After crossing, I was forced to hold on to my thighs and build a kingdom

In the blink of an eye, it was March.

The army has been besieging the city for a full month!

As the food reserves at home dwindled, a gloomy atmosphere began to hang over the capital. People no longer had the optimism and joy they once had, and began to eat less and less each day.

From the original three meals a day to two meals a day, adults also began to eat only until they were 50% full, trying to save more food for the elderly, the weak and the sick.

Even if you have mountains of gold and silver, if you only spend money and never take it in, you will eventually run out of food. Moreover, for the people in the capital, they have never prepared so much food.

After more than half a month of living frugally, half of the people had run out of food. The atmosphere of panic in the capital began to rise. If the siege continued like this, once the last food was eaten up, what would be the end of the situation? No one could guess.

When Shenyou was still worried about the food shortage in the city, more unfortunate news came one after another. General Liu Zhongquan in the northwest and General Chen Guang in the south politely refused the imperial edict to return to Beijing to serve the king on the grounds that the border had recently been invaded by foreign tribes and the soldiers had to guard the border with all their heart.

"They are truly valiant warriors and arrogant generals! These two are clearly disobeying the imperial order under the pretext of resisting foreign invasion!"

Shenyou's handsome face turned ashen with anger, his eyes brimming with fire. "If I had known they were such traitors, I should have recalled them to the capital and beheaded them!"

At this point, he suddenly remembered the families of the two generals and hurriedly turned to ask his subordinates, "Are the families of Liu Zhongquan and Chen Guang in the capital? Aren't they planning to return to support us? Then kidnap and kill all their families, and that will alleviate my hatred!"

After saying this, he saw that his subordinate had not moved a step, and there was an embarrassment on his face. Shenyou's heart sank, and he asked, "What's going on?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, upon receiving the news that the two generals refused to return to support us, we immediately dispatched troops to surround their residences in Beijing. Unfortunately..."

When I reached this point, I lowered my head and remained silent.

"What a pity?" Shenyou asked anxiously.

"Unfortunately, General Liu Zhongquan had never controlled the Northwest Army before. At that time, he was suppressed by Chen Tianyao to a small deputy general, and was completely insignificant. Therefore, his family also accompanied him to the northwest."

"Waste!" Shenyou roared, angrily asking, "What about Chen Guang? Chen Guang has been in charge of the army in the southern border for many years. Don't tell me his family is no longer in the capital?"

The subordinate stammered for a moment, then closed his eyes and whispered, "Currently, the only people left in Chen Guang's house are his bedridden mother, who is over seventy years old. His wife and son are also the only ones left. During the siege by the Prince of Dingbei, they took advantage of our unpreparedness and left the capital in batches!"

"A bunch of good-for-nothings!"

Following this stern shout, veins popped on Shenyou's forehead, his eyes widened, and he kicked his subordinates. "What's the point of keeping a bunch of you useless people? You live a life of luxury on a daily basis, but you're useless at the critical moment. Each of you is more of a hindrance than a help! What's the use of you?"

His voice echoed in the empty hall, filled with endless anger and disappointment, frightening everyone around him so much that they lowered their heads and dared not breathe. The only sound in the entire space was his heavy breathing.

After a while, he sat down, still holding on to a last bit of hope in his heart: "Is there any team nearby that can be dispatched?"

The subordinate covered his chest and replied weakly, "There are only a few small groups of scattered soldiers and vagrants with less than a thousand people around here. Even if they entered the capital, I'm afraid they wouldn't obey orders. Besides, they can't get in now."

"As for the armies of the more distant prefectures, they are all commanded by military commanders. Ever since the Dingbei Palace released the Crown Prince's Consort, who was the daughter of the former Marquis of Wu'an, Ye Shengpei, and produced evidence to accuse the court, those military commanders, while outwardly agreeing, have actually remained on hold and refused to return to the capital."

Obviously, he had seen the tragic end of the former Marquis of Wu'an, and felt the same way. He felt sympathetic and was unwilling to help the court anymore!

Shenyou also thought of this and could only curse angrily: "Every one of them is simply too much. When I get to the next day, I will kill them all one by one!"

Thinking of the last straw, he ordered his subordinates: "Then go to find Marquis Jingchuan quickly and tell him that I am waiting for him in the mansion."

The subordinate felt relieved when he received the order. After answering "yes", he quickly walked out.

In just a moment, Marquis Jingchuan arrived in front of Shenyou.

"Uncle, the situation is unstable right now. The Northwestern Army and the Southern Border's reinforcements are on their way and will arrive soon. However, the city is in danger, and I am worried about Mother. I would like to ask Uncle to open a passage at night and escort Mother out of the capital. That way, I can prepare for battle with peace of mind and join Uncle against the Prince of Dingbei and his son."

After hearing this, Marquis Jingchuan focused his attention, a hint of doubt flashing across his eyes. The next moment, he spoke in a deep voice, "Su Cheng'an has already led his army to completely encircle the twelve gates of the capital. If Your Highness wants to break through, the city defense forces will probably have to lose most of their troops to have a 50% chance of success. Is Your Highness really willing to pay such a high price?"

"Mother is naturally reluctant, but I have made up my mind. Uncle, please go and prepare. The sooner this happens, the better!"

Shenyou's face was serious and he showed an attitude that did not allow for any questioning.

Marquis Jingchuan wanted to say something more, but he saw Shenyou getting up to see him off. He suppressed his doubts, bowed and left.

At midnight that night, Marquis Jingchuan led the city defense troops and finally tore open one of the twelve gates at the cost of nearly 10,000 lives, and escorted Concubine Wei, who was dressed in black, out of the capital.

Among the hurriedly departing figures of the imperial concubine, there was a tall and handsome young man. When Marquis Jingchuan's eyes swept over the man, his pupils suddenly contracted. He was about to chase him to ask, but saw the young man wave his whip and quickly leave behind the imperial concubine.

After running several feet away, the young man turned around and shouted to Marquis Jingchuan, "Marquis Jingchuan, thank you for protecting the capital in the future!"

After saying this, he rode away.

At this moment, the shocked Marquis Jingchuan was hacked from behind by the angry Northern soldiers. He immediately fell off his horse with a loud shout.

When the city defense army saw their commander fall, they immediately became chaotic. They didn't even bother to carry away Jingchuan Hou who had fallen off his horse. They just swarmed around like headless flies, running around frantically.

The northern soldiers, who had received orders from the prince of Dingbei long ago, brandished their swords with great momentum and countered with a few fake moves, causing most of the city defense troops to rush out of the city gate. Only a small group of city defense troops who were slow to react and could only return to the city in disgrace.

The next day, the news that Crown Prince Shenyou and Concubine Wei and her son had escaped from the capital at night spread like wildfire, causing panic in the court and even greater confusion among the people in the city.

No one had expected that Crown Prince Shenyou would escape with his mother!

So, for whom were these people, who were prepared to fight to the death and protect the capital, fighting for? Was there any need to protect such a dynasty and such a crown prince?

For a time, everyone from high-ranking officials to common people were worried about having less food to eat, and they were psychologically hit hard by the crown prince, and their mental damage index soared to the extreme.

The object of allegiance is missing and faith has collapsed!

The remaining soldiers in the city were no more than 20,000 in total. How could they defeat the 100,000 brave northern border troops outside the city?

At this moment, Su Cheng'an ordered his soldiers to spread the news again that General Liu Zhongquan in the northwest and General Chen Guang in the south could not leave their posts without permission and could not lead troops back to support the capital because they had to resist foreign invasion.

The people in the capital, who had long been troubled by hunger, abandoned by the crown prince, and now had no military support, suddenly lost their last hope. Some sighed to the sky, some shed tears, some cursed, and some cried.

After a few more days in a daze, when everyone in the capital was ready to accept their fate and wait for death, the Prince of Dingbei ordered the soldiers in the northern border to send a notice to the capital.

"The emperor, filled with suspicion and mistrust, persecuted and wronged loyal ministers and generals who had served on the frontier for many years. As retribution, they eventually became incurably ill, their condition incurable, and their fate neared its end. Crown Prince Shenyou was selfish and greedy by nature, lacking any ambition. He only sought a comfortable and secure existence, completely disregarding the suffering of the people of the world and treating them as worthless. He had no regard for the country or compassion for the people."

"In the imperial court, treacherous officials, led by Chief Minister Li Wenyan and supported by Vice Minister of Personnel Li Boqian, controlled the government, forming cliques for personal gain, wantonly persecuting loyal officials and excluding dissidents. Factional strife intensified, leading to the collapse of government institutions, the disobedience of government orders, and the utter chaos of the court. Amidst this chaos, the people suffered greatly, being driven from their homes and displaced, their lives were unbearable, their livelihoods deteriorated, and widespread misery engulfed them."

"At this time of national crisis and suffering for the people, I, the Prince of Dingbei, have the whole nation at heart. I cannot bear to see the people suffer so much, so I personally lead one hundred thousand elite soldiers from the northern border, tirelessly marching thousands of miles south to encircle the capital. This time, we raise an army with the intention of changing the world, reshaping the world, and overthrowing the corrupt, decadent, and terminally ill Great Jin Dynasty."

"My army is marching south this time to avenge the people and punish the criminals, to eliminate violence and bring peace to the innocent, not to massacre. If the soldiers and civilians in the city surrender, I will treat them with kindness, protecting the lives and property of the people, and safeguarding the businesses of the merchants. I will ensure that the young and old are provided for, and that the able-bodied can pursue their careers. Soon, the city will be prosperous again, and we will all enjoy peace and happiness."

It's a long and eloquent article, and the main idea is to persuade the soldiers and civilians in the city to surrender peacefully!

When everyone in the city heard the news, except for a few people who had long-standing grudges against the North, who looked as sad as if they had lost their parents, the rest of the people were all happy.

After several months of suffering, everyone really couldn't bear it anymore. The father and son of King Dingbei were full of sincerity and had compassion for the people. Letting such a person be the emperor was a million times better than letting Crown Prince Shenyou abandon the city and flee.

In such a comparison, the images of King Dingbei and his son instantly became taller and more approachable.

On the first day of April, the gates of the capital were opened wide, and Li Wenyan, Li Boqian and some of their minions, who were tied up, were pushed to the gate by the crowd to welcome the 100,000-strong army of Prince Dingbei Su Cheng'an into the city.

Su Cheng'an, wearing armor and sitting high on his horse, surrounded by soldiers behind him, faced the first rays of morning sun and walked into this majestic and magnificent capital city with his head held high, thus starting the Daqian Dynasty that lasted for more than three hundred years.