Chapter 198 Crushing Defeat
A thousand miles of ice, snow falling silently.
Countless snowflakes fell on the slowly flowing Luo River, where there were hardly any ripples, and the rustling sound only made the valley seem even more silent.
On one side of the riverbank, on a wide, shallow beach, a huge military camp had been set up. Countless tents stood on the riverbank, arranged neatly in rows, like black and white chess pieces on a chessboard, waiting for the hands of the player to make their move.
This is Yuwen Ye's military camp.
He led his 20,000 troops eastward along the Luo River until they reached Luokou Ferry. They set up camp at the closest point to Huangtuling. Although it was only a temporary camp, it was filled with fluttering banners and imposing watchtowers, inspiring awe in all who beheld it.
This is their second day here.
Early in the morning, while everyone was still cooking over a fire on the riverbank, Yuwen Ye had already emerged from the huge tent and slowly strolled along the riverbank until he reached the river's edge, where a wave of cold, damp air rushed towards him.
He looked at the almost stagnant water at his feet, then looked up at the opposite bank of the river.
The north bank was a vast expanse of snow. The hills, peaks, and ravines had been covered by snow that had fallen for several days, making it almost impossible to distinguish between high and low, near and far. No matter how the cold wind howled, not a single bird flew among the mountains. The whole world seemed to have become a silent, pure white ink painting. As far as the eye could see, there was only an endless expanse of silver-clad white.
The snow-covered landscape stretches into the distance, merging seamlessly with the white clouds in the sky.
"A thousand peaks lie covered in white snow, and ten thousand ridges stand tall and majestic."
Just as he sighed, a commotion suddenly broke the tranquility of the shallows from the military camp behind him.
Yuwen Ye turned his head and saw several soldiers who were delivering food being yelled at as they retreated from a huge tent. Immediately afterward, several bowls and plates flew out, spilling the porridge and vegetables all over the ground.
Yuwen Ye frowned slightly.
Mu Xian stepped forward from the side and whispered, "Young Master—"
Yuwen Ye turned his head to the side: "There are no young masters in the army."
Upon hearing this, Mu Xian quickly changed his address to "General".
"What's going on over there?"
"That eunuch is causing trouble again."
"..."
"He insisted that the food in the army was all pig swill, and demanded that the cook prepare ten dishes and three soups for him, all of which were delicacies from the palace."
"..."
"General, he has been acting arrogantly and domineeringly in the army these days, ignoring even your orders. There are already complaints in the army. If this continues, how can we fight this battle?"
Yuwen Ye remained silent for a while before saying calmly, "He is the military supervisor personally appointed by His Majesty the Emperor, and has the power to supervise the troops; moreover, he is accompanied by more than a dozen eunuchs and a team of imperial guards to protect him, so this general cannot control him. Give him whatever he wants."
"this--"
Mu Xianxin was unwilling, but he had nothing to say, so he could only sigh and leave.
Sure enough, the kitchen sent several more food boxes to the tent. This time, they were not beaten and scolded again. However, after the meal, the exquisite food was barely touched before it was taken out and thrown onto the riverbank.
The surrounding soldiers couldn't help but frown when they saw this.
After an unknown amount of time, a eunuch dressed in a luxurious fox fur coat and with an arrogant expression slowly walked out of the tent.
He was none other than Kou Yunliang, the military supervisor for this expedition.
This man was probably in his thirties, with a fair complexion and a plump build. He was clearly used to a life of luxury, and was lazy and arrogant. He kept causing trouble for Yuwen Ye along the way, especially after the army marched along the Luo River. He complained about being tired or dirty, and even insisted on being carried in a sedan chair in the army. The distance between Dongdu and Xingluo Granary was only a few dozen miles, but he dragged them along for three days before they finally arrived. There were already voices of dissatisfaction in the army, but they were helpless against this supervisor appointed by the emperor himself.
At this moment, having eaten and drunk his fill, he strolled out leisurely for a while. Upon seeing the tall figure on the riverbank, he immediately stepped forward and said, "General."
Yuwen Ye turned around and bowed to him, saying, "Lord Kou."
Kou Yunliang asked, "Why hasn't the General sent out his troops yet?"
Yuwen Ye asked, "Does Lord Kou know where to send troops?"
Kou Yunliang was taken aback. He looked up at the north bank again. In fact, when he crossed Luokou Ferry yesterday, he saw a mountain range that was clearly higher than the valley in the vast snow scene on the north bank. He knew that there was a yellow earth ridge stretching for dozens of miles ahead. Among the overlapping mountains, he could vaguely see the towering city wall, which was the city wall of the granary city that the imperial court had built here before.
Kou Yunliang pointed at the city wall and said, "I can see the Cangcheng city wall. Why don't you just send troops to take it down, General?"
Yuwen Ye said coldly, "Then, Lord Kou, have you seen the road?"
"this--"
Kou Yunliang was taken aback. He took a few more steps forward and carefully examined the area. Indeed, he did not see any path leading up the mountain in the snowy landscape.
Yuwen Ye said, "The reason why Xingluo Granary was located here is because there is only one road leading up the mountain. It cannot be seen from here because the mountain road is narrow and you need to cross the ferry to see it. Even if you see it, the road is no more than ten feet wide, just wide enough for mules and horses to pass. It is impossible for our troops to pass without disturbing Wanggang's army - as soon as we get close, we will immediately provoke their counterattack."
Kou Yunliang said coldly, "Does the General mean that we've come this far and are now giving up the fight?"
"..."
"If we don't fight, then what did the Emperor send you here for?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Lord Kou, when fighting a war, one must have a thorough plan."
Kou Yunliang sneered, "General, by the time you have a complete plan, it will be too late. Let me tell you, the Emperor sent me here to supervise the army because he will not allow anyone to delay the battle or waste military supplies."
Yuwen Ye frowned slightly: "Lord Kou, if we rashly send troops, it will be the court's soldiers who will be sacrificed."
Kou Yunliang angrily said, "General, if you don't send troops immediately, don't blame me for submitting a memorial to the emperor, saying that you are hoarding troops and intend to harm the court!"
"..."
Yuwen Ye stared coldly at the other party.
Although Kou Yunliang was arrogant, he felt a little uneasy when he met Kou's sharp gaze and subconsciously shrank back.
After a long pause, Yuwen Ye let out a long breath and said, "Since Lord Kou insists that I, the general, send troops, then—I will send troops."
Kou Yunliang immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then sneered, "That's right, General. Don't forget your duty. If you fail to take Xingluo Granary, His Majesty may promote you to a second-rank general, or he may send you to the deepest hell!"
Yuwen Ye gave him a cold look, said nothing, and turned to walk back to the military camp.
Soon, a team of five hundred people was assembled.
They walked for several miles along the riverbank at the foot of Huangtu Ridge and finally found a road leading up the mountain. Just as Yuwen Ye had said, the road was only a little over ten feet wide, just wide enough for mules and horses to pass. On the road, you could even see two deep ruts left by years of driving, like a long snake, quietly winding and shuttling through the mountains.
On both sides of the mountain road are towering cliffs that reach into the clouds.
Although it was winter and the trees had long since lost all their leaves, leaving only withered branches, the countless trees still stood in disarray, completely obscuring the view. In addition, the heavy snow had blocked the mountain, making it impossible to see what was on the mountainside just a few meters away.
As they walked along this path, the soldiers became more cautious.
Normally, they could march in neat formation, but on such a narrow mountain path, they could only carefully climb up the mountainside.
Seeing this, Kou Yunliang, who was standing not far from the foot of the mountain, said impatiently, "Why aren't you hurrying up? Move faster!"
The soldiers looked at each other, hesitant.
Kou Yunliang said, "If you don't hurry up, don't blame me for whipping you. Let me tell you, Xingluo Granary is just ahead. If you can't take it, the Emperor will punish you, not only you, but your families too!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers could only grit their teeth and struggle to climb up the mountain path.
The slope wasn't long; after walking a few hundred steps, you could see the narrowest mountain path ahead, with a faint light coming from inside. It looked like a tall mountain gate, but the road ahead disappeared after passing the narrowest pass, clearly indicating that there was another slope inside.
Even those unfamiliar with military affairs can see that this place is a natural pass.
If someone were guarding this place, it would be an impregnable fortress. However, there was no one guarding it, and the soldiers felt a sense of relief and joy. Once they got past this place, they would probably be able to enter Xingluocang City. If they could really take Xingluocang, it would be a great achievement for them!
Thinking of this, the soldiers at the front quickened their pace, their faces filled with hope.
However, Yuwen Ye, standing at the foot of the mountain, had a solemn expression on his face.
Just as the soldiers were getting closer and closer to the mountain gate, suddenly, a loud rumbling sound came from overhead.
Someone asked in surprise, "Is it thundering?"
"Why is there thunder in the middle of winter?"
"But I think I heard thunder?"
"No, why do I feel like the ground is shaking?"
As the rumbling thunder grew closer, everyone instinctively looked up and were immediately startled, their eyes widening in fright.
Above their heads, on the towering mountain wall, countless huge black shadows suddenly fell down. Upon closer inspection, they were huge thunderstones and rolling logs!
"Run!"
"There's an ambush! Run!"
The soldier at the front had just turned around and shouted when everything went black before his eyes. A huge thunderstone crashed down on him. He didn't even have time to scream before a loud bang was heard, and blood splattered from under the stone, covering the soldiers behind him.
These people were all stunned with fear!
The next moment, more boulders and logs fell, and the men scattered like startled birds, but the narrow mountain path did not allow them to escape. One after another, boulders fell, crushing the soldiers into a bloody mess, and the logs crushed them all the way down the mountain path. Soon, blood was sprayed on the mountain wall, completely staining the white snow red.
On the narrow mountain path, the rumbling sound gradually swallowed up the screams and cries of the soldiers.
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