Chapter 486 You recruited me, so why are you asking me?
This time, the glint in Yuwen Ye's eyes was even sharper.
However, he didn't say anything immediately. Instead, he lowered his eyelids slightly, his long eyelashes obscuring the glint in his eyes, and asked, "Why would you think that?"
Shang Ruyi said, "Because if you go back now, all of these 100,000 surrendered soldiers will have to be handed over to the imperial court."
At this point, she smiled and said, "Even I am not reconciled."
Yuwen Ye looked at her: "Then, what will you do?"
"I can--"
Shang Ruyi looked up at him and said softly, "I will do the same as you and first divide these tens of thousands of people into four groups and put them into the army."
"Oh? Why?"
"This time when you went to Fufeng, your troops consisted of two parts: one part was the imperial army, and the other part was your own personal guards. Among your own personal guards, there were two groups: one was the troops led by Mu Xian and Cheng Qiao, which were the troops you had been training since Taiyuan; the other part was the troops led by Nie Chong and Shan Tong'er, which were the troops from Wanggang Village. Of course, now we have also added the troops brought by Shen Tu Tai."
"..."
"The court will not touch Mu Xiancheng and his group, nor will Father allow the court to do so, so their situation is stable."
"..."
"As for the group from Wanggang Village, there might have been some people in the court who wanted to take them over before, but you brought them to Fufeng before they could make a move. Now that Shen Tu Tai has arrived, the people in the court don't dare to interfere. After all, everyone knows that he is difficult to subdue. If things go wrong, there might be another incident where he kills a general and escapes. In that case, it will only cause trouble for yourself."
"..."
"So, you've divided half of the surrendered soldiers from Longxi into these two groups, and all 70,000 to 80,000 men will belong to you."
Yuwen Ye merely smiled noncommittally, then asked, "And what about the imperial forces?"
Shang Ruyi said, "After this battle, this group of soldiers will still have to be returned to the imperial court. So, you put a quarter of the surrendered soldiers into this army. That will be your way of giving the imperial court an explanation."
"Didn't I leave 30,000 troops for Fufeng?"
"After Xue Xian's death, there will be no more major military troubles in Longxi. On the contrary, the capital and Wang Shaoji, who has returned from Jiangdu, need to send troops. Therefore, the court should not send any more generals here. As for the garrison commander Ma Xu, he participated in the plot to kill you. He is going back to Daxing for trial. Even if he doesn't die, the court will not give him an important position. So the commander of Fufeng will naturally promote Dai Junliang, who made great contributions in this battle. These people will be under his command and guard this place."
"..."
"After this battle, Dai Junliang's attitude towards you is very clear."
"..."
"Therefore, three-quarters of Xue Xian's more than 100,000 surrendered soldiers are now temporarily in your hands."
"..."
"But this also becomes another problem."
"What's the problem?"
"As the Grand General of the State, you are not allowed to command more than 40,000 troops in peacetime, except during wartime. However, you have nearly 100,000 men under your personal guard. Without a formal appointment, the court and the Ministry of War will not allow you to take over such a large number of troops."
"..."
"After this battle, the only reward the court will give you is money, not an official position. In other words, they want to take this group of troops away. As a result, you will inevitably be dismissed by the court when you return."
"..."
"You're staying here to wait for the imperial court to give you a new title so you can officially command this group of people, right?"
"...!"
At this moment, Yuwen Ye no longer concealed his expression.
He looked a little angry, but not quite angry. Yet, being so close, Shang Ruyi could clearly hear him clenching his teeth.
Shang Ruyi was stunned for a moment—what? Did she say something wrong?
Just as she was still somewhat dazed, she suddenly felt a weight on her wrist. Caught off guard, she let out a soft cry and was pulled down by Yuwen Ye, falling into his arms.
Then, he lowered his head and bit her lip hard.
"Hmm!"
Shang Ruyi felt a sharp pain on her lips and instinctively tried to struggle, but those two iron-like arms held her tightly, making her unable to move.
Then, he forcefully took her lips.
"Mmm...uh, mmm..."
Shang Ruyi lost her composure and senses for a moment. She felt a sudden flame envelop her and was about to melt her. However, she was immediately immersed in that familiar aura. She not only forgot to struggle, but also gradually forgot to breathe, panting incessantly as this person teased her.
Yuwen Ye's heart was also pounding.
However, if he didn't release his surging emotions in this way at this moment, perhaps his own body wouldn't be able to withstand such joy and pleasure.
In truth, he had long understood that his seemingly delicate and gentle wife was not the kind of woman who was only good at making men happy in bed—although she certainly had that ability—but what truly captivated him was her intellect, which always resonated with his own, and her unwavering determination to never give up, even when he was not by her side.
He originally thought that he liked her enough, even enough to let go of the figure that had lingered in his heart since childhood for her sake, and to suppress those unresolved doubts just to accept her.
But unexpectedly—she could make him like her even more!
After an unknown amount of time, Yuwen Ye slowly released the soft, boneless body in his arms. When he looked down again, Shang Ruyi's face was red to the roots of her ears, and even the corners of her eyes were flushed.
Her delicate lips, under his rough handling, became somewhat red and swollen.
But the more he did this, the more Yuwen Ye felt it wasn't enough, it just wasn't enough. He let out a deep breath and pressed his still burning lips to hers once more, but this time he didn't go deep, just kept them pressed together.
Then he said in a deep voice, "From now on, you are not allowed to be so smart."
Although her face was burning red and her heart was pounding, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but chuckle to herself upon hearing these words.
She reached out and braced herself against his chest, gently pushing him away slightly, finally freeing her lips from his. She mumbled, "Do you like idiots?"
"...!"
Yuwen Ye gritted his teeth again: "I like you!"
After saying that, he lowered his head again.
This time, Shang Ruyi stopped struggling. The soft little hands that had been supporting him on his chest slowly climbed up his neck like nimble snakes and hugged him tightly. Their two hot, intertwined bodies were even hotter than the blazing sun outside.
|
Two days later, new news arrived.
The imperial court issued an edict, bestowing upon Yuwen Ye the title of General of Heavenly Strategy, placing him above the Fourteen Guards, commanding 100,000 troops, granting him the same rank as the Three Excellencies, and allowing him to establish his own residence.
Meanwhile, those who recommended him for the expedition, especially General Yu Dingxing of the Left Valiant Guard, also received generous rewards.
One of these two pieces of news was something they had been eagerly anticipating, while the other was somewhat expected.
After the eunuch who came to read the decree finished reading the last word, he handed the imperial edict to Yuwen Ye and then said with a smile, "General, the rank of General of Heavenly Strategy is above the Fourteen Guards, which is an honor that has never been seen since the founding of this dynasty. This is a great favor from the Emperor. General, please return to the court as soon as possible to receive your reward."
Yuwen Ye stood up, holding the imperial edict, and said, "Of course. Tomorrow, we will return to the capital."
The eunuch breathed a long sigh of relief.
Then he smiled and said, "That's good, that's good."
Yuwen Ye turned around and handed the imperial edict to Shang Ruyi behind him, then said, "Since the special envoy has come today, we should treat him well. It just so happens that we have won the battle of Fufeng, but we have not yet celebrated our victory. Tonight, let's hold a grand banquet to welcome the special envoy and to celebrate the victory of the soldiers in the battle of Fufeng!"
Upon hearing this, the people around were overjoyed and shouted, "Thank you, General!"
That night, the army was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, pigs and sheep were slaughtered, and a lot of wine was brought out from the treasury. The soldiers, whether they were surrendered soldiers from Longxi or garrison troops from Fufeng, had been struggling and suppressed for dozens of days in this war. They never dreamed that they could have such joy. They all expressed their gratitude to the general.
Yuwen Ye also personally came to the army and drank heartily with the soldiers of various units.
The celebration banquet lasted until late at night.
Although Shang Ruyi didn't go to the army camp to drink due to her status, she set up a separate table in the government office with the maids and servants who had worked hard these past few days. Because she was happy, she got a little dizzy after only a few cups of wine. In the end, she didn't know who helped her back to her room. She only felt that the person seemed both fierce and gentle, but he exuded a comfortable aura. Shang Ruyi smiled at him and then fell asleep in a daze.
The next morning, just as dawn broke, footsteps could be heard outside.
The people in the manor have started getting up early to do their work.
Shang Ruyi frowned. Although she was still asleep, she realized that she was about to set off back to Daxing today. In her dazed state, she hesitated whether to continue sleeping or wake up. But before she could make a decision, she felt a warm, large hand cup her brow and gently rub it.
"Dreaming, why are you frowning?"
Now, he had no choice but to wake up.
Shang Ruyi slowly opened her eyes, her gaze still carrying the misty haze of her dream. She looked at the cold and sharp man before her, as if she had also shrouded him in a gentle illusion.
Facing such a handsome man, Shang Ruyi gave a silly little smile.
Then, she heard the other person's breathing quicken.
The next moment, her still somewhat limp body was pulled into a burning hot embrace, and her lips, which had not yet fully recovered from swelling, were once again subjected to brutal assault!
Shang Ruyi was dumbfounded.
She didn't know what was happening, she didn't understand what was going on with her, she only felt as if this man was about to swallow her whole, and she was about to be unable to breathe!
So she struggled to escape his unrestrained kisses, murmuring, "What are you doing?"
But the other party refused to let her go.
He pinned her down, forcefully restraining her hands, and said through gritted teeth, "You provoked me, so why are you asking me?"
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