nucmednet Chapter 661 Reflection and Breaking the Impasse
Chapter 661 Reflection and Breaking the Impasse
Zhu Meichu panicked upon hearing this: "Are you trying to be a hero? I can only take you with me at most, not so many people. If you stay with them, you'll all die!"
Lin San also advised, "General, you should go with her. We'll find another way to break out. The Qionghai Army can do without us, but it can't do without you. If anything happens to you during the breakout, the Qionghai Army is finished."
Qin Tian patted his chest and said, "General, we're tough and resilient, we might not die from being hit by cannon fire, but your life is far more important than ours. We can't afford any mistakes. You go first, we'll hold them off here!"
Seeing that everyone had spoken, Yan Guang hesitated for a moment before also making his statement: "Please, General, consider the overall situation!"
Liu Ye did not answer immediately, but looked at Liang Xiaoming.
Liang Xiaoming gritted his teeth: "To be honest, I'm afraid of dying too. But you're the backbone of everyone, so I can't let you stay and let me go first. Even if I'm willing, the others might not be. You go first. If I die a heroic death, remember to take good care of Liu Ru and Xiang Jun for me. Having a brother like you in this life is worth it. Let's be brothers again in the next life!"
Liu Ye finally spoke: "As the saying goes, 'A strong wind reveals the strength of the grass, and a country in turmoil reveals the loyalty of its ministers.' At this critical juncture of life and death, I am very gratified to see everyone thinking of me so much."
Everyone fell silent, awaiting his decision.
"I have to admit that I am the one who caused this predicament today. The smooth sailing of the past few years made me lose my basic vigilance, and I became arrogant, making several fatal mistakes," Liu Ye said sincerely. "The capital is a dangerous place. I left my army outside the city and dared to wade into this dragon's den with only one or two thousand men. That was my first mistake. I offended a favored minister and powerful figure like Yang Sichang, as well as the infamous Embroidered Uniform Guard, without maintaining sufficient vigilance. I didn't even set up a sentry post outside the barracks, allowing the enemy to easily complete the encirclement. That was my second mistake. I thought Chongzhen and Yang Sichang were too rational. I didn't expect them to pay such a high price to kill me, sacrificing thousands of soldiers in the Beijing garrison and the people within a radius of several miles. That was my third mistake."
Zhu Meichu was a little confused and subconsciously tried to defend herself: "My father is not that kind of person. He always cares about the common people and would not kill innocent people indiscriminately. It must be the slander of treacherous officials..." But everyone ignored her. If it weren't for the fact that she risked her life to enter the military camp to save people, they would have immediately retorted.
Lin San said, "General, there's no need to say any more. You're not a saint; making small mistakes is only natural. The most important thing now is how to get out. Let's talk about these things later!"
"No, let me finish." Liu Ye waved his hand. "I can't let you pay for my mistakes with your lives. I will leave, but not alone. We'll leave together. I want to get everyone out of here safely!"
Qin Tian couldn't help but say, "General, how is that possible? No matter how bad the Beijing garrison is, they still have cannons! Besides, they have a lot of men. If there are tens of thousands of people surrounding us, how can our two thousand men get out? Even if it's tens of thousands of pigs, it would take a lot of time to slaughter them, wouldn't it?"
Everyone agreed. Even if the Beijing garrison's combat strength was poor, their sheer numbers meant that even a novice could defeat a master. Besides, they had cannons. Even if their range, rate of fire, and other overall performance were inferior to the Qionghai Navy's mountain and field guns, a single shot would be enough to overwhelm any human being.
Liang Xiaoming said regretfully, "If only our main force were all here, we could just charge straight in without a care in the world. It's a pity that we only have two battalions of troops combined, which is far too few..."
Liu Ye looked up at the sky and asked, "Princess, I have two questions for you. First, when will they fire?"
Zhu Meichu thought for a moment and replied, "I met an old gentleman in the palace, and he said it was three quarters past the hour of You (5:45 PM)."
"Hmm, there's still more than half an hour, we should have enough time. Second question, how did you get in?"
Zhu Meichu proudly puffed out her chest, which wasn't too big but was well-proportioned, and took out a piece of paper.
"Based on my status as a princess, and this imperial edict personally written by my father!"
Liu Ye took it and smiled.
“Very good, this thing is very useful. Next, we will offend the princess. Whether any of us can get out depends on you.”
Zhu Meichu was stunned. "Me? Everyone?"
As Fu Ankang paced around like an ant on a hot plate, commotion arose from the military camp. Long, serpentine torches stretched out from the camp, and a large group of people headed straight for him.
The soldiers tensed up, raised their swords, and shouted, "Stop! Don't go any further, or we'll make things worse!"
"Listen up, all of you! Princess Kunxing is in my hands. If you don't want anything to happen to her, all of you step back!"
Liu Ye emerged from the darkness, "holding" Zhu Meichu hostage, followed closely by a large group of soldiers with rifles in hand.
"My God, what I feared most has come to pass. What should I do now?" Fu Ankang felt like dying when he saw this scene.
Zhu Meichu shouted in perfect unison, "Help! Help me!"
The soldiers of the Beijing garrison looked at each other, unsure of what to do. They had witnessed their commander kneeling before the princess in public, so her identity was undoubtedly genuine. Without orders, no one was willing to act against such a member of the imperial family, for fear of being implicated.
Liu Ye and his entourage, holding Zhu Meichu hostage, cautiously approached, watching the other side warily. Zhu Meichu, tightly embraced by Liu Ye, thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of nestled in his arms, wishing the road ahead would never end. If it weren't for having to act in front of everyone, she would have already burst into laughter. This tingling, intoxicating feeling was something no other woman could give her.
The two sides were getting closer and closer, almost touching. Fu Kang'an was flustered, unsure whether to order an interception or to order the road cleared.
At the critical moment, a loud shout came from behind: "His Majesty has ordered that not a single treasonous criminal be allowed to escape! Fire the cannons immediately!"
Fu Ankang turned his head and saw that it was Yang Sichang, the Vice Minister of War—he knew that this high-ranking official in the Ministry of War was the commander-in-chief today, and his orders had to be obeyed. However, he looked back at Zhu Meichu and asked with difficulty, "But the princess is in their hands..."
Yang Sichang witnessed this and was horrified. If they managed to escape, all of tonight's efforts would be in vain, and the consequences would be unimaginable. He shouted sternly, "What princess? Are you seeing things? What kind of noble status does a princess have? Why would she come to the military camp in the middle of the night? I only saw the thieves trying to escape. If you let the traitors get away, His Majesty will chop off your head! Fire the cannons immediately!"