"Teacher, the enemy army has entered the city."

In the Jianzhang Palace, on the Taiye Pool, there is a high platform of more than 20 zhang high, which is called the gradual platform.

At this moment, Wang Mang was sitting on the platform, listening to the sound of killing in the distance coming towards Jianzhang Palace little by little.

He had just bathed, and at the moment he was wearing a full crown robe, wearing a crown of flat heaven, and the smell of incense wafted from his body. The wind on the platform was very strong, but Wang Mang always sat upright and did not move, as steady as Mount Tai.

When the last moment of life comes, it must be faced with dignity.

After the last army was defeated under the city of Kunyang, from Luoyang to Tongguan and then to Chang'an, it was almost completely undefended. The Green Forest Army drove almost all the way in, but in just two months, it had already attacked outside Chang'an City.

Even though it is the largest city in the world, there is no garrison in Chang'an City. However, after only barely holding out for three days, the Green Forest Army had already broken through the city wall and was attacking in the direction of the palace.

After listening to Wang Mu's report from Wang Mu, who had just returned from outside the palace, Wang Mang nodded, sorted out his crown clothes, and straightened the Pingtian crown on his head: "Is Liu Xiu among them?" ”

"No, I didn't see Liu Xiu's banner." Wang Mu shook his head: "It's the other generals of the Green Forest Army. ”

"It's a shame. Since Chang'an said goodbye six years ago, I always hope to see him again. Wang Mang sighed slightly, with some regret on his face: "It seems that there is no chance." ”

"If you don't see it, then it's gone." Wang Mu smiled faintly: "Compared to the new world that can't be established, it's really nothing to pity if you can't see Liu Xiu." ”

Wang Mang sighed lightly and nodded. The shouts and killings outside the palace were closer, mixed with the mournful cries of the palace maids.

"Teacher, let me help you......" Wang Mu slowly pulled out the long sword from his waist and knelt sideways in front of Wang Mang: "My skills are not good, not as good as Han Zhuo, but at least, you don't need to ...... it yourself, teacher"

"No, I don't have to." Wang Mang smiled and shook his head: "It's all the same." ”

“…… Be. Wang Mu nodded lightly, put away his long sword, but did not get up.

"Mu'er, have you ever regretted following me?" Wang Mang was silent for a moment, and then suddenly asked.

"Regrets? Why regret it? Wang Mu said in surprise.

"Because, I failed...... Wang Mang smiled faintly: "I once said that I would build a new world with you, but from beginning to end, I never let you really see it." Don't you have even the slightest suspicion that I'm just a dreamer? ”

"To this day, the disciple has never doubted the teacher." Wang Mu shook his head firmly: "The teacher's ideals have been firmly believed in by the disciples from beginning to end. It's just that in the affairs of the world, manpower is sometimes poor. When the disciple was under Kunyang City and saw the moment the meteor fell, the disciple knew that you had never missed it, teacher, but ...... Destiny really doesn't lie with the teacher. ”

"Destiny...... Mandate of Heaven...... Hey. Wang Mang laughed desolately: "In this world, it turns out that there is really a destiny ......."

He suddenly turned his head to look at Wang Mu: "Mu'er, are you willing to promise me one last thing?" ”

"In the blink of an eye, it is the time of death, what else can the disciple do?" Wang Mu smiled bitterly: "But the teacher has an order, and the disciple will never dare to disobey." ”

"Good." Wang Mang nodded: "The last thing is...... Stay alive! ”

"What?" Wang Mu was stunned for a moment, and looked at the teacher in shock: "Teacher! Didn't you promise your disciple that you would die with you? ”

"I've changed my mind." Wang Mang shook his head: "Old man...... You're always tempted to change your mind, aren't you? ”

"So live...... What to do? Wang Mu sighed softly: "Without your world, how boring it would be." ”

"Live, take my place, go and see the destiny that Liu Xiu carries, and see him win the world." Wang Mang smiled slightly: "Since I have no way to see it...... Then you, just be my eyes. ”

After speaking, Wang Mang took out a dagger from his bosom, cut off a piece of silk from his crown, and then bit his finger and wrote on the cloth.

The shouting and killing outside is getting closer and closer.

"Hurry up, or it'll be too late." Wang Mang finished writing the content on the cloth, folded the cloth, and whispered to Wang Mu, who was still hesitating.

"Disciple...... The disciple understood. Wang Muyi gritted his teeth and nodded: "It's a pity that the disciple can't accompany the teacher on Huangquan Road." ”

"What's the matter?" Wang Mang laughed, shook his head, and then handed the silk book in his hand to Wang Mu, with a solemn face.

He aimed the dagger at his heart, opened his mouth and whispered two lines of poetry:

The dagger then plunged heavily into the atrium.

Wang Mu kowtowed three times to the teacher's corpse, and when he raised his head again, he was already in tears.

"Don't worry, teacher, I will definitely live for you!"

……

In October, before the Mengjin crossing in Heyin, Liu Xiu held a scepter in his hand, facing the surging Yellow River in front of him, and a small ferry boat that gradually approached.

On the other side of the Yellow River is Hebei. The Red Mei Army has 300,000 soldiers, entrenched in Hebei, and there are more powerful people in various places, building Wu Fort by themselves, entrenched in one side. Before the fall of the new dynasty, the turmoil in Hebei has not recovered to this day.

And when the first emperor Liu Xuan ordered Liu Xiu to go north and "comfort" Hebei Prefecture, he did not give him a single soldier. In his hand, there was only a scepter.

"Lord, if you go to Hebei, it's up to the three of us to ......" Ren Guang looked at the scepter in Liu Xiu's hand that represented the imperial court, and smiled bitterly: "There is also this thing...... I'm afraid that as soon as the ferry crosses the river, we will be killed. ”

Since Liu Xiu's death, he and Li Tong's title to Liu Xiu has changed from the young master to the lord.

"I won't die until I avenge my brother." Liu Xiu shook his head, stretched out his feet and stepped onto the ferry on the shore, his eyes were firm: "Wang Kuang and Wang Feng thought that they could take the opportunity to get rid of me in this way, but when I recovered the whole of Hebei and waved my army south, they would understand how big the mistake was today." ”

"Wait."

A voice came from behind him, Liu Xiu turned his head to look, and saw a figure walking towards the river bank in the distance.

"Wang Mu......?" Liu Xiu narrowed his eyes, unable to believe that he would see him here: "You...... Didn't die in Chang'an? ”

"Nope." Wang Mu slowly approached, walked to the shore, and looked at Liu Xiu on the boat: "I escaped." ”

"You're ...... now. Haven't given up on killing me? Liu Xiu smiled and asked.

"Nope. The teacher is dead, and the new world is dead. Now that the ideal has been buried, what use is it for me to kill you? Wang Mu smiled abruptly.

"Then you are ......," Liu Xiu raised her eyebrows.

Wang Mu lifted one foot and stepped onto the board. Ren Guang vigilantly pulled out the long knife at his waist, but was stopped by Liu Xiu with a wave of his hand.

"I'm here...... to you. Wang Mu stepped on the boat and bowed to Liu Xiu unexpectedly.

"Defection...... I? Liu Xiu looked at Wang Mu kneeling in front of him in surprise: "Why do you want to ...... Defect to me? ”

"Is that okay?" Wang Mu raised his head, looked at Liu Xiu, and did not answer Liu Xiu's question.

Liu Xiu looked at Wang Mu for a moment, trying to get an answer from his eyes, but Wang Mu's eyes were nothing but clear.

"Yes." Liu Xiu was silent for a moment and nodded.

The ferry, carrying four people, sailed slowly towards the north bank of the Yellow River.