The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 497 Zhuxian Town Revisited

Ma Dayuan would never admit to being a spy, and immediately shook his head: "How could a beggar like me be qualified to be a spy? Even if I wanted to, the Northern Song Dynasty wouldn't want me."

Lu You: "No need to be wary, I am not part of Zhao Gou's faction."

He said "Zhao Gou's faction" but not "Qin Hui's faction," which clearly shows that he has figured out the true leader of the pro-peace faction. This insight made Ma Dayuan exclaim in surprise, "Such a young child, how can he be so clear-headed? Another child prodigy!"

Ma Dayuan waved his hand: "Come with me, hurry, the officials are coming soon."

The two ran headlong into the alley, only to hear a commotion erupt behind them. The officials had indeed arrived and were questioning the listeners, searching for those who had spread "demonic rumors."

Ma Dayuan led Lu You through a maze of alleys, and after a while, they arrived at a secluded, deserted, dilapidated temple. Ma Dayuan then turned to Lu You and said, “You little brat, you’re quite bold to call Zhao Gou by his name.”

Lu You replied calmly, “My father, Lu Zai, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, frequently corresponded with Prime Minister Li Gang and also maintained close ties with key pro-war officials such as Zhao Ding and Li Guang. When the Jin army marched south, my father strongly advocated resisting the enemy and actively prepared for defense, which made him a thorn in the side of the pro-peace faction. Not long ago, my father was demoted…”

Upon hearing this, Ma Dayuan immediately understood: "So you're the son of a pro-war official, no wonder. Alright, what do you want from a beggar like me, who might be a spy from the Northern Song Dynasty, when you, the son of a demoted pro-war official, come to me?"

Lu You: "I would like to know if Prime Minister Li is currently in the Northern Song Dynasty?"

Ma Dayuan: "Huh? Why do you ask that? Wasn't Li Gang demoted to Lingnan and off eating lychees?"

Lu You: "This can only fool ordinary people. My father and Prime Minister Li used to exchange letters frequently. Recently, all the letters my father wrote to Lingnan have been like stones sinking into the sea, without a single reply! My father sent people to Lingnan to look for him, but they couldn't find Prime Minister Li anywhere."

Ma Dayuan: "That means Qin Hui killed Li Gang."

Lu You: "You're talking to a child! No matter how ruthless Qin Hui is, he still has to abide by the rules of officialdom. He can only use his sword against military officers, but he can't kill scholar-officials. Even if Qin Hui had ten thousand lives, he wouldn't dare to break this rule, otherwise his whole family would be killed when he loses power."

Ma Dayuan chuckled and said, "What an amazing kid."

Lu You: "Has Prime Minister Li already been taken away by the Northern Song Dynasty? Please do not hesitate to tell me."

Ma Dayuan hesitated for a moment...

Just then, a figure emerged from the dilapidated temple behind him; it was none other than Su Qier, the leader of the Beggars' Sect.

Su Qier laughed and said, "Elder Ma, don't hide it anymore, you can't hide it anymore! And there's no need to hide this young master from us, he is a famous patriotic poet."

Ma Dayuan: "?"

Lu You: "?"

Both of them were a little curious: how could a ten-year-old child become a "famous" "patriotic poet"?

Su Qier walked up to Lu You and said with a smile, "You guessed right. Li Gang is in the Northern Song Dynasty. He is currently with the 'Southeast Route Army' of the Northern Song Dynasty and is on his way to Zhuxian Town."

"Zhuxian Town!" Lu You's eyes lit up: "This is the place where Marshal Yue was about to defeat Jin Wuzhu for the last time and was preparing to take back Kaifeng, but was summoned back by twelve gold tablets."

“That’s right!” Su Qierxuan smiled. “We will get up from where we fall. After Li Gang arrives at Zhuxian Town, the Northern Song Dynasty will set up a large camp there and then launch a general offensive to recapture Kaifeng.”

Lu You quickly said, "I dare to ask for my father a minor official position in the Northern Song Dynasty, preferably one on the front line of the fight against the Jin. My Lu family will immediately move north to do odd jobs for the Northern Expeditionary Army."

He was quite uneasy after making this request. How could someone give you an official position just because you want one?
Unexpectedly, Su Qier nodded without hesitation and said, "Okay! I promise you."

Lu You was overjoyed. Su Qier said, "At sunset tonight, your whole family should go to the Hangzhou dock on the Grand Canal and stand in a conspicuous place. People from the Northern Song Dynasty will come to contact you. A few days later, you will be able to meet Prime Minister Li Gang."

Lu You was overjoyed: "Thank you very much, Chief!"
-
The three armies of the Northern Song Dynasty converged on Kaifeng.

The fastest progress was undoubtedly made by the Southern Route Army, led by Gong Erniangzi. This army had been stationed near the six prefectures of Jingxiang, the closest to the Central Plains, and its route of advance was the same one that Yue Fei had already traversed. Along the way, Yue Fei had utterly defeated the Jin army and the puppet Qi army's fortresses and passes.

Guan Er Niangzi arrived at Zhuxian Town, which is very close to Kaifeng, with almost no effort.

Yue Yunxuan's army from the southeast route arrived a little later because the journey from Chuzhou was quite long, but they encountered little resistance along the way. The puppet Qi army basically collapsed at the first contact, or even before they made contact.

Only Zhao Kuang's "personally led expedition" of the Northeast Route army arrived the slowest, after all, the journey was long, but the morale of this army was extremely high, because the "personally led expedition" had a far greater impact on the people than the momentum of Yue Wenxuan, the mastermind behind the scenes.

Countless brave warriors from the common people came to join the army, and wealthy landlords paid money to support the troops.

Therefore, when Yue Yunxuan arrived at Zhuxian Town, it would take the Northeast Route Army at least half a month to arrive and encircle him.

No one was in a hurry. In ancient times, it was common for wars to last for half a year, so this little bit of time was nothing. They set up camp, conducted reconnaissance, and waited patiently.

In the evening, the setting sun looked very much like the yolk of a soft-boiled hard-boiled egg.

Yue Wenxuan went out for a walk and saw a row of men standing on the village wall.

The one right in the middle is Yue Fei.

Yue Yun, Zhang Xian, Gao Chong, Yang Zaixing and others stood beside him, the five of them gazing northward together.

Not long ago, they used 500 cavalry to decisively defeat Jin Wuzhu's army of 100,000 here. Afterwards, they also stood here and looked north, full of ambition to recover our land.

Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, twelve gold medals would arrive one after another? The ups and downs of life are truly astounding.

Yue Fei sighed softly: "After all this time, we're standing here again. This time, nothing should be able to stop us, right?"

Yue Yun: "This time there are twelve more imperial edicts, but I will not accept them."

Yue Fei rolled his eyes at him: "Watch your words!"

"Hahaha, no need to be careful with your words." Yue Wenxuan's laughter rang out behind them, startling Yue Yun: "Wow, Young Master Yue, when did you arrive?"

Yue Wenxuan: "Let's start with the place where you said you wouldn't accept the imperial decree."

Yue Yun's face immediately turned awkward.

Yue Wenxuan laughed and said, "There's no need to be embarrassed. I also think I shouldn't accept the imperial decree."

After saying that, he looked deeply at Yue Fei: "Marshal Yue has been loyal to the emperor and loved his country all his life. He must feel that the emperor's edict must be accepted."

Yue Fei remained silent, but his expression clearly confirmed the statement.

(End of this chapter)