Chapter 1: The Crisis of the Twelve Golden Badges

  A faint murmur of conversation drifted into his ears, and the sound of footsteps echoed back and forth. Yao Yuan's hazy consciousness gradually cleared up, although at this time his mind was still a complete blank, and he seemed to lack even the strength to open his eyes, but the clear words somehow managed to penetrate his ears intermittently.

  Yao Yuan furrowed his brow and slightly tilted his head to the right, listening intently.

  "...The pulse is normal and the breathing is stable, there's nothing seriously wrong with the body. But why has he been sleeping for so long without waking up? Even Dr. Hu doesn't know!"

  Another young voice sighed and said, "Big brother was just ambushed by Wanyan Zongbi, the commander of the Golden Army, when he single-handedly fought against three Golden Generals a few days ago. He was hit on the head, but it's only a superficial wound, not a serious injury. How could he be unconscious like this?"

  Then Yao Yuan heard a gradually fading footsteps, as if this person had left.

  "What's with all the 'husbands'?... This kind of address sounds strange!" Yao Yuan's head was groggy and heavy, feeling like his eyes still couldn't open.

  He had just sat up, but felt aching all over his body. He couldn't help but take a deep breath and stretched out his right hand to rub his temples on the right side of his forehead. His mind seemed to be slowly recovering. So he didn't rush, and began to recall what had happened before.

  To write that proposal draft, I was busy until after 2am last night. As a result, I overslept this morning and in my shock, I didn't even have breakfast, then rushed to the bus station with the energy of a 100m dash...

  As a result, when he was crossing the road, he happened to encounter a speeding car, which was probably also late for work. Then he only felt a blackness in front of his eyes, a severe pain all over his body, and then he lost consciousness and didn't know anything. When he woke up, he was already here.

  Wait... Who am I now?

  Yao Yuan suddenly woke up, abruptly opening his eyes, and for a moment, everything in front of him lit up. Since he had just opened his eyes and hadn't yet adapted to the light, his eyes felt slightly stinging.

  He narrowed his eyes, and it took a while to gradually get used to it. It turned out that a bundle of golden sunlight was slanting into the eye, making his eyes feel a bit sore. Yao Yuan blinked hard, and after squeezing out a few tears, he finally saw everything in front of him clearly.

  Things in the tent... no, the objects inside the canopy were illuminated by the setting sun's rays that seeped through the gaps, making them appear somewhat dim yellow. Above my head was a canopy made of white cloth, but these white cloths had all turned slightly yellow with age. I was lying on a worn-out wooden bed, and at the foot of the bed was placed a large iron trunk three feet square, which still had some yellow rust on it, but the trunk itself was spotlessly clean.

  By his side stood a small cabinet, on which was placed an oil lamp that had been smoked to blackness, but as it was daytime now, the lamp was not lit.

  Where is this? It's absolutely impossible for it to be a hospital! It looks more like a camping tent, only much bigger and older than the one I used when I was traveling by donkey. And inside the tent, they're actually using oil lamps for lighting. This is definitely not what you'd expect to see in a hospital.

  Yao Yuan slowly turned his head to the side and looked over, only to see that at the entrance of this large tent, there was a door curtain made of cotton fabric hanging, but on this cotton fabric, there were quite a few patches, it seemed that it had been used for many years.

  Yao Yuan struggled to get out of bed and go see what was going on. But as soon as he got up, he felt dizzy and his body couldn't stand steadily, and he fell sideways onto the cabinet beside the bed...

  All of a sudden, he accidentally knocked over that antique oil lamp with a loud "pong" sound, and the oil spilled all over the floor.

  The sound suddenly startled the people outside the account, and Yao Yuan had just stood up from the ground, but heard a footstep coming from afar into the big account, and immediately a surprised voice rang out: "Young Master! You finally woke up?"

  Yao Yuan heard the voice, looked up and saw a young man wearing black ancient armor standing at the entrance of the tent. His hair was tied up with a hairpin, and he looked to be around 25 or 26 years old. His skin was dark, and his attire didn't seem like that of a modern person. He was staring at Yao Yuan with a look of surprise on his face.

  Yao Yuan was pondering where the man in ancient attire came from when the man rushed over to help him up, asking how he was doing and addressing himself as "Da Gongzi", leaving Yao Yuan at a loss.

  He thought the situation in front of him was a bit unbelievable. After thinking for a moment, he felt that staying here would be pointless, so he decided to go out and take a look at the situation, figure out where he was and why there was an ancient warrior standing beside him.

  "Big brother, you just woke up and want to go out?" The young warrior saw that Yao Yuan stood up and was about to step out of the tent, and hastily asked.

  "Hmm, I feel a bit dizzy, going out for some fresh air and clearing my head!" Yao Yuan replied vaguely.

  "This... young master, let me help you get dressed first!" The young warrior was slightly startled. He took out a set of soft blue satin clothes and a beautiful silver-white silk cloak from the trunk at the foot of the bed, and then helped Yao Yuan start dressing up.

  Yao Yuan put on his clothes with the help of the young warrior and tried to take a few steps inside the tent. Although he felt a bit heavy and dizzy, he was able to walk on his own again.

  His mind slightly cleared up, he limped and hobbled towards the outside of the tent, really wanting to figure out what was going on.

  Inside the tent, a strong smell of horse dung mixed with mud and herbs was almost unbearable. He couldn't wait to get outside for some fresh air. If this was really just filming, then the film company had gone too far in pursuit of realism - even simulating the smells...

  At this time, the young warrior advised again, hoping that Yao Yuan could rest for a while, but to no avail. He also saw that this young master must go out. Helpless, he had no choice but to support Yao Yuan and walk out of the tent, but in his heart, he was secretly puzzled: after waking up, why did this young master speak strangely?

  "Ah, I've finally come out!" Yao Yuan walked out of the tent with a belly full of confusion and depression. Due to the sudden change in light, his eyes were not quite adapted yet, so he rubbed them hard and looked up at the sky again, only to see a strand of golden sunlight shining diagonally from the west.

  The sky outside was approaching dusk, the sun was emitting a faint red glow in the clouds. The sky was exceptionally azure and clear, feeling very pure and flawless.

  He took a deep breath at this time, and felt that the air had a smell of horse dung, but there was no feeling of turbidity or pollution.

  Yao Yuan looked around again, and suddenly felt a little frightened. He saw that there were countless large tents like the one he had slept in earlier surrounding him, and he couldn't see the end of them no matter how far he looked.

  At a rough glance, there were at least several thousand tents, but the arrangement of these tents was neat and orderly. The opening of each tent door and the distance between each tent seemed to have been carefully arranged. With so many tents crowded together, yet not giving Yao Yuan a feeling of clutter and disorder.

  Yao Yuan was shocked, truly shocked. This absolutely wasn't a movie shoot! This was the real deal, an actual ancient military camp. Look at those soldiers wearing Fan Yang hats, dressed in black armor, standing ramrod straight with their waists and backs, each with a "Song" character on their chest, gripping iron spears, their faces stern and unyielding, exuding an aura of solemnity and murder. This was absolutely not something that could be achieved by those 50-yuan-per-day extras.

  Add to that the " Yue" and "Song" large flags fluttering in the wind inside the camp, various shining weapons, and so many marching tents and ancient soldiers...

  Even if CCTV were to film an epic ancient war movie, it would not be possible to create such a grand spectacle. If they didn't go bankrupt, that would be strange. This is absolutely the scale and momentum of a genuine ancient army's campsite.

  Moreover, if it was really a film shoot, how could there be no one on site holding a camera, not even a single wire?

  Encountering such an unexpected event, Yao Yuan's heart was filled with a sense of unease. He was only 22 years old, having just graduated from university and started working at an advertising company. Like the majority of people who squeezed onto public transportation every day, he was an ordinary white-collar worker in his city. He was somewhat clever and cunning, but under the intense competition of society, he inevitably contracted the common ailments of most small-town citizens: pragmatism, selfishness, and indifference. However, he believed that he still had some passion and sense of justice left in him, although in a society where even someone who trips and falls can be sued, it was almost impossible to retain any of these qualities.

  He doesn't have high expectations for the future either, planning to work hard for a few more years to earn around 100,000 yuan, then pay a down payment on a house and find a girlfriend (it's not like he has a choice, this society is too realistic, women won't be with you if you don't own a house). If things go well, they'll get married and decide whether or not to have kids based on their financial situation at the time. As for his only hobby, it's browsing websites and reading history books...

  Just then, his thoughts were interrupted by a voice beside him.

  Only two soldiers wearing black armor came walking towards them. The soldier supporting Yao Yuan saw the two men and exclaimed excitedly, "Yang Xing, Yang Fen, Young Master has woken up! You guys hurry back and get Second Young Master!"

  Yao Yuan looked over at the two soldiers, and saw that they were staring back at him with surprised expressions on their faces. After hearing his words, they responded with a "yes" before turning around and sprinting towards the depths of the camp.

  The loud shout also caught the attention of other soldiers around them. They swarmed up, asking Yao Yuan about his well-being and warmth, with extreme enthusiasm, leaving Yao Yuan somewhat bewildered and at a loss for words, only able to respond vaguely.

  However, he also indirectly figured out from these soldiers how he was injured. It turned out that two days ago, he charged into the Jin army camp and fought alone against three Jin generals. Although he killed two of them, he was ambushed by General Wanyan Zongbi and scratched by the sharp thorn on his wolf-tooth club.

  It was originally just a minor injury, but for some reason, he had been unconscious all along, causing everyone to worry. Now that he's awake, they can finally put their minds at ease.

  However, Yao Yuan still hasn't figured out what his identity is up to now, because the soldiers around him all call themselves some kind of "Grandson".

  "These soldiers seem to be quite passionate and respectful of themselves, and it can be seen that they are well-trained elite soldiers. Those who hold guns at the entrance of the camp dare only to cast concerned glances at me, but do not dare to leave their posts to come over and greet me. It's clear that military discipline is extremely strict." Yao Yuan thought to himself as he observed his surroundings.

  As an advertising planner who often interacts with clients, keen observation and grasping the client's thoughts from some details are essential skills for making advertising plans.

  At this moment, a sturdy young man wearing black iron armor ran over with a joyful face. He was tall and strong, only about twenty years old, but he already had a thick beard under his chin, as thick as steel needles. He had thick eyebrows and a wide mouth, with a heroic spirit, and looked like an iron tower in terms of sturdiness.

  The sturdy young man walked up to Yao Yuan and burst out laughing, "Young Master, I knew you were fine! Guan Ling insisted that you were ill, saying otherwise why would you have fainted for so long. And he even wanted to make a bet with me... now he's definitely lost!"

  Yao Yuan was at a loss for words and could only murmur a vague "uh-huh".

  Just then, a young general in white rushed over with the two soldiers who had just left. He hastily walked up to Yao Yuan and grabbed his hand excitedly, saying: "Big brother, you're finally awake! We were scared to death these past two days... Hmph! That Cao Gonggong is still muttering away, clearly not believing that you were truly ill, thinking that you were just pretending to be sick to avoid attending the proclamation. It's really infuriating!"

  "What announcement? What's going on?" Yao Yuan couldn't help but ask, his mind was truly confused.

  As he asked, he took a closer look at the young general in white armor in front of him. He saw that his skin was fair and delicate, with clear eyebrows and eyes, and a tall and straight figure. He wore a suit of silver-plated armor, with a sharp-pointed helmet on his head, giving off an air of elegance and refinement that was almost overwhelming. Yao Yuan felt that this young general in white gave him a very familiar feeling, as if he were a long-lost relative.

  At this time, the young general in white saw Yao Yuan staring blankly at himself and asked him what he was listening to. Suddenly, he replied: "Brother, today is the day when the imperial court sends an envoy to deliver the sacred edict to our commander! It was notified by express messenger ten days ago, how could you have forgotten?"

  "This...". Yao Yuan thought, this "Big Young Master" has changed into a completely different person. How am I supposed to know what is an imperial edict or not? Fortunately, his head was injured and he could pretend to have lost his memory.

  "Hey, little brother! After I got hurt on the head, I woke up feeling dizzy all the time and couldn't remember many things. Can you tell me about it?" Yao Yuan immediately pretended to be weak and unsteady, taking light steps.

  He scared the white-robed young general and the sturdy youth half to death. The two of them hastily grabbed his arms, one on each side, and supported him back into the tent that smelled of horse dung and Chinese medicine...

  "You... you said I'm called Yue Yun, courtesy name Yingxiang, currently serving as the commander of the Dahuo Army in the rear guard of the Great Song Dynasty's mobile barracks?" Yao Yuan was shocked and stuttered when speaking.

  What kind of person is Yue Yun? That's the eldest son of Yue Fei, the national hero of Southern Song Dynasty! With bravery and martial arts not inferior to his father, he led the great victory in Yan City, defeating the elite troops "Tie Fu Tu" and "Gua Zi Ma" of the Jin army.

  "Really! Big brother even forgot the name?" The white-robed young general looked anxious. He pointed to his own nose and asked, "Big brother, do you still remember who I am?"

  "This... you should be my younger brother, right?" Yao Yuan said.

  The young general in white robes was overjoyed and said: "Big brother, you finally remembered!"

  "Hey, you've been calling me big brother, so I thought you were my little brother... it's just that I really can't remember your name!" Yao Yuan said with a sheepish grin.

  The young general in white and the sturdy youth stared at each other with wide eyes.

  After a while, the young general in white said: "Big brother, I am your second brother Yue Lei! Next to me is your good brother Niu Tong. You really can't remember anything? We were fighting against the Jin army together just two days ago, and you don't have any memory of it?"

  “……”

  Just as Yue Lei and Niu Tong were sighing endlessly, the military doctor Hu arrived. He had a goatee beard and was about 47 or 48 years old. Although his back was slightly hunched, his spirit was very vigorous.

  He was accompanied by another young general wearing silver and white armor, about eighteen or nineteen years old. He also had a clear brow and eyes, but his lips were thin and his eyes were fine, his face was slightly pale, and his figure was not as sturdy as Yue Lei and Niu Tong, somewhat weak.

  He saw Yao Yuan wake up, also with a surprised look on his face. But after Yue Lei and Niu Tong told him about the "amnesia" of this big brother, the surprised expression immediately turned into a worried face. He simply reported to Yao Yuan that he was Guan Ling, who had been mentioned by Niu Tong before.

  At this time, Hu Dafu grasped Yao Yuan's wrist and took his pulse. Then he called him to turn his head sideways with an expressionless face to see if the wound had healed.

  After a while, Dr. Hu finally relaxed his expression and let out a long sigh: "The young master's injury is no longer serious, but he has lost too much blood, and with the continuous battles before, his body is too tired, rest for a while and he will be fine!" After that, he was about to pack up his medical box and leave.

  "Wait... what's going on? Dr. Hu, why is my brother still suffering from amnesia? How can we cure him?" Yue Lei asked anxiously.

  "Alas... to be honest, I'm also perplexed. Logically speaking, with the young master's robust physique and his head wound already healed, he should be fine. This case of amnesia, in my estimation, might be due to a blunt object striking his head, causing internal bleeding that's compressing his brain... This condition is also known as 'lost soul syndrome', and I'm afraid I can do nothing to cure it. Perhaps if the young generals chat with the young master about past events, he might regain his memories!" Doctor Hu said with some helplessness.

  Hú Dàifu said so, and everyone else could only nod in agreement.

  Yue Lei said, "Big brother, you just rest well, I'll help take care of the Bei Wei army's affairs, you can be at ease! However, that Cao Gonggong is somewhat dissatisfied with you not going to listen to the proclamation, and spoke in a gloomy and ambiguous tone..."

  After speaking, Yue Lei and others were about to leave. Yao Yuan looked anxious, he still didn't understand the situation, for now he could pretend to have amnesia to muddle through. But this Hu Daifu said he was fine, it's not possible to pretend forever, he had to quickly figure out what the current situation was.

  "Hey, Second Brother! Can't you stay and chat with me for a bit? I'm feeling dizzy and you're all saying I've lost my memory! What exactly happened to me in the past?" Yao Yuan hastily called out to Yue Lei.

  Yue Lei saw his big brother's pleading gaze staring at him, and his heart softened. He said to Niu Tong and Guan Ling: "You two go back first! I'll accompany my big brother!"

  "Hmm, that's fine too! Second Master, you can keep chatting with the Eldest Master for a while. After the Eldest Master is done, we'll go hunting!" Niu Tong said with his mouth agape.

  Guan Ling heard this and slapped him on the head, shouting loudly: "Barbaric cow, you're always idle and not doing your job properly! Last time you went out hunting without permission and were beaten with twenty military clubs by the general. How could you forget so quickly? And now you want to go again?! You'd better read more military books, the general has repeatedly instructed us to learn more about deploying troops and strategizing in secret. He said that relying solely on brute force will not win battles!"

  Yue Yun was also slightly startled by this, and did not expect that the gentle-looking young general Guan Ling would be so fierce.

  That cow heard the two words "Art of War" and was suddenly shocked, he only felt that his head was as big as a bucket, and he cried out in distress: "I'm just a small cow now, I can barely recognize all the characters in the Art of War, how could I have the ability to learn about deploying troops and strategizing... Guan Ling, you're bullying me! How about we change to something else, like arm wrestling or lifting big rocks?"

  "Hmph! As expected of a barbarian, you only know how to rely on brute force..."

  The two of them walked out of the camp with Hu Dafu, now only Yao Yuan and Yue Lei were left in the camp.

  Yu Lei helped Yao Yuan take off his armor and lay back on the bed. Only then did he look at Yao Yuan with a pitiful expression, muttering: "Big brother, you really can't remember anything?"

  "It's almost... " Yao Yuan sighed and said: "You start from the beginning. Tell me about my things, let's see if I can recall..."

  "Alright! Let me start from 15 years ago, when we were in Tangyin County, and tell the story of how we caught a big crab while swimming in the river..." Yue Lei took a deep breath and began to recount.

  Yao Yuan listened very carefully this time, and due to Yue Lei's indiscriminate speech, even the fact that they had stolen watermelons together in the fields when they were young was revealed, leaving Yao Yuan both amused and embarrassed.

  Just as Yue Lei had just finished introducing Yue Yun's current position and some military affairs, a voice came from outside the account: "Master! Second Master! Subordinates have something to report!"

  "Oh! What's up? Come on in and say it directly!" Yue Lei asked.

  At this time, a soldier came in from outside the tent, bowed and saluted, and reported: "Second Master, the commander-in-chief and that imperial envoy have arrived, they are now at the camp gate, saying they come to visit the young master!"

  Yao Yuan was shocked at once. Wasn't this great general Yue Fei? He is now his cheap father-in-law! This is a loud and clear national hero in Chinese history!

  After a cup of tea, a middle-aged general wearing golden armor and a purple-gold helmet walked into the tent with an old man with a white face and no beard. Behind them was a large group of generals wearing various armors, including Niu Tong and Guan Ling who had already left.

  So many people rushed in, and this originally not-so-large tent suddenly became crowded.

  The middle-aged general saw that Yao Yuan was lying in bed, but his complexion had improved a lot. He smiled and asked: "Yun'er, are you better?"

  Yao Yuan carefully sized up the middle-aged man in front of him. He had fair skin, thick eyebrows and big eyes, a straight nose and a square mouth, with a strong facial structure, and a few strands of long whiskers, giving off an air of majesty. His bright, piercing eyes were fixed intently on Yao Yuan. On his head was a finely crafted purple-gold helmet, and he wore a suit of golden chainmail armor, with a gleaming breastplate in the center. Although he was gazing at Yao Yuan with concern, there was still a hint of a smile on his face, giving off an aura of having commanded a great army for many years.

  This middle-aged man gave people a feeling of unspeakable awe and intimacy, these two complex feelings intertwined, making him deeply respectful of this middle-aged general. Moreover, he immediately judged that this was indeed Yue Fei! That national hero who has been admired by countless people for generations to come!

  Yao Yuan immediately sat up in bed and quickly got out of bed, trying to take a step forward to pay his respects.

  His injury had just healed, and his head was still a bit dizzy. After getting out of bed, his legs were trembling, and he suddenly fell down, unable to stand steadily.

  Yu Lei couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. He was also bowing his head to pay respects, and had never expected that the big brother lying on the bed would suddenly get out of bed.

  Yue Fei quickly stepped forward and swiftly supported Yao Yuan, who almost fell. He said kindly: "Yun'er, you just woke up not long ago, pay attention to your body, don't rush the recovery, it can only be slow. The matters of the Bei Wei army are arranged by your second brother! You just focus on recovering!"

  Then he pointed to the white-faced, beardless old man beside him and said: "Yun'er, this is Vice Director Eunuch Cao of the palace. I heard that after you were injured, he didn't care about the fatigue of the journey and insisted on coming to see you. Don't you hurry up and thank him?"

  Yao Yuan bowed to that Cao Gonggong, who also smiled and returned the bow, saying: "General Yue is seriously injured, no need for more courtesy!"

  Yao Yuan and Cao Gonggong exchanged a few words, then shifted their attention to Yue Fei. He was inwardly excited, with countless thoughts racing through his mind, but he didn't know what to say at the moment. After thinking for half a day, he finally said: "Thank you, Commander-in-Chief, for your concern! My injury is just a minor one, not worth mentioning!"

  Yue Fei heard this and felt a sense of relief in his heart, and his facial expression suddenly relaxed.

  However, he immediately furrowed his sword-like eyebrows and said in a slightly stern tone: "Yun'er, from now on you must not be careless in battle again. Don't just charge forward with all your might, or you'll fall into an ambush without even realizing it. If it weren't for your Uncle Niu's timely rescue the other day, I'm afraid you would have died under Wanyan Zongbi's rod! Now that you're recovered from your injuries, go to the military law officer and receive twenty military rods as punishment!"

  Yao Yuan could only nod and agree. But Niu Tong couldn't help but excitedly say: "General, at that time the young master also rushed into the enemy's formation to save me. This matter should be blamed on my eagerness for merit, I fell into the enemy's trap and was deeply trapped. General, if you want to hit someone with your military stick, hit me instead!"

  At this time, a large group of generals also rushed up and begged for mercy for Yao.

  Yue Fei saw so many people coming to plead, among whom there were not a few old brothers who had followed him for more than ten years, but he was unmoved and again rebuked Yao Yuan a few times before stopping.

  The generals were overjoyed and surrounded Yao Yuan, asking him about his well-being and warmth. They were all extremely enthusiastic, and the old eunuch was pushed to one side.

  Tsao Kung's eyes flashed with a hint of gloom, but he immediately walked to Yue Fei's side without changing his expression, and said in a sharp, shrill voice like that of a rooster: "General Yue, now it seems that your son's injury is not serious after all. Since it's just 'a slight wound, not worth mentioning', I suppose it won't affect his walking. If you're really worried about your son's injury relapsing, I can also offer my horse carriage for him to ride in. What do you think? Can we arrange the withdrawal of troops now?"

  Yue Fei heard this and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes, responding: "Lord Cao, regarding the withdrawal of troops, I had already submitted a memorial to the imperial court at the beginning of the month to argue against it. I said that now is the best opportunity for our Great Song to recover the central plains and retake Bianjing, the old capital. If we withdraw our troops, all the efforts of these past ten years will be destroyed in an instant..."

  Cao Gong's face remained unchanged upon hearing this, and he continued to speak in a calm tone: "Actually, whether the General withdraws or not is of no concern to me. However, General Yue must be careful, for although I am not anxious, the imperial court has grown impatient. Before coming here, they repeatedly made it clear to me that this matter of withdrawal can no longer be delayed. The Jin State has also sent out a message, stating that as long as our army returns to its original position, we can negotiate peace with their envoy. I hope the General will prioritize the greater good and the imperial court's intentions, and withdraw his troops soon!"

  He paused for a moment, then continued: "Moreover, there are still many Jin troops in Bianjing City, and the city is strong and easy to defend. If General Yuan insists on launching a fierce attack, our soldiers will surely suffer heavy casualties. To sacrifice the lives of soldiers for one person's military merit is not what a benevolent person would do!"

  Everyone in the tent also stopped their chatter and quieted down upon hearing the conversation between the two.

  Yao Yuan couldn't help but take a glance at the old eunuch. He saw that his face was covered in wrinkles, his hair had turned somewhat white, and he looked to be over fifty years old. On his head, he wore a black official hat, and on his body, he wore a large red brocade robe with an embroidered pattern of a creature resembling a qilin, giving off an air of complacency. A sly and mysterious smile hung on his face.

  Ts'ao's words were laced with venom, and they insinuated that Yue Fei's refusal to withdraw his troops was a pretext for taking advantage of the injury to Yue Yun, and that he was so eager for military glory that he disregarded the lives of his men. The other generals in the tent were all astute and strong-minded individuals, and they naturally understood what Ts'ao meant.

  Yue Lei immediately retorted, "General Cao, my elder brother's head wound has already healed, but he has lost his memory! Now he can't even recall his own birthdate and his mother's name, how could this be a pretext for Father to shirk responsibility?"

  "Ah! Yun'er, you've lost your memory?" Yue Fei exclaimed in shock.

  Yao Yuan sighed and said with a pained expression: "The child really can't remember past events, if not for my second brother telling me just now, I wouldn't even know that my name is Yue Yun..."

  Yue Fei asked hastily: "Has Mr. Hu come to see him? What did he say?"

  Yue Lei hastily replied, "General Father, Dr. Hu has already examined him and said that Big Brother's condition is due to a blunt instrument hitting his head, causing internal bleeding in the skull. We can only try to stimulate his memory by talking to him about past events!"

  Yue Fei's expression returned to calm after hearing this, and he said: "Lei'er, I'll leave the matter of taking care of Yun'er to you. In the next few days, I still need to think of a way to resettle those common people who have been displaced by the war..."

  "General Yue, the imperial edict is a matter of utmost importance. This time, I have not only been entrusted with delivering the edict to you, but also with supervising the army! I hope General Yue will consider this carefully and not make things difficult for us!" Cao Gonggong hastily reminded him, thinking that Yue Fei was trying to use the people as an excuse to delay again.

  Yue Fei's expression turned extremely painful, he let out a long sigh and said: "Alas! Now our Great Song army has won battle after battle, and we have already recovered Cai Prefecture, Yingchang, and Yangshi. Our army has now arrived at Zhuxian Town, which is only 45 miles away from Bianjing. It's the perfect time to take back our old capital Bianjing with one more push... yet we are ordered to retreat..."

  Cao Gonggong heard this and rolled his eyes, saying coldly: "Could it be that General Yue really wants to disobey the imperial edict? I've only been here for a few hours, but I've already heard you express your desire to disobey orders multiple times. Is it true what's being said in the streets, that you want to take control of the army and become a warlord?"

  Yue Fei's face changed slightly, and he said excitedly: "I, Yue, am loyal to the Great Song with all my heart, without any treachery. My only wish is to march straight to Yellow Dragon, welcome back the two emperors! How dare I commit such a rebellious and unrighteous act!"

  However, Yue Fei did not dare, but that doesn't mean his generals didn't dare. At this time, a black-faced general with an iron-like presence stood up and shouted loudly: "What does the official family mean? The Jin bandits have not retreated yet, according to the scouts' reports, the Jin bandits' Jiawu are still in the front-line military camp, and Wuzhuang has not shown any signs of withdrawing troops. But instead, they called us back? What kind of reason is this? I, Niu Gao, do not obey!

  Cao Gonggong sneered after hearing this, and continued to say to Yue Fei: "General Yue, at present the court's finances are strained, many of the frontline soldiers' wages have been delayed, and the grain and fodder in the rear are almost exhausted. The court is really unable to continue supporting the war effort. Now that the Jin army has been defeated and the Jin state has expressed a desire for peace, they are willing to discuss peace talks with our envoys. Both the officials and Qin Hui think that we should seize this opportunity to make peace."

  He paused for a moment, then continued: "Therefore, the imperial court issued twelve golden plaques in succession a few days ago, ordering the marshal to withdraw his troops. As far as I know, the first eleven golden plaques have all been received by the marshal. But for some reason, he has ignored them and even after receiving the imperial edict today, he still shows no intention of withdrawing his troops. It seems that I will have to show him the twelfth golden plaque... Heh heh, in the many years since the founding of the Song Dynasty, perhaps the only military commander who has received twelve consecutive golden plaques from the imperial court is Marshal Yue!"

  Tsao Kung coldly smiled and pulled out a wooden plaque with red background and golden letters from his bosom, handing it to Yue Fei.

  Yue Fei's face was filled with anger and pain, but he suppressed his inner turmoil and respectfully accepted the gold plaque. He knew that this withdrawal was an inevitable matter.

  He couldn't resist the urging of the imperial court's twelve golden plaques a day, and if he didn't withdraw, it would be disobedience to the imperial edict, which is equivalent to rebellion. It really confirmed some vicious rumors that some treacherous people were attacking him from behind, trying to make him self-reliant and become king.

  The vanguard of Han Shizhong's army and the middle guard of Zhang Jun's army had already withdrawn one after another, leaving his own Yue Family Army as a lone army deep in enemy territory. Even if he still had the ambition to take revenge, it would be difficult for him to fight against overwhelming odds, like trying to clap with one hand.

  Besides, there is not much food left in the army, but the grain from the rear has not been transported up yet. It's really a case of "a skilled woman can't cook without rice".

  Yue Fei could only say helplessly, "General Cao, please be at ease! I will arrange for the withdrawal of troops as soon as possible. However, I dare to ask you to inform the imperial court and let my army stay in Zhuxian Town for a few more days, so that the local people can follow us back south."

  "Hmph, General Yue, you think you can pretend to obey while secretly disobeying? I wonder how much the imperial edict is worth in your eyes. Along the way, I've heard the common people say that 'moving a mountain is easy, but moving the Yue family army is difficult'... Hmph! It seems this saying is indeed true: your Yue family army is truly formidable! Even the imperial edict and the twelve golden plaques cannot move you!"

  As soon as the Duke of Cao put on this big hat that disobeyed the imperial edict, Yue Fei's face changed suddenly. He clasped his fists and bowed to the south, saying: "I, Yue Fei, am loyal to the court with all my heart, without any disloyal intentions! And there is no intention of disobeying the imperial edict!"

  "Hum! Who knows whether this is General Yue's true intention or just a casual remark to deceive the imperial court? General Yue, you'd better be careful!"

  Having said that, Cao Gonggong suddenly shook his brocade robe and walked out of the camp with a cold smile, accompanied by his followers.

  Yue Fei's face was displeased, but he still hastily ordered several of his personal soldiers to take Cao Gonggong and his party to a large tent on the side to rest and serve them well, without any neglect.

  The generals inside the big account saw everything that happened in front of them, and they all hated to gnash their teeth. If it weren't for Yue Fei's eyes stopping him, some impulsive people would have come forward and killed this Cao Gongzi with a knife.

  In the original history, Yue Fei led his army to recover Jiankang alone in the fourth year of Jianyan and then devoted himself to recovering the Central Plains and preparing to welcome back the two emperors. And in the fourth year of Shaoxing, he took back six counties of Xiangyang from Li Cheng, a general of the pseudo-Qi regime.

  Later, the bandits in the Dongting Lake area gathered tens of thousands to make trouble. To stabilize the rear, Yue Fei also eliminated Yang Yao, the leader of the water bandits who had defeated the Song army several times and proclaimed himself the Great Sage Heavenly King, within two months in the fifth year of Shaoxing.

  Yue Fei later repeatedly defeated the Jin army and the pseudo-Qi army that invaded the south, but he was constrained by the limitations of food and troops. After eliminating Yang Yao, Yue Fei incorporated more than 100,000 water bandits under Yang Yao's command into his own army, giving him sufficient manpower. At the same time, he vigorously promoted tuntian in the Jingzhou-Xiangyang area, and basically solved the problem of food shortage for the Yue family army by the ninth year of Shaoxing.

  This time, the Golden Army tore up last year's agreement and launched a large-scale invasion of the south, but was defeated in battle after battle under the counterattack of the Song army. The various routes of the Song army all celebrated their victories. The Yue family army had already fought to Zhu Xian Town, which is only 45 miles away from Bianjing, the old capital of the Great Song Dynasty. It seemed that they had encountered the best opportunity to recover the Central Plains and retake Bianjing after leading the army for more than a decade. However, at this critical moment, he received an imperial edict and twelve golden plaques from the court, ordering him to withdraw his troops immediately. As for how Yue Fei felt, it can be imagined.

  After Cao Gong left, Yue Fei sighed and said with a face full of sorrow and indignation: "The achievements of ten years are destroyed in an instant! All the territories we gained are lost in one morning! The country is difficult to revive! The world is no longer what it used to be!"

  The various generals in the account immediately began to scold loudly, with some hot-tempered generals like Niu Gao and Zhang Xian even suggesting that they ignore the imperial edict and the golden token, and let the Yue family army go north alone.

  Yue Fei shook his head with a bitter expression at this time. He deeply knew that under such circumstances, insisting on the northern expedition would be equivalent to treason, let alone when there were Jin troops blocking in front and supplies could not keep up from behind. Even if the Yue family army was brave and good at fighting, it would inevitably be defeated if they advanced too far. It seemed that there was really no choice but to withdraw.

  Leaders such as Zhang Xian and Tang Huai, who were known for their careful thinking, also seemed to have understood the situation. They did not join in the clamor but instead stood quietly on the side waiting for Yue Fei's orders.

  Yao Yuan's face was completely frozen as he watched all of this. He finally understood that he had traveled to the most dangerous moment: the day when Yue Fei was summoned back by Emperor Gaozong of Song with the Twelve Golden Edicts. According to historical records, that day was July 21st of the tenth year of the Shaoxing era. As someone who was somewhat familiar with the history of the Song Dynasty, Yao Yun naturally knew the outcome of future events: Yue Fei would be stripped of his military power shortly after returning to the capital. He would be arrested and imprisoned on charges of treason by Qin Hui in October of the following year, and ultimately killed at the Wind and Wave Pavilion of the Dalisi Temple on December 29th of the eleventh year of the Shaoxing era.

  Yue Yun and General Zhang Xian were also killed along with Yue Fei. But somehow he had crossed over into Yue Yun's body. Now it was already July 21st, which meant that his life would only last for one year and five months if the course of history wasn't changed, then he would be killed by Emperor Gaozong of Song Zhao Gou along with Yue Fei.

  "My goodness! How unlucky can I be?! Just after crossing over, I only have a little more than a year to live! And I'm still a virgin too... In my past life, I didn't get to enjoy any blessings, and now that I've crossed over, I'm going to die soon..." Thinking of this, Yao Yuan couldn't help but shout in his heart: "I, Yao Yuan... no, now I should say it's me, Yue Yun, who doesn't want to die! Who wants to live a glorious life!"

  Yue Yun's mind was in a state of utter chaos, and he almost burst into tears. Yue Fei said something else, but he didn't hear a word. His heart was a tangled mess. Just as he was overcome with pain, he felt someone tug at him. He looked up to see his second brother, Yue Lei. Then he looked around again, only to find that except for Yue Lei, everyone else had left.

  It seems that Yue Fei and the other generals have all left, they must have bid farewell to themselves before leaving, but their own heart was shocked and frightened, plus the injury just healed, the head was dizzy, didn't notice.

  Yue Lei also had a disappointed expression and said: "Big brother, I'm going back to the camp too, you take care of yourself! If there's anything, just tell the personal guards outside the account... Alas, Father still insisted on listening to that Cao Gonggong's transmission of some sacred decree, letting everyone start preparing to pack up and leave in a few days. Uncle Niu, Uncle Tang and others advised for half a day but couldn't persuade him... It seems that this northern expedition will end in failure again."

  Yue Yun could only nod reluctantly, and after confirming that he had indeed crossed over and become a one-year-old Yue Yun, his first thought was to figure out the current situation and circumstances. See if there's any possibility of saving his own life.

  As for Yue Fei's life, it was a case of saving him if possible, and giving up if not. Although he had accepted the identity of Yue Yun, he had not fully accepted Yue Yun's emotions. He admired Yue Fei very much, but only as a national hero in history. He would not have the courage and determination to follow Yue Fei to Fengbo Pavilion like Yue Yun did in history.

  "Alright! Little brother, you've had a hard day too, get some rest early! Tomorrow big brother still has some things to ask for your advice!"

  Yue Yun waved goodbye to Yue Lei, who was walking out of the room, and then crawled back into bed. The first day after crossing over passed in a daze filled with worries.