Chapter 636 Night Raid on Zhaoyu City
The setting sun blazed like fire, casting its light upon the gates of Zhaoyu City.
Although the city gate was somewhat dilapidated and much of the red paint had peeled off, the setting sun gave the somewhat dim vermilion paint a golden sheen, making the city gate appear as if it were burning in flames.
However, even such vibrant colors could not ward off the chill brought by the cold wind.
Because the city gates were wide open, the strong wind blew through them without any obstruction, making a howling, almost arrogant sound. It swept away all the withered leaves and mud from the long street, cleaning the streets and alleys spotless. The soldiers guarding the city were also exhausted by the wind, each of them huddled up with their necks tucked into their sleeves, shivering and moving around to keep warm.
A little while later, it was almost dusk.
Several older soldiers were reluctant to move, only moving their chins behind the city wall. The two younger soldiers had no choice but to walk dejectedly to the back of the city gate, preparing to close it.
Just then, two long shadows, pulled by a ray of setting sun behind them, came to their feet.
The sound of even hooves could be heard on the wind.
The two soldiers immediately looked up and saw two riders awakening side by side on the main road outside the city gate. The one on the left was a burly man, whose brocade robes, though not particularly luxurious, fit him perfectly, exuding a powerful aura like a cheetah. The rider beside him was a slender woman. Although she wore a veil, at that moment, she reached out a delicate hand and lifted the white veil slightly, revealing a pair of bright, clear, and tender eyes.
One look and you know she's a beauty.
Just as they were about to close the gate, the beauty turned her head and seemed to say something to the man beside her. The two shook the reins and quickened their horses' speed, and soon they arrived at the city gate.
Two soldiers immediately stopped them: "What are you doing?"
As they spoke, they looked up at the person on horseback. Initially, both of them were looking at the woman, but a powerful aura drew their gaze to the man sitting on the horse with his back straight as a javelin. He was handsome, and although he was about the same age as them, he had an imposing presence that made them instinctively lower their heads.
At this moment, the beautiful woman leaned forward slightly and said, "Gentlemen, we have come to visit relatives."
"Visiting relatives? Which relatives?"
"this--"
The beautiful woman hesitated for a moment, but the handsome man spoke coldly: "West of the city, the one surnamed Li, the one that sells oil noodles."
The two soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment.
It should be noted that Qixian County is a crucial link in the Taihang grain route. In particular, the western part of the city is full of grain shops, and there are many more shops selling oil and flour. Moreover, the surname Li is a common surname. If we just talk about it in general terms, who will know which shop it is?
They were about to ask more questions, but when they looked up and met those cold, stern eyes, they couldn't help but swallow back the words they were about to say.
Just then, the veterans who had been sheltering from the wind behind them shouted impatiently, "Hurry up and let them through after you've asked them clearly. We need to change shifts soon! The soup at home will get cold."
Hearing them say that, the two young soldiers exchanged a glance and then stopped asking questions.
He stepped back only one step: "Go in."
So the two men immediately shook the reins and quickened their pace to enter the city gate. Behind them, accompanied by a hoarse and long whistle, the city gate was slowly closed.
As the last ray of sunlight was cut off through the crack in the door, the man suddenly turned around and glanced back.
The old, worn-out bolt was heavily wedged into the door frame.
He turned his head subtly, only slightly tightening his grip on the reins, causing the veins on the back of his hand to bulge. The beautiful woman beside him, though not turning around, sensed something from his composed demeanor and whispered, "This city gate is the most lax?"
As she spoke, a gust of wind blew by, completely lifting the white veil hanging in front of her hat, revealing a beautiful face.
It is Shang Ruyi.
And riding alongside her was none other than Yuwen Ye.
When she proposed going to Qi County with Yuwen Ye, he rejected her without hesitation, even with a hint of anger. However, she retorted that she wouldn't allow him to leave unless he agreed. Normally, women had little say in the army, but as the Princess Consort of Qin, and having directly distinguished herself in the Battle of Fufeng, she gained the support of most of the soldiers, especially the lieutenants. Furthermore, since everyone already disagreed with Yuwen Ye, the Prince of Qin, taking such a risk so easily, and a woman could at least conceal his identity, everyone surprisingly sided with him.
For the first time in the army, Yuwen Ye compromised.
He led her into Zhaoyu City, but their entry was not so smooth. It wasn't that they were stopped, but rather that they had to walk around the city and observe the guarding of the three city gates before finally finding this one.
Yuwen Ye turned to look at her. In the setting sun, Shang Ruyi's fair face was faintly glowing.
He immediately looked away and coughed lightly: "Hmm."
Shang Ruyi said, "So, Shen Tu Tai and the others are keeping watch outside?"
Yuwen Ye glanced back again before saying, "To avoid being discovered, they can't approach here before dark. However, given their laxity, once it gets dark, they'll stop observing the movements outside the city. And then—"
Once they have control of the situation within the city, they will open the city gates again.
Zhaoyu City can be taken!
Shang Ruyi said, "Then we should go find Lei next—"
At this point, she immediately shut her mouth warily and looked around. Although there were hardly any people left on the long street and the two of them were speaking in hushed tones, this was still enemy territory, and she couldn't afford to be careless.
Yuwen Ye glanced at her and said, "Yes."
"Where does he live?"
He shouldn't be home.
"Why?"
"As the Xuanjie Colonel, he is in charge of military affairs in this area. In addition, there should be frequent military operations near Taiyuan recently. Therefore, he should be living in the house behind the county government office, ready to be dispatched at any time."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi immediately said, "Then let's go quickly."
Yuwen Ye was not in a hurry. He looked up at the sky again before saying, "Walk slowly. It will be a while before it gets completely dark."
Upon hearing his words, Shang Ruyi seemed to snap out of her daze.
So he spurred his horse and followed him, walking forward at a leisurely pace.
As soon as the sun set, darkness fell quickly. By the time the two men rode their horses to the vicinity of the county government office, the surrounding light had become dim, and there were even fewer pedestrians on the street. The two men still did not rush to the county government office immediately. Instead, they led their horses to a small alley, tied them up, and then circled around the back of the alley before finally arriving at the back of the county government office.
Sure enough, there was a row of bungalows here, specially prepared for officials.
These houses were built by county and prefectural governments in various places since the founding of the Daye Dynasty, so that officials in charge of local military affairs could quickly enter the government office to handle affairs during special times of war. Because of the special geographical location of Qi County, there were many officials coming and going, so these houses were not simple.
Shang Ruyi immediately noticed a light shining from the window of one of the rooms in the dim night.
She immediately lowered her voice and asked, "Is it there?"
Yuwen Ye nodded.
But his attention wasn't entirely on the room; he glanced around and frowned slightly, saying, "Why isn't there a single guard here?"
Although there were no guards, making it easy for them to enter, something unusual must be going on, so they still had to be careful.
Shang Ruyi said softly, "Let's go take a look first."
Yuwen Ye nodded and led her forward. The two walked cautiously, but there were indeed no guards nearby, making it seem as if they were in an empty place. Before long, they arrived at the door of the only room that was still lit. The door was tightly closed, and the windows were also tightly shut, but the candlelight inside still cast some shadows on the windows.
It was a man's profile.
The man had high brow bones, and although his features were not clearly visible, his profile in the window suggested a furrowed brow and a heavy heart. He paced back and forth in the room, as if he were considering something or conflicted about something, appearing very anxious. From time to time, one could hear him letting out a deep sigh.
Upon hearing this voice, Yuwen Ye immediately frowned.
Looking at the equally handsome profile in the night, even more striking than the silhouette against the window, Shang Ruyi asked in a whisper, "Is it him?"
Yuwen Ye nodded.
Shang Ruyi was about to ask what to do next, but before she could speak, Yuwen Ye stepped forward, walked directly to the door, and knocked on it.
Shang Ruyi was taken aback, but subconsciously followed closely behind him.
The footsteps inside immediately stopped, and someone asked, "Who is it?"
Yuwen Ye did not agree.
Footsteps sounded again from inside the house, but quickly reached the door, and then the door was opened a crack.
A young face, yet tinged with sorrow, appeared before them.
This person was Lei Guo.
Almost the instant the door opened, Shang Ruyi saw Lei Yu's shadow on his face. This Lei Guo was probably only in his early twenties. Just as she had seen his silhouette in the window, he had high brow bones and the same deep, sharp features as the Lei family. But unlike Lei Yu, he had a much more reserved demeanor, and, perhaps due to his personality or something else, several deep frown lines were firmly etched between his brows. Despite his young age, he exuded a sense of sorrow from the depths of his being.
Upon seeing the person outside the door, Lei Guo immediately opened his eyes wide in terror!
"you--"
He seemed unable to believe his eyes, but the next moment, his expression changed immediately. Before Yuwen Ye could speak, he suddenly reached out from the door and grabbed Yuwen Ye!
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