Chapter 1387 - 1063: Brothers

Shen Tu Tai was silent for a moment, then said: "They pretended to surrender, and to avoid being discovered by us, even most of the soldiers at Hulao Pass did not know the truth. Therefore, His Highness wants to take advantage of this opportunity to retake Hulao Pass. Currently, some people have surrendered naturally, but there are still others... probably because their wives and children are in Luoyang and they are unwilling to surrender, so they have risen to resist."

"... "

"These past two days, we’ve been dealing with this matter and have fought a few battles with them."

"... "

"At present, the situation has temporarily stabilized, but Liang Shide will not be content with losing Hulao Pass just like that; he will surely have another wave of offensives. Therefore, His Highness is now deploying troops to firstly consolidate the defense of several surrounding passes, not allowing them to fall into Liang Shide’s hands again, and secondly—"

He stopped halfway through his sentence because he saw Shantong’er was not listening.

The child hung his head low, as if he could not bear the weight of his thoughts and the complex emotions in his mind, and his whole being seemed ready to bury itself into the ground.

Seeing him like this, Shen Tu Tai sighed lightly in his heart.

He said, "Shan Shiyu is not dead yet."

Upon hearing this, Shantong’er’s shoulders twitched slightly, and he slowly raised his head to look at Shen Tu Tai, his big eyes filled with mixed emotions of joy and sorrow.

Shen Tu Tai continued, "But he will not survive."

"...!"

"He has never been willing to surrender. His Highness promised that if he surrendered to us and went back to Hulao Pass to convince his subordinates—If so, we could avoid many obstacles and capture Hulao Pass without bloodshed, benefiting both them and us—but he refused to agree no matter what."

"... "

"We fought a few battles these past two days, and many brothers died, but we managed to stabilize Hulao Pass."

"... "

"Now, the first thing His Highness must do is—"

He didn’t finish his sentence, nor did he need to, as Shantong’er immediately understood. He gasped, immediately flipped out of bed, and Shen Tu Tai did not stop him, only reached out to support him when Shantong’er almost fell due to the weakness from sleeping too long without eating. Shantong’er grabbed his arm in return and whispered, "Brother Shen Tu, where is His Highness? I want to—plead with him."

Shen Tu Tai said, "His Highness is still in the main tent handling military affairs, but will be going to Hulao Pass soon."

Shantong’er immediately understood.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the main tent was silent, only the sound of a brush scraping across rough paper—a sound that usually lent to peace and calm, but at this moment carried a strong sense of killing intent.

Yu Wenye finished writing the last word and tossed the document to the soldier kneeling before him, saying, "Go."

The soldier accepted the order and immediately turned and left.

The people in the tent followed the document with their gaze until the soldier exited the tent. Just as they were about to retract their gaze, another familiar figure hurriedly walked into the tent—it was Shantong’er, who had been unconscious for two days, now pale and panic-stricken.

He entered the tent, saw the people lined on both sides, and Yu Wenye seated at the front, and rushed forward to kneel, "Your Highness."

"... "

Upon seeing him, everyone showed complex expressions.

Yu Wenye remained calm and said, "Awake."

"I—"

"Awake, then take a good rest. Shen Tu Tai has told me, said you were injured falling from a horse at Mengjin Pass a few days ago, but because you had to hurry over, you haven’t had time to recuperate. Take these two days to heal properly; there won’t be much time for rest afterward."

After speaking, he raised his head and motioned to Shen Tu Tai, who had followed Shantong’er in: "Take him away."

Shen Tu Tai saluted, and was about to bend down to grab Shantong’er’s arm when he was blocked. Shantong’er looked up with red eyes at Yu Wenye and choked, "Your Highness, are you going to kill my el—kill Shan Shiyu?"

Yu Wenye lowered his eyes, paused for a moment, and said: "Shouldn’t I kill him?"

Shantonger’s throat tightened.

He had fought in wars with the army; even if he had studied Buddhism for several years and had some kindness, he was accustomed to life being as fragile as grass on the battlefield, understood the strict military rules that dictated people like Shan Shiyu, who pretended to surrender only to betray later, were condemned to death once captured. Normally, he wouldn’t have the standing or inclination to pose such a question.

But Shan Shiyu wasn’t a normal person.

Shantong’er hung his head low, softly said: "Your Highness, can you not kill him?"

Upon hearing this, the people around exchanged looks, seemingly showing a hint of pity, especially Mu Xian, who hesitated and looked up, seeming to want to plead together with Shantong’er; but before he could speak, Yu Wenye slowly stood up, walked around the table to Shantong’er, looked down at him.

He said, "I can refrain from killing him."

"... "

Upon hearing this, Shantong’er immediately lifted his head, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at him.

But the next moment, his eyes dimmed.

Because Yu Wenye said clearly, "If he truly surrenders."

"... "

"If he doesn’t plan to assassinate, doesn’t want to kill Nie Chong."

"... "

"If, during these two days when we attacked Hulao Pass, he sincerely surrendered, persuaded those at Hulao Pass who resisted stubbornly, avoiding destruction during these days..."

"... "

"Even if he achieved any one of these, I could spare him."

With each sentence, Shantong’er’s eyes grew dimmer, and by the last, his eyes were pitch black and lifeless, and his whole being seemed swallowed by an abyss, deprived of light, devoid of any trace of hope.

Yu Wenye said: "You ask me to spare him, yet how can those soldiers below be appeased?"

"... "

"Who can compensate for Nie Chong’s life?"

"... "

"As long as he lives, people worldwide will know that those who falsely surrender to me, Yu Wenye, and kill my generals, will face no punishment; as such, when we attack Luoyang in the future, fewer will submit. Our path will only grow more challenging."

"... "

"Because of these reasons, I must kill him!"

His last sentence sealed Shan Shiyu’s fate, causing Shantong’er to weep uncontrollably, sobbing until his entire body shook. Shen Tu Tai naturally understood Yu Wenye’s reasoning and even felt justified in wanting to punish the person responsible for Nie Chong’s death, but seeing the child cry like this, he couldn’t help but bend down and say solemnly: "Lao Jiu, His Highness is right."

The people around nodded silently.

Still, Shantong’er remained kneeling, sobbing, "Your Highness, but he, he is my..."

Yu Wenye looked at him coldly.

"Shantong’er, among those standing here and buried beneath the earth, who is not your brother?"