Chapter 1373 - 1049: Abandoning Caution

That is—Yu Wenye’s nameplate!

Mu Xian just saw clearly, and his mind didn’t have time to react to why Yu Wenye would take out this thing at this time, when he saw him swing his long arm, throwing the nameplate far behind him!

"Your Highness!"

Mu Xian was stunned, not knowing the reason for this action, but Yu Wenye showed no panic and solemnly said to him, "Hurry up!"

After speaking, he whipped his horse forward, and Mu Xian frantically turned his head for a look, unable to discern clearly where the nameplate had fallen, much less had time to stop and retrieve it. The soldiers from Hulao Pass were galloping towards them like fierce tigers, and he could only grit his teeth and urge everyone to ride on at full speed.

Finally, after circling for most of the day, they managed to shake off the pursuing soldiers by nightfall.

And when Mu Xian looked back one last time, he seemed to vaguely see some of the men pursuing them stop halfway, dismounting to pick up something from the ground.

When they returned to the camp they had secured, it was already late.

Yu Wenye dismounted and casually tossed the reins to the approaching soldier, then headed directly towards the tent in the center of the camp by himself, and Mu Xian handed the horse to the men below, also reminding the few personal soldiers whose faces were pale with apparent lingering fear not to say anything, then he quickly entered the tent as well.

Upon entry, he saw Yu Wenye grab a kettle from the table and drink half of it directly to his mouth.

Mu Xian proceeded, "Your Highness!"

Yu Wenye didn’t respond immediately, but drank a few more gulps before putting down the kettle, wiped his mouth, and looked at him, "I know what you want to say; haven’t we safely returned?"

Mu Xian was so angry his lips turned a bit white, sternly saying, "Your Highness must not repeat today’s actions!"

"..."

"It’s too dangerous!"

"..."

"Even if Your Highness is highly skilled in martial arts and unfailingly accurate, in military operations, reckless bravery is to be avoided. What if Shan Shiyu personally led the troops today? What if they sent hundreds more men today? What if—"

Yu Wenye slowly sat down, looking at Mu Xian, with his anger and fear, calmly saying, "Don’t be anxious."

"..."

"My actions today were to test that ’what if.’

"What?"

Mu Xian was stunned, not understanding his meaning, and Yu Wenye said, "I haven’t fought with Shan Shiyu, but I’ve heard that he distinguished himself in the encirclement to annihilate Zuo Family’s rebel army. The battle at Hulao Pass is too important to us; I cannot launch an attack while knowing nothing about the opponent."

Mu Xian somewhat came to his senses, "Is Your Highness trying to probe this person’s capabilities?"

Yu Wenye said, "I’ve looked at the defenses on the side of Hulao Pass; Shan Shiyu seems to be a good troop leader, and he is calm and experienced."

Mu Xian nodded.

Recalling their recent ordeal, the defenders at Hulao Pass dispatched a large force in pursuit upon discovering their detachment, but these men didn’t act rashly. Maybe Shan Shiyu had already ordered them to only investigate the situation and not act recklessly; had Yu Wenye not angered them by confronting them despite the disparity of tens against hundreds, they might not have had such a perilous encounter today.

Thus, it’s clear, Shan Shiyu is a very cautious person.

Yu Wenye continued, "Being cautious, caution is his strength."

"..."

"We need him to abandon his strength."

"Abandon...caution?"

Mu Xian muttered to himself, suddenly recalling something, and looked at Yu Wenye with wide eyes, "So, Your Highness—"

Yu Wenye’s lips slightly curved.

Mu Xian took a deep breath; the fear and panic almost spilling from his heart finally calmed down at this moment, but after a moment of silence, he still said, "But, Your Highness must not do this again, it’s too risky, and should be done by someone else, not at the expense of Your Highness."

Yu Wenye glanced at him, saying, "Okay, I promise you."

Mu Xian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yu Wenye stretched his arms; he had been shaken almost all day on horseback, and even he felt some muscle soreness, then said, "Get them to bring dinner, I’m a bit hungry."

"Yes!"

Rarely did Yu Wenye seem so receptive to advice, Mu Xian was heartened, and promptly turned to instruct the men below to serve dinner.

And so, the night passed.

The second day, the third day, Yu Wenye seemed to genuinely heed Mu Xian’s advice, not only did he avoid risky ventures, but he also refrained from launching troops, spending two days training the troops within the camp.

Initially, Mu Xian thought he was waiting for a suitable time to deploy troops, but after two days, he gradually realized.

Yu Wenye seemed to be waiting for news.

Waiting for news from Xiazhou.

Yet, neither the men they dispatched nor the ones Shen Tu Tai sent out first had any word returned. Though knowing it even takes two to three days at best to reach Luoyang from Xiazhou, not to mention the time needed to gather intelligence, if anything had gone wrong, those men might not be able to rush back immediately; but Mu Xian’s heart was still anxious.

Not knowing how much Yu Wenye was suffering inside, and despite not saying a word, Mu Xian could still see his eyes getting darker day by day.

On the fourth day, Shen Tu Tai finally arrived leading troops.

With the arrival of this force, it was like Yu Wenye’s army had regained a strong arm, especially seeing Shen Tu Tai’s towering figure leading the lively Shantong’er and Nie Chong into the camp, Mu Xian’s worried heart finally felt like it had settled.

Though it only settled halfway.

Shen Tu Tai entered the tent, bowing and saluting Yu Wenye. Yu Wenye raised his hand, with some cheer in his eyes, saying, "Your victory at Mengjin Pass was impressive."

Shen Tu Tai replied, "Thank you, Your Highness."

"Is everything settled over there?"

"Rest assured, Your Highness; I’ve arranged everything at Mengjin Pass before leading the troops to join Your Highness."

"Good,"

Yu Wenye nodded and looked behind him. Shantong’er was looking at him excitedly, and Nie Chong, still with his usual somewhat lifeless demeanor, but Shen Wuzheng was nowhere to be seen.

Yu Wenye asked, "Where is Shen Wuzheng?"

Shen Tu Tai immediately replied, "Mr. Shen decided to stay at Mengjin Pass." After he said this, he paused and then said, "Waiting for news."

Upon hearing these three words, the eyes of Shantong’er and Mu Xian flickered, and Yu Wenye’s brows gradually furrowed, "So, you still haven’t probed the situation on Xiazhou?"