Liang Guang, the chief secretary, took on the important task and set out the next day. He only brought one attendant and two guards with him, and sailed a small boat downstream to Kuizhou.

Liang Guang was a Jinshi who passed the imperial examinations twice and also served as a Hanlin. He was a good friend of Zhao Fuyi from the same hometown. He was now gaining experience in various fields and was a prospective university scholar in the future. He was a meticulous person and was able to handle things steadily. He was an excellent candidate for the diplomatic mission, and all the soldiers hoped that he could bring back good news.

The next day and the next, Liang Guang's news came back quickly, shocking the entire army.

Bao Yunyong killed Liang Guang's servants and guards and imprisoned Liang Guang.

When two armies are at war, it is a customary rule among military strategists since ancient times not to kill envoys. Envoys from the enemy army are usually treated well. Killing an envoy may not only ruin the cause, but generals also do not want to be seen as reckless in history books. Of course, there are also cases where the opposite is true. Usually there are two reasons: one is that the general is really "reckless" and acts impulsively; the other is that after careful consideration, he decides to kill the envoy in order to achieve a greater goal.

Zhao Fuyi was furious and scolded Bao Yunyong as a crude and lowly barefoot farmer. But after calming down, he couldn't help but wonder if Bao Yunyong had seen through their plan.

Indeed, from the moment Liang Guang entered Kuizhou City, no matter whether Bao Yunyong was willing to be appeased or not, there would be a rift between him and the King of Liang. As a prince, the King of Liang would definitely look down on a rogue like Bao Yunyong, not to mention a rogue who led the rebellion. Bao Yunyong, like the thousands of ants who followed him in the uprising, had long hated the royal family to the core. The only reason for the two parties to form an alliance was because they had a common enemy. Such an alliance was actually fragile, and Zhao Fuyi saw this point and wanted to start from here.

Unexpectedly, Bao Yunyong was smarter than they thought. This killing and imprisonment not only reassured King Liang, but also eliminated the opportunity for Liang Guang to rebel against his old subordinates in Kuizhou.

This man's ancestors were poor farmers for eight generations and he could not read or write, but he was able to set up such a big stall in a very short time. It seemed that he really had some skills.

The news of Liang Guang's imprisonment gave the Zhao army a great warning and made Zhao Fuyi lose face. If they could not win back the victory as soon as possible after such a bad start, the morale of the army would be shaken.

Zhao Fuyi clenched his fists and placed them on the table: "What do you think, general? How should we deal with this matter?"

One general said angrily: "If he doesn't take our army seriously, I think he should be beaten to death."

"Bao Yunyong has been successful all the way, defeated the Shu army, and occupied Kuizhou. His momentum is getting stronger now. I think we should avoid his sharp edge now."

"Sir Liang went to appease them personally, so he was already avoiding their sharp edge. Who would have thought that this traitor would be so ignorant that he dared to imprison Sir Liang? If we continue to tolerate this, it will show that our army has many holes. I am afraid that more people will defect to Bao Yunyong."

"In short, now is not the time to fight, and we must not act rashly..."

The generals were divided into two factions and started arguing.

Feng Ye sat aside without saying a word, and Yan Sikong just lowered his head and wrote without saying a word.

Zhao Fuyi knocked on the table, and the room became quiet. He looked at Feng Ye: "Feng Ye, what do you think?"

Feng Ye stood up and clasped his fists: "I think Bao Yunyong didn't kill Lord Liang because he was testing us."

Zhao Fuyi nodded and said, "That's right. Bao Yunyong is actually not sure whether we really want to appease him again. If we send troops at this time, our goal will be in vain."

"That's right, I think so too." Zhao Fuyi's confidant Sun Feng said, "We should send another envoy and give him a large sum of money to paralyze Bao Yunyong."

This time, Feng Ye frowned.

There was a lot of discussion in the account again, and someone quickly retorted: "We have already done this twice, and we are going to do it a third time?"

Sun Feng sneered: "When a dog eats too much, it will forget to guard the house."

Feng Ye said: "What General Sun said is indeed a plan, but it will greatly undermine the prestige of our army."

"Didn't the prince also say that the rebel was testing us? If that's the case, we should take advantage of his trick..."

The parties started arguing again.

In the central army tent, more than a dozen generals discussed until the sun set, but still could not reach a unified opinion. Zhao Fuyi asked them to disperse and decided to think about it overnight.

Yan Sikong had dinner in Fengye Account, and the two talked about today's military situation.

Feng Ye said: "This Bao Yunyong is not as brave as we thought. He made a brilliant move, but now we are the ones who are being provoked."

"Yes, he must have someone with him who is giving him advice. This move of advancing to retreat not only stabilizes King Liang, but also puts us in a dilemma." Yan Sikong shook his head, "It's not a good start."

Feng Ye picked up a piece of meat for him and said with a smile: "Usually when you discuss military operations with me, you speak very clearly. Why are you silent today?"

"I am just a clerk, how can I have a say?" Yan Sikong knew that now was not the time for him to show his ability. He was no longer the young man who dared to argue with the general with his passion. He said, "Feng Ye, what do you think General Zhao will decide?"

Feng Ye shook his head: "It's hard to say, but he must not send envoys to give gifts again, otherwise where will the military prestige of our Dasheng be? If the news gets out, we will be laughed at."

Yan Sikong smiled and said, "As long as we can win this battle in the end, why should we be afraid of all this? I believe Your Majesty will understand General Zhao's painstaking efforts."

"No, this would certainly damage morale."

Yan Sikong poured a glass of wine and handed it to Feng Ye, saying casually, "You value face more than anything else."

Feng Ye took the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp: "What I value is not only face, but also the morale of the army."

Yan Sikong knew that it would be difficult for him to convince Feng Ye for the time being. The two of them had many disagreements on the concept of leading troops, and it was difficult to say who was right or wrong. He said, "In fact, in my opinion, the most important thing right now is to free Lord Liang."

"Oh?" Feng Ye said, "Tell me about it."

"Although Lord Liang is in Bao Yunyong's hands and his life is safe for the time being, he is a great hidden danger to our army. If we send troops in the future, Bao Yunyong will use Lord Liang as a pretext and will be ruthless if he advances and unreasonable if he retreats. This will definitely give General Zhao another layer of concern. How can we fight this battle?"

"That's true. Do you have any good ideas?"

Yan Sikong said in a deep voice: "I haven't thought of a perfect plan yet. Anyway, Sir Liang should either return safely or die at the hands of Bao Yunyong. It's better than holding back our army like this."

Feng Ye nodded: "It's very troublesome that he is neither dead nor alive like this."

Yan Sikong glanced at Feng Ye's bowl. He had only taken a few mouthfuls of rice when he urged him, "Eat quickly. I see that you have lost a lot of weight in the past few days."

Feng Ye took Yan Sikong's hand and rubbed it on his cheek: "It's okay. When I want to eat, I can eat a whole cow."

Yan Sikong couldn't help but smile.

Feng Ye smiled along, but suddenly stopped. He turned over Yan Sikong's palm and looked at it carefully.

There are a few faintly visible scars on the fingertips and palms. After ten years, they have basically smoothed out, but you can still feel them if you touch them carefully.

Yan Sikong whispered, "Do you still remember these scars?" His heart tightened, and suddenly his breathing was mixed with a slight pain, because he thought of someone, his Yu'er.

"How could I not remember? That day I knocked over the charcoal pot and you tried to grab it with your hands." Feng Ye chuckled, "You can be stupid like that sometimes."

Yan Sikong's lips twitched slightly, and he forced a smile. Yes, Yu'er was always acting silly, from childhood to adulthood, until the last moment when the two of them separated, he was always acting silly. If it weren't for his silly behavior, how could I be where I am today?

"Kong'er, what's wrong with you?" Feng Ye touched Yan Sikong's face and was shocked by the sadness in his eyes. He blamed himself and said, "Should I not mention the childhood things to you again?"

Yan Sikong smiled faintly and said, "It's okay. There were many good things when I was a child, such as... you."

Feng Ye hugged Yan Sikong into his arms: "Me too, meeting you is simply the best thing in my life."

Yan Sikong rested his head on Feng Ye's shoulder, but raised his hand behind his back, silently staring at the burn scar on his palm.

He did not set up a tablet for Yuan Nanyu because he did not see Yuan Nanyu's death with his own eyes, and there was still a faint hope in his heart. The world is so big, and the person who was as close to him as a brother even though they had no blood relationship, did he still leave any trace in this world?

——

Although Feng Ye was strongly opposed to sending another envoy to offer amnesty, he listened to Yan Sikong's other suggestion. The next day, he went to find Zhao Fuyi and suggested that they first find a way to rescue Lord Liang.

Zhao Fuyi chose the most reliable strategy at present - to keep his troops in place. In private, the spies he sent to sneak into Kuizhou City have already established contact with the old Kuizhou subordinates. He believed that Bao Yunyong was also worried at this time. Liang Guang was in his hands. He was both a good chess piece and a hot potato. It all depended on how he used it.

On the third day of Liang Guang's imprisonment, Zhao Fuyi called Yan Sikong and another clerk Xu Yan into the account, and asked them to draft a letter together and send it to Bao Yunyong, ordering him to send Liang Guang back safely.

This letter may seem unnecessary, but it is of great significance. First, it is to demonstrate the style of our army and save some face. Secondly, it is to denounce Bao Yunyong. People all over the world know who is reasonable and who is reckless. Finally, this is a test and a step. If Bao Yunyong is sent back to Liang Guang, there will be room for the strategy of recruiting him. If Bao Yunyong does not step down from this step, they will have to make other plans.

Just as Xu Yan was about to accept the order, Yan Sikong had already reached into his sleeve and respectfully held a thin letter between his hands: "General, this letter has already been drafted."