Outside the tent, Xie Yue, Xu Weizhi, and the other strategists were following Jinghu Wei to count the rations.
Looking at the cart full of rations, Xu Weizhi couldn't help but sigh. "When Wang Ye left the capital, Your Majesty gave him eight carts of rations that were even worse than this. The Xie family, a large family in Jiuhe County, can take out so much rations, but Your Majesty can't. It can be seen that the imperial court is really nervous. "
"That's not necessarily true. Your Majesty just wants to make things difficult for Wang Ye." Jinghu Wei was very dissatisfied with Li Qitian's behavior.
Xie Yue smiled. They followed Pang Xiao all the way to the south. Along the way, not only did they save the victims of the disaster and win the hearts of the people, but they also made everyone who followed Pang Xiao more certain of their choice. It was their fortune to be able to follow such a benevolent person.
"Your Majesty just ascended the throne. Although his thoughts are deep, his vision is limited. In addition, as the Emperor, no one dares to say anything about his actions. There are also those flattering people egging him on from the side. No matter what Your Majesty does, there will be people following behind him to flatter him. Over time, Your Majesty will become like this."
"The imperial court has been suffering from natural and man-made disasters, but Your Majesty still insists on doing things his own way. He thinks that as long as he becomes the Emperor, everything in the world will belong to him and he can do whatever he wants. This is something that can't be helped. "
If what they said was spread, it would be enough for the Emperor to kill them several times. But people have emotions. They were full of dissatisfaction and couldn't care less about that. In any case, regardless of whether Wang Ye rebelled or not, the Emperor was very afraid. He would frame Wang Ye for crimes even if he didn't have any. They were all Wang Ye's followers. If they ruined things, the Emperor wouldn't let them off.
As they spoke, they recorded the food in the book and marked the date, time, and where they got it from.
Now that they had a plan, their days had a bit more to look forward to. After Jiu He's grain collection was completed, Pang Xiao ordered people to continue to scout out where else they could purchase grain. At the same time, he arranged for a group of people to bring grain to wait for the arrival of the South Pacifying Army.
By the time the South Pacifying Army set up camp near Jiuhe, the food that Pang Xiao obtained through this method had also arrived.
South Ping Army's hundred thousand people were originally worried about the food problem, especially those who had just joined the army. They were all victims of the disaster. Although they trusted Pang Xiao a lot, they would only have the strength to do something after the food problem was solved.
Now seeing so many provisions, everyone was relieved. When Commander Feng and several Fushou were talking, their voices were a little louder than usual, which made the civilians who had just participated in the meeting stunned.
"What kind of person is Wang Ye? It's not like our South Pacifying Army didn't live a hard life before. But when Wang Ye came, he led us to live a good life. You ask how we lived a good life? The imperial court didn't give us food, so Wang Ye led us to find food. At that time, all the bandit nests near the old Dayan capital were picked by us brothers. We ate the bandits to protect the civilians. Who doesn't give a thumbs up when they talk about our Wang Ye? "
The new soldiers' blood boiled when they heard this. They all lamented that they didn't have the luck to follow Wang Ye to suppress the bandits.
And the person they were talking about had already gone to the next place where there was food. He used the same method to find food and silver. Not only did he find a lot of silver from the treasure, he also had a way to buy more grain. There were even many civilians who planned to follow Pang Xiao and join the South Pacifying Army to fight against the Tatan together. The South Pacifying Army could be said to have grown a little stronger.
At this time, the various armies that came to save the emperor were also heading towards the capital. The mountains were high and the roads were long, so the time they took to reach the capital was different. When Pang Xiao's group was halfway there, there was already an army of princes that entered the capital. Li Qitian was very happy. He waved his brush and arranged for Ji Zeyu to lead them.
Ji Zeyu had lost a lot of weight these days. His originally handsome face that was like a banished immortal was originally cold and expressionless. Now, his expression was even less, and he spoke even less.
The Tatan soldiers were at the city gates. The imperial court had no money or food, but he had to think of a way to defend this last city. If the capital fell and the Tatan invaded, the entire capital would become a purgatory.
This was the most difficult battle Ji Zeyu had ever fought in his life. Because he had no way to retreat, he had no other choice but to defend with all his might.
。
Fortunately, the armies that came to save the emperor arrived one after another, so he wasn't caught off guard. However, the soldiers' pay was insufficient. Now, all the soldiers, including Ji Zeyu himself, could only eat porridge to fill their stomachs. They were all young men of the right age. No one could stand eating porridge three times a day. Everyone was so hungry that they were crying out, but there was nothing they could do.
Ji Zeyu never mistreated his soldiers. However, the treasury was empty now. Your Majesty's internal treasury had been used to buy materials for the construction of the imperial mausoleum. The imperial court really couldn't take out any money to sell food, let alone pay the soldiers' pay.
Ji Zeyu stood on the high city walls. The cold wind of early spring blew on his face like knives. The red cloak fluttered behind him like a fluttering flag.
Ji Zeyu looked coldly at the pale morning light. In the distance, there were Tatan tents set up on the plains. Those tents were connected to each other, forming a magnificent scene outside the capital. This feeling was like a knife to one's throat. It made one lose the ability to think and feel emotional. They became flustered and at a loss.
"Duke, Anyang's Eldest Princess is here." A guard walked closer and whispered.
Ji Zeyu didn't turn his head and said, "This is a battlefield. Let the princess go back. This is not a place she should be. "
"How is this not a place I should be?" Li Helan's voice came from behind Ji Zeyu.
Li Helan wore a silver fox fur coat and a red pomegranate skirt. When she walked, her skirt fluttered slightly, revealing the soft furred deerskin boots she wore.
She personally carried a food box and said with a smile, "Consort Ma refused to accept my summons for many days. I missed him so much that I had to come uninvited."
Around them
When the soldiers heard this, they all lowered their heads, pretending they didn't hear these explicit words.
Ji Zeyu looked back expressionlessly and said in a low voice, "This is not a place you can play. Go back. "
Li Helan couldn't keep the smile on her face. She pursed her lips with a dark expression. Just as she was about to speak, Ji Zeyu's deputy general smiled and said, "Princess, please don't worry.
It's our Duke who is worried about the war situation and has no time to think so much. This place is indeed extremely dangerous. There are often stray arrows piercing from the side. Yesterday, there were even people who died on the city walls. The Duke is also worried about you.
"The Tatars can see that we don't have enough food and are purposely fighting with us to make us use up what little food we have left. They may soon organize an attack to harass us. Swords have no eyes. If the Duke is too busy and the Princess is injured by stray arrows, how do you think the Duke will deal with it? I hope the Princess can understand. "
His words were reasonable, making Li Helan's heart feel a little better.
In any case, ever since she met Ji Zeyu, she had never seen him smile or speak. Most of the time, he would be impatient with her. She was angry, but she also felt that Ji Zeyu's cold attitude towards her in public made her lose face. Therefore, she spoke with sarcasm.
"I'm just afraid that you'll starve to death on the city walls. If anything happens to you, the common people will suffer. Do you think I'm willing to come here to feel the cold wind? Take it! "She handed the food box to the front.
Ji Zeyu still ignored her. He frowned and observed for a while, then suddenly turned and left. When he passed by Li Helan, he didn't even bother to look at her and said in a low voice, "Everyone, be on guard."
As soon as he said this, it was obvious that the Tatan was about to make a move again.
Li Helan was angry at first because of the cold shoulder, but in the blink of an eye, she was shocked by the sudden situation.
The personal guards couldn't care less and immediately brought a few people to escort Li Helan down the city walls.
As for the exquisite food box, no one cared about it as it was placed on the city walls.
After Li Helan went down the city walls, she was half-forced into a carriage and sent back to the Eldest Princess' residence.
When the carriage gradually left the city gates, the Tatan people were already attacking from outside the city gates.
For a moment, the cries of Da Zhou's soldiers and the Tatans filled the sky. Li Helan was so scared that she forgot to breathe.
This was a cruel battlefield. If you don't die, then I die.
The carriage turned a corner. Even if Li Helan leaned half her body out the window, she couldn't see the battle on the city walls. However, Li Helan could vaguely feel that she could see Ji Zeyu on the city walls.
It was another fierce battle to defend the city. In less than two hours, the Tatan people had retreated. They were like this during this period of time. It seemed like they weren't trying to directly attack the capital, but rather to use up the limited resources and energy of the capital's defenders.
When Li Qitian heard the news, she was also very anxious.
She paced back and forth in Yangxin Palace Hall by herself.
Even Xiong Jinshui, who was her personal attendant, didn't dare to approach Pang Xiao right now. He was afraid that if Your Majesty didn't act ru Yi, she would vent her anger on them.
Even though they were still far from the city walls, Li Qitian could still hear the sounds of the Tatan people fighting. He was also an emperor on a horse and had fought in his early years. However, after living like a prince for so many years, Li Qitian had not only put on weight, but he had also forgotten all his strategies. When he thought of going to the battlefield, he would be excited in the past, but now he was very resistant.
He was even a bit resistant.
"I just want to be a wise emperor. Why is it so difficult? As an emperor, why can't I do what I want …" Li Qitian murmured in a low voice. His voice echoed in the room, causing Xiong Jinshui and the other attendants to lower their heads.
At this moment, a eunuch suddenly rushed in and knelt in front of the caltrop flower gate. His voice was loud and cheerful as he said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, two princes' troops have arrived at the southern city gate!"
Li Qitian was overjoyed. "Quick, open the city gate. Let them enter the city and go to the northern gate to meet up with Ji Lan! Tell them to follow Ji Lan's orders! "
"Yes!" The eunuch turned around and scrambled away.
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