CHAPTER 513: CHAPTER 435: PREPARE THE HORSES, LEAVE THE CITY!_2

And the other one is an esteemed old doctor in the city, whom he sought last night.

This person is named He Wenzhu, with white hair and a thin build resembling a tall bamboo, yet his spirit is vigorous. After examining Yu Wenye last night, he immediately brewed some medicine to reduce the fever and stayed up for most of the night. He came over as soon as he heard the commotion early this morning.

At this moment, He Wenzhu walked up to the bedside and asked earnestly, "Great General, is your esteemed self in good health?"

Before Yu Wenye could speak, Shang Ruyi had already said, "He hasn’t reduced his fever yet."

"What?!"

Hearing this, Dai Junliang was the one who got anxious, stepping forward immediately, "How is the Great General still not well?"

Upon hearing this, He Wenzhu furrowed his gray eyebrows, "This shouldn’t be."

Yu Wenye sat for a while longer, gradually regaining some strength, and then prepared to get out of bed, saying, "I rarely get sick but don’t know why I caught a cold and fever this time, and it hasn’t subsided the whole night. But these matters can be discussed later. Dai Junliang, what is the situation in the city now?"

Dai Junliang was taken aback, not expecting the Great General to ask about the city’s situation as soon as he awoke, without attending to his own health.

He hurriedly said, "Reporting to the Great General, this subordinate was in the official office all night and did not leave even a step."

"Oh?"

"However, the General’s military orders were issued last night, all the city gates were reinforced overnight; defensive positions have been set up along the Little Forest River; and as for the water supply in the city—"

His words were suddenly interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps coming from outside.

The footsteps were not only heavy but also hurried, akin to the drums of war on the battlefield, making one feel inexplicably alarmed just by listening, and an unease rose in Shang Ruyi’s heart.

Everyone turned to look, and it was Mu Xian, who hurriedly walked in from outside.

"Great General—"

Without finishing his sentence, he saw Yu Wenye still sitting on the bed, his face pale, his eyes red, evidently having not slept well, and even showing signs of illness, immediately causing him to be stunned, "Second Young Master, what happened to you?"

Yu Wenye slightly furrowed his brows but did not speak.

Shang Ruyi immediately stepped forward, "He, the Great General, has a bit of a fever?"

"A fever?!"

Mu Xian’s face was filled with shock, as if hearing something unbelievable, and seeing him like this, Shang Ruyi also became more convinced of what Yu Wenye said last night; it shouldn’t just be putting on a strong front; he indeed seldom gets sick, which is why this illness caused such a reaction from Mu Xian.

Upon hearing of Yu Wenye’s illness, Mu Xian’s expression also became hesitant.

However, Yu Wenye, with a slight frown, immediately saw through his uneasiness and said sternly, "Did you return suddenly because something happened?"

"This..."

Mu Xian showed a hesitant expression.

Yu Wenye’s brows frowned even tighter, looking at him coldly, "I won’t ask about other matters, but if it’s military affairs and there’s a delay, regardless of the impact, I will deal with it according to military law!"

Hearing this, everyone around instinctively became nervous.

Mu Xian dared not hesitate any longer and hurriedly said, "Great General, a scout whom I stationed upstream of the Little Forest River to set up defenses has reported back that Xue Xian, leading tens of thousands of troops, has started constructing a pontoon bridge early this morning, preparing to cross the river."

"What?"

"Moreover, the river should not be wide, and they move quickly. The returning reporter said they should have already crossed by now.

"..."

Hearing this, Yu Wenye’s face suddenly darkened.

Dai Junliang said, "They just experienced a battle loss yesterday. Why are they coming again first thing in the morning? This isn’t proper conduct, is it?"

Yu Wenye looked at him indifferently, saying, "In warfare, where are the rules?"

"..."

"You follow the rules, but others’ lack of rules can destroy both the rules and you."

These simple and direct words made Dai Junliang’s heart sink.

He immediately said, "I understand, General."

But after thinking for a moment, he added, "However, regardless, Xue Xian shouldn’t return so soon after just losing yesterday. It doesn’t benefit them."

Yu Wenye thought for a moment and said, "He just doesn’t want to give us any advantages."

Upon hearing this, both Dai Junliang and Mu Xian were surprised, saying in unison, "What do you mean?"

Yu Wenye said, "Yesterday’s battle was targeting me because he wanted to defeat the newly appointed General here. By doing so, the Fufeng Army’s morale would collapse and become powerless against him; however, I managed to win yesterday, boosting the Fufeng Army’s morale."

"..."

"So today, he returns, not targeting me anymore."

Shang Ruyi had been quietly listening, and a flash of insight came over her as she immediately said, "He’s planning a formal siege! Since the Fufeng defense troops are few, they still stand a chance in a head-on battle. As long as they take Fufeng today, yesterday’s loss would mean nothing to them."

"Quite right,"

Yu Wenye nodded. He didn’t know whether speaking just now had made him feel a tightness in his chest again, but looking at the people in front of him, he still forcibly suppressed the faint pain in his chest and let out a long breath, saying, "For now, as I mentioned last night, we should avoid confronting them head-on. As long as we firmly defend the city, we can drag this out."

After saying this, he raised his head, "Immediately send orders—"

But before he finished speaking, Mu Xian had already stepped forward and said solemnly, "Great General, Lord Song, he has already left the city to face the battle."

"What?!"

Yu Wenye was shocked, suddenly sitting up from the bed.

Dai Junliang was also startled, urgently turning to look at him, "How can that be? Didn’t the Great General say last night—"

Mu Xian frowned, saying, "At the city gate, he gathered troops. Upon hearing that Xue Xian crossed the river, he ignored our attempts to stop him and opened the city gates to go out. He also said that if we don’t go out to fight the enemy after retreating midway last night, it would mean we are spies from Longxi."

"This—"

Dai Junliang was so anxious that he stomped his foot, "How can he do that?!"

At this moment, a tall figure suddenly stood up from the bedside, with eyes as red as fire and breathing heavily, he gravely said, "Bring me my armor and sword, prepare the horses, and exit the city!"