Volume 1 Chapter 11: The Sun Rises (Part 2)
It was a little chilly in the mountainous areas of North China in winter. Yue Fei, feeling very upset, left Wang Yan's stronghold alone on horseback. Not long after he entered a mountain pass, he felt a cold wind blowing in his face, which calmed him down a lot.
Yue Fei was undoubtedly a very talented person:
He was clearly born into a traditional northern peasant family, and his two elder brothers were not raised to adulthood, but he was born with supernatural powers, as if he were some kind of god or demon who had descended to earth. His martial arts skills improved by leaps and bounds, and soon he became the bravest of the three armies today. He was truly a rare brave general!
You know, Zhao Jiu over there can use a hard bow of 1.5 stones, which makes him boast of being both a civil and military expert, but Yue Fei can use a three-stone bow right from the start, and his waist crossbow can even use eight stones!
Not only that, when he was young, he mainly practiced martial arts and had to find time to help his parents with farm work. He only learned to read and write occasionally, but he made rapid progress in this aspect. When he was 20 years old, he was kicked out of his job as a archer in Xiangzhou because of drinking and making trouble. As a result, at the age of 24, he could write a thousand-word letter to the government... Is it okay to be able to write a thousand-word letter in this day and age?
And in a few years, he will be able to write poetry of that level, needless to say.
In addition to this, the most terrible thing is that facing the precarious situation of his country, this young man's character and personality has been growing rapidly... When he was young, his personality was much more irritable and stubborn than it is now, but after experiencing one thing after another, he is no longer the same as before.
It was just like what was happening right now. In fact, Yue Pengju, standing on his horse with his spear in hand, staring at the Taihang Mountains in a trance, vaguely understood that something was wrong with both him and Wang Yan today.
Among them, Wang Yan's character was originally the same as his own before, stubborn, self-righteous, and black-and-white. He had both the heroism and flaws of a warrior, as well as the sourness and insight of a scholar after reading some books. But the other party actually chose to be tolerant and generous today, and he didn't know why.
In the same way, Yue Fei asked himself that he was really a person who was good at learning and correcting his mistakes. Although it was difficult to change one's nature, he rarely let himself repeat the same mistakes after a certain incident... For example, when impeaching Li Gang, Yue Pengju had already understood how precious the existence of a prime minister like Li Gang was all the way from the imperial court! After crossing the river this time, he vaguely realized that if he wanted to fight against the Jin, he had to consider the overall situation, gather strength from the rear, and then cross the river to the north with a magnificent army, in order to truly restore Hebei!
In fact, this was also the fundamental reason why he and Wang Yan had a strategic conflict, and why he questioned Wang Yan today - guerrilla warfare in the mountains is not impossible, but it is impossible to really defeat the Jin cavalry by doing so!
What Yue Fei wants is to return my land to me!
However, when the time came, he still lost his composure, was still filled with resentment, and was still mixed with too many personal emotions!
However, compared to Wang Yan's abnormality which was difficult to analyze, the reason for Yue Fei's own abnormality was already revealed by Wang Yan - this is Xinxiang, and Xiangzhou is ahead!
Yue Fei had even been to this mountainous area before, because Tangyin was in the south of Xiangzhou, and this mountainous area was in the north of Xinxiang, only a hundred miles away . A hundred miles away, Yue Pengju's mother, wife, and eldest son Yue Yun, who was born when he was just 16 years old, were all there, but there had been no news of them for years, and no one knew whether they were alive or dead.
With his hometown in front of him and facing such a difficult situation, it’s no wonder that General Wang would feel sorry for himself!
However, back to the present, Yue Fei has to make a decision - at this time the Jin army has a large number of troops outside, should he still try to go to Xiangzhou?
"elder brother!"
Just as Yue Fei stood on his horse, expressionless, looking down at the towering Taihang Mountains with his eyes wide open, his heart was filled with emotion. Suddenly, two riders came from the other side of the mountain pass, and the leader called out to them as soon as he saw Yue Fei's figure from afar.
Yue Fei knew without looking or asking that this was Zhang Xian, the most lively of his brothers. He could even guess that following behind Zhang Xian must be Tang Huai, who appeared cold but was warm-hearted and taciturn.
Zhang Xian, Tang Huai, and Wang Gui, who must be in charge of the overall situation in the military camp at this time, are the closest brothers to Yue Fei. They all came from Tangyin County, a hundred miles north. When they were young, they learned horse riding and archery from their mentor Zhou Tong. After growing up, they started as local archers and moved around. They always supported each other and never left each other.
They are said to be his right-hand man, but in fact they are just brothers.
"Brother!" Zhang Xian rode up to him, still nervous. "That General Wang has a bad temper, so he didn't make things difficult for you, did he?"
"No." Yue Fei turned around and said with a smile. "Instead, he gave us a written document, allowing us to lead our troops to go anywhere we want."
"Why are you so easy to talk to?" Even Tang Huai, who always had a cold face, was surprised.
"We thought that Wang Taiwei wanted to kill my brother!" Zhang Xian was even more lively. "If that's the case, doesn't that mean we can go home? When will we leave? After picking up my aunt, my sister-in-law, and our relatives, will we come back?"
"Listen to what my brother has to say." Tang Huai suppressed Zhang Xian with a cold look. "This matter is not that simple. The Jin soldiers ahead are densely packed, and they are all cavalry, while we only have seven or eight hundred soldiers, three hundred of whom are the bandits under the command of Ji Qing who just surrendered. How can we use them?"
"It's not just that it's useless." Yue Fei did not hide anything in front of his brothers. "The key is that these people are good men who are willing to fight against the Jin army. If we put ourselves in their shoes, how can we ask them to go north just for the sake of our brothers' selfishness?"
"What kind of selfishness is this?" Zhang Xian was immediately anxious. "Does going to Tangyin mean we are not fighting against the Jin? If that's the case, then Emperor Zhao tricked us brothers and more than 7,000 good men into crossing the river, and then suddenly ignored us, causing us to end up like this even though we clearly won the battle. Isn't it that all 7,000 of us were sent here for Emperor Zhao's selfishness?"
Tang Huai instinctively wanted to scold Zhang Xian, but he was reluctant to say it: "Brother, after all, it's Tang Yin in front! Your Yue Yun is eight years old, don't let him fail to recognize you when he sees you!"
"I was just hesitant." Yue Fei confessed on the horse. "The key is that Wang Taiwei sent a letter to all the counties, making the Jin soldiers think that we are the main force. Now there are too many Jin soldiers in the north..."
Tang Huai nodded immediately. This was exactly what he thought... He also wanted to go home, but as a mature person, he was more concerned about whether he could really go there.
"As for you, you idiot." Yue Fei once again squinted at Zhang Xian, his face becoming more serious. "Are we the same as Emperor Zhao? Emperor Zhao has his own selfish motives, but his selfish motives can mobilize the public spirit of the people. Only by relying on Emperor Zhao's selfish motives can we really drive away the Jin people and return home in peace! Don't talk nonsense like this in the future."
Zhang Xian felt aggrieved... You have to know that the words about Emperor Zhao's selfish motives were originally made up by his elder brother Yue after he came out of the imperial court, just like the treacherous Prime Minister Li Gang. However, as usual, his elder brother Yue came up with another set of reasons to refute his own words, and he, as his younger brother, was unable to refute them.
Of course, Zhang Xian was just feeling aggrieved, and he didn't dare to say anything in front of Yue Fei and Tang Huai.
Now that the three brothers had gathered together and had a rough understanding of the situation, they stopped talking and went out of the mountain pass together. They joined a team of seven or eight cavalry guards waiting outside and went back to the camp (Ji Qing's bandit nest) which was also in the valley.
It was a cold winter day, and the mountain roads were difficult to travel on. There were even scattered Jin cavalry scouts on the road. Yue Fei and his companions had an hard time along the way, and only returned to the camp with only a few hundred people until evening.
Seeing that Yue Fei was fine, the officers and soldiers of the camp, who had long been conquered by this general with great martial arts and strict military discipline, breathed a sigh of relief and secretly thought they were lucky. When they learned that General Wang did not pursue the matter and instead let off the hook, the whole camp was even more jubilant.
However, the matter was not over yet. Under the mist in the mountains at night, Yue Fei, who had just entered the tent, had not yet had time to have a hot meal when Wang Gui, Yue's most trusted and most relied upon brother, as well as the most capable and highest-ranking one, suddenly came into the tent again, apparently with a secret to tell in private.
"The General Jin that my brother captured actually revealed many secrets in order to save his life." Wang Gui said in a low voice.
"Since the first year of the Jing Kang period, this is the first time I have seen such a stupid Jin general." Yue Fei put down his bowl, stunned for a moment, and opened his eyes wide. He didn't know whether he despised the Jin general or didn't believe his brother's intentions.
"This is not a genuine Jin general." Wang Gui could not help but sneer. "Although this man looks like a Tartar, he is a Liao Tartar. Don't you know the nature of Liao Tartars?"
Yue Fei also laughed.
By the way, the brothers had rich military experience. Zhang Xian was still young in his early years and did not catch up, but Wang Gui and Tang Huai enlisted with him to join the brave warriors designed to attack Liao. They served under the famous minister Liu Qian and indeed met many Liao military generals. They knew that those people were old-fashioned, no different from the Song Dynasty at that time. It was just that now they followed new masters, and they couldn't help but become nervous again.
"Then it is credible. Tell me about it." Yue Fei picked up the bowl again and motioned Wang Gui to tell it in detail.
"Two things!" Wang Gui continued to whisper. "First, the Jin army's march southward this time was not a hasty encounter, but a large army marching southward, divided into two routes, east and west..."
Yue Fei was slightly startled, and then took a bite of rice.
"He said clearly about the west. Nianhan is the Grand Marshal. He has sent out 100,000 soldiers, 100,000 soldiers, 100,000 soldiers, and hundreds of cavalry generals. It is said that they are going to attack Shanzhou and Luoyang, sweep Hedong, and even advance to Guanzhong... He is not clear about the east. He only knows that roughly speaking, they are going to sweep Damingfu in Hebei, and then attack Qingzhou. Maybe they will even attack Nanjing!"
"How many soldiers are there over there?" Yue Fei, who had no idea that Emperor Zhao had fled south and then stopped, could no longer swallow his food. He put down his bowl and asked seriously.
"No more, no less." Wang Gui also answered seriously. "Because although there is no marshal over there, there are eleven thousand households! The vanguard and the deputy marshal who hold the fort are the sons and cousins of the old Jin emperor Aguda."
It was cold in early winter, but Yue Fei felt a rare heat in his chest. After digesting all this with great effort, he spoke again: "What about the second thing? How do you say it?"
"The second thing is that General Wang was full of ambition before, and he sent out proclamations to the counties of Hebei and Hedong, which caused the Jin army to panic and think that it was a legitimate army. Therefore, the Jin army here received an order to kill General Wang before they could go south..." For some reason, under the dim candlelight in the tent, Wang Gui stood on one side in armor, breathing out white mist, as if he had other intentions.
“That’s a good thing.”
Yue Fei stared at his brother's face, thought for a moment, then came to his senses, and then he relaxed a lot. "The Jin people are strong in cavalry, and they can't display their strength in the mountains. And Wang Taiwei's success or failure in the mountains does not depend on the disparity in military strength, but on whether he can suppress the people's hearts... And he can help Zong Liushou and Shanzhou and Luoyang to involve a lot of troops!"
Wang Gui nodded repeatedly: "Brother, you are right, that's what I think! Besides, I have been thinking about it all day. It is none of our brothers' business that Wang Taiwei has become a target. It is useless for us to stay here. But Wang Taiwei is not only helping the clan to stay and tie up the troops...Brother, why can't we take advantage of the fact that the main force of the Jin army is heading south and the Jin army here is going to surround Wang Taiwei first, and take the opportunity to go back to Xiangzhou from the outside? "
Yue Fei's heart moved, and he was also pleasantly surprised for a moment, and he was about to agree. However, the words got stuck in his throat, and for some reason, he couldn't utter them.
Wang Gui was surprised when he saw this, but like the other two, he always respected this "brother" who was the same age as him, so he didn't dare to say anything.
The two brothers stood and sat for a full stick of incense before Yue Pengju spoke slowly, using the tone he usually used when giving orders in the army:
"We can't take advantage of this and go to Xiangzhou! We have to go back to Henan quickly, tell Zong Liushou what happened, and then help Zong Liushou defend Tokyo!"
"elder brother?!"
Wang Gui was stunned for a long time before he understood the other party's order, but he found it difficult to understand. "It's not like we did anything bad. The Jin people wanted to go south, and Wang Taiwei wanted to pretend and attracted the main force of the Jin people nearby. Why can't I take advantage of this?"
"It's not about whether or not you can take advantage of this." Yue Fei stared at Wang Gui, his injured eye twitching again, but he spoke very seriously. "It's about understanding the truth..."
"How can I not go back when my home is in front of me?" Wang Gui was completely out of control.
Yue Fei felt mixed emotions, but he suppressed his emotions and explained earnestly to Wang Gui, the second-best person in the army:
"Brother, there are two types of going home: real going home and fake going home! If you go back now, you will certainly be able to get home, but you will definitely not be able to stay. In three or five days, three or five months, you will be driven out like chickens and dogs by the Jin people, and then the villagers will be massacred by the Jin people... Are you willing?"
When Wang Gui heard this, he thought of the hardships he had experienced in the past two years and burst into tears. However, he finally understood the truth and tried his best to answer, "Of course I don't want to!"
"So if we are good men, we must really go home!" Yue Fei stood up and held the other man's shoulders and said. "But if we really want to go home, there is only one way, that is to drive the Jin people out completely, or even to fight them back at home! But if we really want to drive the Jin people away, you have seen and heard that we must have a regular royal army that can fight against the Jin army of 100,000 or 200,000! And to have such a large army, the Song Dynasty must not fall, and the government must be safe! Otherwise, we can't even find military equipment! So if we want to go home now, we can only go south! Zhang Xian is a jerk, he definitely doesn't understand this principle, but you and Tang Huai must understand it anyway, otherwise I, Yue Fei, will really be powerless!"
Wang Gui was already convinced in his heart, but he just felt uncomfortable in his chest. Hearing these words, he suppressed the sourness in his nose and agreed to Yue Fei's request, promising to help him control the army and immediately cross the river to the south before the Jin army completely moved south.
Since Wang Gui had left the tent, Yue Pengju sat alone in the tent. He just mechanically picked up the bowl and put a mouthful of rice into his mouth. The young general was just like Wang Gui. He felt a sore nose and tears came out, but he quickly wiped them away and raised his head to hold them back.
The mountain wind howled at night. For some reason, Yue Fei, who could no longer remember what his son looked like, suddenly thought of the words Wang Yan had said to him during the day... The sun is shining! The sun is shining!
But how difficult is it?!
