Chapter 1409 - 1085: Crushing Defeat

At dawn, when the first ray of sunlight pierced through the heavy clouds and shone upon the vast grassland, countless vultures and hawks were already circling in the sky.

The sunlight also illuminated the grim scene on the ground.

In the Hu Yang Valley, corpses were strewn everywhere. Both sides had retreated quickly, only hastily burying the fallen soldiers in a thin layer of soil, which was far from enough to mask the stench of decay. The blood scent had attracted wolves and hyenas, competing to scavenge, growling greedily as they unearthed pale and dismembered limbs from the earth, and terror-stricken, regretful faces were revealed.

Then, footsteps were heard from one side of the valley.

The sound was not loud, and the beasts raised their heads warily, noticing that not many people were approaching, so they did not flee but continued to tear into the flesh with force.

The faces of those witnessing this scene showed not only regret and reluctance but also a bit of desolation, especially Gao Feng and Jiang Kesong, who hadn’t slept all night and had bloodshot eyes. They commanded their men to shout loudly and brandish swords, trying to drive away the beasts. Though startled, the wolves and hyenas retreated a few steps, only to return daringly, continuing to gnaw on the remains.

Jiang Kesong sighed heavily, then turned his head to Gao Feng, who was still urging people to search through the bodies, and said, "Brother Gao, the Princess is surely not here."

Gao Feng looked up at him. "Oh?"

Jiang Kesong said, "My men saw it. The Princess didn’t escape into the valley but was surrounded by enemy commanders—if the enemy knows her identity, they wouldn’t kill her easily."

"..."

"Also, they retreated so quickly without heading toward Tongguan. I guess they must have returned to Hulao Pass."

"..."

"Now Prince Qin is at Hulao Pass, so an alive Princess Qin is invaluable to them."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Gao Feng’s face showed mixed emotions—relief that Shang Ruyi was safe, for she was the Miss he had protected for years, now elevated to Princess Qin, a status beyond words. Failing to protect her and letting her die would mean he couldn’t face Mr. and Mrs. Shen again.

Yet, the worry was...

He took a deep breath, suppressing the fear in his heart, and said to Jiang Kesong, "In that case, let’s hurry to Hulao Pass and tell this news to Qin—"

Before the word "King" left his mouth, the wolves and hyenas gnawing on the corpse pile suddenly lifted their heads and looked back.

A rumble of heavy hoofbeats, accompanied by the slight tremor of the ground, came suddenly, and everyone sensed something, quickly lifting their eyes toward the front of the valley, seeing a band of horsemen galloping towards them, soon arriving at close range.

With sharp eyes, Jiang Kesong immediately recognized the tall figure leading the charge, exclaiming with joy, "Your Highness!"

Gao Feng also hurriedly rushed over.

The cavalcade came thundering in, startling the wolves and hyenas into a hasty retreat. Jiang Kesong and Gao Feng, with their remaining men, ran out of the Hu Yang Valley. As they reached the valley’s entrance, the troop had stopped, and the people at the front line pulled their reins tight. The gallant steeds let out a long neigh, rearing up as their high hooves stamped heavily on the blood-soaked earth, stirring up a cloud of dust filled with a bloody scent, causing the rider’s brow to furrow.

The newcomer was none other than Yu Wenye, who had rushed from Hulao Pass with his men overnight.

Jiang Kesong, with Gao Feng and the others, hurriedly stepped forward to salute, "Your Highness, we pay respects to Your Highness!"

Yu Wenye did not speak. His grave yet slightly frightened gaze swept over everyone—on the way there, he had already smelled the scent of blood and decay on the wind, seen vultures circling in the sky, heard the howls of wolves and hyenas, yet heard no sound of battle. Realizing something was amiss, his heart sank completely when he neared Hu Yang Valley and took in the grim sight and the figures of Jiang Kesong and others.

At this moment, he took a deep breath, barely managing to speak, albeit his voice was hoarse with an odd rasp: "Where is she?"

Hearing this, everyone lowered their heads.

Only Jiang Kesong, having nowhere to hide, slowly raised his head and met Yu Wenye’s bloodshot eyes, staring at him as if to drill into his bones.

Jiang Kesong immediately lowered his head, "This subordinate deserves death."

Yu Wenye gritted his teeth hard: "I asked, where is she?"

Jiang Kesong heavily knocked his head on the ground, unable to utter a word.

His actions said it all.

The tense nerves from rushing here overnight, already taut as a bowstring, snapped in his mind with a buzzing sound, and Yu Wenye momentarily blacked out, nearly toppling from his horse.

The personal soldiers behind him had already dismounted and rushed forward in panic upon seeing this: "Your Highness!"

Yu Wenye instinctively tightened his grip on the reins, barely steadying his posture. Those around him could even hear the grinding of his teeth, then he said in a deep voice, "What’s going on? Speak clearly!"

Only then did Jiang Kesong lift his head, his face ashen with regret, and said, "After we forced Ashina Zhuxie’s troops to retreat in Xiazhou, we followed the Princess south to rendezvous with Your Highness at the Eastern Capital. But four days ago, we suddenly heard that a large enemy force from Hebei intended to pass through Hu Yang Valley. The Princess sent people to scout and verify, confirming that they were Xiao Yuansui’s subordinates, and their path suggested they intended to advance into the Central Pass. So—"

At this point, his regret almost stopped him from speaking further.

Indeed, he had advised Shang Ruyi, even though their Heavy Cavalry had performed valiantly against Turkic Zhu Xie Khan before, facing tens of thousands of enemies was like shaking a tree with an ant. They were likely to perish here.

And Shang Ruyi, she was not unaware of this truth.

But at that point, she and they had no other choice. If those 80,000 troops passed through Hu Yang Valley, undermanned Chang An would be threatened, forcing Yu Wenye and others to turn back for aid, causing the ongoing campaign at the Eastern Capital to fail halfway.

So—

Gao Feng’s throat tightened, and he said somberly, "The Princess decided to hold Hu Yang Valley."

Yu Wenye’s grip on the reins tightened repeatedly, a creaking sound issuing from his strained knuckles: "And then?"

Jiang Kesong looked up at him, his eyes red with emotion, and said, "Yesterday, the enemy circled around to the rear of the valley, and the Princess and her men were all captured!"

Yu Wenye took a deep breath, then asked, "Where have they gone now?"

Gao Feng promptly replied, "After capturing the Princess, they didn’t proceed through Hu Yang Valley but turned back. If I’m not mistaken, they should be heading south, towards Luoyang."