There was a knock on the door.

The attendant softly pushed open the door and placed a tray on the table in the room. On the tray, there was only a bowl of gruel, still steaming.

Wang Mu looked at the gruel in the bowl. The porridge was so clear that you could count the rice grains at the bottom of the bowl.

He looked up and saw the attendant's gaze projecting onto the porridge bowl in front of him, his Adam's apple moving up and down from time to time, making a suffocating sound of saliva swallowing.

"Hungry, aren't you?" Wang Mu smiled slightly and said to the attendant.

"Subordinates don't ...... Not hungry, sir. The attendant swallowed hard, his voice hoarse and weak.

"Drink it, I don't have an appetite right now." After Wang Mu finished speaking, he pushed the porridge bowl in front of the attendant, and walked to the window with a sigh. The cicadas outside the window kept chirping, which made his heart more and more irritable.

Wancheng is almost out of food.

It has been nearly three months since the city was besieged. Three months ago, when he woke up from a coma, he had anticipated the day and began to strictly control the consumption of grain and grass.

But even so, even if it survives to this day, it still can't hold on after all.

The army is running out of food, but the people are not without food. However, Wang Mu has issued a strict order since a month ago, and it is never allowed to forcibly collect grain from the people, and those who violate the order will be beheaded.

After cutting off more than forty heads, no one dared to disobey again. But in the current situation, I am afraid that he will gradually be unable to suppress the hungry army under his command.

On the city wall, every day you have to fight and defend with all your might. And how should a soldier with an empty stomach fight?

There was a small sip behind him, and the attendant finally couldn't hold back the hunger in his stomach and drank the bowl of porridge. However, there are no grains of gruel in total, so how much can a small bowl do?

And in the army below, I'm afraid that few people can even drink such gruel.

Mutiny...... I'm afraid it's just a few days.

"When you're done, let's take it out. Don't tell anyone else. Wang Mu turned his back to the attendant behind him and said softly.

"Yes...... Master Xie ......" The attendant changed from a small mouth to a large mouthful, swallowing hard, with a choked cry in his voice.

Wang Mu stood quietly, looking at the scenery outside the window, until the attendant finished drinking the porridge, knelt down in front of him and kowtowed twice, and exited the room, he sighed softly: "Han Zhuo." ”

"I'm here." Han Zhuo's voice rang out in the corner of the room.

"Come with me to the city walls."

After Wang Mu finished speaking, without waiting for Han Zhuo to respond, he turned his head and walked towards the door. The black figure had appeared at the door of the room at some point and from any corner.

His body was still erect, without the slightest staggering. Although there was no expression on his face, he could not see the slightest expression of weakness.

"Speaking of which, I don't think I've seen you eat yet." Wang Mu pushed open the door, walked towards the outside of the room, and smiled faintly: "I really doubt that you can survive without eating." ”

"I have my way." Han Zhuo's voice came from behind him, but Wang Mu could only hear his own footsteps.

When he walked through the corridor and walked to the gate of the courtyard, two guards hurriedly greeted him. Wang Mu didn't let the guards follow, nor did he ask for carriages and horses, but only took Han Zhuo alone and walked in the direction of the city wall.

The streets of the city were empty, and there were no civilians in sight. The two armies inside and outside the city were fighting, and no one wanted to encounter any unwarranted disasters at such a time, so they could only close the doors of their homes and pray for the safety of their homes.

Only a small group of soldiers, led by the commander, trotted towards the city wall, almost all of them were wounded and weak. And the speed of that trotting was not even comparable to the speed of Wang Mu and Han Zhuo's walking.

The faces of the soldiers were already full of hunger and fatigue, and there was no anger in their eyes, so they could only mechanically follow the captain's command and move forward. Even so, they always let out violent gasps from time to time. Those skinny faces and torsos made Wang Mu's heart desolate.

When he reached the foot of the city wall, Wang Mu let out a long sigh in his heart. Along the city wall was a deep trench, and in the middle of the trench stood a soldier every few feet, leaning against the edge of the ditch with a numb face. Above the city walls, rows of soldiers patrolled non-stop, but their staggering steps were as heavy as lead, as if once they fell, they could never get up again.

On the steps of the city wall, a figure ran down quickly and stumbled in front of Wang Mu, it was Cen Peng, the guard in the city at this moment.

"My lord, why are you here! The city wall is in danger of war, so don't take the risk lightly! Cen Peng looked worried, frowned at Wang Mudao. His mental complexion was naturally much better than that of those ordinary soldiers, but his aura was still weak. It looked like he probably hadn't eaten anything decent in a long time.

"Where is there any war? Isn't the enemy not attacking the city now? This trench is ...... "Since Wang Mu was rescued back to Wancheng, woke up from a coma, and delegated the command of defending the city to Cen Peng, he did not ask about the city defense again, and this was the first time he came under the city wall in several months.

"My lord, the enemy army tried to dig tunnels to attack the city, and once broke into the city. His subordinates ordered their soldiers to dig trenches along the city walls in order to block the tunnels. After that, the enemy tried two or three more times, but they were all just out of the field and were found and killed by the soldiers in the trenches. So far, I haven't tried again for 10 days, so I guess I've given up. Cempeng explained.

"Enemy ...... How long has it been since there has been another siege? Wang Mu looked up at the soldiers on the city wall. With the appearance that they are almost about to die at this moment, I am afraid that if they attack it once or twice, this Wancheng will fall.

"It's been five days. They also knew that there was no food in the city, and they did not want to waste their troops any more. Cen Peng sighed and looked at Wang Mu with hope: "My lord, when will the reinforcements from the court arrive in ......?" ”

Wang Mu looked at Cen Peng's expectant gaze and smiled bitterly.

Before Wancheng was besieged, the silk letter from the teacher stated that reinforcements would arrive immediately. However, now that the siege has been more than three months, not a single soldier has arrived.

Wancheng was surrounded by rebels, and there was no outside intelligence to send in. How can Cen Peng know what he doesn't know?

A soldier staggered from a distance pushing a cart loaded with bricks to reinforce the walls, and it crushed into the ground with a heavy rut. However, he had already walked to the bottom of the city, but his body shook, and he fell to the side, and fell to the ground.

As the soldier fell, the cart lost its balance and fell over, and the bricks on the cart tumbled to the ground.

And the soldier never got up again.

"My lord, the people should still have some food. The subordinates have calculated that if they can collect it, it should be enough for us to eat for a month. This is an existential moment, and it is ...... to be flexible."

Cen Peng just said the general words, but was interrupted by Wang Mu shaking his head: "Cen Peng, do you know what we are trying to defend the city?" ”

"For the sake of ...... Protect this new world! Cen Peng looked up blankly and looked at Wang Mu.

"That's right. But what is the world? Wang Mu turned his head to the city wall, and stretched out his hand to point to the rows of houses in front of him: "The so-called world, isn't it all composed of these Li people?" Cen Peng, take a good look at everything in front of you, that's what we want to protect! ”

"Yes...... If we soldiers can't even protect ourselves, what can we do to protect the world? Cen Peng smiled bitterly, shook his body, took two steps back and leaned lightly against the city wall: "Besides...... My lord, when you are really hungry, you can do anything. ”

Wang Mu stared deeply at Cen Peng and smiled bitterly.

What Cen Peng said is naturally not wrong. At this moment, the soldiers in the city are just relying on their last breath to hold on.

Now Cen Peng may still be able to suppress the soldiers, using bark and grass roots to keep them fed. But when even the bark and grass roots have been eaten, there is still food in the people's homes...... What kind of Shura field will this city become?

"Cen Peng......" Wang Mu gritted his teeth, opened his mouth and stopped talking to Cen Peng, repeating it several times before he said with difficulty: "Kaecheng...... Surrender. ”

Cen Peng's face was calm, there was no hint of surprise, but his eyes became dark.

This is already the only ending at this moment.

He nodded slightly, and then a smile of relief appeared on his face:

"Thank you, sir."