Chapter 1004 Returning to One's Roots
Wo Xue looked up and said, "If we go a little further ahead, we'll reach Suizhou."
"Suizhou?"
Upon hearing those two words, before Shang Ruyi could even speak, Lüxiao seemed somewhat surprised. Shang Ruyi turned to look at her and then said, "If I remember correctly, it's not far from Yanmen County."
She had accompanied Chu Yang on his imperial tour of the northern frontier years ago, but unexpectedly they were attacked by the Western Turks. Later, all the entourage retreated to Yanmen County. Both of their journeys passed through Suizhou, which is the road they were on. No wonder it looked familiar.
Yet it felt unfamiliar.
In just a few years, dynasties changed, the country was in chaos, and the people suffered. The land, which was already barren, became even more desolate and bleak.
At this moment, Tao Yu, the leader of the Imperial Guards accompanying them, rode forward and said softly, "Your Highness, once we leave Yanmen Pass, we will be closer to Xia Prefecture."
Shang Ruyi wiped her sweat and asked, "How many days would it take to get here from Xia Prefecture at full speed?"
Tao Yu was taken aback when he heard this. Shang Ruyi was probably asking about the distance from here to Xiazhou, but for some reason, she was saying that it was from Xiazhou to here, but coming and going meant the same thing. So he replied, "If we travel light, it will take no more than three days."
Shang Ruyi nodded, then glanced northwest. Of course, they couldn't see Xia Prefecture from here, or even Sui Prefecture, which was the closest to them. She just smiled and said, "Let's rest here. I'm a little hungry."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately dismounted and rested on the spot.
Wo Xue was efficient and quickly laid out a blanket under the shade of the tree. She then led the people to build a simple shed for Shang Ruyi and Lüxiao to sit inside, drink tea, and rest. The others followed her to start a fire and cook.
Shang Ruyi sipped her tea and fanned herself with a fan. Once she felt a little cooler, she looked up at Lüxiao, wanting to say something to her, but found her sitting beside her in a daze, staring at the wide, flat official road ahead, where people occasionally passed by, but it always seemed desolate, with a somewhat bewildered expression.
It seems she has been silent ever since she learned that they were almost at Suizhou.
Shang Ruyi asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"..."
Green Silk silently turned her head to look at her before saying, "The last time I saw Xiao Lang was in Suizhou."
Shang Ruyi's eyes widened slightly: "Back then—"
"Um,"
Green Silk nodded gently and said, "When Zuo Heng was defeated, he fled north with Xiao Lang and the rest of us. But we were pursued by Emperor Yang's forces, and that's when I got separated from Xiao Lang in Suizhou."
Shang Ruyi sighed.
Speaking of which, it's a story that's almost been forgotten. Back then, when Chu Yang was leading his troops on an eastern expedition against Gouli, Zuo Heng rebelled. His rebellion was huge, attracting not only many heroes to join him, but also many nobles who followed him in rebellion. Xiao Yuansui was the most famous among them.
Moreover, as soon as he joined Zuo Heng's camp, he offered him three strategies.
The best course of action would be to have Zuo Heng occupy Zhuojun and keep Chu Yang, who was personally leading an expedition at the time, out of the pass. If this continued for a long time without supplies, Chu Yang's troops would collapse on their own. If Zuo Heng could capture Chu Yang at that time and then issue a proclamation to the world, the world could be pacified.
The middle strategy was to have Zuo Heng lead troops to attack Daxing, the capital of Xijing at the time. When Chu Yang returned with his troops, he would have the advantage of Tongguan Pass in Daxing, and at least he could occupy Guanzhong and establish himself as king.
The worst option would be to occupy the wealthy eastern capital, Luoyang. However, Chu Yang would surely send a large force to attack Luoyang after withdrawing his troops from Liaodong, so the outcome would be uncertain.
Unfortunately, Zuo Heng valued Luoyang's wealth and prosperity and wanted to achieve his goal quickly, so he chose what Xiao Yuansui called the "worst strategy"—attacking Luoyang. However, the city was well-fortified and easily accessible. Before Zuo Heng's troops could capture Luoyang, reinforcements from all directions were already arriving in droves. He was overwhelmed and unable to cope. In addition, upon hearing that he had rebelled, Chu Yang immediately withdrew his main force from Liaodong, vowing to annihilate him.
Therefore, Zuo Heng was forced to withdraw from Luoyang, fighting and retreating until he could only flee north, hoping to seek help from the Turks at Yanmen Pass.
It seems that it was along this route that he reached the end of his life, dying in a bloody battle; while Xiao Yuansui and Lüxiao were separated when passing through Suizhou, and eventually wandered to the ends of the earth.
Shang Ruyi sighed and said, "Actually, their uprising was very powerful and had many followers. It shouldn't have failed so quickly."
"..."
"Moreover, Zuo Heng is not short of money and food."
Upon hearing her words, Lüxiao's expression faltered slightly.
This is the second time Shang Ruyi has brought up Zuo Heng's money on this journey. Last time, she deliberately made a sarcastic remark to her, and given her personality, she shouldn't have brought it up again. But why is she bringing it up again now?
Green Silk glanced at Shang Ruyi with a half-smile and said, "The Princess Consort seems to care a lot about Zuo Heng's money."
Shang Ruyi smiled faintly and said, "I don't care about Zuo Heng's money."
"oh?"
"I'm just interested in money."
"..."
"Moreover, his money is no small sum; it can support him in recruiting soldiers and buying horses, and can also support him in several battles. It could not be enough without the wealth of an enemy country."
"..."
"I wonder if he's spent such a large sum of money."
Green Silk glanced at her, her eyes flickered, and then said, "I'm afraid it's not all used up."
"Oh? Why?"
"Zuo Heng's soldiers were all killed in the end, not all of them fled."
"oh……"
Shang Ruyi nodded slightly. It seems that although Lüxiao has not learned any military skills from following Xiao Yuansui all these years, she still knows a thing or two about military matters. The fact that Zuo Heng fought to the end and his troops were all wiped out instead of fleeing proves that he still had money and food to support his troops.
Unfortunately, he died just like that.
Shang Ruyi murmured, "Then where is his money?"
Upon hearing Shang Ruyi's words, Lüxiao's brows furrowed.
If she hadn't known the Princess Qin's character beforehand, she would have almost been unable to suppress her contempt and disdain upon hearing these words. The Princess Qin had never been a money-grubbing or opportunistic person, so why was she so focused on Zuo Heng's money when she talked about her past following Xiao Yuansui?
Are they really that poor, or are they really that greedy?
Just as Lüxiao looked at her with a puzzled expression, Shang Ruyi looked up at Lüxiao again and said with a smile, "I heard that Xiao Shan Gong's hometown seems to be near Suizhou. When Zuo Heng withdrew from Luoyang and headed north through Yanmen Pass, he must have had some ulterior motive."
"..."
"People always believe in returning to their roots."
Green Silk didn't respond to that, but stared at Shang Ruyi with a strange expression for a long time before finally saying, "Does Your Highness perhaps guess that Lord Zuo's true burial place is—"
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