Chapter 1069 A mixture of resentment and disdain
Yuwen Ye was silent for a moment, then murmured, "The bridge they used to cross the river is gone."
Upon hearing this, Shen Tu Tai immediately shook the reins and spurred his horse a few steps toward the river. Sure enough, there was no sign of any pontoon bridge on the river. Only a few rows of wooden stakes remained on the banks of the Yellow River, swaying precariously as they were battered by the turbid waves.
Shen Tu Tai said, "Could it be that they are planning to burn their bridges?"
Yuwen Ye shook his head and said, "Luoyang is just ahead. There's no point in going all out like this. Besides, the scouts reported that this is just Xiao Yuansui's vanguard, with only 40,000 to 50,000 men. At least half of his men are still behind. If they catch up, we'll have to build another pontoon bridge, which would only cause more trouble for ourselves."
Shen Tu Tai nodded and murmured, "Not bad."
"..."
"So, why did they dismantle the pontoon bridge?"
At this point, the two looked at each other. Although their clear eyes seemed to be thinking of the same thing, they both involuntarily frowned.
After a moment of silence, Shen Tu Tai said, "Even if he really wants to keep his people, it doesn't make sense."
Yuwen Ye's brows furrowed into a deep frown.
Destroying the pontoon bridge across the river clearly prevented others from crossing to the north bank of the Yellow River to launch a surprise attack, but the premise was that Xiao Yuansui did not intend to let the troops behind him catch up.
In truth, these tens of thousands of troops were enough for him to fight Yuwen Ye of Hulao Pass. However, the two had fought before and knew each other's strength and methods. Xiao Yuansui dared not be arrogant, much less take any risks.
Could it be that his remaining troops have some other use?
Thinking this, Yuwen Ye suddenly felt an inexplicable heat rising in his chest, and his forehead inexplicably broke out in a thick layer of sweat, almost soaking his temples. Seeing his appearance, Shen Tu Tai's expression grew even more solemn. Both of these men were veterans who had fought their way through the battlefield, and they were not afraid of the thousands of troops on the other side, but they were afraid of knowing themselves but not knowing their enemy.
Just as the two were deep in thought, several soldiers rode forward and whispered, "Your Highness, General Shentu, the people on the other side have already spotted us."
The two looked up and saw several riders galloping out of the huge military camp, heading towards the riverbank. They weren't going very fast, and it seemed they were scouts trying to find out who these people were, herding horses on the other side of the river.
Yuwen Ye looked back and saw that the hundreds of warhorses behind him had already grazed a large area of grassland, their bellies bulging. He then waved his hand.
"Walk!"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately spurred their horses and headed back.
The riders on the opposite bank arrived at the riverbank, only to see a cloud of dust rise as the horses departed, which was then swept away by the wind and vanished without a trace. The entire group of riders also disappeared quickly. Everyone frowned as they looked at the opposite bank, feeling somewhat lost and helpless.
At this moment, one of them rode up to the rider at the front and whispered, "Brother Hua, did you see clearly?"
The one riding on horseback was Hua Ziying.
His handsome face now bears the marks of time, especially a scar near the corner of his eye on one cheek. However, this did not diminish his good looks; it merely erased his former childishness, replacing it with a calm, composed, and stern aura.
At that moment, his eyes were sharp, and even across the wide river, he spotted the most dashing figure in the crowd.
Hearing the question from behind, he didn't answer immediately, but remained silent for a moment before saying, "Go back quickly."
Having followed Xiao Yuansui in battle for many years, the group had long witnessed Hua Ziying's unerring archery skills and knew that his sharp eyes must have seen something wrong. So they dared not say anything and followed him to turn their horses around and gallop back to their camp.
The military camp here had just been set up and was not yet fully equipped in some places, but the two arrow towers at the entrance stood tall. They could be seen returning from a distance. They immediately ordered the men below to open the camp gate. Hua Ziying led his men and rushed in. Soon after, he dismounted and strode into the central command tent.
As soon as I went in, I saw several soldiers coming out.
Hua Ziying glanced at them, waved his hand to dismiss the people behind him, and then walked to the center of the tent. There were several tables set up there for the generals to gather and discuss important matters, but they were not in use at the moment, so they were empty. Only at the table directly in front sat a burly man with a powerful aura like a crouching tiger.
It was Xiao Yuansui who swept through Hebei in just a few months.
Compared to the weathered look on Hua Ziying's face, he hadn't changed much. He still had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and was still incredibly talented. His eyes, which had been gleaming with a restrained light, hadn't dimmed under the erosion of time, but had become even more profound, like a bottomless abyss. Even if you stood in front of him and looked into his eyes, you couldn't see the emotions and thoughts in them.
At this moment, his emotions and thoughts seemed to be focused on the table and the map of the place.
Hua Ziying stopped and bowed his head, saying, "Big Brother."
Xiao Yuansui looked up at him: "How is it?"
"It's Yuwen Ye."
"Oh? It really is him."
"Yes, he and his men were on the other side of the river, observing our side."
How many people are there?
"It looks like there are fewer than twenty people."
Upon hearing that Yuwen Ye was traveling with fewer than twenty people, a glint of light flashed in Xiao Yuansui's eyes. Then, as if he had thought of something, he smiled faintly and said, "He's pulling this stunt again."
Hua Ziying said, "What does Big Brother mean?"
Xiao Yuansui said, "He captured Hulao Pass and Shan Shiyu by using this tactic to lure Shan Shiyu into battle."
Hua Ziying suddenly understood, took a deep breath and said, "I see."
Xiao Yuansui gently closed the map in front of him and said slowly, "If it weren't for this, with Shan Shiyu's prudence and Liang Shide's granting him over 100,000 troops, he wouldn't have lost Hulao Pass so quickly."
At this point, he gave a cold laugh, seemingly both resentful and disdainful of the outcome of the battle.
Hua Ziying was silent for a moment, then said, "However, he brought not only those dozen or so people with him, but also several hundred horses."
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuansui frowned: "Hundreds of horses? What's he doing with so many horses?"
Hua Ziying said, "It seems that he was observing our situation from across the Yellow River while having his men graze their horses on the other side. As you know, there isn't much grassland here, and they haven't dared to graze their horses around since we arrived."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuansui's gaze suddenly deepened.
Hua Ziying then asked, "By the way, brother, were those people you sent out spies back? Did they find out anything?"
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