Chapter 1064 Where did she go?
Three days later, Yuwen Ye killed Shan Shiyu at Hulao Pass.
This was not a big deal in the army, after all, they had killed dozens or hundreds of enemy generals; but Shan Shiyu seemed to be different from the others. When his head fell to the ground and blood sprayed into the air, the generals watching all showed expressions of pity.
But their reluctance was not because of the virtuous teacher Yu himself, but because of the virtuous child who was never present.
Everyone knows that after Shan Tong'er woke up, he immediately went to Yuwen Ye to plead for Shan Shiyu. However, no matter what he said or pleaded, Yuwen Ye did not budge. Even today, with Shan Shiyu's head rolling, Shan Tong'er did not show up to see him off.
Everyone thought that perhaps he couldn't bear to see this scene.
Killing Shan Shiyu meant that Hulao Pass was now completely under Yuwen Ye's control. He immediately ordered his men to move the main camp to Hulao Pass. Mu Xian had already taken stock of the troops, weapons in the storehouse, horses in the stable, and the remaining grain. When he climbed the city wall with a booklet in his hand, he saw Yuwen Ye standing there, gazing eastward into the distance with a deep look in his eyes as if he were pondering something. Mu Xian immediately stopped in his tracks.
He pondered for a moment, then decided to leave and return to report later.
Just as he was about to turn around, he heard Yuwen Ye ask, "What is it?"
Mu Xian immediately stepped forward and bowed, then said, "Your Highness, after two days of investigation, I have found that two of Shan Shiyu's five generals have surrendered to us with their own troops, totaling 40,000 men. Of the remaining two, two fled back to Luoyang with their men, and one refused to surrender and was killed by us. All of these together, there are nearly 100,000 men."
Yuwen Ye frowned slightly.
Shan Shiyu led 150,000 troops to guard Hulao Pass. They captured the pass, but only recovered less than 50,000 men. Although the losses were considered a great victory, the number was not exactly encouraging.
Moreover, those who fled back to Luoyang with the two generals were not gone forever. Liang Shide could not sit idly by and wait for them to strengthen their troops and regroup before attacking Luoyang again. By then, he would truly have no way out, and he would definitely launch the biggest counterattack before Luoyang became an isolated city.
Yuwen Ye thought for a moment and asked, "What about the provisions?"
Mu Xian said, "Our provisions are only enough for one month, but with the consumption of those 40,000 people, I'm afraid it won't even last half a month."
"Is there no grain left in the granaries at Hulao Pass?"
"Less than five days."
"..."
Yuwen Ye took a deep breath, then shook his head and sneered, "Liang Shide really has Shan Shiyu firmly under his control."
With insufficient provisions and relatives all in Luoyang, it's no wonder...
At that moment, a pang of reluctance suddenly rose in his heart, but this pang of reluctance only flashed for a moment, and the next moment he returned to his usual calm. He turned around and looked to the west. At this time, the setting sun was gradually slanting westward, and the sunlight it cast was even more vivid and dazzling than the pool of blood under Master Shan's body when he fell to the ground.
Yuwen Ye narrowed his eyes and asked, "Has there been any news from Tongguan?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Xian's expression stiffened slightly.
Although he wasn't looking at him, Yuwen Ye still keenly sensed something and immediately turned to look at him, his gaze intense, even more intense than the blazing sunlight behind him. Mu Xian immediately lowered his head: "Your Highness..."
Yuwen Ye's face darkened: "Speak!"
Mu Xian knew he couldn't hide it any longer, so he said softly, "There's news from Tongguan that the Princess Consort hasn't returned to Chang'an."
"..."
In an instant, the surroundings seemed to fall silent.
Although the setting sun cast a fiery glow, bathing Yuwen Ye in a dazzling crimson light, he seemed to dim instantly, especially his eyes, which were so cold that even the sunlight seemed to exude a chill. Mu Xian shivered and silently lowered his head.
After a long silence, Yuwen Ye spoke again, his voice still calm, but devoid of any emotion or warmth: "When did the news arrive?"
"This morning."
"This morning..."
Yuwen Ye's eyes narrowed slightly.
Before confronting Shan Shiyu, he had Mu Xian send someone to Tongguan. These few days were indeed just enough time for a round trip, but Shang Ruyi left Xiazhou at least half a month ago. If she really returned to Chang'an, she would definitely pass through Tongguan and there would definitely be news coming back.
Since there isn't, that means—
Yuwen Ye gritted his teeth: "Why didn't you say so sooner?"
Mu Xian was sweating profusely and could only say, "This humble general... this humble general is afraid that Your Highness will worry."
As he spoke, he immediately raised his head again: "But Your Highness, rest assured, the Princess Consort is no ordinary woman. Even if she doesn't return to Chang'an, she will certainly not be in any danger. The men I sent to inquire have returned saying that His Majesty has sent many Imperial Guards with her, and each of them is a master, so..."
By the end, his own voice had lowered.
Indeed, Shang Ruyi was no ordinary woman. Since she was going to relieve the crisis in Xia Prefecture, Yuwen Yuan would not allow her to go alone. He would definitely send someone to accompany and protect her.
The problem is, now that the matter in Xia Prefecture has been resolved, why hasn't she returned to Chang'an yet?
Where did she go?
She had nowhere else to go in the Central Plains. If she didn't return to Chang'an, the only thing they could think of was that the princess might come to Luoyang to see the King of Qin. But the problem was, at least half a month had passed. If she really wanted to come, she would have arrived long ago. Why didn't they hear anything from her?
Could it be that the princess had an accident on the way?
Just thinking about it made Mu Xian feel a little numb in both legs.
Yuwen Ye was not a person who was good at expressing his emotions, or rather, he liked to express his emotions. However, even though he was a man of few words, everyone could see that he and the princess were deeply in love and affectionate. In fact, Mu Xian had no doubt that although His Highness the Prince of Qin was a capable and resourceful general, he had reached this point without the help of his virtuous wife.
In case, in case something happens to the Princess Consort of Qin—
Mu Xian didn't even dare to think further.
Just as Yuwen Ye remained silent, a silence that sent chills down Mu Xian's spine, a series of heavy footsteps broke the tranquility. A person hurriedly ran up the city wall. Mu Xian was about to go back to see which unlucky fellow had run into this situation when he saw Shen Tu Tai striding towards them, a strange worry and urgency appearing on his fierce face.
He stepped forward and bowed to Yuwen Ye, saying, "Your Highness."
Seeing him like this, Yuwen Ye frowned. He had ordered Shen Tu Tai and his men to clean up the previous camp and bring the last group of people to Hulao Pass. His current anxious appearance suggested that something had happened.
So he asked, "What's wrong?"
Shen Tu Tai said, "Good boy, he's gone..."
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