Lu Xuan talked to himself for a long time, as if venting his frustration. Then he finally stopped, turned his head, and found Ding Baiying staring at him with bright, sparkling eyes.
"What's wrong? Don't you recognize me?"
"No, I just feel that you're a little unhappy!" As his wife, Ding Baiying was always able to keenly sense Lu Xuan's inner world. From the moment the rebellion began, she had keenly felt that Lu Xuan was actually not happy.
"Yes, I'm not happy. I didn't actually like destroying this dynasty; I even wanted to save it. But unfortunately, I couldn't."
"If you can't do it, then no one else in the world can. Why blame yourself for something like this?"
"This may be a question I will never be able to explain. I cannot tell the world how much I love it. But because of this love, I am determined to destroy it with my own hands."
Ding Baiying could sense the indescribable complexity and pain in Lu Xuan's heart. She didn't speak, but simply nestled quietly in her arms, silently keeping him company.
Lu Xuan sighed and gently put his arm around her shoulder. The night passed in silence.
The next day, beneath the city walls, Lu Xuan and Zhu Youxiao exchanged another heated argument.
"Your Majesty, a night has passed. Can you answer that question now? Why is this mighty Ming Dynasty no match for a mere general like me?"
"Lu Xuan, don't be too smug. The outcome is still uncertain. Once my loyal army arrives, we will surely annihilate you." Zhu Youjian seemed much smarter today, and started to chat with Lu Xuan, clearly intending to stall for time.
At that point, Lu Xuan acted as if he hadn't noticed anything. He patiently chatted with him.
"Look, His Majesty has the walls of the capital city protecting him, and an army of 100,000 men on his side. Yet he keeps calling them the loyalist army. Does His Majesty really have so little confidence in his own imperial guards?"
Sun Chuanting, standing behind Zhu Youjian, felt a chill run down his spine, knowing something was wrong. Zhu Youjian knew Lu Xuan had been unstoppable all along. He did feel that the Imperial Guards might not be able to defeat him. But that was all; he didn't know the true level of the Imperial Guards in the capital. But Sun Chuanting did.
Simply put, if he were to lead troops into battle, he would rather recruit a group of able-bodied men himself than lead these imperial guards. He knew that the imperial guards in the capital were rotten to the core. Seeing that Zhu Youjian was about to break down, Sun Chuanting quickly stepped forward and pulled him back.
"Your Majesty, do not fall for his provocation. We only need to hold off this traitor and wait for reinforcements. This traitor is unwilling to launch a direct attack and wants to lure Your Majesty out of the city for a decisive battle. Your Majesty must not fall for his treacherous scheme."
Zhu Youjian was startled, realizing that this made sense. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Lu Xuan shout again.
"Your Majesty, I received several secret letters yesterday. Can you guess who wrote them to me?"
.............
Inside the capital city.
"Has the letter been sent?"
"It was delivered. But he did not respond."
"Let's wait and see. He has the upper hand right now. He won't give in so easily." Although it wasn't exactly a loud conspiracy, what these people were discussing was certainly treasonous.
Unfortunately, just as they were plotting their moves in the dark room, shouts of battle suddenly erupted outside. A group of Imperial Guards burst in and, without a word, dragged the officials out.
Zhu Youjian was furious. He, the emperor, was confronting the rebels on the city walls, while the ministers inside were already plotting surrender. Every newly enthroned emperor typically harbors great ambitions. Zhu Youjian was no exception; he genuinely wanted to turn the tide and save his dynasty.
But after becoming emperor, he realized that even as emperor, there were still too many things he didn't know or couldn't do. So many that he even felt a sense of despair, just like the questions Lu Xuan had asked.
How could a Ming Dynasty army of hundreds of millions be no match for a mere general from the north? Why were his firearms so powerful while the Ming army's were so ineffective? And then there was the question that terrified him most: why were Lu Xuan's troops so disciplined and fearless? Just standing on the city walls watching them, one could feel their overwhelming power. Even without military expertise, he could tell that the soldiers' morale far surpassed that of the imperial guards on the walls.
These men were not the pale-faced bandits of the past. They were a group of elite killers. But why did the Ming Dynasty lack such elite troops, instead having them all under the command of a traitor? Zhu Youjian dared not delve too deeply into this question. He always felt that if he understood this problem, he would only arrive at an even more despairing answer.
Lu Xuan still did not attack. However, this invisible pressure made the entire capital even more tense. The Embroidered Uniform Guard arrested several garrison commanders today because they were plotting to open the city gates and surrender. What devastated Zhu Youjian the most was that he learned this news from the rebels outside the city.
He himself didn't know how to describe that feeling. He just felt a huge sense of bewilderment and helplessness wash over him.
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May Day Activities
As the title suggests, there's a bonus update event during the May Day holiday. I've already participated. Readers using mobile devices should have already seen the recent official Easter egg.
This event has rules and rewards. Simply put, I need to update more than 8,000 words per day for seven out of fifteen days, while also receiving 1,000 monthly votes. After achieving this goal, I will receive an extra 100 monthly votes, along with some other event benefits.
Therefore, I am earnestly requesting monthly votes and subscriptions...
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Chapter 169 Ingenious Scheme and Assassination (First Update, Please Subscribe)
The siege is on its third day. No reinforcements have arrived, not a single one. Lu Xuan has not launched an attack.
On the fourth day, no reinforcements arrived. Lu Xuan did not launch an attack.
On the fifth day, not a single reinforcement arrived. Lu Xuan did not launch an attack.
......
On the tenth day, Lu Xuan and Zhu Youjian met again at the foot of the city wall.
"Your Majesty, it has been ten days. Where is your army that came to your aid?"
Zhu Youjian's face was flushed, but a hint of smugness shone in his eyes. These past few days, he had purged a large number of 'traitors' from the garrison, believing he had solidified the city's defenses. He was confident he could withstand even Lu Xuanzhen's attack. The city's provisions were enough for half a year's supply. If things continued this way, he would undoubtedly have the advantage.
But at the same time, the rebels did not attack; they didn't know what they were waiting for. They simply stood there quietly watching the capital each day. Zhu Youjian didn't understand, and neither did the court officials and the common people in the city. Their feeling was that a sword was hanging over their heads. It swayed precariously, but it just wouldn't fall.
The invisible pressure gradually increased over time. What made Zhu Youjian even more desperate was the complete lack of any sign of the reinforcements he had been hoping for. Actually, it wasn't entirely a lack of movement; at this point in time, there should have been one or two reinforcements arriving. However, they were all routed by Lu Xuan's artillery battalion on the way. Not many men were needed; just five thousand artillerymen, equipped with twenty shotguns, were enough to rout over fifty thousand reinforcements en route.
In the past ten days, Lu Xuan has repelled at least 100,000 reinforcements, creating a situation where the capital is isolated and helpless.
Time continued to pass, and it was now the fifteenth day.
A rumor began to circulate in the capital: no reinforcements were coming; all the Yuan reinforcements had been annihilated. The capital was now an isolated city. This rumor initially circulated only privately, but somehow, within a day, it spread rapidly throughout the entire capital. The balance that had been maintained on the surface was instantly shattered.
Zhu Youjian felt relieved, thankful that he had previously eliminated any unstable elements in the army. The remaining soldiers were all loyal and devoted. The city's defenses would be secure.