Chapter 1434: Even the Cleverest Cook Cannot Make a Meal Without Rice

Shang Ruyi was silent for a while, and then said, “I certainly hope he comes.”

Upon hearing this, Wo Xue suddenly felt a chill breeze penetrating from some gap in the tent, instantly chilling her hands and feet.

The implication of the Princess’s words was—Prince Qin wouldn’t come.

But she was unwilling to accept this and could hardly believe it, knowing that Prince Qin had once traveled thousands of miles to Jiangdu, stormed into Jiangdu Palace to rescue Princess Qin from the clutches of the Imperial Guard. With such experiences, Wo Xue always believed that, regardless of what happened or what danger she might be in, Prince Qin would never easily give up on Princess Qin.

So she asked, “Won’t Prince Qin come?”

Shang Ruyi sighed and said, “If it were just me and him this time, he would definitely come to rescue me.”

“…”

“But this time, he is tasked with attacking Luoyang.”

“…”

“Luoyang City has not yet been taken. If King Qi cannot hold his ground, he will be trapped in a pincer attack. He needs to help King Qi stabilize the battle on Luoyang’s side; only then will they have a chance of winning. So this time, he must intervene to assist King Qi.”

“…”

“If he intervenes to help King Qi while needing to guard Hulao Pass, how many troops will he still have left?”

Upon hearing this, Wo Xue furrowed her brows.

During the journey, she learnt about the battles near Luoyang. Though Yu Wenye had won multiple consecutive victories, sweeping through the Luoyang Eight Passes, and had received deserters, increasing his forces considerably to tens of thousands, they still had to leave some behind to defend Da Gu and Huanyuan, leaving little left. Currently, they can barely hold Hulao Pass because of its strategic location, which can only barely counterbalance Xiao Yuansui’s army of a hundred thousand.

If he were to divide his forces to obstruct Liang Shide while maintaining Hulao Pass, where would he gather the troops to rescue us?

Even a skillful wife cannot cook without rice.

Thinking this through made Wo Xue’s heart sink even further, and she couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

Seeing her dejected appearance, Shang Ruyi’s eyes also held deep helplessness, yet she forced a smile to comfort and said, “Don’t be discouraged. No matter what, we must take it step by step. We’ll always have a chance.”

Wo Xue gently nodded.

The surroundings became increasingly quiet, and the flickering light inside the tent was about to go out. Wo Xue softly said, “Princess, it’s late; let me assist you to rest.”

Shang Ruyi shook her head instead and glanced again at the dim light, saying, “I don’t want to sleep just yet.”

Wo Xue asked, “Is the Princess waiting for their news?”

Shang Ruyi nodded and added, “Aside from the Huilu Storehouse, I always feel something might happen tonight.”

“What might happen?”

“I don’t know either; let’s watch and see…”

Saying this, Shang Ruyi turned her head, her gaze piercing through the tent, looking into the outside’s pitch-black night.

The night deepened.

Nearing midnight, far away from Hulao Pass and away from the military camp, there was a place so dark it was hard to see one’s hand before oneself, yet in this black night, a contingent was advancing difficultly under the shine of a few sparse torches.

They were the men Liang Shide sent out to transport supplies to the Huilu Storehouse.

This contingent numbered only about two hundred, led by a general named Chen Cai, who was barely in his thirties, tall and burly, with a rugged appearance and a violent temper. Their journey was exceedingly difficult—although the sustained clouds had temporarily ceased, the ground remained muddy, making each step outside Luoyang particularly laborious, especially for the infantry, whose feet were thickly coated in mud, as if lead had been poured into their boots, making each step arduous, much less mentioning they were pushing wooden carts.

After walking half a day without rest, some were exhausted to the point of panting heavily, and finally, someone couldn’t help but softly say, “General Chen, can we take a break?”

The moment these words were spoken, a crisp sound rang through the silent night.

Immediately, the speaker staggered backwards covering his face, nearly falling into the mud.

Hearing this sound, everyone pushing carts and riding horses stopped, all eyes turning to Chen Cai on horseback. Due to continuous rain and the cold weather, combined with his habitual drinking, he had almost constantly been drinking on horseback, which resulted in a strong smell of alcohol with each breath, and his eyes were bloodshot from the strong liquor, glaring fiercely at the speaker: “Who do you think you are to dare teach me how to do things?”

The man who was struck was young, covering his face with one hand, yet the terrifying red streak from the whip visible through his fingers quickly swelled across his cheek, with some areas faintly oozing blood.

His eyes also turned red, biting his lip fiercely, yet he said nothing.

Chen Cai grew more smug, shaking the whip in his hand, saying: “Guan Chiying, don’t forget, I’m the one in charge here, you’re here to work, not to babble nonsense, and if you dare speak foolishly again, I’ll kill you right now!”

The young man named Guan Chiying remained silent for a long time before finally saying: “Yes.”

Having said this, he turned away again, silently returning to the team.

People around him looked on, with some eyes filled with a bit of sympathy, some with exhaustion mixed with contempt and disdain, and others speaking just loud enough for him to hear: “Spineless creature who dares to speak at this time, what does he think this is, his home?”

Another chimed in, “His home? His home doesn’t recognize him, either.”

Some people laughed.

Other people were so exhausted they remained silent, watching Guan Chiying struggle along muddy tracks with the wooden cart from behind.

Seeing everyone subdued by his intimidation, Chen Cai laughed gleefully and grabbed his wine pouch, drinking it in large gulps, his eyes growing hazier from the alcohol, yet still boasting arrogantly: “We’re just a bit away from the Huilu Storehouse, we’ll definitely arrive tonight. Once we’ve secured the grain, we’ll earn great merit, and this general won’t shortchange you. If anyone dares have dissenting thoughts, they’ll be executed without mercy!”

The surrounding people were too drained to respond, only managing a weak “Yes.”

Then, they trudged forward with difficulty once again.

Yet as they groped their way forward in the darkness, suddenly, a gust of unexpected, chilling wind hit them head-on, extinguishing the few scattered torches in an instant.

Chen Cai furrowed his brows: “Hmm?”