The Blood Crown - Chapter 72

Feng Ye, despite his youthful recklessness, never slackened in military discipline. The second day before dawn, he quietly slipped out of the embrace of sleep, mounted his horse, and rode out of the city to inspect the main camp.

By the time he returned to the inn, Yan Sikong had yet to wake up.

Feng Ye took off his outer garments and sat by the bedside, smiling as he gazed at Yan Sikong’s peaceful sleeping face, his fingers gently tracing his cheek.

Yan Sikong’s eyelashes fluttered lightly as he slowly opened his eyes, looking at Feng Ye in a daze.

Feng Ye booped his nose and softly said, “Finally awake.”

Still half-asleep, Yan Sikong flashed a rare silly smile and hoarsely asked, “What time is it?”

“It’s almost noon.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”

“What for?” Feng Ye leaned down, kissing Yan Sikong’s forehead. “Seeing you sleep so soundly, I feel more at ease than anything else.”

Yan Sikong hugged Feng Ye’s waist. “Where did you go? Back to camp?”

“Yeah, I had to inspect the camp in the morning. As soon as I finished, I hurried back.” Feng Ye stroked Yan Sikong’s smooth hair. “Sikong, your hair is really soft.”

“Is it? I never paid attention.” Yan Sikong wrinkled his nose suddenly. “I smell something nice. Did you bring something back?”

Feng Ye smiled, “Buns. I heard they make the best buns in Kuizhou, so I bought some for you. You woke up just in time, and they’re still warm.”

Yan Sikong’s lips curved with a smile. “That’s great. Let me taste the difference between these buns from the Two Lakes and the ones from Liaobei.”

“From what I can see, the size is quite different. These buns here are really small. I can finish one in two bites.” Feng Ye chuckled, placing the neatly folded clothes he had prepared for Yan Sikong by the bed. “Do you want me to help you change?”

Yan Sikong snatched the clothes away playfully. “No need, I can do it myself.” He put on his clothes, tied his hair into a loose bun, and lazily got out of bed to wash up.

Feng Ye laid out the buns and side dishes on the table one by one, inviting Yan Sikong to come and eat.

After wiping his face with a towel, Yan Sikong sat down at the table and smiled, “These buns are only half the size of Liaobei’s, indeed smaller.”

“I wonder how they taste.” Feng Ye handed him one. “Try it.”

Yan Sikong took a bite, and the fragrant aroma filled his nose. “Hmm, delicious.”

“Do you like buns? I’ll find delicious buns for you wherever I go, okay?”

Yan Sikong felt a sweet warmth in his heart. “Do you know, in Jiangnan, the buns are even smaller, the size of a silver ingot, stuffed with plenty of fresh meat, you can finish one in a single bite.”

“There are buns that small?” Feng Ye exclaimed, “I really want to taste them with you.”

Yan Sikong smiled without saying a word.

“When I was young, I said I wanted to travel all over Da Sheng, do you remember?” Yan Sikong’s expression froze slightly, nodding, “I remember.” For some reason, he increasingly resisted recalling the time of his youth with Feng Ye. Perhaps it was because it forced him to repeatedly remember the “dead” Yuan Sikong and reminded him that he had completely become another person.

“Unfortunately, the only scenery I’ve seen is Datong, the capital, and here. But you, Sikong, you seem to have been to many places.”

Yan Sikong whispered, “I spent those ten years wandering around.”

“You must have suffered a lot.” Feng Ye stuffed another bun into Yan Sikong’s hand. “Don’t worry, with me here, you won’t suffer anymore.”

Yan Sikong didn’t hesitate to take a bite of the bun. “Hmm, delicious.”

Feng Ye casually asked, “That person we met at your mansion last time… surnamed Liu, right? Did you meet him during your wanderings?”

“Yeah, I was destitute and almost couldn’t afford to eat on my way to the capital for the imperial examination. He helped me out.”

“Where did you meet him?” Feng Ye asked again.

Yan Sikong became cautious, not knowing why Feng Ye suddenly asked about She Zhun, but then he realized it. He smiled, “What’s this, are you jealous?”

Feng Ye raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?”

Yan Sikong laughed and scolded, “You think everyone has your bad habit.”

“I love whoever I want to love. How is that a bad habit?” Feng Ye smirked, “My Sikong is both beautiful and talented. I naturally have times when I worry.”

Yan Sikong kicked him lightly. “Stop making wild guesses. If you really want to talk about worrying, more people worry about you, even His Majesty cares about your marriage.”

Despite mentioning marriage, Feng Ye didn’t think much of it. “Even if he cares, so what? My father won’t arrange a marriage for me, lest I be controlled by others because of marriage.”

“But you…” Yan Sikong’s tone couldn’t help but darken slightly. “But you will eventually marry, won’t you?”

Feng Ye pursed his lips. “And what about you?”

Both fell silent.

They had never discussed this matter in the past because they knew it would lead to no good result, only adding to their unhappiness. Whether it was him or Feng Ye, marriage was not something they could decide on their own. Today, the conversation just happened to come up, and both instantly regretted it.

Yan Sikong raised his head. “Let’s eat.”

“Regardless, I won’t be separated from you.” Feng Ye stared directly at Yan Sikong, his eyes extremely sharp.

Yan Sikong returned a faint smile but didn’t respond.

Zhao Fuyi was busy settling various matters in Kuizhou City. The rebel generals and the old members of the Kuizhou rebellion, who had been anxious for several days, finally relaxed and began to move around the city.

Yang Weiqi couldn’t wait to visit Yan Sikong, his attitude completely different from when Yan Sikong was on a diplomatic mission. He even brought a big gift to Yan Sikong.

Yan Sikong greeted him with a smile, pretending to be polite. He knew that Yang Weiqi was uneasy and wanted to probe him, so he tried to reassure him. At the moment, they still needed these people to stay obediently in the city.

Zhao Fuyi drafted a letter to Prince Liang, roughly stating that Kuizhou had surrendered, advising Prince Liang to surrender, and assuring him that the emperor was merciful and could guarantee his livelihood for the rest of his life. Although this surrender letter was useless, it had to be done to demonstrate the emperor’s generosity and kindness. After all, they were dealing with the emperor’s own brother. It was better to give a warning before taking action, so as not to be criticized by the world for being ruthless and disregarding brotherly affection.

Naturally, this letter would sink like a stone. At this time, Prince Liang was frantically recruiting soldiers to block the rebel army at the fortress in Jingzhou. It was said that he even wanted to persuade Prince Zhao, who was not far from him, to rebel together. If he really managed to gather enough troops, they would be powerless to stop him from heading south.

On one side was the easily defensible and difficult to attack city of Jingzhou, and on the other side was the delayed supply of food and grass. The situation was so critical that it made people restless. Of course, the soldiers and officers under their command would not know about such confidential military information.

In just a few days, Zhao Fuyi had become thin from worry, and Yan Sikong was equally anxious. However, after pondering for several days, they had no foolproof plan yet. Fighting without food was futile.

At the moment, they were all waiting for the spy who had infiltrated Jingzhou to report back, to predict Prince Liang’s next move.

A few days later, the spy indeed returned with a report, but it wasn’t about Prince Liang’s troops or food supplies. Instead, it was about their own heads.

Zhao Fuyi’s face turned iron blue. He locked himself in his room and didn’t see anyone for a day. It wasn’t until evening that he summoned Liang Guang, Feng Ye, Yan Sikong, and his trusted generals.

Yan Sikong felt a little uneasy. He sensed that Zhao Fuyi wanted to take action. In a situation where he knew it was impossible, not moving was the best strategy.

Feng Ye, on the other hand, was more optimistic. He asked directly as soon as the meeting began, “Is there any news about the food and grass?”

Zhao Fuyi nodded. “The food and grass will arrive in a few days, but it will only be enough for one month. Even with the grain stored in Kuizhou, if we can’t take Jingzhou within two months, we’ll have to retreat.”

No one in the room spoke.

It was no wonder that they had been waiting eagerly for the food and grass, but Zhao Fuyi didn’t seem happy at all.

Liang Guang sighed, “Two months… Jingzhou has abundant food and grass. It wouldn’t be a problem to defend it for two years.”

“This siege of Jingzhou won’t work, and attacking the city will inevitably result in heavy casualties. Are we going to watch Prince Liang sail south with our arms folded?” Sun Feng said indignantly.

Zhao Fuyi rubbed his temples. “I came all this way, not to give up halfway. Before the food and grass are exhausted, I must try.”

“General, don’t be impulsive.” Liang Guang said, “Knowing that it’s impossible but still doing it is worse than retreating.”

Feng Ye said, “There are many variables in marching and fighting. Nothing is absolutely impossible. I believe in taking matters into our own hands. If we retreat now, not only will we disappoint the emperor’s expectations, but we will also endanger the people of Jiangnan.”

However, Yan Sikong agreed with Liang Guang, “I think Lord Liang is right. Soldiers’ lives should not be taken lightly. The odds of taking the city are too low. It’s better not to act recklessly.”

Sun Feng snorted, “What’s lower than the odds of success? Doing nothing.”

“No, Li Mu endured for ten years and changed the situation in one battle. These ten years may seem like nothing to outsiders, but sometimes doing nothing is a great accomplishment. Victory or defeat cannot be predicted in the near future.” Yan Sikong bowed slightly, “I’m not trying to persuade the general to retreat, but I hope the general will conserve his strength and not act rashly.”

Feng Ye retorted, “Lord Yan is too conservative. The art of war is too idealistic. In reality, very few can truly achieve ‘win first, then fight.’ Should all commanders give up because it seems impossible to win? The situation in the military is ever-changing. Sometimes the opportunity for victory is just a momentary thing. If we don’t go to the battlefield, we’ll never seize it. Without this courage, we’re already at a disadvantage.”

Both sides had their arguments, and the debate went on for a long time, but they still couldn’t come to a conclusion.