Chapter 557

Xiangcheng, the main camp of the Yue Family Army.

The winter sun was pale and feeble, falling upon the endless tents and drill ground, bringing only a slight warmth.

Unlike the undercurrents surging in the Lin'an court and the tense war preparations of the Black Cloud Stronghold in the north.

Here the air was filled with a unique atmosphere mixing sweat, earthy scent, and a faint excitement.

After the battle at Sanshan Town, Yue Fei did not rush to launch another major offensive.

He strictly followed the "steady and solid" strategy discussed with the Northward Aspiration army.

Taking advantage of this relatively stable period, he began to work on something he had long contemplated.

But due to various constraints, he had never been able to fully implement it.

——systematically training his troops to forge a Yue Family Army that obeyed like an extension of his arms, with strict discipline and formidable combat power.

On the east side of the drill ground, a separate area had been marked out.

Two hundred selected soldiers were divided into twenty squads, undergoing a new kind of drill.

Their weapons were not swords or spears, but a peculiarly shaped repeating hand crossbow equipped with a bolt box.

——it was precisely the Imperial Slayer crossbow gifted by the Northward Aspiration army.

The instructors were a dozen or so of Yue Yun's personal guards who had first encountered and mastered this crossbow mechanism.

"Load the bolt box steadily, insert the catch into the slot, and only when you hear a 'click' is it in place."

"Aiming need not be as meticulous as with a bow and crossbow; within fifty paces, point roughly by feel—speed and coverage are key."

"Remember, five bolts in rapid succession; the best is two to three short volleys of simultaneous fire to suppress the enemy's heads."

"After firing, immediately withdraw to reload or switch to sword and shield to advance; never stand idle in place."

The guards shouted the key points and personally demonstrated them.

"Deng deng deng deng deng!"

The urgent clatter of mechanisms filled the air, and the wooden target fifty paces away was instantly studded with bolts, wood chips flying.

The watching soldiers let out successive low exclamations, their eyes full of eagerness.

Such rate of fire and power, in close combat or storming a city wall, is practically a life‑reaping weapon.

"What a fine thing!"

A bearded squad member was fondly handling the Imperial Slayer crossbow just issued to him, unable to put it down.

"Before, to unleash such a rain of arrows, how many archers would have to line up for rotating fire? And one still had to worry about hitting one's own men in front."

"This thing, after one volley, probably few could still stand on the enemy's parapet!"

"I heard the brothers of the Black Cloud Stronghold to the north used this to catch the golden dogs off guard, pulling out several nails."

"Marshal Yue has connections; he can obtain such treasures!"

In the soldiers' whispered chatter lay excitement over the new equipment and admiration for Yue Fei's methods.

On the other side of the drill ground, it was formation and physical training.

Yue Fei personally devised a stricter training code.

From morning loaded cross‑country runs to afternoon formation changes and combined spear‑sword assaults.

Then to nighttime order recognition and fire control.

Everything had its rules, rewards and punishments clear.

Yue Fei's figure often appeared at various places on the drill ground, silent and wordless, merely observing quietly.

His gaze swept over the young faces sweating like rain in the cold wind, gritting their teeth and persisting.

It swept over the ranks that turned in unison with the orders.

It swept over the soldiers who, in opposition drills, began to understand mutual cover and coordination.

A faint glimmer, hard to notice, flitted across his deep eyes.

This is what a Jun Ying ought to be.

Not a makeshift rabble, not bandits who only know plunder.

But an army with soul, with discipline, daring to fight and able to fight—an iron force.

"The Northward Aspiration army can repeatedly defeat strong foes; its strict efficiency likely stems from such solid foundations."

Yue Fei silently thought to himself.

Contact with the Northward Aspiration army

Especially after witnessing those transcendent‑era devices and efficient organizational methods, he was deeply moved.

He did not intend to copy everything wholesale.

But he absorbed the essence therein—emphasizing discipline, stressing training, and combining equipment with tactics.

But he absorbed it into his own understanding of the Jun Ying.

Beside the central commander's tent, inside a newly erected simple workshop.

Several veteran artisans, accompanied by their apprentices, carefully disassembled and studied an Imperial Slayer crossbow.

This was Yue Fei's special order.

"The crossbow mechanism is exquisitely structured, especially this repeating device and bolt box—ordinary craftsmen cannot replicate it."

An old artisan with white beard and hair shook his head and sighed.

"The material is also special; its toughness and hardness cannot be compared to ordinary wood or iron."

"Marshal, to imitate… is difficult; it is utterly impossible in the short term."

Yue Fei nodded, not overly disappointed.

"No matter. Knowing the principle, being able to maintain and repair it is enough."

"If we can draw inspiration from its structure to improve our Jun Ying's existing bows and crossbows, that too would be a merit."

He again looked at the several bronze calming bells placed on the side table.

"This object……has its efficacy been verified?"

The testing personal guard colonel stepped forward and said respectfully.

"Reporting to Marshal, we have conducted several tests."

If someone nearby harbors strong malice or killing intent, or attempts to use some bewildering tricks, the bell will indeed emit a faint sound on its own, though the sound is not loud.

Yet hearing it clears the mind and dispels distracting thoughts; hung at a sentry post or outside a vital camp, it should give remarkable forewarning.

Yue Fei picked up a calming bell and gently rubbed its surface cloud pattern.

To the touch it is warm and moist, faintly giving a sense of tranquility.

"Northward Aspiration army……Mr. Chen……"

He muttered softly.

The objects given by the other party are all extraordinary.

The Yu Sha crossbow is a genuine weapon for breaking the enemy.

The calming bell, meanwhile, seems to be an amulet aimed at certain "yin‑private deceitful" methods.

This both demonstrates the other party's technical strength and faintly reveals.

Their adversary, perhaps truly as Shi Dun said, is not merely the gold‑clad iron horses on the battlefield.

"Report——"

An order‑bearing soldier hurriedly entered the tent, knelt on one knee, and presented a document with both hands.

"Marshal, a document has arrived from the Privy Council!"

Yue Fei took it, unfolded it and looked.

The front contains a formulaic commendation, praising his feat of recovering the Three Mountain Fortress and awarding some money and silk.

But the latter content gradually tightened his brow.

"……The Imperial Court is now discussing peace, the north and south are weary; the great general should hold steady and guard the borders, not lightly provoke trouble, lest it spoil the larger situation……"

"……Order that the troops, provisions, captured gains, and contacts with northern personnel be compiled into a detailed report for review……"

The tone appears calm, but actually conceals sharp intent.

Feelings of restriction, suspicion, and scrutiny come rushing forth.

"As expected, it has come."

Yue Fei closed the document, his face calm, without surprise.

Zhang Xian beside him could not help but speak angrily.

"Marshal! The soldiers are shedding blood and fighting desperately at the front; the court not adding rations is bad enough, yet it also hampers us with suspicion!"

"Contact with the north? It's merely merchants transporting medicine and supplies; could that also violate the law?"

Yue Yun, young and vigorous, flushed red: "Father! This is clearly the work of those peace‑advocating sour scholars; seeing us win a battle, they are unhappy and resort to various tricks to trip us up!"

Yue Fei raised his hand to stop their fury.

"Speak cautiously."

His gaze swept over the generals in the tent.

"The court's edict must not be openly defied; what ought to be reported, report it. As for 'do not lightly provoke trouble'……"

He paused, then his voice turned cold.

"The Jin invaders occupy our land and plunder our people—where does the notion of 'trouble' come from?"

"As generals tasked with defending the territory, repelling invading enemies is our duty."

"As long as the Jin invaders attack, we must fight, we must fight."

These words neither directly oppose orders nor fail to set a bottom line.

The generals' hearts eased somewhat, but the stifling feeling remained hard to dispel.

At this moment, Wang Gui entered from outside, his face somewhat grim, and spoke softly.

"Marshal, we have just received a document from the Jianghuai Transport Commissioner regarding the next batch of rations."

"Due to 'unsmooth grain transport' and 'the need to coordinate stores,' its release will be delayed half a month, and the amount……will be only seventy percent of the allocated sum."

The atmosphere in the tent instantly froze.

Rations are the lifeblood of the army.

Delay and deduction—this is a softer blade more direct and more insidious than the document's warning.

Yue Fei's face finally sank as well.

He walked to the tent's edge, gazing at the figures of soldiers still training hard on the drill ground.

The court's hidden arrows have already been shot one after another.

Suspicion, restriction, cutting off rations……

These methods are not unfamiliar to him.

But this time they have come faster, more urgently, and more cruelly.

"Without rations, army morale easily scatters."

Zhang Xian worried deeply.

"The supplies previously sent by the Northward Aspiration army can last a while, but they are certainly not a long‑term solution."

Yue Fei fell silent for a moment, then slowly turned.

His gaze regained its firmness.

"Issue the order: the existing grain stores in the camp shall be uniformly allocated, first guaranteeing the training soldiers and the scouting troops at the front."

"Send letters to the nearby counties not yet fallen, under the banner of resisting the Jin and defending the territory, to negotiate grain purchase; the price may be appropriately raised. The attitude should be earnest, stating the benefits and drawbacks clearly."

Send more capable people, carrying my handwritten letter, to Jinghu, Sichuan and other rear areas not yet severely affected by war, to find reliable grain merchants and work out a plan.

He gave his orders item by item, his thinking clear, and he did not panic despite the predicament.

As for training, do not slack off. The harder the situation, the more we need to be strong ourselves.

We want some people in the Imperial Court to see that the Yue Family Army cannot be crushed merely by cutting rations and a few documents!

We want to train a force that, even in the bitter winter, lacking clothes and food, can howl as it rushes at the Jin bandits' iron army!

His voice was not loud, yet it carried a force as decisive as cutting nails and iron, reaching the ears of all the generals.

Everyone's spirits were lifted, and in unison they clasped their fists: "I, the subordinate, obey your orders!"

He walked out of the big tent, and Yue Fei alone went toward a high platform on the drill field.

The cold wind stirred his robe.

Below the platform, the embryonic form of the Yue Family Army was taking shape.

On the platform stood the solitary, resolute figure of the commander.

The Imperial Court's hidden arrows and cold spears might slow his steps and create countless troubles.

But to completely snap this sword that has already begun to be tempered and shaped?

Unless they truly dare to commit the ultimate outrage against heaven and earth, unleashing that most decisive and cruel measure.

And then, perhaps, would be the moment when the true 'turmoil' erupts suddenly.

Yue Fei's gaze passed over the drill field and looked northward.

There, the Jin army watched with tiger-like intent.

There were mysterious and powerful allies.

And also… unknown but inevitable surging waves to face.