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The story goes that, just after the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 16th, Yue Fei received orders to go on an expedition. However, as soon as he entered the Dongping Prefecture in the north, he was met head-on by countless routed soldiers of Zhang Rong's unit, which naturally filled him with surprise and doubt. Despite this, Yue Pengju remained calm and composed. He immediately ordered his troops to seize Pingyin City, located on the south bank of the Ji River, while also urgently dispatching forces to gather the defeated soldiers and gather military intelligence.

Of course, having fought together before and being standard neighbors with decent relations, there was no need for Yue Fei to deliberately gather them. The routed soldiers of Zhang Rong's unit automatically flocked towards Pingyin City, where the large banner with the Yue character was displayed.

Among them were many high-ranking generals of Zhang Rong's unit, or rather, leaders of Liangshanpo, who had known each other in the past.

"Commissioner!"

After a short while, Zhang Xian, the Deputy Commander of the Central Army, who had gone northeast to gather the routed soldiers, led a man to Yue Fei, who was standing outside the city gate. "Commander Li Kui has arrived..."

Yue Fei, who was squinting his eyes and looking towards the northern road, was visibly energized upon hearing this.

It should be known that Yue Fei was extremely strict in governing his army. After becoming a Pacification Commissioner and gaining a foothold in a prefecture and a military district, his troops quickly expanded to fourteen or fifteen thousand. Anyone else would have had more than a dozen commanders under them by then. However, under Yue Fei, apart from himself, there were still only two commanders: Wang Gui, who usually guarded Jizhou City, and Fu Xuan, who usually garrisoned Dingtao City in Guangji Military District. Both were formally appointed by the imperial court.

Below them, everyone was limited to the level of commander, and even the appointments were extremely strict. Even trusted aides like Tang Huai and Zhang Xian could not become formal commanders.

In contrast, 'others', such as Zhang Rong of Liangshanpo, still followed the customs of the Jianghu, which inevitably led to excessive rewards and promotions. Many leaders, even those in charge of boats or pig farming, had the title of commander. If Zhang Suo hadn't specifically sent someone to warn him later, he might have created one hundred and eight commanders.

Yue Fei's slight excitement at this moment was not because of anything else, but because this Li Kui, who came from Yizhou, had initially been a military bandit following others to secede and occupy Mizhou after the chaos. He was later defeated by Li Cheng, against whom Yue Fei had drawn his sword in the past, and finally wandered and surrendered to Zhang Rong. He was precisely one of the few steady and meticulous people under Zhang Rong, and also a proper leader of troops. His words would provide some details.

"Pacification Commissioner Yue!" This meticulous general named Li Kui came before Yue Fei, covered in dust and dirt, and knelt down in a disheveled state. Before Yue Fei could dismount, he reported two of the most critical military intelligence matters. "The Jin are here, and Kong Yanzhou has defected on the battlefield..."

Even though Yue Fei had already anticipated it, he was still slightly taken aback upon hearing these words. He then reined in his horse and asked, "Are you sure it's the Jin? Why was there no prior activity?"

"It must be the Jin." Li Kui stood up, his fair face covered in bloodstains and dust, and quickly explained what he had seen. "Although they were disguised as troops from Jinan Prefecture, their horsemanship and arrows could not be faked. Yesterday afternoon, Liu Yu's eldest son, Liu Lin, personally provided cover at the front. Then, four or five thousand soldiers suddenly mounted their horses and raised the banner of Ali, the commander who came to Jingdong last year. Once they charged, it was clear they were Jurchens! That traitor Kong Yanzhou must have received instructions from Liu Yu in advance. He deliberately fell behind and, upon seeing our formation collapse, immediately defected and joined them in attacking us from both sides. As for how they came, it's still unclear, but most likely they came disguised as refugees from Hebei."

"They probably came disguised as refugees from Hebei." Someone among the generals behind him immediately expressed agreement.

"That's right. Wasn't it said earlier this month that the Jin didn't have time to cross the river, so they supported Liu Yu and his son with four or five thousand warhorses? Commander Zhang (Zhang Suo) was also somewhat determined to attack Jinan because of this. Now that the Jin have also disguised themselves, it's clear that the men and horses crossed separately. The warhorses came first, and then the soldiers pretended to be refugees to get here..." Someone else thought of the previous military intelligence.

"I just don't understand why Kong Yanzhou wants to ruin the reputation of us Xiangzhou people? Seeing his rise before, I thought this bird had changed his nature! Today, it seems he's still the same rogue he was back in our hometown of Xiangzhou!" Zhang Xian, who was usually carefree, even cursed out loud.

Yue Fei narrowed his eyes slightly, as if deep in thought, but did not say much.

It is said that Kong Yanzhou was originally a soldier from Jingdong, but like Li Cheng, who had once crossed swords with Yue Fei, he was also from Hebei. He had committed a crime and fled south to join the army. Moreover, as Zhang Xian revealed in his indignation, Kong Yanzhou's hometown was none other than Xiangzhou. Therefore, many in Yue Fei's army knew him, and because his garrison in Yanzhou was somewhat to the north, many refugees from Xiangzhou had also sought refuge with him.

What's more, due to this fellow townsman relationship, coupled with Yue Fei's great reputation and early rise, and Kong Yanzhou's skill in managing the army, the two sides were close, and the latter once had the title of 'Little Yue Fei'... It is said that Zhang Suo's emphasis on this person also had something to do with this.

"Pacification Commissioner Yue, what do we do now?" Seeing that Yue Fei was not speaking, Li Kui could not help but become anxious.

"First, temporarily garrison in Pingyin." Yue Fei finally spoke after regaining his senses. "Gather as many soldiers as possible, concentrate our forces, and defend ourselves well, in case the Jin take advantage of the victory to attack. The key is to quickly find Pacification Commissioner Zhang (Zhang Rong)..."

Since Yue Fei spoke, the surrounding people felt relieved as if they had found their backbone, and then each took action.

In the following day, everything went smoothly. Not only did the routed soldiers gather, but the enemy did not pursue. Moreover, by evening, there was definite news of Zhang Rong. He had been shot in the thigh by the Jin and did not dare to take small paths easily, so he could only have someone push him along the ditches by the Ji River, stopping and going.

Yue Fei did not dare to neglect and had Tang Huai guard the city while he personally led Zhang Xian and Li Kui to meet him with the Tabai Army overnight. However, after seeing Zhang Rong, the latter was unwilling to enter the city.

"Having fought such a cowardly battle, how can I have the face to go to Pingyin City to preside over the situation?" Zhang Rong sat on a flatbed cart, using a pile of dry grass as a pillow. One of his legs was tied to a wooden plank, and his forehead was wrapped in a white towel to absorb sweat. He no longer had his former high-spirited demeanor. Upon seeing Yue Fei and Li Kui, he turned his head away.

"It's just a temporary victory or defeat, especially since it was a Jin sneak attack and Kong Yanzhou defected on the battlefield. Brother Zhang doesn't need to dwell on it." Yue Fei helplessly stepped forward and held the other's arm to persuade him. "The current situation is unclear. I suspect the Jin will not only come from Jinan. Large armies along the river may arrive at any time. At that time, the overall situation will still need to be handled by you, brother. Since Kong Yanzhou has rebelled, Jinan Prefecture and Yanzhou are connected. Dongping Prefecture is the first to bear the brunt. If you don't go to preside over the situation now, how will the situation here be?"

Zhang Rong shook his head repeatedly. "You're becoming more and more bookish... Actually, you don't need to worry about the affairs of Dongping Prefecture, Pengju. I was born in Liangshanpo and grew up in Liangshanpo. Whether it's the Jin, Liu Yu, or traitors like Kong Yanzhou, I'll risk my life to prevent them from ravaging the surrounding area. But when it comes to the overall situation, I'm powerless today..."

Yue Fei was about to persuade him again.

"Brother Pengju, don't say anymore." Zhang Rong interrupted him. "You are an ambitious and capable person, otherwise you wouldn't be learning to write poetry and reading books in Jizhou. I know all this. But in the end, I'm just a water bandit and can't compare to you. It's a pity that I got lucky and won a battle that day, and then received an appointment from the Zhao Emperor. I got carried away and really thought I was some anti-Jin famous general... This battle has finally made me see my own abilities clearly. So many brothers were relying on my banner to come and join me, and they died in countless numbers in one day! How can I have the face to preside over the situation again?"

Yue Fei already understood what the other meant, but he didn't want to say it, while Li Kui, being a meticulous person, stepped forward and clasped his hands in salute at the right time.

As expected, Zhang Rong, seeing Li Kui step forward, took the opportunity to express his thoughts: "Brother Li Kui, if you still consider me a leader, then listen to my orders and go with Pacification Commissioner Yue to Pingyin to preside over the situation... Tell those brothers that after organizing the Liangshanpo and local Dongping people, escort the people north of Dongping Prefecture to find me near Liangshanpo and gather together. Relying on Liangshanpo, I will protect them no matter how difficult it is. As for the other heroes who have come to join us these days, you should temporarily take them in. After taking them in, don't come looking for me. Just listen to Pacification Commissioner Yue's arrangements."

Li Kui had come precisely for these words, so he simply clasped his hands and agreed.

Seeing the other's attitude, Zhang Rong knew that he had indeed lost the hearts of these outsiders, and he felt even more bored... Only Yue Fei, wanting him to hold the line and clean up the mess, the chief of Liangshanpo really felt sorry. He leaned on the flatbed cart, wanting to hold the other's hand and say a few heartfelt words.

But after thinking about it, firstly, he didn't have much ink in his belly, secondly, he was really ashamed, and thirdly, after thinking about it, he always felt that the other was better than him in everything. Writing poetry was one thing, but even the business in Jizhou was better than Dongping. In the end, he had nothing to say.

Finally, in order not to waste the other's time, this great chief simply adopted the most popular gesture in the Jianghu, which was to hold the other's hands and say goodbye.

The two separated, and not to mention Zhang Rong's Jianghu style, rising with one battle and falling with another. After receiving Zhang Rong's words and having the authority to handle matters, Yue Fei, Zhang Xian, and Li Kui led the Tabai Army back in a hurry. Among them, Yue Fei kept a straight face and said nothing, which made the followers somewhat uneasy.

After entering Pingyin City, the others went to rest. Zhang Xian took the opportunity and couldn't help but ask, taking advantage of the opportunity to be alone while tying up the horses in the stable behind the yamen: "Brother, you've been in a bad mood ever since you heard the military intelligence today. Are you angry that Kong Yanzhou, that traitor, has disgraced us Xiangzhou people? Or do you think Zhang Rong's battle was too miserable, and the situation in Dongping is difficult to deal with?"

"Kong Yanzhou naturally deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces." Speaking privately to his brother, Yue Fei naturally had nothing to hide. "But people like this will never be few after Zhang Bangchang, Fan Qiong, and Liu Yu, so there's no point in being angry. The situation in Dongping is naturally also worthy of worry, but since the Jin are invading south, I fear that the entire Central Plains will be greatly damaged. The life and death of the country is at stake, so how can I care about one place in Dongping?"

"Then are you still remembering what happened with sister-in-law?" Zhang Xian asked cautiously.

Yue Fei was slightly stunned and didn't react for a moment.

Seeing this, Zhang Xian wished he could slap himself twice... Speaking of which, after becoming a Pacification Commissioner, Yue Fei finally had enough manpower. In addition, the situation in Hebei was greatly damaged, so he successively entrusted people to find his family and the families of his brothers. After eighteen times, he finally brought the family from Xiangzhou, Hebei, over last month, only to find that his wife had abandoned his old mother and several children a year ago and gone south with her family.

In other words, Yue Pengju was dumped, and it had been over a year. She might have already cheated on him... This kind of thing would probably make other men resentful for a lifetime, and even in novels, it would be a proper case of betrayal, worthy of being hung up for criticism.

However, Yue Fei smiled at this time upon hearing this. "I naturally hate her for being heartless, but in that situation, everyone was seeking survival. I first abandoned her in that pit of fire, so how can I blame her? It's just that she was, after all, my lawfully wedded wife. It's fine to escape, but she shouldn't have abandoned my old mother and two children... That's what counts as losing her chastity... Now that my old mother is settled in Jizhou, I don't need to pay much attention to this matter. In the future, when I get news of her, I'll see if she's doing well and send her some money."

"Brother is right." Zhang Xian quickly glossed over it.

"However, I do have one unresolved worry today, and one thing I can't quell my anger about." After Yue Fei finished that idle talk, he saw that his brother didn't believe him, but he didn't explain. He simply stood in the stable, then stroked the head of the warhorse in front of him and sighed slightly, explaining the reason for his bad mood all day. "What worries me is that once the Jin invade south, it will definitely be a full-scale attack by 200,000 troops, and at least one main force will be targeting Nanyang. It is not terrible that there is a road of sneak crossing in Jinan today. What I fear is that there are also sneak crossings in other places, and then the front lines all collapse, making the overall situation difficult. At that time, our mere 10,000 people in Jizhou, relying on the front, having to defend the city and fight, will probably be difficult to handle... Before, I always felt that I had too few soldiers, so I couldn't exert enough strength, thinking that if I could manage a military district, leading tens of thousands of people, it would be good. Now the emperor has exceptionally promoted this mere twenty-five-year-old to be a Pacification Commissioner, leading a prefecture and a military district, with more than 10,000 soldiers, and everything can be decided by myself, but I am still alone and unable to support it, and may not even be able to protect the area, so I can't help but feel depressed."

Zhang Xian nodded repeatedly... In the overall situation, it is difficult to support it alone, this principle they have experienced too much before, his own brother's promotion speed before was like a dream, and in the end, it still has to be like this, naturally, he is uneasy.

"There is also a thing I am angry about, they all say that the Jin people in Jinan Prefecture are pretending to be refugees from Hebei and sneaking south, and I also think so..." Yue Fei continued to sigh. "Then, let alone the other places, just talking about these four or five thousand Jin people in Jinan Prefecture, where did their clothes come from when they pretended to be refugees? They couldn't have bought them, right?"

Zhang Xian was stunned for a moment, while Yue Fei took the opportunity to turn to the side, adding night grass to the warhorse by himself, and then went to rest. Pingyin City was rare and stable.

The night passed without a word, but as time came to midnight, the people in the city were awakened by the sound of the scouts' horseshoes, saying that they had observed flickering lights in the distance north of Pingyin City, which seemed to be a large army marching overnight, and they didn't know if it was the enemy army preparing to attack by night... The enemy was nearby, Yue Fei certainly didn't make a contingency plan in this regard, he immediately got up, on the one hand, he ordered the troops to be fully prepared, ready to strike at any time; on the other hand, he ordered the city head not to light torches without authorization, in order to show unpreparedness.

However, the scouts continued to report, and soon they informed a detailed military intelligence that made Yue Fei completely change color - it was indeed a large number of cavalry marching overnight, and it was almost certain that it was the Jin army led by Commander Ali, but the Jin cavalry was moving south along the Ji River on the opposite bank of the Ji River, and there was no intention of attacking Pingyin at all.

This should have been good news, but the generals who had already gathered became nervous, because the other party was likely to go to Guangji Army and Jizhou behind Liangshanpo, and they wanted to use the cavalry to outflank the Yue Family Army's rear.

However, this possibility was still not enough to make Yue Fei, who was sitting upright in the hall, fully armed, change color. What really made Yue Fei worried was that according to his understanding of the Jin people's combat style, one possibility was that this time the Jin people went south was a greater one... Commander Ali, as the vanguard of the sneak crossing, had a greater strategic task!

Therefore, the other party did not take Yue Fei's 10,000 people seriously at all. This trip was simply to rush to meet other Jin troops, or even to meet other sneak crossing troops, and directly attack Zhang Suo in Nanjing or Zong Ze in Tokyo.

Thinking of this level in his heart, Yue Pengju did not dare to neglect it at all. The next morning, he immediately mobilized the entire army, on the one hand, he took Zhang Xian as the vanguard to lead the Tabai Army to go south at high speed to find out the situation and pass on the news; on the other hand, he let his own troops go to the surrounding villages separately, and he wanted them to escort the people of Pingyin and the wounded Dongping Prefecture officers and soldiers to the north bank of Liangshanpo to gather; finally, he himself led Tang Huai and Li Kui to continue to gather the defeated soldiers in Pingyin with less than 2,000 middle troops, and also acted as the rearguard.

As things stand, he can only hope that Liu Lin and Kong Yanzhou will come slower.

However, in the morning, just as the various ministries had dispersed around to gather and escort the people, there was military intelligence to report, saying that Xu Qing, a general under Kong Yanzhou, had led 3,000 troops to appear 20 miles north of the city.

"Xu Qing came so fast!" Even Tang Huai, who was usually silent, was anxious. "It must be that the scouts last night were all attracted by the Jin army, and he took the opportunity to silence the drums and secretly march overnight..."

"Pacification Commissioner Yue, the defeated soldiers are not enough to fight, should we let some of the ministries that have just dispersed come back?" Li Kui was also a little flustered. "You must know that this Xu Qing doesn't have to beat us at all, as long as he nails us, when Kong Yanzhou and Liu Lin all arrive in the rear, we won't be able to get away."

"In that case, why did he silence the drums and come secretly overnight?" On the top of the city, Yue Fei narrowed his eyes slightly, his eyes turned white, as if he looked down on Xu Qing at all. "In any case, this person is an old acquaintance of mine in Xiangzhou, why don't you two go out of the city with me to the north and take the initiative to meet this person?"

Tang Huai naturally had nothing to say.

Li Kui was helpless and had to bite the bullet and agree.

ps: Thanks to the 56th Moe, Wow de Guai Guai... Guai Guai, what a nice name!