Chapter 370 Deserter
Both of them swayed slightly, but they weren't too surprised.
After all, it was almost time.
Sure enough, as soon as the carriage stopped, Mu Xian rode to the side, leaned down and whispered to the carriage window, "Second Young Master, Young Madam, we have arrived."
Yuwen Ye lifted a corner of the curtain and looked at the sky outside. The sun was blazing overhead. Suddenly, he felt the glare. It was already noon. They had arrived at a place twenty miles west of Yanyue City at noon, just a few hundred steps in front of them, as Shen Tu Tai had told them yesterday. There was an apricot grove.
Outside the apricot grove, a person stood.
It was too far away to see the person's features clearly, but he could vaguely sense that he was a thin young man. Although he was alone, the dense woods behind him seemed to be filled with moving figures.
Clearly, those were the people Shen Tu Tai was referring to, the ones who came to join them.
Shang Ruyi peeked ahead and asked in confusion, "Why is there only one person waiting there? Why are the others all in the woods?"
Mu Xian said, "I'm afraid there might be an ambush."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but feel a little nervous. At this moment, Shen Wuzheng and Shan Tong'er also rode over. Shen Wuzheng looked up at the situation ahead and said, "If they really wanted to ambush us here, Shen Tu Tai wouldn't have needed to come and tell us the location and time yesterday."
"..."
"I think these people probably don't want to reveal their whereabouts."
"..."
“After all, they have betrayed Wanggangzhai, and they don’t completely trust us, so we are being extra careful.”
As they were talking, Shan Tong'er squinted at the person in front of her and murmured, "That person looks like Brother Nie Chong."
"Nie Chong?"
The name was unfamiliar to them. Yuwen Ye asked, "Who is he?"
Shan Tong'er opened her eyes wide and lowered her voice, saying, "He is one of the most trusted people by Seventh Brother's side. Don't be fooled by his lack of fame; you may not know him, but in fact, everyone in the village is afraid of him."
"Why?"
"This person has incredibly sharp ears—oh dear!"
At this point, he suddenly looked regretful, and everyone looked at him in surprise: "What's wrong?"
Shan Tong'er said, "He must have heard what I just said."
Shang Ruyi looked ahead at the blurry figure that she could barely make out, and couldn't help but laugh, "You're so far away, and you're speaking so softly, how could anyone possibly hear you?"
Shan Tong'er was afraid they would think he was bragging, so he blushed with anxiety and said in a low voice, "I'm telling the truth. He really has very sharp ears. The brothers on the mountain have to stay far away from him when they talk badly about him, and they have to cover themselves with their blankets to say it—'Oh dear, he must have heard it again.'"
This time, he really covered his mouth and kept quiet.
Seeing him like this, everyone found it both funny and amusing, but they also felt a sense of mystery about the person in front of them. Yuwen Ye said, "Whether he has eyes that can see a thousand miles or ears that can hear the wind, we still have to go and meet him."
After saying that, he got off the carriage.
Da Bo and Mu Xian behind him hurriedly wanted to lead their men to follow him, but Yuwen Ye raised his hand and said, "No need to follow, you can wait here. I'll go and see what's going on ahead."
No one was willing to let him go alone, so Shen Wuzheng finally dismounted and said, "I'll go with you."
Shan Tong'er immediately said, "I'll go too!"
After glancing at them, Yuwen Ye subconsciously looked back at Shang Ruyi, who was clearly worried, and nodded. Then, the three of them walked forward together.
Before long, they arrived at the apricot grove.
Standing outside the apricot grove was a young man in his twenties. He was of medium build, thin, and had a face as pale as paper. He looked listless and extremely weak, as if he hadn't slept for days and nights. However, when he saw the three of them arrive, he still politely cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I am Nie Chong."
Yuwen Ye said, "So you're the one Shen Tu Tai said he was bringing people to join us?"
"yes."
"Where are your people?"
Nie Chong turned his head to look behind him and then said, "They're in the woods."
Yuwen Ye asked, "Why don't you come out?"
Nie Chong said, "Our coming to seek refuge is truly presumptuous, and we do not yet fully trust you. Therefore, I would like to ask Young Master Yuwen a few questions on behalf of my brothers."
Yuwen Ye said, "Please speak."
Nie Chong asked, "If we submit to the Second Young Master's command, how will he treat us?"
Yuwen Ye glanced at him, then looked at the dense forest behind him, where more and more figures were moving about. Clearly, those people were also feeling very uneasy and were eager to hear his promise.
He thought for a moment and said, "Since you are coming under my command, you will be my soldiers in the future. I will treat you the same way I treat my soldiers, without discrimination."
Nie Chong asked, "How did the Second Young Master deal with your soldiers?"
Yuwen Ye said, “Shentu Tai comes from a military background and is upright and honest. I think even if he comes to your stronghold, he shouldn't change his nature, and his expectations of you should be similar to those he had in the imperial army. Therefore, I can tell you that my requirements for my soldiers are almost the same as his. However—”
"But what?"
“Since you are new ally of mine, I can grant you a special privilege.”
Nie Chong immediately looked at him: "What special power?"
Yuwen Ye said, "I can give you three days to desert."
"...!?"
Nie Chong was startled, and even Shan Tong'er, who was standing to the side, showed a surprised expression upon hearing this.
Only Shen Wuzheng narrowed his eyes, seemingly making a mental calculation, and a faint light flashed in his eyes as he nodded almost imperceptibly.
Nie Chong asked in surprise, "Second Young Master, I don't understand what you mean?"
Yuwen Ye said, "I never allow laziness or slackness in training troops, because laziness or slackness in regular training means certain death on the battlefield."
"..."
"If a soldier cannot withstand my training, he may desert, but if he wants to stay under my command and make a name for himself, he must be diligent."
Upon hearing this, Nie Chong's expression immediately turned serious.
A faint commotion arose from the apricot grove behind him.
Yuwen Ye then raised his head and called out to the figures moving in the woods, “So, let me make this clear from the start: you have come to me because Shen Tu Tai wants to give you a place to go. I can take you in, but some of you may have ulterior motives. I don’t mind that.”
"..."
“Starting today, I will conduct a forced march for three consecutive days to let you experience the intensity of my usual military training. If you can’t take it during these three days, or if you have other places to go, you can leave at any time, and I will not stop you.”
"..."
"Three days later, after passing Luoyang, those who remain in my army will prove that you are capable and willing to stay under my command. Your merits and demerits will be treated the same as those of the soldiers in my army. You will then be my soldiers, Yuwen Ye's soldiers."
"..."
"Those who are willing can now step out!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent.
Only a slightly cool breeze blew out from the dense forest, seemingly carrying with it a touch of unease and restlessness, causing their hair to flutter slightly.
Shan Tong'er opened his eyes wide and stared nervously ahead.
Not only him, but even Shang Ruyi, who was sitting in the carriage behind them, held his breath and carefully stared at the dense apricot grove.
After an unknown amount of time, a very light footstep sound came from the wind.
Four or five young men emerged from the woods. They were all burly and clearly skilled in martial arts. After coming out, they didn't say much, but simply bowed to Yuwen Ye and stood aside.
Immediately afterwards, another group of people came out.
This team has about thirty people.
Then, one after another, many more people came out of the woods, and soon they stood densely packed in front of him. Yuwen Ye roughly estimated that there were over a thousand people!
This was unexpected.
He originally thought that the men Shen Tu Tai sent to probe their attitude were at most a few hundred, but he didn't expect there to be so many here. He was afraid that there were even more men who had left Wanggang Village with him.
Thinking about it this way, he felt a sense of satisfaction.
Because he knew that Wanggangzhai's power had greatly diminished by this time.
However, even though these people came out, it was clear that some people remained in the woods, and some even left along the path from the other side of the apricot grove.
The three-day test has begun from this moment.
Yuwen Ye looked at the people in front of him and said calmly, "Very well, since you have all come out, I will not say any more. Let's set off now."
After saying that, he waved his hand, and the team behind him immediately stepped forward, and the two teams quickly merged into one.
This instantly doubled the size of the team, making them even more formidable.
Just as Yuwen Ye boarded the carriage and everyone else mounted their horses, Nie Chong suddenly said to Shan Tong'er, "Ninth Master."
The boy immediately turned around: "What?"
Nie Chong looked at him and said, "You just said that the brothers on the mountain talk about me behind the covers. So, what did you say behind the covers?"
"...!"
Those who had come with him all lowered their heads in unison, and everyone was startled.
Shang Ruyi hadn't expected that Nie Chong would actually hear them when they were so far apart and speaking so softly!
Seeing the astonished expressions on everyone's faces, Nie Chong didn't say much, only sneered, and rode his horse forward with the group. Shan Tong'er stuck out her tongue with a bitter face and mouthed to Shang Ruyi, "See, I didn't lie."
Shang Ruyi was both surprised and amused, while Yuwen Ye watched from the side without saying much. He simply waved his hand, and the group moved forward.
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