Chapter 527: Huainan's Defeated Troops

Shi Dun and Ruan Xiaoqi's southbound squad, after leaving Black Cloud Stronghold, were like a drop of water merging into the turbid river.

They followed the planned route, hiding by day and moving at night, avoiding official roads and major roads as much as possible, choosing those obscure trails.

The further south they went, the more the air was filled with a growing sense of despair and chaos.

Along the roadsides, starving corpses often lay, mauled by wild dogs and crows beyond recognition.

Abandoned villages were everywhere; amidst the ruined walls, only the wind wailed, recounting past calamities.

Occasionally they encountered scattered refugees, all sallow and emaciated, eyes dull, shuffling like walking corpses toward what they thought was a safe direction.

"Damn it, how has the south come to this?"

Ruan Xiaoqi spat, gazing at a distant village belching black smoke, obviously just looted, his brows knotted.

In his impression, the South of the Huai, though not a paradise, should have been a land of fish and rice; he never imagined it would be so devastated.

Shi Dun's face grew grave, and he said in a low voice:

"The False Song Imperial Court fled too fast, leaving behind a huge mess."

"Defected troops turned bandit, Jin cavalry raids the south from time to time, and local strongmen rise up taking advantage of the chaos..."

"This South of the Huai is already a hell on earth."

On this mission they disguised themselves as a refugee troupe heading south to join relatives, blending into the genuine refugee flow, unnoticed.

But the squad members remained constantly vigilant, hands always near their concealed weapons, ready to respond to any sudden situation.

The real shock came when they tried to cross a small river called the Ju River.

Before they even reached the riverbank, earth-shaking clamor and wailing cries arrived.

Only to see the riverbank crowded with thousands of people, packed tightly!

Most wore tattered clothes, but a considerable number still wore the ragged uniforms of the False Song army, wielding assorted weapons from standard swords and spears to pitchforks and hoes, everything imaginable.

They had no formation whatsoever, huddling together in a noisy mob, scrambling for a few dilapidated boats, curses, wails, and clashing weapons intertwining, enough to make one's scalp tingle.

Many more were civilians dragged along and driven by the defeated soldiers, carrying their families, struggling in the mire; any delay invited brutal beatings or even sword strikes from the troops.

"Get out of the way! Move, damn it!"

A ferocious-looking defeated-soldier leader brandished a saber, kicked an old man blocking the path into the icy river with one foot, and laughed wildly as he prepared to jump onto a boat.

"Mother—!"

A child's piercing wail rang out.

Shi Dun's eyes turned cold, his hand already gripping the hilt of his blade.

Ruan Xiaoqi gritted his teeth, almost charging out.

"Hold back!"

Shi Dun gave a low shout and grabbed Ruan Xiaoqi.

"We have a mission; we must not invite trouble!"

Though he was no less angry, seeing those thousands utterly devoid of discipline, like mad beasts, he knew that if their thirty were exposed, they would be torn to pieces in an instant.

They could only suppress their anger, mingling with the refugees on the fringe, coldly watching this human tragedy.

At the same time, they strained their ears, trying to capture useful information from the chaotic din.

"Run! The Jin are about to cross the Huai River!"

"Nonsense! The court... didn't the court say they'd already made peace?"

"What good is peace? Signing that treaty makes me ashamed for them! Tribute, ceding land... damn it, what's the difference from losing the country?"

"The officials have all fled; who still cares whether we live or die?"

"Head south! Go to Ying Tian Prefecture; the court ought to provide food, right?"

Amid the desperate chatter, resentment and distrust toward the False Song Imperial Court ran deep.

Just then, a somewhat different discussion caught Shi Dun's attention.

They were a few men who looked like low-ranking defeated soldiers, sitting around a dying fire, cursing while gulping down poor liquor snatched from somewhere.

"Damn, if only I'd known to follow Commander Yue from the start!"

A man with a scar across his face slammed his wineskin hard onto the ground.

"Commander Yue? Which Commander Yue?" someone asked nearby.

"Who else? Yue Fei, Yue Pengju!"

The scar-faced man said, eyes red.

"Back when I served under Old Marshal Zong Ze, I used to work under him!"

"That's what leading troops is like! Discipline was strict enough to frighten, but there was nothing to complain about regarding the brothers!"

"Unlike these current officers, who run faster than rabbits and treat us as expendable!"

"Yue Fei? I think I've heard of him..."

Another lanky defeated soldier said, with some uncertainty.

"Isn't he the madman who, with just a few hundred men at Si Shui Gate, dared to charge the Jin army's main camp?"

"Bullshit! That's called bravery!"

The scar-faced man immediately retorted, his tone hinting at a barely perceptible admiration.

"I heard that after the court fled south, he didn't run with them; instead, he gathered us scattered brothers right here in the South of the Huai, as if... what was it called... oh, the Jiangyin Army? He was reorganizing it!"

"Gathering defeated troops? Does he have a death wish?"

The lanky man snorted.

"No provisions, no pay, and the court doesn't even want him—how long can he last?"

"Besides, nowadays, honestly being a defeated soldier, looting a bite to eat can keep you alive; following him to clash head‑on with the Jin? Are you trying to die too slowly?"

"You don't know shit!"

The scarred face shouted angrily, but his confidence seemed somewhat lacking.

"In short… Commander Yue is a real man, much stronger than those weaklings who only know how to run!"

Their argument was quickly drowned out by greater chaos.

More defeated troops began fighting over the river‑crossing tools, blood flashing into view.

Shi Dun and Ruan Xiaoqi exchanged a glance, both seeing solemnity and a glimmer of light in each other's eyes.

Yue Fei!

Sure enough, in Huainan!

Moreover, he is doing something that to others seems almost like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—amid the desperate situation where the Imperial Court has abandoned them and defeated troops litter the land, he attempts to raise again the banner of resistance against the Jin.

"Jiangyin Army..."

Shi Dun silently noted down this vague location.

Although it's uncertain whether the information is completely accurate, this is undoubtedly the most concrete clue about Yue Fei since heading south.

The squad did not linger here; taking advantage of the chaos of the defeated troops' internal struggle, they found a shallow stretch of river and, under the cover of night, silently crossed the water.

Behind them, the cries and clashing sounds on the Ju River bank gradually faded away.

But that scene of chaotic despair, and the name "Yue Fei," were deeply etched into the heart of every squad member.

The road southward is still long.

And the person they seek seems to be, in this desperate mire, trying to ignite a faint spark.