The Blood Crown - Chapter 273

Before dawn, Feng Ye set out with his army from Fengxiang.

He did not kill Yuan Shaoxu as a flag of sacrifice, instead keeping him locked in a prisoner cart, seemingly agreeing with Yan Sikong’s suggestion to wait for Yuan Nanxu to return before dealing with him.

Yan Sikong, still wearing a mask, continued to pose as “Que Wang,” but due to his injuries, he was unable to ride proudly on horseback and could only travel by carriage.

Feng Ye urged the army to march quickly toward the capital. Originally, Chen Mu’s forces had been lying in ambush in Qiao Mountain, hoping to clash with Shen Hexuan’s army, suffering heavy casualties and then retreating. Instead, they faced the Feng family army, which had absorbed Shen Hexuan’s forces and was in high spirits. Moreover, the garrison commander of Qingyang was bringing troops to reinforce, so the enemy was outnumbered. The ambush had no chance to act, and Feng Ye’s army smoothly passed through Qiao Mountain and made its way directly to the capital.

At this time, no one knew what the situation in Taiyuan was, but since Feng Ye had already decided to abandon it, Taiyuan could only be left to fate.

Chen Mu had forced Feng Ye into a desperate situation, where he had no choice but to take a risky gamble. If he did not seize the capital quickly and control the entire government, once Chen Mu united with the court and various local lords, the best he could hope for was to be pushed back to Datong, but it was more likely that he would fail and lose his life in the Central Plains.

Thus, this battle would determine Feng Ye’s life or death.

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The journey from Fengxiang to the capital could be completed in five or six days with fast marching, but they bypassed Taiyuan and traveled for eight days, finally reaching, no, returning to the capital.

At this point, Feng Changyue’s army had already captured Shuntian, the defense city, and clashed with the garrison troops at the outskirts of the capital. Both sides suffered casualties, and the garrison retreated into the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City had four layers of defense. The first layer was the defense city, with Shuntianwei to the southwest and Tianjinwei to the northeast. The second layer was the border fortifications, and the third layer was the outer city walls. Finally, the inner city walls were protected by two moats. The city’s defenses were undoubtedly the most formidable in the world.

After Feng Changyue’s Datong army, Nada Khan’s Chakhar army, and Wang Shen’s Taiyuan army gathered their forces, they easily captured Shuntianwei and surrounded the Forbidden City, then halted their movements, waiting for the Wolf King.

Feng Ye arrived two days later. Scouts reported that Chen Mu was leading a large army to the capital, Zhao Fuyi had been recalled from Liaodong, and the various lords’ reinforcement armies were heading toward the capital. It seemed as though all the armies in the world were converging on the capital, and the situation was rapidly changing. It was likely that a dynastic change was imminent.

This was the second time in the history of the Great Sheng Empire that rebel forces had reached the doorstep, and the future of the Great Sheng dynasty was in jeopardy.

After meeting with Feng Changyue and the others, Feng Ye immediately held an emergency military strategy meeting, staying in the war tent from dawn until nightfall.

The key to this battle was time. If they could seize the Forbidden City before the reinforcement armies arrived, everything would be settled. If not, they would face a major war and countless casualties.

However, the garrison troops and all the available forces had already retreated to the Forbidden City. With three layers of city walls, two moats, and seventy thousand troops, taking such a stronghold was no easy feat.

Yan Sikong rested in the tent, his mind occupied with how to win this battle. At this point, whether he wanted to help Feng Ye or not, he had to. Since Chen Mu had framed him, he could no longer support Chen Mu. The current situation could not allow Chen Mu to win, or both Feng Ye and Yuan Nanxu would surely die.

But Chen Mu’s forces would arrive in the capital in just two or three days. How could they break through the Forbidden City in such a short time?

While thinking, Feng Ye entered the tent, and Yan Sikong calmly looked at him. “Do you have a plan?”

Feng Ye sat down opposite him. “The commander of the garrison is Zhu Lanting. You have a personal connection with him.”

Yan Sikong replied, “He is Chen Mu’s martial instructor and the cousin of Emperor Zhao Wu. He agreed to help me because we planned to support the Prince of Chu’s ascension. Now, he will stop at nothing to keep you out of the Forbidden City.”

“It may have been that way, but I’ve received some news.”

“What news?”

Feng Ye sneered coldly. “Zhu Lanting’s cousin entered the palace a few years ago and gave birth to a prince last year.”

Yan Sikong’s gaze flickered. “You mean…”

“I’ll support the Thirteenth Prince to become emperor. He is of the Zhu family.”

Yan Sikong shook his head. “Zhu Lanting is not so easily fooled. The prince is still an infant. Even if he does ascend the throne, doubts will arise, and the consequences will be endless. Besides, why would he trust you? Zhu Lanting is not driven by greed; he cares about the country and the world. You can’t bribe him. He’ll wait for Chen Mu and attack you from both sides.”

“I know that, which is why I need you to come up with a way,” Feng Ye narrowed his eyes. “If anyone can persuade Zhu Lanting, it’s you.”

Yan Sikong sneered. “Didn’t you say you don’t trust me? Why do you think I’ll help you?”

Feng Ye replied confidently, “You want to save Que Wang, don’t you? You’ve already played Chen Mu. If Chen Mu wins, will there be any chance for you?”

Yan Sikong snorted lightly, arrogantly saying, “Feng Ye, no matter how much you hate me, in the end, you still rely on me. How does that feel?”

“You’ve made me feel bad enough already, what’s one more thing?” Feng Ye leaned close to Yan Sikong’s ear. “Help me take the capital, as you promised back then.”

Yan Sikong turned to pull away but was tightly trapped in Feng Ye’s embrace, his lips brushing against his ear.

Yan Sikong took a deep breath. “Didn’t you say you didn’t trust my promise?”

“Whether I trust you or not doesn’t matter now. Just consider it a debt you owe me. I want the capital.”

Yan Sikong turned his face away silently.

Feng Ye gently traced Yan Sikong’s cheek with his fingertips and lightly bit his small earlobe. “Drive a wedge between Chen Mu and Zhu Lanting. Chen Mu knows about your relationship with Zhu Lanting, so he’ll be suspicious of him. Use the Thirteenth Prince to your advantage.”

Yan Sikong said in a low voice, “You’ve thought of everything. Why bother discussing it with me?”

“This is something only you can do,” Feng Ye held Yan Sikong in his arms and, as if handling an object, played with his fingers.

“If I succeed, will you let me go?”

“No.” Feng Ye’s voice turned cold. “Don’t even think about escaping from my side!”

Yan Sikong’s eyes darkened.

Feng Ye had always known how “useful” he was, and now his intentions were so transparent that he didn’t even bother to hide them. Between them, there was only mutual hatred and suspicion, but Feng Ye still wouldn’t let him go, still wanted to torment him.

“However, I can let you reunite with your wife and daughter.” Feng Ye’s face twisted into a grim expression, but he held back. “If Xi’er wasn’t my cousin, I would kill her, but… that’s my bottom line.”

Yan Sikong mocked, “Thank you for your mercy, Wolf King.”

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I came home late today, so it’s a bit short. I’ll try to update more tomorrow.