The morning mist rose over the river.

Thirty miles east of Zhenjiang, on the misty riverbank, orange flames flickered occasionally. As dawn approached, movement gradually arose from the water. One by one, boats docked at the simple and dilapidated pier along the riverbank, followed by the sounds of water, voices, and the clatter of carts. Carriages laden with goods made their way ashore via the aging waterfront boardwalk.

A middle-aged man, about forty years old, with only half of his left arm, watched from the nearby woods for a while before approaching with three trusted men carrying torches.

There were about a dozen carriages that had landed, accompanied by over a hundred people. They disembarked from the ships, harnessed the carriages, and unloaded goods with swift, methodical movements. These men had already noticed the activity at the edge of the woods. As the one-armed middle-aged man and his companions approached, someone from their side went to meet them.

Leading the group was a slightly older middle-aged Confucian scholar. The two groups approached each other from the dark morning. Once they could see clearly, the Confucian scholar smiled and clasped his hands in greeting. The one-armed middle-aged man, finding it difficult to return the gesture, tapped his right fist against his chest. "Master Zuo, long time no see."

The newcomer was none other than Zuo Xiuquan, the renowned elder of the Zuo family. He returned the greeting with a bow. "Master Duan, you've worked hard. I'm truly sorry to trouble you with such a dangerous journey once again."

"We're all family here. Why speak like outsiders? Does Master Zuo not consider me one of your own?" The one-armed middle-aged man frowned slightly.

"Indeed, indeed," Zuo Xiuquan replied with a smile, nodding his head. "See who else has come."

After his words, a figure accompanying him stepped forward, saying, "Uncle Duan, do you still remember me?"

The figure was dressed in green clothing suitable for traveling through the wilderness. The voice, however, was that of a woman. The one-armed middle-aged man squinted, blinked, and finally recognized the woman before him, uttering in a trembling voice, "Is... is Miss... Miss Yinping? Miss Yinping, what brings you here?"

"Having been separated from Uncle Duan for so long, I was filled with longing and came to see you."

The woman was tall and slender, speaking in a gentle and natural tone, but in the torchlight, her bright eyes and strong eyebrows revealed a compelling spirit. It was none other than Yue Yinping, Yue Fei's nineteen-year-old adopted daughter. She walked up to the one-armed middle-aged man, took his hand, and looked at his severed arm with a hint of sorrow in her eyes. The one-armed middle-aged man shook his head.

"You... you are of noble birth, how could you..."

"Uncle Duan, do not look down on me. When we fought side by side on the battlefield, I never lagged behind."

"Yes, yes." Hearing her mention the battles, the one-armed middle-aged man's eyes welled up with tears. "It's a pity... that I fell behind..."

"Uncle Duan fought valiantly until the end, owing nothing to anyone. Being able to survive is a blessing. Father was overjoyed when he heard about it... Oh, Uncle Duan, look, who else has come?"

As she spoke, the man looked towards the pier. He saw a jumble of figures and was unable to make out specific faces. He was very excited and asked, "Are they... are they all brothers from the Beiwei Army?"

Yue Yinping nodded. At that moment, a carriage wheel became mired in the sandy ground near the riverbank. A figure on the side held onto the shaft and wheel, letting out a low shout: "One, two, three... lift!" The carriage carrying the goods was almost lifted out of the sand by his strength alone.

The one-armed middle-aged man, upon hearing that voice, pointed his finger and said, "That is, that is..."

The figure laughed heartily and ran over, "Uncle Duan, do you still remember me?"

The person running over was burly, but looked quite young. The one-armed middle-aged man said, "Young General, you, you... this is dangerous territory, how could you all come together?"

"Master Zuo has come, Uncle Duan is here. How could the Yue family remain on the sidelines?"

The "Young General" he was referring to was naturally Yue Fei's son, Yue Yun. He approached and embraced the man. He did not display the same sentimentality as his sister regarding the severed arm.

Yue Yinping said, "This Jiangning assembly is no ordinary matter. It may bring about many changes to the future of the world. My brother and I have come to learn from Master Zuo. As for Uncle Duan, now that you are involved, you probably cannot stay here after this matter is over. You must return to Fuzhou with us."

After she finished speaking, the one-armed middle-aged man remained silent for a moment. Then, he solemnly took two steps back. In the flickering torchlight, his arm rose abruptly, and he gave a formal military salute.

On the riverbank in the gentle night breeze, a voice resonated.

"Beiwei Army! Duan Siheng! Reporting for duty..."

Bearing mountains on their backs, having pledged their lives to the nation, becoming ghosts.

This is, Beiwei!

...

The convoy of carriages left the riverbank and headed west along the road in the early hours of the morning.

Duan Siheng, originally a member of the Beiwei Army, now a middle-aged man with a severed arm, sat in the leading carriage, guiding the way and pointing out the surrounding landmarks.

The sky was still unclear, and the road was surrounded by vast expanses of mist, but with Duan Siheng's guidance, everyone recalled many things from the past.

"There used to be a village over there..."

"Is Quanfeng Market still there..."

"A little further northwest, we fought the Jurchen Wanyan Xiyin there!"

"We've walked this road before... it was after that defeat..."

Yue Yun stood on the carriage, reminiscing about these events.

Zhenjiang was originally the core of the southern defense line. The Beiwei Army trained here, and the emperor, then still a prince, wept as he executed his brother-in-law on the hills by the river. When the Jurchens attacked, the man, who was now the emperor but then still a prince, ran around inside and outside the city, shouting and fighting non-stop. When he was struck by a Jurchen arrow, many local people charged onto the battlefield and fought the Jurchens.

For Yue Yun and others, they had directly broken through the Jurchen center formation in that battle, killing the Jurchen general Alubao, and even bringing the attack to the front of Wanyan Xiyin's lines. At that time, the overall defeat was impossible to reverse, but Yue Fei still hoped for that desperate strike. Unfortunately, he failed to kill Wanyan Xiyin and failed to delay the later collapse of Lin'an.

Duan Siheng participated in that battle, as did Yue Yinping and Yue Yun. Recalling the bloodshed of that battle, they could not help but feel heroic and passionate.

Later, Emperor Junwu ascended the throne in Jiangning, but soon abandoned it. After much fighting and fleeing, he returned to Zhenjiang. The Jurchens drove millions of surrendered soldiers from the south, pursuing them all the way. Several hundred thousand soldiers and civilians, including the Beiwei Army, fled in disarray. They returned to the battlefield, and it was during that escape that Duan Siheng had his arm cut off and was separated from the group after falling unconscious. When he woke up, he had survived by chance, but the journey was too long, and it was difficult to follow the army to Fuzhou.

Using his experience as an officer in the Beiwei Army, he gathered some local refugees to protect themselves. Later, he joined the Fairness Party (Gongping Dang) and became a minor leader. After the Fairness Party gained momentum, the court in Fuzhou repeatedly sent Cheng Zhouhai and others to make contact. Although the Fairness Party, led by He Wen, no longer recognized Zhou Junwu as emperor, the small court treated them with respect and even sent some grain and supplies to help, so the high-level Fairness Party and Fuzhou did not completely sever ties.

After several such interactions, Duan Siheng re-established contact with Fuzhou and became one of their internal agents.

"...I am now under Gao Chang, one of the five great kings of the Fairness Party..."

The morning breeze stirred the morning mist. After reminiscing about several major battles with Yue Yun and others, Duan Siheng wiped away his tears, composed himself, and began to tell Zuo Xiuquan, Yue Yinping, and others about the current state of the Fairness Party.

"The Fairness Party, as is generally known, has five remarkable kings, formerly known as the 'Five Tigers.' The greatest, of course, is He Wen, the universally known 'Fairness King (Gongping Wang).' He is nominally the leader of this Jiangnan region. It is said that he came from the southwest and once debated with Mr. Ning, proving to be a remarkable figure. It was once said that he inherited the mantle of the Black Flag from the southwest, but now it seems not to be the case…"

"There is no dispute over the fact that he is the boss, but below Mr. He, the situation is very chaotic. I'm not kidding, it's a complete mess." Duan Siheng said, "The Heavenly King Gao that I follow is relatively simpler. In terms of personality, he likes to fight. He has the fewest soldiers among the five, but his military discipline is strict, similar to our Beiwei Army. That's one of the reasons why I joined him. Because of these elite soldiers, he can fight, so no one dares to provoke him easily. Outsiders call him Heavenly King Gao, referring to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. He has no apparent contradictions with Mr. He and listens to his commands most of the time. Of course, we don't see the specifics clearly..."

"Below the Fairness King and Heavenly King Gao, Chu Zhaonan is known as the Chakravartin King (Zhuanlun Wang), which is not the meaning of the Four Heavenly Kings, but one of the Ten Kings of Hell. He emerged from the foundation of the Maitreya and Great Brightness sects. Most of those who follow him are actually believers from the Jiangnan area. The Great Brightness sect once said that there would be thirty-three great tribulations in the world. After the Jurchens came, countless people in Jiangnan believed in the sect. His soldiers, when they went to the battlefield, would drink talisman water and shout that they were invulnerable to swords and spears. They were indeed fearless, because the mortal world is full of suffering, and if they died, they would enter the Vacuum Homeland and enjoy happiness. In the previous battles against the Lin'an troops, some people dragged their intestines and ran on the battlefield, scaring people to tears. He has many followers, and many of them truly believe that he is a reincarnation of the Chakravartin King."

"Below Chu Zhaonan is Shi Baofeng. The composition of his followers is very mixed. He deals with all kinds of people and is said to be unpretentious. Outsiders call him the Equality King (Pingdeng Wang). But his greatest ability is that he can not only collect wealth, but also generate it. The Fairness Party has reached this stage now. In the beginning, of course, it was all about looting, and weapons were looted and used. But after Shi Baofeng rose, he organized many people, and the Fairness Party was able to repair and rebuild weapons..."

"Today, the Fairness Party has raised millions of soldiers, and more than 70% of the weapons are managed by him. He can make cannons, gunpowder, and various supplies. Most of the trade and transportation channels are controlled by his people. He and Mr. He, I heard that they used to have a good relationship, but now that he controls such a large power, friction occurs from time to time, and the two sides fight openly and secretly underneath. Especially after he was called the 'Equality King,' you hear, 'Equality King' and 'Fairness King,' doesn't it sound like they're going to fight..."

"As for the current fifth, Zhou Shang, outsiders call him the Yama King (Yanluo Wang), because this man is ruthless and kills the most fiercely. All the landlords and gentry who fall into his hands never fare well. His followers are all the most vicious people... Mr. He set the rules that every time the Fairness Party conquers a place, it will statistics the local wealthy gentry. The ones with bad records will be killed without mercy, but those with good deeds can be treated leniently, and should not be driven to extinction. But in Zhou Shang's area, these people always die cleanly, some even being buried alive or skinned alive, suffering cruel torture. It is said that the relationship between the two sides is very tense because of this..."

At this time, the morning breeze blew, and a sliver of white appeared on the horizon in the distance. After Duan Siheng briefly introduced these details of the Fairness Party, Yue Yinping thought for a while and said, "These few are quite unique."

Duan Siheng laughed bitterly. "If you think the Fairness Party is just these five people, then you are wrong."

"These five people are just the five leaders of the Fairness Party now." He paused and said, "After the defeat in Jiangnan, the Jurchens rampaged, and His Majesty… took his people to Fuzhou. Mr. He started the uprising in the name of fairness, and although he gathered some people around him, soon there were forces everywhere in Jiangnan under the banner of Fairness, seizing food from the rich. Later, these forces connected one by one, all saying that they were following the Fairness banner, all saying that they were following so-and-so, but the person at the top may not even know that he has a bunch of little brothers like this below him…"

"At that time, almost everywhere in Jiangnan had the Fairness Party, but the place was too big to gather all of them. Mr. He issued the *Fairness Code (Gongping Dian)*, setting many rules, and told outsiders that all who believed in my rules were members of the Fairness Party, so everyone followed these rules, but who they joined was up to them. Some people casually worship a Fairness Party big brother, and above the big brother there is another big brother, and so on for several rounds, perhaps hanging under the name of Mr. He or Chu Zhaonan or someone else…"

"In the past year or so, Mr. He and the other five kings have the greatest reputation, occupy the largest territory, and have recruited and trained many regular troops. But if you go to Jiangning, you will know that there are layers and layers of factions from top to bottom, and they are fighting for territory and benefits, fighting endlessly. In the middle of this, Mr. He has the 'Seven Sages,' Heavenly King Gao has the 'Four Garrisons,' Chu Zhaonan has the 'Eight Executioners,' Shi Baofeng has the 'Three Talents,' and Zhou Shang has the 'Seven Killers.' Everyone still fights for territory, sometimes openly fighting in the streets with knives and guns, which is a mess, full of blood, and corpses cannot be collected…"

After all, the arrangement of the Fuzhou court's external eyes and intelligence transmission is not as systematic as that of the southwest. At this time, when Duan Siheng talked about the internal situation of the Fairness Party, Yue Yinping, Yue Yun, and others were dumbfounded. Even the well-cultivated Zuo Xiuquan was frowning at this time, trying to understand everything he said.

"Also, don't think that the Fairness Party is just these five kings. In fact, in addition to the army members who have officially joined these five, those heroes who are named or unnamed all want to make their own way. In addition to the five most famous, in the past six months, there have been factions such as 'Turbulent River (Luan Jiang),' 'Big Dragon Head (Da Long Tou),' and 'Victorious King (Jisheng Wang),' all claiming to be members of the Fairness Party, following the *Fairness Code* and thinking of making their own power…"

"After all, the Four Heavenly Kings are not full, and there are only two of the Ten Kings of Hell. Maybe if you are ruthless, you can have your name on the list of heavenly soldiers and generals in the future. Alas, Zhenjiang is now the territory of Heavenly King Gao. You can't see so many things. We'll detour around it. When we get to Jiangning, you'll understand…"

The morning sun broke, the clouds flew, and the fog dispersed. Duan Siheng drove the carriage, telling everyone about these strange things while leading the team towards Jiangning in the west. On the way, they encountered a team of guards wearing blue scarves, setting up a card to check. Duan Siheng went over and made a set of secret hand gestures, then slapped the other party on the head and ordered him to get lost. Seeing that their side was strong and strong, and Yue Yun was still showing off his muscles, they slipped away in a hurry.

"We are now one of the 'Four Garrisons' under Heavenly King Gao, the second general under 'Sea Garrison (Zhen Hai)' Lin Hongjin. My title is… uh, One-Armed Dragon (Duan Shou Long)…"

Duan Siheng said a little embarrassedly. Yue Yun chuckled, and Yue Yinping asked, "Why is it the second general?"

"Below the general is the second general. This is to make it easier for everyone to know your rank…"

Duan Siheng said, his voice getting smaller and smaller, very ashamed. The surrounding Beiwei Army members all laughed.