Originally prepared for witnessing the darkness of the world, who knew that upon arriving under Dai Mengwei's rule, the first thing encountered was the clear rule of law here, with unscrupulous human traffickers being severely punished—although it might be an isolated case, such a sight still took Ning Ji somewhat by surprise.

The group of five pedantic scholars, having been received by the county magistrate, were quite elated by this.

Since leaving the Southwest, their emotions had been complex. On one hand, they were awed by the Southwest's development, and on the other, they were troubled by the unorthodox nature of the Chinese Army and their own inability to integrate, especially after passing through Bazhong and seeing the huge difference in order and capabilities between the two sides. After making a comparison, it was difficult to lie with their eyes open.

Who knew that upon entering Dai Mengwei's territory, they would be able to see something different.

Although resources seemed scarce, the management of the governed people was well-organized and orderly. Even if it couldn't compare to the overwhelming expansion of the Southwest for the time being, one had to consider the fact that Dai Mengwei had only taken over for a year and that the people under his rule were originally a disorganized mob.

The Southwest was an unverified, temporarily effective "new law," but on Dai Mengwei's side, it could be considered a historically long-standing "ancient law." This "ancient law" was not outdated but represented the ideal state that Confucian scholars had been contemplating for thousands of years: the ruler acts like a ruler, the minister acts like a minister, the father acts like a father, and the son acts like a son, with scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants each fulfilling their respective roles. As long as everyone lived according to the predetermined rules, the peasants would farm at home, the artisans would craft the necessary tools, the merchants would engage in appropriate commodity circulation, and the scholars would manage everything. Naturally, there would be no major upheavals.

In practice, scholars would manage the major national policies, local worthies and virtuous individuals would cooperate with mid-level officials to educate the people, and the common people would be content with their lot and obey the arrangements of those above. Then, even if they encountered some setbacks, as long as the people were of one mind, they would naturally be able to overcome them.

Of course, that was the principle of the ancient law. In practice, various deviations inevitably occurred. For example, during the two hundred years of the Wu Dynasty, commerce flourished, leading to greed and selfishness among the lower classes. This trend changed the administration of middle and lower-level officials, so that when foreign invasions came, the country could not unite. And ultimately, the flourishing of commerce also bred monsters who only valued profit, only recognized documents, and lacked morality.

Dai Mengwei, without a doubt, was a person who took the ancient law ideology to the extreme. In a year, he managed to arrange his subordinates in an orderly manner, truly worthy of being called the ultimate example of governing a large country as easily as cooking a small fish. What's more, his family members treated scholars with courtesy.

Dai Zhen, despite being the head of a county, personally welcomed the few people to the back hall upon hearing that there were innocent scholars among those arrested for traveling, explained the case, and then communicated and exchanged knowledge with them one by one. Even one of Dai Mengwei's nephews had such virtue. Regarding the previous rumors circulating in the Southwest calling Dai Mengwei a sage of today, the scholars finally understood the reasons and felt increasingly empathetic.

…

After experiencing this, and slightly understanding Dai Mengwei's greatness, the journey had to continue.

At this time, the leader of the merchant caravan had been beheaded, and the remaining members were basically imprisoned. The group of five pedantic scholars inquired around and learned that although Dai Mengwei's rule had many regulations for ordinary people, it did not prohibit merchants from traveling, only regulating the roads they traveled on. As long as they reported in advance and traveled along the main roads, there would not be too many problems. And now that they knew the county magistrate Dai Zhen, obtaining a document from him to go to Ankang would not be too difficult.

However, Dai Zhen also reminded them of one thing: both Dai and Liu were currently concentrating their forces, preparing to cross the river north and recover Bianliang. If they went to Ankang to take a boat at this time, those merchant ships heading east might be affected by the troop deployments, and tickets would be tight. Therefore, they should be prepared to stay for a few days after arriving in Ankang.

The scholars had come here with the idea of reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles. Hearing that there was a large-scale troop movement, they decided to join in the excitement. Without waiting for a convenient merchant caravan, they gathered the accompanying book boys, servants, and the lovely Ning Ji for a discussion and set off north immediately.

Wang Xiuniang and her father, who usually liked to get close to Lu Wenke and Ning Ji, also followed. This father and daughter had been performing in the Jianghu for many years and had rich experience in traveling. This time, they were attracted to Lu Wenke's extensive knowledge and good family background. Wang Xiuniang, who was in the prime of her youth, wanted to settle down and occasionally showed her youthful vitality by teasing Ning Ji. For more than a month, Lu Wenke and Wang Xiuniang had exchanged glances, but he had traveled the Southwest and gained a lot of knowledge. Now was the time for him to return to his hometown and make a grand plan. He was alright flirting with a prostitute, but he didn't want to easily tie himself to an ignorant woman who made a living performing in the Jianghu. This relationship was bound to be a source of conflict.

As for Ning Ji, he was slightly annoyed by the group of five pedantic scholars who had started to praise Dai Mengwei, but at the age of fifteen, he didn't plan to travel alone and cause trouble. He had no choice but to endure the chattering of a few fools and the teasing of a lovesick woman, while shifting his attention to the Heroes' Assembly that might take place in Jiangning.

Along the rugged road to Ankang, they saw many villages that were strictly controlled, and villagers with dazed looks…The checkpoints and soldiers on the road also increased as they traveled. However, after checking the pass with the seal of County Magistrate Dai Zhen, they didn't question the group too much.

One day, the sun was bright, and the group traveled through the mountains, with the scholars still

discussing their experiences in Dai Mengwei's territory. They had used the "characteristics" of Dai Mengwei's territory to overwhelm the mental demons that came from the Southwest. At this time, they could discuss the situation of the world more "objectively." Some discussed the possibility of the "Fairness Party" becoming more powerful, some said that Wu Qimei was not entirely useless, and some mentioned the revitalization of the new ruler in the Southeast.

Fan Heng, the oldest and most admiring of Dai Mengwei, would often sigh, "If a figure like Duke Dai could have come out to serve during the Jinghan era, the great rivers and mountains of the Wu Dynasty would not have suffered such disasters today. Alas…"

"There's great potential," Lu Wenke said. "Duke Dai's territory is not large now, which is much easier to govern than the Wu Dynasty's territory back then. Duke Dai indeed has potential, but how he will govern if the situation changes in the future remains to be seen."

Fan Heng shook his head. "That's not the case. The Wu Dynasty was bloated, and the Seven Tigers occupied the court, each forming its own faction. Because of this, righteous and promising men like Duke Dai were blocked below and could not make any achievements even if they came out. If it weren't for treacherous officials like Cai Jing, Tong Guan, and Qin Siyuan causing trouble and years of factional strife, how could our great Wu Dynasty have fallen into such disintegration and devastation… Cough cough cough cough…"

In the past, when they talked about the world, they would sometimes become agitated when talking about someone or something and burst into curses. But at this time, when Fan Heng talked about the past, his emotions were obviously not high but gradually depressed, his eyes reddened and even tearing up, muttering to himself. Seeing that something was wrong, Lu Wenke quickly asked the others to stop and rest by the side of the road.

At this time, they were only a day's journey away from Ankang. The sun was setting, and they sat under a tree in the wilderness, able to see patches of mature rice fields in the mountain crevices from afar. Fan Heng was already over forty years old and had some white hair on his temples, but he was usually the most attentive to his appearance and demeanor among the scholars, liking to tell Ning Ji about the rituals of worshiping gods and the rules of gentlemen. He had never lost his composure in front of everyone before. Now, for some reason, he sat under a tree by the side of the road, muttering for a while, and then cried, holding his head.

The middle-aged man's cry was sometimes low and sometimes sharp, and he even had a runny nose, making it extremely unpleasant to hear.

Lu Wenke and the others stepped forward to comfort him, hearing Fan Heng say things like, "Dead, all dead…" Sometimes he cried, "My poor Nannan…" After he cried for a while and spoke more clearly, they heard him say in a low voice, "...During the Jingping era, I came down from the Central Plains, and my children all died on the road… My child was only a little younger than Xiaolong… Lost…"

This outburst of emotion came suddenly, and everyone was silent. Ning Ji, who was looking at the scenery to the side, thought to himself, "Then he should be about the same age as Lu Wenke now." The others couldn't say anything, and the old scholar's sobbing echoed in the mountain road.

In fact, in these years of fallen rivers and mountains, which family had not experienced some tragic events? A group of scholars talked about world affairs with great enthusiasm, but all kinds of tragedies were just pressed down in their hearts. Fan Heng suddenly collapsed while talking, and the others couldn't help but feel sympathetic.

As for Ning Ji, he grew up in the Chinese Army. How many people who could survive in the Chinese Army had not collapsed before? Some people's wives and daughters had been raped, some people's families had been slaughtered or starved to death, and even more tragically, when talking about their children, some might have been eaten during the famine… He had seen these cries of grief too many times since he was a child.

However, he had never seen the prosperous Wu Dynasty, never seen the visitors from all directions in Bianliang, and never seen the old dreams woven in the Qinhuai River. When talking about these things, he didn't feel too much emotion or think that the old man needed too much sympathy. If such a thing happened in the Chinese Army, and anyone's emotions were not good, their companions would take turns going to the ring to beat them until their noses were bruised and their faces were swollen, and even their heads were broken and bleeding. When the injuries healed, they could endure it for a while.

Such emotions had been vented in a round at the end of the Southwest War, but more would have to wait until the time when the Northern Lands were flattened. But according to his father, some things, once experienced, could probably never be calmed down in a lifetime, and the persuasion of others would not have much meaning.

The middle-aged scholar collapsed for a while, and finally regained his composure, and then continued on the road. As they approached Ankang, the mature rice fields with golden spikes began to increase. Some places were being harvested, and the villagers harvesting rice were guarded by troops. Because of Fan Heng's emotional outburst earlier, everyone's emotions were a bit low at this time, and there was not much conversation. However, when they saw such a scene in the evening, Chen Junsheng, who was usually quiet but often able to hit the nail on the head, said, "Do you think that after these rice are harvested, will they belong to the army or the villagers?"

His words caused another silence. Chen Junsheng said, "After the Jin dogs left, the areas on both sides of the Han River were given to Duke Dai. This place has many mountains and few farmland, which is not suitable for long-term residence. This time, before he has a firm foothold, Duke Dai and Duke Liu are rushing to fight back to Bianliang, so they must rely on the fertile fields of the Central Plains to get rid of this place… But before the three armies move, food and forage must go first. This autumn and winter, many people here may starve to death…"

Everyone lowered their heads to consider for a while. Someone said, "Duke Dai has no choice…"

Lu Wenke said, "Perhaps Duke Dai… has a plan. He will always leave some food for the local people…"

Fan Heng, who had always spoken for Dai Mengwei, did not respond this time, perhaps because of his emotional outburst during the day.

***

**********

The group rested at the post station by the road for one night, and entered the ancient city of Ankang on the banks of the Han River at noon the next day.

This city had experienced the ravages of war when the Jurchen West Route Army came, and half of the city was burned down. However, with the departure of the Jurchens and the settlement of a large number of people here after Dai Mengwei took power, the gathering of people gave the place a feeling of rejuvenation. When the group entered the city, they could vaguely see traces of the army stationed there, and the atmosphere of pre-war tension had already infected the place.

As the scenes they had seen along the way showed: the army's actions were waiting for the rice harvest to be completed.

Some things don't need too much questioning. In order to support this northern expedition, Dai Mengwei's forces, which already lacked grain, would inevitably requisition a large amount of rice planted by the people. The only question was how much he could leave for the people in the area. Of course, such data was difficult to ascertain without investigation, and even the five scholars, who had gained some courage after going to the Southwest, did not dare to investigate such things rashly under such circumstances – they did not want to die.

Entering the city from the south gate, they headed north under the guidance of the petty official at the city gate. The entire city of Ankang was half-new and half-old, with a large number of shanties where people gathered, and streets that had been well-repaired after the government had taken a firm grip. But no matter where, there was a fishy smell, and many streets had sewage flowing with fishy smells. This was perhaps the follow-up effect of Dai Mengwei's encouragement of fishing for a living.

Although the shadow of war loomed, commerce in Ankang was not prohibited, and all kinds of ships were constantly heading east along the Han River - many of these ships were merchant ships departing from Hanzhong. Due to the previous agreement between the Chinese Army and Dai Mengwei and Liu Guangshi, the trade routes from the Chinese Army were not allowed to be blocked. In order to ensure the implementation of this matter, the Chinese Army even sent large and small teams of Chinese Army representatives to be stationed along the trade routes. Thus, on the one hand, Dai Mengwei and Liu Guangshi were preparing to fight, and on the other hand, merchant ships from Hanzhong to other places and from other places to Hanzhong were still plying the Han River every day, and Dai Mengwei did not dare to stop them. The two sides were carrying out their actions in this way, "as usual".

Of course, the atmosphere on Dai Mengwei's side was grim, and no one knew when he would go crazy. Therefore, some merchant ships that might have docked at Ankang had now canceled their plans to stop, and the number of merchant and passenger ships heading east had been greatly reduced. As the county magistrate Dai Zhen said, the group needed to queue up in Ankang for a few days before they could possibly take a boat to leave. So they stayed at an inn called Tongwenxuan in the northeastern part of the city.

This inn was noisy with many stranded travelers from the north and south. There were also many scholars who came to broaden their knowledge and seek a future. Only one night after the group stayed, they heard many interesting things in the noisy exchanges in the inn lobby.

It was said that although the troops from Dai and Liu had not completely crossed the river, the "battle" on the other side of the Yangtze River had already begun. The lobbyists sent by Dai and Liu had gone to Nanyang and other places to lobby extensively, persuading the members of the Zou Xu and Yin Zong alliance who occupied Luoyang, Bianliang, and other places to surrender to them. Even many scholars and literati who felt that they had connections in the Central Plains and claimed to be familiar with the art of diplomacy had come to Dai and Liu to volunteer their plans and strategies to help them recover Bianliang. Many of the scholars gathered in the city this time were seeking fame.

In a world of chaos, the most important thing in everyone's mouth was, of course, the various ideas for seeking fame. Dai Mengwei and Liu Guangshi had already raised a banner for the literati, scholars, aristocratic families, and gentry. At the same time, the Heroes' Assembly to be held in Jiangning was naturally a banner that suddenly stood up in the eyes of the heroes of the world.

The Fairness Party was now learning from the Chinese Army and imitating their methods to hold a gathering in Jiangning. They were also spending a lot of money externally, sending hero invitations to the most outstanding heroes in the world and inviting many long-established devils to come out of the mountains. In everyone's discussion, it was said that even Lin Zongwu, the world's number one master in his day, might appear in Jiangning this time to sit in the assembly and test the heroes of the world.

Night fell, and the inn called Tongwenxuan was old and worn. The candlelight in the inn hall flickered. The literati and merchants gathered here did not miss the opportunity to exchange information, loudly throwing out their own knowledge. In this chaotic scene, Ning Ji finally found something he was interested in. He squeezed into someone else's discussion circle, smiling and asking, "Uncle, uncle, will that Lin Zongwu really go to Jiangning? Is he really that powerful? Have you seen him?"

The scholar uncle, who was spewing saliva at the table, saw that he was handsome and smiling, so he slapped the table and said, "After all, he is a great hero of the Jianghu. I have only seen him once from afar, and most of what I know is from others… I have a friend, nicknamed the 'Heshui Heavenly Saber', who has interacted with him. It is said that Lin Zongwu, the 'Forest Piercing Hundred Legs', is most skilled with his legs…"

Unexpectedly, he could hear such Southwestern jokes so far away from the Chinese Army. Ning Ji's face suddenly flattened…

"But, no matter what, this time in Jiangning, I heard that this world's number one master may be likely to definitely arrive…"

"But Lin Zongwu is a fat man…"

"Hey, that Lin Zongwu is nicknamed 'Forest Piercing Northern Leg', how could he be a fat man! You young man, you still have too little experience!"

"That's right, that's right, there are only wrongly given names, but never wrongly called nicknames…"

A group of scholars talked about all kinds of knowledge that came out of the Southwest, despising Long Aotian. Long Aotian sighed, and at the beginning of this journey, he was even more confused.

And it was on the second night after arriving here that he witnessed an assassination…