After repeated discussions, Feng Ye divided the army into three routes. One route went around the mountain and headed straight to Taiyuan. If there were ambushes in the mountains, the connection between the Taiyuan army and the ambushes could be cut off in one fell swoop. One route went through the mountains as planned, while the other route protected the baggage and moved slowly at the rear.

Only if the first two armies passed smoothly and set up camp in an important position in the mountains could the safety of baggage and food be ensured.

The detour team, led by Wang Shen, set out on horseback at night, while the other two groups stayed where they were. They were waiting for one thing - rain.

Although it was difficult to march in the rain, it was also inconvenient to set up an ambush. They wanted to find a night with poor visibility and freezing rain, and travel light and quickly through Chongxia Mountain.

In order to make the enemy's scouts unsure of the exact number of troops in each group and to prevent their intention of rushing on a rainy night from being discovered, they put a lot of effort into putting on a show.

For example, although Wang Shen only took 10,000 soldiers and horses with him, the number of soldiers on the road was reduced by half, and half of the tents were removed, in order to deceive the enemy into thinking that the army had circled the mountain, and only half of the troops remained in the mountain to protect the baggage and food.

For example, they made the patrolling soldiers more and more lazy day by day, and even built fences for cattle, horses and sheep, dug a reservoir, pretending to camp here for a long time, and sent out scouts to gather information about the nearest city, Guangxin, to make the enemy think that they intended to take Guangxin first.

After pretending like this for half a month, they expected that Wang Shen's troops should have left Chongxia Mountain, and they finally waited for several days of heavy rain.

The scouts reported back that the commander of Shangfeng Village had been training his troops diligently in the past few days and had been very vigilant after the rain. However, when he saw that Feng's army was doing fine as usual, he gradually relaxed his vigilance.

On the first day of March, the new moon was in the sky, and it was cloudy and rainy. The moon was so dark that it almost merged with the night sky. The earth was dim and the mountains were even darker.

Feng Ye personally led an army of 60,000 men, with their men wearing official titles and their horses' hooves wrapped, and set out in the rain, galloping towards Shangfeng Stronghold.

When the soldiers of Shangfeng Village heard the sound of horse hooves, they had already missed the ambush site and were caught off guard by Feng Ye. Feng Ye himself led 20,000 regular troops to attack the camp directly, and divided them into two groups, one to provide flank support, and the other to climb the mountain and go around to the rear to cut off Shangfeng Village's retreat.

Originally, Shangfeng Village was in an advantageous position that was easy to defend but difficult to attack. Whenever an attack came, they would have to fight back. However, the camp was not as strong as the city wall, and the Feng family army suddenly descended like a ghost. Under attack from both sides, they soon became difficult to resist, and their retreat route was also surrounded. By dawn, they had already been defeated.

When Yan Sikong and the baggage train slowly arrived at Shangfeng Village in the evening of the same day, the Feng family army was counting the war damage, repairing the camp, and deploying troops, as if they had become the masters of this place.

Yan Sikong looked at the well-organized and disciplined Feng family army and felt emotional. Although he was well-read in military books and boasted that his strategy was not inferior to others, he did not have much confidence in leading troops. To lead an army of 100,000, one needed extraordinary courage, bravery, wisdom, foresight, and means. If a general had the slightest weakness, he would not be able to suppress this group of rough soldiers. Not to mention 100,000 people, even ten of them could cause chaos. To make 100,000 people obey and be loyal to one person, how majestic should that one person be?

Feng Ye was young, but he did it. Even if he was given 100,000 or 200,000 soldiers, he would still be able to do it. This is why he made the imperial court tremble in fear.

When they entered Shangfeng Village, Feng Ye was dealing with captives. He was not fond of killing, but he was never soft-hearted either. Those who refused to surrender were all killed. In the end, he captured the surrender of 4,000 soldiers.

Yan Sikong felt a little regretful: "Now is the time to use people, why don't you wait for me to come and lobby the garrison commander?"

"If they have no intention of surrendering, staying by your side may be a hidden danger. What's the point of staying here?"

"Those who surrender easily may be disloyal or cowardly. Isn't that a hidden danger?"

"It depends on the person." Feng Ye said complacently, "If the people attacking the stronghold today were foreign barbarians, those who surrendered would have to be the greedy and cowardly. But there are many people who are dissatisfied with the dog emperor, both inside and outside the court. Most of them were full of resentment when the eunuch party was at its peak. They surrendered to me and abandoned darkness to join the light. As for those stubborn and loyal people, just kill them."

What he said was not wrong. Yan Sikong just felt sorry for it. Moreover, he had been integrating into Feng's army imperceptibly. Although Feng Ye did not give him real power, he could not help but rely on his talents. Therefore, even if he held a nominal position, he still had a status in the army. He wanted Feng Ye to develop the habit of consulting with him. In this way, those generals would follow suit and he would have more control.

Even though Feng Ye hated his scheming, he didn't know how else he could live.

Feng Ye glanced at him sideways: "These generals are mediocre in qualifications and are not worth your cherishing. Do you want to treat everyone as Shen Hexuan?"

"No." Thinking of Shen Hexuan, Yan Sikong sighed secretly, "Mix those 4,000 people into the army attacking Taiyuan, don't let them stay here any longer."

"That's natural."

Feng Ye added: "Oh, by the way, I just remembered that I received news from Shen Hexuan."

Yan Sikong's heart tightened. He realized that Shen Hexuan was still alive, otherwise Feng Ye would not have told him any "news."

As expected, Feng Ye said with a hint of annoyance: "The assassin failed and escaped into Xiangyang."

Yan Sikong didn't know whether to be happy or worried. In his heart, he didn't want a man of worldly talent like Shen Hexuan to die in such a confused state, but he also didn't want to have an enemy like Shen Hexuan.

Feng Ye approached him and asked, "Are you happy or unhappy?"

Yan Sikong smiled bitterly: "I don't know either. In fact, in my heart, I want him to die, but I don't want him to die at the same time."

"He has saved his life, so he'd better behave himself." Feng Ye said coldly, "If he goes against me again, I will make sure he dies without a complete body."

This conversation made Yan Sikong uncomfortable, so he asked, "Are there any forgotten news today?"

"Yes, they are preparing to attack the city." Feng Ye said.

Yan Sikong frowned: "The siege will inevitably result in heavy losses...but did you urge him?" He missed Yuan Nanyu's comfort day and night, and even regretted not going to Qingyang with Yuan Nanyu. However, the situation in Taiyuan was even more serious. What's more, Feng Ye might not let him go with Yuan Nanyu.

"I don't need to rush him. He also knows that time is running out." Feng Ye pulled Yan Sikong aside. "I know you are worried about him. I am worried about him too. But he has fought many battles with me and has already acquired a lot of skills. I believe that Qingyang will not be a problem for him."

Yan Sikong nodded, hoping that Yuan Nanyuji would be blessed by fate. After all, he was a man who had once escaped death, so he must have a very strong life.

——

They spent several days settling Shangfengzhai and left 20,000 soldiers to guard it. Shangfengzhai would be an important food route from Datong to Taiyuan. Once they captured Shangfengzhai, they would have the confidence to attack Taiyuan.

On a sunny day, Feng Ye led the army to Taiyuan. The troops led by Wang Shen had already left Chongxia Mountain and were temporarily stationed a hundred miles away from Taiyuan, monitoring the situation in Chongxia Mountain and Taiyuan City from all directions.

After the army returned, they moved to thirty miles away from Taiyuan, set up camp, built stone walls, and reclaimed wasteland. Regardless of whether this was a protracted battle or not, they had to be prepared for a protracted battle.

Taiyuan City has 60,000 soldiers and is the gateway to the heartland of the Central Plains. It is also one of the most prosperous city-states in the world. It is the most difficult city they have ever faced. Compared with Taiyuan, those previous cities have become fragile small cities. They dare not hope to capture Taiyuan quickly. Even if they can take it within a year, it will be an incredible achievement.

After setting up the camp, Feng Ye ordered his soldiers to train and cultivate the land, with no intention of attacking.

In fact, they were waiting for news from Yuan Nanyu, who was also in contact with Qingyang. If Yuan Nanyu could capture Qingyang, they could use Qingyang as a base, divide their troops and follow the rear route between Qingyang and Taiyuan, capture several small cities, gradually surround Taiyuan, and eventually cut off their supply. They dared not act rashly unless Qingyang was captured, otherwise they would be surrounded by the enemy.

They haven't received any good news in recent days. Yuan Nanyu failed to capture the city in one siege, but he ambushed the Sheng army that came to support Qingyang. It was a gain and a loss, and there was no progress.

Of course, we cannot rush the siege, but who can really not be in a hurry?

First, Yan Sikong proposed to go to Qingyang to help Yuan Nanyu, but was rejected by Feng Ye. Many military affairs still needed Yan Sikong to handle, and he was actually too busy to do so. Later, Yuan Shaoxu proposed to go to support Yuan Nanyu.

Although Yuan Shaoxu was appreciated by Feng Ye in the army because of his status as the eldest son of the Yuan family, it was hard to say whether he was highly valued. Feng Ye asked Yuan Shaoxu to be in charge of the transportation of grain. Grain and grass were the lifeblood of the army. This was indeed a very important job, and it was also a lucrative job. It was easy to make a small profit from it, but Yuan Shaoxu was unwilling to guard the grain. He thought he was being wasted. He was supposed to lead the troops to kill the enemy and make achievements. Therefore, whenever he found an opportunity, he would always advise Feng Ye and beg for a chance to show his talent.

Unfortunately, Feng Ye did not agree. They had just gained a firm foothold, and they wanted to make the Taiyuan Army think that they were ready for a long siege. If they made frequent moves, especially sending troops to reinforce Qingyang, they would be seen as eager to win, or perhaps they did not have enough food and fodder.

Therefore, they paid close attention to the developments in Qingyang and Taiyuan. At the same time, news about Datong, Yunnan, and even the imperial court and other parts of the world were also continuously reported to the camp through intelligence.

They learned that the imperial court was planning to send troops to reinforce Taiyuan. In fact, Taiyuan did not need reinforcements. They had enough soldiers and food, and Fengye had not even been besieged yet. Those reinforcements were probably to fight against Feng's army. However, the news was just hearsay and was not reliable. If the imperial court troops really came to fight against them, although they would be attacked from all sides and face many dangers, it would not necessarily be a bad thing compared to closing the city of Taiyuan and delaying them.

After two months of waiting, it was summer and the weather was getting hotter. Some hot-tempered generals could not stand this kind of "rest and recuperation" and hid in the village like a turtle. They ran to Feng Ye and asked to lead the troops to attack Taiyuan. Feng Ye whipped them with twenty whips and they became obedient.

Just when everyone was getting restless and the soldiers had many suspicions, they received the news they had been looking forward to the most - Yuan Nanyu led the Feng family army in a bloody battle, suffered more than half of the casualties, and he himself was also injured, but finally captured Qingyang!