Chapter 1195 Where is the King of Qi?
Shang Ruyi's face immediately darkened, especially when she saw that her brother had come in full military uniform, with a knife hanging at his waist, and the soldiers following behind him were also fully armored and armed with swords.
It was not an outfit suitable for attending a banquet at all.
As these people entered the lobby, they immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Normally, a group of fully armed soldiers entering such a banquet would bring a menacing aura, making everyone present uneasy. But this time, the situation was quite the opposite. Half of the people sitting in the hall were people who could fight on the battlefield, especially Shen Tu Tai. He was worth an entire army by himself. Even though he was only wearing ordinary clothes, he was not afraid of the enemy's fully armored soldiers.
Even when those soldiers walked into the hall and came into his sight, they themselves became timid and looked away.
Shen Tu Tai sneered, picked up a pear and took a big bite out of it, chewing as he looked at them.
The others, whether it was Shen Wuzheng, Pei Xingyuan, or Guan Ao and Guan Chiying, were all determined. Although they were surprised by the sudden appearance of such a group of people, they were not discouraged at all.
Therefore, the moment Shang Shoufei stepped into the lobby, he immediately felt a chill seep into his bones. Half of his original aggressive aura was instantly drained away. When he met Yuwen Ye's cold eyes and Shang Ruyi's indifferent gaze, he couldn't help but feel a little short of breath.
"Qin, Qin—"
Having made ample preparations beforehand, he immediately mustered his courage and hastily bowed to Yuwen Ye: "Your Highness, I am in armor, please forgive my lack of courtesy."
If it were anyone else, Yuwen Ye might not have given them a friendly look, but he wouldn't have made things too difficult for them. However, as soon as he saw Shang Shoufei, he immediately remembered the suffering Shang Ruyi had endured, and his eyes not only turned cold but also sharpened.
He said, "Shang Shoufei? Who sent you?"
Shang Shoufei said, "His Highness Prince Qi has instructed me to come—"
Before he could finish speaking, Shen Tu Tai coldly said, "Zhaowu Colonel, today is a celebration banquet for meritorious officials. Those who have not made any contributions should not appear here, lest they become a laughing stock."
Upon hearing this, Shang Shoufei's face flushed red and then turned pale.
It should be noted that he was among the first batch of generals to follow Yuwen Cheng on the expedition, but a whole year had passed and they had not won a single battle in Luoyang. They had even been defeated by Liang Shide because they did not heed the strategies of Shen Tu Tai and Shen Wu Zheng, and had to retreat to Cijian, where they were almost left with nowhere to go. If it weren't for Yuwen Ye leading his army to capture the eight passes of Luoyang one by one, they would probably have been forced to their deaths there.
The subsequent capture of Luoyang was only achieved without bloodshed, thanks to Yuwen Ye's prior planning.
In terms of rewarding merit, he truly...
Military merit is highly valued in the army. Without military merit, even if one is promoted to a high position, one will not gain the love and respect of one's subordinates. Shen Tu Tai's words ruthlessly tore off his mask of incompetence. Even the few personal guards standing behind him were somewhat breathless and kept silent.
Guan Ao and Guan Chiying, on the other hand, although they knew Shang Shoufei's identity, they were unaware of the grudge between him and Shang Ruyi. They were also somewhat puzzled as to why the brother of the Princess of Qin was under the command of the Prince of Qi, and why Yuwen Ye treated him so badly, with his men even ruthlessly humiliating him.
Jiang Yan and Liang Youying watched this scene with even greater astonishment.
Shang Shoufei gritted his teeth, suppressing the anger in his chest, and said with a fawning smile, "General Shentu, whether you have made merit or not is not up to you. When we return to Chang'an, the Emperor will decide."
Shen Tu Tai sneered, "I'd like to see what merit a Zhaowu Colonel who fled at the mere sight of Liang Shide's army and wiped out 50,000 men in a single battle can have in the eyes of the Emperor."
These words made Shang Shoufei's face turn pale, and he couldn't say anything more, so he could only turn his face away.
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi frowned.
In the past, the number of deaths in a battle was just a number to them. But after the battles of Fufeng and Huyang Valley, the sacrifices on the battlefield were real losses to her. The mound of corpses of tens of thousands of people, the tragic scene, and the near annihilation of her carefully trained 300 heavy cavalry in Huyang Valley—even now, sometimes in the middle of the night, she would feel heartbroken and shed tears.
She had heard about Yuwen Cheng and Shang Shoufei's crushing defeat even before Yuwen Ye set out on the campaign.
Ignoring Shen Tu Tai and Shen Wu Zheng's advice, these two insisted on attacking Luoyang. In the end, less than 2,000 of their 50,000 troops escaped. If Shen Tu Tai and Shen Wu Zheng hadn't insisted on leaving a force to defend Cijian, their eastern expedition to Luoyang would have ended in a major defeat!
At this point, Shang Ruyi's resentment towards him no longer stemmed solely from the abuse and abandonment he had inflicted on her during her childhood.
And as Shang Ruohong's daughter, she discovered that there was only one such incompetent and despicable male member left in the family. He had done all sorts of stupid things while bearing the prestige of the former General of the Cavalry. Before long, the glory of the Shang family would be replaced by his incompetence!
Shang Ruyi gritted her teeth and said coldly, "What are you doing here!"
Hearing Shang Ruyi's angry voice, Shang Shoufei looked up at her. Although he felt a little guilty, he told himself that he could not show weakness in front of her no matter what.
Shang Shoufei immediately sneered, but still maintained a respectful demeanor and said, "Your Highness Prince Qin, Your Highness the Princess, our Prince Qi has said that he will not be attending tonight's victory celebration banquet."
It wouldn't have been a big deal if he hadn't come; in fact, the people here would have been more at ease without him.
But Shen Wuzheng, who was sitting to the side, sensed something unusual in his smug expression. He suddenly asked, "Where did the Prince of Qi go?"
Shang Shoufei glanced at him coldly: "What did His Highness Prince Qi do? What business is it of yours, a mere military advisor, to ask?"
As he spoke, he rested his right hand on his sword, turned to Shen Wuzheng, and said, "Military Advisor Shen, don't forget that you went on this campaign with the King of Qi and were under his command. Now you're coming to the King of Qin to curry favor..."
Shen Wuzheng said coldly, "If I hadn't rushed to Hulao Pass and informed His Highness Prince Qin of the situation in Luoyang, allowing him to lead his army south, where do you think you and Prince Qi would be now?"
Shang Shoufei's face darkened.
Indeed, if it weren't for Yuwen Ye's arrival, they probably wouldn't have even breached the gates of Luoyang by now.
Shen Wuzheng's words once again proved his incompetence. Shang Shoufei was furious, but since he was in someone else's territory, he couldn't vent his anger. Yuwen Ye, on the other hand, said coldly, "If the military advisor can't ask, can't I?"
"..."
Where is the King of Qi?
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