Chapter 277 Never wrong those who do the work.
A thousand peaks lie covered in white snow, and ten thousand ridges stand tall and majestic.
The scenery of Huangtuling has remained almost unchanged since the last Battle of Xingluocang, like a frozen painting.
The only thing that changed was the eyes that looked at this painting.
Yuwen Ye stood with his hands behind his back on the bank of the Luokou Ferry. His cold and deep eyes took in everything before him. In fact, he was just like the person in the painting. From his great victory and return to the capital last time to leading the army on this expedition again, his expression remained indifferent and his posture remained upright.
Even the unease in the military seemed to be exactly the same as last time.
This time, however, the source of the unease was no longer the military supervisor.
Perhaps because the previous military supervisor Kou Yunliang was not only killed in the army but also died a gruesome death, this time, powerful eunuchs were unwilling to accompany the army, so the court could only send a minor eunuch named Wang Gong as the military supervisor. This man was of low rank, weak-willed, and lacked initiative. Therefore, even though he had only covered two days' worth of distance in five or six days of marching, Wang Gong did not urge him on.
On the contrary, some of the deputy generals in the army became restless.
Because of this military expedition, the Ministry of Revenue did not directly allocate grain, but instead sent a document to Xingluo Granary, instructing them to prepare provisions for 20,000 troops, so that Yuwen Ye could take the grain directly when he passed through the area, and then continue on his way to Wanggangzhai.
However, when Yuwen Ye arrived at Luokou Ferry, he did not continue his journey but instead stopped to rest, which puzzled everyone. In addition, he had already delayed the progress for several days, and several of his subordinates could no longer sit still. They went to Wang Gong and said all at once, "Supervisor, you should probably take care of this matter."
"Yes, the imperial court sent us to wipe out Wanggang Village, not for us to come here for sightseeing."
"No matter how great General Yuwen Ye is, he can't disregard the laws of the court."
Urged on by the others, Wang Gong had no choice but to awkwardly take a few steps forward. Just then, he saw Yuwen Ye squat down and scoop up a handful of cold water from the river to splash on his face.
And those eyes, set against the backdrop of the cold water droplets, appeared even more chilling and profound.
For some reason, Wang Gong felt a chill run down his spine.
But he still had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward, bowing to Yuwen Ye with a smile, saying, "General."
Yuwen Ye slowly turned to him and said, "Supervisor, what urgent matter do you have to discuss?"
Wang Gong smiled and said, "This—it seems that Xingluo Granary is just ahead."
"Exactly."
"Why doesn't the General go straight into the city? Why is he staying here instead? You know, we've already wasted several days on our journey."
"Please forgive me, Lord Wang, but I am only staying here because I am feeling nostalgic."
"Nostalgia?"
Wang Gong was taken aback, wondering what he was reminiscing about, when Yuwen Ye pointed to a wide riverbank on the opposite side of the river and said, "The supervising officer probably doesn't know yet, but it was right there that I cleaved Kou Yunliang in two with a single stroke."
"...!"
Wang Gong's expression changed immediately.
When the bloody scene was mentioned, Yuwen Ye showed no emotion. He simply sighed and said, "Thinking back on it, I still feel a little regretful."
Wang Gong forced a smile, but his voice trembled slightly as he spoke: "What...what do you regret?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Actually, I could have spared his life."
"..."
"After all, his crimes should not be 'cut off' so easily. He should be brought back to the court and publicly executed so that others will know what the consequences are for those who harbor disloyalty in the army and oppose this general."
"..."
"But, in the heat of the moment, I forgot..."
Wang Gong's face was pale, and his legs were trembling slightly. He didn't know how to respond when Yuwen Ye turned to look at him again and said, "Does the supervising officer mean to urge me to enter the city as soon as possible?"
Wang Gong hurriedly waved his hand and laughed, "No, no, how could I dare to urge the general?"
Standing before him now seemed not to be a person, nor a general of the court, but a bloodthirsty demon, capable of killing at any moment. Wang Gong, drenched in cold sweat, trembled and tried to turn back, but Yuwen Ye said gently, "Actually, Lord Wang, there's no need to rush. Just wait until—"
He paused for a moment before finishing his sentence.
Wang Gong was also taken aback—
Wait? What is he waiting for?
Just then, a rapid and chaotic sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from behind them. Everyone turned around and saw a group of people galloping up from behind. The leader was none other than Mu Xian, Yuwen Ye's own close attendant.
The group of men he led were Yuwen Ye's own personal guards. They had initially left the city with them and joined the imperial army on their march. However, everyone discovered that they had disappeared a few days earlier.
However, they were not part of the imperial court's establishment, so the supervising officer and his subordinate generals did not dare to ask too many questions. They just did not expect that they would appear again at this moment.
The soldiers all made way for them, and Mu Xian quickly arrived at Yuwen Ye's side. As soon as he dismounted, he immediately said to Yuwen Ye, "General."
Yuwen Ye asked, "Have you gathered everything?"
Mu Xian pointed behind him: "Wine, meat, and winter clothes are all ready."
Yuwen Ye nodded: "Very good."
Wang Gong turned around and saw that several carriages were following behind them, piled high with wine, meat, and winter clothing. Even the horses were loaded with similar goods. He exclaimed in surprise, "General, what is this—"
Yuwen Ye smiled faintly and said, "Lord Wang, you flatter me. The men guarding Xingluo Granary were the same troops who followed me in attacking Xingluo Granary last time. They fought valiantly and suffered a lot. Moreover, after the granary was captured, they have been stationed here without receiving any reward. Therefore, this time when I came here, I decided to reward them privately. Of course, all of this money is paid for by me personally and has nothing to do with the imperial court."
"Ah, this—"
Wang Gong laughed and said, "I see. The General is indeed considerate of the people's plight. He truly deserves to be called a pillar of the court."
"I wouldn't dare."
Yuwen Ye nodded modestly and then said, "Now, we can enter the city."
So he immediately ordered the army to head towards Xingluo Granary. The soldiers in the granary had already received the news that the Grand General was coming, and they immediately sent people out to greet him. When they saw that he had even brought them wine, meat and winter clothes as a reward, they were extremely grateful. Except for the people guarding the various checkpoints, almost all the other soldiers came out to greet him.
When the garrison commander Yan Buhuai saw Yuwen Ye, his eyes reddened slightly, and he said softly, "I didn't expect that the general would still remember us."
Yuwen Ye laughed and said, "You risked your lives to win this city. I have received the credit and cannot forget you."
Yan Buhuai said, "But we heard that the General did not achieve anything in this battle."
Yuwen Ye raised an eyebrow slightly: "How did you know?"
Yan Buhuai said, "The General said that we risked our lives to win this city, so naturally we should pay attention to the outcome of this battle. But we never expected that just because we killed a eunuch who didn't understand military affairs and pushed our brothers to their deaths, the General's hard work in this battle would be for nothing!"
"..."
"We have always been dissatisfied with the Great General!"
His words, though light, carried great weight.
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye's face remained expressionless, showing no emotion whatsoever. He remained silent for a moment before saying calmly, "Let's not talk about this. Let's go inside and distribute the goods. I came in a hurry this time, and the supplies weren't fully prepared. Distribute them to the most important people, and don't mistreat those who are actually doing the work."
This last sentence felt like a boulder, falling heavily on the hearts of Yan Buhuai and some of the soldiers around him.
Everyone looked at him and said nothing more, silently retreating.
However, within the entire Cangcheng, a subtle emotion seemed to be stirring up.
Amidst this turbulent atmosphere, Yuwen Ye remained calm. As he walked inside, he asked in a deep voice, "What is the situation inside the Eastern Capital?"
Mu Xian followed beside him and said softly, "His Majesty the Emperor has ordered that he will travel south to Jiangdu in seven days."
A cold glint flashed in Yuwen Ye's eyes.
Seven days later...
He thought for a moment, then asked, "Any other news?"
Mu hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "And there's also—"
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At the same time, looking into Wo Xue's sparkling eyes, Shang Ruyi remained silent for a long time before finally saying slowly, "I also want to stay in Dongdu and wait for him to return, but His Majesty may not give me such an opportunity."
"……oh."
Wo Xue responded softly and lowered her head.
Tushe'er said, "Miss, we're leaving in a few days. Shouldn't we start making preparations?"
Shang Ruyi sighed and said, "But there are still two things I can't let go of."
Wo Xue immediately asked, "Young Madam, what are the two things?"
Shang Ruyi said, "One is the manor in the north of the city. My father entrusted it to me before he went to Taiyuan. I haven't been to see it in so long. If Liang Shide really sends troops to attack this time, they will probably pass through there. I was thinking of finding some time to go and explain things to them."
Tushe'er said, "That's true."
Wo Xue asked, "Young Madam, what is the other thing that's bothering you?"
Shang Ruyi's expression darkened further. After a long silence, she sighed softly and said, "It's my uncle and aunt..."
Even Tushe'er's expression turned serious when this was mentioned.
Although Shang Ruyi had previously received the emperor's promised pardon, allowing Shen Shiyan and his wife to return to Dongdu, they had no idea what the situation was like there after the messenger arrived.
If they go to Jiangdu with the emperor this time, their communication will be cut off again, and it will be even more difficult for them to meet again in the future.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside. Looking up, she saw Chang Wan walking in with a letter in her hand. She smiled and said to Shang Ruyi, "Young Madam, I just received a letter. It seems to be from Young Master Shen."
Young Master Shen?
Upon hearing these three words, Shang Ruyi's eyes immediately lit up—it was Shen Wuzheng!
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