Chapter 1393 - 1069: A Bit Unwilling, Yet Somewhat Disdainful

Yu Wenye was silent for a moment, then murmured, "The bridge they used to cross the river is gone."

Hearing this, Shen Tu Tai immediately jerked his reins and rode a few steps toward the riverbank. Sure enough, nothing of the floating bridge could be seen on the water; only a few rows of wooden piles remained on both banks of the Yellow River, battered by the turbid waves until they were on the verge of collapse.

Shen Tu Tai said, "Could it be they still want to burn their boats and sink their cauldrons?"

Yu Wenye shook his head and said, "Luoyang is just ahead. This kind of ’burning boats and sinking cauldrons’ is meaningless. Besides, the scouts reported that this is only Xiao Yuansui’s vanguard, just forty or fifty thousand men and horses. At least half his forces are still behind. If they hurry up to join him, they’ll have to build another floating bridge. Wouldn’t that just make trouble for themselves."

Shen Tu Tai also nodded lightly, murmuring, "Indeed."

"..."

"Then, the reason they dismantled the floating bridge is—"

At this point, the two of them looked at each other. Their clear eyes seemed to have lit upon the same idea, yet both of them involuntarily furrowed their brows.

After a brief silence, Shen Tu Tai said, "Even if he really wants to abandon his own men, it still makes no sense."

The space between Yu Wenye’s brows also tightened into the shape of the character "川".

To destroy the floating bridge over the river clearly meant giving no one the chance to cross to the North Shore of the Yellow River and launch a surprise attack on them—but the premise was that Xiao Yuansui did not intend to let the forces behind catch up anymore.

Strictly speaking, these tens of thousands of troops were enough for him to fight Yu Wenye at Hulao Pass in a single battle. The two had already crossed swords before; they both knew the other’s depths and methods. Xiao Yuansui wouldn’t dare act arrogant, much less take reckless risks.

Could it be that he has other uses for the troops he’s kept back?

With this thought, Yu Wenye suddenly felt an indescribable heat surge in his chest. Beads of sweat inexplicably broke out dense on his forehead, soaking almost to his temples. Seeing his state, Shen Tu Tai’s expression grew even more grave. These two were men who had crawled and fought through blood on the battlefield; they did not fear an enemy’s thousands of troops and horses—what they feared was knowing themselves but not knowing the other.

Just as the two were deep in thought, several soldiers nearby rode forward and said softly, "Your Highness, General Shen Tu, the men on the other side have already noticed us."

The two lifted their heads and saw several riders sprinting out from that massive camp, galloping toward the riverbank. Their speed was not fast; by the look of it, they should be scouting soldiers, wanting to confirm who these people across the river herding horses really were.

Yu Wenye turned to look back. The several hundred warhorses behind them had already cropped bare a large swath of grassland nearby, each one with its belly rounded from eating. He raised his hand.

"Go!"

At his word, everyone immediately urged their horses and rode back.

On the opposite riverbank, those few riders reached the shore only in time to see the horse herd’s departure kicking up a cloud of dust. But a gust of wind swept it up, and it instantly vanished without a trace, along with that group of riders, who quickly disappeared from sight as well. The men frowned as they stared at the opposite bank, at a loss.

At this time, one of them rode up beside the foremost horseman and asked softly, "Brother Hua, did you see clearly?"

The one in the saddle was Hua Ziyang.

His handsome face now bore a few more marks of wind and frost, especially the scar that ran from the corner of one eye across one cheek. Yet it did nothing to mar his good looks; it merely wiped away all the boyishness he once had, replacing it with a settled, steady killing aura.

At this moment, his gaze was like a torch. Even separated by the wide expanse of the river, at a glance he had picked out the most stalwart figure among that crowd.

Hearing the man behind him ask, he did not reply at once but fell silent for a moment, then said, "Back, quickly."

The men had followed Xiao Yuansui campaigning for many years and had long since witnessed Hua Ziyang’s unfailing archery. They knew his eyes were razor-sharp and that he must have seen something amiss. None dared chatter; they all wheeled their horses with him and galloped back toward their camp.

The camp on this side had only just been set up; some parts were still incomplete. But the two arrow towers at the gate already soared high, and from far off they saw the men returning. They immediately had the men below open the camp gate. Hua Ziyang led his party in at full gallop, soon swung down from his horse, and strode quickly into the Central Army Tent.

As he stepped inside, he saw several orderlies coming out from within.

Hua Ziyang glanced at them and gestured for the men behind him to withdraw, then walked to the center of the tent. Several tables were arranged here for the officers to gather and discuss matters of importance, but they were unused now, so the space was empty. Only before the table at the very front sat a burly man whose presence was as fierce as a crouching tiger.

It was none other than Xiao Yuansui, who had swept Hebei clean in just a few short months.

Compared to the extra hardship etched on Hua Ziyang’s face, he himself had changed little. He was still all sword brows and starry eyes, brilliance and refinement, and those eyes, whose sharp light lay hidden, had not dimmed under the erosion of time. They had only grown deeper, like a bottomless pool; even standing before him and meeting his gaze, one could not see clearly the emotions and thoughts in their depths.

At this moment, his thoughts and feelings seemed entirely tied to the map spread on the table before him.

Hua Ziyang halted and bowed his head. "Elder brother."

Xiao Yuansui looked up at him. "Well?"

"It was Yu Wenye."

"Oh? It really was him."

"Yes. He was on the far side of the river with his men, observing our side."

"How many?"

"By the look of it, fewer than twenty."

When he heard that Yu Wenye had gone out with fewer than twenty men, a sharp light suddenly flashed in Xiao Yuansui’s eyes. Then, as if something had occurred to him, he gave a slight, cool smile and said, "He’s playing that trick again."

Hua Ziyang said, "Elder brother, you mean—"

Xiao Yuansui said, "That’s the very ploy he used to lure Shan Shiyu into battle when he took Hulao Pass and captured Shan Shiyu."

Hua Ziyang suddenly understood. He drew a deep breath and said, "So that’s it."

Xiao Yuansui reached out and gently folded up the map before him, speaking unhurriedly, "If not for that, with Shan Shiyu’s steadiness, and Liang Shide having given him a hundred and some thousand troops, he should never have lost Hulao Pass so quickly."

At this point, he let out a cold snort, as if somewhat unwilling about the gains and losses of that battle, and somewhat disdainful.

Hua Ziyang was silent for a while, then added, "However, he’s not just keeping those dozen or so men at his side. There are several hundred horses as well."

"What?"

Hearing this, Xiao Yuansui’s brows knit. "Several hundred horses? What is he doing with so many horses?"

Hua Ziyang said, "By the look of it, he seemed to be observing our situation from across the Yellow River while letting his men graze the horses on the far bank. You know, there isn’t much pasture over here, and since we arrived, they haven’t dared range about to graze their horses."

At these words, Xiao Yuansui’s eyes grew even deeper.

Hua Ziyang added, "Oh, elder brother, those men just now—were they the scouts you sent out returning? Did they manage to find out anything?"