“It’s nothing more than advising Your Majesty to personally lead the six armies across the river to the north, to Xiangzhou to resist the Jin, and not to head south…”

John Harrison was momentarily dazed… Even he knew that the main force of the Song army had been utterly lost, the plains of Hebei were wide open, and yet the main force of the Jin—over a hundred thousand cavalry, including Jurchens, Khitans, and Han from Liao—were all in Hebei at this moment. Was he supposed to lead ten thousand men north just to die?

And where was he supposed to get six armies?

Not to mention, those Chixin Corps people had also mentioned something else: when James Harrison had not yet ascended the throne and was Marshal in Hebei, he had fought as well, and even then it was Andrew Bennett who did the fighting, but the result was still a crushing defeat.

This George Walker…

“How old is this George Walker this year?” John Harrison’s mood grew even worse.

“Twenty-four, a year younger than me,” Charles Young replied softly.

John Harrison had expected as much, but still couldn’t help but sigh. He truly wanted to cry out to the vast wilderness, where exactly was his confidant as the emperor?

With a sigh inside the tent, Mr. Harrison ultimately didn’t voice his question. Instead, the attendant outside couldn’t help but quietly ask, “Why does Your Majesty insist on finding this man?”

“I truly wish to stay in the Central Plains to resist the Jin,” John Harrison replied, almost powerless. “A few days ago, during court duty, I heard people say he’s a man of extraordinary martial skill, also from Hebei, and deeply committed to resisting the Jin. I thought perhaps he could be of use.”

“Leaving aside this man, wasn’t the decision to head to Yangzhou made by Your Majesty after much deliberation?” Charles Young pressed on, unusually persistent. “Why do you now wish to remain in the Central Plains?”

“Ha…”

John Harrison let out a cold laugh, but did not answer.

It was still the same problem—honestly, it was useless… To the capitulationists here in the mobile court, even if you told them that going to Yangzhou, or even Jiangnan, wouldn’t spare them from the Jin, they would only find it absurd.

Just think about it: if they didn’t harbor fantasies about holding on in a corner, where would the capitulationists come from? Or, to put it more nicely, where would the peace party come from?

“Why does Your Majesty laugh?”

Tonight, Charles Young had spoken more than in all the previous days combined when facing Mr. Harrison.

“Isn’t it only natural for me, John Harrison, to resist the Jin?” John Harrison said helplessly, perfunctorily from his couch. “National enmity and family hatred—do you not understand these four words, David Young? Why do you all always think I want to cling to a corner and live in ease?”

The autumn wind howled on, the night deepened, and until the eastern edge of the vast Huang-Huai Plain began to lighten, not a sound was heard inside or outside the tent.

Chapter Four: Heroic Spirit

The next morning, though the sky was already bright, the autumn wind of the previous night had brought a chill, creating a scene of gloomy skies threatening rain.

At this moment, our battered Mr. Harrison, dejected and sleepless through the night, emerged from his tent with dark circles under his eyes.

In contrast, the tall and imposing Charles Young seemed never to tire. Fully armored, sword in hand, he crouched outside the tent, eyes bright and alert. When he saw John Harrison emerge, he immediately stood and bowed:

“Your Majesty! Just so you know, Tongzhilang Matthew Lewis, though pardoned, is still uneasy at heart. Since Your Majesty retired early, he dared not disturb you, so I had him wait in another tent… Would Your Majesty like to see him?”

“Didn’t I say just to let him go?”

Charles Young bowed his head in silence.

“Fine, let’s see him then.” John Harrison replied helplessly with a yawn. Though he couldn’t truly empathize, he could understand Matthew Lewis’s fear, and at this moment, he did need to win over such a military leader.

After all, even if you haven’t eaten dog meat, you’ve seen dogs run. After watching so many TV dramas and novels, John Harrison had some sense of things. He knew very well that in troubled times, as a fleeing emperor, the ones who could truly threaten his life were never the prime ministers or eunuchs—at most, they could sideline him and render him powerless. The real threat came from men like Matthew Lewis and Charles Young, who directly commanded dozens or hundreds of soldiers.

Matthew Lewis was about thirty years old, looking more like a civil official than a military one. In fact, it was said he had passed the imperial exam in Liao, and the title Tongzhilang seemed to be a civil rank, apparently much more prestigious than George Walker’s Wuyilang!

Hmm, so why say “seemed” and “apparently”?

Because John Harrison really didn’t understand. According to the rules of the Song dynasty, an “official” was an official, a “post” was a post, and a “commission” was a commission. Moreover, there were “stipendiary officials,” “regular officials,” and “rank officials,” all in different categories. Civil officials were civil, military were military… In any case, as a perfectly normal twenty-one-year-old college student, there was no way he could figure all this out in a few days.

Even Charles Young, who followed him every day as some kind of attendant, left John Harrison confused, since he also had other attendants—several eunuchs who specialized in finding clothes for him.

Of course, at the end of the day, just as Charles Young was feared by John Harrison because this imposing, armored man always watched him with a sword, Matthew Lewis’s most practical role at this moment was still as the leader of the eight hundred Chixin Corps. Everything else was just empty titles.