Chapter 1047 Follow Me Down

"Your Highness, are you really not worried at all?"

As soon as he finished asking the question, Mu Xian saw Yuwen Ye's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot. His gaze was like a knife, as if he wanted to cut a piece of flesh off a person.

Mu Xian trembled slightly, and without even waiting for his reply, hurriedly retreated.

As soon as he stepped out of the tent, he felt a sense of relief in his chest and let out a long sigh of relief. Looking back at the brightly lit tent, which also seemed to exude a gloomy atmosphere, Mu Xian shook his head with lingering fear and turned to walk away.

The night passed in what seemed like a peaceful night, yet with an underlying unease that threatened to break out.

Early the next morning, Yuwen Ye ordered his troops to march out of Hulao Pass!

Upon hearing this news, the crowd was greatly encouraged. After all, they had won several battles in a row and easily captured Xiaopingjin Pass. They had been waiting for these days to capture Mengjin Pass so that they could advance eastward. Now that Shentu Tai had finally captured Mengjin Pass in the west, they no longer had any worries about their rear.

So the group finished setting up camp in less than half a day and were ready to set off.

Just as everyone was mounting their horses and preparing to travel along the Yellow River, Mu Xian, who had barely slept all night and only managed a short nap just before dawn, hesitated to mount his horse. He silently walked up to Yuwen Ye, holding the reins. When he looked up, he found that this Prince Qin had the same dark circles under his eyes as him, and his eyes were also full of bloodshot veins.

It seems like I didn't sleep all night.

Why didn't he sleep all night either?

Mu Xian muttered to himself, but he wasn't too worried. After all, Yuwen Ye was always full of energy. In the past, he would go for days and nights without sleep during battles, and sometimes he wouldn't even eat or drink. So, he wouldn't be too worried about not sleeping for one night. But Mu Xian felt that Yuwen Ye was different from before. He was frighteningly gloomy, and even some of the warhorses that approached him felt an invisible killing intent and neighed and retreated.

Mu Xian stepped forward: "Your Highness."

Yuwen Ye frowned and glanced at him: "What is it?"

Although he had fled last night before his sharp gaze had left him without even getting an answer to his question, now that they were about to set off, the mood of the generals and commanders was also very important on the battlefield. Moreover, Mu Xian believed that he understood better than anyone else the importance of the Queen Consort to the King of Qin.

He steeled himself, brazenly, and stubbornly asked in a low voice, "I've thought about it all night. Even if we don't send troops, we should still—we should still send someone to Xia Prefecture to scout out, to see what the situation is like there—"

"All right."

"well?"

Mu Xian was taken aback and looked up at Yuwen Ye, somewhat bewildered, only to see him turn his face to the side and say coldly, "You were the one who sent people over. If anything goes wrong, I will hold you responsible."

"..."

Mu Xian was momentarily speechless, his throat tightening. After a long while, he finally managed to exhale and say with a forced smile, "Yes."

It's just sending someone over to gather information, what could possibly happen?

This master was clearly the one who was worried to death, so he agreed before I even finished speaking, and then he piled all the blame on me, as if I had begged him to agree.

However, at least he relented.

Mu Xian breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly turned to call a squad of soldiers under his command, instructing them to take a detour to Xia Prefecture to inquire about the war situation there. Most importantly—Mu Xian said solemnly, "You must find out the whereabouts of Princess Qin. If the matter is resolved, has the Princess already returned to Chang'an? If the crisis in Xia Prefecture is not over, you must find out the whereabouts of Princess Qin. If necessary, you must protect the Princess's safety."

"yes!"

These people accepted the order and immediately headed in the opposite direction.

Watching their retreating figures until they disappeared into the distance, Mu Xian turned around and saw that the troops on this side were already fully prepared to depart. Yuwen Ye, on horseback, had just turned his head and seemed to be looking at the departing group as well. However, at this moment, he acted as if he hadn't seen anything, waved his hand, and the army immediately began to march eastward along the Yellow River.

Hulao Pass is no more than a hundred miles from their encampment.

Before setting off, Yuwen Ye had already sent people to investigate. Liang Shide had long ago stationed a large number of troops at Hulao Pass, since it was the only barrier north of Luoyang. The general in charge of guarding the pass was Shan Shiyu.

This man was well-versed in military strategy and highly skilled in martial arts. He followed Liang Shide in numerous battles across the country and made outstanding contributions. So, seeing the eight passes of Luoyang fall one after another, Liang Shide became restless and sent his most capable and skilled general, Shan Shiyu, to lead the troops. He also gathered a total of 100,000 troops from various places for him. Combined with the original 50,000 garrison troops at Hulao Pass, there were a total of 150,000 troops waiting for them at the front.

In fact, they could have taken a detour and marched south directly to besiege Luoyang, but Liang Shide's arrangement was clearly a stab in the back for them. If they had actually attacked Luoyang directly, Shan Shiyu could have launched an attack from Hulao Pass to flank them from behind, making the situation dangerous.

Therefore, they must take Hulao Pass first!

Although they hadn't gotten close yet, everyone had a feeling that a huge tiger was lying on the ground ahead, its jaws wide open, waiting for them.

This feeling intensifies the closer one gets to Hulao Pass.

As dusk fell, they had traveled nearly a hundred li and finally stopped at an ancient ferry crossing on the Yellow River. The terrain there was flat, making it ideal for the army to encamp. Yuwen Ye immediately ordered them to set up camp on the spot, but he did not dismount to rest. Instead, he led Mu Xian and two other personal guards on horseback and continued on their way. Before long, they climbed a nearby hill.

At this moment, the setting sun cast its rays upon them, and the firelight shone behind them, making everyone seem as if they were surrounded by a dazzling display of fireworks.

Yuwen Ye climbed to a high vantage point and looked out. He saw the Yellow River churning with turbulent waves, its roar like thunder. He could vaguely make out a towering wall standing in front of him, bathed in the fiery glow of the setting sun. The wall overlooked the turbulent Yellow River on one side and climbed up Mount Beiman on the other, like a giant lying across the front, blocking their view and hindering their progress.

That's Hulao Pass.

Yuwen Ye's eyes immediately turned red.

Riding beside him, Mu Xian also stared intently ahead. After a while, he said softly, "Your Highness, the camp should be ready. Please go back and rest—"

Before he could finish speaking, Yuwen Ye raised his hand to stop him.

Then he said, "Come down with me."

"Go down?"

Mu Xian was stunned: "Go down? Where to?"

Yuwen Ye said, "Let's go take a look at Hulao Pass."

"What!?"

Mu Xian cried out, but before he could stop him, he heard a whoosh of wind beside his ear, and Yuwen Ye had already spurred his horse and charged down the earthen slope, galloping towards Hulao Pass!