Chapter 1090 We need to have the capital!
"Shen...joining the army?"
Shen Tu Tai stared wide-eyed in astonishment at the usually elegant and refined secretary, who remained composed even on the battlefield. Yet, before him stood a man who was unusually panicked and flustered. As he rode his horse toward him, the expression on his face could even be described as somewhat disheveled.
Shen Tu Tai instinctively sensed that something was wrong!
He hurriedly gripped the reins, but before he could spur his horse forward, Shen Wuzheng had already ridden up to him. Seeing the other man panting and pale, Shen Tu Tai quickly asked, "Lord Shen, what happened?"
Shen Wuzheng's breathing quickened, and he lowered his voice, saying, "General Shentu, Ruyi—the Princess Consort has been captured!"
"What!?"
Shen Tu Tai was shocked and could hardly believe his ears: "How could this be?"
Because Shen Wuzheng deliberately lowered his voice, the other soldiers couldn't hear their conversation. They were only puzzled as to why Shen Canjun, who had stayed in Cijian, would suddenly appear here. Only Xue Lin, who was closely following Shen Tu Tai, heard his words and looked shocked: "Didn't His Highness Prince Qin already send troops to rescue the Princess?"
Shen Wuzheng glanced at him and immediately understood what had happened. He took a deep breath and said, "I waited for a long time in Cijian without any news of the Princess. I guessed that something might have happened to her on the way, so I took my men and sent out several groups of people to look for her. I did not encounter her on the way, but the group that went to Huaizhou returned and reported that she encountered Xiao Yuansui's 80,000-strong army left in Hebei in Huyang Valley. After fighting for several days, she was finally defeated and captured by the enemy."
Shen Tu Tai's heart sank, and he said, "It seems that the King of Qin is also too late."
Shen Wuzheng waved his hand, as if to brush aside the "useless" King Qin, and said to Shen Tu Tai, "After capturing her, that group of people didn't continue westward, but instead turned south. I suspect they captured the Queen and thought they could use her to blackmail the King Qin and threaten Hulao Pass. If we don't find a way—"
Before he could finish speaking, Shen Tu Tai gasped.
He certainly understood what Shen Wuzheng meant.
The enemy, having captured the Princess of Qin, did not continue their westward attack on Chang'an, but instead turned back to Luoyang, precisely because they understood the Princess of Qin's value.
The best-case scenario for such prisoners is to be exchanged for them with all their limbs intact and innocent. However, throughout history, there has been almost no precedent for this. Previously, when Princess Qin was captured by Ashina Zhuxie, Prince Qin went deep into the grasslands to rescue her. That was only because it happened to coincide with a power shift within the Western Turkic Khaganate, and Ashina Zhuxie did not have the energy to deal with it. Otherwise, let alone Princess Qin being able to return, it would be uncertain whether Prince Qin could have escaped unscathed.
Most of the time, these prisoners were tortured, slaughtered, or even killed without a complete corpse.
The reason for this outcome is that the party being threatened is unlikely to give up the benefits they have gained because of their own life or death. This is clearly an outcome that Shen Wuzheng absolutely cannot allow to happen, much less allow them to face.
Of course, there is another possible outcome.
This means that the King of Qin once again gave up everything for the Queen Consort of Qin, just like last time when he was only one step away from taking Taiyuan City, but he immediately turned around and went to the Western Turks.
However, last time, he lost his position as crown prince, and this time, he will be completely defeated in the struggle with the crown prince!
As the most powerful supporter of the King of Qin's camp and also the cousin of the Queen of Qin, Shen Wuzheng could not allow this outcome to happen, nor could he allow the Queen of Qin to be harmed in any way.
Shen Tu Tai immediately said, "Then we should—"
Before he could finish speaking, Shen Wuzheng said in a deep voice, "We need to have the resources!"
After saying this, his gaze swept past Shen Tu Tai's shoulder and looked behind him. Hearing his words, Shen Tu Tai seemed to sense something and turned his head in the direction of his gaze—
The battlefield, which had just been incredibly dangerous, was now completely empty. In the time it took him to talk to Shen Wuzheng, Shi Yutao had already led his men across the Sishui River on the pontoon bridge. Originally, he was leading a group of personal guards at the rear, a common practice when the two armies retreated after a battle. The purpose was naturally to prevent the enemy from suddenly pursuing them from behind. Without a general to stop them, it would be easy to lose formation and cause panic and casualties among their own men.
Now that they had crossed the river and spread out, even if Shen Tu Tai really wanted to pursue them, he would need some time to mobilize his troops. Naturally, he no longer had such concerns. So, the army split into two sides, making way for Shi Yutao, who led his personal guards on horseback and galloped forward. Soon, his figure disappeared into the army.
Seeing this, Shen Wuzheng's eyes, which were bloodshot from staying up all night, suddenly dimmed.
It's too late...
At this point, even if Shen Tu Tai led his army to catch up, it would be difficult to accomplish anything. After crossing the Sishui River, they would be close to Xiao Yuansui's camp, and they could see the dust rising from the opposite bank. It was likely that Xiao Yuansui had also discovered the battle here and sent his army to provide support.
Shen Wuzheng sighed deeply, and at the same time, his heart felt as if it had fallen into an abyss.
But at that moment, Shen Tu Tai's eyes lit up, and he said, "You're right, we need to have capital."
Shen Wuzheng immediately looked up at him and saw that Shen Tu Tai was holding the reins tightly in one hand and holding the long spear upside down in the other. Although he did nothing and did not pose, he could clearly feel that the person in front of him had gathered all his strength, and an invisible sense of pressure immediately emanated from Shen Tu Tai's huge body.
Shen Wuzheng said, "You—"
Shen Tu Tai didn't say anything more to him. Instead, he raised his hand and pulled on the reins, and his horse immediately turned around. Xue Lin, who was following closely behind him, also hurriedly turned his horse around. Shen Tu Tai said in a deep voice, "Xue Lin, Li Xian, Liu Chengqi, Ma Sanchuan..."
He called out the names of twelve soldiers in one breath, and they immediately replied, "Present!"
Shen Tu Tai said, "Come with me across the river and capture Shi Yutao alive!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he shouted and spurred his horse. The steed under his horse shot off like an arrow. Xue Lin and the others did not say anything. Like his shadow, they split into two lines and followed behind him, galloping forward and raising a cloud of dust in front of Shen Wuzheng!
Amidst the billowing dust, in the blink of an eye, the group had reached the banks of the Sishui River. Before the pontoon bridge was dismantled, they whipped their horses and leaped across the river.
Meanwhile, the group ahead also spotted them.
Immediately, someone in the army shouted, "Shen Tu Tai is charging up!"
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