GSY Chapter32

The human heart is a very strange thing. Sometimes it can be as solid as a rock, but sometimes it can be as thin as a cicada’s wing and cannot withstand scrutiny.

 

The battle at Beicang Pass dragged on for a long time and reached a stalemate. The Hu people surrounded the city again. Rumors began to spread in the city at some point. They were all terrifying words and quite alarmist. However, in the middle of the war, hearing them for a long time made people particularly concerned.

 

The people in the city were in a state of panic.

 

Spy—Cen Yi said it was a spy. The Beicang Pass was impregnable, and Cen Yelan was guarding it. If a spy had sneaked in, wouldn’t it be even more terrifying?

 

But if they were not spies—the scene of blood splattering three feet that night was still vivid in their mind. Cen Yi killed too quickly and cruelly, as if the cry of a night owl had stopped abruptly, but there was still some tremor. If they were not spies, why did Cen Yi kill so quickly? Was what they said really not the truth?

 

The more they think about it, the more they can’t resist scrutiny. There are still a large number of people in Beicang Pass. At first, it was just a fear in their hearts. Later, two or three people believed it, and then it spread silently in the city like a plague, with a fast and eerie speed that is chilling.

 

The war is still going on, the drums of war sound every day, and every sound of fighting has become a guillotine hanging over the heads of the people. The most torment is deciding whether to fall or not.

 

The war outside the city was tense, and Yan Le’s siege was getting more and more fierce day by day. Cen Yelan accepted the challenge while asking Cen Yi to clear up the rumors in the city. It took only a few days of busy work to appease the people, and the situation reduced slightly.

 

The north wind was howling, Yan Le sat high on his horse, watching the Hu soldiers rushing towards the wall of Beicang Pass one after another. The cold and hard mud on the ground was soaked with blood due to days of hard fighting, and it seemed that the blood of the corpses would splash out if the horses’ hooves trampled on it.

 

Yan Le stared at Cen Yelan. He and Cen Yelan had been fighting for many years. In this northern battlefield, Cen Xi and his master, Xuan Ge, still rule the world. When he and Cen Yelan were just slightly famous, Yan Le regarded Cen Yelan as his only rival in life.

 

Later, Cen Xi was seriously injured, and his master broke an arm. Cen Yelan was given the task, and Yan Le also took the command. It was the first time for the two to face off as main generals.

 

So many years have passed in the blink of an eye, Yan Le thought, There must be a winner.

 

Back then, Cen Xi died at the hands of his master, and Cen Yelan will also be defeated by him. The royal cavalry will flatten the northern border and head straight for the heartland of Dayan.

 

When the horn was sounded to call back the troops, Yan Le raised his voice and said, “Cen Yelan, the capture of Beicang Pass is a foregone conclusion. How many days can you hold on?”

 

Cen Yelan stood on the city wall, overlooking the retreating Hu soldiers. The ground was littered with corpses, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood, which scraped his face like a knife made of blood.

 

Yan Le said, “It is said that a man of insight is a wise man. Look back at the Dayan court you are guarding. They have already abandoned you. Why do you have to work hard for a court that has begun to rot from the root?”

 

Cen Yelan looked indifferent and spoke in a clear voice, “Yan Le, as long as I, Cen Yelan, am here, you will not be able to cross the Beicang Pass even half a step.”

 

Yan Le narrowed his wolf-like green eyes and sneered, “Do you really think I can’t break through the Beicang Pass?”

 

“Cen Yelan, I’ll tell you today, if you open the city gate and surrender, not only will I guarantee your wealth and glory but I will also spare the lives of the soldiers and civilians in your city. Otherwise, when the city is broken, I will slaughter everyone in Beicang Pass, leaving no one alive!”

 

From a distance of several feet, Cen Yelan looked at Yan Le without dodging or avoiding, and said calmly: “Try it.”

 

The battle situation became more and more tense day by day.

 

Cen Yi was the commander-in-chief of Beicang Pass. Most of the food and supplies in the city had been used up. He raised some more in the city, but it was just a drop in the bucket and could only delay the war for a few more days.

 

The soldiers in the army seemed to have sensed something. That day, Yan Le had said that he would slaughter all the people at the Beicang Pass after the city was captured. His words were still ringing in their ears, and for a moment, people’s hearts were a little unsettled, and morale gradually declined.

 

Yuan Zheng watched, feeling a little anxious, as he had never been in such a predicament before.

 

That day, Yuan Zheng passed by the wounded soldier’s residence and heard someone saying, “Can we really win this battle?”

 

He stopped and looked up. There were two soldiers standing guard with spears in their arms. They were huddled by the fire and spoke in low voices.

 

Yuan Zheng said nothing.

 

“Who knows?” the other one said, rubbing his hands. “The Hu people haven’t been so arrogant for many years.”

 

“That’s right. When General Cen was here, when has Beicang Pass ever lost? It would be great if General Cen was still here.”

 

“If we really lose, what should we do if the Hu people massacre the city? I heard that second prince something said that he would massacre the city and leave no one alive. Then we will all die.”

 

“Didn’t they say that there would be reinforcements? Why haven’t they arrived yet? Is it true that we have been abandoned as the Hu people said?”

 

“…But General Cen is still here.”

 

The two were silent for a moment, and Yuan Zheng only heard one person whisper, “General Cen is not as good as Old General Cen…”

 

It was a very cold midwinter, but Yuan Zheng felt an inexplicable fire rising in his heart. He endured it and did not lose his temper. He just flicked his sleeves and left.

 

They were just a few soldiers.

 

It was not until Yuan Zheng returned to the mansion that he looked up and found that he was outside Cen Yelan’s door.

 

The lights were still on in the room.

 

Yuan Zheng suddenly came to his senses. What was he doing here? Why was he angry when Cen Yelan was criticized? He even felt unfair and aggrieved. Yuan Zheng stared at the closed door, thinking of Cen Yelan’s face. Suddenly, a storm surged in his heart, which made him tremble uncontrollably, and then a little subtle sweetness arose.

 

Yuan Zheng did not disturb Cen Yelan but just stood quietly outside his door for a long time. He didn’t know when the snow started to fall, but a thin layer of white had already fell on his shoulders.

 

Qi Bai was dying.

 

His neck was pierced by an arrow, not deeply, and he survived for a few days. However, the weather was too cold, and the wound was difficult to heal. One day, after calling off the battle, he suddenly fell down, and his drumstick hit the ground and rolled a few steps away.

 

Yuan Zheng’s heart skipped a beat, and the soldiers around him rushed over to help.

 

Qi Bai’s face was pale, his lips were white, and his neck was slightly red from the white bandage wrapped around it. Yuan Zheng squatted beside him and called him a few times before he opened his eyes, but his vision was already out of focus.

 

He exhaled a breath of white air, looked at Cen Yelan, and called out, “…General.”

 

Cen Yelan grabbed Qi Bai’s cold hand that was hanging beside him, his fingers were stiff and bent abnormally. “Don’t talk yet.”

 

Qi Bai said, “General, I can’t make it.”

 

Cen Yelan pursed his lips. The military physician who was carrying the wounded soldiers knelt beside him, checked Qi Bai, and shook his head silently.

 

“I can no longer beat the drum for the General.” Qi Bai said, unaware, “This battle is not over yet…”

 

Cen Yelan tightly grasped the hand and whispered, “Don’t worry, it will be over.”

 

Qi Bai gave a difficult and honest smile and said, “I… I won’t be able to see anymore.”

 

His pupils gradually dimmed, but somehow, as if a last breath of light came back to him, he suddenly took a deep breath, tightly grasped Cen Yelan’s hand, and said, “General, we have not been abandoned, right? There will be reinforcements coming to Beicang Pass, there will definitely be—”

 

“They said the court doesn’t care about us anymore…”

 

The dying man didn’t know where he got the strength from, he held on tightly, as if holding on to his only driftwood, faith.

 

Cen Yelan looked at Qi Bai’s wide-open eyes, his mind dazed, his throat rolling, and for a moment he was unable to utter a single word.

 

There were many wounded soldiers lying or leaning on the city wall, all of them silent and looking at Cen Yelan quietly.

 

There was a sudden movement beside him, and a hand stretched out to hold Qi Bai’s wrist. It was Yuan Zheng. The young man’s face was still splattered with blood. His eyes were sharp, and his voice was deep. He said, “Qi Bai, Beicang Pass will have reinforcements.”

 

Qi Bai blinked slowly, and Yuan Zheng said, “I promise you on the honor of the Dayan royal family that Dayan will not abandon an inch of land, let alone a single citizen.”

 

Cen Yelan suddenly turned around and looked straight at Yuan Zheng, unable to hide his surprise.

 

Beicang Pass is not as good as Hanzhou where Yuan Zheng insisted on coming here that day. Cen Yelan gave an order to keep Yuan Zheng’s identity secret. Most people in Beicang Pass did not know his identity and just thought that the notorious dandy was still in Hanzhou.

 

Qi Bai took a deep breath and wanted to say something, but he no longer had the strength to utter it. His eyes were wide open, but in a moment, he died.

 

The north wind was as sharp as a knife, and the flags standing high on the city wall rustled like silent sobs. Cen Yelan felt a dull pain in his heart, but his face showed no sign of it. He slowly pulled his hand away and closed Qi Bai’s eyes.

 

Yuan Zheng stood up and looked around. It was quiet everywhere. He said in a deep voice, “There are rumors in the army recently that Beicang Pass has been abandoned and will only be left to fend for itself. There will be no reinforcements at all.”

 

“Everyone, since the founding of Dayan over 200 years ago, there has never been a case of abandoning a city to support the enemy. Such rumors are extremely absurd! Soldiers, you are the most solid fortress of the Dayan, the king’s army of the north. Behind us are the millions of people of the Dayan, our parents, wives, and children.”

 

“Soldiers of Dayan…” Yuan Zheng took a deep breath, his eyes as sharp as a blade, shining like the sun. “We can only fight and cannot retreat!”

 

Yuan Zheng’s voice was sonorous and powerful, resounding to the ground, and spread on the city wall with the murderous north wind. No one on either side spoke, and it was unknown where the sound came from, it gradually became like a surging wave.

 

That was the muffled sound of the soldiers leaning their spears on the ground and the sound of “fight, fight, fight” from their mouths one after another, it was shocking, as if it could single-handedly dispel the heavy haze overhead.

 

Cen Yelan stared at Yuan Zheng in a daze. Their eyes met, and Yuan Zheng smiled at him. Cen Yelan was dazed, his heart burning with heat, and it silently dispelled the coldness from his body.