Chapter 707 A Close Call
Blood rained down from the pitch-black night sky.
Several enormous heads, still emitting incessant screams of terror, rolled off the ground. This scene was more horrifying than any nightmare of hell, yet Shen Tu Tai and Yuwen Ye showed no fear. Wielding their swords and spears, they weaved through the rain of blood, stepped over the corpses, and once again charged into the terrified crowd ahead.
Those men not only couldn't spare the strength to retaliate with their bows and arrows, but they also didn't have the energy to draw their swords. They could only desperately spur their horses forward and flee for their lives.
The cold light was like frost, and in an instant, more than a dozen people were cut down from their horses.
Yuwen Qian was only about ten feet away from them.
Although the night was pitch black, he could still clearly see Yuwen Ye's agile and tiger-like figure charging into the crowd, slashing left and right. When he rode up to catch up, a bloody storm rushed towards him.
His cheeks were damp from the streaks of blood blown by the night wind, and he instinctively reached out to wipe them.
Under the pale moonlight, his fingertips were completely stained red.
He didn't even need to look up; he could only see his hands stained red, blood still flowing down his face. Even on his own face, blood mixed with sweat, pooling in streams, congealing on his chin before dripping down. The salty, fishy smell, combined with the shrill screams and terrified cries for help from the enemy soldiers being hacked down and falling, created a terrifying scene of carnage.
However, he slowly raised his head.
As he looked up, another gust of blood rained down on him, this time staining even his clothes red. His once spotless white robes were now covered in crimson flowers, a poignant and eerie sight, especially on him, adding a unique cruelty to the scene.
The guards who were following him closely were all taken aback by this sight.
Although this Prince of Han almost single-handedly won the entire attack on Taiyuan this time, and had previously defeated the forces of Wang Shaoji and the Western Turks in one battle, making him a natural-born general, they also knew that before being enfeoffed as the Prince of Han, and even before returning to the Yuwen family, the Prince of Han had practiced Buddhism for many years and was a devout Buddhist.
The scene unfolding ahead was quite alarming, even for these seasoned soldiers.
I wonder what impact this will have on him.
The group exchanged glances, and though they didn't speak, they all spurred their horses to catch up, carefully watching Yuwen Qian's eyes, which were once clear but were now so dark they seemed to blend into the night. One of them whispered, "Your Highness?"
"..."
"Your Highness, the Prince of Han?"
"...!"
Yuwen Qian suddenly jolted, as if startled awake, and turned to look at them. His eyes, under the pale moonlight, remained clear and bright.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, then hurriedly asked, as if to cover up their unease, "Should we—"
Yuwen Qian remained calm, showing no embarrassment or unease despite his momentary lapse in concentration. He simply tightened his grip on the reins with his blood-stained hand, continued urging his horse forward, and said, "Go help them!"
"yes!"
The group immediately spurred their horses and drew their swords.
Because they were defeated and intimidated by Yuwen Ye and Shen Tu Tai, the troops at the back gradually became disorganized and were also overwhelmed by those who were chasing them. In an instant, only broken corpses and bloodstains were left on the road.
Yuwen Qian spurred his horse and rushed to Yuwen Ye's side. Although the night was deep, it was still possible to see that his handsome face was now stained with blood, and his body was covered in gore, making him look like a fierce and terrifying demon. Yuwen Qian's brow furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly, but he showed no further expression, only saying in a deep voice, "Second brother, be careful. Just now—"
No sooner had he finished speaking than another corpse rolled down and blocked the middle of the road.
The two men simultaneously pulled on the reins to either side, and their warhorses, on high alert, immediately reared up to avoid the man. Yuwen Ye continued to whip his horse and said, "I know what you want to say, Your Majesty."
Yuwen Qian said, "It's too dangerous."
"..."
"If the person in front suddenly turns around, and you only have Shen Tu Tai by your side, no matter how brave and skilled you are, you can't fight against four people with just your own two fists."
Yuwen Ye said, "Rest assured, Your Majesty."
"..."
"They dare not."
He spoke these words so calmly, with only a slight panting from the fierce battle he had just fought, yet everyone could hear the certainty and arrogance in his voice.
Yuwen Ye on the battlefield possessed such abilities!
Yuwen Qian glanced at him for a while, then said nothing, turning his head to look at the shadowy figures rushing forward.
The thunderous sound of horses' hooves was even more urgent and tense than before.
Clearly, the fierce battle that followed also shocked those ahead. Wang Shao and his men knew that Yuwen Ye and his group were catching up, so they wanted to send someone to ambush them halfway. However, they did not expect it to be so unsuccessful. At this moment, they dared not linger in the battle and could only spur their horses onward with even greater effort, trying to shake off these people.
But it's not that easy.
And so they chased and fled, from the gloomy weather at the beginning of night until the surrounding darkness was pitch black, and the thunderous sound of hooves turned the quiet night into a cacophony. Finally, the sky ahead gradually turned a pale white, and the dawn gradually painted the sky white. Then, a rooster crowed, and light spread everywhere.
They chased after them all night long.
That night, several more battles broke out. The men sent from the front to intercept them were mercilessly cut down by Yuwen Ye and Shen Tu Tai, who led their men. Yuwen Qian's men also rushed forward to fight alongside them.
Even so, they were still some distance away from the people speeding away ahead.
At this point, Yuwen Ye had not slept for a day and a night.
After the battle of Taiyuan, he traveled north day and night to the Western Turkic camp. Only after retrieving Shang Ruyi did he manage to get two full nights' sleep. On this last day, they rushed back to Taiyuan before the city gates closed, but unexpectedly encountered Wang Shaoji's affair before even entering the city, and now they were in a pursuit all night—
As dawn broke, Yuwen Qian's physical strength was nearing its limit.
He gritted his teeth, wrapped the reins around his palm twice to make sure he wouldn't fall off his horse due to exhaustion, and glanced back to see that Yuwen Ye's face was pale and his lips were almost bloodless.
He said in a deep voice, "Second brother!"
"Brother Emperor,"
Yuwen Ye still didn't look at him, but his pale lips parted slightly as he clearly said, "If I'm not mistaken, their destination is ahead."
"..."
"So we can't stop. We can't stop here!"
"Front?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Qian was taken aback and subconsciously looked up ahead. At first glance, he saw a towering mountain standing before him, its main peak resembling a chair with two ridges spreading out on either side. The mountain was covered with pine and cypress trees that remained evergreen despite the cold, even obscuring the mountain's shape and cliffs. Once a person entered such a forest, it would be difficult to find their trace!
That's Gonggong Mountain, northeast of Taiyuan!
Just then, a gust of wind blew by, and the sound of pine trees rustling could be heard, along with the shouts of men and the neighing of horses, carried by the wind.
Yuwen Qian suddenly opened his eyes wide.
Yuwen Ye, however, seemed to have expected this and was not surprised. He merely squinted his eyes, trying to avoid the glare of the rising sun, and then said, "Last night, although the people who rushed out of the city were mixed with prisoners of war who had been deliberately released, I estimate that Wang Shao and his remaining forces should be more than that."
Shimmering in the sunlight, Yuwen Qian squinted.
He immediately recalled that day on that grassland, when he had devised a plan to lure Wang Shaoji into a melee with the Western Turkic troops who had reinforced Taiyuan. Afterward, both sides retreated. Although he had also pursued Wang Shaoji's troops and killed many, judging from the way they fled in panic, there were indeed more than just the number of people from the previous night.
Moreover, he had some questions about the whole process of chasing them—
If Wang Shaoji were to launch a large-scale attack, the sentry posts he had established around Taiyuan should have been able to detect the enemy's movements immediately.
Unless it's a small group, they are not easily detected.
Hearing Yuwen Ye's words, it made sense—Wang Shaoji must have hidden the rest of his main force on the Water God Mountain ahead, while he led a small group of men to break into the East Gate and set it on fire while Yuwen Ye was in the north of the city to welcome him, thus rescuing Wang Shaoqiu and the others, and then rushed here.
Yuwen Ye and the men he brought were not many.
But Wang Shao and the people hiding in the Water God Mountain were numerous enough.
Once they enter the mountains, not to mention whether they can be found, if they really gather and then launch a counterattack, I'm afraid all of them will perish here!
Thinking of this, Yuwen Qian said, "Feng Chen!"
However, Yuwen Ye seemed not to have heard him at all, or perhaps he had heard him but had no intention of retreating. As they rounded a bend in the road, they saw a nearly dried-up riverbed ahead, with a small amount of icy water barely enough to submerge Xiao Tui slowly flowing past.
Once you cross that river, the Water God Mountain will be right in front of you!
They may never have another chance!
But just then, they saw that at the end of the road ahead, the two brothers, Wang Shaoji and Wang Shaoqiu, had taken the lead and were galloping towards the river. Their hooves stepped into the cold river water, immediately stirring up waves half a person high, which splashed onto people and made them feel cold to the bone.
Immediately afterward, the men around them also plunged into the river.
For a moment, the people and horses were mixed together, trampling the river so much that it almost stopped flowing, and the river water splashed like rain, but they paid no attention to it and just spurred their horses forward with all their might.
Oh no!
Upon seeing this, Yuwen Ye reached behind him to touch the bow and arrows, only to find that there wasn't a single arrow left in the quiver.
The soldiers around them, after a night of fighting, were all panting, pale-faced, and exhausted. As the enemy was about to cross the river, they felt a sense of defeat.
No longer able to catch up...
Just then, with a "whoosh," a silver light flashed before my eyes!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com