Chapter 627 I will make Yuwen Cheng die here!
The one walking from the direction of the valley entrance was Song Shiyan.
Yuwen Cheng had a bad temper and would beat or scold his personal guards when he was angry. But Song Shiyan was different. He was Huang Gongyi's personal guard. This time, it was when he returned to deliver the news from Chang'an that he discovered the unusual activity in Taiyuan City and gave a timely warning, which allowed Yuwen Cheng to escape.
Moreover, because of Huang Gongyi, Yuwen Cheng felt somewhat guilty when facing him.
Even though he felt guilty, Yuwen Cheng still maintained the demeanor of a master, but instead of scolding or beating him, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Song Shiyan walked over, and the light from the campfire beside him immediately illuminated his pale face and his bloodshot eyes, which were red from not being fumigated for several days. His eyes glanced at the fragments on the ground, and he seemed to have noticed something. He then bowed and said, "Your Highness, there is something strange happening outside the valley."
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Cheng became somewhat nervous.
They had been besieged here for several days. They had heard some noise outside, which meant that the people sent from Tongguan to pick them up had been driven back. After that, he had been waiting for Chu Zhengfei to regroup or for Chang'an to learn of his situation and send more troops to rescue him.
But now, before reinforcements arrive, unusual activity has already begun outside the mountains.
He hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"
As Song Shiyan spoke, he reached up and touched his face. For the past few days, he had been leading his men to guard the entrance of the valley almost without sleep, repelling several enemy attacks to achieve the current stalemate. This touch was like wiping away the rain and grass clippings, and it also wiped away all the fatigue of the past few days. He said with a vigilant expression, "I just heard some commotion outside, so I sent people to the top of the mountain to check. We saw the troops surrounding us piling up some dry grass and branches at the entrance of the valley."
Yuwen Cheng's eyes widened: "They...they want to—"
"Fire attack,"
Song Shiyan said in a low voice, "Now that the wind has changed, they probably want to set fire at the mouth of the valley and use the smoke to drive us out."
"..."
"If we don't get out, we'll run out of food. Even if we don't suffocate from the smoke, we'll be trapped to death."
Yuwen Cheng panicked immediately. He looked down at the bowl he had smashed in a fit of anger and the soup that had soaked into the mud and could no longer be retrieved. He was filled with remorse and looked up at Song Shiyan: "Then, what should we do?"
Song Shiyan took a deep breath and said, "We have to break through."
"Break through?"
These two words initially made Yuwen Cheng's eyes light up, but then dimmed again: "But we've failed several times in our previous attempts to break out, and the reinforcements sent from Tongguan were also driven back. Now, to break out, there's simply no way—"
Song Shiyan shook his head and said, "Your Highness, we've been trapped here for days, and even Tongguan has sent people to meet us. It's impossible that Daxing hasn't made any move at all."
"..."
"Furthermore, based on my understanding of the Second Prince—His Highness—if he were to send troops—"
"Second Brother?"
Upon hearing him mention Yuwen Ye, Yuwen Cheng's face immediately turned cold and gloomy. He sneered and said, "He wouldn't care about me."
As she spoke, she gritted her teeth and said, "He doesn't treat me like a younger brother."
Song Shiyan frowned and glanced at him.
He was unaware of the relationship between the two Yuwen princes, and even less aware of the past when Yuwen Cheng was nearly stomped on and had his neck broken by Yuwen Ye for beating an old beggar at Tinghe Tower. He simply assumed that it was because Yuwen Ye had lied about a plague outbreak in Taiyuan, luring out some people and events behind Yuwen Qian, which made the third prince, who had always admired and was closer to his elder brother, feel dissatisfied.
He thought for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, the Second Prince will definitely not abandon you."
"..."
"Moreover, the news of Taiyuan's fall must have already reached Chang'an. The Duke—His Majesty—would not abandon Taiyuan and would certainly send troops to recapture it. Your safety, Your Highness, is also their mission."
Yuwen Cheng sneered, "Since that's the case, let's see who comes to save me."
Song Shiyan shook his head and said, "But now, the people outside have started piling up hay and firewood. If we don't save ourselves, we're doomed."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Cheng's brows furrowed into a knot.
He stood up, paced back and forth irritably, then stopped and said in a deep voice, "Then what should we do?"
Song Shiyan said, "I'll say it again: break through."
"..."
"If Chang'an receives the news and sends more people, they should already be close to here by now, judging by their speed. Only if we break through will we have a chance to connect with the people outside and repel Wang Shaoji's men."
At this point, his bloodshot eyes looked at Yuwen Cheng: "Your Highness, to break through the encirclement, we must gather our soldiers now."
"..."
"Otherwise, once the fire outside is lit, we will really have no chance of survival."
Hearing his words, Yuwen Cheng's anxiety grew even more frantic, but at this moment, there was really no other way. He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and said, "Fine, I'll believe you."
"..."
"Your 'Second Prince' had better not disappoint me."
After saying that, he turned around and shouted at the sleeping soldiers scattered across the mountains and valleys, whose figures were already illuminated by the faint morning light: "Get up, all of you!"
With Yuwen Cheng's loud shout, the heavy night sky seemed to be torn open, and the faint morning light peeked out, faintly outlining the contours of the Taihang Mountains and valleys that stretched for thousands of miles.
Before long, the morning light grew brighter, illuminating the entire Taihang Mountains and the busy figures outside the valley.
These people were Wang Shaoqiu's troops responsible for pursuing the remnants of Taiyuan. The leader, Yuan An, the Right Guard General, was a middle-aged man in his thirties of medium build. At this moment, he was standing on a small earthen mound, directing his men to pile up all the grass, wood, and dead branches collected from the nearby woodland at the entrance of the valley. Before long, several haystacks and firewood piles, each taller than a person, had been erected.
At this moment, a lieutenant ran down the earthen slope, saluted, and asked, "General, is this enough?"
Yuan An looked up and saw that the haystacks and firewood piles completely blocked the narrow road at the entrance of the valley. Moreover, the wind was blowing in the right direction at this time. Once the fire was lit, the smoke would drift into the valley. Even if Yuwen Cheng's men were forced to rush out by the smoke, they would have almost no way to escape.
However, that's not enough.
He instructed his adjutant, "Have the archers prepare on the high ground on both sides. Shoot each one that comes out."
With that, he grinned maliciously, "I'm going to make Yuwen Cheng die here!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com