Chapter 687 Capture the King to Catch the Thief, Take Advantage of the Crisis, and Kill with a Borrowed Knife
The army marched forward in a grand procession, but after only the time it takes to eat a meal, they stopped at the Cangtou River.
Along the way, one rider after another galloped from the front, all of them were sentries that the Western Turks had placed within a radius of more than ten miles around the camp to report the news.
The last one ran up to Ashina Shali and, without even dismounting, hurriedly said, "Khan, the enemy army is less than two li ahead and is rushing towards us at full speed!"
"...!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.
Even Shang Ruyi couldn't help but gasp – about half an hour ago, when the first sentry returned to report, Yuwen Ye's troops were still more than ten miles away from the camp, but now they were already almost at Cangtou River Valley!
That's a fast marching speed!
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but stretch her neck and look ahead. Although there were no high mountains or hills to cover the grassland, it was boundless, but the field of vision was limited. In the far distance, there was only a gray horizon that met the sky.
At that moment, with his uneasy heartbeat, the ancient, unchanging line seemed to twist.
Shang Ruyi reached out and pressed her hand hard against her chest.
Just then, Ashina Zhuxie's deep voice rang in my ears: "They came so fast!"
Shang Ruyi immediately turned around and saw Ashina Shali's already fierce face turn even more ferocious upon hearing this. He said, "Before, there were no such fast cavalry in the Central Plains. It seems that Yuwen Ye has put in some effort."
Prince Iasu on the other side asked, "Father Khan, what should we do?"
Ashina Shali narrowed his eyes slightly and immediately said, "The entire army shall halt its advance and wait for them here."
Ashina Zhuxie said, "Shouldn't we go and meet them?"
Ashina Shali sneered and said, "They ran from Taiyuan to here, which is at least 800 li. They must be very tired after traveling such a long distance in such a short time."
"..."
"And we'll wait for them to come here."
As he spoke, he glanced at Shang Ruyi with a cold smile and said, "Is this what you Central Plains people call 'waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out'?"
Shang Ruyi's heart sank slightly.
What made her uneasy was precisely this: Ashina Shali was not letting go of any opportunity to strike the enemy. His hatred for Yuwen Ye had already penetrated to the bone. Compared to Shang Ruohong, whom he both hated and respected, he only had a simple desire to kill Yuwen Ye to vent his anger.
However, she remained outwardly composed, saying calmly, "The Khan knows quite a lot."
Ashina Shali sneered, "Your father learned his horsemanship from us Turks; but he's not the only one who can learn from others."
"..."
"I learned a lot from him."
At this moment, the troops behind them had received the Khan's order to stop advancing and gradually began to form ranks. Shang Ruyi glanced at them out of the corner of her eye, then looked at Ashina Shali and asked, "Then, what else has the Khan learned?"
"For example, capture the king to capture the thief, take advantage of a disaster to rob, or use someone else to kill."
As he spoke, he sneered, "Your father knows quite a few conspiracies and schemes."
Just then, a horse neighed nearby. Everyone turned their heads and saw Ashina Zhuxie's horse suddenly shaking its head restlessly. The reins had been too tight, making it uneasy. Ashina Zhuxie quickly loosened the reins, bent down, and stroked the horse's neck a few times, quickly calming his mount.
Shang Ruyi withdrew her gaze and looked at Ashina Shali, saying calmly, "The Khan does know a lot, but there is one point you did not get completely right."
"oh?"
"These are not schemes or tricks, but military strategy."
"..."
"However, the Khan's statement is not entirely wrong. Warfare is based on deception. If these military strategies are used properly, they can not only lead to victory in battle, but also, in some critical moments, turn the tide of battle with a single plan."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Ashina Shali did not speak immediately, but only gave her a deep look.
Although from the beginning he had a deep hatred for this woman who was not only the daughter of his enemy but also the wife of his enemy, after these few rare moments of confrontation, he could feel that this woman was indeed worthy of being the daughter and wife of his enemy.
Despite being in dire straits, she showed no signs of frustration or defeat. Instead, she remained calm, resolute, and composed. Moreover, her knowledge and abilities as a woman, beyond her status as the daughter and wife of her enemy, truly impressed him.
However, no matter how you look at them, they are still enemies.
Ashina Shali took a deep breath and sneered, "Fine, I'll see who decides the fate of the world today!"
As they spoke, the army behind them had already formed ranks, standing in neat rows on the vast grassland. Thousands of fierce eyes stared straight ahead, waiting for the enemy to appear, and even more so for the moment of life and death to arrive!
Time passed, little by little.
It was noon.
The thick, dark clouds overhead had not yet dissipated, but a gap was torn open by the biting wind, and a golden light shone down from the clouds, like a gaze cast from the heavens, looking in the direction where the eyes of the Turkic soldiers and civilians converged.
Finally, that vast, desolate horizon began to tremble slightly.
Shang Ruyi thought it was just another illusion caused by her persistent, erratic heartbeat, but just as she lowered her head and was about to press her hand to her chest, the people around her suddenly gasped, and someone said, "They're here!"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi was startled and immediately raised her head, staring wide-eyed ahead.
In an instant, the swaying of the horizon became more and more intense. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that it was not the horizon that was swaying, but something that was rushing from the horizon. Gradually, one by one ...
It's the army!
Shang Ruyi opened her eyes wide and stared intently ahead. She saw that the dark cloud-like shadow was moving swiftly, and in an instant, it had already left the horizon and was beginning to approach them.
And at the very front of this gloom, there is a black dot.
Although it was called a black dot, anyone who could see the shadowy area knew that it was a person. Although the outline was completely indistinguishable, Shang Ruyi's heart pounded violently as he sped away!
That is—
Boom!
A loud bang intensified the moment. Her heart pounded, and Shang Ruyi turned around sharply. She saw a deafening drumbeat coming from the cavalry formation behind them.
It was the sound of drums signaling the Turkic army's preparation for attack!
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and turned her head again. The gloom was like thick ink dripping from the sky, falling on the horizon and spreading across the grassland, turning the distance in their sight into darkness.
Before long, they were getting closer and closer to them.
Shang Ruyi had even clearly seen the black dot speeding at the very front of the group. That familiar outline was deeply imprinted in her eyes like a brand, and even more so, it was imprinted in her heart.
It's Yuwen Ye!
He really came!
Just as her heart was pounding again, there was another loud "boom," which was swept out by the fierce wind, shaking the dry grass and dust on the ground. The figure at the very front of the group seemed to tremble at that moment.
The person seemed to raise their head and look at them.
At the same time, Ashina Shali revealed a ferocious, sinister smile on his face.
The enemy was still charging towards them, and if they went any further, they would soon be within the firing range of the steppe cavalry.
He slowly raised his hand.
Upon seeing this command, another commotion came from behind. Shang Ruyi turned around and saw that all the archers had taken down the powerful bows they were carrying on their backs, drawn their arrows, and nocked them.
Countless gleaming, cold arrows were aimed forward.
Banners flutter in the wind, drums beat to urge us on!
Shang Ruyi's heart, which had been pounding violently, suddenly stopped. She looked ahead in alarm. Was Yuwen Ye really coming to kill her?
If they really charge in like this, the first volley of arrows here will be enough to cause them heavy casualties!
What's more, the one running at the very front is Yuwen Ye!
Although her resentment towards him nearly drove her to madness when they parted, which led her to say such hurtful things, at this moment, Shang Ruyi's heart still trembled uncontrollably. She could only think about what he might have to go through, and she felt as if all the blood in her body was about to freeze into ice.
Can't--
no!
Just then, the man who was running at the very front of the group, whose strong and muscular figure was already clearly visible to everyone, seemed to raise his hand. With just a slight gesture, the group that was rushing towards him slowed down.
Shang Ruyi's heart sank again.
They're not coming?
What is he going to do?
As she was filled with inner turmoil and astonishment, the atmosphere around her became extremely tense. Behind them, the archers, their bows drawn to their limit, held their breath, their hearts and breaths seemingly stopped. Their eyes were fixed intently on the front, their fingers almost white from the strain of the stiff bowstrings, on the verge of losing sensation.
At this critical moment, everything was hanging by a thread.
Even the slightest change could ignite this raging war!
But who will light it?
What exactly is the situation with Yuwen Ye ahead?
Shang Ruyi was in a state of confusion, but just then, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she suddenly understood something. Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively turned around.
The instant she turned around, a sharp, piercing screech suddenly rang out!
Whistle!
The arrow flew out like a meteor, like a bolt of lightning, and struck Ashina Shali's warhorse!
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