Chapter 1135 What an incompetent fool!
The next day, right after breakfast, Guan Chiying and his brothers, along with a group of men sent by Xiao Yuansui, left the camp, crossed the Yellow River, and then detoured towards Luoyang.
Although the journey would certainly be fraught with danger, the thought of returning to Luoyang and at least protecting their families brought a sense of relief to everyone's faces, except for the hot-tempered young man who looked utterly impatient.
Not only was he impatient, but he also had several bruises on his face and his eyes were filled with resentment.
Early in the morning, he got into another big argument with the cook because the hot water left for them by the cook had been used by someone else and was already cold. This time, Guan Chiying did not try to mediate or persuade him. Instead, she gently pulled Xu Laoda back when no one was looking. As a result, the argument between the two sides became more and more heated, and in the end, the young man started to fight with the other party.
Soon, the chaos here alerted Xiao Yuansui.
He arrived with Hua Ziying and the others, his face displeased. He was about to punish the person who caused the conflict when he suddenly turned around and saw Shang Ruyi craning her neck to look in his direction from the other tent, with a thoughtful expression on her face. When she realized that Xiao Yuansui had seen her, she immediately turned around and crawled back into the tent.
Xiao Yuansui's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.
Then, he punished the soldiers who had fought with them, dragging them away and giving each of them twenty lashes. After questioning Xu Laoda and the others, he returned to the central command tent and soon sent someone to deliver a message. He sent someone back to Luoyang with Guan Chiying and the others, to set off immediately. Most importantly, he wanted them to go back and remind Liang Shide that although there was a shortage of food in Luoyang, he had to hold on for this period no matter what. As soon as Hulao Pass was breached, he could immediately send troops to Luoyang to defeat Yuwen Cheng, who was besieging the city.
So, Guan Chiying and the others set off immediately after having breakfast.
And now, as he rode on horseback, listening to the whistling wind, Shang Ruyi's calm yet solemn voice seemed to echo in his ears—
“Xiao Yuansui is a suspicious man by nature. I already asked about your origins twice yesterday, so he will definitely be on guard. Therefore, the best way to get him to send you away is to cause a conflict between your people and his people. Then, as long as he discovers that I am plotting against you, he will have to solve this problem, and the most thorough way is to send you away.”
He initially thought the method was too mystical and might not work, but he had no other choice but to give it a try.
To everyone's surprise, it actually worked.
He couldn't help but sigh softly, and he admired the Princess of Qin even more. Her willingness to make such a plan showed her boldness and meticulousness, as well as her deep understanding of human nature and her great strategic acumen. Just as he was lost in thought, Old Xu whipped his horse twice and rode up to his side, saying softly, "Brother Guan."
Guan Chiying immediately snapped out of her daze, her expression becoming even more cautious as she looked at Boss Xu: "What is it?"
Shang Ruyi's plan worked, and they were now able to embark on their journey back to Luoyang. A crucial part of this was getting someone to fight Xiao Yuansui's men. Not only did he abandon his usual amiable attitude, but he also held onto Xu Laoda, who usually managed the group, until the young man had rolled on the ground with his opponent. Only after someone went to report to Xiao Yuansui did he let go. Others might not have noticed this, but Xu Laoda, who had been held back the whole time, couldn't have been unaware. After he let go, Xu Laoda even gave him a strange look, and then didn't say anything more.
Until this moment.
Upon seeing Guan Chiying's cautious demeanor, Boss Xu's eyes also showed some doubt, but he remained calm and asked in a low voice, "Can we really protect our families if we go back this time?"
Guan Chiying forced a smile and said, "Brother Xu, why are you suddenly worried about this?"
Old Xu sighed and said, "We've lost the battle after all. General Chen was killed, and we didn't even get the grain back. What if we're held accountable—"
Guan Chiying glanced ahead and saw that Xiao Yuansui's group was leading the way. He lowered his voice and said, "We've failed in our mission, but there's nothing we can do about it. But this time, General Xiao's men are guarantor—we'll leave our fate to fate."
Hearing him say that, Old Xu sighed, and Guan Chiying glanced at him cautiously again.
For the rest of the journey, the two remained silent.
They sped along almost day and night for an entire day, until dawn the next day, when they finally saw the tall and majestic city of Luoyang ahead in the first rays of sunlight that had dispelled the darkness.
However, their speed immediately slowed down.
This time, they detoured to the north, intending to enter Luoyang through the north gate. This was because Yuwen Cheng's main camp was located in the south, near the Luo River, and the main force of the attack was also in the south. Of course, this was before. A few days ago, General Chen Cai led them to break out of the city, which was exactly what they had done. It was unknown whether Yuwen Cheng, having suffered this loss, would change his previous tactics and instead completely besiege Luoyang.
If that's the case, then they'll probably have to go through another fierce battle before they can enter Luoyang.
However, after slowing down and listening carefully to the sounds around them, they discovered that there seemed to be no military camps or ambushes within a radius of several miles.
Could it be that Yuwen Cheng has not learned his lesson from last time and still has not besieged Luoyang?
If that's really the case, then it's truly heaven's help!
While everyone thought this, they were also worried that it was just a trap set by the enemy. Guan Chiying and Xu Laoda led the men behind them to hold the reins tightly, letting their horses tread lightly on the grass, which was already somewhat withered and soft like a thick blanket. They cautiously moved forward little by little. The first rays of dawn gradually outlined the surrounding mountains, rivers, and vegetation. If there were really soldiers hiding there, they would be able to tell at this time.
But still nothing. A wide avenue stretched out before them, leading straight to the city of Luoyang!
Everyone was overjoyed, especially Boss Xu, who whispered excitedly, "It seems that this place has not yet been occupied by Yuwen Cheng's troops. Let's hurry back!"
The others around them chimed in, "That's wonderful!"
Some people breathed a sigh of relief, released their hands from the hilt of their swords, which were now damp with cold sweat, and said softly, "I thought we would have to fight again no matter what, but I didn't expect it to be an open game."
"Haha, it's not just an empty door, I think Yuwen Cheng's head is empty!"
"That's right, he's a complete incompetent!"
Hearing the ridicule from the crowd, Guan Chiying breathed a sigh of relief, but a worried look couldn't help but appear in her eyes—Yuwen Cheng, what a good-for-nothing!
We learned our lesson once before when we sent Chen Cai out of the city to retrieve grain from Luoyang's granary. But he didn't learn his lesson at all and still failed to completely cut off Luoyang's grain supply. If we let him attack Luoyang, I'm afraid we'll be dead by the time we finally get to conquer the fortified city!
Thinking of this, he sighed deeply.
Suddenly, Old Xu, who was beside him, turned to look at him and asked, "Brother Guan, what's wrong?"
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