My Chinese ancestors

Chapter 355 Selling the Emperor

At the end of April, Xia's soldiers and horses advanced to Qi's Xinxiang, less than fifty miles away, and Xinxiang, the capital, was still in an atmosphere of fear, uneasiness, and anxiety.

The city gates were closed as early as the second day after the incident, prohibiting anyone from leaving the city. Prices in the city changed three times a day. Frightened people gathered at the four gates and begged the generals on the tower to let them out.

"...General on the city tower, please open the city gate and let me and other people out of the city!"

"Yeah, we just want to live, what's wrong with us?"

"You lost the battle outside, why should we, the common people, suffer along with you!"

"Open the door!"

The soldiers guarding the gate below crossed their spears, put up their horses and fences, and pushed back the people who were pushing over, kicking and cursing from time to time.

The general on the city tower was also helpless. He shouted down: "I have received your Majesty's decree. No one is allowed to leave the city. Please go back to your homes and stay at home. Don't run around and cause trouble! Besides, it is not safe to go outside the city. It is reported today." I have received news that the Xia Kingdom’s cavalry is already cruising nearby. If they encounter it, their property and life will be at stake. Have you forgotten about the massacre of Pingwu City?!"

"Only by working together with the imperial court and the soldiers guarding the city to defeat the Xia Kingdom's troops can we overcome this difficulty!"

The main force of the Xia Kingdom has not yet arrived, but it is an indisputable fact that there are already a large number of Xia Kingdom cavalry wandering in the wilderness outside the city. Without preventing the people from escaping, Xin Xiang had to spread rumors about the people who had left the city before, and the team of the wealthy gentry. When the Xia cavalry attacked.

Rumors can indeed make some people who want to leave the city return home, but they can also make some people feel more restless.

As the news of the peace talks spread, although they did not know what conditions Xia Guo’s coach offered, people still expected the court to comply and avoid the upcoming war. However, after two days of news of the peace talks spreading, there was no response from the court. Any movement.

There was also an undercurrent surging in the court, and the news was almost suppressed by the combined efforts of civil and military forces, preventing it from being released.

On the last day of April, it was the same morning court as before, but the atmosphere was different from the past. Emperor Qi Ke'an was helped by the eunuchs to sit on the dragon chair, and the Queen Mother Zhao Zhuangyi was also invited over and sat down beside him.

In the main hall, the usually deferential civil and military ministers all lowered their heads or raised their eyes slightly, looking towards the imperial steps, with a different look in their eyes than usual.

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother!"

An old minister with a gray beard slowly walked out of the queue and said, "The main force of the Xia Kingdom is close at hand. The Xirong cavalry and the cavalry from the North have appeared around the capital. It's time for Your Majesty to make a decision."

"What... are you planning to do? Didn't I ask you to negotiate peace? It's just that how can I and the Imperial Grandmother accept such conditions!"

Since the 16-year-old emperor succeeded to the throne, he has been walking on thin ice. Every day he wakes up, he trembles to find out where Xia's soldiers and horses are.

"You are all our veterans of the Qi Dynasty. Some of you have been in the Qi Dynasty for generations. The enemy has reached the capital. You should work together to defend the city and repel the enemy!"

"Your Majesty, what we are waiting for is, why not just agree to the terms of peace talks with Xia State." A military general walked out. He was one of the generals of the army that was defeated that day.

"You! How presumptuous!" Even though Zhao Zhuangyi is old, she still has the power of being the Queen Mother for so many years. She stood up with a golden phoenix-headed staff, "How can any minister send the emperor to the enemy camp!"

"The Empress Dowager is wrong." The general's expression did not change, but he arched his hands and lowered his face slightly, "Not only Your Majesty, but also you, the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor, the Emperor's wife!"

The old woman's face turned red because of this sentence. While she was waiting for her to speak, the veteran Wen Shou who was the first to stand up just now picked up the words and spoke again.

"The Empress Dowager, your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and it is the Son of Heaven who just follows the example of the Son of Heaven. After defeat and surrender, the people in the city will not die in vain, and the soldiers will not die in vain. This is what a benevolent and righteous king should do."

"The minister waits for the second opinion!"

At this time, the civil and military personnel in half of the hall walked out and stood behind the two people in front and bowed.

The troops of Qi State were defeated again and again, and the two states were wiped out. Now they are approaching the capital city. The aristocratic families behind the civil and military affairs have no hope at all if they continue to struggle with such an emperor.

At this time, everyone rushed forward, pushed down the wall, and sold the emperor, which was rare in the world.

In their eyes, the Emperor of Qi had belittled himself and gave up the throne of the emperor. This move had chilled the hearts of all the civil and military officials.

Hundreds of thousands of troops failed to select a qualified commander, and the emperor did not have great courage. Then they had to consider themselves and the family behind them and find another way out. Even some big officials who had different political opinions in the past Members, all stood together at this moment.

At the moment, everyone has not completely forced the palace, and their words are still gentle, leaving room for maneuver.

A few months ago, the Qi State, which had been founded for more than 200 years, was still as peaceful as ever. Even though trade was blocked and the people were miserable, everyone was still in peace. The king was still a king, and the ministers were still ministers. But now in the blink of an eye, troops are approaching the city. Hundreds of thousands of troops were crippled, and the emperor was so useless. Under such circumstances, how could they not be allowed to find other ways to protect themselves?

At this time, in the court, all the ministers from the previous main war faction did not dare to speak.

The remaining civil and military officials were overwhelmingly on the side of the Lord, and many people also spoke to comfort Qi Ke'an and Zhao Zhuangyi at this moment.

"...Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager actually see it clearly in their hearts. Although Qi State has soldiers and generals, they are basically useless. There is a thick layer of moss on the walls of Qi State's capital..."

"Master Li is right. I would also like to advise your majesty to go to the Xia Kingdom's military camp. Even if it is a shame, in the end it will save your life and the people in the city will not suffer from the sword." An old minister followed closely and took over. Words of comfort.

Qi Ke'an on the imperial steps blushed and was speechless. Zhao Zhuangyi on the side was furious: "You ministers are all old ministers of Da Qi for many years. The State of Qi treats you and the clansmen behind you, big and small, with great respect." Not bad, when the end comes, you actually want to sell me and your majesty to the Xia Kingdom!"

Qi Ke'an also tried to win back the hearts of the civil and military officials: "Yes, gentlemen, please don't forget that there are [-] border troops on the way. They also fight with the Liang Kingdom from time to time. They can be regarded as an army that has fought..."

"Does Your Majesty simply place your hopes on the [-] frontier troops? That is really risky. The weapons and armor of the frontier troops are outdated. Have they been replaced over the years? And...if Xin Xiangzhen breaks through the Xia Kingdom, Your Majesty and Don’t we, civil and military officials, think of a way out?”

More civil and military officials spoke.

"Hundreds of thousands of troops have been defeated. How can a mere [-] frontier troops be able to compete with Xia's army of hundreds of battles?"

"Your Majesty does not understand military affairs and thinks that soldiers can fight the enemy with weapons. You must know that morale is also the key, as is past training. In the past few decades, the six countries have occasionally had small frictions, but there has never been a major war. Soldiers We have all forgotten the skill of fighting for our lives on the battlefield."

"...How can we turn things around if we can't work together!"

A group of civil and military officials, with a word from you and a word from me, rendered the grandfather and grandson on the imperial steps speechless.

Qi Ke'an was dressed in imperial uniform, with a trembling look on his face: "Ministers, the situation has not yet reached an irreversible point. The Xia Kingdom's army is indeed powerful, but if we, the monarch and the ministers, and the army and the people are united, we can attack the city with one go, and the morale will be high." It will inevitably decline. As time goes by, it will turn around."

He racked his brains and looked at the figures below, his voice choked with sobs.

"It is not often said that prosperity will lead to decline, and decline can also turn into prosperity. If after this battle, our Qi army defeats the Xia Kingdom, there will be no signs of a rejuvenation of the country in the future. My dear friends don't want to be the ministers of the country's subjugation, right?!"

There was silence in the main hall, and some people sighed.

"Your Majesty is right. Who wants to be a minister who wants to subjugate the country? However, the Xia Kingdom's troops have been devastating all the way. If the Liang Kingdom can still rely on foreign aid, I and other ministers are willing to sacrifice our homes to fight with it!"

"But Liang Guo has too much to take care of himself now. Da Qi has been attacked again. Our survival is only a matter of seconds. There is no chance to turn the tide of the war!" Everyone was talking, and some ministers were sobbing softly with the emperor, and finally put down the words. .

"Your Majesty, I will give Your Majesty and the Queen Mother one more night to consider this."

After saying this, all the ministers bowed their hands for the last time, stepped back one after another before leaving the court, and then turned around and filed out.

Only the old Zhao Zhuangyi and Emperor Qi Ke'an were left. The two generations shed tears and helped each other back to the harem. Qi Wangge, who was already the Supreme Emperor, and his wife hurried forward to greet him and asked if there were any generals in the court who would volunteer. Lead the army to fight to the death with the Xia Kingdom to relieve Xin Xiang's danger.

Seeing Qi Kean's eyes wet and red, he shook his head with tears.

Qi Wangge's originally expectant look instantly faded from his face, and he sat down on the threshold of the palace door in despair. There was another person inside, Qi Qingbao, who laughed and pointed at Zhao Zhuangyi and the others outside.

"Deserve it! Deserve it! Originally, I surrendered to the Emperor of Xia Kingdom and abdicated. You will not lose your wealth and honor, and the people and soldiers will not suffer this misfortune. Now it's better. It's all your thoughts, but you defeated Xia Kingdom!! "

He was released before and cried bitterly when he heard that hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses were defeated overnight. At this moment, his grief turned into anger and joking, and he pouted at his old wife, son, and grandson outside.

"My Qijia ancestral temple was completely destroyed in the hands of you people who overestimate their own capabilities!"

Zhao Zhuangyi's old face turned red from embarrassment. He held up his crutch and was about to go in and beat Qi Qingbao. However, he was pulled by Qi Wangge. He shouted at his mother with red eyes: "It's all you! If you hadn't deceived me and usurped my father's throne, If you kill the Xia envoys, what will happen today will happen!"

Qi Ke'an rushed over with a limp leg, raised his hand and punched his roaring father in the face.

"You're not much better!"

"Naughty son, you are going to rebel, someone is here!"

"You're the only one who can scream?! Come on, the Supreme Emperor will beat me!"

Qi Qingbao, who was in the hall, clapped his thighs and laughed crazily when he saw his relatives fighting in a ball outside. With a smile, he slid from the chair to the ground and cried loudly.

The cry of a man is not pleasant to hear, especially the cry of an old man. However, in this unpleasant cry, there is a heavy feeling for the country of Qi, and also the sadness of the family relationship being wiped out.

……

Just outside Xinxiang City, where the undercurrent was surging and terrified, the main force of the Xia Kingdom from the north was already stationed in the wilderness twenty miles away from the capital.

Under the command of the soldiers, the young men recruited were erecting several miles of fences, and tents were also being erected. The craftsmen in the back camp were working hard to prepare siege equipment, or to repair the armor and weapons that the soldiers had replaced.

In the Chinese army's tent that was erected first, Li Jing, the head coach of the East Route Army, was sitting on the command post, his face calm and powerful, and he was looking through the letter in his hand. This was sent by the civil and military officials in Xinxiang City. of.

He then handed the letter to the subordinates for circulation to the generals, keeping the information open to avoid any possible estrangement plot.

"...The royal family of Qi is really eye-opening. I always thought that the emperor was still the son of Qi Qingbao who usurped the throne. I didn't expect that this guy actually abdicated and gave up the throne to his son when we defeated Shengzhou. Qi Ke'an, this is the first time I've heard this, it's unbelievable."

"But these Qi ministers who betrayed the emperor actually want to bargain with us? They really don't know life and death, and they don't know their own situation..."

The generals in the tent sat on the cross stool in turn. This kind of foldable low stool also existed in this world and was very popular. It was easy to carry when marching when folded. When unfolded, it was square and had a coarse cloth support point in the middle. People sit upright.

Lu Bu, Xiang Yu, and Youyan army commander Zhao Yun and deputy commander Zhang Yi; The practice of going there is really funny.

Lu Bu took the letter again, stood up and patted it on the desk in the middle: "It's so embarrassing! If they risk their lives to defend the city wall, a certain family will still think highly of them!"

The generals in the tent laughed one after another, and even Xiang Yu also laughed, and said casually: "The Qi State here is so similar to the Qi State at that time. A bunch of clowns, with hundreds of thousands of troops, but not a single one." Can fight!"

"That's why King Xiang is so good at fighting!" Su Dingfang raised his gray head and said with a smile, then a trace of ferocity flashed in his eyes as he looked at Li Jing who was behind the case.

"Master, they are willing to surrender, but they are still bargaining with us in the letter. They are a bit waiting for a price. They might as well attack the city and hammer it."

Li Jing nodded and looked at Dong Zhuo's side of the Xiliang Army. Dong Zhuo, who couldn't wait for a long time, stood up before Li Jing could say anything: "Needless to say, I will attack the capital, the Xiliang army is familiar with it! I can also fight in the imperial city." Wrapped round.”

"Haha, Grand Master misunderstood. What Jing meant is that Qi's war is almost over anyway, so we might as well 'send' all the remaining shocking things to Qi in one go to help them cheer up!"

The surrounding generals suddenly had ferocious smiles on their lips.

Xin Xiang.

The night is slowly falling, and the letters sent outside the city have not been returned.

The civil and military personnel who were waiting for the response from the coach of Xia Kingdom outside the city were extremely anxious in their respective homes.

At this time in the city, there were still many people gathered in the streets, sitting under the eaves of the street talking in sad and unfavorable tones, discussing what to do next.

The streets in the city, large and small, were exceptionally quiet. The soldiers who were still guarding the city walls looked nervously at the dark city. Occasionally, Xia scouts holding torches ran past the fields, which made people feel shocked. They were nervous.

However, tonight, they felt a little dull, and they could hear some faint noise coming from the distant night.

Not long after, a large number of torches suddenly lit up in the dark night, forming a sea of ​​fire, which frightened the soldiers on the city wall into panic, thinking that the Xia army was going to attack the city at night.

In the rush to rush to the Drum Tower to beat the war drums, a loud bang resounded across the city wall in the fields outside, and then a black thing on fire was seen flying high into the night sky.

He crossed the corner of the tower, smashed a few tiles, and fell against the inner city wall.

The next second, there was a loud bang, fire and thunder-like sounds rising into the sky.

All the soldiers felt the city wall beneath their feet shake. ,

"Demon...demon magic?"

"What just happened?!"

"Look back! And..." A Qi soldier turned around and said, and then shouted "Ah!" in horror.

There were densely packed soldiers on the city wall, and the people in the city walked onto the streets, or opened the wooden windows, and saw countless black spots flying towards the city tower and the city without any target.

Boom boom boom...

The sound of the explosion reached its peak in an instant, and the terrifying sound flooded the city. The flames rising into the sky were like gorgeous flowers, and crazy sections of the city wall bloomed everywhere.

(End of this chapter)