readytorunbook Chapter 218 Collective Resistance
Chapter 218 Collective Resistance
At first, Yang Long thought that his son-in-law had actually caused such heavy casualties to Duke Dingguo.
He felt relieved, as it seemed that he had not conspired with Duke Dingguo.
Otherwise, Duke Dingguo would not have suffered such heavy losses.
But now, Yang Long had the same thoughts as Emperor Wu. The capital was in danger, but the Sixth Prince was still hesitating at the foot of Hushan Pass.
Deliberately keeping troops stationed without fighting is clearly an attempt to delay time.
No matter how anxious Yang Long was, it was useless because he knew that no one would listen to the Sixth Prince now.
But he had already started cursing at home, "Sixth Prince, you want to hinder the old emperor from ascending the throne." I agree. If it were any other time, I would even support him.
But now, King Huai's army has arrived outside the city and is very close.
Moreover, Emperor Wu also placed the entire capital under martial law, and no one could escape.
If you, the Sixth Prince, had not come back, our entire family would have been killed by you. You can't kill all of us just to ascend the throne, right?
Moreover, the prime minister, who was usually calm and composed, was also anxious. He felt more aggrieved than anyone else because he had come to rely on the Sixth Prince.
They also supported the Sixth Prince's journey north, but the Sixth Prince ran away and they were in trouble in the capital.
In the end, the Sixth Prince happily ascended the throne, but they all became victims of the sword, and he cursed in his heart. He was just like his father, who turned his back on people and only cared about interests.
Similarly, the second prince in the crowd turned pale. He wanted to ascend the throne and wanted the sixth prince to be defeated. It would be even better if he died on the battlefield.
But the sixth brother fought well, but he just didn't come back. He didn't want King Huai to really break through the capital.
In that case, other ministers could surrender, but he, the second prince and the crown prince, would definitely be the first to be sacrificed.
"Come here, arrest..." Emperor Wu was just about to give the order to arrest Lao Liu's family and force Lao Liu to return quickly.
Suddenly, someone outside shouted, "Report, 800 miles, 800 miles, 800 miles."
Emperor Wu paused and looked at a messenger with a flag running into the hall, holding a letter in his hand.
This surprised many ministers and Emperor Wu. Why was the express train expedited to another 800 miles? Could it be that the border was in trouble again?
Ever since the barbarian war began, express mails sent over 800 miles have become almost the norm, with one appearing every few days.
For them, it's become a habit.
Anyway, none of the recent 800-mile expedited delivery is a good thing.
Emperor Wu was now very upset. He had no time to care about the troubles of the border troops. He just wanted to solve the problem at hand and wait for the arrival of the reinforcements he had mobilized.
He said in a cold tone: "Tell me, what's the matter."
The interrogator held up the letter and shouted, "Your Majesty, the Sixth Prince annihilated all the rebel forces of Duke Dingguo Fang Chengyu in a battle the day before yesterday, and captured Fang Chengyu alive. He led his army back yesterday and will reach the capital in a few days."
"What? Fang Chengyu was arrested?"
"Were all the rebels wiped out?"
"That's impossible. That's the Fang family army. Even if they suffered losses earlier, can the Sixth Prince completely wipe them out? Can he count on the Beijing troops?"
The entire court exclaimed in surprise, and no one dared to believe it was true.
Emperor Wu excitedly shouted, "Quick, present it."
Eunuch Zhao was equally excited and ran down quickly. He took the letter from the interrogator, checked it briefly to make sure it was okay, and then handed it to Emperor Wu.
Emperor Wu quickly tore open the letter, opened it, and read it carefully. Suddenly, he burst into laughter: "It is indeed my Qilin child."
"In one battle, we actually annihilated that bastard Fang Chengyu's entire army, and even captured him alive. Great!"
Since Emperor Wu said this, all the ministers stopped discussing it. It seemed that this was true.
However, a minister immediately asked, "Your Majesty, how long will it take for the Sixth Prince to return to the capital?"
After all, King Huai's troops are now less than a hundred miles outside the city.
If the Sixth Prince had returned late, they probably wouldn't have been able to defend the capital.
No one wants the capital to be captured.
After all, when the rebel soldiers rushed in, the ministers and dignitaries who usually showed off their power became the main targets of robbery and attack.
Emperor Wu placed the letter on the table and said with a smile, "Sixth Brother led the army out yesterday and is expected to return to the capital in a few days."
"However," Emperor Wu looked at Yang Long in the crowd and said, "Lord Yang, how many soldiers are still available in the capital?"
The fat man Yang Long came out and said, "Your Majesty, there are less than 40,000 soldiers in the capital who can fight."
Everyone was talking about it again. There were less than 40,000 troops, but King Huai had an army of over 100,000.
The Emperor's mouth twitched as he looked at the generals again: "You are all veterans who have followed me in battle for many years. Some of you are also meritorious warriors whose ancestors followed our great ancestor in conquering the world. How many capable servants do you have in your families?"
Emperor Wu looked at these nobles, who all looked at each other and no one spoke.
"Bang!" Emperor Wu slammed the table and angrily said, "Are you waiting for Prince Huai to rush into the capital so that you can surrender and lead the way?"
It’s true that there are indeed nobles who think this way.
Many of them are old brothers whose ancestors followed Taizu to fight in battles and were granted various titles of dukes, marquises and earls. No matter who becomes the emperor, as long as they are from the Wu family, nothing will happen to them.
They only needed to stop the wave of rebellious soldiers from killing people in the city, and then King Huai would enter the city and surrender.
But now that Emperor Wu was angry, they were immediately frightened and fell to their knees.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. We dare not do that."
"Hmph, it's best if you don't dare." Emperor Wu snorted coldly: "All the servants in your families, put on armor and go to the city walls to stop the rebels for me."
"And you too." Emperor Wu looked at all the ministers and said, "Each family has a lot of guards. Send them all up. If anyone disobeys, I will kill them with my butcher knife."
In the hall, countless civil and military officials were thinking of surrendering to King Huai, but no one knew it, but it was definitely not a minority.
But now, it is not King Huai's turn to capture the capital, and they believe that the old Emperor Wu is strong enough to kill them first.
The Prime Minister was the first to stand up and bow, saying, "Your Majesty, I am willing to send all three hundred of my family's guards to the city to defend against the enemy. I am also willing to donate one million taels to recruit the young and strong men in the city to join the resistance."
Led by the Prime Minister, all the civil officials came out and expressed that those who had servants at home would be willing to go up to the city wall to defend against the enemy.
Those who donate money donate money, and those who contribute their effort contribute their effort.
Emperor Wu finally nodded in satisfaction and said, "That's very good. You all just need to wait a few days for the Sixth Elder's army to return. That will be enough time to make sure that traitor King Huai never returns."
Everyone was helpless. It seemed that they could only unite with Emperor Wu to resist King Huai.
Of course, they all had expectations in their hearts. After all, the Sixth Prince would be returning to the capital in a few days, and by then King Huai's army would no longer be a concern.
When Emperor Wu returned to the palace, he immediately ordered people to bring Lao Liu's family to the palace.
The entire palace was under martial law, and no one was allowed to enter or leave at will. The last 10,000 imperial guards were ready for defense.
His real reliance is the 10,000 imperial guards he carefully selected. Even if the entire capital is lost, the palace is enough. As for the sixth brother's family, they must be brought in, otherwise the kid will not come back.