Chapter 8: The Withdrawal Crisis

  Yue Yun was even more shocked in his heart, how did this become different from history? In history, Yue Fei only waited for five days and then withdrew. He had just managed to get a one-month deadline for him, but the result was that this cheap old man simply didn't withdraw. How could the development of the situation have turned out like this?

  Li Ruoxu furrowed his brow upon hearing Yue Fei's words and hastily advised, "General, please reconsider! According to my friends in the imperial court, the emperor is extremely dissatisfied with your repeated disobedience. This time, when the order to withdraw troops was given, all the armies only received the military order, but you alone were sent twelve golden plaques, and even had the eunuch Cao Gonggong come to declare the edict and supervise the army. This already hints at the emperor's intentions. If you disobey again this time, I fear the emperor will not treat you kindly!"

  Yue Fei's face was also very gloomy, but after a moment of contemplation, he spoke out in a clear and loud voice: "How could Yue not know that the imperial court has been suspicious of him? However, as a member of the imperial court, I only hope to be blameless before heaven and have no regrets towards the people. I really cannot bear to see the people of Central Plains suffer again! Although I am incompetent and unable to recover the Central Plains and rivers for our great Song Dynasty, I also cannot allow the Jurchen-led Jin Dynasty to bully our people..."

  He paused for a moment, his face slightly pale, but continued: "The official is also a benevolent ruler who loves the people. Even if this means disobeying military orders, I think it's just a matter of submitting a memorial to the official explaining the reasons... Now that the Jin bandits are still eyeing our great Song Dynasty covetously, the official should not punish us for this!"

  Yue Yun now seemed to have figured out what kind of person Yue Fei was, and he secretly sighed that he really didn't know whether to call Yue Fei a sage or a fool.

  Yue Fei was not completely unaware that Zhao Gou had suspicions about him, but he was still willing to disobey Zhao Gou's orders for the sake of the people, and also believed that with the threat of the Jin army possibly marching south at any time, Zhao Gou would not dare to move against him.

  All these actions, in the eyes of later generations, naturally showed Yue Fei's love for the people, and he was considered a great hero who loved the people like his children. But in Zhao Gou's view, this powerful general had repeatedly disobeyed his orders, was arrogant and unyielding, and even tried to buy people's hearts. Nine out of ten would not think he was a saint, but rather that Yue Fei was a treacherous hero with ulterior motives. This would only prompt Zhao Gou to make up his mind to negotiate peace with the Jin people and then find a way to eliminate this great threat to national security.

  As soon as Yue Fei's words came out, most of the generals were like Niu Gao and had no political brains. They didn't want to withdraw their troops in the first place, and when they heard Yue Fei say this, they immediately echoed him.

  Li Ruoxu repeatedly advised against it, but Yue Fei refused to change his mind. He knew that not withdrawing the troops was impossible, so he planned to postpone the withdrawal for three months.

  Seeing that Yue Fei's mind was made up, further persuasion would be of no use. Those several far-sighted generals also stopped advising him, and Li Ruoxu could only worry and think about how to collect grain and fodder.

  "However, Zhang Xuan's mind moved and he said: "General, the withdrawal of troops will be delayed again. Even if we petition to the imperial court, the imperial court may not agree. I think that Ying Xiang can persuade Cao Gong to petition for a delay of one month, which shows that his eloquence has made great progress. Why don't we ask Ying Xiang to ask Cao Gong to petition on our behalf again? I believe that the chances of the imperial court adopting it will be greatly increased, and we can also avoid being blamed by the imperial court."

  As soon as Zhang Xian spoke, all the generals were shocked. Most of them did not know that Cao Gong's consent to extend for a month was due to Yue Yun's persuasion, and thought it was Yue Fei himself or Li Ruoxu who had persuaded him. When did this young general, known for his bravery in battle, acquire such eloquence?

  Li Ruoxu's eyes lit up as soon as he heard it, and he immediately said to Yue Fei: "General, this plan is excellent. If we let Cao Gonggong present it to the emperor, there is a great possibility that the imperial court will agree, and we won't have to bear the crime of disobeying the imperial edict!"

  Yue Fei thought for a moment and then looked at Yue Yun with his tiger eyes, smiling and saying: "Cloud child, do you have the confidence to persuade that Cao Gonggong again?"

  Yue Yun secretly lamented in her heart. The last time she persuaded Cao Gonggong, it was Wang Tong who mobilized several merchants from Zhu Xian Town to donate money and bribe him, which moved Cao Gonggong's heart. Otherwise, for someone like Cao Gonggong who is blinded by money, no matter how eloquently you speak, he would never be moved.

  But now, as Yue Fei said, to extend the withdrawal period for another three months is a very difficult task. Even if I discuss with Wang Tong and persuade the local merchants and civilians to raise enough money, Cao Gonggong will not dare to agree. Because he had made it clear before that he has no right to make decisions on further extensions, and must report to the authorities for approval. And according to Zhao Gou's personality, he would definitely not agree. He absolutely cannot be coerced by Yue Fei using the civilians as an excuse time and again.

  If Zhao Gou and Qin Hui firmly disagreed with Yue Fei's continued delay in withdrawing troops, and this old father insisted on not withdrawing, the tragedy of Fengbo Pavilion might have to be advanced.

  Thinking of this, Yue Yun couldn't help but say with a bitter expression: "As for Cao Gonggong's place, I can indeed go to persuade him, but the order to withdraw troops was issued by the imperial court through the Privy Council. I'm afraid even Cao Gonggong doesn't have the guts to change it arbitrarily, at most he would agree to let us substitute and report to the imperial court on his behalf. But from here reporting back to Lin'an Privy Council, the memorial going back and forth will probably take more than a month, time can't be delayed! Moreover, even if Cao Gonggong agrees to substitute and report, I'm afraid before that, our army still has to follow the original order and withdraw on schedule!"

  The crowd of generals all showed disappointment in their eyes upon hearing this.

  Yue Fei, as a seasoned general who had commanded troops for many years, knew that what Yue Yun said was not entirely wrong. Cao Gonggong was only an overseer of the army and not a high-ranking official, so he naturally did not have the authority to change military orders. Last time, Yue Yun was able to persuade him to postpone the withdrawal by one month, probably because the government had given him some leeway beforehand. This time, if they were to postpone again, Cao Gonggong would likely not dare to take matters into his own hands. According to the military regulations of the Song Dynasty, before new orders arrived, all troops should follow the original orders.

  Yue Fei's face couldn't help but reveal an extremely difficult expression, with his facial muscles slightly trembling, revealing the inner struggle and pain. He knew that taking this step would make the officials and scholars in the imperial court even more wary of him. But seeing the suffering of the common people, he couldn't bear it in his heart.

  Yue Fei struggled in his heart for half a day, and finally made up his mind. With a heavy tone, he said: "When the general is outside, there are military orders that cannot be followed. Yue has done things, but only to clear his conscience. This time, for the sake of the people, Yue can't help but disobey the military order again!"

  As soon as Yue Fei's words came out, all the generals exclaimed in unison: "Commander, this is unacceptable!"

  "Brethren, I, Yue Fei, am well aware of the consequences of disobeying imperial decrees and military orders. However, since the Jingkang era, I have personally witnessed the Jin army invading our Great Song territory, capturing our two emperors, occupying our land, plundering our wealth, and slaughtering our people, leaving our citizens homeless and destitute. My greatest wish is to recover the Central Plains, rescue the two emperors, and allow our people to live in peace and prosperity. Now, seeing them suffer under Jin rule, how can I bear it? I think that Your Excellency also loves the people like a parent, and should be able to understand my bitter intentions... If Your Excellency is misled by petty men and fails to grasp the suffering of the people, and blames me for it... then I will simply retire and return home to avoid incurring imperial wrath. After all, our Great Song still has Generals Han, Wu, and Liu, and the Jin army may not necessarily be able to easily march south!"

  These last few words, Yue Fei truly said with a sigh of regret, but the tone was firm and resolute, showing that his mind was made up.

  Yue Yun was now in a state of utter confusion, deeply moved by Yue Fei's love for the people and his fearless willingness to sacrifice. However, as a person who had traveled through time, he knew that Yue Fei had greatly underestimated Zhao Gou's fear of him, thinking that at most he would only be dismissed from office, but never imagining that Zhao Gou would have him killed.

  Moreover, Yue Yun also knew that Zhao Gou was a more ruthless person than Qin Hui. In the original history, after Qin Hui investigated the case of Yue Fei, he reported to Zhao Gou with a proposed verdict of beheading Yue Fei and Zhang Xian, while Yue Yun was only sentenced to exile. However, after reviewing it, Zhao Gou was extremely dissatisfied and changed Yue Yun's sentence to death as well. From this point on, Zhao Gou is more brutal than Qin Hui.

  Yue Yun initially wanted to postpone the withdrawal of troops in order to buy some time to think of a way to save his life. However, if this postponement strategy would instead cause the tragic event at Fengbo Pavilion to erupt prematurely, Yue Yun could not but prioritize saving his own life and oppose the withdrawal. Nevertheless, judging from Yue Fei's attitude today, he seems to have made up his mind to go it alone.

  "Alas, how can I persuade this stubborn and cheap old man? He's even more obstinate than I imagined!"

  Yue Yun was anxious in his heart: "He is also too fanciful, although it's good to be kind-hearted, but he didn't think that Zhao Gou, hiding in the safe palace of Lin'an City, living a life of pleasure, how could he know the real situation here? If this is reported, 98% will think that Yue Fei is falsely using the excuse of protecting the people, trying to control the army and disobey military orders, showing off to the imperial court."

  Just as Yue Yun was getting anxious, he suddenly thought of what Cao Gong had said earlier, that an envoy had been sent to negotiate a peace treaty with the Jin people.

  "Got it! The imperial court's insistence on withdrawing troops is mainly to negotiate with the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty, so they must withdraw all Song troops. They want to exchange land for peace! If Yue Fei were to present this proposal, the court would likely think he was making excuses, but if the common people themselves petitioned, without going through the Secretariat, it might be more effective. Besides, even if Yue Fei really did evacuate tens of thousands of civilians, how they would be resettled is also a huge problem. This burden still needs to be handed over to the imperial court."

  Yue Yun couldn't help but feel overjoyed at this thought, and immediately said loudly: "Father Commander, I have a plan that might make the imperial court take the initiative to ask us to postpone our withdrawal!"

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