Chapter 362 The Worst Strategy
An hour later, the sun was blazing, and the entire Crescent Moon City was exposed to the scorching sun without any shade. Even the green leaves on the treetops were curling up slightly, as if they were about to catch fire.
However, despite the sweltering heat, almost all the people lined up in long queues, standing under the blazing sun.
Instead of complaining, they all smiled and looked ahead with hope.
And in front of them was the entrance to this small, nameless temple.
A grain truck was parked under a big tree outside the gate, with a wooden table under the tree. Mu Xian and several of his men sat there, unloading bags of grain from the truck, opening them, and scooping out the grain with a wooden shovel. The people at the front of the line immediately took out their rice bags and went forward to receive the grain, then left happily.
Then, the next person, equally delighted, waited for the grain to enter their rice bag.
Mu Xian continued shouting, "The new emperor has ascended the throne and granted a general amnesty. The Second Young Master Yuwen has come to Yanyue City to distribute rice for three days. Everyone, regardless of age or status, can take a bag of rice home. Please do not push or fight. Everyone will receive some."
Everyone was extremely grateful and repeatedly called out Yuwen Ye's name.
Even the monks said, "When we return, we will burn incense and pray for the Second Young Master Yuwen every day, wishing him good health, longevity, and protection from misfortune."
Mu Xian smiled and said, "Thank you all."
Listening to the bustling scene outside the wall and the voices of praise from everyone, Shang Ruyi took a deep breath before turning to the person beside her: "Is this what you're supposed to do?"
"..."
"You intend to distribute rice in Yanyue City for three days?"
Standing beneath the wall, hands behind his back listening to the sounds outside, Yuwen Ye remained calm and indifferent, as if the praise he was receiving wasn't directed at him. He simply nodded faintly: "Hmm."
Shang Ruyi looked at him with a flicker in her eyes.
She seemed to want to say something, but hesitated for a long time before remaining silent. Shen Wuzheng, who was standing next to her, also listened to the commotion outside. After a while, he said calmly, "This time, you've acted quite quickly."
Yuwen Ye looked at him and said with a half-smile, "We can't always let our elder brother worry about things here."
The two exchanged a glance.
Although they remained silent and there was no unpleasant atmosphere, Shang Ruyi seemed to sense a sharp edge in their eyes.
She could sense that the atmosphere between the two of them was a little strange.
Previously, Yuwen Ye had only just thought of the matter of Zuo Gong's suspected tomb, which led to the people of Wanggang Village killing each other. Shen Wuzheng had already done it before Yuwen Ye could even think of it, so he had obviously lost half a step. But this time, Yuwen Ye had made arrangements in advance for the distribution of rice in Yanyue City, and he had won half a step over Shen Wuzheng again.
It's like a feeling that, although there's no real hostility, there's an underlying sense of antagonism.
Feeling a slight headache, Shang Ruyi subconsciously reached out and touched her forehead.
Shen Wuzheng immediately asked, "Little sister, are you feeling unwell?"
Yuwen Ye looked down at her, his brows furrowing slightly, and said, "Is it too hot standing here? Your body is already weak, you should go back and rest."
Shang Ruyi looked up at them, but shook her head.
She simply said, "You didn't do this just to win people over, did you?"
Yuwen Ye curled his lips slightly.
Shang Ruyi said, "Is it still for Wanggang Village?"
Yuwen Ye nodded slightly.
Shang Ruyi said, "But haven't we already achieved our goal?"
Although Yuwen Ye and Shen Wuzheng only brought back Shan Tong'er from their trip up the mountain, judging from the current situation, of the nine leaders of Wanggang Village, Shen Wuzheng killed two through a scheme, the brothers Wang Quyi and Wang Quren died at the hands of Xiao Yuansui, and Shan Tong'er also left Wanggang Village, it can be said that most of the elite forces of Wanggang Village have been lost.
Their trip up the mountain yesterday wasn't just about bringing back a Ninth Master.
Shang Ruyi listened to Shan Tong'er recount what they had said on the mountain—from Xiao Yuansui's perspective, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them "insidious." Every word they uttered planted invisible gunpowder in the hearts of the people in the village, and the fuse had already been lit.
Shang Ruyi was almost certain that they didn't need to go to Wanggang Village again. Just from the fact that Xiao Yuansui hadn't come down the mountain to cause trouble for them, it was clear that he was already too busy to take care of himself. And before long, the morale of Wanggang Village would definitely be low, and there would be an even greater split.
They have almost achieved their goal of taking Wanggangzhai.
It's only a matter of time before it's over.
Why was so much grain transported from Xingluo Granary to Yanyue City for distribution?
Yuwen Ye glanced at her but didn't speak. Shen Wuzheng, however, smiled and looked at her, asking, "Little sister, let me ask you, what do you think is the most important thing in this chaotic world?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback and looked up at him.
And in her ears, she seemed to hear a familiar voice, tinged with helplessness, saying: In such chaotic times, the few soldiers we have are what we rely on for survival...
Those were the last words Lei Yu said to her before leaving Luoyang.
Shang Ruyi said softly, "Soldiers?"
"good,"
At this point, Shen Wuzheng turned to look at Yuwen Ye again, and then said, "Although what we did before has already demoralized the people of Wanggang Village, and I can assure you that they will soon fall apart, what will happen after they fall apart?"
"...?"
Shang Ruyi frowned.
She looked at Shen Wuzheng, then at Yuwen Ye, who said, "In chaotic times, people's hearts are naturally important, but the troops that can be controlled are equally important."
"..."
"In this chaotic situation, whoever has more soldiers under their command has a greater chance of winning."
"..."
“I don’t want this group of people from Wanggangzhai to scatter here.”
Shang Ruyi began to understand.
However, when she glanced outside, she saw that most of the people who came were monks from Yanyue City, and the majority of the common people were elderly, weak, women and children; she didn't see many young adults.
She asked, "The people from Wanggang Village have fought with you before. Will they come?"
Yuwen Ye and Shen Wuzheng exchanged a glance.
After a long silence, he said, "We've done all we can with this. Now, just wait for the results, as before."
Before Shang Ruyi could say anything more, Tu She'er walked over from the side and said to them, "The food is ready."
When everyone looked up, they realized it was already noon.
No wonder the sun is so strong.
Yuwen Ye said, "Let's go eat first. We can talk about it over there."
Everyone nodded and walked toward the dining hall. As Shang Ruyi left, she couldn't help but look back. Although it was noon and the sun was hanging in the sky like a fireball, making everyone sweat profusely, they were still looking eagerly at the mountain of grain sacks in front of them. The expectation in their eyes made people feel a little sad.
Having enough to eat—these simple words are so difficult to achieve in such chaotic times.
She walked silently to the dining hall. The other monks had already finished their lunch, but the food prepared for them was still steaming hot, with a few more dishes than usual. As soon as Shang Ruyi sat down, a bowl of tenderly stewed egg custard was placed in front of her.
Shang Ruyi was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Tu She'er. Tu She'er smiled at her but didn't say anything, only glancing at Yuwen Ye on the other side.
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
Yuwen Ye sat down beside her without making a sound and picked up his bowl and chopsticks.
"..."
Shang Ruyi paused for a moment, then silently picked up the bowl of steamed egg custard and began to eat it spoonful by spoonful. The eggs were very tender and fragrant, which was a rare treat for her after eating vegetarian food for several days.
Then, she seemed to see the corner of the person next to her curl up slightly.
Sitting opposite them, Shen Wuzheng glanced at them, his eyes flickering, but he remained silent, quietly eating his food.
Before long, the meal was finished quietly.
Just as he put down his chopsticks, Mu Xian came over to report to Yuwen Ye: "Second Young Master, our men spotted some unfamiliar faces at the gate of Yanyue City. It seems they heard that rice is being distributed in the city and came to observe."
Yuwen Ye raised an eyebrow slightly: "Are you from Wanggang Village?"
Mu Xian said, "They are all young and strong men, and they look like it."
"Have you entered the city yet?"
"No, they were cautious and left after observing for a while."
"..."
Yuwen Ye thought for a moment, then waved his hand: "No need to alarm them. Let's wait two more days and see the results."
Mu Xian accepted the order and turned to leave.
Upon hearing this news, Shang Ruyi's eyes lit up, but after thinking for a while, she still asked with some worry, "Is Xiao Yuansui really unable to appease the people of Wanggang Village?"
Yuwen Ye silently shook his head.
Shen Wuzheng also said, "He can't do it."
Shang Ruyi became increasingly puzzled—when it came to matters of the heart, all they could do was speculate, but this time, the two of them seemed quite certain.
She asked, "Why?"
Shen Wuzheng said, "He killed Wang Quyi, and that's a dead end."
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "But Wang Quyi is suspicious of him and may even take action against him after he returns to Wanggang Village. He did only retaliate when he had no other choice."
Yuwen Ye shook his head and said, "This is different."
"..."
"Back then, he was desperate and wandered the world. It was Wang Quyi who took him in and promoted him to the second-in-command of Wanggang Village. No matter how much friction there was between the two of them afterward, Wang Quyi had done him a great favor, and that was an indisputable fact."
"..."
"But now, he killed Wang Quyi in front of so many people, which is ungrateful."
"..."
"If he can kill even Wang Quyi, who else can't he kill?"
"..."
“This time when we went up the mountain, Xiao Yuansui and I could only summon Shan Tong’er to fight, and Shen Tu Tai didn’t even show up, which speaks volumes. Not to mention those who are loyal to Wang Quyi, even those who have followed him before will probably have reservations about his actions this time.”
"..."
Shang Ruyi's brow furrowed slightly.
After a long silence, she said softly, "He seems different now than he was before."
Yuwen Ye's eyes turned cold.
He seemed unwilling to respond, so he picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip. But when he turned back and saw Shang Ruyi's still serious expression, his brows slowly furrowed. After a long pause, he said in a detached tone, "How many times have you met him? Do you really know him that well?"
Shang Ruyi looked up at him and said, "Although we've only met twice, I have a deep impression of you."
"oh?"
"When we first met, he was in a sorry state, but he was very open-minded and seemed like a man who could achieve great things. But the second time we met at Xingluo Granary, he actually sent people to arrest me and bring me into the granary. Moreover, his behavior had begun to become somewhat extreme, especially in his attitude towards Wang Quyi's people."
"..."
"This time, he killed Wang Quyi right at the entrance of Wanggang Village, which shows that he was more extreme and ruthless than last time."
"..."
Yuwen Ye turned his face to one side, seemingly unwilling to pay attention.
It was Shen Wuzheng, who had been silent all along, who spoke up at this moment: "When a person is in a weak position, he will soften his posture to give himself more chances to survive; but when he gains power, stands at a high position, and can control the lives and destinies of others, his true humanity will emerge."
Shang Ruyi looked up at him.
Shen Wuzheng looked into her eyes and said, word by word, "Perhaps, this is the real him."
"..."
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
At this moment, she suddenly remembered the time she spent with Xiao Yuansui when she was captured and taken to Xingluo Cangcheng, and how they talked about his confidante, Lüxiao.
For some reason, she suddenly had a bad feeling.
Seeing her slightly furrowed brow, Yuwen Ye, though somewhat impatient, couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
"No, it's nothing,"
Shang Ruyi shook her head, feeling that it was indeed a bit inexplicable for her to think of those things at this time. After all, Lüxiao was still by Wang Shaoji's side and had nothing to do with what was happening here.
She thought for a moment, then looked up at the two men in front of her.
"If you were in his position, what would you choose?"
"..."
"Would you kill Wang Quyi?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye and Shen Wuzheng were both taken aback and exchanged a glance.
After a long silence, Yuwen Ye chuckled softly.
Shang Ruyi asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Shen Wuzheng smiled faintly, but his eyes were still gentle as he looked at Shang Ruyi and said, "This might sound like sarcastic, but neither he nor I should put ourselves in such a situation."
"..."
"As an observer, there are many ways to resolve the issue between him and Wang Quyi, but it requires patience or a price to pay. However, Xiao Yuansui clearly lacks the patience and is unwilling to pay any more price. His crude solution to the problem will naturally leave behind endless troubles."
"..."
"It can be said that he chose a very poor strategy."
Yuwen Ye, standing to the side, said leisurely, "Do you think any of us would choose the worst possible option?"
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