roccoschili Chapter 930 After you sing, I will take the stage
Chapter 930 After you sing, I will take the stage
In the fourth month of the siege of Yecheng, a cold rain fell for three consecutive days.
When An Qingxu climbed up the city wall on the wet palace steps, the cracks in the blue bricks where his boots had stepped on were still stained with blood clots from the soldiers who had died in the battle a few days ago.
The wind wrapped in raindrops hit his face like countless fine needles, but he didn't feel any pain - compared with the tragic situation in the city, this little chill was not worth mentioning at all.
Under the city wall, the Tang army's "sky-blasting cannons" were hitting the city wall again and again. Every loud noise was accompanied by the sound of bricks and stones cracking, as if Yecheng was groaning in despair.
He leaned against the city wall and looked down, only to see Tang soldiers holding shields with the word "Tang" painted on them, advancing densely along the base of the city wall, and ladders had been set up on several collapsed battlements.
The defenders on the city walls were mostly skinny and pale soldiers. Some of them could only stand with the help of long spears, while others could not even pull the bowstrings. They could only wave rusty short swords in vain to resist.
"Your Majesty, another section of the western city has collapsed!" A guard came tumbling up, his armor smeared with mud. "The soldiers... the soldiers can't hold on any longer. Some are already gnawing on tree bark!"
An Qingxu didn't look back, but just stared at the dragon robe that was washed white.
The hem of his robe was heavy from being soaked by rain, and the gold thread on the collar had long been worn out, but this was once the symbol of his long-cherished dream. A year ago, when he killed his father and seized the throne in Luoyang Palace, and wore a brand new dragon robe to accept the homage of all officials, had he ever imagined that this day would come?
He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips stroking the dragon pattern on his chest. Suddenly, he clenched his fist so hard that his nails almost dug into his flesh. "Pass on my message. Prepare the carriage and go to the easternmost side of the tower!"
The next morning, the rain had stopped, but the sky remained gray. An Qingxu stood on the east corner tower, followed by two trembling eunuchs.
He first took off the dragon robe that symbolized his identity as the "Emperor of Great Yan" with his own hands and threw it into the muddy water beside him. He then unbuttoned the linen lining, revealing his thin and scarred upper body - those were the scars left from his early years of fighting with An Lushan, which now became a footnote to his embarrassment.
Finally, he took the plain short jacket handed to him by the eunuch, put it on casually, and knelt directly on the cold blue bricks.
"Raise the white flag!" he shouted to the soldiers behind him, his voice hoarse as if it had been sandpapered.
Soon, a stained white flag slowly rose from the top of the city wall and fluttered weakly in the morning breeze.
Seeing this, the Tang army under the city wall stopped their attack and looked up curiously.
An Qingxu took a deep breath and kowtowed heavily for the first time towards the direction of Weizhou in the distance.
The chill from the blue bricks penetrated his knees, but he seemed not to notice. He simply kowtowed again and again, crying out, "Prince Shi! I know I was wrong! I shouldn't have listened to slander and doubted your loyalty."
"I shouldn't have been so stubborn as to cut off your food supply! Please, for the sake of my father, An Lushan, send reinforcements quickly!"
"As long as Yecheng can be saved, I am willing to be demoted to a prince, live in Fanyang forever, and never touch the government again in this life!"
The first time he cried, his voice was a little stiff, but the more he cried, the more pleading it became.
Blood soon appeared on his forehead, flowed down his cheeks, mixed with tears and dripped onto the blue bricks, forming dark red flowers.
The Tang army below the tower was silent at first, but after a moment they burst into laughter:
"Is this the An Qingxu who calls himself the 'Shengwu Emperor of Great Yan'? Kneeling on the city wall and begging, what's the difference between him and a stray dog?"
"Hahaha, remember how arrogant he was when he sent troops to attack Suiyang last year? Now he has to beg for mercy from Shi Siming!"
"Don't waste time talking to him. Wait until he's knocked his head off enough, then we'll just rush over and chop off his head!"
These taunts pierced An Qingxu's heart like needles, but he didn't dare to stop.
He knew this was his only way to survive.
He continued to kowtow, the wound on his forehead became deeper and deeper, the blood flowed more and more, even staining a piece of blue brick in front of him red.
When he could no longer hold on, he allowed the eunuchs to help him up. He then wrote another earnest letter asking for help and handed it to a trusted messenger, instructing him, "Hurry! Ride as fast as you can to Weizhou and personally deliver this letter to Prince Shi! Tell him I'm willing to give everything, just for him to send his troops!"
The messenger took the letter, mounted his horse, and galloped towards Weizhou.
An Qingxu leaned against the city wall, looking at the envoy's receding back, his eyes full of expectation - he hoped that Shi Siming would remember their old friendship and really send troops to rescue him.
When the envoy arrived in Weizhou, Shi Siming was discussing military affairs with the generals in the central military tent.
There was a charcoal fire burning in the tent, bringing warmth and a stark contrast to the dire situation in Yecheng.
Shi Siming took the letter for help, glanced at it, and threw it on the table. A mocking smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "An Qingxu is really desperate. He doesn't even want the dignity of being an 'emperor'."
Zhou Zhi, who was standing by, stepped forward quickly and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, An Qingxu's move is probably a delaying tactic. Should we…"
"A delaying tactic?" Shi Siming sneered, picked up the wine glass on the table and took a sip. "He's like a piece of fish on the chopping board now. What kind of trouble can he cause?"
"Go tell the envoy that you can request reinforcements, but An Qingxu must come to Weizhou to see me in person. Have him bring the Imperial Seal and the Great Yan Military Token and present them to me in person. Only then will I send troops."
Zhou Zhi was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "Your Highness, if An Qingxu really comes to Weizhou, wouldn't that be walking into a trap? Will he see through your plan and refuse to come?"
"He will come."
Shi Siming put down his wine glass, his eyes sharp as a knife. "He is now at the end of his rope. The Tang army has surrounded Yecheng and no one can get out. He has no choice but to come to me for help."
"Even if he knew it was a trap, he had no choice but to jump into it. Just do as I say."
When the messenger returned to Yecheng with Shi Siming's words, An Qingxu was pacing back and forth on the city wall. When he heard Shi Siming's request, he was stunned for a moment, then collapsed on the ground - going to Weizhou in person was clearly asking him to walk into a trap.
But just as he was hesitating, Cui Qianyou stumbled up to him, his face pale. "Your Majesty! This is bad! The defenders south of the city have mutinied, and hundreds have already climbed over the wall and defected to the Tang army! If this continues, Yecheng won't hold out for three days!"
An Qingxu stood up suddenly, a flicker of determination in his eyes. He looked at Cui Qianyou and said in a hoarse voice, "Minister Cui, Shi Siming wants me to go to Weizhou in person and hand over the imperial seal and military token before he will send troops. Do you think I should go?"
Cui Qianyou was horrified and quickly grabbed An Qingxu's arm: "Your Majesty! Absolutely not! Shi Siming is extremely ambitious and has long wanted to replace you! If you go to Weizhou, he will kill you! We still have thousands of soldiers left. It's better to fight to the death to break out. Even if there is only a 10% chance, it is worse than walking into a trap!"
"Break out?" An Qingxu gave a wry smile, shook his head, and stared blankly into the distance. "The Tang army has already dug three trenches outside the city and set up countless crossbows. How can we break out? Where can we break out?"
"Minister Cui, it's not that I don't want to break out, it's that I really have no other way out. Now, I can only take a gamble - that Shi Siming still remembers our old friendship and will give me a chance to live."
"Even if I have to work like a slave for him, I will accept it."
Cui Qianyou wanted to persuade him again, but An Qingxu interrupted him with a wave of his hand: "No need to say more, I have made up my mind."
"You stay in Yecheng. If I can return alive, I will treat you well. If I can't return, you can take the remaining soldiers and surrender to the Tang army. At least you can save your life."
After saying this, he asked someone to take out the jade seal and military token, put them in a brocade box, and took Yan Zhuang and dozens of other confidants with him. He opened the city gate, got on a simple carriage, and slowly drove towards Weizhou.
When the carriage left Yecheng, An Qingxu lifted the curtain and took a last look at the city he once regarded as the "imperial capital", his eyes full of reluctance and despair.
He didn't know that this departure would be a farewell forever.