Whale Falls and Becomes a God

Chapter 146 The end of the road

"Your Majesty! It seems that certain forces within the city...especially some of the aristocratic families, seem to have known some of the information long ago!"

Auntie Lan took the order and reminded him thoughtfully, then explained solemnly, "We've had intelligence before that the Wang Clan has been quite active recently. Many of their disciples have joined the army and have been interacting with various factions. We have to be on guard!"

"Wang family?!"

Empress Xiao's clear and bright eyes turned cold, she murmured softly, and then ordered:

"Temporarily dismiss and detain Wang's civil and military officials. Deploy four legions to besiege the palace and investigate each one individually!"

"what?"

Aunt Lan was startled and, in a state of bewilderment, blurted out a warning, "Your Majesty, whether it was the previous Jiangdu Rebellion or the current situation, the Wang family was one of the main forces that supported Your Majesty the most! Now that we have no concrete evidence, acting like this... I'm afraid... it will chill the hearts of the meritorious officials and unsettle the military and civilians... The impact will be significant..."

During the Jiangdu Rebellion, in addition to the Dugu family who was the leader, the six top families in Empress Xiao's camp were the Xiao family, the Cui family, the Chen family, the Lu family, the Zheng family, and the Wang family.

The Wang family is not only the "local tyrant" of the Jiangnan millennium family, but also the Jiangnan family with the largest number of clansmen and the widest influence. It is larger and wider than the Dugu family and the Xiao family, but not as powerful!

Ignoring Aunt Lan's hesitation and reminders, Empress Xiao waved her hand, her pretty face frosty and decisive, "No evidence needed! In troubled times, severe punishments are called for. Those who disobey orders and resist... will be killed without mercy! Order Prince Wu (Xiao Yu, the Xiao clan's supreme celestial being) to take charge of the palace area. If the Wang family dares to charge the army... their property will be confiscated and their entire clan will be exterminated!"

"Yes!"

Auntie Lan, the four maids (plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum), and everyone present were startled and bowed their heads in response solemnly.

This is the real Empress Xiao!
She was completely different from the dignified, noble, generous, gentle, kind and virtuous Empress Xiao in Xiao Ying's impression!
……

Hailing City, City Lord's Mansion.

Shangliang King Shen Faxing had been eagerly awaiting the reinforcements from Nanyang Marquis Wu Yunzhao and Chu King Fu Gongyou, so he naturally paid close attention to them.

As soon as the results of the Battle of Eagle's Beak Gorge came out, they quickly spread to the Hailing City Lord's Mansion.

"What? The Nanyang Iron Cavalry was annihilated, and the Marquis of Nanyang fled alone, his whereabouts unknown?!"

Shen Faxing, who received the secret report, was struck by lightning. He stared in disbelief and exclaimed, then muttered in a trance: "How is it possible? This is impossible... The dignified Marquis of Nanyang... The renowned Nanyang Iron Cavalry, how could this be possible..."

"Your Highness?! As long as there is life, there will be no shortage of firewood! Otherwise... we should just quietly leave at night..."

Yin Qian's face turned pale, and she whispered the advice in a panic and fear, contrary to her previous attitude of defending the city and waiting for reinforcements and a turnaround.

On the contrary, Jiang Yuanchao, who had been advising King Shangliang to break out, now had a pale face and said nothing.

The Sui army had already entered Hailing City, occupying the southern part of the city and dominating the southwest and northwestern parts. They had also planted numerous spies throughout Hailing City. At this time, the main force of the Sui army from the south was about to arrive. Even if Jiang Yuanchao racked his brains, he didn't know what to do now!

I had originally placed my hopes on the Marquis of Nanyang and the King of Chu, but now that the Marquis of Nanyang is gone, the King of Chu is clearly not very reliable either...

"Where is the King of Chu? Where is he? When will he arrive?"

Shen Faxing was dazed and incredulous. Shen Lun, however, still retained a shred of rationality, repeatedly asking, adding, "Prince Jingwu, along with Dugu Fenghuang, Xie Shenjian, the divine monks of Qiling Temple, and others, personally led the elite to ambush the Nanyang cavalry. It's indeed possible that they could succeed. But doesn't the intelligence say that the Prince of Chu personally led 30,000 elite troops from Jianghuai to support them? At a distance of thousands of miles, it's impossible that they could be defeated or repelled by the Sui army's elite, right?"

Shen Faxing woke up as if from a dream, his eyes red and sharp as he asked: "Yes! Where is the King of Chu?" "Reporting to the prince! According to the latest intelligence, the King of Chu has entered Qining County and will soon enter Hailing County. He should be able to arrive tomorrow night at the earliest, or the morning after tomorrow at the latest!"

The middle-aged general in charge of intelligence pondered for a moment and reported solemnly.

Shen Faxing cursed repeatedly with a ferocious look on his face, "Tomorrow night? The day after tomorrow? What kind of marching speed is this... so slow!"

"That is to say... the reinforcements from Nanyang are gone. If we rely on the reinforcements from the King of Chu, it will take more than a day? If we have to wait for the main forces of the Jianghuai Army and the Fengming Army to arrive, it will take at least seven days... or even ten days or half a month?" Shen Lun asked calmly and rationally, his expression a little dejected.

Originally, the so-called assistance from the Marquis of Nanyang and the King of Chu was not very reliable. It was just a "drowning log" for the Shangliang army, which was somewhat a hope. Now the hope is even slimmer!

As for the secret agreement between the King of Chu and the Demon Sect, as well as the agreement between the Demon Sect and King Jingwu, the Shangliang Army did not know about it!

The middle-aged general hesitated for a moment, then continued his "attack" and reminded, "Your Highness! According to intelligence, the main force of the Southern Sui Army has only just arrived. They will arrive by noon at the earliest, or tomorrow morning at the latest..."

"The main force of the south route..." Shen Faxing murmured with his eyes even redder.

"Huh...Father..."

Shen Lun took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, looked at Shen Faxing and suggested:
"How about… our army take advantage of the absence of Prince Jingwu, Dugu Fenghuang, Xie Shenjian, the monks of Qiling Temple, and many elites to counterattack the Sui army?"

After saying this, he was afraid that Shen Faxing and the others would disagree and "tempted" them, "Perhaps... we can take this opportunity to recapture the southern city area, or break the siege of the Sui army outside the eastern city wall!"

"Hey... Great idea, General!"

Sun Shihan's eyes lit up, and he praised repeatedly. He paused, glanced at Shen Faxing, and with a wry smile, reminded him, "But now our Tianmen Guard is only in name only, and the many military tributes are nowhere to be found. It seems... they've fled out of fear of death! Our army also lacks elites and strong men..."

"The so-called righteous path is nothing but a hypocritical group seeking fame and reputation! Damn the Taoist priests, damn the Tianshi Mansion..."

Shen Faxing was so agitated that he cursed loudly.

Although the Shangliang Army still does not know the secret order from the Tianshi Mansion to recall the Tianshi, Taoist priests and other powerful people, they have sensed that something is wrong and have some vague guesses... There is not much hope for those who follow the army to offer sacrifices!

"The gangsters in the underworld are really untrustworthy! They are also short-sighted. They will regret it one day!" Yin Qian also cursed angrily and worriedly.

Shen Lun said with a firm expression: "Neither the enemy nor I have elites or strong men, but we have a large army! This is better than just sitting there and waiting to be killed!"

"it is good!"

Without waiting for anyone to say anything, Shen Faxing shouted violently and madly, and then ordered:
"Order... collect kerosene from all over the city and spread it all over the city. Douse the southern defense line. If necessary... burn the city!"

"Burning the city?!"

"Burning the city???"

Everyone's faces changed drastically, and some people even cried out in surprise.

Are we going to die together?!
Shen Faxing ignored the crowd's shock and laughed with a ferocious look on his face, "Haha... If I can't get it, then neither the Sui army nor anyone else can! At worst... we'll just break up and forget about it!"

(End of this chapter)