Chapter 521

The morning at Black Cloud Stronghold had once been shrouded in brief tranquility.

The drill sounds on the drill field, the work chants in the farm settlement, and the teaching voices in the Martial Lecture Hall together wove a vibrant picture.

However, this fragile tranquility was completely shattered by several horses galloping from the south and the news they brought.

"Imperial Court... the Imperial Court has moved south!"

"The emperor... and all the officials have left! They've gone to Heaven-responding Prefecture!"

The news was like a whip with barbs, lashing the hearts of every listener.

At first, it was an incredulous silence.

Immediately, panic spread like a plague, uncontrollably, in the recently stabilized camp and attached refugee settlements.

On the stockade wall, Chen Wen stood with hands behind his back, expressionlessly listening to the various clamor coming from below.

He could clearly "see", or rather "feel", a strong "Fortune Momentum" representing chaos and despair, like a turbid tide, surging from the south, striking the faint "Fortune Momentum" halo of order and hope that was slowly coalescing within the Northward Aspiration Army's controlled area.

"False Song... it's rotten to the core."

He muttered to himself, his voice stern.

Lin Chong quickly climbed onto the stockade wall, his armor clanking, his face grim.

"Mr. Chen, the news is confirmed."

"The False Song Imperial Court formally abandoned Bian Liang half a month ago, relocating the entire court to Heaven-responding Prefecture."

"Externally claimed to be 'temporarily avoiding the Jin barbarians' spearhead', in order to later rise."

His tone carried undisguisable anger and contempt.

"Temporarily avoid?"

Chen Wen's mouth curled into a hint of a mocking arc.

"Abandon the capital, discard the ancestral temples, forsake the northern land's military and civilians."

"This avoidance, I fear, will never allow a return."

He turned his body, looking toward Lin Chong.

"How is the situation in the army?"

Lin Chong took a deep breath, striving to calm his surging emotions.

"The soldiers are discussing wildly, hearts unsettled."

"Especially the recently reorganized former imperial army troops, whose emotions fluctuate the most."

"Many of them still have families south of the Yellow River; the court's move..."

He didn't continue, but the meaning was already clear.

The Imperial Court's southern relocation was not merely a political defeat; it was like an invisible heavy hammer that ruthlessly struck the hearts of many who still clung to a sliver of hope in orthodoxy.

"Come on, let's go take a look."

Chen Wen stepped forward and walked down.

At the edge of the camp, the originally orderly refugee settlement area now appeared somewhat chaotic.

Sobs, curses, and frantic inquiries intertwined.

"The Imperial Court has abandoned us! What are we to do?"

"Will the Jin troops attack us right away?"

"Can this Northward Aspiration army hold out?"

A sallow, thin woman tightly held the child in her arms, her gaze vacant as she looked southward, murmuring:

"My husband is still in the south… how can we go on living…"

Several new soldiers who had come from the False Song army gathered together, their faces deathly pale, their eyes darting about.

"The Imperial Court has fled, yet we remain here standing guard—what good is that?"

"My old mother back home still doesn't know the news…"

"Or… should we also head south?"

Panic spread like weeds, wildly proliferating on the soil of despair.

Chao Gai, leading a squad of personal guards, was shouting loudly in the crowd, trying to restore order.

His voice was loud, yet it could not fully suppress the pessimism and fear permeating the air.

"What's there to panic about! The sky won't fall!"

"The Imperial Court has fled, but our Northward Aspiration army hasn't!"

"As long as we are here, there is hope!"

His words carried the Liangshanpo-era spirit of bold, outlaw heroism, to some extent comforting some of the old brothers.

However, for those refugees and new soldiers deeply influenced by the orthodox notions of the Imperial Song, its effect was diminished.

The appearance of Chen Wen and Lin Chong attracted the attention of many.

Especially in the eyes of ordinary soldiers and refugees, this mysterious "Mr. Chen" held a lofty status, even faintly surpassing several of the chief leaders.

His composure itself could bring forth a strange kind of strength.

Chen Wen did not immediately deliver an impassioned speech.

He simply walked up to the group of new soldiers from the former official army who were thinking of retreating, his calm gaze sweeping over each of their young, frightened faces.

"Want to leave?"

His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

Those few new soldiers lowered their heads under his gaze, daring not to meet his eyes.

"Wanting to go back south to seek the Imperial Court, or to look for family, is only natural."

Chen Wen's tone remained as plain as ever.

"The Northward Aspiration Army never forces anyone whose heart is not here to stay."

"But, you must think it through clearly."

He raised his hand and pointed south.

"Why did the Imperial Court move south?"

"It's because the Jin Army's offensive is too fierce; they cannot withstand it."

"They abandoned the north, abandoned you, and also your families who might still be in the south."

"If you go back now, can you catch up to them and receive protection?"

"Or you can only face an even more chaotic situation, possibly encountering pillaging deserters and the iron hooves of the Jin soldiers hot on their heels?"

A series of questions, like cold awls, pierced the hearts of the new recruits.

Their faces grew even paler.

Chen Wen's words tore away that thin veil of self-deception, laying the bloody reality before them.

"The Imperial Court has fled, the mountain to rely on is gone—do you feel the sky has collapsed?"

Chen Wen's voice rose slightly, carrying a decisive, unyielding force.

"Then let me tell you!"

"The sky, it will not collapse!"

"Even if it does collapse, I have the countless soldiers of the Northward Aspiration Army, using their shoulders to hold it up for you!"

His gaze turned sharp, scanning the ever-growing crowd gathering around.

"The Imperial Court does not want this northern land and rivers; we do!"

"The Jin barbarians that the Imperial Court dares not resist—we resist!"

"The people that the Imperial Court cannot protect—we protect!"

"This is the very purpose of the Northward Aspiration Army's existence!"

"Not for a single-surname Imperial Court, but for the countless elders and fellow villagers behind us, for our Chinese homeland, so that it does not utterly perish!"

His words rang out, resonant and striking.

Like throwing a massive stone into a muddy pond, stirring up layer upon layer of ripples.

In many eyes that had been filled with panic, a faint glimmer rekindled.

Lin Chong stepped forward at the right moment and said in a low voice:

"Issue orders to all units!"

"Strengthen defenses and comfort the troops!"

"Anyone who undermines morale or deserts without authorization will be dealt with by military law!"

"At the same time, open part of the military rations, prioritize stabilizing the refugee camps, and tell everyone that the Northward Aspiration Army stands with them!"

A series of orders were issued, and the originally somewhat restless camp gradually came under enforced discipline.

Panic had not completely disappeared, but at least it was suppressed.

Returning to the commander's tent, the atmosphere remained solemn.

Wu Yong, Ruan Xiaoer, Zong Ying, Zhang Jue, and the other core leaders had all gathered.

A shadow lay upon each person's face.

"The False Song's flight has only increased our pressure."

Wu Yong fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan, his brows furrowed tightly.

"With no rear worries, the Jin Army can devote all its strength to fighting us."

"Moreover, the Imperial Court's southern migration will inevitably cause greater chaos south of the Yellow River, with deserters and bandits rising everywhere, and our channels for obtaining supplies and recruits will also be affected."

Ruan Xiaoer interjected:

"The southern trade routes will likely be cut off for a while; scarce medicines, salt, and iron will be hard to obtain."

Zong Ying sighed:

"The most troublesome thing is still people's hearts."

"After this, I fear more people will lose confidence in the future."

Chao Gai slammed his fist on the table and shouted angrily:

"What's there to fear? When soldiers come, we meet them with generals; when water comes, we block it with earth!"

"Back when we were at Mount Liang, weren't we also besieged by government troops? And we still made it through!"

Chen Wen sat in the chief seat, quietly listening to everyone's discussion.

Only after the voices in the tent subsided slightly did he slowly speak.

"The False Song's southern move is a crisis, but it is also not without opportunity."

All eyes focused on him.

"The crisis lies in that we have lost a seemingly massive but actually impotent shield, and will now directly face the pressure of the Jin Army's main force; the external environment deteriorates, and internal morale wavers."

"The opportunity lies in——"

He paused, a glint flashing in his eyes.

"The False Song has abandoned its own deer; all under heaven now chase after it."

"They themselves tore off the last fig leaf of 'legitimacy'."

"From now on, in this northern land and even broader regions, the banner of the Northward Aspiration Army's 'Resist Jin, Protect the People' will become clearer and more compelling."

"Where should those loyalists who have utterly despaired of the False Song, and those heroes unwilling to suffer subjugation by foreign tribes, turn?"

"Who should the people who have nothing to rely on amidst the chaos trust?"

His words opened a new perspective for everyone.

Of course, the premise is that we must get through the most difficult period ahead.

Consolidating the interior and stabilizing morale are the urgent tasks.

Instructor Lin, we must not relax in training and preparing troops; especially we must guard against the Jin army taking advantage to launch a surprise attack.

Brother Chao Gai, the matter of garrison farming must be accelerated; food is our lifeline.

Scholar Wu, maintain contact with the old southern channels, keep information flowing as much as possible, and pay attention to the political changes after the False Song's southern relocation.

Zong Commandant, Zhang Commandant, the training at the Martial Lecture Hall must not cease; we must make the soldiers understand why they fight and for whom they fight.

The orders came one after another, clear and explicit, and everyone's minds gradually settled.

As for the outside...

Chen Wen's gaze turned toward outside the tent, as if trying to pierce the fortifications, looking toward the vast and chaotic south.

The power vacuum left by the False Song court will not remain empty forever.

The Jin will fill it; we, too, must try to fill it.

Perhaps it is time to extend our reach further.

He did not say it outright, but the core few inside the tent all vaguely sensed the deep meaning contained in his words.

The shadow of the southern relocation shrouded the land, yet it also made the outline of the Northward Aspiration army stand out ever clearer and more resolute against the backdrop of despair.

The true test has only just begun.