Chapter 126: Unbroken

Bad things always seem to come in clusters. Within just a few days, Yue Fei had experienced allied defeat, comrade betrayal, his jurisdiction breached, and his benefactor dying for the country. He had barely managed to suppress the various indignations in his heart and had just stabilized the defensive line at the edge of his jurisdiction. Before any reinforcements or orders arrived, a serious incident that could absolutely be called an internal conflict erupted within the Yue Family Army!

It was absolutely an internal conflict, because the clash was between his own maternal uncle Yao Wang and his closest little brother, the Deputy Commander of the Central Army, Zhang Xian, who actually led the Tabai Army.

As mentioned before, Yue Fei's father died early, and his younger brother Yue Fan was not old, just a youth, not much older than Yue Yun. Under these circumstances, his maternal uncle Yao Wang, who had fled with his mother from Hebei, was actually his only blood-related elder... Blood is thicker than water, especially in a situation like this, right?

In fact, following the tradition of the times where one person's glory brings glory to all, Yue Fei had long since given his own maternal uncle the title of Commander, but had him lead a reserve force to manage the daily transport of grain and goods within Jizhou. It was only because the military situation was so serious this time that he was transferred to the front lines, yet he was still employed close to the command tent, not as a field commander.

As for Zhang Xian, there was even less need to say more. Together with Wang Gui and Tang Huai, plus Yue Fei himself, the four brothers, though young, had advanced and retreated together, faced life and death together for many years. They were truly like flesh and blood.

Under these circumstances, Yue Pengju, besides being furious, naturally had to inquire personally about the details... However, not asking was one thing, but after asking, Yue Fei became even more enraged!

It turned out that Yue Fei's uncle had let his ruffian habits take over, indulging his men in looting the wealth of refugee gentry from Danzhou and Yingtian Prefecture. Zhang Xian caught them red-handed in public and wanted to deal with it. But Yao Wang, presuming on being Yue Fei's own uncle and having received tribute from those soldiers, how could he let a junior bully him like this?

In the end, the two sides openly fought with weapons outside the camp. However, remembering that there was still one person above them, they stopped immediately when others stepped in to mediate, and there were not too many casualties. The matter was immediately handed over to Yue Fei for personal disposition.

Now, what kind of man was Yue Pengju?

This man was already one of the few in the world who valued military discipline. Moreover, after the Battle of Liangshanpo, combined with his simple desire to save his hometown in Hebei, he had become deeply convinced from the bottom of his heart that an army must have the heart to protect the country, the family, and save the people in order to achieve great things! If they looted without restraint, how were they any different from the Jin?

Otherwise, why would Zhang Xian go against an elder like Yao Wang? Wasn't it because Yue Fei constantly drilled it into them?

So, the result of the disposition did not surprise Zhang Xian and other close generals, but it did surprise Yao Wang and all the newly arrived generals... The looted wealth was forced to be returned, Yao Wang was publicly rebuked, given fifteen strokes of the cane, stripped of his Commander rank, and demoted to a Reserve General before the tent. Zhang Xian, on the other hand, was credited with a turn of military merit.

This incident also greatly shocked the newly arrived generals like Li Kui and Xu Qing. Afterwards, under their leadership, the newly arrived generals with various messy titles jointly petitioned, voluntarily requesting to have their own ranks reduced to Commander... That is a digression, not worth mentioning, and the matter seemed to be put to rest.

Thus, in the following days, Yue Fei sat idle in his isolated position. Seeing Kong Yanzhou lead ten thousand men around Jizhou, following the Jin army's route of advance from Jinan along the Jishui River to enter and garrison the great city of Nanjing, coordinating with the main Jin force to control the strategic hub of Nanjing, Yue Pengju, completely in the dark about the situation to the west, was burning with anxiety but dared not act rashly. He did not even dare to touch the inevitably empty Yanzhou behind him, only sending men to retrieve the not-so-numerous families of Xu Qing and other Hebei refugees in Yanzhou.

Time flowed on until nearly the end of the ninth month, when Yue Fei finally received a piece of news that was neither good nor bad — before his messenger could return, a force of nearly five thousand men came upstream along the Heshui River, heading here from the southeast.

Naturally, Yue Fei sent men ahead to scout, but the information brought back was anything but reassuring.

Because the arriving general, though claiming to be reinforcements sent by Zhang Jun's department, was not a named officer in the Right Wing of the Imperial Guard. Or, to put it bluntly, this man was Hu Cheng, one of the local strongmen and military bandits who had previously carved out a territory in Yizhou, a local bully from Yizhou who had only submitted to Grand Defender Zhang a month ago.

With Kong Yanzhou's disgraceful affair as a precedent, and Hu Cheng's hometown of Yizhou also being a marginal area under Great Song's control, it would be entirely reasonable for this man to cause trouble... Who knew why Grand Defender Zhang had sent this man as reinforcements?

But he was, after all, legitimate reinforcements, and he couldn't just be ignored.

So, upon hearing that Hu Cheng was approaching with his troops, for the sake of caution, Yue Pengju personally led his Central Army and Tabai Army, along with Wang Gui and Fu Xuan, who had just gathered their reserves to reinforce him because Yanzhou behind them was empty, a total of five thousand troops, and entered Danzhou territory, waiting at the junction of the Heshui and Henggou Rivers.

On the last day of the eighth month, the two armies finally met across the river.

By this time, Yue Fei's messenger had already returned, bringing the news that Hu Cheng was indeed sent by Zhang Jun. Yue Fei had already relaxed a bit. When the opposing force arrived, Yue Fei observed them briefly and, seeing no intention to fight, relaxed a bit more... So, Yue Fei decided not to wear armor, not to carry weapons, and not even ride a horse. He only took Zhang Xian, who wore a single saber, and actively walked onto the pontoon bridge he had previously built over the Henggou, inviting Hu Cheng to meet.

Hu Cheng did not disappoint Yue Fei either. He did the same, wearing only plain clothes, accompanied only by a trusted general with a saber for protection, and walked onto the pontoon bridge for the meeting.

At this point, the hostility between the two sides had essentially dissipated by ninety percent. After meeting and exchanging a few pleasantries, they each set aside their grievances, shook hands, and reconciled, as if all misunderstandings were cleared and all guard was dropped.

It was only then that Yue Fei learned why this man was here in his capacity.

"You may not know this, Yue Zhenfushi," said Hu Cheng, who was about forty years old. Though a local military bandit, he seemed somewhat educated. Despite a bitter smile on his face, his speech was quite refined, which matched Yue Fei somewhat. "My Grand Defender Zhang was originally stationed at Xiapi in Huaiyang Army. When Nanjing fell, Xiapi was naturally shaken as well. And my Grand Defender has received great favor from His Majesty, how could he dare to be negligent? He immediately sent Generals Liu Bao and Tian Shizhong with twenty thousand main force troops towards Suzhou and Bozhou, attempting to lean west towards Grand Defender Han, to support His Majesty's flank from the south. But with Nanjing lost and Grand Councilor Zhang completely unheard from, Grand Defender Zhang knew he was one of the two nearest regional commanders and couldn't ignore it, so he had to send me, who was originally in Yizhou, to deal with this..."

Yue Fei understood clearly. This was obviously Zhang Jun guessing that Zhang Suo was most likely dead and gone, that Nanjing was beyond saving, and that he held no hope for the three towns of himself, Kong Yanzhou, and Zhang Rong. So, upon hearing the news, he had immediately sent a newly surrendered miscellaneous Commander to go through the motions.

However, after thinking for a moment, Yue Pengju actually nodded seriously: "Grand Defender Zhang actually did well."

"Who can say he was wrong?" Hu Cheng's bitter smile deepened. "But what about us, Yue Zhenfushi and myself? I am a newly surrendered man, thrown into a hopeless situation surrounded on three sides. And you, Yue Zhenfushi, should not expect any more reinforcements from Grand Defender Zhang... You just said that Zhang Zhenfushi was badly defeated and could only hold Liangshanpo, which means he can at most hold Jinan for us. That leaves over ten thousand Jin cavalry in Nanjing and ten thousand of Kong Yanzhou's infantry. I'm afraid we'll have to deal with them together."

"We can't deal with them, and we don't need to." Seeing that the other man, though somewhat hesitant, was also honest, and with the military situation urgent, Yue Fei simply grasped one of his hands and spoke frankly. "I see the Jin posture is to hold Nanjing to the death, to support their flank and rear for the western campaign. They have no intention of reckless battle... Over ten thousand Jurchen cavalry, ten thousand of Kong Yanzhou's surrendered troops, and a strong city. Together we have twenty thousand men, but our combat power is uneven. We simply can't attack."

"In that case, wouldn't it be best to just sit tight?" Hu Cheng's heart stirred at this.

"My meaning is to ask Commander Hu to sit tight for me," Yue Fei said bluntly. "As for myself, I have received great kindness from Grand Councilor Zhang, from Vice Commissioner Zong, and from His Majesty. I absolutely cannot sit here and wait idly..."

Hu Cheng's heart moved, and he instantly understood the other man's meaning. He was then slightly moved: "Yue Zhenfushi wants to entrust Jizhou to me, and lead your troops west yourself? Your loyalty is truly admirable, brother, but we have only just met. I am unworthy of such trust."

Yue Fei sighed softly: "The situation is what it is. I am the one causing you trouble, Commander Hu... Let me be direct today. I have been sitting in this hopeless situation for days and have already thought it through. I originally had thirteen thousand men. Recently, Li Kui joined with five thousand, and Xu Qing with three thousand, totaling about twenty-one thousand. Since you, Commander Hu, have arrived, I will leave Commander Wang Gui with six or seven thousand men, and after weeding out the old and weak, we can gather seven or eight thousand to help you defend the city. That gives you twelve or thirteen thousand troops. I will take the remaining twelve or thirteen thousand elite troops and head west through Puzhou towards Dongjing to find Vice Commissioner Zong... What do you think?"

Hu Cheng thought for a moment. It was clear he still felt somewhat overwhelmed and was about to decline again.

Seeing this, Yue Fei quickly added: "If the military situation changes and Jizhou cannot be held, Commander Hu need not worry. I only ask that you do your best to save the families of my soldiers and withdraw them towards Xuzhou and Yizhou. I will be eternally grateful."

Hu Cheng had already been shaken in his heart when he heard the other man was actively seeking battle. Now, seeing him so sincere, entrusting everything upon their first meeting, and showing such righteousness, this man thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and agreed. But with one hand still clasping Yue Fei's, he turned and pointed with the other at the man following behind him, saying:

"With the Zhenfushi facing such danger without hesitation, how can I refuse again? This is my brother, Li Zhang, nicknamed Pugongdiao. I am a scholar by nature and don't understand military affairs. I was only pushed to be the leader because my family has some reputation back home. For marching, fighting, and charging into battle, I rely entirely on this brother... Let him lead the only two hundred cavalry I have in my department and accompany the Zhenfushi on your journey."

Yue Fei had already noticed the stalwart general behind the other man. Hearing these words, how could he not be delighted? He immediately released Hu Cheng's hand and stepped forward to clasp the hand of this Pugongdiao.

However, the moment their hands met, this Pugongdiao's expression changed. He put force into his grip, trying to pull Yue Fei down! But Yue Pengju was born with prodigious strength, and his basic stance was exceptionally solid. In that instant, he had already planted himself firmly, not moving an inch. Instead, it was Pugongdiao who nearly stumbled forward.

But it was at that moment, hearing a sound of wind too familiar coming from behind his ear, that Yue Fei suddenly realized what was happening, but it was already too late.

In an instant, the clear sound of an arrow piercing flesh was heard. Yue Fei turned his head and saw his own brother Zhang Xian, already with an arrow in his shoulder. He had clearly not had time to draw his saber and could only hastily shield Yue Fei with his arm.

Slightly relieved, Yue Fei looked further back, and for once, he lost his composure. He saw Wang Gui and the others apprehending a man on the bank of the Henggou. They stripped off his helmet, revealing the face of his own maternal uncle. Yue Fei was naturally deeply grieved.

"I've made a spectacle of myself before Commander Hu," Yue Fei said, looking at that spot for a long time before turning back. He showed the first bitter smile of the day on the bridge. "I will be back shortly..."

Hu Cheng didn't know Yao Wang's identity, so he had nothing to say.

A moment later, Yue Fei and Zhang Xian returned. He first had the army medic take care of Zhang Xian, publicly cutting open his clothes and cutting off the arrow shaft. Following the Imperial Court's transmitted "Military Hygiene Regulations," he sprayed the wound with strong liquor and dug out the arrowhead. Seeing that there seemed to be no serious injury, he then turned his head to look at his own maternal uncle, Yao Wang, whose face had long since turned pale.

"Fifth Brother, uncle was momentarily confused!" By this time, Yao Wang had long since calmed down. Seeing Yue Fei look at him, if Wang Gui and the others hadn't been holding him down, he would have immediately disregarded all propriety and kowtowed to beg for mercy. "Spare uncle this once, let me go back to Jizhou city and be a driver for your mother. I'll never seek wealth and honor in the army again..."

"Uncle was indeed confused," Yue Fei said, squinting at his own uncle, speaking slowly. "If you had said from the start that you joined the army to seek wealth and honor, how could I have let you join? But uncle insists on saying 'momentarily,' and I, Fifth Brother, cannot believe that... Wasn't today's action because you were still brooding over my public punishment and dismissal from your post last time? Didn't today's action get the idea from Xu Qing's story, thinking that if you killed me, you could blame it on Hu Cheng in the chaos, cause a battle between the two armies, and then use your position as my uncle to support Yue Yun or Sixth Brother (Yue Fan), or even carve out your own territory?"

Yao Wang opened his mouth to speak but didn't know how to refute. Finally, he could only grit his teeth and ask: "The foolish deed is done. How does Fifth Brother intend to deal with me?"

"In terms of your identity as a soldier, today was a subordinate attempting to assassinate the commander; in terms of your identity as my uncle, you wanted to kill your nephew and steal his foundation; in terms of you being a Song citizen, at a time like this, disregarding the Jin at our side and provoking a battle between two allied armies, you are a true Song traitor..."

"I just wanted to vent my frustration!" Yao Wang, hearing the severity, immediately disregarded everything to explain again. "I didn't have such vicious intentions! Think about it, when other families produce a great general, the army is their private property, and the soldiers can even build houses and do business for their families! When someone becomes a Zhenfushi or a Military Governor, they treat the entire military prefecture as their private property. Why is it different only here with you, Fifth Brother? Gold, silver, money, grain flow through your hands like water, but you throw it all into the army. Your own mother doesn't even have a few maids to serve her! I..."

"Enough," Yue Fei said. He had stood there quietly listening for a few sentences at first, but then grew impatient. "The country is in such dire straits, with hundreds of thousands of Hebei commoners dying. Grand Councilor Zhang in Nanjing has already died for the country. Even a pampered son like Xin Daozong didn't lose his dignity. You came from Hebei yourself and saw those tragedies with your own eyes, yet you only talk about this here? It's my fault. I should have made the rules of my army clear to you from the start... Wang Gui, Fu Xuan, you two Commanders, each hold one of his arms!"

Wang Gui was already holding Yao Wang. Hearing this, he instinctively pressed down. Fu Xuan, who had been standing aside, also instinctively stepped forward to replace Tang Huai. But both of them stopped halfway through their actions, their faces turning pale as they looked up.

"Let me handle it for you, elder brother!" Zhang Xian, who had just finished his bandaging, jumped up with a whoosh, supporting his saber as he stepped forward. "Elder brother need not ruin your own reputation for nothing!"

Tang Huai said nothing, but also looked up in shock.

"Elder brother," Wang Gui said, holding Yao Wang down while sweating profusely as he looked up to plead. "Yao Wang's crime today is absolutely worthy of death, but you don't need to do it yourself and bear this bad reputation!"

"What reputation? What is not fitting? If it were unfitting, then His Majesty should not have personally killed Liu Guangshi. But if His Majesty hadn't personally killed Liu Guangshi, Great Song would have perished last year!" Yue Fei said, pushing Zhang Xian aside. He drew the saber from the other's waist, the very one he hadn't had time to draw on the bridge earlier. Then he walked behind his own uncle and fixed Fu Xuan and Tang Huai with a stern look.

Fu Xuan and Tang Huai had no choice but to grit their teeth and switch positions. Then the former exerted force to hold Yao Wang down.

"Fifth Brother, you dare to kill me?" Yao Wang still couldn't believe it, even now. "How will you face your mother..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Yue Fei did not hesitate. With a single stroke of the saber, right in front of both armies, he pierced his own maternal uncle's throat.

The two armies stirred together across the river, but after a moment, as Yue Fei turned over and grabbed his blade to mount his horse, the Yue family army on the north bank of the Henggou instantly fell silent. Several thousand soldiers all lost their voices, and then it affected Hu Cheng's Yizhou troops on the opposite bank.

As for Wang Gui, Fu Xuan, and the others right in front of him, they were utterly panicked and lost their composure.

"What happened today—my uncle ambushing me—the root of it is still that time he plundered without authorization." Yue Fei looked at the soldiers before him, raised his bloodstained blade level, and spoke loudly. "To keep any of you from misunderstanding again and repeating this old mistake, I will tell you once more in public today... I, Yue Fei, have joined the army four times. The first time was to fill my belly! The second time, besides making a living, I also had some thought of gaining rank and merit! But starting from the third time, after experiencing the great battle of Taiyuan and seeing with my own eyes the complete fall of Hebei and Hedong, the Jin killing and plundering without restraint, wantonly massacring cities and looting—from that moment on, I have been single-mindedly determined to drive out the Jin dogs and restore the Two Rivers! I no longer harbor the slightest thought of using this to gain promotion and wealth! As for you all, if you want promotion and wealth, go elsewhere, but do not enter my command!!"

Yue Pengju's final words thundered like thunder, echoing with the howling autumn wind.

The entire army was awed and silent, and even Hu Cheng and Li Zhang, who were curiously watching from the bridge, exchanged glances of dismay upon hearing these words. Then, beyond their previous goodwill, they also felt reverence.

After delivering his speech, Yue Fei turned to look at Zhang Xian beside him and raised his blade toward him: "You, come here!"

Zhang Xian hurried forward, dragging an arm that had just been bandaged, ready to take the blade. But Yue Fei did not rush to give it to him. Instead, he sat upright on his horse and said seriously: "Punishment must be balanced with reward... Last time, you stopped this man from plundering the people. This time, you saved my life and averted a great disaster. I promote you to Commander of the Forward Army!"

"Understood..." Zhang Xian quickly responded, then took the blade.

"One more thing." Yue Pengju looked at his younger brother and continued, but lowered his voice. "I originally thought you were the youngest and most naive among our brothers, but lately, I see your conduct shows signs of becoming a great man... As your commander, I naturally promote you in rank, but as your elder brother, I must also make some gesture... I will use this matter to change your name!"

"As my elder brother commands." Zhang Xian's mind was still somewhat dazed, so of course he had nothing to say.

"Commissioner Zhang burned himself to death. I don't know if his son Zhang Xian has returned to Nanyang. And Zhang Xian happens to share a similar name with you... I'm not asking you to be adopted or anything, but the character 'Xian' meaning law and order is better than 'Xian' meaning prominence. You previously corrected Yao Wang's misconduct with an unwavering hand, just like enforcing the law firmly. So I want to change your name to Zhang Xian." Yue Fei said slowly. "I hope you will remember what has happened these past few days, never lose sight of the law, and you will surely become a great man!"

Zhang Xian—that is, Zhang Xian now—had always let this elder brother make all decisions. Besides, it was just changing to a homophone, hoping to encourage himself through it. So he immediately dismounted and knelt down to accept.

Yue Fei also quickly dismounted, helped Zhang Xian up, and then called the medical officer forward to properly re-bandage him.

Thus, a few days later, on the third day of the ninth month, having received a small reinforcement, the Jizhou Pacification Commissioner Yue Fei left Wang Gui, Hu Cheng, and others to guard Jizhou, while he himself hastily led a picked force of twelve thousand men, including the generals Fu Xuan, Zhang Xian, Tang Huai, Li Kui, Li Zhang, Xu Qing, and countless lesser officers. They hurriedly crossed the Jishui north of Liangshanpo, trying to pass through Puzhou to relieve Dongjing.

As soon as the Yue family army reached Puzhou, they encountered a local hero named Li Bao, who roamed the Yellow River with three thousand naval troops ashore, trying to capture Puzhou, which was occupied by the Jin. The two forces joined up and easily took the undefended Puzhou. It was then that Yue Fei learned that the other Wanhu, Elubu, had crossed the river from Puyang in the west and was heading south through this area. He also learned from Li Bao that the Jin Grand Marshal Wanyan Zonghan was currently stationed in Damingfu behind Puyang, with a great army continuously gathering there. Li Bao had been unable to hold his ground upstream and had come here.

Puyang was a famous city under heaven, with strong fortifications. And because of the special geography of the Yellow River in these years (the lower reaches split into four or five branches), it formed a continuous area with Damingfu. If the Jin held these two places, they could firmly control the key route of the Yellow River. Under these circumstances, the gain or loss of Puzhou, which was adjacent to the Yellow River, had become meaningless.

So Yue Fei strongly urged Li Bao to abandon Puzhou with him and take the opportunity to head west to support Huazhou and Dongjing, whose enemy situation was unknown. Li Bao, a local hero of Jingdong who made his living on the Yellow River, hated the Jin deeply. Seeing that Yue Fei's troops were formidable, he readily agreed to follow.

Now, Yue Fei led his army westward with one purpose, knowing little of the battle situation west of Puyang. He was truly risking his life to forge ahead. Meanwhile, far away in Nanyang, after the initial chaos, His Majesty Zhao had finally pieced together a general picture from intelligence gathered from various sources.

"So, the Jin divided into five routes and crossed the river in a surprise attack together?"

In the Yushan camp, Zhao Jiu stared at the rough map for a long time, then tentatively traced on the map and asked Liu Ziyu.

"The two eastern routes: Ali stealthily crossed at Jinan, Elubu forced a crossing at Puzhou—both succeeded, and they broke through and captured Nanjing (Shangqiu) in a surprise attack. Commissioner Zhang died for his country. The two Jingdong routes, not to mention falling again, are effectively cut off by Yingtianfu (Shangqiu). The two central routes: Yelu Ma Wu from Huazhou and Wanyan Balisu from the Sishui Pass west of Zhengzhou launched a surprise attack together, trying to outflank Dongjing, but were blocked respectively. The westernmost route: Wanyan Saba tried to surprise Li Yanxian, but was discovered beforehand by the Hedong Red Scarves. They joined forces with the two Zhais in Xiezhou to lure the enemy deep, set up an ambush successfully, and directly defeated them?"

"That should be about it." Liu Ziyu paused for a moment, then confessed frankly. "In fact, the general outline was within the Privy Council's expectations. Commissioner Zhang in Jingdong was the weakest, while the Deputy Director Zong in Dongjing was the strongest... The only major loss was Commissioner Zhang being caught off guard and dying for his country in haste. As for Grand Coordinator Li being able to repel the enemy, that was an unexpected joy. The key now is: where are Wanyan Zonghan, Wanyan Loushi, Wanyan Wushu, and Wanyan Dalai? Will they cross the river? When and where will they cross? This must be thoroughly investigated!"

"Correct, this is the most important matter! Aside from this, the two Privy Councilors must quickly discuss the military merits of Li Yanxian, along with the two Zhais and Li Yanxian's three subordinates—Shao Yun, Shao Xing, and Shao Long. At this critical time, they must be given especially generous rewards. Then send a note to Minister Lu in the city, asking him to discuss posthumous honors for Commissioner Zhang and such matters. His family remaining in Nanyang should also be treated favorably. Actually..." Zhao Jiu responded seriously, but as he spoke, he couldn't help pausing before continuing with a sigh. "Actually, I should have long reminded Commissioner Zhang not to worry about the temporary palace. I truly forgot about this matter."

"Understood!" Liu Ziyu responded solemnly, then said seriously: "Your Majesty, please do not dwell on the matter of Nanjing. Commissioner Zhang, as a subject, upheld his duty as a minister. He did so willingly, and this should be encouraged, not mourned over."

"Your servant also thinks so." Lu Yihao stepped forward, agreeing with Liu Ziyu for once. "Commissioner Zhang is a model for high officials. His conduct is precisely meant to tell the world that the Great Song also has a Military Commissioner who died for his country! Just like Academician Li (Li Ruopu)'s elder brother (Li Ruoshui) and Adjutant Liu's father (Liu Ge) during the Jingkang era—all such heroes. In times of war, if Your Majesty shows such grief, these men might feel it was not worth it if they knew from the underworld!"

Hearing this, Li Ruopu and Liu Ziyu each bowed solemnly again.

"I know." Zhao Jiu looked down at the map, guessing the position of the Jin main force while waving his hand repeatedly. "I am not so ignorant of priorities. I paused just now only because I had not met Commissioner Zhang many times, and I suddenly could not recall his face. My heart could not help but feel gloomy."

From Lu Yihao on down, everyone in the military quarters paused almost in unison, just as His Majesty Zhao had done moments before, because most of them could not recall it either.

ps: One more digression—Li Zhang, as a famous assault general in the Beiwei Army, was originally from Hu Cheng's unit...