Chapter 1564: Chapter 1564: Joining Forces

"Shangguan Jian is my most trusted brother. No matter what, I will not give up on him. Alive, I need to see the person; dead, I need to see the corpse," Ye Shikai said resolutely. He would never abandon his brothers, and besides, he did not believe anything would happen to Shangguan Jian. Even though he only had a mere hundred cavalry guards with him, Shangguan Jian was battle-tested, both courageous and wise. Although the Qin Army in Nanyang County was large in number, they were not prepared at all. Perhaps he was already on his way to Southern County.

"Since you’re already here in Southern County, don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment. The Qin Army in Nanyang County is making significant movements, which doesn’t bode well. If you go back now, not only won’t you be able to help Shangguan Jian, but you’ll also fall into a trap yourself," Mi Wen said coldly.

"I can agree to other matters, but I must save Shangguan."

"You’ve come to join me, haven’t you?" Mi Wen changed the subject abruptly.

"Yes."

"Since you have come to join me, that makes me your lord. Don’t you need to obey orders?"

Ye Shikai was momentarily speechless. As Mi Wen said, Ye Shikai and his few thousand brothers were still under someone else’s roof. In the future, their food, clothing, and supplies would rely on Mi Wen, so naturally, they had to follow her orders.

"You..." Ye Shikai wore a stern face and did not speak for a long time.

"Alright, let’s change the subject since we’ve finally met." Mi Wen smiled suddenly and personally poured wine for Ye Shikai.

"I heard you are of Chu State’s royal lineage," after a long silence, Ye Shikai finally spoke.

"Before, I concealed my identity out of necessity. Restoring the glory of Chu State is no small affair. I hope you don’t blame me for not telling you the truth."

"Of course I don’t blame you. It was your choice, and besides, when I was a general of the court, you naturally wouldn’t have told me," Ye Shikai shook his head, still looking grave. It was clear he was still worried about Shangguan Jian’s safety.

"If you’re really concerned, then I promise to send some people to Nanyang County to search for him. Will that satisfy you?" Mi Wen compromised a bit, but she would never allow Ye Shikai to go into danger himself.

"Where are Ling’er and Xue San? I want to see them," Ye Shikai did not answer, stood up, and walked towards the door.

"I’ll take you."

...........................

Mi Wen led Ye Shikai to a mansion in the city, which looked quite luxurious. It seemed that He Linghan lived there, and the living conditions should be good.

"This mansion was originally the residence of the county magistrate. After I killed him, no one lived here anymore. I received news a while ago and specifically had it renovated. If you came from Nanyang County, you would pass through here," Mi Wen explained.

"Miss He was ill when she arrived, probably due to the continuous travel, which made her body unable to bear it."

"Is it serious?" Ye Shikai’s face changed dramatically upon hearing the news of He Linghan’s illness and he was extremely anxious.

"Don’t worry, I’ve already invited a renowned doctor to treat her. She’s pretty much recovered now. The doctor said she was overworked and frightened, affected by the miasma. She just needs to rest quietly."

"That’s good," Ye Shikai breathed a long sigh of relief and walked straight into the mansion.

"Husband." He Linghan was lying on the bed. When she saw Ye Shikai come in, tears immediately flowed from her eyes. Mi Wen hadn’t told her in advance about Ye Shikai, seemingly to give her a surprise.

"Ling’er."

Ye Shikai walked to the bedside, and the two of them embraced tightly.

The world may be vast, but as long as you are by my side, even if it means a life on the run, I am willing.

As they laughed, they both cried.

"Ling’er, are you alright?" Ye Shikai gently touched her forehead. After not seeing her for more than ten days, she seemed to have lost a lot of weight.

"Don’t worry, I’m fine."

"On the way, did you encounter any danger?" Ye Shikai felt very guilty. Since He Linghan had been with him, she hadn’t enjoyed a few days of comfort and had to run around with him, risking her life.

"Don’t worry. It’s all thanks to Xue San’s judgment that we avoided the Qin Army’s chase."

Compared to Ye Shikai’s group, which suffered casualties, Xue San’s side was much safer. Not only did they not encounter any blockades along the way, but they also recruited Hou Ganxian and his more than a thousand men.

"By the way, we should thank Miss Mi. If she hadn’t come personally, we would have been in trouble."

"Hmm, you’re right." Saying this, Ye Shikai once again embraced He Linghan. After all that had happened, they had finally found some stability, and he cherished this moment greatly.

"You should rest well here. I’ll come back to see you at night." Ye Shikai very considerately covered her with a blanket, and after confirming that He Linghan was fine, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, are you finally relieved now?" A cold voice rang in his ear, startling Ye Shikai. He turned around to see Mi Wen standing at the door, eyes fixed on him. Eavesdropping wasn’t polite, but Ye Shikai didn’t pursue the matter. After all, this was Mi Wen’s territory, and they were under her care with nothing to complain about.

"I want to check on my brothers."

In the military camp.

"Greetings to the General."

"Greetings to the General."

"Brothers, lie down and rest." Ye Shikai urged the soldiers in the wounded soldier camp to lie down. They were severely injured and needed medication. Truly, this was something to thank Mi Wen for. Had it been delayed by a day or two, several brothers would have died.

"It’s very safe here, everyone rest well."

Leaving the wounded soldier camp, Ye Shikai entered the tent. The various officers were already waiting for him inside.

"Greetings to the General." Xue San stepped forward and saluted.

"Xue San, I really have to thank you this time," Ye Shikai nodded in acknowledgment.

"A general’s order is something I will follow even if it means going through fire and water."

"Everyone, after the battles in East County and Nanyang County, we have suffered heavy losses, losing many soldiers and horses. But since we’ve escaped, it means the heavens haven’t planned for us to lose. As long as we unite, we can start over again," Ye Shikai stood on the platform and shouted to the generals.

"General Ye, if you have any new orders, just give them. I will certainly accomplish them."

"Yes, General Ye, the court will never let us go anyway. We might as well fight to the end."

"Fight to the end."

"Everyone, quiet down." Ye Shikai waved his hand to calm everyone. The two armies meeting in the county town had a combined force of no more than seven thousand men. Although they could fight to the death, Ye Shikai absolutely wouldn’t do that.