Mountain and River Sacrifice 324. The Fall of Chu Capital

Without even having time to celebrate the New Year, Xu Hongyan led Mo Hua and others to travel thousands of miles to the frozen grasslands outside the Great Wall. Needless to say, the journey was very hard and difficult. The people defending the city of Chujing also had no intention of celebrating the New Year. Even with the support of Murong Shen and He Su's troops from the outside, after a few days, although the attack from the Beirong seemed to have weakened, the army from the northern border seemed to be getting braver and braver. Moreover, more and more northern troops were attacking the city outside Chujing. In the end, He Su's troops could not withstand the crushing of nearly one million troops and withdrew from the battlefield early.

However, He Su, who had left the battlefield, did not remain silent. Instead, he led his troops to re-enter the battle with Murong Shen's troops, and the two armies attacked the attacking Northern Rong army. After repelling the Northern Rong army, they even continued to chase westward. This allowed the Chu army guarding the city to have less worries and focus on the northern border. On the other hand, if they could go all the way west and finally meet the Mohist army in Dingwangfu, it would also reduce the time for the Mohist army to come.

Because the enemy was besieging the city, there was no New Year atmosphere in the entire Chujing. After a snowfall, the siege of the city by the Northern Army was also suspended. The north is extremely cold, and after a snowfall, the entire city wall was covered with ice, making it ten times more difficult to attack than usual. On the city tower, Duke Hua Leng Huai, Leng Haoyu and others were standing on the tower and looking into the distance. The barracks of the Northern Army were clearly visible in the silvery white world of snow. Leng Haoyu looked into the distance and sighed, "The Northern Army has increased its troops again."

Duke Hua narrowed his eyes and said, "I'm afraid that not only have more troops been sent, but even the King of the Northern Territory has come to the army in person." He pointed to the distance and saw the flag standing upright in the center of the Northern Territory camp. It was the flag of the King of the Northern Territory. In order to boost the morale of the Northern Territory army, the news that Ren Qining had arrived in the army was not hidden, and naturally he didn't care about letting the defenders of Chujing know about it.

Leng Huai frowned in confusion and said, "Why is there a five-clawed golden dragon embroidered on that royal flag?" The Great Chu of the Central Plains and the Xiling Wenhua were formed in the same lineage, so the flags and symbols used by the royal family are mainly dragon and phoenix totems, but the foreign tribes are not like this. For example, the Northern Rong worship wolves, so the totem of the Northern Rong royal family is a wolf head. The Nanzhao uses flowers as totems. Most of the tribes in the northern border also use beasts as totems, but no tribe uses a dragon, which is an illusory divine creature, as a totem.

Leng Haoyu leaned against the somewhat cold city wall and said with a smile: "Because the current King of the Northern Territory, Ren Qining, claims to be the orphan of the royal family of the previous dynasty."

"What?" Leng Huai and Duke Hua were both surprised.

Leng Huai said doubtfully: "The previous dynasty has been destroyed for two hundred years. Can Ren Qining's identity be taken seriously?"

Leng Haoyu shrugged and said with a smile: "Who knows? Anyway, he is from the Central Plains. No one cares whether he is happy to say that he is a descendant of the previous dynasty or the previous previous dynasty. If you want to compete for the world, there must be a reason." Leng Huai and Duke Hua looked at each other, and Duke Hua smiled and said: "What Leng Er said is right. No matter who he is, just because he brought people from the northern border to attack the Central Plains, he has no qualifications to compete for the Central Plains with the reputation of being an orphan of the previous dynasty. It is better to just rise up and not so ugly." As a descendant of the orthodox royal family of the previous dynasty, he brought a group of barbarians to attack the Central Plains. It is not so nice to say it out loud, and the self-proclaimed orthodox Central Plains literati have always despised foreign barbarians. Ren Qining's move is even more difficult for orthodox literati to accept.

Leng Haoyu smiled uninhibitedly and said nonchalantly: "Now the Northern Territory is not a monolithic entity. The Northern Territory natives and the Central Plains people that Ren Qining favors have always been at odds. This time, the prince put on a good show in the Northern Territory. I'm afraid that the Northern Territory headquarters is now just a facade, and the inside is torn apart, right?"

"Oh?" As soon as these words came out, Leng Huai and Duke Hua couldn't help but prick up their ears with curiosity. They naturally didn't know that Prince Ding, who was still hundreds of miles away, had already made a move in the Northern Border. This was not a secret in the first place, but now that Chujing was under siege, the news was cut off and the people in Chujing had not received any news at all. Leng Haoyu did not hide it either, and a malicious smile appeared on his lips and he said: "Some time ago, the prince had people kill Ren Qining's wife and legitimate sons and daughters. A few days later, Ren Qining's concubines, illegitimate sons and daughters were all killed. Now the royal family of the Northern Border can be said to be Ren Qining alone."

Duke Hua and Leng Huai were both shocked. Prince Ding's move was not only ruthless, but also had profound implications. This was not just a simple revenge on Ren Qining. I'm afraid that people in the Northern Territory would secretly pin the death of the Northern Territory princess and the legitimate son and daughter on Ren Qining and those Central Plains people. And the death of Ren Qining's illegitimate son and daughter seemed more like revenge by the Northern Territory people to outsiders. Even if Ren Qining knew the truth, how many people would believe it was another matter. When Prince Ding made this plan, he was probably still far away in Xiling, but he could easily manipulate the people's power in the Northern Jin Dynasty, and it was not an empty talk that he could make plans and win thousands of miles away.

Duke Hua and Leng Huai looked at each other and couldn't help but sigh. Prince Ding was so talented and strategic, it was not unfair for the Mo Jingqi and Mo Jingli brothers to lose.

Leng Haoyu leaned against the wall and looked at the northern camp in the distance, a sneer flashed across his eyes: the country has long been destroyed, so they should stay put, and the vain attempt to restore the country is just an illusion. They actually want to break through Chujing and let the northerners rule the Central Plains. Sooner or later, they will be killed!

The Northern Royal Family was almost wiped out, and the news of the alliance between the Northern Territory and the Northern Rong naturally spread to the South. However, the two major forces in the South, Mo Jingli and Lei Zhenting, had no other thoughts except to rejoice in the misfortune. Lei Zhenting even sneered, and felt that the depression in his heart had dissipated a lot in the past two months. If it weren't for Ren Qining's obstruction, even if the Xiling Imperial City changed its owner, his own power would not have been cleaned up by Mo Xiuyao. But now his attention is not on the North, but on the Xiling Emperor who just moved the capital to Ancheng and Mo Jingli in the South. Mo Jingli was relatively well-behaved, but the Emperor of Xiling became somewhat restless after the capital was moved. The influence of the Zhennan Palace in the court was almost completely taken over by Mo Xiuyao, and now Teng Feng was unable to suppress the Emperor of Xiling.

Although Xiling lost one-third of its land in the north, Lei Zhenting also occupied a large area of ​​land in the south of Dachu. After Murong Shen led his troops north, he opened up a passage in the southwest, once again connecting the area occupied by Lei Zhenting with Xiling. In this way, Xiling did not suffer too much loss except for the loss of the imperial city. But Lei Zhenting knew that the biggest winner of this battle was actually Mo Xiuyao. Once he took Chujing, the Dingwang Mansion would own the two imperial cities in the east and west, and its prestige would immediately surpass that of other countries. However, although he knew it in his heart, Lei Zhenting could not spare the time to deal with Mo Xiuyao at this time, so he had to grit his teeth and endure it secretly.

However, after Ren Qining personally drove to the outskirts of Chujing to supervise the battle, the offensive of the northern army became more and more intense. The defenders in the city had been under pressure for nearly three months, and they were not only exhausted, but the city's food and grass reserves were also gradually stretched. Not to mention that there were millions of civilians in the city who also needed to eat. Even on New Year's Day, both the civilians and the defenders had only one porridge per person. The days of defending the city became more and more difficult day by day. In order to boost morale, the elderly Duke Hua had to personally go to the top of the city to supervise the battle.

Until the 91st day of the first lunar month, Chujing had been defending the city for three months and ten days, a total of one hundred and three days, since the northern army arrived at the city. Perhaps knowing that Chujing was really at the end of its strength, the northern army took turns to attack the city tirelessly, and the morale of the siege became increasingly high. On the top of the city, Leng Huai and Duke Hua stood side by side, their resolute faces full of fatigue and frost. Behind them were young generals such as Leng Haoyu, Leng Qingyu, and Wei Rui. Leng Haoyu, who usually talked and laughed unrestrainedly, also had a rare look on his face.

Leng Huai looked at the Northern Border Army camp not far from the city, watching with eager eyes, and said helplessly: "Old Duke, I'm afraid we can't stand it anymore..." His words were not only helpless, but also a bit regretful. They had endured for three months without the capital of Chu being conquered, and they were considered to be worthy of the Great Chu as generals and ministers. It was a pity that they could not wait for the reinforcement of the Mohist Army.

A trace of sadness flashed across the old face of Duke Hua. He looked at the flag formations in the distance and said in a calm and resolute voice, "Even if Chujing is lost, I will live and die with Chujing."

Leng Huai nodded and said, "What the old Duke said is absolutely right. This general also means the same thing. The city is still there as long as the people are there. If the city is destroyed, the people will die!"

Leng Haoyu walked down the city wall. The current situation was indeed a bit troublesome. It would not be difficult for him to escape alone, but during the months of defending the city, Leng Haoyu had also experienced a lot. He was also a descendant of a general. Although he had not been on the battlefield much before, he could not abandon his comrades who fought side by side and escape at this time. What's more, his father and wife were still in the city. "Prince, if you don't come, I, Leng Er, will really die here!" Leng Haoyu smiled helplessly.

"Second brother." Just after turning the corner, Leng Haoyu was stopped by a voice coming from behind. Without turning around, Leng Haoyu could guess who was behind him. He curled his lips and turned to look at Leng Qingyu, who was wearing a white robe with a cold face. The white Snow Rolling Lion battle robe was also stained with a lot of dust, which made him look more murderous. Leng Haoyu had never said anything to this elder brother. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "General Leng, is there anything wrong?"

Leng Qingyu frowned and said, "I have something to tell you."

Leng Haoyu raised his eyebrows, leaned back without paying attention to the dust on the wall, and said calmly: "I'm all ears."

Leng Qingyu looked at him and asked, "Why do you look down on me?" Leng Haoyu just smiled and said nothing. Of course he looked down on him. As a concubine's son and a legitimate son, their bad relationship was destined by nature. Leng Haoyu had not been favored since he was a child. Naturally, he was extremely displeased with Leng Qingyu, who had been pampered and cultivated by his father. And how could Leng Qingyu, the legitimate son, really take Leng Haoyu, the concubine's brother, seriously? When Leng Haoyu grew up, he made friends with Mo Xiuyao, Feng San and others. After learning skills, his original dislike for Leng Qingyu turned into all kinds of disdain. What if you have been praised by your father? You have been pampered and cultivated by your father, but your martial arts are not as good as mine, and your skills are not as high as mine. Even if you go to the battlefield, you may not be able to fight better than me. But I just don't want to argue with you.

So after saving Leng Huai at Zijing Pass, Leng Haoyu was extremely happy. It was like a person who could only feel happy secretly, but now he could be happy for the whole world to see. The feeling was self-evident. Especially every time he saw Leng Qingyu's gloomy face when Leng Huai praised him, Leng Haoyu's happiness doubled.

Leng Qingyu snorted and said, "It's okay if you look down on me. Anyway, I don't know if I can survive this time. If I die, you should take good care of father."

Huh? Leng Haoyu was stunned. He thought Leng Qingyu wanted to have a quarrel with him or something. It turned out that he came to leave him a will? He curled his lips to get rid of the strange feeling in his heart. Leng Haoyu said: "If you want to leave a final will, go find your son. What does it have to do with me?" After that, he turned around and walked forward. Leng Qingyu's voice came from behind: "Anyway, if I die in the war, you will be the only son of the Leng family. Take good care of your father." After that, he turned around and walked to the top of the city without looking at Leng Haoyu's reaction. Leng Haoyu was stunned for a moment, then he came back to his senses and shouted at Leng Qingyu's back: "Why do you want to die and care about me? I don't care about your Leng family!"

Before Chu Jing, who was defending the city, could catch his breath, the Northern Border Army began to attack the city again, and this time the attack was even more intense than before. Watching the defenders on the top of the city being shot down one by one, watching the army below the city cross the moat and climb up the city tower, being watched by the defenders and then being knocked down, and then someone else climbed up. The whole city was filled with the sound of killing and the strong smell of blood lingered in the air.

Finally, with a heavy crash, the solid city gate collapsed, and a large group of northern troops rushed in. On the tower, Duke Hua picked up the silver spear in his hand, glanced at the people still fighting on the tower and said: "Leng Huai! Guard the tower!" Leng Huai was stunned and asked quickly: "Old Duke, what are you doing..." Duke Hua said in a deep voice: "I will go down to meet these northerners!"

After saying this, without waiting for Leng Huai to refuse, he strode down the city wall. His light blue battle robe fluttered in the cold wind, making people seem to see the Duke of Hua who was in his prime and galloping on the battlefield.

The city gate was so small that even though it was broken, the Chu army defending the city rushed over immediately in an attempt to stop the northerners. The two groups of troops fought at the city gate. However, the northerners were brave and brave by nature, and these tired and hungry Chu soldiers could not resist them. Chujing was beaten back step by step. The northern soldiers continued to pour into the city. If this continued, there was no point in guarding the city tower. Leng Huai had to order the soldiers defending the city to retreat into the city and fight on their own. This battle to defend the city lasted for more than three months, and now it was a fight to the death. In less than half an hour, the shouts of killing had spread throughout the entire Chujing.

Although Ren Qining had imposed his restrictions, the Northern Border soldiers were not so strict in their orders. Many houses were destroyed, and it was common for gold, silver and jewelry to be robbed. If the people in the city resisted, they would inevitably die under the swords of the Northern Border soldiers. This prosperous city that had been prosperous for hundreds of years suddenly turned into a hell of Shura, with blood and cries shaking the sky.

The center of Chujing is the palace, and now there are only a few guards in the palace. The huge imperial city is deserted and almost no one can be seen. In the depths of the palace, a young man and a woman sit together. The girl is beautiful, but unfortunately there are large scars on half of her face, which makes her beautiful face even more weird. "Brother, are you afraid?" The girl is Princess Zhenning, the daughter of Concubine Liu. Sitting next to her is naturally Concubine Liu's eldest son, Mo Xiaoyun, who was named the King of Changxing by Mo Jingli.

Mo Xiaoyun shook his head and said, "Don't be afraid. Sister, don't be afraid. I will be with you..." Mo Xiaoyun gently comforted his sister. The shouting outside the palace wall in the distance was getting closer and closer. Several guards ran over here, and one of them said in a deep voice: "Prince, Princess, the northern bandits are about to attack. Please leave here with your subordinates first."

Mo Xiaoyun shook his head and said calmly, "No need. You guys should go out and help Duke Hua and General Leng. My sister and I are not going anywhere."

Princess Zhenning held her brother's hand and nodded, saying, "That's right. I am the princess of Da Chu, and I want to die in this palace even if I die. You can go by yourselves. A few people can't stop anything. It's useless to die here." The guards looked at each other and understood that the prince and the princess had made up their minds. The royal family of Da Chu abandoned the people and the royal family and fled. Although the soldiers who stayed behind didn't say that they didn't like the royal family, they had more respect for the brother and sister. He stood up and bowed, saying, "In that case, Prince, Princess, take care."

Watching the guards leave, the palace returned to its original tranquility. The brother and sister sat together, leaning against each other. Although it was the coldest time of the first month of the year, the palace no longer had the warmth of the charcoal fire. The two leaned against each other and felt a little more warm. "I don't know what happened to my younger brother." At the beginning, they stayed in Chujing, but the younger brother was taken away by Mo Jingli. This may not be without the intention of controlling Mo Xiaoyun.

Mo Xiaoyun whispered, "He should be alive. I just hope he lives in peace."

"I just can't accept it! I haven't found that woman yet..." Princess Zhenning stroked the scar on her face with disgust. She hasn't found that woman to take revenge yet! That woman who was originally her biological mother, it was because of her that she became like this now, even if she dies, she has to die with such an ugly scar!

"elder sister……"

In the city, from dawn to dusk, more and more places were occupied by the northerners. The remaining Chu army's range of activities was getting smaller and smaller. Everyone had already felt despair and helplessness. More people rushed into the northern army with a determined look in their eyes, and even if they died, they would drag a few people with them to be buried with them.

Outside the city, Ren Qining stood on his horse, listening to the constant fighting in the city. The general next to him said, "The Chu people have always been weak, but I didn't expect them to be so brave. They are almost annihilated but still refuse to surrender." Ren Qining said calmly, "It's not weakness, but tenacity. Too strong is easy to break. The people of the Central Plains are not as brave as the people outside the Great Wall, but they are tenacious. Therefore, this rich land has been ruled by them for thousands of years."

The Northern Territory general next to him seemed dissatisfied, but he looked at Ren Qining and said nothing.

A fiery spark bloomed in the sky, and a rumbling sound came from afar, and even the ground was shaking slightly. Everyone was shocked. Ren Qining sat up straight on the horse, waved his whip and angrily scolded: "Yelü Ye, that bastard!" The generals beside him were shocked and said: "Is the Mohist Army here?!"

"Besides the Black Cloud Cavalry, who else has such a strong presence?" Ren Qining said angrily, and shouted fiercely: "Send reinforcements into the city, and make sure to capture Chujing before the Mohist Army arrives!"

"yes!"

The people who were fighting in the city naturally saw the fireworks in the sky. Leng Haoyu's eyes lit up during the fight. He kicked away the Northern soldiers in front of him, flew to a high place and shouted loudly: "The Mohist Army is coming! Open the West Gate!" Fortunately, the West City was still in the hands of the Chu Army at this time. Hearing this, all the Chu Army soldiers were shocked. Soon someone else shouted: "The Mohist Army is coming! The Mohist Army is coming!" The shouts spread throughout the city very quickly, and even many people who were hiding at home cheered. Some people who knew martial arts even ran out to fight with the Northern soldiers. As for some streets and alleys, many Northern soldiers were beaten with clubs.

The west gate of Chu capital burst open, and the Chu army in the city also rushed westward to ensure that the west gate would not be occupied by the northern border soldiers before the Mohist army arrived. The black cloud cavalry was as fast as the wind. At first, the sound seemed to be still a few miles away, but soon the black team was seen blowing into the city like a black whirlwind.

The main road of Chujing was very wide and spacious. Black Cloud did not feel crowded at all while riding his horse. Wherever the black whirlwind went, blood flashed and it was invincible.

Seeing the figure of the Black Cloud Cavalry, Leng Haoyu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He grabbed a Black Cloud Cavalry soldier and asked, "Has the army arrived yet?" The soldier was so excited that he almost rolled his eyes when he was caught by him. He quickly opened his eyes and said, "The infantry should go slower. Our cavalry should go first." Leng Haoyu was a little disappointed. "When will the army arrive?"

Heiyunqi said: "I don't know."

"Who leads the Black Cloud Riders?"

"Mr. Feng San!"

Leng Haoyu threw away the Black Cloud Cavalry and ran wildly towards the west of the city. When he killed his way to the west gate, he saw Feng Zhiyao still standing under the city gate in red clothes, smiling at him, "Oh, it's rare to see the second young master Leng so ferocious." Ferocious was an understatement. Leng Haoyu was covered in blood, with wounds of all sizes. Fortunately, he didn't have any serious injuries, and they didn't affect his movements. He rolled his eyes at him and said, "Duke Hua and the others are trapped near the palace. Send someone to rescue them!"

Feng Zhiyao's face turned serious, and he waved his hand to call a team of soldiers to go to the city. However, he had to guard the city gate to protect the entrance of the city gate for the Mohist Army. If the city gate was occupied by the Northern Border Army by the time the Mohist Army arrived, it would be a big trouble. Leng Haoyu took a breath and asked, "How many people did you bring?"

Feng Zhiyao was helpless. "How many people can the Black Cloud Cavalry have? Twenty thousand."

Leng Haoyu nodded, "It's almost enough to wait until the prince arrives." Leng Haoyu naturally knew that the Black Cloud Cavalry valued quality over quantity, and he ignored Feng Zhiyao and waved his hand to lead the two teams of Black Cloud Cavalry to attack the city again.