The Bodyguard King’s CEO Wife Chapter 1640: Battle Report

Ye Shikai naturally didn’t want to take risks. Since ancient times, venturing deep with a single army has been a path of life and death. Winning would be a miraculous achievement, while losing would be ordinary. No matter how invincible Huo Ziqing’s army seems now, if he continues to advance recklessly, the ultimate outcome will surely be failure. Before the war, Ye Shikai estimated that the two counties’ garrisons in Ba Shu had about fifty thousand troops. Once war broke out, they could temporarily raise the number to around a hundred thousand. But after all, these were just ordinary conscripts who were farmers in peaceful times. They were untrained and definitely not opponents for the Chu Army. Moreover, the Qin Army had to guard such a vast area of Ba Shu, so their forces were scattered. If the Chu Army attacked, it would be like a "sharp blade cutting through meat." However, the rugged and complex roads of Ba Shu were like "bones," and if the Chu Army’s "sharp blade" went too deep, it would eventually become "dull."

Now that the Chu Army had finally gained a superior military force, Ye Shikai really didn’t want Huo Ziqing to ruin a good hand, so facing Mi Wen, he didn’t hesitate to clearly explain the situation; halting the advance was absolutely necessary.

Additionally, although Ba Shu didn’t have the main forces of the Qin Army, Xianyang did possess an elite Imperial Guard. Ye Shikai had heard about it when he was with the Qin Army. Only the Emperor’s trusted aides could mobilize them. If they moved south into Sichuan, they could launch a surprise attack on the Chu Army, and at that time, the situation would be unthinkable.

This time, Wang Li led his army to Nanyang to fight Ye Shikai and lost by a ratio of seven to three. Although he was defeated, he also consumed part of the Chu Army’s elite. Ye Shikai won, but it wasn’t a complete victory; at most, it earned the Chu Army an opportunity to grow and stabilized Chu State’s influence in Nanyang County.

The news of Wang Li’s defeat would undoubtedly shock Xianyang when it spread. At this time, with the Chu Army attacking Ba Shu, Emperor would inevitably dispatch a significant force to resist. The more urgently the Chu Army attacked, the quicker the Qin Army from Xianyang would enter Sichuan. Conversely, if they proceeded slowly, the court wouldn’t be so "anxious."

"Alright, I accept your suggestion. I’ll immediately send a message by flying courier to order Huo Ziqing to stop advancing and establish a defense line along the cities and camps," Mi Wen nodded and said. Ye Shikai, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. In such important decisions, it was rare for them to have a shared view, so there was no need for an argument this time.

Considering the overall situation, the Qin Dynasty’s territory, troops, and resources still outnumbered the Chu Army by several times. A hard fight was not a good decision, so Ye Shikai repeatedly advised Mi Wen to avoid a decisive battle with the Qin Army and avoid exhausting the foundations.

When he returned home, it was already night. He Linghan had the servants prepare another dinner and bring it to the study. Ye Shikai obtained a map of Ba Shu from Mi Wen. The roads in Sichuan were rugged; without a map, entering Sichuan was like being "blindfolded," unable to distinguish between east, west, north, and south. This map, which Mi Wen had acquired for a high price, was highly precise and even marked the troop deployments, food supplies of various cities and camps, as well as local water sources and mineral deposits. In this era, it was considered quite advanced.

"Husband, are you hungry?"

"A bit. Just prepare some snacks for me. I need to look over some things in the study. Once you’re done, just bring them in. Also, go to sleep first tonight; I have some matters to attend to," Ye Shikai said urgently.

"Okay, I understand." Although He Linghan felt somewhat disappointed, she knew Ye Shikai’s thoughts well. He was now one of the commanders of the Chu Army. Even if he wasn’t on the battlefield, his heart was with the war there. He Linghan was a "good wife and mother," so she never complained. At least, with Ye Shikai home, she could see him anytime, and their basic needs were met, which was enough.

Ye Shikai asked the servants to light candles in the study, illuminating the room brightly. He marked the current troop deployments of the Chu Army on the map. After leaving the teahouse in the afternoon, he went to Mi Wen’s official residence. The battle reports from the past few weeks filled one or two rooms. Ye Shikai had them all copied and then had the house servants carry them into the study room by boxfuls. When the study couldn’t hold any more, they placed them in other empty rooms.

A night without sleep.

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"What’s wrong with the Family Head these days? It’s like he’s possessed, staying in the study all day."

"Yes, every day, the only people going in and out of the study are the servants delivering food and carrying bamboo slips."

"Not only that, almost every night, the study is lit with candles and lamps until dawn."

"Shh, keep your voice down. The mistress has issued strict orders: no discussing the Family Head’s matters in the house, or you’ll be expelled."

Several maids in the kitchen were energetically discussing. For days, Ye Shikai hadn’t stepped out of the study, even lighting lamps at night. Many of the house servants and maids were speculating, wondering if Ye Shikai didn’t need to sleep at all. Their doubts weren’t misplaced; for cultivators, going a few days and nights without sleep wasn’t difficult and wouldn’t harm the body much, at most affecting their spirit slightly.

It wasn’t until the fifth night that Ye Shikai finally walked out of the study, causing a stir in the manor.

"Husband, are you alright?"

"How could I not be alright? After finishing the battle reports, naturally, I came out." If it weren’t for this being ancient times, Ye Shikai would have liked to pull a cigarette from his Storage Ring and smoke. Recently, those military reports had been giving him a headache, and it seemed Huo Ziqing’s current situation wasn’t very good either.

"There were over a thousand battle reports, filling more than a dozen boxes. Even with five people reading, it would have taken about five days, yet the General finished them alone."

"Yes, I heard from the night patrol house servants that the General hadn’t closed his eyes for five consecutive days."

"Really? Is he even human?"

Several maids murmured softly to one side, noticing that Ye Shikai showed no signs of fatigue, almost like a "monster."

Ye Shikai took a deep breath, like a prisoner recently released, feeling like he was seeing daylight again.

"The situation on the frontlines... is it alright?" He Linghan unexpectedly asked about the war situation, catching him off-guard. However, rather than saying He Linghan was concerned about the war, it was more like she was concerned about him personally.

"It’s hard to put into words," Ye Shikai said, rubbing his temples. Speaking of which, Huo Ziqing hadn’t exaggerated the battle achievements, but the situation was indeed worse than he had expected.

"Quick, prepare a horse. I need to see the Lord immediately," Ye Shikai instructed.

"Yes."

"Ling’er, I have something urgent now. I must see the Lord immediately without any delay. You stay at home," Ye Shikai explained.

"Will you return tonight?" He Linghan immediately asked, clearly very concerned, fearing that Ye Shikai might "leave and never return."

"Don’t worry, I will come back."