It was close to noon, and the ice particles that fell in the city gradually turned into snowflakes and fell, dyeing the streets of Chengdu a little white.

It’s the first snow of the year in Southwest China, and the pedestrians on the snowy road don’t appear to be in much distress, and most of them show a sense of novelty. Many people walk without umbrellas, chatting and laughing; there are also laughing children chasing each other and playing in the street.

Even if my family calls me from the street, I don't want to go back.

At the Sifang Tea House, it was the time when the atmosphere of public opinion was at its most heated. In each private room, voices of discussion were being heard.

"...In the current situation, how many calm measures can Duke Dai take?"

"So what is the current situation? The Jurchens have already gone north. Compared with the several times when they went south, they must be more relaxed. You talk about today's saints and betrayed your own people for the second time..."

"But who is the opponent Dai Gong faces? There are Jurchens in the north and the Chinese army in the south!"

"Originally Liu Guangshi was incapable of planning, he would only run away..."

"...These remarks are really shameless! As Brother He said, Dai Mengwei betrayed his own people for the first time. It can be said that he did it to save many people. It is really shameless to betray Liu Guangshi this time!"

"...Don't pretend to be confused while pretending to understand, or Confucianism will be doomed!"

"... It's alarmist. We, the Confucian scholars, can still drink tea, eat and chat here. How can we say that it is over? Although the Chinese army claims to be exterminating Confucianism, in fact it is not excessive..."

"Don't go too far? What is Ning Yi doing now? Don't you still understand? He is dividing the land!"

"So what if we divide the land? The Gangnam Fairness Party has just begun to fight internally."

"How can the Fair Party be compared with the Chinese Army? Nowadays, when dividing land in the southwest, there are classes and exercises. When he is in class, he promotes literacy campaigns and asks everyone to send their children to the school. The children of farmers in the countryside go to school.

After entering school, he will be tied to the Chinese army in the future. In the three exercises before the division of land, he wanted to implement the so-called militia system in various places. The literacy movement tied children to him, and the militia system made adults obey his orders. Ning Yi wanted to

He wants to avoid all intellectuals, and his attempt to destroy Confucianism is a real joke!"

"...If everyone can be literate, then everyone will be like a dragon. How can it be said to be a bad thing?"

"Haha! Haha! Is it that easy to pretend to be confused while pretending to understand? Is it that easy to teach people how to read? If those children who know three or five words can really understand some big principles, of course I have nothing to say, but Ning Yi

It's just a means to seize power. Since the establishment of the Huaxia Army, he has mentioned so-called human rights and so-called democracy. In the previous imperial examinations, he screened out accountants and stewards. Now he encourages everyone to become literate, and every one of them is jumping away.

There is such a scholar. How many people in the world have read the books of saints and sages for decades? He recruited a group of people who have never read a book, made them literate, and threw them all away... Don't think that I am

Jealousy, but - if such a person can change the world for the better, why would you and I have to learn those trivial principles for thousands of years... But Ning Yi is really determined, he wants to destroy Confucianism..."

"The Huaxia Army develops papermaking and wants everyone to be educated. In the past two years, it has vigorously expanded good studies and rural studies. But naturally it can only do some literacy enlightenment at the beginning. These things are done step by step. I don't think it is a big deal...

…”

"Confucianism is not opposed to enlightenment. In the past thousands of years, papermaking has not developed and the development of inquiry has been too slow. If Ning Yi is truly selfless, as everyone here knows, it would be better to first use the mature Confucian system to assist rural enlightenment. Ning Yi

He is biased and wants to drag people who only know a few words to fight against Confucianism. There is no blood on his sword and his hands are smarter than anyone else. It is ridiculous that you are boiled frogs in warm water and don't seem to notice...

"

"Even so, what does it have to do with Duke Dai..."

"How much time does Dai Gong have? What can he do in the future if he joins forces with losers like Liu Guangshi? After the Southwest War, Ning Yi is recuperating in Sichuan. It looks lively and bustling outside, but who doesn't know that once the Chinese army leaves Sichuan, what will happen?

No one in the world can take it? But with Dai Gong’s move this time, doesn’t the whole Central Plains suddenly become enlightened? In the game of checkmate, he has a good eye for chess? "

"I think you have a high opinion of Zou Xu. After all, he is just Ning Yi's disciple..."

"He was Ning Yi's most trusted disciple at that time. There is no one in the world who understands Ning Yi's methods better than him. Now Dai Gong is in charge of Confucianism, and Zou Xu knows the art of investigating things. The Taoism and Taoism are compatible, so he wants to compete with Ning Yi.

, there is no one more suitable than the two of them in the world..."

"But listening to his words and watching his actions, Ning Yi's arrangements in Chengdu in the past two years have the appearance of a holy king..."

"Yes, Holy King Qi, then I would like to ask you a question today - do you have no land in your home!? Do you have no land in your home!?"

"You, you, you... I'm just trying to reason, how could you speculate so dirty..."

"Okay, he Ning Yi will fight out of Sichuan and Shu, and first divide your family's land——"

From one room to another, noisy voices could be heard, and in the small box on the other side, Yan Daolun and Yu Hezhong were drinking tea while listening to these tones coming from next door. As the core public opinion field in Chengdu, Sifang Tea House operates

Yan Daolun and others here usually listen to public debates like this. At this time, Yan Daolun sighed: "Look, this is what many people in the outside world think of Dai Mengwei's actions this time."

Yu Hezhong took a sip of tea: "This Tang Qitang Master is usually very upright, but this time he seems to be very angry. Doesn't this mean that he supports Dai Mengwei and opposes the Chinese army just because his family has land?"

"That's not all he's talking about." Yan Daolun shook his head, "What he's talking about is how many people in the world will support Dai Mengwei... To be honest, brother Yu, my Yan family also has land."

"Brother Yan means..."

"It's not interesting. It has nothing to do with the overall situation. It's just that everything turned upside down overnight. Brother Yu, I'm also a little confused..."

The two sides met in the morning. Yu He was anxious in the center. He originally wanted to go directly to the teacher, but he was left by Yan Daolun. He first talked about whether there were high-level personnel named Long in the Chinese army, and then listened to the conversation next door.

Yan Daolun was noisy and talked a lot about the current situation. Yan Daolun was a deep-minded person, and we talked to him about many more things today than in the past, but Yu Hezhong was so disturbed that it was difficult to guess everything.

In the past year, he has been working as a relationship broker in Chengdu, which has been too smooth. Others mostly come to him to do things. If there is any hidden meaning, he is naturally too lazy to do it. Even if some people have sinister intentions, they come to the Huaxia Army.

Even after one round, there was nothing left to hide.

At this time, they had lunch while talking about various things. It was not until they were about to leave that Yu Hezhong gritted his teeth and asked directly: "Brother Yan, actually... if this matter really can't end, how can you

Have you ever considered that we...will vote for the Chinese Army?"

Yan Daolun stared at him for a moment and sighed: "Let's talk about this for a while."

Amidst the falling snowflakes, Yu Hezhong left Sifang Tea House and headed towards the Propaganda Department.

He went to Master Li's residence the day before, but failed to see anyone in the end. On this day, he went to the office of the Propaganda Department. After notifying his name, he was told that Deputy Director Li was not working in the Propaganda Department recently. As for why he was there,

I have no comment. Yu Hezhong and Shishi are usually personal friends. Although he occasionally asks for help, he does not go to the Propaganda Department and is not familiar with this place. He left here and headed towards his residence.

The official residence of Shishi in Chengdu is a small courtyard near the Maha Pond. All high-level officials of the Chinese Army live here. There are unified service, reception, and reception rooms outside. Many people come here every day.

, either for business or private matters, first wait in the reception room outside, and will not be led in until they are reviewed or notified. Yu Hezhong is familiar with this place, and he is already familiar with the receptionist outside.

It was not yet time to get off work, and senior Chinese military officials who were busy with official duties were usually not at their residence. Yu Hezhong found the receptionist to register, and then they exchanged pleasantries for a while and asked, "Do you think Deputy Li will be back in the evening?"

"Well, I generally do..."

"Then I stayed until night last night, why didn't I see you?"

"Which ministry is not busy recently and has sent more than 10,000 people out just to allocate fields. Look, Chengdu has sent more than 10,000 people. How many people are still working here? Mr. Ning is not in Chengdu recently either.

ah……"

"I know this, but... Deputy Li, did she come back last night?"

"..." Yu Hezhong came a lot in the past, and it was very easy to go in every time. But when he asked this question, the receptionist hesitated, "Well, Mr. Yu, we have discipline..."

"Okay, no more questions." Yu Hezhong waved his hand, "When she comes back, tell her that I have something urgent."

The other party nodded and agreed with a smile.

On this day, light snow was falling outside. The windows of the waiting room where various people gathered were opened, but it was not cold. Yu Hezhong sat by the window and listened to the bustling people and looked at the people wearing different clothes.

The visitors gathered and talked in the room, and some even talked about the "big events" that happened in the Central Plains. An old woman with patched clothes and three sallow country children sat in a corner of the room waiting for someone.

The two children were probably hungry and cried loudly, so the orderlies came in with some snacks to comfort them - they were probably poor relatives of a senior official in the Chinese army. Judging from their clothes, they should have just come in from outside Yanmen Pass, and the room was disturbed.

Like a vegetable market.

Similar things are not uncommon in this waiting room. In the past, Yu Hezhong would go to other places for a walk, or go to a nearby teahouse to have a drink, thinking that the time was almost up before coming back. But there was nothing like this today.

With a lot of mental resources, I hunkered down in front of the window with my hands clasped in my hands, only using the snowy scene outside as a small pastime in my boredom. I wanted to recite a few lines of poetry, and thought hard for a long time, but got nothing.

I couldn't help but think of Bianliang nearly twenty years ago. At that time, my literary talent was quite good, and I met Li Shishi. I often participated in various cultural gatherings with Chen Sifeng. At that time, the number of seats in the high-end literary gatherings with the participation of big figures in the capital was limited, and a group of

Scholars often recited poems and composed poems in the lobby of Fanlou in order to become famous. He and Chen Sifeng were only average in literary talent, but with their teachers around, they would often make some small plans to let them in together. At that time, celebrities gathered and poems were exchanged.

The atmosphere, Yu Hezhong often misses.

At that time, among countless celebrities in the capital, he still harbored imaginations about the future. At that time, he even thought that he might be the person who brought peace to all generations.

In the next twenty years, China was in a state of chaos, and people were wandering around the world. What he saw were all kinds of intrigues and bloody fights. The rise of warlords, rogues, and all kinds of barbarians and common people. Yu He

I have found relationships with others, I have kneeled down to others, and I have met my master again in the southwest in the past two years, and I have just enjoyed an upright environment again. But in my heart, Yu Hezhong still regards himself as a scholar.

, even if the appearance of the middle-aged man cannot reach the upper reaches, what really makes him feel comfortable and even intoxicated is still the environment in Bianliang back then.

For the administration of the Huaxia Army, and even for Ning Yi, he had a secret slander in a place where no one knew. They were too pragmatic and lost the grace of educated people and the beauty of the ceremony of singing and singing.

Ning Yi was like this back then. Even though he could write first-class poems, he had no respect for anything in terms of words. Chen Sifeng once said in private that he was not a truly romantic person.

For more than a year after arriving in Chengdu, he did not take the initiative to visit Ning Yi, whom everyone wanted to visit. In the final analysis, in his heart, he and the other party were always two different types of people. He grew up in a Confucian atmosphere and wanted to

I want to write good poems, I want to save the world, I want to show myself in literary conferences, I want to maintain everything that makes people respect and bow down. And Ning Yi...

Ning Yi... He has great literary talent and excellent martial arts, but he is a frivolous person from the beginning to the end. He gets married, does business, makes plans, and kills people. Even his master once said that he is too idle and incompetent. He even writes in those beautiful articles.

All poems and lyrics are criticized, but in this world, why are these people always allowed to take the lead?

And thinking of Master...

That was the most beautiful dream in his heart.

It is not difficult to recognize reality clearly.

But occasionally he would dream back in the middle of the night, even if there was a beautiful woman by his side, but he would still think with great annoyance that Shishi... was finally taken over by that incompetent person.

When I was in my twenties, when I saw the beauty before my eyes, I always felt that the future was full of infinite possibilities, and I always had full hope in my heart. But gradually, these possibilities narrowed before my eyes, and at a certain moment I suddenly realized that I

He was incompetent and realized that there were only one or two narrow ways out for the future. Those were the darkest moments.
To be continued...