Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2348 Kaifeng City Falls, Yang Jian Enters the City

Despite the bright lights in the Zhao Song imperial palace at night, the oppressive atmosphere and desolation that permeated the halls could not be dispelled.

Wang Renzhan, the commander of the Imperial City Guard, covered in dust, hurried through the heavily guarded corridor and went straight to the side hall where the emperor handled military affairs.

Zhao Kuangyin did not rest. Still dressed in armor, he stood before the huge Kaifeng city defense map, his brows furrowed, as if he were strategizing how to deal with the endless offensive of the Han army the next day.

"Your Majesty." Wang Renzhan stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and said in a very low but clearly audible voice, "I have important matters to report."

Zhao Kuangyin did not turn around; his gaze remained fixed on the several strategic locations marked on the map. He simply gave a faint "hmm."

Wang Renzhan took a deep breath and reported in detail what he had witnessed that night: the secret meeting between Zhang Jun, Wan Qixie, Shi Miyuan, and others, as well as the subsequent sudden intrusion and involvement of Zhao Pu.

Although there was no specific plot, the fact that these people, who were not usually close, suddenly met late at night at such a crucial and sensitive time was itself the biggest problem.

The Imperial City Guard is not one of the Three Guards. The Three Guards require evidence, but the Imperial City Guard does not.

Especially Zhao Pu, such a sensitive figure, has also been involved in this matter. If something really happens to him, the impact on all aspects of Kaifeng will be overwhelming.

A brief silence fell over the hall, broken only by the occasional crackling of the candlelight.

Wang Renzhan lowered his head, waiting for the emperor's wrath, or at least for an immediate order to arrest him.

However, what he heard was a very soft, almost inaudible sigh.

Zhao Kuangyin finally turned around slowly, his face revealing neither joy nor anger, only a deep and unfathomable calm, even carrying a hint of indifference as if he had already expected it.

He glanced at Wang Renzhan kneeling on the ground and waved his hand.

"I understand."

Wang Renzhan looked up in astonishment, almost thinking he had misheard, and couldn't help but continue, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Zhao, he..."

"I say, I understand." Zhao Kuangyin interrupted him, his tone still calm and without the slightest fluctuation.

"The Imperial City Guard need not follow up on this matter further, nor should they get involved. Just pretend... we never saw it."

"Your Majesty!" Wang Renzhan couldn't help but raise his voice, his face full of confusion and anxiety.

"Such rebellious acts, especially with Prime Minister Zhao's involvement, are extremely dangerous. If they are not stopped, they could cause serious trouble! What if they really join forces outside the city..."

Zhao Kuangyin's gaze swept over, and although it wasn't sharp, it made Wang Renzhan swallow back all his words of advice.

“Minister Wang,” Zhao Kuangyin said in a low voice, “do your job well, guard the palace, keep a close eye on the key points of the city’s defenses, and let the rest… go with the flow.”

Wang Renzhan opened his mouth, looking at the emperor's calm yet unsettling face, and finally suppressed all his questions and worries back into his heart.

He understood that His Majesty must have deeper considerations, considerations that he could not fathom or question. "Your subject... obeys the decree." He kowtowed heavily, then rose, filled with doubt and a trace of unease, and quietly withdrew from the hall.

Silence returned to the hall. Zhao Kuangyin walked to the window, gazing at the darkness outside with a deep, melancholy look.

He knew exactly what kind of people Wan Qixie and Shi Miyuan were, so he wasn't surprised at all that they wavered at this time.

As for Zhao Pu, that was naturally something he did intentionally!
For the next two days, the atmosphere of solemn steadfast defense remained on the surface within Kaifeng City.

Zhao Kuangyin climbed the city wall every day to inspect the defenses and inspire his soldiers. The black lacquered coffin still stood alarmingly on the city wall.

The Han army's offensive did not weaken in the slightest. On the contrary, Xue Rengui and Li Jing became even more ferocious because they noticed that the morale of the defenders was unusually stable. The two sides fought back and forth on the city walls, resulting in heavy casualties.

However, beneath the calm surface, the undercurrents surged and roared at an unprecedented speed.

With Zhao Pu's help, Zhang Jun's battalion of troops was successfully transferred to the city gate to garrison and take over the defense.

Although it wasn't the main city gate, but just a side gate called Wansheng Gate, it at least meant that their plan had completed a crucial step.

Zhao Pu, unnoticed, used his position to access and memorize the detailed city defense deployment archived by the Privy Council.

Instead of directly stealing the blueprints, he used his exceptional memory to personally draw a map of the city in his study, marking key information such as the strength of the troops, the intervals between troop rotations, and the locations of grain and fodder storage.

Meanwhile, Shi Miyuan and Wan Qixie also quietly contacted Luo Wang, with whom they had previously done business, during these two days, conveying their intention to abandon darkness and embrace the light.

Furthermore, they also handed over the hand-drawn map of the city to Luo Wang as a token of their sincerity and pledge of allegiance.

Yan Ruohai, the head of the Luowang (a secret police organization) who was personally stationed in the capital of Zhao Song, did not dare to delay after receiving these messages. He immediately conveyed them to Xue Rengui and Li Jing, who were attacking the city from the outside, through secret means.

Xue Rengui and Li Jing, along with Yao Guangxiao and Zhang Liang, who served as strategists in the army, discussed the matter. Although they had some doubts about Zhao Pu's decision, they ultimately did not want to give up this opportunity.

After all, even if Zhao Pu has some problems, even if there are some conspiracies or schemes behind this matter.

But they had a full 400,000 troops. What kind of conspiracy could have wiped out more than 400,000 of their troops in one fell swoop?
To put it bluntly, if the gates of Kaifeng could really be opened from the inside, they could take the city by mobilizing only a portion of their forces, without even needing to send out the entire army.

With seven or eight times the military strength of Zhao Kuangyin, they had a sufficient margin for error in this matter!
After making their decision, Xue Rengui and Li Jing secretly sent a message to Wan Qixie and Shi Miyuan through the Luowang network, agreeing to use three rockets as a signal three days later.

At that time, as long as they successfully open the car door for them as agreed, they can be guaranteed a life of wealth and luxury.

During these three days, Xue Rengui and Li Jing could also subtly probe the authenticity of the information on the map of the surrendered city during the siege.

If it can be confirmed that the information on this drawing is true, then Zhao Pu will basically be fine.

With this map, even without an inside agent, they can still successfully breach Kaifeng City by spending a little more time. At most, they will suffer more casualties compared to opening the city with an inside agent.