Chapter 1110 Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice
Shang Ruyi was silent for a moment, then said, "Of course I hope he comes."
Upon hearing those words, Wo Xue suddenly felt a cool breeze sneaking in from some gap in the tent, making her hands and feet feel cold.
What the princess meant by saying that was that the King of Qin would not come.
But she was unwilling and somewhat incredulous. She knew that back then, His Highness Prince Qin had even dared to travel thousands of miles to Jiangdu and storm into the Jiangdu Palace to rescue her from the hands of the Imperial Guards. Having experienced that, Wo Xue always believed that no matter what happened or what dangers she was in, Prince Qin would never easily give up on Princess Qin.
So he asked, "Your Highness, King Qin, won't you come?"
Shang Ruyi sighed and said, "If it were just him and me this time, he would definitely come to save me."
"..."
"But this time, he was ordered to conquer Luoyang."
"..."
"Luoyang has not yet been captured. If the King of Qi cannot hold out, he will be attacked from both sides. Only by helping the King of Qi stabilize the situation in Luoyang can they have a chance of winning. Therefore, this time, he must step in to help the King of Qi."
"..."
"If we help King Qi and defend Hulao Pass, how many troops does he have left?"
Upon hearing this, Wo Xue frowned.
On her way here, she had a general understanding of the battles near Luoyang. Although Yuwen Ye had won many battles and swept through the eight passes of Luoyang, and had also accepted the surrender of rebels and increased his troops considerably, he still only had tens of thousands of men. Some of them had to be sent to guard passes such as Dagu and Huanyuan, leaving very few men. The reason he was able to hold Hulao Pass was because of its strategic location and formidable defenses, which allowed him to barely keep pace with Xiao Yuansui's 100,000-strong army.
If he has to divert troops to obstruct Liang Shide and defend Hulao Pass, where will he get more troops to rescue them?
Even the most skillful cook can't cook without rice.
Thinking about it this way, Wo Xue's heart sank even further, and she couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Seeing her somewhat dejected look, Shang Ruyi's eyes also revealed deep helplessness, but she still managed a forced smile and comforted her, saying, "Don't be discouraged. No matter what, things are done one step at a time. We'll always have a chance."
Wo Xue nodded gently.
The surroundings grew quieter and quieter, and the faint light in the tent was about to go out. Wo Xue said softly, "Your Highness, it's getting late. Let me help you to rest."
Shang Ruyi shook her head instead, glanced at the dim light again, and said, "I don't really want to sleep right now."
Wo Xue asked, "Does Your Highness intend to wait for their news?"
Shang Ruyi nodded and said, "Besides going back to Luocang, I have a feeling that something else might happen tonight."
"what happens?"
"I don't know either, let's wait and see..."
As she spoke, Shang Ruyi turned her head and looked at the tent that was no longer illuminated by lights, but her gaze seemed to penetrate the tent and look into the dark night outside.
The night grew even darker.
As midnight approached, far from Hulao Pass and the military camp, in a place where it was almost pitch black, a group of people were making their way forward with difficulty, illuminated by only a few torches.
They were the people Liang Shide sent to transport grain to Huiluo Granary.
This force numbered only about two hundred men, led by a general named Chen Cai, who was only in his thirties. He was tall and robust, with a rugged appearance and a very irritable temperament. Their journey had been extremely difficult—although the continuous dark clouds of the past few days had temporarily stopped, the mud on the ground had not dried up, making every step they took after leaving Luoyang particularly arduous. Especially the infantrymen, whose feet were covered with a thick layer of mud, making it as if their boots were filled with lead, making it even more difficult to walk, not to mention that they were pushing wooden carts.
After walking continuously for half a day without stopping, some people were already panting heavily. Finally, someone couldn't help but whisper, "General Chen, let us rest for a bit."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a crisp "snap" echoed through the silent night.
Immediately, the person who spoke covered his face, staggered back several steps, and almost fell into the mud.
Upon hearing this voice, everyone around, pushing carts and struggling on horseback, stopped and looked at Chen Cai, who was riding on horseback. Because of the continuous rain and the cold weather, coupled with his fondness for alcohol, he had been drinking almost non-stop on horseback along the way, so that his breath reeked of alcohol, and his eyes were bloodshot from the strong liquor. He glared angrily at the person who spoke: "Who do you think you are? How dare you tell me what to do?"
The person who was beaten was not old. He covered his face with one hand, but a hideous red welt from the whip could be seen through his fingers. It swelled up quickly and ran across his cheek, with blood even seeping out in some places.
His eyes reddened, and he clenched his teeth, but didn't say a word.
Chen Cai became even more smug, brandishing his riding whip, and said, "Guan Chiying, don't forget, I'm the one in charge. I sent you out here to do the work, not to spout nonsense. If you dare to talk nonsense again, believe me, I'll take your life right now!"
The young man named Guan Chiying remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Yes."
After saying that, he turned around and silently walked back to the group.
People around him looked at him, some with a hint of pity in their eyes, others with contempt and disdain despite their exhaustion, and still others said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough to reach his ears: "A spineless coward, daring to speak at a time like this, does he think this is his home?"
Others chimed in, "His family? They don't even acknowledge him."
Some people laughed.
The others were too exhausted to speak, and they remained silent as they watched Guan Chiying push the wooden cart through the mud.
Seeing the stunned expressions on everyone's faces, Chen Cai laughed smugly. He grabbed the wine flask hanging at his side and took a large gulp. The strong liquor made his eyes even more unfocused than before, but he still said triumphantly, "We're only a short distance from Huiluo Granary. We'll definitely be there tonight. Once we get the grain back, it will be a great achievement, and I, the general, will not treat you unfairly. If anyone dares to harbor any disloyal thoughts, they will be executed without mercy!"
Those around him were too exhausted to continue and could only weakly reply, "Yes."
Then, the group continued their arduous journey forward.
Just as they were groping their way forward in the darkness, a sudden, somewhat chilly gust of wind rushed towards them, extinguishing the few torches they had lit.
Chen Cai frowned: "Hmm?"
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