On the city wall of Chongqing.

Governor Xu Keqiu walked on the top of the city wall with fatigue all over his body and pale face. He forced himself to be fully alert.

The city walls were filled with smoke, and many places had been set on fire. The burning dust choked people's throats.

There were arrows stuck everywhere, and swords were thrown aside, accompanied by pools of black blood.

Those swords were left behind by soldiers who died in battle or were seriously injured.

The soldiers who had just repelled the rebels were leaning against the battlements of the city wall, their faces full of fatigue, and they were seizing this tiny breathing time to rest and regroup.

Seeing Xu Keqiu coming, the leading soldier wanted to struggle to stand up, but was pushed back by Xu Keqiu.

Xu Keqiu said softly, "Have a good rest. The food is ready and will be served soon."

The soldier nodded slightly, his eyes a little red, but he did not stand up again.

There were laborers busy bandaging the wounded, and those who were seriously injured were carried away by them.

A tent had been set up not far away, and all the doctors in the city were gathered inside.

All the doctors gathered here to treat the wounded, and the greenhouse was overcrowded.

The seriously injured soldiers lay on their simple beds made of straw, gritting their teeth and struggling to hold on. No one was willing to make a sound, except for the occasional cry of pain that they could not help but hold back.

The lightly wounded soldiers only needed a simple bandage and then returned to the top of the city wall with their swords, bows and feathers. They knew that if they retreated, there would be no way back.

All the military and civilians in Chongqing are united and are holding on at this moment.

At this moment, a man walked over from a distance.

His armor was covered in layers of dried blood, and the diagonal cut on his chest was shocking. If the opponent had used a little more force, his chest might have been ripped open.

A broken arrow lodged in the right side of his shoulder. Although he appeared uninjured, he still looked terrifying. Furthermore, there were dozens of knife marks of varying sizes on his armor, revealing that he had endured a fierce battle.

The man was in his forties, tall, with a square nose and a thick beard on his chin.

He walked up to Xu Keqiu, bowed respectfully, and said, "Why are you here, sir? It's dangerous on the top of the city wall, sir, please go down."

Xu Keqiu glanced at him, then looked around, his expression hesitant. "We've been holding out for so long, and the imperial reinforcements haven't arrived yet. It looks like the fighting is intense, so we may have to hold out even longer."

"Chongqing City must not be taken. Even if you and I die fighting here, the city must not be taken! Once Chongqing City is taken, the people in Chongqing will inevitably be massacred."

Xu Keqiu didn't answer the other party's question. Instead, he continued, "Commander Zhao, although I don't understand how to command a battle, I can come to the city wall to boost morale. I want to tell all the soldiers in Chongqing that I am with them."

The bearded commander, Zhao, said nothing more, but nodded respectfully. He then said, "If they want to capture Chongqing, they'll have to do it over my dead body. As long as I, Zhao Yong, am still alive, I will never let them capture Chongqing!"

Xu Keqiu nodded in satisfaction and said, "The food is ready downstairs, let's go down and eat."

"Yes, sir." Zhao Yong agreed, then turned and walked to the foot of the city.

An official who had been following Xu Keqiu came up to him and said, "Sir, you haven't eaten for two meals. You should go downstairs and eat something. The people of this city are all counting on you. You must not fall down. You must take care of yourself."

After a moment's silence, Xu Keqiu said in a deep voice, "Then have someone prepare two bowls of porridge. The food in the city is running low, so we need to prioritize the soldiers on the city walls so they can fight with full stomachs."

The man wanted to say something else, but seeing Xu Keqiu's firm attitude, he didn't continue. He just nodded lightly and told his men to prepare porridge.

At the same time, in Chengdu city.

Sichuan Governor Zhu Kuiyuan looked very unhappy. The rebellion had been going on for so many days, and he didn't know what was happening in Chongqing.

The rebels were powerful and captured cities and strongholds along the way, even reaching Chengdu directly.

There were only 12,000 defenders in Chengdu. It was impossible for them to go out of the city to fight, so they could only hold on and wait for help.

But until now, no reinforcements have arrived. Zhu Kuiyuan is not worried about Chengdu, but about Chongqing.

Chongqing is now an isolated city with rebels everywhere. I wonder how long Chongqing can hold on?

I don't even know if they are still holding on.

This made Zhu Kuiyuan feel very uncomfortable.

Although troops from the Shizhu Xuanwei Office (in present-day Shizhu County, Sichuan) and Long'an Prefecture (in present-day Pingwu County, Sichuan) were urgently dispatched to support the rebellion, along with Inspector Xue Puzheng and others to defend the city, the troops were insufficient, the situation remained unclear, and no news has been received to this day.

With a slight sigh, Zhu Kuiyuan stood up.

Although the situation is urgent and the future is uncertain, I must eventually take responsibility and cannot let others see my hesitation.

We must boost morale, unite the military and civilians, work together as one, and be prepared.

At the same time, Guizhou Governor's Office.

Guizhou Governor Li Biao had already made the final mobilization, withdrawing all the troops that could be mobilized from Guizhou and preparing to send people to support Sichuan.

Li Biao gently put down the teacup in his hand and looked at Zhang Yanfang, the general of Guizhou, who walked in. The expression on his face became serious.

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