Five Dynasties River Mountains Fengyue

Chapter 289 After Surrender
The hall was quiet, and the few officials and the crown prince dared not speak. The wind blew through the hall, and many light gauze curtains fluttered slowly, making it even more messy and miserable.

"Who among you has a good plan to retreat from the enemy can share my worries!" Meng Chang asked loudly.

As a result, there was a dead silence below, so quiet that it was frightening. The prince, who had not long escaped from Mianzhou, bowed his head tremblingly and dared not speak.

Meng Chang's face was pale, his white knuckles tightly pinched the armrest of the precious chair, and he was speechless.

"I feed you with rich clothes and fine food, and high-ranking officials and rich salary to support you. When things come to an end, there will be no one who will be useful!" Meng Chang said angrily.

After another moment of silence, the old general Shi Kai came out, cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, the old minister thinks that there are only two things that are useful, one is to stick to it, Zhou's army is far away, and it cannot last long.

At this time, the remaining states should gather troops and wait for the Eastern soldiers to be exhausted.

At the same time, the dead soldiers were bought with a lot of money, and the old minister was willing to personally lead the troops to fight the Zhou army to the death if necessary! "

At this time, Li Tinggui, the gray-haired waiter, wanted to stand up, and the upper officials expected to look at him, but Li Tinggui didn't stand up in the end.

The disappointment on His Majesty's face was obvious, and he even asked specifically: "Is there any countermeasure for Mr. Li?"

Li Tinggui hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "Your Majesty, the old minister intends to kill the enemy, but he is old and weak, and has no means of recovery."

His Majesty's face turned even paler.

Seeing His Majesty's downcast appearance, Li Tinggui thought to himself: I'm old, let alone not His Majesty's confidant.

Six years ago, he fought against the Zhou army in the north. Although he lost in the end, the Zhou army did not fight easily. The battle for the land of the four states was a stalemate for nearly a year.

Shi Congyun fought wits and courage with him, and finally the Shu army was defeated, but the Zhou army also suffered a lot of casualties.

After that war, people were still quite critical of Li Tinggui, the general. Some literati and officials in Chengdu even petitioned the officials to hold him accountable for his defeat, saying that his inability to defeat the Zhou army was due to a mistake in his command.

Li Tinggui was very afraid of those impeachments. He knew in his heart that he was not His Majesty's confidant. What His Majesty liked were poetry, literature, beautiful women, talkative scholars like Wang Zhaoyuan and Li Hao, not a vulgar man like him who only knew how to fight all his life.

In addition, he was originally from Taiyuan, Hedong, and was a general of the Later Tang Dynasty. He followed the first emperor of Shu to enter Shu. He was afraid of being suspected by the new king, so he obeyed the public opinion at the time, voluntarily handed over his military power, and admitted his mistake.

His Majesty appeased him and added senior officials in the servants, but he was left idle, and a group of newcomers such as Wang Zhaoyuan and Han Baozheng were appointed to take charge of the military power.

In fact, Li Tinggui knew in his heart that even if His Majesty said that he didn't blame him, it was just a scene. The whole Chengdu felt that he was to blame for the defeat. Zhou Jun fought in the mountains, and finally lost the land of the four states.

But looking back now, there is a great irony. Six years ago, Shi Congyun led Zhou Jun to take the four states from him with difficulty for a year.

Today it is still Shi Congyun, and it took only a little over two months to lead the Zhou army. The two prefectures and 48 prefectures and one army in the Shu region will lose all 230 and eight counties.

By now, the Lord of the Kingdom and most of the people in Chengdu must have understood who is the ultimate fighter.

Li Tinggui also had mixed feelings, both gratification and compassion.

If he is allowed to fight, there are natural dangers such as Xingzhou, Xixian, Sanquan (Yangping Pass), Lizhou, Jiameng Pass, Jianzhou, Dajian Mountain Thirty-mile Plank Road, and Jianmen Pass. As for the call to Chengdu in two months.

But it’s too late to say anything now. He fought wars and is most familiar with the geographical situation of Shu. After the army passes Jianmen Pass, Chengdu will be unable to defend. Chengdu is surrounded by plains, and the road from Jianmen Pass to Chengdu in the south is too many
Seeing that he didn't speak, His Majesty sighed and said: "I and the late emperor have supported the soldiers with warm clothes and delicious food for 40 years. Once we face the enemy of the Central Plains, we can't shoot an arrow to the east for me. Although we want to stick to it, who can defend us?" ?”

None of the courtiers said a word, and there was no movement in the hall except for the wind.
Just at this time, the eunuch outside looked nervous and hurried in and said, "Your Majesty, Zhou Jun sent an envoy to see His Majesty."

As soon as these words came out, everyone's eyes focused on him, even Meng Chang was no exception.

The entire court had no intention of fighting against the enemy, and even if they wanted to, no one dared to go. At this time, everyone was looking forward to talking to Shi Congyun, because his family, life and death depended on Shi Congyun's words.

Before Meng Chang could speak, Prime Minister Li Hao said impatiently: "Go and invite the envoy to come in."

Meng Chang's expression was not good, but he didn't say anything about Li Hao's disobedience. It's such a juncture, and everyone knows what to do except grief and anger.

After a while, a straight-backed scribe in plain official uniform came in under the leadership of the eunuch.

Shu is rich in Shu brocade, and the Shu character of Shu has worms, which is related to the local prosperity of silkworm breeding since ancient times. The export of Shu brocade has been the economic pillar of Shu since the Qin and Han Dynasties.

In addition to Meng Chang's extravagant enjoyment, various curtains and curtains in the palace used a lot of brocade and silk. Even his yellow robe and official uniforms of hundreds of officials were gorgeous and luxurious, with high-quality materials and patterns of flowers, birds and fish everywhere, which looked particularly eye-catching.

The Zhou army envoy who came in was dressed in a neat and simple dark red official uniform, with a sword around his waist, a square belt around his waist, and a straight waist, as if he was incompatible with this gorgeous and beautiful hall.

After coming in, he did not perform the rituals of the emperor and ministers, and turned a blind eye to the many ministers in the court. He only stopped about ten steps away from the throne, cupped his hands and said to Meng Chang above: "The lord of the Kingdom of Shu, this is Dou Yi who judged the affairs of Dali Temple in the Zhou Dynasty. The military envoys have come to see you and have something to convey."

The courtiers nearby saw that he was not well-mannered and merciless when speaking, but no one dared to speak out.

Above, Meng Chang blushed, but in the end he didn't dare to do anything, as if he was overwhelmed by Dou Yi's aura, he could only nod: "Speak, I'll listen."

"Our army's commander-in-chief, Shi Congyun, limits you to surrender within three days. If Kaesong surrenders within three days, the ruler of the country can go to Daliang to become the Duke of An Le, and all the officials will be captured.

But if we don't surrender after three days, our heavenly soldiers will start to attack the city. Those who resist to the end, or those who deliberately damage the city of Chengdu, and those who steal the treasury of Taicang in the city, will not be left behind when the city is destroyed. "

Dou Yi's words were not spoken quickly, and she didn't deliberately add a gentle tone. Just reading it made everyone present tremble with fear. Some people showed anger, but they didn't dare to speak out.

Meng Chang's face turned blue and red, and finally he choked out a sentence: "If I don't follow, aren't you afraid of death?"

Unexpectedly, Dou Yi smiled contemptuously: "A minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty is loyal to die for the affairs of the state. What's more, the above-mentioned words are all confessed by the commander-in-chief himself, but the commander-in-chief also explained otherwise. Execute the Meng family."

"You!" Meng Chang was so angry that he wanted to stand up, but he was too fat, with veins popping out of his forehead, so he didn't stand up all at once.

"Emissary Dou, your words are too much!" Finally, a minister dared to stand up and say something that I don't know whether it is soft or hard.

Unexpectedly, Dou Yi ignored the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty at all, and continued to cup her hands and said: "Master Meng, I advise you to think twice, our commander-in-chief always says one thing.

At the beginning in Huainan, more than [-] Tang troops died in the hands of the general. Because of the trustworthiness of the lord, he handed over Huainan, ceded the land and paid for it, and appeased the three armies.

Nanping and Wuping dared to resist, and the commander pointed his sword to the south, and it was destroyed within a year. Gaiyin Gao Baorong, Zhou Xingfeng and Zhou Xingfeng were praised by the two kings, taking the overall situation into consideration, and [-] Jingzhou soldiers were captured.

Then last year, in the Battle of Guanbei, the Liao Kingdom had [-] iron cavalry and [-] elite soldiers, and they were vulnerable to a single blow in the hands of the commander-in-chief.The Khitan people are also barbarians, wild and unruly, they disobeyed the general, and one hundred thousand Liao soldiers bloodied the three passes. "

As he said that, he held his sword and looked up at Meng Chang, his eyes full of murderous intent. Many civil servants in the Great Zhou Dynasty had followed the army to fight in the north and south to make suggestions when they were officials, and it was the same when Shi Congyun was in charge.

The vigor tempered on the battlefield and among the dead was not comparable to that of the monarchs and ministers of Shu who had been in peace for 30 years, and the lord Meng Chang was speechless and did not dare to look directly at him.

"The lord can see the scene of killing 10 people. The water of the Daqing River has been stained bloody for several months. The heads of Khitan soldiers are piled up higher than your city walls in Chengdu!"

"Ah!" Meng Chang exclaimed, trembling all over, the glazed cup in his hand was knocked to the ground, his complexion turned pale, sweat poured down from his fair forehead, he was so frightened that he couldn't speak.

Seeing this, Dou Yi cupped her hands and said: "My lord, please think about it quickly. The commander-in-chief only gives you three days. If it's too late, you won't wait. So-and-so has resigned."

After finishing speaking, he cupped his hands and signaled the eunuch to take him out, but the eunuch was at a loss, and the emperor above him didn't speak, so he couldn't make up his mind for a while.

Fortunately, Li Hao, the prime minister next to him, nodded and asked him to send the envoy of Zhou Guo.

After Zhou Guo's envoy left, there was a dead silence in the hall again, the officials did not make a sound, and the emperor above seemed to have found a demon in a daze, speechless.

The ministers all looked closely at the emperor above.

After a long time, Meng Chang said weakly, "Li Xiang, what's your opinion?"

After asking this sentence, Li Hao immediately understood that he was an old fritter, and understood His Majesty's thoughts. His Majesty didn't ask his opinion, but wanted to surrender, but he couldn't bear the infamy and guilt of throwing his ancestors' foundation alone.

Asking their opinion is actually hoping that someone will share this responsibility.

Li Hao thought to himself, it's already at this time, the knife rest on the neck can't care about anything else, let's talk about living first!

What's more, the words of Zhou's envoy just now had frightened him violently. Thinking about Shi Congyun's prestige over the years and the things he did, Li Hao felt that it must be true.

If Shi Congyun is angered, how can we kill them like the Khitan people!

So he even said: "Your Majesty, the old ministers and colleagues all feel that the matter has come to an end, why don't they just surrender, originally they were planning to surrender to the imperial court, if Wang Zhaoyuan's evil words did not confuse the people, there would be no military disaster today."

Meng Chang didn't say anything more, but raised his hand helplessly: "Li Xianggong will write the surrender form for me, and send it to me tomorrow. Come to my palace. After reading it, the prince will go out of the city on my behalf and send it to Shi Congyun."

After the matter was decided, many people in the court hall breathed a sigh of relief, and then they all knelt down and cried loudly, their voices overwhelming the court hall. Seeing this scene, Meng Chang couldn't help crying too.

The front hall is messy, and the rear palace is even more messy.

There are more than 2 maids and thousands of concubines in Meng Chang's harem. Among them, more than one is named Mrs. Huarui, but the noble concubine Fei is the most beloved. Emperor Meng Chang even built a crystal palace for her.

Mrs. Huarui looked at the chaotic figures and images, and felt panic and desolation in her heart. In fact, thinking about the luxury of the palace, she could understand why none of the people in Shu was willing to defend the Meng family against foreign enemies.

There are more than 2 court ladies and thousands of concubines. The original Tang Taizong and the Tang Dynasty royal family during the Tang Gaozong period were no more than that, and even the number of concubines was far from that much.

But this is just the Kingdom of Shu, a land of 48 prefectures with two prefectures, not the Tang Dynasty supported by the world. With such a level of luxury, how can the people of Shu support it for a long time?

The palace was already in chaos, and many guards in the palace either did not come to Shangzhi, or they had already found reasons to run away. The news of the front palace also quickly spread to the back palace, because many eunuchs were there at that time.

Compared with the guards in the imperial city, the women and eunuchs in the palace were more frightened, because they were completely attached to the emperor. Some concubines with family backgrounds had already started to leave the palace in a hurry, wanting to go back to their natal homes to avoid disaster.

Everyone knows that if the Zhou army enters the city, the imperial palace will definitely bear the brunt.

At this time, the guards of the imperial city had almost run away, and there was no one to stop them. It was a mess.

The courtyard behind the Crystal Palace was in chaos. Half of the eunuchs and maids who served here on weekdays did not come, and those who came were all begging for her protection with panicked expressions.

After all, Fei was a person who came here from all over the world. In addition to being favored by the emperor, she also knew the ways of the world. Usually, many concubines, court ladies and eunuchs had a good relationship with her, and she would plead with the emperor when something happened, so she was very popular.

Now that there is chaos, a large number of people come to her to cry and beg her for protection. Most of them are concubines and maids in the deep palace who have no masters, have never seen the world, and have never seen military disasters, and some eunuchs.

The eunuchs in the outer hall told them about how the envoys of the Zhou Kingdom were domineering in the court hall, how they ignored His Majesty, how they threatened, and how Shi Congyun killed people, which frightened a group of people.

Mrs. Huarui was also frightened and confused, she had never seen a military disaster, and she was good at trying to figure out people's minds, but she didn't know how to kill people, how to kill people on a large scale, and she had never seen it before.

But just hearing that the heads of the Khitan people are piled higher than the city walls of Chengdu, the river water that won't be clear for a few months gives chills down the spine.

In addition, Shi Congyun's story is well known in the world, no one doubts it at all, and everyone thinks it is true.

In their hearts, Shi Congyun seemed to be a murderous devil, even more terrifying than a blue-faced and fangsed ghost. Just mentioning his name can scare people away. Thinking of it, she can't even think of anyone in her heart. His appearance is in line with Shi Congyun.

His reputation is too terrifying, too high to look up to, so that Huarui feels that if he is human, his appearance is not suitable, and the fear has been rooted in his heart.

"Sister, please save us!" Several concubines who had a good relationship with her on weekdays burst into tears and held her hand in fear.

"On weekdays, my sister has the most ideas. We don't want to die, but we don't know what to do."

A few eunuchs and palace maids over there also knelt down and kowtowed one after another: "I beg your majesty, for the sake of serving the slaves every day, think of a way to save the slaves!"

Mrs. Huarui felt a little sad and helpless for a moment, she entered the palace alone at the beginning, and it was because of these talents that she established herself in the palace.

Because His Majesty is in poor health and always suffers from panting (asthma), the competition for favor in the harem is not so fierce. These concubines are also her good sisters, and everyone has a good relationship on weekdays.

But she was helpless in her heart. Usually, she did have her own ideas and ideas, and that was because she could read His Majesty's mind, know His Majesty's preferences, and follow His Majesty's instructions, and His Majesty's happy things would be done.

But now that a catastrophe is imminent, what can she do as a weak woman?

(End of this chapter)