"The east wall of Maoren was severely damaged in the last siege. Although it has been repaired, it is definitely not as strong as before. If we want to break into the city, we should attack from the east." Yan Sikong, holding a heater in his arms, sat cross-legged on the couch and said to Feng Ye and Yuan Nanyu.

Today, Feng Ye brought Yuan Nanyu to discuss with Yan Sikong how to take down Mao Ren. Yuan Nanyu is Feng Ye's vanguard general, brave and good at fighting. The most important thing for this attack on Mao Ren is speed, which requires heavy troops, so the three of them discussed together.

Yuan Nanyu thought: "Maoren's troops are weak now, but they have enough food and grass. They will definitely defend to the death. If we want to capture Maoren, we must break through its walls."

"It's getting colder, but it's not cold enough." Yan Sikong rubbed his hands on the heater. The cold in the northwest is different from that in Liaoning. The cold in Liaoning is clean and sharp, which makes people be on guard. The cold in the northwest is like a blunt knife cutting flesh. When the sun is out, it's still a little warm, and even makes people's skin tingle. When the sun goes down, it's like a big ice hole from the sky, and the cold instantly penetrates into the bones. Yan Sikong is not used to the climate and climate, and his body is always a little out of tune. After winter comes, he hugs the heater every day.

"It needs to be a little colder." Feng Ye knew what Yan Sikong was thinking of saying immediately. "The newly repaired wall hasn't solidified yet. The water in the mirage ash will freeze when it gets cold, which will easily cause the repaired parts to crack. If we launch a surprise attack in the coldest time of the morning, we can firstly catch them off guard, and secondly, the siege vehicles can destroy the wall faster."

Yuan Nanyu showed an expression of understanding: "Then we will attack Maoren overnight and kill him by surprise."

Feng Ye's face turned cold: "If it weren't for that Shen Hexuan, the small town of Maoren should have been taken in one fell swoop last time. We still have people in the city, we should wait for an opportunity to kill him."

"No." Yan Sikong tried to dissuade him. "First, Maoren is now on high alert. Anyone entering or leaving the city must be checked repeatedly. You may not be able to connect with that person. Second, if you kill Shen Hexuan, you will be in trouble."

Feng Ye snorted coldly: "Well, this guy caused me to lose several thousand soldiers. Once I capture Mao Ren, I will kill him as a sacrifice."

Yan Sikong hesitated to speak. He still cherished Shen Hexuan's talent and was reluctant to let him die, but he didn't dare to plead for Shen Hexuan at this critical moment. After all, a battle was imminent and Feng Ye was already suspicious of him. He didn't want to cause trouble. After Mao Ren was captured and Feng Ye was happy, his persuasion and pleading would be effective. So he said, "To deal with Qianzhou, this man is still useful. Don't rush to kill him."

Feng Ye did not comment, but Yan Sikong knew that Feng Ye was no longer the reckless young master.

——

During this period, Feng Ye secretly prepared for the siege, but on the surface everything seemed normal in the camp. He wanted to let Mao Ren's scouts think that Feng Ye had been persuaded by Yan Sikong and was waiting for news from the court. As time went by, the weather became colder and colder, which seemed to be unfavorable to Feng Ye. This way, the enemy would be let down their guard and he could attack them by surprise.

Finally, one night, Yan Sikong heard a strange noise coming from outside. He had a premonition of something, so he stood up, put on his coat, and walked out of the tent, but was blocked by two crossed spears in front of him.

Yan Sikong looked at the bright lights in the tent. Feng Ye was gathering his troops and preparing to set out. He had been secretly preparing for many days, so he acted very quickly.

Although the method of attacking the city was a joint plan of theirs, Feng Ye never told Yan Sikong the date, obviously to guard against him. At this time, he was stopped by the guards in order to play a scene in which he was also kept in the dark. After Feng Ye set out, he would be put under house arrest.

Although Yan Sikong knew all this in advance, he still felt sad when he saw Feng Ye and Yuan Nanyu standing on tall horses and talking to each other from a distance, with Feng Hun, wearing light armor, following them. They were about to go side by side to the battlefield together, but he didn't even know the exact day of the march.

Wu Liuqi said politely but firmly: "Master Yan, please go back to your tent and rest."

"Where are they going?" Although Yan Sikong was upset, he had to finish the play.

"Please go back to your tent and rest, sir."

"Is the Wolf King going to Maoren? Wolf King--" Yan Sikong pushed away the spear and wanted to rush out, but was held by the guards on both sides and dragged back into the tent.

Yan Sikong stared straight at Feng Ye in the distance. From beginning to end, Feng Ye did not even glance in his direction and was always talking to Yuan Nanyu.

He couldn't help but think of the person who fought side by side with Feng Ye to suppress the rebellion of Prince Liang. It was him.

The army set out, and Yan Sikong sat in the tent, sleepless all night. Although he could not see Maoren's battle situation, he knew Maoren's guard situation very well. As long as nothing unexpected happened, Maoren would be defeated.

But this does not mean that this battle is not fierce.

After the night attack, the division was old and the soldiers were tired, which was not conducive to the attack. Although Maoren was not prepared, it was well-rested and had sufficient food and grass. If it could stop Fengye's first wave of attack, Fengye would have no chance. This plan was originally a bad plan, but now it is the best plan among the bad plans. First, the cold winter is coming. If the Qianzhou food route is not taken, Fengye can't afford to delay and can only retreat. Second, Maoren's soldiers are few and the city is in danger, so it is easy to break. Third, Shen Hexuan is a hard-headed person who would rather die than live in disgrace. As long as he is still alive, he will never surrender. Therefore, breaking the city is the only way to take Maoren, and a surprise attack is the only way to break the city.

Yan Sikong closed his eyes, imagining Feng Ye leading the army, wearing medals and binding horses, and then marching towards Maoren under the cover of night. Before dawn, it was the coldest time of the day, and the white air exhaled from the mouth almost condensed into frost. Most of the city of Maoren was still asleep, completely unaware of the approaching danger.

When the defender on the city wall discovered the attacking army, he hurriedly lit incense, organized his troops, and deployed his defenses. However, Feng Ye's troops had already arrived at the city gate, aiming at the east city wall that had been damaged by the catapult last time, and once again threw stones and wooden stakes.

Sharp arrows flew back and forth like a weaving net, and the army was like ants filling a nest. The sounds of collision, shouting, and screaming would completely awaken the land, leaving a bloody record in the history books...

Whenever there is a war, there will be casualties. Even the commander may not be able to escape unscathed from the hail of arrows. Although every battle may end in death, Yan Sikong cannot remain calm when he is not on the battlefield. He is worried that Feng Ye will not be able to defeat Mao Ren, and he is even more worried that Feng Ye and Yuan Nanyu will be injured.

Just like this, Yan Sikong waited from night to dawn, and from dawn to dusk. In constant torment, he finally received the news that Fengye had broken through the city, and he would also move to Maoren with the army.

Feng Ye arrested all of Mao Ren's officers and generals, and then sent them to execution, and ordered that the people in the city should not be harmed. One night later, the three counties of Qianzhou were under the command of the Wolf King, and Qianzhou's food supply was completely cut off, and it became an isolated city.

Yan Sikong was escorted to Maoren. He looked at the bloody battlefield that Maoren had not had time to clean up, and the devastating scene after the city was broken, and thought of Guangning in the past. Unfortunately, although Maoren had Shen Hexuan, Fengye was not Zhuoletai.

Yan Sikong was placed under house arrest in the inn. He asked Wu Liuqi to find Feng Ye and tell him that he wanted to see him. He was always worried that Feng Ye might kill Shen Hexuan.

Although Wu Liuqi went as he was told, Feng Ye did not show up for a long time. Feng Ye must have been very busy as he had just captured the city and needed to redeploy the defenses, settle the soldiers, visit the wounded, and count the war damage. In desperation, he asked Wu Liuqi to look for Que Wang, but Wu Liuqi did not dare to do so. So he stayed up all night with worry until he could not bear it anymore and fell asleep.

——

Yan Sikong was awakened by the smell of food. His nose wrinkled and he thought for a moment that he was still dreaming. But then he suddenly remembered that he couldn't smell anything in a dream, so he opened his eyes.

Feng Ye was sitting at the table, eating slowly. He said without turning his head, "As a martial artist, you didn't notice anyone coming into the room. Where did your martial arts skills go?"

Yan Sikong sat up. He would not tell Feng Ye that he had been so worried that he hadn't slept for two nights. He fell into a deep sleep as soon as he fell on the pillow. He sighed, "When did you come?"

"Just arrived." Feng Ye glanced at him, his brows full of the triumph of victory, "I captured Mao Ren overnight, I'm afraid it would scare Qianzhou to death, Qianzhou is now in my hands."

Yan Sikong said: "Congratulations, Wolf King."

Feng Ye put down his chopsticks: "You don't look very happy, why, isn't this what you wanted?"

"Taking down Mao Ren is just a small step in the grand plan. Don't get carried away." Yan Sikong stood up, sat down at the table, and asked tentatively, "Now that you have captured Mao Ren, what are you going to do with him?"

"Send their heads to Qianzhou and tell the prefecture that if they surrender, they will be spared, but if they don't, they will be killed without mercy."

"No." Yan Sikong advised, "You are not the bandits who are burning and looting, but the righteous army who want to support the wise leader to inherit the throne. If you kill the guards, you will be criticized by the world."

"I have done nothing to harm the people in the city, which is already a righteous act. If I don't kill these people who are resisting and would rather die than surrender, wouldn't it show my kindness as a woman? How can I be so powerful in Qianzhou and Datong?"

"You captured Maoren overnight, which was enough to scare them. Now that you are the master, you can win the hearts of the people by being kind and righteous."

Feng Ye snorted coldly: "Then just kill Shen Hexuan, that's righteous enough, right?"

"No!" Yan Sikong regretted his impatience as soon as he said this. He calmed down and said, "Shen Hexuan is a well-known honest and good official in the whole village. If you kill him, it will definitely anger the people."

Feng Ye smiled and looked at Yan Sikong meaningfully: "You are used to playing tricks, so you like to beat around the bush in everything, for fear that others will see your true intentions." He asked sarcastically, "Aren't you tired?"

Yan Sikong remained silent, his face looking somewhat pale.

"Why don't you dare to speak out? Shen Hexuan is your colleague and good friend from the same year and school as you. Don't you want me to kill him?"

"Shen Hexuan is an upright person. He is well-versed in history and is a talent who can assist the king and the pillar of the country. You..." Yan Sikong hesitated, "Can you not kill him?"

Feng Ye sneered: "Are you begging me?"

Yan Sikong stared at Feng Ye for a long moment, then said softly, "I beg you."

"Is this your gesture of begging?"

Yan Sikong knelt on the ground without saying a word.

Feng Ye smiled coldly: "I'll remember this and I'll ask you to pay me back anytime."

"good."

"Get up."

Yan Sikong stood up and asked, "How do you plan to deal with him?"

"Lock him up, what else can you do?" Feng Ye ordered, "Eat."

Yan Sikong breathed a sigh of relief: "When the time is right, I will go and persuade him. He was once the teacher of the King of Chu, and he will assist the King of Chu."

"You are truly loyal to the King of Chu." Feng Ye's eyes flashed coldly, "As you said, the grand plan has only taken a small step, and you warned me not to get carried away, but you have already started planning to select wise and capable people to assist him after he ascends the throne?"

"...I haven't planned that far ahead yet. I just remembered it when I mentioned Shen Hexuan."

Feng Ye was obviously unhappy, his face darkened, and he patted his thigh: "Come over and sit down."

Yan Sikong hesitated for a moment and sat down.

Feng Ye put his arms around his waist domineeringly and glanced at the food on the table: "Feed me."

"..." Yan Sikong looked at Feng Ye's arrogant look and knew that Feng Ye wanted to embarrass him on purpose again.

"Do you need someone to teach you how to serve me?"

Yan Sikong picked up the bowl and chopsticks, and put the food into Feng Ye's mouth.

Feng Ye opened his mouth to eat while staring at Yan Sikong with his sharp wolf eyes, which made Yan Sikong feel a chill down his spine.

Yan Sikong fed Feng Ye half a bowl of rice mouthful by mouthful, and Feng Ye put him down. He stood up and said, "I'm so busy that I only have time for this meal. Otherwise, I won't let you go so easily. Finish the meal by yourself, understand?"

"Know."

Feng Ye pinched his chin and shook it frivolously: "You'd better know in your heart that the one who can help you get what you want is not the King of Chu, but the Wolf King."

Yan Sikong nodded expressionlessly.

"Don't mention other men in front of me in the future." After saying this, Feng Ye left without looking back.

After Feng Ye disappeared, Yan Sikong took a deep breath. Feng Ye's aura became more and more overwhelming. Sometimes, just being in the same room with him could make it difficult for him to breathe. He even doubted whether the Feng Ye who doted on him in the past really existed.

He is the one who is really plotting against the tiger.