Chapter 524: News from the South

The 300 stone of grain brought back from the Li Family Village trip temporarily stabilized the foundation of Black Cloud Stronghold.

The cooking smoke rising again in the canteen, though thin, was like a shot of adrenaline, slightly steadying the restless hearts.

Chen Wen, Lin Chong, Chao Gai and the others dared not relax in the slightest, immediately throwing themselves into the next step's planning.

How to use this hard-won half-month to open up a more stable grain supply is the most urgent problem before us.

However, the famine in the north remains unresolved, while the drastic changes in the south have followed like a shadow, knocking on the gates of the Northward Aspiration Army.

In the deep night, a swift horse trod upon starlight, passing through layer after layer of sentries, straight into the commander's great tent.

The messenger was a capable scout captain under Qian Gui, his whole body bearing the dust and moisture of the south.

「Report! Mr. Chen, Chief Lin, urgent news from the south! 」

The scout captain dropped to one knee, his voice hoarse from urgency.

Inside the tent, lights burned brightly; Chen Wen, Lin Chong, Wu Yong, Chao Gai and the other core leaders were all present.

Upon hearing the four words 'urgent news from the south,' everyone's hearts rose.

「Speak. 」

Chen Wen said in a deep voice.

「It's news of Chief Song Jiang… no, it's news of the Liangshan forces under Song Jiang. 」

The scout captain took a deep breath, steadied his emotions, and began to report.

「After the False Song court moved south to Ying Tian Prefecture, it soon issued an amnesty edict. 」

「Song Jiang has accepted the amnesty, being appointed as Martial Virtue Lieutenant, Pacification Commissioner of Chu Prefecture, and Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces. 」

「The majority of his troops have been transferred from their original garrison, ordered to march south to Chu Prefecture; it is said… they are to suppress the Fang La rebellion. 」

「Fang La? 」

Chao Gai's bell-like eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

「What year's outdated almanac is this? Has the court gone blind? 」

His impression of Fang La still lingered from an earlier era; he could not fathom why it was being brought up again now.

Wu Yong lightly shook his fan, a flash of realization and mockery crossing his eyes, and explained to Chao Gai in Chen Wen's stead:

「Heavenly King, this is not the court being blind, but someone wishing it to be 'blind'. 」

「This is clearly a plot to kill with a borrowed knife. 」

「Using Song Jiang and his brothers to crush the rebel forces entrenched in the south, whether they win or lose, will greatly drain the strength of us former Liangshan brothers. 」

「One stone, two birds; without the Iron Crow Army pushing behind the scenes, such a 'coincidence' would be impossible. 」

Lin Chong clenched his fists, knuckles whitening, and painfully closed his eyes:

「Brother Gongming… he ultimately still walked down this road. 」

Although he had long since broken with Song Jiang, hearing that his old brothers were being schemed against like this still stirred a sorrowful chill in his heart.

Chen Wen's expression unchanged, he continued to ask:

「How did Song Jiang's subordinates react? What other moves does the Iron Crow Army have in the south? 」

The scout captain hurriedly replied:

「After Song Jiang's forces accepted the amnesty, there were also divisions within, but most brothers, compelled by circumstance, had no choice but to go along. 」

「Furthermore, according to reports from our spies in Ying Tian Prefecture and along the southern route, the Iron Crow Army's recent activity has been unusually frequent. 」

「They are no longer completely hidden behind the scenes as before, but appear more often directly, seemingly urgently searching for something around the False Song's new capital and on the key routes to various places. 」

「Qian Gui judges that they are likely screening for a new 'variable,' or… targeting some newly emerged target that could threaten their 'script'. 」

「A new target……」

Chen Wen repeated the words softly, and instantly in his mind appeared the fiery Fortune Momentum light point like a blazing sword in the south, and the name mentioned in Zhang Cheng's letter—Yue Fei.

The Iron Crow Army's such frantic activity is likely inseparable from this suddenly risen young commander.

Wu Yong pondered and said:

「The False Song court's southward move, and our army's sudden rise in the north, have become a grave internal threat to the Iron Crow Army. 」

「They will absolutely not allow another uncontrolled, powerful anti-Jin force to emerge in the south. 」

「General Yue Pengju, though young, has strict military discipline, fights bravely, and, most rare of all, possesses an extremely steadfast resolve to resist the Jin. 」

「Such a person would certainly not be tolerated by the False Song court that seeks only southern safety, and would even be seen by the Iron Crow Army as a 'nail' that must be pulled out. 」

The sense of pressure suddenly doubled.

The Northward Aspiration Army struggles to hold on in the north, while its potential southern allies have not yet grown strong, and already it finds itself in the eye of the storm.

「The news is solid, the situation already clear. 」

Chen Wen summarized, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the tent.

「The False Song court is muddled, destroying its own Great Wall; the Iron Crow runs rampant, trimming away dissenters. 」

「The northern grain crisis is temporarily eased, but the north-south situation has undergone a huge change. 」

「Our Northward Aspiration Army can no longer merely cling to the corner of Black Cloud Stronghold; we must set our sights on a broader world. 」

He paused, his voice cutting like iron.

「Tomorrow, raise the tent for council! 」

「Discuss plans for southern liaison, restraining the Iron Crow, and seeking opportunities to break the stalemate! 」

The scout's brought news was like a massive stone dropped onto an already restless lake.

The fate of Song Jiang's group, Yue Fei's situation in the south, the Iron Crow Army's step-by-step tightening……

All of these clearly show that the Northward Aspiration Army's struggle against that invisible black hand has spread from the north to the entire world's chessboard.

Next, we must proceed more cautiously, yet also more resolutely.