Qin Ke’s face turned gloomy as he walked out of the tent and ascended the commanding platform, looking into the distance.
Soldiers of Youji Kingdom clad in black and soldiers of Great Han Kingdom in camouflage were engaged in a fierce battle, like two different colors of paint poured into flowing water, they blended and wriggled together. Great Han’s soldiers charged fearlessly, wielding their big swords with a death wish, slaying one enemy with each swing. The Youji soldiers were stunned by their momentum, their faces showing fear as they dodged and retreated. Occasionally, a black sphere would be thrown into the Youji ranks, causing an explosive “bang” and killing a number of soldiers. The battlefield echoed with cries of agony, and the thick scent of blood mixed with the cold wind made people nauseous.
“Charge——Kill——”
Qin Ke was startled and asked, “What’s going on? Why are Great Han’s soldiers so excited?”
No one answered and the Youji troops retreated step by step.
Deputy General Shi had a pale complexion, looking at Qin Ke with eyes filled with anger and sorrow. He spoke slowly and heavily, “This war was hastily prepared, and we are simply no match for Great Han Kingdom. General, do you still want to continue sending soldiers to their deaths? They are our own men…”
Qin Ke opened his mouth but couldn’t say a word.
“General!” Vice General Shi looked at him in disbelief.
Qin Ke took a silent breath, his eyes filled with confusion, “The king’s command is hard to refuse…”
“There is also the saying, ‘The general will not always obey the king’s command!’” Deputy General Shi roared, “I’ll issue the order to retreat; after all, I’m just a lonely individual!”
With that, he rushed down from the commanding platform.
Qin Ke stood still for a moment, then turned to the soldiers in front of the war drums and yelled, “Retreat! I command you to retreat!”
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The war drums were heavily beaten three times.
Wei Chi raised an eyebrow in puzzlement and waved a small flag.
The drummer had been paying attention to the general’s movements and, seeing the signal, first beat the drum heavily once, and then twice. The Great Han soldiers stopped in their tracks, still cautious but with happy smiles on their faces, watching the Youji soldiers flee like mice encountering a cat, reveling in their joy.
Wei Chi, Yan Ge, and a few others rode their horses forward and looked at the opposite side from a distance.
The Youji soldiers regrouped after retreating to their camp and stood still.
Qin Ke and Deputy General Shi came over with six soldiers on horseback.
Wei Chi said to Yan Ge, “Huang Guiqing, please allow me to meet the general for a moment.”
“General, please.” Yan Ge nodded.
Wei Chi also brought an equal number of soldiers and rode over.
When they were about forty to fifty steps apart, they stopped.
Qin Ke wore a look of humiliation and managed to adjust his expression with difficulty. He greeted Wei Chi with a polite tone, “General Wei Chi.”
“General Qin,” Wei Chi held the reins in his left hand and casually rested his right hand on his thigh, smiling lightly.
As expected of a seasoned general, Qin Ke quickly calmed down, “General Wei Chi, this war with Great Han Kingdom is a misunderstanding. If we continue, the casualties on both sides will be more severe. I’m willing to take a step back and hope that General Wei will consider the longstanding friendship between our two kingdoms and not hold us accountable.”
Not holding them accountable was impossible, but he hoped Wei Chi would not continue the attack.
Wei Chi replied, “General Qin, you can rest assured. Before receiving His Majesty’s decree, I won’t launch any further attacks. However, the battlefield needs cleaning up, so we’ll probably camp here tonight. It’s quite far from your camp, and I believe it won’t disturb you and your troops.”
Qin Ke could only endure silently, “Alright.”
After saying that, he turned and led his men back to the camp.
Only then did the soldiers of Great Han Kingdom burst into hearty laughter, feeling both excited and proud.
Wei Chi let them laugh for a while before raising his hand to stop them, “Alright, clean up the battlefield first, and then move the camp here.”
“Yes!”
Back in his tent, Wei Chi wrote a report, detailing the situation on the battlefield, and sent it to the capital.
Yan Ge sat on the side sipping tea. He waited for him to finish before asking, “General, what do you think is going on? Will Youji Kingdom declare war again?”
Wei Chi replied, “Huang Guiqing, our information is limited. However, this sudden war declaration from Youji Kingdom and the subsequent sudden ceasefire make me think there might be internal issues within the Youji Court, maybe even involving their king…” He stopped speaking, unsure of how to continue or feeling that his speculation was too frightening.
Yan Ge seemed to understand something.
Wei Chi continued, “As for whether they will declare war again, it’s hard to say. Nevertheless, I believe we should be prepared as soon as possible and be ready for anything.”
Yan Ge nodded, “General, your words make sense. I know nothing about these matters, and I trust in you completely.”
“Please rest assured, Huang Guiqing,” Wei Chi felt at ease. The fact that Huang Guiqing did not interfere in military affairs allowed him to act without hesitation.
Huang Guiqing’s understanding made him feel respected and valued, motivating him to be even more dedicated.
This was also Yan Ge’s way of utilizing talents.
In the following days, there were no signs of Youji Kingdom declaring war again. However, Wei Chi remained vigilant.
Yan Ge also stayed put, awaiting the decree from Huangfu Yuchen. Furthermore, he saw an opportunity to give the Crown Prince a taste of military camp life and even the atmosphere of the battlefield.
Huangfu Yuchen’s decree arrived swiftly, and it aligned closely with Wei Chi’s thoughts: if the Youji Kingdom ceased hostilities, Great Han did not aggressively pursue conflict. First, Great Han had no ambitions of expansion. Secondly, the people would suffer once war ignited. However, if the Youji Kingdom remained obstinate, Great Han was not to be underestimated; they would surely make them pay. Additionally, Youji Kingdom had to compensate Great Han for the losses incurred in this war, otherwise, Great Han wouldn’t let matters rest. Huangfu Yuchen had already dispatched envoys to visit the Youji Kingdom and demand an explanation, so Wei Chi had to wait and see Youji Kingdom’s next move.
Yan Ge and Prince Huangfu Yunxi stayed for five more days, but there were no developments from Youji Kingdom, and they left, as there was little they could do by staying there.
Back in the capital, the weather turned colder.
The capital was not affected by the Southwest War, and it was as lively as usual. In fact, not only the capital. Except for the southwest, other areas were not affected. The common people still had great trust in the imperial court.
Yan Ge arrived at Tenglong Palace but found that Huangfu Yuchen had not yet returned. After taking a bath, he still didn’t see him, so he ordered a table of food from the Imperial Kitchen and ate while waiting.
“The Emperor has returned——”
As soon as Huangfu Yuchen entered, he saw his beloved enjoying the food, “Xiao Ge, I’m back.”
“Mhmm.” Yan Ge greeted him and handed him a cup of tea, “It’s late. Did something happened?”
Huangfu Yuchen took a sip of tea. He noticed the skewer of lamb Yan Ge held in his other hand, and smiled, nodding his chin toward it. Yan Ge smiled back and brought the skewer close to his mouth.
Huangfu Yuchen opened his mouth and took a bite, swallowing the lamb. He pulled Yan Ge to sit beside him at the banquet table and spoke, “I received a report from the spies I sent. It seems that Luo Youfeng might be under someone else’s control. The war declaration was not his intention. There’s a suspicious figure manipulating things behind the scenes.”
A palace maid brought water, and Huangfu Yuchen calmly washed his hands.
“Oh?” Yan Ge was surprised, and as he fed Huangfu Yuchen another piece of lamb, he asked, “Do you have any suspicions? What could be their motive?”
Huangfu Yuchen scooped a bowl of soup for Yan Ge and himself, sipping slowly before replying, “Based on all the information we’ve received so far, we can’t determine the motive yet. However, it seems like some kind of testing on their part.”
Yan Ge was intelligent and quickly grasped the situation, “Are you suggesting that this manipulator is using Youji Kingdom to test our military strength? If that’s the case, their strategy Is too ruthless.” His expression turned cold, and he added, “Their test not only caused significant economic losses to both Great Han and Youji, but it also resulted in nearly twenty thousand lives lost. If it weren’t for Qin Ke inexplicably calling off the attack, the consequences could have been even more severe.”
After feeding Yan Ge another scoop of bamboo shoots, Huangfu Yuchen said, “Regardless of who this manipulator is, since they have conducted their test, I believe they’ll take further action soon. Whatever they do next will likely be more severe than Youji Kingdom declaring war against us.”
“Do you have any suspects?” Yan Ge was enjoying the shredded bamboo shoots in his mouth, so Huangfu Yuchen helped him add some more to his bowl.
Huangfu Yuchen paused with his chopsticks in hand, “The security at the Youji Palace is tight, and Luo Youfeng is not a fool. Whoever is controlling him must be quite formidable.”
“Is it Meng Xiaohun again?” Yan Ge’s lips curled into a cold smile, but his voice was calm, “If it’s him, it’s a good thing; we can deal with him thoroughly this time!”
Huangfu Yuchen held his hand, “That’s what I’m thinking too.”
“Oh, by the way,” Yan Ge suddenly remembered something, “If his goal is the throne, Yunxi is also an obstacle. You need to arrange more people to protect him.”
“Don’t worry,” Huangfu Yuchen embraced him, “Let me hold you for a while. Things will get busy soon.”
Yan Ge picked up a towel and wiped his mouth, then relaxed against Huangfu Yuchen.
They didn’t speak, just enjoying each other’s warmth.
Yan Ge fell asleep drowsily and woke up later, still in Huangfu Yuchen’s arms. However, they had moved to the study, where Huangfu Yuchen was looking through documents.
“Awake?”
“What time is it?” Yan Ge didn’t move, glancing outside and yawning.
“Just the hour of You,” Huangfu Yuchen rubbed his temples, “Nothing important will happen these two days. You can play as usual.”
“Okay. There is one thing, though,” Yan Ge yawned again after sleeping too much, “Deng Mande.”
Deng Mande stepped forward, “Yes, Huang Guiqing.”
“Send someone out of the palace to inform Manager Yuan and Wen Xian to have a meal with me tomorrow at noon.”
“Understood.”
Seeing a palace maid bringing in water, Yan Ge got up from Huangfu Yuchen’s embrace, washed his face, and felt more awake. He dampened a towel again, wrung it half dry, and helped Huangfu Yuchen wipe his face. It was like washing a child’s face, he carefully wiped around his eyes, mouth, ears, and behind his ears, suppressing a laugh.
Huangfu Yuchen tilted his face, cooperating with Yan Ge and even praised him, “Baby is so thoughtful; my face feels much better after washing.”
Yan Ge picked a hawthorn fruit from the fruit platter and put it in Huangfu Yuchen’s mouth.
It was a warm and intimate day.
The next day at noon, Yan Ge invited Wen Xian to dine at Liuxian Pavilion. They were joined by Wei Xian and several important managers from the company.
Coincidentally, a few new dishes had been introduced recently, and everyone enjoyed the satisfying meal.
“Liuxian Pavilion is truly extraordinary; after so many years, they can still frequently introduce new dishes,” Wen Xian said, “Fortunately, some of us have substantial savings; otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to afford it.”
Yan Ge said, “It will be better in the future. I plan to sell some of the recipes regularly. Over time, even ordinary commoners will be able to afford these dishes.”
Wen Xian and the others were somewhat surprised. If they were in Yan Ge’s position, they would definitely keep the recipes and not sell them. But when they thought about Yan Ge’s current wealth, they realized that he indeed didn’t care about these recipes and they admired him for his courage. Few people would have the courage to “give up” like him.
As they were eating, the urgent sound of hooves approached from outside.
“Urgent message from Xiguan Pass, urgent message from Xiguan Pass.”
Yan Ge’s expression changed, and he stood up, “I’m sorry, you all continue eating; I need to take care of something.”
Wen Xian nodded understandingly, “Take your time, Boss Yan.”
Yan Ge’s figure disappeared in a flash.
Qin Ke’s face turned gloomy as he walked out of the tent and ascended the commanding platform, looking into the distance.
Soldiers of Youji Kingdom clad in black and soldiers of Great Han Kingdom in camouflage were engaged in a fierce battle, like two different colors of paint poured into flowing water, they blended and wriggled together. Great Han’s soldiers charged fearlessly, wielding their big swords with a death wish, slaying one enemy with each swing. The Youji soldiers were stunned by their momentum, their faces showing fear as they dodged and retreated. Occasionally, a black sphere would be thrown into the Youji ranks, causing an explosive “bang” and killing a number of soldiers. The battlefield echoed with cries of agony, and the thick scent of blood mixed with the cold wind made people nauseous.
“Charge——Kill——”
Qin Ke was startled and asked, “What’s going on? Why are Great Han’s soldiers so excited?”
No one answered and the Youji troops retreated step by step.
Deputy General Shi had a pale complexion, looking at Qin Ke with eyes filled with anger and sorrow. He spoke slowly and heavily, “This war was hastily prepared, and we are simply no match for Great Han Kingdom. General, do you still want to continue sending soldiers to their deaths? They are our own men…”
Qin Ke opened his mouth but couldn’t say a word.
“General!” Vice General Shi looked at him in disbelief.
Qin Ke took a silent breath, his eyes filled with confusion, “The king’s command is hard to refuse…”
“There is also the saying, ‘The general will not always obey the king’s command!’” Deputy General Shi roared, “I’ll issue the order to retreat; after all, I’m just a lonely individual!”
With that, he rushed down from the commanding platform.
Qin Ke stood still for a moment, then turned to the soldiers in front of the war drums and yelled, “Retreat! I command you to retreat!”
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The war drums were heavily beaten three times.
Wei Chi raised an eyebrow in puzzlement and waved a small flag.
The drummer had been paying attention to the general’s movements and, seeing the signal, first beat the drum heavily once, and then twice. The Great Han soldiers stopped in their tracks, still cautious but with happy smiles on their faces, watching the Youji soldiers flee like mice encountering a cat, reveling in their joy.
Wei Chi, Yan Ge, and a few others rode their horses forward and looked at the opposite side from a distance.
The Youji soldiers regrouped after retreating to their camp and stood still.
Qin Ke and Deputy General Shi came over with six soldiers on horseback.
Wei Chi said to Yan Ge, “Huang Guiqing, please allow me to meet the general for a moment.”
“General, please.” Yan Ge nodded.
Wei Chi also brought an equal number of soldiers and rode over.
When they were about forty to fifty steps apart, they stopped.
Qin Ke wore a look of humiliation and managed to adjust his expression with difficulty. He greeted Wei Chi with a polite tone, “General Wei Chi.”
“General Qin,” Wei Chi held the reins in his left hand and casually rested his right hand on his thigh, smiling lightly.
As expected of a seasoned general, Qin Ke quickly calmed down, “General Wei Chi, this war with Great Han Kingdom is a misunderstanding. If we continue, the casualties on both sides will be more severe. I’m willing to take a step back and hope that General Wei will consider the longstanding friendship between our two kingdoms and not hold us accountable.”
Not holding them accountable was impossible, but he hoped Wei Chi would not continue the attack.
Wei Chi replied, “General Qin, you can rest assured. Before receiving His Majesty’s decree, I won’t launch any further attacks. However, the battlefield needs cleaning up, so we’ll probably camp here tonight. It’s quite far from your camp, and I believe it won’t disturb you and your troops.”
Qin Ke could only endure silently, “Alright.”
After saying that, he turned and led his men back to the camp.
Only then did the soldiers of Great Han Kingdom burst into hearty laughter, feeling both excited and proud.
Wei Chi let them laugh for a while before raising his hand to stop them, “Alright, clean up the battlefield first, and then move the camp here.”
“Yes!”
Back in his tent, Wei Chi wrote a report, detailing the situation on the battlefield, and sent it to the capital.
Yan Ge sat on the side sipping tea. He waited for him to finish before asking, “General, what do you think is going on? Will Youji Kingdom declare war again?”
Wei Chi replied, “Huang Guiqing, our information is limited. However, this sudden war declaration from Youji Kingdom and the subsequent sudden ceasefire make me think there might be internal issues within the Youji Court, maybe even involving their king…” He stopped speaking, unsure of how to continue or feeling that his speculation was too frightening.
Yan Ge seemed to understand something.
Wei Chi continued, “As for whether they will declare war again, it’s hard to say. Nevertheless, I believe we should be prepared as soon as possible and be ready for anything.”
Yan Ge nodded, “General, your words make sense. I know nothing about these matters, and I trust in you completely.”
“Please rest assured, Huang Guiqing,” Wei Chi felt at ease. The fact that Huang Guiqing did not interfere in military affairs allowed him to act without hesitation.
Huang Guiqing’s understanding made him feel respected and valued, motivating him to be even more dedicated.
This was also Yan Ge’s way of utilizing talents.
In the following days, there were no signs of Youji Kingdom declaring war again. However, Wei Chi remained vigilant.
Yan Ge also stayed put, awaiting the decree from Huangfu Yuchen. Furthermore, he saw an opportunity to give the Crown Prince a taste of military camp life and even the atmosphere of the battlefield.
Huangfu Yuchen’s decree arrived swiftly, and it aligned closely with Wei Chi’s thoughts: if the Youji Kingdom ceased hostilities, Great Han did not aggressively pursue conflict. First, Great Han had no ambitions of expansion. Secondly, the people would suffer once war ignited. However, if the Youji Kingdom remained obstinate, Great Han was not to be underestimated; they would surely make them pay. Additionally, Youji Kingdom had to compensate Great Han for the losses incurred in this war, otherwise, Great Han wouldn’t let matters rest. Huangfu Yuchen had already dispatched envoys to visit the Youji Kingdom and demand an explanation, so Wei Chi had to wait and see Youji Kingdom’s next move.
Yan Ge and Prince Huangfu Yunxi stayed for five more days, but there were no developments from Youji Kingdom, and they left, as there was little they could do by staying there.
Back in the capital, the weather turned colder.
The capital was not affected by the Southwest War, and it was as lively as usual. In fact, not only the capital. Except for the southwest, other areas were not affected. The common people still had great trust in the imperial court.
Yan Ge arrived at Tenglong Palace but found that Huangfu Yuchen had not yet returned. After taking a bath, he still didn’t see him, so he ordered a table of food from the Imperial Kitchen and ate while waiting.
“The Emperor has returned——”
As soon as Huangfu Yuchen entered, he saw his beloved enjoying the food, “Xiao Ge, I’m back.”
“Mhmm.” Yan Ge greeted him and handed him a cup of tea, “It’s late. Did something happened?”
Huangfu Yuchen took a sip of tea. He noticed the skewer of lamb Yan Ge held in his other hand, and smiled, nodding his chin toward it. Yan Ge smiled back and brought the skewer close to his mouth.
Huangfu Yuchen opened his mouth and took a bite, swallowing the lamb. He pulled Yan Ge to sit beside him at the banquet table and spoke, “I received a report from the spies I sent. It seems that Luo Youfeng might be under someone else’s control. The war declaration was not his intention. There’s a suspicious figure manipulating things behind the scenes.”
A palace maid brought water, and Huangfu Yuchen calmly washed his hands.
“Oh?” Yan Ge was surprised, and as he fed Huangfu Yuchen another piece of lamb, he asked, “Do you have any suspicions? What could be their motive?”
Huangfu Yuchen scooped a bowl of soup for Yan Ge and himself, sipping slowly before replying, “Based on all the information we’ve received so far, we can’t determine the motive yet. However, it seems like some kind of testing on their part.”
Yan Ge was intelligent and quickly grasped the situation, “Are you suggesting that this manipulator is using Youji Kingdom to test our military strength? If that’s the case, their strategy Is too ruthless.” His expression turned cold, and he added, “Their test not only caused significant economic losses to both Great Han and Youji, but it also resulted in nearly twenty thousand lives lost. If it weren’t for Qin Ke inexplicably calling off the attack, the consequences could have been even more severe.”
After feeding Yan Ge another scoop of bamboo shoots, Huangfu Yuchen said, “Regardless of who this manipulator is, since they have conducted their test, I believe they’ll take further action soon. Whatever they do next will likely be more severe than Youji Kingdom declaring war against us.”
“Do you have any suspects?” Yan Ge was enjoying the shredded bamboo shoots in his mouth, so Huangfu Yuchen helped him add some more to his bowl.
Huangfu Yuchen paused with his chopsticks in hand, “The security at the Youji Palace is tight, and Luo Youfeng is not a fool. Whoever is controlling him must be quite formidable.”
“Is it Meng Xiaohun again?” Yan Ge’s lips curled into a cold smile, but his voice was calm, “If it’s him, it’s a good thing; we can deal with him thoroughly this time!”
Huangfu Yuchen held his hand, “That’s what I’m thinking too.”
“Oh, by the way,” Yan Ge suddenly remembered something, “If his goal is the throne, Yunxi is also an obstacle. You need to arrange more people to protect him.”
“Don’t worry,” Huangfu Yuchen embraced him, “Let me hold you for a while. Things will get busy soon.”
Yan Ge picked up a towel and wiped his mouth, then relaxed against Huangfu Yuchen.
They didn’t speak, just enjoying each other’s warmth.
Yan Ge fell asleep drowsily and woke up later, still in Huangfu Yuchen’s arms. However, they had moved to the study, where Huangfu Yuchen was looking through documents.
“Awake?”
“What time is it?” Yan Ge didn’t move, glancing outside and yawning.
“Just the hour of You,” Huangfu Yuchen rubbed his temples, “Nothing important will happen these two days. You can play as usual.”
“Okay. There is one thing, though,” Yan Ge yawned again after sleeping too much, “Deng Mande.”
Deng Mande stepped forward, “Yes, Huang Guiqing.”
“Send someone out of the palace to inform Manager Yuan and Wen Xian to have a meal with me tomorrow at noon.”
“Understood.”
Seeing a palace maid bringing in water, Yan Ge got up from Huangfu Yuchen’s embrace, washed his face, and felt more awake. He dampened a towel again, wrung it half dry, and helped Huangfu Yuchen wipe his face. It was like washing a child’s face, he carefully wiped around his eyes, mouth, ears, and behind his ears, suppressing a laugh.
Huangfu Yuchen tilted his face, cooperating with Yan Ge and even praised him, “Baby is so thoughtful; my face feels much better after washing.”
Yan Ge picked a hawthorn fruit from the fruit platter and put it in Huangfu Yuchen’s mouth.
It was a warm and intimate day.
The next day at noon, Yan Ge invited Wen Xian to dine at Liuxian Pavilion. They were joined by Wei Xian and several important managers from the company.
Coincidentally, a few new dishes had been introduced recently, and everyone enjoyed the satisfying meal.
“Liuxian Pavilion is truly extraordinary; after so many years, they can still frequently introduce new dishes,” Wen Xian said, “Fortunately, some of us have substantial savings; otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to afford it.”
Yan Ge said, “It will be better in the future. I plan to sell some of the recipes regularly. Over time, even ordinary commoners will be able to afford these dishes.”
Wen Xian and the others were somewhat surprised. If they were in Yan Ge’s position, they would definitely keep the recipes and not sell them. But when they thought about Yan Ge’s current wealth, they realized that he indeed didn’t care about these recipes and they admired him for his courage. Few people would have the courage to “give up” like him.
As they were eating, the urgent sound of hooves approached from outside.
“Urgent message from Xiguan Pass, urgent message from Xiguan Pass.”
Yan Ge’s expression changed, and he stood up, “I’m sorry, you all continue eating; I need to take care of something.”
Wen Xian nodded understandingly, “Take your time, Boss Yan.”
Yan Ge’s figure disappeared in a flash.
