Chapter 535 Unknown Battle
At the beginning, no one could explain the whole battle process. They only remembered that they were fighting with blood, traveling hard, and looking for their own people while looking for the enemy, but everyone had a similar feeling: at some point, the enemy soldiers They began to escape, not at the same time, but one after another.
Not long after dawn, everyone "remembered" more facts and patted their chests to ensure that the enemy army was scared away by the momentum of the Chu army.
Han Ruzi gathered the scattered soldiers everywhere, and he was quickly recognized. He no longer dared to accompany him everywhere, and immediately divided a group of people to escort the emperor to the capital.
Han Ruzi refused, and still ran around the battlefield on horseback. He wanted to regroup the army and search for Meng E.
Meng E is gone. With her ability, she will never be lost. There is only one possibility, she will leave without saying goodbye.
Nearly noon, there were four or five thousand soldiers gathered. Han Ruzi gave up the search and began to concentrate on investigating the battle situation, hoping to find out the situation as soon as possible and make plans for the next step.
A small group of soldiers came out of the city. They didn’t mean to be neglectful. It was because the gates of the city were blocked, so it was difficult for the enemy to enter, and it was difficult for the people inside to come out.
"Wait a little longer, find Taifu Cui and the whereabouts of the enemy."
The inside of the city is condescending, although they can't see more clearly, they have the advantage of being on the sidelines, and they have been fighting with the siege for many days and understand the habits of the enemy army, "the enemy army is withdrawing."
Last night, the drums of the Chu army sounded, and even the capital couldn't tell how many reinforcements there were. I was excited, but I couldn't come out to help. Moreover, the siege situation at that time had not eased, and the enemy soldiers were still attacking frantically, not in one direction. Just go the other way.
I can't tell when, probably after Zi Shi, an army that was attacking the city suddenly chose to retreat. At first, it was orderly, and before leaving the sight of the defending side, it became a bird and beast scattered.
Strangely, from the point of view of the defending soldiers, the retreat of the enemy troops did not gradually spread, but in the east and west. In the darkness, each enemy army could not communicate with each other, and they all made their own decisions for more than an hour. In the future, they will form a fugitive army, and no one will be able to stop them.
But this was not a collapse. Soon someone used a gong to send orders to restrain the enemy soldiers from retreating in the same direction.
Han Ruzi found the lost guards, they lost the emperor, they were running around with the heart of death, and they all cried with joy when they saw that the emperor was still alive.
Chao Jing also ran over, but he didn't worry about the emperor, "Ma Da chased an enemy army, I don't know where it went."
In a small earth ditch, the soldiers found Cui Hong, Minister of War.
Cui Hong was guarded by several personal soldiers, and his face was pale. After a hundred soldiers gathered around him, he quickly regained his composure and immediately issued a series of orders. It is difficult to say what the use of these orders is, but it can stabilize people's hearts and let the soldiers understand that everything is under control. .
When he arrived in front of the emperor, Cui Hong had basically restored the power of the Minister of War.
Kneeling and kowtowing to the emperor, Cui Hong continued to give orders, which were very simple, nothing more than finding people, collecting flags, cleaning the battlefield, and even asking a few soldiers to go to find the emperor's mount.
"The enemy is fleeing, please take advantage of the victory to pursue, and do not give the enemy a chance to breathe." Cui Hong asked to fight.
Han Ruzi was a little hesitant, "It is said that the enemy army is not broken, and the number is still large..."
"As soon as the morale dissipates, no matter how many soldiers there are, there will be a rabble. This opportunity cannot be missed. Please make a decision quickly, Your Majesty."
One of the personal soldiers said boldly, "Master Taifu, you have been fighting the enemy for a long time, and you have killed countless enemy soldiers. You really can't be tired any more."
"Presumptuous, what are you saying about fatigue at this time? Even if you die, you have to die on the way to chase the enemy." Cui Hong shouted angrily at his personal soldiers, and then cupped his hands to the emperor: "Your Majesty, please give an order, I only need to lead a soldier. Wan, if the enemy army is ready, I will choose the opportunity to retreat."
It was rare for Cui Hong to take the initiative to ask for battle, so Han Ruzi had to agree, "Teacher can't force it, if you can fight, you will fight, if you can't fight, you will retreat."
"According to the purpose." Cui Hong led people away in a hurry.
When Cui Hong walked away a little, Chao Jing whispered to the emperor: "Teacher has been fighting for a long time, and his body is very clean. The mud on his face seems to have been smeared by himself."
"Just look at the outline, don't ask about the subsections." Han Ruzi had no intention of pursuing the truth. Cui Hong was not a general who charged into battle. Be brave, there is no need to be demanding.
The emperor himself, although covered in blood, was hiding in Tibet most of the night.
"What about you? How many enemy soldiers did you kill?" Han Ruzi asked.
Chao Jing patted his chest, "Look at the blood on my body, all of them belong to the enemy, at least ten of them, don't look at me being small, but I'm flexible, cat on the waist, before the enemy soldiers can't notice, go up with a knife... …”
Chao Whale's words were hysterical.
In the afternoon, there was finally definite news that the enemy army was retreating to Xiaozhou City, the number of which was unknown, and the armor and armor were thrown away along the way, and the vehicles and baggage were piled up along the road.
Han Ruzi was alert, and immediately sent someone to chase Taifu Cui Hong, ordering him to slow down and not chase too closely.
What the capital had done was to stand guard, and it would be more troublesome to clean up. It was only after nightfall that a passage was opened for the troops to enter and leave.
When Han Ruzi entered the city, there were no ceremonial guards, no dragon chariots, no banners, only a team of exhausted, hungry and cold soldiers followed, from the emperor to the soldiers, as if they had drilled out of the ground.
But it was such a team that received the most ceremonious welcome. All the officials who stayed in the capital, from the prime minister to the ninth-rank minor officials, lined up to kneel and worship. In the distance, the voices of "long live" came one after another, although not neat, but more real.
Han Ruzi immediately dismounted and personally helped Zhuo Ruhe and several other ministers.
The rules cannot be as complete as they used to be, and they still have to be followed in the end. Han Ruzi entered the Tongxuan Hall surrounded by ministers. Here he announced that the enemy army has not been wiped out. We set off early in the morning to support Cui Hong, Minister of War.
The army needs rest, the emperor also needs it, and there are more important things to do. After passing the decree, he immediately entered the palace to greet the queen mother.
There were fewer people in the palace, and Liu Jie, the supervisor of the Central Division, welcomed the emperor and led the way to the Cining Palace.
Empress Dowager Cining and Wang's family were all there. Han Ruzi rushed to his mother and knelt down and apologized. All the relatives fell to the ground and wept bitterly.
The most calm person was the Empress Dowager Cining, who asked for a towel from the palace maid, wiped the dust off the emperor's face in person, and said with a smile, "My son is fine, Your Majesty is fine."
Han Ruzi got up, said a few words, and asked, "Where's Cishun Palace? I should take a look."
Empress Dowager Cining said to her family: "You all step back, I will talk to His Majesty."
The Wang family resigned, and Han Ruzi personally helped his grandfather to the door.
"The empress dowager Shangguan passed away." When there was no outsider in the house, the empress dowager Cining said calmly.
Han Ruzi was startled, "When did it happen?"
"Just last night, I heard that the enemy army broke through the city gate, and the empress dowager Shangguan committed suicide by hanging on the beam, and ordered the eunuch to burn the body to avoid humiliation after death."
Han Ruzi was shocked, "This... How could the Empress Dowager Shangguan do such a thing?"
The Empress Dowager Cining stared at the emperor, "It's not surprising, these days, everyone in the palace is ready to commit suicide. I also have a sword and a long silk in my room. I prefer to use a sword. The eunuch is fighting for a deep well in the palace."
Han Ruzi still couldn't understand what the Empress Dowager Shangguan did, "but the others didn't commit suicide."
Empress Dowager Cining was silent for a while, and then asked, "Your Majesty has seen Meng E."
"seen."
"She didn't say anything to His Majesty?"
Han Ruzi slowly shook his head, "She fought with me last night, and then got separated. So far, her whereabouts are unknown. Earlier...she didn't say anything special. What does this have to do with her?"
"She's really a strict girl, but unfortunately..." Empress Dowager Cining sighed, "Go down and ask Jing Yao, I can still see Your Majesty, I have no regrets, it's time to rest for a while."
"Yes, Empress Dowager." Han Ruzi stepped back in confusion and returned to his own bedroom. He wanted Liu Jie to pass on Jing Yao immediately, but there were priorities, so he had to take care of other things first.
"Wake me up in an hour."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Liu Jie didn't look tired, although he probably hadn't slept all day and night.
"Liu Gong has worked hard." Han Ruzi said.
"Your Majesty led the troops to fight hard outside, the Prime Minister led the troops to defend the inside, and the ministers did nothing, just waiting for news in the palace, where is the hard work."
Han Ruzi smiled and said nothing more. He had to rest for a while so that he could gather energy to deal with more things.
An hour later, almost at the same time as Liu Jie's voice, Han Ruzi woke up.
Dizziness and headache, more painful than before sleep, but more energetic.
"Chuan Jingyao, you all go with me to the Palace of Diligence."
It was late at night, and Prime Minister Zhuo Ruhe and others were still guarding the Hall of Qinzheng.
"Master Cui sent someone to send the news that he has led his troops to Baiqiao Town, occupied an enemy camp, and is going to rest for the night before chasing the enemy. The minister also sent someone to send the message of His Majesty, please Taifu Cui wait for a while and wait for the capital to defend. After the army catches up tomorrow, we will march together." Zhuo Ruhe briefly reported the situation.
Han Ruzi glanced around, his eyes fell on Qu Zixi, he nodded slightly, and then asked the prime minister, "Who made the policy of defending the city?"
Zhuo Ruhe would not rob the merits, so he turned sideways and said, "Yushi Qu is solely responsible for defending the city."
Only then did Qu Zixi speak, "This minister is in charge of defending the city, but there are other people who come up with ideas. Building a wall inside the wall is a plan of flowers, and attacking fire with fire is a plan of gratitude."
Han Ruzi was quite surprised, "After that, who would dare to say that he knew someone?"
Qu Zixi said, "If Your Majesty didn't have a benevolent heart and practiced tolerance, there would be no chance for Hua Bin and others to make contributions today."
Han Ruzi discussed matters with the ministers in the Qinzheng Hall, and formulated a series of decrees. It was not until the early morning when he heard that the defenders of the capital had begun to leave the city.
When Han Ruzi returned to the harem, Liu Jie and others followed. In the palace, Han Ruzi retreated from everyone, leaving Jing Yao alone.
"Why did the Empress Dowager Shangguan commit suicide?" Han Ruzi asked directly.
Jing Yao knelt down, "Does Your Majesty want to start over?"
"Um."
"This matter starts with the death of Emperor Si."