Chapter 1381 - 1057: Persuading Surrender

Something happened.

At the sound of these three words, Yu Wenye’s mind immediately detached itself from the fury, and he sobered up.

He realized that Mu Xian’s tone was somewhat urgent and tense.

So he said, "Come in."

Mu Xian lifted the curtain and walked in, the morning light behind him suddenly flooding the pitch-dark tent. He immediately saw the mess—Yu Wenye had overturned the table in front of him, and the maps, oil lamp, and a cup of tea were all spilled on the ground. Mu Xian instinctively stooped to pick them up, but Yu Wenye said, "Let them do it. You tell me what happened."

Mu Xian hurried forward: "Shantong’er is missing."

"What?"

"Just now, General Shen Tu went to call him for practice and found no one in his tent, not even Nie Chong."

"When did they disappear?"

"Neither of their bedding has been touched; it looks like they’ve been gone all night."

Yu Wenye’s brows furrowed.

Mu Xian took a step forward and cautiously suggested, "Your Highness, could it be because you punished Shantong’er yesterday, and he was dissatisfied—"

Yu Wenye raised a hand to stop him from continuing, but his mind flashed back to the battle outside Hulao Pass the day before. He didn’t think he had made a mistake in rewarding and punishing, but upon closer reflection, Shantong’er’s actions seemed more problematic.

At that moment, heavy footsteps sounded, and lifting his gaze, he saw Shen Tu Tai walk into the tent.

For the first time, his face showed some panic, but upon entering, he immediately knelt down and bowed to Yu Wenye: "Your Highness, Shantong’er and Nie Chong are my subordinates. It is my negligence in overseeing them, and I ask Your Highness for punishment."

Yu Wenye waved his hand and said, "It’s too early to talk about punishment now. Did you find out why they disappeared?"

Shen Tu Tai looked up at him, his eyes somewhat flickering.

Yu Wenye noticed something amiss and asked, "What is it, is there more?"

Shen Tu Tai hesitated for a moment, then spoke truthfully: "I had just ordered a count, and even Nie Chong’s horse is missing."

At this revelation, the entire tent fell silent.

The bedding was untouched, indicating they had left all night. If they were on horseback, who knows how far they had traveled overnight? This was clearly not a simple matter of stepping out for a stroll; moreover, only Nie Chong’s horse was missing. Shantong’er likely couldn’t ride, so Nie Chong must have taken him away on horseback.

The question is, where did they go?

While everyone was pondering this question, a sudden commotion erupted outside. Shen Tu Tai seemed to hear something and wanted to get up and see, but mindful that Yu Wenye had not yet forgiven him, he could only turn his head to listen. Then they heard Shantong’er’s panicked yet joyful voice outside the tent: "Your Highness, I want to see Your Highness!"

The soldiers outside seemed to be holding him back: "Wait, let us go in and report!"

At the sound of Shantong’er’s voice, Shen Tu Tai’s eyes lit up, Mu Xian showed a trace of joy along with a worried expression, but Yu Wenye maintained his composure and solemnly said, "Let him in."

Immediately, the curtain was lifted, and Shantong’er and Nie Chong walked in from outside.

Both were dusty and weary, covered with dirt and grass. Shantong’er walked with a limp, looking more battered than if he had fought a battle. As soon as they entered, they knelt down to bow in salute. Yu Wenye looked at them and then asked, "Where did you go?"

Nie Chong raised his head to speak, but Shantong’er beat him to it, proclaiming loudly: "Your Highness, we went to Hulao Pass."

"What!?"

At these words, Shen Tu Tai and Mu Xian were shocked, especially Shen Tu Tai, whose tiger-like eyes widened in disbelief: "You went to Hulao Pass? Are you—seeking death?"

But upon saying this, he immediately sensed something amiss.

Shantong’er certainly wouldn’t lie about such a matter, but presently, the two had returned complete and unharmed; there must be a hidden aspect to this.

Yu Wenye stated, "Explain clearly what happened. If you lack a convincing reason for me, you both should know that the crime of colluding with the enemy isn’t something that a mere twenty strikes of the military club can offset."

At the mention of "military club," Shantong’er immediately felt the intense sting on his buttocks worsen. Hastily, he responded, "No, we—I wouldn’t dare collude with the enemy, I went to negotiate the surrender of those at Hulao Pass."

Once again, everyone was shocked: "Negotiate surrender?"

Yu Wenye slightly furrowed his brows, his face full of skepticism: "You went?"

Shantong’er puffed out his chest: "Yes, Your Highness."

"How could you negotiate surrender?"

"Shan Shiyu is my elder brother."

All present inhaled sharply at these words.

Shen Tu Tai’s face turned panic-stricken, and he said deeply: "Lao Jiu, you better make yourself clear. Remember, in the military, there’s no joking. If your words are false, you know the consequences!"

Shantong’er nodded, prompting Nie Chong beside him to say in a low voice, "Let me tell it; I can give a clearer account."

Then he recounted the events of the previous night and what he had discovered.

Last night, they entered Hulao Pass, where lamps were lit and kept burning all night. Shan Shiyu was waiting for them. Upon entering Hulao Pass, someone disarmed them and brought them to Shan Shiyu’s quarters, where he witnessed the brothers meeting and reuniting, their joy and unfamiliarity mixed.

It turned out Shan Shiyu’s original surname was ’Shan,’ like Shantong’er, he changed his surname because of a crime committed within the family.

The crime was simple: evading harsh labor duties.

Upon ascending the throne, Chu Yang ordered a campaign against Liaodong, tasking tens of thousands of laborers to build warships at Bohai, even including women among those conscripted. Their work was particularly arduous, requiring months of labor in the water without coming ashore; many died before the term of the labor ended, and some, unable to endure, risked their lives to escape.

But fleeing meant implicating others.

With red eyes, Shan Shiyu told Shantong’er: "Someone from the Shan family fled."

"..."

"In the face of great disaster, our parents sold you to avoid trouble."

"..."

"And I, too, was sent away by them. Before leaving, they reminded me never to forget my surname, but just not to use it, so I changed my surname to ’Shan,’ wandered for years, and eventually joined King Liang’s forces."

Nie Chong listened, deep in thought.

As he recounted this, Shantong’er also had reddened eyes, choking with emotions he could not voice.

Yu Wenye fell silent.

He was fully aware of the great deeds accomplished by Chu Yang during his reign, but these great deeds were like massive wheels, no matter how swiftly or gloriously they advanced. The countless bones crushed beneath those wheels could never be hidden by any magnitude of splendor.

He remained silent for a long time, then asked, "What is the matter with negotiating surrender?"