Chapter 1067 Arrived Just in Time
A day later, as Yuwen Cheng and Shang Shoufei led their army eastward from Cijian, they had just reached the entrance to Xishan Valley when they saw in the distance that much of the once lush forest at the foot of the mountain had been cut down, leaving large clearings. A shadow fell over those clearings, as if a large patch of haze had been cast from the dark clouds overhead.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a large infantry force, with banners fluttering and warhorses neighing.
Everyone was startled, especially their warhorses, which were extremely sensitive. They sensed the powerful, murderous aura in the wind blowing in their faces, and many horses neighed uneasily, shaking their heads and snorting.
"Behave yourself!"
Yuwen Cheng, who was walking in front, was calmer and more composed. He raised his hand to calm the panic of the crowd, then shook the reins and walked forward for a while. He immediately saw that the banner raised high in the army ahead was none other than the red and white banner used by his second brother, Prince Qin, Yuwen Ye.
Upon seeing the flag clearly, his face immediately darkened.
At the same time, two riders emerged from the ranks, followed by several soldiers. They soon approached him. The two men looked familiar; they were Mu Xian and Cheng Qiao, both under Yuwen Ye's command.
The two men, mounted on their horses, bowed to Yuwen Cheng and said, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Qi."
Yuwen Cheng asked, displeased, "What are you all doing here?"
Mu Xian said, "We were ordered by His Highness the Prince of Qin to attack Luoyang. We were overjoyed to hear that His Highness the Prince of Qi was coming to help us, so we came here to wait for him."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Cheng's face darkened. After all, he was the Prince of Qi of the Great Sheng Dynasty and the Grand General of the Henan Army appointed by the Emperor. Attacking Luoyang was originally his responsibility. However, Mu Xian and the others said that he was there to "help," clearly kicking him aside and wanting to seize the merits of this battle ahead of time.
He immediately sneered, "I am the Grand Commander of the Army. I fight my own battles. Whom do I need to help?"
Mu Xian smiled obsequiously and said, "Your Highness, aren't we here to help Prince Qin? A few days ago, if Your Highness hadn't tied down several thousand troops in Luoyang for Prince Qin at Cijian, how could Prince Qin have swept through the Eastern Capital and captured all eight passes and cities?"
Yuwen Cheng's expression turned even more unpleasant.
A few days ago, he suffered a defeat and was forced to retreat to Cijian. While Liang Shide was sending a large army to attack Cijian in an attempt to capture him, Yuwen Ye launched a campaign and successively captured several of the eight passes of Luoyang. This was not because he intended to help him, but because he had no other choice. However, if we don't talk about helping him, then all that is left for him is the shame of his defeat.
Upon hearing these words, the generals behind Yuwen Cheng all showed indignant expressions.
On the battlefield, the bravery of the soldiers and the results of victory are the most important. However, Yuwen Cheng was hasty and reckless in this trip. Not only was he defeated in one blow, but his greatest "achievement" was the "assistance" that Mu Xian and the others had just mentioned. Under such circumstances, even if he knew that the other party was there to steal credit, he could not say anything strong.
Mu Xian then said, "While we are waiting for Your Highness here, we have already cut down many large trees to build siege ladders. When we attack the city, we hope Your Highness's men will cooperate fully."
Yuwen Cheng's expression turned even uglier.
Just then, another rider slowly approached from behind him. It was Zhaowu Colonel Shang Shoufei. He looked at the two men and then smiled, "With your help, His Highness Prince Qi's attack on the city will surely be much more successful. However, I have a small matter I would like to ask you both."
Both Mu Xian and Cheng Qiao showed strange expressions when they saw him.
They knew, of course, that this man was the elder brother of the Princess of Qin, but he had followed the path of the Crown Prince since he entered officialdom, and had previously served as a guard in the Eastern Palace, causing considerable trouble for the King of Qin. Seeing the expression on his face that seemed to be wearing a fake smile, both of them felt a little displeased and couldn't help but put on a stern face.
Mu Xian asked, "What is it?"
Shang Shoufei smiled and said, "I heard the other day that my little sister—oh, I should say Princess Qin—went to Xia Prefecture. Is that true?"
Mu Xian said, "That is indeed true."
"Now that the crisis in Xia Prefecture has been resolved, how is Princess Qin now?"
"..."
"Didn't you send anyone to look for it?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Xian's face darkened again.
After learning that Shang Ruyi had not returned to Chang'an that day, he had been preoccupied with the matter. It was clear that the King of Qin was very worried. However, with a major battle imminent, they could not devote all their energy to the Queen Consort of Qin, so they did not send more people to search for her.
But this matter remained a heavy burden on their hearts.
Now that Shang Shoufei was being mentioned, and specifically as the brother of the Princess Consort of Qin, the two of them were speechless.
Upon hearing Shang Shoufei's words, Yuwen Cheng immediately snapped out of his daze and sneered, "You two, what kind of work are you doing? And what about my second brother? His own princess is stranded outside, and he doesn't even send anyone to search for her. Instead, he's sending you here to attack Luoyang. Doesn't he know that the area around Luoyang is all under Liang Shide's control? If he captures my second sister-in-law—"
Mu Xian and Cheng Qiao exchanged a glance.
Their words were a clear threat, not just to Shang Ruyi's safety, but to condemn them for their future actions. Mu Xian respectfully replied, "King Qi's words are reasonable, but we are only here to attack Luoyang on orders. As for other matters, King Qin has his own arrangements."
Yuwen Cheng said, "He had better be."
"..."
"Otherwise, if he can't even protect his own wife, how can he stand firm in the army?"
"..."
"What will you take back to explain to the subjects of the Great Sheng Dynasty?"
After saying that, he sneered, shook the reins, and spurred his horse forward. Shang Shoufei and the others followed behind him. Mu Xian and Cheng Qiao's expressions became even more solemn, but at this moment they had no choice but to follow along with heavy hearts.
The battle to capture Luoyang officially began the next day.
Just as they erected their siege ladders and led their troops toward the fortified and towering city of Luoyang, a hundred miles away at Hulao Pass, amidst the roaring and churning of the Yellow River, Yuwen Ye heard hurried footsteps approaching. Turning around, he saw the scout he had sent out to gather intelligence two days prior. The man stepped forward, bowed, and greeted him: "Your Highness!"
Yuwen Ye asked, "How is it?"
The scout reported, "We have discovered that Xiao Yuansui is leading an army of 120,000 south from Leshou, heading straight for Hulao Pass!"
Yuwen Ye's eyes immediately sharpened, and he stepped forward: "Where are they now?"
The scout said, "We're almost at Liyang."
“Li Yang…”
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye slowly raised his head, his eyes, bathed in the setting sun, revealing a chilling light: "You've come at just the right time."
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