After finishing his tea, Ye Jingchen turned the teacup upside down, stood up, stretched, and yawned. He then felt a little drowsy and couldn't keep his eyes open.
"I'm sleepy, I'm going to sleep. You should get some rest too. Come with me to the border camp tomorrow."
"Whether you want to sleep on the bed or the wooden couch, it's up to you," he said, ignoring Xie Chang'an and going to bed.
Xie Chang'an was torn between his inner thoughts and his own conscience.
He felt that his originally pure feelings had become anything but pure after Ye Jingchen's analysis.
Why can't he and Ye Jingchen be like father and mother?
Is such an impure feeling still worth his lingering affection?
He couldn't figure out the answer.
But he felt there was no need to think about whether to sleep on a bed or a wooden tatami mat.
A wooden tatami mat is nowhere near as comfortable as a bed.
The bed is so wide, as long as he doesn't bump into Ye Jingchen while he's sleeping, it'll be fine, right?
Xie Chang'an waited until Ye Jingchen's breathing calmed down before carefully lying down next to him.
He thought he wouldn't be able to sleep, but perhaps because he hadn't slept well the night before and had been traveling all day, he was exhausted, and soon his consciousness began to blur.
Xie Chang'an was awakened by the noise outside the barracks. After opening his eyes, he realized that he had gotten up late and missed the morning exercise time.
The culprit that made him oversleep was fast asleep in his arms.
Given his alertness, if Ye Jingchen rolled into his arms on his own at night, he couldn't possibly not know! Unless, Ye Jingchen himself took the initiative to hug him while half asleep.
But the most awkward thing wasn't that he was holding Ye Jingchen, but that a certain part of his body was pressing against a place he shouldn't be touching.
Xie Chang'an immediately disregarded the fact that he might wake Ye Jingchen, hurriedly pushed Ye Jingchen away, and got off the bed, wishing he could be a million miles away from it.
Fortunately, even after being tormented like this, Ye Jingchen did not wake up.
Early in the morning, Xie Chang'an poured three buckets of ice water on himself, drenching himself completely.
He returned to his room, where Ye Jingchen was already up, and several eunuchs were helping him wash up.
"Young Master Xie, please go and inform General Xie that I need to go to the border camp later and ask him to send two soldiers familiar with the route to help guide me," Ye Jingchen said politely.
Xie Chang'an was taken aback by Ye Jingchen's tone. He was unsure whether Ye Jingchen was being polite to him in front of the eunuchs or whether he had truly become estranged from him because of what happened last night.
He didn't stay in the room for a moment longer and left immediately.
After a simple breakfast, Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an, along with dozens of Donggong Guards and two soldiers sent by Xie Shaoheng to guide them, set off for the border camp.
The border defense camp was located near Tianxuan Pass, about two hundred miles from Tianji Pass. However, this time everyone rode horses, and they arrived at the border defense camp's location two hours later.
There were soldiers on duty at the entrance of the garrison. Ye Jingchen showed his identity jade token, and one of the soldiers hurriedly went to report.
Not long after, Marquis Wu'an, Li Chengqi, arrived in person with several generals to greet him.
"What brings Your Highness here today?" Li Chengqi asked after exchanging greetings.
"I accompanied General Xie Shaoheng to Tianji Pass yesterday to guard it together. I thought the border defense camp was nearby, so I came to take a look," Ye Jingchen said, surveying the border defense camp's encampment.
On the surface, this garrison looks no different from the Shenwei Army's garrison, even the layout is very similar.
There weren't many soldiers in the garrison; they'd probably already gone to the checkpoint.
"General Xie is really being ridiculous!" Li Chengqi said, somewhat agitated.
"His Highness is of such high status, how could he allow you to put yourself in danger?"
"This was my own request. I came to the northern frontier to go to the battlefield," Ye Jingchen said.
“Your Highness’s courage is commendable, but the battlefield is dangerous and the Northern Barbarians are ruthless. What if—General Xie, how many soldiers did you send to Tianji Pass?” Li Chengqi asked.
Thirty thousand.
Li Chengqi became even more agitated. "How can a mere 30,000 troops guarantee His Highness's safety? General Xie is far too dismissive of His Highness's well-being!"
"The Northern Barbarian army may not attack Tianji Pass. Even if they do, there are still border defense battalions to provide support, right?" Ye Jingchen said with a smile.
Li Chengqi understood Ye Jingchen's meaning and quickly assured him, "Your Highness, please rest assured, if the Northern Barbarian cavalry really attacks Tianji Pass, the border troops will definitely protect Your Highness!"
When Ye Jingchen and his group arrived, it was lunchtime. After having lunch at their camp, Ye Jingchen suggested that they go to Tianxuan Pass.
Li Chengqi naturally wouldn't refuse and personally led Ye Jingchen to Tianxuan Pass.
The defensive fortifications of Tianxuan Pass were no worse than those of Yuheng Pass; the only difference was the morale of the soldiers.
Compared to the resolute faces of the soldiers of the Divine Might Army, the soldiers of the border defense battalion looked somewhat somber.
Morale is very important. If they were to face the Northern Barbarian cavalry head-on, they would indeed have little chance of winning.
They needed to get back to Tianji Pass before dark, so Ye Jingchen didn't linger at Tianxuan Pass for long before leading his men back.
Once we returned to Tianji Pass, the day was over.
That evening, Xie Shaoheng summoned the generals of Tianji Pass to discuss preparations for the battle, while Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an listened in.
If the Northern Barbarians truly target him as the crown prince, then Tianji Pass will inevitably encounter the main force of the Northern Barbarian cavalry.
Ye Jingchen didn't mind using himself as bait, but the soldiers of Tianji Pass would also face great pressure.
Ye Jingchen had given Xie Shaoheng and the other generals a heads-up beforehand, telling them to make sure they were fully prepared.
Ye Jingchen chose Tianji Pass not only because it was close to the border troops, but also because its terrain was advantageous to the Northern Barbarian cavalry. If adequate preparations were made beforehand, Tianji Pass could hold off the Northern Barbarian army until reinforcements arrived, thus encircling the Northern Barbarian army.
"Young Master Xie, based on your understanding of the Northern Barbarians, do you think there's a high probability that they will attack Tianji Pass this time?" Ye Jingchen asked Xie Chang'an after returning to his room.
"Change how you address me," Xie Chang'an said sternly.
Although he hasn't decided whether to continue developing a relationship with this little fox, the little fox's change of attitude is far too rapid.
Yesterday he was Chang'an's younger brother, today he's Xie's young master. He found it very grating.
Is the little fox eager to distance itself from me?
"Brother Chang'an, I'm discussing serious matters with you!" Ye Jingchen readily changed his address.
Why call him "Brother Chang'an" when we're discussing serious matters? Can't we just call him by his name? Doesn't Ye Jingchen know how alluring he is when he calls him "brother"?
“If you hadn’t gone to the border defense camp today, there’s a 50% chance, but since you went, there’s a 90% chance,” Xie Chang’an said coldly.
He won't take the bait so easily.
Ye Jingchen hadn't expected Xie Chang'an to say there was a 50% chance at the beginning, and asked with interest, "When you say 50%, are you referring to the Eastern Palace Guard, or the Divine Might Army? Or both?"
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