We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

"Who else wants to leave the military token?!"

The remaining generals dared not hesitate any longer, and all knelt on one knee, shouting hoarsely:

"I am willing to fight to the death with the general! I swear to live and die with Luoyang!"

Dugu Hong knew that the army's morale could only be temporarily consolidated by fear.

He is not good at attacking, but better at defending the city, but precisely because of this, he would choose to burn his boats.

From his perspective, he saw no possibility of winning if he continued to defend.

He had hoped to wait for reinforcements, but three days ago he received intelligence:

Rencheng had already fallen, and Fengtian Army generals Wang Sanchun and Chen Pingzhi were gradually occupying the entire Yanzhou.

My own escape route is completely cut off...

Thinking of this, Dugu Hong said no more and gave the order in a deep voice:

"Order the troops to have a good meal and check their weapons!"

"Except for the garrison on duty, all troops will follow me out of the city and defeat the enemy at dawn!"

"Here!"

. . . . . .

As the dawn light dispelled the darkness of night, the city gates were slowly pushed open with the harsh creaking sound of capstans.

The defending soldiers who had already gathered in the gate rushed out like a flood at the urging and scolding of the officers.

Dugu Hong, wearing a helmet and armor, stood under the banner of the central army, his eyes full of determination.

He wanted to personally lead this army in a desperate battle to attack the Fengtian Army's indestructible camp.

This battle is not about winning or losing, but about being determined to die in order to establish a lifelong reputation for loyalty!

Almost at the same time as the city gates opened, several soup kitchens in the city began their daily routine relief efforts.

Compared with the past, the order today is obviously more chaotic.

The number of soldiers responsible for maintaining order has been sharply reduced. Most of the elite soldiers have been drafted to accompany the army to war, and most of the remaining ones are old, weak, sick and disabled.

The soldiers were absent-minded, and the officials who distributed porridge were even more perfunctory.

The porridge in the bucket was so thin that you could see your reflection in it. The spoon stirred it randomly, and you could clearly see sand and bran mixed in the porridge that was scooped out.

The queue of people was getting longer and longer, and those at the back were looking forward anxiously, fearing that the porridge would be sold out by the time it was their turn.

"Why is it so slow today?!"

"Hurry up, those in front, you've had your meal, but we're still hungry."

"Why is this porridge thinner today than yesterday? Can it fill anyone up?"

"Don't crowd us! Where are all the soldiers? No one cares!"

"You rascal! Someone come! He touched me and hit me!"

Resentment accumulated rapidly under the catalysis of hunger and panic, and even the most docile people became irritable under the influence of this atmosphere.

Just like locusts, a single one is harmless, but when they gather together, they become a plague, each one is violent and poisonous.

At this moment, a strong man in the middle of the line suddenly pushed forward and knocked over a broken bowl in the hand of a woman in front of him.

The turbid porridge soup spilled all over the floor.

"Ouch! My porridge!" the woman cried out in pain.

The man didn't care and rushed to the porridge bucket. In front of everyone's astonished eyes, he reached out and overturned the half-full porridge bucket.

bang-

The boiling hot porridge soup spilled everywhere, scalding the people nearby and making them scream.

"Stop lining up!" the man roared, drowning out the noise. "Look! Is this what the officials gave us to eat?"

"The water used to wash the pot is half-mixed with sand, and each person only gets a small spoonful. Is that enough to fill the gaps between your teeth?"

"All the soldiers have run away, leaving us to die in the city. How can we live like this?!"

The man's words were not at all inflammatory, and anyone with a keen eye could tell that he did it on purpose.

However, the people's resentment has been accumulated for a long time, like a powder keg. Once a spark is ignited, the resentment will explode instantly!

"That's right! This is not food for humans!"

"None of the officials are good!"

"Grab it! If you don't grab it, you won't have anything to eat!"

"Fight them!"

"Who touched me just now? Why are you touching me?!"

The crowd was completely out of control. The people at the back who didn't know what was going on heard the shouts of grabbing from the front and also rushed forward frantically!

More porridge buckets were pushed over, sheds were torn down, and the clerks in charge of distributing the porridge were knocked to the ground by the surging crowd. The soldiers wanted to suppress the crowd but were completely powerless.

The officers at the scene were shocked and angry. They drew their swords and shouted, "Rebellion! Rebellion! Capture the ringleader!"

However, the scene was already in chaos, and amid the surging crowd, how could anyone find the man who had started the trouble first?

He had already taken advantage of the chaos to quietly break away from the crowd and slip into the narrow alley next to it.

In the alley.

The man quickly took off his tattered cloak, revealing a tight and neat dark suit.

He rolled up his cloak deftly and stuffed it under a broken basket in the corner.

At this moment, a white figure flashed by, almost blending into the shadow of the wall, and appeared silently behind him.

The man was startled and a sharp blade popped out of his hand with a "swish".

But when he saw the face of the person who came, his face suddenly showed surprise, and he lowered his voice and called out: "Brother!"

"You're so impatient! You're also a Night's Watchman now!" Bai Ying scolded in a low voice, and suppressed the man's hidden blade.

This white shadow was none other than a squad leader among the Night's Watch, and that man was naturally also a Night's Watch member who had been lurking in the city a long time ago.

The two are brothers. The elder brother had been hiding here long before Emperor Qing passed away. After all, Luoyang is one of the largest cities in Daqing.

The one who caused the riot was the younger brother, who had sneaked into the city before martial law was imposed in Luoyang.

My brother asked in a low voice, "What's the situation?"

The man quickly suppressed his smile and said seriously, "We've successfully aroused public anger. The East Gate, the biggest hotspot, is in chaos. The rebels over there are entangled by the people and can't take care of anything else for a while."

My brother nodded slightly and looked in several other directions in the distance.

Similar noises could be faintly heard from other porridge-making places in the city.

Apparently, brothers from other groups also succeeded.

The food and leaflets shot into the city by the Fengtian Army were fuel, and they, the night watchmen, were the ones who ignited the fire at the right time.

"We don't need to intervene here anymore," my brother said calmly. "The people are brave for a moment, but lack organization. They won't accomplish anything significant and will be suppressed soon."

He turned his head and looked towards the city gate.

"Gather everyone and gather toward the city gate according to the predetermined plan."

"Okay, brother!" The man responded excitedly subconsciously, rubbing his hands together.

The Night Watch Captain immediately glared at him with a stern look: "Huh?!"

The man shuddered and stood at attention: "Yes! Captain!"

My brother said no more. The white shadow flashed and merged into the shadows again, as if he had never appeared.

The man did not dare to delay. He took a deep breath and sneaked towards the agreed meeting point quickly along the shadow of the wall like a nimble cat.