The movement of a hundred thousand troops could not be hidden from the defenders on the walls of Kyoto.

The dense crowds, the burning bonfires, and the abundant food and grass were like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing all the flames of hope that had just been ignited by the people of Kyoto.

There was complete silence in the hall.

The young emperor stared at the gray sky, with suppressed sadness and injustice in his eyes.

Isn’t he the Son of God?

He was born noble and ruled the world. Countless people worked hard all their lives just to stand in the palace and serve him.

The young emperor changed his posture. He felt dazed, as if an invisible net was about to pounce on him. He could not break free and could not speak.

The ministers in the hall were still arguing and even began to shirk responsibility.

Li Ge Lao: "Master Tong, didn't you write a letter to Duke Yun before? Why hasn't Duke Yun come yet?"

Master Tong: "You have slept for too long, you must still feel like you are in a dream. You are not allowed to give them any benefits, but you want them to work hard for you just by relying on their feelings. You dare not even dream of this. Moreover, is there any affection between Da Zhou and Yunzhou?"

To sum it up in one sentence, stop talking too much, it’s annoying to listen to.

"What do the people in the Privy Council eat?"

"How good are the people in your Ministry of Revenue?!"

It was as if there were three hundred ducks quacking at the same time in the court. No one knew what they were saying. They just wanted to vent their fear and anger.

"That's enough!" the young emperor shouted.

The civil and military officials did not stop, but the quarrel became more and more intense.

Bang!

The Emperor of the Great Zhou kicked the incense burner next to the Flying Dragon Chair, and the incense burner rolled onto the hall, making a harsh scraping sound.

The voices of the civil and military officials in the court gradually lowered, and they met the gloomy gaze of the young emperor, which revealed a strong anger that made people dare not look directly at him.

The young emperor put his hands behind his back, staring at the sky outside the palace, and said in a calm voice, "Li Aotian, if the rebel army attacks the city, how many days can we hold them off?"

"No more than ten days."

The price of holding out for ten days was that all the imperial guards and the 20,000 reinforcements he brought died heroically, including himself.

The young emperor slowly clenched his hands.

Ten days, haha, ten days.

"If we don't defend the city, you might be able to carve out a way for us to survive?"

"Yes!" Li Aotian said firmly.

The young emperor's heart was hanging in the air, and he said, "If we leave Kyoto, where should we go?"

Li Aotian thought for a moment and gave a suggestion that surprised everyone: "Jiangnan!"

"Jiangnan?"

Many officials were furious: "Nonsense! Fang La is from Jiangnan! How can a government official go to his lair? Isn't this just walking into a trap?"

Master Tong pondered for a moment and felt that going to Jiangnan was a good idea.

Jiangnan is a land of fish and rice with a well-developed water system.

Fang La merely caught the Great Zhou off guard. The 600,000 soldiers of the Great Zhou were not seriously injured, and the border troops and the naval forces had not yet moved.

By exchanging space for time and retreating to the south of the Yangtze River, one can not only avoid Gu Nanxi's sneak attack, but also take the opportunity to contact various armies and reorganize.

"But, is the road to Jiangnan safe?"

Li Aotian's eyes sparkled, as if everything was under control: "Safe! Since the siege, Fang La has mobilized at least 400,000 troops, which is almost all of his forces. In the south, even if he has deployed troops, they are definitely not many and cannot be our opponent."

"The 30,000 troops I left in Suining County can cover our retreat."

It sounds very feasible.

The young emperor made the decision: "Okay, leave the city! Go to Jiangnan!"

After the court meeting, Li Aotian and Grand Tutor Tong took the initiative to stay and ask to see the emperor.

It is not an easy task to take so many people from Kyoto out of the city, and it requires detailed planning.

"Hmm? When did I say I would take the people away?"

Li Aotian was stunned, and said vaguely: "No, you don't want to bring it?"

The young emperor said as a matter of course: "You only have 20,000 men, plus the imperial guards, who can only number 100,000 at most. How can you accomplish this? My dear, our lives and property are all entrusted to you."

Li Aotian's head was buzzing, he was dumbfounded and speechless.

Master Tong pulled him out of the palace.

The golden sunlight made Li Aotian squint his eyes.

"Godfather, I always knew he was pretending and didn't really love the people like his own children."

"Um."

"But I never thought that he would treat ordinary people as worthless."

How should history books record the situation when a king of a country abandons hundreds of thousands of people in the imperial city and flees?

Is the emperor really not afraid of being cursed for eternity?

Master Tong had a stern face and said in a cold voice: "He is crazy."

Even though he was crazy, he still sat on the throne and led the entire Zhou Dynasty to go crazy together.

Li Aotian stopped in his tracks. He had been in the army for many years, but he had never left the people of a city to a group of jackals.

"Godfather, there are too many people."

It’s not ten thousand or twenty thousand, nor one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand, but nearly one million.

Think about what would happen if the rebel army entered Kyoto and failed to find the imperial jewels they coveted?

They will go crazy and plunder the people to make up for their losses.

"Godfather, I want to stay. Li Jin..."

Master Tong interrupted Li Aotian: "Impossible! The emperor only trusts you."

Li Aotian let out a long sigh, but his chest still felt stuffy and blocked.

Li Aotian sent Master Tong back home.

At the gate of the Grand Tutor's Mansion, the two looked at each other in silence.

The setting sun stretched Master Tong's shadow long, and Master Tong said softly, "Go back quickly. Your mother is still waiting for you."

"I……"

"Tomorrow, I will recommend Su Xuanming to be the governor of Kyoto."

Governor of Kyoto? Is there such an official position?

Li Aotian thought for a moment and said hesitantly, "A special official position?"

"Yes, special times call for special measures. The governor of Kyoto is in charge of all affairs in Kyoto, including the city's defense."

Li Aotian has been away from Kyoto for too long, and his sensitivity to the situation has decreased: "This will kill Su Xuanming."

"That's why the government agreed to this."

Li Aotian opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say, and he couldn't stop it either.

This is a move made by my godfather.

As soon as Su Xuanming took over the post of governor of Kyoto, he fell into the trap set by his adoptive father.

As long as he takes on this matter, Gu Nanxi will definitely send troops south to Kyoto.

Since Fang La's rebellious army will not be able to get any benefits, they will naturally have no time to care about the officials who went to the south of the Yangtze River, and the Zhou court will have some time to catch its breath.

As for whether Su Xuanming can survive, it doesn’t matter.

If he died, the city would be broken, and the blame for the poor defense of the city could be put on him. He would be the sinner who caused millions of people to suffer! Gu Nanxi would definitely take revenge on Fang La.

If he is alive, Kyoto will belong to Gu Nanxi. If Gu Nanxi wants to gain a firm foothold in Kyoto, he must put down the rebellious army of Fang La.

Anyway, the government has decided to give up Kyoto. It makes no difference whether Kyoto falls into Fang La's hands or Gu Nanxi's hands.

It would be a great deal to use the abandoned Kyoto to stop Gu Nanxi and make both her and Fang La suffer losses.

The question is, will Su Xuanming agree to serve as the governor of Kyoto? (End of this chapter)