The night wind is like a hand, the pine needles like strings, playing a deep lody like the rolling waves, singing endlessly.
In the blink of an eye, half an hour had passed.
When Nie Chong returned to the cliff, with the night dew soaking his clothes entirely, he noticed that the stars above had shifted, and the wind had gradually died down.
However, when he returned to his original spot, he couldn’t help but be startled.
Because the grassland, which was just overgrown with weeds, was now flattened. It was as if sothing had rolled over it, and the night dew that once rested on the grass blades was gone. The ground appeared pitch black, making it almost indistinguishable from the ground or the people hiding here.
It wasn’t until he heard the heavy breathing of two people that he could discern the direction and imdiately leaned forward.
"Your Highness, Mr. Shen—"
As he approached, Nie Chong was taken aback once more.
The two were no longer lying in the position they were when he left, but were half-crouching on the ground. It looked less like they were gazing at the valley beyond and more like they were confronting each other; moreover, their clothes were darker in color than before and exuded moisture, obviously soaked. On closer inspection, they were covered with quite a bit of grass and dirt, in a much more disheveled state compared to himself, who had just been crawling around the hillside.
Even their hair and attire seed a bit disordered.
Amidst Nie Chong’s astonishnt, Yu Wenye had already lifted his head. The dim sky shadowed his face, but despite the uneven breath, his voice was relatively calm, and as stable and composed as ever.
He asked, "How is it?"
"Uh, yes."
Nie Chong quickly regained composure, cupping his hands in a brief salute, and then said, "I just overheard a conversation from those guarding in front of the valley. As predicted by Your Highness, these people are indeed planning to use a fire attack tomorrow to force Prince Qi out of the valley. Currently, part of their forces are guarding the valley entrance, while another is gathering branches and dry grass nearby, preparing for tomorrow’s action."
This was not entirely unexpected.
Yu Wenye rely nodded and then asked, "Did they ntion precisely when they’ll act?"
Nie Chong replied, "At dawn, they will set the fire."
This, too, was not a surprise.
Though their objectives differed, the daylight would indeed be advantageous for them to capture the commander amidst the chaos.
Though it’s possible they are still unaware that Yu Wenquan has already proclaid himself emperor within Changa An City and that Yu Wencheng’s status is no longer as it was, no longer the Third Young Master of Duke Sheng, but now Prince Qi of the Dasheng Dynasty, even the status of Third Young Master Yu Wen would be enough for them to take seriously.
As long as they capture him, Taiyuan would be as if holding Yu Wenquan’s Achilles’ heel.
Thus, tomorrow, victory must be assured!
Yu Wenye let out a heavy breath and then said, "Alright, I understand. Let’s go back now. Have our people ready, and at dawn—"
Before he finished, Nie Chong added, "Also, I heard so other news."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, both Yu Wenye and Shen Wuzheng turned their heads, and being so close, Nie Chong vaguely saw so new marks on their faces that weren’t there before, but he didn’t question further, nor dared to look more. After all, just now on the hillside, he could hear the whispers of people at the valley entrance miles away, so how could he not hear the sounds from the mountaintop? He just lowered his head, reporting systematically, "I just heard that the real collusion with the Western Turks to attack Taiyuan City wasn’t led by Wang Shaoji, but by Wang Shaoqiu’s troops."
"What?!"
"Yes, it was Wang Shaoqiu who led a group northward first and conspired with the Western Turks to take Taiyuan."
"..."
At this mont, the entire mountaintop fell silent.
Not only Yu Wenye, but even Shen Wuzheng, who was lying next to him with just a slight gap, furrowed his brows. Though they didn’t exchange glances or speak, the oppressive, anxious air they emanated was unmistakably alike.
Wang Shaoji and Wang Shaoqiu, the two brothers, actually divided their forces?!
This must have been Wang Shaoqiu’s idea!
Yu Wenye’s eyes narrowed slightly, his sharp gaze in the night resembling a drawn blade as he beca increasingly composed. He clearly rembered that in the previous rebellion at Jiangdu Palace, although Wang Shaoji seed to be manipulating the overall situation, the one truly planning everything behind the scenes was Wang Shaoqiu, who, low-profile yet controlling everything in his grasp.
This ti, when they marched north, according to Yu Wenye’s prior estimation, they certainly needed to pass through Luoyang. Most of Wang Shaoji’s troops were old subordinates brought from Luoyang by Chu Yang, and these people definitely wanted to return, so they certainly had to face off against Liang Shide.
Moreover, because of this, Liang Shide didn’t fight them to the death earlier, choosing instead to conserve strength.
Yet unexpectedly, they acted oppositely, colluding with the Western Turks, bypassing Eastern Capital Luoyang, directly capturing Taiyuan, securing a foothold. With a base, they wouldn’t let their troops scatter away again, and being near Eastern Capital, they could reassure old subordinates and still advance westward toward Central Pass.
This strategic move was extrely stable, indeed "far-sighted", truly unlike the shortsighted, petty Wang Shaoji.
Yu Wenye’s brow knitted tightly, his expression gradually sinking.
He pondered in silence for a long ti, then looked up at Nie Chong, asking solemnly, "Did those people ntion where Wang Shaoji’s troops are now?"
Nie Chong shook his head: "No."
"..."
"I listened for a long ti, hoping to clarify the current location of Wang Shaoji’s troops. But they only kept bragging about Wang Shaoqiu’s abilities without ntioning Wang Shaoji’s whereabouts. I speculate that after dividing their forces, even their own people don’t know the whereabouts of their comrades."
At this mont, Shen Wuzheng spoke: "Regardless of the situation, even if the two brothers have divided their forces, they cannot have parted ways."
"...!"
Yu Wenye turned to look at him, "You an—"
As their gazes t, a refined and pointed light flashed in their eyes, as if both sensed sothing.
However, at that mont of mutual gaze, their looks turned cold again, as if the night dew they had touched had also seeped into their eyes. Though there was no change in their expressions, the surrounding air abruptly cooled.
Even Nie Chong felt sothing but remained silent, lowering his head.
After an unknown stretch of silence, Yu Wenye stood up, exhaling heavily, and then said, "Return first, let’s discuss this later."
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