The two factions of soldiers with different opinions gathered together, and as they talked, they started arguing with each other again. For a while, the military camp was in chaos, and some even quarreled in front of Prince Yuwen Ran's tent.
"Your Majesty, please give us soldiers an explanation!"
"Your Majesty, please give us soldiers an explanation!"
…
Yuwen Ran lifted the curtain of the royal tent and walked out. He glanced at the noisy soldiers at the door, frowned, and scolded them: "Before I give you an explanation, I have a question for you. Suppose that a country's emperor witnessed the empress being insulted but remained indifferent. Is this a powerful country?"
Everyone knelt on the ground in silence. Before they could react, the leading officer, Du Yuhou, had already loudly echoed, "Your Highness is willing to seek justice for the Empress!"
The remaining soldiers said in unison: "We are willing to seek justice for the Queen!"
Yuwen Ran nodded in satisfaction. He personally helped Du Yuhou up and patted his shoulder, "Get up."
In front of the capital city of the Western Regions, there are quietly more people than usual.
Peddlers dressed as ordinary vendors came in twos and threes, carrying their loads on their shoulders. They handed the passes that looked like drawn talismans to the Western Region soldiers in front of the gate for inspection, and then entered the city carrying the food that the Western Region army lacked the most at that time.
Because of Shangguan Yi's relationship, the people sent by King Xiang were quickly led into the Western Region Palace.
In the imperial city of the Western Regions, upon hearing that the envoy of Prince Xiang had arrived, Tuoba Chen knew that Prince Xiang had always been at odds with Yuwen Ran, and that he must have no good intentions in suddenly sending someone to visit before the war.
Tuoba Chen had them brought to the main hall of the mansion. After he had organized his troops, he leisurely hurried over. As soon as he entered, he bowed and said, "I'm sorry, but I'm about to go to war. I'm busy with my duties and have neglected our distinguished guests from the capital."
The person sent by King Xiang was very discerning. When he first saw Tuoba Chen, he followed the local customs and performed the Western Region etiquette: "We are honored to meet Prince Tuoba."
Tuoba Chen sat at the head table, took a sip of the tea his servant had just brought him, and asked directly, "I wonder why the King of Xiang sent someone here this time? Please don't try to put me off by saying they just came to give me a gift, hoping I'll spare the King of Xiang's life when I enter the capital someday, or that they came to see the scenery of the Western Regions beforehand."
Seeing that Tuoba Chen didn't beat around the bush with them, the leader exchanged glances with the people beside him, hesitated for a moment, and then looked at Tuoba Chen who was sitting in the upper seat, "Prince, please understand. Our prince wants to form an alliance with you."
"Oh?" Tuoba Chen put down the teacup in his hand and pretended to listen attentively. "I'd like to hear more about it."
The leader stepped forward and said, "The prince said he could help the prince win this battle, and even the queen—"
Tuoba Chen raised his eyes to look at him, his voice calm and unperturbed: "Since we are talking about an alliance, then tell me the conditions of the late prince. What does he need from me?"
"The prince is indeed a smart man. His Majesty hopes that the prince can kill Yuwen Ran on the battlefield, and then lead his troops straight to the capital to support him in becoming emperor!"
Tuoba Chen shook his head, the smile on his face not reaching his eyes, "This way, no matter how you look at it, I'm the one who loses."
"The prince said that the only person he's interested in in the Central Plains is the Empress. He'll definitely win by forming an alliance with her. He can defeat Yuwen Ran on the battlefield and win her hand in marriage. Why wouldn't he do it?"
Tuoba Chen narrowed his eyes slightly: "It seems that the prince is sure that I will form an alliance with him?"
"The prince said this is the only way for the prince to win quickly."
This was true. If Tuoba Chen wanted to win as quickly as possible, then choosing to form an alliance with King Xiang was the fastest way. But who said that once an alliance was formed, one had to abide by the covenant?
He was determined to get Gu Yanyue, but he had no desire for Yuwen Ran's life. He understood the principle of not being too greedy in the Central Plains. As compensation for taking Gu Yanyue away, he might as well help Yuwen Ran get rid of the traitor Prince Xiang, so that he could sit firmly on the throne after returning.
"Okay!" Tuoba Chen didn't ask any more questions, but said calmly: "Go back and tell the King that I agree."
The man was stunned. He didn't expect Tuoba Chen to agree to the alliance so easily. Taking advantage of the momentum, he discussed several details of the alliance with Tuoba Chen. After checking them one by one, he retreated.
Ever since Yuwen Ran had caused a big commotion in front of the king's tent last time, the soldiers' fighting spirit had been burning. They marched for more than ten days with great enthusiasm. When they reached the Daxing Mountains, the endless mountains blocked their way forward, and they had to take a detour of more than a hundred miles. Yuwen Ran ordered them to set up camp first and continue their journey the next day.
"The Long Snake Formation is weak in both offense and defense. Once we encounter an enemy, we can only stand and take the beating!" In the middle tent, the chief military officer pointed at the formation diagram.
"But if we don't set up a long snake formation when marching on mountain roads, we won't be able to move fast!" said the right guard, pointing to the topographic map.
"But there are bandits rampant in Daxing. What should we do if we encounter bandits during the march and are beaten by them and are helpless?" Du Yuhou refused to give in.
"The army's march has slowed down considerably. If we delay here any longer, the prince of the Western Regions might lead his troops to attack us before we even reach them!"
"What are you arguing about?" Yu Wenran brought Gu Yanyue in after dinner. As soon as he came in, he saw the two of them arguing with red faces, so he asked the left guard who was standing aside and watching them argue with an expressionless face.
"Your Majesty, they are discussing how to travel across the Daxing Mountains," said the Left Guard.
Yuwen Ran understood. Today, just as they reached Daxing Mountain, they encountered a roadblock. With their troops and equipment, crossing the mountain would take longer than taking a detour. However, if they took a detour, returning to the official road would take even longer to reach Shuocheng. Yuwen Ran ordered the entire army to cross the mountain. Not only were there few roads, but in recent years, due to the terrain in the Daxing area, people often suffered from hunger and lack of warm clothing. The local government's inaction had forced many innocent people to become mountain kings, robbing passersby for a living.
"Then what should your majesty do?" The right guard was scolded by the chief military officer for a stick of incense. When he saw Yuwen Ran coming in, he hurried over, intending to find an ally for himself.
"I didn't say we can't set up a long snake formation, but if bandits block the road, the long snake will suffer injuries to the chest and abdomen. We are not as familiar with the terrain in the mountains as the bandits, so we will definitely suffer losses if we fight with them. So I said we should use the advance troops to open the way." Du Yuhou was misunderstood and hurriedly explained.
Yuwen Ran frowned, looked at the simple sand table, and made the final decision: "Then I will personally lead the troops in front to clear the way, and the left and right guards will lead the troops in the rear."
When the army reorganized and set out on the second day, Yuwen Ran led the advance troops to cross the mountain first. Gu Yanyue didn't want to follow behind, so she followed Yuwen Ran.
Unexpectedly, just as Du Yuhou said yesterday, there was a plague of bandits here. As soon as Yuwen Ran led his troops into the mountains, they encountered a group of bandits.
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