At dawn the next day, the North Gate.

Reinforcements never came, but Guan Yu still guarded the north gate. He stepped over the corpses that did not want to close his eyes, watched the corpses pile up one hill after another, and knew the approximate number of casualties.

"I'll enter the palace now!" Guan Yu suddenly stood still on the edge of the city wall, clenched the wall tiles tightly with both hands, and said angrily, "Let Your Majesty deal with these villains who are slacking off in military affairs!" ”

Yang Yi followed behind this already exhausted man, and suddenly felt sad, "General......" He suddenly called him.

"Huh?" Guan Yu turned around, but Yang Yi wanted to speak again and again, "If you have anything to say, say it quickly." ”

"We just received news that General He Jin sent an envoy to Tuoba Yan to negotiate last night, and now, it is probably Kaecheng that has surrendered."

"What?!" Guan Yu turned around suddenly, looking at Yang Yi's eyes that were about to erupt with fire, he suddenly stepped forward and grabbed the armor on Yang Yi's neckline, "How could he?" How dare he? How dare he commit treason to the enemy?! How dare he do such a thing that is ashamed of His Majesty and the people?! Wouldn't he be ashamed to see our dead brothers? Can you still hold up your head in front of your fathers and fathers? He ......"

"General!" Yang Yi suddenly interrupted Guan Yu's words, he looked at Guan Yu's eyes, and said a little weakly, "It's the emperor...... Abandoned us first. ”

"What did you say?!" Guan Yu's hand tightened, and Yang Yi felt as if the armor would crack in his hand at any time, "How could the emperor do such a thing?" Slandering Your Majesty is a capital offense!"

"More than half of last night's ugly time, Yu Linwei, Tiger Benjun...... Wen Li took almost all the guards of the imperial city, escorted the emperor's dragon to leave from the south gate, and took away most of the defenders of the south gate during the process. ”

"Empty words! Where did you get the evidence! Guan Yu still didn't want to believe it.

"General He Jin's character, the general knows, if I say that he is treason and defects to the enemy, will the general believe it?"

"If the general doesn't believe it, why don't you go to the West Gate yourself, or go into the palace to find the emperor?"

"How so? How could it be ......" Guan Yu muttered, still with a look of disbelief on his face, but gradually let go of his hand.

"General......

Guan Yu shook his head and retreated step by step, but suddenly stood still, his eyes refocused, "Yang Yi, the north gate is handed over to you, and I will enter the palace now to find the emperor." ”

"General......" Yang Yi wanted to stop him, but Guan Yu didn't seem to hear it.

"Lead the horse!" Guan Yu shouted, he stepped down the steps in three steps and two steps, grabbed the reins of the horse handed by the soldier, turned over on the horse, whipped his whip and galloped, and disappeared at the end of the long street.

......

"Your Majesty...... This is all the guards in the Imperial City, a total of ...... Twelve. Wang Kun lowered his head, his voice trembling.

Ye Qing glanced at everyone, was silent for a long time, then sighed softly, turned around and walked towards the tallest building in the imperial city.

The last twelve gold-armored guards slowly followed, Wu Ji and Wang Kun followed the emperor's side, they marched quietly, the majestic but lifeless imperial city on weekdays, only desolation was left along the way, suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves approached, and the gold-armored guards invariably clenched their weapons and guarded themselves, but Ye Qing did not stop, he still walked by himself, even though the sound of horses' hooves was only separated from them by a wall.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Guan Yu galloped outside the gate of Taiqing Palace, and on weekdays, this was already a capital crime. Like a child separated from his mother, he kept going around the imperial city, shouting and shouting, but no one answered. He walked to every corner of the imperial city, and every time he shouted, he used all his strength until his throat was hoarse and he could no longer make a sound. Next to it is the Baisu Palace, the imperial study of the first emperor, there are a few fine cracks on the low wall, the wall paint has long faded, since the death of the first emperor, there is no trace here. This is also the only place in the imperial city that he has not found, the speed of the horse slowed down, Guan Yu opened his mouth, only to find that his voice was hoarse, he couldn't make a sound, he was about to turn over and dismount, and it seemed that he suddenly remembered something, "Your Majesty...... Probably won't come here, will you?" As he thought this, the powerlessness in his heart suddenly began to magnify infinitely, so he sat down again, turned his horse's head, and left in a huff.

On Chang'an Street, Guan Yu was silent for a long time, his originally straight back did not know when to go down, this was originally one of the most prosperous places in the world, but now it is extremely desolate, all those who have some relationship means in the imperial capital have long since left, the people who do not have the courage to flee are huddled in narrow and closed rooms with their families, the most luxurious restaurant in the city has also closed, and its owner does not know which muddy and rugged mountain road to sigh at the moment. Only in a humble tavern in the city, there is still a group of people who look down on life and death, or do not know where to go.

Guan Yu raised his head, the horse had already arrived at the north gate, and the soldiers gathered together in twos and threes, most of them drooped their heads, and they no longer had the look of the past, and their pride as the guardians of the imperial capital seemed to have suddenly faded. Guan Yu got off his horse and went straight to the city tower, the soldiers naturally made a way for him, and on the city tower, Yang Yizheng looked at him, "General, you are back." ”

Outside the city gates, Tuoba Yan's army was like a tidal wave.

Guan Yu looked at it in silence for a while, and said, "Later, you also open the city gate and surrender." Then he suddenly knelt down to the south, leaned down deeply, his forehead touched the ground, as if he was solemnly saying goodbye, and after a long time, he finally stood up, his voice hoarse, "The ministers want to fight to the death, why did Your Majesty abandon the ministers and others?" ”

With that, he jumped down from the tower.

......

"Wang Kun, I will hand over the silk book to you, and it is up to you to deal with it," Ye Qing handed the silk book written with his own blood to Wang Kun, turned his head to look at the people around him, was silent for a while, and said: "As for you, if you want to live, throw away the golden armor on your body, and quickly go out of the city and flee for your life; If you want to follow Wang Kun, leave your names in the silk book, and if you are still alive in the future, you will be able to become an official and enjoy glory and wealth, and even if you die, your descendants will be duly rewarded. ”

Dead silence, the twelve golden-armored guards could even hear each other's heartbeats, they were originally an inconsequential guard in the imperial city, but at this moment, they suddenly became the emperor's most trusted people. The emperor, who was high up in the sky and proud of the world, suddenly lowered his proud head and talked to them like ordinary people.

Wen Yu suddenly stepped forward and took the silk book from Wang Kun's hand, he bit his index finger expressionlessly, knelt down slowly, wrote his name on the silk book, and held the silk book high above his head, as if he was accepting the supreme reward, and as if he was making a military order that could not be disobeyed.

"Minister, I must do my best in this life to smear His Majesty's liver and brain, and fulfill His Majesty's wish." He said word for word.

Behind him, the gold-armored guards stepped forward one after another, they bit their fingers, did not frown, wrote their names on the silk book, and finally, they knelt in front of the emperor, and their voices were like a bell, "Minister, I must do my best in this life, smear your majesty's liver and brain, and fulfill your majesty's wish." ”

"Okay," Ye Qing suddenly smiled tiredly, he waved his hand, "Now, you guys go." ”

Wang Kun carefully put away the silk book and asked, "Your Majesty...... Won't you come with us? ”

Ye Qing shook his head, he raised the lit candle, looked at the treasures around him, as if he was recalling something, his face was tired, and he said, "I'm too tired." ”

Wang Kun was stunned, he opened his mouth, but he couldn't spit out a word, and finally, he suddenly knelt down, and after a long, long time, he finally stood up, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and said softly, "Your Majesty, if you woke up earlier, why would you be today?" ”

Ye Qing smiled, waved his hand again, and watched them leave, then he stood up and lit every corner of Tianming Palace with the candle in his hand. Finally, he threw away the candle and stood in the midst of the fire he had kindled, and said, "I have given you all this world, why do you want to leave me at last?" ”

On July 25, the eleventh year of Tianfu, the imperial capital fell.

Guan Yu, the general of the North Gate Guard, was martyred, and the powerful minister Wen Li led the most elite troops of the Apocalypse to escort the empty dragon to escape to Youzhou, and the real emperor died alone in the fire he ignited.