Chapter 147: One-Zhang Green

The Zhao lord was right—there was a delay in information transmission. By the time the military report reached Nanyang, and while the Jin main force sat idly by as Wang De displayed his prowess and smashed the auxiliary army east of the city, the twenty thousand Eight-Character Army under Wang Yan's leadership had already successfully crossed the river and arrived at Dongjing.

In this process, Nianhan, the foremost figure in the Jin army who was least likely to be useless, reacted immediately. He dispatched a force of five thousand men and gave the commanding Battalion Commander Gao Jingshan full authority to act on his own.

However, Gao Jingshan followed Wang Yan to the banks of the Yellow River, watched him cross, but never launched an attack. Instead, he turned straight back to Great Ming Prefecture.

The reason was simple: Gao Jingshan, a veteran general of Goguryeo descent, believed his five thousand troops were no match for the enemy.

Moreover, ever since the Great Song effectively abandoned the Two Rivers region, the Eight-Character Army had been active in the Mount Taihang area. For a year and a half, they fought almost daily, constantly losing and retreating, yet they rose again after every defeat and grew stronger. Without realizing it, they had become perhaps the most battle-hardened and least fearful army facing the Jin forces.

This unit was also different from the pure volunteer army at Mount Wuma. They possessed an undeniable tradition and lineage from the Great Song court. This year, by some stroke of luck, they had missed the Jin army's early large-scale sweep and spent the autumn in relative peace, conserving their strength. With ample troops and supplies, they now gathered in force—twenty thousand men marching south in perfect order. Gao Jingshan, despite holding five thousand freshly rotated Jurchen cavalry from the Huazhou front, lost the courage to engage them in open battle!

And so, without a single arrow fired, they went their separate ways.

When the Jin army returned to Great Ming Prefecture, Nianhan did not blame Gao Jingshan. On the contrary, having suffered from the volunteer armies before, he almost immediately endorsed Gao Jingshan's judgment and, deep down, lost any desire to breach Dongjing.

A ruined capital, stripped of gold, silver, craftsmen, and women—now dry and hard—it was better to sit comfortably in Great Ming Prefecture and let Wanyan Dalai, Wanyan Wushu, and Wanyan Loushi fend for themselves.

In truth, Nianhan at this point was more focused on Jinan Prefecture.

This was not because Liu Yu and his son in Jinan were particularly good at flattery. In fact, Liu Yu's patron was Wanyan Dalai. The Jin high command had long planned to establish a Han vassal state south of the Yellow River, a policy pushed by the monarchist faction to which Wanyan Dalai belonged.

But after this campaign—witnessing the massive uprising of Hebei volunteer armies and the months of fighting in Henan, which was both smooth and difficult—Nianhan, as a top Jin politician, keenly realized that using Jurchens to completely rule all of China was a pipe dream. The "vassal policy" of the monarch Wanyan Wuqimai and the Right Vice Marshal Wanyan Dalai might be more correct to some extent.

So this leader of one of the three major Jin factions, the supreme military commander, now had no intention of further military action. Instead, he was eager to settle the matter before Liu Yu's original patron, Wanyan Dalai, could, so he could claim this political achievement for himself!

According to his recent communications with the Shanxi direction, three Han vassal states should be established south of the Yellow River: the Qi state in Shandong, headed by Liu Yu; the Qin state in Guanxi, headed by Zhe Keqiu; and then, after the Nanyang matter was settled, find another suitable Han hero to set up a Zheng or Chu state.

There was no need to keep the Zhao Song!

That's right... Liu Yu had only bribed Wanyan Dalai. After Wanyan Dalai traveled west to the west side of Dongjing, this number one Song traitor had worried he might be targeted. But he never imagined that the real big shots of the Jin army would be scrambling to make him some kind of Han emperor!

This was practically the mandate of heaven! Much more reliable than cutting a white snake or foxes calling out!

And far better than the Zhao Song bullying widows and orphans!

Not to mention that Wanyan Nianhan gradually lost interest in military matters, his mind full of political issues, treating Gao Jingshan as warmly as a spring breeze.

On the other side, Wang Yan led twenty thousand troops into Dongjing, but it was anything but harmonious—the trouble came from Yue Fei, the current de facto military commander within Dongjing city.

As everyone knew, Yue Fei had some grievances with Wang Yan. Over that old mess, Yue Fei had nearly been killed in Hebei by Wang Yan's staff officer, Xiao Fan, and then nearly executed by the Dongjing Defender Command officials... Of course, each side had its own story, and Wang Yan had eventually given Yue Fei a service record to untie the knot, so it wasn't a mortal feud.

Later, under Zong Ze, Yue Fei rose rapidly, achieving the great victory at Liangshanbo and becoming a Pacification Commissioner. The situation had changed on two levels: first, his status was now established, and he led his own troops, leaving no reason for conflict; second, as Yue Pengju matured and became a big shot himself, looking back at his unauthorized departure, he felt somewhat embarrassed.

So, as soon as Wang Yan crossed the river, following Du Chong's order to station the Eight-Character Army at Qingcheng south of Dongjing, Yue Fei proactively sent troops to meet him and dispatched Fu Xuan as an envoy to meet Wang Yan. He asked Wang Yan to take the route through Yuetai west of Dongjing, wanting to meet face-to-face and then host a banquet to apologize.

In response, Wang Yan not only hosted a fine banquet for his former subordinate Fu Xuan but also readily agreed to Yue Fei's invitation.

Then, on the eighteenth day of the twelfth month, Wang Yan indeed led the twenty thousand-strong Eight-Character Army in a grand procession between the small town of Yuetai and Dongjing city, heading toward Qingcheng to the south of Dongjing.

Yue Fei, who had specially come to Yuetai where Zhang Xian was stationed, along with Fu Xuan, had long prepared a banquet inside the town. They changed into plain clothes, wrapped their heads in scarves, and assumed a sincere posture of a former subordinate. Braving the cold wind, together with Zhang Xian and others, they gathered a large crowd and stood by the roadside to wait.

Yet Wang Yan, who had agreed so readily, rode a tall horse, surrounded by countless Eight-Character Army soldiers, along with Xiao Fan and other close staff, and passed by Yuetai without changing expression, heading straight for Qingcheng. From start to finish, he never even glanced at the roadside.

Instantly, tens of thousands of soldiers from both armies knew: Yue Pengju had come eagerly to apologize, only to humiliate himself.

"Big Brother!" Zhang Xian was stunned, watching Wang Yan ride past without a sideways glance. It took him a moment to recover, his face flushed red, unable to hold back any longer. "That bastard is humiliating you!"

"I know."

Yue Fei stood with his hands clasped by the roadside, letting out a sigh, but only glanced sideways at the endless stream of Eight-Character Army soldiers. These soldiers, passing by, also looked at the group by the roadside with strange expressions, clearly aware of what was happening.

"And you can still take it?" Zhang Xian was furious, almost drawing his sword if not for strict military discipline.

In truth, Zhang Xian's reaction was understandable. The Song army's culture was like this—troops from different units often brawled over grudges. At the slightest disagreement, a commander here might kill a commander there, or that commander might kill this army supervisor—it was all common.

In another timeline, Wang De once refused to accept Han Shizhong as his leader and directly killed the deputy general Han Shizhong sent. Though he was imprisoned for it, nothing much came of it in the end.

The key point was that now, with Yue Fei publicly inviting Wang Yan to drink and apologize, and Wang Yan publicly humiliating him, if Yue Pengju didn't retaliate, everyone—following the military customs of the time—would conclude that the fault in that old case lay with Yue Fei.

Otherwise, why would you swallow this insult?!

"What else can I do if I don't take it?" Yue Fei finally turned back to ask. "Attack? We're about to fight a battle—start an internal conflict first? And drag Commander Fu into it?"

Fu Xuan, already deeply embarrassed, saw Yue Fei like this. He was both angry at Wang Yan for humiliating him along the way and grateful to Yue Fei for saving face. He repeatedly clasped his hands in thanks.

Zhang Xian was speechless, but still couldn't let it go. He stamped his foot and said, "Big Brother, you're a Pacification Commissioner now, not his subordinate general from back then. Why do you still have to tolerate him?"

Fu Xuan could only sigh at this.

But Yue Fei, instead of getting angry, laughed: "If I were still a subordinate general back then, do you believe Commissioner Wang would have dismounted and comforted me? It's precisely because I've become a Pacification Commissioner that he went to such lengths to humiliate me! As for Commander Fu, he's just collateral damage."

Zhang Xian was momentarily confused, while Fu Xuan understood a little, then shook his head repeatedly.

Yue Fei sighed softly: "Commissioner Wang is a man of good birth and high talent, like Guan Yu—arrogant toward superiors but lenient toward subordinates... That's why, when I opposed him back then, he still gave me a way out, and why he genuinely entertained Commander Fu when he went to see him. But now that I've become a Pacification Commissioner, almost on equal footing with him, it's stirred up his arrogance, leading to today's incident."

Zhang Xian thought it over but was still frustrated: "So we just let it go?"

"A great battle is imminent. If you keep making an issue of this, I'll deal with you first!" Yue Fei's expression suddenly turned stern.

Zhang Xian was left helpless.

Although Yue Fei had endured this humiliation with a stoic face, since this incident had occurred, it was no longer appropriate to remain by the roadside as a spectacle.

Zhang Xian returned to the small town of Yuetai, sulking behind closed doors to eat and drink, while Yue Fei and Fu Xuan immediately mounted their horses and headed into Dongjing city.

By the afternoon, just as the two entered the city, Commander Li Kui was already waiting there. He stepped forward to report: "Pacification Commissioner! I heard that Lady 'One-Zhang Green' of Commissioner Ma's household entered through the south gate this morning. She first went to visit Defender-in-Chief Zong, and now she's probably going to see Vice Defender Du!"

Yue Fei's heart lifted with joy, then tightened. He abandoned his original plan to visit Zong Ze and, on the broad, empty streets of the city, spurred his horse, leading Fu Xuan and Li Kui to race toward the Kaifeng Prefectural Office where Du Chong was staying.

As they reached the office, by coincidence, they ran straight into a middle-aged woman of about twenty-eight or twenty-nine, girded with iron armor—it was none other than Lady 'One-Zhang Green', Lady Ma!

"Sister-in-law!"

Seeing her, Yue Fei immediately dismounted, clasped his hands, and bowed respectfully to the woman. Fu Xuan and Li Kui also quickly dismounted and bowed.

In truth, if it were her husband, Ma Gao—a senior commander of the Dongjing Defender Command highly regarded by Zong Ze—Yue Fei might not have needed to be so courteous, and even Fu Xuan might not have needed to bow. But Lady Ma herself was an exception.

This was because Lady Ma, though a woman, was born with great strength, as her nickname suggested... 'One-Zhang Green' referred to a type of large python with considerable power. During the time of the former Daoist Emperor, among the thirty-six leaders of the Song Jiang bandits, there was one called Zhang Heng, also nicknamed 'One-Zhang Green'... From this, one could see that Lady Ma's strength and martial skill were truly formidable.

In fact, Lady Ma often personally donned armor and took up weapons, charging into battle alongside her husband. She was considered a brave general within the Dongjing Defender Command.

However, although everyone knew Lady Ma was the second-in-command in Ma Gao's army and a de facto officer in the Dongjing Defender Command, according to the customs of the time, she could not be listed in the official military roster. So Lady Ma had no rank or position, rising and falling only with her husband Ma Gao.

So no matter how high Yue Fei's rank was, as long as he hadn't shed his purely military identity and become a 'lord', when meeting her, he couldn't put on airs. He had to follow the martial arts world's customs, calling her 'Sister-in-law' and treating her with respect.

And to be honest, Lady One-Zhang Green had always taken good care of him in the past.

In fact, within the Dongjing Defender Command, thanks to her special status, Lady One-Zhang Green could say things her husband couldn't, go places he couldn't, and do things he couldn't. Combined with her warm personality, she had earned the title of everyone's 'Sister-in-law'.

And that Commander Ma Gao could stand slightly above the other commanders within the Eastern Capital Defense Command owed three or four parts of that to this lady.

"Fifth Brother!" When Lady Ma saw Yue Fei, she could not help but beam with joy, and she also dismounted to face him. "Has your sister-in-law not seen you for a full year?"

Yue Fei quickly clasped his hands again: "Elder Sister-in-law, actually it hasn't been a full year. I left after the Lantern Festival at the start of the year, so it's still one month short."

Lady Ma saw that he was still as honest as before, and couldn't help shaking her head with a smile while holding the reins: "No matter what, it's good that you're back! You're a man from Hebei—why go mix with those locals in Jingdong? Now that Marshal Zong's health is failing, and Prefect Du is about to be formally installed, and you're both a fellow townsman of Prefect Du and a Pacification Commissioner... we were discussing things down south, and everyone said that this time you might even become Vice Commissioner or Commander-in-Chief!"

Upon hearing this, Yue Fei had no mind for such matters and immediately turned serious: "Elder Sister-in-law, what are you all thinking down south? I heard that before the twelfth month, ten commanders down south actually swore brotherhood together. What are their intentions? As imperial troops, to imitate bandits and swear brotherhood—if this reaches the Marshal and the Prefect, if it reaches the court in Nanyang, what will they think? And this time, Prefect Du received an imperial decree and specifically summoned all ten commanders here. Why have you come alone?"

"We're all family, so your sister-in-law won't hide it from you." This Yizhangqing was straightforward, stepping forward and speaking in a low voice. "That oath-swearing earlier was all Sang Zhong's idea. My husband also thought it wasn't right and originally disagreed. But later, seeing that Marshal Zong's health had failed to the point where he couldn't even issue a single order, and the Jin were fighting fiercely in Jingxi, it was hard to clap with one hand, so he agreed and became the eldest brother. But really, it was just that everyone saw how bad the situation was, with no one in charge, and grew fearful, so they made that vow. According to Sang Zhong, it was only to prevent anyone from breaking the rules and causing internal conflict—just a precaution! Still, down south, when we heard that Prefect Du was taking over, everyone was happy, because Prefect Du is from Hebei..."

Yue Fei listened with a deepening frown, but given the current situation, he couldn't say much.

To be fair, if it were this time last year, Yue Pengju might have directly believed Yizhangqing's words... In fact, he still believed them now, because he knew that Ma Gao and most of the commanders of the Eastern Capital Defense Command who joined the oath-swearing were mostly just steeped in the ways of the martial world. In that previous situation, it was almost certainly to band together for survival, with no ill intent.

Especially the couple Yizhangqing and her husband. Her husband Ma Gao was older and had the bearing of an elder, while Yizhangqing herself was not particularly knowledgeable, just an exceptionally skilled and warm-hearted woman.

These two could not have any ill intent.

So where did the problem lie?

Very simple. Over the past year, Yue Fei had hardly had a single day of leisure in Jizhou. Training in martial arts, studying, drilling troops, fighting battles—his understanding had grown beyond what it once was. He knew clearly that the historical records showed plainly that the founding emperor of this dynasty had risen to power with the help of his ten sworn brothers from the Righteous Society, eventually leading to the robe being draped over him.

At this moment, with the state in chaos, these ten commanders, each commanding several thousand troops, had formed a brotherhood of ten. How would the central government and the Eastern Capital view this?

Not only that, but Sang Zhong, who had first stirred things up, was no ordinary man... Sang Zhong had started as a minor officer under Zhong Shidao. Like Li Qiong, who remained in the Eastern Capital, he was a man of understanding. He could hardly be unaware of such historical precedents. But if he knew and still caused this, what was his real intention?

Let me add here: Yue Fei's insight was now different from before. After serving as Pacification Commissioner for over half a year and experiencing so many events, when he looked back at his former colleagues in the Eastern Capital Defense Command, he could already roughly tell who had ability and who did not, who could be used and who needed to be guarded against.

For example, in terms of ability alone, the six most capable in battle were Li Qiong, Sang Zhong, Cao Cheng, Wang Shan, Zhang Yong, and the couple Ma Gao.

For example, in terms of reliability alone, the more trustworthy ones were the couple Ma Gao, Zhang Yong, Liu Wenshun (Monk Liu), Li Bao (Sick Guan Suo), and Li Qiong, who was subtly at odds with Yue Fei.

There were also a few who just went along with the crowd, like Li Hong, Ma You, Xu Yan, and others.

Beyond these, Sang Zhong, Cao Cheng, Wang Shan, and Zhang Yu, who had surrendered to the Jin, were either proud and arrogant or dissatisfied with the internal systems of the Great Song. They often had improper words and actions. It was just that Zong Ze's handling was skillful enough to keep it merely 'improper.' Now that Zong Ze had fallen ill, they should have been watched.

However, despite all this, the Jin's southward advance had stirred the waters into complete chaos. Everyone, due to their circumstances and positions, had met different fates and shown different behaviors:

Zhang Yu, the 'Swarm,' surrendered to the Jin outright upon seeing the main Jin army.

Wang Shan, who usually had 'When the world is in chaos, rich and poor, noble and base, shall be re-determined' on his lips, ended up quartered in the same city as Han Shizhong and had no extra words, behaving more reliably than anyone.

Li Qiong was from Xiangzhou, a scholar by background, skilled in both letters and arms, and amiable with others. He had arrived late and was only a Commander before, but under the heavy pressure of the current situation, he happened to be in the Eastern Capital city. Meeting his fellow townsman Du Chong rising to power, he was immediately promoted to Commander, taking charge of the remaining forces of the Eastern Capital Defense Command within the city, becoming the second-greatest general in the Eastern Capital after Yue Fei... But for some reason, this Li Qiong, always amiable, had shown a bit of resentment toward Yue Fei since becoming Commander.

As for Zhang Yong, he had been reliable, but his garrison at Yanling was adjacent to the front lines. Facing repeated demands from Wang Sheng, a general under Han Shizhong, to attack and rescue Han Shizhong in a suicidal manner, he grew defiant, abandoned the city, and retreated to Fugou behind him.

Around Fugou, there were many routed troops and defeated generals like Zhang Yong. The ten commanders of this oath-swearing had gathered there, including Ma Gao, Sang Zhong, Zhang Yong, Cao Cheng, Liu Wenshun, Li Hong, Ma You, Xu Yan, plus two newcomers this year whom Yue Fei didn't know well—Qi Fang and Liu Zhong. Exactly ten commanders, at a time of national crisis, chose to stand by and watch, becoming the Ten Sworn Brothers!

And once the ten brothers had sworn their oath, the remaining troops of the ten families, gathered together, numbered about thirty to forty thousand, making them difficult to handle.

Back to the present. Yizhangqing, as the envoy, faced Yue Fei's interrogation and stated their intentions very directly:

First, they were willing to accept the formal appointment of Du Chong, the Prefect of Kaifeng, who was from Hebei.

But at the same time, because of their previous defeats and various actions, and with Zong Ze's illness, they were also panicked, afraid that Du Chong, who had a reputation for 'bloodthirst,' might have them executed. So the ten commanders dared not come to the Eastern Capital in person for the time being, instead hoping that Du Chong would lead his troops to them, making it convenient for them to atone for their crimes through merit.

Yizhangqing told this to Yue Fei, hoping that he, as Du Chong's fellow townsman, would act as a mediator.

What else could Yue Fei do? He had even endured the humiliation from Wang Yan before, so how could this be any different?

And so, Yue Pengju took the initiative to seek an audience with Du Chong, conveying the arrival of Wang Yan and the intentions of the ten commanders south of the capital. But unexpectedly, he did not mention anything about the Ten Sworn Brothers.

"So, Wang Yan really has arrived with a solid twenty thousand troops?"

Du Chong was a *jinshi* from the Zhezong era, now sixty years old. Three sons and one son-in-law had already entered officialdom, making him a recognized senior minister here. With his dignified and stern appearance, he had the bearing of a great official. But upon hearing such good news in the rear hall, he instead showed some disappointment.

"Yes!" Yue Fei clasped his hands and replied solemnly, drawing a cold sidelong glance from Li Qiong, who was standing by in attendance.

"And the ten commanders south of the city are also willing to follow my orders, but are just momentarily afraid, so they want to muster their troops and wait for me in the south?" Du Chong continued, clasping his hands behind his back and turning to press further.

"Correct."

"How many troops do they have? I want the truth." Du Chong stroked his graying beard and sighed.

"I asked Lady Ma. Solidly, there are still thirty-six to thirty-seven thousand." Yue Fei answered directly.

"The city originally had twenty thousand troops—ten thousand garrison troops and ten thousand scattered troops from the surrounding area. You brought another sixteen to seventeen thousand. That adds up to seventy thousand. Add Wang Yan's twenty thousand, and regardless of Han Shizhong or Li Yanxian, we ourselves have ninety thousand troops. Then can we really immediately dispatch eighty thousand troops?" Du Chong frowned more and more deeply.

"Correct."

"And they are all willing to follow my command..." Du Chong shook his head repeatedly. "In that case, I can no longer delay and must set out immediately?"

Yue Fei sensed something wrong and instinctively asked: "Your Excellency, do you not intend to set out?"

Du Chong shook his head repeatedly but did not speak this time.

ps: I'm exhausted, haven't slept slumped over like this in a long time... forgive any typos, I can barely keep my eyes open.