predicament is also unavoidable. In fact, General Xia is so brave on the battlefield, and his use of troops is miraculous. I admire him, but to put it bluntly, General Xia came from a commoner background. Over the years of commanding troops, which day has he not been restrained by all parties, civil officials pointing fingers, and making a fortune, coming and going. To be honest, the few combat-ready soldiers I have left are just the legacy of my ancestors."

Liu Guangshi's words spoke to Xia Zhongxin's heart. This middle-aged man with a stern face cupped his hands, unable to speak. He only heard Liu Guangshi say again: "The situation is different now after all. To be honest, the few clowns in Lin'an City have no possibility of success. I have a word here, if everything goes smoothly, in less than five years, the current emperor will send troops from Fuzhou and will definitely recover Lin'an."

When he mentioned the current emperor, he cupped his hands. Everyone looked at each other, obviously understanding the meaning hidden in Liu Guangshi's words. Liu Guangshi stood up and had someone push up a map: "In fact, the reason I invited you here today is to discuss the future situation with everyone, please take a look."

His finger tapped on the map: "The world is changing, today's situation is completely different from half a year ago, but in short, there are only two unexpected things, Chen Fan occupied Tanzhou, Ning Yi stabilized the southwest, and the Jurchen army... The best situation is to escape all the way back to the north along Jingxiang and other places. Next, the Hua Xia Army has also lost some vitality after all. Of course, they will restore their strength in a few years. When the two sides are connected, to be honest, the territory I occupy now is right in the angle of the Hua Xia Army's pincers."

Liu Guangshi just smiled as he said this: "Defeating the Jurchens, the Hua Xia Army's reputation is greatly enhanced. In the future, sweeping the world is not impossible. But ah, firstly, General Xia is right, you want to surrender and be a cook, and they may not accept you. Secondly, the Hua Xia Army's administration is strict, that is indeed the case. Once they win a big victory, they may go too far internally. I also think that some problems will inevitably arise. Of course, we will wait and see about this matter for the time being."

"In any case, we have a few years." Liu Guangshi stretched out his hand and drew a circle between Tanzhou and the southwest: "But there are only those few years. Sooner or later, this area will have friction with the Black Flag. We have to consider where we should go."

"Regarding the response to this situation, I have a few considerations." Liu Guangshi smiled, "Firstly, strengthening ourselves is never wrong. Whether we want to fight or make peace, we must have strength. None of you here can compete with forces like the Black Flag and the Jurchens, but if we join forces, taking advantage of the Hua Xia Army's wounded vitality, we have some advantages in this local area for the time being. Secondly, without the restraint of civil officials, if we learn from our pain, we may not have the opportunity to develop."

"But just joining forces is not strong enough. To put it bluntly, even if we repeat the old view of the Wu Dynasty, the Wu Dynasty is the weakest party between the Jin Kingdom and the Black Flag, but we don't have the qualifications to win, but we will always have the qualifications to negotiate. You all watch the situation, the Black Flag wants to restore vitality, stabilize the situation, and stand still, the Jin army is withdrawing north, and the current emperor is confronting them in Lin'an to the east, you all see, how many places are empty now."

Liu Guangshi's palm slapped on the map, and his eyes gleamed: "Everyone, the Central Plains! As long as the war in the southwest stops, the Jurchens go north, and we join forces, we will break through the Yangtze River and take the Central Plains, attack Bianliang, and repeat the old view of my Wu Dynasty. Everyone, this is an unprecedented achievement! For my Wu Dynasty, for my Han Chinese, for my Hua Xia—"

As his voice fell, someone at the table stood up, clapping a folding fan on his palm: "Indeed, if the Jurchens are defeated and leave, their control of the Central Plains will fall to its lowest point, with no more influence. And the bunch of clowns in Lin'an can't take care of the Central Plains for a while."

Someone else said: "Zonghan was beaten black and blue in the southwest. Whether he can withdraw or not, the one who defends Bianliang will definitely no longer be the Jurchen army. If it's a few people on the surface, we may be able to easily recover the old capital without lifting a finger."

Liu Guangshi smiled: "Furthermore, a name must be correct before words can be justified. Last year, my Wu Dynasty collapsed and败, and Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, and others went to the east, but they couldn't even defend the late emperor. I can't blame them for these things. Later, the Jurchen power was great, and some people—traitors! They really surrendered, but there are also many who still have loyalty in their hearts, like General Xia, although they have to pretend with the Jurchens, but they have always been loyal to my Wu Dynasty in their hearts, waiting for the opportunity to revolt. Everyone, I am also waiting for the arrival of this opportunity. We are ordered by heaven to inherit the imperial mandate, to protect the fire for my Wu Dynasty, to restore the old view of the Central Plains. In the future, no matter who we face, we will be able to explain it."

As he said these words, he took out a charcoal pencil and circled one piece of land after another on the map. The large circle of territory that included Bianliang and other places was clearly one of the largest forces in the entire world. Someone slammed their fist into their palm.

Liu Guangshi stopped smiling and tapped the charcoal pencil on it with a serious expression.

"Everyone, in this area, anything can happen in a few years. If we learn from our pain, are determined to reform, and learn from the southwest, what will happen? If after a few years, the situation changes, and something really goes wrong in the southwest, what will happen? And even if it is really as people say, my Wu Dynasty's national fortune is ultimately unfortunately declining, everyone, if we protect the people in one area, that is also a great merit, worthy of the world, and worthy of Hua Xia."

The river wind rustled, and Liu Guangshi's words rang out with force. Everyone stood there, serious and silent for a moment in the face of this picture, before someone spoke.

"The southwest defeated the Jurchens and lost its vitality. It will definitely be unable to make another northern expedition. The tens of millions of people in the Central Plains have suffered for more than ten years. With this opportunity, if we continue to sit idly by, what will become of the common people? Everyone, General Liu is right, in fact, regardless of those plans and interests, the current people of the Central Plains also need everyone to abandon their past grudges and save them from fire and water. We can't delay any longer. Today's matter is led by General Liu. In fact, in the entire Han Chinese world today, only General Liu is highly respected and can serve as the leader in this matter. From now on, my Jiangdong Chen family will follow General Liu's arrangements and dispatch! "

In the scenery of the mighty Yangtze River flowing eastward, many more of the meat-eaters made difficult choices for the future of this country.

The king's banner changes on the city walls. How many people will remember them?

This was at the end of March, Zonghan had not yet left Jiange, and Qin Shaoqian and Wanyan Xiyin were constantly deploying troops against each other north of Jiange. On March 27th, Qi Xinhan, a general under Qin Shaoqian, led 3,000 men and appeared near Fancheng, nearly a thousand miles away, attempting to attack the Xiangfan ferry crossing. But Wanyan Xiyin was prepared.

The first battle between the elite of the 7th Army of the Hua Xia Army and the Tushan Guard of the Jurchens thus began.