It was the fifteenth day of October in the fifth year of Tianhe, the fourth day after Wang Qi's defenders withdrew from Shidu, and the eighth day after Gu Jinglou brought back the news.

Shidu is more than 100 miles away from Jiankang City, and the news is always delivered slowly, but the news that He Zhang's army has rushed to Shidu has indeed been delivered.

The crown prince Xiao Huaiyou was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief - although the change of troops was a last resort, he also tried his best to take measures to avoid the situation that Xiao Huaishuo mentioned that the old soldiers had gone to Xinding and had not yet arrived, but when the change of troops was made, there would inevitably be some mistakes in the defense of the river, and he had been worried that the enemy army would take advantage of the chaos to reads;. But now it seems that there is no problem, as long as He Xuan's army makes up for it in time, everything will be worry-free.

Jiankang City is calm and calm.

Although the rout had just been experienced in the middle of the year, and the people in the city would talk about the decline of the front line from time to time, when it came to the garrison of Jiankang City, everyone felt that it was foolproof. For more than 200 years, the war has always been firmly blocked by the Yangtze River moat, and the people of Jinling have become accustomed to this sense of security. Even if he faintly heard the rumor that the Runan rebels were riding lightly into Jiankang, he only smiled and asked, "Could it be that they can still cross the river on horseback", and they didn't take it very seriously.

Those who should attract customers are still doing business, and those who should be doing business are still doing business. Only the fishermen on the riverside were silent and lazy on the riverside because of martial law on the river and because of the fog in the morning, and never set sail.

The big market in Changganli is still open, and the vendors and pedestrians are bustling.

On the Qinhuai River, the singer washed her face and made up, poured the fat water into the river, and a layer of red greasy rose on the surface of the river.

The hour is about to pass, the sun is three strokes, and the river fog gradually dissipates.

The sound of horses' hooves was heard at this moment.

There were cavalry coming from the southeast, passing through Changganli and Zhuque Bridge from the South Fence Gate, and heading straight for Xuanyang Gate. Do not avoid pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages on the road.

Soon, well-informed people recognized that this was a stagecoach from the front line who delivered an urgent report to Beijing. Jiankang City has not experienced war for more than 20 years, and even when the front line was defeated, there was no such urgent report to Beijing, and the people talked about it for a while.

The first to know the exact news was the merchants of Changganli, who had crossed the Yangtze River from Quarry and were marching on Jiankang.

Along the way, there were people and merchants who saw the rebels, and they all said that the rebels were as white as ghosts, with high noses and deep eyes, and they were the same people who slaughtered the city and exterminated the species and killed people like hemp 20 years ago. It seems that someone faintly saw Li Hu, the king of Henan. He didn't die, he came back from hell!

No one knows how the rebels crossed the Yangtze River, and it is rumored that the rebels have the help of ghosts and gods to come quietly and suddenly.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the city changed.

By noon, there was chaos in the dries.

Merchants and civilians were in a hurry to get out of the city, and carriages and luggage were clogged up on the roads. There were also hooligans who took advantage of the chaos to loot shops and pedestrians, and the officials and soldiers could not stop them, and law and order in the city began to get out of control. Everywhere there were the exclamations of merchant girls and young children.

There was also a storm in Taicheng.

The news from the post horse was indeed that the rebels had crossed the Yangtze River from Quarry and were marching towards Jiankang.

Vimo almost lost his composure, and he wanted to pinch the messenger's neck and ask, "Didn't you let you keep it tightly--how did you let Li Hu cross the Yangtze River silently!" ”

But the more this time, the more he couldn't show his panic.

Vimo only repeatedly confirmed when the rebels crossed the river, by what means, where they went, and how many people there were.

After being confirmed, he straightened his clothes and ordered someone to change his military uniform -- he was going to the Chengqian Hall to meet the Son of Heaven.

The Son of Heaven woke up later than usual, and at this time he had just had breakfast, and was leaning on the bed to listen to the reading. It was nearly noon, and the sun was shining outside, and he was so dazzled that he didn't let people raise the curtain to read.

After the tent, Vimo greeted the Son of Heaven and said, "There may be war in the city, what instructions does Daddy have?" ”

The Son of Heaven was speechless for a long time. In the end, he only said, "- Did Li Hu cross the river?" ”

Vimo said with difficulty, "Yes......"

The Son of Heaven sighed before he said, "I have handed over the internal and external military affairs to you, you just have to do it." ”

Vimo received the order, went to the political affairs hall, and issued an order to summon hundreds of civil and military officials.

After Vimo left, the Son of Heaven summoned Cassia and asked him about the decrees issued by Vimo in the past few days.

After listening, the Son of Heaven did not have any doubts. He just said, "Draw up an edict for me, and I said, you write it." ”

When the edict was drafted, Cassia put down his pen, only to feel a slight tremor in his hands.

The Son of Heaven got up with difficulty and stamped the seal on the edict, and Cassia couldn't help but admonish, "Your Majesty, extraordinary times-"

The Son of Heaven interrupted him and said, "...... Sew it into the placket. If anything, you know where to pick it up. If a qiē is smooth, you also know what to do. ”

Cassia knelt on the ground and bowed his head deeply, sweat stains on his hands spilling out a circle of moisture on the gold bricks. He said, "The minister understands that he swears to live up to His Majesty's trust."

When Jiro heard the news and entered the palace, Vimo had already arranged the defense of the city.

Erlang was already chilled and didn't want to meddle in this matter anymore. But as Ruyi said, "Don't think that if you don't do your own thing, you won't do your best, who knows when these causes and effects should be"?

He thought that he really let his sister say, he didn't try his best to persuade him about the change of quarry, and he made a mistake. Now that the rebels have crossed the Yangtze River and are approaching Jiankang, it is just as Ruyi said, "Do you think that if you are the prince and grandson, you will be spared?" ”

Unless he is ready to abandon his parents and sister and escape from Jiankang alone, he will inevitably have to live and die with this city.

Erlang finally asked, "Has Brother found out how Li Hu crossed the river?" ”

Erlang was willing to come, and Vimo was actually quite touched in his heart - he was already past the age of innocence, and of course he knew the consequences of what he did that day. Even if Jiro abandoned the city in times of danger, he would not find it strange. But Erlang still came after all.

He said, "What's the use of looking into this now?" In vain, it confuses people's hearts. ”

-- Li Hu's ability to cross the river so smoothly must have been met with internal response. Wei Mo felt that since Nei Ying was quarrying, he must have joined Li Hu. There is no need to track it down in Jiankang City.

Erlang said, "Neiying may not be in the city." In order to lure 7,000 or 8,000 people across the river, at least 30 warships should be mobilized, and it is impossible for such a big movement not to leave some traces, and it is time to take the opportunity to track it down to the end. Otherwise, in case it should still be mixed in the city, and in the event of a battle, the danger hài does not know how big it is. ”

Vimo still hesitated, "Who do you think should be asked to investigate?" He added, "If there is a big movement, the generals in the city will inevitably be in danger......

Jiro often felt that Vimo was really clever - but maybe he was too clever to think about all the details in every corner, so when it was time to decide which one was more important, his thoughts were like an impermeable wall, which made it difficult for people to move forward.

In fact, in Jiro's view, there can be countless ways to dispose of a thing, and some methods don't even matter whether they are good or bad. It only depends on whether you grasp the right time, whether you are resolute, and whether you can turn your "willfulness" into everyone's "deep conviction". What Vimo lacks is not cleverness, but precisely this kind of high-minded, assertive determination.

Erlang could only say with hatred, "Only Brother can investigate this matter." At this moment, Brother Ah is the commander of the three armies, and everything is in your control. Could it be that he couldn't even send someone to ask who had mobilized a boat to cross the river in the past few days, and my brother couldn't do it?! ”

Vimo was able to do it—but he had always been merciful. A soft-hearted commander is also particularly susceptible to being slacked off in critical moments.

Moreover, at this moment when the rebels are pressing the city, there are many things that are far more important than investigating the whereabouts of the warships.

What's more, Cihu is only a two- or three-day journey from Jiankang, and there is not much time left for him at all.

When someone finally investigated the results and reported to Vimo, it was already late at night on the second day - and by the time Vimo finally learned of the results, it was already early in the morning of the third day.

Li Hu's army has quietly approached Jiankang City.

The pontoon bridge on the Qinhuai River outside the city has not yet had time to be dismantled.

Lu Xin, a scholar of literature from the East Palace, who was entrusted by Vimo to dismantle the pontoon bridge, was directing the soldiers to dismantle the bridge, and when he looked up, he saw the rebels rushing towards him. Unprepared and panicked, the sergeants turned around and ran into the city. Lu Xin fled back to the gate tower of Vermilion Bird City before he could take a breath. While ordering someone to report to the city, he hurriedly poured a bowl of sugar cane juice to quench his thirst.

The rebels soon gathered under the city tower, and Lu Xin was restless. Suddenly, a stream of arrows did not go up to the city tower and nailed it to the pillar of the city tower behind him, and Lu Xin trembled so much that the sugarcane juice was sprinkled all over his chest. The bowl still fell to the ground. He didn't dare to stay □□ the gatehouse, so he left the order of the lord and the army in his hands, and fled for his life.

The Suzaku Gate was lost.

While going to the political affairs hall, Vimo heard a report, "Only on the tenth day of the first lunar month, the Marquis of Xixiang sent thirty empty boats to cross the river - saying that they had raised grain and grass to transport them back......

Vimo paused violently, "You said that the Marquis of Xixiang-"

Xixiang Hou Xiao Maode - he was suspicious for a while, but he never suspected this person. It's not a sideshow, just because they are all children of the clan, which is completely different from the previous dynasty, and the Son of Heaven treats the clan extremely benevolently. And Li Hu has a bitter enmity with the Xiao family, and once he enters the city, he will inevitably slaughter all the children of the clan. Therefore, he used the children of the clan to supervise the army and guard the door, thinking that they must have no dissent.

And Xixiang Hou Xiao Maode is guarding Xuanyang Gate at the moment - through the Vermilion Bird Gate to the north is the Xuanyang Gate, and after the Xuanyang Gate to the north, it is Taicheng.

On October 17, the fifth year of Tianhe, Taicheng was besieged.

However, because Li Hu plundered the rich Gyeonggi, he had sufficient grain and grass and military resources, and recruited the poor to expand the army to 50,000.

In December, the army of King Qin of various states came one after another, and Li Hu took advantage of the fact that the Jingzhou army, which was the strongest in the reinforcements, had not yet set up camp, and led an elite raid and killed the commander of the Jingzhou army. The morale of the reinforcements plummeted, and they didn't dare to go out to battle lightly, and watched from the wall one by one. Li Hu used tricks to divide the world, and the army of King Qin was suspicious of each other and internal friction, all of which wanted to preserve their strength and drive others.

In the end, no one remembered King Qin's original intention, and they all sat back and watched Jiankang support independently. One by one, they just waited for Li Hu to break through the capital, and the aftermath came.

The first month of the sixth year of Tianhe.

Taicheng ran out of food and fell.

Ruyi was also in Taicheng, as the princess of the dead country, and met the legendary her biological father.