CHAPTER 507: CHAPTER 432: THE FOOL IS UNWORTHY OF DISCUSSION!

Yu Wenye frowned, reaching up to rub his forehead.

He seemed a bit dizzy.

But he stood straight, shook his head, and immediately regained clarity, then gave Shang Ruyi a faint smile: "It’s nothing."

"Really?"

Shang Ruyi recalled that during his fierce battle with Xue Xian earlier, he seemed to almost exhaust himself a few times, and now looking at him, his face was somewhat pale. She said softly, "But your complexion doesn’t look good."

Yu Wenye laughed: "After a battle like this, no one’s complexion would look good."

"..."

"Alright, I’m fine. I have things to tell them; you should rest."

After finishing, he gently patted Shang Ruyi’s shoulder, indicating he was okay, then turned and walked out with big strides. Before long, his figure disappeared into the night.

Shang Ruyi watched his back for a long time in silence, only to sigh softly.

Her heart, however, did not settle.

Before the expedition, Yu Wenquan and the others were worried about his health. Although today’s battle was considered a victory, his energy consumption must have been huge. In the coming days, she would have to properly arrange for him to nourish and recuperate.

While thinking, a very light footstep came to the door.

"Young Madam..."

Shang Ruyi looked up to see it was Wo Xue, who cautiously approached after seeing Yu Wenye leave. Shang Ruyi asked, "What’s the matter?"

Wo Xue said: "The medicine that Young Madam ordered me to brew was ready before, but it’s cold by now."

"Oh..."

Shang Ruyi remembered that before Xue Xian came, she had planned to brew some medicine for Yu Wenye to replenish his health.

Wo Xue asked: "Does Young Madam still want the Second Young Master to drink the medicine?"

Shang Ruyi nodded: "Yes, go and heat some up, remember to add some water, but not too much."

"Yes."

Wo Xue listened and immediately turned and went down the stairs.

Shang Ruyi walked to the doorway again; although it was very late, the sky ahead was mysteriously lit slightly, because all of Fufeng was still awake. The ecstatic soldiers and civilians were still lighting lanterns and holding torches, cheering in the city. From afar, one could hear the loud noise.

And in front of the official office, it was also brightly lit.

Yu Wenye was going over there to discuss with the local commanders on how to defend Fufeng City and, in addition to holding firm, to drive back Xue Xian’s army, ensuring Daxing City’s absolute safety.

So he had just said that the real test was yet to come.

Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi felt as if a heavy stone was placed on her heart—and not just because of the battle for Fufeng. She always had the feeling that besides the warfare, there was an unseen, inexplicable burden weighing heavily on her heart.

It was suffocating.

|

Meanwhile, in the brightly lit assembly hall, Yu Wenye sat grandly at the head position.

His Bright Armor was illuminated by the bright candlelight, gleaming brilliantly. Having been soaked at the fierce battle by the Little Forest River, his body heat was now steaming, diffusing a subtle scent of blood throughout the assembly hall.

And sitting below him were the supervisor and the deputy generals, each intimidated by his invisible aura, not daring to breathe loudly.

Even the supervisor Yin Changyue was being cautious.

Only Marching Commander Song Yu wore a sullen face, seemingly harboring unsatisfied sentiments between his brows.

After Mu Xian and Cheng Qiao reported the battlefield cleanup situation, Yu Wenye’s furrowed brows tightened further and he said, "The opponents lost over nine thousand one hundred people, and our army captured over thirteen hundred?"

Mu Xian replied: "Yes."

Yu Wenye said: "So the opponent’s loss in this battle was just over ten thousand."

"... Yes."

"And our army?"

"Total casualties were over two hundred."

Yu Wenye remained silent, his face stern.

Seeing him this way, the atmosphere in the assembly hall grew heavy. Yin Changyue thought for a moment and smiled: "Congratulations on the Great General’s victory in the first battle, it’s truly worth celebrating."

Yu Wenye glanced at him.

Although supervisors are always the most disliked by generals who go to war, especially after the last turmoil with Kou Junliang, he was even more wary of such people—yet this time it was indeed different. After all, Yu Wenquan had been promoted to Grand Chancellor, managing court affairs. Although the supervisor sent this time wasn’t directly under his command, he went through Eunuch Yu’s hands, and along the way, it was clear that Yin Changyue wasn’t a meddlesome troublemaker.

Instead, he seemed to be somewhat humane and timid.

With such a person, as long as he didn’t make things difficult for him, Yu Wenye also chose not to trouble them, so he said: "Mr. Yin praises me too much. Though we won this battle, there’s not much to celebrate."

Upon hearing this, everyone’s faces slightly changed.

Yin Changyue forced a smile and asked: "The Great General means—"

Yu Wenye said: "Xue Xian won’t underestimate us every time."

"..."

"Though they lost a battle today, it’s clear that the Longxi Army is well-trained. Even though Xue Xian’s horse was injured, when we attacked, his men immediately came to protect him; and when they retreated, they did so in an orderly fashion. It was only under our assault, failing to cross the river in time, that led to those thousands of casualties."

"..."

"So in this battle, we merely won by chance."

As soon as his words fell, a cold laugh echoed within the assembly hall.

Mu Xian subconsciously frowned and turned to look, only to find it was the Marching Commander Song Yu, sitting to the right of Yu Wenye. This man had been wearing a sullen expression and now stood up, giving Yu Wenye a sidelong glance, and coldly said, "Great General, these words are a bit too much praise for the enemy while belittling our own courage."

"Oh?"

Yu Wenye slowly shifted his gaze to him, "Lord Song, do you have any insights to share?"

Song Yu sneered, "No great insights. I just want to ask the Great General why we didn’t seize the opportunity to cross the river today. Since the enemy underestimated us and suffered a great defeat, we should not have let such a chance slip away."

"..."

"But Great General, you called for a retreat midway."

"..."

"This act, Great General, seems too cowardly. You must know, on the battlefield--"

His words were cut off as Cheng Qiao angrily pointed at him and said, "How dare you speak to the Great General like that!"

Song Yu glared and retorted, "Am I wrong?"

"..."

"Today’s victory over Xue Xian means nothing. A general’s cowardice and reluctance to fight, retreating halfway, is the biggest mistake!"

"..."

"Failing to pursue the victory today gave the enemy a chance to rest and regroup. When they return, it will be the Great General’s negligence! And that, would cost you your head!"

"You—"

At this point, even Mu Xian could no longer sit still and stood up, glaring fiercely at Song Yu.

But in face of them, Song Yu showed no fear, even resting a hand on the sword at his waist.

At that moment, a hand lifted and gently waved.

It was Yu Wenye’s hand.

He continued to sit there calmly, his breathing steady, but with a wave of his large hand, Mu Xian and Cheng Qiao immediately fell silent and retreated a step.

Yu Wenye turned his head to Song Yu and said, "It seems Lord Song is dissatisfied with my conduct in this battle."

Song Yu sneered, "Whether I’m satisfied or not doesn’t matter. But General Yu Wen received his orders from the court, and your abandonment of the battle halfway, can it satisfy the court?"

Yu Wenye replied, "I have my reasons for not pursuing the victory. Xue Xian’s army has been victorious in several battles in Longxi, earlier defeating Huangfu Ding’s forces, and recently annihilating over eighty thousand of the Fufeng Army, their morale is high, and we should avoid their sharpness."

Song Yu said, "Then why did you go to battle today?"

Yu Wenye responded, "This battle, I fought with great risk, and it wasn’t truly to defeat them, but rather to restore confidence among the Fufeng soldiers and civilians."

"..."

"With confidence, the city can be defended."

Hearing these words, both Mu Xian and Cheng Qiao nodded gently.

Yin Changyue also appeared to be lost in thought.

Yu Wenye continued, "Their force of three hundred thousand is formidable, despite this defeat, it hasn’t weakened their foundation. If we were to relentlessly pursue them, it would provoke a strong counterattack from them. By then, the outcome would be unpredictable."

"..."

"Moreover—they’ve come from afar, and their provisions may not be sufficient."

"..."

"What we should do is hold our ground, exhaust their supplies, wear down their will, and thereby create an opportunity for victory."

Dai Junliang, who had remained silent, muttered upon hearing this, "I see."

Seeing this, a look of irritation flashed across Song Yu’s face, and he sneered again, wearing a contemptuous expression, "Is this your ability as a commander? Unable to fight further, just intending to delay?"

"..."

"Is there any battlefield under which one can win just by delaying?"

Yu Wenye looked at him and said, "If we can win, that’s enough."

Faced with these words, Song Yu’s expression turned uglier, and he said angrily, "As a commander, lacking the will to advance and only thinking of delay, it’s a disgrace!"

Even though Yu Wenye had stopped him before, Mu Xian finally couldn’t bear it as he became more outrageous and stood up again, saying, "How dare you speak like that to the court’s Great General!"

Song Yu sneered, "I too am appointed by the court as a Marching Commander. When Yu Wenye, as a general, shows cowardice and reluctance to fight, I absolutely must intervene!"

"You—"

Just as the two sides were about to quarrel again, Supervisor Yin Changyue hurriedly stood up to mediate, "Gentlemen, matters of military command should be discussed in the long term. We should not destabilize our own ranks."

There was a loud "clap" as Song Yu slammed his palm onto the desk.

He rose and cast a cold glance at the people in the hall, particularly focusing his disdainful gaze on Yu Wenye, who remained seated above, coldly sneering, "Insubstantial bright sparks!"

With that, he turned and stormed out.

The people in the hall were left in confusion, and Yin Changyue hesitated as he turned to Yu Wenye, "Great General..."

But Yu Wenye remained impassive.

Watching Song Yu walk away, he turned his gaze to Dai Junliang and suddenly said, "Assistant General, how many wells are there in Fufeng City?"