Chapter 686 He is the variable!
Although she had heard about the ferocity and good training of the Turkic cavalry since she was a child, Shang Ruyi was still taken aback when she was led by the two princes, Ashina Zhuxie and Yiasu, through the long straight road and out of the tent, and saw the neatly lined cavalry in front of her.
Before them, banners fluttered in the wind, men roared and horses neighed, watchtowers stood in strict order, and a murderous aura filled the air.
These people herded livestock in their spare time and fought as soldiers in times of war. They were able to assemble into an army so quickly. Shang Ruyi even saw a group of boys who were only twelve or thirteen years old, already wearing leather armor, mounting warhorses, and holding swords, looking ready to fight.
This is probably why the Turks were able to threaten the Central Plains dynasties for nearly a century.
She took a deep breath and slowly walked forward into the cold wind. At the very front of the neatly lined cavalrymen, several colorful flags embroidered with wolf heads fluttered in the wind; below the flags was a troop of cavalrymen exuding a powerful aura, heavily armored, each one like an iron tower.
They are heavy cavalry!
That is, today, in the royal tent, the decision was finally made to assign this team to Iasu.
Standing at the forefront of this heavily armored cavalry was a familiar figure—it was Shali Khan. His thick animal-hide cloak not only kept him warm but also made his physique appear even more imposing. Although his demeanor remained fierce, when he slowly approached his tall warhorse and attempted to mount, he hesitated. His unsteady steps and shortness of breath prevented him from mounting the horse on two separate occasions.
Until a soldier ran over and lay down at his feet as a stepping stone.
Ashina Shali's face, which now only had one blood-red eye and appeared even older in the sunlight, suddenly flushed with anger. He kicked the soldier away viciously and roared, "Do you think I'm too old to mount a horse?"
After saying that, he stepped onto the stirrups, gripped the bridle tightly with both hands, and finally managed to climb onto the horse's back.
The ministers around him had initially stepped forward to protect him, fearing he might fall again. But once they saw him mount his horse and settle down, they all breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped back a few paces. Ashina Shali let out a strong sigh and said, "I'm not that old yet. Today, I can still go into battle and avenge the arrow wound I suffered in Yanmen County!"
The crowd responded in unison, "Yes, yes!"
As they spoke, they looked at each other, their eyes silently conveying some dark emotions.
At this moment, Ashina Zhuxie and Yiasu stepped forward.
"Father Khan."
Upon seeing them approach, Ashina Shali's anger subsided somewhat, but then his reddened eyes fell on Shang Ruyi, immediately revealing a chilling light again.
That gaze was like an invisible sword, instantly piercing Shang Ruyi's body and sending a chill down her spine.
Ashina Shali sneered, "Do you know why I sent you here?"
"..."
Knowing that his words were definitely malicious, and having long realized that she would face some dangers and setbacks, Shang Ruyi forced herself to calm down in the biting cold. She even looked around before calmly saying, "If I'm not mistaken, it's a flag sacrifice."
"..."
“However, it’s a bit too early to raise the flag now, after all—” she said, looking up at Ashina Shali: “You haven’t brought me to Yuwen Ye yet.”
Ashina Shali sneered: "You're quite self-aware."
Shang Ruyi said, "Although I haven't experienced many battles since I was a child, my father has told me a lot about them, so I know quite a bit. Since I know, I can't be unaware of it."
"oh?"
At the mention of Shang Ruohong, Ashina Shali's eyes turned cold again: "What did he say to you?"
Shang Ruyi said, "My father told me that the Turks have a custom of killing some fierce jackals, wolves, and even tigers and leopards before going into battle, and using their blood to consecrate their flags."
"..."
"However, these are all very old customs. Nowadays, it seems that people don't kill ferocious beasts anymore."
Ashina Shali's brows immediately furrowed.
Indeed, he had considered using this woman as a sacrifice, because she was not only the daughter of Shang Ruohong, a generational enemy of the Western Turks, but also the wife of Yuwen Ye, who had blinded him in one eye in Yanmen County. Killing the woman who would fight Yuwen Ye would certainly boost his own morale and demoralize the enemy.
However, Shang Ruyi deliberately brought up an ancient custom.
Indeed, his ancestors used to sacrifice to the flag when they went to war, killing ferocious beasts. Later, they also used to sacrifice captured enemy generals to the flag.
In contrast, the one they killed to sacrifice for the flag was a woman.
If the ancient custom hadn't been mentioned, no one would have thought there was anything wrong with it. But it was precisely in front of Shang Ruyi that Ashina Shali's heart sank.
He sneered, "You seem to know a lot."
Shang Ruyi said, "Know yourself and know your enemy."
Ashina Shali sneered, "You're right about one thing: we haven't used ferocious beasts to sacrifice for the flag for a long time. And you're even more right about another thing: it's indeed too early to use you as a sacrifice for the flag now."
After saying that, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"I'd like to see if he can still shoot an arrow from the Divine Arm Bow when I drag his woman before him and cut her into a thousand pieces!"
"..."
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath.
It wasn't just that Ashina Shali's words implied he would be dragged to the front lines and torn to pieces, but also that he actually knew about the Divine Arm Bow.
However, it's not difficult.
After all, the Turks had already conspired with Wang Shaoji to take Taiyuan, so the two sides were naturally in sync. The Divine Arm Bow was the very bow that Yuwen Ye had won from Wang Shaoji in a gamble. Moreover, during the battle at Yanmen County, Yuwen Ye was so far away from him that he was able to shoot an arrow through a whistling arrow and hit his eye. Apart from the Divine Arm Bow, there was almost no other powerful bow to consider.
Just then, the tall figure beside him suddenly took a step forward: "Father Khan."
Shang Ruyi turned her head and saw that it was Ashina Zhuxie.
Just as Ashina Shali raised the divine crossbow, he suddenly took a step forward, uttered the words "Father Khan," and then fell silent. A hint of warmth appeared in his originally sinister eyes, and Ashina Shali immediately understood.
He waved his hand to the side.
Immediately, two soldiers, one carrying a powerful bow and the other carrying a quiver of arrows, came over.
The bow was indeed a good bow, but it was still inferior to Yuwen Ye's Divine Arm Bow. The only thing that caught Shang Ruyi's attention was the arrows in the quiver, which made a rustling sound as the soldiers' footsteps bounced.
That was the sound of the metal plates on the arrow rubbing together.
This is the whistling arrow of the Turkic Khan!
As soon as the whistling arrow appeared, all eyes of the surrounding soldiers and ministers focused on it. Even Ashina Zhuxie's usually cold and emotionless eyes flashed with a hint of fervor, but it was only fleeting. Ashina Shali looked down at him and said, "I am now handing this whistling arrow over to you."
"..."
"From this day forward, you shall use this whistling arrow, just as you have in the past, to wage war once more, to conquer more territory for our Turks, and to kill more enemies!"
Ashina Zhuxie took a deep breath and said, "Yes!"
After he finished speaking, the two soldiers handed him the whistling arrow. He took it, stroked it gently, and then turned to hang the bow and arrows on the warhorse he was riding.
Then, he mounted his horse.
From beginning to end, he never looked up or glanced at the heavily armored cavalry that had followed him in his campaigns.
Ashina Shali smiled with satisfaction, then looked down at Iasu—the subtle atmosphere from just now had no effect on the little prince. Instead, he whispered to Shang Ruyi, "Don't worry, I will protect you."
"..."
Shang Ruyi never expected him to say that to her, and with such a serious look in his eyes and expression.
This person... is truly devoted to Lei Yu.
Even if it puts him in a difficult position, even if it might put him at odds with his doting father, he is still willing to make such a promise. Although he doesn't know what the outcome will be, Shang Ruyi is already very grateful to him.
There was also a hint of an indescribable emotion.
Shang Ruyi said softly, "Thank you."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Ashina Shali's cold voice said, "Get on your horses."
After he finished speaking, two more soldiers led two horses to the two of them. Ashina Shali coldly said to Shang Ruyi, "Today, I won't drag you behind the horse. But since your father has told you so much about us Turks, he should also have told you what kind of people will be shot if anyone tries to escape from our side."
Shang Ruyi showed no fear or apprehension whatsoever.
This was not something a normal person would do to escape. She calmly mounted her horse and said to Ashina Shali, "Thank you for the reminder, Khan, but I am always very clear-headed."
"..."
"If you don't kill me, I won't seek death."
Ashina Shali sneered and turned his head away.
As they were talking, the other groups of men had also assembled. Now, what covered the withered grassland in front of them was a dense formation of cavalry, which stretched as far as the eye could see. In addition to the whistling wind, there were shouts of men and neighing of horses, and the rumbling of hooves on the ground, which even made the ground tremble slightly.
Shang Ruyi roughly estimated that there were at least 50,000 troops.
Lei Yu just said that Yuwen Ye led an army of only ten or twenty thousand men.
Even if they went to meet them immediately, the place where they met would only be a few miles from the Turkic camp, still within their sphere of influence, and the grassland most familiar to the Turkic soldiers.
In this situation, what kind of strategy is needed to win?
Can Yuwen Ye win?
Thinking of this, she subconsciously raised her head and looked at Ashina Zhuxie, who had already ridden his horse behind Ashina Shali and was tightly gripping the whistling arrow in his hand.
He is the variable!
Ever since I became mired in this quagmire, this elusive thought had lingered in my mind, but now, it inexplicably became even more certain. And the next moment, I saw Ashina Shali raise his hand high and forcefully swing it—
"Set off!"
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