Yue Fei, seeing the other man draw his knife and point it at him, didn't panic at all. Instead, he replied frankly in the same Hebei accent:

"Allow me to inform Chief Li that I was surrounded by Jin troops in Hebei some time ago. When breaking through, I was wounded in the brow bone by an arrow, so everyone looks like they're rolling their eyes to me. I didn't mean to look down on anyone."

Li Cheng was suddenly stunned, not yet thinking of how to respond, while Zhang Rong beside him had already burst out laughing with his hands on his hips. This only made Li Cheng feel even more embarrassed and unable to back down!

"Alright!"

Just then, Grand Commandant Yang suddenly spoke. "Fu Xuan, go and collect the weapons of the heroes in the hall..."

It had to be said that Yang Weizhong, who previously seemed crude, was actually a seasoned veteran. He hadn't spoken for a long time, but when he did, it was perfectly timed, both giving Li Cheng a way out, resolving the conflict between Li Cheng, Zhang Rong, and Yue Fei, and also strengthening his own authority.

Upon hearing the military order, a young military officer under Yang Weizhong immediately stepped forward, leading several other military officers, and began collecting weapons from everyone in the hall, starting from the front. The second table they came to was where Yue Fei and Ma Kuo were sitting.

Ma Kuo didn't mind and handed over his treasured saber directly, but Yue Fei remained motionless.

"Commandant Yue..." The officer named Fu Xuan couldn't help but urge him.

"Are you from the Eight Character Army of Taihang Mountain?" Yue Fei sat upright, only raising his head to stare at the eight characters tattooed on the man's cheek, and sighed slightly. "You shouldn't be from the twelve divisions that crossed the river that day, right? Otherwise, I wouldn't fail to recognize you."

The man paused slightly, then became solemn: "Reporting to Commandant Yue, the Jurchen Jin people are migrating Jurchen and Khitan Meng'an to the various military prefectures of Hebei, and they demand things excessively, with hundreds of thousands of troops coming and going. The people of Hebei can't endure the hardships, so they have risen up in arms and gathered in the Taihang Mountains... Among them, Xin Wang of the Five Horse Mountain in the Northern Taihang has protection, and its influence in the north is the greatest; while the Southern Taihang is most famous for Grand Commandant Wang's Eight Character Army... I left home last November to join Grand Commandant Wang, and then I got the tattoo. I did indeed hear about Commandant Yue's reputation from Military Advisor Fan."

Yue Fei nodded slightly, then glanced at Ma Kuo beside him before continuing to ask: "Since the Eight Character Army is so powerful, why are you here?"

"Didn't we get scattered by the main Jin forces when we came down the mountain?" Fu Xuan replied helplessly. "The momentum in the mountains is getting bigger and bigger, but once we enter the plains, we are really no match for the Jin cavalry... Fortunately, after this defeat, when we went east, we happened to meet Grand Commandant Yang, and we have been following him ever since."

Yue Fei nodded again.

"Commandant Yue." Fu Xuan finished chatting with Yue Fei amidst the gazes of everyone in the hall, but in the end, he urged him. "If you want to talk, we can have a drink tonight, and I'll tell you slowly. Now, please hand over your weapon... make it easy for me!"

Yue Fei finally shook his head slowly, holding his treasured saber. "Grand Commandant Yang recognizes me, and you have heard of me, so you should know that I am a Commandant of the Tokyo Garrison of the Great Song, a Wugong Lang of the Zheng rank. This is the Great Song government hall, and there is no reason for a dignified Commandant of the Great Song to hand over his weapon like a group of bandits."

Ma Kuo felt ashamed for a moment when he heard this, and Fu Xuan was also caught off guard, while Yang Weizhong simply turned his head and said nothing.

"What do you mean?!" Li Cheng in the hall was furious again when he heard this, and drew his knife for the second time. "Are you, this whatever-kind-of-Commandant, still looking down on me, Li Cheng, aren't you?!"

"It's not that I look down on Chief Li, I'm just telling the truth," Yue Fei replied sincerely.

Li Cheng grew even angrier and actually lunged forward, slashing down with his knife.

Seeing this, the two closest people, Ma Kuo and Fu Xuan, reacted extremely quickly. One quickly tried to overturn the table to block, and the other immediately turned to reach for his knife.

But Li Cheng was clearly not just putting on a show, and his intentions were vicious, definitely not just trying to scare people. This slash was powerful and swift, and it was clear he was trying to kill someone. In comparison, Fu Xuan hadn't even turned around to reach for his weapon when he caught sight of the blade, and Ma Kuo simply couldn't manage to overturn the table... because there was someone who reacted much faster than the two of them. When Yue Pengju saw the other man coming to attack, he stepped onto the table with one foot, lowered his body, exerted force, and drew his saber to meet the attack!

Almost in the blink of an eye, everyone only felt a blur before their eyes, and the two men were already engaged in a fierce exchange of blows in the hall! And when the blades clashed, sparks actually flew!

Apart from the civil official who was already dumbfounded, almost everyone else present was a man who made a living with a blade. With just one exchange, they understood the strength and weakness of the two men. They all felt awe, and even the old Grand Commandant Yang, who had promoted Han Shizhong and seen a lot, couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.

As for Yue Fei and Li Cheng themselves, they were both cautious, carefully examining each other while gripping their knives... The former really didn't expect this bandit to have such martial arts and strength, and felt somewhat emotional; the latter was even more shocked, because he was from Hebei, had served in the army in Huainan, and had become an outlaw in Shandong. He had traveled all over the north and south of the Yellow River, and everything else was fine, but he prided himself on being invincible in martial arts. As a result, his sneak attack today had only resulted in a draw. Didn't this mean that the martial arts of this ordinary Song military officer were actually three points better than his own?

How could he not be shocked?!

"Li Cheng!"

Just as the two men were in a stalemate, the old Grand Commandant Yang spoke again, but his position was already clear. "You drew your knife to slash at a legitimate Commandant of our Great Song in the government hall of our Great Song. What do you mean by that?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Fu Xuan and the others came to their senses and drew their knives with a clang, while the group of Shandong heroes following Li Cheng also drew their knives, but were stopped by Li Cheng himself, who had regained his senses, raising his hand.

Not only that, but he actually sheathed his knife, stepped forward again with his chest out, faced more than a dozen Song military officers holding blades with his bare hands, and then spoke to Yang Weizhong behind the officers:

"Old Grand Commandant Yang, we have come here today in response to your banner to resist the Jin... Today, it is true that I, Li Cheng, drew my knife first and broke the rules, but are you really going to kill me for this? If you kill me, who else will believe the orders of the imperial court in the two circuits of Jingdong? The imperial court fled all the way from Hebei to the banks of the Huai River before finally rousing himself in shame and indignation, determined not to retreat again. But before he has even broken his word, is Old Grand Commandant Yang going to ruin the imperial court's credibility in Jingdong?!"

"What eloquent words..." Yang Weizhong couldn't help but stroke his beard and sneer. "With such an eloquent tongue, why did you still lose out when speaking to Chief Zhang just now?"

Zhang Rong came to his senses and was also slightly stunned.

"In any case, if Old Grand Commandant Yang doesn't kill me, I'll take my leave first!" Saying this, Li Cheng neither held his knife nor paid attention to the Song military officers in front of him. He just glanced deeply at Yue Fei, who had already returned to his seat with a calm expression, and then strode out of the hall.

As soon as he left, many Shandong heroes, or rather, heroes from the eastern circuit of Jingdong, looked around and probably felt that since Li Cheng had left, it would be difficult for them to gain a foothold here. So they all bid farewell... The once lively hall was instantly half empty.

However, Zhang Rong laughed with his hands on his hips: "How about it, Old Grand Commandant Yang, how about I come and be your deputy? Give me a Commandant position too, so I can go back to Liangshan and show off with a red flower on my head..."

"Chief Zhang, please wait a moment, allow me to catch my breath in the backyard," Yang Weizhong pinched his beard and got up directly, but changed to fluent Mandarin. "Yue Fei, Ma Kuo, the two of you come with me to the backyard!"

"As you wish, Old Grand Commandant!" Zhang Rong couldn't help but grin again.

Yue Pengju and Ma Zichong immediately got up, and Fu Xuan and the others also followed quickly... It should be known that Yue Fei had previously been directly under Yang Weizhong in the Marshal's office, and Ma Kuo was even a native of Xizhou Didao, belonging to the Western Army background. Otherwise, how could he have been easily summoned by Yang Weizhong with a single document? How dare they neglect him at this time?

"Yue..."

They didn't even reach the backyard, only turning into the corridor behind the hall, when Yang Weizhong couldn't help but want to speak.

"That Li Cheng has ulterior motives."

However, before the old Grand Commandant could ask, Yue Fei had already replied calmly. "Although he is from Hebei, his subordinates are all from the eastern circuit of Jingdong. May I ask how a group of bandits from the eastern circuit of Jingdong abandoned the favorable terrain of Mount Tai and Mount Yi, abandoned their hometowns, and ran to the western circuit of Jingdong to resist the Jin? It's just that they see that the chaotic times have already appeared, so they are specifically looking for places where the Jin people and we are fighting, intending to waver from side to side, extort high prices, and even take the opportunity to carve out their own territories! To put it bluntly, it's only because the imperial court is currently holding off the Jin troops on the banks of the Huai River. If they couldn't hold on, and the banks of the Huai River became a place trampled by the Jin troops, this group of people would still run to the two Huai Rivers to cause chaos."

Yang Weizhong thought for a moment and actually couldn't refute him. Ma Kuo and Fu Xuan and the others all nodded in agreement.

"As for Zhang Rong, he is different," Yue Fei continued, his expression unchanged. "Half of the Water Margin Liangshan is within the territory of Jizhou, and this time five thousand Jin troops are pressing on the state city of Jizhou, which is next to the Water Margin Liangshan, and they are also acting as tyrants and trampling on the people. Zhang Rong, as the master of the Water Margin, has subordinates who are all poor fishermen who live off the Water Margin. His intention to deal with this Jin army is probably as firm as ours... Therefore, Zhang Rong can be used with confidence! And if you want to break the five thousand Jin cavalry in Jizhou, the only way is to lure the Jin army into the Water Margin and destroy them by using the terrain!"

Yang Weizhong thought for a long time, but still had nothing to say. Fu Xuan and Ma Kuo could only nod.

"Summon Zhang Rong!" Yang Weizhong knew exactly what was going on when Yue Fei stopped speaking.

Soon, Zhang Rong swaggered in, and when he saw the three of them standing there, he was about to laugh again.

Unexpectedly, Yue Fei was too lazy to waste words with this man and instead asked bluntly: "How many soldiers does Commandant Zhang have?"

Zhang Rong couldn't help but become serious, stepped forward, and stood with his hands clasped: "Old Grand Commandant Yang and Commandant Yue really want to fight?"

Yang Weizhong and Yue Fei both remained silent.

Zhang Rong reluctantly nodded: "If we fight on land outside the water fortress, I can only have seven or eight thousand able-bodied men! But let me say this in advance, although you call me Commandant, my Commandant is not the same as you. I don't take empty salaries from the villagers, and you won't give me salaries..."

"What if we lure them to the edge of the Water Margin?" Yue Fei was too lazy to argue with the other man and asked again in a serious tone.

"Then I can summon fifteen or sixteen thousand! All of them can draw bows, row boats, and use knives, but there is really not much armor," Zhang Rong became even more serious. "You really want to fight? Don't lie to me!"

"How many soldiers does the Old Grand Commandant have?" Yue Fei turned his head and asked again.

"I only have a little over a thousand remnants, but Commander Fu brought out more than three thousand soldiers from Taihang Mountain..."

"Then that's enough," Yue Pengju replied, narrowing his eyes. "Carefully select twenty thousand men, use the power of the Water Margin, find an excellent place to set up an ambush, and you can defeat the enemy! It should be known that five thousand enemies, an ambush of twenty thousand men is enough, more is useless."

The old Grand Commandant Yang, Ma Kuo, and Fu Xuan still didn't know how to refute him.

"The Water Margin Liangshan is eight hundred li, there are many magical places, I can know where to let the Jin army die and feed the fish even with my eyes closed," Zhang Rong still felt a little muddled. "But how would the Jin army take the initiative to come to the Water Margin and fall into my ambush?"

"Of course, take advantage of the enemy's arrogance at this time and lure them there," Yue Fei replied simply.

"Who will lure the enemy, that's five thousand Jin cavalry!" Zhang Rong crossed his arms again, sneering. "Whoever goes is just courting death!"

"Naturally, I will go," Yue Fei still spoke with an unwavering tone.

It was warm in spring, but the flowers hadn't bloomed yet. A fragrant breeze wafted through the corridor. This time, even Zhang Rong didn't know how to refute him.

"Really want to fight?" After a long pause, Zhang Rong stood with his hands clasped in front of him again.

"If we do it this way, how many days will it take to prepare everything?" Yang Weizhong also stroked his beard and asked, gritting his teeth.

"Do you lack weapons there? How much time will it take to gather people?" Yue Fei continued to ask, but he was speaking to Zhang Rong.

"We don't lack them, and we don't need to spend time gathering people. Everything is ready in the water fortress, and the people are also ready... We were originally gathered together to guard against the Jin army, as long as you send a boat to pick you up and smuggle you over from the Jishui side," Zhang Rong also replied, gritting his teeth.

"Then from now on, how many days will it take to cross over and arrange everything properly?" Yue Fei continued to press.

"Five days is enough... You set off early tomorrow morning, hurry on your way, and you can reach the edge of the Water Margin by noon the day after tomorrow. Take a boat all night, and rest for another day and night, repairing your weapons at the same time. You can definitely set up an ambush properly by the fifth day... I know this even with my eyes closed," Zhang Rong actually became a little flustered. "I don't know how many times I've walked this road, and I definitely won't make any mistakes."

"Then we'll defeat the enemy in five days."

Yue Fei turned around and gave Yang Weizhong a calm reply, as if a soulless wooden puppet was saying something routine. "Old Grand Commandant's reputation is too great, you might as well take the remaining remnants and those small groups of righteous soldiers and stay here to drink and make merry, to attract attention; Chief Zhang had better quarrel with the Old Grand Commandant in public, and then secretly go back tonight; and early tomorrow morning, Brother Ma and Commander Fu will quickly lead troops to Water Margin Liangshan; I will lead five hundred cavalry from Dingtao here to cross the river to the south bank of Jishui, and set the fifth day, the twenty-eighth of the first month, as the deadline to lure the main Jin forces to the Water Margin... At that time, you will be ready to meet us in front of the Water Margin, guide me into the ambush, and then twenty thousand men will attack together. Victory or defeat will be decided in one battle... Don't delay, because things will change over time. We are not acting there, and everything needs to be discussed with all the officials."

Yang Weizhong stroked his beard and stared at Yue Fei for a long time, as if looking at something strange, instinctively wanting to refute the other man's nonsense. But he exhausted his half-lifetime of military experience, thought about it, and still didn't know how to refute him.

As for Fu Xuan and Ma Kuo, they were already dumbfounded.

Zhang Rong, on the other hand, counted on his fingers and couldn't help but add: "The fifth day is indeed the twenty-eighth of the first month. Please, Commandant Yue, it's best to lure the Jin people over after noon, but before sunset."

"Alright."

Yue Fei still had the same wooden expression, but he did take a slight look at the master of Water Margin Liangshan in front of him, who looked like a fisherman.

ps: You guys always say I'm short and small, I looked at it... A new book with better results than mine is also exactly 200,000 words, but it was published half a month earlier than me, and it's divided into 90 chapters! Conscience of heaven and earth!

Good night.