Chapter 725: Yuwen Chu’s Revenge (II)
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Yuwen You, watching this scene, felt a headache coming on. It was just Yuwen Cong—how could Huan Wang abandon his main wife, legitimate son, and a bunch of children? No matter how ruthless and cold-hearted Huan Wang was, he wouldn’t be able to do it. Yuwen Cong had indeed found a way out of this desperate situation.
This scenario was much better than Yuwen Cong had anticipated. He had deliberately entered Huan Wang’s mansion, firstly to gamble that after the Yang family’s plan succeeded, Yuwen Qiang would have no choice but to cooperate with him; secondly, to reduce Yuwen Qiang’s guard so that if the gamble failed, he could take Huan Wang’s wife and children hostage as leverage to escape Yicheng. Every step of the plan was interlinked, and now, he had won.
Yuwen Cong, in high spirits, said, “Your Highness, it’s heartbreaking to reach this point. I don’t want anything else now, just for you to show mercy and let me leave Yicheng.”
Yuwen Qiang, seeing his wife and children’s intelligence and bravery, was inclined to agree.
Yuwen You quickly interjected, “Brother, letting a tiger return to the mountain will bring endless troubles. This man is cunning and ruthless; we cannot let him go.”
Yuwen Qiang spat in his face, “Of course you don’t care, it’s not your wife and children! Shut up! If you say another word, I’ll kill you too!”
Suppressing his resentment, Yuwen You stepped aside to watch silently.
Yuwen Qiang, forcing a smile, negotiated with Yuwen Cong and then signaled his men to let them through. As Yuwen Cong approached the city gate, he released the youngest child first. Smiling, he continued to hold Huan Wang’s wife and eldest son as he moved forward. Yuwen Qiang, seething with anger, followed closely, not daring to take any action for fear of harming his family.
Both sides moved cautiously, arrows drawn, keeping a tense standoff from night until dawn. Exhausted, they finally stopped to shout at each other from a distance.
Yuwen You, impatient, wished he could shoot Yuwen Cong himself. This dragging on was unbearable. He discreetly signaled Shen Nan, who nodded and quietly slipped away to arrange an ambush to break the stalemate, intending to kill everyone involved if necessary.
On a nearby hillside, twenty slender young men in brown uniforms lay in wait. Their clothes soaked with dew clung to their backs, the sunlight making them itch and burn, yet they remained motionless, gripping their crossbows tightly. Their sights and focus were all trained on Yuwen Qiang and Yuwen Cong.
These were Yuwen Chu’s secret guards and Du Heng’s men, who had been lying in ambush for this moment.
Hoofbeats approached from a distance, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust. Someone, unable to wait any longer, whispered to Ye Xiu, the leader lying at the highest point, “Leader Ye, it looks like Yuwen Cong’s reinforcements are here. If we don’t act now, we’ll miss our chance.”
Ye Xiu gestured, “Not yet.”
A breeze carried the scent of morning rain and flowers across the hillside. The approaching troops finally halted, slowly closing in on Yuwen Cong and Yuwen Qiang. Seeing his reinforcements, Yuwen Cong felt assured, smiling as he prepared to release Huan Wang’s wife and children, ready to return them to Huan Wang. Everyone relaxed slightly as they prepared to exchange hostages.
At that moment, Ye Xiu suddenly waved his hand, and over twenty repeating crossbows unleashed a barrage of bolts at Yuwen Qiang, Yuwen Cong, and their men. Screams, shouts, roars, cries, and horse whinnies filled the air, creating chaos.
Ye Xiu put his fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle. The leader of the newly arrived group grabbed a long spear from across his saddle and charged at Yuwen Qiang’s men, blood splattering wherever he went.
Ye Xiu stood and watched for a moment, then signaled to his men, “Retreat.”
Some were reluctant, eager to see the outcome, but military orders were absolute. They quickly packed up their crossbows, checked for any dropped items, destroyed any remaining traces, and swiftly followed Ye Xiu down the slope in a crouch, disappearing into the dense shrubbery.
At the scene, Yuwen Qiang, eyes wide with fury, swung his mace wildly at the enemy, carving a bloody path. He lifted the lifeless body of Huan Wang Wangfei from the ground, roared in anguish, then dropped her to search for his son amidst the chaos.
In the distance, a child’s weak cries echoed, close yet seemingly far away. Yuwen Qiang felt dizzy; multiple crossbow bolts had struck him, and he had lost too much blood. With no strength left to save anyone else, he decided to seek revenge instead.
He found Yuwen Cong, who was being shielded by Mu Qing but was also severely injured and barely alive. Seeing Yuwen Qiang charging, Yuwen Cong struggled to say, “It wasn’t me, we were all tricked.”
Yuwen Qiang, using all his remaining strength, shouted, “It’s you, you jinx! You caused this! Give me back my wife and children!” He swung his mace, knocking Mu Qing off his horse, then smashed Yuwen Cong’s horse’s head. Yuwen Cong fell and before he could get up, Yuwen Qiang grabbed his arm, stepped on him, and tore his arm off with a wrenching scream. The arm was trampled by chaotic hooves, becoming unrecognizable.
Yuwen Cong fainted from the pain, not witnessing his own dismemberment by Yuwen Qiang.
After tearing Yuwen Cong apart, Yuwen Qiang still felt unsatisfied and smashed his head to pieces. His men gathered around, shouting, “Your Highness, we’ve driven back Zhongshan Wang’s men. Let’s hurry back.”
Yuwen Qiang tried to stand but blacked out and stumbled. Looking at the suddenly appearing and retreating troops, he asked weakly, “Were they really Zhongshan Wang’s men? Surely not.” It must have been the Regent’s doing. His carelessness led to this outcome.
His men, not understanding, angrily replied, “They were just the scum coming to aid Yuwen Cong. No doubt about it.”
Yuwen Qiang felt cold, knowing he wouldn’t survive. Struggling to sit up, he asked, “Where is my son?”
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