The Blood Crown - Chapter 43

The next morning, the two of them set out from the Lingwu Mountain Villa, heading for the summit. Servants followed them, carrying food and water.

When they reached the halfway point up the mountain, Feng Ye pulled a leather cord from his collar. Hanging on the cord was a small, exquisitely crafted horn made from the bone of a milky-white creature. It was only about an inch long, but it made a sharp and piercing noise when Feng Ye blew into it. The sound echoed through half the valley.

Yan Sikong asked, “Are you summoning Feng Hun?”

“Exactly,” Feng Ye replied as he gazed at the horn. “This is made from a piece of my wet nurse’s leg bone. I’ve carried it with me for many years.”

“You do have a unique bond with wolves.”

“We, the Feng family, have always revered wolves. Wolves are loyal, proud, resilient, and strong,” Feng Ye said with a faint smile. “Wolves are our teachers.”

After a short wait, Feng Hun emerged from the forest and ran towards them. As it approached, they could feel the ground trembling beneath their feet.

Yan Sikong realized he wasn’t as afraid of Feng Hun as before. Perhaps it was because Feng Hun no longer regarded him as prey.

The two men and one wolf continued their ascent.

Yan Sikong asked casually, “How did it injure its eyes?”

Feng Ye patted Feng Hun’s back and said, “When we were playing on the mountain as kids, it got injured while saving me from a black blind wolf.”

“One eye is good, but one eye sees everything even more clearly.”

Feng Ye stroked Feng Hun’s fur and said, “Feng Hun, he’s praising you.”

Feng Hun turned to look at Yan Sikong for a moment and then turned away, continuing to walk proudly. Yan Sikong couldn’t help but smile.

On the mountain, with the spring and clear weather, they were surrounded by a riot of colors and fragrant scents. It was a delightful scene.

Feng Ye acted like a child today, playing with Feng Hun all the way. Yan Sikong found himself unable to contain his amusement and felt that Feng Ye had temporarily forgotten his true purpose, which was to visit the Jingshan camp.

When Feng Ye and Feng Hun tired of playing, they returned to Yan Sikong. Feng Ye’s cheeks were rosy, and he was full of energy. “Are you tired?”

Yan Sikong smiled, “I’m not tired. It looks like you’re the tired one.”

“I’m not tired at all,” Feng Ye blinked, “If you’re tired, I can carry you.”

“Are you treating me like a delicate woman?”

“Of course not,” Feng Ye playfully bumped his shoulder, “I’m just concerned about you.”

Yan Sikong ignored him.

“Feng Hun has claimed this mountain, so this mountain is mine,” Feng Ye said boldly. “Every plant and tree on this mountain belongs to me, including you.” He chuckled, “Now that you’ve come to my mountain, you can stay here and be my wife.”

Yan Sikong couldn’t help but laugh, “Don’t be ridiculous. I have a question for you. If you were really taking this mountain as your territory and there were strong enemies outside, how would you arrange your defenses?”

“Testing me?” Feng Ye raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

Feng Ye chuckled self-assuredly, “If we were marching through this area, we should use the natural advantages of the mountains and valleys. If we were to garrison troops here, we should choose elevated positions, but we shouldn’t concentrate our forces in one camp. We should have a detachment stationed near the pass, and they should be able to respond quickly and communicate over long distances to prevent encirclement and to maintain an escape route.”

“Good,” Yan Sikong pointed to a distant spot, “But look here, this mountain basin is quite peculiar. If you must pass through this area and it forms a natural funnel when entering from the south, what would you do?”

Feng Ye stood on a low stone and gazed into the distance for a while. Then, he picked up a small stone, caught it skillfully in his hand, and crouched on the stone to draw a terrain.

Yan Sikong stood beside him and became increasingly surprised. Feng Ye had only looked for a moment, yet he managed to reproduce the terrain quite accurately, including the proportions of the mountains and roads.

After finishing his drawing, Feng Ye grinned and said, “You, a scholar who deals with military strategy only on paper, dare to test me? Come, I’ll explain it to you. This natural funnel formation is extremely dangerous. If ambushed here, it could be a matter of life and death, but it’s not impossible to break through…” He elaborated on his military strategy.

“…I find it unwise. If the enemy sets an ambush here, they can divide and conquer you, attacking both ends…”

“…If the soldiers know there’s no way out, their morale will be high. At this point, we should use a surprise attack to form an encirclement…”

The two of them discussed and debated their military strategies, and although they had many similar ideas, there were significant differences in their perspectives. Yan Sikong had reviewed countless texts and was more conservative in his approach, always adhering to the central concept of Sun Tzu’s “win first, fight later.” On the other hand, Feng Ye was well-read in military strategy but was not constrained by conventional thinking. He was willing to take risks, and while they shared some common views, their differences were significant.

Feng Hun watched for a while and eventually grew bored, lying down and pretending to nap.

They argued for an hour until it was lunchtime, their throats dry and their mouths parched. The attendants who accompanied them asked if they wanted to have lunch, and that was when they finally stopped.

The stone they had used for drawing was now unrecognizable, but they both smiled. While neither had convinced the other, they had enjoyed a spirited discussion. Yan Sikong said, “Climbing the mountain wasn’t tiring, but talking endlessly for an hour was exhausting.”

“You asked for it,” Feng Ye urged, “Let’s eat quickly.”

The attendants had set up a low table, and despite being in the wilderness, the dishes were still exquisitely prepared. Both of them were famished and enjoyed the meal.

Suddenly, Yan Sikong asked, “Do you still have the military book I gave you?”

Feng Ye paused for a moment, then smiled at him, “You finally remembered to ask me. I thought you had forgotten about it.”

“I put a lot of effort into writing the annotations in that military book, and I wouldn’t forget.”

“I still have it,” Feng Ye said. “I began learning to speak at the age of four and started recognizing characters at five. At that time, my tutor taught me military strategy, and although I could memorize it, I didn’t necessarily understand its meaning. I only learned it to be able to answer my father when he tested me. The military book you gave me was easy to understand and benefited me greatly.”

Yan Sikong smiled and said, “I’m honored.”

Feng Ye gazed deeply at him and said, “I could never forget you, and I think it’s related to this.”

Yan Sikong couldn’t meet his gaze directly, and his eyes flickered.

“You’ve always been special, both in your childhood and now.”

Yan Sikong lowered his eyes and said, “Let’s eat. We’ve climbed for half a day and haven’t reached the summit yet.”

After lunch, they continued their journey. This time, they didn’t linger and successfully reached the mountaintop.

The garrison must be situated with the high ground to the south, as the sun exposure there would be sufficient, and the soldiers would be less susceptible to illness. So, the Jingshan camp faced south, and you had to reach the mountaintop to see it.

As Yan Sikong stood at the high point looking down, he saw a camp below. A hundred steps apart, there was a tent, and every fifty steps, there was a watchtower. The camp was laid out in a radial pattern with the central military tent as the hub. Multiple layers of sentry posts and defenses were set up around the camp. To the west, about two miles away, there was a river for water supply. The camp was well-organized, strategically located, and showed that the military leader had real competence.

“General Zhao’s reputation is well-deserved,” Yan Sikong mused.

Feng Ye nodded, “In the current Great Sheng, there are not many capable generals left. General Zhao is one of them.”

Yan Sikong recalled the time when General Zhao Fu Yi led troops to aid Guangning and had a high regard for Yuan Mao. He even promised to reward Yuan Mao when he returned to the capital. Whether he actually followed through with it was unknown, and perhaps it no longer mattered given the outcome.

“Is the army sent from the capital to aid Guangning the one he led?” Feng Ye asked, “Have you met him?”

“I met him once.”

Feng Ye could tell that Yan Sikong didn’t want to say more, so he didn’t press further.

Yan Sikong gazed at the camp and thought, if there were any changes in the capital, how long would it take for this main garrison to assemble into an army and enter the city to protect the emperor?

“Feng Ye, what are you doing in the camp?”

Feng Ye’s expression darkened, “They only allow me to train soldiers. They won’t let me do much else here.”

“That’s understandable.”

“Better than being idle,” Feng Ye said, staring into the distance, “I wonder how long these days will last. Ten years? Twenty years?”

“Have faith in King Jingyuan,” Yan Sikong said. “If he can quell the rebellions, the sky’s the limit for you.”

“I hope so.”

It was a consolation, and both of them knew it. From the perspective of the Feng family, perhaps the unrest would be more advantageous for them. After all, with Feng Jianping’s achievements, which emperor’s throne would be secure?

“We’ve come all this way, how about we enjoy the sun here for a while?”

“Sounds good.”

They sat on the ground, and the attendants quickly set up a low table, made a fire, and boiled water to prepare tea for them.

Feng Ye said to the two attendants, “You can go down the mountain first. We’ll make our way down on our own.”

The attendants were worried that the Crown Prince would get lost.

“I’ve been here once, I won’t get lost.”

“In the evening, it’s chilly in the mountains. It’s better for the Crown Prince and Lord Yan to descend before it gets dark. I’ll leave first.”

Feng Ye waved his hand.

After the attendants left, Feng Ye replaced alcohol with tea and clinked his cup against Yan Sikong’s. “It was meant to be a private meeting between you and me. Having one more person feels awkward.”

Yan Sikong chuckled, “What kind of private meeting is this?”

“I say it is,” Feng Ye smirked. “Why, are you getting nervous again?”

“What do I have to be nervous about?” Yan Sikong calmly took a sip of tea. “At the peak of Lingfeng, looking into the distance, it’s already a liberating experience. Adding a sip of clear tea to that, it’s quite relaxing.”

Feng Ye nodded, “Indeed.”

They continued chatting while sipping their tea until it had steeped to the point of being tasteless, and the sky had darkened. It was then that they decided to descend the mountain.

As the attendant had mentioned, with the setting sun, the temperature dropped abruptly. The mountain was already cool, and now it felt even colder.

What was more unexpected was that after more than a month of clear skies, it suddenly started raining without warning. The rain came fiercely, forming curtains of droplets. It happened so suddenly that the two of them had to seek shelter under the trees, but it wasn’t of much use, and they ended up getting partially wet.

Feng Ye looked up at the sky, and then turned and ran.

Yan Sikong stared with wide eyes, unable to believe it. “Did it… did it leave us to seek shelter from the rain?”

“Nonsense,” Feng Ye shook his head. “It went to find us a place to hide from the rain.”

“It’s just a bit of rain, no big deal,” Yan Sikong said. He touched the water on his face, and while he said that, the feeling of wet and cold clothes against his skin was quite uncomfortable.

They stood awkwardly in the rain, unable to continue forward, nor could they stay where they were. The main road ahead was wide and exposed with no shelter.

Yan Sikong raised his head and saw Feng Ye’s hand over his head. He suddenly felt a warmth in his heart and teased, “What are you hiding from? We’re already soaked.” He pulled down Feng Ye’s arm.

After watching each other in such a disheveled state, they suddenly burst into laughter. Making the best of a bad situation, they found a moment of sweetness in their predicament.

Not long after, Feng Ye returned, called to them, and they hurriedly followed him. Feng Ye led them through a winding mountain path, and they finally reached a low, narrow cave.

The cave was shallow and small, too low for an adult to stand up in, but it was extremely dry, which was much appreciated in their current situation.

They crouched inside the cave, and Feng Ye, still outside, began licking his fur.

Sitting on the dry earth, both of them heaved a sigh of relief. They were soaked through, as if they had just been pulled out of the water, and a chilly wind blew, making them shiver.

Feng Ye said, “Take off your clothes, and I’ll start a fire to warm up.” He started to remove his own clothing.

Yan Sikong watched as Feng Ye undressed, and he was genuinely surprised. The body before him didn’t belong to a teenager of about a dozen years. It was covered in scars of various sizes, and the muscular physique was so different from the slender figure that he saw when Feng Ye was clothed. Now, he couldn’t help but notice the prominent, strong body that was revealed when the clothes came off.

Feng Ye suddenly paused and turned around abruptly, catching Yan Sikong’s gaze.

Yan Sikong, unable to avoid it, pretended to be calm and said, “You have many wounds on your body…”

Feng Ye shrugged and said indifferently, “In military campaigns, who doesn’t get injured?”

Yan Sikong felt a sense of strangeness in his heart. He had wanted to ask Feng Lie about these things, but he didn’t want to bring up Yuan Mao unless Feng Ye mentioned it voluntarily.

Feng Ye threw his clothes onto the ground and stood there shirtless, half-crouched down. He looked at Yan Sikong, his wet and bedraggled appearance, and smiled mischievously. “Aren’t you going to take off your clothes?”

Yan Sikong’s throat moved up and down, and although Feng Ye was incredibly sharp and clever, at this moment, he didn’t know how to respond.

“Or do you just like watching me undress?” Feng Ye said as he started to unfasten his pants.