Chapter 1088 Meritorious Service
"yes!"
The soldier who came to deliver the message said, "Our general said that she will arrive at Hulao Pass around noon with the Princess of Qin."
"Okay, okay, okay!"
Xiao Yuansui was overjoyed and said "good" three times in a row. He paused for a moment as if to calm himself down before finally saying to the soldier, "Alright, go and collect your reward."
"Thank you, General Xie."
The soldier immediately turned and walked out of the tent, while Shi Yutao, for some reason, dodged to the side. The soldier didn't see him and walked straight ahead.
After the soldier had gone far away, Shi Yutao walked out from the side with a solemn expression.
The military camp was quiet. He could clearly hear Xiao Yuansui's excited yet heavy breathing coming from the large tent behind him. Although he was not usually someone who could hide his emotions, he was overly happy and excited after hearing the news that Shi Yuxin had captured Shang Ruyi, as if a huge pie had fallen from the sky.
That's true, though.
The one guarding Hulao Pass now is Prince Qin, Yuwen Ye. They have captured Princess Qin, which is indeed a huge threat to Yuwen Ye, but a golden opportunity for them.
Shi Yuxin... has done a great service!
Thinking of this, Shi Yutao's face gradually darkened. After a long while, he clenched his fist as if he had made a decision, and then turned and walked away.
Time passed slowly, and after 4:45 AM, the sun began to shine on the walls of Hulao Pass. The soldiers who had been guarding the city tower all night were yawning and preparing to relieve their brothers when they heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats from below. Looking down, they saw the scouts they had sent out galloping back. Before they even reached the city gate, they had already raised their tokens and shouted, "Open the gate!"
The people on the city wall immediately shouted down, "Open the gate!"
As soon as the gate opened a crack, the soldier immediately spurred his horse and galloped inside. He rode at breakneck speed all the way in, and soon after, Shen Tu Tai's personal guards hurriedly knocked on his door with the message the soldier had brought back.
"General, Shi Yutao has arrived with his men."
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Tu Tai immediately came to his senses, put on his clothes, and came out.
Yesterday, he went out of the city to fight the enemy. In fact, the two groups of men charged together and fought for more than an hour. Shen Tu Tai himself did not even make a move. He just watched from a distance on horseback for a while. The two sides were evenly matched and the casualties were almost the same. Then he led his troops back to Hulao Pass, closed the gate tightly, and waited for news from Yuwen Ye.
I thought that after yesterday's battle, the other side would temporarily back down today, but I didn't expect Shi Yutao to make a comeback so quickly.
And it's a bit strange. In the past few days, whether the other side sent troops over or he led his army over, he didn't see Shi Yutao. Obviously, the mistake on the north bank of the Yellow River that day made Xiao Yuansui afraid to let him fight again, lest something go wrong. So why did he come here in person today?
Shen Tu Tai asked, "Is anyone else with you?"
The guard shook his head: "The scouts saw it clearly; he was the only one leading the troops."
"Oh? How many people did you bring?"
"Around two thousand people."
"..."
Shen Tu Tai pondered for a moment, then looked up and said, "No matter what, we can't back down. Let's go see what this kid is up to first."
At his command, a force of eight hundred men quickly assembled inside Hulao Pass. With a loud shout from Shen Tu Tai, the city gates slowly opened, and he led his neatly lined soldiers out. In the distance, the main army had already crossed the Sishui River and had just finished assembling on the riverbank.
Despite the large number of people, Shen Tu Tai spotted Shi Yu Tao at a glance.
It wasn't that this kid was any different from the others, but rather that he was riding a particularly eye-catching horse today. It was over twelve feet long from head to tail, tall and strong, with a bright saddle and bridle. Its entire body was bright red without a single stray hair, and it reflected a dazzling red light when the rising sun shone on it, standing like a blazing flame at the very front of the large group of people.
Shen Tu Tai exclaimed subconsciously, "What a fine horse!"
Not only him, but even the soldiers around him, those who knew nothing about judging horses, could tell it was a fine steed, and they all gasped in admiration. Shi Yutao, riding on the horse, seemed to feel the envious gazes around him and those coming from the opposite direction, and couldn't help but feel a little proud. This steed, named Liehuo, was bought by his father from the Western Regions at a high price. It was originally intended for Shi Yuxin, but Shi Yutao, envious of it, begged and pleaded until he got it. He rarely rode it, fearing it might be damaged in the unpredictable battlefield.
But today...
Just as he was squinting coldly at the procession emerging from Hulao Pass, his personal guard immediately flattered him, saying, "Young Master has even ridden out the Fiery Blaze today; Shen Tu Tai will surely flee at the mere sight of him!"
Shi Yutao also sneered: "I want them to know that my sister isn't the only one who can make a difference."
Upon hearing the last sentence, the guard paused for a moment.
Shi Yutao realized what was happening, coughed lightly to cover it up, and then raised his hand and said, "Let's go!"
At this command, the army behind him followed him forward in unison. The heavy footsteps sounded like muffled thunder, traveling from the ground all the way to the foot of Hulao Pass. Shen Tu Tai and the others immediately felt the ground tremble, but he showed no fear. He simply watched as the fiery red horse carried Shi Yutao to his side. The two formations were only an arrow's length apart when Shi Yutao raised his hand to signal everyone to stop.
In an instant, the wind howled, the turbid waves surged, the banners fluttered, and the horses neighed.
Before they even made a move, a suffocating killing intent filled the air.
Shen Tu Tai gently flicked the reins, spurred his horse forward a few steps, looked at the arrogant Shi Yutao, and sneered: "I thought that after that day, General Shi would be too scared to come out again, but I didn't expect you to dare to come today."
Upon hearing the words "General Xiao Shi," Shi Yutao's face immediately turned ashen.
"you--"
Seemingly sensing its master's anger, the fiery horse he was riding shook its head uneasily and made a deep snorting sound.
Shi Yutao immediately reached out and touched the warhorse's neck, then gritted his teeth and sneered, "That day was just falling into your trap. Today, let's have a real fight and see who's the hero and who's the coward!"
After saying that, he raised his long battle axe and roared as he spurred his horse to charge towards Shen Tu Tai.
Meanwhile, in the other camp, Xiao Yuansui had just heard Hua Ziying report that Shi Yutao had led his men out of the camp before dawn and while no one was watching, and had already crossed the Si River.
Xiao Yuansui's face immediately darkened: "This Shi Yutao!"
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