The Blood Crown - Chapter 234

It was Mid-Autumn once again.

For the Han people, Mid-Autumn was the second most important festival after the Spring Festival. The full moon in the sky reflected the reunion of families on Earth, and soldiers who had left their homes would especially miss their distant loved ones on this day.

The people of Yanzhou were busy preparing for the festival. Though Taiyuan was surrounded, the festivities among the people could not be taken away. They were unaware that beneath the surface calm, a battle that would change the fate of the Great(Da) Sheng Dynasty was brewing, soon to erupt like a flood.

Yan Sikong stood atop the tower in the camp, gazing at the peaceful Taiyuan in the distance. He seemed to see it in a few hours, when it would be torn apart, blood flowing like rivers. He thought of the countless lives he had carried with him along the way. None were personally known to him, but all had died because of him, and his heart had become numb.

Feng Ye appeared beside him at some point, speaking softly, “Que Wang left Qingyang yesterday and will arrive soon. We’re ready and just waiting for Zhou Ke’s signal.”

Yan Sikong nodded, but said nothing.

“Are you looking at the moon?” Feng Ye asked, looking up at the large round moon in the sky.

Yan Sikong raised his head slightly, softly chanting, “‘This life, this night is fleeting; where will we see the bright moon next year?’”

“Next year, we should watch it in the Forbidden City.”

Yan Sikong chuckled, then sighed, “No matter where we are, we’re all looking at the same moon. Fine food and silk robes, flowers bloom and fade in the same way. No matter how grand the mansion in life, or how magnificent the tomb in death, in the end, a person’s dwelling is no more than a small plot of land. What is it all for, the pursuit of fame and fortune?”

Feng Ye sneered, “When it comes to the pursuit of fame and fortune, who can surpass you? Yet you have such a sentiment. Isn’t that pretentious?”

“Indeed, a little pretentious,” Yan Sikong said with self-mockery. “When I was homeless, all I thought about was getting a meal. Now, I probably eat too much.”

“A person’s life’s desires are probably…” Feng Ye thought for a moment, “to live a life like an immortal.”

“What is an immortal life?” Yan Sikong turned to look at Feng Ye, his deep and wise eyes glinting in the moonlight. “Do immortals really exist in this world? Even if they do, I don’t think it’s about flying through the clouds, wearing extravagant robes, or living forever.”

“Why not?”

“Because a person is just a person. No matter how they transcend, they still cannot escape human troubles, illness, and aging. They project all their fantasies onto the perfect ‘person,’ which is the immortal that humanity imagines. Whether immortals exist or not, we don’t really know. Even if they do, they are not as we imagine. The true purpose of enlightenment is simply the hope to ‘live freely like an immortal.’”

Feng Ye laughed, “Well said. I believe in fate, but I don’t fear ghosts and gods. To live ‘freely like an immortal,’ one still needs the sword in their hand.”

Yan Sikong let out a bitter laugh, muttering, “How can one who is bound to the world live freely?”

Feng Ye gently squeezed his hand. “What you want isn’t freedom. What you want is power over the world, isn’t it?”

“Correct.” Yan Sikong looked into the distance, his gaze intense.

“I will give it to you,” Feng Ye said in a low voice. “Whatever you want, I will give you.”

Yan Sikong’s heart skipped a beat, and he tightly grasped Feng Ye’s hand.

—

In the black night, a loud rumble came from distant Taiyuan, accompanied by the bright light of explosions and rising thick smoke, like the first war drum signaling the start of the battle, striking at the heart.

Feng Ye led one hundred thousand soldiers in a full assault. The dark, massive army swept forward like a passing storm, with a chilling murderous intent targeting Taiyuan. Not wasting a single moment, they began their siege.

The armory was destroyed, and at least the court’s firearms were rendered useless, especially the cannons, which were the deadliest weapon. When aimed from above the city, the cannonballs scattered like blooming flowers. Without cannons, their soldiers could attack to the base of the walls with much reduced casualties.

As expected, after firing several dozen cannonballs from the city towers, the Taiyuan army’s cannons fell silent, while the Wolf King Army’s large cannons continued to roar, with wood and stone flying. Soldiers held shields, braving the arrows, dropping planks to cross the moat.

Explosions continued within Taiyuan, the wreckage of the armory still untended, while the towering, solid city walls were in disarray.

But Taiyuan was still Taiyuan. Despite the loss of the cannons, the city’s high walls, deep moats, and countless soldiers made it difficult for the Wolf King Army to capture the city towers.

The moat was deep and wide, and the siege ladders were ineffective. The soldiers had to climb bamboo ladders while battering the city gates. Below the walls, the bodies of the fallen piled up like a mountain, the army trampling over them, getting closer to the city towers.

Feng Ye and Yan Sikong stood behind, watching as soldiers fell like straw, bodies scattered across the battlefield, blood flowing in rivers. Their hearts were heavy, but the greater the loss, the less they could retreat—otherwise, the soldiers would have died in vain.

Yan Sikong spoke solemnly, “It’s almost time.”

It was time for Yuan Nanyu to make his move.

The messenger blew the horn twice long and twice short, the sharp sound cutting through the gunfire, clearly piercing the dark night.

Before long, the sounds of battle came from the southeast. Yuan Nanyu, leading forty thousand soldiers, suddenly appeared, heading straight for the east city gate, which was less defended, launching a ruthless attack.

In fact, from the moment the armory was destroyed, the morale of Taiyuan’s army had collapsed, and their defeat was inevitable.

After a night of fierce fighting, both sides suffered heavy losses. By dawn, Yuan Nanyu had broken through the east city gate and entered the city, while Wang Wei led a team to break out and escape.

Feng Ye ordered Qian Cunxi to lead five thousand men to pursue, while the remaining troops charged into the city and took full control of Taiyuan.

When the city was breached, Feng Ye’s eyes turned red with excitement, his grip on the reins so tight his knuckles were white. Yan Sikong also breathed heavily, his heart still unsettled.

Taiyuan, they had taken Taiyuan!

“Wolf King!” Among the chaos, a masked, blood-soaked figure ran towards them.

“Que Wang!” Feng Ye’s eyes brightened, and he hurried over.

Yuan Nanyu cupped his hands, about to kneel, but Feng Ye caught him, regardless of his bloodied appearance, pulling him into a fierce hug. “Good brother! Truly worthy of being the number one general of the Feng family army!”

Yuan Nanyu was overcome with emotion. Even through his chest armor, the heavy rising and falling of his chest could be seen. “Wolf King is wise!”

Feng Ye laughed heartily, a truly joyous, proud, and carefree laugh that resonated through the heavens.

Yan Sikong also rushed to Yuan Nanyu’s side, worriedly asking, “Are you injured?”

Surrounded by people, Yuan Nanyu could not show too much intimacy, but he still could not help but tightly grip Yan Sikong’s hand. “I’m fine. It’s been months since we last met. How are you, Sir Yan?”

“I’m well enough.” Yan Sikong also grasped his hand, trembling as he spoke, “Yuyu… General Que, you’ve worked hard.”

Yuan Nanyu shook his head, his eyes reddening. “As long as we win, no matter how much hardship we endure, it’s nothing. When I heard of your defeat, I couldn’t sleep for several days and nights…”

Feng Ye patted his shoulder. “Now we’ve won, truly won.” He raised his voice, “At the number one stronghold of the Central Plains, it was nothing!”

The soldiers all shouted in unison, “Wolf King is wise!”

To say Taiyuan was nothing was, of course, an exaggeration. They fought through the entire night, suffering nearly half their forces. Since Feng Ye raised his army, he had never seen so many deaths. If Yuan Nanyu hadn’t arrived, they would likely have been… likely truly defeated. Even in victory, it was a Pyrrhic one.

But now that they had won, they could temporarily forget about the shortages of troops and supplies. They sat in Taiyuan and looked toward the capital, getting much closer to the glorious imperial city.

As the sun rose, the grim scene of the battle overnight was revealed in the daylight. It was truly a hellish picture of human suffering. Even Yan Sikong, accustomed to battlefields, felt suffocated, but the cost of victory was far better than the price of defeat.

Not long later, Qian Cunxi returned. He knelt and cupped his fists, shamefully saying, “I was incompetent. I allowed Wang Wei and Shen Hexuan to escape. Please punish me, Wolf King.”

Feng Ye grabbed the ailing Luo Ruoxin, but when they couldn’t find Shen Hexuan in the city, he knew he had escaped. He said, “No need to blame yourself. If he wanted to run, even an ordinary person might not have been able to catch him.” He stroked his chin. “Shen Hexuan actually ran?”

Yan Sikong also felt it was unbelievable. “With his temperament, at the time the city was breached, he should have either committed suicide to repay his lord’s kindness or waited for us to catch him, cursing at us before dying to preserve his honor. He actually abandoned the city and fled?”

Feng Ye narrowed his eyes. “Perhaps Wang Wei persuaded him. In any case, this man must die. I won’t feel at ease until he does. Send scouts to follow him.”

“Understood.”

“What should we do with Luo Ruoxin?” Yan Sikong asked.

Feng Ye could not help but think of his own past defeats and humiliations in Taiyuan. He coldly replied, “Behead him and display his head.”

Yan Sikong recalled his last meeting with Shen Hexuan and remembered the loyalty Shen had expressed toward him, and then linked it to today’s abandonment of the city. A sense of unease stirred within him. Perhaps his understanding of Shen Hexuan was still superficial. After so many changes, Shen Hexuan might no longer be the same person. But just as Feng Ye said, as long as he was alive, they couldn’t rest easy.

They had spent six months using a series of strategies to infiltrate Taiyuan from within, finally defeating it. If they were to face Shen Hexuan again, could they win?

Yan Sikong had a bad premonition, much like he believed he was destined for greatness. He saw the same sense of fate in Shen Hexuan. The struggle between him and Shen Hexuan might have been decided from the moment he entered the service, and even now, it was far from over…

—

The plot has been moving for so long, and I know everyone is eager for the romance line. It’s coming up soon!