The cool droplets of water fell from the eaves. Looking back, a drizzle descended in the courtyard. The various officials from the Prime Minister's residence were still in conversation. Servants carrying tea and water carefully walked past.

Since the news of the southwestern war arrived, the members of the Jun Society in Lin'an's Right Prime Minister's residence had been holding meetings in private for several days.

For those in the Lin'an court, including Li Shan, the southwestern war was essentially an unexpected "calamity." They had already accepted the "dynasty change" and the "Jin conquest of the world"—of course, this understanding was expressed in more roundabout and persuasive terms. The southwestern war was an unforeseen event in this great chaos.

People were thus forced to consider things they had previously been unwilling to contemplate.

Regarding the reasons for the establishment of the small Lin'an court and the reasons for surrendering to the Jin, there were many narratives: For example, staunch proponents of surrendering to the Jin believed in the theory of rise and fall, that a sage king would inevitably emerge every three hundred years, that the tide of history was unstoppable, and that people could only accept it. In accepting it, they could save more people and avoid pointless sacrifices.

From this, it followed that although the Jurchens had won the world, governing it would still depend on Confucianism, and even in the context of the world's collapse, the people still needed the salvation of Confucianism. Confucianism could educate the masses and the Jurchens, so "we Confucian scholars" could only endure humiliation and carry on the tradition.

Of course, such a statement was too lofty. If not discussed among like-minded comrades, it might be ridiculed by those who didn't understand the times. Therefore, there was often talk of gradually planning for the future. The biggest reason for this was the incompetence of Zhou Zhe and Zhou Yong in governing the country. The Wu dynasty had weakened to this point, and the Jurchens were so powerful that they had no choice but to feign compliance and preserve the Wu dynasty's tradition.

As for why they didn't honor Zhou Junwu as emperor, it was because of the precedents set by Zhou Zhe and Zhou Yong. Zhou Yong's son was passionate but foolish, unaware of the overall situation, and unable to understand their burden. If he were made emperor, the future situation would be even more difficult to revive. In fact, if he hadn't disobeyed court orders and insisted on declaring himself emperor in Jiangning, and if he hadn't stubbornly reformed the army, there would likely have been more strength gathered under the banner of legitimacy. And if it hadn't been for his extreme actions, more of the people in Jiangning could have survived.

Upon reflection, wasn't the reason so many people had joined the Lin'an court because of Zhou Junwu's military reforms in Jiangning and Zhenjiang? He had completely centralized military power, dispersed the direct forces of many aristocratic families, and expelled the middle and upper-level generals who represented the interests of various Jiangnan families. When some disciples of prominent families offered advice, he even ordered their expulsion without explanation. A ruler who didn't understand the balance of power and was so stubborn was similar in foolishness to Zhou Zhe and Zhou Yong.

He declared himself emperor in Jiangning, but ultimately abandoned the people of Jiangning and broke out, causing hundreds of thousands of people in Jiangning to be massacred by the Jurchens. With the help of others, he successfully broke through, but then only favored a few military generals like Yue Fei and Han Shizhong, disregarding the interests of many large families... Zhou Junwu had already been abandoned by everyone. The tradition of the Wu dynasty was as faint as a candle flame. How many people could understand the painstaking efforts of those who preserved this tradition?

In any case, the people of Lin'an had many and sufficient reasons to embark on their own path. If there had been no complications, everyone could have believed in the Jurchens' invincibility and recognized the self-evident correctness of their "having to do so." But with the war reports from the southwest, the worst thing was that everyone felt guilty and embarrassed.

If the Jurchens weren't so invincible, what were they doing?

The southwest had given the Jurchens a setback. What should they choose? Uphold the Han tradition and reconcile with the southwest? They had already sold out so many people. Would the southwest give them face? How should they define the tradition they had insisted on?

If they didn't reconcile and resolutely sided with the Jurchens, could they still justify their feigned compliance and bearing humiliation? Could they still say it? Most importantly, if the southwest someday emerged from the mountains, could they withstand it?

When facing a powerful enemy, the choice was easy to make. But now that the southwest had shown strength comparable to the Jurchens, the people of Lin'an felt apprehensive and embarrassed in their predicament.

The Jun Society members discussed their views on the southwest for several days. Some points were reserved, trying not to let sharp things touch each other's self-esteem. On the other hand, they were waiting for those above to give more authoritative answers. As the drizzle fell in the Right Prime Minister's residence, Gan Fenglin, who had inquired of Li Shan a few days earlier, quietly arrived and summoned several fellow disciples to speak in the small study.

"I have something for you fellow disciples to look at first. It is Master's new work."

As Gan Fenglin spoke, he took out a piece of writing, and the others were immediately refreshed. "Oh? Is it about the southwest?"

In recent days, Wu Qimei had instructed several trusted disciples to collect information about the southwest and constantly confirmed the specifics of the situation. Although he hadn't spoken for several days, everyone knew that he must be concerned about this matter. Now that he had written something, it must be a way to deal with it. Someone took it first and smiled, "Master's magnificent work, I'll be the first to read it."

The senior brother held the writing in his hand, and the others gathered around. At first, they looked delighted, but then they frowned, tilting their heads in confusion or muttering to themselves. Those with less composure discussed it with those nearby: What does this article mean?

Li Shan leaned over with curiosity as well, only to see that the paper was filled with writing, the title of which was "On the Fall of the Qin Dynasty in the Second Generation."

Was the situation of the Qin Dynasty similar to the present? He was puzzled. The first senior brother to finish reading the article passed it to the person next to him, also confused: "Such powerful writing, deafening and enlightening, but what is Master's intention in composing this magnificent work at this moment?"

After that, everyone read the article one by one, feeling something more or less. They discussed it with each other. Someone sensed the meaning: "Qin's policies, are they talking about the southwest..."

"In fact, it's also similar to the former Crown Prince Junwu, stubborn and self-willed, able to show temporary strength, but ultimately not sustainable. What do you all think..."

The crowd discussed for a while. Soon, Wu Qimei also arrived and gathered the Jun Society members in the back hall. The old man was in good spirits. He greeted everyone with a smile first and, after serving tea, asked someone to distribute his new article to everyone.

Many people looked at the article and also showed puzzled expressions. Wu Qimei waited until most people had finished reading before opening his mouth:

"In recent days, you have all been disturbed by the southwestern war. When I heard about the southwestern war, I was also a little surprised, so I sent Fenglin, Jiaji, and others to confirm the news and then inquired in detail about the southwestern situation. Today, there are some things that can be confirmed. At the end of last month, in the mountains of the southwest, Ning Yi's Black Flag bandits used the terrain to set up an ambush and defeated the Jurchen West Route Army led by Prince Baoshan Wanyan Xiebao. Wanyan Xiebao was beheaded by Ning Yi in battle. This battle reversed the southwestern situation."

The old man frankly stated the situation. In the solemn atmosphere, he smiled and said, "This kind of news is beyond our expectations. Now it seems that the entire southwestern war situation is difficult to predict. These days, I have asked Fenglin, Jiaji, and others why the southwest can win, and how has the southwest developed in those mountains these years? I am ashamed to say that many people are completely unaware."

"...So I also gathered some people, merchants who have had dealings with the southwest in recent years, and those with foresight who are still keeping an eye on the southwest these days, like Li Shan. He is one of them. He used to have close contact with Li Dexin and didn't forget to understand the southwestern situation... I asked everyone for advice, so I learned a lot of things. Everyone, we need to pay attention to the southwest."

The old man nodded earnestly, "We need to pay attention."

Everyone nodded, and some looked at Li Shan, envious of his praise from the teacher.

Wu Qimei said, "Now it seems that in the next few years, the southwest may become a major threat to the world. Who is Ning Yi, and what is the Black Flag? We used to have some ideas, but they were just generalities. These days, I have inquired and verified in detail, and read a lot of information before reaching some conclusions."

As he spoke, Gan Fenglin held out a large stack of papers, some new and some old, presumably collected information. The stack on the table was almost half a person high. Wu Qimei patted the papers.

"Why did the southwest fight such a war, and who is Ning Yi? First of all, Ning Yi is a fierce person. You all know many things here. You have heard them more or less before. Although this person is from Son-in-Law origin and is inherently inferior, the more inferior a person is, the more fierce he is. You can't touch him! I don't know when he learned martial arts, but after he practiced martial arts, his hands were covered in blood!"

"Back then, he had Qin Siyuan's support and was in charge of the Secret Intelligence Division, managing the affairs of the Green Forest. His hands were covered in countless blood debts. Jianghu righteous men often assassinated him, and then died at his hands... This was his early reputation. If he were really a gentleman, how could he have made so many enemies while in charge of the Green Forest? The Liangshan bandits had a deep feud with him and once killed him in Jiangning, killing him at his home. Ning Yi also killed him in Liangshan. With the power of the Right Prime Minister's residence, he massacred nearly half of the Liangshan bandits, and blood flowed like a river. Although dogs biting dogs are not good people, Ning Yi's reputation for being fierce is not wrong."

"Secondly, Ning Yi is a cunning person." Wu Qimei tapped his finger on the table. "Everyone, he is very smart, not to be underestimated. He was originally a scholar, but later his family declined and he married into a merchant family. Perhaps because of this, he developed a desire for money and wealth and has great talent in business."

"We won't mention small things. Just mention the eleventh year of Jinghan, when the world suffered disasters, with major floods in the south and major droughts in the north. Many places had no harvest, and the people were in dire straits. At that time, Qin Siyuan was the Right Prime Minister and should have been responsible for disaster relief. Ning Yi took advantage of this convenience to mobilize grain merchants all over the world to sell grain in disaster areas. He is a great commercial talent. In the name of the Prime Minister's residence, he unified the allocation of grain merchants and the price of grain. Those who did not obey his command were suppressed, and even the government personally came out to deal with them. That year, until it snowed, the price of grain did not go down. How many people starved to death in the Central Plains, but he helped the Right Prime Minister's residence earn a lot of money!"

Wu Qimei tapped his finger forcefully, and someone in the room stood up: "I know about this. They said it was disaster relief, but they were actually selling at high prices!"

Someone else said, "That's right, I also remember the great disaster in the eleventh year of Jinghan..."

"If it hadn't been for this great disaster, which greatly damaged the country's strength, it would be hard to say whether the Jurchens would have invaded south..."

The crowd discussed a lot. Wu Qimei pressed his palm down.

"This is just the matter of that year. Even in the past few years, the Black Flag has been in the mountains of the southwest, and they are still doing business with various places. I said that Ning Yi is a genius in business. You all know what things are shipped out of the southwest, right? Not to mention anything else, just take the books. The southwest prints the classics of history, philosophy, and literature very beautifully. Not only is the typesetting neat, but the packaging is exquisite. But? The same books, the southwest charges ten times, a hundred times, or even a thousand times the price of ordinary books!"

"Southwestern classics are scarce and expensive. I used to write articles criticizing this, warning about this. They are just books. Even if they are exquisitely decorated, are there any deviations in the words of the sages in the books? Not only that, but the southwest also elaborately decorates various licentious and chaotic texts and various vulgar and boring texts and transports them to the Central Plains and Jiangnan for sale. Those who attach themselves to elegance flock to them! These things are turned into silver and returned to the southwest to become the guns of the Black Flag Army."

"Everyone, Ning Yi has a nickname outside, called the Heart Demon. This person understands the unbearable aspects of people's hearts very well. Although he was in the southwest in his early years, he used various bizarre things to confuse the hearts of our Jiangnan people. He even sold military guns to the armies of our Wu dynasty. The armies of the Wu dynasty bought his guns, but instead felt that they had taken advantage. When others talked about attacking the southwest, the armies were all soft-handed and couldn't even pick up their swords! He bit by bit eroded the army of our Wu dynasty. So, this person is cunning, and we must guard against him."

"Third!" Wu Qimei increased his voice, "This person is crazy, and you can't judge him by common sense. This madness is first of all his cruel regicide, which led to the fall of our Wu dynasty, our Central Plains, our Huaxia, and is incomprehensible! And after he committed regicide, he even said it was for Huaxia! Naming his army the Huaxia Army is ridiculous! And the second item of this madness is that he even said that he wanted to destroy our Confucian tradition!"

He paused here, looking at the crowd. Laughter came from the room, "This matter is indeed crazy."

"It is said that not long after he said this, Xiaocanghe was besieged by the world, so we didn't scold him enough back then..."

"Destroy our Confucian tradition. After I heard it back then, I didn't bother to scold him..."

The statement that Ning Yi declared war on Confucianism spread due to Li Pin, and the discussions and criticisms from the world did not last long. This was firstly because Xiaocanghe did not take too many substantial actions in this regard—such as killing a Confucian student whenever they saw one—and later, Xiaocanghe was besieged by the world and ran to the southwest in disgrace, without taking excessive actions. Secondly, it was also because everyone had too much confidence in Confucianism. Killing the emperor was still feasible, but a madman shouted to destroy Confucianism, and the Confucian students actually had the composure to "let him destroy it."

If everyone took this matter too seriously, it would easily create the feeling that they were fools and had lost. Occasionally mentioning it and scolding it was enough.

Speaking of this, Wu Qimei also sneered, and then said solemnly: "Even so, you must not be careless, everyone. This person is crazy, which leads to the fourth item, which is tyranny! What is tyranny? The Black Flag in the southwest, facing the Jurchens, is said to be fearless and charging forward one after another. Why? All because of tyranny! This is also the reason why I have been writing this article in recent days!"

The old man said here, and someone in the room had already reacted, with a gleam in his eyes: "So that's how it is..." Several people suddenly realized, including Li Shan, nodding slowly. Wu Qimei's eyes swept over these people, quite satisfied.

"Why can the Black Flag Army fight against the Jin army head-on? I asked many people and also checked some previous news. The whole thing may have to start from Fang La... In the past, Fang La made trouble, shouting the slogan 'All laws are equal, there is no high or low'. This so-called equality is one of the reasons. In the past, Fang La made trouble and occupied Hangzhou, which is now Lin'an. Ning Yi happened to be among them. We later learned that many of the aids that Ning Yi used to commit regicide later came from the remnants of Fang La's rebellion."

The old man stood up: "Now, the commander of the Battle of Changsha, Chen Fan, is a disciple of the former bandit leader Fang Qifo. Many of the Miao troops he leads come from the so-called Badao Camp, and the leader of the Badao Camp is now one of Ning Yi's concubines. In the past, Fang La launched an uprising, and Ning Yi fell into it. Later, the uprising failed, and when the city was broken, it was said that Ning Yi had done meritorious service for our dynasty, but in fact, Ning Yi had already taken over the mantle of Fang La's uprising."

"He was inspired by this 'All laws are equal' and, after committing regicide, also talked about equality in the Huaxia Army. What is his so-called equality? It is to say that everyone in the world is equal, and the common people are equal to the emperor. Then, his regicide is no longer a big mistake! He is waving the banner of equality, saying that since everyone is equal, then it is unequal for you to live in big houses and have land and fields. With this reason, he killed many local gentry and powerful families in the southwest, and then confiscated the property of their families, so that it became equal."

"Of course, this person deeply understands people's hearts and humanity. He will not publicize these equal things, but secretly investigate the scandals committed by large households. As long as there is a slight mistake, in the Huaxia Army, the prince breaks the law and is punished like a commoner. The property of the big households will be confiscated. The Huaxia Army acts with this reason. In the army, they also practice equality. Everyone in the army is generally in hardship, and everyone has no extra money. Where does the money go? All of it is used to expand military resources."

"This is called military buildup in the court—"

"Using the words of equality, all the people's property is confiscated, and using the threat of the Jurchens and the world, the army is made to fear and be afraid, forcing everyone to accept this situation, so that they dare not run away on the battlefield. Everyone, fear has penetrated the hearts of the Black Flag Army. Governing the country with the methods of the army, extorting the people's wealth, practicing harsh governance, removing the people's joy, and increasing the people's fear, these things are the so-called——tyranny!!!"

Wu Qimei's voice was deafening. At this point, everyone understood.

"Qin Shihuang built up his army, and finally unified the six kingdoms. Why? Because he practiced harsh governance and strict laws. The rise of the Qin dynasty was due to its tyranny. But why did the Qin dynasty fall in the second generation? It was also because he practiced harsh governance and strict laws. Everyone was afraid of his tyranny and rose up to resist, so the Qin dynasty fell, also because of its tyranny. In the end, what is rigid does not last long."

"Since the Black Flag Army started its uprising, it has often been in a situation where it is surrounded by enemies on all sides, and everyone is afraid, so everyone fights bravely in battle. From Xiaocanghe to the southwest, it has won battles in succession, born of fear. Whether we like Ning Yi or not, this person is indeed a generation of heroes. He has been fighting for ten years, and the path he has taken is very similar to that of the Jurchens. Today, he repelled one of the Jurchen armies. But can this last long?"

Wu Qimei shook his head: "No. When people are squeezed too much in adversity, they can't get through when they are in prosperity. Ning Yi is fierce, cunning, crazy, and tyrannical... Such a devil may be able to show off for a while, but looking at thousands of years of history, have such devils succeeded?"

He smiled: "The southwest is thousands of miles away from Jiangnan, not to mention that the war situation has not yet been determined. Even if the southwest Black Flag really withstands the attack of Zong Han's army, its vitality will be greatly damaged next. What's more, after defeating the Jurchens, the fear in the hearts of the Black Flag Army has dissipated. In the next few years, it will be nothing more than rewarding merits. Tyrannical people will do tyrannical things, and they will suffer their backlash. We can see its temporary strength, but next, it will be the time of its fall. This is recorded in thousands of years of history, and there is no other result."

"Regarding the affairs of the southwest, Ning Yi, and the Black Flag Army, I have been organizing people to sort them out in these days. After that, I will publicize the tyrannical behavior of the Black Flag Army to the world. With these things, I believe that all the officials of our Wu dynasty will be able to see the trend of the world situation. No one dares to join in the fun of Ning Yi's 'All laws are equal'. I will also write letters to discuss this matter in detail with several important officials of our Wu dynasty. The Black Flag is temporarily fierce, but it is difficult to last long, so you don't need to worry too much. But we must also take its strengths and learn from ourselves..."

The drizzle outside was still falling. Wu Qimei said this, and the hearts of Li Shan and others were already hot. With this statement from the teacher, they truly saw the context of the world's affairs. That's right, if it weren't for Ning Yi's fierceness and tyranny, how could the Black Flag Army have such fierce combat power? But what if they have combat power? If the path of the former Crown Prince Junwu could really work, all the officials of the Wu dynasty would become brutal people.

But such a thing is根本impossible to last long. Even the Jurchens are now going downhill and want to refer to Confucianism to govern the country?

At this moment, Wu Qimei's words dispelled the fog in everyone's hearts, like a bright light, pointing out the direction for everyone. On this day, when they returned home, Li Shan and others also began to write articles and discuss the tyranny within the Black Flag Army: promoting equality, rendering fear, depriving private property...

In the following half month, the shaping of this fierce image of the Huaxia Army, along with the war reports from the southwest, spread throughout the Wu dynasty.

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