Chapter 150: The Majesty of the Son of Heaven, Terrifying Indeed

After more than nine days of travel, Liu Zhiyuan finally led the main army to the walls of Yedu, and the pace was already not slow. The fifty thousand elite troops of the imperial army came with overwhelming momentum, and this mighty and imposing force immediately injected a shot of adrenaline into the Han army besieging the city—especially since the Emperor himself had come in person. No matter the time, the Emperor, exalted high above, personally appearing on the battlefield was always a tremendous boost to military morale.

Of course, if the Emperor came in person and still no breakthrough could be achieved, if Yedu remained untaken, or worse, if they were defeated, then the consequences would absolutely be dire.

But at present, no one in the Han army, from the highest generals to the lowest foot soldiers, would entertain such thoughts. Setting aside everything else, the weight of the fifty thousand elite cavalry and infantry of the Eastern Capital's imperial army was more than enough to eliminate all destabilizing factors on the battlefield.

Upon receiving the report, Gao Xingzhou had long since made preparations in the camp to welcome the Emperor—adjusting the defenses, clearing out tents, preparing hot food... The commotion was so great that it actually made the defenders inside Yuancheng nervous, and they momentarily thought the Han army was about to launch another attack. Alarmed, Du Chongwei himself came to the city wall to inspect. Naturally, he could discern nothing from it, and merely instructed his trusted officers to heighten their vigilance.

With news completely cut off within the city, they naturally had no idea what was happening outside. Until suddenly, a thunderous cry of "Long live the Emperor!" erupted from beyond the walls, the sound waves rolling and surging straight into the clouds, causing even the city of Yedu to tremble. The defenders within heard it, and every face changed color.

"Liu Zhiyuan came in person?" Upon receiving the report, Du Chongwei, hiding in the Military Governor's office, jumped straight to his feet.

"No wonder the Han army outside made such a great commotion earlier—they were preparing to welcome the Emperor." After his shock, Du Chongwei came to his senses and muttered to himself.

Du Chongwei, though not much of a man, did have a decent appearance—a square face, a long beard, and a look of dignified martial bearing.

But at this moment, that face was heavy with gloom, extremely ugly to behold, his pupils constricted, and even his brow seemed to be knit with dark clouds in sympathy.

"That stable boy actually came in person. It seems he truly has no intention of letting this go—he's dead set on taking the city." Du Chongwei appeared somewhat at a loss, his voice trembling as he spoke.

A man knows his own affairs best. After the thorough beating he had taken during the siege, Du Chongwei had long lost the ambition he had when he first raised his troops.

He couldn't win the fight—that old bastard Gao Xingzhou was too difficult to deal with.

As for fleeing, he had thought of that too, but when the Han army first arrived at the city walls, he couldn't bear to part with the wealth he had accumulated over the years. Now, he couldn't flee even if he wanted to.

As for the Khitan father he had originally hoped for, there was no sign of them at all. What he didn't know was that in the north, Yelu Ruan was personally leading the Khitan army in a bitter stalemate with Zhao Yanshou beneath the walls of Youzhou.

After two months of siege, Du Chongwei grew more terrified by the day. But the most terrifying thing was not the Han army outside the city—after all, they hadn't broken in yet. What truly made him restless was the situation within the city: the troops, the officials, the common people. Harsh measures and excessive extortion could suppress things for a time, but there always came a day when one reaped the bitter fruit.

Du Chongwei could feel the undercurrents stirring in Yedu. Lately, he had been worried that before the Han army broke in, his own subordinates would do him in. Hence, at this moment, the most heavily guarded place in Yedu was Du Chongwei's own headquarters. Though he was unpopular, after so many years, he could still command some diehard loyalists. At the same time, he increasingly favored those Yan troops, giving them better provisions than his own Yedu soldiers, which further alienated the hearts of his own men.

In early September, Gao Xingzhou, unable to bear the pressure from the court, launched an assault and nearly breached the city. But luck was on the defenders' side—on the last day of the Han army's attack, it rained, forcing them to withdraw without success.

That gave Du Chongwei a sliver of hope: hold out a bit longer, then sue for peace with the court and pledge submission. In his thinking, after such a long stalemate, the court must surely realize his strength and how difficult Yedu was to take. Continuing to fight would only result in mutual destruction. As long as he showed a bit of softness and gave the court a face-saving way out, surely they wouldn't fight to the death over a single garrison town.

His calculations were sound, but before he could even begin to implement them, the Han Emperor came in person. Even the most obtuse man could sense the determination Liu Zhiyuan carried with him.

The Han court's hardline stance was far beyond his expectations.

"Commander, what do we do now?" The reporting general looked at Du Chongwei nervously, obvious fear on his face: "It's not just the Han Emperor who came—there are also many new troops, likely the main force of the imperial army from the Eastern Capital."

A wave of helplessness washed over him. Du Chongwei slumped into his seat cushioned with soft mink fur, and noticing the general's fear, a surge of anger rose in him. He snarled viciously: "What do we do? How should I know what to do? You idiot, you tell me what to do?"

At his outburst, the Yedu generals waiting in the hall all lowered their heads. Then, someone muttered in a very small voice: "Trapped in a lone city, with troops exhausted and supplies dwindling, how can we hold against the court's main army? Better to surrender before we're all dead..."

Had anyone dared speak of surrender before, Du Chongwei would have flown into a rage and had them killed. But at this moment, when those words fell, Du Chongwei surprisingly did not get angry. Instead, he subconsciously blurted out: "Surrender? After offending the court so badly before, would they even accept it?"

The several Yedu generals below fell silent. But in that silence, Du Chongwei sensed an atmosphere that made his heart race with dread.

Somewhat panicked, Du Chongwei waved his hands as if shooing away flies: "I need to think carefully about how to break this deadlock. You all go command your troops, keep the soldiers in check, and hold Yedu for me—no slackening..."

After the meeting dispersed, two officers whose armor and uniforms were clearly different from the Yedu soldiers' gathered together, whispering in discussion. These two were Yan generals originally left behind in Yedu by the Khitan, and the leading general was named Zhang Lian.

"General, the Han Emperor has come on a personal campaign. Yedu definitely cannot be held. Du Chongwei's ship is sinking—we can't die with him!" The officer beside Zhang Lian said in a low voice: "Just now in the hall, those Jin generals all seemed to have thoughts of surrender. We must make preparations early!"

Listening to his subordinate, Zhang Lian's rough face also carried a worried expression, and he replied casually: "Preparations? Prepare what? Surrender?"

The officer nodded hurriedly: "For such matters, better early than late!"

His subordinate spoke boldly, and Zhang Lian couldn't help but glare at him. Then, glancing around nervously and finding no one paying them attention, he pulled the man back to the barracks before speaking: "You think I haven't thought about it? We fought the Han army before and killed quite a few of their men. How can we surrender?"

"In war, people die—everyone serves their own master. If we surrender, would the court really hold that against us? If they did, who would ever dare surrender to the court in the future?" The officer replied carelessly.

Zhang Lian couldn't help but draw a cold breath, his expression still hesitant: "But... if only we had someone to recommend us."

His subordinate wanted to persuade him further, but Zhang Lian waved him off: "Not so fast. Let's see how things develop. Pass the word down—have the brothers stay sharp. This is a life-or-death moment. And don't give those mad dogs of overseers any excuse to catch us..."

"Yes!"

In fact, after learning that the Han Emperor was personally leading the army north, it wasn't just these Yan troops—the other Yedu soldiers were also full of all kinds of thoughts. Few were willing to follow Du Chongwei in resisting the court to the bitter end.

Even Du Chongwei himself lacked the conviction and courage to walk that path to the very end...

If Liu Zhiyuan knew that the mere news of his personal arrival had so thoroughly destabilized the city, he would probably be able to laugh with glee.