Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 333 Just How Powerful Are the People?
"Without the people, we cannot win."

"The people are the ocean; any enemy that sets foot on this ocean will be plunged into the vast ocean of people's war."

"The people may seem weak, but they are only the part that floats on the surface of the sea. In the unfathomable depths of the ocean, there lies boundless power."

"Only when we are closely connected with the people can we have the strength to overcome everything."

"Do you know that the people, and only the people, are the most powerful force in the world?"

"We come from the people, so we must go back to the people and ultimately become one with them. In this way, we will be invincible."

In fact, Yun Ce didn't quite understand why Yun Linchuan, a seasoned and valiant general, would often elevate the status of the people when discussing the reasons for his victories.

In the past, Yun Ce believed that war belonged to the army, and even to men. It was the ultimate romance for men, with iron and blood, courage and perseverance. After killing the last powerful enemy, he was unfortunately hit by the last stray bullet on the battlefield and fell heavily on the enemy. He watched as his comrades waved the victory flag and planted it at the highest point.

This is the ultimate wartime romance for men, for which they would die without regret.

Yun Ce had mentioned this kind of childish idea to Yun Linchuan before, and then he got a beating. It was the elderly Yun Linchuan who personally beat him with the military belt he had worn all his life, the kind with a brass buckle.

The brass buckle has a five-pointed star and the Chinese characters for "August 1st" on it. When it is placed on a fleshy part of the buttocks, a raised platform will appear on the buttocks. The five-pointed star and the Chinese characters for "August 1st" will be on the bright red platform, just like a quality inspector stamping pork. It is very clear.

"Dare to look down on the people? I'll beat you to death!"

Based on the above recollections, Yun Ce felt that Yun Linchuan held the people in high esteem, and that this was probably not just for show; there must be some truth to the concept of the people.

Therefore, when Cao Kun was preparing to abandon those people, Yun Ce did not hesitate to accept them. He wanted to know if his strength would take a qualitative leap after accepting the people.

In fact, this is the reason why Yun Ce accepted those people.

According to the principle of fairness, the people should receive protection from whoever they pay taxes to; this is a matter of course. Yun Ce and his family have always been supporting the tax collectors, rather than receiving support themselves. Therefore, Yun Ce feels that he has no real responsibility to protect the people.

Now that protection has begun, the people should listen to their own voices; this is the only way to achieve salvation through mutual cooperation.

During dinner that evening, Yun Ce said to E Ji, "Except for the Tiger Legion who are left to guard the area, mobilize everyone else who can be mobilized and bring the people from Haizhou and Dongzhou to Yun Family Manor."

Hurry, I heard that Cao Kun will remove the Shehuo (a traditional folk performance) from Haizhou and Dongzhou next spring.

At that point, the remaining people will basically have no way to survive.

Holding her rice bowl, Eji said, "Haizhou and Dongzhou used to be bitterly cold places, teeming with ferocious beasts and poisonous insects in the sea and on land. It was only after King Huo set up the Shehuo (a type of folk performance) that those two tributary states had a foundation for the people to live and work in peace. Cao Kun can just leave whenever he wants, without caring about the lives of the people there."

"The Guifang people are about to head south. We don't know yet whether Tiewei Pass can hold out until next spring. I doubt whether Cao Kun can safely move the Shehuo (a local folk performance) away."

At that time, the competition for Shehuo (a traditional folk performance) between Haizhou and Dongzhou will be extremely fierce.

Eji put down her rice bowl, picked up the empty bowl in front of Yun Ce, and filled it with rice for him. She said softly, "If we attract so many people here, the Guifang people won't let us off the hook."

Yun Ce took a bite of rice, then put down his chopsticks and said, "The Blue Devil at home said that the Black Devil is extremely terrifying. It also said that there aren't just one or two devils, but many, many devils, enough to fill the valley."

Eji paused for a moment, then immediately said, "So, the reason why the Guifang people went south this time is due to both insufficient food production and grassland degradation, as well as the excessive oppression of the Guifang by the Black Demons."

But what does this have to do with whether the Guifang people will let us go?

Yun Ce sighed and said, "It's possible that this war will turn into a poor game of exchanging hostility, with the Han people continuing to migrate south, the Gui Fang entering the Yanshan Plain, and then the Black Devil occupying the Qingshuihe Plateau."

No matter how things change, Yun Family Manor will always remain a border region and its status will not change.

In fifteen days, the army led by Master Lingyu will completely wipe out the troops stationed outside Iron Enclosure Pass. It seems that once winter arrives, the Guifang people will surely besiege the six garrison cities near Iron Enclosure Pass.

Eji nodded and said, "The news Black Hawk brought back recently is bad. Many Han soldiers have fallen into the trap set by Master Lingyu. Some have escaped, but many more have not." It's unclear when it started, but when Yun Ce and Eji ate together, they no longer talked about family matters. Eji no longer told Yun Ce about her experiences outside, and she no longer nestled in his arms like before, whispering sweet nothings while enjoying the food.

Military and national affairs evoke a sense of solemnity and responsibility, but not intimacy. Once one of the spouses gets involved in politics, the so-called marital relationship is over. If, unfortunately, both of them get involved in politics, then they are no longer husband and wife, but political allies.

Seeing that Eji was engrossed in discussing important military and national affairs, Yun Ce stopped reminding her. Perhaps this was the path Eji had chosen herself, not one that he, Yun Ce, had forced her to take.

"Do you think I should go to Tiewei Pass to fight?" Yun Ce picked up his rice bowl again and looked at E Ji.

After thinking for a moment, Eji said, "I will observe the battle but not participate in it."

Yun Ce lowered his eyelids, took a bite of food, and said, "Okay."

Seeing that Eji seemed to have more important military and state affairs to discuss, Yun Ce quickly finished his meal, patted his belly, and left the manor to digest his food outside.

Eji called from behind, "Don't go! There are still so many things we haven't said."

Yun Ce waved his hand and said, "For external matters, ask Wu Tong; for internal matters, ask An Ji; and for matters of the bedroom, ask me!"

"You dead man, you just won't treat me well..."

Yun Ce no longer needs to digest his food. He feels that his body is now like a fire-breathing engine. The calories from food are no longer enough to keep this engine burning. Most of the energy comes from breathing. Yun Ce can even imagine his steel-like heart frantically pumping massive amounts of energy to every part of his body.

With a heart as fierce as a tiger and a body as sick as a cat, never wasting a single bit of energy, this is a consensus reached by the grandmasters.

Outside the Shehuo Hall, Huo Wudi was learning to dance from An Ji. This girl had an innate ability to be alluring, and learning to dance was simply a way to amplify her allure through physical movements.

Therefore, all those watching her dance were young men and women, with Yun Ce being the only older person present.

The boys and girls who gathered around were all quite young, the oldest being no more than fifteen. Perhaps it was because the days were longer in Dahan, that thirteen or fourteen-year-olds were already considered old.

They were all at the prime of their youth, just beginning to experience love. Although they were left in a sorry state by Huo Wudi's unintentional allure, none of them dared to approach her.

They were all smart children, and they all knew that getting close to Huo Wudi would definitely lead to a chance to win her favor. However, thinking about the price they would have to pay, although the children were all gazing longingly at Huo Wudi, who was learning the "Fishing for the Moon" dance from An Ji, and some girls were even learning from her, none of them went any closer.

Huo Wudi is a scoundrel. The more the children dare not approach her, the more exaggerated her dance moves become. If it weren't for the fact that her figure is not yet fully developed, there would definitely be some fools among these children who fall for her charms.

Lei Ming was watching from a tree. In fact, this was the closest place to Huo Wudi, and it was also the perfect distance where his inner energy could come into contact with Huo Wudi without being absorbed by her.

He would occasionally shake the branch to get closer to Huo Wudi. It was impossible to tell whether Huo Wudi was automatically absorbing his inner energy. It was clear that Lei Ming was constantly testing the limits of danger. He probably wanted to use this close contact to develop a way to get close to Huo Wudi without losing his inner energy.

He seems to have at least some brains.

After commenting on Lei Ming's actions, Yun Ce stepped into the Shehuo Hall. Ever since Yun Ce ripped off the head of the clay dragon and the old man completely removed its body, this place had been called Shehuo Hall.

The old servant guarding the folk performance was whittling a piece of wood about the thickness of a wrist with a knife. As soon as Yun Ce entered, he smelled the fragrance of the wood.

Yun Ce squatted down, picked up a piece of wood shaped like a candlestick. This wood was called fragrant wood, a raw material used by the Han people to make spices. He glanced at the candlestick burning in the hearth and said softly, "There's no need."

The old servant stubbornly shook his head and said, "As for it, if the folk performance requires it, I can turn myself into a candlestick for the performance to burn."

Yun Ce saw the fanaticism of a believer in the old servant's eyes. He believed that what the old servant said must be true, and that he was willing to die for the Shehuo.

Yun Ce moved the burning candlestick. After the flame separated from the candlestick, the flame floating in the air, like a child who had lost its mother, chased closely after the charred candlestick.

Sensing the old servant's anger, Yun Ce ignored his fiery eyes and threw the candlestick into the middle of the fire pit. The candlestick lost its footing and tipped over into the fire pit. The old servant swiftly righted the candlestick and then blocked Yun Ce's view with his body, making a series of murmurs, like a kind grandfather soothing a child who had just woken up.

(End of this chapter)