As the sun sets, on the edge of the river valley in early summer, a golden color is sprinkled, and a few hazelnut trees, oak trees, and soaphorns grow crookedly on the small dirt slope, and the sound of talking comes from time to time in the wooden houses on the side of the soil slope.

On the stake outside the wooden house, a man with a light beard sat cross-legged, and in the setting sun, there was a calm and quiet momentum. The man's name is Chen Fan, he is twenty-seven years old this year, and he is already a master of the green forest.

What was going on in the room was a study class for the low-level managers of Xiaocanghe, and the participants were all young people with great potential in Xiaocanghe, who were selected. Every few days, there will be some old treasurers, staff, and generals in the valley to teach some of their own experience, and if there are talented people who enter the eyes of whom, there will be a one-on-one opportunity to learn from the teacher.

Ning Yi occasionally comes over to give a lecture, talking about the knowledge of management, how to pursue maximum efficiency in work, stimulate people's subjective initiative, and so on.

Of course, sometimes there are other things to say.

This year, according to the condition of the body in front of him, the man named Ning Yi was twenty-six years old, and out of his past habits, he did not have a beard, so he looked quite young just by looking at it. However, very few people would see him as a young man. The name of the heart demon Ning Yi is no exaggeration to say that it is a fierce name in the outside world, whether it is a series of things he has done, or the most amazing Golden Palace Killer later, in the eyes of many people, this name is already the demon king of this era.

Of course, standing in front of him, especially at this moment, very few people would treat him as a demon king of the mixed world. He has a steady temperament, and his tone is not high, and his speed of speech is slightly faster, but he is still clear and fluent, which means that he has already had a draft of what he says. Of course. If he says something new that others don't understand, he will also suggest that others write it down first, so that they can discuss and solve it slowly.

This class is about some coordination problems that occurred in Xiaocanghe's civil engineering work in March and April, and the content of the class only took half of the time originally planned. After saying what should be said, Ning Yi moved a stool and sat down in front of everyone. Questions from the crowd. But in fact, the young people in front of them are not systematic in their ability to think, on the other hand, they have a certain personality cult for Ning Yi, and after asking and answering two questions, no one will speak.

Sunlight came in through the window, and after the wooden house was quiet for a while, Ning Yi nodded, and then knocked on the table on the side with a smile.

"Since there are no more problems. That's all we have to say today. He stood up, "But, seeing that there is still a little time to eat, I also have something I want to tell you about, just so it happens, most of you are here." ”

Ning Yi smiled and nodded at everyone with his finger. Zhuo Xiaofeng and the other young people were slightly puzzled in their hearts, and they heard Ning Yi say, "I want to tell you about the association." ”

At this time, most of the young people in this room are outstanding in Xiaocanghe. It also happens that Zhuo Xiaofeng of the original "Yongle Youth League" and Liu Yi of the "Righteous Qi Society" are all there, in addition, the initiators such as Luo Ye of the newly emerged "Huayan Society" and Chen Xing of the "Ink Society" are also listed, and the rest are more or less belonging to a certain association. Listen to Ning Yi talk about this. And all the hearts of the people were troubled. They are all smart people, and those in power since ancient times don't like to form parties, if Ning Yi doesn't like this, they may have to disperse.

Ning Yi looked at them for a moment: "It's not a bad thing to form an association and hold together. ”

He said this. Chen Xing and the others' hearts relaxed a little, and they saw Ning Yi smile and said: "Everyone has their own nature, their own temperament, their own ideas, and their own opinions. Our Xiaocanghe rebelled, in the general direction, it is a family, but even if it is a family, you always have someone who can talk to and who you are more intimate. This is human beings, and we have to overcome some of our weaknesses, but we can't say that our nature can be destroyed. ”

Acknowledging its objectivity, forming a group of people, is beneficial to your future study and work, what ideas do you have, what good ideas do you have, and it is naturally better to discuss with people who are close to temperament and can speak than with others. On the other hand, it must be noted that we have only been here for half a year, and you have your own ideas and positions, which shows that we have not been dead in the past six months. Moreover, you have formed these groups not because of a mess of ideas, but because of what you feel is important, and you sincerely want to be better. That's a good thing, too. But-I'm going to say but. ”

The people below were all sitting upright, but Ning Yi didn't stop their seriousness, and his eyes were a little more solemn.

"But! Confucianism says that the gentleman is a group but not a party, and the villain is not a party. Why is the party and not the group villainous, because the party is formed for personal gain, and the party is the same and different! A group, it appears, because it does bring a lot of benefits, it will go wrong, and it is indeed because of the laws of human nature, there are always places where we are negligent and inattentive, which leads to the recurrence of problems. ”

When he said this, a voice sounded in the room, it was Chen Xing, the initiator of the "Ink Society" who was sitting in the back before, raised his hand and stood up: "Mr. Ning, we formed the Ink Society, only for the idea in our hearts, not for selfishness, if there is a ...... in the future"

"Don't take a stand." Ning Yi waved his hand, "No one can doubt your current fist heart. Like I said, everybody in this room is a great person. But the same excellent people, I've seen a lot. ”

"Just like Cai Jing, like Tong Guan, just like Qin Hui, like many people in the court I have seen before, they are the best part of all of them, do you think Cai Jing is a powerful minister and a traitor? Tong Guan is an incompetent prince? No, Cai Jing's henchmen are all over the world, and looking back 50 years, when Cai Jing first entered the officialdom, I believe that he had ideals, and he was even much brighter and more forward-looking than you. In the capital, why did every big man in the court become what he was later, he was powerless to do good things, and he formed a group of bad things, to say that they wanted to be a bad official from the beginning, absolutely! Not a single one. ”

"If it is said that the abuse of power for personal gain, in front of people, many people can refuse. I'll give you ten taels of silver, and I'll do something for me." You can refuse categorically, but each and every one of you, even now, Zhuo Xiaofeng. Let me ask you, you have a relative who wants to join the Gayongle Youth League, will you make it difficult for him? Could it be, how much to give a convenience? ”

Zhuo Xiaofeng nodded slightly.

Ning Yi tilted his head: "It's normal for people to be convenient, and others will be more formal." I'm not immune to that. Including all the people who did something wrong in the end, slowly, there are more friends and relatives around you, they help you up, they can help you, and they come to you for help. Some you refuse, some you can't, and the real pressure often comes in the form of this. Even Cai Jing, who is in power and in the opposition, may have been such a process at the beginning. We need to have the concept of such a process in mind. in order to arouse vigilance. ”

"That's why I said don't take a stand, some things are really faced, it's very difficult, and I don't want you to be pure and selfless, where is the key to this matter. Personally, I think it's about the line. Ning Yi picked up the chalk, drew a clear line on the blackboard, and clicked a little. Let's start with a line. ”

"People will slowly break through the bottom line in their hearts, because this line is in their hearts. And we have the final say, so what we have to do is to draw this line clearly. On the one hand, it is certainly right to strengthen one's self-cultivation and self-control, but on the other hand, it is very simple. There must be a set of rules, and with rules, there will be supervision, and there will be an objective framework. I won't give you this framework. I want most of it to come from yourselves. ”

Ning Yi smiled and tilted his head slightly to look out of the window full of golden sunset: "You are the first batch of people in Xiaocanghe, we have more than 10,000 people, plus tens of thousands of people in Qingmu Village, you are exploring the way." Everyone also knows that we are not in a good situation now, but if we can get better one day, there will be 100,000,000,000,000 people outside Xiaocanghe and Xiaocanghe, and there will be many small groups like you. So I thought, now that you're in the first batch, can I rely on you, plus me, and let's discuss and build this framework together. ”

"I have some ideas in my heart, but they are not mature, I hope you can also have some ideas, I hope you can see what mistakes you may make in the future, we can block the possibility of this mistake earlier, but at the same time, it will not damage the enthusiasm of these groups. I want you to be the best in this army, in this valley, where you can compete with each other without excluding others, and you can promote your companions and at the same time progress with your friends and opponents. At the same time, we have to hammer out the shackles that can limit its development in a bad direction......"

"If you have any thoughts and opinions on this matter, you can tell me now......

……

The sun was slanting more westward, and the occasional wind blew along the valley, caressing the treetops. The words came out of the room, but they were a little more cautious, much slower than before. Soon after, the young people came out of the class with doubts, excitement, and a faint determination in their eyes.

They had rebelled with the Holy Father, or with Ning Yi and others, not with a clear plan of action, just some chaotic ideas, but after coming to Xiaocanghe for so long, in the hearts of these relatively intelligent young people, an idea had been more or less established, which Ning Yi instilled in him when he was talking about the world: In the future, we must not be like the Wu Dynasty again.

Under this clear concept, Ning Yi can analyze some problems with everyone and seek some solutions with everyone. Of course, it is precisely because they are young, energetic, and have no stereotypes in their minds that Ning Yi is able to make such an attempt, introducing basic concepts such as the separation of powers into everyone's minds, expecting that after their exploration, there will be some sprouts.

This process may continue for a long time. But if it's just giving, it's meaningless.

He walked out of the room and watched the young men go away, the setting sun turning red by this time. Chen Xing and the others, who were walking on the side, were vaguely saying: "We can halve the amount we eat recently......" Ning Yi's words this afternoon have a lot to ponder for them, but at the same time, it is also an encouragement for everyone, because Ning Yi has recognized their legitimacy, and they also hope to be able to do something excellent.

Everyone walked to the end of the valley, Ning Yi stood there and watched for a moment, and then walked with Chen Fan to the mountain on the edge of the valley. He was busy with work every day, and time was extremely precious, and he met with several managers in the valley at dinner, and waited until nightfall, and there were many copywriting things that were presented.

After working like this for more than an hour, the valley in the distance outside was lit with fire. There was already a shining starlight in the night sky, and a young man named Xiao Hei walked in: "The envoy from Western Xia is tired of being bored, and threatens to leave tomorrow, General Qin asked me to ask if you want to meet him." ”

Ning Yi thought for a while: "Then call him over." ”

The envoy Han who was sent to Xiaocanghe by the Tangut people was named Lin Houxuan, and the name of the Tangut was Qu Nuze. After arriving at Xiaocanghe, I have been waiting for three days.

The purpose of the Xixia people coming over is very simple, lobbying and surrendering, they now occupy the general trend, although the core of the promise to attack the name and the surrender of Xiaocanghe is unchanged, Ning Yi understood a little, so he casually arranged a few people to entertain each other, take a walk and have a look. Don't go to see him.

But of course, it's not good to be absent all the time, that seems to be ungraceful.

When Xiao Hei went out to recruit the envoys of Western Xia, the settlement area of Xiaocang River was also quite lively. There has been no rain for the past two days, and the mud on the roads and ground around the square is gradually receding, and a group of children in the valley are running back and forth on the streets. The militarized valley has no outside fairs. But on one side of the square, there are still two small shops that supply all kinds of things from the outside world. It is for the convenience of the refugees who enter the valley in the winter and for many families in the army.

On one side of the small square, there are several small venues for storytelling and singing, each with different functions, one for performing various plays, one for various entertainment projects including juggling and magic, and one for various entertainments. The storyteller will inform everyone of all kinds of information from the outside world, and the time of the report is three in the morning, noon and evening, and some comments written by Ning Yi and others will be added from time to time.

The Jurchens withdrew their troops from Bianliang and took more than 100,000 people captive, and many tragedies were happening along the way. Various facts north of the Yellow River. The advance of the Tanguts outside Hengshan. What happened to many. This kind of talk, which is similar to the news of later generations, is now the most common thing to listen to in the valley. After listening to it, they were either filled with righteous indignation, or frowning and anxious, or bowing their heads to discuss, sometimes if Chen Xing and other young people were there, they would also follow the current commentary, triggering a small speech, and people scolded the incompetent Wu Dynasty court and the like.

Because of the existence of these places, inside Xiaocanghe, some emotions are always brewing, such as a sense of urgency and tension. From time to time, the progress of construction in the valley is announced, and news from the outside world comes from time to time, which in many ways also proves that everyone is working hard, some people are in the valley, some people are outside the valley, and they are trying to solve the problems faced by Xiaocanghe.

In a wooden house not far from the square, the room was illuminated by the light of the fire. Zhuo Xiaofeng frowned and wrote something in his notebook, and the young people not far away were chattering around a simple map, although the voice was not high, but it was also lively.

“…… According to the current situation, the Tangut people have advanced to Gyeongju, and it has been a few days since they took Gyeongju City. Once this is connected, the road to the west will be completely chaotic, and it will be even more difficult for us to solve the food problem through commerce......

"Brother Xiao Feng went out to contact Lin Fuguang before, not to mention that the surname Lin is now wavering, even if the surname Lin is willing to agree to help, the road to the west may not be able to guarantee smoothness, you see, once the Xixia people occupy this side ......"

"The road to the north, I don't see any drama, the attitude of the Jurchens can't be understood at all now, the situation outside changes three times a day, doing business, how to do it if it is unstable......"

"You can't do it, we don't know how to do business, but can Mr. Ning be the same as you and me......

"Don't argue, don't argue, if you can't figure it out, think about it more, if we can keep up with Mr. Ning's ideas, it will always be good for us in the future."

"If you can't do it, it's a big deal to kill back to Miaojiang, there is still a way to ......"

"There is no ambition. I see, isn't there another side? Wu Dynasty, those landlord clans north of the Yellow River, they used to have a lot of grain, and the Jurchens will kill them again, they will definitely see the bottom, but there are still ...... now"

"Those big clans are all officials and scholars, and if they want to cooperate with us, I think they would rather take refuge in the Jurchens......"

The air was slightly stuffy, and among the chatter, the hottest and most urgent topic in Xiaocanghe at this time was the food problem. Ning Yi chose this place before, wanting to connect to Qingmu Village, and finally gain a commercial foothold in this place of the four wars, this idea has been heard by many people, but it sounds reasonable, but in fact, when you think about it, it is really difficult, at least until now, even if it is these people around Zhuo Xiaofeng, they have the only confidence in the plan. It still exists because of Ning Yi himself.

Although we can't think of it, maybe Mr. Ning will find a way out at some point?

After all, it's not the first time this kind of thing has happened.

Whether it is because of the anxiety in the heart, or because of the invisible pressure outside, there are not a few people who secretly discuss and care about the food problem in the river valley on such a night. If it weren't for the fact that the Wurui Battalion and several departments inside and outside Zhuji had a certain confidence in each other, such anxiety alone would have been able to crush the entire rebel system.

While everyone was discussing, they saw Ning Yi, and Lin Houxuan, the envoy of Western Xia, also mentioned the matter straight to the point.

“…… Before I came here, I knew that Mr. Ning had a creative vision for business. At the moment, food is already running out of food, and I admire you for wanting to open up trade routes to get food. However, the situation outside the mountains has changed. The decline of the Wu Dynasty, and my coming from the south of Western Xia, is the act of inheriting the destiny of heaven, and no one can stop it. Your Majesty respects Mr. Ning's talents, and since you have killed the king of the Wu Dynasty, it is difficult for this place to tolerate you. As long as you belong to me, all the problems you face. will be solved. Your Majesty has already prepared the preconditions, as long as you nod your head. Tens of thousands of stones, pigs and sheep ......"

In the room of the small courtyard, the lights are not too bright, Lin Houxuan is a middle-aged man in his thirties, with a square appearance and fluent Chinese. is probably also a prominent person in the Western Xia family, and between his words, he has a force to calm people's hearts. After beckoning him to sit down, Ning Yi made tea for him at the coffee table, and Lin Houxuan took this opportunity. Eloquent. It's just that when he said this, Ning Yi raised his hand slightly: "Please tea." ”

Lin Houxuan arched his hand, picked up the teacup and took a sip. From the moment he entered the door, he was also carefully looking at the young man opposite who had killed the king of the Wu Dynasty. The other party is young, but his eyes are calm, his movements are simple, neat, and powerful, in addition, he can't see that the other party is different from ordinary people for a while, but after asking for tea, when he put down the teacup here, Ning Yi said: "I won't agree." ”

Lin Houxuan originally wanted to continue, but he was stunned for a while, and he didn't expect that the other party would refuse so simply: "Mr. Ning...... Do you want to die? Or tell the lower officials that everything is fine in this big mountain, and even if you stay for ten years, you won't starve to death? ”

The other party shook his head and poured him a cup of tea: "I know what you want to say, the conversation between countries and places is not arbitrary. I just considered the bottom line of both sides and knew that there was no possibility of discussing things, so I asked you to go back and tell your lord that I would not agree to his conditions. Of course, if your country wants to open up several trade routes through us, we are more than welcome. But it doesn't seem like it's possible. ”

Ning Yi said this matter flatly, although it was simple, but in a word, almost all the ways were blocked. Lin Houxuan frowned, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, but just heard about it, he would have thought that this strange guy who was not yet thirty years old and killed an emperor in a fit of anger was acting rashly, but in his eyes, the other party took it for granted, and he didn't show any irrational feelings.

He thought about the many possibilities, and finally, swallowed a mouthful of saliva: "That...... Mr. Ning called me, what else is there to say? ”

"For the sake of politeness."

"Huh?"

"You have been here for several days, on behalf of the king of a country, and you want to see me. I knew there was no need to talk about it, and I had something at hand, so I refused. But you're leaving, you can't see all of them, it's rude. ”

Lin Houxuan was stunned for a long time: "Mr. Ning knows that when Western Xia went south this time, there was an alliance between my country and the Jin people. ”

In the dimly lit light, he saw the man opposite him raise his eyebrows slightly, motioning for him to continue, but still looking calm.

"Your Majesty, in personal talks with Marshal Zonghan's envoy, has finalized the proposal to take the Wu Dynasty from the south." He arched his hand and said loudly, "I know that Mr. Ning's side is also related to Qingmu Village in Luliang Mountain, Qingmu Village not only has business with the south, but also has several connections with the Jin nobles in the north, but now it is the Jin people who are guarding the vicinity of Yanmen, Mr. Ning, if we hold the northwest and the Jurchens cut off the northland, is there still a possibility of survival in this Xiaocang River?" ”

Ning Yi opened his mouth and wanted to speak, but Lin Houxuan didn't wait for him to speak, and said, "Your Majesty is not willing to do such a thing. Your Majesty is talented, wise and martial, and knows heroes and heroes. His Majesty values Mr. Ning as a hero in the world, and also values all the people in this valley, all of whom are heroic. Mr. Ning just wants to watch them and starve to death? ”

Ning Yi's gaze on the other side looked at him and smiled, that gaze made Lin Houxuan extremely uncomfortable, because the other party had been acting like he was looking at a junior, and then he saw the other party stand up and raised his hand: "This discussion remains unchanged, Lin Envoy, please go back." ”

Lin Houxuan stayed a little longer this time: "Mr. Ning, why, Lin doesn't understand." ”

"The people of China do not vote for foreign countries, and this discussion remains unchanged."

"Huh?"

"Please." Ning Yi raised his hand calmly.

……

"That'...... Forgive Lin bluntly, if Mr. Ning really refuses this matter, what we will do is not only to cut off the trade routes at both ends of Xiaocang River and Qingmu Village. At the beginning of this year, the account between the elite of the three hundred steps and Mr. Ning's subordinates would not be cleared up like this. Mr. Ning has also thought about this matter? ”

"Please."

……

In the light, Lin Houxuan's face flushed slightly. At the same time, the crying of a child came from a room not far away.

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

After leaving the small courtyard where Ning Yi was, Lin Houxuan's head and face were still hot. He knew that this errand was not going to work, but he didn't understand why.

I don't understand this, and it's not a rejection of Ning Yi. It is not uncommon for people in the Central Plains to be entangled in the name of Huaxia and would rather die than take refuge in a foreign race, at least before the steel knife is really cut down, there are many people who are willing to die, he just doesn't understand what he wants to miss.

The calm attitude of the other party can't tell that he is talking about a matter that determines life and death. Lin Houxuan was born in the Western Xia aristocracy, and he has also seen many big people who have collapsed in front of Mount Tai and have not moved, or fierce generals who have been in battle for a long time and regard life and death as nothing. However, in the face of such a life-and-death crisis, to put it mildly, the way out is blocked, and the one who can maintain this peace is nothing, only a madman.

And unless, he doesn't think it's a dead end.

What did you think you were missing?

With full doubts, he looked back at the small courtyard with bright yellow lights on the mountainside not far away, and then looked at the relatively lively settlement not far away, and farther away, the reservoir surrounded by sparse lights. The spirits that permeate this valley are not the same, they are warriors that His Majesty will like and use, but they are indeed on the verge of crisis......

In this way, he walked all the way back to the resting place, and after meeting with a few of his attendants, he had the map taken out and looked at it several times. The situation in the north, the situation in the west...... Is it the situation outside the mountain, what has suddenly changed in the past two days? Or is there an unimaginable amount of food hoarded in Aoki Village? Even if they don't have food problems, how can they not worry about their own declaration of war? Is it a bluff, or does it want to get more promises and benefits in your own hands?

Like many other people, at this moment, Lin Houxuan couldn't figure out the solution to Xiaocanghe's dilemma. The situation in the world has reached the moment of overturning, and it is not simple for all forces to demand survival, and they will certainly use all their resources. This small army in the mountains has obviously faced such a big problem, and the guy who is the person in charge is acting so rashly?

He thought about Ning Yi's rumored name of the demon for a while, and doubted his judgment for a while. By the time he left Xiaocanghe the next day, he had turned into complete frustration and hostility.

This matter can't be discussed, although he won't have any merit and reward when he goes back, but in any case, there is no way to live here, what kind of demon Ning Yi, the one who killed the emperor in a fit of anger is really a madman, he wants to die, then let them die-(To be continued.) )