After Yan Sikong counted the battle damage and settled the soldiers, he found Feng Ye, who was shirtless and letting the medical officer bandage his wounds.

Yan Sikong stood aside, watching Feng Ye quietly for a long time. He saw several new and old scars clearly visible on Feng Ye's young body. He looked at him with a frown, lips tightly pursed, a layer of sweat on his forehead, enduring the pain, but his eyes were always fixed on the front, without saying a word.

He subconsciously tried to cover his trembling hands with his sleeves, but found that he was in military uniform and had nowhere to hide, so he had to hold them tightly.

The scene of him leading his troops into the valley just now and seeing Feng Ye covered in blood and trapped in the enemy's camp appeared in front of his eyes again. Even now, he still feels palpitations.

Although he later learned that most of the blood was from the enemy.

He had seen countless people, but he had only seen a young hero like Feng Ye in his life.

He walked past casually.

Feng Ye heard footsteps and raised his head. Seeing that it was him, his frown immediately relaxed: "Master Yan, come here."

Yan Sikong bowed, sat beside him, and carefully checked his injuries: "How do you feel, General?"

"It's just a minor injury, nothing serious." Feng Ye took a deep breath, as if relieved of a heavy burden, "I'm glad Lord Yan is not injured."

"I have been guarding the rear the whole time, so I am fine." Yan Sikong said in a deep voice, "The general is brave, which is a blessing for our army, but charging into the battle line and putting himself in danger shows that he lacks the wisdom of a general."

"We are forced to do this today." Feng Ye raised his hand and pointed far ahead. The devastated valley, the narrow pass, and the enemy troops blocking the way seemed to appear before his eyes. "Everyone is afraid of death. If I don't lead the way, how can the soldiers move forward?"

Yan Sikong grabbed Feng Ye's hand and said, "If the commander-in-chief makes a mistake, we will be leaderless. How can we move forward? Even though a general is vigorous, he must also think about his soldiers. We must not take risks like this again." His men exerted their strength and squeezed Feng Ye's hand bones so hard that they made them creak.

Feng Ye finally realized that Yan Sikong was holding back his anger. He looked at the bloody clothes on the ground and knew that Yan Sikong must be very worried. His heart was warm, so he said in agreement with him: "If it weren't for the situation, I would also cherish my life. Lord Yan is right. I will need your advice in the future."

"I don't deserve it. I just hope that my army will be victorious and return home in glory, so that I won't let down the emperor's great grace."

"I...hiss..." Feng Ye pulled the wound and couldn't help but gasp.

The doctor relaxed his grip and said, "General, bear with it for a moment. I will sew up the wound."

"Why not let me do it." Yan Sikong stretched out his hand.

"Master Yan is also knowledgeable in medicine?"

"With a little practice, this kind of injury is no problem."

The medical officer got Feng Ye's approval and retreated. Yan Sikong gently pinched the silver needle, which was as thin as an ox hair, and whispered, "It hurts a little, bear with it."

"I'm not afraid of pain." Feng Ye grinned. "Pain is the best way to temper a person's will. I have admired Master Guan since I was a child. I never get tired of hearing stories about him scraping bones to cure poison. These mere flesh injuries are nothing."

"If you didn't have to hurry, I would have stuffed the anesthetic into your mouth." Yan Sikong whispered, "I hate your foolish bravery the most."

Feng Ye laughed softly and said, "Kong'er is so worried about me, I'm happy in my heart, and even more... well... the pain is gone."

Yan Sikong quickly inserted the needle into the flesh, and the torn skin on his shoulder was sutured inch by inch. He had not practiced medicine for many years, but fortunately his hands were not rusty, at least much more skillful than that young medical officer.

Feng Ye looked at Yan Sikong intently. His serious and concerned expression was very beautiful. He whispered, "Kong'er, I never thought that one day you would go to the battlefield with me."

Yan Sikong glanced at him and said, "It was you who asked me to be a clerk in the army."

"Yes, Wenshu, you should follow the army and stay in the camp, instead of being led by me into the mountains and through dangerous valleys, letting the enemy's swords and arrows get so close to you." Feng Ye raised his hand, wanting to touch Yan Sikong's cheek, but then he remembered that there were soldiers all around him, so he put it down. "You look really heroic in armor, but I still like to see you in court clothes."

"Every man has his share of responsibility for the fate of his country, let alone me as a minister. When my country is in trouble, I have no choice but to shoulder the responsibility. Feng Ye, I am very grateful that you brought me here so that I can show my talents."

Feng Ye smiled bitterly: "I let you show your strengths, but you always go against me."

Yan Sikong also laughed: "You and I seek common ground while reserving differences, how can we be considered right? Although we have different opinions several times, in the end we still share the same hatred and successfully repel the enemy, don't you think so?"

Feng Ye nodded, wishing he could hold Yan Sikong in his arms right now. He leaned over and faced Yan Sikong almost face to face: "When I was little, I imagined that you and I, one is a scholar and the other is a warrior, and that you can be very skilled in both internal affairs and external affairs. Now your talent is beyond my expectation. Kong'er, you are really a remarkable person."

Yan Sikong said calmly: "You think too highly of me. There are people like me everywhere in the Hanlin Academy, but you just don't meet them."

"I don't believe it. Even if someone is more knowledgeable than you, they won't have your talent, and they won't be like you..." Feng Ye looked at Yan Sikong emotionally and said in a very low voice, "It's so fascinating."

Yan Sikong said softly and ambiguously: "We will talk about the rest when we choose."

"General." Wang Moxiu came over, and seeing that the two were almost close to each other, he curiously leaned forward and looked over.

Yan Sikong dodged to the side and said, "General, the injuries have been treated, put on your clothes." As he spoke, he shook out his clothes.

Feng Ye put his arm into his sleeve: "General Wang, please speak."

"The soldiers have finished their rest. How is the general's injury?"

"It's okay, we need to hurry." Feng Ye stood up and said, "Let's go."

——

Feng Ye led the remaining nearly 3,000 soldiers and traveled day and night for ten days through the deep mountains of Nanyue. After rushing for more than 400 miles, they finally arrived in Yueyang before the army of King Liang.

Yueyang had already received intelligence that the rebels were only two or three days away, and they were just barely ahead of the enemy, which made people sweat.

Feng Ye said to Yan Sikong proudly, "Did you hear me? If we use your conservative plan and take a detour, not only will our food and fodder run out, but the rebels may arrive before our army."

Yan Sikong smiled calmly and said, "The general is wise and decisive."

Feng Ye snorted: "You're jealous of me again. I'll deal with you sooner or later."

They entered the city and set up camp, using the city to resist the rebels. Although the small city of Yueyang was short of troops, they were not very worried, because Zhao Fuyi's army was behind them, and they would attack the city as soon as the Liang Wang army left. At that time, the rebels would be attacked from both sides, and whether they returned to rescue Jingzhou or went straight to Yueyang, they would inevitably divide their troops to weaken the situation.

Yan Sikong's plan forced King Liang to send troops to Yueyang at least several months earlier. If King Liang did not capture Yueyang as soon as possible, he would be trapped in Jingzhou when the reinforcements arrived. But once he sent troops, he must have known about the crisis in Jingzhou. His only way out was to use Jingzhou to delay Zhao Fuyi and attack Yueyang quickly. Once he captured Yueyang and controlled the waters of Dongting Lake, his rebellion would be halfway accomplished.

For them, successfully crossing Nanyue Mountain was half of the battle to suppress the rebellion. The other half depended on how long they could hold Yueyang. As long as they could hold on until Zhao Fuyi conquered Jingzhou, they would win. If Zhao Fuyi failed to conquer Jingzhou, they would not be able to decide where to put their heads.

Feng Ye stood on the top of Yueyang City, listening to Yueyang garrison commander Xue Lang's explanation of the military situation. He squinted at the wilderness outside the city and suddenly interrupted, "I'm better at defending a city than at fighting."

Xue Lang paused and said, "Your Highness is right. The Datong defense line is the strongest defense line of Dasheng. It has been guarded by the Feng family army for thirty years, preventing the barbarians from threatening the people of our country."

Feng Ye smiled and said, "The Wala launch a large-scale attack every few years. On weekdays, the light cavalry harasses us constantly. Most of the time, my father chooses to defend the city and not go out, wasting their time. Defending the city is always more advantageous than attacking it. I will defend it and wait for General Zhao to capture Jingzhou!"

Yan Sikong looked down at the city and recalled the time when he and Yuan Mao defended Guangning together. The conditions in Guangning were much worse than those in Yueyang, but they managed to defend it. However, they could defend the city but not the loyal hearts. He also had a lot of experience in defending cities, but what he had more of were the memories of being heartbroken.

Feng Ye saw that he looked pale: "Lord Yan, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Yan Sikong shook his head: "The wind is strong on the top of the city, it's a little chilly."

"Then let's go down."

Yan Sikong shook his head again: "I want to watch for a while longer." With his eyes closed, he could still see Zhuoletai's 70,000-man army, the forest of spears, the waving flags...

Feng Ye thought for a moment, then said, "General Xue, can you let me and Lord Yan take a look around?"

Xue Lang said, "Please do as you please, Your Majesty. I will not disturb you any more." He left with his attendants.

Feng Ye moved to Yan Sikong's right side, shielding him from the strong wind: "Kong'er, are you thinking about Guangning again?"

Yan Sikong blinked and said "hmm" softly. It was more than "again", he would think of Guangning all the time.

"This is not Guangning, you still have me."

Yan Sikong stood next to Feng Ye, looking into the distance: "Speaking of defending the city, I am also good at it."

"oh?"

Yan Sikong pointed to the wilderness ahead and said, "Back then, the eldest prince of the Jin Dynasty, Zhuoletai, led 70,000 troops across the Huang River and entered Liaodong, vowing to capture Guangning. I stood on the top of the city, looking at the overwhelming army, and was so scared that my legs went weak."

Feng Ye listened in silence.

"Guangning City has few soldiers, but my father swore to fight to the death for the 40,000 people in the city. It was..." Yan Sikong said tremblingly, "I came up with the plan, and he led the soldiers and people in the city to hold on. I watched the army approaching, and Guangning was in danger time and time again, but he stubbornly survived. I witnessed everything."

Guangning and the Yuan family have always been taboos in Yan Sikong's heart. Feng Ye never mentioned them lightly, for fear of touching on hurtful things, and Yan Sikong also obviously avoided them. This was the first time that Yan Sikong really brought up the old things of the past, and he was very uneasy.

Yan Sikong took a deep breath. Whenever he felt overwhelmed, he always wanted to tell Feng Ye something. This was a sign that a person trusted and relied on another person, but he couldn't and didn't need to, so he forcibly suppressed the desire to confide in him again, and his voice quickly returned to calm: "So, I am also good at defending the city. If you and I join hands, we will make it impossible for the rebels to advance even a single step." After he finished speaking, he turned and left.

Feng Ye looked at Yan Sikong's back, his face full of disappointment.