Lin Zongwu put his hands behind his back and walked slowly under the eaves of the palace, feeling the floating hearts rushing towards him like a heat wave.
In the main hall of the New Tiger Palace, Xu Zhaonan was having a meeting with many senior figures under his command, but he did not go there. After coming all the way from Jin, Jiang Ning's situation was far more complicated than once imagined. The moment the outside world spread that He Wentu had seen him, he
There are also things of my own that need to be thought about carefully.
Wang Nanda trotted towards this side from the other side of the courtyard.
After hugging Lin Zongwu, he came closer.
"I asked carefully... I also checked with people outside twice. He Wen refused to talk about it. He has the final say about the book club... Something big will happen tomorrow, but when it comes to it, it's really a big thing.
, it was decided before the five-party talks collapsed..."
"Why does He Wen do this? Doesn't he know the consequences of people's disobedience?"
"He stated all his innovative ideas in detail and published them in a book. Some people are already helping to spread the news. There are some specific things that conflict with us, mainly in terms of implementation..."
Wang Nanda whispered these things and briefly recounted the conflicts in the afternoon. Lin Zongwu was silent for a while.
"Sounds like a good thing. But if a cow doesn't drink water and presses its head, what can it do..."
"What Mr. Xu said to his senior brother..."
"He basically relayed the matter to me in detail." Lin Zongwu sighed, "It's not easy to lie to me face to face, but this article... is really...
"
"According to outsiders, He Wen has been crazy for a long time. He was loyal to the imperial court, but was wrongly accused by the imperial court. He was tortured and his whole family was damaged. Without his family, he always likes to do extraordinary things."
"But after all, he has the title of King of Fairness. If he wants to cause chaos, the other four will be in trouble."
"Yes, it is this matter that Mr. Xu and the others are in trouble for." Wang Nanda was silent for a moment, "Senior brother, if you can't make up your mind about this matter, let's just leave. To be honest, He Wen's words don't make sense.
It seems extreme, but...it's not unreasonable."
"...Ning Yi's idea sounds interesting." Lin Zongwu walked forward slowly, "These days, I have also read a few quotes from the book club, and one sentence is, the more ambitious the idea
, the more clearly we need to understand the rules, the more we need to impose strict rules. If we fail to do these two things, our ideals will only turn into disasters... It’s not unreasonable, it’s very interesting.”
"Senior brother..."
"But... Ning Yi's idea has not been realized yet?" Lin Zongwu looked at the distance of the city, "Ning Yi is still unable to realize his idea, then He Wen... will cause what kind of disaster..."
The great monk frowned slightly and sighed.
Although they had said this, they had not really made up their minds. The two of them walked slowly forward in the long corridor...
…
"...He Wen's words were very beautiful and well thought out, just to wave the flag to the reading club and to make his thoughts clear to the world... He stated his interests and concerns with sincerity, but in the final analysis, he only needs one person to have the final say.
Throwing out a lot of things, ultimately just to use the book club and the name of Southwest to seize power... So do you want to join the gang? Who wants to be inferior to He Wen, Fu Pingbo, or even their little brats... No
People will tolerate him, these things will eventually fall on the battlefield..."
"...I have already communicated with Gao, Shi and San. We also need to make internal reforms in the Fair Party... As for fighting with He Wen, fighting is a good thing. It can be used to see the tacit understanding between the four of us.
Where, let's see if He Wen can't talk, can we talk... Let's fight and get along, each other will know where the other's bottom line is, who is the true brother, and who wants to be careful... As for He Wen,
One against four, he will die sooner or later..."
"...The next step is our specific approach...First of all, General Gao, we still have to rely on you to take care of things on the battlefield and follow the previous arrangements..."
In the main hall of the New Tiger Palace, there was a blazing fire. From Xu Zhaonan onwards, a number of high-level officials from the "Warrior King" took up positions in the hall. People began to discuss countermeasures for the changes that occurred in the afternoon, and from time to time someone spoke.
Around the main hall, staff from all walks of life were coming and going, and it was also extremely busy.
Regarding the changes in He Wen's army in various places, everyone was aware of it a few days ago, and therefore, the response strategy was not particularly hasty. It's just that such an amazing thing turned from speculation to reality, and a battle directly related to the entire Jiangnan
Pressing it before their eyes still made everyone feel strange in their hearts.
What was supposed to be a harmonious and victorious meeting suddenly turned into a horrific war that was about to burn down the entire Jiangnan. He Wen, who seemed to be going smoothly throughout the whole thing and was one step away from ascending to the throne of controlling huge power, turned around resolutely.
Go, while people were surprised by his crazy behavior, they could not help but admire the other party's amazing decisiveness.
Of course, no matter what thoughts they have in their hearts, no one can be optimistic about He Wen's future path. As Xu Zhaonan said, beautiful words are beautiful words. With these beautiful words, a large number of people can let go of their power.
, and then accept the incorporation of past opponents and enemies, and put one's wealth and life in the hands of those who could be equals in the past. This is an unacceptable choice for anyone who has experienced hard work and fought for a place in troubled times.
He Wen naturally knew this truth, so he did not place any hope on this kind of persuasion.
The people in the New Tiger Palace, which represents one-fifth of the forces in the entire Jiangnan area, have quickly started to stir. And it is not just the New Tiger Palace. The entire Jiangning represents the core of power of the five factions of the Fair Party and other large and small forces.
, at this moment, they are working hard in the constant gatherings and meetings to make decisions. The terrible news of the coming war has been spreading in people's mouths and ears like a tidal wave since the moment after the meeting.
go.
The various small forces coming from other places gradually got the accurate news. A green forest person who was celebrating and having a banquet in the Golden Tower gradually heard this terrible rumor. People were even a little confused for a while.
"Then what should we do about the next finals?"
"Is the martial arts tournament still open..."
The top four of the Jiangning Martial Arts Tournament were just decided this afternoon. If He Wen breaks up with the kings, will this tournament... still be held?
People gradually stopped feasting and went to various places in the city, looking for connections and inquiring about information. Then various public opinions appeared in different places.
The city is like a huge, sophisticated but old machine, running at full speed under the sudden huge load. Its body seems to be buzzing in the night...
Only the refugees at the lowest level were surprised that this strange night had once again returned to calm in recent days. There were occasional small murders in the darkness, but there were no murders led by the five parties of the Fairness Party.
, a large-scale fire fight.
"...Wars and reforms are long-term matters. Starting tonight, I will leave it to you gentlemen according to this arrangement. And there is another thing in front of me... In the past few months, since all parties in the world entered the city,
, He Wen is deliberately planning to sing a big opera. This afternoon, he has already started the opera, and tomorrow morning, he will sing the opera in front of the whole world... So since he has decided to
Fight, I will make it impossible for him to sing in this show!"
"...We will prevent him from issuing the orders he wants to issue! I will prevent him from doing what he wants to do! Jiangning is just a corner of Jiangnan, but now it is a place that attracts the attention of the whole world. And here.
In this place, we want to let the whole world see that he, the King of Justice, does not count... So in Jiangning City today, which side has the most masters? It's ours, so tomorrow's matter will have to be
Leave it to Mr. Tan, Mr. Xu, and all the guardians of the Holy Cult. We will cut off He Wen's hands and feet and pull out his tongue tomorrow... Our specific arrangements for this matter are as follows..."
In the blazing new Tiger Palace in the bronze cauldron, everything was being arranged step by step. After the meeting, there were private appointments. Meng Zhuotao was one of the people with the highest status at the moment.
He was also the first to be received alone. When he came out from the rear, he saw that most of the crowd in front of the palace had not dispersed. At this time, they were all gathered together in twos and threes, chatting about one topic or another.
Someone familiar came over and said, "Brother Meng, how many people do you think will follow He Wen..."
Xu Longbiao's smile was ambiguous: "After the meeting, someone immediately assassinated Shi Baofeng. Although they did not succeed, people's hearts were filled with excitement... How many people do you think believed in those things from the reading club..."
"Heavenly Sword" Tan Zheng and "Wuluo Zhan" Tang Qinghua also came over one after another to say hello: "If anything happens in the future, please take care of Mr. Meng."
Among the senior officials of "Warrior King", some are like Tan Zheng, Tang Qinghua, and Xu Longbiao, who can be regarded as noble staff and guest officials, and some are like Gao Huiyun, Meng Zhuotao, and Chen Juefang, who are subordinates who control Chengdu.
Although the big bosses with tens of thousands of people have similar status, Meng Zhuotao is in charge of the "Resentment Society". Although he cannot interfere with forces such as Gao Huiyun's army and Chen Juefang's "Undead Guard" at the moment, if he really does it in the future,
Innovation and his control of criminal law must be extremely valuable.
After tonight, Tan Zheng and others had to stay in the city, while Gao Huiyun, Meng Zhuotao and others began to control the situation in Jiangnan. Everyone wanted to take advantage of this possibly the last chance to meet and come over to deepen their friendship.
Meng Zhutao socialized one by one, and finally joined hands with Gao Huiyun. Both of them still had their own power to manage and a lot of arrangements to make.
Saying goodbye to Gao Huiyun on the street outside the New Tiger Palace, Meng Zhuotao got on the carriage. His deputy Ling Xiao was already waiting here: "We have inquired about the situation over there, and the person who did it was indeed someone from the reading club. He said I was inspired by the words of King Ping Ping and wanted to kill Duke Shi first to congratulate King Ping Ping. But my method was a little rough and did not escape the eyes of Duke Shi."
Meng Zhuotao nodded: "I have some ideas, please record them..."
The carriage passed through the bright and dark city streets and returned to the place where everyone in the "Resentment Club" was at this time. There were several small meetings. Meng Zhuotao held the meeting extremely quickly, gathering people and ordering arrangements one by one. At the end of the meeting During the interval, the deputy came in to report new information one after another. He also asked the deputy to make other arrangements, such as "call Dr. Sun over", "arrange a convoy that can send people out of the city", etc. During the period of issuing the order, he also asked the deputy to make some other arrangements. I buried myself in writing some letters.
At three o'clock in the morning, there was a strange movement in the north end of the city. Meng Zhuotao and others went to a high place to take a look. They saw arrows flying one after another in the northwest sky, and then there were faint sounds of roundups and pursuits. Everyone had been through the green forest for a long time. , after watching for a while, someone said: "The King of Justice was assassinated..."
"Did Shi Baofeng do it?"
"This stabbing was done by one of their own people. You see, the roundup is from the inside out... This is the assassin escaping..."
He Wenchu deliberately planned to use the reading club to mix in the various opponents, but as his past companions, how could everyone not have any arrangements among the forces of the "King of Fairness"? Now that they have turned against each other, someone directly took action to assassinate them. In a sense, this assassin also made his own choice regarding the concept that King Fairness wanted to promote.
The news of the roundup lasted for a while before it subsided.
After the last small meeting, a deputy named Ling Xiao was arranged to go out to find out the news. Meng Zhuotao sat in the study for a while, asked someone to bring him cold water, and washed his face before he walked through Langyuan. Walk towards the deepest part of this house.
In the small courtyard at the core of the house, Dr. Sun, who had been summoned, was already waiting for him in the ward. This was the room where his junior brother Yu Bin had been sleeping. After Meng Zhuotao accidentally injured him that night in Jinlou, he was still unconscious. According to the doctor's last diagnosis, the situation had not improved, but this time he invited the other party over again.
The situation in the city outside was not very peaceful. Doctor Sun Ming did not complain much about being summoned. In the courtyard, the junior sister and the other two junior brothers had not fallen asleep. When they saw him coming, their eyes were filled with resentment and some thoughts. He wants to ask what is going on outside, but he is unwilling to speak in a serious discussion tone.
Meng Zhutao entered the ward and looked at Yu Bin for a while: "My junior brother...is it really impossible for him to wake up again..."
This was not the first inquiry. The doctor sighed, and then told the general result again. The body seemed to still have breath, but the soul was no longer inside. Even if he barely cared for it, it would only prolong the pain... …
Meng Zhutao pulled up a chair and sat down. After a moment of silence, she waved her hand and asked the doctor to leave. But when the doctor went out, he said again: "Doctor Sun, do you... want to go out of the city today?"
The doctor also had a source of information, so he nodded vigorously: "I, I still have a son and daughter-in-law at home..."
"Have someone pick them up. I'll have a convoy later and take you out on the way..." Meng Zhuotao smiled, "It's not peaceful in the city, so don't stay any longer."
The doctor quickly nodded his thanks, and Meng Zhuotao waved his hand again to let people leave.
He sat on the chair beside the bed and quietly looked at Yu Bin lying there. He sat in silence for a long time. This was something he had never done every time he came here in the past.
Perhaps sensing something was wrong, Lingchu appeared at the door in the yard outside. She opened her mouth and finally said: "You, what are you going to do..."
Meng Zhutao didn't look at her: "...You all can come in."
"you you……"
Lingchu was still hesitating.
Meng Zhutao pressed her palms on the armrests of the chair and suddenly said in a thunderous voice: "Everyone, come in!"
Having seen his threatening look, Lingchu and his two junior brothers gritted their teeth and finally walked into the room one after another, with expressions on their faces that said, "Although you are vicious, I am not afraid of you." After scanning the three of them, the stern look in his eyes faded away.
"There's something going on in the city. In a moment... there will be a convoy taking you out of the city. Dr. Sun's family will also go with you... Cross the river and go back to the village."
Lingchu raised his neck: "We, wherever we go... you don't have to worry about it."
"There's going to be a war in Jiangnan. It's safest to run as far away as possible. Don't stay here." Meng Zhuotao looked at the faces of the two junior brothers, "You two men, take responsibility and don't let a woman fool around. .”
"You..." Someone noticed something was wrong in the atmosphere and frowned. Lingchu wanted to say something harsh, but he was paused for a moment and could not say it.
Meng Zhutao was silent for a while, and then heard him say: "...I have regarded you as my nephews for a long time. It is a good thing for you, fourth brother, to marry Lingchu. You don't have to be taboo with me in the future. Master's In matters, we have an sworn hatred... We can seek revenge. One day in the future, when we have experienced many things, our martial arts skills are high, and we are confident, we can come back to Master Tanji's matter..."
When he said this, he paused for a moment, raised his hand and pressed his upper lip, and said with difficulty: "...No more."
"Master Tanji..." Lingchu said, "He was killed by you, don't say it's our sin!"
"I killed Master Tan Ji, I killed the master, and I also killed Yu Bin who never woke up from the bed... But what about it?" Meng Zhuotao looked at them, "I am a bad person, I am still alive, they are good people, and they died one by one. You are also good people, but when I want you to die, none of you will be able to survive. So what will you good people do? Wait for the bad people to give you charity and you will stay alive!?"
The third junior brother stood up: "Then senior brother, you can also kill us."
"I won't kill you." Meng Zhutao looked at them with pity, "You attack me, and you don't even have the chance to let me miss like Yu Bin. With you like this, why should I kill you..."
He paused and said, "Let's go. I want you to stop seeking revenge. It's not for me, but for Master... For the heroic name of the old hero Ling. If you say I'll let you go this time, I'll do the same next time." I'll let you go, I'll watch you grow up. It doesn't matter if I let you go ten times or a hundred times. But if you let me go, won't you be embarrassed? After you go out, you will eat more food and practice more martial arts. If you train yourself to be great, in the future One day, you come here to seek revenge, and you either kill me cleanly, or... like Master and Master Tanji, you force me to fight for my life with all my strength. At that time, whoever kills whom... is fine. good."
His words left the three of them speechless. Lingchu's eyes were red and she clenched her teeth. Meng Zhutao sat there, looking at Yu Bin who was breathing weakly. After a while, he put a hand on his forehead and rubbed it. rub.
"Speaking of which, I'm older than you, and I'm an art investment expert. There are some things I've never told you." He sat there and spoke slowly, "Now, most things can't be done. There’s no need to say it. I can’t think clearly about it myself, but I want to tell you today…”
Just listen to him say: "I am from the north, and you are from the south. You may know some of the differences between them... I am an art master. When I came to the Ling family, I was the senior brother who took care of you. You have been in Zhuangzi in the south of the Yangtze River all your life. Here, I am not rich to say the least, and I have experienced military disasters, but most of the time, I have been with me and the care of my master. You said that you must sacrifice your life for righteousness. The old hero Ling said that you must sacrifice your life for righteousness... It's all very good. If you are mine The child will definitely make me feel happy."
"But, children..." Meng Zhutao's eyes were calm, "I came from the north to lead the art cast. Have you ever seen the real scene of the fall of the Central Plains and the raging military disaster? Before I arrived at the Ling family, I I have seen things like that on the road. Your senior brother, I, fought with the Jin people, lost, and fled south... I have seen people who sacrificed their lives for righteousness, but I have also seen most people who went south and killed people. , eat Guanyin soil, eat children, kowtow to others, and sell themselves, just to... survive..."
"Jiangnan has been peaceful for ten years, and finally it is impossible to escape. In these ten years, you have seen all good things, but I knew they would come... I want to let people survive, and I also have to decide who to let. Go to hell. Master, he hopes that I can save those who cannot be saved. I think so too. Master, he hopes that I can do the job with both hands clean. I also want to, but both hands are dry. If you are clean, you can't save people. If everyone is hiding in the mountains, others will definitely eat me. I can only eat others first, because with this decision, I can save the most people."
"Master finally broke with me. He chose to sacrifice his life for justice. I admire him very much and I understand it very well. But do you know what I chose?"
"No matter what means I use, I want to keep the most people alive in this world. If I can survive eleven people, it is better than if I can only survive ten people. If I can keep one hundred people alive, it is better than if only eighty people can survive." It is better for individuals to survive, and everyone's life is the same... This is equality for everyone, and this is the fairness in my heart."
When he said this, the eyes of the people across from him swayed, and the third junior brother said: "You...you think these beautiful words are coming again..."
"These are not nice words, Laosan." Meng Zhuotao shook his head, "This world is very evil, but everyone has to have their own answer to this world. I fled south all the way, saw many things, and found this The answer, whether this answer is correct or not, I still can't think of a very clear answer... The old hero Ling said that he must sacrifice his life for righteousness, which is also an answer. I envy this answer. Each of you must have an answer of your own. If not, in In such an evil world, your life will only become worse."
He smiled: "I'm just telling you that one day you will encounter countless people dying in front of you, not just those who die in front of you, but also a few people around you. Next, people in the entire Jiangnan will die again." There are tens of thousands of people. At that time, how will you view those human lives? I am very curious. You must remember today’s issue..."
After Meng Zhutao finished speaking, he reached forward. In the room, Lingchu suddenly opened his eyes: "What are you doing?"
In the dimness, I saw Meng Zhuotao stretching out his right hand and pressing it on Yu Bin's mouth and nose. Yu Bin didn't move much on the bed. Lingchu and two senior brothers had already pounced on him. Meng Zhuotao's left arm He waved and pushed them away.
At midnight, the silhouettes of the three people in the room rushed forward with all their strength. The figure of Meng Tao beside the bed was like a rock in the light of the oil lamp. No matter how the three of them attacked and fought, Lingchu even bit his left hand. His palm covering Yu Bin's mouth and nose did not move at all.
"You are too weak. In the future..."
While the silhouette was attacking and roaring hysterically, he spoke calmly and in a low voice.
"...In the future...we will all remember what happened today."
…
At a certain moment, the demon in the room removed his palm, glanced at the three of them with cold eyes, and Lingchu's body collapsed to the ground.
That demon-like figure... finally stepped out of the door...
Out of their sight...
Time, past midnight, there are still countless manias stirring in the night...