The two armies fought in Shitou City, and Xiao Lun won repeatedly, but withdrew at the last moment. At that time, there were also Xiao Dalian, the governor of Dongyang, Liu Zhongli, the governor of Sizhou, Pei Zhigao, the governor of Xiyuzhou, and Li Qianshi, the governor of Gaozhou, who gathered more than 200,000 troops in total. It was enough to overthrow Hou Jing, but they all had their own thoughts and did not take the initiative to attack, but just surrounded but did not attack.
Hou Jing went all the way to Jiankang to attack Taicheng. The soldiers and civilians in Taicheng put up a tenacious resistance under the command of Crown Prince Xiao Gang and General Yang Kan. In order to quickly capture Taicheng, Hou Jing built flying towers, waiting towers, and step-way cars. He also surrounded Taicheng to cut off its food supply. Still unwilling to give up, he led the water from Xuanwu Lake to flood the city. The water outside the city rose several feet, and the Imperial Street in front of the palace was surging. But he still failed to capture it.
Xiao Gang stood on the highest building in the imperial city, looking out over the entire city. He had looked out over it countless times before, and had seen a thriving city. But now he saw smoke rising everywhere, and the city was like a vast ocean. Outside the city, there were huge enemy troops, and siege vehicles.
He stood there for a long time, his brows furrowed. Sooner or later, the food in the city would be cut off, and the flood would surely cause plague. Sooner or later, the city gates would be breached, and the reinforcements had not arrived yet. Even if they did, would they attack without reservation
Standing at such a high position, he finally realized the pain his elder brother had gone through. Only when you are in this position can you understand the pain that cannot be told to others. Xiao Gang felt heavy in his heart, and suddenly he missed his elder brother again. He didn't know how he was doing now.
Xiuchun walked slowly to his side, tears still on her face. She stood beside Xiao Gang but said nothing.
"Am I useless?" Xiao Gang lowered his eyes and laughed at himself, "I actually let such a treasonous thing happen, and I was powerless to do anything about it."
Xiuchun quickly shook her head: "It's not your fault. Really." She reached out and held Xiao Gang's hand, but found it was as cold as ice.
"If Taicheng is breached, you can take advantage of the chaos to escape." Xiao Gang murmured in a low voice, exhausted and helpless.
Xiuchun let go of her hands and tears appeared on her face again: "What do you mean? Do you think I will go alone? If we go, we go together, or we die together!" She said hatefully, with unusual determination in her eyes.
Xiao Gang was stunned, and looked at her with a gentle smile, then slowly reached out to touch her face as if to wipe away her tears. There was a hidden struggle of pain between his brows, and he looked deeply at Xiuchun, telling her everything without words.
"I'll go see my father. He is..." When Xiao Gang talked about Xiao Yan, his throat felt sore and bitter.
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The night was deep. He walked through the magnificent hall. The golden lights illuminated the bleakness in the dark night. There was a sound of rustling in his sleeves, with a little loneliness and melancholy. The palace maid with a sad face opened the door. Xiao Gang walked in and saw Xiao Yan kneeling in front of the shrine and worshiping devoutly. After all, he was only an 85-year-old man, and his youth was gone. Now he was just a man who was repenting for his wrongdoings. However, Xiao Yan knew that everything was too late.
"Liutong, I did something wrong, didn't I?" Xiao Yan said to him solemnly, and in one simple sentence he said three things that Xiao Gang couldn't believe. Since childhood, Xiao Yan never called him by his nickname. And he rarely referred to himself as "I", and he rarely admitted his mistakes. And now... Xiao Gang felt uncomfortable all over, and stepped forward to help him up: "Father, don't blame yourself, this matter... is not your fault."
Xiao Yan shook his head: "I know I was wrong this time, and I was completely wrong. I deserved the punishment, but the people suffered with me. Liu Tong, do you know what hurts me the most now?"
Xiao Gang nodded and replied with difficulty: "Your son knows."
"I don't believe it. My Ah Liu is among them. I like him and pamper him so much, but he... and Qi Fu. I know this child is cold-hearted, but..." The old man who was half leaning on him said halfway and didn't want to continue.
The candlelight flickered, casting a shadow on the two figures leaning against each other through the green screen window. The silhouettes, besides despair, were extremely painful.
In March of the following year, the reinforcements and the soldiers and civilians in the city all relaxed.
In the more than 100 days since the siege of Taicheng, food had been cut off, people had eaten human flesh, and epidemics were raging, killing 70 to 80 percent of the people. Less than 4,000 people were able to climb the city walls, and the 4,000 people were weak and had no fighting spirit. Hou Jing broke through the city gate in one fell swoop and entered Taicheng.
After the city was captured, a large-scale massacre took place. Hou Jing ordered that half of the city's old and young be buried underground, and ordered the soldiers to chase and shoot for fun. The city was full of corpses and blood, so that the army could not move forward. Hou Jing ordered the corpses to be burned, and the smoke from the charred corpses spread for tens of thousands of miles, and the stench could be smelled for dozens of miles.
Emperor Wu and the Crown Prince all fell into Hou Jing's hands.
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"Your Highness, why don't you send troops? Now is a critical moment, it will be too late if you don't send out later." Wang Sengbian held the secret document in his hand with an anxious look on his face. He pressed his hands on Xiao Yi's desk, as if he wanted to put all his strength on it.
Compared to the sweaty and excited Wang Sengbian, Xiao Yi and another general, Chen Baxian, seemed much calmer and more composed. Xiao Yi said nothing and lowered his eyes in thought. Seeing that he was silent, Chen Baxian smiled and patted Wang Sengbian on the shoulder: "Brother Juncai, don't get excited. The prince has his reasons for not taking action at this time."
Wang Sengbian ignored his smiling advice and shrugged his shoulders to avoid his hand. He didn't even look at him, but just stared at Xiao Yi and asked, "Your Majesty, please think twice. Now there are rumors outside that your Majesty has ulterior motives and wants to use the hands of Hou Ze to clear obstacles and preserve strength. Do you really not care about the sarcasm of Shaoling King a few days ago? Your Majesty, please send troops immediately. I am willing to lead the troops to rescue Taicheng and annihilate Hou Ze!"
Wang Sengbian was aggressive and persuasive. Xiao Yi frowned slightly, obviously thinking of the letters Xiao Lun had written a few days ago. One of them was asking where Zhao Pei was. The other was a poem: "There is a disease in Xiangdong, neither dumb nor deaf. I shed tears for longing, hoping for a complete cure."
Xiao Yi was angry, but he didn't say much, nor did he reply. He still stayed in Jiangling silently, without making any movement. Chen Baxian saw that Xiao Yi was angry, and quickly stopped Wang Sengbian from saying anything else: "Brother Juncai, don't say anything you shouldn't say."
Wang Sengbian glared at him, and Chen Baxian followed suit. Although Wang Sengbian was a military commander, he had the elegant temperament of a scholar. In terms of physique and momentum, he could not compare with the mighty Chen Baxian.
Xiao Yi rubbed his temples with a slightly tired look: "I understand Juncai's thoughts. I will naturally march into Jiankang, but you and Xingguo cannot leave Jiangling for now. You still have other things to do. This choice..." Xiao Yi hadn't finished speaking when he heard Qiao Yu at the door reporting, "Your Majesty, the eldest prince is here and said he has something important to tell you. I don't know..."
Xiao Yi frowned, looked at the two people in front of him, and said loudly: "Let him in."
The door was gently pushed open, and the handsome young man in a light green gown pushed the door open and saw Chen Baxian and Wang Sengbian in the room, and greeted them with a gentle smile. The two also hurriedly returned the greeting, looking at him in confusion. At this critical moment, he had to come to disturb them. But due to Xiao Fangdeng's status, he couldn't say anything.
Xiao Fangdeng greeted Xiao Yi with a faint smile, and stood in front of the table like a green bamboo. "What do you want?" Xiao Yi asked him indifferently, as if he seldom mentioned Fangdeng's name.
Xiao Fangdeng straightened his expression and bowed deeply, saying, "Dad, I want to ask for troops to annihilate the rebels." When these words came out, not only Wang and Chen, but also Xiao Yi's face was moved. He did not answer immediately, but looked at his son in front of him calmly.
It was then that Xiao Yi suddenly realized that he had grown up. The boy who always hid in the depths of the bamboo forest had become a handsome man. His eyebrows and eyes were very similar to his own, but the edges and corners were softened by the lines that belonged to Zhao Pei, and he was as independent as a mountain. Xiao Yi looked at him, and suddenly some unknown feelings crossed his heart, a faint itch that could not be shaken off. He instantly thought of Zhao Pei in his mind, but immediately asked him nonchalantly: "You? Why do you think you have the right to go?"
Xiao Fangdeng remained calm and replied in a clear voice, "Because I am Xiao Fangdeng, I am from the Xiao family, the eldest son of the King of Xiangdong, and my mother's son. Fangdeng wants to do something for my father and contribute to the Xiao family."
Xiao Yi was silent. He tapped the table lightly without making any statement.
Wang Sengbian was a little embarrassed: "Your Highness... do you know anything about tactics?" Wang Sengbian was full of questions about this nobleman who always lived in seclusion and didn't care about worldly affairs.
Xiao Fangdeng smiled faintly in response: "Fangdeng also read a lot of military books when he was in Zhuju, so he understands a thing or two about tactics. But tactics are dead, and people are alive. The most important thing is to see the situation clearly, understand the enemy's situation, and find the enemy's flaws." As Xiao Fangdeng said this, a strange light flashed in his eyes.
Xiao Yi stared at his straight spine, which was like a tenacious bamboo that would rather break than bend. The indifferent smile on his lips, such a handsome look made Xiao Yi think of someone.
He finally said, "Okay, I grant your request. Three days later, I will let Fang Ju go with you."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Fangdeng bowed deeply with a smile on his face and left. Chen Baxian then laughed out loud, "Your Highness, at such a young age, has such a broad mind and courage. You will definitely achieve great things in the future."
But Xiao Yi was lost in a long sigh, thinking about something. (To be continued)