The Bodyguard King’s CEO Wife Chapter 1603: Bonds of Life and Death

"Call them up here; I want to question them personally." Ye Shikai didn’t react immediately, his mind blank, feeling that a slight movement of his body would cause him to collapse to the ground.

"Yes."

A dozen team members entered the tent. There was no hint of joy for completing their task on their faces; instead, they trembled all over, as if a great calamity was upon them.

"What exactly happened? Why didn’t Xue San come back?" Ye Shikai calmed his emotions slightly, his voice turning somewhat hoarse.

"Reporting to General Ye, at the time... we were discovered by the Qin Army. Commander Xue then ordered us to act prematurely. During the fierce battle, we suffered several casualties. Finally, we found that there were several warehouses left unlit. Commander Xue grabbed our igniting material and rushed up directly, ordering us... to withdraw... to retreat. After we fired the signal flare, we discovered he had been surrounded by the Qin Army, hid inside a warehouse, and then... and then..."

"And then what? Speak quickly." Ye Shikai slammed the table and shouted.

"Commander Xue ignited the warehouse and perished along with the Qin Army."

"That’s impossible. How could he have been surrounded?" Ye Shikai shouted excitedly.

"It’s absolutely true; we saw it with our own eyes."

"Since you saw it, why didn’t you go and rescue him?" Ye Shikai suddenly drew his sword, almost ready to kill someone. Shangguan Jian and the guards quickly restrained him.

"It’s... it’s because Commander Xue repeatedly commanded us to retreat. The brothers wanted to risk their lives to save him, but..."

"Alright, Old Ye, the brothers aren’t afraid of dying. We’re very sad about what happened, but even if they went to rescue him, it would only increase the casualties." Shangguan Jian remained the calmest. Earlier in East County, Xue San was injured by an arrow during reconnaissance and was unable to retreat, losing all contact. Ye Shikai was anxious, but anxiety was useless. Shangguan Jian felt very upset too, but there was nothing he could do; in war, there’s no such thing as undying. Xue San must have been prepared to die before taking action...

"You all may leave." Shangguan Jian waved, signaling the dozen team members to withdraw. Ye Shikai felt very downcast, collapsing directly to the ground.

"General Ye, the death of Xue San brings me immense grief also. The lord will surely give him a formal burial. Now, as the two armies are confronting each other, it’s a critical moment. We hope General Ye prioritizes the bigger picture." Huo Ziqing stepped forward and advised.

"Indeed, Old Ye, prioritize the broader situation; otherwise... more brothers will perish."

After a long while, Ye Shikai calmed down, and everyone withdrew, leaving him alone in the tent to reflect silently.

Even now, Ye Shikai refused to believe Xue San was dead. They had not brought back a body, so Ye Shikai still believed in miracles.

"Old Ye, you didn’t eat dinner; aren’t you hungry? How about eating something?" Late at night, Shangguan Jian had the guards deliver chicken soup.

"Old Ye, are you alright?"

"Don’t worry; I’m fine." Ye Shikai waved his hand. As a commander, he mustn’t show "softness" in front of the soldiers.

"Old Ye, the squad brothers have already set out. They can’t leave Xue San behind, insisting on seeing him alive or retrieving his body. Even if Xue San is truly dead, they want to bring the corpse back. I didn’t stop them."

"Let them go. Actually, I don’t blame them; I was too impulsive earlier." He thought back to his first meeting with Xue San, who was just a rogue but promised to follow Ye Shikai through life and death. Though not as burly as Man Cang, his loyalty was just as strong.

"Old Ye, you don’t need to be so pessimistic; Xue San is resourceful, maybe he already escaped."

"Alright, no need to comfort me; I trust Xue San." Ye Shikai stood up again, believing Xue San wouldn’t die so easily. Even if the unfortunate happened, he couldn’t reverse it; Xue San was his brother, and if he died, Ye Shikai would erect a monument for him.

...

The next day.

"Soldiers above, you have no food left now. If this goes on, you’ll starve to death even if you don’t die in battle. Open the door and surrender quickly."

"People inside, surrender quickly; your generals have fled, leaving you behind. There’s no reason to stay and die for them."

For two days, Ye Shikai had soldiers repeatedly shout at the front. Internal complaints arose within the Qin Army, and regardless of the truth, these words spread like a plague in the Qin Army camp. The power of rumors is terrifying and can sometimes be more dreadful than swords...

"Old Ye, what if the Qin Army inside doesn’t believe what we say? If they hold firm, won’t our actions be futile?"

"Don’t worry; they will believe it." Ye Shikai said calmly.

"Why are you so confident?"

"The Qin Army now cooks only twice a day, each person receiving nothing more than a bun and a bowl of thin rice porridge. The Qin Army isn’t stupid; they all understand that they must have run out of supplies internally. Moreover, the commotion during the grain burning was so loud, they couldn’t have missed it."

"I see."

"For marching soldiers, without food, there’s no need for us to attack; they will collapse themselves."

"Old Ye, when shall we attack the camp? The lord seems somewhat impatient, and the army’s morale is high. If we delay further, I fear we’ll miss the opportunity." Shangguan Jian advised.

"Yes, I think the time is about right." Ye Shikai looked far towards the Qin Army camp, seeing many soldiers already slumped down, showing the pain of going without food. Just three days without food will break someone’s endurance, let alone a week without supplies, they won’t even have the strength to guard the camp.

The most crucial point is, Ye Shikai calculated the time; it had been ten days since he conquered Deng County. According to predictions, the Central Plains each county should have started gathering troops and supplies. Delaying further, although locally beneficial for Ye Shikai, from a broader perspective it was disadvantageous for them.

"Assemble the entire army, prepare for a night raid; tonight I want to take the Qin Army’s front camp. Meanwhile, inform the other generals; after I break through the front camp, launch a full assault, occupying all Qin Army rear strongholds. In this manner, even if the fifty thousand Qin Army isn’t completely obliterated, they are gravely weakened; south of Zhao River will be our lord’s domain." Ye Shikai ordered sternly.

"Excellent! With Zheng Lang losing this fifty thousand troops, they won’t be able to hold their territory north of the Zhao River. If we pursue victory, we can seize the entire Nanyang County."