Finally, the discussion returned to the war. Liang Guang was very worried about this because King Liang had famous naval generals, sufficient warships, well-trained sailors, and now he also occupied the geographical advantage of Dongting Lake.

They turned the situation around under a weak position, captured Kuizhou and Jingzhou in succession, and forced King Liang to a decisive battle at Dongting Lake. They had exhausted all their energy and suffered heavy losses. If they failed at this stage, they would regret it for a thousand years.

"General Zhao and General Di Jiangjun have already written to the court to request more reinforcements. Nanchang and Jiujiang will send 20,000 troops to attack together with our army. We will surely be able to defeat them, but the current problem is..." Liang Guang said, "They are still reorganizing their troops. It will take at least half a month."

"Can our food and straw last another half month?" Feng Ye asked.

Liang Guang shook his head: "Just barely. The rebels will not delay any more."

Ge Zhong said: "Governor Liu and I will do our best to collect food and fodder to meet the needs of the front line."

"Master Ge, can you raise a thousand stones within two days and send them over first?"

"This..." Ge Zhong frowned, looking embarrassed, but he finally agreed, "Okay!"

"I have another matter to trouble you, Lord Ge." Yan Sikong said.

"Master Yan, please speak."

Yan Sikong looked at Liang Guang and said, "I would like to ask Lord Ge to write a letter to persuade King Liang to surrender. What do you think, Lord Changshi?"

Ge Zhong sighed: "If my advice was useful, why would it have come to this?"

"King Liang killed or imprisoned the officials and generals of the two lakes, but only placed Lord Ge under house arrest. This shows that King Liang is in awe of Lord Ge. This letter is not really to persuade them to surrender, but to delay for some time to wait for reinforcements. King Liang's nephew, daughter-in-law, and grandson are all in the city, so we may be able to start with this."

Liang Guang stroked his beard and said, "This old man also has the same idea. Now only Lord Ge's words have enough weight."

"In this case, I will certainly do my duty." Ge Zhong said, "There is no time to waste. I will write now. Please wait for me for a moment."

"Thank you."

Ge Zhong got up and went to the study. After an incense stick of time, he came back with a written letter in his hand, which he handed to Liang Guang.

Liang Guang spread out the envelope and the three of them read it together. Ge Zhong explained the righteousness and moved them with emotion in the letter. His words were sharp and very earnest.

"Good!" Liang Guang bowed and said, "With this letter, King Liang will definitely be uneasy. I will order someone to deliver it quickly."

"Lord Liang, why don't you give it to the prince?" Yan Sikong said, "I think this letter should be handed to the King of Liang secretly, and we must not let his officers and soldiers know about it, otherwise the King of Liang will think we are trying to sow discord, which will backfire."

"Lord Yan has thought it through," said Ge Zhong. "You should not send a messenger. Instead, you should send a scout to secretly deliver the message to King Liang."

Liang Guang nodded and handed the letter to Feng Ye: "Sir, this matter is now in your hands."

Feng Ye clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, Lord Changshi."

Ge Zhong invited them to have lunch in his house, but they politely declined.

After leaving the Governor's Mansion, Yan Sikong pretended to be dizzy. Feng Ye frowned and scolded him, "Look at you. I told you not to come out. I'll take you back to the inn."

Liang Guang was stunned for a moment, obviously feeling uncomfortable with Feng Ye's complaining tone. After all, it sounded too intimate.

Yan Sikong smiled bitterly and said, "Sir Liang, I am not talented and I am a little weak. I cannot help you with your official duties today."

Liang Guang said: "Your health is very important. Go back and rest."

Feng Ye hailed a carriage and helped Yan Sikong get in.

Yan Sikong leaned in his arms and reminded him, "Send the letter tonight, and don't let anyone see it when you leave the city."

"Don't worry." Feng Ye touched his forehead, "He doesn't seem to have a fever."

"I'm just tired, nothing serious." Yan Sikong sighed, "I haven't been this tired in a long time. It looks like it will take some time to recover."

Feng Ye pursed his lips and said, "Why did you get up so early today?"

Yan Sikong was stunned: "Today I..."

"Your bedding is cold. You must have gotten up a long time ago." From morning till now, Feng Ye has been thinking about this matter. Although it is not a big deal, he always has a lingering feeling of discomfort that Yan Sikong has hidden something from him. Therefore, even such a small matter makes him particularly concerned.

Yan Sikong said calmly: "I had a nightmare. I dreamed that we were ambushed by the enemy in Qingxu Valley. The passes on both sides were blocked. Wood, stone and arrow rained down from above. You led us to break through several times, but failed. The soldiers did not survive and died miserably in a foreign land..."

Feng Ye hugged him tightly, and immediately felt pity for him: "It's just a dream."

"Yes, it was just a dream." Yan Sikong sighed, "But the sight of you covered in blood will probably remain in my nightmares forever. I have never been so close to swords and blood before. When I rushed into the heart of the valley, if there were no soldiers protecting me, I would have been chopped off my horse very quickly. But you were trapped in the enemy camp. It scared me."

"Don't be afraid. No ordinary person can get close to me."

"No matter how powerful you are, you are still made of flesh and blood, and you don't have three heads and six arms." Yan Sikong leaned deeper into Feng Ye's arms. "Then, I couldn't fall asleep. I wanted to read a book and calm my mind, but I was too tired and fell asleep at my desk."

Feng Ye kissed Yan Sikong's forehead gently: "Why didn't you tell me if you were so uneasy?" He felt a little regretful that he had doubted Yan Sikong for no reason, which made him seem like a woman who was worried about gains and losses.

"I don't want to make you worry." Yan Sikong smiled faintly, "I am indeed too tired. As long as I rest for a few days, I won't have such crazy thoughts."

"Then you should have a good rest. Changshi and I will take care of everything." Feng Ye patted Yan Sikong's back gently to comfort him.

After returning to the inn, Feng Ye ordered someone to bring lunch to the room. Yan Sikong thought the dish was too light, so he asked Xue Bo to get him a bowl of white vinegar.

"Light?" Feng Ye took a sip, "It tastes just right to me."

"I've lost my appetite lately. I want to eat something tasty."

Feng Ye gave him two pieces of meat and said, "Eat more meat. You've become thinner."

"Really?" Yan Sikong looked down at himself and said jokingly, "If I lose weight, I will look more like a scholar. How about that?"

Feng Ye also laughed: "I don't need to be fat or thin to show my beauty."

"But I should eat more." Yan Sikong stuffed the meat into his mouth. "That day in Qingxu Valley, I rode a horse and held a sword. It didn't take long for me to feel tired. I spent too much time on paperwork, and my martial arts skills were somewhat neglected."

"You are exhausted from running around in the mountains a few days ago. You will be fine once you have rested. I will teach you swordsmanship when we return to the capital."

Yan Sikong laughed and said, "Great! With the little wolf king teaching me swordsmanship personally, maybe I can become a great hero..." When he got excited, he knocked over the bowl with his chopsticks, and the bowl of white vinegar spilled all over Feng Ye.

"Oh." Feng Ye stood up quickly.

Yan Sikong quickly took the cloth to wipe his eyes, and laughed at himself, "I'm afraid my eyesight is blurry. Take off your clothes quickly."

Feng Yepi laughed and said, "You asked me to take off my clothes in broad daylight, why are you so anxious?"

Yan Sikong laughed and scolded, "Stop making trouble, take off your clothes quickly, you are so jealous. If you don't change your clothes, you won't be able to go out today."

Feng Ye first took Ge Zhong's letter out of his arms and put it aside, then took off his clothes. His room was next door, and he walked back to his room while wiping his vinegar-stained abdomen.

Yan Sikong quickly opened the letter tube, took out the letter, then used a brush dipped in some vinegar to write two words below Ge Zhong's writing.

The white vinegar soon soaked through the back of the paper. Yan Sikong pricked up his ears to listen to the movement next door, and at the same time kept blowing on the handwriting. The vinegar evaporated quickly, and the wet handwriting slowly disappeared. Yan Sikong heard the sound of the door opening next door, so he had to roll up the letter and put it back into the tube.

As Feng Ye put on his clothes and walked in, he saw Yan Sikong holding a paper tube and wiping it with a cloth.

"Is it dirty?"

"It's okay to get a little bit of it." Yan Sikong returned the tube to Feng Ye.

Feng Ye took it and put it back into his arms. He wrinkled his nose and sniffed it: "I'm afraid I still smell like jealousy."

Yan Sikong raised his eyebrows and asked, "Who are you jealous of?"

"Besides you, who else can make me jealous?" Feng Ye said ambiguously, "I hope you will make me jealous just this once."

They both couldn't help but burst out laughing.

——

In the afternoon, Feng Ye went to handle military affairs in the city, and selected a capable subordinate to quietly send Ge Zhong's letter away.

It was not until night fell that Feng Ye returned to the inn.

Yan Sikong was lying on the bed reading a book.

Feng Ye closed the door, walked to the bedside, and took the book from his hand: "Didn't we agree to rest?"

"I've slept all afternoon, and now I feel refreshed." Yan Sikong said with a smile, "Have you settled everything?"

"It's done, don't worry."

"I wonder if Lord Ge can gather some food and grass."

"Lord Ge is in charge of the military and political affairs of the twenty-seven states in the two lakes. Since he dared to promise, he will definitely not break his word." Feng Ye got off his shoes and got on the bed, holding Yan Sikong in his arms and kissing his hair lightly.

"It's just that food is in short supply everywhere right now."

"Even so, there's no point in worrying." Feng Ye gripped his waist tightly, and his warm lips fell on his cheeks and neck.

"Why didn't Chen Huan kill Ge Zhong? Ge Zhong is the governor of Hunan and Hubei. Wouldn't it be troublesome if he was kept alive?"

"It's hard to say. Anyway, it shouldn't be out of consideration for friendship." Feng Ye turned over and pressed Yan Sikong down on the bed, his eyes piercing. "You are in my arms, but you can't concentrate on thinking about me. Should you be punished?"

Yan Sikong smiled lazily: "How do you want to punish me?"

"I'll punish you..." Feng Ye lowered his head and bit his ear gently, "You are only allowed to call my husband tonight."

Yan Sikong laughed and scolded: "I won't scream."

Feng Ye pulled Yan Sikong's clothes and kissed him wildly but tenderly on the lips. As their lips and teeth intertwined, he said vaguely, "When you cry out for mercy under me, I'll see if you scream."

"Feng Ye... I, I still have some doubts... um..."

"What are you worried about?"

"I wonder why Chen Huan didn't kill Ge Zhong. Could it be because of Eunuch Xie...ah..." Yan Sikong covered his neck as he was bitten by Feng Ye.

Feng Yebei said with a smile: "Try to mention other men again." He paused, "You are not allowed to mention those who are neither male nor female."

Yan Sikong chuckled, and Feng Ye blocked his lips again. The two of them kissed each other passionately, and their affection soon filled the whole room...