Chapter 420: You Want Me to Surrender? No Way
Helian Feng ordered his men to concentrate their forces to attack the north gate during the day, creating the illusion that the gate would be broken and attracting the main force of the defenders.
When the defenders were exhausted late at night, they suddenly turned to attack the west gate, using ladders and battering rams to assault it, supplemented by rockets to burn the city walls, in an attempt to break through the defense line.
Compared to Helian Feng's open attack on the city, Xiao Beicheng was even more vicious.
He actually sneaked into the army and threw poison into the army, polluting the water source, causing an epidemic among the imperial guards in the city and spreading rapidly.
Taking advantage of strong winds, they piled firewood and grease outside the city, set them on fire, and threw them into the city using catapults, creating a fire chaos and forcing Fu Yunqing to send troops to put out the fire, thus weakening the city's defenses.
The most unexpected thing was that the former queen Su Qinyao personally "invited" the little emperor and several princes to the city gate.
Helian Ji's face was pale, but he pretended to be calm.
He was supported by Su Qinyao and stood on the high platform. He looked at the densely packed defenders on the city wall and raised his voice with tears in his eyes:
"Fu Yunqing! Open the city gates! I want to abdicate the throne to my eldest brother, Helian Feng! He is the true ruler of Tianqi. Any further resistance would be treason!"
The princes standing beside him, some trembling with fear, others being held by the shoulders, were forced to agree:
"Fu Yunqing, open the city! We all support our eldest brother to become emperor! Only by welcoming the new emperor to the court can we ensure the safety of Yandu!"
The generals and defenders on the city wall were instantly furious when they heard this.
The soldiers were whispering to each other, their weapons in their hands somewhat unsteadily.
The young emperor personally wanted to abdicate, and several princes also tried to persuade him to surrender. So, were these soldiers defending the city or disobeying his orders?
The morale of the army was like the surface of a lake into which a huge rock was thrown, creating layers of chaotic ripples.
When the news reached the imperial palace, the people in the various palaces, who were already in a panic due to the prince's disappearance, were thrown into even greater chaos.
When Concubine Shu and other concubines heard that their children were taken to the city as hostages, they fainted from crying on the spot; the eunuchs ran around, not knowing whether to protect the emperor or to send a message; even the political order that Fu Mingyuan had painstakingly maintained collapsed completely in this sudden change.
Fu Yunqing stood on the city wall, looking at the frightened princes below the city, his thin lips slightly pursed.
He knew that Helian Feng was trying to cut off the source of his troubles and use the royal orthodoxy to completely destroy his defenses.
The soldiers' whispers behind him became increasingly clear. He took a deep breath, drew the long sword from his waist, and pointed it outside the city:
"Helian Feng has taken Your Majesty and the princes as hostages to commit treason. How can we tolerate him? Open the city and follow me to fight!"
The city gate slowly opened, the drawbridge was lowered, and Fu Yunqing led 30,000 elite soldiers to charge out.
He led the charge, his sword swung like a silver dragon emerging from the sea, and in the blink of an eye he killed several rebel vanguards.
But the rebels had already formed their battle formation, and tens of thousands of troops came like a tide, surrounding them.
"Fu Yunqing, a man who knows the current situation is a hero!"
Helian Feng sat on his horse, looking at Fu Yunqing who was trapped in the encirclement with a sneer:
"His Majesty has personally decreed the abdication. If you surrender, I will protect the lives of your wife and children!"
The implication is that if he surrenders, he will hand over the antidote to the dream tapir poison.
Fu Yunqing stood in front of the formation, looking at Helian Feng who was sitting on his horse opposite him, his eyes red, and he cursed angrily:
"Helian Feng, you are such a sinister and vicious person. You've used any means necessary to seize the throne, even using children as bait to set such a despicable trap. First, you burned the food and then poisoned the water. For your own selfish desires, you have caused the deaths of countless soldiers. Do you really deserve to sit on this Tianqi throne?"
Helian Feng frowned slightly, his face gloomy:
"Fu Yunqing, those soldiers infected with the disease are also subjects of Tianqi. As long as you open the city and surrender, I will not harm a single soldier of yours. I will also ask Xiao Beicheng to hand over the antidote to cure the poison for them."
"Helian Feng, you have become a puppet now, and you don't even know it. You want me to surrender? No way!"
Helian Feng looked at the soldiers behind Fu Yunqing and took a deep breath:
"I don't want to hurt them, but now, the arrow is on the string and must be released. The battlefield is blind, so of course all kinds of tricks must be used. Otherwise, why would you open the city to fight?"
Fu Yunqing raised his sword high, the tip of the sword pointed directly at Helian Feng:
"Then give me your life and stop talking nonsense!"
Before Helian Feng could speak, Xiao Beicheng beside him stroked his beard and sneered, his voice piercing the clamor of the battlefield:
"Fu Yunqing, to deal with you, I have to do it myself. Don't you call yourself a miracle doctor? Let's see if you can avoid my poison!"
"You are such a despicable old thief, you are so vicious!"
Fu Yunqing's eyes were blazing with fire:
"You actually used such a vicious method as the Dream Tapir Gu to harm women and children. Today, I will definitely kill you and avenge my wife and children!"
Before he finished speaking, he had already rushed out on his horse, and his long sword pierced Xiao Beicheng like a silver arc.
Xiao Beicheng was prepared and dodged the sword by moving sideways. They fought back and forth.
Helian Feng waved his hand to signal the soldiers behind him to attack the city. Lin Cang led the Tianqi soldiers on the opposite side to stop them, and the two armies engaged in a fierce battle.
Let’s talk about Xiao Beicheng. During the fight with Fu Yunqing, several black shadows suddenly flew out from his sleeves. They turned out to be caltrops wrapped with poison needles.
Fu Yunqing swung his sword to block, and all the caltrops were cut down, but Xiao Beicheng stabbed his arm with his sword, and blood instantly oozed out, staining his armor red.
Fu Yunqing no longer wanted to fight, he turned his horse's head and ordered the Tianqi soldiers:
"Brothers, retreat quickly!"
Then, he used hidden weapons to force Xiao Beicheng back, and tried his best to cut a bloody path, breaking out with 30,000 soldiers.
Xiao Beicheng originally wanted to pursue the victory, but he rolled his eyes and pulled the reins:
"Your Highness, he didn't retreat back into the city. He must have gone to Xiao Nanyan to seek help. The most important thing right now is to enter the city and take over Yandu."
"But the military token is still in his hand."
Xiao Beicheng smiled and said, "He's only leading 30,000 troops into battle today. Spies in the city have informed us that most of the soldiers have contracted the plague and are unable to come out to meet the enemy. Your Highness, after you enter the city, promise these soldiers high positions and generous salaries, and also promise to cure their plague. The support of the people is far more important than a cold, cold military order!"
Helian Feng knew that if he went to hunt down Fu Yunqing at this moment, he would miss the best opportunity to take control of Yandu. Right now, the most important thing was to occupy Yandu first, ascend the throne immediately, give orders to the ministers, and then find a way to win over the hearts of the army.
After thinking about it, he swung the sword in his hand and shouted loudly:
"Attack the city!"
Then he led his army and galloped towards the closed city gate.
His confidants were already inside the city gate, working together with him to kill the soldiers defending the city and open the city gate.
The rebels swarmed into the imperial city of Yandu like ants.
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