Chapter 1058 My older brother is sincere!
Upon hearing this, Shan Tong'er's previously red eyes immediately brightened again. He looked up at Yuwen Ye and said excitedly, "Your Highness, my elder brother... he's willing to submit to us!"
"oh?"
Yuwen Ye leaned forward slightly, placing one hand on the table, his gaze fixed intently on Shan Tong'er: "Is he willing to submit?"
Shan Tong nodded vigorously: "Yes."
"..."
"Actually, the reason I went to see him last night was not only to reunite with him, but also to tell him about this matter."
"..."
“Liang Shide is trapped in Luoyang. There is no future in following him. I don’t want my elder brother to follow him down this dark path. Besides, if we can take Hulao Pass without bloodshed, it will be good for all of us!”
Yuwen Ye pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Nie Chong, who nodded slightly and said, "I have also entered Hulao Pass. Master Shan has treated us with even greater courtesy. He said that he actually knows that Luoyang cannot be defended for long, especially after receiving news from Xia Prefecture."
Those around him were already excited and overjoyed to hear that Master Shan was willing to submit. Hearing the last sentence was like receiving a reassurance. After all, you can't judge a book by its cover, and it's hard to know what's true or false. To determine whether someone is truly submitting, you have to look at what they say and their circumstances.
Mu Xian said, "The crisis in Xia Prefecture has been resolved. Ashina Zhuxie has no will to fight and has returned to the Turkic Khaganate. Wang Shaoqiu has also died in Sui Prefecture. Liang Shide has no more reinforcements. In addition, we have successively captured Mengjin Pass and Xiaopingjin Pass. Apart from Hulao Pass, Luoyang has become an isolated city."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Yuwen Ye: "It seems that his men are also starting to lose their loyalty."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye remained noncommittal. After pondering for a while, he asked Shan Tong'er, "Was it you or your elder brother who proposed the surrender?"
The kind boy said, "It is me."
"..."
"After my older brother and I were reunited, he asked me if I had any other business on this trip. I brought up this matter, and at that moment, the people around him tried to kill us!"
"..."
"Fortunately, my older brother stopped them, and then we started talking about this."
"..."
"He said that he was actually disappointed with Luoyang. Liang Shide wanted to use him but was also wary of him. He gave him tens of thousands of troops to guard Hulao Pass, but there was only enough food for less than a month. He himself was in charge of the Huiluo granary."
"..."
"Your Highness, if my elder brother truly surrenders to us, could you—"
Looking at his expectant eyes, Yuwen Ye smiled faintly and said, "If he really submits to us, it would be a great thing. How could I refuse?"
Upon hearing this, Shan Tong'er jumped up from the ground with joy, but the jump immediately aggravated the injury on his buttocks, causing him to grimace in pain. He gritted his teeth and suppressed the scream that was about to escape his lips, and bowed deeply to Yuwen Ye: "Thank you, Your Highness!"
Yuwen Ye thought for a moment and then asked, "You just said that when you mentioned having your elder brother join us, the people around him wanted to kill you. How did your elder brother deal with these people?"
The kind boy said, "Big brother locked them up."
At this point, as if sensing something, he said softly, "Your Highness, do you suspect that my elder brother's surrender is feigned and that he intends to deal with us?"
Yuwen Ye looked up into his clear eyes and said, "I just want to ask clearly."
"..."
“Leading the people to surrender is no small matter. Moreover, Shan Shiyu commands more than 100,000 troops. If he does it well, it will be a great achievement. If he does it poorly, none of our people will survive.”
Shan Tong'er hurriedly said, "Your Highness, rest assured, I can guarantee that my elder brother is sincere!"
"..."
“The men around him who tried to stop him from surrendering to us were all arrested; if it were a feigned surrender, my elder brother wouldn’t have imprisoned them at all.”
"..."
"Your Highness, I did not lie."
Seeing his anxious look, the people around him, though nervous, couldn't help but smile.
In fact, after the initial shock and joy, doubts gradually arose in everyone's minds. Whether Master Shanyu truly surrendered was indeed a matter of life and death. The fact that he had arrested those of his subordinates who were unwilling to surrender at least proved one thing: he had not conspired with his subordinates to deceive Shantong'er into trusting him.
At present, this matter seems to be at least 70-80% credible.
Yuwen Ye said, "I don't doubt you."
After saying that, he thought for a moment and then asked, "Then, did you make an agreement with him?"
Shan Tong'er nodded hurriedly and said, "Yes, we agreed that tomorrow night, at the place where we fought yesterday, my elder brother will lead his confidants. As long as Your Highness is willing to accept him, he can immediately lead us into Hulao Pass!"
"Tomorrow night."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Alright."
Shan Tong'er asked in surprise, "Your Highness has agreed?"
Yuwen Ye said, "As I just said, Shan Shiyu commands more than 100,000 troops. If he is willing to surrender, we can be spared the suffering of war, and we can also suffer fewer casualties. This is a great achievement and a great thing. How could I refuse?"
Shan Tong'er exclaimed happily, "That's wonderful! Thank you, Your Highness!"
Yuwen Ye smiled faintly and said, "I should be thanking you. I never expected that I would be beaten with twenty lashes for acknowledging this elder brother, but I managed to take Hulao Pass. Go and rest now, and I'll have someone change your bandages in a bit."
"yes!"
Shan Tong stood up and turned to leave.
Just then, Yuwen Ye suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, where are your parents...?"
"..."
Upon hearing this question, Shan Tong'er's eyes reddened, but her gaze brightened.
Unexpectedly, even after he reported such a momentous matter as Shanshiyu's impending surrender, Yuwen Ye still remembered to inquire about his parents, which was merely a trivial matter to him. So, his throat tightened, and he said softly, "They... they've both passed away."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions darkened.
A hint of sadness flickered in Yuwen Ye's eyes, while Shan Tong'er forced a smile and said, "Actually, with the world in chaos, even if I can't reunite with my elder brother, I know they won't have an easy time surviving in this world. Right now, I just feel happy that they didn't sell me because they didn't want me, but to save me. Now, they must have gone to a better place."
"..."
“Even if not, I will still pray for them.”
Yuwen Ye nodded gently: "Yes, I will. You can go and rest now."
The boy bowed and greeted him, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."
After saying that, he limped out. Yuwen Ye nodded to Nie Chong and immediately followed him out, helping Shan Tong'er leave together.
As soon as they left, Mu Xian couldn't hide his joy and looked at Yuwen Ye: "Your Highness—"
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