From the cold early spring to the midsummer, and then from the midsummer to the cool early autumn, the besieged Jingnan City, in the seven-month siege, has been on the verge of despair, grain, vegetables and firewood are becoming more and more difficult day by day, at the beginning of the imperial court still has food, but with the granary burned, a large amount of grain was burned, and the food distributed by the imperial court became less and less. First the amount was reduced, then the soup kitchen, and finally, a month ago, even that porridge was saved.

If it weren't for the fact that the bannermen were all soldiers, the men would still receive ten catties of food in the camp every month, plus the potatoes planted in the yard were hanging there, and I don't know how many people would have starved to death, but even so, hunger was still inevitable, after all, compared to the population, the potatoes grown in the courtyard by the wall at home were always limited.

The dark cloud of hunger has been hanging over everyone in the city for the past few months. Especially when hunger drives people to dig up unripe potatoes to wrap their stomachs, everything seems to be doomed.

Two or three months ago, the average small family could no longer live, and those who had money did everything they could to hoard all kinds of food, knowing that during the siege, food was life. The more hoarding, the more panicked the food becomes, and the more the price of food rises. Grain merchants are unwilling to sell all the grain because the source of grain has been cut off, and often close the door under the pretext that there is no grain to raise the market price. At the beginning, the government repeatedly ordered that grain prices should not be increased, and grain merchants must sell at the price set by the government. Not only could it not be banned, but it prompted every grain store to close its doors and stop selling. Subsequently, the government strictly prohibited grain merchants from closing their doors to stop selling, and the price could be unlimited. As a result, food prices are like a flood, constantly rising. Only those rich and powerful families can buy food, and the poor families have no way to look at the sky and cry, so they have to wait to starve to death.

In the autumn, the already small grain shops in the city have also closed, and there is no food to sell!

But even so, there are still some shops on the street that are doing business, rat meat, two-legged mutton, and more or less such meat, which are hung directly on the street. In the summer, a mouse with a hundred yuan has risen to hundreds of yuan, and the two-legged sheep have also risen a lot.

For everything that happened in the city, despite being in the deep palace, Xuan Ye still knew everything about it, but as an emperor, he didn't have any way, and even sometimes, he would rather become one of those people who only needed to worry about food every day, rather than face the current state affairs.

Wang Huaxing has descended!

When the news came, Xuan Ye was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a long time. Although before Wang Huaxing surrendered, he had already received a secret music from the south, in which the secret music of those people mentioned that Jieshu was beheaded by the crown prince, mentioned the prince's seizure of military power, and also told him about the situation in the south.

After receiving those secret recitals, Xuan Ye's whole person was in a panic, and then he understood why the prince killed Jieshu and why he destroyed the Great Wall by himself, it was because of his will that the prince felt threatened.

"How can that waste not understand the painstaking work of being a father!"

After watching their secret recital, Xuan Ye scolded angrily, and then even cried loudly, he knew his son very well, after Jie Shu's death, the garrison in the south could not be improved, no matter what, his son would not lead troops back to help.

's understanding of his son made Xuan Ye very clear that his son would never risk coming to save him.

"This son of a!"

Again, with a painful scolding, Xuan Ye's face turned pale.

Originally, after learning of Jieshu's death, although he was also angry, but it was the only way, although he had brought a letter of deep affection and fatherly love through the carrier pigeon, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea, without the slightest message.

Then, just as he slowly calmed down, another news came that Wang Huaxing had descended!

The reason why Wang Huaxing surrendered was because the prince sent him to lead his troops north to rescue Jingnan and lead 20,000 troops! Isn't this sending Wang Huaxing to death?

Didn't that son of a scumbag know that forcing people to death like this would definitely force people to rebel?

Despite his annoyance, Xuan Ye didn't have anything to do, after all, he was trapped in Jingnan City.

This will, in the face of the situation of Jieshu's death and Wang Huaxing's surrender, all Xuan Ye can do is sigh, sighing that all that is left around the prince from now on is mediocrity, and sighing that the Qi of the Great Qing Kingdom is about to run out.

The prince was self-respecting and unwilling to come to the rescue.

Wang Huaxing surrendered.

Thinking of all this, Xuan Ye sighed sadly in his heart and said:

"Alas! O face of the dead country! ”

Once upon a time, Xuan Ye was unwilling to face the reality, in the past year, he had all kinds of ideas, and even moved to live and die with the Qing Dynasty, exchanging the death of himself and the court for the future of the Qing Kingdom, but in the face of the reality of the Ming army's depth, under the persuasion of Wang Huaxing and others, he moved his mind again.

"Use Jingnan as bait, make it concentrate on Jingnan, and when the Ming army gathers troops in Jingnan, then transfer the southern garrison, and then combine the inside and outside, encircle the Ming army and inflict heavy losses, and then seek peace by war......"

Peace through War......

Again, Xuan Ye's mind came up with the words that Wang Huaxing said when he knelt on the ground, that is, Wang Huaxing's words, which made him see the hope of life.

Like the last straw, desperate people always want to grasp it, but now, that straw has been taken away at once. Not only did it take away it, but it even tore all hope to shreds.

How so?

Again, Xuan Ye thought of that dream. It was because of that dream that he made that decision.

Am I wrong?

"No, I'm not wrong, I just trust the prince too much......"

Yes, I trust the prince too much.

"He's still too young to take on such a heavy responsibility? Even if it weren't for the Empress Dowager on the sidelines, I might have made many big mistakes. ”

Xuan Ye said to himself, and then, as he sat there, the figure of the Empress Dowager appeared again, thinking about the Empress Dowager, he found that now he didn't even have someone to talk to.

The Empress Dowager is gone, and she is left alone.

"The same should be true on the prince's side, hey......"

Thinking that there was no one to consult with the prince, Xuan Ye suddenly found that he was wrong, and he could even say that he was very wrong, there was the queen mother by his side back then, but what about the prince?

Mingzhu, Mingzhu is just a minion.

How can he be a man of counsel?

"Hey, after all, it's too late to understand, if only I could understand it sooner, it's just ......"

Sitting up suddenly, Xuan Ye muttered to himself.

"Is there still a chance?"

Thinking so in his heart, Xuan Ye instructed the eunuch.

"Go, please come over Prince Li and Suo Etu."

Perhaps, you should listen to them and see if they have any good suggestions.

Almost half an hour later, a eunuch lifted the curtain, Yue Le, the prince of Li, walked in front, Suo Etu followed, and as soon as the two of them came in, they knelt in front of Xuan Ye and kowtowed.

Xuan Ye, who allowed the two of them to kneel on the ground, asked directly.

"King Li, how is the city guarded? What is the movement of the Ming army? ”

Yue Le hurriedly replied.

"Back to the emperor, at present, although the Ming army has no abnormal actions, but now the people's hearts are in turmoil, and the soldiers in the battalion have no will to fight, if it weren't for the large number of mines in front of the Ming army, I'm afraid someone would have surrendered to them a long time ago, and now after Wang Huaxing descended to the Ming Dynasty, the army's heart is even more chaotic, and the hearts of the people are even more disintegrated."

Yue Le didn't hide it, there were some things that couldn't be hidden.

"Especially now, the food in the camp is becoming more and more difficult, and there are soldiers starving to death every day, and the minister thinks that for a long time, I am afraid that the Ming army has not yet attacked the city, and the army in the city has all starved to death?"

Then Yue Le said bitterly.

"Your Majesty, the grain and grass in the city before the target is decreasing, and the original stick to the plan is just to meet with the southern garrison flag soldiers, and the division is clear, and now the southern flag soldiers have not arrived for a long time, and the reinforcements have not arrived, and the hearts of the people in the city will inevitably collapse, if you stay for a long time, I am afraid that the soldiers and civilians will starve to death in the city, although the minions have the intention of coexisting and dying with the master, but so starving to death, but it is also an unprecedented thing......"

Yue Le suddenly couldn't speak, and he fell to the ground and cried silently. Suo Etu also cried silently, he even regretted it now, why couldn't he go south with Mingzhu with the prince, otherwise how could there be today's disaster, of course, without the emperor's consent, he couldn't go south with the prince.

It's just that now the crown prince ...... Hey, when the disaster comes, they fly separately!

Originally, they also pointed to the prince to lead the troops over and rescue them from this dead city, but now, in addition to being trapped and starved here, what else can be done?

Thinking of this, Suo Etu couldn't help but feel sad in his heart, and crying was even more affectionate.

Seeing the two ministers crying, Xuan Ye couldn't help but feel sentimental, and said hatefully.

"The Ming people are brutal, they besiege the city without attacking, they burn my grain depot, everything they do is just to starve our banner people to death! The Ming people are so vicious, intending to starve hundreds of thousands of banner people to death, how can they be worthy of the Heavenly Empire? Worthy of the state of propriety and righteousness? ”

In this way, it is naturally a joke from Xuan Ye's mouth, after all, when it comes to the vicious Ming army, it is obviously inferior to the Qing army, and Xuan Ye, who is in despair, seems to have to comfort himself like this. After all, when you are in a desperate situation, everyone will always put the blame on the enemy.

Suo Etu also continued.

"The Ming people are brutal, it's really incredible, think how tolerant I was to the Ming people in the Qing Dynasty, never damaged their temples, and bury Chongzhen, treat the old ministers, and today how the Ming people treat me? He just wants to starve us and other Qing soldiers and civilians, throughout the ages, who has ever had such a tyrannical act, the minister thinks, since the Ming people are so brutal, then I can break the cauldron and lead the troops out of the city, and fight a decisive battle with them, and fight out of the siege in the period, instead of sitting idly by. When the slave is in danger, he has been determined to repay the master with a death, as long as the master gives an order, the slave will definitely rush to the front, fight for his life, and also kill a way out for the master! ”

After saying that, Suo Etu began to cry again, prostrating while crying.

Looking at Suo Etu, who was kneeling and prostrating and crying, Xuan Ye said with emotion.

"Suo Etu, your family has been loyal for generations, how can I not know that for you, I am still useful, and the monarch and the ministers share weal and pain, and your life must not be lost like this......"

Thinking that there was still a possibility of breaking through, Xuan Ye turned his face to Yue Le and asked:

"King Li, if you break through now, how sure are you?"

Hearing the emperor's words, Yue Le's shoulders trembled slightly, and then he kowtowed and didn't speak again.

With a little certainty, Yue Le couldn't answer for a while, and seeing that he didn't speak, Suo Etu said.

"Lord Wang, this fight out of the encirclement is a little certain, you have to give a word! The emperor is waiting there! ”

Suo Etu's question made Yue Le kowtow again, and after a long time, he said.

"Back to the emperor, today is different from the past, if it was two months ago, the emperor asked this, the minister is ten percent sure to fight out of the encirclement, escorting the emperor and the court to the south, but now the army is in turmoil, the army in the city starved to death, once the siege is broken, the minister is worried that the soldiers will be defeated and surrender, and then not only can not kill the encirclement, but the whole army will be destroyed!"

Hearing this, Xuan Ye was stunned for a moment, he didn't say anything for a long time, although he knew that the situation was very unfavorable to the Great Qing Kingdom, but he didn't expect that it would be so unfavorable.

"King, lord, you, you are alarmist! Slaves and slaves are all slaves of the master, as long as the master gives an order, the slaves will definitely serve their lives and do their best to help the master fight a way out! ”

Again, Suo Etu kowtowed and said with tears in his eyes.

"Master, please give an order to break through the siege, the slave personally leads the troops, even if he dies, he must send the master out of Jingnan safely, as long as the master arrives in the south and joins the prince, my Qing Kingdom will still be saved, the slave begs the master to give an order!" "Dong Dong" kowtowed, Suo Etu was full of loyal looks, looking at his appearance, Xuan Ye's heart couldn't help but sigh, if Suo Etu was sent to the prince's side at that time, would the prince make other choices?

Why did you choose Pearl?

Mingzhu's dog minion is really useless......

Yue Le also kowtowed to the side.

"Your Majesty, the ministers led the troops to defend the city, and they were deeply disappointed by Your Majesty, and they were innocent of death, and they were innocent of death!"

Seeing Yue Le kowtow and ask for guilt, Xuan Ye couldn't help but sigh, and then said.

"I clearly remember that when I was defending the city, King Li, you suggested that I leave Jingnan, but at that time, what I thought about was to keep a trace of vitality in the Qing Kingdom, and I wanted to break the cauldron, but ...... Now it seems that it is the will of God, since the will of God is not in me, what is the use of even struggling hard? Although I live in the ninth level and have a lot of opportunities, I know how to manage things diligently! If you have any innocent words, don't say any more,"

The disheartened Xuan Ye waved his hand, then looked at the two of them and said.

"It seems that the fate of the Qing Dynasty is the same, creating and making people, thinking about the past, when I entered the customs of the Qing Dynasty, how magnificent the momentum was, but now I have ended up in this step...... Ay! ”

With a long sigh, Xuan Ye said coldly.

"I, I'm unwilling, unwilling! Why is he Zhu Mingzhong capable of turning the tide, but I am ...... Unwilling! ”