Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

"Open the city gates and surrender, hand over the traitor Zhao, and you may save your life and avoid the calamity of war... Three days later, we will all perish..."

These few dozen words, like a biting wind carrying icy shards, instantly swept through every street and alley of the capital, every mansion, and every heart that was already filled with fear and unease.

In the streets and alleys, people whispered to each other, their voices hushed, their eyes filled with fear, hesitation, and a hint of unspoken anticipation.

The high-ranking officials kept their mansion gates tightly shut, but they couldn't stop the anxious whispers of their stewards and servants.

Ordinary people numbly hoarded their last meager grains or hid their families in cellars, awaiting the final judgment.

The Zichen Palace, a hall symbolizing the supreme power of the empire, now resembles a huge stage on the verge of collapse.

The civil and military officials stood sparsely, and most of the courtiers who were usually so passionate and eloquent were now pale-faced and silent with their heads bowed.

On the dragon throne, the young emperor was forced to sit there, his little face covered in tears, clearly having just cried.

Crown Prince Xiao Jue sat on the throne next to the regent, his face pale, his lips trembling, trying to say something but unable to utter a complete syllable.

The entire court was filled with a suffocating, apocalyptic atmosphere of despair.

"My...my beloved ministers...what...what should we do?"

Xiao Jue finally managed to squeeze out a few broken syllables, his gaze sweeping over the ministers below who were usually eloquent but now looked like clay sculptures, filled with despair.

"Your Highness!"

An old minister stepped forward, trembling, tears streaming down his face. "The rebel army is at the city gates, their momentum overwhelming, and they've issued this final ultimatum... Shenjing... Shenjing has few soldiers and generals, insufficient supplies, and its morale is completely broken. It is utterly impossible to resist! The only way now is... the only way is..."

He hesitated for a long time, but didn't dare to utter the words "surrender the city".

After all, although Zhao Chong was "seriously ill" and could not get out of bed, his followers had not been completely eliminated, so who would dare to be the first to say the word "surrender"?

"What can I do? Should I surrender the city and hand over my father's empire and the ancestral lands to that traitor Xiao Chen?!"

The prince shouted hoarsely, his voice sharp, yet revealing a blustering but cowardly demeanor.

"Your Highness! The city gates must not be opened!"

Another military officer urgently said, "This traitor harbors wolfish ambitions; how can his words be trusted? Even if the city is opened, Lord Zhao and His Highness... will likely not escape his clutches! The best course of action now is to defend the capital to the death and await reinforcements from all sides!"

"An army sent to defend the emperor?"

Someone couldn't help but sneer, their voice low but clearly audible, "The King of Wu? The King of Chu? Or the King of Shu? They're probably hoping right now that our capital and the northern lands will both be weakened, so they can reap the benefits! Who will come to the king's aid? Who dares to come to the king's aid?"

"So, are we just going to sit here and wait to die?!" The prince suddenly stood up, then slumped back down, trembling all over.

Just as the court was in complete chaos, arguing and unable to reach a consensus, a general covered in blood and with tattered armor scrambled in, collapsing to the ground and screaming, "Your Highness! Something terrible has happened! The rebels...the rebels have begun building fortifications outside the city and assembling those massive siege weapons! Scouts report that heavy catapult components carried by their rear guard are being continuously transported to the front lines! Judging by their momentum, they will surely launch a thunderous attack when the three-day deadline arrives!"

As if to confirm his words, faint sounds of heavy wood clashing and metal scraping, accompanied by the howling of the cold wind, came from the distant southern direction of the city.

Those were the engineers and craftsmen of the Hanyuan Army, working day and night to assemble those fearsome war machines.

This news was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The imperial court fell into a deathly silence.

Even the last shred of hope was crushed by this cruel reality.

Defend? With what can we defend? With a bunch of hungry, terrified, and defeated soldiers, how can we possibly withstand a fierce and powerful army that is armed to the teeth, full of morale, and possesses terrifying siege weapons?

A cold, desperate consensus spread silently: Shenjing cannot be defended.

In this suffocating despair, a faint yet undeniable voice, surrounded by several armored soldiers, rang out from the rear of the hall:

"Help...help me...up..."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw two eunuchs supporting an old man who was emaciated, with disheveled white hair and wearing a purple robe, as he walked shakily out of the back hall.

It was none other than Zhao Chong, the Duke of Zhao, who had been "seriously ill" for many days and had almost been forgotten!

Zhao Chong's face was sallow and his eyes were sunken, but in his cloudy old eyes, there was a kind of almost crazy light, a mixture of resentment, bitterness and the last bit of calculation.

Supported by his attendants, he struggled to the steps before the imperial palace. His gaze swept over the silent officials, finally settling on the trembling crown prince and the young emperor.

"Shenjing...cannot be defended."

Zhao Chong's voice was hoarse, yet exceptionally clear. Every word seemed to be squeezed out from his very heart, carrying a bloody stench: "The rebel army is powerful and well-equipped; they are beyond our... beyond our ability to withstand."

"Lord Zhao!" the crown prince exclaimed, his reaction a mixture of surprise and delight.

Zhao Chong ignored the crown prince and stared intently at the young emperor.

He slowly said, "Your Majesty is of inestimable worth; how can you fall into the hands of a traitor? This old minister... this old minister has been deeply indebted to the late Emperor and entrusted with the heavy responsibility of assisting in governing. Even if I were to be shattered to pieces today, I would never allow Your Majesty... to suffer the humiliation of that traitor Xiao Chen!"

He suddenly raised his voice, like the roar of a dying beast: "Issue the order! Immediately, no, right now! Set off on a western expedition!"

"A western tour?" The crown prince and his ministers were all stunned.

"Excellent! A western tour to Chang'an!"

A final glint of gambler's madness flashed in Zhao Chong's eyes. "Chang'an is the western capital of my Great Liang, a fortified city with the natural defenses of Tongguan and Hangu Pass! Guanzhong is a land of plenty, with troops and provisions to rely on! By holding the emperor hostage, we can command the feudal lords; retreating, we can defend our strongholds; advancing, we can rally support from all directions! It's far better than sitting here waiting to die, becoming prisoners of a traitor!"

He turned to the Crown Prince, his tone icy: "Your Highness, will you remain in the capital and perish with the traitor, or... accompany the Emperor westward to plan for the future?"

Crown Prince Xiao Jue trembled. Looking into Zhao Chong's ghostly eyes, and then at the approaching sounds of enemy troops building fortifications outside the palace, he no longer hesitated. "This palace...this palace will naturally accompany you, to protect my father...uh, to protect His Majesty on his westward journey!"

"good!"

Zhao Chong turned away from the Crown Prince and sternly ordered, "Prepare the carriage immediately! Travel light and with minimal entourage. Take all the gold, silver, valuables, important seals, books, and maps that you can carry! As for the rest... grain, weapons, treasuries... take what you can, and burn what you can't! We must not leave it to the traitors!"

"Lord Zhao!"

A loyal minister exclaimed in alarm, "The treasury is the foundation of the nation, the people's hard-earned money; how can it be...?"

"Shut up!"

Zhao Chong abruptly turned his head, his gaze fixed on the old minister like a venomous snake. "Are these inanimate objects more important, or the safety of the emperor and the succession of the state? Leaving them to the traitors will only strengthen them and cause even greater harm! This is a scorched-earth policy to extinguish the traitors' hopes! Anyone who dares to suggest leaving them to aid the enemy will be treated as a traitor and executed on the spot!"

The old minister was so frightened by Zhao Chong's ferocious face that he took several steps back and dared not speak again.

"besides,"

Zhao Chong added in a chilling voice, "Spread the word... say that the Emperor and Crown Prince, forced by the rebels' military might, have no choice but to flee west to avoid their advance. Call upon loyal ministers and righteous men throughout the land to quickly come to Chang'an to protect the Emperor!"

As soon as the order was given, the entire palace, and even the core area of ​​the capital, instantly descended into an even more frantic and chaotic escape and destruction.

Palace maids and eunuchs cried and packed their valuables, while imperial guards and Zhao Chong's henchmen drove the carriages, carrying gold, silver and treasures, as well as important documents, that had been forcibly "requisitioned" from various government treasuries and even wealthy households.

The granaries and armories that could not be moved in time were doused with kerosene and set ablaze. Thick smoke billowed into the sky, reddening half of the sky above the capital and reflecting the panic and ugliness of this ancient imperial capital in its final moments.

The young emperor was shoved into a hastily prepared imperial carriage without any explanation, and Crown Prince Xiao Jue also hurriedly climbed into his own carriage.

With the help of several trusted bodyguards, Zhao Chong boarded a sturdy carriage.

A fleeing group consisting of several thousand of the most elite imperial guards, Zhao Chong's private soldiers, and some officials and eunuchs, like stray dogs, fled amidst the raging flames and thick smoke, and under the despairing and numb gaze of the entire city's inhabitants.

They hastily opened the west gate, abandoning the capital they once ruled but now could not protect, and fled westward toward Chang'an, the equally distant and unknown "Western Capital."

They didn't even dare to take the main road, only daring to follow the small paths, and under the cover of night and cold wind, they fled westward like frightened birds.

Behind them, flames soared into the sky, the capital city was in complete chaos and had lost its last vestiges of order, and the increasingly chilling war drums and horns of the Hanyuan army were drawing ever closer.

The news spread like wildfire.

"Zhao Chong has kidnapped His Majesty and the Crown Prince and fled!"

"They've fled west! They've headed for Chang'an!"

"The palace and many treasuries are on fire!"

"Kamikyo...it's over!"

When the scouts of the Hanyuan Army sent back the exact news of the fire in Shenjing and Zhao Chong's westward escape to the Zhuojun camp, Han Lie and Chen Dao were in front of a map, working out the details of the siege.

"They kidnapped the young emperor and fled west to Chang'an?"

Han Lie put down the military report, a mocking sneer appearing on his lips. "That old scoundrel Zhao Chong is decisive and ruthless enough. Not only did he run away, but he also set fire to the city, leaving behind a mess."

Chen Dao frowned: "General, should we send cavalry to pursue them? Zhao Chong is carrying the emperor, who is the foundation of the country. If we let him escape into Chang'an, take up a stronghold, and raise the 'Son of Heaven' flag again, it may cause future troubles."

Han Lie pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "The prince instructed us before he left that our army's primary objective is the capital, to demonstrate our military might and awe the world."

Zhao Chong abducted the young emperor and fled west, seemingly taking the foundation of the nation with him, but in reality, he cut himself off from the world.

He set fire to the city and abandoned the people; this act is even more despicable than that of a traitor.

The people of the world can clearly see who the real traitor is, who the tyrant is who has abandoned the country, the people, and all others!

He stepped outside the tent, gazing at the southwestern night sky faintly reddened by the firelight, and slowly said, "As for pursuit... there's no need. Zhao Chong is already a frightened bird, a defeated dog; his heart is in turmoil, and his power is gone. Chang'an? Hmph, let's see how many days he can linger in that Western Capital. Issue the order: the army will proceed as planned, heading towards Shenjing early tomorrow morning!"

"in addition,"

Han Lie added, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, "Immediately, at the fastest speed, inform the entire army, inform Youzhou, inform the North, and also inform... the whole world!"

Let everyone know how Zhao Chong burned down the capital, kidnapped the emperor, and fled westward in a panic at the last moment!

Furthermore, it is crucial to let the abandoned common people, soldiers, and officials within the capital city know that their "court," their "emperor," has abandoned them!

"And we," Han Lie's voice suddenly rose, filled with strength and confidence, "the Jingbei King's punitive expeditionary force will go to take over this abandoned capital, to appease those abandoned people, and to restore order and vitality to this city!"

"Issue my order: Upon entering the city tomorrow, do not commit any offenses whatsoever! Anyone who dares to take advantage of the chaos to loot, rape, or murder will be executed without mercy! Open the granaries and distribute grain to relieve the starving people! Post notices to reassure the people and announce the decrees of the Prince of Jingbei!"

"Yes!" Chen Dao and the generals in the tent responded solemnly, their eyes burning with high fighting spirit.