In the chilly winter of Northern China's mountainous region, Yue Fei, his heart heavy with frustration, rode alone away from Wang Yan's stronghold. He hadn't gone far before turning into a mountain pass. A gust of cold wind cleared his head considerably.

Indeed, Yue Fei was undeniably a man of extraordinary talent:

Born into a traditional Northern farmer's family, where neither of his older brothers had lived to adulthood, he possessed superhuman strength, as if descended from gods or demons. His martial prowess advanced rapidly, making him the unrivaled hero of the army he was today – a warrior perhaps one in ten thousand!

One must understand that Zhao Jiu's ability to draw a bow requiring one and a half *shi* of strength was already enough to boast about his civil and military skills. Yet Yue Fei could effortlessly handle a three-*shi* bow, and his crossbow required an astonishing eight *shi* to draw!

Not only that, but despite focusing on martial arts in his youth and helping his parents with farm work, he also made rapid progress in literacy and scholarship. He was once dismissed from his post as an archer in Xiangzhou for brawling while drunk at twenty years old, but by twenty-four, he was able to write a memorial of thousands of words to the Emperor… a remarkable feat in those days.

And a few years later, the quality of his poetry reached an even higher level, needing no further elaboration.

Most importantly, in the face of national turmoil, this young man's character and moral fiber were also developing at an astonishing rate… In his youth, he was far more impulsive and stubborn than he was now. However, through various experiences, he had transformed significantly.

Just as he was now, standing firm, staring blankly at the Taihang Mountains, Yue Pengju vaguely understood that both he and Wang Yan had acted somewhat improperly today.

Wang Yan's personality was originally like his own in the past: stubborn, self-important, with a black-and-white view of the world. He possessed the boldness and flaws of a military man, as well as the airs and limited perspectives of a scholar who had read a bit. But today, he had surprisingly chosen tolerance and magnanimity, though the reason was unclear.

Similarly, Yue Fei considered himself a person who was good at learning and correcting his mistakes. Although his inherent nature was difficult to change, he rarely repeated them after experiencing a specific incident. For example, concerning the impeachment of Li Gang, Yue Pengju had realized how valuable a prime minister like Li Gang truly was on his journey from the imperial court. And after crossing the river this time, he vaguely realized that to resist the Jin, one had to consider the overall situation, gather strength from the rear, and then cross the river northward with a majestic army to truly recover Hebei!

In fact, this was the root cause of his conflict with Wang Yan's strategy and his questioning of Wang Yan today – guerrilla warfare in the mountains was not impossible, but it was impossible to truly defeat the Jin cavalry with it!

Yue Fei wanted to reclaim lost territory!

However, when the moment came, he still lost his composure, still couldn't restrain his resentment, and still mixed in too much personal emotion!

But compared to Wang Yan's abnormal and difficult-to-discern behavior, the reason for Yue Fei's own abnormality had been pointed out by Wang Yan himself: this was Xinxiang, and Xiangzhou was just ahead!

Even this mountainous area beneath his feet was familiar to Yue Fei, because Tangyin was in southern Xiangzhou, and this mountainous area was north of Xinxiang, only a hundred *li* or so away. And a hundred *li* away, his mother, wife, and eldest son, Yue Yun, who was born shortly after he married at sixteen, were all there, but now there had been no news of them for years, and their fate was unknown.

His hometown was ahead, but he was in such a difficult situation. No wonder Grand Commandant Wang pitied him!

However, back in the present, Yue Fei had to make a choice – with the Jin army's heavy troops outside, should he still try to go to Xiangzhou?

"Brother!"

Just as Yue Fei stood on his horse, expressionless, squinting at the majestic Taihang Mountains, his heart filled with turbulent emotions. Suddenly, two riders appeared from the mountain pass, and the leader called out to Yue Fei as soon as he saw his figure.

Without looking or asking, Yue Fei knew that it was Zhang Xian, the most lively of his brothers. He could even guess that Tang Huai, who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside and taciturn, was behind Zhang Xian.

Zhang Xian, Tang Huai, and Wang Gui, who was undoubtedly holding down the fort in their camp, were Yue Fei's closest brothers. They all came from Tangyin County, a hundred *li* to the north. They had learned horsemanship and martial arts together from their mentor, Zhou Tong, in their youth. After growing up, they started as local archers, moving from place to place, always supporting each other and never abandoning each other.

Calling them his right-hand men was an understatement; they were practically brothers.

"Brother!" Zhang Xian rode up to him, still anxious. "That Grand Commandant Wang has a bad temper. Did he make things difficult for you?"

"No," Yue Fei turned around and said with a smile. "On the contrary, he gave us a document, allowing us to lead our troops wherever we want."

"How could he be so easy to talk to?" Even Tang Huai, who was usually stern-faced, was surprised.

"We thought that Grand Commandant Wang was going to harm you, brother!" Zhang Xian was even more lively. "If that's the case, doesn't that mean we can go home? When are we leaving? After picking up Aunt and Sister-in-law, and our relatives, are we coming back?"

"Listen to your brother," Tang Huai suppressed Zhang Xian with a cold look. "It's not that simple. There are dense Jin troops ahead, and they're all cavalry. We only have seven or eight hundred soldiers, three hundred of whom are bandits under Ji Qing who were just recruited. How can they be useful?"

"It's not just a matter of them not being useful," Yue Fei didn't hide anything in front of his brothers. "The key is that these people are all good men who are willing to resist the Jin. Putting ourselves in their shoes, how can we send them on the road north for the sake of our own selfish desires?"

"What selfish desires are you talking about?" Zhang Xian immediately became agitated. "Does that mean that going to Tangyin isn't resisting the Jin? If you really want to talk like that, then didn't Zhao Guan's family trick us brothers and more than seven thousand good men into crossing the river, and then abandoned us, making us end up in this situation even though we clearly won the battle? Wouldn't that mean that we seven thousand people were sent here for the selfish desires of Zhao Guan's family?"

Tang Huai instinctively wanted to reprimand Zhang Xian, but the words caught in his throat and he couldn't bear to say them. "Brother, Tangyin is ahead after all! Your Yue Yun is already eight years old. Don't let him not recognize you when he sees you!"

"I'm just hesitant," Yue Fei confessed on horseback. "The key is that Grand Commandant Wang sent out proclamations to the various commanderies, making the Jin army think that we were the main force. Right now, there are really too many Jin troops in the north..."

Tang Huai nodded immediately, which was exactly what he was thinking… How could he not want to go home? But being mature, he was more concerned about whether they could really get there.

"As for you, you idiot," Yue Fei glanced at Zhang Xian again, his expression becoming much more serious. "Are we the same as Zhao Guan's family? Zhao Guan's family is selfish, but his selfishness can mobilize the public interest of the world. Only by relying on Zhao Guan's family's selfishness can we truly drive away the Jin and return home safely! Don't talk nonsense like that in the future."

Zhang Xian felt injustice in his heart... He must know that the words ‘Zhao Guan’s family is selfish’ were the words that his eldest brother Yue had made up after coming out of the temporary capital, just like that treacherous minister Li Gang. However, as usual, after a while, his brother Yue would come up with another set of principles to overthrow the words he himself had made up, and he, as a younger brother, couldn't refute them.

Of course, Zhang Xian only felt injustice in his heart, and he didn't dare to talk nonsense in front of Yue Fei and Tang Huai.

Having said that, the three brothers gathered in one place, and after generally understanding the current situation, they didn't say much more. Instead, they turned out of the mountain pass together and joined the team of seven or eight personal guards waiting outside, and went together to the camp (Ji Qing's bandit den), which was also in the mountain depression.

The winter weather was cold, and the mountain roads were quite difficult to walk on. There were even scattered Jin cavalry scouts on the road. Yue Fei and his party worked hard all the way, and it was only in the evening that they returned to the camp with only a few hundred people.

Seeing that Yue Fei was safe, the officers and soldiers of his own troops, who had already been subdued by this general with high martial arts and strict military discipline, breathed a sigh of relief and secretly rejoiced. When they learned that Grand Commandant Wang hadn't pursued the matter and had instead let go, the entire camp was even more jubilant.

However, things were not over yet. Under the thin mist in the mountains in the evening, Yue Fei, who had just entered the tent, had not yet had time to eat some hot food, when Wang Gui, the most trusted, most relied-upon, most capable, and highest-ranking of these brothers of the Yue command, suddenly turned back into the tent, seemingly having confidential matters to discuss privately.

"The Jin general that brother captured, in order to save his life, actually took the initiative to reveal many secrets," Wang Gui said in a low voice.

"Since the first year of Jingkang, this is the first time I've seen such a cowardly Jin general," Yue Fei put down his rice bowl, stunned for a moment. His eyes widened, not knowing whether he was despising the Jin general or not believing his brother's words.

"This is not a proper Jin general," Wang Gui couldn't help but sneer. "Although this person looks like a Tatar, he is a Liao Tatar. And don't you know about Liao Tatar's nature, brother?"

Yue Fei laughed along.

They brothers were experienced in military affairs. Zhang Xian was still young in the early years, and didn't follow. However, Wang Gui and Tang Huai followed him to respond to the volunteer soldiers set up for the attack on Liao, and served as soldiers under the famous minister Liu Ge. They did see a lot of Liao military generals, knew that those people were old and lifeless, just like the Great Song at that time, but now that they have followed a new master, they can't help but shake up again.

"Then it's credible, tell me about it," Yue Fei picked up his rice bowl again, signaling Wang Gui to tell him in detail.

"Two things!" Wang Gui continued in a low voice. "Firstly, this time the Jin army is heading south, not a hasty encounter, but the whole army is heading south in two routes..."

Yue Fei was slightly stunned, then took a bite of rice.

"He made it clear here on the west side, that it was Nianhan as the grand marshal, and a total of ten *wanhu* (ten thousand households) and one hundred thousand soldiers were dispatched, with one hundred *qianhu* (thousand households) below, and hundreds and thousands of cavalry generals. It is said that they are going to attack Shanzhou and Luoyang, sweep Hedong, and even advance into Guanzhong... He is not clear about the east side, but he only knows that it is roughly the same, that is, to sweep Daming Prefecture in Hebei, and then attack Qingzhou, maybe even go to attack Nanjing!"

"How many soldiers are there over there?" Yue Fei, who did not know that Zhao Guan's family had already fled south and then stopped, could no longer swallow the rice, and put down the rice bowl directly, asking seriously.

"Only more, no less," Wang Gui also replied solemnly. "Because although there is no marshal over there, there are eleven *wanhu*! The vanguard and the deputy marshal at the rear are even the sons and cousins of the old Jin emperor Aguda."

Early winter was cold, but Yue Fei rarely felt a stuffy heat in his chest. After spending a lot of effort to digest these things, he spoke again: "What about the second thing, how does he say it?"

"The second thing is that Grand Commandant Wang was complacent before, and the proclamations to the prefectures of Hebei and Hedong did make the Jin army a little panicked, thinking that it was a proper army, so the Jin army here got the order to kill Grand Commandant Wang before they could head south..." I don’t know why, under the dim candlelight in the tent, Wang Gui was standing on one side in armor, exhaling, with white mist surrounding him, seemingly with other intentions.

"This is a good thing."

Yue Fei stared at his brother's face, thought for a while, woke up, and then felt a lot more relaxed. "The Jin people are powerful in cavalry, they can't use it in this mountain at all, and Grand Commandant Wang is in this mountain, success or failure does not depend on the disparity in strength, but on whether he can suppress the hearts of the people in the mountain... But he can also help Zong Liushou and Shanzhou, Luoyang to involve a lot of troops!"

Wang Gui nodded repeatedly: "Brother is right, I was thinking the same way! Moreover, I thought about it privately all day today. Wang Commandant has become the target, and it has nothing to do with our brothers. It is useless for us to stay here. However, Wang Commandant is not only helping Zong Liushou to contain the troops this time... Brother, why can't we take advantage of the main force of the Jin army going south, and the Jin army here has to surround Wang Commandant first, and take the opportunity to detour back to Xiangzhou from the outside?!"

Yue Fei's heart moved, and he was also surprised for a while, he was about to agree, but when the words came to his throat, he couldn't say it out.

Wang Gui was surprised when he saw this, but like the other two, he always admired this 'brother' who was the same age as him, so he dared not say much.

The two brothers stood and sat, stuck for a full incense stick of time, and then Yue Pengju slowly said, using the tone of ordering in the army on weekdays:

"We can't take this advantage to go to Xiangzhou! We have to go back to Henan quickly, tell Zong Liushou about it, and then help Zong Liushou to defend Tokyo!"

"Brother?!"

It took Wang Gui a long time to understand the other party's order, but he found it difficult to understand. "This is not that we have done something bad. The Jin people will go south themselves, and Wang Commandant will pretend to be like a result and attract the nearby Jin army's main force. Why can't I take this advantage?"

"It's not whether this advantage can be taken," Yue Fei stared at Wang Gui, his injured eyes twitching again, but he said very seriously. "But to understand the truth..."

"How can there be a reason not to go home when home is in front?" Wang Gui completely lost control.

Yue Fei's heart was filled with mixed feelings, but he tried to restrain his emotions and explained earnestly to Wang Gui, the second in command of the army:

"Brother, there is a difference between real home and fake home! If we go back at this time, we can certainly get home, but we will not be able to stand firm. In three or five days, three months or five months, we will be chased out by the Jin people like chickens and dogs, and then implicate the villagers to be slaughtered by the Jin people... Are you willing?"

Wang Gui heard these words, and remembered the wandering in the past two years, and instantly burst into tears, but he finally understood the truth, and勉力 replied: "Naturally unwilling!"

"So our good men have to go home, we have to go home!" Yue Fei got up and held the other party's shoulder and said. "But if you want to truly go home, there is only one way, that is to completely drive out the Jin people, or even fight back to their home! But if you really want to drive away the Jin people, you have also seen it and heard it, then there must be a regular royal army that can face the Jin people's hundreds of thousands or two hundred thousand troops! And if you want to have such an army, the Great Song must not fall, and the officials must be safe! Otherwise, we will have nowhere to find military equipment! So if we want to go home at this time, we can only go south! This truth, Zhang Xian is a bastard, he definitely doesn't understand, but you and Tang Huai must understand it anyway, otherwise I, Yue Fei, will have no arms!"

Wang Gui was already convinced in his heart, but he just felt uncomfortable in his chest. At this time, when he heard these words, he tried to restrain the sourness in his nose and responded to Yue Fei, promising to help him restrain the army and cross the river to the south immediately before the Jin people completely went south.

Since Wang Gui came out of the tent, Yue Pengju sat alone in the tent, just mechanically picked up the rice bowl, put a mouthful of rice in his mouth, this young general, like Wang Gui, directly felt a sour nose and shed tears, but he quickly wiped it off, and raised his head to restrain himself.

The mountain wind howled at night. For some reason, Yue Fei, who could no longer remember his son's appearance, thought of the words Wang Yan said to him during the day... Heaven's Day is Bright! Heaven's Day is Bright!

But how difficult it is?!

ps: I was hurt by yesterday's chapter, please forgive me for yesterday's big chapter, let me adjust it on Friday night, there will be no update at night, I hope the bosses will forgive me.

By the way, promote a book——"The Traitor's Way of the Great Song Dynasty", a new book by a big boss in the same period, a new book in the same period of the same history... 40,000 words to promote 160,000... If you think it's too young here, you can try it.