Chapter 1094 Young Mistress
"General Shi!"
Upon entering the main tent, Shang Ruyi heard a familiar voice. Although it was familiar, it had been several years since she had heard it. She wondered what had happened in those years, as Xiao Yuansui's voice sounded strangely hoarse, as if someone's voice had changed due to excessive excitement.
However, it's not surprising that he was excited, after all, being captured was a threat to the people of Hulao Pass.
When Shang Ruyi looked up, she met a pair of eyes that were still very familiar, bright and almost dazzling.
Sitting in the main tent, Xiao Yuansui saw them enter. His gaze swept over the two of them without lingering on Shang Ruyi. He then said to Shi Yuxin, "You've worked hard!"
Shi Yuxin bowed to him and said, "I dare not."
She stepped forward again and said in a deep voice, "This humble general requested to lead 80,000 troops westward to Chang'an, but we were blocked halfway and missed the opportunity. In addition, Chang'an had already received the battle report, and the opportunity to strike first was gone. Therefore, we returned without success. Please forgive me, General."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuansui's eyes flickered.
There seemed to be some disappointment in that fleeting glance, but it was quickly masked by a faint, almost imperceptible smile. He raised his hand and waved it gently, saying, "This plan was originally devised by you and me for the purpose of a surprise attack, but things on the battlefield are ever-changing and beyond human control. General Shi, there's no need to blame yourself."
Upon hearing this, Shi Yuxin frowned slightly.
Having grown up in the military, she understood the importance of military discipline and orders. Indeed, this plan was jointly devised by her and Xiao Yuansui, with each leading their troops to execute it: one to attack Hulao Pass to stabilize Yuwen Ye, and the other to seize the opportunity to advance westward to Chang'an to relieve the siege of Luoyang. While their failure might be partly due to oversight, the real reason was that she was the one carrying out the plan to attack Chang'an, and now it had almost completely failed. This was a major offense in the army. Even if Xiao Yuansui didn't severely punish her because of her great achievement in capturing the Princess of Qin, he shouldn't have let her off so easily, without even a harsh word. Where was the military discipline?
In recent days, she had become very clear that Xiao Yuansui's ability to govern the army should not be so lax.
Just as she was feeling a bit surprised, a sudden thought flashed through her mind, and she recalled what she had seen and heard since entering the military camp—she had not seen her younger brother Shi Yutao in this huge military camp, and almost none of Shi Yutao's soldiers had shown up either.
Shi Yuxin said, "Thank you for your forgiveness, General."
Xiao Yuansui nodded, and the next moment, Shi Yuxin suddenly asked, "General, I wonder where my younger brother is now?"
"...!"
At that moment, Shang Ruyi, who was standing behind her, preoccupied and hesitant to speak, immediately sensed that the atmosphere inside the tent had become tense.
Xiao Yuansui's breathing seemed to quicken, and his expression twitched slightly. He remained silent for a moment, then said, "This is what I was just about to tell General Shi."
Shi Yuxin's heart skipped a beat, as if her ominous premonition was gradually becoming a reality: "Brother, what happened?"
Xiao Yuansui said in a deep voice, "He was captured by the people of Hulao Pass."
"What!?"
Shi Yuxin was shocked and took a step forward in disbelief: "How could this be?"
Xiao Yuansui then told her what had happened earlier—just as Shen Wuzheng had guessed, when he woke up early and learned that Shi Yutao had led his troops to fight at Hulao Pass, Xiao Yuansui realized something was wrong and immediately led his troops to prepare to meet them. As soon as they left the camp, they encountered the group of people that Shi Yuxin had sent to deliver the message.
Even he was stunned.
Meanwhile, someone reported that the soldier who came to deliver the message this morning had stolen a horse and sneaked out of the camp.
Xiao Yuansui finally understood, but unfortunately, it was too late.
He immediately dispatched Hua Ziying with a team to Hulao Pass. They had only gone halfway when they encountered the two thousand men who had fled back in panic. Only then did they learn that Shi Yutao had been captured alive by Shen Tu Tai from among such a large group of men, leaving behind this group of terrified men to return and report the news. Xiao Yuansui was furious, but it was too late. He could only temporarily imprison the two thousand men and make further plans after Shi Yuxin returned.
Hearing his words, others might be okay, but Shang Ruyi's heart started pounding.
Shen Tu Tai was the one who made the move at Hulao Pass. It seems that Yuwen Ye hasn't appeared all day. If she guessed correctly, he must have received the news and led his troops to Huyang Valley to rescue her. Unfortunately, she didn't last long enough for him to arrive, and the two sides' forces missed each other.
Meanwhile, at Hulao Pass, someone clearly knew that Shi Yuxin had captured her and deliberately sent someone to deliver the message in advance, provoking Shi Yutao and causing him to willingly walk into Shen Tu Tai's clutches and be captured. This move was both shrewd and risky, and could be described as extremely clever.
Yes, is it Shen Wuzheng?
It must be him. Shang Ruyi couldn't think of anyone else with such wisdom and courage to come up with a way to fight back in such a desperate situation.
Thinking this way, a touch of warmth welled up in Shang Ruyi's heart amidst the faint panic.
In any case, when she was fighting bloody battles for the Great Sheng Dynasty, her husband did not abandon her, and her brother did everything he could to save her. So, even if she really died here, what regrets would she have?
At this moment, she even felt a bit of the heroic spirit of "the people do not fear death, so why threaten them with death?" Standing in this large tent, she no longer felt so oppressed and gloomy.
But Shi Yuxin, who was standing in front of her, was clearly not so comfortable.
Her brows furrowed, and her breathing grew heavy, as if a stone was pressing on her heart. She never imagined that she would capture the Princess of Qin, but her brother would send her to Hulao Pass. The two sides were even, and her victory in this battle was almost wiped out.
But the results were still a minor matter.
Now that Shi Yutao has been captured, how will the enemy treat him? Along the way, she had been very polite to this Princess Qin, even if not exceptionally courteous. She had not allowed anyone to bully the prisoner, and even let her ride a horse when she had difficulty walking. Now she was standing here unharmed, all because of her kindness.
Why would Shen Tu Tai and his people be so polite?
This is a minor matter; Shi Yutao's rash actions should serve as a lesson for him to suffer a little. However, the people at Hulao Pass captured Shi Yutao in order to deal with her capturing the Princess Qin, or simply put, to exchange for the Princess Qin.
But would Xiao Yuansui agree?
This time, his expedition to Chang'an ended in failure. The reason he did not punish her severely was obviously because he had captured the priceless Princess Qin. Since she was priceless, could he so easily let Shang Ruyi go in exchange for her brother?
Shi Yuxin took a deep breath, stepped forward, knelt down, and cupped her hands, saying, "It was my younger brother's rash decision to send out troops that led to this defeat. Please punish me, General."
Xiao Yuansui raised his hand to stop her from continuing, saying, "General Shi, your merits are your merits, and his failures are his failures. There has never been a system of collective punishment in my army."
"..."
"Besides, even if we really want to punish someone, we have to wait until the matter is resolved."
"..."
"Get up."
"Thank you, General Xie."
Shi Yuxin then stood up, her expression grave, and said, "Then, I wonder how the General intends to handle this matter?"
Xiao Yuansui looked at her for a while, then said, "This matter concerns General Xiaoshi's life and death, so we cannot act rashly. I was planning to wait for you to return so we could discuss a solution together."
"yes."
"However, you've just returned and must be exhausted from the long journey. Why don't you go down and rest first?"
"..."
"Let's discuss a solution later."
Upon hearing this, Shi Yuxin did not respond immediately. Instead, she turned her head to look at Shang Ruyi behind her and suddenly sensed something.
Before her father Shi Yutao and Xiao Yuansui joined forces, she had already heard about some of Xiao Yuansui's past achievements and inquired about his deeds. Apart from the Zuo family's rebellion and the capture of Wanggang Village, Xiao Yuansui's major battles in recent years, such as Xingluocang and the disbandment of Wanggang Village, all seemed to be related to Yuwen Ye.
It seems that the Queen Consort of Qin can be seen in all of them.
Judging from the fact that Shang Ruyi entered the large tent without showing any fear, there seemed to be some unseen relationship between her and Xiao Yuansui. Xiao Yuansui obviously wanted to sort things out before deciding how to deal with the current situation.
Thinking of this, Shi Yuxin said, "In that case, I shall take my leave."
Xiao Yuansui waved his hand: "Go."
Shi Yuxin bowed respectfully, turned around and glanced at Shang Ruyi. When they looked at each other, a complex emotion flickered in their bright eyes. Shi Yuxin didn't say anything more and walked out.
As soon as she left, the entire tent fell silent.
Shang Ruyi could feel the other person in the tent breathing heavily. This was not the first time the two of them had faced each other alone, nor was it the first time she had been captured and presented to him like prey. So she looked up at Xiao Yuansui with a sense of familiarity, not waiting for his judgment, but waiting for him to take the first step.
Xiao Yuansui also looked at her, his eyes somewhat dazed.
In a daze, they seemed to have returned to Xingluocang City, captured by their own people again, trapped in enemy territory again. Compared to last time, Shang Ruyi seemed more calm and composed, his breathing and heartbeat were not disordered, as if he were just a calm opponent waiting for him to make a move.
Xiao Yuansui pursed his lips slightly and said, "Young Madam."
"...!"
Upon hearing those three words, Shang Ruyi's brows immediately furrowed. She looked into Xiao Yuansui's dark and deep eyes and said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency, are you mistaken?"
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