Chapter 568

The autumn night in Yancheng, the chill pierced to the bone.

In the wounded soldiers' camp, a heavy smell of blood mixed with medicinal herbs permeated the air, and suppressed groans rose and fell.

Yue Fei walked very slowly.

He bent down to examine the abdominal wound of a young soldier; the arrowhead had been removed, but the wound was festering, and his fever would not subside.

The military medic whispered from the side, "I fear he won't make it through the night."

Yue Fei remained silent, took off his own cloak, and gently covered the boy with it.

In his dazed state, the boy opened his eyes, saw that it was the marshal, and his chapped lips moved as if he wanted to say something.

Yue Fei grasped his icy-cold hand.

A glimmer of light flashed in the boy's eyes, and he squeezed out a few words with his last strength:

"Marshal…… Bian Liang……"

His hand went limp and dropped.

Yue Fei held that pose for a moment, then slowly released, laid the boy's hand flat, and adjusted the cloak.

He rose to his feet, continued walking forward, his face showing no expression.

Only his tightly pressed lips and slightly trembling hand betrayed the turmoil within.

These soldiers, having followed him through life and death, believed he could lead them home, to Bian Liang, to their true homeland across the Yellow River.

But now, the Imperial Court's order demands they abandon the hope within reach and turn south to retreat.

How should he explain this to them?

Explain the cold calculations and constraints coming from the rear?

Stepping out of the wounded soldiers' camp, a gust of cold wind hit, and Yue Fei drew a deep breath.

He looked up and saw the silhouettes of the sentries standing on the city wall in the torchlight, motionless as statues.

They were equally exhausted, equally wounded, yet their gazes remained vigilant, fixed on the darkness to the north.

That was the direction from which the enemy might attack.

It was also…… the direction of their dreams.

"Marshal."

Zhang Xian's voice sounded from behind, weary.

"The patrols have been arranged, with two shifts rotating. However…… the arrows stockpiled in the arrow towers amount to less than thirty percent. The rolling logs and stones are being hurriedly prepared, but the usable timber and stone around Yancheng have almost been completely scavenged."

Yue Fei nodded.

"I understand. Do your best. Tell the soldiers that in these extraordinary times, every stone and log could buy an extra life of a Jin dog, or gain an extra moment."

Zhang Xian acknowledged, but did not leave, hesitating a moment.

"Marshal, the Imperial Court's order…… many of the brothers below have caught wind of it. Morale…… is somewhat unsettled. Some brothers ask, after fighting a bloody battle and losing so many comrades, why does the Court order us to retreat?"

Yue Fei's steps halted.

He did not turn back, his voice sounding somewhat faint in the wind.

"How did you answer?"

"I…… I said, the Imperial Court has its own considerations, the marshal has his own decision. As soldiers, we obey orders and hold our ground; that is our duty."

"Well answered."

Yue Fei finally turned around, looking at this trusted confidant who had followed him the longest.

Zhang Xian's face was full of worry, with a hint of deep-seated anguish.

"You also can't make sense of it, right?"

Zhang Xian's Adam's apple rolled, and he suddenly dropped to one knee.

"I dare not! However the marshal decides, I will follow him unto death! But…… it's just…… not worth it for the fallen brothers, nor for those still alive."

"Rise."

Yue Fei helped him up, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"There's no such thing as worth or not. War is fundamentally so that those who come after may live meaningful lives."

"The Imperial Court's order has its own reasoning; our perseverance also has its reasoning."

"What we must see now is which reasoning will allow more brothers to survive and enable Zhongyuan to be restored a day sooner."

He withdrew his hand and gazed toward the dark expanse to the north.

"The Jin forces are mustering, their numbers several times ours. If we now obey the order and retreat, with no defensible positions, we will surely be pursued and slaughtered by their cavalry, with only one in ten surviving."

"If we defy the order and hold fast, it will be disobedience; should the Imperial Court later investigate, I, Yue Fei, will bear the blame alone. Yet, relying on Yancheng's walls, we can still stall the Jin army, drain their strength, and buy time for the rear to organize its defenses."

"Even if the city ultimately falls, we can exact a sufficient price from the Jin, rendering them incapable of advancing south in the short term."

"Choosing the lesser of two harms……"

His voice sank low, and he did not finish.

Zhang Xian already understood.

The marshal has chosen the path that is most disadvantageous to himself, yet possibly most beneficial to the overall situation.

"I…… understand." Zhang Xian's voice hoarse, "I will go now to steady the troops' hearts, letting the brothers know that the marshal…… has never abandoned them, never abandoned Bian Liang."

Yue Fei nodded slightly.

Zhang Xian saluted and withdrew, his silhouette disappearing into the darkness.

Yue Fei stood alone in the cold wind for a long time.

Until Wang Gui hurriedly came to find him.

"Marshal, we just received news from the northern volunteer forces; it's not good."

Wang Gui's face looked grim.

The Jin army's troop increase is confirmed. The elite Hezha Meng'an troops of True Pacification Prefecture have already moved south; they are expected to reach Zhengzhou within three days. The cavalry of Great Unity Prefecture is also being mobilized. Moreover, the worthless Liu Yu of the puppet Qi, too, has been ordered by Wanyan Zongbi to scrape together the last of his resources, gathering twenty thousand infantry, now heading this way.

Yue Fei's expression did not change.

"I understand. As expected."

"Moreover……" Wang Gui lowered his voice, "The Imperial Court's envoy, again this evening sent people to urge about the troop withdrawal preparations, tone unpleasant. Between the lines, hinting that if further delay, they will report 'arrogant and domineering, disrespectful to the sovereign'."

A cold light flashed in Yue Fei's eyes.

Let him report.

But Marshal, this……

Whether I, Yue Fei, am arrogant and domineering or disrespectful to the sovereign is not for that one envoy to decide, nor for a few edicts.

Yue Fei's tone was calm, yet it contained an undeniable force.

It is up to the officers and soldiers of Swallow City who are willing to follow me to the death in defense.

It is up to the countless people of Zhongyuan longing for the imperial army.

It is up to the future historians' honest brush and the public's sense of justice.

Wang Gui shuddered all over and fell silent.

"How is the grain and forage procurement going?" Yue Fei asked about the most urgent matter.

Wang Gui's face showed difficulty.

All that could be bought nearby has been bought, prices have risen more than tenfold. The people…… have also done their best; many families themselves are eating chaff and scraps, yet still manage to send a little. To the north…… Mr. Shi Dun's side, the new supplies are still on the road, but checkpoints along the way are strictly inspected, so……

Yue Fei fell silent for a moment.

Do your best. Starting tomorrow, my rations will be halved again.

Marshal! No! You are the commander of an army; if……

This is a military order.

Yue Fei interrupted him, leaving no room for doubt.

Wang Gui opened his mouth, but in the end could only clasp his fists.

Yes……

After Wang Gui also left, Yue Fei felt a deep fatigue surge through his limbs.

He walked back to the commander's grand tent, without lighting a lamp, sitting before the table by the faint daylight filtering in from outside.

His fingers unconsciously touched the jade pendant in his bosom again.

A coolness transmitted through his clothing.

During the day, he must display absolute resolve, an unquestionable commander's will.

Only in this moment of solitude do hesitation and pain dare to surface quietly.

Loyalty to the sovereign.

From childhood he studied the sages' works; his mother had the character 'loyalty' tattooed on his back, etched into his marrow.

The sovereign's command is weighty as a mountain; how can it be lightly violated?

Serve the nation.

The Jin barbarians run rampant, mountains and rivers shattered, the people displaced; this hatred is irreconcilable.

To recover the lost territories and welcome back the two sovereigns is his lifelong vow.

When the sovereign's command and state affairs clash so sharply, how should he conduct himself?

Following the edict to withdraw south might preserve his loyal name, but what of the Zhongyuan soldiers and people? The grand northern expedition would thus be stillborn.

Defying the edict to hold firm might temporarily retain the initiative, but the charge of disloyalty would cling to him like a shadow, possibly even implicating his family and subordinates.

What chills him further is that behind the Imperial Court's edicts lies undisguised suspicion and murderous intent.

They fear not the Jin army.

What they fear is Yue Fei, and this Yue Family Army that is increasingly winning the hearts of soldiers and people.

"Your Majesty…… do you really…… believe those slanders?"

He asked in a low voice, but no one answered.

Outside the tent, the wind grew tighter.

Faintly came the shouted commands of the night watch changing shifts, short and forceful.

These sounds allowed him to slightly break free from his tangled thoughts.

He recalled the youths who died that day, the steadfast figures on the city walls, and Zhang Xian and Wang Gui's unreserved trust in their eyes.

He also recalled the crucial moment of the bloody battle at Yancheng, the warmth transmitted from the jade pendant in his bosom, and the ensuing precise battlefield insight.

That was not an illusion.

That was a force coming from the north, from those called 'bandits' who repeatedly extended a helping hand—friends who crossed thousands of mountains and rivers to bring aid.

They seek neither fame nor profit, even hiding their names.

What do they seek?

Perhaps, what they seek is the same as his.

They merely wish to let the Han lands and rivers return to wholeness, to let the people under heaven suffer less.

"Utter loyalty, serve the nation……"

He once again recited the four scorching characters on his back.

Loyalty, is loyalty to this land, to the people upon this land.

Or is it merely loyalty to the one person on the dragon throne, loyalty to those edicts that could drive the nation into an abyss?

For the first time, he felt such intense turmoil and pain regarding his mother's teachings from years ago.

However, the wavering was merely a moment.

When he raised his head again, looking at the simple map hung on the tent wall, his gaze fell on the dot marking Bian Liang, and all his hesitation was pressed down by a stronger resolve.

No.

He whispered to himself, yet it weighed as heavy as a thousand jin.

I cannot retreat.

At least, I cannot retreat now.

Even if I bear a thousand years of infamy, even if... blades and axes strike my body.

Also, for this Zhongyuan, I must hold out a few more days; also, for this Northern Expedition's great cause, I must preserve a bit more vital energy.

This, then, is true... loyalty to the monarch and service to the country.

He rose to his feet, blowing out the last wisp of faint light that might have leaked his emotions.

His silhouette merged into the deep darkness outside the tent, becoming straight and hard once more.

Like the solitary city of Waterfowl City, it stood silently in the north wind, preparing to face the imminent, more violent storm.

And in Approaching Peace, in Qin Manor Warm Pavilion, in Black Cloud Stronghold Observation Platform.

Countless eyes are fixed dead upon this place.

Fixed upon this man who agonizes between loyalty to the monarch and service to the country, yet ultimately chooses to turn his body into a barrier.

His perseverance is the spark of hope.

His hesitation is the enemy's best breakthrough point.

At the center of the storm, it is often the calmest.

And also the most perilous.