On that day, Wang Yuanguang once again led three peace envoys out of the city to negotiate peace.
However, the King of Beirong was extremely tough this time. After hearing the peace terms conveyed by Wang Yuanguang, he immediately beheaded an envoy and ordered his body to be hung under the city gate.
The Northern Rong general bound Wang Yuanguang, who was covered in blood, and two envoys, and hung them under the city gate. He laughed wildly and shouted, "Tell your emperor that if he doesn't agree, then our king will come and take them himself tonight."
The Northern Rong general's voice was loud and clear, and not only Wang Yuanguang and his men heard it, but also the soldiers on the city wall.
By the time Wang Yuanguang and the others were rescued and brought back to the city, news of the Northern Rong people's impending attack had already spread rapidly, causing widespread panic among the city's inhabitants.
Wang Yuanguang and others were also quite frightened. One of the officials was so frightened that he fell ill and was bedridden. When Emperor Cheng'an heard the news, he went to visit him, and his expression became even more grim.
Wang Yuanguang was in no better shape. He hadn't expected the Northern Rong people to be so forceful this time, actually killing the envoy on the spot.
He propped himself up and said to Emperor Cheng'an, "The Northern Rong people are coming with great force. If we do not agree to their conditions, a bloody battle is inevitable. Your Majesty is of noble birth and cannot afford any mistakes. It would be better to go to the south to seek refuge first and return after the capital is pacified."
His words struck a chord with Emperor Cheng'an. Emperor Cheng'an had considered leaving, but with the Crown Prince absent, who would take charge of the capital if he left?
What if the King of Qin takes advantage of the situation and attacks?
Wang Yuanguang saw through his thoughts and said, "Isn't there His Highness Prince Shou? His Majesty can have Prince Shou take charge in his place."
Emperor Cheng'an hesitated: "The Prince of Shou's face..."
Wang Yuanguang said, "Let Prince Shou stay behind the curtain. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The court officials and the people will surely understand Your Majesty's predicament."
Emperor Cheng'an still hesitated, saying, "Let's see if the Northern Rong people attack the city tonight."
*
Because the Northern Rong people had announced that they would attack the city that night, everyone was on high alert.
Then the guards on the city wall changed three times, and it was almost dawn, but the Northern Rong people still did not make a move.
Just as everyone was speculating whether the Northern Rong people would come or not, the ground suddenly began to shake.
The soldiers, who had been on guard duty for half the night and were getting drowsy, looked out from the city wall and saw the Northern Rong people pushing siege engines, swarming towards the capital from all directions in the west like locusts.
The urgent bugle call sounded, and the soldiers, who had relaxed their guard out of wishful thinking, rallied their spirits to face the enemy.
This battle lasted for three days and nights.
The Northern Rong people kept attacking the city, and the soldiers of Wei defended the city gates to the death. By the third day, the corpses of soldiers from both sides were piled up to half the height of the city wall.
On the evening of the third day, the Northern Rong troops withdrew.
But before withdrawing his troops, the Northern Rong general shouted again, "We will come back tomorrow night."
These words caused even greater panic in the city.
Holding the city gates was not a solution; the city's food supplies would eventually run out. The Northern Rong people kept making empty threats, making it impossible to tell if they were telling the truth or not, which only increased their anxiety and demoralized them.
Moreover, the corpses outside the city gates were piled up in heaps. If a few more battles were fought, the Northern Rong people would not even need ladders to climb over the city walls by stepping on the corpses.
When Emperor Cheng'an learned of the battle situation, he was so angry that he coughed up blood.
His health was really not good, and he had been exhausted from the siege of the city by the Northern Rong these days, making it difficult for him to sleep. His condition was deteriorating.
Emperor Cheng'an looked at the bloodstains on the handkerchief with a somber expression. After a long while, he said, "Summon all civil and military officials to the palace for a meeting."
*
Upon hearing the news, civil and military officials arrived, all with solemn expressions, and they had no energy left for idle chatter.
The crowd entered the hall in silence, waiting for Emperor Cheng'an to appear.
Emperor Cheng'an was still being helped out by Qi Zhong. He hunched his back slightly and said, "You all saw the battle today. What are your thoughts?"
Wang Yuanguang, discerning the emperor's intentions, was the first to step forward and said, "The Northern Rong are coming with overwhelming force, and the battlefield is in the capital, a crucial location. Whether we fight or not, we will suffer losses. I humbly request Your Majesty to move the capital to Nanjing."
Several officials loyal to Emperor Cheng'an stepped forward and echoed his words: "Your Majesty's body is of utmost importance; it is not advisable for you to take such a risk."
Emperor Cheng'an did not respond, but waved his hand and said, "I am the ruler of all people. How can I leave first when the people are suffering? But I can't bear to see the soldiers who died on the battlefield today and the panicked people."
He said with a sigh, "If I could exchange three towns for the people of one city, I would be willing to bear the infamy."
Everyone was immediately shocked and knelt down to beg for forgiveness: "Your Majesty, you mustn't do this!"
Wang Yuanguang crawled forward on his knees and said, "Your Majesty is so devoted to the people, why do you say such a thing? I think that temporarily agreeing to the Northern Rong's demands is nothing. We can take them back later when we have a large army."
His pro-peace officials also stepped forward to echo his sentiments.
Emperor Cheng'an looked at the other officials who remained silent in the hall: "What do you other ministers think?"
No one spoke in the hall.
Emperor Cheng'an coughed twice and said in a mournful voice, "I know you are all resentful, and so am I. But this is only a temporary measure. In order to temporarily appease the Northern Rong, I even have to send my most beloved Princess Xuanci to marry a foreign ruler. How can my heart not ache?!"
As he spoke, he actually shed tears in front of all the court officials.
When Emperor Cheng'an cried like that, the officials were naturally filled with fear and apologized, and no one stood up to object anymore.
Xue Shen was also present. He glanced at the fearful officials kneeling on the ground, shook his head slightly at those who were secretly watching him, and coldly watched Emperor Cheng'an put on an act.
Emperor Cheng'an was willing to give away even Xuan Ci, so there's no way he'd let him go.
As expected, Emperor Cheng'an said again, "The Prime Minister is a pillar of the state and should not be sent to the Northern Rong as a hostage. However, Prince Shou is still alive. Since the Northern Rong want a prince, let Prince Shou go. In this way, I can atone for my sins. If we can recapture the three towns and defeat the Northern Rong in the future, they will be meritorious officials of the Great Wei and will not have disgraced the royal family."
"This is absolutely unacceptable! Apart from the Crown Prince, His Majesty only has one son, Prince Shou. How can we send even princes and princesses away as hostages for political marriages?!"
Some people said, "King Shou's appearance is damaged. Even if he were to be sent as a hostage, the Northern Rong might not accept him."
At this moment, many people were secretly glancing at the King of Qin.
Xue Shen sneered inwardly, thinking, "It's finally here."
Sure enough, the next moment Wang Yuanguang said, "Speaking of which, the Prince of Qin is also a prince. Although he cannot go to the battlefield to fight the enemy, he should do his part in the face of this great calamity, right?"
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