GSY Chapter35

Until the day he actually evacuated Beicang, Yuan Zheng still felt a sense of unreality.

 

Fang Jing and several young dandies followed him, all of them were quiet. Yuan Zheng silently looked at the people gathered in the city, each of them carrying bags, dragging the old, leading the young, huddled together, all with a look of panic and confusion on their faces.

 

Yuan Zheng also saw the child who handed him the sweet potato that night. He grabbed his mother’s sleeve and hid his small body in the crowd. Yuan Zheng was absent-minded for a long time, and Fang Jing softly said, “Ah Zheng, this is just a temporary measure, don’t… don’t be like this.”

 

Yuan Zheng glanced at him and turned his face away again.

 

He was not a fool. The war in Hedong was far less serious than in the north. Si Shaoying had been late in coming, and he was already suspicious. After Cen Yelan pointed it out, no matter how much he didn’t want to admit it, but he roughly guessed that the situation in Beicang Pass today might be related to him.

 

There are people who wanted to use the Hu people’s death to make him die in the northern border and even abandoned Heshan Prefecture and let Beicang Pass become an isolated city.

 

Let him die in a natural and seamless way.

 

Now the crown prince position has not been decided. Although his emperor father has many princes, but Yuan Zheng is still the most watched one. When he was in the capital, countless people impeached him and wanted him dead. Yuan Zheng once thought that since he was demoted to the border, he was far away from the court and could swim as freely as fish in the vast sea and fly as freely as birds in the sky. Cen Yelan said that he was naive, but now he seems to think he was really naive and ridiculous.

 

Yuan Zheng felt disgusted and powerless, as if he was trapped in a spider web, his hands and feet were trapped, no matter how he pulled and struggled, it was useless. But soon, a huge rage rose in his heart. No matter who wanted to kill him, whoever wanted to kill him should not use such means either.

 

At dusk, as the sun sets, the weary birds flap their wings and return to their nests.

 

The South Gate was the weakest gap in the Hu people’s siege of the city. The moment the gate was opened, Cen Yi led the generals in the city and rushed out first. The soldiers behind him followed in an orderly manner, and then the black crows of people came.

 

Cen Yelan rode on his horse, quietly looking at the people hiding in the team. The soldiers left beside him were standing in full battle array.

 

Soon, the Hu people who were camped at the south gate in the distance seemed to have noticed something, and immediately rushed up with their troops.

 

Cen Yelan calmly raised his hand, and the archers on the city wall raised their crossbows. In a moment, arrows rained down like rain, shooting at the charging Hu people. The soldiers outside the city also deployed to meet the enemy, and the sound of fighting broke the silence of the evening.

 

There was fighting on the battlefield, and soldiers were protecting the civilians as they evacuated. Yuan Zheng had already left the city. He held the reins tightly and rode on his horse. Behind him were the frightened civilians, who walked in groups of two or three and dared not make a sound.

 

Their breakout was sudden, and the Hu people were caught off guard. They could not stop the city’s evacuation even though they tried with all their might. Cen Yelan held a silver spear, wearing black armor, and rode a horse with a clattering sound. No one dared to stop him wherever he passed.

 

The sky gradually darkened. In the melee, Cen Yelan and Cen Yi’s eyes met. Cen Yelan’s lips moved, and he swung his spear to kill one of them. The blood stained the red tassel, and the word “go” which was not yet uttered, even had a bloody smell.

 

The dim afterglow enveloped Cen Yi’s face. He said nothing while looking at the bleeding Liuhuo spear. That was his little uncle’s spear, which accompanied him in battles for decades. Later, his little uncle gave it to Cen Yelan along with the Jingbei Commandery.

 

Cen Xi chose Cen Yelan.

 

Cen Yi rarely used a spear afterwards and instead chose a sword, which he was even less skilled at.

 

Cen Yi pulled the reins hard, and the horse under him raised its neck and let out a long neigh. There was no expression on his face. Perhaps it was because of the bloody battlefield and the dim setting sun, his usually handsome and elegant eyes were now a little gloomy.

 

From a distance, Cen Yelan saw Cen Yi turn his horse’s head, and he felt relieved. He looked around and subconsciously cast his eyes to the shade of the woods outside the city. Yuan Zheng was there.

 

Cen Yelan exhaled deeply and said in a deep voice, “Return to the city.”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, the deputy general wiped his face and said yes. The soldiers who were still in the melee retreated one after another. Cen Yelan was afraid that something might happen if the battle lasted for too long, so he had already issued an order to strictly prohibit the battle. The ones who stayed behind were Cen Yelan’s personal and elite soldiers, and they all obeyed Cen Yelan’s orders. They wanted to retreat, but the Hu soldiers took advantage of the situation and rushed forward. The two sides fought endlessly and they even tried to rush into the open city gate.

 

The city gate was tall and heavy, and it made a dull creaking sound when pushed.

 

Cen Yelan looked at the city gate. There were no civilians in the city except for the soldiers. The city was nearly deserted. He did not hesitate. He shouted and shook the reins and rushed directly into the empty city.

 

The Hu people pursued them relentlessly, and those who rushed into the gate were all beheaded on the spot, and their bodies were piled outside the city gate.

 

Cen Yelan sat on horseback, watching the city gate gradually closing. The sky was dark, and only a ray of setting sun could be vaguely seen in the distance. When the sun was about to set, an thrilled neighing sound was heard. The figure of a young man riding his horse, along with the sun completely sinking into the horizon, directly hit Cen Yelan’s pupils.

 

Cen Yelan opened his eyes wide in astonishment.

 

With a loud bang, the city gate slammed shut.

 

Yuan Zheng’s heart was still beating, up and down, violently, and he could almost hear his own heartbeat that was beating like a drum.

 

Yuan Zheng was proficient in riding and shooting. He never knew that a distance of just a few dozen feet could make him feel so close yet so far away, as if he would fall into the abyss if he was one step slower.

 

Fang Jing and the others’ exclamations were left far behind. Yuan Zheng suddenly woke up. He anxiously intercepted and killed the Hu soldiers who were approaching him. Looking at Cen Yelan on the battlefield, his heart was filled with unspeakable anxiety.

 

He numbly raised his sword and killed another Hu soldier. The blood splashed high and fell on his face, sticky and warm. In a flash, Yuan Zheng’s heart stopped for a few seconds. He suddenly looked up at the soldiers who were gradually retreating, and a thought kept turning in his mind.

 

Cen Yelan lied to him.

 

Cen Yelan had lied to him, he had never thought of leaving!

 

Yuan Zheng didn’t even think twice, he suddenly kicked the horse’s belly and rushed out directly. The cold wind blew on his face, Yuan Zheng felt the chill penetrate his bones, and his flesh and blood seemed to be frozen.

 

How could someone like Cen Yelan retreat?! He would rather die at Beicang Pass than take a single step back!

 

The moment he jumped over the city gate, Yuan Zheng looked at Cen Yelan, and the blood in his body seemed to start flowing slowly. He was panting, he held the reins in his hands too tightly, causing a dull pain in his palms.

 

Cen Yelan was stunned, with a rare daze on his face. Yuan Zheng stared at Cen Yelan fiercely, and somehow, he actually laughed, revealing a vengeful pleasure, hatred, and anger.

 

It took Cen Yelan a long while to find his voice again, and he said, “Yuan Zheng… what are you doing coming back here?”

 

Yuan Zheng watched, his smile gradually disappearing, his heart filled with uncontrollable sorrow and pain, like a knife stabbing into his heart.

 

He looked at the empty city, the few soldiers left in the city, the dark night, and the whimpering sound of the evening wind.

 

Yuan Zheng thought, Cen Yelan never wanted to live.

 

He wanted to die for his country.

 

Yuan Zheng’s eyes were hot, and he spoke in a hoarse voice, “Why, only you are allowed to be the hero?”

 

Cen Yelan was stunned for a moment, then fell silent. After a long moment, he still said, “You shouldn’t have come back.”

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TN: Bro just want to be an idle prince TT yet those brothers of his being such an asshole