Chapter 1065 The Whereabouts of Xiao Yuansui
Yuwen Ye's brows furrowed into a knot.
He asked, "What happened?"
Shen Tu Tai took a deep breath and then said, "He has been staying in his tent for the past two days and has not been seen. I know he is—, so I did not go to look for him. I just wanted him to calm down and hoped that he would come to his senses soon. However, today the camp is to be completely dismantled and we can't keep him here any longer, so I went to call him myself. I didn't expect to find that his tent was already empty when I went in."
Yuwen Ye thought for a moment and asked, "Where are his things?"
Shen Tu Tai said, "His clothes and his pair of large hammers are gone."
"..."
Yuwen Ye fell silent.
His clothes and weapons were gone, meaning they weren't kidnapped by accident—of course, given his skills, that's unlikely, but if we rule that out, there's only one possibility left.
He left on his own.
Yuwen Ye's gaze slowly turned cold. After a moment of silence, he said, "I understand."
Seeing his reaction, Shen Tu Tai didn't say anything more and could only take his leave. However, after taking only two steps, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease and turned back to whisper, "Your Highness, shouldn't we send someone to look for him?"
Mu Xian nodded slightly from the side.
Even if these three grown men were rough around the edges, they all understood at this moment that Shan Tong'er left because he harbored resentment over the death of Shan Shiyu; and since he left at such a young age, they subconsciously wanted to find him, after all, Shen Tu Tai and he had known each other since Wanggang Village, and they had a deep brotherly bond.
Yuwen Ye merely glanced at him indifferently: "Where do you plan to look?"
"..."
Can you find it?
"..."
Even if he is found, will he come back?
"..."
"He's back, so how should I punish the deserter?"
Upon hearing the last sentence, Shen Tu Tai and Mu Xian were both startled. It took them a moment to come to their senses. No matter how disheartened Shan Tong'er was by Yuwen Ye's killing of Shan Shi Yu, leaving the camp without orders was considered desertion. If he really wanted to bring him back, Yuwen Ye would have to set an example for the entire army and severely punish his behavior.
Shen Tu Tai said, "Your Highness..."
Yuwen Ye waved his hand: "If he wants to leave, let him leave. If he can't figure it out, there's no need to wait for him to come back. This place isn't one where people can come and go as they please."
"..."
"Now that we've taken Hulao Pass, you should be thinking about what the next step is."
Upon hearing this, Shen Tu Tai's expression also turned serious.
Actually, although he was somewhat worried about Shan Tong'er, he was only worried about the child's feelings. With his martial arts skills and years of experience as a wanderer, he was sure that Shan Tong'er would not suffer any grievances or dangers, so he could put his mind at ease for the time being. However, as soon as he heard Yuwen Ye bring up serious matters, he immediately became serious.
He said, "Does Your Highness wish to send troops immediately?"
Once they captured Hulao Pass, they were only a step away from Luoyang. Moving south was practically their only option.
But Yuwen Ye did not give an answer to his question. He simply reached out and stroked the rough wall in front of him. Although they had taken Hulao Pass at a very low cost this time, and the city walls were not even stained with much blood, he knew very well that as the northern gateway to Luoyang, this place had experienced countless wars from ancient times to the present. Every inch of the land under their feet, and even every brick and tile, was soaked with the blood of heroes.
Yuwen Ye asked, "Do you think we shouldn't send troops?"
Shen Tu Tai and Mu Xian exchanged a glance. After thinking for a moment, the latter said in a low voice, "But we have been away from Chang'an for several months and have experienced dozens of battles, large and small. Our soldiers also need some time to rest."
"..."
"Besides—"
"Besides what?"
Mu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not voice his concerns about the whereabouts of the Princess Consort. It was not that he wanted to hide it from Shen Tu Tai, but he knew that once it came to important military matters, Yuwen Ye would not allow any other person or thing to influence his judgment, not even the Princess Consort of Qin, let alone His Majesty the Emperor.
Just as Mu Xian hesitated and couldn't speak, Shen Tu Tai said, "Liang Shide probably has a backup plan."
"..."
When he said those words, his voice was noticeably hoarse.
Yuwen Ye looked at him, and his brows, which had been furrowed, relaxed slightly at this moment, as if he had finally waited for something: "Oh."
His "Oh" wasn't tinged with doubt; rather, it sounded like he knew something or guessed something, just waiting for this moment to confirm it.
Seeing his reaction, Shen Tu Tai took a deep breath and finally said, "In addition to taking Mengjin Pass and recovering the remaining forces in the surrounding area these past few days, I have also been inquiring about Xiao Yuan Sui's whereabouts."
Yuwen Ye said calmly, "Didn't you report back to Chang'an that he was lingering near Hejian County?"
"yes,"
Mentioning Xiao Yuansui, his "former master," Shen Tu Tai's tone and expression became more solemn than before. When they marched to Luoyang, news had already arrived that Liang Shide had given Xiao Yuansui 50,000 troops and ordered him to leave Luoyang. This move was quite strange, and even now, they still hadn't figured out Xiao Yuansui's true purpose in leaving Luoyang. Moreover, in recent days, they had been making waves around Luoyang, defeating Liang Shide almost without any chance to fight back, but this didn't seem to reflect Liang Shide's true strength.
Now that Xiao Yuansui is mentioned again, the atmosphere among the three of them becomes heavy.
Shen Tu Tai said, "These days, the men I sent out have finally yielded results. Xiao Yuan Sui led his 50,000 troops and swept across the north, eliminating more than ten rebel groups in Hebei, Dingzhou and other places, and gathered them all together. They are currently stationed in Leshou."
"..."
"He commands an army of no less than 100,000."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye's pupils suddenly contracted sharply.
Mu Xian was also hearing this news for the first time and was quite surprised. There weren't many people who had caused Yuwen Ye to suffer losses on the battlefield over the years, but Xiao Yuansui was one of them. Even though Yuwen Ye had used a scheme to split Wanggang Village, he probably hadn't completely let go of the "grudge" that Xiao Yuansui had forced him to retreat from Xingluocang.
Now, this person has actually amassed an army of over 100,000...
Mu Xian murmured, "What does he want to do?"
Shen Tu Tai glanced at him but didn't answer the obvious question. Instead, he said to Yuwen Ye in a deep voice, "Your Highness, this humble general is only worried that if we put all our troops and energy into Luoyang now, what if he—"
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