In the Ming Dynasty, I became invincible simply by extracting memories!

The intelligence brought back by Deng Cheng kept Yu Dayou awake all night.

The next morning, when Shen Lian went to the council hall, he saw that the old general's eyes were bloodshot and his beard was messy, clearly indicating that he had been sitting in front of the map all night. There was a stack of official documents on his desk, on top of which was a half-written troop mobilization order, the ink still wet.

Upon seeing Shen Lian enter, Yu Dayou made no attempt at formalities and beckoned him over, saying, "Take a look at this."

He pointed to several locations circled in vermilion on the map: "Zhelin, Nan'ao, Zhao'an—the Japanese pirate fleet has left traces in all three places. The intelligence Dengcheng obtained last night indicates that this fleet is likely being orchestrated by Wu Ping. Wu Ping's stronghold is in Meiling, Zhao'an, and he knows the hydrology and terrain of this area like the back of his hand. To the north, they can harass Fujian; to the south, they can retreat into Guangdong; and to the west, they can land and join up with the mountain bandits. This is a brilliant move."

Shen Lian examined the map carefully and nodded, saying, "It is indeed a good location. It allows for both offense and defense."

"That's the problem." Yu Dayou tapped the table with his finger. "Wu Ping is a man of humble origins, yet he is extremely patient. He never fights a battle he's not sure he can win, nor does he ever put himself in danger. The fact that he dared to anchor his fleet in this position shows that he is confident and fearless."

Shen Lian understood: "Does the general mean... he's waiting for an inside man?"

Yu Dayou gave Shen Lian a deep look. That look contained many meanings—he tacitly acknowledged Shen Lian's speculation, and also silently told Shen Lian: I am also aware of the mission you are on this trip.

Yu Dayou pulled a report from the desk and handed it to Shen Lian: "This is another intelligence report that Deng Cheng brought back last night. Wu Ping's spies have infiltrated various villages and towns along the coast, spreading rumors that 100,000 Japanese pirates are about to land and that the imperial court has abandoned Chaozhou. From Zhelin to Zhao'an, people along the way have begun to flee inland with their families. What's worse, there are also deserters among the garrison at Dacheng—more than a dozen people jumped over the wall and ran away last night."

Shen Lian took the report, his brows furrowed: "The morale of the troops is unstable, which is more terrifying than the Japanese pirates."

"Exactly." Yu Dayou's voice was deep. "I've fought all my life, and what I fear most is not the number of enemies, but the chaos among our own people. In the current situation, we are beset by internal and external troubles."

As the two were talking, they suddenly heard a commotion outside.

At first, it was just a faint commotion, like the noise of a distant market. But soon, the sound grew louder and closer, mixed with shouts, cries, and the clanging of weapons. Shen Lian and Yu Dayou's expressions changed simultaneously, and they quickly walked to the door.

Outside the council hall, on the training ground, a large, dark mass of soldiers had gathered, numbering at least four or five hundred. Some were clad in armor, others in only a thin shirt; some carried swords and spears, while others were unarmed. But all of them wore the same expression—anger.

"Pay wages! Pay wages!"

"We haven't been paid for three months! Are we supposed to starve?!"

"The imperial court's money has all been fed to the dogs! We're risking our lives on the front lines, while our wives and children starve to death at home!"

Shouts and curses rose and fell as the crowd surged forward, the soldiers at the front already approaching the steps of the council chamber. The guards at the gate raised their spears in an attempt to stop them, but faced with hundreds of angry comrades, the tips of their spears trembled slightly.

Yu Dayou strode out of the council hall, stood on the steps, and shouted in a deep voice, "Stop right there!"

His voice was like a bucket of cold water poured into a boiling oil pan; the clamor on the drill ground suddenly subsided, and the soldiers in the front ranks unconsciously stopped in their tracks. The name Yu Dayou carried weight in this army.

"What's going on?" Yu Dayou's gaze swept across the crowd, finally landing on a captain standing at the very front. "Liu Da, you tell me."

The sergeant named Liu Da was a burly man with a face full of menacing features, but he dared not look Yu Dayou in the eye. He lowered his head and said, "Commander Yu, the brothers really can't take it anymore. Our pay has been three months overdue, and the imperial court's funds are still not coming. Many of us have families to support, and some of our families are already starving..."

"Yes! If they don't pay our wages soon, my mother will starve to death!"

"We're risking our lives on the front lines, and we can't even get a decent meal!"

The crowd stirred again. Who would have thought that the mighty Qi Family Army, which was renowned throughout the land, was also three months behind on its pay!

Indeed, the Ming army was invincible when its pay was insufficient and when it was fully paid! At this time, the garrison system collapsed and the battalion system rose, with military pay being corrupt and the system in disarray. This statement is absolutely true!

Yu Dayou's face was ashen. He was well aware of the army's unpaid wages—three months ago he had submitted a memorial to the court requesting the allocation of military pay. But the memorial had been ignored, and the Ministry of Revenue's reply was always "currently raising funds." He had used his own salary to supplement part of the payment and borrowed some from local officials, but it was only a drop in the bucket, barely enough to keep them from running out of food.

Shen Lian stood behind Yu Dayou, his gaze slowly sweeping across the crowd. He noticed a detail: although the rioting soldiers were angry, they were not completely out of control. They were shouting "Pay your wages!" not "Revolt!" It was just a matter of exerting some pressure; they were simply humble people demanding their pay.

But what really caught Shen Lian's attention was something else entirely.

He spotted several faces in the crowd—these men, though also dressed in Ming army uniforms, had eyes unlike those of the other soldiers. The ordinary soldiers' eyes held anger and resentment, while those men's eyes held a cold, calculating glint. They moved through the crowd, occasionally whispering something in someone's ear; each time they spoke, the surrounding soldiers grew increasingly agitated.

Someone is inciting this.

Shen Lian silently took a step back and whispered a few words to Yi Dong beside him. Yi Dong nodded, and in a flash, disappeared into the shadows on the side of the council hall.

On the drill ground, Yu Dayou was still trying to calm things down. He raised his voice and said, "Brothers, I know your difficulties. I've already submitted three memorials regarding the pay; the court won't ignore it. The money will definitely arrive by next month at the latest. Until then, I'll sell everything I own to make sure you brothers don't go hungry!"

"Next month? You said next month last month too!" someone in the crowd shouted shrilly. "One month after another, when will this ever end?"

"Exactly! The imperial court doesn't treat us like human beings at all!"

"While we're risking our lives here, those big shots in Beijing are indulging in debauchery!"

Yu Dayou's expression darkened further. Just as he was about to speak, Shen Lian suddenly stepped forward and stood beside Yu Dayou.

"General, let me give it a try."

Yu Dayou frowned and glanced at him. Shen Lian didn't wait for his consent, but walked down the steps and towards the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the angry faces one by one.

"Wang Dazhu." Shen Lian looked at a burly soldier in the front row. "He's from Dengzhou Prefecture in Shandong. He has an elderly mother and two younger sisters. Last month, when you were patrolling Zhelin Village, you pulled a child out of the sea, almost getting swept away by the waves yourself."

The soldier was stunned.

Shen Lian didn't stop and continued walking forward. "Li Shitou, from Ganzhou, Jiangxi. Your father was a blacksmith, and you've been working with him since you were little. The knife in your hand was made by your father, and your surname is engraved on the hilt. Three months ago in Zhao'an, you single-handedly held off five Japanese pirates, allowing your comrades to retreat."

Another soldier's eyes widened.

"Zhao Laosan, from Quanzhou, Fujian, your wife just gave birth to a big, healthy baby boy, but you haven't seen him yet. You asked someone to write three letters home, but you only received one reply, which said the child looks like you."

"Qian Laosi, you're from Chaozhou, Guangdong. Your village was massacred by Japanese pirates two years ago; your mother and sister are gone. The day you joined the army, you swore you wouldn't go home until you killed a hundred Japanese pirates. How many have you killed so far?"

"Twelve." Qian Laosi's eyes were already red.

Shen Lian nodded, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. He called out each name one by one, telling them their hometown, family, origin, the merits they had made on the battlefield, and the tenderest feelings they held in their hearts.

The commotion on the drill ground gradually subsided.

The soldiers, who had been so indignant just moments before, fell silent. Some lowered their heads, some had tears in their eyes, and some loosened their clenched fists. They suddenly realized that this person knew them; this Imperial Guard from the capital actually knew them.

When a person discovers their name has been remembered, anger is hard to sustain. Because a name represents being seen, being treated as a person, not just a number. These soldiers had served for years, and most of the time, in the eyes of their superiors, they were merely names on a roster, pawns on the battlefield. But among the names Shen Lian read aloud were their hometowns, their families, their pain, and their pride.

Yu Dayou stood on the steps, watching this scene, his surprise growing stronger. Even he, the commander-in-chief, might not remember all the soldiers' names and origins. How did this newly arrived Imperial Guard know them?

"Brothers," Shen Lian turned around to face the hundreds of soldiers, his voice not loud, but steadily reaching everyone's ears, "General Yu knows your difficulties, and so do I. The court has its difficulties regarding the pay, but that's not something you should bear. Before I came to Fujian, I handled a case in Shexian County, Huizhou, and recovered 7,800 taels of silver from corrupt officials."

He took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket, held them high so that everyone could see them.

"This money should have been handed over to the imperial court. But with the military situation so urgent, and the brothers not even having enough to eat, how can we fight? I, Shen Lian, have decided that this money will be given to you first!"

The drill ground erupted in chaos. The soldiers looked at each other in disbelief. Seven thousand eight hundred taels of silver—a fortune that most people could never even dream of seeing in their entire lives.

Shen Lian turned to Yu Dayou, cupped his hands and said, "General Yu, this humble general acted on his own initiative. Please punish me."

Yu Dayou looked at Shen Lian, then at the soldiers who were staring at him expectantly, strode down the steps, took the silver notes from Shen Lian's hand, and held them high.

"Mr. Shen's case-handling funds were his own money, not the imperial court's. He used them to pay his men's salaries out of personal kindness. I, Yu, would like to say this: this money should be distributed among the men, each receiving whatever amount they are entitled to. I will personally contribute another month's salary. Once the imperial court's pay arrives, I will be the first to repay Mr. Shen's money!"

The drill ground fell silent for a moment.

Then, thunderous cheers erupted.

"Mr. Shen! Mr. Shen!" Hundreds of people shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens. The tense atmosphere that had just been palpable vanished in an instant.

Just then, Yi Dong returned.

She was carrying a man in her arms—a middle-aged man with a lean face, dressed in Ming army uniform. Yi Dong threw him to the ground, and the man screamed and curled up into a ball.

"Young Master Shen, this man is one of the instigators who were stirring up trouble in the crowd just now. I followed him all the way and discovered that he was trying to sneak out of the camp gate in the chaos, but I caught him." Yi Dong said, taking something out of his pocket, "This was found on him."

It was a small wooden plaque, about the size of a palm, with a strange symbol carved on it—a circle containing a triangle, and at the center of the triangle was an eye. Shen Lian took the plaque, his pupils shrinking.

He had seen this symbol before. In Qian Dehou's memory, it was a token of the Xuanhu Sect, a branch of the White Lotus Sect.

Shen Lian put away the wooden plaque, walked up to the captured spy, squatted down, and stared into his eyes.

"Who sent you?"

The man gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Shen Lian reached out and placed his hand on the man's shoulder. His memory retrieval ability activated silently. In an instant, countless images flooded Shen Lian's mind. He saw the scene of this man being bribed by a masked man—the masked man gave him one hundred taels of silver to spread rumors in the army that "the imperial court owes wages and won't pay, so we might as well rebel," and also instructed him to create chaos at the opportune moment. The masked man spoke with a Zhejiang accent, and wore a similar wooden plaque at his waist.

And there's more. This person was also involved in tipping off others—he was the one who leaked the information in advance about the Ming army's operation to suppress the Japanese pirates last month, and the contact person was a businessman surnamed Lin who spoke with a Fujian accent.

Shen Lian withdrew his hand, stood up, and said to Yu Dayou, "General, this man was instructed by the White Lotus Sect to spread rumors and create chaos in the army. Last month's failed encirclement and suppression was also due to him tipping off the enemy."

Yu Dayou's face was terribly grim. He walked up to the man, looked down at him, and asked, enunciating each word clearly, "Why did you do this?"

The man lay sprawled on the ground, trembling all over, but refused to speak.

Yu Dayou waved his hand, and two personal guards stepped forward and dragged the man away. Then he turned around to face the hundreds of soldiers on the drill ground.

"Brothers. I have been in the army for nearly forty years and have led troops for twenty years. I have never mistreated my soldiers. As for the issue of pay, it is my incompetence that I was unable to fight for you. But I can swear that as long as I, Yu Dayou, have a breath left, I will never let my brothers fight on an empty stomach."

The drill ground was eerily quiet. Hundreds of eyes were fixed on the gray-haired veteran.

Yu Dayou suddenly knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the soldiers, and said, "Today's events were due to my dereliction of duty, allowing a spy to infiltrate the army and nearly causing a disaster. I apologize to you brothers here."

A nearly 60-year-old general, a renowned anti-Japanese war hero, knelt down in front of hundreds of soldiers.

The drill ground was completely silent. After a moment, Liu Da was the first to kneel down, followed by the second, the third... hundreds of soldiers knelt down in unison.

"Commander Yu!"

"Commander Yu!"

"Commander Yu!" Liu cried, tears streaming down his face, his voice trembling with sobs. "We were foolish, instigated by treacherous people! Please get up, we can't bear this!"

Yu Dayou slowly rose, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling soldiers, and said in a deep voice, "Get up. Soldiers must not bend their knees. I will not pursue anyone for what happened today. But from now on, if anyone spreads rumors or disrupts morale—" His voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable authority, "they will be dealt with according to military law, without exception!"

"Yes!" The resounding reply from hundreds of people shook the heavens and the earth.

Shen Lian stood aside, silently watching this scene. Historical records show that Yu Dayou was renowned as a great general, and observing his actions today, it was clear that his reputation was well-deserved. That kneeling just now, in the simplest way, told those soldiers: I know your suffering; I will bear your grievances for you. This is the demeanor of a great general, sharing joys and sorrows.

Filled with fervent emotion, Shen Lian could no longer contain himself and immediately raised his arm and shouted, "Follow Commander Yu! Let's defeat the Japanese pirates together!"

The surrounding soldiers were moved by the sound and joined in with shouts. The shouts rose and fell, layer upon layer, vast and powerful, echoing throughout the entire training ground.