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

Emperor Wenchu ​​looked at the tuft of black hair in his palm and felt a sharp pain in his flesh.

He only has so much hair, and if one falls out, it’s one less strand. If all of them fall out, won’t he have to wear a crown every day?

Is there any bald emperor in this world?

Seeing the eunuch kneeling on the ground and trembling, Emperor Wenchu ​​suddenly became furious:

"How dare you! You're making such a commotion in the palace, disturbing the Holy Emperor. Drag me out and beat me to death!"

The guards in front of the palace responded and stepped forward to arrest the man.

The eunuch was so frightened that he was scared out of his wits and pissed himself.

To save his life, he didn't care about anything else and immediately screamed at the top of his lungs, "Your Majesty, spare me! This is news from the King of Feng in the north!"

When Emperor Wenchu ​​heard the word "serve the king", he immediately calmed down as if a basin of ice water was poured over his head.

He quickly waved his hand to stop the guards: "Stop! Pull him back!"

The eunuch was dragged back into the palace, where he collapsed on the ground. His voice trembled with tears, "Your Majesty, news from the front lines: Prince Feng... has led his troops south, and the vanguard has already entered Xuzhou!"

"what?!"

Emperor Wenchu ​​only felt a blackness in front of his eyes and a buzzing in his ears, as if the whole world was spinning.

He staggered a step and managed to stand steady by holding onto the dragon table beside him.

His face turned pale as paper in an instant, his lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a word.

"What about Prime Minister Du? Is there any news about him?"

The eunuch replied tremblingly: "Your Majesty, there is no news."

No matter how stupid Emperor Wenchu ​​was, he finally reacted at this moment.

Du Fuchen has surrendered to the enemy!

If he was killed in a fit of rage by Li Che, at least the news should be spread to deter other counties.

Emperor Wenchu ​​suddenly felt a surge of anger rising in his heart. He no longer cared about the eunuch and immediately ordered a raid on the Du Mansion.

However, when they arrived at the Du Mansion, it was deserted.

Emperor Wenchu ​​was helpless. As a puppet emperor with no soldiers or power, he could only summon all the ministers to the palace to discuss matters.

However, the aristocratic families received the news earlier than Emperor Wenchu, and they gathered in the Xuanzheng Hall early.

Inside the Xuanzheng Hall, the atmosphere was oppressive, as if a storm was about to come.

Emperor Wenchu ​​sat slumped on the dragon throne, his face pale and his eyes dull.

His Highness and his ministers were silent, their faces pale.

"My...my ministers..." Emperor Wenchu's voice was hoarse and dry as he spoke slowly, "Xuzhou is in danger. What...what should we do?"

He looked down and felt more and more desperate.

None of the ministers from the noble families who usually talked loudly looked at him at this moment. They all lowered their heads, wishing they could shrink into their court robes.

After a long silence, an old minister stepped out tremblingly, his voice desolate: "Your Majesty...Xuzhou...I'm afraid it can't be saved."

"The Fengtian Army has been gathering momentum for a long time. This time they will march south with overwhelming force. However, our army has just suffered a defeat and morale is low. If we send more troops north to rescue them, we will probably be surrounded and killed by the Fengtian Army before we even reach Xuzhou!"

Although this sounds depressing, it is reality.

Immediately afterwards, more people echoed:

"Yes, Your Majesty, Xuzhou is isolated and cannot be rescued in time!"

"The top priority is to stabilize the Yangtze River defense line."

"Only by relying on the natural barrier of the Yangtze River can we keep the enemy out of our country!"

"Xuzhou has no strategic location to defend, what can we do?"

In the end, a helpless consensus was reached in the court: Xuzhou had to be given up.

There are no strategic locations to defend in the Central Plains. Faced with such a powerful enemy as the Fengtian Army, we can only allow him to advance straight ahead.

The court officials placed all their hopes on the Yangtze River flowing eastward.

China has two mother rivers, the Yellow River and the Yangtze River.

It is rare to hear that the Yellow River is a natural barrier, but the Yangtze River is a recognized natural barrier.

The reason for this is largely due to climate. The Yellow River freezes in winter, allowing soldiers to cross it easily, but the Yangtze River does not.

In addition to ice, there is also the reason of width. The surface of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River is 800 to 1,000 meters wide, and some areas in the lower reaches can even reach 2,000 to 3,000 meters.

Not only is the river wide, but the water flow is also large, which means that the Yangtze River cannot be crossed by simply building a bridge.

Therefore, in the minds of court officials, the Yangtze River is much more reliable than a million-strong army.

Emperor Wenchu ​​listened to his ministers talking to each other, and finally felt a chill all over his body as the cruel fact of giving up Xuzhou was placed before him.

He waved his hand feebly, his tone weak, and said, "Since that is the case, I will follow the advice of the ministers and send an order to the Xuzhou garrison... to hold their ground and await reinforcements as appropriate."

At this moment, Qin Huizhi, who had been silent all the time, stepped out again.

"Your Majesty," Qin Huizhi said with a bow, "The Fengtian army is powerful, and the battle is dangerous."

"Although the Yangtze River defense line is a natural barrier, the situation on the battlefield changes rapidly, and there is no such thing as a foolproof plan."

"Your Majesty is a person of ten thousand gold, and your life is the foundation of the country. You cannot stand under a dangerous wall."

Emperor Wenchu ​​felt a pang of anxiety, vaguely guessing what Qin Huizhi was about to say. He sat up straight and asked, "What does Prime Minister Qin mean?"

Qin Huizhi took a deep breath and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I beg you to consider temporarily leaving the capital and taking refuge in the south for the sake of the country!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers were excited and started discussing it immediately.

"Southern Tour?" Emperor Wenchu ​​was also stunned.

"Exactly!" Qin Huizhi explained, "My Daqing is located in the heart of the south of the Yangtze River. The city walls are high and the moats are deep. The people are prosperous and well-off."

"Your Majesty, you can move there. First, it will keep you away from the front lines, ensuring your safety. Second, it will stabilize the people of Jiangnan and demonstrate the court's determination to live and die with Jiangnan. Third..."

"If, I mean if, the Yangtze River is lost, Your Majesty, in the south, can continue to rally the troops from all over the country, regroup, and slowly recover!"

Some officials who still had some courage showed indignation on their faces, but dared not speak out.

The eyes of more ministers in the south lit up, and they all echoed:

"Prime Minister Qin is experienced in planning state affairs. Your Majesty's southern tour is indeed the best strategy!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, if Xuzhou is lost, the capital will be too close to the front line, which is really dangerous!"

"Your Majesty, please put the country first and stay out of the spotlight for now!"

"The emperor is on a southern tour, so the soldiers at the front can devote themselves to fighting."

Emperor Wenchu ​​sat on the dragon throne, struggling in his heart.

On the one hand, Qin Huizhi's words touched his heart, and he was really afraid.

Afraid of Li Che, afraid of the Fengtian Army, and even more afraid of death!

Being able to leave the imperial capital, which could be affected by war at any time, and run to the safe south was a fatal attraction to him.

On the other hand, the last bit of his imperial dignity was aching again.

How long has he been on the throne?

If they had abandoned the capital and fled upon the arrival of the Fengtian Army, how would history record it? How would future generations judge them?

Of course, Emperor Wenchu ​​was a puppet and didn't care much about his future evaluation.

The key point is that he himself cannot make the decision on such a big matter.

Finally, Emperor Wenchu ​​opened his mouth, but waved his hand dejectedly and said weakly:

"This matter is of great importance. Please allow me to think about it again..."