The road leading from the capital to Hangu Pass is at least half occupied by enemy troops, mostly controlled by Chu troops, temporary barriers one after another, numerous outposts, and countless pairs of eyes staring at everything on the road. Still diving all the way to the gate of Hangu Pass, only to be discovered.
"Take me to see the emperor, I have news from the front line." Don't let blood and dust all over your body, dry lips, bloodshot eyes, and skinny body, as if you have just crawled out of the ground and haven't eaten for a long time.
The soldiers were taken aback and reported to each other, and finally got an order to send the man to the temporary palace. The emperor actually recognized this strange man called "Don't Live".
Dominic got a good reception, ate a little food, took a bath, and changed into new clothes. He originally wanted him to sleep for a while, Dooming shook his head, "Let me have a few words with the emperor first."
Han Ruzi had not seen him die for a long time, smiled and said, "Where did the strong man come from?"
Someone had taught him simple rules, don't refuse to obey, stand in front of the emperor, don't kneel or bow your head, just bow your hands a little, and say directly: "About a month ago, Guanzhong forward general Nan Zhijin pardoned the prisoners and formed an army, Another group of people was recruited outside the city, a total of more than a thousand people, to fight the enemy."
"Nan Zhi Jin?" Han Ruzi was greatly surprised.
Nan Zhi Jin was not of high grade, and the Rebel Army formed was not large in scale. When the official documents were still delivered in the capital, there were many urgent and important matters. He didn't mention this trivial matter, so Han Ruzi never knew about it.
Nodding desperately, he continued as if he was reciting: "This army has few horses, and they did not take the main road. They traveled northward from the mountain road, avoiding a large number of enemy troops. About twenty days ago, we sneaked a surprise attack by the enemy troops. Occupy Mancang City and burn it down."
Han Ruzi stood up abruptly, startling the eunuchs and guards around him.
"Mancang City was burned down?"
He nodded again, "I have seen it with my own eyes, and I don't know how much it burned. There were many enemy troops, and everyone fought bloody battles. Nan Zhijin told me that burning Mancangcheng was a big deal, and the capital should be let go. The minister knows."
When Qu Zixi was defending the city, he had already ordered Mancang City to be burned if necessary, but the order had not yet arrived, and the enemy had already broken through Xiaozhou City and marched southwards to capture Mancang City.
The enemy came from a long way, and how long they could hold on depended on the supply of food and grass. If Mancangcheng fell into the enemy's hands, the capital had to be prepared for a long-term defense, and morale would be greatly affected.
Han Ruzi has been troubled by this matter for the past few days. The soldiers who were withdrawn from the front claimed that Mancang City did not have time to burn down, but they brought completely different news.
It was Nan Zhijin who did this, Han Ruzi never thought of it.
"What about Nan Zhijin and the others?"
"I didn't see it, but judging from the situation at the time, unless there were gods to help, they would not be able to escape."
Han Ruzi sighed and sat down slowly, "You have done a great service."
"It's all due to Nan Zhijin, and the rest are not for money or fame."
"Going forward knowing the danger is enough to be a true hero. Money and fame are natural things."
Don't give a short laugh, "I've been to the capital, but I couldn't get in, so I shouted to the city wall a few times. The people above said that the emperor might be in Hangu Pass. I think Your Majesty should know the news, so I came here. already."
"Thank you for your heroic act." Han Ruzi was more polite about not dying.
Don't yawn, "After speaking, I should go to bed."
"Wait a minute, Yang Feng..."
"Let's talk when I wake up, I'm really sleepy."
Seeing that he was desperate to go out, Zhang Youcai couldn't help but said, "People from Jianghu really don't know how to be polite."
"They know how to be polite, but the politeness of the rivers and lakes is different from that of the imperial court. It is sometimes more useful to get a promise that is not life-threatening, but it is a pity that I can't get this person, but Yang Feng can."
Zhang Youcai looked at the emperor in surprise, feeling that His Majesty was too modest.
Cui Hong asked for a meeting, and once again suggested the emperor to retreat to Luoyang on behalf of the ministers, "The enemy has been moving eastward these days, obviously to attack Hangu Pass before the weather gets colder, and the attack on the capital is said to be non-stop around the clock. Waiting to think…”
"I will not leave Hangu Pass." Han Ruzi said.
Cui Hong sighed in his heart. He and the emperor were named Weng Son-in-law, but they had never had mutual trust. When they were recently in relationship, they were just ordinary monarchs and ministers. Some words were hard to say, but today must make an exception. Macro also has to say.
"Although after the expedition, there are only less than 20,000 Chu troops inside and outside Hangu Pass, and the barriers set up on the road can only suspend the enemy's offensive. Hangu Pass is similar to Shenxiong Pass. Shenxiong Pass failed to block the enemy, and Hangu Pass was even more dangerous than the capital. If your Majesty's supreme body is trapped in the city, the ministers will be punished by death, and the world will be without a master."
Han Ruzi thought for a while and asked, "If Hangu Pass is lost and the enemy forces move east, how long can Luoyang be held?"
Luoyang couldn't hold it anymore, and Cui Hong had to say: "The land of Chu is vast, and Luoyang is not the last retreat."
"Although the world is big, once you retreat, you have to retreat again, and there will always be a time when you cannot retreat. There is no need to say more, Taifu. I understand that the situation is critical, but I also understand a truth. Some things must be done knowing that they cannot be done. Don't do it. There is no choice, Da Chu has no choice but to stick to the checkpoint until he can fight outside the fortress."
"The weather is cold now, and before the beginning of spring, it will be difficult to start a war outside the Great Wall. It will take at least three months."
"So the capital and Hangu Pass must be guarded for at least three months."
Cui Hong was stunned, and after a while, he said, "This, this is impossible."
"Think of a way, everyone has to find a way. Well, there is good news just now that Mancang City was burned down."
"Really?" Cui Hong's eyes lit up.
"Someone experienced this battle."
"That's great!" Cui Hong was relieved, but the joy didn't last long, and it quickly dissipated, "Once Mancang City is destroyed, it will be difficult for the enemy to make long-term plans, but with the accumulation of grain in most of the passes It is still possible for the enemy to persist for a few months.”
"So the capital and Hangu Pass must be defended and the enemy army trapped in the pass. After a few months, the Chu army outside the Great Wall will have a chance to win."
Cui Hong still felt that he couldn't do it, but he didn't say more, bowed and said: "I hope your majesty thinks twice, it is not a pity for me to wait for death, but your majesty must not make a mistake."
"I will think twice, but only think about one thing, how to defend the city."
When Cui Hong resigned, Han Ruzi knew that the Grand Master would come again. He had to come up with a way to increase his chances of defending the city and at the same time to convince the ministers.
All the tricks that can be used are used, but no one is foolproof.
Han Ruzi couldn't sit comfortably in the house, so he took people out for a tour, and climbed the city wall to check. Although Hangu Pass was not as high as the capital, it was much thicker than the average city, but Cui Hong was right, Shenxiong Pass Without blocking the enemy's attack, Hangu Pass is also difficult.
Outside the city, many barriers traverse the road, leaving only small gates for entry and exit, which seem to be fortified, but they are all temporarily built and cannot withstand a fierce attack.
Han Ruzi still couldn't think of an idea, so he turned back to the palace and continued to read the memorial.
The memorials were divided into two stacks, one was ordinary content, the other was higher, and they were all suggestions for defending the city made by everyone. Han Ruzi looked at them carefully.
Soon after nightfall, the eunuch came in to report, saying that "don't die" woke up and wanted to see the emperor again.
After eating and sleeping enough, he looked much better and behaved a little more politely. When he handed over his hands, he bent down slightly. When he spoke, he was still straight to the point, "Yang Feng's wife and children are in the capital."
"You picked them up from Lake County?"
"Well, Yang Feng told me to do this before his death."
At the moment of the enemy, Yang Feng's matter is not so important, but Han Ruzi already has a headache thinking about the plan to defend the city and needs to rest.
"Have you known Yang Feng for a long time?"
"It was very early, when I was only a teenager. In order to gain fame, I could not even give up my life. In the end, I almost lost my life. It was Yang Feng who saved me. He told me, you owe me a life, from now on From now on, your life is mine, and you can't just give it up."
This sounded like what Yang Feng had said, and Han Ruzi smiled, "So you say you don't want to die, but you really want to die?"
"The name is used to remind me of my youth and ignorance."
"Fame... So, you should know Yang Feng very well?"
Don't shake your head, "I've known him for many years, but we rarely talk. He tells me to do something directly, and I also tell him directly when I have something. Yang Feng is a weird person in my eyes, and I don't know anything about him."
Han Ruzi was silent for a moment, "In your eyes, what kind of weird method is Yang Feng?"
"Your Majesty will solve the siege of the capital and rescue Yang Feng's wife and children?"
"certainly."
"Just one thing, Yang Feng has been looking for a mysterious organization, and even became a eunuch for it."
"Wishers."
"Waiting for Qi is something that happened later. Yang Feng didn't have a clear goal at the beginning. He only said that this organization must be deeply hidden. The bigger the official, the harder it is to see, so he wants to be an eunuch and start from the smallest point. After King Qi's rebellion, Yang Feng set his target to be the one who is looking for Qi and Chunyu Xiao, almost to the point of madness. But in Yunmengze, when he got the book, he said to me 'that's all'."
"What's the meaning?"
"I don't know, I didn't ask, Yang Feng just said these four words, and then he held the book every day, didn't read it, just held it, and he got sick without being cured, as if he was deliberately waiting to die. Look, this is me What I find strange about him: When I was persistent, I pursued more fame than I did at the beginning. When I gave up, I had no reason at all. I was afraid of death and saw through the illusion of fame. Why did Yang Feng? I don't understand ."
"Fame… Fame… Really illusory?"
"Your Majesty should know Yang Feng better than I do." Don't look at the emperor, "I hope Your Majesty can give me an explanation."
Han Ruzi also shook his head slowly, "Like you, I can't see through this person. The book was destroyed, and there are only three pages left. I remember a story, and it has something to do with fame."
Han Ruzi has long since recited. The story is that Taizu Han Fu traced the descendants of Chen Qi and threatened the heroes of the world. As a result, several heroes would rather commit suicide in public than reveal the whereabouts of the Chen family. One of the descendants of the Chen family committed suicide. Thank you, Taizu Had to withdraw the threat to end the matter.
"Reputation is so vain, so many heroes have died in vain." Don't die.
"But fame also has a real side. After all, Taizu has compromised because of this, and the descendants of the Chen family are not extinct."
Don't frown, "That's just a story that is not true or false."
"'A story I don't know is true or false', but it can confuse a group of hopeful people to make waves, isn't it interesting?" Han Ruzi smiled, "Thank you, I hope you can stay for a few more days, and I want to chat with you again. Yang Feng, now, I will be busy defending the city."