Before dawn, Feng Ye led his army and left Fengxiang.

He did not kill Yuan Shaoxu as a sacrifice, but kept him in the prison car. It seemed that he agreed with Yan Sikong's opinion and would deal with Yuan Nanyu after he returned.

Yan Sikong wore the mask and still played the role of "Quewang", but his injury had not healed yet, so he could not stand majestically on the tall horse and could only ride in the carriage.

Feng Ye urged the army to hurry and rush to the capital. Chen Yi's troops, who were ambushing in Qiaoshan, were expecting the Feng family army, which had suffered heavy casualties in the battle with Shen Hexuan's army and fled here. However, what they encountered was the Feng family army, which had absorbed Shen Hexuan's army and was in high spirits. Moreover, the garrison commander of Qingyang was also leading a troop of troops. Suddenly, the enemy was outnumbered and the ambushing troops did not even dare to show their heads. The Feng family army passed Qiaoshan smoothly and headed straight for the capital.

No one knew what the situation in Taiyuan was at this time, but since Feng Ye had decided to abandon Taiyuan, Taiyuan could only leave it to fate.

Feng Ye was forced by Chen Yi to the point where he had to take a risk and throw everything he had. If he could not quickly capture the capital and control the entire political power, and wait for Chen Yi to unite the imperial court and various princes, the best outcome for him would be to be driven back to Datong, but it was more likely that he would fail at the last minute and die in the Central Plains.

Therefore, this battle would determine Feng Ye's life or death.

——

It would take an army of five or six soldiers on a fast march from Fengxiang to the capital, but they bypassed Taiyuan and traveled day and night for eight days before finally arriving, no, returning to the capital.

At this time, Feng Changyue's army had already captured the fortress of Shuntian and had a battle with the garrison troops in the suburbs of Beijing. Both sides suffered casualties, and the garrison troops retreated to the Forbidden City.

Strictly speaking, the Forbidden City has four levels of defense. The first level is the city wall, with Shuntianwei in the southwest and Tianjinwei in the northeast. The second level is the border forts and moats, the third level is the outer city walls, and the last is the inner city wall. There are two moats from the border forts to the inner city walls. The city defense is so strict that it is undoubtedly the most powerful fortress in the world.

After the Datong Army led by Feng Changyue, the Chahar Army led by Nada Khan and the Taiyuan Army led by Wang Shen gathered their forces, they easily captured Shuntianwei, surrounded the Forbidden City, and then remained inactive, waiting for the Wolf King.

Feng Ye arrived two days later than them. The scouts reported that Chen Yi, who had received the news, was leading a large army on the way. Zhao Fuyi was transferred back from Liaoning, and the troops from various princes also rushed to the capital. For a while, it seemed as if all the troops in the world were swarming into the capital. The situation was changing rapidly, and it was feared that the dynasty would change overnight.

This was the second time in Da Sheng’s 200-year history that the rebels had attacked its doorstep, and Da Sheng’s national destiny was in danger.

After Feng Ye met with Feng Changyue and others, they urgently discussed military situation and stayed in the central army tent from day to night.

The key to this battle is time. If they can break into the Forbidden City before the arrival of the loyalist army, then everything will be settled. If not, what awaits them will be a huge war and countless casualties.

However, the Jingshan garrison and all the troops that could be mobilized in the surrounding areas had already retreated to the Forbidden City. With three city walls, two moats, and 70,000 troops, it would not be easy to capture such a city overnight.

Yan Sikong was resting in the tent, his mind full of thoughts on how to fight this battle. At this point, whether he wanted to help Feng Ye or not, he had to help. From the moment Chen Yi framed him, it was impossible for him to assist Chen Yi anymore. Under the current situation, he could not let Chen Yi win, otherwise Feng Ye and Yuan Nanyu would surely die.

But Chen Yi could reach the capital in two or three days at most. How could he capture the Forbidden City in such a short time?

Just as he was thinking, Feng Ye walked into the tent. Yan Sikong looked at him calmly and asked, "Do you have any plans?"

Feng Ye sat opposite him: "The commander of the garrison is Zhu Lanting, you have a personal relationship with him."

Yan Sikong said, "He is Chen Yi's martial arts teacher and the nephew of Emperor Zhaowu. He agreed to help me because we wanted to help the King of Chu ascend the throne. Now, he will stop at nothing to keep you outside Zijin City."

"That may have been the case, but I got some news."

"What news?"

Feng Ye sneered: "Zhu Lanting's cousin entered the palace a few years ago, and gave birth to a prince last year."

Yan Sikong's eyes flickered: "You mean..."

"I crown the thirteenth prince as the emperor. He is the prince of the Zhu family."

Yan Sikong shook his head and said, "Zhu Lanting is not that easy to fool. The little prince is still in his infancy. Even if he really ascends the throne, the young ruler will cause doubts in the country and there will be endless troubles. What's more, why would he trust you? Zhu Lanting is not a greedy person. He has his family and country in his heart. You can't tempt him with greed. He will wait until Chen Yi comes and attack you from inside and outside."

"Of course I know, so I want you to find a solution." Feng Ye narrowed his eyes, "If anyone can persuade Zhu Lanting, it's only you."

Yan Sikong sneered: "You don't trust me, so why do you think I will help you?"

Feng Ye said confidently, "You want to save Que Wang too, right? You fooled Chen Yi like this. If Chen Yi wins, will he still have a chance to survive?"

Yan Sikong snorted lightly and said arrogantly: "Feng Ye, even if you hate me, you still ask me for something in the end. This must be very uncomfortable."

"You have caused me so much pain, so why bother with each one?" Feng Ye leaned close to Yan Sikong's ear and said, "Take down the capital for me, just like you promised."

Yan Sikong turned sideways and tried to get away, but Feng Ye held him in his arms, with his lips pressed against his ear.

Yan Sikong took a deep breath and said, "You don't believe my promise, do you?"

"Whether you believe it or not is not important right now. Just consider it as something you owe me. I want the imperial master."

Yan Sikong turned away calmly and remained silent.

Feng Ye gently traced Yan Sikong's cheek with his fingertips and nibbled on the small earlobe: "Sowing discord between Chen Yi and Zhu Lanting. Chen Yi knows that you have a personal relationship with Zhu Lanting, so he must be suspicious of him and use the Thirteenth Prince to make trouble."

Yan Sikong said in a deep voice: "You have thought of everything, why are you still discussing with me?"

"Only you can do this." Feng Ye held Yan Sikong in his arms and played with Yan Sikong's fingers as if he was fiddling with an object.

"If it works, can you let me go?"

"No." Feng Ye's voice suddenly turned cold, "Don't even think about escaping from me!"

Yan Sikong's eyes were gray.

Feng Ye had always known that he was so "useful", and now he was too lazy to even hide his intention to use him. There was only resentment and suspicion between the two of them, but Feng Ye still refused to let him go and still wanted to trap him and torture him.

"However, I can reunite you with your wife and daughter." Feng Ye showed a bit of viciousness on his face, but he endured it. "If Xi'er was not my cousin, I would definitely kill her, but... this is my bottom line."

Yan Sikong taunted, "Thank you, Wolf King, for your kindness."