April 28th, Lingnan, Panyu City.
Prince Zhao Mu of Lingnan held a banquet at his palace to celebrate the great victory at Yishui.
The banquet was extremely lavish, featuring delicacies from land and sea, and accompanied by singing and dancing.
Zhao Mu sat in the main seat, his face glowing.
"Gentlemen," he raised his cup, "my submission to the Great General was the wisest move of my life. Now that the Great General has won a great victory, the world is about to be at peace, and Lingnan will return to the embrace of the Central Plains Dynasty! Come, let us drink this cup to the full to celebrate the Great General!"
Everyone cheered and drank heartily.
During the banquet, Zhao Mu's younger brother, Zhao Min, asked in a low voice, "Brother, we in Lingnan have been confined to a corner of the country for a hundred years. Now that we have returned to the Central Plains, it is certainly a good thing. But... will the General truly treat us well? After all, we have been a separatist power in our own region..."
Zhao Mu smiled: "The Lingnan region is not worth the General's attention at all! Moreover, the Tartars in the north are his next target."
Zhao Min suddenly realized: "Brother, you are farsighted!"
Zhao Mu finished his drink, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.
Of course, he wouldn't tell his brother the whole truth.
His allegiance to Zhao Muyun was not only based on his belief that Zhao Muyun would win, but also on his keen insight into the rift between Zhao Muyun and the emperor.
The cracks are not obvious now, but they will appear sooner or later.
At that time, he could also become a pawn used by the general to check and balance the emperor.
Chess pieces have their value, and they also have their own way of surviving.
"Pass down the order," Zhao Mu instructed his confidant, "increase the tribute and send more treasures. In addition, build shrines for the General in all the prefectures and counties of Lingnan, so that the people can burn incense and pray every day, wishing the General a long life and that he can unify the world as soon as possible."
"yes!"
The banquet continued, with singing and dancing never ceasing.
......
Right now.
The sky was overcast, with leaden-gray clouds hanging low, making it hard for the capital to breathe.
An eerie silence permeated the depths of the palace—there was no usual clamor of court discussions, no hurried footsteps of eunuchs, and even the trembling of the bronze bells at the corners of the palace seemed cautious in the wind.
Inside the Zichen Palace, Li Jingang sat motionless on the dragon throne.
He had been sitting like this for three hours.
From the moment he received the battle report from Yishui, he seemed to have turned into a statue.
The only proof that he was still alive was the burning, almost bursting flame in his eyes.
The flames contained anger, resentment, and despair, but even more so—madness.
A dozen or so civil and military officials stood in the hall, all with their heads bowed, not daring to utter a sound.
The air was as still as the deathly silence before a city wall was about to collapse.
"Are you all mute?" Li Jingang finally spoke, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping. "Speak! Tell me, what should we do?"
No one answered.
"Prime Minister Feng," Li Jingang called out.
Prime Minister Feng Liang trembled and stepped forward to kneel: "Your old minister is here."
"you say."
Feng Liang's forehead was covered in cold sweat: "Your Majesty... this old minister believes that the most urgent matter is... to move the capital and temporarily avoid the situation."
"Zhao Muyun has annihilated Minister Ma's 200,000-strong army. Now, three armies are advancing simultaneously, heading straight for Luoyang. Only 10,000 defenders remain in the city, and their morale is low... If the enemy forces surround the city, I fear..."
"Escape?" Li Jingang sneered. "Escape to where? Shandong?"
“Exactly,” Minister of Revenue Cui Mian hurriedly interjected. “Zhang Mao, the military governor of Shandong, is a former subordinate of His Majesty, and commands 30,000 elite troops…”
"And then?" Li Jingang interrupted him, slowly standing up. "Abandoning the capital, fleeing to Shandong like a stray dog, waiting for Zhao Muyun to slowly take care of you?"
He descended the jade steps, his heavy footsteps echoing in the empty hall, each step seeming to pound on the hearts of his ministers.
"Do you all think I'm finished?" Li Jingang stopped and looked around at the crowd. "Are you already thinking about whether to kneel or surrender when Zhao Muyun breaks through the city?"
"We dare not!" All the ministers knelt down.
"Dare not?" Li Jingang sneered. "What's there to be afraid of? These past few days, people in the city have been secretly sending their families away and quietly selling off their land. Do you think I don't know? They just don't dare to be blatant because I'm not dead yet!"
He suddenly pushed open the palace door.
Outside, the wind blew through the palaces and also stirred the lone flag on the distant city tower.
He had only lived in this city for two years.
"But I am not reconciled," Li Jingang murmured. "How could I be defeated by a mere twenty-something-year-old brat? Defeated by those... cannons and Mo Dao?"
He turned around, his eyes burning with fury: "I haven't lost yet! The capital is well-fortified, with enough grain to last half a year! I still have 10,000 imperial guards, and plenty of able-bodied men to be conscripted! If we hold the city to the death, we might just be able to wait for the armies that come to our aid!"
“Your Majesty,” Zhang Han, an old minister who had followed him from Xia Prefecture, finally spoke, his voice bitter, “the power of Zhao Muyun’s artillery is clearly stated in Marshal Ma’s battle report…”
"No matter how thick the city walls are, they may not be able to withstand the bombardment. Moreover, now that the news has spread, the surrounding prefectures and counties are all watching and waiting, and the reinforcements to come to the emperor's aid... I'm afraid we can't count on them!"
"Then find a way to defend!" Li Jingang roared. "Order the Ministry of Works: within three days, come up with a way to strengthen the city's defenses and withstand artillery fire! If you can't, imprison them all!"
Zhang Han smiled wryly: "Your Majesty, those craftsmen in the Ministry of Works have never even seen what a cannon looks like, how can they..."
"Then go find them!" A ruthless glint flashed in Li Jingang's eyes. "Find out the old people and old blueprints for me! A reward of ten thousand taels of gold will be offered, and anyone who can devise a plan to break the cannon will be ennobled!"
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.
Let alone whether a way to defeat the enemy can be found within three days, even if there is one, will it be in time?
"Your Majesty," Feng Liang forced himself to kowtow again, "Zhao Muyun's vanguard cavalry will arrive at the city within five days. Once the siege is complete, even if we wanted to leave..."
"Why not take advantage of this night, with this old minister organizing elite guards to escort you, traveling light and with minimal entourage, heading east overnight..."
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