The Blood Crown - Chapter 309

When Yan Sikong returned home that evening, he personally treated Yuan Nanyu’s wounds. Looking at the scars on his chest and back, he felt an immense pain in his heart, his breathing growing rapid.

 

Perhaps sensing his distress, Yuan Nanyu comforted him, “Second brother, these are just superficial wounds, nothing serious. Don’t worry, my body is strong.”

 

Yan Sikong murmured a low “Mm.” Yuan Nanyu had fought from two thousand soldiers all the way to thirty thousand, battling through blood and steel. How could it be that he had only suffered superficial injuries? His words were merely to reassure him.

 

“You’re truly injured at the core. Did you drink the medicine today?”

 

“That medicine is terribly bitter,” Yan Sikong complained in a small voice.

 

“There’s no medicine that isn’t bitter.” Yuan Nanyu pressed on, “Did you drink it?”

 

“I drank it, I drank it early,” Yan Sikong sighed. “How long do I need to keep drinking it?”

 

“Until you get better.” Yuan Nanyu pinched Yan Sikong’s sharp, thin chin, smiling. “Now I’m forcing you to drink medicine, doesn’t it remind you of when you forced me to study as a child? What goes around comes around.”

 

Yan Sikong couldn’t help but chuckle, “You must be feeling quite smug now.”

 

“That’s right.” Yuan Nanyu patted the bed, “In this room, every day when I opened my eyes, you made me study in the morning and recite poems before bed. Now, I’m making sure you drink your medicine morning and night, not missing a dose.”

 

“Fine, I’ll listen to you,” Yan Sikong said as he carefully wrapped up Yuan Nanyu’s wounds.

 

Yuan Nanyu moved his arm, nonchalantly saying, “The golden dog’s weapons are too dull, it doesn’t hurt at all.”

 

Yan Sikong gently touched Yuan Nanyu’s back and said softly, “Yu’er, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

 

“What?” Yuan Nanyu suddenly became nervous.

 

“You’re not young anymore, why haven’t you married and had children? The Wolf King said he advised you, but you didn’t agree.”

 

Yuan Nanyu blinked. “I’ve said before…”

 

“You’ve said before, you wanted to help the Wolf King take control of the capital first. What’s your reason now?”

 

Yuan Nanyu whispered, “The foundation is not stable.”

 

“I think that’s just an excuse.” Yan Sikong frowned. “The Wolf King said you can choose any noblewoman from the capital. Yu’er, you need to have descendants for the Yuan family and for yourself.”

 

Yuan Nanyu lowered his head. “Eldest brother already has two sons and a daughter. The Yuan family already has heirs.”

 

“Your wife is just the daughter of a county magistrate. And with the way eldest brother is now, how much potential can his sons have? You’re different. You’re the general leading the Wolf King’s cavalry, famous throughout the land. You could even marry a princess. This would not only secure your position but also ensure that your descendants are born into nobility, bringing glory to the Yuan family.”

 

Yuan Nanyu turned away, his back to Yan Sikong. “I can raise my nephews.”

 

“Nephews are nephews. Don’t you want a wife and children of your own?”

 

“…”

 

“Yu’er.” Yan Sikong moved to sit in front of Yuan Nanyu. “Do you truly like that courtesan?”

 

“I…”

 

“If you truly like her, then take her as a concubine. It’s not a big deal. Are you worried about rumors? Second brother can vouch for you.”

 

Yuan Nanyu pressed his lips together. “Second brother, I… I don’t want to marry.”

 

Yan Sikong widened his eyes. “What did you say?”

 

“In the past, I was reckless and wandering the jianghu with no settled home, so I didn’t dare marry. Now, I live with the sword and the danger of death every day, so I still don’t dare marry.”

 

“Because of this, you should leave a successor sooner.” Yan Sikong said. “Our parents are gone, and eldest brother has lost his senses. Your marriage is something you should listen to second brother about.”

 

Yuan Nanyu avoided Yan Sikong’s gaze. “Then let me help the Wolf King defeat the barbarians and stabilize the court first. Then we’ll talk about it.” He said, “It’s getting late. Second brother, you should rest.”

 

Yan Sikong squinted, looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

 

Yuan Nanyu felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

 

Yan Sikong sighed. He didn’t want to bring it up, but it seemed like he couldn’t solve the problem without clearing things up. He said, “Is it related to Chen Mu?”

 

Yuan Nanyu’s expression changed, and he said in a deep voice, “No.”

 

“We used to talk about everything. Now, second brother can have no secrets from you. And what about you?” Yan Sikong stared at him intently. “Do you want to talk to second brother about what’s on your mind?”

 

Yuan Nanyu clenched his fists tightly. “This is the one thing I don’t want to talk about with anyone.”

 

“Is it because of the rumors…”

 

“Second brother!” Yuan Nanyu’s voice turned harsh, tinged with anger. “I’ve said I don’t want to talk about it.”

 

Yan Sikong sighed again. Seeing Yuan Nanyu’s current state, he felt a pang of heartache.

 

Yuan Nanyu turned his back to Yan Sikong and muttered softly, “If I can’t defeat Chen Mu and avenge my shame, I’ll never marry.”

 

Yan Sikong stood up. “Second brother won’t force you anymore. Rest well.”

 

Yuan Nanyu watched Yan Sikong leave, standing there for a long time before sweeping everything off the table in one arm.

 

—

 

The food and supplies taken by the Jin soldiers exceeded ten thousand shi, and the losses were truly heavy.

 

Guangning City’s supplies were originally enough for at least a year, but even if Feng Ye was valiant, he couldn’t make soldiers out of beans. The seventy thousand soldiers and warhorses he brought needed to be fed, and with the current supplies for these 110,000 troops, they would run out of food in less than three months.

 

Moreover, it was the harsh winter, and gathering supplies was no easy task. Not to mention the supply routes were already exposed, and resupply would be extremely dangerous.

 

What they hadn’t expected was that the shortage of food, swifter than the Jin soldiers’ weapons, was now pressing at their throats.

 

Feng Ye had already been pulled in two directions, feeling overwhelmed and hoping for a quick resolution. Now, Zhuo Letai only needed to encircle and not attack, waiting for them to run out of supplies, thus winning without a fight.

 

Feng Ye had urgently sent a letter to Feng Changyue to send more supplies, but Feng Changyue, eager for him to return to the capital, would never send them promptly, even if there were supplies. They were truly in a difficult position with no way out.

 

Chen Mu must be enjoying this, returning the favor with his own methods.

 

Yan Sikong composed himself and wrote a letter to Shen Hexuan, urging him to advise Chen Mu against repeating the mistake of the former emperor, abandoning Liaodong to seize the throne, or he would face the wrath of the world. Furthermore, the loss of Liaodong, the northern gateway of Dasheng, would leave them vulnerable to invasion by the barbarians.

 

He knew that Shen Hexuan, a loyal minister who sought no personal gain, would never agree to Chen Mu secretly colluding with the barbarians. The only person who could possibly stop Chen Mu now was Shen Hexuan.

 

After finishing the letter, he personally handed it to Feng Ye, asking him to have it sent to Taiyuan as quickly as possible.

 

Feng Ye’s face was dark with clouds, and seeing this, Yan Sikong couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

 

If they attacked, they could defend, but if they didn’t, they would simply be waiting to starve, and they couldn’t afford that.

 

Feng Ye received the letter and looked up at Yan Sikong. “How do you know Shen Hexuan won’t try to take advantage of this opportunity to reclaim the capital?”

 

“He is a minister of the state, not Chen Mu’s servant. He knows that defending Liaodong is more important than who becomes emperor.” Yan Sikong replied confidently. “He will never abandon Liaodong.”

 

Feng Ye’s voice was low. “But even if he wants to help us, will Chen Mu listen to him?”

 

“If Chen Mu won’t listen to him, no one can stop him.”

 

Feng Ye summoned the imperial guards and ordered them to urgently send the letter to Taiyuan.

 

Yan Sikong sat beside Feng Ye, and perhaps it was because it was so cold, or perhaps the bad news was too much, but he felt as though all his strength had been drained, even from standing.

 

Feng Ye sighed. “Sikong, the situation is extremely unfavorable for us now. If we keep waiting, it will be the same as sitting still and waiting to die. We must take the initiative.”

 

Yan Sikong said gravely, “Twenty years ago, Guangning was able to hold because of these city walls. Taking the initiative would mean giving up the defense of the city. We would be attacking with our weaknesses against their strengths.”

 

The Central Plains relied on infantry, while the barbarians relied on cavalry. Giving up the city defense meant they would have no stronghold and would meet on the open plains, giving the Jin army a complete advantage, not to mention the fact that the Jin army outnumbered theirs.

 

How were they supposed to fight this war?

 

“If we keep waiting, we’ll run out of supplies and be doomed. If we take the initiative, there’s still a slim chance of survival.”

 

Yan Sikong stared blankly ahead, his mind in turmoil, unable to come up with any clear solution.

 

Feng Ye turned to Yan Sikong and gently took his hand. “Even if we have no city to defend, we can still defeat them.”

 

Yan Sikong did not pull his hand away. Instead, he stared at Feng Ye’s hand, lost in thought, recalling the victories they had once fought together.

 

If it had been anyone else speaking in such a dire situation, Yan Sikong would have been infuriated, but hearing Feng Ye say it, he felt a sense of calm in his heart.

 

There was probably no one else in the world who could say such words, and Yan Sikong believed them.

 

“My Wolf Cavalry is not inferior to his Doyan Guard. My Rapid Army and Thousand Machine Camp are far stronger than his. Even if we have no city to defend, even if his army is twice the size of ours, what is there to fear?” Feng Ye said seriously. “Kong’er, with us working together, we will be invincible.”

 

Yan Sikong gritted his teeth. “You’re right. We should take the initiative and never sit idly by, but we can’t completely abandon the defense of the city.”

 

Feng Ye squinted. “We need to find a way to lure Zhuo Letai into attacking the city.”

 

“Exactly,” Yan Sikong thought for a moment. “Let Zhuo Letai think we are running out of supplies, then provoke him into attacking, and after that, we can retreat back to Guangning and lure him into attacking the city.”

 

“You’re thinking what I’m thinking,” Feng Ye said coldly. “There is one person we can use.”

 

“Who?”

 

“Han Zhaoxing.”

 

At the mention of the name, Yan Sikong’s eyes turned cold.

 

“I just received a letter from my uncle. While investigating the traitor who leaked the supply information, he accidentally uncovered a deeply hidden remnant of the eunuch faction. This person confessed that he had been in contact with Han Zhaoxing’s eldest son, and there are also spies of Han Zhaoxing in Guangning City. We can take advantage of this and make Zhuo Letai believe that our supplies are running out, forcing him to take the initiative to attack.”

 

“Good!” Yan Sikong said fiercely. “Perhaps we can also eliminate this vile creature at the same time.”

 

Feng Ye gazed at him silently and couldn’t help but smile slightly. “Kong’er, you said we had nothing to talk about, but when it comes to leading troops in battle, no one in the world understands each other as well as we do.”

 

Yan Sikong seemed to snap back to reality, quietly pulling his hand away. “The matter at hand is more important.”

 

“Don’t worry,” Feng Ye’s gaze was firm and sharp, his voice low yet steady, bringing a sense of reassurance. “I promise you, we will hold Liaodong, no matter the cost.”

 

Hearing this, Yan Sikong looked up into Feng Ye’s eyes and said sincerely, “Thank you, Wolf King.”

 

Feng Ye chuckled bitterly. “When will you ever call me by my name?”

 

“…We have different statuses.”

 

Feng Ye lowered his eyes, a hint of disappointment showing, but quickly wiped it away. “That’s right. The matter at hand is more important.”