Chapter 1383 - 1059: Shocking Upheaval!

As soon as they left, Mu Xian could hardly contain his joy as he looked at Yu Wenye: "Your Highness—"

Yu Wenye also looked at him and said, "This time, it’ll be a bit of hard work for you."

Mu Xian was slightly taken aback, not knowing why Yu Wenye would say "hard work" to him. But then he thought, to accept the surrender of such a large number of people at Hulao Pass, there were indeed many things to be done, and since he trusted him the most, he would certainly assign all the tasks to him, which is why he said "hard work".

So he said, "It’s my duty, I dare not speak of hardship."

Yu Wenye gave him a slight smile.

In a blink of an eye, it was the evening of the next day.

This time, unlike before when he traveled light with just a dozen riders, Yu Wenye gathered two thousand soldiers to accompany him to Hulao Pass. The number was not large, as it was not a battle, but some soldiers still felt uneasy; after all, they were facing the formidable Hulao Pass with one hundred and fifty thousand troops, and only bringing a few thousand men seemed somewhat presumptuous.

However, seeing Shantong’er happily following behind Yu Wenye, no one dared to say anything.

Just as the sun was about to set, casting its last blood-red rays, Yu Wenye walked to the front of the line, mounted his horse, and waved his right hand forward: "Go!"

The army immediately followed him forward.

As soon as the sun set, the light grew dim. Yu Wenye ordered torches to be lit to light the way. After walking for more than an hour, night fell. When the surrounding landscape dissolved into darkness, and became indistinguishable, a bright and towering outline gradually appeared in the heavy night ahead.

It was Hulao Pass.

Usually, at this time, the soldiers guarding the pass were already resting. Only those on night duty would light a few torches on the towers, which could only illuminate the area directly below them, but would not produce such bright light; but tonight, Hulao Pass was brightly lit, clearly with a hundred soldiers holding torches on the towers.

At this moment, Shantong’er excitedly said, "Your Highness, my elder brother is here!"

Yu Wenye lifted his head and looked ahead.

He saw the grand flames illuminating the scene as the gates of Hulao Pass slowly opened — Suddenly, a gust of wind carrying yellow sand and the earthy smell of the Yellow River water rushed towards them, the open gates seeming like the gaping maw of a ferocious tiger. His battlehorse seemed to feel something too, snorting uneasily and shaking its head.

Yu Wenye lightly scolded it and leaned down, reaching to stroke Liuqing’s neck a couple times, calming it down.

At the same time, a long procession emerged from Hulao Pass.

The serpent-like line slowly wended its way out, the raised torches illuminating the surrounding scenery as it advanced, Yu Wenye watching as the procession stopped at the place where they had clashed and fought fiercely three days ago.

Yu Wenye raised his hand, and his troops also halted.

The two sides were only a hundred yards apart.

Yu Wenye quietly observed the front, watching as the procession gradually formed a neat line, arranging themselves into two rectangular formations. Then, a single rider emerged from the ranks, followed by two or three personal soldiers.

Shantong’er was overjoyed, "That’s my elder brother!"

Seeing someone come out from the other side, Yu Wenye lightly waved his hand too, and as previously arranged, only took Shen Tu Tai and Shantong’er, along with Nie Chong, as they rode forward. At this moment, two deputy generals could no longer suppress their unease and stepped forward to stop him: "Your Highness, it’s better to take a few more people."

Shantong’er immediately pouted.

He was naturally displeased that others would suspect Shan Shiyu, and more so that they were doubting him. The two deputy generals were evidently hesitant about their relationship, so they had not spoken much along the way, but now couldn’t hold back from voicing their concerns.

After glancing at Shan Shiyu and the few personal soldiers who had already distanced themselves from his own troops, Yu Wenye calmly said, "No matter."

After speaking, he tugged the reins and led the few of them forward.

The two deputy generals behind him wore worried expressions, but dared not speak further, only focusing their attention on the front, ready to react immediately if anything seemed amiss.

After a short walk, the two parties finally met.

The night was deep, the stars hanging low, Yu Wenye observed as the torchlight held high by Nie Chong gradually intersected with the opposing flames. Under the overlapping glow, the two most forward individuals were exceptionally illuminated. He immediately recognized Shan Shiyu, the defender of Hulao Pass.

That day, being in the midst of fierce battle, he could only make out Shan Shiyu’s outline when they engaged. It was not until this moment that he finally saw him clearly.

Shan Shiyu was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, not tall, with a robust build. His round eyes bore some resemblance to Shantong’er. Perhaps disliking his own childlike features, he sported a full beard, lending his face a somewhat fearsome "leopard head and ringed eyes" look. His bushy facial hair hid much of his eyes, making it hard to discern his expression.

At this moment, those round eyes were also fixed on Yu Wenye.

The two sides quietly assessed each other for a while. Finally, Shan Shiyu dismounted first, stepping forward and half-kneeling in a salute: "Greetings, Prince Qin."

When Shantong’er saw him, he could hardly stay still, but since Yu Wenye didn’t move, neither did he. It wasn’t until this moment, when his brother dismounted and saluted, that he turned to look at Yu Wenye, who remained seated on his horse, only raising his hand slightly: "General Shan, I’ve long admired you."

"I dare not,"

Shan Shiyu cupped his hands in front of him, bowing his head as he said, "I am unworthy and blind to my fate, causing Your Highness to toil and spend resources, waging great battles. I come specifically to beg forgiveness."

As he spoke, several deputy generals and personal soldiers behind him also dismounted, following him in a half-kneel.

Shantong’er whispered, "Your Highness..."

Seeing this, Yu Wenye finally dismounted and slowly walked towards them.

Shen Tu Tai and Shantong’er, along with others, also dismounted, closely following him as he moved forward. They walked until they were just two or three steps away from Shan Shiyu before Yu Wenye stopped, glanced at the kneeling people around Shan Shiyu, then looked at the units behind him, arrayed in strict formation, not a hint of disorder among their large numbers, seemingly waiting for his review.

Yu Wenye said, "General Shan, you overstate it."

After speaking, he stepped forward, intending to help Shan Shiyu up.

Almost at the same moment he reached out, Nie Chong, who had been standing with Shantong’er, suddenly turned his head to look towards their flank. However, there was only the silhouette of tall mountains against the black night, with nothing else visible. But Nie Chong shouted loudly, "Your Highness, someone is on the mountain!"

At the same time, Shan Shiyu, who had been kneeling, suddenly pulled out a dagger from his sleeve, driving it straight toward Yu Wenye’s chest!