Chapter 634 Is he the one who listens to me the most?
Upon hearing her voice, Yuwen Ye's expression darkened further.
"...!"
Shang Ruyi seemed to realize that her hasty words were inappropriate, but upon hearing his arrangement, she couldn't help but frown.
There were only two hundred people, and he only gave Shen Wuzheng two hundred people.
Although two hundred guards were indeed a lot for a palace like Changchun Palace that was almost abandoned, this place was outside Tongguan Pass after all. In the end, it was not under the protection of the Dasheng Dynasty and was not an absolutely safe place. Therefore, Yuan An's troops were able to penetrate deep into the territory alone and pursue Yuwen Cheng all the way to the vicinity of Cangbai Mountain, and even Yicheng could not be saved.
What if Taiyuan discovers that Yuan An has not returned and sends more troops?
What if they find Changchun Palace?
With two hundred guards, aren't they just fish on someone else's chopping board?
Shang Ruyi bit her lower lip, about to say something more, but before she could speak, Yuwen Ye's face darkened, as if he hadn't heard her, and he coldly said, "Go and muster the troops now, and set off before dark."
Shen Wuzheng glanced at him and said, "Yes."
After speaking, he cupped his hands in a salute, straightened up, and looked at Shang Ruyi.
His gaze remained calm, but after shedding the usual aloofness and indifference he showed to everyone around him, his eyes were filled with tenderness when he looked at Shang Ruyi. Although he didn't say a word, it was as if he had already said a thousand words. With just one glance, his gentle gaze soothed the unease in Shang Ruyi's heart.
Shen Wuzheng smiled slightly at her, then turned and walked out.
Shang Ruyi subconsciously took a step to catch up.
But just as he was about to take that step, Yuwen Ye's cold voice came from behind: "All of you, step back!"
Her heart skipped a beat at the cold, hard voice. Shang Ruyi instinctively turned around and saw his injured hand pressed tightly against the table. Perhaps because the wound had reopened, the gauze wrapped around his fingertips was stained with even deeper crimson blood. Yet, reflected in his cold, stern eyes, there was no warmth whatsoever.
He said coldly, "Go back to your own tents, and don't come out again. Rest tonight, and set off first thing tomorrow morning!"
The crowd replied, "Yes!"
After he finished speaking, everyone stood up, saluted him, and then left the central command tent.
Shang Ruyi could only follow them out. But the moment the curtain fell, she couldn't help but look back again. She saw Yuwen Ye gently raise his injured hand and place it on his forehead. Between his fingers, Shang Ruyi thought she saw him raise his head and look at her coldly.
It was so cold that it had no warmth at all.
Shang Ruyi's steps suddenly became heavy again, and she stood at the entrance of the tent, unable to move.
She knew he was angry with her because of Shen Wuzheng.
Last night, whatever the two men said, Yuwen Ye was definitely not the only one who made the move, and he might not have even been the one who started it. But my impulsive questioning angered him, so now he not only doesn't want to say a word to me, but he also seems to be very annoyed to even see me.
So... is sending only two hundred men to Changchun Palace a sign of his displeasure?
Shang Ruyi was somewhat saddened, but more than that, she felt helpless. After all, this was the military, and Yuwen Ye's word was law; no one could disobey his orders.
While she was silent, Wo Xue came over, whispered a few words of comfort, and then led her back to their tent.
Soon, campfires were lit all over the camp, and the aroma of food filled the air with the rising smoke. Just as the sun was setting and the cooks brought in the evening meal, Shang Ruyi heard the sound of horses' hooves mixed in with the noise outside.
She immediately went to the tent entrance and saw a large group of people walking out of the camp in the distance.
It was Shen Wuzheng and Yuwen Cheng.
They left the camp with their two hundred men and the seriously ill soldiers who needed medical treatment, heading further west to Changchun Palace.
The torches held high by the soldiers leading the way were quickly swallowed by the night. Soon, even the sound of horses' hooves disappeared completely into the mountains, leaving only the silent night, like ink dripping into water, gradually darkening everything before their eyes. The darkness gradually seeped in, making Shang Ruyi's eyes, which were gazing into the distance, black and lifeless.
She sighed softly, turned around, and went back into the tent.
Wo Xue had already set out the meal. Although it wasn't a lavish spread, it did have vegetables and meat, which was a rare treat during the march. However, Shang Ruyi glanced at it but didn't sit down to eat and drink as usual. Instead, she sat to the side, and even the bright candlelight in the tent couldn't illuminate her dim eyes.
Wo Xue walked over with chopsticks in hand and said softly, "Your Highness, please have some."
Shang Ruyi silently shook her head.
Wo Xue also knew what was troubling her—in fact, Shang Ruyi was a very open-minded person who never made things difficult for herself. No matter how difficult the situation, she would fill her stomach before thinking about how to overcome the predicament. But this time, it concerned Shen Wuzheng, the relative she cared about the most. Obviously, this difficulty was beyond her capacity. Even if she forced herself, she couldn't eat anymore.
Wo Xue thought for a moment and said softly, "Your Highness, although you can't eat, we have to leave very early tomorrow morning."
"..."
"If the princess is not strong enough to ride a horse, it will delay the march."
"..."
"But this march was—"
"...!"
Before she could finish speaking, Shang Ruyi suddenly looked up.
"yes,"
Her previously dim eyes seemed to light up instantly. Although her worries remained, she was clearly much more clear-headed than before. She murmured to herself, "This expedition is to take Taiyuan. My father personally granted me permission to accompany the army. I cannot be a burden, otherwise—"
At this point, she took a deep breath, glanced at the food on the table, and although she still had no appetite, she said, "Go and get some hot soup to make me a bowl of rice. I can eat some of that."
Hearing this, Wo Xue immediately replied happily, "Yes!"
After saying that, she immediately got up and went out. But as soon as she stepped out of the tent, she felt a cold wind suddenly blow past her ears, as if someone had just walked past the door and stirred up the wind. She looked around and saw a tall figure flash by and walk into the central tent.
He looks somewhat like... Yuwen Ye.
Wo Xue blinked, not thinking anything of it, and turned to get some hot soup.
Afterwards, everyone ate and drank their fill early, and then went to sleep and rest. After spending a long night in the quiet mountains, they packed their belongings and set off early the next morning, before dawn, as instructed by Yuwen Ye!
This march, however, caused Shang Ruyi considerable hardship.
From the moment they mounted their horses, they traveled non-stop for nearly a hundred miles until nightfall, when it was pitch black all around them. They finally stopped by a river, but only rested for half an hour and managed to have a meal.
During this time, Shang Ruyi saw a scout-like person return and report some information.
However, the man did not linger. After speaking, he immediately set off again. After that, Yuwen Ye simply ate a dry and cold pancake with hot water and then ordered that they continue their journey under the cover of night.
After traveling for another four days, they finally arrived near Qi County at dusk on this day.
Just as they saw the boundary marker of Qi County, Yuwen Ye suddenly ordered the entire army to halt their march and rest on the spot.
Everyone was greatly surprised.
Although being able to rest is a good thing, they have been traveling almost non-stop these past few days in order to not give Taiyuan any chance to react and to achieve the effect of a surprise attack. Now, they have reached the vicinity of Qixian, which is only a day's journey from Taiyuan. Why should they stop to rest at this time?
Shouldn't we press on with our momentum?
Not only were the soldiers puzzled, but even Wo Xue, who was usually quiet and mindful of her "spy" identity, couldn't help but ask softly as she helped Shang Ruyi down from her horse, "Your Highness, is it really alright for us to stop like this?"
Shang Ruyi glanced at her but didn't say anything.
It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to Wo Xue, but she simply didn't have the energy to say a word. After several days of forced marching, even the men in the army were exhausted, let alone her. Her whole body ached, especially her legs. The inner thighs were chafed and bleeding from riding on horseback for several days without sleep, and she could barely stand. When she reached out to support Wo Xue's arm, her palms were covered with blisters from the reins, burning and painful, making her grit her teeth.
Seeing her like this, Wo Xue didn't dare to say anything more and quickly helped her to sit down by the campfire.
At this moment, several soldiers stepped forward and said, "Please wait a moment, Your Highness. We will set up a tent for you immediately so you can rest soon."
Shang Ruyi nodded, but after glancing around again, she realized something was wrong.
Normally, if soldiers stop to rest during a march, they should immediately begin setting up tents, especially the central command tent, followed by their own sleeping tents. Once these are set up, they should start a fire to cook. However, at this moment, the surrounding soldiers are only warming themselves and cooking around the campfires that have been lit, and no one else is setting up tents.
Even the central command tent had not been set up.
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but frown and asked, "What's going on? Is this just a tent for me?"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers glanced at her, then at the largest bonfire rising not far away. Yuwen Ye had already sat down by the fire. He whispered some instructions, and the soldiers beside him immediately took out a map from their bundles and laid it at his feet. He drank water while holding his riding whip, pointed at the map, and then frowned in thought. No one dared to approach and disturb him.
The soldier withdrew his gaze and said softly, "That's what His Highness the King of Qin ordered."
Shang Ruyi frowned again: "Where is his tent?"
"No need to take a ride."
"You guys aren't setting up tents either?"
"yes."
"..."
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath.
This was only her second official campaign with Yuwen Ye, and she lacked practical combat experience. However, having grown up alongside her father, a general of the cavalry, she had absorbed some unwritten rules. For example, if an army stopped to rest but didn't set up tents, there was only one possibility—
This team must be ready to engage in battle at any time.
However, Yuwen Ye did not order preparations for battle, so it is very likely that the battle he is preparing for is extraordinary.
He had someone set up a tent for him, was he planning to leave it all behind alone?
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi immediately raised her head and said to the soldier, "I don't need to set up my tent either."
"ah?"
Upon hearing this, the soldier froze, and the other soldiers who had already started driving wooden stakes into the ground also stopped. Shang Ruyi said, "Don't panic. I will personally speak to the King of Qin about anything. You can all go and rest. Tonight will probably be tiring."
Seeing that the Qin princess was already famous in the army, but still looked delicate and frail, not like a valiant female general, the soldiers didn't know what to say and could only obey the order and then retreat.
As soon as they left, Wo Xue whispered, "Your Highness, what are you doing—"
Shang Ruyi said calmly, "Don't ask so many questions. Go and make me some hot soup first. I'm hungry and cold, and I'm almost too weak to talk."
Upon hearing this, Wo Xue dared not delay and hurriedly went to get busy.
Soon, iron pots were placed over the campfires all over the army, and the boiling meat soup emitted a rich aroma that made people's mouths water. Although there were no fancy dishes, Shang Ruyi still drank a bowl of hot soup and ate a bowl of soup noodles. Then, she asked Wo Xue to use a silver hairpin to prick the blood blisters on her palms, applied some medicine, and bandaged them up. After that, she got up and walked towards Yuwen Ye.
At this moment, Shen Tu Tai and the others also gathered around the campfire, all staring at the riding whip in Yuwen Ye's hand, pointing at the map—
"Tonight, we're taking this place!"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
Although she hadn't quite reached his side yet, she had been looking at the map of the Taihang Mountains since before they set off, so she was very familiar with some of the landmarks on it. The direction Yuwen Ye's whip was pointing was right in front of them.
Qi County, Zhaoyu City.
All eyes turned to this spot, and their expressions suddenly deepened.
They looked at each other, seemingly hesitant. After a long while, Shen Tu Tai finally spoke up, saying in a low voice, "Your Highness, aren't we supposed to attack Taiyuan directly?"
As soon as he spoke, the other lieutenants followed suit—
"Yes, Your Highness, our destination is Taiyuan."
"We've passed through so many counties without deploying troops, why are we attacking Qi County here?"
"If we attack Qixian, it will definitely alert the people of Taiyuan."
Qi County is not far from Taiyuan; a fast horse can travel there in less than a day. If they launch an attack on Zhaoyu City from here, it could alert Taiyuan. Once Wang Shaoqiu and the Western Turks know that their troops have arrived in Qi County, they will be on high alert and may even turn around and attack them.
In this way, their goal of rushing for several days to launch a surprise attack on Taiyuan would have been thwarted.
Yuwen Ye said, "I know your concerns."
"..."
"Therefore, what I want is not to attack Qi County."
"..."
"Instead, we will take Qi County."
"...?!"
Everyone was even more surprised—what's different about this?
Yuwen Ye said in a deep voice: "Taking it means that I will enter Qixian alone first, contact the garrison, and have them open the city gates. Then, we will coordinate from the inside and outside to take Qixian!"
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