My Chinese ancestors

Chapter 356: Emperor Xian’s surrender is worse than an ox or a horse

The thunderous noises disappeared one after another, and a huge fire lit up the tower of Zhurimen Gate in the north, and the fire lit up half of the night sky.

The streets in the city, especially those near Zhurimen, are noisy and noisy.

People who were awakened by the loud noise were running in panic, shouting loudly, and huddled under the window lattice with their children in their arms, crying.

Men stood on both sides of the street and watched groups of soldiers and horses rushing towards the northern city wall. Even the government officials rushed to the street and drove the people back to their homes to wait for instructions.

Many people couldn't sleep that night. They couldn't understand why the huge noise was accompanied by the fire. They were also worried about whether Xia's army would launch an attack during the night and whether the soldiers guarding the city could hold on.

Naturally, the palace heard the sudden explosion. Qi Ke'an asked the eunuch to carry him to the Min Building in the front palace, only to find that Qi Wangge was also in the building. Neither father nor son spoke to each other, and they looked at each other in fear. The burning tower in the far northwest.

The achievements of Xia's army have already shocked the world. A big city like Luyang in the Central Plains was captured in half a day, let alone Xinxiang, which was in disrepair.

Not only Qi Wangge and his son, but everyone in the world knew that Xin Xiang could not stop the Xia army's attack.

Qi Wangge was actually more scared than his son Qi Ke'an and his father Qi Qingbao.

Previously, he had escaped from the imperial city with the Empress Dowager and his wife, the Emperor. They almost fled to the city gate, but were chased back by the civil and military officials. Now, they are being forced into the palace by the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty, who want to unite their families for several generations. They were sent to the Xia Kingdom military camp.

Thinking of such a situation, I feel angry and scared.

That's why today during the day, I got into a fight with my son over a disagreement.

"Father... I'm afraid we will really be sent to the Xia Kingdom military camp by those civil and military gangs."

After hearing his son's words, Qi Wangge lowered his head and opened his mouth. He didn't know what to say. After a long while, he finally managed to say in a low voice: "I can't forgive you as a father."

Now that disaster was approaching, he wanted to give himself a slap in the face when he looked back and thought about what he had done.

If he had not followed his mother and imprisoned his father, killed the Xia envoys, and surrendered the country later, he would not have lost his status as a prince. Being an idle heir apparent would have been better than being a king who had subjugated his country and been sent to the enemy's camp by his own ministers.

The father and son each returned to their own palaces. After a sleepless night, they simply broke the jars and called a few concubines. They played wildly in the palace all night. When it was almost dawn, they drank the poisoned wine they had prepared.

Then they asked the eunuchs to dress them in imperial clothes and crowns and came to the main hall of the front palace. At this time, the civil and military ministers had already arrived, and there was no need for the eunuchs to enter the hall with great noise. They all stood in the main hall with swords. Looks indifferent.

"Your Majesty, the Supreme Emperor, and the concubines in the harem are requested to move to the Xia Kingdom's military camp outside the city!"

The ministers could not help but speak, and did not even allow Qi Wangge and Qi Ke'an to speak. After all, last night was the last room for the emperor and his ministers. In fact, the civil and military ministers still hoped that the father and son could commit suicide by taking poison yesterday. In this way, the emperor would There is no need to go to the enemy's camp and be humiliated. They can also open Xinxiang and surrender naturally.

However, the news came back from the palace informants early this morning that the emperor and the emperor had been enjoying women all night, and then asked the serving concubine to commit suicide. All civil and military officials immediately felt that the father and son were completely hopeless.

So early in the morning, they put on weapons and took control of the imperial city, their faces as cold as a layer of frost.

Here, the father and son on the imperial steps were mentally prepared, but they couldn't help but panic at the thought of being sent to the enemy camp, trying to impress the courtiers below with words.

"My lords, why do you have to do this when you are a king and your ministers..." Qi Wangge swallowed, his voice obviously trembling.

"Your Majesty is thinking of you and your ministers. Please don't make it difficult for me and my ministers."

The speaker was Yang Qi, the first Prime Minister to stand up yesterday. He slightly arched his hand, took two steps back, straightened up, and raised his hand to wave.

"Your Majesty, please get in the car with the Emperor. In addition, go to the harem to move the concubines, the Queen Mother, and the Emperor's wife together."

The defeated army entered the city and was quickly won over by Prime Minister Yang Qi, who had a keen sense of remediation. The only remaining generals of the Fourth Army, Han Jinsu, Zhao Ji'an, Xu Jinwu and Tong Jue, all came under his command, as well as the imperial city guard Sun. Zan was his son-in-law, so he dared to act like this.

With the family business saved, the Yang family was still in ruins. Even after the surrender, he could no longer be the prime minister, but he could still hold a sinecure position in the Xia Kingdom. It was also a good plan to pave the way for the heirs of the Yang family.

He lowered his eyes slightly, and two teams of Imperial City soldiers rushed in. Without any respect from the past, they directly picked up Qi Wangge and Qi Ke'an on the imperial steps, and took them outside the hall amidst the noisy shouts of the two. .

Later, the palace guards cooperated with the soldiers to enter the harem and took away Zhao Zhuangyi who was disguised as an old nanny. As for Qi Qingbao, these guards and soldiers still knew something and did not treat him too roughly. Qi Qingbao did not struggle to beg for mercy, so he just wore Wearing a simple uniform, he followed the soldiers with his hands behind his back and left the palace where he had lived for decades.

When he was about to leave the palace, he turned back and cupped his hands, tremblingly bowing to the majestic palace complex here.

Then came the empresses and concubines of three generations of emperors, numbering over a hundred people, who loaded up more than 30 carriages and drove out of the imperial city together with the imperial chariots, escorted by the imperial soldiers and horses.

The people on the street stood on the side of the road, looking at the carriages passing in front of them, with no expression on their faces. They looked numbly at the harem concubines in the carriages crying out of the carriage windows.

As for the royal affairs, the people in the city naturally knew about it. First, Qi Qingbao abdicated after being imprisoned, and Qi Wangge ascended the throne. Then the emperor, who was like a straw bag, hurriedly abdicated the throne in fear of the Xia Kingdom's military attack, and let his 16-year-old son ascend the throne. The truth of a series of operations stunned the people of Xinxiang Qi and at the same time, they also scorned the emperor in the palace.

Privately, literati shook their heads at such a thing and said: "Dynasties change, and in the last years, the army does not practice martial arts, and the country does not govern the country. There are many emperors who are ignorant, so there is no reason to survive."

As the motorcade exited the Sun Gate, the Imperial City soldiers who had held their chests out and held their spears showed nervous expressions on their faces. The civil and military officials who came out with them, although they were formally dressed and walked majestically on foot, were still in a state of uneasiness.Early this morning, they had sent fast horses to report to the Xia Kingdom's military camp. When they left the imperial city, they sent fast horses again. The other party should have received the letter and would not do anything to harm them.

Ten miles after leaving Zhuri Gate, the farewell convoy met a cavalry of 500 people. The leader was a female general, holding a silver spear and wearing a white robe of the Yin family. They blocked the road majestically and looked at the long distance. After the team, Yang Qi and several Qi generals who had just stepped forward to salute nodded, and then led the white horse Yi Cong out of the way, signaling them to continue moving forward.

"Go over, but I want to tell you that Li Shangshu manages the army strictly and remember not to make any noise."

"Yes!"

Seeing that a female general was greeting them, as a civil and military officer, he naturally complained a little, but judging from their expressions, he naturally did not dare to show it. Yang Qi responded respectfully, and then continued to lead the team forward.

After another ten miles, in front of the field of vision, several miles of camps are reflected in the bottom of the eye. In the camp, flags such as "Li", "Xiang", "Lü", "Zhao" and "Dong" are flying. The tallest flag has a message. The word 'Xia' is particularly conspicuous with its white dragon pattern on a black background.

Before the convoy even approached the camp, drums rang out in the military camp, and the ground shook. On the left and right of the camp, a cavalry team, each with about a thousand riders, rushed out. They came with an overwhelming momentum and were approaching. When they were thirty feet away from the left and right sides of the convoy, the two leading cavalrymen, one red and one white, raised their weapons.

A cavalry captain waved his command flag in the team: "Stop!"

The iron hooves of the two cavalrymen slowed down and stopped with a final sound, and the swirling dust filled the field.

This scene of smoky energy made the civil and military officials headed by Yang Qi tremble with fear. Qi Wangge, Qi Ke'an, and Zhao Zhuangyi in the two carriages in front opened the curtains, only took a glance, and were so frightened that they quickly put down their hands. The curtain retracted.

They have been pampered for too long and cannot afford to see such a bloody and murderous army.

After a moment, the camp gate directly in front opened wide. The Youyan and Xiliang armies also sent out more than a thousand infantry. They quickly poured out of the camp gate and formed formations on the left and right. These soldiers were carefully selected and armed to the teeth. The purpose is to shock the civil and military forces of Qi.

Su Dingfang, who was still looking old at this time, pressed his sword head and passed Zhang Yi and other generals without saluting. He slightly nodded and raised his hand to reach the camp gate: "Have the Emperor of your country and his family arrived? If so, we will enter the camp together. My commander is here. The tent is waiting."

"Yes!"

Yang Qi maintained courtesy, bowed his hands and bowed to the Xia generals, and then ordered someone to take the emperor, the Supreme Emperor and the others out of the carriage. Qi Wangge and his son were helped over.

Zhang Yi and other generals looked at the father and son in imperial uniforms. Their legs were shaking as they walked, and they couldn't help but laugh. Dong Zhuo laughed and cursed: "Worse than Liu Xie back then!"

Li Jue burst out laughing, and then added: "After you leave, Mr. Dong, Liu Xie will be as good as the father and son in front of me and Guo Si." Then he was kicked by Dong Zhuo, and then He and other generals followed Qi's troops into the military camp.

Inside the Chinese army tent.

Li Jing was sitting on a black wooden chair, wearing a bright light armor and looking majestic. When he saw the Prime Minister of Qi Yang Qi leading the Emperor of Qi and his family into the tent, he sat still on the chair and glanced at them coldly.

On the opposite side, Yang Qi, Qi Wangge and his son, as well as Zhao Zhuangyi and Qi Qingbao finally saw the commander-in-chief of the Xia State East Route Army. Before they could salute him, the generals of the Xia State Army filed in, standing on both sides with the sound of armor leaves shaking. .

The murderous aura exuded by these generals is completely incomparable to the generals of Qi State. It seems that these people have fought countless battles at such an age.

Zhao Zhuangyi lowered his head and looked at these generals, Lu Bu with a golden crown and tied hair, a handsome general with silver armor and white robes, a fat man with fat head and big ears but a fierce face, especially one of the generals who was wearing a big cloak and luxurious silver armor. He was tall and tall. , just one glance, and seeing the double pupils in the other person's eyes made her numb with fear, and she didn't dare to look further.

At this moment, she suddenly understood why her husband Qi Qingbao would rather sacrifice his country and surrender...

But what's the use of mentioning it now, it's too late.

At this time, Yang Qi, the Prime Minister of Qi in the front, stepped forward to pay homage to Li Jing. He was about to speak when he was interrupted by Li Jing raising his hand, "Although I am the commander-in-chief of the three armies, I could have surrendered on the front line, but my Majesty is already on his way south. At this moment, We have already passed through Pingshengzhou, let alone coming to Heshengzhou to surrender to you. It is up to my Majesty to come down."

After saying that, Li Jing stood up and raised his hand to wave.

"Determine the position, lead the troops to take over the defense of Xinxiang City first, the civil and military forces of the court, and the emperor of Qi, and their families will stay in the army for two days, waiting for your majesty to come and decide in person."

"General...that's not what you said in your letter!" Yang Qi was shocked. He hurriedly stepped forward to say more, but was kicked to the ground by Li Jue. Zhang Yi directly pulled out the Huanshou Sword. Pressing on the old man's neck, he looked fierce: "If you say one more word, I will chop off your head with one knife!"

"That's not what I said in my letter, but things have changed. Don't worry, your lives won't be hurt!"

Li Jing smiled while stroking his beard, and ordered to the guards outside the tent: "Arrange tents for the civil and military ministers of Qi State, and squeeze in together at night. The Emperor of Qi State... and his family members will be taken to the rear camp to help feed the horses and wash the clothes! "

"This general!"

Qi Wangge and Qi Ke'an had never done anything like this before. They wanted to plead, but Li Jue and Zhang Yi each slapped them in the face and drove away the handsome tent like cattle and sheep.

He was taken away together with the concubines in the harem and the Queen Mother Zhao Zhuangyi. As for Qi Qingbao, he was taken away alone and imprisoned in a tent with Wenwu.

……

The next day, the Emperor of Xia's chariot finally appeared at the border of Heshengzhou, and soon after, he arrived at the frontline military camp.

(End of this chapter)