Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 457: Let Empress Fu be a hostage! Fu Wan's plot!

No one expected that Jia Xu would be injured and unconscious.

Now Jia Xu is in charge of all matters big and small in Chang'an City. His coma has shocked and panicked many people.

At this critical moment, without the backbone Jia Xu in charge, can Chang'an still be defended?
Weiyang Palace, inside Chengming Hall.

All the ministers gathered here, each with a look of deep worry on their faces, and from time to time they looked up at the position where Jia Xu should have stood but was now vacant.

Although they kept praising Jia Xu, everyone had to admit that if it weren't for Jia Xu, Chang'an would have been captured long ago.

Now that Jia Xu has fallen, who will take charge of the situation?

Yang Biao, Fu Wan, Cui Yan or Dong Zhong?
Just as the ministers were discussing, Fa Zheng walked into Chengming Hall. Upon seeing this, the ministers gathered around him and asked about Jia Xu's situation.

"Censor Fa, how is the Minister of the Central Secretariat?"

"Yeah, is the Secretary General's injury okay? Is it serious?"

"I have some Western Region magical medicine at home, which is excellent for treating external injuries. If you can use it, just give it to the Minister of the Central Secretariat."

"Nothing can happen to the Minister of the Central Secretariat."

……

Fa Zheng had just returned from Jia Xu's mansion. He was already in a bad mood, and became even more irritated after hearing the voices of the ministers.

However, facing the concern of the ministers, he could not show any expression, so he could only patiently say: "The Imperial Doctor Hua has already examined the Minister of the Central Secretariat."

"Although the Minister of the Central Secretariat was shot, his lungs were not injured. His life is safe. He just needs to recuperate for some time."

"Now the Minister of the Central Secretariat has fallen into a coma due to blood loss. Before he fell into a coma, he instructed me to take charge of all matters."

Fa Zheng briefly talked about Jia Xu's situation.

To be honest, it was really a blessing from God that Jia Xu was able to survive after being shot without wearing armor.

This situation is a bit too dangerous.

After Fa Zheng finished speaking, the ministers were not relieved but became even more worried - what was the difference between an unconscious Jia Xu and a dead one?
I still can’t step up and take charge of the situation!
Although he asked Fa Zheng to handle affairs on his behalf before he fell into a coma, how could a young man like Fa Zheng have the ability to shoulder such a heavy burden?
Of course, although they thought so in their hearts, the ministers would not say it out loud.

However, Fa Zheng knew what they were thinking from their expressions, and said calmly: "Everyone, just relax. Although the Minister of the Central Secretariat is injured and unconscious, it will not affect the city defense. Chang'an is still as solid as a rock."

"I don't think so."

As soon as Fa Zheng finished speaking, someone started to refute him.

The person who spoke was Cui Yan.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Fa Zheng, saying, "I have also visited the city walls and military camps after the battle in the past few days. From what I have seen, there are not many defenders left in Chang'an City."

"Many civilians in their 40s and 50s put on armor and served as soldiers on the city walls to kill the enemy, and there were even some disabled old soldiers."

"Is this what Censor Fa said? Is Chang'an City still as strong as a rock?"

There were not many soldiers in Chang'an City to begin with, but for such a long time, Jia Xu had always claimed to his ministers that there were sufficient soldiers and the enemy outside the city was nothing to worry about.

Cui Yan is not a fool, how could he keep believing it?

So he investigated secretly.

But the result was completely different from what Jia Xu told them - the situation in Chang'an City had become extremely critical!

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of all the ministers changed.

Then he focused his attention on Fa Zheng.

Yang Biao frowned and said in a deep voice: "Censor Fa, is the situation in Chang'an City really as General Cui said?"

His words expressed the thoughts of all the ministers. If that was the case, he was simply treating them like fools!

Fa Zheng never expected Cui Yan to suddenly say this.

Facing Yang Biao's questions and the burning gazes of the ministers, Fa Zheng remained silent, and suddenly felt a little tired in his heart.

He looked up at Cui Yan and asked, "General Cui, what is your purpose in asking these questions now?"

"Will knowing the truth help the situation?"

The reason why Jia Xu concealed the truth was to stabilize people's hearts and avoid panic, but Cui Yan pierced through this fig leaf.

Fa Zheng's words were tantamount to an admission.

Cui Yan's face was gloomy, and he said in a cold tone: "The situation is not favorable. The Legal Censor and the Minister of the Central Secretariat can discuss it with us instead of hiding it again and again!"

"We are also Han officials. Are we really unworthy of your trust?"

"Do the Imperial Censor and the Minister of the Central Secretariat think that as officials of the Han Dynasty, we will open the city and surrender to the traitor Ma Chao after learning that the situation is unfavorable?!"

"You underestimate us!"

Cui Yan's tone was full of anger. Jia Xu had previously concealed the news of Ma Chao's attack in order to prevent them from abandoning Chang'an and fleeing.

Now that they are in the same boat, yet he is still hiding things from them, how could this not be looking down on them?
How could he endure such humiliation!
Fa Zheng did not want to argue with Cui Yan, and said calmly: "As General Cui Zhonglang said, the situation in Chang'an City is indeed not optimistic."

"In today's battle, Ma Chao dispatched his elite troops, causing heavy casualties to our army, and the western city wall was almost lost."

"If we hadn't used the power of the ten-shot crossbow to repel the enemy, Chang'an City would have been breached today."

Fa Zheng explained the dire situation in Chang'an City one by one, and finally said: "If Ma Chao continues to send out elite troops to attack the city, and your Majesty's reinforcements still do not arrive, then Chang'an City will undoubtedly fall."

Don't you want the truth?

I will tell you the truth!

After saying these words, Fa Zheng felt relieved, as if a heavy burden on his shoulders had been lifted.

For more than half a month, both he and Jia Xu had been under tremendous pressure, and they had to pretend nothing had happened, for fear of being discovered. They were already exhausted.

Now that I've said it, I feel relieved.

After Fa Zheng finished speaking, Chengming Hall fell into silence, and many ministers showed expressions of fear on their faces.

Chang'an... has it come to this?
Cui Yan did not expect the truth to be like this. The situation in Chang'an City was even worse than he had imagined, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

After a moment's silence, he finally said, "Next time Ma Chao attacks the city, I will bring my people to the top of the city to kill the enemy."

"Even if I die, I will not let down your majesty or the great man!"

If the city is captured, it will only mean death.

It’s not like he doesn’t have this awareness!
What's more, he died defending the city. Even if he died, it was a worthy death. His name will be passed down through the ages, and he will definitely be selected by the emperor to enter the second level of Lingyun Pavilion in the future.

Moreover, the Cui family’s roots are in Qinghe County, Jizhou. Even if the Chang’an lineage dies, it will not affect the continuation of the family.

"I hope General Cui will keep his word."

Fa Zheng's expression did not change much when he heard this. He just stabbed Cui Yan in a light tone, which immediately made Cui Yan furious.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to retort, Yang Biao spoke up: "Stop arguing. In the current situation, we should all work together as one. How can we continue to fight among ourselves?"

"Since Censor Fa has told us the truth about the situation in Chang'an, we should try to delay the situation until the reinforcements arrive." "Otherwise..."

Before Yang Biao finished his words, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall, and everyone looked towards the hall door.

The person who walked in was Pound.

Seeing Pang De, Fa Zheng stepped forward and asked, "General Pang, what happened? Did the enemy attack the city again?"

Pang De was in charge of guarding the southern city wall and usually would not enter the palace. Now that he suddenly came here, it must be something important.

This sentence also made everyone's heart hang in suspense.

What Fa Zheng just said was very clear. Chang'an’s military strength is now seriously insufficient. As long as Ma Chao mobilizes all his elite troops to launch a large-scale attack, Chang'an will undoubtedly be destroyed!
"No, the enemy did not attack."

Pound shook his head.

Fa Zheng and his ministers all breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this, and then he asked, "What is that?"

Pang De hesitated for a moment, then said, "Just now, Ma Chao sent people to the outside of the city to announce that as long as we are willing to hand over the queen as a hostage and hand over 3,000 carts of food and treasures, they will withdraw their troops."

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

"If we don't agree, they will continue their attack tomorrow."

Pang De truthfully reported the news sent by Ma Chao.

When everyone heard this, they were all stunned.

Hand over the queen and three thousand carts of supplies... and then withdraw?
For a moment, the hall fell into a brief silence.

But Fa Zheng quickly came to his senses and angrily cursed: "This villain is simply wishful thinking!"

"If he wants to attack, let him attack!"

It would be fine if he just handed over 3,000 carts of food and fodder, but for the survival of Chang'an, it is not impossible to swallow his anger temporarily.

But handing over the queen as a hostage is simply a joke!

The Queen is the wife of the Emperor and the mistress of the harem.

Handing over the queen is a humiliation to the entire Han Dynasty, a humiliation to the emperor, and a slap in the face of the court!
This is absolutely impossible!

Not only Fa Zheng, but other ministers were also filled with indignation and cursed when they heard the conditions proposed by Ma Chao.

"How dare Ma Chao be so arrogant!"

"No compromise! Absolutely no compromise!"

"We will live and die together in Chang'an!"

"Even if I die, I won't agree to this!"

……

As Han ministers, they still have at least some backbone. There is no way they would agree to such absurd conditions.

Otherwise they will be infamous for eternity!
However... there is only one exception.

Fu Wan frowned and listened to the shouting and cursing of the ministers around him. He did not echo them. His cloudy old eyes turned slightly, as if he was thinking about something.

After the ministers' scolding subsided, he walked out with his cane and said slowly, "Everyone, I think... it is not impossible to agree to this condition."

When Fu Wan finished speaking, all the sounds stopped again.

Everyone's eyes were focused on him.

Each of their eyes was filled with astonishment, surprise, anger and disbelief.

"Fu Guozhang, are you getting senile and confused?!"

Cui Lin spoke first, his words were not polite at all, and there was anger on his face.

"Handing over the queen is a humiliation to your majesty and the court! Where has there ever been such a precedent in history?"

"What's more, the queen is your daughter. How can you bear to send your daughter into the tiger's mouth?"

Cui Lin's tone was full of disappointment.

In his opinion, Fu Wan was simply afraid of death. In order to survive, he was willing to agree to such a ridiculous condition!
Not only Cui Lin, but others such as Fa Zheng, Cui Yan, Yang Biao, Dong Zhong and others also cast strange looks at Fu Wan.

"Ugh……"

Fu Wan's expression was gloomy and he sighed when he heard this.

"Everyone, I am sixty-seven years old this year. I am already half buried in the earth. How could I be afraid of death?"

"Back in Xuchang, I dared to point at Cao Cao's nose and spit at him. Am I a coward now when facing Ma Chao?"

Cui Lin said coldly: "Since Fu Guozhang is not afraid of death, why did he agree to such a ridiculous condition?"

"Are you going to let His Majesty and the Queen suffer such humiliation?!"

Facing Cui Lin's questioning, Fu Wan's face showed a complex expression, three parts of pain, three parts of reluctance, three parts of helplessness, and one part of tragedy.

He said slowly: "I made this choice not for myself, but for Chang'an and the millions of people in Chang'an City!"

Fu Wan's tone was extremely sad, and he said with tears in his eyes: "The censor Fa has already said that Chang'an City is no longer able to withstand Ma Chao's full-scale attack."

"If you don't agree to Ma Chao's conditions, then when Chang'an falls, won't countless people be killed? Won't the other concubines in your majesty's harem also suffer?"

"The Queen is my daughter, the blood of my Fu family. How can I not feel heartbroken? But if I can sacrifice my daughter in exchange for Chang'an's preservation, I think it's worth it!"

As Fu Wan spoke, tears streamed down his face.

He raised his hand to wipe away his tears, but his mind was extremely calm, constantly thinking about the interests involved.

He knew very well that Empress Fu was disliked by the emperor and would be deposed sooner or later, so he sent his youngest daughter into the palace to be a concubine.

Originally, he didn't have much hope for the position of queen. After all, there were Lu Lingqi and Zhen Mi, both of whom were strong contenders for the throne.

But now Lu Lingqi did not give birth to a son, and Zhen Mi was implicated because of Zhen's suspected treason and lost the right to compete for the position of queen.

As a result, the position of Queen was once again vacant.

"As long as Shou'er is willing to sacrifice himself to protect Chang'an and be captured by Ma Chao as a hostage, once this news spreads, my Fu family will gain unprecedented great prestige!"

"The position of Queen will surely fall into the hands of my Fu family!"

"As long as Shou'er is taken out of the city as a hostage and then commits suicide, then whether it is for the sake of showing it to the world or to appease the people, Your Majesty must grant the position of Queen to my Fu family!"

Fu Wan was so excited that he almost laughed out loud.

This is an opportunity that comes right to your doorstep!
No one can say that they agree to Ma Chao's conditions, but he has the qualifications to say it because he is the father-in-law of the emperor and the queen is his daughter!

The most important thing is that he occupies the moral high ground. From the perspective of the safety of the people of Chang'an and the harem, no one can blame him!
After suppressing his excitement, Fu Wan continued to show a sad face and said: "If you think that I, Fu Wan, am afraid of death, then you might as well ask the Queen for her opinion."

"If the Queen is also willing to leave the city to guarantee the safety of Chang'an, then there is nothing more to say. How do you think?"

(End of this chapter)