Southwest China is mountainous.

In autumn, the yellow and green mountains stretch into the distance under the bright sunshine, overlapping each other. A walk along the mountain path can be refreshing. Compared to the barren Northwest, the Southwest is vibrant and colorful, but the transportation is less developed than the desolate mountains of the Northwest.

Amidst the mountains and rivers, there are occasional villages scattered about. Primitive dense forests conceal the rugged paths, and only a few developed areas have post stations. Caravans responsible for transportation tread these rough roads year after year, traversing the mountains inhabited by ethnic minorities, connecting the Central Plains with the desolate lands of the Southwest, forming the ancient Tea Horse Road.

This is the ancestral home of the southwestern Yi people.

The so-called southwestern Yi people refer to the "Ni" tribe, pronounced "Yi" in ancient Chinese, but later changed its name because of its pejorative connotation of barbarians, becoming the Yi ethnic group. Of course, in the current Wu Dynasty, these people living in the southwestern mountains are generally still referred to as southwestern Yi people. They are tall, with high noses and deep eyes, and have bronze skin, strong personalities, and are descendants of the ancient Di-Qiang migration. Strict slavery is still practiced among the villages, and killings often break out between them. The annexation of small villages by large villages is not uncommon.

During the two hundred years of the Wu Dynasty, commercial routes were opened here, and trade with Dali was established. The Wu Dynasty has also been competing for the allegiance of the Yi people in the Liangshan area. Two hundred years of trade have brought some Han Chinese and ethnic minorities into this area, and several small towns inhabited or co-inhabited by Han Chinese have been established. Some serious criminals have also been exiled to these dangerous mountains.

By the time the Jinghan era had passed, during the Jianshuo era, several large and small disputes broke out here. A black flag quietly entered this area during this process. Between the third and fourth years of Jianshuo, three small counties in the Liangshan area, namely Bulai, Heden, and Jishan, successively declared uprisings—all unilaterally declared by the county magistrates, and then troops entered one after another to suppress the resistance.

These soldiers who withdrew from the Northwest were mostly travel-worn and poorly equipped, and their bodies were thin from the forced march of thousands of miles. Initially, the surrounding prefects organized a certain number of troops to try to suppress them, but... then nothing happened.

More troops came one after another, and more problems naturally came one after another: friction with the surrounding Ni tribes, several major battles, the difficulty of maintaining commercial routes and construction...

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

A gust of wind suddenly arose, and she woke up from her sleep. There was a glimmer of light outside the window, and the outlines of the leaves were swaying slightly in the wind. It was already morning.

The sound of a rooster crowing came from afar.

People were already moving in the courtyard. She sat up, put on her clothes, took a deep breath, and sorted out her confused thoughts. She recalled last night's dream, which vaguely resembled the events of the past few years.

Perhaps it was because the news coming from outside these days had shaken the mountains and touched her a little.

This year, the woman named Su Tan'er was thirty-four years old. Due to the scarcity of resources, the outside world valued plumpness in women as beauty, but her figure was obviously thin, and she probably couldn't be considered a beauty. In the five years in Heden County, Su Tan'er gave people the impression of being resolute and sharp. She had an oval face, frank and spirited eyes, and was accustomed to wearing black dresses. Even in strong winds and heavy rain, she could lift her skirt and run on the rugged mountain roads and mud. In the past two years, as the war situation in the Northwest subsided and news of Ning Yi's death came, she became a veritable black widow, indifferent to everything around her, yet firm. She never changed the rules she set, and during this period, even the most "orthodox" anti-rebellion officials in the surrounding areas did not dare to send troops to Liangshan. The two sides maintained a secret confrontation, economic game, and blockade, resembling a cold war.

She has always maintained this image.

Getting up and dressing, the voices outside gradually became louder, and it seemed that everyone was already busy. The older children were being urged to get up for morning exercises. There was also a greeting. Juan'er, who had returned not long ago, brought in a basin of water. Su Tan'er smiled: "You don't have to do these things."

"It's just convenient," Juan'er said.

The three personal maids back then were all cultivated to handle the business at hand, and later they were all capable right-hand assistants. After Ning Yi took over the Secret Intelligence Division, they were involved in too wide a range. Tan'er hoped that Xing'er and Juan'er could also be accepted by Ning Yi as concubines. Although it was a means for wealthy families to win people's hearts, Xing'er and Juan'er were not without affection for Ning Yi, but Ning Yi did not agree. Later, there were too many things, and this matter was delayed.

During the three-year battle of Xiaocang River, Xing'er gradually developed a romantic relationship with a Black Flag Army officer and finally got together. Juan'er remained silent. After two years, when Ning Yi went into seclusion, because Wanyan Xiyin did not give up searching for Ning Yi, Jin spies and Black Flag counterintelligence personnel had several confrontations in the Liangshan area. Tan'er and others did not easily meet with Ning Yi. During this period, Juan'er was by Ning Yi's side, taking care of his daily life and handling various liaison matters. Although there was not much mention of personal matters, they had probably already understood each other's feelings.

The family was originally just merchants in Jiangning, and after getting married, they only wanted to live a peaceful life. Who knew that they would be involved in the war afterward? Looking back, it has been ten years. In the first half of these ten years, Su Tan'er watched Ning Yi do things and worried about him. In the second half, Su Tan'er sat in Heden, cautiously watching the three counties gradually gain a foothold and develop in the midst of turmoil. Occasionally, in the middle of the night, she would think that if they had not rebelled and had not managed the affairs of the world, she might have been able to accompany her husband, spending year after year in peace and stability in the best years of her life—she was also a woman, and she would think of her man and want to be able to hold his body to sleep at night...

But she never said it once.

Over the years, she has also seen the people who died and suffered in the war, the fear of facing the flames of war, the fleeing with their families, and the panic... Those brave people, bravely rushing towards the enemy, turned into corpses lying in pools of blood... And when she first came here, the scarcity of materials, she just ate chaff and vegetables with Hong Ti, Xigua and others... Being able to live alone in peace, perhaps you can spend a lifetime in fear, but for these things, you can only keep watching...

Autumn was deepening, and the morning breeze brought a bit of coolness when she went out. The small courtyard was where their family lived. Hong Ti went out, probably not far outside the courtyard. Xiao Chan was helping to make breakfast in the kitchen. Yuanbao'er was probably still sleeping in. Her daughter, five-year-old Ning Ke, was already up and was now enthusiastically entering and leaving the kitchen, helping to deliver firewood and take things. Yun Zhu followed behind her, preventing her from running around and falling.

Seeing Tan'er coming out of the room, Xiao Ning Ke "ah"ed and then ran to find a basin, and laboriously began to scoop water by the water tank in the kitchen. Yun Zhu looked back at Tan'er with a troubled expression while squatting beside her. Tan'er hurriedly went over: "Xiao Ke is so sensible, but Auntie has already washed her face..."

"Ah? Washed..." Ning Ke stood there, holding the scoop in both hands, blinking her eyes at her.

"Yes, but Auntie wants a cup of warm water to brush her teeth."

"Oh!"

The little girl nodded quickly, and then Yun Zhu and others frantically watched her touch the pot of boiling water next to her.

The personalities of the children in the family varied, but Jin'er's child was the most innocent, pleasing, and unique. She was enthusiastic about everything and couldn't sit still since she could remember things. Seeing someone thirsty, she would help get water. Seeing someone hungry, she would divide half of her rice. If a bird fell out of its nest, she would jump up and down anxiously under the tree. Even when a snail crawled forward, she couldn't help but want to lend a hand. Jin'er was so worried about this that she said she would be a maid in the future. Everyone joked that Jin'er probably looked like this when she was a child, but Jin'er would most likely deny it with a look of disgust after thinking for a while.

After making a fuss like this for a while, she washed up and left the courtyard. The sky had already begun to glow, and the yellow ginkgo trees were swaying in the morning breeze. Not far away was Sister Hong Ti watching a group of children doing morning exercises. There were dozens of children, large and small, running along the observation post on the side of the mountain in front of them. Her own Ning Xi, Ning Ji, and others were among them, and the younger Ning He was jumping and doing simple stretches beside them.

In the quiet morning light, Heden County, located in the mountains, had already awakened. The layers of houses were scattered on the hillsides, among the trees, and by the streams. Due to the participation of soldiers, the scale of the morning exercises seemed grand on one side of the mountain, and generous songs came from time to time.

Among the three counties of Bulai, Heden, and Jishan, Heden is the administrative center. Along the foothills, several core components of the Black Flag - or rather, Ning Yi's forces - are gathered here. The General Staff Department, responsible for strategic planning, is responsible for overall coordination. Evolved from Zhuji, the General Political Department is internally responsible for ideological issues. The General Intelligence Department is responsible for external intelligence, infiltration, and transmission of various news. On the other side, there are the Commercial Department and the Engineering Department, plus the Military Department independent of Bulai, which are currently the six most important departments that make up the Black Flag.

Of course, the alliance of the three counties of Bulai, Heden, and Jishan is not the overall picture of the current Black Flag Army. Outside the three counties, the real garrison of the Black Flag is the Da'yang tribe at the junction of Tubo and Dali. This tribe had an old relationship with Tyrant Saber Liu Dabiao in its early years. The place where they live guards an iron mine and maintains fragmented trade with the outside world all year round. In recent years, the Da'yang tribe has been sparsely populated and often suppressed by other Tubo tribes. The Black Flag went south, incorporating a large number of veterans and elites, and hoarding elite soldiers who had been ideologically reformed here. On the one hand, it deterred Dali, and on the other hand, it also had several frictions with the Tubo tribes and the remnants of Guo Yaoshi's grievance army who had taken refuge in the Tubo vassal king.

The location of the three counties of Bu, He, and Ji is, on the one hand, to separate those troops who surrendered after the Battle of Xiaocang River, so that they would not affect the internal affairs of the Black Flag Army before they had received sufficient ideological reform. On the other hand, Jishan County, built along the river, is located at the trading hub between Dali and the Wu Dynasty. Bulai has a large garrison and training, Heden is the political center, and Jishan is the commercial hub.

Dali is a relatively lukewarm and loyal country, which has been close to the Wu Dynasty for many years, and is extremely disgusted with the Black Flag's rebellion and regicide. They are unwilling to trade with the Black Flag. However, the Black Flag infiltrated Dali, first targeting some aristocratic classes in Dali, or various offbeat forces, mountain villages, and bandits. The resources used for trade are iron cannons, firearms, and other items.

Merchants pursue profits and stop at nothing. In fact, the three counties of Da'yang, Buhe, and Ji are all in short supply of resources. This group of merchants taught by Ning Yi are so frantic that they sell everything.

At this time, the Dali regime is weak, and the Duan family in power is actually inferior to the Gao family, a relative of the emperor who holds real power. The Black Flag found the weak relatives of the Duan family, or the scum of the Gao family, and first signed various paper contracts. When the trade began, and the imperial family discovered and was furious, the Black Flag's envoy no longer paid attention to the imperial power.

"We only recognize the contract."

"Either follow the agreement, or we all die together."

The Dali side naturally would not accept the threat, but at this time, the Black Flag was also struggling on the edge of a knife. The elite soldiers who had just withdrawn from the front line of Xiaocang River suddenly broke into the territory of Dali. At the same time, the action troops infiltrated into the city of Dali launched an attack, and took down seven Duan family and Gao family clan children in a surprise attack. Lobbying from all sides had also begun.

The interest in the business relationship was secondary, but the Black Flag resisted the Jurchens and had just retreated from the north. If it did not recognize the contract, the Black Flag would die, and it would be destroyed together.

This agreement was finally negotiated with difficulty. The Black Flag released the hostages intact, withdrew its troops, paid compensation for every casualty in Dali, and apologized. At the same time, it no longer pursued its own personnel losses. In exchange, Dali turned a blind eye to the border trade in Jishan and also defaulted to the rule of only recognizing contracts.

With the first gap, although it was still difficult next, there was always a way out. Although Dali had no intention of provoking these lunatics from the north, it could block the people in the country and, in principle, would not allow them to continue to trade with the Black Flag. However, how could a country where relatives of the emperor controlled the government have strong restraint over local areas?

For two hundred years, although Dali and the Wu Dynasty had always had border trade, the initiative in these trades had always been firmly controlled by the Wu Dynasty. Even the request of the Dali Kingdom to the Wu Dynasty to request the title of "King of Dali" had been rejected by the Wu Dynasty several times. Under such circumstances, there were many monks and little porridge, and border trade could not satisfy the interests of everyone, but who didn't want to live a good life? Under the lobbying of the Black Flag, many people were actually tempted.

While interacting with Dali, the infiltration of the Wu Dynasty side was also going on every moment. The Wu Dynasty people might rather starve to death than do business with the Black Flag, but in the face of the strong enemy Jurchen, who would not have a sense of worry?

The fall of the Central Plains had enabled some of the troops to gain benefits under the enormous crisis. These troops were of mixed quality, so that the firearms produced by the Crown Prince's mansion could only be provided to the Beiwei Army, Han Shizhong, and other direct line troops first. Under such circumstances, the firearms of the Black Flag Army, which had fought the Jurchens in Xiaocang River for three years, were the most tempting thing for them.

As a result, under the principle of blockading the Black Flag, a large number of smuggling caravans appeared that were turned a blind eye to. These teams brought the designated things to Jishan according to the agreement, and exchanged them for several iron cannons, equipped with ammunition, and trekked back to the army's location. In principle, the army only bought iron cannons and did not ask where they came from, but how could it not secretly protect its own interests?

This two-way trade was extremely difficult at the beginning, and many Black Flag elites sacrificed in it, just like those who died in the Dali operation. The Black Flag could not avenge them, and even Su Tan'er could only go to the spirit of the deceased and offer a bow. For nearly five years, Jishan gradually established the reputation of "contract above all else." In the past two years, it has truly gained a foothold, radiating its influence out, and becoming a core stronghold echoing Da'yang, where Qin Shaoqian is based, and Lanhuan Cave, where Chen Fan is based.

In the five years that Su Tan'er was based in Heden, she experienced more than just the problem of commercial routes. Although Ning Yi remotely solved many macro problems, the details of the operation were enough to exhaust a person's mind. Dealing with people, the operation of new departments, interactions with locals, negotiations with the Ni tribe, and various construction plans. In five years, Tan'er and many people around her never stopped, and she had not seen her husband for more than three years.

The matter of Tian Hu in the north was sent back a few days ago, setting off a frenzy in Bulai, Heden, and Jishan. Since Ning Yi "supposedly" died, the Black Flag had been silent for two years. Although ideological construction in the army had been going on, there were still many people who were muttering in their hearts or holding a breath of resentment. This time, the Black Flag easily defeated Tian Hu, and everyone was proud of it, and some people also understood that whether Mr. Ning's death was true or false might also be about to be revealed...

Tan'er naturally knew more.

She stood on the mountain looking down, a smile on her lips, it was a vibrant little city, the leaves of various trees were flying golden, and birds were chirping in the sky.

When they met, she was eighteen years old, thought she was mature, felt old in her heart, and treated him with a polite attitude. She never thought that so many things would happen later.

In the five years of working hard in Heden, she never complained, but she would sigh slightly in her heart when she thought about it.

You are coming back, but I am not good-looking anymore.

I have failed the good times...