GSY Chapter34

As soon as Cen Yelan said this, Cen Yi’s expression shifted, and he directly said, “No.”

 

“If they had to leave, you should take them out of the city.”

 

Cen Yelan, however, remained calm and called out, “Big Brother.”

 

“There is a shortage of food and supplies in the city, and there are no reinforcements outside the city. If we delay for one day, Beicang Pass will be in danger. We can no longer pin our hopes on reinforcements,” Cen Yelan said. “If we delay any further, we will have no choice but to fight to the death.”

 

Cen Yi said, “Then we will fight them to the death!”

 

“No one in the Cen family would flee from the battlefield. I can’t be a deserter.”

 

Cen Yelan smiled faintly and said softly, “Brother, what about the people in this city? You and I are not afraid of life and death, but what about the people in this city? What about the dozens of states on the northern border?”

 

Cen Yelan thought for an unknown period of time and spoke calmly. He raised his hand and pointed at the sand table, saying, “After leaving the city, let the people take shelter here for a few days. This place used to be a place to escape chaos, and it can accommodate the remaining people in the city. Then you can go to Hanzhou and come back to Beicang Pass with Zhao Yiqing to help.”

 

“Brother, this is not escaping, it is a last resort.”

 

Zhao Yiqing is a general in Hanzhou City. It was he who led the troops to help Beicang Pass but was stopped by Shu Dan halfway.

 

Cen Yi said, “Once I lead people out of the city, Beicang Pass will not be able to stop Yan Le.”

 

Cen Yelan said, “Yan Le claims to understand me, but I also understand him. Even if you leave, I can still deal with him for another two days.”

 

Cen Yelan looked at Cen Yi, and Cen Yi pursed his lips and said, “Ah Lan, I am the commander of Beicang Pass, and I should be the only one being here.”

 

Cen Yelan said, “Yan Le has always wanted to kill me with his own hands, just like his master severely injured Adoptive Father. The person he wants to kill is me.”

 

When Cen Xi was mentioned, Cen Yi’s eyes flickered for a moment, and then he was silent for a while and said, “Ah Lan, no matter what you say, I will not agree. It is my responsibility to guard the Beicang Pass. You are the head of the Northern Territory. If something happens to you, what will happen to the Northern Territory?”

 

Cen Yelan said, “Beicang Pass is also an important place on the northern border. Brother, since you said I am the head, then listen to me.”

 

Cen Yi looked at Cen Yelan in a daze and said, “Ah Lan…”

 

Cen Yelan sighed and said softly, “When Beicang Pass is breached, that will be the time of my death. Big Brother, you will be in charge of the Jingbei Commandery at that time. You can rely on the natural barrier of Hanzhou to defend it.”

 

“The Hu people have many tribes and have never been united. We may not be able to break their alliance now, but we just need the right time.” Cen Yelan said. “Now that they have captured several of our cities, it is very easy for them to have conflicts of interest. We only need to use spies to instigate them, and the so-called alliance of the Hu people will fall apart without any attack.”

 

“Hedong Army…” Cen Yelan tapped the sand table with his fingers and said, “Actually, I suspect it has something to do with the capital.”

 

Cen Yi frowned and said, “The Seventh Prince?”

 

Cen Yelan hummed calmly. Not sure what Cen Yi has thought of, he said, “Now that you mention it, I remember that Si Shaoying spent five years in the capital when he was young.”

 

Cen Yelan said, “Adoptive Father once said that the court is a place of right and wrong, and the Jingbei Army cannot be involved in the struggle for imperial power. But now that His Majesty has sent Yuan Zheng to the northern border, whether we get involved in the matter of establishing a crown prince or not, I am afraid that we are already in the game in the eyes of those who are interested.”

 

Cen Yi took a deep breath and said, “The North and Hedong are inextricably linked. How could Si Shaoying be so insensitive to the importance of the matter?”

 

Cen Yelan said, “Imperial power has always been cruel.”

 

“But there is no evidence yet. You should take Yuan Zheng and retreat to Hanzhou. Si Shaoying won’t be able to delay any longer. Otherwise, not to mention Yuan Zheng, if His Majesty investigates him, he will not be able to clear himself of the matter. Brother, you must be careful of Si Shaoying and the things in the capital in the future.”

 

Cen Yelan’s words sounded like instructions for his final resting place. Cen Yi was stunned. He looked at Cen Yelan and said in a hoarse voice, “Ah Lan, you can’t, the North still depends on you—”

 

Cen Yelan said, “Brother, the northern border is in your hands now.”

 

Cen Yi didn’t know what to say, and his eyes were slightly red.

 

Cen Yelan laughed. He gently touched Cen Yi with his shoulder, just like when they were children and were punished by Cen Xi to stand together to train their spears or reciting military tactics. The two teenagers stood together, under the scorching sun. After a long time, when Cen Xi left, Cen Yi whispered to Cen Yelan, “Ah Lan, can you bear it?”

 

He said, “If you can’t bear it, come to me and I’ll block you.”

 

After a long time, Cen Yi said, “Ah Lan, do you regret entering the Cen family with Little Uncle?”

 

Cen Yelan said without thinking, “No regrets.”

 

“I have no regrets about being able to bear the surname Cen and receiving Adoptive Father’s deep kindness.”

 

Cen Yi didn’t speak for a long time. He looked at Cen Yelan and said in a faint voice, “I’m afraid that the Seventh Prince won’t agree.”

 

Cen Yelan was stunned. He pursed his dry lips and said, “I’ll talk to him.”

 

As expected, when Cen Yelan and Yuan Zheng talked about evacuating Beicang Pass, Yuan Zheng’s expression shifted drastically, and he stared at Cen Yelan.

 

Cen Yelan was calm, as if he were talking about an ordinary matter. He said that Beicang Pass could no longer be defended. If the people were not evacuated, Yan Le would definitely massacre the city.

 

Yuan Zheng turned a deaf ear to him and just said, “We can’t retreat.”

 

Cen Yelan said, “If we don’t retreat, the city can’t be defended, and everyone will die.”

 

Yuan Zheng angrily said, “If we die, we die. How can we be a coward who is afraid of death?”

 

Cen Yelan: “What about the people?”

 

Yuan Zheng was speechless.

 

Cen Yelan calmly said, “Go out and see how many civilians are still in this city. Do you want them all to die here?”

 

Yuan Zheng’s heart trembled, and he said in a hoarse voice: “Reinforcements, there are reinforcements, how dare Si Shaoying not come?”

 

Cen Yelan smiled without any warmth and calmly, almost cruelly said, “There will be no reinforcements, Your Highness. If Si Shaoying was coming, he would have come long ago.”

 

Yuan Zheng was stunned for a moment, looked at Cen Yelan, and said, “Why?”

 

Cen Yelan asked back, “Why, can’t Your Highness figure it out?”

 

Yuan Zheng’s face suddenly turned pale, and he said, “…How dare he? Who gave him the order? How dare he not listen to me?”

 

Cen Yelan said, “Your Highness will have to investigate this then.”

 

Yuan Zheng suddenly stared at Cen Yelan fiercely, his voice rising, “Absurd! I have been banished by my emperor father and kept away from the competition for the crown prince. I don’t even bother to fight for that position. Who else would want to kill me?”

 

Cen Yelan said coldly, “Your last name is Yuan.”

 

“You are the Seventh Prince. Your Highness, don’t be naive.”

 

The two of them confronted each other for a while, and Yuan Zheng’s face became even uglier. Cen Yelan said, “Your Highness, leave the city from the south gate tomorrow, so make preparations early.”

 

For a considerable amount of time, Yuan Zheng remained silent and dazed, unsure of what he was thinking about.

 

Cen Yelan looked at the youth’s distraught look, and somehow, he felt a little sorry for him. He hesitated for a moment but didn’t say anything. When he was about to leave, Yuan Zheng asked him, “What about you?”

 

Cen Yelan paused.

 

Yuan Zheng asked, “Will you leave too? Will you leave the city with us?”

 

Cen Yelan looked into Yuan Zheng’s eyes and said, “Yes, I will stay behind and catch up with you all after the people leave the city, and we will go to Hanzhou together.”