Xiao Siwen was in low spirits, so Bai took Yanyan away.
Yanyan stayed in Bai's room, lying on the table without saying a word, staring blankly at the candle flame, looking pitiful and listless. Bai was about to persuade her to go to bed when she heard Yanyan muttering: I'm scared, but I dare not tell my father. I heard that there are heads flying in the sky in the city all day long.
That's a rumor, don't be afraid, Bai said hastily.
Those Khitans usually bully others in Youzhou, which is really hateful. However, not all Khitans are so hateful, just like the young lady Yanyan in front of him. Bai usually feels that this young lady is very close to him, and now he sympathizes with her even more. The Khitans are arrogant and strong, but there are always stronger ones among the strong. When war breaks out, who can live in complete peace
Bai herself was feeling uneasy and her face turned pale.
She sat down at the dressing table and looked down at her bald head. She hated this hairstyle very much. Not only did she hate it, but she also felt that it would bring disaster. Looking at this scene, if the Zhou army entered the city, there would be chaos and confusion. Would they kill her as if she were a Khitan woman
Bai said nothing, and prepared a pair of scissors, intending to cut off all her hair as soon as Youzhou City fell. Being a nun was better than being buried alive by the Khitans. Of course, she didn't want to be killed as a Khitan woman. She was first captured by the Khitans, and now she was regarded as an enemy by the Zhou people. Isn't it unfair
She looked at Yanyan again, thinking that Yanyan was the daughter of the King of the Southern Courtyard and had a noble status, so it was not her turn to worry about her.
Bai sat there, very frightened, not knowing what to do. Many years had passed. Her family was originally in Zhuozhou, which had been massacred before. After many vicissitudes, the Lu family must no longer exist.
This is the saddest thing for a person: being forced into slavery, and then being freed one day to find that he has nowhere to go.
The situation in Youzhou City concerned everyone, but the person who couldn't let it go was its current owner, Xiao Siwen.
Looking up at the bright moon, looking down at my hometown. Xiao Siwen looked lost, looking at the moon in the night sky outside the carved window alone, muttering a poem.
The breeze blew in, making the books and files on the table rustle. Tonight was indescribably desolate, just like his mood that could not be calmed for a long time.
All kinds of emotions come to my mind regarding the country, family and myself.
Back then, the Khitan people were just a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty in the northeast. Their ancestors had to expand their territory several times before they had today's vast territory. When Xiao Siwen deduced the serious consequences of the battle of Youzhou, he couldn't help but feel sad.
As for his life ambitions and personal future, they are now in the darkest place.
It was impossible for Xiao Siwen to surrender. Since the founding of the Liao Dynasty, the Xiao family had been a noble family second only to the royal family. As the most prominent person in the Xiao family, he could not afford to lose face.
He thought of death as a way to atone for his sins
However, what crime have I committed? All the crimes I have committed were just forced upon me by others, and I have taken the blame for others. Moreover, I cannot bear this blame even if I die.
Xiao Siwen calmed down and saw the matter clearly: the root cause was the internal power struggle in the Liao Dynasty for many years, which had never been sorted out, and it was not the fault of one person; the biggest crime in recent times was the people in power in Shangjing, who lacked long-term vision and made mistakes again and again.
Xiao Siwen walked to the window and looked out. His eyes seemed to pass through Youzhou City and reach somewhere farther.
He is unable to shoulder such a huge responsibility. The Liao Dynasty has been in decline for so many years, and the situation is getting worse day by day. Only one person can shoulder all of this responsibility: the Liao Emperor. He must be a tyrant and a sinner who will be infamous for thousands of years. It is precisely because of Yelu Jing's rule that the Liao Dynasty has entered such a situation.
The fall of Youzhou had reached the limit of the Liao Dynasty's patience.
Half a month later, a large section of Youzhou City's moat was filled.
After a long roar of artillery, the armor behind the Zhou army's fences rustled, and groups of infantry slowly moved forward and passed through the siege fortifications.
In front of the crowd, a group of horses galloped over. People quickly recognized that the person sitting on the big horse in the middle was Emperor Guo Shao. They all looked over and the soldiers started shouting and making noise.
Guo Shao slowed down his horse and looked back at the tall and thick Youzhou city wall. The bricks on the wall were full of holes, and the parapet on top was collapsed, but the wall was still standing. It was impossible to smash through the 20-30 meter thick earth wall with just the thrown stones. In the end, people had to charge and attack until the defenders were exhausted. There was no other way.
Guo Shao looked at the men in front of him with some pain, and his eyes looked from their wind-bathed faces one by one. He couldn't help but say: The ancestors of the Han family cut through thorns and brambles to have land for farming. My people settled down in this homeland, fighting for survival and face. I hope that the blood of the soldiers can protect the country and the people of the world. Peace
The generals and soldiers looked at Guo Shao as if he were a god. Someone was so moved that he knelt on the ground, and many people followed suit and knelt down, shouting "Long live Guo Shao!"
Soon, the drums in the rear camp sounded. A general drew his sword and shouted: "Brothers, we will lead the way for your majesty. Long live the Emperor of the Great Zhou!"
For a moment, the armored soldiers surged, pushing the ladders and carrying the ladders forward like a tide.
The troops advanced within a hundred steps under the blows of crossbows and stones, and then stopped again. In the rear camp, suddenly, a huge cannon roared, shaking the sky and the earth.
A continuous line of white smoke rose up. Almost instantly, the second row of artillery fired a volley, and the ground was filled with flames and smoke.
After several rounds of artillery fire, drums and trumpets sounded loudly. Shouts arose from the troops in front, and countless people rushed forward madly in the rain of arrows.
Guo Shao turned his head to look to the south. There was black smoke rising from the distant city wall. Ladders and towers were on fire. The flaming arrows in the sky were like a meteor shower.
This kind of siege would result in a large number of casualties every day. But Guo Shao could not stop, he could not stop people from dying. Perhaps, compared with the casualties of defeat, as long as he could win, he would have saved a large number of soldiers' lives.
Even his throne and his prestige were forged in the countless bloodshed where the strong survive and the weak perish, with no choice.
The siege continued until dusk, and the city of Youzhou was in a state of misery. The Zhou army retreated to the defense line, but the matter was not over yet. A large number of wounded soldiers were carried to the wounded camp, and their groans were faintly heard in the smoke. The 200,000-strong army seemed to be licking its wounds in the setting sun.
A group of military officers hurried to the central army camp, and the front camp military headquarters made arrangements to continue the offensive tomorrow.
The meeting lasted until the evening. At this time, Qin Shitou, a soldier beside Guo Shao, suddenly hurried into the central army tent, walked straight to Guo Shao, bent down, and took out a note, saying that the Yizhou branch of the Bingcao Division had received a secret report that Xiao Siwen might leave the city for a decisive battle tomorrow morning.
Guo Shao was stunned for a moment. Shouldn't we break through? That's a good point. He was immediately happy. Xiao Siwen did a good job. It was like a timely help.
Guo Shao almost wanted to thank Xiao Siwen. If he had just come out of the city to fight, how many Zhou army soldiers would have been saved
At this time, another general came in and saluted on one knee: "Your Majesty, Xiao Siwen sent an envoy out in a hanging basket to issue a declaration of war, and to start a decisive battle with the Great Zhou army."
There was an immediate uproar in the big tent.