Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Kill the tyrannical ruler! Overthrow the tyranny!"

"Kill the tyrannical ruler! Overthrow the tyranny!"

In late May, outside the capital of Wu, an army of 500,000 bandits completely surrounded the city of Wu.

Standing atop the city wall and looking out, all you see is a sea of ​​people stretching endlessly, as if reaching the ends of the earth.

In an instant, the bandits' slogans resounded throughout the heavens and the earth, startling the soldiers guarding the city walls into trembling fear.

The bandit army had a wide variety of weapons, including those made by the Wu Kingdom and their own farm tools.

The composition of those seeking abortions is also quite extreme, including elderly people in their sixties and seventies, women and children over thirty, and even children as young as seven or eight.

They were all emaciated, but their eyes were filled with a deep-seated hatred for this dynasty.

Shi Xiushuang and Fang Hanshan, two bandit leaders, stood on a distant hill, gazing coldly at the capital of the empire.

Eleven months after the uprising began, the bandit army had gained momentum. After defeating Hu Ruzhen, the last famous general of Wu, they burned, killed, and looted their way to the capital.

Once this last wall is breached, a change of dynasty seems imminent.

The soldiers guarding the city walls of Wu County were trembling with fear, and the eunuchs in charge of supervising the troops were all at a loss for what to do.

As for the commander of the defending army, he had already abandoned his troops and returned to his mansion after receiving news that the bandits were at the city gates, closing the gates and hiding himself away.

The supervising officer, Su Zhenwei, only glanced at the city wall before immediately shrinking back in fright and speaking in a hoarse, duck-like voice to the other two eunuchs.

"It's over, we're going to die here this time. There are just too many bandits, and I'm afraid the capital can't be defended."

Upon hearing this, another eunuch, Huang Hao, immediately said, "Grandfather, don't back down! We men are all counting on you to give us a way to survive."

"What ancestors? At a time like this, why are you still talking about ancestors?"

Su Zhenwei glanced at the cowardly soldiers on the city wall and shook his head, saying, "Look at these idiots, aren't they all scared out of their wits? How are we supposed to fight this battle now?"

Huang Hao thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "Ancestor, at this point, shouldn't you show us men a way to survive?"

"We've served the Emperor for over a decade, working ourselves to the bone every day, yet we haven't even enjoyed a single day of peace and quiet. To die like this is truly unacceptable."

Su Zhenwei's eyes turned cold: "Spit it out if you have something to say. What time is it? Stop trying to hide things from us."

Huang Hao thought for a moment, then whispered, "Ancestor, things have come to this point, there's no other way. Actually, we've done more than enough for the Sage, so why don't we..."

He glanced cautiously outside the city, then leaned down beside Su Zhenwei: "Why don't we surrender?"

"You, you want to betray the Sage? You have some nerve!" Su Zhenwei's eyes widened. "This is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family. Believe me, I'll be the first to use you as a sacrifice!"

"Ancestors, we're a bunch of spineless people, what do we have to do with nine generations of relatives?"

They're only doing this to save their lives, and besides, if they don't surrender now...

"Once the bandits breach the city, won't they all die anyway?"

Upon hearing Huang Hao's words, Su Zhenwei glanced at the other eunuchs.

They all looked on with expectant eyes, hoping to make a decision soon.

Just as Su Zhenwei was hesitating, Shi Xiushuang's voice rang out from outside the city again.

“Brothers on the city wall, you and I are all citizens of this Wu Kingdom. If we had any way to survive, we wouldn’t be in this situation now.”

“Although we are bandits, we were forced to rebel. As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. As long as you open the city gates and let us in, I guarantee that the army will not commit any offenses against us once it enters the city.”

"Don't worry, we just want an explanation from that tyrannical emperor. We won't make things difficult for anyone who is not involved!"

"I advise you not to make things difficult for us, otherwise, once war breaks out, there will be more bloodshed and death. I think none of us want to see such a cruel scene, right?"

The soldiers guarding the city walls had long lost their will to fight, and upon hearing Shi Xiushuang's offer of surrender, they were even more determined to open the city gates and surrender.

In fact, many soldiers harbored considerable resentment.

At such a critical juncture, the imperial court only provided the defending troops with two meals a day, which consisted of rice porridge containing mud and sand. Not only was it unpalatable, it also failed to fill their stomachs.

Meanwhile, the officials in the imperial court continued to eat lavish meals every day, completely disregarding their own safety.

Thinking of this, the morale of the defending troops on the city wall became even more volatile.

Su Zhenwei keenly sensed the change in the soldiers' mood and immediately shouted to the outside of the city.

"Chief, can you really guarantee that you won't harm the people once you enter the city?"

"Don't worry! We rebels are all from humble backgrounds, born of mothers and fathers. How could we possibly harm ordinary people? Open the city gates now!"

Having received the promise, Su Zhenwei no longer hesitated.

"Alright, I hope the chieftain will keep his promise. We'll open the city gates now and welcome the righteous army into the city!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Xiushuang almost burst out laughing on the spot.

I thought the capital city was fortified and its walls were thick, making it extremely difficult to capture.

Unexpectedly, he won them over with just a few words?

Squeak——

The heavy winch slowly turned as the twenty guards worked together to push it.

The suspension bridge outside the city gate then slowly descended.

The next moment, the city gates swung open.

Su Zhenwei and his eunuchs, along with the garrison officers and soldiers, immediately lined up in two rows to respectfully welcome the "righteous army" into the city.

"The city has fallen!"

Upon witnessing this scene, someone in the bandit army shouted out.

"Oooooooo-"

In an instant, the bandit army roared like wild beasts.

"Brothers, we won!"

"Oooooooo-"

Upon seeing this, Fang Hanshan, who was in the rear guard, gave an order, and the bandits, like locusts, howled and rushed towards the open city gate.

……

At this moment, outside the north gate of Wu County, the Sage Wu Ji, along with a group of relatives and escorted by three thousand imperial guards, fled the capital a night ahead of schedule.

When he learned that the bandit army was about to approach the city, he claimed that he would personally stand on the city wall to protect the country, but at the same time he packed his valuables and prepared to flee.

After everything was settled, Wu Ji immediately appointed his fourteen-year-old son, Wu Quan, as crown prince, entrusting him with the duties of the emperor and temporarily appointing him as regent to guard the capital.

Then Wu Ji led a group of relatives and concubines to flee out of the city overnight.

Those who fled with them included members of prominent families in the city, among whom was Xu Qian.

The group consisted of nearly 10,000 men, women, and soccer players, making for a truly spectacular scene.

In the blink of an eye, Wu Ji was ten miles away from the capital. He looked back and confirmed that the bandits had not pursued him.

But then they saw thick black smoke rising into the sky above the capital city in the distance.

"My capital city, just like that, gone?"

The thought that his palace, which he had spent a fortune to build, had fallen into the hands of bandits filled Wu Ji with a strange pang of heartache.

As for the common people, it should be their honor to sacrifice themselves for a saint.

Xu Qian, standing to the side, advised, "Sage, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood. One day, we will take back everything we have lost."

Wu Ji grabbed Xu Qian's hand, a rare hint of panic flashing in his eyes: "Tell me, where should we go now? Where is it safe?"

Xu Qian comforted him, saying, "My lord, the only option now is to seek help from the Chu army."

"What? The Chu army?" Wu Ji was taken aback. "You mean going to Jianjia Pass to find Shen Lang?"

"That's right. I think the Empress of Chu will take in the Sage because we were once friendly nations. However, I'm afraid Shen Lang will take advantage of the Sage's misfortune."

Wu Ji frowned and pondered for a long time before finally waving his hand.

"Is there really no other way? I am the supreme ruler, possessing the body of an immortal, yet I have to beg for survival from a mere commoner? This is utterly disgraceful."

Xu Qian shook his head: "Sage, this is only a temporary measure. Right now, there is nothing safer than finding Shen Lang."

Wu Ji curled his lip and lectured, "Then let's go! As a sage, the Empress of Chu will surely treat us well."

As for Shen Lang, he's just a military man, so I doubt he'd dare do anything to me!

Once you arrive in Chu, you must fulfill your duties as good friends and allies, and not act recklessly as you did with Great Wu.

"After all, that's their territory. We're dependent on them and need their strength. So, all of you, behave yourselves. Do you understand?"

"Your subject will humbly follow the teachings of the sage."

Wu Ji nodded and then asked, "Once we arrive in Chu, I must make up for the cultivation I've lost these past few days. Would it be too much for the Empress to build a Taoist temple for me in the palace?"

Everyone fell silent, no one daring to answer the question.

Wu Ji, however, said to himself, "She should agree. After all, I am a saint. At worst,..."

"I will reluctantly offer this prayer for the Kingdom of Chu as well, and ask Heaven to bless the Empress of Great Chu so that she may secure her throne."

Upon hearing these words, Xu Qian and the others' eyelids twitched.

They discovered that Wu Ji's mental state seemed to be somewhat abnormal.

I don't know if this was caused by being provoked by bandits or by consuming too many elixirs...