Zhao Kuangyin returned to his house, bathed, changed his clothes, put on his military armor and sat in the hall. He sat there and reviewed his life of swords and swords, thinking that he had never made any mistakes in major matters. He couldn't help but think: When a person is in a lower position, his achievements are generally determined by his personality and temperament; but when he reaches a high position, it really depends on luck and fortune.
Moreover, luck only comes once. When he loses the Great Zhou Imperial Guards, he loses control of this rare opportunity to rise as a grassroots hero.
Time and fate
At this time, an eunuch was brought to the door by a servant. When the eunuch came in, he saw Zhao Kuangyin and others sitting beside the table, dressed neatly, as if waiting for something. The eunuch was startled and said, "Your Majesty, please give me an order."
Zhao Kuangyin did not move, and the other people also sat there.
The eunuch waited for a while, then stood there and said: His Majesty has ordered General Zhao, General Shi, General Li and General Du to come to the palace to meet him. You and I come.
Then he looked at Zhao Kuangyin with a worried look on his face.
At this time, Zhao Kuangyin stood up and said: Let’s go.
The other three also stood up and followed Zhao Kuangyin out.
There was a small group of guards waiting for the eunuch outside, and the group rode towards the imperial city. The cannons were still roaring outside the city, and the battle was still raging; but Zhao Kuangyin felt that all this was gradually fading away, and he no longer cared.
Guo Yuanwei parked a carriage outside the gate of the imperial city and sat inside. When he heard the sound of horse hooves, he lifted a corner of the curtain and looked at the scenery outside.
The palace guards stopped them at the end of the bridge. A general pointed at Zhao Kuangyin and others' waists and shouted, "Put down your weapons!"
Zhao Kuangyin stretched out his hand and slowly drew out his sword. A group of soldiers immediately picked up long weapons and bows and arrows. The generals in front took two steps back. Because Zhao Kuangyin's action was not violent, the generals pointed at him and said angrily: What do you want to rebel
Shi Shouxin and others also drew their swords. The two sides confronted each other for a while.
Zhao Kuangyin turned around and took two steps, put the sword above the river, and then let go. It fell into the river with a thud.
Guo Yuanwei's face turned pale when he saw this, and he knew that he might be in trouble. Zhao Kuangyin's dissatisfaction showed that he had known about it. How did he know? The eunuchs would definitely tell the emperor about this.
Zhao Kuangyin and his companions walked through a door on the side of the imperial city and into the corridor. There were no lights on in the daytime, but the light in the corridor was particularly dim. When they walked to the middle, a team of crossbowmen lined up in front of them. Amid the chaotic footsteps, more soldiers blocked the exit in front.
Shi Shouxin and others looked back and saw that the entrance was also guarded by armed men.
Someone in front shouted: The rebels Zhao Kuangyin, Shi Shouxin and others have betrayed the emperor's grace and are planning to rebel. We have ordered them to be arrested and taken down.
Zhao Kuangyin and the others stood there without moving, and no one said anything. It is easy to find excuses to accuse someone of a crime. There is no point in defending yourself in such a place, and you can't make a point even if you shout at the top of your lungs.
A general led his soldiers to approach slowly and found that Zhao Kuangyin and his men were empty-handed and obviously walked faster, but they still looked at them vigilantly. These warriors were still wearing armor and were very fierce. But Zhao Kuangyin did not resist, and a group of soldiers tied them up. Li Jixun cursed loudly: "To sell out your own people for a small profit, the ruler of the Northern Han Dynasty today has no courage and no tolerance, and the country will soon be destroyed."
Suddenly, a whip was swung at Li Jixun, and Li Jixun screamed, "Son of a bitch!"
Zhao Kuangyin, on the other hand, remained silent. He neither resisted nor attempted suicide.
At this time, a civil servant came and shouted: Stop fighting, and whoever scolds should be shut up and taken away quickly.
They were escorted out of the imperial city, forced onto carriages, and then hurried towards the south city.
On the southern city wall, the cannon fire had stopped, and even the Zhou army's attacking troops had evacuated the vicinity of the city wall. Zhao Kuangyin and others were pushed onto the top of the city wall, their feet were tied, and soldiers held them tightly.
Soon, a cavalry team rushed out from the huge camp of the Zhou army. When they were a hundred steps away, several riders rode side by side. They looked up at the top of the city wall. One of them shouted loudly: The Emperor of the Great Zhou has agreed to your conditions. As long as you release those four people, the two armies will have a truce for five days. Later, the envoy you sent out will return with the letter of credence, which contains the imperial decree of His Majesty the Emperor.
The civil servant on the city wall said to General Feng Jinke: "It should be fine." They said it in public. First, the King of Zhou dared not deny it, otherwise the person who shouted in front of so many soldiers would be a forgery of the imperial edict. Second, the King of Zhou was unwilling to break his promise. After all, it was a golden word, and it was not good to break it in public.
Zhao Kuangyin listened to their discussion, as if he were an animal and someone was negotiating the price in front of him. He looked up at the scenery on the top of the city. Less than half a day later, standing in the same place, his mood was completely different.
He looked down at the city wall, and suddenly he had an urge to jump down and die.
But he still didn't do that, and endured it silently. He was very angry at this time. Not only was he in a desperate situation, but he was also betrayed to this desperate situation. He was too unwilling to die. Moreover, since he didn't end his life in the mansion, he didn't want to rush now. He wanted to see Guo Shao one last time.
The Zhou army was in the cavalry a hundred steps away. Guo Shao, who was wearing armor, was also in it. He probably saw clearly that the person tied on the top of the city was Zhao Kuangyin. Guo Shao did not speak, but just paid attention to the handover. In his heart, he was actually looking forward to the most important person in his heart, not only his family members who he cared about the most, but also his opponents.
Guo Shao felt his heart beating a little faster than usual. He almost held his breath and waited attentively. He also had a thought in his mind, hoping that nothing would go wrong along the way.
After a long time, Zhao Kuangyin was first sent to the hanging basket, and then slowly hung down from the city wall. At this time, Guo Shao was relieved. He was not worried that Zhao Kuangyin would fall from the hanging basket. In fact, it didn't matter whether he was dead or alive, as long as it was that person.
At this time, several riders ran to the bottom of the city wall, dismounted, grabbed the person in the basket, and carried him onto a horse. Then several other captives were also taken onto horses, and a small group of people were escorted back. Seeing this, Guo Shao turned his horse's head, gently kicked the horse's belly, and rode back to the camp, followed by a group of followers behind him.
Guo Shao turned his head and glanced at Jingniang who was accompanying him in robe. Jingniang had a cold expression and no obvious expression.
The enemy he regarded as a major concern was also a powerful figure in Guo Shao's eyes. He really didn't expect to solve it in this way. Guo Shao turned to Lu Chengyong and said: After those prisoners entered the military camp, bring them to me immediately.
Lu Chengyong clasped his fist and said: