Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Bianjing, Bianliang Palace.

After the Jurchens captured Bianjing, they looted everything of value from the palace, leaving nothing behind.

If you really can't take it with you, just destroy it on the spot.

When the Jurchens returned north, they set fire to Bianliang Palace, burning it down to more than half. Later, considering the possibility of establishing a puppet regime there, they urgently extinguished the fire.

Today, the Bianliang Palace is no longer as magnificent as it once was; its atmosphere is as desolate and forlorn as that of the ancient city of Bianjing.

For Zhang Yu, however, being able to live in this imperial palace, which he had never dared to dream of before, was extremely satisfying.

"Lord Zhang, something terrible has happened!"

The Jin soldiers and guards rushed into the Golden Palace shouting, and one of them lost his balance and knelt down in front of Zhang Yu.

"Don't panic, speak slowly."

Zhang Yu sat on the dragon throne, writing something at his desk, completely oblivious to the Jin people's panic.

"Lord Zhang, we have lost! Our Great Jin Kingdom has been defeated!"

The Jin man wept uncontrollably, burying his head tightly in the ground.

"More than 100,000 people, all of them, sank into the Bian River!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu paused slightly with his pen, then calmly continued writing.

He maintained a calm and composed demeanor, as if nothing could faze him.

"Lord Zhang, what should we do now?"

No sooner had the Jin man finished speaking than another general rushed into the Golden Palace.

"Lord Zhang, something terrible has happened! Mutinies have broken out in various parts of the city, and the situation is about to spiral out of control!"

"it is good!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu roared.

The word "good" caused the two people kneeling in the hall to pause in surprise.

But then Zhang Yu wrote the last stroke on the paper, casually tossed the pen aside, and picked up the paper with satisfaction, admiring it to himself.

"Great, that's wonderful! Hahaha, it seems my handwriting has improved again."

He paid no attention to the two people kneeling in the hall and ignored what they said.

This left the messenger below looking at each other in bewilderment, wondering what he was up to.

"Report! Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!"

Just then, another person rushed into the hall shouting.

Before he could speak, Zhang Yu's voice rang out in the hall: "I know. Did the garrison open the city gates and let those rebels into the city?"

The person kneeling below was startled, then lowered their head.

An eerie silence fell over the Golden Palace.

"Don't worry, the sky won't fall, there will always be a way to solve it."

After a long while, Zhang Yu glanced at the paper in his hand, tossed it aside casually, said something nonchalantly, and then stretched.

"It's okay, it will pass."

"My lord, what should we do now?"

"Now? All of you go back to your places and do what you're supposed to do. Don't overthink it."

"But……"

"No buts, don't worry, you'll all be fine. Just do as I say."

Filled with doubt, the three soldiers who came to deliver the message left Bianliang Palace completely bewildered.

As soon as they left, Zhang Yu shouted, "Someone, prepare to leave the palace and return north. I'm going to see the Fourth Prince!"

……

On the second day after the Bianhe River Massacre, the Song army began to besiege Bianjing Prefecture.

Under the operation of the Jingwei Division, which was lurking in the city, the tens of thousands of garrison troops, who had long been out of food, did not hesitate to launch a mutiny, open the city gates, and welcome the Song army into the city.

Thus, Bianjing, which had fallen in August, returned to the hands of the "Song" people after three months.

The city's once lifeless inhabitants, upon learning of the king's army's return, immediately lined the streets in excited welcome.

But after the initial excitement, a wave of lingering fear washed over them, as they worried that these Song soldiers might cause them trouble.

Surprisingly, this "Song" army was very disciplined after entering the city. Not only did they not harm the people, but they also distributed porridge and grain to the entire city on the very day they entered.

After Yue Fei captured the Jin army's main camp on the north bank, he seized hundreds of thousands of shi of grain. Combined with the independent brigade's own provisions, the army's food supplies were exceptionally plentiful.

The rebels' actions quickly gained the support of the city's residents, who, under their call, began clearing away the ruins scattered throughout the city.

On the fourth day after the recapture of Bianjing, the pontoon bridges on both sides of the Bian River had been built. Yue Fei led the Independent Brigade headquarters, along with Zhong Lue's three thousand elite troops, plus three thousand auxiliary soldiers responsible for transporting supplies, and officially embarked on the road to the Northern Expedition.

Before the army set off, Yue Fei was still very uneasy and said to Lin Fei, "Chief of Staff Lin, if the entire Independent Brigade is taken away, what will happen to you?"

Lin Fei shook his head: "We can't always rely on new weapons to fight wars. Before the advent of firearms, didn't soldiers fight each other with cold weapons?"

You can focus on the Northern Expedition without worrying about the rear. With me here, there won't be any problems. Besides, I have a guard platoon with me; that's more than enough."

Yue Fei bowed to Lin Fei and said, "Chief of Staff Lin, I'll be leaving now!"

Lin Fei nodded, returned a military salute, and watched Yue Fei mount his warhorse and leave the city gate in an orderly fashion with the army.

Once everyone left, Wang Rui quietly walked up to Lin Fei and whispered in his ear, "Chief of Staff Lin, we've searched almost the entire city of Bianjing, but we haven't found any trace of Zhang Yu."

Lin Fei replied, "Since we can't find it, we might as well not look for it. There's no need to waste time on someone who's already insignificant."

"Chief of Staff Lin, the Regent has personally written a letter instructing all personnel of the Jingwei Division under my command in Bianjing to obey your orders. What are your next instructions?"

"The Regent truly trusts me."

Lin Fei rarely showed a smile, but then his face darkened: "Then let the Song Dynasty disappear completely from this land. It's time for such a corrupt and incompetent dynasty to come to an end."

Wang Rui instantly understood: "What Staff Officer Lin means is to go to Guangling County..."

"Immediately spread the news of the recapture of the capital throughout the Song Dynasty, and let Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan know it, the more details the better."

"Yes!"

After Wang Rui left, Lin Fei still walked into the Golden Palace, looked at the dragon throne above, and slowly stepped forward.

He stopped only half a step away from the dragon throne, his eyes fixed on it, unable to look away for even a second.

"Somebody come!"

Suddenly, he gave an order, and two guards immediately entered the hall.

"Staff Officer Lin, what are your orders?"

"Move this dragon throne out and burn it. This place will never be needed again."

"Yes!"

……

On the north bank of the Bian River, Zhang Yu and his entourage, dressed in commoners' clothes, sat in a carriage with their necks hunched over, heading towards the capital.

At this time, seven days had passed since Bianjing was recaptured.

They thought they would be safe once they reached the north, but who would have thought that Yue Fei's troops would advance so swiftly, sweeping away everything in their path and capturing several cities in succession, even faster than they could travel.

Starting yesterday, many checkpoints suddenly appeared on various main roads, where Song soldiers, armed with both cold and hot weapons, checked every passerby.

Now, Zhang Yu was mingling in the crowded flow of people. Looking at the checkpoint ahead where people were queuing up for inspection, he couldn't help but shrink back and look at a temporary wooden sign on his left.

The wooden signs are all decorated with portraits of wanted criminals.

And he himself was prominently positioned at the very top.