GSY Chapter45

As Cen Yelan expected, within a few days, Yan Le led his army to attack Hanzhou.

 

Hanzhou is easy to defend but difficult to attack, which is an extremely difficult nut to crack for the Hu people. Even though they have taken down several passes, they still have no luck outside the city of Hanzhou.

 

Yan Le was a little angry.

 

When the news of Shu Dan’s death at Beicang Pass reached the royal court, his father was so angry that he fainted in public. His father had always favored that useless Shu Dan, and rumors gradually spread in the royal court that Yan Le had plotted against Shu Dan and had him die at Beicang Pass.

 

Because it should have been him who entered Beicang Pass, not Shu Dan, who was far away in Shangwei. But in the end, it was Shu Dan who entered Beicang Pass. Not only did he enter, but he also brought tens of thousands of elite troops with him. In the end, they were all buried in the explosion and fire of Beicang Pass and never came out again.

 

Yan Le and Shu Dan had always been at odds, and when Shu Dan died, Yan Le was the first to bear the brunt.

 

Yan Le couldn’t help but curse Shu Dan as a waste again. He closed his eyes while the military physician changed his bandage. One of Yan Le’s eyes was destroyed by Cen Yi, and he still feels the pain.

 

Thinking of Cen Yi, Yan Le thought of Beicang Pass and couldn’t help but feel a little scared.

 

If Shu Dan hadn’t been eager to take the credit and buried his own bones in Beicang Pass, then it might have been him. But because of this, Yan Le was suspected, and they even summoned Yan Le back.

 

Yan Le dismissed the military physician and placed the secret letter over the fire with an expressionless face. The flames licked it, and in the blink of an eye the secret letter turned into ashes.

 

Yan Le thought, He can’t go back. If he went back, they would fail. The Hu people have many tribes. They were united a hundred years ago, but now they are scattered. Even if they occupied the royal court, there were still many tribes under them who were ready to cause trouble.

 

It took Yan Le two full years to get the Hu tribes to form an alliance and discuss going south. But even though the Hu people still had the upper hand in this war, they also suffered heavy losses. Especially Shu Dan and tens of thousands of elite soldiers died at Beicang Pass, which greatly damaged the morale of the Hu people. Among these tens of thousands of people, there were more than just his soldiers.

 

Now some small tribes are thinking of retreating and leaving the battlefield.

 

Yan Le was extremely angry.

 

A hundred years ago, the royal court was so powerful that even Dayan had to negotiate for peace with them. A hundred years later, the former tribes fell apart, and each ruled itself, like a pile of loose sand. They could only survive by looting in the dead of winter every year. However, some of them were complacent and satisfied after taking over one or two border towns.

 

They cannot see the vast world behind Hanzhou City, and even live in a corner, completely grinding away their ambitions.

 

If they retreat today, he is afraid that they will never be able to regain their current momentum within ten years.

 

Cen Yelan was as sharp as a wolf on the battlefield. He was taught by Cen Xi. He was born and raised on the northern border and was well aware of the disputes between the Hu tribes.

 

What the Hu people lack now is a king who can unify all the tribes, not a general who is eager to conquer.

 

Yan Le was too impatient.

 

If he took the throne first and then unified the tribes, he might really become a steel knife inserted into the heart of Dayan.

 

The battlefield changed rapidly, and Cen Yelan smelled a sign that the Hu people’s alliance was about to fall apart from Yan Le’s offensive. Since Yan Le refused to retreat, he would fight them to the death.

 

The battle of Hanzhou was a battle of life and death for them.

 

Hanzhou was not Beicang Pass. Hanzhou City belonged to Cen Yelan alone. No one was more familiar with every tree and blade of grass in Hanzhou than he was. When he returned to Hanzhou, he would be like an eagle soaring into the sky or a wolf entering the wilderness, no longer bound by his hands and feet.

 

The New Year is coming to an end, but the New Year atmosphere in Hanzhou City is weak, and the smell of war and smoke is everywhere.

 

Li Jingchuo is in Hanzhou, and while they are in Hanzhou, regardless of Hedong’s original stance, Hedong can only do its best to assist the northern region since Li Jingchuo represents Hedong.

 

Cen Yelan knew everything, so he was happy to see Li Jingchuo not mention returning to Hedong. Cen Yelan was still a little annoyed that Hedong was trying to protect itself.

 

Two days later, Hedong’s Commander Si Shaoying personally wrote a letter to Cen Yelan, saying that the northern part of Hedong was of the same origin and friendly neighbors and that he would definitely help and even send a batch of military equipment.

 

At the end of the twelfth lunar month, Cen Yelan turned from defense to offense and ordered Zhao Yiqing and Li Jingchuo to attack the Hu camp. The two sides fought, and the Hu were defeated. After several battles, the Hu lost more than they won and retreated 30 miles to Yuping Pass.

 

Cen Yelan said, “Yuping Pass is here.” He pointed to the sand table, in which were Yuan Zheng, Li Jingchuo, and his deputy general, Qi Ming. “Yan Le has only two ways if he wants to get to Yuping Pass.”

 

Li Jingchuo looked at the sand table and said, “This road passes through Yinfeng Gorge, which is convenient for ambushes. Taking this road is a taboo in military strategy. Given Yan Le’s caution, he should not choose this road.”

 

Cen Yelan nodded and said, “Feng Ning is right. Yan Le can only take the Chiguan Road. The Chiguan Road is flat and easy to march. He most likely went to Yuping by this road.”

 

Li Jingchuo frowned, “But if he chose this way, it will not be easy for us to ambush him.”

 

Cen Yelan glanced at Li Jingchuo. Yuan Zheng looked at Cen Yelan and saw a faint smile on his face for the first time in a long time. He was stunned for a moment and felt a little unhappy.

 

Cen Yelan’s slender fingers gently stroked the sand table, and he said, “Does Feng Ning know this place?”

 

Several people looked in the direction of his finger, and Qi Ming suddenly reacted and asked, “Luoyun Valley?”

 

Seeing that everyone turned their eyes to him as soon as he finished speaking, Qi Ming explained, “Luoyun Valley originally had no valley. One year, the mountains suddenly shook and the earth trembled, and that place became a valley. In the early years, bandits gathered and caused trouble. The General took us to suppress the bandits and restored Luoyun Valley to peace.”

 

Cen Yelan said, “If we lay an ambush in Luoyun Valley beforehand and force Yan Le into the valley—”

 

He looked around, and the people on the field suddenly realized, and they all had a faint excitement of licking blood from the edge of a knife.

 

Qi Ming hesitated and said, “But Luoyun Valley is steep and rugged, difficult to climb, and there are many poisonous snakes in the valley as well. If there is an ambush…”

 

Li Jingchuo directly said, “General, I will go.”

 

Cen Yelan shook his head and said, “Feng Ning and Qi Ming will go to Yinfeng Gorge.”

 

“In extraordinary times, it is inevitable that he will do the opposite.”

 

“Then Luoyun Valley—”

 

Yuan Zheng looked at Cen Yelan and understood. He snorted and laughed but didn’t say anything. Sure enough, he heard Cen Yelan say, “We will have to trouble His Highness to make a trip there.”

 

Li Jingchuo and Qi Ming were both stunned and said, “This… it’s very dangerous in Luoyun Valley.”

 

Yuan Zheng lazily interrupted Li Jingchuo, “General Cen is not even worried, why are you guys worried?”

 

Cen Yelan said, “I will send a group of elite soldiers to accompany Your Highness. I believe Your Highness will be able to hide in the valley.”

 

Yuan Zheng said, “What if I’m not here?”

 

Cen Yelan calmly said, “Then Luoyun Valley is where Yan Le and I will be buried.”

 

Yuan Zheng sighed and said nothing more.

 

After Li Jingchuo and Qi Ming left, Yuan Zheng said with a smile, “General Cen, this is a matter of life and death.”

 

Cen Yelan did not comment.

 

Yuan Zheng came closer and said with a smile, “Aren’t you afraid that I won’t care about you?”

 

“Will Your Highness?” Cen Yelan calmly said, “Your Highness dared to stay at Beicang Pass, so how can a mere Luoyun Valley be a problem for Your Highness?”

 

Yuan Zheng said, “Is the General praising me?”

 

Cen Yelan looked at him and said nothing.

 

Yuan Zheng smiled and said, “Alright.”

 

Cen Yelan asked back, “Your Highness, aren’t you afraid that I won’t care about you anymore?”

 

Yuan Zheng looked into Cen Yelan’s eyes and said, “Will the General?”

 

Cen Yelan calmly said, “Why not, Your Highness? Don’t forget that there is still an old grudge between you and me.”

 

Yuan Zheng was stunned for a moment and slowly said, “I know you hate me in your heart.”

 

“I was indeed a jerk before, you can hate me all you want, but—” Yuan Zheng said, “Cen Yelan, if I come back from Luoyun Valley, can you…”

 

Somehow, Yuan Zheng felt a rare bit of anxiety like a young man in love. He said, “Hate me less and like me more?”