Chapter 1140 Life and Death Victory
Upon hearing her voice, Xiao Yuansui silently walked back to the table and sat down. He nodded to Hua Ziying and immediately turned to leave. Soon, the outside quieted down, and Shang Ruyi lifted the curtain, bringing a cool breeze as she entered the central military tent.
Although her face was covered, Xiao Yuansui could tell at a glance that she looked unwell.
The eyes visible through the veil were bloodshot, clearly from days of poor sleep, and filled with deep worry and a barely perceptible fear. Interestingly, she herself had never experienced such fear, not even after being captured by herself in Xingluocang or by Shi Yuxin in Huyang Valley. Yet this time, despite being seemingly uninvolved, she revealed such a look in her eyes.
The slight hesitation in Xiao Yuansui's heart was immediately dispelled by a strange anger of resentment.
He asked, "What is it?"
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath, the veil covering her face was sucked in slightly and clung tightly to her face, she said: "You, you want to send troops."
Xiao Yuansui said, "You saw it."
"Is it a full-scale mobilization?"
"good."
"You want to fight a decisive battle at Hulao Pass?"
"Otherwise what?"
Seeing Shang Ruyi's eyes darken even more, Xiao Yuansui felt a strange sense of pleasure. He deliberately said, "If you still want to dissuade me at this time, you'd better keep your mouth shut."
Shang Ruyi looked up at him and asked, "Can I go with you?"
"What?"
Xiao Yuansui's brows immediately furrowed, while Shang Ruyi took another deep breath. The veil covering her face clearly revealed the contours of her nose and lips, and it was also clear that her lips were trembling slightly. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke: "This battle is between you and my husband. I want to watch it. Regardless of the outcome, I want to see it with my own eyes."
“Regardless of success or failure,” Xiao Yuansui repeated these four words, speaking in a mocking tone, “you’re talking about his success or failure, aren’t you?”
Shang Ruyi looked at him silently, without saying a word.
Of course, it was all about Yuwen Ye's success or failure. She risked her life for him, and she only cared about that one man.
Xiao Yuansui sneered in an almost venomous tone, "You think that if he wins, you can go back to his side?"
Shang Ruyi remained silent.
Xiao Yuansui asked, "What if he loses?"
Shang Ruyi remained silent, but the fear in her eyes seemed even greater than before. The thought that Yuwen Ye might lose was like a colder wind than ever before, instantly sweeping away all the warmth from her body, leaving her standing there motionless as if frozen solid.
Xiao Yuansui stood up and walked towards her step by step, saying, "I can take you with me, but—"
As he spoke, he walked right up to Shang Ruyi. The moment she looked up, Xiao Yuansui grabbed her wrist tightly. Before she could react, the short knife strapped to her arm was easily pulled away by Xiao Yuansui.
"you--"
Shang Ruyi hesitated, then just stared at him.
Xiao Yuansui skillfully toyed with the sharp dagger with his fingertips, then looked at her with a cold smile: "You don't need to carry this with you."
Shang Ruyi bit her lower lip: "Did you think I was going to kill you?"
"No matter who you want to kill, no matter what you want to do, you have no say in it." Xiao Yuansui flicked his finger, and the short knife was thrown aside. He said in a deep voice, "The outcome of this battle is up to me."
"..."
"Your life and death are the same."
Shang Ruyi's face darkened. Knowing there was no hope of getting it back, she remained silent for a moment before gripping her wrist with her other hand and saying in a deep voice, "Not necessarily."
Xiao Yuansui smiled faintly, the frustration and unease from that night seemed to vanish in an instant, and the desire to control everything once again surged to its peak. He said unhurriedly, "Then let's see."
Soon, the army assembled. Xiao Yuansui led a group of generals and Shang Ruyi out of the camp. The army was vast and mighty, almost covering the land in front of them. Banners fluttered, horns blared, and warhorses neighed in unison, their overwhelming force and awe-inspiring power that was truly awe-inspiring.
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but shiver in the cold wind.
Although she often accompanied Yuwen Ye on military campaigns and had experienced many battles herself, upon closer examination, they seemed to have never fought many "rich" battles. The last time she saw so many troops was in Fufeng, when Xue Xian built a Jingguan (a mound of corpses) with the bodies of more than 80,000 soldiers who had died in battle.
The more than 100,000 living soldiers were like a terrifying behemoth, capable of flattening any mountain or river.
But Yuwen Ye...
Shang Ruyi knew that he only had 30,000 troops this time. They had previously attacked and occupied passes such as Dagu and Huanyuan. Moreover, Yuwen Cheng was attacking Luoyang City on the other side. If he was not mistaken, Yuwen Ye should have also sent his own people there, not necessarily to help, but to keep an eye on him and prevent him from causing more trouble. So how many troops were left in Hulao Pass?
Ten thousand?
Or several thousand?
Can they withstand an army of over 100,000?
She had always trusted Yuwen Ye more firmly than any pass or city, but at this moment, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but worry.
Just as she was staring blankly at the seemingly endless army, the sound of hooves approached her. Looking up, she saw Hua Ziying personally leading a horse to her and saying, "Princess Qin, please mount your horse."
Shang Ruyi immediately came to her senses, glanced at him, took the reins, and nimbly mounted the horse.
Hua Ziying couldn't help but admire him in her heart, but her expression remained indifferent. She looked up and said in a threatening tone, "On the battlefield, there are many people and many hands, and swords have no eyes. I hope Princess Qin will behave herself."
Shang Ruyi glanced at the bow on his back and said indifferently, "I don't need you to remind me."
"That's good."
After saying that, Hua Ziying turned and walked towards his warhorse, but then heard Shang Ruyi ask again, "Where is Miss Lüxiao?"
Upon hearing the name, Hua Ziying glanced at her and then looked back at the camp. After the departure of over 100,000 people, only empty fences and gates remained, along with a few scattered campfires illuminating the few remaining tents. Although he had taken almost all his men, Xiao Yuansui had left dozens of people to guard the camp, including Lüxiao.
Hua Ziying stepped into the stirrups and mounted the horse, then said, "It is already an extraordinary favor that the General is willing to take you along."
The implication was that Lüxiao was not even on his radar.
Shang Ruyi glanced at the tents and didn't say much. Just then, the bugle call to march sounded from the front. As the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, Xiao Yuansui's army marched towards Hulao Pass!
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