That night, Feng Ye led 5,000 soldiers to attack Kuizhou.

They abandoned unnecessary baggage, carried only ten days' worth of rations, and marched lightly, striving to cross the foothills of Mount Nanyue as quickly as possible.

This battle was fought with speed. As long as they could seize the enemy quickly, King Liang would not have time to set an ambush.

Kuizhou to Yueyang is nearly 400 miles away. Normally, the army would march 40 miles a day, which would take ten days. They also had to cross the Bashan Mountains. If they encountered danger or encountered strong winds and heavy rains, the ten-day food supply would not be enough. However, Feng Ye ordered that they could only take ten days of food and fight a desperate battle to boost morale.

Yan Sikong also put on a set of armor. He had an unrestrained temperament to begin with, and now with the armor on, he looked dignified and heroic.

Feng Ye watched him mount the horse with a smile, and the two looked at each other and returned each other's determined gaze.

Feng Ye took a deep breath and said, "Let's go."

The herald shouted: "Go—"

In order to avoid being seen, they did not dare to beat the drums. They wore their titles, wrapped the hooves of their horses, and headed south in silence.

The road from Kuizhou to Shizhou was smooth, but Feng Ye required the army to march a hundred miles a day, because once they entered the mountains, the speed would inevitably slow down a lot.

Two days later, led by a local guide, they entered Mount Nanyue.

The valley was narrow and the army was stretched out for more than four or five li, with the front and rear unable to communicate. Feng Ye ordered the army to be divided into three sections, with two sections three or four li apart, to avoid being ambushed and to allow mutual rescue.

At night, they chose to set up camp on high ground with mountains behind them, water nearby and facing the sun. They were cautious along the way and took detours wherever there were places that were easy to approach but difficult to exit and convenient for ambushes. Although the marching speed was much slower, they managed to get through the first few days safely.

On the fourth day in the mountains, it started raining.

The rain was not heavy, but it continued. The mountain roads were muddy and the horses' hooves were often stuck in the mud. The soldiers marched forward in the rain, their clothes wet and their bodies cold. They were miserable and the marching speed suddenly slowed down a lot.

Yan Sikong sat by the fire in the camp and sighed, "Feng Ye, I think we should take a day off. With the heavy rain, if the mountain slides, the consequences will be disastrous."

Feng Ye stared at the raindrops falling like beads outside the account seriously: "We can't rest for a day. If we delay like this, we can only go to Qingxu Valley."

"In the past few days, our army has doubled its speed and marched at full speed, which has taken at least three days. A day of rest now can also allow the soldiers to recover their strength. Otherwise, if we encounter an ambush, the enemy will be well rested and our army will be defeated."

"In this desolate mountain, even if the sky is clear, King Liang may not be able to find us, let alone this kind of horrible weather." Feng Ye said, "Rest for a night, and see what the weather is like tomorrow, and then make a decision."

"I'm afraid the rain won't stop tomorrow." Yan Sikong said, "I've been observing the weather for a few days. The cumulus clouds won't disperse, and the moisture will hang low and accumulate in the mountains. It may not stop in the next three days."

Feng Ye said in a deep voice: "Rest for a night, and we will definitely take it tomorrow."

"Seal the wild."

"Call the general!" Feng Ye glared at him, "Yan Sikong, there is no hierarchy in the army, but there are superiors and subordinates. You don't have to say anything more."

Yan Sikong bowed and said, "Yes, General."

Feng Ye let out a sigh of annoyance and waved to the guards: "Everyone, go down. The lieutenant and I need to rest."

Feng Ye and Yan Sikong have been sleeping in the same tent these past few days, but there is no way they have any romantic thoughts about each other. They just want to reduce the burden and streamline the supplies.

Feng Ye waved to Yan Sikong: "Come here."

Yan Sikong walked over.

Feng Ye leaned against him and said, "I'm a little anxious. Don't be angry with me."

Yan Sikong said calmly: "Do you know why Zhao Fuyi dared to hand over the military power to a mere 19-year-old boy like you?"

Feng Ye snorted softly, "Because I am worthy of this military power."

"Yes, because you went into battle to kill the enemy at the age of eleven, penetrated deep into the enemy's camp at the age of fourteen, and led troops alone at the age of sixteen. Because you are both wise and brave, and because you have strict military discipline." Yan Sikong bumped Feng Ye with his shoulder and smiled, "So what you said just now is right. In the army, I shouldn't have called you by your name. I was in a hurry and even forgot to call you the prince. I really shouldn't have done that."

"Tsk." Feng Ye teased, "I feel like you're being sarcastic to me."

"How dare I."

Feng Ye laughed and said, "You are the one I love the most, what else are you afraid of?" He held Yan Sikong in one hand and shook him gently, "Kong'er, I understand your concerns, but you have never led troops or fought in a war, so you can't understand the urgency of marching quickly. The opportunity to fight is often at the critical moment, and a little delay may lead to a disaster. If we have to go to Qingxu Valley because of the slow march, I am afraid there will be a danger of the whole army being wiped out. Speed ​​is of the essence in war. This time we are racing against time, and we don't have a day to rest. Tomorrow, depending on the weather conditions, we can rest for half a day at most."

Yan Sikong nodded: "I'll listen to you." He turned his head to look at Feng Ye's profile. His resolute eyes were as bright as stars, shooting straight into the distance, and his heart was trembling. Once Feng Ye put on his armor and helmet and stood in the army, he was no longer the boy who laughed, scolded, and acted frivolously. He was a general who followed orders and kept his word.

——

Just as Yan Sikong said, the rain continued to fall the next day. Feng Ye let the army rest for half a day before organizing the troops to set out.

It was damp and cold in the mountains, and the chill penetrated into the bodies. Many soldiers caught colds, and even several horses fell down one after another. The marching speed became slower and slower, but the rations became thinner and thinner. It was as if there was a fierce ghost chasing after them. No one dared to complain, and they had to bite the bullet and move forward.

When Feng Ye ordered the troops to only bring rations for ten days, although it was extremely risky, without this plan to boost the morale of the troops, they would have been trapped in the mountains.

After walking for three days in such a dangerous environment, they finally saw a sunny day. However, they were still four days behind schedule and were in a dilemma because they only had one day's worth of food left.

If they continued to march along the original route, they would soon run out of food and ammunition. If they wanted to buy time, they had to find another shortcut, which was the Qingxu Valley, which they were extremely reluctant to take.

Qingxu Valley is sandwiched between two mountains. It is long and narrow, easy to enter but difficult to exit, and is an excellent place to set up an ambush. Once you enter Qingxu Valley, you only need to guard the two narrow passes, which is like catching a turtle in a jar. However, once you pass Qingxu Valley, the road is smooth and you can march quickly and reach Yueyang within two days.

If King Liang had already discovered that they had entered the mountains, then the only way to ambush them was to set up an ambush here in order to have the best chance of catching them all in one fell swoop.

"Narrow terrain is dangerous." Yan Sikong muttered softly, staring at the map intently.

"It's not that we don't have a plan to defeat the enemy." Feng Ye said, "Before we came here, we had anticipated that there might be an ambush here. To break through the narrow pass, we must break through one of the narrow passes."

"It's easy to break through one of the passes. If I were the army of King Liang, I would just give up the entrance and guard the exit. The exit of Qingxu Valley is only five or six feet wide. As long as we stack our troops and line up in front of the pass, we will be able to hold the pass with one man and ten thousand men unable to break through. I'm afraid that even if there are no ambushes behind me, what about above me? Even if there are no ambushes above me, it will be difficult to break through."

Wang Moxiu sighed heavily: "The heavy rain delayed me!"

"It's useless to complain now." Yan Sikong looked at Feng Ye, "General, I suggest we march along the original route. We can eat hay and go twice as fast, day and night."

Feng Ye narrowed his eyes and shook his head: "Humans can endure hunger, but can horses endure hunger? Eating this wet grass with a lot of water, the horse can't resist hunger at all. By then, both the man and the horse will be tired. If we run into the pursuers of King Liang, I'm afraid we won't be able to escape."

"But Qingxu Valley is a deadly place." Yan Sikong said, "The Art of War says that if the enemy occupies a narrow place first, do not attack if the enemy is strong."

"But there's another sentence below, 'If you don't have enough, follow it.'" Feng Ye stared at Yan Sikong with a burning gaze, "Whether we go to Qingxu Valley or not, we are all in danger of death, so why not give it a try?"

Yan Sikong sighed and didn't answer.

Wang Moxiu said: "Military officer, what the general said is actually not unreasonable. First, the King of Liang may not set an ambush. Second, if the King of Liang set an ambush, he may not advance to the pass. When Han Xin went to Jingxing Pass, the Zhao army did not block the pass. He led his army through it in a swaggering manner, and then fought a desperate battle and defeated the Zhao army. Our situation is very similar..."

Yan Sikong glared at Wang Moxiu fiercely: "When marching to war, how can we rely on the hope that the enemy will do something stupid to win by chance?"

Wang Moxiu froze, he swallowed, and was shocked for a moment, how could a weak scholar have such sharp eyes like a knife?

Yan Sikong advised again: "General, the terrain is dangerous and narrow, especially not to let anyone in."

Feng Ye looked at Yan Sikong and said in a deep voice: "General Yan, have you and I ever had the same opinion on leading the troops?"

Yan Sikong was stunned: "...There have been quite a few."

"Really?" Feng Ye narrowed his eyes and took a step closer. "Why do I remember that you always disagreed with me? Are you taking advantage of my youth and worrying about everything?"

Yan Sikong bowed: "I dare not."

Feng Ye took a deep breath and said, "I understand all your concerns. Do you understand my concerns?"

"Your humble servant understands that whether taking the original route or going through Qingxu Valley, both have their pros and cons. The general and I have very different personalities. I am conservative, so naturally I will come up with a conservative plan, at least in this matter, let alone right or wrong. If the general insists on going through Qingxu Valley, I will offer you the Qingxu Valley plan." Yan Sikong sighed in his heart. He and Feng Ye were very good friends in private. Feng Ye simply treated him like a woman, being courteous, doting and caring. However, when it came to leading troops to fight, as Feng Ye said, the two had a lot of differences and were not on the same page in every way. One of them was radical and bold, the other was conservative and cautious. They had no idea how many times they had quarreled.

But now Feng Ye was the commander-in-chief, and he could only persuade them. If persuasion failed, they would just obey. Besides, the dangerous place was not really a dead end. If they could get out of it, they would be able to escape.

"Very well, tell me what you have planned."