Meine Frau klettert die Wand hoch

Kapitel 75

Li Tianrui was the Empress's legitimate son. While he was ruthless and had a volatile temper, it wasn't enough to make the Emperor both appoint a crown prince and constantly plot to depose him. What were the reasons behind this?

Yongye stopped her thoughts, preferring to approach problems with the simplest and most effective methods. The conclusion was clear: the emperor was determined to destroy Youli Valley, and Princess Chen's marriage to Anguo was merely a convenient pretext to exploit the situation and drag Chenguo into the scheme. She had heard that King Chen only had one younger sister, Princess Yuxiu, one of the four beauties of the land, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and involved in court affairs since the age of fourteen. Her status in Chenguo was evident. Bringing the princess to Anguo as a hostage was one of Emperor Jiajia's calculations.

First, she wanted the name Xinghun to disappear; second, Yuepo could completely escape Youli Valley; third, she wanted to fulfill her father's patriotism; and fourth, there was the engagement with Qiangwei. It seemed that all these reasons were enough for her to go to great lengths to deal with Youli Valley.

She can fly far away and roam the world freely, regardless of the Valley of Wandering or the politics of the Anguo court.

no.

On the eve of the fierce battle

When the legendary Sanyu Pass appeared before his eyes, Yongye was awestruck by its imposing presence.

The mountains are steep and the cliffs are as if carved by a knife and axe. Between the two mountains, a majestic pass stands, guarding the vital passage. It is truly the southwestern shield of Anguo.

Sanyu Pass was not large, with two city gates, one to the north and one to the south. On the southern city wall, facing the Chen state, stood a magnificent double-eaved, hipped-roof gate tower, about ten zhang high. Outside the tower was a barbican, its walls, five zhang high, forming a semi-circular arc connecting to the main city wall. Beyond the barbican was a small open area facing a narrow mountain path. The walls were constructed entirely of large stones, reinforced with glutinous rice paste, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack.

When the caravan entered the pass, Yongye made an exception and rode a horse instead of a carriage. This surprised everyone, because it was rumored that the heir apparent of Prince Duan, Marquis Yong'an, was a sick person who could not ride a horse and could only lie in a soft chair.

Yongye wore a purple satin four-clawed dragon robe and a golden cicada hair ornament. His dark face was given a touch of heroic spirit, and his unusually handsome features made his slender figure appear tall and dashing.

Knowing it was a caravan heading to the State of Chen, General Xie, the commander of the Sanyu Army, was already waiting at the city gate. Seeing the young and dashing Marquis of Yong'an, he inexplicably thought of the imposing Prince Duan.

Eighteen years ago, during the Battle of Sanyu Pass, he was just a personal guard under Prince Duan. Eighteen years later, he was promoted to general. When he saw the prince who looked so much like Princess Duan, his eyes couldn't help but well up with tears. He gave Yongye a proper salute, which made Yongye hurriedly dismount and help him up. He said gently, "Lord Jie has worked hard guarding the border. My father said that Lord Jie loves Zhang's Old Wine in the capital, so he specially loaded a cart for you."

Upon hearing this, Xie Conglong choked up, his chest warmed. The ten carriages he had sent to Chen Kingdom contained nothing but gifts, but Prince Duan had prepared a whole carriage of his favorite wine. How could he not be moved to tears? All his words of praise were condensed into a simple sentence: "My lord, you must be weary from your journey. Please come to the General's residence to rest."

"No, let's leave now." Yongye and Xie Conglong slowly walked into the city and said softly.

Xie Conglong was startled. Why the rush to leave the pass? He quickly replied, "What else do you require, Lord Marquis?"

"Close the city gates within ten days and do not let anyone leave. Unless, you have a written order from the King." After Yongye finished speaking, he turned back to look at the caravan and smiled. "Lord Jie, just prepare some dry food and water. The envoy from Chen is already waiting a hundred miles outside the pass. Even if we set off early tomorrow morning, we will still rest in the mountains. A hundred miles of mountain road cannot be covered in one day."

Jie Conglong understood Yongye's meaning: resting early or late in the mountains made no difference, and if there was any danger, the enemy wouldn't expect the Anguo envoy's party to arrive so quickly. He then smiled and said, "Your Excellency is wise; I will make the arrangements immediately."

“Lord Jie,” Yongye looked at him meaningfully, “My father said that Lord Jie is stationed at the border and has some old friends who love to drink outside the pass. It is only natural to share a few jars of wine with them.”

Xie Conglong was taken aback. He saw his personal guards pulling the carriage full of wine away from the group. Was there something fishy about the wine? He lowered his head and said, "This humble official understands."

The city gate slowly opened, and Yongye did not dismount, riding alongside Commandant Lin.

"Birds vanish from a thousand mountains, human tracks disappear from ten thousand paths; Sanyu Pass is snowless year-round, trees ever green in winter—this poem is useless." Before him stretched a continuous mountain range, resembling a fortified city. Yongye watched spring flowers bloom on the cliffs, the trees lush and verdant, birdsong filling the air. Looking down into the abyss, the river's white waves crashed against the banks, churning up thousands of piles of snow. But the mountain path beneath his feet was narrow, and Yongye grew puzzled. "Commander Lin, how do you think Chen's army could possibly approach Sanyu Pass? Are they crazy?"

Commander Lin laughed and said, "I heard that eighteen years ago, the Chen army bypassed the city by taking a mountain path and sent five hundred elite soldiers to attack the city at night, catching our army completely off guard. Fortunately, the prince was leading the troops to defend the city, and the morale of the army was not in chaos. The prince alone killed more than eighty Chen soldiers, and his sword was even dulled before he stopped the Chen army's offensive. At that time, there was no outer city. The Chen army gathered at the foot of the city gate tower and launched a barrage of rockets. This city gate tower was later renovated."

Yongye suddenly realized that in ancient times, barbicans were built outside the city to form two lines of defense against the enemy. The walls of the barbican were about two meters lower than those of the inner city, with a small gate and a large belly, resembling a jar. When the enemy attacked, they could be lured inside, and the gate would be lowered to catch them like turtles in a jar, hence the name. But here, it turned out to be her father's idea. Although it didn't have the name "barbican," she really admired it.

Back then, there was no barbican; the city relied solely on a gate tower and a single-sided wall to defend against the enemy. The enemy launched a surprise attack at night; if the city gates were opened, the Chen army lying in ambush outside could easily pour in. The situation was indeed perilous. "How many men were guarding the pass at that time?"

Commandant Lin sighed and said, "Three thousand men."

A small place like this can't possibly support a large number of soldiers, relying solely on its strategic location to defend against the enemy. No matter how many people come, there won't be enough space, let alone the ability to form ranks and engage in battle—Yongye understood. She thought about how difficult it must have been for the three thousand men to deal with the surprise attack of five hundred elite soldiers while simultaneously resisting the swarming Chen army.

"Back then, the prince held out for two days before reinforcements arrived, and the two sides were locked in a stalemate for more than a month. The flowers at Sanyu Pass are all watered with blood. I heard that the corpses of the soldiers could be piled up as high as the city wall."

That's why some people wanted to kidnap her and force Prince Duan to surrender. But why didn't Shadow take her to Sanyu Pass, and why did she hide in anonymity for five years? Did Shadow kidnap her or steal her from someone else? This question had been lingering in Yongye's mind for many years.

Uncle Shadow said he was repaying a debt of gratitude, but did he take action and then refuse to hand her over, all for the sake of both loyalty and righteousness? Yongye gazed at the mountains in silence. Uncle Shadow was gone; the secret of eighteen years ago might have gone with him, and she would never know the truth.

Sometimes, seeking the truth can be heartbreaking. The truth, once exposed to the light of day, is often not what you expected. It might even be more disappointing.

Seeing the treacherous mountain path, Yongye reined in his horse: "Commander Lin, once we leave this valley and reach Qingquan Town, we enter Chen territory. The road here is dangerous, suitable for an ambush. It's too far from Yuguan Pass to easily draw reinforcements from the pass. Do you have any plans?"

"We will split into three groups. The vanguard will go ahead to scout the way. I estimate that we can get out of this valley by the end of Shenshi (3-5 PM) and set up camp."

"The vanguard scouts ahead! No rearguard will be set up. Twenty soldiers are to protect Yihong."

Lin Hong was somewhat troubled: "This area stretches for hundreds of miles, and there are many mountain bandits. What if they attack Chen Wang Shou Li and we lose the gift?"

Yongye gazed leisurely at an eagle circling above the valley and said with a faint smile, "Everyone is here. I am the Prince Consort of Chen. Other gifts are merely icing on the cake. Do as instructed."

"yes!"

She looked back; Sanyu Pass was no longer fully visible, only a corner of the vermilion gate tower where the Anguo banner fluttered. "Moon Spirit, you must safely return to Qi with Rose! I will definitely come to find you." Yongye gazed longingly for a moment, then resolutely turned back.

The valley was still within Anguo's territory. Yongye's guess was correct; the group left the valley safely without any disturbance.

Suddenly, the view opened up before us. The river made a sharp bend here, becoming calmer. A vast expanse of low hills and forests stretched into the distance, the setting sun casting its last rays upon the mountaintops. The entire mountainside was bathed in a soft golden hue.

"My lord, we are setting up camp by the river and will be crossing the woods tomorrow."

Looking at the woods, Yongye asked, "Is this the same road to the Song Kingdom?"

Lin Hong smiled and said, "After leaving the woods, the road forks at Qingquan Town. One road leads to the Song Kingdom, and the other leads to the Chen Kingdom."

Yongye nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "Let's not set up camp. Let's keep going and pass through the woods tonight."

Lin Hong was shocked: "Why?!"

A smile flickered across Yongye's lips: "If we set up camp here and someone attacks, are we supposed to jump into the river? If they want to launch a surprise attack tonight, we might as well send them ahead. If we are safe tonight, we will reach the official road to Chen tomorrow morning. With the Chen army taking over and escorting us, we can all relax a bit. I will ride in Yihong's carriage."

Lin Hong saw that Yongye spoke lightly, but he sighed inwardly. The Marquis probably wanted to protect that person and Princess Qiangwei so they could leave safely, which was why he risked his life to attract the thieves' attention. He shook his head. That person was one thing, but Princess Qiangwei… He remembered the great kindness of Prince Duan, straightened his chest, and shouted: “Everyone mount up! Ride in pairs, one person observes and one person rests.”

The convoy quickly assembled and entered the woods.

Yongye got into Yihong's carriage and said while eating dry rations, "We should have called Yin'er; her figure is similar to mine."

Yi Hong smiled gently: "So what if I'm a little tall?"