So, returning to the present, the only fully organized, large-scale professional army left in the entire Song Dynasty is now in Guanzhong and the northwest—the so-called remnants of the Western Army—but their route has been cut off by the Jin Empire’s ever-victorious general, Wanyan Lou Shi. Meanwhile, the southeast, Jingxiang, and Bashu, which are able to collect taxes and revenues, also need time for transportation and coordination.

At this very moment, here at the temporary court, including the troops sent out to suppress bandits, there are only a little over ten thousand soldiers in total, most of whom are hastily conscripted militia. The Central Plains, where they are located, are filled with rebel armies and traitors, with several even proclaiming themselves emperor. The finances are basically being maintained for the time being by looting royal Daoist palaces everywhere... And on top of all this, no one knows when Jin Wuzhu will lead his hundred-thousand-strong army to search the mountains and comb the seas!

Of course, these crises have not yet arrived at the doorstep. What John Harrison finds most unbearable is that, under such survival pressure, he cannot find a single person to communicate with.

Henry Carter and Charles Young go without saying—they guard against him as if he were a thief. The two chief ministers, Thomas Howard and Robert Warren of the Eastern and Western Courts, he has only met twice, and both times they urged him to head south after confirming he was in good health... In fact, not to mention these two, John Harrison has no illusions about any of the civil officials in this entire temporary Song government! In his eyes, the only difference among this group is whether they wear purple, red, or green robes!

After all, if the Song’s civil officials were of any use, would the Jingkang Disaster have happened?

Besides, right now they are fleeing south, and the few pro-war civil officials have long since been driven away... Abraham Thompson, who is in the history books, was dismissed as chancellor and no one knows where he is now; Andrew Bennett was pushed aside to Tokyo and can’t get away; and as far as he knows, even the famous pro-war civilians like the student Ethan Brooks and others, who are also in the history books, were just executed in Nanjing (Shangqiu) by the previous owner of this body!

In this situation, how is he supposed to communicate with anyone? With whom? And even if he did, would anyone believe him? The most frustrating thing is that he can’t even refute it... because he truly doesn’t know how to resist the Jin, or with what.

Is he really supposed to flee to Lin’an first and then slowly make plans? But he’s not willing!

All that can be said is, no wonder those loyal soldiers from Liao lands mistakenly thought the arrival of the Jin army made them waver in loyalty!

“Your Majesty!”

The commotion outside the tent gradually died down, and amid the howling wind, Charles Young spoke again. “Tongzhi Lang Matthew Lewis is outside the tent asking for punishment...”

“It’s not his fault. Pardon and release those men as well!” John Harrison replied casually through the tent. “They’re originally from Liao—let them go wherever they want. I won’t bother to pardon and comfort them in person.”

“Yes!” Charles Young was silent for a moment before responding.

After a bit of movement, the tall general’s silhouette was once again cast onto the tent by the firelight outside, still sitting upright in armor, hand on his sword, unmoving.

The ruler and his minister sat in silence for a long time, separated by a leather tent wall, until Charles Young suddenly spoke up: “Earlier, Your Majesty seemed to be looking for George WalkerGeorge Walker Jr.?”

“You know him?” John Harrison frowned slightly, not even bothering to mind that the other was always keeping him under surveillance.

“From Xiangzhou, Hebei, surname Yue, given name Fei, courtesy name Pengju. He originally served under Marshal Deputy Commander Lewis, later promoted to Wuyi Lang, famous for his martial skills... Previously, we drank together at the Marshal’s headquarters, so he should be the one Your Majesty mentioned.”

“Where is he now?”

“Over two months ago, Your Majesty ascended the throne in Nanjing (Shangqiu), and the then-serving Mr. Thompson... that is, Abraham ThompsonJoseph Thompson.” Charles Young took the initiative to explain, clearly well aware of the ‘amnesia’ incident after the emperor’s fall into the water, and knowing how to phrase things. “Mr. Thompson wanted Your Majesty to tour Nanyang, while Mr. Howard and Prime Minister Warren wanted Your Majesty to tour Yangzhou. There was much debate. Upon hearing this, George Walker Jr. broke protocol and submitted a memorial directly to Your Majesty, urging resistance against the Jin and impeaching the three chief ministers for endangering the country. As a result, he was immediately stripped of all military posts and expelled from the army!”

“George Walker impeached Abraham Thompson for endangering the country?” Even though John Harrison was prepared for the absurdities of this era, he was still dumbfounded. “And was expelled for that?”

“Yes!”

“Aren’t both of them anti-Jin?” John Harrison found it even more ridiculous—George Walker was dismissed for impeaching Abraham Thompson, and Abraham Thompson was the very symbol of resistance against the Jin!

“That is precisely George Walker’s crime,” Charles Young replied calmly. “He was just a Wuyi Lang, a very minor officer, and a military man at that. He knew nothing of court affairs or the frontlines, yet dared to submit a memorial on state policy, even impeaching the wrong people. How could he not be punished? At the time, Mr. Thompson was still in charge, so it’s likely he was expelled by Mr. Thompson’s confidants.”

“Let’s not talk about that,” John Harrison fell silent for a moment amid the wind. “Do you know where George Walker is now?”

“His whereabouts are unknown, but he’s from Xiangzhou, Hebei. With his homeland in chaos, his resolve to resist the Jin is strong. After leaving the army, he’s probably gone back to Hebei to join the volunteer forces and continue fighting. But most of Hebei has fallen, and the land is in turmoil—it would be very hard to find him.”

John Harrison was completely at a loss, yet still unwilling to give up: “Mr. Young, do you remember what matters he mentioned in his memorial?”