Chapter 678 Who Will Attack Chang'an?
"Hmm?"
Shang Ruyi suddenly raised her head and looked out of the open tent door again.
Outside, there was still a vast, endless grassland. In the distance, almost invisible, a long black line stretched out into the distance, which was the Cangtou River. Dark clouds, like a giant hand, covered the grassland, making one's heart sink.
Sensing that she was lost in thought, Lei Yu, who was sitting next to her, immediately asked, "What's wrong?"
"ah?"
Shang Ruyi turned around somewhat bewildered, shook her head gently, and said, "Why did I think I just heard thunder?"
"thunder?"
Upon hearing this, Lei Yu chuckled and said, "It's almost winter, how could there be thunder? You must have misheard."
Shang Ruyi laughed at herself: "Yes, you must have misheard."
Even as she said this, the unease that lingered in her heart continued to spread, as if a huge gloom had enveloped the grassland outside, making it difficult for her to breathe. She couldn't help but get up and walk to the tent entrance, peeking out at the huge royal tent on the high platform not far away.
At this moment, the tent doors were tightly closed, and the soldiers standing at the entrance were solemn and dignified.
I have no idea what they're saying inside.
Prince Iasu had just returned to the royal tent and hadn't even had a chance to sit down when Ashina Shali immediately summoned both of his sons into the royal tent. Moreover, he had just seen several ministers emerge from their own tents and gather in the royal tent, so they were probably talking about something serious.
Shang Ruyi immediately thought of what she and Lei Yu had been worried about before—Ashina Shali could not possibly be indifferent to the loss of Taiyuan. Given his personality, he would definitely launch another military campaign against the south.
Could it be that this gathering of the two princes and court officials was just to discuss this matter?
But where will it hit?
How can we fight then?
|
At the same time, the two princes inside the royal tent also showed surprised expressions. Ashina Yiasu, in particular, stared wide-eyed at the direction that Shali Khan was pointing with an incredulous expression, and exclaimed, "Father Khan, you, you want to attack Daxing City?"
Ashina Shali did not turn around; the burning light emanating from his reddened eyes was fixed on that one point on the map.
He said, "This place has been renamed Chang'an."
"..."
"That's the name Yuwen Yuan changed. He has now taken over Chu, established his own country, and become emperor."
Because Yiasu wasn't paying much attention to the war at the front, and had even gone to the grasslands to intercept Western Region merchants in the past few days, he was even more surprised to hear this. He subconsciously looked down at General Pasha, who had just returned from Taiyuan in defeat, and then turned to Ashina Zhuxie. The latter nodded heavily and said simply, "Yuwen Yuan established a country and proclaimed himself emperor, with the title of Dasheng. The Chu family—has come to an end."
"..."
"So now, we are facing the Yuwen family."
"..."
“Especially Yuwen Ye.”
Upon hearing this name, Ashina Shali slammed his finger heavily on the map, almost poking a hole in the direction of Chang'an. Yiasu was stunned for a moment. Although he understood what they were talking about, the shock was too great and made him somewhat absent-minded.
Ashina Zhuxie, on the other hand, quickly cleared his mind.
He looked up at the map, then at Shali Khan, and said, “Father Khan wants to send troops south, cross Shangjun and take Jingchuan directly. In this way, Chang’an will be completely exposed to us.”
Ashina Shali did not answer him immediately.
Instead, she slowly turned her head, glanced at him, then at Iasu, whose brows were furrowed, before saying, "Not bad."
Zhu Xie said, "But Chang'an is, after all, the capital of the Great Sheng Dynasty."
"..."
"If we just go there like this, not to mention whether we can catch them off guard, there will definitely be a lot of troops guarding the city. Can we really take Chang'an?"
Ashina Shali gave him a cold look and said, "In the Battle of Taiyuan, they captured 50,000 of our troops. What does that mean?"
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Ashina Zhuxie was also taken aback.
After a moment's thought, he immediately came to his senses and murmured, "Their forces attacking Taiyuan number at least 100,000."
"..."
"When Yuwen Yuan established his country and became emperor, according to everyone, Taiyuan became his place of origin. Whether for the sake of face or for the consolidation of his rule, he had to take back Taiyuan. Therefore, the number of troops he sent would certainly be considerable."
"..."
"Therefore, King Qin, Yuwen Ye, personally took to the field, and also—"
He recalled the army that had led him and Wang Shaoji's men to fight each other on that grassland, and that ethereal figure, and secretly made a calculation in his mind.
Ashina Shali looked at him again. Although he didn't like this son, his analysis was reasonable and insightful. He saw that Ashina Zhuxie's role on the battlefield was much greater than anyone else's. Even if he didn't like him, he couldn't help but rely on him on the battlefield.
However, such dependence is a major taboo for a king.
Thinking of this, Ashina Shali's gaze grew even colder, and he said, "You're right."
"..."
"Therefore, with so many troops dispatched, even if Chang'an's defenses are strong, they will definitely be affected to some extent."
"..."
We must seize this opportunity—
Upon hearing this, the ministers who had previously given up hope of attacking Taiyuan immediately changed their dejected and discouraged expressions and exclaimed, "Indeed, this is a brilliant plan!"
"That's right, it would be wonderful if we could take Chang'an while we have this opportunity!"
"By then, let alone Prince Qin Yuwen Ye, even Yuwen Yuan will be defeated by us!"
"As expected of the Khan, truly wise!"
In an instant, the atmosphere inside the royal tent became lively again.
The only ones who remained unchanged were the brothers Ashina Zhuxie and Ashina Yiasu. Yiasu seemed rather unenthusiastic about the war, so his sudden summons and the telling of these matters left him somewhat bewildered; while Ashina Zhuxie, upon hearing of the impending attack on Chang'an, not only remained silent but also his gaze turned cold.
There was even a hint of wariness in his expression.
At this moment, Shi Shuanyi, who was standing to the side, stood up and said to Ashina Shali: "Khan is wise. If we can win this battle and capture their capital, the rule of the Yuwen clan will collapse in one battle. At that time, the land, people and wealth of the Central Plains will all belong to our Turks!"
Lady Jiayuan then added, "Khan, you can now avenge that arrow wound!"
At the mention of this, Ashina Shali's eye turned even redder.
Ashina Zhuxie's gaze grew even colder.
He suddenly raised his head and said in a deep voice, "Then I wonder who Father Khan intends to send to attack Chang'an."
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire royal tent fell silent again.
But this silence wasn't the silence of waiting for an answer; it was a silence filled with a strange atmosphere, so quiet it was almost suffocating.
Ashina Shali's finger, which had been pressing hard on the map, trembled slightly at this moment, and he lowered it.
He did not answer immediately, but turned and slowly walked back to the throne. Lady Jiayuan seized the opportunity to walk to his side, helped him sit down by supporting his arm. After Ashina Shali was seated, he raised his head again, his cold eyes looking at Ashina Zhuxie.
After a long pause, he said, "This battle is of great importance, so naturally we must send our Turkic forces, the most powerful ones."
Upon hearing this, the eerie silence deepened even further.
Ashina Zhuxie narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold light flashing in them, but he did not immediately respond. Instead, Shi Shuanyi, who was standing to the side, laughed and said, "The most powerful troops of our Turks are none other than the heavily armored cavalry, who are invincible and undefeated."
The other ministers nodded in agreement: "That's right."
"If the heavy cavalry goes into battle, they will surely capture Chang'an!"
"At that time, all the treasures and beauties of the Central Plains will belong to my Turks!"
"Ha ha ha ha……"
The unrestrained laughter and loud conversation did nothing to improve the appearance of the father and son who were silently facing each other in the royal tent. On the contrary, Ashina Zhuxie's brows furrowed even more.
He finally broke his silence and hesitantly began, "So, Father Khan intends to—"
Before he could finish speaking, and without even paying attention to what he was saying, Ashina Shali suddenly said, "Heavy cavalry are strong, but they are not truly invincible. Otherwise, how could they have returned empty-handed this time?"
Upon hearing this, the ministers immediately fell silent.
Ashina Zhuxie's unease intensified several times over, but he dared not say more and could only kneel down immediately: "Father Khan, please forgive me."
Seeing this, Prince Iasu hurriedly said, "Father Khan, I heard about this when I returned. It can't be entirely blamed on my elder brother, Taiyuan—"
"Iasu!"
Lady Jiayuan gritted her teeth and interrupted him fiercely.
She said, "The Khan has his own reasons for making the arrangements, so don't interfere!"
Prince Yiasu hesitated for a moment, then, seeing Ashina Shali's shifty eyes, he could only lower his head dejectedly. Ashina Shali then continued, "I have heard the people of the Central Plains say, 'A thousand soldiers are easy to find, but a good general is hard to come by.' Only a good general can make his soldiers play their best role. If a general is useless, even if he is given the best troops—even heavy cavalry—it will be of no use!"
The entire royal tent became even quieter.
The ministers looked at each other, their eyes filled with surprise and even panic, for they had all discerned a shocking intention in the Khan's words.
Suddenly, everyone's attention was focused on Ashina Zhuxie.
Ashina Zhuxie knelt on the ground, his broad shoulders taut like a bow stretched to its limit. After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice low and tense.
He said, "Then, what Father Khan means is—"
Ashina Shali looked at him for a long time before finally saying, "This time, I have decided to let Iasu lead the army. Zhuye, give him your heavy cavalry!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com