Chapter 107 Reclaiming the Central Plains This time, we must reclaim the Central Plains and return the Yellow River to us...
Yue Fei's arrival brought hope to Songyang County—a hope that was inspiring, progressive, and indomitable.
Du Fu was deeply moved and looked up at Yue Fei. Upon hearing Wei Shun's reply, this national hero let out a long sigh of relief, as if a burden had finally been lifted, and he seemed several years younger.
People crave to know the future, which ultimately stems from the fear that their current efforts will be in vain. But Yue Fei was different; his greatest worry was never personal gain or loss. Whenever he tossed and turned at night, unable to sleep, what appeared before his eyes were always the displaced people, the women and children crying out in agony under the iron hooves of the Jin soldiers.
As long as the cause of resisting the Jin dynasty is not accomplished, the people will suffer for another day—suffering that they should not have to bear.
Yue Fei arrived quickly and left just as quickly; he was merely an outsider invited by Jiang Ge. Moreover, in Yue Fei's view, the Song Dynasty needed him more than Songyang County.
Songyang County has so many civil and military officials who have been remembered for generations, it really doesn't need another one like him.
As Yue Fei was silently reflecting on his situation, he suddenly caught sight of a thin figure pacing into the courtyard. The man was pale and beardless, with a sinister look in his eyes. He always walked with an unconscious hunchback, resembling a jackal ready to strike at any moment. This appearance... Yue Fei couldn't help but frown. He didn't look like a virtuous gentleman at all; he seemed more like a treacherous villain.
Wei Zhongxian was always as perceptive as a snake in detecting the gazes of others. He suddenly raised his head, meeting Yue Fei's scrutinizing eyes without flinching, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
There was neither flattery nor any attempt to please in that smile—Yue Fei was a Song dynasty man, while Wei Zhongxian was no longer the servile eunuch he once was. The smile was as faint as a wisp of mist in winter, yet as deep as the undercurrent in an ancient well, making it impossible to discern whether he was being overly friendly or mocking.
The moment their eyes met, the air in the courtyard seemed to freeze.
Wei Zhongxian's slender eyes narrowed slightly, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes holding an indescribable charm. He maintained the humble posture unique to eunuchs, yet his straight neck and slightly raised chin exuded an unspeakable arrogance.
"Greetings, General Yue. I am Wei Zhongxian of the Ming Dynasty."
He was being modest by not calling himself "Nine Thousand Years Old".
Wei Zhongxian greeted Yue Fei first, then glanced at the large bag Yue Fei was carrying. At first glance, it was full of valuable items, some of which even Wei Zhongxian himself had never bought.
I really didn't expect that.
Just by showing up once, I was able to get so much.
That's great.
Why wasn't he so lucky?
But it won't be long; no one in the entire Songyang County has made greater contributions than him.
Just as Yue Fei was about to introduce himself, Wei Zhongxian stopped him, saying, "General Yue, I have long heard of your great name."
That's true. The story of Yue Fei's unwavering loyalty to his country has long been a part of folklore. From old farmers in the fields to children in the streets, who can't recount a few legends about Yue Fei's army?
Even an ignorant eunuch like Wei Zhongxian had listened to storytellers' vivid tales during his leisure time.
"You flatter me." Yue Fei bowed slightly. He didn't know Wei Zhongxian's identity, but he still subconsciously kept his distance from him.
Yue Fei didn't stay long, after all, the cause of resisting the Jin on the Song Dynasty's side was still waiting for him. Only he could handle this matter, and this trip to work was merely a matter of bringing in outside help.
"Magistrate Jiang, next time something like this happens, remember to call us again." Yue Fei turned around, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and spoke in a loud, clear voice. The Yue Family Army soldiers behind him straightened their backs upon hearing this, their eyes shining with anticipation.
This battle was truly worthwhile—it not only stretched their muscles and bones but also provided so many supplies for the anti-Jin cause. The young soldiers had even begun whispering among themselves, calculating how much good stuff they could bring back next time.
"Okay, don't worry."
Jiang Ge agreed with a smile.
Just as Yue Fei was getting ready to set off, Kui Shun suddenly squeezed through the crowd.
This usually taciturn man seemed like a different person at this moment, forcefully stuffing a small bundle into Yue Fei's hands. The bundle was not large, but it was heavy, and through the coarse cloth, one could feel the various objects inside—there were angular blocks, smooth and rounded utensils, and fine, sand-like particles.
Although the quantity of the items wasn't large, they represented Kui Shun's heartfelt sentiments. They were also the wages he had painstakingly saved up. Unlike Qin Shubao and the others, he didn't buy the finest things for the imperial court, and he even bought very few things for himself.
These things were of little use to him; the items he received in exchange for his wages could only be of the greatest use in Marshal Yue's hands.
Yue Fei untied a corner of the bundle and was stunned. Inside were several neatly stacked packets of snow-white refined salt, glistening in the sunlight; a pair of transparent glasses carefully wrapped in cotton cloth, their walls as thin as cicada wings; and a small jar of pepper, more valuable than gold, its unique pungent aroma filling the air as soon as the lid was lifted. These were all rare items; an ordinary person might not be able to afford even one of them even after saving for ten years, along with other miscellaneous items.
"This is...?" Yue Fei's voice trembled slightly.
"These are the sentiments of the people of the Song Dynasty, just some worthless trinkets..." Kui Shun paused, then suddenly straightened his back, "but in Marshal Yue's hands, they will surely come in very handy!"
Yue Fei's throat bobbed, and the weight in his palm felt like a thousand pounds. These were no ordinary objects; they were clearly the most genuine concern of an ordinary citizen for his country. He thought of the soldiers in the barracks gnawing on hard bread, of the groans of wounded soldiers lacking medical care, and of the longing eyes of the refugees—this package was worth a thousand pieces of gold.
After Yue Fei left, everyone began to deal with the aftermath of the great battle.
A gentle evening breeze swept across the battlefield, swirling up a few withered yellow leaves. Zhuge Liang, holding a feather fan, stood on the steps, watching the people clearing the battlefield. His gaze fell on a hunched-over jailer in the crowd—Kui Shun was laboriously dragging a corpse, his movements clumsy yet remarkably earnest.
"Kui Shun." Zhuge Liang slowly walked down the steps and called to the jailer who was about to leave, "Come with me for a while."
The two walked side by side along the river. One was the famous prime minister of Shu Han, and the other was a lowly jailer. Yet, they forged a rare friendship in Songyang County, a place in a different world.
The two figures were reflected on the river, one tall and one short, one refined and one unassuming, yet both were gilded by the sunset.
"Just now I saw you give all your savings to General Yue," Zhuge Liang said, gently waving his feather fan, his voice gentle yet cutting to the heart of the matter, "Do your wife and children at home know about this?"
Kui Shun was taken aback by these words. He smiled憨厚ly, revealing a few bright teeth: "Your Excellency, you jest. My wife is the most sensible person..."
Zhuge Liang stopped and looked at him with piercing eyes: "You are paid a meager salary, you have an elderly mother to support and young children to raise. Why don't you think about your family first?"
Moreover, Kui Shun could no longer work as a laborer in the Song Dynasty.
Kui Shun scratched his head blankly.
“I learned a skill from Lord Zheng, and my descendants will be able to live comfortably just by relying on that skill. We don’t need too much money; too much money is just a burden.”
He was surprisingly easygoing about this; besides, he could easily make a fortune by simply buying a glass and reselling it.
However, ever since witnessing Yue Fei's death at Dali Temple, Wei Shun has gained a different understanding of life.
Gold, silver, jewelry, fame, fortune, and power are all fleeting illusions.
When Yue Fei returned to the Song army camp, the entire Yue Family Army was in an uproar.
"Marshal, what...what are these things?" Zhang Xian's eyes widened as he carefully held up an alloy steel knife, its blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight. He tried to chop at the wooden stake beside him, and with a snap, the thick stake broke in two, the cut surface as smooth as a mirror.
"This...this..." Niu Gao stammered, unable to speak, his rough hands constantly stroking the blade. "I, Old Niu, have never seen such a sharp knife in my entire life!"
Not only had Lao Niu never seen one before, but no one in the entire Song Dynasty had ever seen such a sharp knife, capable of cutting a hair in two. Even the legendary divine weapons were no more than this.
Yue Fei smiled slightly, took out a telescope and handed it to Yang Zaixing: "Try this."
Yang Zaixing took the instrument with some skepticism and placed it before him as instructed by Yue Fei. Suddenly, he was jolted and nearly fell off his horse: "My God! I can see the Jin army flags ten miles away clearly! This... this must be some kind of telescopic vision?"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers gathered around, eager to try it out. Everyone who saw it wore an expression of disbelief; some even knelt and kowtowed, believing that Yue Fei had received a divine gift.
"That's nothing." Yue Fei excitedly took out another walkie-talkie and told Wang Gui to take another one and ride away. When Wang Gui's voice came from the palm-sized iron box, the soldiers present were all dumbfounded.
"A...a monster!" A young soldier was so frightened that he backed away.
"Stop talking nonsense!" Yue Fei shouted sternly. "This is a magical treasure from the immortals, to help us recover our lost territories!"
What shocked the soldiers most was the effectiveness of the antibiotics. Yue Fei personally applied medicine to several soldiers with festering wounds, and in just two days, those wounds that could have been fatal began to heal miraculously. The veterans were moved to tears; they knew this meant how many brothers could return home alive.
When Yue Fei displayed potatoes and sweet potatoes in his command tent, even the usually composed Li Ruoxu couldn't sit still: "Marshal, is this true? Can these... these clods of earth really yield a thousand catties per mu?"
“It is absolutely true.” Yue Fei nodded solemnly. “I have already ordered people to cultivate experimental fields in the back mountains. If it is true, the people of our Great Song Dynasty will no longer have to go hungry next year.”
As night fell, the soldiers remained immersed in excitement around the campfire. Some were meticulously polishing their newly acquired steel swords, others were studying their compasses intently, and still others were gathered together discussing the miraculous elixirs.
"With these treasures, what is there to fear from the Jin thieves!" an old soldier with a full beard slapped his thigh and laughed.
“Yes, the Marshal must be blessed by heaven!” another soldier chimed in, his eyes shining with confidence in the future.
With so many treasures, many fewer people will die in the future.
Standing before his command tent, Yue Fei gazed at the brightly lit military camp and listened to the soldiers' hearty laughter, a surge of boundless pride welling up within him. He looked up towards the north, towards his homeland.
Now, all that lands there are the iron hooves of the Jurchens.
"This time..." Yue Fei clenched his fist, the hilt of his steel sword leaving a deep mark on his palm, "I will definitely recover the Central Plains and reclaim my land!"
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Author's Note: I'm begging Jinjiang to give me a good ranking tomorrow! [Rabbit head with vertical ears] Please!
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