Chapter 217: The Dry Old Man and the Big-Eyed, Small-Eyed Man

Zong Ze and the others arrived at Jinqian Alley Brothel Courtyard around noon.

They saw the courtyard full of princesses, but no trace of Lin Dao.

"My lord is in seclusion." Tai Shang Eldest Daughter Zhao Yu Pan, leading her three younger sisters playing mahjong, "Probably back by evening."

He glanced at the several mahjong tables in the courtyard, and those two strange iron cars.

Zong Ze responded with a salute, turned around, and withdrew.

A courtyard full of princesses; they, as subjects, should not linger too long.

"Clang!"

At the courtyard gate, a two-wheeled iron car was accidentally knocked over by Yue Fei.

He hurriedly helped it up, but did not know where to place it.

Fortunately, Ande Empress Dowager Zhao Jinluo took the opportunity to push aside a hand of terrible mahjong tiles and spoke up to guide him as he had just regained his footing.

They withdrew from the Brothel Courtyard.

Zong Ze instructed, "First take care of business, come back at the hour of Xu."

Zong Ze, who served as Grand Councilor and Acting Prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture, vigorously reorganized Bianliang City.

That is, the Taixue Students led the Deliberation Army out to various places to distribute land; otherwise they would all have been arrested by him.

Daring to depose the Emperor?

Truly a great rebellion against the Dao.

This probably amounts to the counterattack stage of the Loyalist Faction.

At the hour of Xu, Zong Ze led the Generals to visit the immortal again.

"That's strange."

The princesses, having finished dinner, crowded inside the two carriages watching dramas.

Jia De Empress Dowager Zhao Yu Pan came out to speak, "In the past at this hour, my lord had already emerged from seclusion."

"I don't know what happened today; he still hasn't come back."

"Why don't you wait a bit longer?"

Zong Ze said he could wait.

This wait lasted from the hour of Xu until the hour of Hai.

Outside the courtyard, Zong Ze and the others paced anxiously; inside, the princesses watched dramas until laughing to tears, sweeping clean all the snacks and drinks in the cabinet.

Looking at the sky, Zong Ze shook his head, "This immortal is indeed quite busy."

"Let's go, come again tomorrow."

The next morning, Zong Ze and the others came to the Brothel Courtyard again and finally saw the immortal.

Yawning, eyes red, clearly lacking spirit, Lin Dao greeted, "Come?"

"Zong Ze and Yue Fei have come; the others go back."

Leading the two onto a carriage, Lin Dao opened the cabinet and found it empty inside.

He muttered, "Not afraid of getting fat."

His figure suddenly disappeared.

Zong and Yue, curiously surveying their surroundings, stood dumbfounded on the spot.

"Pengju, am I seeing things?"

"Your Grace, it's real!"

"This is a true immortal!"

If there had been doubt before, now seeing is believing, and the two were shocked into silence.

Not long after, Lin Dao appeared again, carrying large bags full of snacks and drinks.

He stuffed the things into the cabinet, took two bottles of drink, and threw them to Zong Ze and Yue Fei.

"I've been a bit busy lately."

What he said was true, not an excuse.

Roufu Princess confirmed she was pregnant, and Lin Dao was the busiest.

Hurrying to Yonghe Spacetime and Chongzhen Spacetime to sow seeds, he had been busy until now before returning.

According to his speculation, this should be the result of his transmigration ability being corrected after shattering the Jin army's main force outside Bianliang City and preventing the Jingkang Humiliation.

After finishing these, Lin Dao then seriously surveyed the two.

Zong Ze, a thin little old man.

For years he had been mixing at the bottom of local states and counties, and had even retired after Dazhi.

He had once been listed among traitors because of the struggle between the New and Old Parties.

If not for the Jin invasion from the south, he probably would only appear in some historical figure's biography, mentioned in a few strokes, at best rated as a faction member.

But the real Zong Ze, with his nearly seventy-year-old frail shoulders, bore the great responsibility of the shattered land and rivers!

At the same time, he provided shelter for the young Yue Fei, giving him the core troops and resources to start out.

This is an old man worthy of respect.

"Master Zong."

Smiling, Lin Dao handed over a stool, "Please sit."

For the great Song officials, he usually greeted them with fists and feet.

Actively offering a chair is definitely extremely respectful.

Compared to the thin Zong Ze, Yue Fei beside him appeared much taller.

Song Dynasty conscription had a hard requirement: height at least five feet five inches or more.

Unlike the handsome pretty-boy young male roles in film and television dramas, the Yue Fei before him had a standard square face, upright and dignified.

Because he had suffered from an eye disease, one eye was larger than the other.

His eyebrows were very thick, his arms very thick, and his hands were covered in old calluses left from years of martial practice.

His build was extremely sturdy, even slightly fat.

Regarding this man, Lin Dao had memorized his works when he was in school and knew his life story.

A spiritual totem!

"General Yue~"

Another stool was passed over. "Please sit."

Zong Ze to the side glanced sideways, surveying.

When giving a stool to himself, it was passed over with one hand.

When giving a stool to this young fellow Yue Pengju, it was passed over with both hands.

Such a clear difference in treatment and attitude~

Why?

"I won't say much unnecessary nonsense."

Lin Dao took out the remote, turned on the LCD screen. "You two watch for yourselves."

'If you betray me, I will abandon you, never to meet again~~~'

Watching the handsome man and beautiful woman on the screen exchanging affectionate lines, Lin Dao exited and reselected without changing expression.

This bunch of imperial princesses have gone crazy chasing dramas!

Selected a Yue Fei film and television drama, started continuous playback.

Lin Dao reached out, signaling. "Please watch."

This watch lasted from morning until deep night.

In between Lin Dao delivered meals a few times, but the two of them hardly touched them.

Lin Dao, returned from the Modern World, raised his head to look at the sky full of stars, then stepped onto the RV again.

As soon as he got in the vehicle, he saw the dry old man sitting there wiping tears.

His gaze turned to the screen — it was the Wind Wave Pavilion segment.

The screen was floating with bullet comments of various colors, all tearfully begging for Yue Fei to live~

Lin Dao looked at Yue Fei, only to see him sitting there motionless, expression unchanged.

This mental fortitude, truly nothing to say.

Finally finished watching.

Old man Zong Ze immediately started cursing. "Hey, Kang Prince! This old man observes his physiognomy — he's no good thing!"

"A loyal minister as loyal and true as Pengju, yet suffered 'groundless charges'!"

Worthy of mixing in the Great Song Court.

At a glance he saw through it — Qin Gui is just a knife!

Lin Dao stared at Yue Fei.

Only to see Yue Fei raise his hand to touch his own face. "My face isn't that white."

Years of wind and rain, rushing about on campaigns — how could one go onto the battlefield with a white face?

"There are dramatic elements."

Lin Dao pointed out the toilet location for Zong Ze. "But the main theme and context are indeed true."

Yue Fei fell silent.

His current identity — to call him a middle-layer commander of the Song Army is already flattering praise.

He's just a low-ranking officer with a bit of martial reputation.

But in the Kunlun Mirror this Immortal spoke of, he had become the Great Song's backbone, its pillar.

Wholeheartedly northern expedition, recovering the land and rivers — that is indeed his aspiration.

Just this ending~~~

He also didn't know what to say.

Here Zong Ze fastened his belt and came out, saluting Lin Dao without the slightest reservation.

"This bow thanks the Immortal for saving the Great Song, for saving Bianliang City."

The dry old man gritted his teeth. "Without the Immortal, the Jingkang Humiliation — such an eternal disgrace — would have nailed us all to the pillar of shame in the history books!"

Lin Dao accepted calmly.

Immediately stepped forward to help him up. "You are also someone I admire."

"Before death still not forgetting to cry out three times 'Cross the River' — it's recorded in the history books."

Zong Ze stood up, his wrinkled face also revealing a joyful smile.

"First half of life dissolute and unrestrained, thought this life would just be like that."

"Never expected, come old age, there would actually be a chance to leave a name in history."

"Hahahaha~~~"

Glanced at the subtitles on the LCD screen, Lin Dao supplemented.

"After Yue Fei died, the Yue Family Army disintegrated, many surrendered to the Jin people in the north."

"For over a thousand years since, in the armies of all dynasties, there was never again a loyal commander like Yue Fei."

"Yue Fei's death took away the military soul and integrity in the army."

Zong Ze flew into a great rage. "Dog thief! Dog thief!!"

"Disaster to the nation and calamity to the people!"

"Not one of his whole family is a good thing!"

Lin Dao looked slightly surprised: "You really believe it?"

"Believe it!"

The old man's expression was serious: "Just for killing so many Jurchen dogs for me, whatever you say, old man believes!"

This old man was a resolute fighter against the Jurchens.

Whoever fought the Jurchens, he supported.

Even on his deathbed, he wanted to shout about crossing the river~

Lin Dao, with godlike ability, crushed the Jurchen Main Force and killed so many Jurchen dogs.

In this skinny old man's eyes, he was absolutely more of an Immortal than a true Immortal.

"Immortal."

The young man Yue Fei stood up and cupped his hands: "I want to go fight the Jurchens."

Lin Dao looked at him with a stern face: "Still want to serve the Zhao Song Court?"

The expressionless Yue Fei lowered his head and pondered for a moment.

"I only fight for the people of Hebei."

"Not just that." Lin Dao shook his head. "There are also the people of Hedong, the people of Yan-Yun Sixteen Prefectures, and the people of all under heaven."

"Do you know why Wanyan Gou must kill you?"

"I don't know."

Movies and TV dramas didn't show it, only saying it was destroying the great peace plan, and welcoming back the Second Sage threatened Zhao Gou's legitimacy, and so on.

But no matter how you think about it, it feels unreliable.

"The real reason is that you distributed land to the survivors of Hebei and to the soldiers under your command!"

"Land is the most important tool of exploitation for the ruling class."

"You gave the land to the common people; how can the ruling class of the Great Song exploit them?"

"You have shaken the foundation of their rule!"

"Zhao Ji's true supporters are the great landlords everywhere."

"You touched their foundation; how could they tolerate you!"

Lin Dao calmed his breath: "When you were young, you once worked as a thug for the Meihua Han Family."

"Have you ever thought: if every family in Xiangzhou had enough fields to support themselves, who would still work as a laborer for landlords like the Meihua Han Family?"

"Without exploitation, how could they maintain their luxurious lives and their superior status?"

Lin Dao raised a hand and pointed at Yue Fei, then spoke again,

"You touched the fundamental interests of the Great Song ruling class."

"This is the root cause of why they must put you to death."

"Fighting the Jurchens is removing external threats."

"The corrupt flesh within must also be cut out and dug out along with it."

"From county to prefecture to state, the local powerful nobles and landlords must be thoroughly eliminated, and the land redistributed to the local common people."

"Land buying and selling must be completely prohibited."

Lin Dao turned to look at Zong Ze: "To prevent the powerful nobles from counterattacking and turning the tables."

"Here in Bianliang City, we must dig out their roots!"

Zong Ze frowned: "The Court and the various Great Kings are all present."

"Only Kang Prince is outside, and has already grown into a force."

Lin Dao nodded: "His side, I will go resolve."

Dongping Prefecture, a thousand li away.

Kang Prince Zhao Gou, whom Lin Dao and the others were thinking of, was desperately fleeing on horseback.

Behind him, hundreds or thousands of Jurchen cavalry were madly pursuing.

Wanyan Zongbi slashed down Huang Qianshan, who was kneeling on the ground begging for mercy, and raised his arm shouting.

"Catch up, capture the Song's Great Marshal~~~"

End of Chapter