Several lieutenants came out, all puzzled when they saw this, "Sir, what's wrong?"
Ye Yunfeng exerted force with his fingertips, and the note shattered into pieces.
His face was solemn. "I'm afraid Lord Feng won't send troops to support us."
"What!?"
Everyone was surprised.
"Why do you say that, sir?"
Ye Yunfeng raised his head and looked towards the direction of Nanhu, "Prince Su is dead."
Even though Tuoba Yu is dead, Tuoba Shan will never let it go.
Last night’s sneak attack was the best proof—they came here to avenge Tuoba Yu!
As the culprit, Ye Yunfeng is naturally their target!
"If the Southern Hu dared to start a war suddenly, they must have made thorough preparations. If we want to capture Duzhou, the first priority is to cut off external aid. I'm afraid that Xiecheng is also in trouble right now."
After hearing Ye Yunfeng's analysis, everyone looked at each other and became nervous.
They did not doubt the accuracy of Ye Yunfeng's information. The battle of Longcheng had already explained too much.
"We are outnumbered. If we don't have reinforcements, I'm afraid..."
"Even if Lord Feng can't arrive, then what about the others? Besides, the Southern Hu are invading. After hearing the news, King Nan of Yan will definitely lead his army here—"
Ye Yunfeng suddenly interrupted their discussion, "We can't put all our hopes on others."
Everyone fell silent.
Ye Yunfeng's eyes slowly swept across their faces. There was no immaturity on the young man's face, only the determination and composure of doing what was necessary!
"Since I am responsible for defending this place, I will fight to the last moment and live and die with Duzhou!"
…
Ye Yunfeng's guess was soon confirmed.
The letter they sent to Xicheng fell into oblivion, and a day later, they learned that Xicheng was also invaded by Nanhu soldiers, numbering about 5,000.
When Ye Yunfeng heard this number, his heart sank.
Because this means that the Nanhu had no intention of capturing Xiacheng. They just sent these 5,000 soldiers to obstruct and intercept Xiacheng's aid to Duzhou!
As long as the reinforcements are delayed, Duzhou will be isolated and helpless.
In addition, they placed all their elite soldiers and generals in Duzhou, and the situation became even more dangerous.
Countless people died every day, and the food in the city was rapidly depleted.
Although the enemy outnumbered us, they were still able to take turns to rest, but the soldiers defending the city dared not close their eyes, for fear that one mistake would lead to the complete loss.
More importantly, there has been no movement from King Yannan's side.
——This is a long and painful tug-of-war.
…
Capital city, Heavenly Prison.
Xiao Chenglin was held in solitary confinement and saw no one else except the jailer every day.
In the dim and cramped environment, a foul smell filled the nose, and occasionally one could hear screams and insults coming from the distant cells, which was very harsh.
Xiao Chenglin leaned against the wall, gently stroking his legs, a little absent-minded.
Days like this...are indeed not easy to live with.
He doesn't like it.
The jailer brought over the leftovers, cursing, "Eat!"
Xiao Chenglin looked at the rotten food scattered on the ground, motionless.
The jailer sneered, "Don't want to eat? Do you still think you are the high and mighty Prince Jing? Pah!"
He spat on the food.
"Eat it if you want! If I die now, I'll have a lot of trouble!"
After saying that, the jailer turned and left.
Xiao Chenglin still didn't move.
When he was first locked up, he would indeed eat some, but recently the weather has been getting warmer and almost every meal has a strange smell, so he eats less.
He doesn't want to eat.
He sat like that until silence gradually settled around him.
——It’s night.
The candles on the wall were about to burn out, casting only a faint light.
Xiao Chenglin stood up.
He moved very quietly, without making any sound, and no longer limping like before. He moved nimbly to a certain position and unlocked a stone brick under his feet.
The cell was very simple, with only some straw on the floor.
At this time, the straw became the best cover.
Xiao Chenglin lifted the stone bricks and saw a dark area underneath, which turned out to be a secret passage!
Then, his figure disappeared into the cave entrance nimbly.
The bricks quickly returned to their original positions, as if nothing had happened.
A quarter of an hour later.
The jailer who came to change the lamp oil took a casual glance and saw the empty cell, and was immediately frightened out of his wits.
"No! It's bad!"
…
Early in the morning, Ye Chutang was summoned into the palace.
Xiao Chengqi and Shen Yanchuan were talking about something, and the atmosphere was a little subtle.
The eunuch who brought Ye Chutang in was even more cautious, as if he was afraid of bringing bad luck.
Ye Chutang seemed to be lost in thought. Was...something wrong?
Sure enough, Shen Yanchuan quickly told her the reason.
"Prince Jing is missing?" Ye Chutang asked, "What does that mean? Isn't he imprisoned? How could he be missing?"
Xiao Chengqi leaned back in his chair and pinched his nose in annoyance.
Shen Yanchuan briefly explained the cause and effect of the matter.
"There's a secret passage beneath that dungeon, previously unknown. He took advantage of the jailer's laxity at night to pry open the stone bricks and escape. Furthermore, when we tried to investigate, he had deliberately destroyed the mechanism of the secret passage, making it impossible to enter."
In other words, they could no longer follow the path Xiao Chenglin took to escape.
A night is too long, enough for him to escape far away.
"The relevant personnel have been detained, but no useful clues have been obtained." Chen Yanchuan paused. "He has been operating in the capital for many years and has cultivated many confidants. I have sent people to investigate. The jailer who arranged for him to stay in that cell was one of his subordinates. He committed suicide at home in the early morning."
This road is also blocked.
Ye Chutang was silent for a moment before saying, "There are many people who are willing to die for him..."
"His escape isn't necessarily a bad thing," Chen Yanchuan said. "He's extremely ambitious. Although he's been captured, he might still have many tricks up his sleeve. Now we've forced him to reveal a trump card—very few people know about that secret passage. If we investigate here, we might find something."
Xiao Chengqi said slowly, "That secret passage is one that even I don't know about."
Ye Chutang fell silent and looked at Shen Yanchuan.
——Xiao Chenglin knew something that even Xiao Chengqi didn’t know, which made people think more.
"Your Majesty, do you want to close the city?" Shen Yanchuan asked.
Xiao Chengqi pondered for a long time and shook his head.
"During a period of national mourning, it would be too conspicuous. We can just send people to search secretly."
If the news gets out, I wonder how much controversy and speculation it will cause.
Shen Yanchuan did not persuade him again, "Yes."
Xiao Chengqi looked at Ye Chutang again, "I asked you to come here to ask another question. I heard that you once treated Prince Jing and later sent medicinal wine to his house several times. How is his leg...?"
It's no wonder he asked this. With Xiao Chenglin's crippled leg, it would be extremely difficult for him to escape from the secret passage alone.
But he disappeared overnight, which really made people suspicious.
Ye Chutang pondered for a moment.
"Prince Jing's leg...was indeed injured a few years ago. As for when it healed, I don't know."
Xiao Chengqi was suddenly shocked.
"What did you say!? His legs—are intact!?" (End of this chapter)
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