The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 444 Iced Grape Juice

For a moment, Yue Yun doubted whether he had heard correctly.

A treat? Delicious food?

Are you crazy?!

However, Yue Wenxuan's expression was serious, showing no signs of madness whatsoever.

Yue Yun had no choice but to ask, "What is the meaning of this, Your Excellency?"

Yue Wenxuan: "It doesn't mean anything special, it's just that...we Chinese have a good habit of feeding any living creature we find. For example, kittens, puppies, lost children, tired travelers, heroes passing by your door...when you see these, don't you want to treat them to a meal?"

"This……"

Yue Yun was stunned. You know what, you really do know, Chinese people do have this habit, and he himself does.

He pointed to his nose: "Then what am I? A kitten or a puppy?"

Yue Wenxuan laughed and said, "Of course, they are heroes who are just passing by. With your abilities, General, you can naturally see that I have no intention of fighting, and my soldiers have no intention of ambushing or assassinating you. Since you are not the enemy, you are all Song people. What's wrong with you eating a meal from me?"

Yue Yun wanted to refuse, but when he looked around at the soldiers around him, he found that they were all hot and tired. When they heard that there was food, many of them secretly swallowed their saliva. However, the Yue Family Army had strict discipline, and no one dared to say it out loud, no matter how much they wanted to.

Yue Yun couldn't help but sigh: "The whole army should rest for a while."

The soldiers of Yue Fei's army immediately felt a sense of relief...

Yue Wenxuan smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Send a team to deliver several cartloads of supplies to the Yue Family Army down the mountain."

Soon, a convoy of three-wheeled unicycles came down the hillside.

Each wheelbarrow was filled to the brim with food.

The most outrageous thing was that one truck was filled with ice blocks, with several huge water bags placed in the middle of the ice blocks. It's obvious that these were used to chill the water in the water bags.

Yue Wenxuan: "In the sweltering summer, have some chilled grape juice. Don't worry, it's all freshly squeezed grape juice, safe and hygienic, with no additives whatsoever."

Yue Yun was a little confused...

It's not surprising to see grapes in July, but where did you get the ice? And what's with the additives?

He didn't know that Gong Erniangzi was also hiding on the mountaintop. With Gong Erniangzi there, Yue Wenxuan could airdrop supplies directly from outside the sand table. Getting ice was easy... he could even bring him a glacier.

The wheelbarrow, filled with ice, was quickly pushed in front of Yue Yun.

Just as Yue Yun reached out to take it, a soldier stepped forward: "Young Master, beware of poison."

Yue Yun said boldly, "Why be so suspicious of people?"

After saying that, he opened a water bag, poured it into his mouth, and gulped it down. In the July weather, the chilled grape juice was incredibly refreshing.

He handed the bag to his subordinate beside him: "Good stuff, one bite each."

Before long, one of the raiding troops took a sip of chilled grape juice and felt incredibly refreshed. People in those days were not like people today. Modern people can drink ice water whenever they want, which is no longer a rare thing. But ordinary people in the Song Dynasty, or rather, ordinary poor people in the south, would never have the chance to drink a sip of ice water in the summer.

Chilled grape juice in July is so delicious it'll make anyone dizzy.

The entire army was ecstatic. Then they looked at the grain wagons; they were filled with top-quality grain, and even meat.

Yue Yun was also taken aback: "What virtue or ability do I possess to receive such a favor?"

Yue Wenxuan: "For no other reason than four words—serving the country with utmost loyalty."

Yue Yun froze for a moment, unsure of what to say.

My father has these four characters tattooed on his back. How did he know? He shares my surname and doesn't seem to be much older than me. Could he be my father's illegitimate son? Is he my long-lost brother?

No, no, no, that's impossible! There are countless people in the world with the surname Yue, don't make up stories about Father.

Yue Yun shook off the crazy thoughts in his mind and couldn't help but ask, "Young Master Yue, what exactly does the Northern Song Dynasty want?"

Yue Wenxuan: "Resist the Jin, restore the country, and help the people."

Yue Yun: "Then why set up a separate faction? Can't we do the same things by following the legitimate emperor of the Song Dynasty?"

Yue Wenxuan laughed: "This matter is hard to explain to you now; time will tell."

Although Yue Yun was young, he knew that these words were sensitive and should not be said too much, so he changed the subject: "Our army has recaptured the six prefectures of Jingzhou and Xiangyang. It seems that your army has also captured Chenzhou, Yingzhou and Caizhou. What are the plans of the Northern Song Dynasty next? Is it to continue north and recover Kaifeng?"

Yue Wenxuan: "Do you think your father will continue to send troops north to recapture Kaifeng?"

Yue Yun frowned: "Father is still hesitating and hasn't made a decision yet, so I dare not speak rashly."

Yue Wenxuan smiled and said, "I can tell you that your father will no longer continue northward. The current territory will not change for a long time."

Yue Yun was startled: "Why? What makes you say that?"

Yue Wenxuan: "Because if we go further north, we will have to leave the mountains and hills. Once we reach the vicinity of Kaifeng, it will be flat plains. Even if your Yue Family Army is as strong as yours, or my Northern Song firearms troops are as strong as ours, we will be wary of the Jin cavalry when we encounter them on flat plains. We will not dare to say that we will win easily."

Yue Yun: "!"

Yue Wenxuan said, “Without thorough preparation, we cannot fight a decisive battle with the Jin army on the plains. Therefore, your father will definitely stop here, first manage the six prefectures of Jingzhou and Xiangyang, appease the people who have suffered greatly over the years, measure the land, and reorganize production. Only when he has mastered the internal skills can he continue the northern expedition.”

Yue Yun suddenly realized that this was indeed true.

He clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I've learned a lot."

The Yue Family Army cooked a meal and enjoyed a delicious meal. The soldiers were surprised to find that the food that the Northern Song Dynasty gave them for fun was better than what the Southern Song Dynasty provided, especially the meat. The meat was in large chunks, and even Marshal Yue, who loved his soldiers like his own children, would not dare to give them meat like that.

After a hearty meal, Yue Fei's army, no longer inclined to spy on Caizhou, bid farewell to Yue Wenxuan and withdrew to return to Tangzhou to report back.

Meanwhile, Yue Yun returned to Tangzhou, preparing to report back to Yue Fei.

But Yue Fei was frowning, considering whether or not to continue the northward campaign...

Yue Yun stepped forward and said, “Father, since you will no longer send troops north, I would like to request a transfer to the northeastern part of Tangzhou, bordering Caizhou, to monitor the movements of the pseudo-Song state.”

Yue Fei was greatly surprised, thinking: I haven't even made a decision yet, how do you know I won't send troops north?
Yue Yun then repeated what Yue Wenxuan had said.

After listening, Yue Fei couldn't help but sigh. This analysis was exactly what he had been thinking: "Alas! What you say makes sense. The area around Kaifeng is flat and open. Once the Jin cavalry gets going, they can penetrate anywhere. We are not fully prepared yet, so we cannot easily talk about recapturing Kaifeng. Alright, go and build a camp in the Tongbai Mountains to guard against the puppet Song."

(End of this chapter)