Hou Ye's palm heart is a black lotus

Fengdu.

The King of Yannan stood atop the city wall, his brow furrowed.

A biting wind swept in, chilling to the bone.

The Prince of Yannan turned his back and began to cough violently.

"Cough cough—cough—!"

"General."

Seeing this, the accompanying deputy general stepped forward with concern.

"You seem to be getting worse? Why don't you see a doctor again? This can't go on forever."

The Prince of Yannan waved his hand, "I know my own body. It's just an old ailment, nothing serious."

The deputy general's brow was still furrowed with worry.

"Can……"

"Have the people in the city been settled?" the Prince of Yannan asked.

The lieutenant nodded. "We have buried all the innocent civilians who were killed, as you ordered. The few survivors are all under our care."

The Prince of Yannan was relieved. "That's fine then."

The rebels massacred the city and then left, leaving behind this mess.

The King of Yannan pursued them all the way here, and unable to bear it any longer, he dispatched troops to deal with them.

After three days of rest, Fengdu is gradually returning to calm.

But they were further away from the rebels.

"Any news from the rebels?" King Yannan asked after a pause.

The lieutenant's expression hardened. "According to intelligence, their men are bypassing Ershan and heading towards the capital. The rebel leader seems to have lost patience and wants to reach the capital as soon as possible. I heard that their men only rest for three hours a day, spending the rest of their time traveling."

The Prince of Yannan frowned in thought. "So, they should be able to reach the capital in three days."

The lieutenant was somewhat uneasy. "Yes, General. Judging from the situation... I'm afraid we won't be able to get ahead of them in time."

Those people are like madmen!
Despite the freezing weather, they still rushed to the front lines every day, showing absolutely no regard for the lives of their soldiers!

Even if they manage to get there, the rest will probably be mostly wounded and weak soldiers.

The Prince of Yannan said, "Continue the pursuit. If we really can't catch up, the capital city has 80,000 troops stationed there, and they will never be allowed to set foot in the city gates."

The lieutenant felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this. "The general is right. The rebels are only courting death with their actions!"

The Prince of Yannan coughed twice more.

"Pass down the order: today is the last day of rest; tomorrow we will regroup and set off!" "Yes, sir!"

The lieutenant turned to leave, but then suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask, "General, that...that person, do you also want to take him with you?"

The Prince of Yannan nodded.

……

Winter days are exceptionally short.

It quickly got dark.

A long line of people braved the north wind, their steps never faltering.

Many people developed chilblains on their faces and hands.

The closer you get to the capital, the colder the weather becomes.

thump--!
A gaunt soldier, exhausted and with his last ounce of strength, finally collapsed.

However, no one around him helped him up.

They glanced at it indifferently, then looked away and continued walking forward with heavy steps.

Countless people have died along the way; they've long since become numb to it all.

The entire procession was silent, solemn, and cold.

It was like a dying dragon silently undulating across the ground.

In the middle of the procession, a man wearing a cloak rode a horse.

He was surrounded by soldiers on all sides, protecting him.

One of them glanced back, his eyes filled with pity.

He couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward to ask in a low voice, "Your Highness, we've been walking all day, and the soldiers are exhausted. Why don't we rest here?"

The man slightly raised his chin, raised his riding whip and pointed forward. The black mountain, like a giant beast, lay prostrate in the night.

"Let's talk about it after we get past Ershan."

Upon hearing this, the hopeful eyes of the people nearby dimmed.

But no one dared to refute it.

"Report——!"

Suddenly, a soldier galloped back from the front, dismounted, and knelt on one knee.

"Your Highness! Secret message!" (End of this chapter)