The Left Chancellor and the surrounding guards on the city wall changed their expressions drastically upon hearing that their king had been captured.
It should be noted that Li Xiao led an army of 50,000, which annihilated Han Hui and Woju, dealt a blow to the Three Hans, and defeated the elite of Buyeo.
Is it really gone just like that?
The long-awaited reinforcements failed to arrive, and instead, the soldiers defending the city received such devastating news, leaving them with no courage to resist.
The Left Chancellor, standing atop the city wall, quickly regained his composure after a moment's thought. He then looked down at Zhu Yao and shouted sternly:
"Since the King has been captured, why did you escape back alone? Could it be that you, this villain, betrayed the King and are now trying to trick us?"
Zhu Yao's expression changed, and he immediately shouted, "Your Majesty did not listen to our advice, which is why we suffered this defeat. Now that we have finally escaped back, you refuse to let us into the city. What are your intentions?"
"Let us in right now!!"
The soldiers following behind Zhu Yao also raised their weapons, aimed them at the defenders on the city wall, and shouted angrily, looking ready to attack the city.
Upon seeing this, the guards on the city wall trembled and couldn't help but take two steps back.
Seeing this, the garrison commander approached the Left Chancellor and whispered, "Left Chancellor, if we let them continue to cause trouble outside the city, it may be detrimental to our army. Why don't we let them in first? Taking them in will also strengthen our defenses!"
The Left Chancellor hesitated and said, "But what if they secretly surrender to the Han army to trick us into opening the city gates? What then?"
"Prime Minister, they have no Han troops following them. These five thousand men alone cannot do much. After they enter the city, you can send men to confiscate their weapons and detain them. It will not be too late to deal with them after the investigation is completed."
The Left Prime Minister pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Very well, open the city gates!"
With a command from the Left Prime Minister, the city gates of Sifang City slowly opened, and the soldiers guarding the city stood ready with bows and arrows in hand, in case the enemy suddenly attacked.
"Into the city!!"
Zhu Yao shouted loudly and then led five thousand soldiers into the city.
Only after everyone had entered the city and no Han army attacked did the Left Chancellor and the city's defenders breathe a sigh of relief.
Subsequently, the Left Chancellor ordered men to confiscate the weapons of Zhu Yao and his five thousand soldiers. Zhu Yao and his five thousand soldiers cooperated readily and did not say anything.
Soon, as Zhu Yao and his men entered the city, news of Li Xiao's capture spread.
In an instant, panic gripped the city. The Left Prime Minister, along with a group of nobles and officials, brought out the Queen and Li Xiao's son, who was not yet ten years old, to discuss the establishment of a new king.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the King is now in the hands of the Han army, his fate unknown. A country cannot be without a ruler for a single day. We beseech Your Majesty to ascend the throne, issue commands, and pacify the people and resist the Han army!"
"Your Highness, please ascend the throne!!"
Led by the Left Chancellor, a group of nobles and officials echoed his sentiments.
Seeing this, the Queen glanced at her son and then said, "In that case, we shall grant your request!"
After a simple enthronement ceremony, the Queen became the Queen Mother, and the Left Prime Minister, as the Queen Mother's brother and the new King's uncle, held supreme military and political power.
Soon, the Left Chancellor issued several proclamations in the name of the new king to appease the people.
Meanwhile, in order to strengthen the defenses, the Left Prime Minister ordered that weapons be distributed to the remaining men in the city, including the elderly and children who were used for logistical support, who were also forced to be pulled onto the city walls.
As for the women in the city, they were used as a logistical support team, starting to dismantle houses and move logs and stones.
In an instant, apart from Zhu Yao and the five thousand soldiers, all three hundred thousand people in Sifang City were mobilized.
February 23rd.
After waiting for several days and confirming that there would be no more Goguryeo reinforcements, Gongsun Zan, Ma Teng, Gongsun Du and others led their troops back to the southern camp of the city.
Recently, Gongsun Zan and his men have used the tactics of besieging the strongholds and attacking the reinforcements one by one to defeat more than 30 reinforcements, seize a large amount of grain and warhorses, and capture nearly 120,000 prisoners.
Xu Rong and the army's political instructors also reorganized the original 50,000 prisoners and put them in charge of managing this new group of prisoners.
Of the total 170,000 prisoners, most were led by engineering teams to build roads leading to Siping, except for a few who continued to build siege equipment.
Two days later, Liu Hong led an army of 50,000 men, along with the "Lady's Army" which had been expanded to 30,000, to the south of Sifang City. At this point, the several armies finally joined forces.
Seeing the hundreds of thousands of prisoners carrying out their tasks in an orderly manner, Liu Hong nodded in satisfaction.
That night, the camp was brightly lit, and Liu Hong personally rewarded the soldiers who had fought the decisive battle outside the four cities.
Inside the main tent, all the generals of the army gathered, including Dian Wei, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian, who were also qualified to participate.
Everyone stared intently at the emperor at the head of the table. They knew that tomorrow would be the final battle, a battle that would ensure many would be remembered in history.
Liu Hong glanced around at everyone with a serious expression, then turned his gaze to Mo Shang.
"Lord Moyang, how is the construction of the catapults progressing?"
Mo Shang stepped forward and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, after these days of improvement and construction, a total of 150 catapults have been produced. Each catapult can launch 230 catapults at a distance of 350 steps. A total of 10,000 stones have been polished, which is enough to destroy Sifang City in one day."
"Good!!" Liu Hong immediately stood up, looked at his generals, and said loudly, "Issue my order: the army shall prepare food before dawn, regroup and set off after dawn, and capture the capital of Goguryeo before sunset!!"
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