Chapter 698 Losing the Country
Ma Chao led his sudden cavalry on the wide imperial road to break through.
Because Zhu Jun completely returned to defend Beigong, the Han army in the outer city was actually in a state of unconsciousness and numbness. All the armies in the city seemed to have lost their minds and were unable to make any meaningful military actions.
After some of the battalions that were still able to hold their positions were defeated by Ma Chao and his men, all aspects of the East City were actually in disintegration, with chaos and panic everywhere.
On the road, Ma Chao saw a fat man in purple robes being carried by a group of peasants on a shoulder cart and running westward. He hit the fat man in the heart with one arrow, and the remaining peasants were stunned when they saw their master's arrow hit the ground. He didn't come up to help, but left his friends here and dispersed in a hurry.
The fat man was not dead yet, so he raised his hand with difficulty and said what he wanted to say to Ma Chao, but Ma Chao just asked:
"Is Beigong going in this direction?"
The fat man didn't hear Ma Chao's words clearly and kept mumbling, so the impatient Ma Chao cut off his head with a knife.
After casually killing an unknown big shot, Ma Chao felt a little irritated. He loudly asked the riders present:
"Have any of you been to Kyoto? How did you get to Beigong?"
The people present were either from Qingzhou or Hebei, or they were from outside the customs. How had they ever been to the illustrious Kyoto?
So everyone stared at each other with big eyes and small eyes, unable to say anything. However, there was a young military officer who was smart and said:
"Beigong, Beigong, that must be in the north. Let's run to the highest place in the north of the city. That place in the north must be Beigong."
Sometimes the answer is that simple and straightforward.
Ma Chao blushed because he was so anxious and angry, but it didn't matter soon.
The group of them went straight to the palace building in the city, and saw a large group of friendly troops gathering there to attack the palace gate.
Ma Chao saw Guo Mo's figure in the crowd and estimated that it would not be easy to snatch military glory from him, so he decisively gave the order to the assault cavalry:
"Follow me, let's change doors."
So the group of people followed around the wall and ran towards the Suzaku Gate in the south of the Beigong.
The sound of horse hooves tore through the night, and the sound of horses' hooves really trampled all over Tianjie.
……
At this time, Chongde Hall in the North Palace has become the new command center.
Zhu Jun stayed with the emperor here in the North Palace, and coordinated the war in the four gates, especially the Dongming Gate.
There, the enemy troops were already fighting Zhu Jun's Jianghuai soldiers. Relying on the tall city gates and complete defenses, the Jianghuai soldiers had defeated the enemy's attacks several times.
Now the opponent has suspended the attack and is probably dispatching siege equipment from outside the city to enter the city.
Also taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhu Jun had time to look at the Emperor, only to find that the Emperor was sitting quietly on the steps of his Majesty alone, looking outside the palace.
There, a bright red sun was rising from the east, dispelling the darkness of the night.
But when the darkness gradually receded, Zhu Jun also saw clearly the messy Taibi.
Various discarded royal utensils were piled up casually on the ground. Most of the ceremonial guards and ceremonial guards that were supposed to be accompanying the emperor had disappeared. Even the emperor's chariot was lying crooked on the ground, and no one cared.
Only a few Xiaohuangmen still stick to Liu Bian's side with whips. They need to be responsible for whipping the whip when the emperor is doing justice.
When the emperor sat on the throne, he had no audience, no books, and no music.
In Zhu Jun's mind, a sentence suddenly came to mind:
"This is the sign of the country's subjugation."
Then he laughed at himself:
"It's already this time, and you still think about this?"
After gathering his thoughts, he asked the tooth soldiers to carry his bed in front of Liu Bian.
At this time, I suddenly heard the emperor saying to a little Huangmen:
"Go and ring the bell, and ask the ministers in the Nangong Palace to retreat to the North Palace. The Nangong Palace cannot hold it."
Xiaohuangmen obeyed the order, and then took several Yulin officials to the bell tower outside the palace, where the golden bell responsible for summoning the officials in Beijing to enter the court was located.
Soon, the melodious bells quickly spread throughout the North Palace, to the Nangong, and throughout the city.
Many Han army officials or upright ministers who were still resisting heard the familiar bell and moved closer to Beigong.
But most people don't care about the ending bell, either begging for mercy from the Taishan Army, or scurrying away with their family rats.
Not long after, a large group of blue and purple ribbons led their troops back to Junbeigong from Fudao smoothly.
The leader is an old man, his back is bent, but he is still walking in the front. He is Da Zongzheng Liu Yu.
Behind him were several other ministers, one of whom was Zhou Yi, the commander of Luoyang, and the other was Weiwei Tang Mao, who was also the father of the concubine Tang who died.
As for many other ministers, they have not worked in Nangong since the siege of the city, let alone guarded Nangong in times of crisis.
When Liu Yu and others walked quickly, they took a look at the deserted Danqi of Deyang Palace and felt uncomfortable.
It turns out that the rising sun is no longer that of a Han Dynasty, but the gradually disappearing darkness has the meaning of a Han Dynasty at this time.
When Liu Yu and Luoyang's commander Zhou Yi and Weiwei Tang Hao came, they knelt down respectfully towards the emperor who was sitting on Danqi.
Liu Yu is already sixty this year, and his beard is as white as silver, floating on his chest, while others such as Zhou Yi and Tang Hao are also gray-haired and no longer young.
Liu Bian looked at the three veterans below and the hundreds of injured Zhi Jinwu behind him, and he shed tears unconsciously.
Only with the decline of the Han Dynasty can we see the ambition of the princes.
He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. He had shed too many tears today, but it didn't matter. He didn't have to be sad anymore after today.
Liu Bian looked at Liu Yu and others with pity, smiled gently and said:
"Have everyone in Nangong withdrawn?"
Liu Yu looked serious, but his voice was choked:
"Your Majesty, all those who are willing to accompany me are already here."
Everyone understood what Liu Yu said.
Liu Yu is not someone who is sad about spring and autumn. He continued:
"When I entered the palace from Fudao, I had already blocked Fudao."
Then, he turned to Zhu Jun and asked:
“I wonder what Zhu Shuai’s strategy is now?”
Zhu Jun shook his head and just asked Wei Wei Tang Mao:
"When you came here, what was going on in Nangong now?"
At this time, Tang Mao did not know that his daughter had died. He replied to Zhu Jun with a sad face:
"Nangong's troops were originally weak. Later I heard that after the rebels entered the city, many Zhijinwu ran out of the palace and broke up. But because the rebels were still far away from Nangong, when I came over, no rebels had appeared in Nangong. .”
Zhu Jun asked:
"What happened to those ministers who live near Nangong? Didn't they hear the bells and drums? Why didn't they come?"
Tang Mao was heartbroken:
"People's hearts have long been in chaos. During the siege of the city, those ministers no longer came to Nangong on duty, let alone now. When I took Zhijinwu to inspect Nangong, I saw many people running away towards the south with their carriages. , so everyone who can come is already here.”
Speaking of this, Tang Mao was also a little sad. His daughter was Liu Bian's concubine. Although she was said to be a concubine, she was undoubtedly the queen. Therefore, facing the loneliness of the Han Dynasty, he felt the deepest pain. At this moment, Luoyang’s order Zhou Yi reprimanded angrily:
"In this life, I received a lot of money from the Han Dynasty, but I didn't expect to behave like this in times of crisis. It's shameful."
Zhou Yi was from the Zhou family in Lujiang, and he was considered a very upright person among the ministers. Their family has a very deep relationship with the Yuan family. It was the ancestor of the Yuan family who conquered the Zhou family, so they can be regarded as a peripheral force of the Yuan family.
Originally, Zhou Yi and other members of the Zhou clan were going to be imprisoned in the Jiazi Blood Palace, but because of his uprightness, He Jin spared his life.
Even though he was scolding before, Zhou Yi couldn't help but cry the next moment:
"The country has reached this point, and we, Lord Shilu, cannot absolve ourselves of the blame! Now that we can't even die for it, we are really ashamed of the Han Dynasty."
At this moment, when Zhou Yi was in grief, there was a handsome Jinwu holding a halberd behind him. He also lowered his head and said nothing. He looked exactly like Zhou Yi.
Looking at a circle of crying ministers, Liu Yu directly revealed:
"So don't have any more fantasies. It's just us at this time. As an elder of the Han Dynasty, it is natural for me to die for the Han Dynasty at the last moment, but your Majesty cannot."
As he spoke, he said to Zhu Jun:
"I know a secret passage. In a moment, you will find a dozen of the most loyal and brave tooth soldiers to protect His Majesty from walking through the secret passage."
Not only Zhu Jun was shocked, but also Liu Bian was stunned. Zhu Jun asked directly:
"Old Zongzheng, how did you know there was a secret passage?"
Liu Yu glanced at a few people and said calmly:
"This is a top secret that only successive Zongzhengs know. When the ancestors built Kyoto, they feared that their descendants would be in trouble, so they left a secret passage leading outside the city."
Seeing that Zhu Jun still wanted to ask, he said impatiently:
"Shuai Zhu, before the bandit army invades, quickly listen to me and find a group of people to escort His Majesty."
Zhu Jun nodded hurriedly, sat on Hu's bed and prepared to have someone call Yu Fan and the others over.
But before the words were finished, Liu Bian shook his head and said:
"No need, I will stay here today and not go anywhere."
Liu Yu is in a hurry:
"Your Majesty..."
But Liu Bian remained unmoved and said seriously:
"Where else can I go after leaving Kyoto? Where in the world is there anyone loyal to the Han Dynasty? Instead of being a caged bird there, it is better to stay here. Even if I die, I will die in the country."
Liu Bian's words moved people, but the old Zongzheng and Liu Yu were indifferent:
"Your Majesty, your life does not belong to you, but to the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty cannot die, and you cannot die. When the warriors come, they will take Your Majesty away."
He said the last sentence to Zhu Jun beside him.
Zhu Jun was helpless and explained to Liu Bian:
"Your Majesty, people's hearts have been broken. This is not something you can restore, Your Majesty. Just listen to Zongzheng."
Liu Bian no longer listened to the following words. He picked up the Emperor's Sword alone and flattened it on his knees, stroking it as if he was making a decision.
Tang Hao on the side saw the tension in the atmosphere and hurriedly came out and said:
"Don't force the emperor. Things are not that bad now. Beigong has reserves and military strength. We must defend first. If it fails, it is too late to leave the city."
Just when Tang Mao was trying to relieve the tension, Liu Bian suddenly said:
"Tang Qing, Tang Ji is dead."
Tang Hao was stunned for a moment. His back was turned to the emperor, but he gradually turned around. He opened his mouth to say something, but finally he just said:
"Your Majesty, I didn't hear what you said clearly."
Liu Bian said with a dull face:
"I wanted to send her out of the palace, but she jumped off the stage on the way, so I'm not going anywhere."
Tang Mao stayed there for a long time, and then he slowly bowed to the emperor:
"May your Majesty put the country first."
Liu Bian was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Tang Hao to still say such words. He smiled miserably and was speechless.
And among the crowd, there was a Jinwu who suddenly came out of the queue. He was the handsome general who had just stood behind Zhou Yi.
At this time, he went out to report to the emperor:
"If your Majesty is lucky, I have a perfect plan."
Liu Yu glanced at this person and recognized him as Zhou Yu, Zhou Yi's son.
When Zhou Yi heard his son's nonsense, he angrily scolded him to retreat, but Liu Yu stopped him. He asked the man:
"Oh, what can you do?"
Zhou Yu hurriedly said:
"Now that the sky is dawning, the traitors inside and outside the city must have known that His Majesty is in the North Palace. At this time, as long as one or two ministers are left to serve as the emperor's guard of honor, the thieves' hearts outside can be stabilized. At this time, we will select 200 loyal and brave men. Escorting Your Majesty out of the city through the secret passage will ensure that you will not be discovered by the thieves. Once you leave the city, you can go south. The thieves can't go as far as Dagu Pass. Your Majesty can take the mountain road through Gyeonggi and enter Yuzhou."
Liu Yu frowned and scolded:
"Do you want Your Majesty to go to Yuzhou? Don't you know that the Yuan family is against the party?"
But Zhou Yu said calmly:
"Your Majesty is not going to Yuzhou, but is going to Runan via a false route, taking a boat from Huai River south to Jianghuai River, and then going to Jiangdong."
Zhu Jun's eyes lit up, he patted the bed and shouted:
"Yes, just go to Jiangdong."
As he said this, he took the initiative to explain to Liu Bian:
"Jiangdong is a lucky place for the south. It has the dangers of the Jianghuai River and the talent of a king. Moreover, Sun Jian, the general here, is loyal to the Han Dynasty. Your Majesty can rest assured about this person."
Liu Bian had also heard of Sun Jian's name and knew that he was a general loyal to the Han Dynasty.
So, he thought for a while and said to Zhou Yu who was standing in the corner:
"Let's go this way, how about the palace family?"
There are still a large number of concubines and princesses left by the three generations of emperors of the Han Dynasty in the Beigong, and Liu Bian cannot leave them behind.
Zhou Yu said lightly:
"In urgent matters, follow authority. The Taishan army has strict military discipline and will not harm the palace family members."
Liu Yu interrupted at this time:
"You said to go south to Runan, but the Yuan family is all along the way. How will your majesty and his party go? What if the Yuan family finds out?"
Zhou Yu thought about this and said calmly:
"You can accompany the militiamen who are fleeing the capital to go south. They usually only take mountain roads and trails. If something goes wrong and you are discovered by Yuan Shaojun, you can also go to the mountains to take shelter first, and then enter Huaihe later."
At this time, Zhou Yu also confessed directly to Liu Bian:
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry about this. Grand Administrator Sun has already sent troops to the river, and has allied with General Chen Deng of Zhendong. He has prepared 200 boats and 10,000 troops, ready to go north along the Huaihe River at any time. So please make a decision, Your Majesty. ”
But just when Liu Bian was still a little loose, suddenly a man from His Majesty came rushing over and shouted:
"Your Majesty, the bandits suddenly came in through the Zhuque Gate. Captain He who was guarding the Zhuque Gate didn't block the Vermillion Gate at all, but let the bandits enter the palace."
Liu Yu turned pale after hearing this. He was about to step forward and grab Liu Bian's hand, preparing to take him to the secret passage, but Liu Bian suddenly dodged him.
Then Liu Bian suddenly jumped off the platform and shouted:
"The time has come for you all to join me and be loyal to the Han Dynasty."
After saying that, he rushed out with a group of Yulin troops without looking back.
The others were stunned for a moment, and hurriedly followed with weapons, leaving only Liu Yu sitting on the stage, crying:
"I, Liu Han, lost my country today."
(End of chapter)