Chapter 800 A Dream of Youth 332
Magistrate Li, dressed in armor and looking exhausted, stood on the city wall, seemingly wondering why other counties and towns hadn't come to his aid.
Perhaps those county towns were also attacked.
Thinking this way, he felt a little better. Below the city wall, there were deafening shouts and sounds of battle. "Erlang, beat the drum."
Then, looking at his eldest son, who was also dressed in armor, Magistrate Li's eyes reddened. "Eldest son, take some men and come with me to meet the enemy."
Li Erlang bit his lower lip tightly. "Father, why don't we surrender? If we surrender, we can still protect..."
Before he could finish speaking, Magistrate Li slapped him across the face. His expression was calm, yet it seemed to reveal a fierce determination. "Even if I become a sinner for all time, I will never leave a single grain of food for the Northern Jin army!"
He had already made arrangements. If he died, the remaining grain in the city would be collected and destroyed. He would have to pay for his sins in his next life. If the Northern Jin army got the grain, they could besiege Bingzhou for a longer period of time. If no reinforcements came, Bingzhou would be lost...
Therefore, he needs to hold on for a little longer.
Even if it angers the Northern Jin army, at the cost of the entire city's inhabitants.
The smoke of war in Hedong did not seem to reach the capital. The bustling city remained immersed in peace and prosperity. The wealthy and powerful continued their revelry, with wine cups clinking and bells jingling at banquets. The music played by the bells on the wrists of the Hu women was like decadent music, and behind the romantic scenes, red spider lilies bloomed everywhere.
Secret letters began to appear in Xie's residence, and officials in the court began to secretly take sides. There were naturally many people trying to win over Xie Wangzhi, but he remained neutral and did not speak.
They were busy all day long coordinating military horses, weapons and other supplies.
The urgent military report had already reached the imperial court, but just as preparations were being made to mobilize the troops, the emperor collapsed. His health had been poor since the beginning of the year, and he had been actively seeking treatment for years, but with little success.
Xie Ning and Jiang Yuanzheng kept reminding the emperor to take a break, but sometimes the emperor couldn't just rest whenever he wanted.
The previous emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty were all in poor health and died young. It seemed to become the norm for young emperors to ascend the throne and for empress dowagers to assist in governing.
"Master, a guest has come to visit."
Xie Wangzhi was stopped by a servant as soon as he entered the mansion. If it were an ordinary invitation, it wouldn't have mattered, but the invitation was a special one made by the Xie family, which was a must-see.
Only Xie Wangzhi and Xie Ning had that post; Xie Qi would only have it after he was appointed to an official position.
Xie Wangzhi was still pondering who had come looking for him, after all, he had only sent out three invitations. But when he saw the figure in the black cloak, Xie Wangzhi dismissed his earlier guess.
"Princess Yanxi." Xie Wangzhi bowed.
There were no outsiders in the flower hall at this time, and Yan Xi no longer concealed her feelings, saying, "Lord Xie, you have really worked hard these past few days."
She also worked in the Ministry of Works, and the allocation of military uniforms was all under her watchful eye. Even though she returned to the palace to attend to the sick, her spies were still there.
"Princess Yanxi, is there something important that brings you to the Xie residence?"
They couldn't possibly be looking for Xie Ning. Outsiders might not know that Xie Ning was still in Hedong, but some insiders did, so they understood why Xie Wangzhi was so anxious to mobilize troops for support.
After all, Xie's son and daughter-in-law are all in Hedong. If these people are gone, the Xie family's roots will be severed. How could Xie Wangzhi not be anxious?
Yan Xi noticed the dark circles under Xie Wangzhi's eyes and knew that he hadn't slept for several days. She was also worried about Xie Ning, but she couldn't let her worries interfere with her work.
"Lord Xie, you are Aning's father, and the Emperor trusts you so much, so I naturally trust you as well. Now that the Emperor is seriously ill and the court is in turmoil, even Lord Shi is unable to attend court. Yan Xi doesn't know who to turn to... These days, my uncles, including Prince Zhao and Prince Duan, have been visiting the Emperor in the palace every day..."
Everyone knows what they're thinking. The Great Zhou Dynasty has precedents of succession by younger brothers, especially now that the young crown prince is too young. Given the current situation of internal and external troubles, he is simply not capable of shouldering such a great responsibility.
Now that the emperor is bedridden and unable to speak, those princes are all rushing into the palace to show off their brotherly affection.
Among them, Prince Duan had the best chance of winning. He was talented and was the emperor's younger brother, so many people sided with him. However, Prince Duan had no interest in the throne. He had originally planned to take his men to sea after the New Year, but unexpectedly, this disaster happened.
He genuinely cried when he went to the palace to see the emperor, after all, the emperor had always been very good to him since he was a child.
Yan Xi learned about this by overhearing it unintentionally in the Empress Dowager's palace. Prince Duan's temperament was unpredictable, and the Empress Dowager did not actually favor him. However, according to the order of eldest son, Prince Duan was one of the most suitable candidates.
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