The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 1268: exhausted
Chapter 1268 The End of Luck
At this moment, Li Tianjiao finally realized that perhaps when General Cui Shanzhong captured Bai Qingyu and the Bai family army alive and brought them into the city, Yunjing, which they thought was an iron wall… had become a sieve in the eyes of the Great Zhou army and the Yan army!
For some reason, Li Tianjiao suddenly thought of Cui Fengnian, a woman disguised as a man who was doing business.
At this moment… Li Tianjiao was sure that Cui Fengnian was definitely a spy from the Great Zhou and not from the Jin State. From the very beginning, he entered Xiliang and bought furs and jade brocade from the people at high interest rates, while at the same time lowering the price of grain, all in preparation for the Great Zhou’s attack on Xiliang in the future!
Therefore, after Bai Jiajun and Bai Qingyu were captured and brought into the city, it was like the backbone of those deeply hidden Da Zhou spies had entered the city and they could start moving!
Recalling what the imperial physician said at the time, Bai Qingyu’s injury was not fatal, but his pulse was very disordered. He had not woken up yet, and it might be that his old illness had triggered. Now Li Tianjiao understood that it was not Bai Qingyu’s injury that triggered any old illness, but Bai Qingyu was just pretending to be unconscious!
Haha… this man can really endure it. He lay in bed for so long, enduring the pain of acupuncture on various acupoints and picking his fingernails by the imperial physician without moving his body at all. He is really patient!
Their palace had stood for a hundred years, with countless eunuchs and maids, and many spies mixed in during this period. After bringing Bai Qingyu into the palace… Bai Qingyu must have been pretending not to wake up, and let the spies in the palace spread the news, which led to the burning of the granary! This is why the poisoning happened.
So… how long ago did Bai Qingyan start planning to overthrow the Jin Dynasty? Perhaps Bai Qingyan overthrew the Jin Dynasty not because the Jin Dynasty emperor wanted to use children to make elixirs, that was simply an excuse. She might have been preparing to unify the world long ago!
How early does this need to be?
In that split second of life and death, Li Tianjiao’s mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts and his heart sank.
It’s no use thinking about these things now. Xiliang…will eventually perish at her hands.
“Your Majesty, there is only one way out of the city now. There is a secret passage in my Xiliang Palace that was built for today’s situation. Your Majesty, where is the secret passage?” General Cui Shanzhong said solemnly, “This old minister will take you there right away!”
Li Tianjiao’s hand holding the sword was trembling almost unnoticeably. The name of the king of a fallen country would always be labeled with shame on her head.
Moreover, the Emperor of Great Zhou and the Emperor of Western Liang were both female emperors… and they became emperors at the same time. She would inevitably be compared with Bai Qingyan by future generations.
However, if Bai Qingyan had really started planning to unify the world so long ago, then Li Tianjiao would have to admit defeat with all her heart.
“Old General, you should have spent your old age away from the flames of war!” Li Tianjiao said in a hoarse voice, “It is I… who begs you to come out of seclusion. Let these soldiers escort you out of the palace! Whether it is the Great Zhou or the State of Yan, as long as a famous general like you surrenders, they will surely let you have a comfortable old age…”
“Your Majesty!” General Cui Shanzhong was shocked. “What are you talking about?”
In fact, Li Tianjiao was also afraid. Her hand holding the sword was shaking: “Old General, my father passed away suddenly that year. I don’t know where the secret passage is, but… even if I knew, I would not leave! I, Li Tianjiao, am the emperor of Xiliang. I will live and die with Xiliang! I… would rather die in battle than live in disgrace!”
“Your Majesty, why do you have to do this?” Old General Cui Shanzhong grabbed Li Tianjiao’s trembling arm holding the sword, “As long as there is green, there is no need to worry about running out of firewood! Your Majesty is still young, there is still a chance to start over!”
“Do you believe this, old general?” Li Tianjiao shook his head and laughed, “It was me who led the Tianfeng Kingdom into Xiliang and allowed it to plunder food and grass in Xiliang, causing the people to…eat their own children and cook with their own bones! This time…even if General Cui came out, many generals would not want to come. Why? It’s because Da Zhou holds Li Tianfu in its hands. Da Zhou used Li Tianfu to claim that they were invited by Li Tianfu to drive out the Tianfeng Kingdom and take back Xiliang for Li Tianfu, the legitimate emperor. Therefore, many generals defending the city are unwilling to support me, the emperor of Xiliang!”
Li Tianjiao couldn’t help but sigh: “At first, I thought the Great Zhou Emperor was stupid because he actually sent the Great Zhou’s grain to our people. He was wasting grain to feed our people in Xiliang. But later I realized that the Great Zhou Emperor Bai Qingyan was not stupid, but he had the heart to accept the people of the world! The court officials of the Great Zhou also had this heart, so they were willing to spare no effort to transport grain to Xiliang.”
“When my father was alive, he once said that if one wants to dominate the nations, one must first have a broad mind that can accommodate talented people from other nations… and establish them in the Xiliang court! Just like the Qin State accepted Shang Yang and Zhang Yi! In this way… outside the court, Xiliang can have the people of other countries and the territories of other countries!” Li Tianjiao choked up, “The Emperor of the Great Zhou and the Great Zhou court are of one mind, and their hearts can accommodate… the people of the world, so the Great Zhou will definitely gain the world, and Xiliang has no room for a last-ditch struggle!”
“Old General!” Li Tianjiao closed his sore eyes, “Xiliang’s luck has run out.”
How could old General Cui Shanzhong not know what Li Tianjiao said?
General Cui Shanzhong looked at Li Tianjiao and whispered, “Your Majesty is aware of his shortcomings compared to the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty and has the courage to speak out. Your future is limitless! Your Majesty… I will take the remaining soldiers to escort you out of the city! Your Majesty may not be able to make a comeback in a short period of time, but I believe that with an emperor like you, Xiliang will sooner or later… restore its country! I am waiting for that day!”
Old General Cui Shanzhong said earnestly.
Li Tianjiao seemed to have made up his mind and shook his head: “I have decided to fight to the death for my country. Old General, I have implicated you! Old General, please leave the city quickly!”
General Cui Shanzhong’s wrinkled eyes showed a moving expression. He hesitated for a long time, then suddenly smiled at Li Tianjiao, as if an elder was talking to a younger person, showing a kind smile that he had never shown to Li Tianjiao before: “I didn’t expect that a little girl like your Majesty would have the courage to fight to the death for the country! Great…”
“I am already over eighty years old. Today, I will sacrifice my life to accompany Your Majesty!” said General Cui Shanzhong. He clasped his hands together and bowed to Li Tianjiao. He stood up and looked at Li Tianjiao with his eyes bright. “Fight to the death and sacrifice for the country!”
“Old General…” Li Tianjiao always thought that General Cui Shanzhong was a cold-hearted person. Later, because she, the emperor, gave up her dignity and knelt down to beg him, General Cui Shanzhong was forced to agree to come out of retirement.
Unexpectedly, General Cui Shanzhong actually said… to sacrifice his life to accompany her!
Second update, please give me a monthly ticket…