SWDnovel Chapter 327 Yuwen Chenglong: How dare this barbarian impersonate Yang You, the Crown Prince of the S
Chapter 327 Yuwen Chenglong: How dare this barbarian impersonate Yang You, the Crown Prince of the S
Half a day later, the Sui army set off from Xiping City and began its march towards Wuwei.
Upon learning that Xiping could not even hold out for two hours, Xi Daoyi, a fierce Qiang general who had gone to provide support, also surrendered to the Sui Dynasty and joined Lü Xiao.
Li Gui was so frightened that he fell to the ground, unable to even sit securely on the throne.
After he got up, he shouted at His Highness with a look of terror on his face:
"Quickly, go to Yumen Pass and invite the people from the Western Regions! Hurry! It will be too late if we don't!"
Unlike Xue Ju, Li Gui did not want to give up his base of operations or hand over his stronghold to others.
Especially after witnessing how easily the Sui army was defeated, and how they were utterly thrashed by Yang You's 300,000 ragtag troops.
He even believed that if the Sui army came, he could withstand their attack.
With his abilities, his troops, his martial prowess, and his fortified city, what is there to fear?
Unexpectedly, the Sui army arrived, but their general was not someone like Yang You.
He's not that hothead who only talks the talk but walks the walk, eager for quick success and reckless advancement.
Instead, it was Lü Xiao, the invincible war god of the Sui Dynasty, the god of slaughter who single-handedly defeated 800,000.
"King Liang, why don't we follow Xue Ju's example and abandon the city to flee west before Lü Xiao arrives, thus temporarily avoiding his advance?"
An Xiuren's elder brother, An Xinggui, immediately stepped forward and spoke, his face solemn and his brows furrowed.
It took Lü Xiao less than two hours to capture Xiping. Xiping was an important town in Hexi, with strong city walls and plenty of troops.
The results of it?
Two hours were gone; how could Wuwei last long?
Xue Ju is right. If Lü Xiao were to come to the Northwest to quell the rebellion, no one could stand against him, and no one could make a difference.
The only way is to use Yang You as bait to lure him to the Western Regions.
Taking advantage of Lü Xiao's unfamiliarity with the area and his inability to distinguish directions, we must kill him to eliminate any future trouble.
We can regroup our army and reclaim the Northwest territory when the time comes; there's no need to rush.
"Is it truly impossible to hold Wuwei?"
Li Gui was still unwilling to accept this, sitting on the throne with his hands supporting him on the armrests.
This is his foundation, the place where he raised his army, and the place where he rose to power.
If he were to give up, he would have to burn it to the ground; how could he be willing to do that?
"We can hold out for at most half a day."
Although An Xinggui said this, he lacked confidence, and his voice grew softer and softer.
Half a day, that's an exaggeration.
Given Lü Xiao's offensive momentum, he probably won't last even half a day.
"Let's go to Yumen Pass!"
Li Gui grabbed the official seal and hurriedly left the main hall, his steps faltering.
Holding out for half a day is definitely not enough; what can you do in half a day?
By then, before the Western Regions troops even arrive, Wuwei will have already fallen, and he won't even be able to escape.
Xi Daoyi, who was familiar with the Northwest region, was the first to arrive in Wuwei to check on the situation.
When he learned that a troop of soldiers had fled northwest from Wuwei City, he immediately guessed Li Gui's intentions.
This guy wants to run away, he wants to be like Xue Ju, abandoning the city and fleeing west.
"Your Highness, Li Gui is trying to escape to the Western Regions!"
Wuwei City is now empty, with few troops remaining; it's the perfect time to seize it.
Upon returning to Lü Xiao's place, Xi Daoyi dismounted and knelt on one knee to report.
"Wei Shizheng, Dou Jin."
Upon learning of Li Gui's movements, Lü Xiao raised his hand to order the army to halt, turned his horses around, and focused his gaze on the two men.
"Your subordinate is here!"
The two men were called out, rode out on horseback, and clasped their hands in a salute.
"I'll leave Wuwei to you two to attack. I'll go after Li Gui."
Remember, I don't care about the process, I only care about the result.
Lü Xiao was essentially giving these generals a chance to atone for their crimes and redeem themselves through meritorious service.
If we can't even take down the unclaimed Wuwei, we can't even capture an empty city.
He had to send these people to meet Pei Linghe and other scions of prominent families, so they could reunite in the underworld.
"Please rest assured, Your Highness, if we fail to capture Wuwei, we will bring you our heads!"
Wei Shizheng and Dou Jin guessed Lü Xiao's intentions and immediately signed a pledge, patting their chests to guarantee it.
If they can't even take down an empty city, they might as well die.
"Let's go to Yumen Pass!"
Lu Xiao turned his horse around and rode off, his battle robes fluttering behind him.
Seeing this, Yuwen Chenglong, Luo Cheng, and Xi Daoyi followed suit.
The group pursued Li Gui at breakneck speed, traveling day and night, until they finally arrived in Zhangye.
The place was already in ruins, and the sight of corpses lying haphazardly was horrifying.
The air was filled with a strong, nauseating stench of decay.
The majority of these corpses belonged to ordinary people, men, women, and children.
Some were beheaded, some were disemboweled, and some were hung from trees; their deaths were gruesome.
They were plundered and forced to migrate by foreign tribes such as the Western Turks.
Those who couldn't walk were killed, those who disobeyed were killed, and those who resisted were killed.
To the foreigners, could the people of the Sui Dynasty still be considered human?
They're just a bunch of two-legged sheep; you can kill them or rob them as you please.
Even if only one in ten survives, let alone five out of ten, they wouldn't care at all.
In short, take as much as you can, and kill everyone you can't take.
We must leave no survivors, no grain of rice, and no livestock for the Sui Dynasty.
"Keep chasing."
Lu Xiao withdrew his gaze, his face calm and expressionless, but his grip on the halberd tightened.
Yang You's battle in the Northwest truly showcased the grandeur and power of the Sui Dynasty.
Not only were more than half of the 300,000 people killed or injured, but countless others were also killed or wounded.
Even the people of the Northwest were caught in the crossfire, slaughtered and robbed by the barbarians. What a spendthrift son!
"Your Highness, are we really going to rescue the Prince of Dai?"
During the march, Yuwen Chenglong asked a question in a low voice, leaning close to Lü Xiao, as if afraid of being overheard.
Yang You and Lü Xiao had always been at odds, and as Lü Xiao's confidant, Yang You was naturally well aware of this.
According to him, this was a good opportunity to send Yang You back to the court.
I might as well die in the Northwest; that would end it all and save me from future troubles.
If we just report that he died in the chaos of battle, who can say anything?
"You didn't see His Majesty coming to the palace to beg me."
Lu Xiao initially had some goodwill towards Yang You.
After all, he was Yang Ruyi's nephew, and he had to call him uncle-in-law; they were relatives.
But later, this kid's actions, his guarding against the Prince of Shuo's mansion, really eroded my goodwill towards him little by little, which made me feel disheartened.
But Yang Guang's kneeling and his plea to him as a grandfather were unforgettable.
He could disregard Yang You's life or death, but he couldn't disregard Yang Guang's feelings.
"Sigh, I understand."
Yuwen Chenglong nodded and sighed.
He had heard his father talk about the late Crown Prince Yang Zhao, who was Yang Guang's most beloved son.
He was accomplished in both literature and martial arts, kind and filial, but unfortunately he died young, leaving behind a parent who had lost their child.
Yang You is Yang Zhao's legitimate son, and he represents Yang Guang's lingering affection for his son. How could Your Majesty not value him?
But this has nothing to do with Yuwen Chenglong.
After all, His Majesty was asking for help from Lü Xiao, not from Yuwen Chenglong, and he hadn't agreed to anything.
If Yang You is actually rescued, this guy will definitely be a foreigner in disguise.
It's perfectly reasonable for him to kill that audacious foreigner who dared to impersonate the crown prince of the Sui Dynasty, right?