Alien Arms Empire.

Chapter 1863 1864 A rare wise ruler in history

"If Yucheng is lost, Your Majesty..." The minister paused, his voice echoing in the empty hall, and his tone became heavier, as if he was suppressing a thousand pounds of weight.

"Then we really don't have many chips in our hands." He raised his head and looked at Lions II worriedly, hoping that his words would attract the attention of the young emperor.

The imperial capital of the Lions Empire, Lions City, has experienced several months of tension. The air is filled with a suffocating and depressing atmosphere, like the calm before the storm.

The imperial palace, which had just been expanded for less than half a year, should have been magnificent, noble and elegantly decorated, but now it was shrouded in a layer of haze.

In the hall, Lions II sat on a jewel-studded gilded throne, his figure looking particularly lonely under the bright lights. Although this place was decorated in his favorite style, it now made the emperor upset.

His brows were furrowed, his expression solemn, like a volcano about to erupt. He glanced at the ministers standing below, trying to find a glimmer of hope on their faces, a glimmer of hope that could turn the tide, but all he saw was confusion, fear, and despair.

No one else in the hall spoke, everyone lowered their heads, only the minister's voice of advice echoed in the empty hall, making the entire hall seem so empty and lonely, as if foreshadowing the empire's impending decline. The exquisite murals hanging on the walls seemed to silently tell of the empire's former glory, which formed a sharp contrast with its current predicament.

The splendor and magnificence here could not conceal the precarious atmosphere of impending storm, but instead highlighted the precarious situation of the empire today.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Another minister stepped forward, and his heavy footsteps echoed in the silent hall, breaking the suffocating silence. The minister's face was full of anxiety, as if he had foreseen the imminent fall of the empire.

However, everyone present knew that he was only worried about the fact that Lions II was reluctant to surrender. His voice trembled with anxiety: "If the Tang army occupied Yucheng, then we would have no defenses."

His gaze, like a machine gun, quickly swept across everyone present, as if he wanted to find his supporters in the crowd. Unfortunately, his efforts were doomed to be in vain, because almost all the ministers lowered their heads and refused to even look at him. It was as if... they had all been hit by bullets.

"Your Majesty! It's still not too late to surrender!" An old minister with gray hair stood up. He walked forward tremblingly, every step seemed to be stepping on the edge of a knife. His back was hunched, as if he was bearing a heavy burden. There was a hint of pleading in his voice, hoping that Lions II could face the reality and make the choice that is most beneficial to the empire.

"If it's later, we don't know what will happen to the Tang Empire." His words were full of worry, because he knew that war was never something that could be easily predicted. On the ever-changing battlefield, anything could happen. Once the situation on the front line became more devastating, the conditions that the Tang Empire could accept would definitely change.

"Variables? What variables can there be?" Lions II murmured to himself, his voice low and weak, his tone full of confusion and helplessness. He leaned weakly on the throne, his eyes dull, like a puppet without a soul. He couldn't understand why the empire had come to this point today, why he was facing such a predicament.

"Your Majesty, if you offer your country, the Tang Empire may give you a good title, but if you are a prisoner, the treatment will be different." A minister said cautiously, he bent his body and lowered his head slightly, trying to persuade Liones II in this way." A minister said cautiously, trying to persuade Liones II in this way.

"But, but..." Lions II's voice trembled, revealing the struggle and contradiction in his heart. He cast a confused look at the minister, his eyes full of hesitation and reluctance.

"Paul is still fighting in Yucheng, fighting bloody battles, and resisting the enemy's attack at all costs, but I announced a ceasefire at this time. Am I not feeling a little sorry for him? I am sorry for the sacrifices he made for the empire and for me?" There was a hint of guilt and reluctance in his tone, as if he had made a difficult decision.

After all, he is also a human being. Even if he is sometimes a little crazy and sometimes a little stupid and incompetent...but he is not a fool.

Of course he could tell who was still somewhat loyal to him. At least he knew that General Paul, who was in charge of the overall situation in Yucheng, was a general who was still loyal to him!

Under such circumstances, he felt that he should give Paul enough support, at least not destroy the last hope of defending Yucheng while Paul was still fighting to the death.

That is not only Paul's hope, but also the last hope of Lions II!

"Your Majesty, General Paul...he can't hold on any longer!" The minister's voice was low and hoarse, as if telling a cruel fact.

"This is the truth. We can't deceive ourselves anymore." He paused, with a hint of consolation in his tone: "I think General Paul is a man of great justice. He will understand your Majesty's good intentions. He will understand that everything you have done is for... for the people of Lions, and for him..."

"Is there really no other way? For example..." Lions II leaned weakly on the throne, rubbing his temples tiredly, as if trying to dispel the haze that enveloped his heart. He raised his head, and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

"For example... Paul, Paul defended Yucheng?" His voice became smaller and smaller, and his tone was full of uncertainty, because he himself knew that this was just a luxury.

No matter how crazy he was, he knew that Jade City would definitely not be able to be defended. Millions of troops were close to collapse. The latest news was that the Dorne troops south of Lions had stopped heading north and started to return home. Without reinforcements, the situation in Jade City would only become more difficult. No one could guarantee how long Paul could hold on in Jade City. Lions II knew the current situation better than anyone else, but he was just unwilling to accept the reality.

"Your Majesty, please stop harboring unrealistic fantasies!" A general in military uniform stood up and said with a wry smile, his tone full of helplessness and bitterness. He was a general of the General Staff, so he naturally knew the actual situation.

"It's impossible. The situation in Yucheng is already very bad. In the last telegram, General Paul asked us to provide 30 reinforcements. Is this a joke?" There was a hint of self-mockery and sadness in his tone, as if he was mocking his own powerlessness.

"That's right, Your Majesty!" Another general suddenly stood up, his full beard trembling slightly due to his excitement, and his tone was full of resentment and unwillingness: "If we really still had 300,000 troops, would we have waited until now? We would have sent them long ago! Why would we wait until now?"

He was really afraid that Lions II would let him take the remaining misfits to support Yucheng... You know, the remaining defenders near Lions City no longer have any real combat power. It's okay to let them pretend, but if they are really asked to go to fight, they will probably collapse and run away before they reach the destination.

So he tried hard to act as if he was under great pressure, lowered his head and said earnestly: "Your Majesty, think about it, if we really had so many troops, and sent them to reinforce Yucheng earlier, the situation might not be so passive! Three hundred thousand troops are enough to hold on for a while! But now, everything is too late, everything is too late..."

He shook his head painfully, his tone full of self-blame and helplessness. This was not an act, because he really did not have an army of 300,000... at least not now.

"According to the information we have received, Yucheng is now engaged in street fighting." A minister stood up next to the prime minister, took out a crumpled telegram from his arms, unfolded it with difficulty, and said in a heavy tone: "This is a telegram sent back during the interval of Tang army interference. The Yucheng defenders have suffered heavy casualties. General Paul...he..."

The minister choked up, suppressed his grief and continued, "He has done his best. Now the Tang army has occupied most of the streets, and the defenders control less than half of Yucheng."

He couldn't say any more, choking with sobs as if what he had lost was not Yucheng, but his backyard: "According to the staff's speculation, in two or three days at most, the Tang army may be able to occupy Yucheng."

"Your Majesty! The war is urgent. You can't hesitate any longer. You must make a decision as soon as possible!" The ministers advised one after another, their voices filled with anxiety and worry. They looked at Lions II anxiously, hoping that he could make a decision as soon as possible and lead them out of the predicament.

"But if I surrender now, what about our ally Dorne?" Lions II sat weakly on the throne, closed his eyes in pain, his tone full of hesitation and uneasiness.

"They still have nearly a million troops in our territory. What will they think if we abandon them at this moment? Where will our credibility and dignity be?" He suddenly opened his eyes, glanced at everyone present, and asked in a hoarse voice: "Do we want to bear the stigma of betrayal and disregard the safety of our friendly forces?"

"Your Majesty, it's already this time, and you're still thinking about this?" a minister said anxiously. He walked quickly to the front of Lions II and spoke in a hurried tone.

"How can we care about them? This is a critical moment of life and death. We must protect ourselves first before we can talk about other things!" He paused, with a hint of determination in his tone: "Your Majesty! We can notify Dorne in advance, but we really don't have to consider their feelings! After all, in this world where the strong prey on the weak, we can only consider others if we protect ourselves first!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! Don't forget that when Susas surrendered, they didn't tell us!" Another minister echoed, his tone full of resentment and injustice: "What can we do? Can we still fight them? In this situation, we should just take care of ourselves!"

When mentioning the Susas Empire, Lions II couldn't help but get angry. The other side really hurt him a lot, and the sudden surrender made him not ready for any defense at all.

Originally, the battle line was still in the northern part of Susas. As long as Susas was willing to hold on to the end, the Lions Empire would have at least a few months to deploy calmly, and then Yucheng would definitely not be what it is today.

At least Bunas will not defect with Beiling immediately. In that case, the defense line in the north of Lions will be complete, and Yucheng's defense line will be at least several times stronger than it is now!
But Susas surrendered shamelessly! This caused the Laines Empire to end up like this! So Laines II hated the old and foolish Susas I so much that he often called him a coward!
The problem was that he was now a noble of the Tang Empire, and no matter how much he scolded him, he would not be able to hurt him at all. Maybe, after he surrendered, he would have to act according to the mood of Susas I.

After all, even among those who surrendered, there were differences in order of priority, and in status. Obviously, because of his thorough and straightforward surrender... Susas I must have been a king of a relatively high status in the Tang Empire - he, Lions II, might not be comparable.

When someone heard this, someone immediately followed suit: "That's right! Susas sold us out, so what if we sold out Dorne? Now we should just take care of ourselves!"

"Your Majesty, please make plans early!" The prime minister spoke at this time. He was promoted by Liones II and was usually a yes-man. Naturally, he did not dare to express his opinion easily now. He could only let Liones II make the decision himself.

Of course, Lions II himself had no idea. If he had any, he would not have held such meetings so frequently.

But after a few days of torture, he has begun to waver. So after a long period of anxiety, he finally chose to compromise: "Then contact the Tang Empire! Tell them we are willing to negotiate... negotiate... discuss, discuss surrender."

"Your Majesty is wise!" "Your Majesty is intelligent!" Immediately, some ministers showed joy on their faces, which formed a sharp contrast with the dull atmosphere in the hall before. These ministers praised Lions II one after another, as if he, the emperor who was about to lose his country, was a rare wise ruler in ancient and modern times.