In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Faced with Yang Zheng's ruthless and physical genocide, the officials present were all horrified.

Therefore, no matter how unwilling they were, no matter how selfish they were, they had no choice but to do their best to help the court and protect the capital.

However, most of their tribesmen had already been wiped out in the war, and now that Yang Zheng's army was at the city gates, they had no soldiers left and no good options...

Prime Minister Fan Jiu frowned, turned to look at Guan Wuhou, who was silent in the hall as if he were invisible, and asked, "Now that the army has besieged the city, the court is in a critical moment of survival. I wonder if Guan Wuhou has any solutions?"

It's fine for the officials present to fight for power and scheme against each other, but they know nothing about warfare. So, even though many people secretly cursed Guan Yu for dereliction of duty, no one dared to punish him at this time. Guan Yu was the only person the court could find with the ability to lead troops. They still needed to rely on Guan Yu to defend the capital and protect their own lives. If Guan Yu were punished now, the capital would probably be completely finished.

Upon hearing Fan Jiu's question, Cui Wu did not answer immediately but remained silent.

Cui Wu came from a humble family. After coming of age, he joined the army by chance and showed remarkable military talent. He repeatedly made meritorious contributions and was eventually granted the title of Marquis of Guanwu, bringing glory to his ancestors.

However, that was many years ago. Now, Cui Wu is over sixty and has been idle at home for many years, having long lost the vigor and spirit of his youth.

However, his leadership skills only grew stronger with age. Leading tens of thousands of troops from various powerful families, he held off Yang Zheng's 400,000-strong army for several months, causing heavy losses to the Yang family army.

But this was already Cui Wu's limit. His opponent had an army of 400,000, and could continuously reinforce them from the rear. On the other hand, the imperial court's army of tens of thousands was pieced together from various families. With such a huge disparity in troop strength, even if Cui Wu was very capable, he could not possibly defeat Yang Zheng.

Therefore, Cui Wu did not feel that he had failed in his duty. On the contrary, there were many voices in the capital criticizing him. Although there were no such voices in the court, Cui Wu knew that both the officials present and the emperor on the dragon throne were very dissatisfied with him. It was only at this time that they still needed to rely on him, otherwise he would have been imprisoned and punished long ago.

Cui Wu didn't say anything about this. Even ordinary people know the principle of repaying a drop of kindness with a spring of gratitude, so how could Cui Wu not know it?

Although the current court is incompetent, it is undeniable that the court has indeed shown him great favor. He would not betray the court, nor would he have any complaints against the court or the emperor.

only……

Does this dynasty really have any chance of survival?

Meeting the gazes of Prime Minister Fan Jiu and others, Cui Wu sighed inwardly and said, "The best course of action now is to hold the city and defend it to the death. There are still several thousand soldiers in the city and plenty of food. If we can call on the people in the city to help defend it, it should not be difficult to hold the capital."

Because of the presence of martial artists in Kyushu, city walls are often built quite high. As the number one city in the world, the capital city is no exception, with walls over 30 meters high, enough to make any army that attempts to breach the city feel hopeless.

Of course, city walls alone are not enough; people are needed to guard the city, and the capital city clearly has no shortage of people.

Even after removing the elderly, the infirm, the disabled, women and children, the number of able-bodied people in the city still exceeds 200 out of the 50 million people living there!

These 500,000 able-bodied men may not be as capable as well-trained regular soldiers, but they can still assist in defending the city.

"This plan is feasible."

Fan Jiu nodded slightly. His thoughts were similar to Cui Wu's, the only difference being that Cui Wu was calling on the people to defend the city, while Fan Jiu was thinking of forcibly ordering the able-bodied men in the city to defend it.

"But defending the city is not a long-term solution."

Fan Jiu changed the subject, saying, "If Yang Zheng doesn't retreat soon, won't we be trapped and die inside the city?"

Although the capital city had a large amount of grain stored up, it was not unlimited and could only last for a few months at most.

Moreover, as a megacity with a population of 200 million, the capital city relies heavily on external transportation for many supplies. If the siege lasts too long, chaos will inevitably break out within the city.

"Prime Minister Fan can rest assured on this point. With Yang mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops, the logistical pressure must be immense, and he will certainly not be able to fight for long."

As a general with rich combat experience, Guan Wuhou knew very well that Yang Zheng, who had mobilized 500,000 troops, would face considerable logistical pressure. Moreover, winter was approaching, and the cold weather and snow-covered roads would make the transportation of supplies even more difficult.

Yang Zheng might be able to hold out for a month or two, but he absolutely cannot hold out for three months, four months, or even half a year.

Not to mention, Yang Zheng also has to face pressure from the White Lotus Sect and the Yuzhou rebels. With three fronts to fight, it's only a matter of time before Yang Zheng has to retreat.

Of course, Yang Zheng's withdrawal was contingent on...

The capital can be defended.

"What Guan Wuhou said is correct."

An official from the Ministry of War said, "Yang Zheng may seem powerful, but he is actually weak inside. In the previous battles, Yang Zheng lost no less than 100,000 troops. With the addition of 200,000 reinforcements, Yang Zheng has mobilized more than 600,000 troops this time. 600,000 soldiers and horses can easily overwhelm Yang Zheng!"

"That's right! Besides Jingzhou, Yang's Qingzhou and Mingzhou are also at war. With a three-front war, Yang will definitely not be able to hold out for long. We only need to hold the capital for a month, and Yang will definitely retreat. At that time, we can slowly make our move!"

"How should we proceed gradually?"

"We will recruit soldiers and horses to completely drive Yang Zheng out of Jingzhou."

"We must not only drive Yang out of Jingzhou, but also completely annihilate him."

"..."

Cui Wu's speech seemed to give the officials in the hall some confidence. They were all excited and began to discuss the specific details of defending the city.

However, Yang Zheng clearly wouldn't give them much time.

Outside the capital, two enormous figures hovered in the sky. After a moment, they slowly landed on an open area in the military camp outside the city.

Yang Zheng, who had been waiting there, felt a strong gust of air rush towards him, making his clothes flutter. His personal guards couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"How can this bird be so big?"

"Could this be the legendary divine bird?"

"The divine bird has returned!"

"This bird is truly terrifying."

"..."

Yang Zheng's personal guards had seen Chi Yan I and Chi Yan II before, and it was precisely because they had seen Chi Yan I and Chi Yan II that they were so shocked at this moment.

because……

At this time, Crimson Flame One and Crimson Flame Two had changed drastically. Their feathers had become as white as snow, just like the legendary celestial birds without any blemishes. Their streamlined figures gave them an otherworldly feel.