Li Guanyi found it all rather complicated as he helped Yuwen Tianxian up and poured him a cup of wine, saying,
"General, I have understood your meaning."
Yuwen Hua appeared uninterested.
The next day, Li Guanyi personally saw them off at the city gates. Yuan Zhi, Fan Qing, Ling Pingyang, Changsun Wuchou, Lei Laomeng, Shi Dalin, and Nangong Wumeng were all present; they said their goodbyes one by one.
Two dragon horses were already prepared.
Exhaling deeply, Yuwen Tianxian gazed at the faces that had been his daily companions over the past year, and spoke softly, "Gentlemen, remember, on the battlefield every step involves life and death. As generals, you are tasked with the fate of the world, the safety of the civilians, and the lives of your soldiers. You must be ever vigilant."
Li Guanyi brought over a cup of wine and said, "The Qilin Army consists of men risen from humble beginnings. Over this past year, each of us has developed our strengths, all under your tutelage. I dare not stop you from leaving, General..."
Yuwen Tianxian accepted the wine cup from Li Guanyi and drank without hesitation.
Then he mounted his horse and, together with Yuwen Hua, they galloped away. The dragon horses were extremely fast and powerful. Yuwen Hua felt extremely downhearted as he rode; despite returning to Ying Country, something that should have pleased him greatly as an aristocratic family’s son, he couldn’t understand why his heart felt so twisted and pained, almost to the point of making him vomit.
Unable to help himself, he asked, "Uncle, are we leaving now?"
Yuwen Tianxian was silent for a long time. As a mature and accomplished war general with a strategic mind far superior to the twenty-eight-year-old Yuwen Hua, he especially knew after spending a long time in Jiangnan that the Qilin Army was not meant to stay confined to one place. He answered, "Li Guanyi holds the lands of Jiangnan. One day, he will inevitably clash with Daying."
"The longer we stay, the more painful it will be when the time comes to leave."
"If we continue this way..."
"If we don’t leave now, we won’t be able to leave at all. Don’t you miss your parents, your grandparents, your siblings, and your relatives and friends? Don’t you wish to serve your country?"
Yuwen Hua had nothing to say; he simply lowered his head and spurred his horse into a furious gallop.
The scenes in his mind wouldn’t stop spinning. He pondered what emotions his men, whom he had personally trained, would feel coming back ten days later to find their leader gone. Would they think he had abandoned them?
What if they couldn’t win against Fan Qing in training without him?
The world was still in turmoil, without him...
Yuwen Hua gritted his teeth and cursed, "Those fools, damn!"
He almost felt an urge to turn around and go back to the Qilin Army, not to take charge of the conflicts on the side of Ying Country but to face Chen alone. That could be considered fulfilling his family’s expectations, but the nurturing from his family, including his uncle Yuwen Lie and his father and grandfather, weighed on his heart like another knife.
However, about two to three hundred li later, they arrived at a ferry where a large ship was docked across the river. It wasn’t a warship, but it had a supportive role and was manned by soldiers of the Qilin Army.
Yuwen Tianxian fell silent, slowing down his horse.
As a war general, he was inherently cautious, worried that Li Guanyi might not let them leave since they had witnessed everything about Li Guanyi’s rise and training of the Qilin Army, including some secrets of the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation.
If it were Yuwen Tianxian, or perhaps his brother Yuwen Lie.
The two of them might not necessarily kill to silence witnesses but would definitely take control!
His right hand was already on the weapon behind him, his alertness at its peak, ready to strike at the first sign of treachery. Just then, the Qilin Army soldiers spotted them and saluted. Yuwen Tianxian inconspicuously inquired,
The soldier smiled and said, "By the Great General’s orders, to see the generals off."
He turned and pointed at the large ship.
Stepping forward, Yuwen Tianxian saw inside the warship over two hundred soldiers and two individuals that changed his expression, for the unconscious pair were renowned generals of Ying, captured by Li Guanyi.
Meng Dahao, a Fierce General ranked ninety-first on the Divine General List.
And Zhao Guoqi, ranked seventy-ninth, possessing the demeanor of a Great General and esteemed as a vital asset of the state.
Yuwen Tianxian’s expression changed abruptly as he grabbed the Qilin Army soldier, demanding,
"What else is there?!"
The soldier handed him a letter, saying, "The Great General asked me to give this letter to General Yuwen." Yuwen Tianxian’s hands trembled slightly as he opened the letter. The writing inside was serene and simple, penned by Li Guanyi.
"General Yuwen, if this letter finds you well.
"You wish to leave, and I dare not stop you. Although we’ve been at odds, over this past year, the Qilin Army has greatly benefited from your grace and guidance, and you have already turned from foe to friend. If you and Yuwen Hua were to leave alone, upon returning to Ying Country, you might be subjected to slander."
"Even if the emperor is magnanimous, suspicions might linger in his heart."
"With your talent, you should not fall victim to treacherous officials. Here are over two hundred soldiers, your followers, who after being asked, are willing to return with you to your homeland. We also have these two generals and a warship."
"Upon your return, you can claim that you seized the opportunity while Li Guanyi was unprepared — saving people and capturing a ship."
"The Unmovable Ming King has not been defeated by Li Guanyi."