Chapter 282 Encountering the Second Young Master, There's No Way Out
Yuwen Ye asked, "Where did the people who left Wanggang Village go?"
After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.
After a long while, Yan Buhuai whispered, "Yes, with such a large-scale mobilization at Wanggang Village, where did these people go? What are they going to do?"
The officers exchanged glances, and after a long while, Pang Tianbao sneered, "Others can worry about such things. Our mission this time is to take Wanggang Village; there's no need to worry too much about the rest."
“That’s not how it works,”
Yuwen Ye said calmly, "Xiao Yuansui is an ambitious man. Last time, he only had less than half the troops of Wanggang Village, yet he dared to send troops to capture Xingluocang City. This time, they have joined forces with Liang Shide, who commands more than 100,000 troops. Their goal must be even greater than Xingluocang City."
As he spoke, he slowly turned around and coldly looked at those people: "Let me ask you all, what city is larger than Xingluocang City around here?"
At this moment, the entire Xingluo Cang City fell silent.
A place immediately popped into everyone's mind, but no one dared to speak. Yet, the fear they dared not utter turned into cold sweat, slowly dripping from their foreheads.
After an unknown amount of time, Yan Buhuai finally spoke in a hoarse voice: "Eastern Capital?"
"..."
"They're going to attack Dongdu!?"
Yuwen Ye said, "If I'm not mistaken... that's how it is."
Everyone panicked slightly. At that moment, Wang Gong suddenly chuckled. He was covered in cold sweat, but a twisted smile was forced onto his pale face, looking both comical and somewhat ferocious. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "General, your words are a bit alarmist."
"oh?"
Yuwen Ye looked at him: "Does Lord Wang have a different opinion?"
Wang Gong laughed and said, "Although I do not understand military affairs, Luoyang is Luoyang after all. It is the seat of the emperor and is protected by the emperor's majesty. Even if Liang Shide leads an army of 100,000 and has the help of the Turks and Wanggang Village, he will not be able to take Luoyang."
Hearing him say this, the other officers seemed to have found a reason to reassure themselves and echoed his words.
“Indeed, the city of Dongdu is well-fortified and its garrison is valiant. What threat can such a small rebel force as Wanggangzhai pose to Dongdu?”
"The General is exaggerating."
"In my opinion, we should set off as soon as possible and take this opportunity to capture Wanggang Village."
...
Listening to their back-and-forth conversation, Yuwen Ye did not show any displeasure. He simply looked at them calmly until Yan Buhuai whispered, "Does the General have any other concerns?"
Yuwen Ye slowly said, "Do you believe that with the Emperor's presence and the protection of Heaven's might, the Eastern Capital will be safe?"
"..."
Wang Gong nodded stiffly.
Yuwen Ye slowly said, "Then, if the emperor is not in the Eastern Capital, and the heavens do not protect the Eastern Capital, then—what should be done?"
"What?!"
Wang Gong's eyes widened suddenly, and the other officers stepped forward one after another: "The General said that the Emperor is not in Luoyang. How is that possible?"
At this moment, Mu Xian stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, a couple of days ago when we were buying wine and meat in the villages and towns along the way, we heard news from the Eastern Capital that His Majesty was leaving the Eastern Capital to tour the Jiangdu Palace in the south."
"Jiangdu?"
The officers exchanged bewildered glances: "How come we didn't know?"
Mu Xian said, "His Majesty must have issued the decree after we led our troops away."
The officers felt as if they were being struck by boulders, their resolve gradually crumbling. Suddenly, Pang Tianbao exclaimed, "I don't believe it! How could His Majesty leave Luoyang at this time? Hebei has fallen, the Turks are stirring on the border, and Wang Gang's army—if he really leaves Luoyang now, wouldn't that be—wouldn't that be—"
He didn't even dare to say what followed.
Even if he didn't say it, everyone understood the significance of the emperor's tour of Jiangdu.
That is, to completely abandon the North!
If the Emperor is not in Luoyang and the Eastern Capital truly falls, wouldn't they all become pawns of the court? Even if they manage to capture Wanggang Village, the balance of power will shift to defense.
They became a leaderless "rebel army"!
The officers all said, "We don't believe His Majesty would do such a thing!"
At this moment, Yan Buhuai, who was standing behind Yuwen Ye, stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, this news should be true."
Everyone immediately looked at him.
Wang Gong sneered, "You're just a lowly military officer, guarding Xingluo Granary. What do you know about what's outside!"
Yan Buhuai said, "Although I don't know what's happening outside, if something happens outside, we here will be mobilized accordingly."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent again.
Zhao Shen asked, "What are you scheduling?"
Yan Buhuai said, "Just before you arrived, the imperial court had already issued a transfer order, transferring away 300,000 shi of grain."
Three hundred thousand?!
Upon hearing this, the men were stunned, and several adjutant generals and soldiers nearby also said, "That's right, and they need it very urgently. Although this is our first time stationed at Xingluo Granary, after reviewing the previous records, the imperial court has never allocated so much grain at once before."
Wang Gong reluctantly replied, "I'm afraid it's because a disaster has occurred somewhere, and the imperial court is allocating grain for disaster relief."
Zhao Shen hurriedly asked, "Where was that grain sent?"
Yan Buhuai glanced at them, then looked at Yuwen Ye and said in a deep voice, "That batch of grain was transported by waterway, heading directly south."
This time, everyone fell completely silent.
One event might be a coincidence, but when all the events come together, it can't possibly be a coincidence. Moreover, 300,000 shi of grain—no disaster relief effort has ever involved such a massive allocation, especially to the south. In recent years, the south has enjoyed favorable weather and prosperous people; they have no need for such relief!
Therefore, there is only one possibility—
The Emperor is truly going to abandon Luoyang, and even the entire North!
They were abandoned!
That feeling of despair surged towards them like a tidal wave, engulfing them in an instant. These people clenched their fists, their teeth grinding together, as if silently resisting. The strength that arose from this resistance gradually turned into anger, which eventually consumed them like flames.
Amidst this emotional struggle, several subordinate generals suddenly raised their heads and looked at Yuwen Ye—
"General, what are your plans?!"
Yuwen Ye looked at them calmly, his expression showing neither their anger nor their panic. Only a sharp glint flashed in his cold eyes.
"Take it!"
A flash of cold light shot out and landed firmly on the bullseye.
This was a spacious training ground, several hundred paces wide, large enough to accommodate thousands of people for training. But at this moment, all the trainees had dispersed, leaving only Shang Ruyi with a bow and a quiver of arrows. In a short while, the arrows were already on the target.
A soft shout rang out from the side: "Good!"
Shang Ruyi looked up at the target a hundred paces away. All ten arrows hit the bullseye, and seven of them hit the bullseye. She had indeed improved a lot in the past few days of practice.
Shang Ruyi rubbed her fingertips together and smiled, "It's still a bit lacking."
Jiang Kesheng stepped forward and took the longbow from her hand, saying earnestly, "Young Madam's archery skills are among the best, not only among women but also in the army."
Shang Ruyi laughed and said, "Don't try to fool me. There are plenty of people in the army who can hit a target from a hundred paces away. How could my archery skills be considered top-notch?"
Jiang Kesheng said, "Although the young mistress's aim is not high, her agility and quickness are unmatched by others."
"oh?"
"Let me put it this way: in the same amount of time, others might hit three out of three shots, but the young mistress hit four out of six shots. Such speed is extremely rare in war."
"I see..."
Shang Ruyi suddenly smiled and said, "Now that you mention it, I'm reminded of someone. Hua Ziying, do you know this person?"
Jiang Kesheng said, "The Little Li Guang of Wanggang Village. I heard it was him last time—"
At this point, he regretted his slip of the tongue and quickly shut his mouth. Shang Ruyi, however, smiled and said, "That's right, it was him who became Xiao Yuansui's last resort, which forced us to negotiate with them and, in the end, let the tiger return to the mountain."
"..."
"This person's archery skills are just as you described, light and agile. He can hit a moving target while walking, and his movements are several times faster than mine."
Jiang Kesheng's face also showed a look of admiration.
After a long pause, he sighed, "He truly deserves to be called Little Li Guang."
Shang Ruyi said, "Feng Chen's archery skills are also very good, but the two of them haven't been able to fight before. If they were to actually face off, who do you think would win?"
Jiang Kesheng said, "Of course it's the Second Young Master."
Shang Ruyi chuckled and said, "Didn't you just say that this kind of light and agile archery is rare in war?"
Jiang Kesheng said in a serious tone, "It is rare, but when it comes to the Second Young Master, there is nothing we can do."
Shang Ruyi hadn't expected this person to be so protective of Yuwen Ye, even to the point of being blind. However, upon closer reflection, while Hua Ziying's archery skills were indeed astonishing, Yuwen Ye's performance against Mingdi in the battle of Yanmen County, and the incredible strength displayed by the Divine Arm Bow, were indeed unshakeable.
Jiang Kesheng continued, “The young mistress may think that I am biased towards the second young master. But the second young master’s archery skills are absolutely not comparable to those of Li Guang from Wanggang Village. As long as the second young master is focused, let alone Li Guang, even if we add Yang Youji or Ji Chang, they would not be a match for him.”
"..."
Hearing him say that, a smile slowly appeared on Shang Ruyi's face.
She said, "Then I can rest assured."
Jiang Kesheng's eyes flickered, and he suddenly said, "Does the young mistress think that the second young master will encounter Hua Ziying?"
Just as Shang Ruyi was about to say something, one of Jiang Kesheng's men suddenly ran in from outside the training ground and said to them, "Young Madam, Elder Brother, a letter from Taiyuan!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com