Chapter 316 The Truth
A chilling glint flashed in Shen Qingci's eyes: "Trying to trap them like turtles in a jar? Ha, we'll have to see if there are any 'turtles' left in this city!"
"We've already wiped out all their remaining forces in the city, leaving none alive. Given the current situation, it's still uncertain who's truly outmaneuvered whom!"
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Qingci suddenly realized what she had said, abruptly turning to look at the guard who had come to report, her eyes sharp: "What did you say? There's a battle at the city gate?"
"Yes! The battle is fierce, and the two sides are locked in combat!"
"Battle at the city gates..." Shen Qingci murmured to herself, her heart skipping a beat. "Does that mean... Chu Jichen is alright? He's arrived with reinforcements?!"
Before the guards could answer, she turned around, grabbed the sword on the table, and hurried out, shouting, "Pass on my orders! Immediately gather all the men we can muster and come with me to the city gate to provide support!"
The guards were shocked and quickly stepped forward to block Shen Qingci's path: "Master! You mustn't!"
"Your subordinates know you are worried about His Majesty's safety. But it is precisely at this final moment of battle that you must not be careless, Your Majesty! The battle on the city gate is chaotic, and swords and spears have no eyes. We will immediately gather troops and rush over to provide support, but Your Majesty must not take the risk!"
"Previously, when the rebels hung the heads of the late emperor and Huo Yunting on the palace tower, our master saw through it at a glance and calmly analyzed the situation. Now, the commotion at the city gate might very well be another trap they've set!"
"What if the commotion at the city gate was also part of their scheme? Their aim is to lure you out of the city and capture you all in one fell swoop!"
"Master, you have endured so much hardship and patience for this moment. Now that victory is in sight, you must not make a mistake at the last moment!"
Shen Qingci paused, her brows furrowing tightly.
She just... really wanted to see him.
She wanted to welcome Chu Jichen into the city as soon as possible, and to tell him in person that she had not let him down, that she had led the people of the city to defend the city and win the battle.
But the guard was right; the closer they got to the end, the less they could afford to let their guard down. She had endured so much suffering and danger before; she couldn't afford to fail at this crucial moment.
She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging impulse in her heart, and after a long silence, slowly nodded: "Okay, I won't go."
"Go ahead, but be careful!"
The guard breathed a sigh of relief, clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, and hurried away.
Fortunately, this time, the city had been completely cleared, and the channels for transmitting messages between the city and the city gate were unobstructed.
Every now and then, news from the front lines would arrive like snowflakes.
"Report! The rebels have amassed a large force at the city gate. A rough estimate suggests they number a full 20,000! And these 20,000 are well-equipped, clearly prepared. The actual number is likely even greater!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingci felt as if the blood in her entire body had instantly turned cold.
Twenty thousand people?!
Adding to the forces that previously besieged the palace and raided the camp, this is already several times their size!
Only one thought was swirling in her mind: Where did the late emperor get so many men? It was almost the size of a regular army!
She forced herself to calm down and asked in a slightly trembling voice, "How is the battle going over there? His Majesty... is he still holding on?"
The guard quickly replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured! His Majesty is alright!"
"His Majesty has assembled all the troops from the training camps outside the city and the imperial guard camps. In addition, our men have also broken out of the city. With this coordinated attack from within and without, we are not at a disadvantage!"
"Moreover..." A hint of excitement flashed in the guard's eyes, "Many civilians also spontaneously took weapons and followed our people to the foot of the city wall, completely surrounding the entire east side of the city wall!"
"Although the rebels are numerous, they are trapped on the city walls and have lost their supplies. Now, under the combined attack of His Majesty and the people, they are at their last gasp and will be finished sooner or later!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingci finally let out a long sigh of relief, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally calmed down a little.
"Alright! Let's surround them!"
"Wait and see! Deplete their supplies, wear down their morale! Until they have no choice but to surrender or risk a breakout!"
After the guards left to carry out their orders, Shen Qingci frowned again, the lingering question still swirling in her mind.
If there are more than 20,000 people on the other side of the city wall, plus the more than 10,000 people in the city before, the army gathered by the late emperor will be a total of 40,000!
These 40,000 troops could not possibly be assembled overnight. It required a large amount of money and supplies, a long period of training, and, more importantly, a hidden place to hide them.
Where did these 40,000 people come from?
Shen Qingci closed her eyes and quickly searched her mind for all the clues.
Suddenly, two words flashed through her mind like lightning—the border!
The border!
Only at the border can there be such a large pool of soldiers and such excellent equipment. Only there can such a large number of troops be mobilized without anyone noticing!
Thinking about this, everything seemed to connect, and everything suddenly became clear.
Why did Emperor Yongming and Liu Wenyuan both firmly believe that her father had an invincible private army after the late emperor's death?
Because of the rumors about the private soldiers, Emperor Yongming plotted to kill the entire Shen family.
Liu Wenyuan even joined forces with Huo Yunzhan, going to great lengths to try and find the so-called private army mobilization order from her, which was completely fabricated.
Is it possible that... because the late emperor was wary of the growing power of Chu Jichen and Liu Wenyuan, he wanted to use Emperor Yongming to make Chu Jichen and Liu Wenyuan kill each other, thereby weakening their power?
He himself wanted to take the opportunity to gather some troops from the border to use as capital for his overthrow of the throne, so that he could seize back the throne at a critical moment!
But her father was still at the border, so his plan could not succeed!
Therefore, the late emperor fabricated a rumor that her father had secretly trained a powerful army and was using his military strength to his advantage. He also forged so-called "ironclad evidence" to convince Emperor Yongming and Liu Wenyuan. In the end, he used Emperor Yongming to get rid of her father, the biggest obstacle!
Shen Qingci closed her eyes, a surge of overwhelming hatred welling up in her heart.
If that's really the case...
That late emperor was the real culprit who killed her entire Shen family!
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