He climbed up the city wall in three quick steps. Yang Gu, clad in heavy armor, was so anxious that sparks almost flew from the friction. He ordered his soldiers to immediately light torches, illuminating an area extending nearly a hundred meters in front of the city wall.
In the cold, dark night, he saw a large army approaching from not far away. The dust kicked up by the horses' hooves filled the sky, and the iron cavalry leading the army across the border followed closely behind, their momentum like a tidal wave, one after another, with an overwhelming force.
When the enemy approached the city, Yang Gu was initially skeptical of the scouts' report. However, upon seeing the scene, his eyes widened in astonishment, and beads of sweat poured down his forehead.
"Immediately prepare the city defenses!"
What on earth is Yuwen Sheng thinking? Why did he suddenly lead his troops to attack during this critical time of transition?
Could it be that he has noticed something amiss with the soldiers and is planning to strike first to eliminate them completely?
Realizing the serious situation that was about to unfold, Yang Gu immediately pulled out the tiger tally token from his waist and handed it to his personal attendant, sternly ordering: "Quickly, gather the three armies and come to Fenggu Sand City to reinforce us!"
With a solemn expression, Chongji accepted the tiger tally with both hands and said emphatically, "Chongji obeys!"
After making the arrangements here, Yang Gu walked to the parapet, leaned against the wall, and shouted loudly into the vast darkness ahead: "I am Yang Gu from Fenggu Sand City of Julu Kingdom. Who comes from ahead? State your name!"
The vanguard general, Le Ma Geju, who was leading the charge, called out loudly, "Yuwen Sheng, the Grand General of Ye Kingdom, is here."
The person who answered was certainly not Yuwen Sheng. Generally, the commander-in-chief is in the central position, protected by the vanguard and the left and right wings. When the general of the vanguard engages in battle, he will announce the name of the commander-in-chief.
It really is Yuwen Sheng in person!
Even though Yang Gu had been on the battlefield for a long time and had experienced battles large and small, he still felt instinctively nervous and fearful at this moment because of this name.
In the darkness, the army slowly came to a stop about 500 meters away from Fenggusha City. Then, from among that majestic and profound army, a troop of cavalry rode their horses to the city gate.
Among them stood a figure who stood out from the crowd, clad in black armor and a red cloak. The cold wind that seeped into the night lifted his cloak, making his upright and majestic posture as brave and awe-inspiring as a war god, impossible to ignore.
Although he could not make out his face, Yang Gu was certain that the person was Yuwen Sheng.
The wind was strong at this height, so he pushed aside the flags flapping loudly on the parapet to avoid hitting his face: "Yuwen Sheng, you led a large army to invade the border city of my Julu Kingdom in the dead of night. You have openly violated the peace treaty established by the seven kingdoms. Now you are provoking a war between the two countries. You have no place in terms of reason, sentiment, or justice. You will be despised and humiliated by the people of the world!"
In the current tense situation among the seven kingdoms, having a legitimate reason for war is especially important.
Having a "just cause" at least allows one to claim to be right in public, gain the approval of most people, and achieve twice the result with half the effort.
Conversely, launching an attack without a just cause is nothing short of bullying and abusing one's power. If you can launch a war against one side without reason today, you can launch a war against another side without reason tomorrow. In the end, it will only cause panic among the people and leave you surrounded by enemies.
Those who act against the right path will find few supporters and will suffer losses that outweigh the gains.
Just as Mo Ye led his men to cause destruction at Guixu Ridge, he always cautiously deployed troops on the outskirts and did not actually invade the towns surrounding Ye Kingdom, nor did he kill any innocent civilians of Ye Kingdom, nor did he choose to openly besiege the city.
In this way, another explanation can be given: the exchange and training between the border guards of the two countries, even if it is not entirely reasonable, who cares? As long as no serious mistakes are made, both countries can turn a blind eye and cover it up.
Because of the lack of a legitimate reason for their actions, they could only carry out small-scale operations. If they were to really go all out, they would have to plan carefully, find a suitable pretext, and carry out a decisive annihilation.
"From a moral and logical standpoint?" Wei Yao raised his head, his fox-like eyes narrowing. Within the dividing line between the night and the firelight, the emotions on half of his face were also split, one side mocking and the other coldly angry.
"Yang Gu, have you lost your mind? People from your Julu Kingdom have infiltrated the borders of our Ye Kingdom, causing rampant destruction and slaughter, and even abducting our General's wife. Their crimes are heinous and outrageous. We have come across the world to demand her return, and we only have one question for you: will you return our General's wife or not?"
What?
The General's wife?!
Yang Gu was dumbfounded.
He looked completely bewildered and shocked: "What are you talking about? What wife? When did Yuwen Sheng take a wife?!"
Wang Zebang said coldly, "You'll have to ask your Sima Moye about this!"
Yang Gu naturally didn't believe this explanation. He thought that the Ye army was crazy for wanting to fight and invade their Julu Kingdom, and that they could even come up with such an absurd and unreasonable reason for launching the expedition.
He said angrily, "Stop making up these lies to deceive people. Yuwen Sheng, you are the great general of Ye Kingdom, second only to the emperor. If you really wanted to marry a wife, who in the world wouldn't know? But we haven't heard a word about it, and you've suddenly gotten married?"
Yuwen Sheng wore gloves made of silkworm silk. He gently twisted his right wrist with his left hand, one twist after another. His body was almost still, except for the slow and smooth movement of his sleeves.
He was calming his inner anxiety and impatient killing intent. On the surface, he was calm and composed, his smiling eyes like knives, and he slowly said, "Does the world not know? It doesn't matter. After this battle, I will use the pain, bloodshed and wailing to let the world know that I, Yuwen Sheng, have taken a wife, and let them clearly, carefully and deeply understand that my wife is my Achilles' heel. Touch her... and you will die."
As he spoke the last word, his tone remained light and gentle, as if he were having a casual conversation. However, in this environment, amidst their confrontation, the murderous intent that grew infinitely in his heart cast a deep and terrifying shadow over everything.
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