The Blood Crown - Chapter 70

 Bao Yunyong’s face turned black: “If you have something to say, spit it out!”

Yan Sikong calmly replied: “After entering the city, I heard many rumors and gossip, saying that both sides are rebelling. Some would rather submit to Liang Wang. After all, the Liang Wang has legitimate royal blood, and they don’t want to follow General Bao to become bandits and rebels.”

Bao Yunyong roared angrily, pointing at Yan Sikong with trembling fingers: “Someone, drag him away, and give me…”

“My lord,” Yang Weiqi said in a deep voice, “he’s in our hands, no need to worry about him running away. Let’s hear him out.”

“General, have you ever thought about why there are such rumors in the city?”

“What are you trying to say?” Yang Weiqi asked coldly.

Yan Sikong looked around at the officers in the room. Perhaps half of them were former members of Kuizhou, maybe all of them were involved in the plot to murder the Kuizhou garrison and open the city gates to the enemy. Even so, they wouldn’t be completely loyal to Bao Yunyong, merely opportunistic. He spoke loudly, “There are already spies of the Liang King infiltrating the city. When the time is ripe, they will lead the former members of Kuizhou to defect to the Liang King. The rest of us will be used as bait to delay the Dashing Army here. By then, while we are busy fighting each other, the Liang King will lead his army to attack Jinling!”

This statement caused a commotion in the room. Others had speculated about this, but no one dared to speak out so bluntly and confidently, especially during this delicate and tense period. Yet Yan Sikong dared to say it in front of everyone, as if it were a certainty.

Bao Yunyong gritted his teeth: “You’re spouting nonsense! I have an alliance with the Liang King!”

“Has the Liang King ever sent you a single coin or soldier’s armor? The Liang King knows that Kuizhou will be besieged sooner or later, yet he doesn’t send any supplies from the rich Jingzhou to help. Instead, he’s recruiting soldiers, making armor, and building ships. It’s all preparations for a southern expedition. Don’t take his verbal alliance too seriously, General.”

Bao Yunyong’s face turned pale and green, clearly hit where it hurt the most. The Liang King was busy recruiting soldiers and horses; how could he spare any resources to help Bao Yunyong? This was a direct attack on Bao Yunyong’s vulnerabilities.

Yang Weiqi snorted, “Your words may seem reasonable, but they’re all aimed at sowing discord. This is clearly a divide-and-conquer strategy!”

“Yes, you came all this way to sow discord between me and the Liang King, trying to tear us apart. You… you traitor!” Bao Yunyong’s eyes were full of killing intent towards Yan Sikong.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became icy, sending shivers down everyone’s spines. Feng Ye tightly gripped his sword hilt, hiding the cold murderous intent beneath his helmet, only showing half of his face.

Indeed, no one could stand against a multitude, but Feng Ye knew he could cut down Bao Yunyong before he finished his next sentence. If necessary, he would kill Bao Yunyong. As long as Bao Yunyong died, they would have a great chance of survival.

Yan Sikong smiled with a hint of pity, as if he felt sorry for Bao Yunyong’s nervousness, “General, are you afraid that what I said might come true?”

“Nonsense!”

“The Liang King is also a descendant of the Chen family. Their conflict is a family matter of the royal family. Ultimately, you are an outsider, General. If the Liang King really usurps the throne, the first ones to be killed would be those who rebelled. General, how long are you going to deceive yourself?”

Bao Yunyong’s veins started pulsating on his forehead.

“That note of mine was just a test. There are already Liang King’s spies infiltrating the former members of Kuizhou. I wanted to prove it to you, General. Now that you’ve captured someone, you’ll know after interrogation.”

Bao Yunyong and Yang Weiqi exchanged glances, their expressions indecipherable. Through that note, they did manage to arrest some people, but each one remained tight-lipped, revealing nothing. This made it impossible to judge the veracity of Yan Sikong’s words.

Yan Sikong naturally knew they wouldn’t find anything through interrogation, but his goal had been achieved. He had sown discord between Bao Yunyong and the Liang King, and he had passed on the information that Bao Yunyong might wipe them out at any moment to the former members of Kuizhou, making both Bao Yunyong and the former members of Kuizhou uneasy. Bao Yunyong and the former members of Kuizhou were already on the boat; only Yang Weiqi was difficult to deal with. Yan Sikong continued, “General, the court has sent two envoys one after another to negotiate with you. Isn’t the intention clear enough? Our Emperor is magnanimous and willing to overlook your past deeds, but he will never tolerate the possibility of the Liang King. As long as you comply with the pacification, join me in fighting against the Liang King, General, you will surely achieve great merits.”

Bao Yunyong was no longer as agitated as before, but instead glanced at Yang Weiqi, apparently unable to decide.

Yan Sikong also looked at Yang Weiqi. He knew that this man was the key to whether they could walk out of here alive today. He gambled on Yang Weiqi’s ambition, betting that for fame and fortune, Yang Weiqi would sell out Bao Yunyong and the entire rebel army to the court.

After a moment of contemplation, Yang Weiqi said, “We will thoroughly investigate the collusion between the former members of Kuizhou and the Liang King. As for you two…”

Yan Sikong interrupted him, “We will leave today.”

Bao Yunyong widened his eyes, “Do you think you can leave safely under my nose, sneaking around like ghosts?”

“Does the General want to kill us?”

Bao Yunyong was momentarily speechless.

“Are you still going to keep us?” Yan Sikong raised his head proudly, his expression extremely calm. “To be frank with you, General, if we return without any achievements, General Zhao and General Di will merge their forces to besiege the city. Of course, killing us would yield the same result.”

Bao Yunyong clenched his fists.

“If you spare us, General, there may still be room for maneuver in the future if you change your mind. What do you think?” Yan Sikong seemed to be asking Bao Yunyong, but his gaze flickered towards Yang Weiqi.

A crease formed on Yang Weiqi’s forehead.

“When the city is besieged in the future, General, guess whether the Liang King will come to rescue?”

Bao Yunyong remained silent.

Yan Sikong suddenly burst into laughter three times, with a hint of desolation in his voice, “I admire the General’s courage and insight, volunteering to come and persuade for peace. I hope the General can return to the right path, serve the court, and display your talent as a general. But if the General remains obstinate, refusing to take the straightforward path and instead choosing the perilous one, it seems that we will return without any achievement. It’s just a pity for those folks who follow you…”

Bao Yunyong angrily retorted, “Back then, I also complied with the pacification and became an official under Da Cheng. But who would have thought that in just a few months, everything changed, and we were still left starving. Whether we rebelled or not, we would die. At least, if we rebelled, we wouldn’t starve!”

“The money allocated by the court is the hard-earned tax money of the common people, General. You are eating the same food as innocent civilians. Who is right and who is wrong? Do you want to rely on plundering for food and drink for the rest of your life? How long will the Kuizhou provisions last when the Dashing Army merges to besiege the city? One year? Half a year? Three months?” Yan Sikong’s words were sharp and heart-piercing, hitting at the core. “Since the moment you took over Kuizhou, you’ve been like a bird in a cage. You only have two choices, General: either follow the Liang King in rebellion, or submit to the court. Even the Liang King himself is in a precarious position. You already have the golden promise of His Majesty. The choice is yours.”

The faces of the dozen or so officials and generals in the room turned grim.

Yan Sikong stepped back a few steps, bowed deeply towards the main seat, and said in a deep voice, “General, think it over. I bid farewell.” 

“You…” Bao Yunyong looked at Yan Sikong, then at Yang Weiqi, apparently unable to decide whether to let Yan Sikong go like this.

Yang Weiqi shook his head at Bao Yunyong and then stood up, “Since Master Yan wants to leave, our army also doesn’t want to be ridiculed as reckless bandits. We won’t stop you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Yang Weiqi pondered for a moment. “I’ll escort you.”

“You are too kind, sir.”

Yang Weiqi escorted Yan Sikong and Feng Ye to the pier. The boatmen had been waiting for them here for five days.

Yan Sikong bowed deeply to Yang Weiqi, “Sir, may I have a private word with you?”

Yang Weiqi waved his hand, dismissing the guards around them.

Yan Sikong lowered his voice, “Everything I said in the hall today was for your ears only, sir. I hope you understand my intentions.”

Yang Weiqi’s expression remained unchanged. “The matter of Master Yan colluding with the former members of Kuizhou is still unclear. I will make a decision after a thorough investigation.”

Yan Sikong gently grabbed Yang Weiqi’s wrist and said with great sincerity, “Sir, you are a wise man. The sky is high and the sea is wide. Don’t ruin yourself over a mere pond.”

The muscles on Yang Weiqi’s face twitched, as if he was suppressing a strong emotion.

Yan Sikong and Feng Ye boarded the boat. With solemn respect, they bowed deeply to Yang Weiqi for a long time. Only after that did Yan Sikong return to the cabin. Immediately, his expression changed, urging the boatmen, “Row faster, let’s leave here as soon as possible.”

Feng Ye took off his helmet and placed it aside. His hair was already damp with sweat. He let out a long sigh, “That was close. I was prepared to kill Bao Yunyong with one strike.”

“That’s why we need to leave quickly. When they recover, they might really want to sacrifice us to vent their anger.” Yan Sikong spread out his palms, revealing sweat in his hand. His back was also soaked with cold sweat. Although the confrontation just now seemed like a verbal exchange, the threat of death loomed. With just one wrong thought from Bao Yunyong or Yang Weiqi, they could have lost their lives.

Feng Ye grabbed his hand, feeling the slight tremble, both heartbroken and admiring. His eyes were full of appreciation and pride. “Sikong, you did great.”

Yan Sikong gazed into the distance at the Kuizhou city, which was getting farther and farther away. “I’ve done my best. Now it’s up to Yang Weiqi.”

“Even if Yang Weiqi doesn’t betray us, the alliance between Bao Yunyong and the Liang King will collapse. Neither of them is magnanimous or far-sighted. After your interference, they will definitely start distrusting each other.”

“Exactly.” Yan Sikong revealed a cold smile. “Let’s wait and see the show.”

Ge Zhong, wait for me in Jingzhou. On the day the city is breached, I will come to give you a burial!