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Sometimes, time flows backward in dreams. He would see many people, all vividly alive.

Upon waking, he would sit up in a daze for a while, forgetting where he was.

Dislocated memories still lingered in his mind. It would take some time before the cold reality dissolved into empty echoes in his brain, allowing him to painfully awaken in this blank space.

The once full life, spirit, and even a part of his soul, were permanently damaged in the past.

But compared to what more people had lost forever, the survivors' current losses seemed insignificant.

Late February of the first year of the Jintianjuan era, Yunchong.

Tang Minjie woke up from a dream and sat on the bed.

In the previous dream, Wu Qiuhe appeared.

That woman had once been Chen Wenjun's maid, and before that, the niece of the prefect of Kaifeng. She was more knowledgeable than ordinary women, understood some strategies, and after staying with Chen Wenjun, she planned many things, even saving his life a few years ago.

However, in terms of intelligence transmission and support, Wu Qiuhe actually favored the Wu Dynasty regime more and didn't particularly like the Huaxia Army.

Both sides had the same goals but served different masters, and during that time, there had been several disputes and frictions. Wu Qiuhe had a strong personality, and Tang Minjie was no pushover either, but having been saved once, he couldn't easily be too aggressive in his words. In several secret actions, they each had their wins and losses. Tang Minjie would only gloat when he gained an advantage, watching the other party's silent suffering with a wicked grin.

He had secretly planned to find an opportunity in the future to bring her over to the Huaxia Army, as her character wasn't bad.

The last dispute was because of that idiot named Shi Jin. Although he was skilled in martial arts, he lacked brains and clearly wanted to die. Both sides were cautious in their contact. Of course, due to the Han Madam's strong influence, Shi Jin was initially rescued by Wu Qiuhe's side.

But Wu Qiuhe underestimated the carpet search inside and outside the city at that time. The government finally found Shi Jin, and after he escaped, Tang Minjie seized the opportunity as the oriole in the back.

He was very happy at the time.

He could laugh at her afterward.

However, when Shi Jin woke up and asked him about Wu Qiuhe, even suspecting that the woman had brought the government soldiers, Tang Minjie knew he was in trouble. Since he had such suspicions, it meant that Wu Qiuhe and the government soldiers had appeared with only a small time difference… grief arose from it.

"In a place like the Jin Kingdom, what can't a Han person do to live a good life? Since you see through that bitch's true colors, you should know there's no warmth to be found here. Bitch and rogue, kill them all together next time!"

He casually dismissed Shi Jin and went to inquire about the situation. Soon after, he learned that Wu Qiuhe had been killed by Xiyin with a sword. She was clever, slandering Gao Qingyi in front of Xiyin, and died immediately without suffering too much torture. However, he couldn't find out the details of where the body was discarded for a while. It was more than half a year later that he found out it was thrown in a mass grave, and when he went to look for it, there were no bones left.

Over the years, many people he had encountered died like this. Many died even more humble deaths, and some died even more painfully, so painful that people in peaceful times couldn't imagine it. Even when he remembered it, there seemed to be a large blank space in that memory.

Why did he dream of Wu Qiuhe?

He thought about it. Perhaps it was because he had met a woman named Cheng Min in Shangjing some time ago. Some similar strength, some similar hatred…

After Wanyan Dan ascended the throne at the end of October of the first year of Jintianjuan, Tang Minjie stayed in Shangjing for more than a month, trying to find possible breakthroughs in various information. During this time, he often met with Cheng Min to summarize the news she had gathered.

The most common news after the new emperor ascended the throne was all kinds of awards and rewards. Zonggan, Zongpan, and Zonghan, although they lost the throne, received countless awards and honors afterward and would be powerful ministers above all others in the foreseeable future. But in the midst of this, the seeds of power struggles still existed.

After all, Zonghan and Xiyin of the West Mansion had been defeated in the Southwest, and this time, they had used too much scheming in the situation in Shangjing. Although Zonggan and Zongpan had to accept their later ideas and give the throne to Wanyan Dan, the checks and balances and weakening of the West Mansion were still brought up afterward.

This was the inevitable result that Zonghan's side had to face after the defeat in the Southwest. In the next half year, some powers would be relinquished, some positions would be replaced, and some benefits would be lost as a result. In order to ensure the smooth handover of power, Zongbi would lead troops to press on Yunchong, and even hold a large-scale martial arts competition with the Tushan Guard after the snow melted and the ice dissolved, in order to judge how much real power Zonghan could retain.

Throughout November, the initial struggle for power in Shangjing was noisy. Zongpan and Zonggan temporarily reached an agreement here that they must cut as much of the real power left in Zonghan's hands as possible. A large number of members of the imperial family and nobles were not present at this time. Many people might be speaking from their conscience, hoping that the Jin Kingdom would not have internal strife, but their support for Zonghan and Xiyin was not much.

However, the two old generals showed their domineering side at this time, and they generously accepted Zongbi's challenge and constantly hyped up the martial arts competition in Shangjing. If the Tushan Guard lost, then Zonghan would have to relinquish power, and everything else would not need to be mentioned; but if the Tushan Guard still won, it would mean that the Black Flag Army in the Southwest was more terrifying than everyone imagined. At that time, the East and West Mansions would have to work together to prepare for resisting this future great enemy.

In the final analysis, in the Jin Kingdom, what could determine everything - the most accepted way - was still military force.

These news were compiled by mid-December, and Tang Minjie roughly understood the trend of the situation. Then he packed up his things and risked leaving Shangjing in a heavy snowstorm, embarking on the journey back to Yunchong. Cheng Min was very surprised after learning of his plan, but in the end, she only gave him a few pairs of socks and a few pairs of gloves.

He set off in mid-December, stumbled along the way in the wind and snow, and arrived in Yunchong smoothly in February. As he expected, Zonghan, Xiyin and others did not wait too long in Shangjing. They set off a few days before the end of the year and returned to Yunchong in late February with a cavalry of more than a thousand people.

Along the long wind and snow, Tang Minjie, wearing thick deerskin gloves, would often think of Cheng Min who was still in Shangjing.

Like Lu Mingfang, he had also suggested to Cheng Min to return to the South, but Cheng Min simply refused. The eloquent Tang Minjie could not even find further words to persuade her to change her mind.

During the two or three months in Shangjing, in the gaps between those meetings, intelligence transmissions, and judgment of news, Tang Minjie had gone to the vicinity of the brothel where Cheng Min sold her body for intelligence several times to observe. The first few times were for contact and confirmation of the other party's existence. The last time, and the only exception, was a few days before leaving. At dusk, he stood at the street corner and glanced at the lights of the brothel from afar. The warm yellow and scarlet lights, the thick curtains, the solid buildings, everything looked comforting and reassuring, making the guests want to go in and rest.

He couldn't even get close to that long street.

That was the great humiliation as a Han person. He could personally cut out his heart and liver, but he would never want the other party to stay in such a place for another day.

……

But he couldn't convince her.

*****************

After getting up, he washed up, dressed neatly, and went to the street for breakfast. Then he went to the predetermined location to meet with two companions.

This meeting was held on February 27th. In addition to Tang Minjie, two deputies who were in direct contact with him came, Sun Wang and Yang Shengan. Both of them were members of the Huaxia Army who had come from the Southwest and had not left. They were good at planning and action.

In the enemy's territory, such multi-person meetings were, in principle, to be very cautious, but the meeting was requested by Tang Minjie. After all, he had obtained first-hand information in Shangjing and needed to brainstorm, so he awakened the personnel below.

"... In theory, in the next half year, there will be a lot of friction in the power transfer between the East and West Mansions. If we grasp it well, we are not without the opportunity to make them overwhelmed. But the specific opportunities are needed to discuss."

After going to Shangjing for half a year, Tang Minjie's understanding of Yunchong was somewhat lacking. However, even if Sun and Yang entered hibernation after receiving orders, they naturally had their own sources of information for many things. The three first exchanged information, and then began to discuss.

Sun Wang said: "After Wanyan Dan came to power, there were some speculations in Yunchong about the approach of Zonghan and Xiyin to Shangjing. I once heard some news that Shi Liai, who died in the late autumn last year, wrote many letters before his death, asking his family to follow Zonghan and Xiyin northward to help persuade others to cooperate with the actions of Zonghan and Xiyin. Shi Liai was the leading figure among the Han ministers, and he initially followed Wanyan Zongwang. Now the outside world also says that he is a member of Zongfu and Zongbi..."

"... If this is true, this old dog is eating inside and out before he dies, playing Zongfu and Zongbi. I heard that Jin Wushu is self-willed. If he knows that Shi Liai has done such a thing, he will definitely not let the Shi family have a good life."

Yang Shengan frowned: "However, Shi Liai is already dead. Even if this matter is exposed, I am afraid that it will not cause any damage to the overall situation of the Jin Kingdom."

Tang Minjie said on the side: "You can remember it first, and then find a way to find evidence. Anyway, as long as we can let them bite each other, we will be happy."

The three of them discussed for a while, talking about other things.

"... Zonghan and Xiyin hurriedly rushed back without spending the New Year in Shangjing. Obviously, it was for the martial arts competition with Zongbi when the snow melted. The detailed rules of this competition have not yet come out, but I estimate that everyone will stare at the meat of Yunchong. If the West Mansion is weak in any place, it will be eaten. If we can find out more detailed information, we can plan it and cause trouble from the beginning, and even... launch several assassinations to make the West Mansion lose in some key places."

"... This matter sounds possible, but I think we should be cautious. If we want to collect such detailed intelligence, we must first wake up everyone. To be honest, even if we wake up everyone, our action power may not be enough... and Zonghan and Xiyin have already returned. We must consider the possibility that Xiyin has taken precautions and deliberately dug a trap for us to jump into."

"... From the perspective of feasibility, our only opportunity right now is here... We all know the combat power of the West Mansion. Although the Tushan Guard was defeated in the Southwest, I think the West Mansion has a better chance of winning against Zongfu and Zongbi's gang... Once Zonghan and Xiyin stabilize the situation of the West Mansion, like they said, they won't want the throne from now on. They will only focus on guarding against us. If our people want to attack in the future, many people will definitely die..."

"... From last winter to now, although we are in a dormant state without action, four of my people have died. If we wake them all up and put them all into this matter, we have to see how big the chance of winning is..."

"... At least we can collect intelligence first. I think it's always worth taking this risk..."

"..."

The discussion in the room was in a low voice for a long time. When the morning was about to pass, Tang Minjie suddenly spoke.

"... I have another plan, maybe it's time. I'll say it, and we'll all vote on it."

Tang Minjie's expression was calm. Sun Wang and Yang Shengan nodded to signal him to say it. In the past few years, many of Tang Minjie's ideas may have been risky, but he finally found a way to implement them. They naturally trusted him.

Tang Minjie then slowly said his plan.

After hearing this, the other two's faces were complicated. After a while, Yang Shengan was the first to shake his head: "This won't work..." Sun Wang also agreed with Yang Shengan's idea. The two of them spoke one after another, raising many objections.

At this time, it was close to midnight. Tang Minjie nodded.

He said: "Okay, Yang Shengan, you will make a meeting record. For this plan, the vote was made after detailed discussions. Our Huaxia Army rejected it."

Yang Shengan thought for a while: "Record... is it necessary?"

Tang Minjie nodded.

"... Record it, let posterity have a view."

Yang Shengan made a simple record.

The wind blew through the window of this secret gathering place, and the city seemed dark and calm. The white snow enveloped the world. Many years later, people would know some secrets of this world, and they would forget other things... That was the truth that the record could not reach. Truth and falsehood were always intertwined.

******************

At noon on February 27th, Wanyan Dezong and Wanyan Youyi were attending a party.

They followed their fathers northward, witnessed a magnificent power struggle, and then went south in the rolling wind and snow. They had just returned to Yunchong a few days ago. Such a journey tempered their minds and made them more responsible and passionate.

Everyone in Yunchong felt more deeply about the planning of Zonghan, Xiyin and others in Shangjing. In the past few days, people even thought that this operation was great. In the few days after they returned home, the nobles in Yunchong set up banquets to wait for all the heroes to attend, and to recount to them everything that had happened in Shangjing.

Wanyan Dezong and Wanyan Youyi were enthusiastic about such banquets. Many of the people in the middle were also their past partners. They could not refuse, and there was no need to refuse to promote the actions of the commander and others. So they were very busy for several days in a row.

They got drunk.

When they returned home, they saw their mother, who had been somewhat melancholy these days. They were all well-educated. In the past, they knew that they should not express the position of the Jurchens too clearly in front of their mother, but after this trip to Shangjing, they were both passionate and had a great sense of concern. They were afraid that one day the Black Flag would come and destroy everything in the Jin Kingdom. So in these two days, they occasionally persuaded their mother to think it over.

"Mother, the commander is really thinking about the Jurchens..."

"We are Jurchens after all. We may not care about things on weekdays, but we should not avoid it at this time. Mother, there is no benevolence in national wars..."

"We may have to go to the battlefield one day and fight the Black Flag..."

In such words, Chen Wenjun could only nod melancholily, and then let the maids in the family help them back.

……

At the same time, Mandu Dalu was kneeling in the study of this mansion, listening to Wanyan Xiyin's instructions.

He has now been promoted to the Deputy Inspector of Yunchong Prefecture. Although this official rank is not high, he has crossed the transition from clerk to official. Being able to enter the study of Gushen Mansion proves that he has been regarded as a trusted confidant by Gushen.

"... The army has already begun to move. Zongbi and the others will arrive in the near future... The situation in Yunchong this time is not just a fight or a few martial arts competitions. In the past, everything under the West Mansion, as long as it can move, they will move it. Now, several places in the government have two conflicting official documents. If our people take a step back today, they may not be officials tomorrow..."

"... You are the Deputy Inspector I personally promoted. You don't have to worry about this matter, but in this situation, the bandits behind - especially the spies placed here by the Black Flag - will definitely be ready to move. It is not clear where they will take action and fuel the flames, but the reason I promoted you is for this matter. Think of a way to get them all out..."

This reception was not very long. After Xiyin finished speaking, he waved his hand and asked Mandu Dalu to promise to leave. When he left, Chen Wenjun also brought some snacks from outside. Probably hearing about something, her eyebrows stretched slightly.

Xiyin, who was writing at the desk, got up to greet her.

Seeing them at home for several days, the couple had actually lost weight. Xiyin had not been home for several years last time, especially he had lost a lot of weight, and his hair had changed from half white to all white. Chen Wenjun was worried about the situation in the recent period, and her hair had also turned white.

"That's..." Chen Wenjun asked.

"The newly appointed Deputy Inspector, Mandu Dalu." Xiyin replied, "In the next period of time, we will start to compete with Zongbi. Some people have been replaced in the Yamen, mainly to deal with someone causing trouble in secret. In a few months, there will be a martial arts competition between the two armies. If we lose, it will be difficult for us to end well... Well, the pastries made by Madam are still delicious."

Xiyin's words were frank, and there was a hint of reminder in them, but in front of his wife, he was considered frank and open. Chen Wenjun looked at her husband who was eating, and her eyebrows stretched slightly. At this time, she said: "I heard about the official documents outside."

She mentioned this matter, and Xiyin, who was putting the millet cake in his mouth, paused slightly, but solemnly put down the cake, then got up and walked to the desk, took out something, and sighed.

"In the few months of winter, tens of thousands of people die of freezing and starvation every month. They are frozen to death because they are not allowed to cut firewood. This kind of thing is originally extremely stupid. If they kill others, can they survive alone? A bunch of stupid donkeys... I just sent the order today, it's already late, but it's not a big remedy..."

He looked back at his wife, and it was actually difficult to speak: "Among them... there are many things that I am really sorry for you. I once promised to treat the Han people better, but now... I know how difficult it has been for you these days. We were defeated in the Southwest. In fact, your Han family has produced heroes..."

Xiyin forced a smile at the end, which was difficult and complex. He originally had many things he wanted to do for his wife, and he had also made promises, but now some things were beyond his ability, so he could only talk about the Han heroes to make her happy. A smile appeared on the corner of Chen Wenjun's mouth, but tears were already falling: "... Anyway, this time, you have always saved people. Eat something..."

This can only be a little thank you from her as a wife, in private.

****************

Mandu Dalu walked out of Gushen Mansion, the sky in the afternoon was dark and gloomy.

He walked to the small square not far away, where the notice from the Commander's Mansion was posted. Someone was reading it aloud, but the commander issued an order that no one was allowed to kill Han slaves for any reason. No one was allowed to deliberately obstruct the Han people from picking up useless grass and trees outside the city. At the same time, the Commander's Mansion would allocate some charcoal and grain to be distributed in the Han people's area inside and outside the city. This part of the expenditure would be subsidized by the fines from the nobles' families in the past six months...

In addition, several measures to guarantee the right to survival of Han slaves were announced.

Some timidly passing Han slaves heard this and began to cry on the side of the small square.

Perhaps they were thanking the commander for his benevolent governance.

Mandu Dalu thought so. He stood aside, observing the people inside with suspicious identities.

A thin man named Tang Minjie was bowing his body, passing by him from the other side.

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