A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

Just as Wei Zhao pressed down the military map outside Guiping City, the scout knelt down in front of the tent.

"Your Majesty, news of victory has arrived from Pingyang."

Several people inside the tent looked up at the same time.

The scout's throat was dry, but he couldn't suppress the excitement in his voice.

"Lady Huo ambushed the western city, and all 30,000 Red Blade Army soldiers were wiped out. Chen Mao was killed in battle, and the rest were captured."

Wei Zhao paused for a moment.

it is good.

I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

When he left Pingyang, he was afraid that Chen Maozhen was stubborn and would obediently take a detour to Guiping.

While it's possible to fight that way, it would be much more complicated.

Now that Chen Mao has put his head in Pingyang, Huo Qingluan will cut it off for him.

Thirty thousand Red Blade soldiers were gone, and Zhou Laodao's arm was also chopped off.

Guiping City became even more isolated.

"Siege".

Wei Zhao closed the military map, his voice steady.

"Today we'll test the west gate, tomorrow we'll press against the north wall, and before the third day, I will enter Guiping."

Zhao Qiniang came in from outside the tent and happened to hear this sentence, her eyelids twitched.

"Your Majesty, there are still 50,000 cavalrymen under Han Dashan in Guiping."

"I know."

Wei Zhao smiled.

"So attack the city first, not the cavalry."

Zhao Qiniang was taken aback.

Wei Zhao pointed to the Guiping West Camp.

"Han Dashan's men came to rescue Luo Shao, not to die in Luo Shao's place. If the city can still be defended, they'll help shout a few words. Once the city falls apart, they'll run faster than anyone else."

This is the key.

Fifty thousand cavalrymen looked intimidating, but they were not Luo Shao's soldiers.

Han Dashan sent them to delay Wei Zhao, not to fill the walls of Guiping with the elite troops of the Black Mountain Army.

As soon as Guiping shows signs of defeat, the first thing those 50,000 cavalry will think of is definitely not rescuing Luo Shao.

Yes, we're withdrawing.

Wei Zhao understood this kind of rebellious king all too well.

We say one thing and the other is another, but in our hearts, it's all about who dies first and who runs away later.

Nobody would actually risk their lives to fill that gap.

"Liu Jingshuang".

"exist."

"You hold the west gate, attack but don't advance. Keep Han Dashan's cavalry pinned down in the west camp, so they dare not move."

Liu Jingshuang nodded.

"With Huo Qingluan gone, I will personally guard the north wall."

Zhao Qiniang immediately asked, "His Majesty is personally attacking the city?"

Wei Zhao glanced at her.

"I will not climb the wall; I will stand where they can see me."

Zhao Qiniang understood.

The white-clad killing god standing below the city wall was even more deadly than climbing the wall itself.

The people in Guiping City are now most afraid of not the siege ladders, not the crossbows, but that white-clad figure.

They've heard it too many times already.

Pingyang fell in half a day, the deputy general was killed by an arrow three miles away, Chen Sen's head rolled on the city wall, and the flags of the sixteen cities changed every three days.

Some reputations, once they take hold, become a second army.

Wei Zhao now intends to push this army to the top of Guiping City.

Guiping Royal Palace.

When Luo Shao heard the news of Chen Mao's death in battle, he did not smash the cup.

He simply sat in his chair and stared at the guard who had come to deliver the message for a long time.

"You're saying that all 30,000 Red Blade Army soldiers are gone?"

The guards knelt, not daring to raise their heads.

"Yes. Chen Mao attacked Pingyang, but was lured into the city by Huo Qingluan. Three days later, his entire army was wiped out. Chen Mao's body... his body has been sent to the city of Guiping by the Xinwu Army."

Luo Shao's lips twitched slightly.

Where is Han Dashan?

The aide quickly replied, "The Han King's cavalry is still in the western camp. Commander Hu Zhen said that as long as the King defends the city, they will seize the opportunity to attack the flank of Xinwu."

Luo Shao laughed out loud.

"Waiting for an opportunity?"

He laughed and laughed until tears streamed down his face.

"Damn it, wait for your chance!"

What is the opportunity to attack the flank?

It's just watching a play.

If they can hold onto Guiping, they will reap the benefits.

If they couldn't hold Guiping, they would simply leave.

The people Han Dashan sent weren't reinforcements, they were people to oversee the corpse.

"Your Highness."

The old aide knelt and took a step forward.

"Guiping is a high city, and the government granaries still have provisions. If we can hold out for three to five days, the Tieling and Hedong armies might be able to arrive..."

"perhaps?"

Luo Shao suddenly turned his head.

The old aide shut up.

Luo Shao stared at him, his eyes bloodshot.

"Pingyang also said he could hold out for seven days. Chen Sen also said he could. And what happened? Half a day."

No one dared to answer.

"What do I have left now?"

Luo Shao pointed outside.

"Nanling is gone, Angu is gone, Qinghe is gone, Pingyang is gone, the sixteen cities are gone. My Qinggu army has surrendered, my grain has been taken away by Wei Zhao, and my supervising officer has been beheaded."

He kicked over the table.

"You still want me to guard this place? For whom are you going to guard it? To make a fool of myself in front of Wei Zhao?"

A young advisor said in a trembling voice, "If Your Highness abandons the city now, there will be no more Weinan..."

"Shut up!"

Luo Shao drew his sword, pressing the blade against the advisor's neck.

"Weinan? Do I even have Weinan anymore?"

The staff member's face was deathly pale, and his trouser legs were soaked.

Outside the city, the drums of siege sounded.

On the first day, Liu Jingshuang pressed down at the west gate.

The Wei family army did not launch a strong attack, but instead pushed the shield carts and crossbow formations to the city walls and fired a volley every now and then.

Han Dashan's western cavalry tried to move several times, but Liu Jingshuang's sword flag tilted to one side, and the Wei family army crossbowmen immediately turned around.

Hu Zhen looked at the formation below the city and his face was very grim.

"This woman is watching us."

The lieutenant whispered, "General, should we launch a charge? Luo Shao has already sent messengers to urge us three times."

Hu Zhen sneered.

"Hurry up, Mom!"

He looked at the new Wu army formation in the distance and cursed Luo Shao as a good-for-nothing in his heart.

He was tasked with defending the city, and this is how he managed to do it.

He also wanted the Black Mountain cavalry to charge against his family's crossbow formation.

In his dream, the King of Han said he would save him, not that he would be buried with him.

"Order: Stay put."

"But what about King Luo..."

Hu Zhen glared at him.

"Guiping is his Guiping, not Laozi's Guiping."

The lieutenant remained silent.

The next day, Wei Zhao pressed down on the north wall.

He was dressed in white, without armor, and stood behind the ballista.

The garrison on the walls of Guiping spotted him immediately.

"The Emperor in White!"

Someone shouted, and chaos erupted on half of the city wall.

The commander drew his sword and slashed the man down, roaring, "Anyone who shouts will die!"

But it's no use.

Some words, once spoken, cannot be taken back.

The soldiers on the city wall looked at the figure in white, their bows barely able to be fully drawn.

Some people thought of Pingyang, some thought of Chen Sen, and some thought of that arrow that traveled three miles.

Wei Zhao looked up at the city wall, feeling no relief whatsoever.

It's probably something good.

If something becomes truly terrifying, it will turn on you.

Therefore, we cannot give them time to muster their courage again.

"Ballista".

Wei Zhao raised his hand.

"Press the left section."

hum!

Heavy crossbows fired in unison.

The left section of the north wall's battlements was riddled with bullet holes, sending stones flying everywhere. Several defenders, shields and all, tumbled off the city wall.

Zhao Qiniang led a team of elite troops up the moat, but did not rush to climb the city wall. Instead, she threw oil cans onto the base of the wall.

Just as the defenders were about to push the logs, crossbow bolts came flying from below the city.

The rhythm was completely stuck.

Wei Zhao saw it very clearly.

Guiping is not indefensible.

Defending a city requires a certain amount of willpower, the ability of the commander to maintain composure, and the belief among the people in the city that they can still survive.

Luo Shao didn't have the courage to say that.

On the morning of the third day, the first breach appeared in the north wall of Guiping.

It wasn't knocked open.

The defending troops retreated on their own.

A captain led more than two hundred men to kneel behind the breach, threw their swords on the ground, and shouted themselves hoarse.

"Surrender! The North Wall is willing to surrender!"

Wei Zhao did not laugh.

"Enter the city."

Liu Jingshuang turned from the west gate to the north road, Zhao Qiniang led her men into the breach first, followed closely by the Imperial Guards.

Shouts of battle soon rang out within Guiping City, but they did not last long.

Luo Shao's troops scattered too quickly.

Wei Zhao felt a little uncomfortable as they approached.

He had prepared for street fighting, for burning the granary, and for Luo Shao's final desperate attempt.

When they actually entered the city, the fiercest resistance came not from the prince's personal guards, but from a few defeated soldiers who had looted the treasury.

When Luo Shao changed into a soldier's uniform and ran out of the back gate of the palace, his helmet was askew.

He only had seven or eight bodyguards left.

There is no royal flag.

There were no ceremonial guards.

There is no thousand years.

Only the chaotic sound of footsteps and the increasingly loud shouts of the Xinwu Army could be heard.

"Quick! Let's go!"

Luo Shao lowered his voice, smeared ash on his face, and even tore off and threw away the jade pendant at his waist.

He doesn't want anything anymore.

I don't want the title of King, I don't want Guiping, I don't want gold and silver.

Alive.

As long as you're alive.

But as soon as they turned into a narrow alley, a group of new military soldiers suddenly appeared in front of them.

The captain in charge saw them and his gaze lingered on Luo Shao's face for a moment.

Luo Shao immediately lowered his head and said in a rough voice:

"Our own men! Surrendered soldiers from the north wall, ordered to move grain!"

The captain didn't speak.

Luo Shao's back was covered in sweat.

Don't look at me.

Don't look.

His face was now covered in grime, and he had changed his clothes, so these new recruits might not recognize him.

Guiping City is in such chaos, if he can just get through it, he still has a chance.

The captain took two steps forward and suddenly raised his hand.

"Take it down."

Luo Shao's expression changed drastically, and he turned and ran.

But how could he outrun the armored soldiers?

A new soldier rushed up and kicked him in the back of the knee.

Luo Shao fell to the ground, his helmet rolled off, and his hair came undone.