Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 233 Yue Fei's Attitude
[Perhaps it was because of their obvious numerical advantage, or perhaps it was because after the slaughter along the way, the Song army gradually adapted to this kind of warfare... In short, the casualties of the Song army became smaller and smaller.]

[Except for the initial loss of a hundred men to capture a village of two or three hundred people, the casualties subsequently decreased rapidly. By the time Xinye City was captured, the Song army had already achieved a casualty ratio of nearly ten to one with the Jin army. At the cost of a thousand casualties, they killed over ten thousand Jin soldiers!]

During the attack on Xinye City, the Song army, having been tempered, showed increasing composure and skill: First, the army laid siege to the city. After the Jin people inside had mutated into mindless monsters, the Song army simply stood guard outside the city, killing any who emerged!

The brainless monsters, unaware of the fear of their companions' death and naturally aggressive towards the Song people, charged recklessly into the army formation like unorganized and undisciplined beasts... clearly seeking death.

[So, in the end, the Song army didn't spend any money at all, only suffering a few dozen casualties, but they killed all the monsters in the city and occupied Xinye!]

[Thus, this Northern Expedition also recaptured the first county. The ancient county of Xinye finally returned to the embrace of the Song Dynasty!]

This was a landmark victory, signifying that the Song Dynasty had finally embarked on a Northern Expedition into the Central Plains after a lapse of two hundred years! It also represented another military achievement for the Northern Expedition soldiers, a feat they would surely achieve upon their return home, earning them promotions and wealth.

[The entire army couldn't help but feel happy about this...]

【…】

【except you.】

[You faced the traces of the battlefield outside Xinye City and the corpses of the Jin people who had transformed back into human form, and were speechless for a long time...]

[Based on their appearance and clothing, you can tell which are men and which are women, and which are old and which are children... They are simply ordinary people in this city!]

Yesterday, they might have been living peaceful lives: fathers earning money to support the family, mothers cooking and washing clothes, children playing or attending school... Merchants doing business, workers working, farmers tending the fields... Everything was just like the people of Song territory.

[However, just one day later, all of this was shattered like a dream, and everyone fell on this battlefield... Or perhaps it can't be called a "battlefield", but rather a "slaughterhouse", because there was no meaningful fighting here, only one-sided massacre...]

【"I……"】

Looking at the corpses lying on the ground, your throat becomes dry. You have so much to say, but you can't utter a single word.

After a moment's silence, you quietly joined in the cleaning of the battlefield, working alongside the soldiers in charge to carry and bury the bodies.

[There's not much you can do, and this happens to be one of them. You have no ability to stop this Northern Expedition. You can only ensure that these dead are buried as peacefully as possible...]

As you carried the bodies of these men, women, and children, you asked your father-in-law in confusion, "Father-in-law... am I being both a powerful figure and a powerful figure?"

"Although I didn't initiate the Northern Expedition, I was the one who instigated it. I used 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' and 'The Story of Yue Fei' to stir up the people's fighting spirit, which was then used by Marshal Yue as propaganda for the Northern Expedition."

“And now, I’m actually feeling sad for the Jin soldiers who died in the Northern Expedition, even questioning the justice of the Northern Expedition… I…”

The father-in-law shook his head: "This isn't about being hypocritical. It's about your inherent kindness... just like me."

"So you don't have to doubt yourself about it."

"Furthermore, the Northern Expedition wasn't solely yours. You were merely an instigator. Even if responsibility were to be pursued, it wouldn't be yours... After all, who knew the Jin people were in such a state? It's perfectly normal for you to support the Northern Expedition without knowing anything about it. It's the Southern Song people who wouldn't support it that's the problem!"

[“It’s just that the development of things has exceeded your knowledge and expectations, leading to the current situation…”]

At this point, the father-in-law comforted him again, "Don't be afraid of these setbacks, because they are the process and path for you to understand your own world. If you don't come and see it for yourself, how can you know it?"

"Now that you know this unknown information, this is your greatest reward. No matter what your fate in this life may be, knowing this information will allow you to avoid it next time... As the protagonist, you don't need to worry about the difficulty of the process, just pay attention next time, because your opportunities are endless!" [Comforted by this, you finally calmed your uneasy heart and regained your usual composure...]

[However, although the Prime Minister's words make sense, this does not mean that you can truly ignore these tragic events with a clear conscience. Even if you could do it again in the future, you must always keep their lives in your heart.]

[So, you are still diligently moving the corpses and burying them...]

[But as you're moving, your gaze suddenly freezes... because you see someone you know!]

[The young man you previously challenged in spearmanship is also carrying bodies... and next to him, a familiar veteran soldier is also silently carrying bodies...]

【ah? ! 】

You were suddenly shocked: If your guess was correct, then this old soldier was most likely the legendary Marshal Yue Fei!

Yue Fei...why is he here? Why is he carrying the Jin corpse with that young man?

You're completely confused: This Northern Expedition was clearly Yue Fei's work. It was he who restarted the Northern Expedition with this old chariot, killing so many innocent Jin civilians...but now he's here carrying bodies. What's the point?

Repent? Atonement?

I don’t understand anymore…

[And at the same moment you saw Yue Fei, Yue Fei also saw you! ]

He looked at your visibly dazed expression, feeling somewhat surprised that you recognized him, and puzzled as to why you were also here moving corpses...

But that was all he did. After a moment of surprise and confusion, he gave you a look that told you not to make a sound. He then ignored you and continued to carry the golden corpse with the young man.

【…】

【This little episode ended quickly.】

After the battlefield was cleared, Yue Fei and the other man quietly disappeared again, leaving you in the military tent, pondering the situation: What on earth was Yue Fei doing? Or what was he thinking?

Obviously, Yue Fei, who lived for over two hundred years, would have known the specific situation of the Jin people. The reason why he did not launch frequent northern expeditions was precisely because he knew that this would cause a large number of meaningless casualties.

[But now he's still heading north... What's the reason behind this? ]

[Your thoughts didn't quite come up with an answer, and you didn't even have time to think too much...]

[Because, the Jin soldiers are coming! ]

【…】

In the 215th year of Shaoxing, 100,000 Jin soldiers marched south to fight against the Northern Expeditionary Song Army!

……

(End of this chapter)