Chapter 618 Snowflakes Fly in the Tenth Month of the Year

"It really is true—the north wind sweeps across the land, bending the white grass; in the tenth month of the lunar calendar, snow flies in the northern sky."

Perhaps because she was getting closer to Tongguan and her nerves were getting more and more tense, Shang Ruyi could still clearly hear a helpless sigh from someone in the group behind her, even though the cold wind was howling in her ears. Hearing this, her brows furrowed even more.

Today is the third day of their march.

Just three days ago, on the sixth day of the tenth month, the day Yuwen Yuan ascended the throne, they received their orders at dawn and each led 20,000 vanguard troops on their expedition. Unexpectedly, the weather suddenly turned cold the very next day, and the further north they went, the colder it became. Not only did it start to rain, but the rain was also mixed with snowflakes, and the wind, carrying a chill, blew across their cheeks as if cutting their skin with a knife.

At this time, a poem began to circulate among the soldiers—

The north wind sweeps across the land, snapping the white grass; in the tenth month of the lunar calendar, snow flies in the northern regions. Suddenly, as if a spring breeze has arrived overnight, thousands of pear trees burst into bloom.

Scattered through the beaded curtains and damp silk screens, the fox fur coat offers no warmth, the brocade quilt is thin. The general cannot control his horn bow, the protector's iron armor is cold and hard to wear.

Upon inquiry, it was learned that the poem was written by the official in charge of the Jixian Hall. It was said that she wrote it casually, yet it had already won the admiration of countless people in the army. Especially as they approached Tongguan, the weather grew colder and colder. Although it had not yet reached the point of snow falling in the north, the chill of "fox fur not warm and brocade quilt thin" made everyone admire Lord Yu, who was quick-witted and seemed to have the ability to foresee the future, even more.

At this moment, the scene before them truly matched the description in the poem—

The grass on both sides of the road was broken, and in the sky, there were fine snowflakes swept up by the wind and flying around in a mess. When they finally landed, they covered the tips of the grass like a layer of frost.

Although the army had prepared winter clothes for the expedition, no one expected the weather to turn cold so quickly, which slowed down the march considerably, and everyone complained bitterly.

Interspersed among them was a voice, still somewhat childish, but its complaints were quite different from the others—

"I'm so hungry."

Regardless of whether the voice was familiar or not, everyone knew who was speaking just by hearing those three words. Shang Ruyi turned around and, sure enough, saw Shan Tong'er, riding beside her, pouting, holding the reins in one hand and clutching his stomach with the other, his little face scrunched up, looking up and muttering, "When will we reach Tongguan?"

Someone nearby laughed and said, "There's going to be war as soon as we leave Tongguan Pass, aren't you afraid?"

Shan Tong'er pouted and said, "Isn't the purpose of leaving Tongguan Pass to fight? But we need to eat first before we can fight."

Everyone immediately burst into laughter.

Amidst the laughter, a sudden gust of wind blew by, abruptly ripping off his headscarf and revealing a bald head covered in stubble.

Shan Tong'er screamed, "Ah, it's so cold!"

Although he had entered the world and started growing his hair, it hadn't been long. He only had a short, spiky tuft of hair on his head, making him look like a little hedgehog. Adults passing by couldn't help but reach out and touch it. In such cold weather, his scalp was still cold, so Shan Tong'er, in a fit of pique, took a piece of cloth and made it into a headscarf to wrap around his head.

The headscarf was blown away by the wind, and he immediately reached out to grab it, but he was too young and his arms were too short, so he just missed it and cried out in frustration.

Just then, a large hand suddenly reached out and grabbed the headscarf.

It is Shen Tu Tai.

He turned his hand and covered Shan Tong'er's head with the headscarf again, then rubbed the prickly head. A happy smile appeared on his fierce, tiger-like face with a full beard, and he said, "Ninth Brother, be careful."

Shan Tong'er immediately smiled and said, "Thank you, Seventh Brother!"

As he spoke, he took the headscarf and wrapped it tightly around his head again, making the people around him laugh.

Shang Ruyi smiled and then turned around.

Just then, Yuwen Ye, who was riding ahead on horseback, seemed to have turned his head to look at the scene after hearing the noise. However, as soon as she turned her head away, he immediately turned back as well.

The two of them didn't even exchange a glance.

Shang Ruyi gripped the reins, her hands, which were almost numb from the wind, tensing up involuntarily.

The two of them haven't spoken to each other for three days.

Except for the morning of departure.

Shang Ruyi clearly remembered that at dawn that day, before the sky was bright, outside Mingde Gate, the torches in the hands of the crowd illuminated the entire world, making it seem as if the light was flickering and even somewhat turbulent. She stood in the crowd and watched Yuwen Ye, wearing a magnificent and imposing suit of armor that no one knew who had put on him, walk step by step towards her.

At that moment, Shang Ruyi subconsciously held her breath.

Actually, the two had only been apart for one night, but for some reason, they had the illusion that they hadn't seen each other for a long time. When she looked up at his face, she also felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

Then I heard him ask, "Did you sleep well last night?"

"..."

Perhaps it was because the surrounding firelight was too intense, but it made his eyes appear bloodshot and red.

But Shang Ruyi knew that it must be her imagination. Besides, it was her eyes that were really congested and red, with bloodshot veins.

Because she had barely slept a wink the night before.

However, in order to prevent him from seeing her eyes and to avoid causing him worry, after all—after all, what they were about to face was the Battle of Taiyuan, a battle that perhaps no one but Yu Mingyue knew what the outcome would be. Moreover, in this already difficult battle, Yu Mingyue would add to their burden.

Moreover, last night, he was at Jinyu Garden, accompanying Chu Ruoyan...

So she replied to him, "Very good."

In that instant, despite the clamor of the crowd around them, Shang Ruyi could still sense that Yuwen Ye's breath seemed to catch in his throat for a moment.

And she almost choked to breathe.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard him chuckle softly, then turn around and go to take stock of the troops.

Then, until they set off and traveled for three whole days, apart from discussing the next battle plan with Yuwen Qian, Yu Mingyue, and Shen Wuzheng during their rest periods, he didn't say anything else to her.

At this moment, looking at Yuwen Ye's somewhat stiff back, Shang Ruyi felt that her thoughts were even more chaotic than the messy wind and snow in front of her.

Just then, a sound suddenly rang out from the crowd. It seemed that some people breathed a sigh of relief, while others cheered with joy. Shang Ruyi immediately looked up again and saw that in the cold wind that was almost depicted in a chaotic shape by the snowflakes, a tall shadow, like a reclining lion, was faintly visible between the mountains. It stood firm in the wind and snow, showing an incomparably majestic aura.

It's Tongguan!

That tall and majestic fortress, perched on the banks of the Yellow River and guarding the Guanzhong Plain, has finally appeared!

As soon as Tongguan appeared in front of them, a suppressed yet joyful cheer rang out from the ranks. At the same time, they saw that people were already waiting for them below the city gate. A group of people were divided into two columns, holding torches high in their hands. It was almost dusk, but the light was as bright as the night sky.

The group quickened their pace, and after another quarter of an hour, they finally arrived at the city gate.

Because the gate was wide open, the wind and snow became even more turbulent, causing the two rows of torches to focus together, illuminating only a small area below the city gate. Even so, the people immediately came forward and bowed to Yuwen Qian, who was leading the way to the city gate.

The tallest of them, dressed in full armor, stepped forward and bowed to Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Ye, who had dismounted and stood still, saying, "This humble general greets His Highness the Prince of Han, His Highness the Prince of Qin, and His Highness the Princess of Qin."

Yuwen Ye looked up and silently glanced at the other person.

The man was probably in his thirties, dressed in military uniform, clearly one of the garrison commanders here. However, upon closer inspection, he was a middle-aged man who looked somewhat familiar but not entirely unfamiliar either. Yuwen Ye took a closer look by the firelight and finally recognized him as Ba Ying, the deputy commander who had been following Chu Zhengfei when they passed through Tongguan.

Upon seeing him, Yu Mingyue couldn't help but frown.

It should be noted that the troops led this time were Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Ye, who were also the Prince of Han and the Prince of Qin. Even though Yuwen Yuan had just ascended the throne three days ago, the news had already reached Tongguan before that. After all, this was the gateway to Guanzhong, and the people guarding this place had to be their own people. Letting Chu Zhengfei know about the changes in the dynasty would also help him appease the people here and prevent any unrest.

Now that the King of Han and the King of Qin have led their armies here, it is only right and proper, and even in terms of the etiquette between ruler and subject, that the general guarding Tongguan must personally come out of the city to welcome them.

But the one standing here was only a deputy general, Ba Ying.

Yuwen Qian asked, "Where is Chu Zhengfei?"

The deputy general, Ba Ying, immediately cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, Lord Chu was originally here with us to welcome the two princes, but just now, an urgent military report came from the front. Lord Chu thought that the two princes would not arrive so soon, so he temporarily returned—"

"Urgent military report?"

Upon hearing those four words, everyone's faces showed a jolt.

At this time, and in Tongguan, receiving such an urgent military report must be of great importance!

Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Ye exchanged a glance and nodded silently. Yuwen Qian immediately said, "Take us into the city and have Chu Zhengfei come to see us right away!"

"yes!"

Ba Ying accepted the order and hurriedly led everyone into Tongguan. He then directed his subordinates to lead the soldiers they had brought along another road into the barracks at the city gate.

This pass was very familiar to both Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi, who had passed through here before, and Yuwen Qian. Even as darkness fell, with only Ba Ying leading the way with a torch, the two of them, along with the people behind them, did not even look to the side, and soon arrived at the county government office.

However, they did not go in immediately.

Because right in front of the county government office was the military camp of the Tongguan garrison. Although the distance was not very close, and the sky was darker than before, they could still clearly see torches lit in various parts of the camp, and they could see many people moving back and forth among them. The cold air even carried a faint smell of blood.

This taste and this aroma were not unfamiliar to Yuwen Ye.

Yuwen Qian also silently frowned.

The two exchanged a glance but said nothing, and went into the county government office. Inside, it was brightly lit, clearly indicating that Chu Zhengfei had made preparations to welcome them. They could even smell the aroma of food and wine from the reception hall.

But at that moment, no one was in the mood to go over there.

They entered the council hall, where Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Ye naturally took the two seats at the head of the table, while Yu Mingyue, Shang Ruyi, and several deputy generals and military advisors, including Shen Wuzheng, followed suit. Just as they were seated, they heard heavy footsteps outside, accompanied by a gust of wind carrying the stench of blood. Looking up, they saw Chu Zhengfei, clad in full armor, hurrying in.

Upon seeing them, Chu Zhengfei entered the main hall and immediately kowtowed, saying, "This humble general greets His Highness the Prince of Han, His Highness the Prince of Qin, and His Highness the Princess of Qin."

After speaking, he glanced at Yu Mingyue, who was sitting to Yuwen Qian's left, but made no comment.

However, no one paid attention to this at the moment. Even though the sharp eyes of several people could clearly see his hesitation at that moment, Yuwen Ye still immediately asked, "Lord Chu, what happened?"

Chu Zhengfei's expression was solemn as he cupped his hands and said, "Your Highnesses, the team I sent to support Prince Qi has just suffered a crushing defeat!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was shocked.

Yuwen Ye's brows furrowed immediately, but before he could speak, Yuwen Qian asked urgently, "What happened? Explain!"

Chu Zhengfei said, "Your Highness, a messenger from Chang'an recently sent an urgent message instructing Your Highness, Prince Qi, to remain in place after receiving the message and not to pass through Tongguan. Therefore, Prince Qi's troops were preparing to detour into Yicheng. However, Wang Shaoji's troops suddenly appeared and attacked them just as they were about to enter Yicheng. Prince Qi's troops were scattered and eventually besieged in a valley ten miles southwest of the city, where they are temporarily unable to escape."

"Wang Shaoji's men have been following him all this time?"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye's face darkened: "He didn't know?!"

Chu Zhengfei's face stiffened, but he couldn't answer.

Hearing this, the mood of everyone in the hall became even heavier. If the military report on the defeat in Taiyuan stated that Yuwen Cheng led his troops to flee Taiyuan, the situation was now much clearer. Not only had they suffered a major defeat in Taiyuan, but they had also been in a complete rout. They were even close to Tongguan Pass, and Yuwen Cheng had not yet shaken off Wang Shao and his pursuers!

Yuwen Qian thought for a moment, then immediately asked, "And what about your troops—"

Chu Zhengfei said, "Upon receiving the news, this subordinate immediately dispatched two thousand cavalry to provide support, but they were driven back by Wang Shaoji's forces. Currently, the situation of His Highness Prince Qi is unknown, and also—"

"what else?"

"Just now, another military report came back from the front. A group of troops has been spotted approaching Zhiguan Pass along the Taihang Mountains. Moreover, it seems that the Western Turks are also sending more troops towards Taiyuan."

"...!"

Upon hearing his words, the entire hall fell silent.