At night, outside there were cries of wailing and shouting. The prince paced back and forth in his residence, and the counselors beside him also looked anxious.
"Your Highness, we can't wait any longer. Ding Shangbiao can't hold on. We still have time to leave now. If we wait until the city is broken, we will probably be surrounded by the enemy."
Another person tried to dissuade him, "Yes, Your Highness, it's better to keep yourself useful so that you can pursue other goals. I believe that if His Majesty knew about this, he would definitely not let Your Highness put himself in danger."
They are all counselors around the prince. If the prince does not leave, they can only stay. No matter what the reason is, they will do their best to persuade the prince to leave Lucheng as soon as possible.
Since last night, the enemy troops attacking the city suddenly launched a fierce attack at night. They were almost beaten in several times. The counselors were panicked and gathered all their guards around them early, fearing that they would encounter any accidents.
The prince naturally wanted to leave, but he didn't know whether he should leave at this time.
He felt that as the crown prince of a country, if he left at this time, how would the soldiers under him look at him?
But he was unwilling to take risks, fearing that if Lucheng was really broken, he would not gain anything.
Seeing the Crown Prince's hesitation, the counselors added fuel to the fire, "Your Highness, it's inappropriate to say this. His Majesty has already handed over full power of the army to Ding Shangbiao. If anything goes wrong, Ding Shangbiao should be held accountable."
"Ding Shangbiao is dissatisfied with you. If you let his men return first, who knows what slander he will tell Your Majesty."
"You are the crown prince of a country. If something goes wrong, who will take over the throne? When the city is breached, anything could happen."
The prince's face immediately darkened, and he turned around and said, "Let's go!"
…
On the city wall, the blood on Ding Shangbiao's body had already connected to his armor and adhered to his flesh. He was like a tireless machine, only knowing how to chop with his sword.
A soldier hurried to Ding Shangbiao and said, "General, the prince wants to leave the city!"
Ding Shangbiao asked the guards beside him to fill in his vacancy, walked aside and asked, "What's going on? Tell me in detail."
"The Crown Prince and his entourage attempted to leave the western town early this morning, but the defenders refused to open the gates. The general issued an order prohibiting anyone from leaving the city, so the defenders are now at a standoff with them."
"Damn it!" Ding Shangbiao said viciously, "What a bunch of losers! We asked them to defend the city, and they were chased away like crazy. Now the enemy hasn't even gotten in, and they're all thinking about running away. What a bunch of cowards!"
The soldier asked, "General, should we let them out?"
Ding Shangbiao was silent for a while and said, "Let them go."
His Majesty didn't say whether he would deal with the Crown Prince. He wasn't sure how long Lucheng could hold out. If Lucheng fell before reinforcements arrived, the Crown Prince and the others...
Although he really didn't like the Crown Prince, he was, after all, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the heir to the throne.
What's more, there is no benefit in keeping these people in the city. Not only can they not share the pressure, but they will cause trouble for him. It is better for them to leave so that he can fight the enemy with all his strength.
…
"The general has given orders! Let them go!"
The soldier received Ding Shangbiao's order and hurried to the city gate. At this time, the guards beside the prince and the soldiers guarding the city in front were in a standoff, and both sides had drawn their swords.
After checking the token next to Ding Shangbiao, the soldiers guarding the city looked at the prince and his entourage indignantly, and waved their hands helplessly to open the city gate and let them out.
The prince sat in the carriage, feeling the strange looks coming from all around him, his face as gloomy as ink.
I didn't expect that the crown prince would have to ask old man Ding Shangbiao for permission even for such a trivial matter as leaving the city. This group of people didn't take him, the crown prince, seriously at all.
"Why did the prince leave at this time?"
"Wouldn't it be running away if I left now?"
"Who knows? He's the prince, unlike us who have cheap lives."
"Shh, keep your voice down."
Seeing someone in the carriage lift the curtain and look out, someone next to him reminded the soldier who was speaking.
"Your Highness, don't pay attention to the words of these illiterate and vulgar people." After leaving the city gate, the counselors around the prince were all smiling and comforting.
"Even these bastards dare to talk about me behind my back. Ding Shangbiao is really a good general." The prince said gritting his teeth.
Upon learning that the prince and his entourage had retreated to Wujiang, someone reported this to Ding Shangbiao and asked him whether he wanted to send a group of soldiers to escort them.
Ding Shangbiao cursed and said, "Why would we send soldiers to escort Xiao Xiaozhi, who escaped from the battlefield? My soldiers have to guard the city gates, where are the people?"
They fled in the direction behind Lucheng, and would not be attacked by the enemy before Lucheng was captured.
Even if there is a danger of encountering the enemy, Ding Shangbiao will not send troops.
The defense of the city was already stretched to the limit, and even the civilians in the city were mobilized, leaving no extra manpower.
"General, I'm afraid we can only hold out for about eight more days." Defending a city requires not only manpower but also various tools.
After repelling the enemy again, the entire Lucheng was filled with a silent and dead atmosphere.
"Reinforcements are on the way, brothers, hold on a little longer!" Ding Shangbiao felt exhausted, but he could only straighten his body and shout.
The battle in Lucheng became increasingly intense, and everyone was on edge.
At the court meeting, Wei Wenhua said tiredly, "Your Majesty, General Ding has sent a report of the battle. Lucheng will be captured by the enemy at any time. Your Majesty, please stop building Linxiantai and send those people to help defend the city. Perhaps they can hold out longer until His Royal Highness the Second Prince returns to help."
"The people who built Linxiantai are all civilians and have no knowledge of military affairs. I have other uses for Linxiantai." An Jingzhi refused.
Sending this group of people over there is just a drop in the bucket. If we can repair Linxiantai, there might still be a glimmer of hope.
The Second Prince An Shaolin's troops were also speeding up their return, but even if they marched day and night it would still take ten days.
All the ministers were trying to persuade him. Some advised An Jingzhi to give up building Linxiantai, while others advised him to retreat as soon as possible to avoid this attack.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is requesting an audience outside the palace."
Suddenly a palace servant came in and reported.
When the court officials heard this, they all had different expressions. At the critical moment in Lucheng, the prince, as the crown prince of a country, actually ran back in advance.
Even the princelings wanted to find a hole to crawl into at this moment.
"not see."
An Jingzhi's face turned grim. "Tell him to go back to the mansion. He is not allowed to leave the mansion without my order!"
If it weren't for this piece of trash, I wouldn't be in this situation today.
He is not his biological father who likes trash.
It is not time to settle the score yet. He will have to wait until he defeats the enemy this time before he can slowly settle the score.
"Your Majesty has ordered the Crown Prince to return to his residence. Without Your Majesty's order, you are not allowed to take a single step out of the palace."
The Crown Prince and his companions were struck by lightning after hearing the palace servant's message. The Crown Prince asked in disbelief, "How is this possible? Why would the Emperor let me stay indoors?"
Is the emperor blaming him?
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