GSY Chapter42

Unexpectedly, the thing that Cen Yelan was most worried about still happened.

 

It was a cloudy day, with dark clouds rolling and the north wind howling. Yan Le led a large army to approach the outskirts of Hanzhou City. The drums of war were beating, and the world was filled with a murderous aura.

 

Cen Yelan stepped onto the tower, looking down from above. Outside the city were all Hu soldiers, and Yan Le was sitting high on his horse with an intimidating look.

 

Cen Yelan was stunned when he and Yan Le looked at each other. Yan Le was wearing a half mask, covering his left eye, and he immediately felt a little uneasy.

 

Yan Le grinned and said, “Cen Yelan, you are really lucky. You didn’t die even after the explosion at Beicang Pass.”

 

Cen Yelan said, “If I died, wouldn’t you be very disappointed?”

 

Yan Le smiled and said, “Of course, so to celebrate your survival, I prepared a great gift for you.”

 

Cen Yelan’s heart sank, and he stared at Yan Le closely. Yan Le raised his hand and touched the mask on his face, saying, “Cen Yelan, aren’t you surprised that there is so much gunpowder in Beicang Pass?”

 

“As far as I know, the border troops of Dayan don’t use much gunpowder.”

 

Cen Yelan was a little anxious, but he didn’t show it on his face. He coldly said, “What do you want to say?”

 

Yan Le sighed and said, “You have a good brother ah.”

 

Suddenly, Cen Yelan’s hand in his sleeve clenched. Yuan Zheng turned to look at Cen Yelan and quietly touched the back of his hand. Cen Yelan glanced at Yuan Zheng and said indifferently, “Yan Le, where is my elder brother?”

 

“Ha.” Yan Le said, “I thought General Cen didn’t care about your elder brother anymore.”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, two Hu soldiers came out from the crowd, holding a man in their hands. The man had disheveled hair and was covered in black blood, so his face could not be seen clearly.

 

Cen Yelan recognized him at a glance, his heart trembled, and his face turned ugly.

 

The high-ranking generals in the surrounding cities all recognized who that man was. They took a deep breath, their faces gloomy, and cursed a few times.

 

Yan Le was riding on a horse, holding a whip in his hand. He tapped his palm and suddenly whipped with all his strength, causing the unconscious Cen Yi to groan unconsciously and slowly wake up.

 

He raised his face, and Cen Yelan’s pupils shrank. Even though he was far away, he could still see that Cen Yi’s face was covered with dried blood, and his two eyes had been gouged out.

 

Cen Yelan said in hatred, “Yan Le!”

 

Cen Yi seemed to have heard his voice, his body trembled, and he struggled violently but was held down by the two Hu soldiers.

 

Yan Le smiled and said, “How is it? Do you like it?”

 

“Cen Yi killed my elder brother and destroyed one of my eyes. I dug out both of his eyes. That is not too much, right?” Yan Le’s left eye seemed to be in excruciating pain again. His tone was cold, and he smiled and said, “In fact, he should have been cut into pieces to sacrifice to my elder brother, but I thought about the deep brotherly love between you two. You and I have been fighting for many years, so I must let you see your elder brother.”

 

Cen Yelan’s blood boiled, and a mouthful of blood choked in his throat. He swallowed and said coldly, “Yan Le, a man can be killed but not humiliated. You humiliated my brother like this today, I will make you pay a thousand times!”

 

Yan Le sighed and said, “Your brotherly love is so deep, it’s so touching.”

 

“How about this? You give me Hanzhou, and I’ll spare his life. How about that?”

 

Before Cen Yelan could say anything, a hot-tempered general had already started to curse, “Dream on!”

 

“Yan Le, send our general back quickly, or we will destroy your royal court!”

 

Yan Le sneered and said, “Just you guys?” He looked at Cen Yelan and said, “Cen Yelan, think about it carefully.”

 

Cen Yelan’s face was gloomy, and he said nothing.

 

Yan Le said, “Or, you can exchange yourself for Cen Yi. Come here, and I will let him go.”

 

Cen Yelan raised his eyes and stared straight at Yan Le, almost pinching off a corner of the battlement of the city wall with hatred.

 

Suddenly, Cen Yi laughed, his voice hoarse, his body shaking, and he said, “Who has such a deep brotherly relationship with him?”

 

Cen Yi raised his head and mocked, “A beggar brought back by my little uncle, is he worthy?”

 

Cen Yelan’s eyelashes trembled, and in a moment, there was complete silence, and everyone on the tower cast their eyes on Cen Yelan.

 

Cen Yi’s hands and feet were dragged by heavy iron chains, and he sneered, “Cen Yelan, why didn’t you die in Beicang Pass, ah?”

 

“Why didn’t you die?!”

 

Cen Yelan’s face turned pale. Yuan Zheng held Cen Yelan’s hand. His fingers were cold and trembling, as if he were trying his best to endure the great pain. Yuan Zheng’s eyes were filled with gloom. He stared at Cen Yi, almost wanting him to shut up.

 

Cen Yelan slowly broke free from Yuan Zheng’s hand, straightened his back, and said in a deep voice, “Big Brother—”

 

“Shut up!” Cen Yi staggered and coldly said to Cen Yelan, “Cen Yelan, what are you waiting for?”

 

“I was the one who placed the gunpowder in Beicang Pass. I was the one who deliberately led you to Beicang Pass. The whole process of having you rush to help Beicang Pass was a trap.” Cen Yi’s voice resounded throughout the battlefield. He said, “Little Uncle asked you to be the head of the northern border, but you are even so indecisive when executing a traitor!”

 

Cen Yi said, “Kill me!”

 

Cen Yelan closed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, “Give me the bow.”

 

Zhao Yiqing, who was beside him, was stunned for a moment, and said in disbelief, “General, that’s the Marquis!”

 

Cen Yelan suddenly opened his eyes and stared at Zhao Yiqing coldly. Zhao Yiqing’s throat moved, and he slammed the bow in his hand against the city wall. Cen Yelan looked at him and was about to reach out his hand when Yuan Zheng took the bow away. He said, “Cen Yi is a traitor. I should be the one to punish him.”

 

Yuan Zheng raised the bow and drew the arrow, aiming at Cen Yi, but Cen Yi sneered, “You are just a dandy who feeds on the people. What right do you have to punish me?”

 

“If it weren’t for my Cen family guarding the northern border for generations, how could your Yuan family have such peace today?”

 

He took a deep breath, and his lungs felt like they were being cut by a knife. Cen Yi shouted, “Cen Yelan, you don’t even dare to kill me with your own hands!”

 

Yuan Zheng’s face darkened, and when he pulled the bowstring to its full length, he heard Cen Yelan say, “Give me the bow.”

 

Yuan Zheng was stunned, and Cen Yelan had already snatched the bow from his hand. He put an arrow on the bowstring and said with a cold face, “Cen Yi, as a general guarding the border, you have colluded with the enemy and committed treason, which is unforgivable.”

 

His voice was calm, and every word was clearly heard. “As a subject, you despise the emperor’s grace, you are unworthy of the monarch, and you have failed the people.”

 

“Your crime—” Cen Yelan felt that every word was like a knife, and his lips and teeth were full of blood. “You should be executed!”

 

As soon as the word “execute” fell, the arrow had already left the string and gone straight towards Cen Yi.

 

Although it was so far away, but Cen Yelan seemed to hear the dull sound of the arrow piercing through the body. In a trance, he felt as if the world seemed to be shattered bit by bit.

 

Yan Le narrowed his eyes, clapped his hands, and laughed, saying, “What a great general, General Cen sacrificed his relatives for the sake of justice.”

 

“Cen Yelan, there is a long way to go, and we are not done with this battle!”

 

After saying that, Yan Le led his people away, and Cen Yi was thrown to the ground by the Hu people.

 

Everyone in the city was motionless, in a deathly silence. Cen Yelan slowly put down his bow and looked at Cen Yi, who was alone outside the city. The sharp pain burst through the gate like a tide and came over his head with the waves.

 

Cen Yelan’s body swayed, and the longbow in his hand fell to the ground. Before Yuan Zheng could support him, Cen Yelan had turned around and walked down the city wall. He walked faster and faster, with a buzzing in his ears, and all sounds disappeared without a trace.

 

Cen Yelan ran over. He ran very fast. He stopped beside Cen Yi after a short distance of ten feet, and his breathing became rapid. Cen Yelan knelt down with a plop, picked up Cen Yi, and murmured, “Big Brother, Big Brother…”

 

Cen Yi was covered in wounds, with blood gushing from his chest, no longer showing the gentle and elegant demeanor of a general. Cen Yelan hugged Cen Yi, whose heart was naturally a little more crooked than that of an ordinary person. Cen Yelan knew that his arrow seemed life-threatening but not fatal; however, the wound on Cen Yi was far more serious than he thought.

 

There was hardly a single good spot on Cen Yi’s body.

 

Cen Yelan’s hands were shaking, and he stood up staggeringly, about to go back to the city, but he heard Cen Yi, who was in his arms exhale softly.

 

Cen Yi said, “Cen Yelan…”

 

Cen Yelan trembled and said nothing.

 

Cen Yi’s voice was barely audible. “In the future, the northern border must not be handed over to… to Cen Mo; he has, has Hu blood…”

 

Cen Yelan opened his eyes wide. “Big Brother…”

 

“His mother is a spy…” Cen Yi said it with difficulty and vagueness. A dazed look suddenly appeared on his face. He stretched out his hand, causing the chain to creak. His eye sockets, which had lost their eyeballs, were filled with blood and tears. “Little Uncle—”

 

Before he finished speaking, the hand dropped heavily.

 

Cen Yelan’s face was blank for a moment. “Brother!”