Chapter 1198: Escape

"Roar, roar, roar, roar!"

"Roar, roar, roar, roar!"

"Kill!"

The entire scene was magnificent and tragic.

The iron cavalry of the Mongol Army could not pose any threat to the city gates.

However...

Having followed Liu Zheng for so long, Tiemu Cheng still possessed Siege Engines!

Tiemu Cheng, mounted on his horse, watched everything before him coldly and issued orders in rapid succession.

The Mongols were naturally fierce in battle.

The reason they had never posed a major threat to the Central Plains was their lack of organization and discipline; they followed a policy of looting and leaving, seeking only momentary pleasure.

But after Tiemu Cheng unified the Grassland, things were different.

His desire for the Central Plains exceeded that of anyone else, even surpassing the former Tuolei Kehan...

He had always longed to establish a vast regime within the Central Plains.

Therefore.

This time, he seized the opportunity to strike directly at Jinghua!

He only had this one chance.

Because he knew that once Liu Zheng returned, only defeat would await him!

"Roar, roar, roar!"

The Battering Ram was pushed to the city gate, and under the shouting of a Squad Leader, a dozen burly Mongols rammed the gate with all their might.

Every time they struck, the soldiers bracing behind the gate shuddered.

"Hold it!"

"All of you, hold it!"

The soldiers in Jinghua, despite being dizzy from the impacts, held on desperately.

The city gate was the final barrier; once the gate was breached and the Mongol Army poured in, Jinghua would be in danger.

Given the nature of these Mongols, the common people would suffer even more, and a massacre of the city was even possible!

For Longyan Jinghua to be massacred—what a great humiliation that would be!

"Hold! Hold for me! If you let the Mongolian Army in, I will have your heads!"

Captain General Zhao Yan shouted.

The soldiers naturally understood his words.

Their own wives and children were still in the city...

The glory of Longyan was in the city!

Thousands of years of dignity were also in the city!

"General Zhao, please think of a Method; just defending like this is not a solution."

Zhu Zhen said anxiously from the side.

There was no one left in the imperial court...

He could only come to be responsible for supervising the army.

"My lord, the disparity in numbers between the enemy and us is vast. We should be defending from the city, but the raging fire on the city walls prevents us from getting close. We have no other choice; we can only hold on for now and wait for the fire to subside before we climb up to defend," Zhao Yan said helplessly.

This Tiemu Cheng was truly not someone an ordinary person could compare to when it came to fighting!

Hearing this, Zhu Zhen shook his head repeatedly. As a civil official who did not lead troops, even he understood this logic; did he need to be told?

What he wanted to ask for was an active and proactive response, not sitting around waiting for death!

But clearly...

The atmosphere in all of Jinghua was already in chaos.

They had absolutely no Method to deal with Tiemu Cheng's siege.

Zhu Zhen sighed deeply.

After all, the generals capable of fighting had all been sent away, and those remaining in Jinghua now were just a bunch of good-for-nothings. Thinking of this, Zhu Zhen also shuddered.

Come to think of it...

It seemed there were truly not many military talents left in Longyan that could be relied upon.

The Northwest war situation had gathered the generals of all the Feudatory Kings together.

Xiao Qian, meanwhile, was holding firm on Kuye Island.

All things considered...

More of the available talent was in Liangzhou.

But in this short time, the talents produced by the Liangzhou Military Academy could not reach Jinghua at all. Moreover, the city was already under siege.

No matter how many talents there were, they simply could not get in!

Jinghua was suddenly besieged.

This news spread throughout all of Longyan in the first instance.

Everyone was terrified.

Those Feudatory Kings were even more bewildered.

What the hell?

They struck directly at Jinghua?

What is to be done?

Save the King!

Save the King!

The entire Longyan was bustling with activity.

But...

There is no time!

Absolutely no time!

Even with the help of the Train, it is simply too late! The Mongol Army's offensive is too fierce; they attack by day and they attack by night, never stopping for a moment.

Zhu Zhen let out a long sigh; he knew that Jinghua could no longer be held.

Now, only one word occupied his mind: escape!

Escape quickly while the Jinghua garrison can still hold off the Mongol Army!

His foundation is in the south; as long as he can escape to the south, even if the Mongolian Army launches a full-scale southward invasion, they can still form a provisional government in the south and defend it using the natural barrier of the Yangtze River.

Fortunately, the Mongol Army arrived in haste and has not yet completed the encirclement; the South Gate has not yet seen any Mongolian Army, so escaping from the South Gate now should still be in time.

At this moment, a crowd of high-ranking officials and nobles were packing up, and among them, the one packing the fastest was Xie Ming.

At the very beginning, he was indeed full of ambition, feeling that he could become an emperor who turns the tide and reclaims the imperial power that originally belonged to him.

But when he saw that dark, overwhelming mass of the Mongol Army, his legs immediately went weak.

To hell with fighting!

This is war, not playing house; if these Mongol barbarians charge in, he is not sure if they will leave no one alive in the city, but it is certain that he, the emperor, will be reduced to a slave.

Run, he must run!

"Your Majesty, why are you so flustered?"

At this time, Xie Chen, who had strongly advocated for Xie Ming to defend the city, walked over.

"The Mongol Army has already attacked; if I don't run now, I will become their prisoner. My dear official, it cannot be held, it really cannot be held!"

Xie Ming ignored him and, without even raising his head, continued to pack his gold, silver, and valuables.

"Your Majesty, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! As long as we hold out and wait for the Prince of Zhao to bring troops to save the King, Your Majesty, the imperial power will return to your hands!"

Xie Chen was anxious and tried his best to persuade him.

"If you want to stay, then stay; I am not staying. If my life is gone, what use is imperial power? Go see for yourself, the North Gate can no longer hold; I won't waste any more breath on you. I advise you to run away quickly too, otherwise, if you become a 'two-legged sheep' for the Mongols, don't blame me for not warning you."

Xie Ming was now like a child scared out of his wits; where was there any demeanor of an emperor left?

After finishing packing, he hurried off to find Dong Shuyu.

Watching Xie Ming's back, Xie Chen shook his head helplessly, a look of intense disappointment flashing in his eyes.

Mud is just mud; it can never be plastered onto a wall.

However, for Xie Chen, this could also be considered an opportunity; the emperor flees, the Mongol Army attacks the city, and if his younger brother leads troops to arrive and crush the Mongol Army, then the Prince of Zhao will be a national hero!

The Prince of Zhao, Xie Ping, is already a royal relative; if his prestige rises again, entering Jinghua and ascending the throne as emperor would not be impossible!

He had originally wanted to emulate the Sima family and hollow out Xie Ming's power, but it seems there is no need for that now.

To win in the midst of chaos!

To pull chestnuts from the fire!

For his Prince of Zhao's family, it is not impossible!

Now, Jinghua City is already in chaos; except for the city gates where commanders are issuing orders, there is no order to speak of elsewhere.

The poor are staying behind closed doors at home, while some unstable elements have already begun looting.

To them, the Mongol Army's invasion is the end of the world;

since they are about to die, they naturally want to have a wild spree before death.

At this moment, a crowd of high-ranking officials and nobles had already gathered at the south of the city; they were about to flee this dangerous place.

All kinds of Horse Carriages, all kinds of handcarts, all kinds of retainers and servants, a vast, swarming mass...

"Open the gate! Open the gate! We want to leave."

"Open the city gate quickly!"

A crowd of high-ranking officials and nobles shouted beneath the city walls.

In ordinary times, they were the nobles in Jinghua whom no one dared to provoke!

But at this moment, the garrison officers simply ignored them.

They were fighting to the death to defend the city, yet these rich people were only thinking of saving their own lives!

Dream on!

They had long been displeased with these privileged classes in normal times.

Now, war has come...

In the face of death, everyone is equal; let these rich people die in the city with them.

"Open the city gate for me immediately! I am the Minister of Revenue!"

"I am the Minister of War, Li Youzhi; open the gate for me immediately!"

"I am the current emperor's own uncle; if you don't open the gate, I will have the emperor execute your nine generations!"

"..."

But they still could not get the gate opened.

Never mind that you are the emperor's uncle; even if the emperor came in person, they would not give the emperor that much face!

After all, the current Longyan is already a constitutional monarchy; the emperor has long since lost the power of life and death, and as for executing nine generations, they are likely still living in a dream.

"Gentlemen, the Mongols have already appeared at the south of the city; going out now is just courting death. I advise you gentlemen to return quickly; in a moment, this place will become a battlefield, and if you accidentally injure your noble bodies, that would be troublesome."

The city gate commander roared loudly.

These good-for-nothings couldn't help with anything real, yet they were still clamoring here, making it difficult for his orders to be passed down.

They wanted to charge, but with the city gate under someone else's control, they had no Method.

Above, people were discussing the Emperor, and at this moment, the Emperor Xie Ming was right there among the crowd.

If he, the Emperor, spoke up, the city defense officer might open the gate, but he could not bring himself to say the words.

When he fled, he had even gone in disguise...

"Your Majesty..."

The attendant beside him glanced at him.

A sharp glint flashed in the eyes of Xie Ming: "Make arrangements..."

"Yes!"

With a great battle imminent, if he, the Emperor, were the first to flee, he would become a laughingstock for all eternity.

Although he was cowardly and feared death, he still cared about his reputation.

"I say, gentlemen, these stinking soldiers want us to die here! We should unite!"

"Lord Huang, tell us what to do, we will listen to you!"

"Let us gather all the household servants and slaves we have! We will charge up there; I do not believe these stinking soldiers would dare to lay a hand on us!"

"Good! Let's do it!"

"People of the Liu Mansion, come over here!"

Very quickly, a group of over a thousand people was gathered.

"Go, follow me and charge!"

A group of people, led by a Vice Minister, marched aggressively toward the South City Gate garrison.

Seeing this scene, the soldiers guarding the city were stunned.

"General... this, what should we do?"

"Stop them for me, absolutely do not let them out! We are the regular army; I do not believe we cannot stop this rabble!"