Zhao Fuyi was relieved that the two returned safely. If anything had happened to Feng Ye under his command, he really didn't know how he would face King Jingyuan.
They explained everything that happened in Kuizhou. Zhao Fuyi was very happy after hearing it. Although this trip did not fully achieve the goal, it had planted three disasters for Kuizhou. First, Bao Yunyong and King Liang had a grudge against each other, second, Yang Weiqi had the intention of betraying his master for glory, and third, the old subordinates in Kuizhou were ready to make a move. If any of these three things happened, it would be enough for them to recapture Kuizhou.
The current situation is in their favor. It is not easy to make a breakthrough under such difficult circumstances.
Zhao Fuyi said happily: "You two have made great contributions on this trip, you deserve a reward!"
Yan Sikong said humbly, "Thank you, General, but the military situation is urgent right now, and I am wasting thousands of gold coins every day. I hope you can keep the reward when our army wins a great victory."
Zhao Fuyi admired Yan Sikong more and more and praised him a few times. Liang Guang felt a little unhappy. After all, not only did he return empty-handed, but he was also imprisoned and his three followers were beheaded. Compared with Yan Sikong, it was really humiliating.
However, Liang Guang did not show it. He still put the overall situation first and discussed the siege of the city.
Zhao Fuyi said: "I don't know how much food and grass are left in Kuizhou. Our army's food and grass are still on the way. At present, it can only support more than a month at most."
"Kuizhou has no more food and grass than March." Yan Sikong said firmly.
"Oh, how did you know that?"
Yan Sikong smiled and said, "At that time, I used food and grass to provoke them to surrender, saying, 'How long will the food and grass in Kuizhou be enough for you? One year, half a year, or three months?' When I said one year or half a year, Bao Yunyong and Yang Weiqi didn't react much, but when I said three months, they both frowned."
Liang Guang said in a deep voice: "This matter is of great importance, can Lord Yan dare to ensure it?"
"It's about right." Yan Sikong said, "I've also roughly calculated that the population of Kuizhou is no more than 40,000, and the soldiers defending the city are no more than 3,000. According to the court regulations, the grain stored in the Changping warehouse should not exceed 200,000 shi. After just surviving the cold winter, I'm afraid there are less than 100,000 shi of grain left. Bao Yunyong's rebel army, including his family, has more than 50,000 people. Nearly 100,000 people are crowded in Kuizhou City. The grain and grass will not last for too long."
"That makes sense. Lord Yan is indeed thoughtful and has almost got the grain and fodder." Zhao Fuyi had a plan in mind. "Okay, there is no time to waste. I will notify Di Jiangjun to lead the siege tomorrow."
At this time, Feng Ye stepped forward and took the initiative to request 2,000 cavalrymen to set up an ambush on the road from Jingzhou to Kuizhou to prevent King Liang from really sending people to help. They were not worried about the water route, as they were upstream and Jingzhou was downstream, and King Liang would not be stupid enough to send navy to rescue Kuizhou.
Zhao Fuyi approved the closure of the land, and ordered his men to deliver intelligence to Di Rong, the commander of the Luoyang rebellion suppression army, on express horses. In order to strike while the iron was hot, he would lead his troops to attack and encircle Kuizhou tomorrow!
Taking advantage of the night, Feng Ye was about to leave with his ambush troops. Yan Sikong was in his room, pouring wine to see him off.
Feng Ye held the wine glass in one hand and pinched Yan Sikong's face with the other, jokingly saying, "I've never seen Lord Yan look so nervous before. Why, are you worried about me?"
Yan Sikong whispered, "Feng Ye, you are going to fight, and you may be the only one who will actually fight the enemy in this battle. How can I not be worried?"
Feng Ye pretended to be relaxed and said, "In this case, you should be happy. I ambushed and defeated King Liang, and Bao Yunyong surrendered under the pressure. Isn't it a happy thing for everyone?"
Yan Sikong sighed, "You know what I'm worried about. I'm not in the mood to talk or laugh right now."
Feng Ye smoothed his hair and said softly, "Kong'er, don't worry about me. I went to war with my father when I was eleven years old and I'm used to the battlefield. I'm born strong and even God can't take it away. I will definitely come back safely."
"Even if there are only two thousand soldiers?"
"Even if there are only two thousand soldiers." Feng Ye drank the glass of wine, stretched out his arms to pull Yan Sikong into his arms, and hugged him tightly, "Wait for me to come back."
Yan Sikong grabbed Feng Ye's collar and closed his eyes: "Don't be reckless when encountering things. Nothing is more important than your life. Do you understand?"
"Um."
Yan Sikong suppressed his worries and reluctance and said softly, "...I'll wait for you to come back."
——
In addition to the 10,000 troops brought from Jingshan, Zhao Fuyi's camp also had 10,000 mainly naval forces mobilized from the two lakes area, and Di Rong brought exactly 20,000 troops from Luoyang, but all of them were land forces.
The next day, 40,000 troops divided into two groups, by land and water, and marched towards Kuizhou City in a mighty manner.
Suddenly, the fields were filled with carriages and horses, and the river was filled with sails.
Forty thousand soldiers and horses arrived in Kuizhou before dark, chose Xiangyang Highlands to set up camp, and blocked all the important water and land routes of Kuizhou, turning it into a completely isolated city.
Yan Sikong stood on the high ground of the barracks, looking at Kuizhou in the distance, feeling emotional.
Ten years ago, he was on the city wall while the Jin army was at the foot of the city. With a hundred thousand strong army pressing on him, flags covering the sky and spears like a forest, he was trembling with fear. If it had not been for Yuan Mao, the resolute and brave backbone who supported the faith and fighting spirit of the Guangning soldiers and people, the city would have been destroyed and people would have died.
Ten years later, he was at the gate of the city, becoming the attacker. Half of the Kuizhou generals were the uprising mob, and the other half were the old subordinates who had ulterior motives. I'm afraid very few of them had the will to fight. The people of Kuizhou were just a group of ignorant sheep, and it was not up to them to decide which shepherd to follow. Kuizhou had no determination to fight them to the death, and its morale had already been completely crushed. Recovery was just around the corner.
The next morning, Zhao Fuyi sent light cavalry to the city of Kuizhou to challenge and persuade the enemy to surrender, which was almost the same tactic that Bao Yunyong used to capture Kuizhou.
Even if there was no change in Kuizhou, they would have surrendered sooner or later after their food was eaten up. If Bao Yunyong and Yang Weiqi had any brains, they should not have pushed themselves into a desperate situation. After all, Kuizhou was not theirs in the first place, and the ones besieging the city were the regular Da Sheng army, which would certainly not harm the civilians.
However, if Kuizhou delayed for one more day, it would be extremely disadvantageous to them, because their food and fodder were even more scarce than Kuizhou's, and the movements of King Liang were difficult to predict. If they could not force Kuizhou to surrender as soon as possible, the outcome would still be uncertain.
This game has not yet seen any blood, but the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers have been gambled.
A few days later, battle reports came from the front line that Feng Ye had captured the scout that Bao Yunyong had secretly sent out to ask for help. After revealing to the scout that the Sheng army had sufficient food and grass and had made plans for a long-term siege, he pretended to be negligent and let the man escape.
Zhao Fuyi immediately sent another 2,000 elite soldiers to Fengye. They had besieged the city for many days but the King of Liang did not make any move, proving that the King of Liang would not send troops at least before they attacked the city. Fengye sent this scout to ask for help. If the King of Liang really sent troops, he would be there to block the way and set an ambush. If the King of Liang did not send troops, Bao Yunyong would inevitably fall into despair. Zhao Fuyi sent more troops to Fengye in the hope that once the King of Liang sent troops, he would definitely hit him hard in one go.
Zhao Fuyi still sent people to the city to challenge the enemy every day, but Bao Yunyong remained indifferent. Perhaps he still had some hope for King Liang and was resisting in a corner.
A few days after letting the scouts run away, the King of Liang actually sent out his troops. Before that, most of them thought that the King of Liang would not send out his troops, but would abandon Kuizhou and go straight to Nanjing.
When Yan Sikong heard the news that Prince Liang was sending troops, he felt mixed emotions. He was happy that Prince Liang lacked courage and made a wrong move. But he was worried that if Prince Liang was defeated too quickly, his plan to use the opportunity to implicate Ge Zhong and even Xie Zhongren in a major treason case would probably fail.
However, what he is most concerned about right now is Feng Ye's safety. Feng Ye is an important aid for him to step into the center of power in the future, and he must not make any mistakes here.
Fortunately, Feng Ye lived up to expectations and set up an ambush with 4,000 elite soldiers, intercepting the 20,000 troops of King Liang on Yuanhua Road, killing 6,000 enemies. Of course, Feng Ye also lost half of his own troops, because there were few mountains and rivers on the road from Jingzhou to Kuizhou, and there were no natural conditions for ambushing. Feng Ye's battle was a head-on confrontation, and at most he took advantage of the opportunity of waiting for the enemy to tire and surprise the enemy, but in the end he forced King Liang's troops back to Jingzhou.
The news of Feng Ye's victory was reported back to the camp, but he did not lead his troops back to the camp. In order to prevent King Liang from launching a counterattack, he wanted to continue to stay where he was.
Zhao Fuyi was overjoyed and ordered his generals to keep the matter secret. There were many gossipy people in the army and it was inevitable that spies would infiltrate. Although the victory in the first battle was great news to boost the morale of the army, he had to make sure that Kuizhou would not get the news that King Liang had sent troops and force them into the abyss step by step.
After a month of siege, Sheng's army was running out of food and fodder because the next batch of food and fodder had not arrived yet, but Bao Yunyong was still pretending to be dead in the city, and the two sides were in a stalemate.
Zhao Fuyi was anxious in his heart but remained calm on his face. He sent a team of cavalry to the city of Kuizhou for training. Those who were challenging him also began to shout that King Liang had already led his troops south and abandoned Kuizhou.
Bao Yunyong had been waiting for King Liang for a month. The scouts had brought back news that King Liang was going to send troops to help him, but he did not receive a single soldier or even a single shout. Rumors arose in the army, speculating that King Liang had deceived them. Such voices intensified as time went by, until Zhao Fuyi shouted at the right time that King Liang had gone south, which just confirmed the speculation of many people and instantly put Bao Yunyong in a desperate situation.
At this time, not only the old subordinates in Kuizhou, but even the rebel army that followed Bao Yunyong from Shu began to be dissatisfied with him. The enemy surrounded the city and they were isolated and helpless. Who would be willing to be a turtle in a jar waiting to die?
Finally, in the middle of the night of the 42nd day of the siege, the lights on Kuizhou City suddenly lit up, and people were moving. Zhao Fuyi was awakened in the middle of the night, wearing armor and sword, and led his troops out of the camp and headed straight for the city. Yan Sikong felt light and woke up, watching the abnormal situation in Kuizhou City from a distance, knowing that the big thing had happened.
It was pitch black at night and it was hard to see clearly, but after an incense stick of time, some cavalrymen returned to the camp on horseback and shouted excitedly from afar: "Yang Weiqi opened the city and surrendered, carrying Bao Yunyong's head—"
Yan Sikong took a deep breath and a sneer appeared on his face.
The overall situation in Kuizhou has been decided, and the next step is Jingzhou.
——
At dawn, Zhao Fuyi led his troops and entered the city in a heroic and high-spirited manner. The people of Kuizhou lined the streets to welcome them, and it was obvious that they had long hated Bao Yunyong and the rebel army he brought.
Zhao Fuyi had promised that as long as they surrendered, he would forgive their past mistakes. After entering the city, he did not arrest any of the rebel generals or the rebellious old Kuizhou subordinates, which made this gang feel relieved.
Bao Yunyong is dead, Kuizhou City has been captured, and nearly three months have passed since the expedition. Di Rong and Zhao Fuyi have finally fulfilled the emperor's orders and wiped out the Shu rebels who had troubled the court for more than half a year.
However, everything is not over yet, as even more entangled enemies are guarding the Jingzhou Fortress, intending to get involved in Jiangnan.
Therefore, they had no time to celebrate their success. After Feng Ye returned, he did not even have time to drink a sip of water before he was summoned by Zhao Fuyi to discuss matters.
As soon as he entered the room, Feng Ye began to look around anxiously. When he saw Yan Sikong, whose face was as calm as a lake and as elegant as a green pine, his irritable emotions seemed to be smoothed out in an instant.
Yan Sikong also looked at him, with an unconcealable joy flashing in his eyes. Although it was fleeting, Feng Ye captured it fully. The moment the two of them looked at each other, it seemed that countless emotions were flowing in the air.
Feng Ye knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and said, "I am General Feng Ye, honored to meet you, General. The 2,376 soldiers who repelled the enemy have all been reorganized into the camp."
Zhao Fuyi laughed: "As expected of a general, you are a great boy!"
"Fortunately, I have accomplished my mission!"
"Feng Ye, sit down."
Feng Ye stood up, sat opposite Yan Sikong, and winked at him secretly.
Yan Sikong's lips curled up slightly.
"What do you think should be done with the rebel generals and their former subordinates in Kuizhou?" Zhao Fuyi summoned only Liang Guang, Feng Ye and Yan Sikong.
Liang Guang said: "The general has promised to forgive the past, and we must not break our promise now. However, letting them go would be against the emperor's will."
"Not only is it against the emperor's will, but if we don't punish these traitors, how can we explain to the people of the world and to the innocent soldiers and civilians who died?" Feng Ye said coldly, "We must not let them go."
Zhao Fuyi nodded: "I thought so too, that's why I came to discuss this with you all."
Liang Guang stroked his beard and said, "Kill him in secret?"
Feng Ye shook his head: "If we can't make them confess their crimes in public and accept punishment, then the punishment will not serve its purpose of warning them."
Zhao Fuyi thought for a moment and looked at Yan Sikong: "Lord Yan, do you have any good ideas?"
Yan Sikong cupped his hands and said, "I do have a plan."
"Please speak."
"As the prince said, if we don't punish them, how can we win the support of the people? I think we should thoroughly investigate their crimes and make them public."
"Isn't this a violation of my promise?" Zhao Fuyi said, "At the time, we were in urgent need of food and grass, and in order to get them to surrender as soon as possible, I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."
"General, don't worry. We will keep our promise and not punish them. But we ask them to make up for their crimes and lead the troops to fight against King Liang."
Zhao Fuyi clapped his hands and said, "Kill them with the help of King Liang."
Yan Sikong nodded: "Among these people, there are several who must be eliminated, such as Yang Weiqi, the main generals of the uprising army, and the Kuizhou generals who participated in the assassination of the Kuizhou garrison. None of them can be left alive. In this way, their crimes can be made public, and the generals will not go back on their words."
"Okay, let's do it this way. Actually, this matter is not the most important..." Zhao Fuyi thought, "I just discussed it with Di Jiangjun, and I don't know how to take Jingzhou for the time being."
"Yes, Yang Weiqi still has value. When the time is right, there will be an excuse to send them to death. The most important thing right now is King Liang."
"What is the current situation in Jingzhou?" Feng Ye asked.
Yan Sikong said in a deep voice: "Jingzhou has high walls and deep moats, and its soldiers are well-trained and well-fed. With our current strength, even if we have enough food and grass, it is unlikely that we can capture it. If we want to fight steadily, we can only surround it."
"The King of Liang is expanding his army. When he has a large army, he will definitely march south. By then, Jingzhou will be in the way. We can only watch him march south, and we will be powerless to stop him." Liang Guang sighed, "So, we can't afford to waste time. If we can't stop the King of Liang from marching south, we will fail the grace of the emperor."
Zhao Fuyi also said: "We must capture Jingzhou before Prince Liang becomes powerful."
The room fell silent immediately. It seemed that they had no strength to fight against King Liang. Although their troops were twice as strong as King Liang's, they were short of food and fodder. They could only rely on food and fodder from Kuizhou for emergency. If the situation dragged on like this, they would have no choice but to retreat.
"When will the food and fodder arrive?" Yan Sikong asked.
"It should have arrived at the beginning of the month." Liang Guang said in a deep voice, "I have sent three consecutive memorials to urge them, but Datong Prefecture is also asking for food, and Minister Cai is transferring food from all over. The situation is not good."
In ancient times, wars were fought for food and fodder, and the strength of a country can be verified by its food supply. Eight out of ten grains are transported, meaning that 40% of the food and fodder transported is eaten by the transport troops on the way, and another 40% is eaten by the transport troops on the way back. Only 20% can be delivered to the front-line troops. Every day of marching and fighting is a huge consumption. Now Da Sheng's national strength is almost not enough to support such consumption.
This meeting did not produce any strategy to deal with Jingzhou, so Zhao Fuyi asked Feng Ye to go back and rest.
Now that they had settled in Kuizhou, they naturally no longer needed to live in tents.
Back in the inn, before Feng Ye could make a move, Yan Sikong had already hugged Feng Ye tightly in his arms. He sniffed hard at the bloody, dusty smell on Feng Ye's body, which was not pleasant at all, but made him feel unprecedentedly at ease.
Feng Ye hugged him back, his voice trembling again: "Kong'er, you missed me."
"I'm worried about you." Yan Sikong said softly, "I've been worried about you every day for more than a month."
"I'm back." Feng Ye smiled, "I'm safe and sound."
Yan Sikong closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes had regained their calmness. He let go of Feng Ye: "Are you tired? Xue Bo went to get some water. You should take a good bath, eat something, and then have a good sleep."
Feng Ye smiled and said, "I just want to take a good look at you now."
"I'm here with you."
"Seriously, you're going to stay here with me tonight?"
"This is not a military camp, so I can accompany you." Yan Sikong curled the corners of his lips, "I can accompany you to talk at night with candlelight."
Feng Ye gave a wicked smile: "Okay, let's have a candlelight night talk."
Xue Bo helped Feng Ye take a bath to wash away the dirt of more than a month, changed him into clean clothes, and brought him hot wine and food.
Feng Ye had been eating rations for nearly forty days, and when he saw the delicacies, he began to eat them with relish.
Yan Sikong looked at Feng Ye quietly from the side. He wanted to take in every expression and every picture of this dazzling and stunning young man.
Feng Ye buried his head in eating for a long time before he suddenly raised his head and urged, "Eat now."
"I have plenty of food in the camp. Eat more."
"We still have food now, so we should eat more. We never know when there will be no food." Feng Ye picked up a large piece of meat and stuffed it into Yan Si's empty bowl. "Eat. I don't want you to be hungry."
The two of them finished all the food. Yan Sikong poured two cups of wine and raised his glass, saying, "I drank a celebratory drink with you that day, and I will drink a celebratory drink with you soon. Come, Fengye, congratulate you on your triumphant return."
Feng Ye laughed loudly, clinked glasses with Yan Sikong, and drank the wine in one gulp.
Yan Sikong asked Feng Ye how he repelled the reinforcements from King Liang. Feng Ye could no longer hold back and described his bravery to Yan Sikong in vivid detail.
The two chatted until late at night, and they became more and more drunk. Unconsciously, their sexual desire was aroused. Feng Ye pushed Yan Sikong down on the bed and ravaged her warm lips. He wished he could pour all his longing and joy of reunion into this passionate kiss.