The Blood Crown - Chapter 219

When Feng Ye captured Upper Peak Fort, Yan State had already fortified itself, stockpiled supplies, and prepared for a siege. Thus, when the Feng army surrounded the city, the interior remained calm.

However, after their defeat in Taiyuan, losing 30,000 troops, the morale of the Yan State soldiers was likely not as stable as their city walls.

As soon as the Feng army settled in, Feng Ye summoned his generals for a meeting, intending to launch a swift attack on Yan State.

This time was different from before.

They had camped on the outskirts of Taiyuan for four months, deliberately relaxing the enemy’s vigilance and secretly preparing for battle. They had employed a series of deceptions, using their own soldiers and camp as bait, ultimately trapping the enemy. This success was due to the enormous size of the combined Taiyuan and Yan State armies; as long as they remained in their fortresses, a direct assault would have been futile. They had to wait for the right opportunity.

But Yan State’s situation required them to strike while the iron was hot. They had achieved a victory, weakening Taiyuan by 30,000 troops. With the enemy weakened and their own morale high, Luo Ruoxin had suffered a significant defeat and was now fearful, unwilling to recklessly engage in battle again. Waiting for Taiyuan to recover would mean missing the opportunity.

Thus, Feng Ye first rewarded and consoled his troops, especially those like Cao Yu who had risked their lives and made significant contributions, offering generous rewards to boost morale.

The reason the Feng army had followed Feng Jianping so faithfully was the clear system of rewards and punishments. Soldiers followed their leader into dangerous situations, seeking glory and wealth, or at the very least, to provide for their families. Talk of national righteousness was meaningless to these largely uneducated peasants and rough soldiers. Only real rewards and promotions could motivate them to fight and risk their lives.

Feng Ye inherited Feng Jianping’s approach and was generous with rewards, causing the entire army to be exhilarated. Those who received rewards were overjoyed, while those who did not were eager to earn more merits in the battle for Yan State. At the same time, he punished the generals who had disregarded orders in their eagerness to seize the opportunity during the ambush, setting an example for others.

The morale of the army reached its peak, and Feng Ye ordered the attack on the city to begin within two days.

Assaulting a city meant facing a hard fight, using a mountain of corpses and rivers of blood to break through the enemy’s gates. There wasn’t much strategy involved—though it was a last-resort strategy, it was the only choice.

Feng Ye had about 110,000 troops: 10,000 at Upper Peak Fort, 20,000 defending the camp, and the rest for the assault, which was just double the number of Yan State’s defenders. Military strategy suggests dividing troops if they are double the enemy’s number, and finding a way to lure out the Yan State soldiers to break the siege. However, Yan State had decided to hold its ground and, after Taiyuan’s disastrous defeat, would not risk sending troops out.

Although attacking the city with such forces would inevitably result in heavy casualties and an uncertain outcome, the best scenario they could achieve was to make Taiyuan hesitant to send reinforcements.

However, if Luo Ruoxin risked everything and launched a counterattack with the Taiyuan army while they were besieging the city, they would be surrounded and defeated.

The generals were divided on the issue. Some believed in a swift resolution to capture Yan State in one battle, while others thought that despite Luo Ruoxin’s defeat, he would not stand idly by and would likely send troops to defend Yan State.

Feng Ye was indeed concerned about this but knew that delaying the attack would only make the situation more difficult later.

Yan Sikong also agreed that the city should be attacked immediately. Prolonging the siege would not only give Taiyuan troops time to recover but also dampen their own army’s high morale. If they wanted to capture Yan State, they had to do it now.

The key issue for their strategy meeting was how to prevent Luo Ruoxin from sending troops during their assault or, if he did, how to still capture the city.

After the meeting, Feng Ye and Yan Sikong had a meal in the tent.

Feng Ye occasionally placed meat into Yan Sikong’s bowl. “At this point, besides splitting the troops, there’s no better solution.”

Yan Sikong said, “If we can deceive Luo Ruoxin into thinking we’re using the same tactic again, hoping to lure him out of the city, it might at least buy us some time.”

“Luo Ruoxin, despite his cautious nature, won’t be easily fooled this time. Even if we manage to deceive him temporarily, it will only delay things. He is well aware of the consequences if Yan State falls, so he will not stand by and watch.”

“Every moment of delay increases our chances of victory,” Yan Sikong said, putting down his chopsticks with a frown. “But even if we win this battle, we don’t know how many will die.”

“It’s possible that after this battle, we won’t be able to launch another attack on Taiyuan for some time, regardless of the outcome.” Feng Ye picked up a piece of meat and held it to Yan Sikong’s lips. “You’ve only had a few bites. You mustn’t go hungry, no matter when.”

Yan Sikong obediently opened his mouth and took a bite. He smiled slightly. “I’m not hungry. It’s just that unlike you and your brother, I don’t have such a good appetite.” As he spoke, he nudged Feng Hun with his foot.

Feng Hun had just eaten half a lamb and was lazily dozing off, barely lifting his eyelids.

“Without a full stomach, how can you have the strength to fight?” Feng Ye stuffed another bite of food into him. “You’re so thin because you eat too little.”

“I’m just thin, not weak,” Yan Sikong replied, picking up his bowl again. “I’ll eat.”

Feng Ye tapped his head. “It’s as if I’m forcing you to eat. You haven’t experienced the days when grain supplies were seized and you had to gnaw on tree bark for a month. Otherwise, you’d cherish every meal in the army, because during a march or battle, you might be left with nothing but the northwest wind for the next meal.”

“That’s a fair point.” Yan Sikong took a big bite of food and winked at him. “Is the Wolf King satisfied?”

Feng Ye smiled. “If we could have three full meals every day, I’d be satisfied.”

At that moment, a guard came in from outside the tent, kneeling as he presented a letter. “Wolf King, Yunnan is requesting援助.”

Both Feng Ye and Yan Sikong’s expressions darkened.

Feng Ye grabbed the letter, quickly scanning it before speaking in a deep voice, “Chen Mu says that Zhongqing has been attacked twice, with heavy casualties on both sides. He’s worried it might fall.”

“Does the letter mention Prince Ning?” Yan Sikong took the letter from him and read, “When I was in Yunnan, I sent envoys to seek a marriage alliance for the Prince Chu. Prince Ning had shown interest, so why is there no progress…” He froze as he read further, “He’s… dead?”

“Can you believe that a prince died from choking on a date pit?!” Feng Ye slammed the table angrily.

The guard, frightened, bowed and quietly retreated.

“It’s possible he was murdered,” Yan Sikong took a deep breath. “The heir of Prince Ning clearly doesn’t want to join the Prince Chu’s rebellion.”

“What should we do now? We’re tied up with Central Plains forces and can’t spare any strength to help Chen Mu,” Feng Ye narrowed his eyes. “But if he loses…”

Yan Sikong calmed himself. “Zhongqing is surrounded by dangerous mountains and rivers, a natural barrier against enemies. It won’t be easily breached. The letter also says that both sides have suffered heavy losses. The court has attempted two assaults without success and might be hesitant now. I think Zhongqing can still hold out.”

“For now, maybe, but the court is nearing its limit with the three fronts. The most likely target is Yunnan. If the court sends more troops and is determined to quell the Prince Chu’s rebellion, we are too far away to intervene.” Feng Ye was agitated. Chen Mu was a crucial piece in his strategy to restrain the feudal lords. With Chen Mu in play, the conflicts were still Chen’s family affairs, and the feudal lords would remain spectators, many even hoping Chen Mu would become emperor. But if Chen Mu failed, he would face attacks from all sides.

Yan Sikong held the letter, his eyes reflecting a myriad of emotions. “You don’t need to worry about this. I’ll come up with a plan. For now, focus all your efforts on taking Yan State. Once you capture Yan State, the court will be frightened and will gather their forces in the Central Plains. Zhongqing will just need to hold out for a few more months to resolve the crisis.”

Feng Ye clenched his fists, his eyes fierce. “Yan State is a must-have for me!”

Yan Sikong wrote two letters, one in Feng Ye’s name to Prince Ning’s heir and the other to Chen Mu.

The letter to Prince Ning was to persuade him to ally with Yan Sikong and support the Prince Chu’s ascension. It appealed to righteousness and used threats and inducements. Although Prince Ning had not openly rebelled, he was secretly involved with the Prince Chu. With Prince Ning now dead, his heir’s situation was awkward. Yan Sikong did not expect a single letter to convince the heir to rebel, but hoped it would make him hesitant to harm Chen Mu. This letter was sent urgently through a secret route.

The letter to Chen Mu was sent by assassins pretending to be captured. It needed to reach the commanders attacking Zhongqing. The letter contained a mix of true and false information, such as Feng Ye planning to send his trusted general, Que Wang, to rescue Yunnan after capturing Yan State, and hints that Prince Ning had already accepted Chen Mu’s proposal and was secretly recruiting troops to aid him. Regardless of whether the court believed it, the letter would at least sow doubt in the mind of Prince Ning’s heir.

After sending these letters, Yan Sikong wrote another message using the agreed-upon secret code, reassuring Chen Mu to hold firm and that he was working on a plan to help. This letter was sent through A Li via a channel previously agreed upon.

Despite his concerns for Chen Mu’s situation, Yan Sikong knew that the most crucial task was to capture Yan State. Only if Feng Ye kept the Central Plains engaged would the court refrain from sending troops to Yunnan. Once Feng Ye took Taiyuan and the Central Plains was wide open with the imperial city within reach, the court would likely focus all its efforts on dealing with the Wolf King. By then, the Wolf King would likely be in an unbeatable position. (End of Chapter)