Chapter 1079 The Whereabouts of the Princess Consort of Qin!
"Shi Yuxin..."
Upon hearing this name, Shen Tu Tai's expression darkened again: "Your Highness, what do you think is wrong with her?"
Yuwen Ye asked, "Do you remember what Shi Yutao just said?"
"just?"
Shen Tu Tai frowned, trying hard to recall. Although there had been chaos and turmoil on the north bank, he wasn't as panicked as the others. He also remembered the scene when Shi Yutao confronted them. After a moment's thought, he remembered: "He said that he didn't need Shi Yuxin; he could—"
Yuwen Ye said, "He said that he doesn't need his sister; he can deal with our Yuwen family first."
At this point, Shen Tu Tai also realized there was a problem.
"First?"
Yuwen Ye looked up at him and said, "Yes, it's this 'first'. In other words, Shi Yuxin is currently doing something that can deal with our Yuwen family. However, today he thought that his ambush had caught us and that he could wipe us all out first, so he said that he didn't need Shi Yuxin."
Shen Tu Tai frowned: "So, Shi Yuxin really went to Luoyang?"
Yuwen Ye's brows furrowed even more tightly than his, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Perhaps, but if it really is Luoyang, it's just Yan Jie. His words shouldn't include our Yuwen family."
"That--"
Shen Tu Tai was also puzzled.
Just then, a voice came from outside: "Your Highness, news has come back from Luoyang."
Yuwen Ye immediately raised his head: "Come in!"
A soldier hurried in from outside, saluted the two of them, and Yuwen Ye waved his hand: "How is the situation in Luoyang?"
The soldier said, "Your Highness, our men went to Luoyang to investigate. Prince Qi is still leading his troops to attack Luoyang, but—it has been two days and the city has still not been breached."
Yuwen Ye let out a deep breath.
He wasn't surprised that Yuwen Cheng failed to capture the city. After all, Luoyang was a city that Chu Yang had carefully built up, and it was well-fortified. In addition, Liang Shide was no ordinary person, so it was impossible for him to take it so easily. However, before he felt disappointed, his unease gradually grew.
He asked, "Are there others to help, or to hinder us?"
The soldier replied, "No."
"Where is Cijian?"
"His Highness Prince Qi left only a few hundred men to guard Cijian, but Liang Shide was too busy to take care of himself, and there were no accidents in Cijian."
"..."
This could be considered good news. The soldier even had a smile in his eyes when he finished speaking. But when he looked up at Yuwen Ye and Shen Tu Tai, he found that the expressions of the two men had become serious, as if he had brought bad news.
He subconsciously asked, "Your Highness? General Shentu?"
Both of them were silent for a moment, until Shen Tu Tai waved his hand and said, "Go and collect your reward."
The soldier bowed respectfully, then turned and left the tent, filled with doubt.
As soon as he left, the atmosphere in the tent became even more oppressive. Even Shen Tu Tai sensed something was wrong. He stepped forward and looked at the map that Yuwen Ye had spread out on the table. He then realized that it was not a map of the Hulao Pass area, but a large map. Yuwen Ye's hand on the map seemed to be pointing, intentionally or unintentionally, to a certain place in the Taihang Eight Passes.
Shen Tu Tai said, "Your Highness, do you think Shi Yuxin will go—"
At this moment, the vague unease in his heart finally pierced through the layers of fog like a boulder falling from the sky, hitting Yuwen Ye hard. His breath and heartbeat stopped for a moment. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Besides me at Hulao Pass and Yan Jie in Luoyang, where else in the world are there members of our Yuwen family?"
"...!"
Shen Tu Tai's eyes widened suddenly: "Your Highness, you mean, the head—"
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside, even more hurried than those of the person who had just reported the news from Luoyang. But as soon as they reached the outside of the tent, they were stopped by the guards. The person shouted, "Your Highness!"
As if sensing something, Yuwen Ye immediately said, "Come in!"
Another soldier hurried into the tent. His clothes were the same as the previous one; he was a scout sent out to gather intelligence. However, his face was weathered and he looked much more exhausted. Yet, his bloodshot eyes showed no sign of fatigue, only intense tension and fear. Upon seeing him, Shen Tu Tai immediately recognized him as the man Yuwen Ye had sent to investigate the whereabouts of the Princess Qin.
Although the soldier looked flustered, he still saluted Yuwen Ye as he entered.
Yuwen Ye immediately said, "No need for formalities, how is the situation?"
The soldier said, "Your Highness, we have found out the whereabouts of the Princess!"
"oh?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye's eyes lit up, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Since they had found out her whereabouts, it meant Shang Ruyi was temporarily safe. But the next moment, he immediately leaned forward: "Where is she now?"
The soldier replied, "In Huyang Valley."
"Hu Yang Valley?"
Upon hearing these three words, a sharp glint flashed in Yuwen Ye's eyes, and his expression became even more solemn. Shen Tu Tai, standing beside him, instinctively looked at the map spread out on the table. Hu Yang Valley was located not far from the direction Yuwen Ye had just pointed, within the territory of Huaizhou. It was a very narrow area, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack from a military perspective. After passing Hu Yang Valley, one could enter Shangdang.
And Shangdang...
In an instant, he seemed to understand something and immediately asked, "What is the Princess doing in Huyang Valley?"
The soldier said, "The princess is in Huyang Valley, fighting fiercely with the enemy."
"What!?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye's expression completely changed. He immediately stood up and walked to the soldier. His tall figure was like a mountain pressing down, frightening the soldier into instinctively holding his breath. Yuwen Ye stood in front of him, his face ashen, and asked, "Enemy? What enemy? How many are there? What is her condition now?"
The soldier hurriedly said, "There was a group of people who suddenly marched south from Hebei. They numbered about 70 or 80,000, and the leader was a woman."
Yuwen Ye and Shen Tu Tai exchanged a glance, a cold glint flashing in their eyes.
The soldier continued, "The princess only has a few hundred men under her command, but they have the advantage of terrain. When we arrived, they had already been holding out for three days, but her forces were almost wiped out, and her supplies were nearly exhausted. As soon as we arrived, we immediately—"
Before he could finish speaking, he felt a figure flash before his eyes.
The next moment, Yuwen Ye walked out of the tent. When the soldiers and several deputy generals outside saw him walk out with a livid face, they all assumed that he had some strategy to deal with the enemy, and hurriedly came forward to greet him: "Your Highness?"
Yuwen Ye said in a deep voice, "The army shall assemble and follow me on the expedition!"
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