There was a bottomless abyss ahead and hell was just one step away. Zhao Kuangyin felt deeply frightened and filled with resentment.
As long as there is still a little hope, people will cherish their own price. This is why Zhao Kuangyin feels that he can reach this point. But now, to die together has become a luxury and desire for him.
He had never faced such a desperate situation before, so he couldn't really feel what he was feeling now. Everything had been taken away from him, the world had been taken away from him, and he was heading for destruction. His entire family and even everyone related to him would be destroyed, while his enemy was enjoying the world.
Thinking about his own fate, and thinking about how Guo the blacksmith respectfully called himself the Son of Heaven and was praised by millions of people, and that he would pass all this on, Zhao Kuangyin's hands were shaking and his teeth were about to break.
A scene emerged in his mind, where he would stab the guy to death with blood splattering within five steps, and then he would be pierced through the heart by thousands of arrows. He also wanted to humiliate and torture the scheming woman behind the scenes in the deep palace as well as Guo Shao's wife and children, and then cut them into pieces and grind their bones to scatter ashes, so that both sides would die together. This would be fair.
However, no matter how much Zhao Kuangyin hated him, he had to think about these issues realistically. It was difficult to threaten that guy again.
He felt deeply powerless. This was the saddest situation. Even if he was willing to sacrifice everything for his life, he could not threaten the other party. Zhao Kuangyin seriously considered many strategies. It was difficult to find helpers for this matter. Even his brothers might not be willing to risk their lives.
When it came to the final destruction of his life, Zhao Kuangyin wanted to do it with a bang, but he rationally realized that he should not act rashly and impulsively based on hatred alone. In ancient times, there were people who avenged their friends and waited for several years without hesitating to disfigure themselves. Such people can be called real men.
So it takes time and opportunity to plan and arrange
But is there still a chance and time? If you want to escape from the city now, you have already missed the time. Jinyang is surrounded by a large army. All the city gates have been closed and the city walls are full of troops. Unless you turn into a bird, you can't fly away.
Zhao Kuangyin was trapped in a state of despair and couldn't extricate himself. He felt very uncomfortable in the small room, but he didn't know what to do.
After an unknown amount of time, a series of knocking sounds suddenly rang out, and he was startled and hurried to open the door. Seeing that it was Li Jixun standing at the door, Li Jixun said, "The Lord of Northern Han sent someone to summon Brother Zhao to the Imperial City for an audience." As Li Jixun spoke, he stared at him with wide eyes in extreme surprise.
Zhao Kuangyin was stunned at first, and then he remembered that he had tried to get the Northern Han Lord's attention and participate in the battle to defend the city. The Northern Han Lord was willing to summon him in such an urgent situation, which might mean that there was something going on.
He came to his senses and found that he was affected by his emotions. His thoughts had been going in a dead end. If Jinyang could hold on this time, wouldn't it be an opportunity
Moreover, the chance of this happening was quite great. Zhao Kuangyin had personally witnessed how solid the city of Jinyang was. It was not something that could be taken by anyone who wanted to. The previous emperor, Chai Rong, was a heroic ruler, yet hundreds of thousands of troops besieged Jinyang for two months but could not take it.
Zhao Kuangyin suddenly felt his chest open up, as if a suffocating person could suddenly take a breath. Even if the breath was small, he would be happy with it.
I need to change clothes and wash my face, and then I will set off immediately. Brother Li, please ask someone to prepare the horse for me. Zhao Kuangyin said.
Li Jixun looked at him with a very strange look again, then said nothing, clasped his fists and said: Okay.
Zhao Kuangyin heaved a sigh of relief at this moment, and then he felt something was wrong. When he turned around, he saw that the light outside the window was very bright, as if someone had entered the house in the evening. It felt like only a short while had passed. Now at dawn, he realized that he had actually been sitting in the house for a whole night.
He recalled the way Li Jixun looked at him, and it seemed that something was wrong with him. He saw a bronze mirror for combing hair on the table, so he walked over to take a look, and was immediately surprised. He saw that there were a lot of white hairs growing on his temples. He was only in his early thirties, but maybe he had so many white hairs last night, and his temples were all gray.
Alas, Zhao Kuangyin didn’t have time to take care of these things for the moment and hurriedly changed his clothes and went out.
He followed the order and walked up to the imperial palace in Jinyang. He found that this was not a grand court, and there were no civil and military officials, but there were still many civil and military officials standing on both sides. They seemed to be discussing something, and when Zhao Kuangyin entered, they all looked sideways, and many of them were surprised. Zhao Kuangyin knew it was because of his gray hair.
I pay my respects to Your Majesty. Zhao Kuangyin was already a military commander of the Northern Han Dynasty, so he performed the ceremony in a proper manner.
The Northern Han ruler was on the steps, and it was difficult to see his expression from below because one should not look up and stare. Zhao Kuangyin only heard a young voice saying: My dear, please stand up.
Thank you, Your Majesty. Zhao Kuangyin said.
The Northern Han leader said: I heard from Prime Minister Guo that General Zhao is familiar with the Zhou army and advised me to use you to participate in the defense. General Zhao, are you willing to serve me
When Zhao Kuangyin heard this, he thought to himself that it was just as he had expected. He was not overjoyed at the moment, but kept calm. He immediately bowed and said: "Your Majesty, since I have surrendered to Your Majesty, I will be a minister of the Northern Han Dynasty. I will eat your salary and be loyal to you. I should serve your country."
Good, good. There was a sense of relief in the tone of the Lord of Northern Han, and his love for talent was evident in his words.
But Zhao Kuangyin was a man who knew how to win people's hearts, so he certainly wouldn't be flattered. He calmly understood why the Northern Han lord wanted to use him. If he hadn't been forced to defend the city at all costs, he wouldn't really trust him, a man who could do great things in the Zhou Dynasty. However, Zhao Kuangyin still showed gratitude, thanked him with a moving face, and then said: I dare not deceive the king. The reason why I joined the Han Dynasty is because I have an enemy with the Zhou Dynasty's rulers. Zhou's lord Guo Shao will not let me go. I heard that Jinyang was in danger, and I was worried, and even my hair turned white. Therefore, I wanted to defend Jinyang and repel the Zhou army's attack. This was also related to my life and death.
When he said this, the ministers around him nodded frequently. From this kind of relationship, Zhao Kuangyin was still trustworthy. At least he would not think of opening the city to surrender. This was what Zhao Kuangyin wanted the ruler and ministers of the Northern Han to believe, and it was enough.
Zhao Kuangyin did not say useless words of loyalty. He just mentioned these few words and then changed the subject. He went straight to the best strategy: defend Jinyang and wait for the Liao army to come to help. This strategy was the consensus of all colleagues in the court, and I also thought there was no other way. Our country only needs one thing: defend Jinyang to the death.
He bowed and continued, "But the King of Zhou used to have a nickname, Guo Pocheng, and he was famous for attacking strongholds. Defending the city he attacked was a little tricky. Because he did not follow common sense in fighting, and was often very strange and eccentric. For example, he used gunpowder to blow up the Shouzhou City defended by the famous general Liu Renzhan, which was unheard of in ancient and modern times. In such matters, we must be on guard."
The Lord of Northern Han said: I ask General Zhao to first report the detailed methods of war and defense, and then I will entrust you with the important task.
Zhao Kuangyin immediately said: "I will give my all to you. In order to defend Jinyang, I will sacrifice my life."