Chapter 632 He seems to be throwing a tantrum.
The sudden influx of several thousand men caused quite a commotion in the military camp. First, dozens of new, enormous military tents were erected, then the camp's perimeter was expanded considerably, and the more than two thousand captured subordinates of Yuan An were bound and imprisoned, with guards assigned to watch over them.
It wasn't until evening that the military camp was finally settled.
Having finished dealing with everything, Shen Wuzheng was bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun as he slowly walked towards the central command tent. Although the sunset was dazzling, he still maintained a faint, cool demeanor, as if even flames could not melt it. Along the way, passersby kept saluting him, and although he returned their salutes, his gaze remained distant.
As I entered the central command tent, I looked up and saw the military doctor bandaging Yuwen Ye's injured finger. Half of the water in the basin on the ground was stained pink, and there were some blood-stained gauze piled on the table.
The army doctor quickly tidied everything up and then said, "Your Highness, your fingers are not good for use these days."
Yuwen Ye didn't say anything, just waved his hand lightly. The army doctor himself knew that the possibility of not using his fingers during a march was almost zero, so he could only nod and sigh before getting up and leaving.
Shen Wuzheng nodded in acknowledgment and stepped aside to let him leave.
Once the tent flaps were closed, Shen Wuzheng walked to the center of the tent and bowed to Yuwen Ye, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Qin."
Yuwen Ye nodded at him: "Mm."
He wasn't exactly warm towards Shen Wuzheng, nor was he indifferent, but there was an inexplicable strange atmosphere in the spacious central tent, which slowly spread during their exchange.
Shen Tu Tai, who was sitting to Yuwen Ye's left and right, and several other deputy generals exchanged glances but remained silent.
Since Nie Chong returned from Cangbai Mountain with the two of them last night, almost everyone has noticed the strange atmosphere between His Highness Prince Qin and this special military advisor. They seemed to be in a standoff, but when they faced each other again, they showed no hostility at all, and were as peaceful as if nothing had happened.
The only differences were the lingering bruise on Shen Wuzheng's cheekbone and the occasional red mark on Yuwen Ye's lips.
However, the two people involved seemed completely oblivious to the eerie atmosphere. Shen Wuzheng lowered his head, picked up a booklet, and said, "Just now, I recounted the numbers in the army. Prince Qi—"
"Wait a moment,"
Before he could finish speaking, Yuwen Ye raised his hand to stop him. Shen Wuzheng immediately shut his mouth as well. Yuwen Ye looked up and said, "Guards!"
A guard immediately entered the tent to receive orders. Yuwen Ye said, "Summon the Prince of Qi to me."
"yes."
The guard immediately obeyed and left.
Although the Prince of Qi had just arrived, his camp was not far from Yuwen Ye's, separated only by the Princess of Qin's tent. Logically, he should have arrived quickly, but it took the time it takes to drink a cup of tea for the guards to get there. Even Shen Tu Tai's thick eyebrows furrowed, and the several deputy generals looked at each other, their displeasure gradually showing even without speaking. Finally, Yuwen Cheng, dressed in clean clothes, slowly walked into the central army tent.
The oppressive atmosphere in the air made his nonchalant expression falter.
But immediately, he walked to the center of the tent with a smile, glanced at Shen Wuzheng beside him out of the corner of his eye, and then bowed to Yuwen Ye, who was sitting in front of him: "Your Majesty—Brother."
Yuwen Ye stared at him coldly, without saying a word.
Yuwen Cheng seemed completely unconcerned by his cold expression. He glanced around again, his face stiffening as he met Shen Tu Tai's gaze, who had just forcefully lifted him from his horse. He immediately turned away, looking at Shan Tong'er, who looked displeased behind Shen Tu Tai, Nie Chong, who was avoiding his gaze, and the other lieutenants. Then he laughed and said, "Brother, I've been in your camp for half a day, and all you've given me is a bowl of soup noodles with hardly any meat?"
"..."
"Even if we can't have a banquet at this time, I should at least have a table full of food and drink to make up for the suffering I've endured these past few days."
After saying that, he swayed and walked to the seat next to him.
Just as he was about to sit down, he heard Yuwen Ye's deep, cold voice say, "Who told you to sit down?"
"...?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Cheng froze in his bowing motion, his face darkening instantly. He glanced back at Yuwen Ye, forced a smile, but a hint of anger was clearly visible in his smile as he asked, "What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?"
Yuwen Ye said coldly, "This is the military base."
Yuwen Cheng said, "So what if we're in the army? Aren't you my imperial brother now?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Even between brothers, accounts should be settled clearly."
Yuwen Cheng frowned: "Settle accounts? What accounts do you want to settle with me?"
Yuwen Ye ignored him and instead raised his head, looking intently at Shen Wuzheng, and said in a deep voice, "Secretary, tell me the number of people you just counted."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Cheng's expression immediately changed.
Shen Wuzheng remained expressionless, even lowering his head without any emotion, and opened the booklet in his hand, saying, "His Highness Prince Qi led 3,714 men in this retreat, with 1,261 wounded and 249 seriously wounded; and more than 600 warhorses. There are still some scattered horses in the mountains, which I have already sent people to collect."
With each word he uttered, Yuwen Cheng's expression changed.
After Shen Wuzheng finished speaking, his face turned red and white in turns, especially around his ears, where several red marks appeared, like finger marks left after being slapped hard. He gritted his teeth and sneered, "What is this? This is the book kept by the clerk in the military office. What does it have to do with me?"
Yuwen Ye narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at him: "None of your business?"
"..."
"I'm asking you, when Father Emperor entrusted you with the defense of Taiyuan, how many troops did he give you?!"
"..."
Yuwen Cheng couldn't speak, he just gritted his teeth, and the red mark on his cheek became more and more obvious, as if he had really been slapped hard across the face, and in front of everyone!
Seeing his stiff neck and silent demeanor, Yuwen Ye said coldly, "You won't speak? I'll speak for you!"
"..."
"Your father left you at least 70,000 troops, and also Huang Gongyi's men to help you defend Taiyuan! I ask you, where are those 100,000-plus troops now? And where is Huang Gongyi?!"
"..."
“I warned you long ago that war is no child’s play, but you—before the great cause was accomplished, you were already carried away with pride! Now that Father has ascended the throne, you have even lost the place where the dragon rose, and suffered heavy losses. Of the more than 100,000 troops, you only brought back 3,000 remnants. What is your crime!”
With his last words, he slammed his hand heavily on the table!
The huge central command tent trembled slightly from the heavy applause, and the people around remained silent, only lowering their heads.
As for Shan Tong'er, he was still young and could not yet understand human affairs like those adults, but he also stared wide-eyed at Yuwen Cheng, whose face was ashen, and then at Yuwen Ye, whose face was even more ashen.
He had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
Although he hadn't followed Yuwen Ye for long, less than a year, he had experienced a lot, almost all of which were life-or-death matters. Therefore, he had come to understand the temperament of this Prince Qin. Although Yuwen Ye was cold and aloof and rarely smiled, he was actually not bad-tempered. In fact, he could often sense the magnanimity beneath his cold exterior and his unimaginable tolerance towards many people.
But now, what he does and how he behaves are completely different from anything he has ever done before.
Yuwen Cheng's loss of Taiyuan was indeed wrong, and the loss of troops and generals warranted punishment. However, he was, after all, the newly appointed Prince of Qi, and also the Prince of Qin's own brother. Even if they wanted to settle scores, it should be done between brothers behind closed doors, not in front of everyone—
Yuwen Ye's current actions not only disrespect the Prince of Qi, but are actually a complete embarrassment to him.
No, to be precise, he seemed to be throwing a tantrum.
Thinking of this, Shan Tong'er subconsciously turned her head to look at Shen Wuzheng, who was standing in the center of the tent. He seemed to have sensed something was wrong as well, his brows furrowed as he looked at Yuwen Ye, but he remained silent. There was still a bruise on his cheekbone, which had faded a lot since last night. He must have been treated with hot compresses while resting last night and when they went out to fight today.
Last night, the King of Qin and him—I don't know what happened, or if it was as the people in the army were secretly talking about—the two of them fought.
However, even so, if His Highness Prince Qin really wanted to vent his anger, Shen Wuzheng was just a secretary and military advisor. Prince Qin could punish him however he wanted, so there was no need to take it out on Prince Qi at this time.
His appearance made it seem as if he had a lot of anger that he couldn't vent.
But who could have offended him so much that the dignified Prince Qin had nowhere to vent his anger?
Just as Shan Tong'er was racking her brains but couldn't come up with a solution, and the already tense atmosphere in the tent became even more oppressive and suffocating due to the King of Qin's anger, a figure suddenly appeared at the door. Although it was just a sway of her skirt, a fragrant breeze suddenly wafted in, and even the tense air became softer.
Yuwen Ye's eyes flickered, and his breathing became disordered.
Yuwen Cheng originally wanted to refute, but he had nothing to say. He could only grit his teeth and endure it all. Suddenly, he saw Yuwen Ye's expression change. Then, a slender and graceful shadow appeared under his feet. He immediately turned around.
A familiar figure came into view.
It is Shang Ruyi.
Since returning from the campaign, she had been staying in her own tent until just now, when she heard Wo Xue say that Shen Wuzheng had entered the central command tent. Although she knew she shouldn't disturb him, she couldn't help but come over to see what was going on. Unexpectedly, as soon as she got closer, she heard a statement that was like a bolt from the blue.
At this moment, she opened her eyes wide, her face pale and filled with despair as she looked at Yuwen Ye—
"Huang Gongyi, what's wrong?"
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