The Child Emperor

Kunlun Mountain is in the coldest time of the year, and the eternal snow has added another layer. Only a few places still retain a little variegated color. There is almost no one in the area of ​​more than 100 miles.

Zhang Yin, the Marquis of Piyuan, chose to build a city here because it was easy to defend and difficult to achieve, but there was also a big problem. It was extremely difficult to transport food and grass, and it was even more difficult to store food than to build a city. Now that the city has basically been built, there is not much food left in the city. Barely able to support more than a thousand people through the winter.

Zhang Yin's stuttering became more and more serious in tense moments. To the point where it was difficult to issue orders, he could only rely on a few personal entourages around him, and then issue orders to the western craftsmen in the city through an interpreter.

But he is like a blindfolded donkey that keeps moving forward. Even if disaster strikes, he still moves forward step by step, still urging the craftsmen to build the last section of the city wall day and night, only watching the boulders pile up Get up and feel better.

Not everyone is as persistent as he is.

The administrative office of Shen Jingshi, the protector of the Western Regions, was in the rear, and he came to call Deng Cui back to Beijing by order, but he did not expect to hear the news of the defeat.

Looking around the entire Tiger City, there are less than 200 real soldiers, and the rest are all craftsmen from all over the world. When they are free, they talk quietly in their native language. Shen Jingshi sees it, his heart is beating, and his eyelids are also twitching. , foretells a catastrophe to come.

This morning, news from the outpost outside the city made Shen Jingshi make up his mind to come to Zhang Yin.

General Zhang, let's go, we can't delay any longer.

Huh? In the stone house, Zhang Yin sat beside the charcoal basin, wrapped in a thick fur cloak, speaking as little as possible.

Half because of the cold, and half out of fear, Shen Jingshi's face turned ashen, There is news from the post that there are unfamiliar cavalry peeping in the distance, there is no home within a hundred miles of this place, where did the cavalry come from? It must be a Westerner.

Yeah. Zhang Yin had already heard the news. He stretched out his hand to hold the iron hook and gently fiddled with the charcoal in the basin. Charcoal was also in short supply. Except for a few generals, most soldiers and craftsmen could not enjoy this warmth.

Shen Jingshi was in a hurry, The enemy is about to come, and the tigers can't hold the city, so we have to withdraw immediately.

Zhang Yin thought for a while, shook his head, and spit out a word: No.

The Protector of the Western Regions is also in charge of civil and military affairs. He is nominally the highest officer of the Great Chu in the Western Regions, but he does not have much real power. The army relies entirely on his own ability. As for Zhang Yin, the Marquis of Piyuan, he directly received the imperial edict to build and defend the city in Kunlun Mountain, without following the orders of others.

The word no made Shen Jingshi furious, knowing that Zhang Yin was stuttering, but he did not deliberately make a cold and arrogant gesture, but he still raised his eyebrows, General Zhang does not want to evacuate, you can, give me the soldiers in the city, I want Take it away, you can't lose it here in vain.

Deng Cui was defeated, and the countries in the Western Regions were shaken. They certainly did not respect the Great Chu as much as before. Without the protection of soldiers, Shen Jingshi no longer dared to walk in the Western Regions.

Zhang Yin shook his head, Holy, holy decree.

The old servant next to him explained in a low voice, Master Hou is saying that we have to wait for the imperial court's will...

I know what he's talking about, there's no need for you to talk too much. Shen Jingshi scolded, moved a stool, sat opposite Zhang Yin, and softened his tone a little, The response of the imperial court was not so fast, when the imperial decree arrives, Huzhucheng has become a flat ground. And I can guarantee that the imperial court's will is to evacuate.

Zhang Yin glanced at it and expressed disbelief.

Shen Jingshi explained patiently, Our Shen family and the Bingbu Jiang family are in-laws. My uncle's daughter is married to Jiang Bingbu's nephew. The two have been in contact for many years, so I can hear a lot of news from the court. To be honest, The imperial court did not support the construction of the Kunlun Mountains. It was all because of His Majesty's insistence that they had to send General Zhang and Deng to the Western Regions. The court's idea was that the construction of the fortress was mainly undertaken by the countries in the Western Regions anyway, and it would not cost Chu much material resources, etc. After the city is settled, slowly explain to Your Majesty the difficulty of transporting troops and grain from the Great Chu to the Western Regions, and handing over the Tiger City to the most obedient small country in the Western Regions. not affected.

Zhang Yin looked down at the red-burning charcoal, but did not speak.

Now that the city has not been built, the enemy troops have arrived, and it is even more difficult to transport food and grass. The situation is worse than expected. The ministers in the DPRK and China will definitely persuade Your Majesty to give up the city and recall the two generals. No matter how persistent Your Majesty is, in this situation There is no other choice, abandon the city early, at least not fall into national prestige, if we lose another game in the city, Da Chu’s prestige in the Western Regions will be swept away, we want to go back to Da Chu, I’m afraid there will be no way out.”

Zhang Yin took a deep breath, put down the iron hook in his hand, got up slowly, and said, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, trust me, I, I, I can't, can't abandon the city.

Shen Jingshi's anger surged up again, and Tengdi also stood up and said loudly, Zhang Yin, I know that you gave your majesty the idea back then to atone for your grandson, but you can't take everyone's life to atone for sin, the city I want to take the soldiers away.

Zhang Yin did not respond.

Shen Jingshi waited for a while, then stretched out his hand, Hand over the official seal.

The official seal is the key to all problems. Shen Jingshi wants to leave, and most of the soldiers in the city want to leave, but without the official seal, there is no formal order, and retreating will become a flight. After returning to Da Chu, there is no way to explain it. Likely to be convicted and jailed.

Zhang Yin still shook his head, The imperial decree.

Shen Jingshi couldn't bear it any longer, scolded a swear word, and said angrily: You are harder than the stone for building a city. If you have this ability, you can fight off the enemy alone.

Shen Jingshi left with a flick of his sleeves.

The old servant stepped forward and said, Master Hou think twice, there is some truth in what Shen Duhu said. Even if the imperial decree comes, I'm afraid that Master Hou will give up the city.

In front of the servant, Zhang Yin spoke more fluently, but kept it as brief as possible, The Zhang family can't live up to His Majesty's trust again. If the imperial decree does not come, I will not retreat.

The old servant didn't dare to persuade him any more, and said, Then I'll go out and have a look. People in the city are unstable, and Shen Du Hu is in a hurry to evacuate. Don't make trouble.

Zhang Yin nodded in agreement. After the old servant left, he sat on the stool again and continued to burn the fire. He only thought about one thing: at the current speed, how long would it take to complete the last section of the city wall.

I don't know how long it took, the old servant who went out to check the situation suddenly pushed the door and broke in, and said in panic, The big thing is bad, the sergeant in the city was instigated to come and seize the seal!

Close, close... Zhang Yin became nervous and stuttered even more.

The old servant understood the master's intention, and immediately closed the door and bolted it, took two steps back, and looked at the door as if it would turn into a monster.

When there was a knock on the door, the old servant shuddered and turned to look at his master.

The Marquis of Piyuan Zhang Yin did not know when he picked up the iron spear placed against the wall, held it in both hands, facing the door, his fur cloak enlarged his body and regained a bit of his youthful prestige.

Encouraged, the old servant also went to the wall to pick up a knife, held it in his hand, and stood in front of his master, trembling with fear.

The knocking stopped, someone pushed the door, but couldn't push it, a voice shouted, General Zhang open the door.

The master stuttered, and the old servant answered on his behalf, Master Hou asked, what's the matter?

The enemy is about to attack. Let's discuss with General Zhang about defending the city.

Don't lie, I heard your words, and wanted to take the general seal of the Marquis. The Marquis made it very clear, there is no imperial edict, never abandon the city, Shenduhu is not under the control of the Marquis, he wants to go, take his own When the people are gone, the other sergeants have to stay.

There was silence outside for a while, and then there was a sudden knock on the door, followed by an annoyed voice, General Zhang, we are all people with children and daughters, we have parents to support, and we can't be with the general. To be loyal to the imperial court, please either hand over your official seal or write a retreat order to let us leave Huzhucheng.

The old servant turned around and glanced at his master again, and replied loudly: Since you have the imperial salary, you should be loyal to the country, so why should you retreat? Huzhu City is about to be completed. You can’t take it away easily, and you retreat rashly, with no danger behind you, but it’s even more difficult to escape from the Western Regions.”

Someone outside said, This is not General Zhang, but the old guy beside him.

Another person said: Don't listen to his nonsense. General Zhang refused to hand in the seal, because he was afraid that he would not be able to explain to the emperor after returning to Beijing, and his grandson's life would not be guaranteed, so he took us as scapegoats.

Zhang Yin was speechless, and the old servant said, Don't speculate, General Zhang usually treats you well and won't pursue today's affairs. You retreat quickly, urge the craftsmen to build the city, and build the last section of the city wall as soon as possible. It’s what saves everyone’s lives.”

These words did not convince anyone, and there was another knock on the door outside, louder, as if something was knocking on the door.

The door is very thick and the latch is hard enough. The people outside smashed it for a while and then gave up. Someone said, Just set it on fire.

The old servant was startled, the stone house was not afraid of fire, but the wooden door was not, and there were flammable things such as charcoal in the house.

Fortunately, someone immediately objected, No, we can't take the crime of killing the general, not to mention that if the official seal is burned, we can't leave, and if there is no food in the house for a few days, General Zhang will automatically open the door. Negotiate well.

The people outside dispersed, the old servant quietly walked to the door, looked through the crack for a while, turned around and came to the master, and whispered, Someone is watching outside.

Zhang Yin sat back on the stool, put the iron gun beside him, watched the charcoal fire weaken, and did not fiddle with the iron hook again.

We won't be able to hold on for long, it's better to say that there is no food, no water... Although the old servant kept defending his master, he hoped that the master would compromise.

Zhang Yin was silent for a long time, and then he said, I would rather die, I would rather die than retreat.

The old servant sighed softly, walked to the door again with the knife, stood by the door, ready to live and die with his master.

As night fell, the charcoal burned out, the room became colder and colder, and the master and servant took turns sleeping.

Early the next morning, Shen Jingshi came in person, ostensibly to mediate the conflict between the general and the soldiers, but in fact he was still trying to persuade Zhang Yin to evacuate.

Zhang Yin didn't reply, the old servant occasionally said a few words, but soon gave up.

Zhang Yin, the Marquis of Piyuan, was stubborn, and the sergeants outside began to discuss evacuating on their own, but when they thought that they would face military law after returning to Da Chu, no one dared to leave.

On the third day, Shen Jingshi came again, General Zhang, come out and have a look, the craftsmen are almost running out, and we are the only people in Chu who are left. Tigers in the city are not born at the right time, and they are destined to be unable to complete the work.

The old servant was so hungry that he had a bad temper. He said loudly, The craftsmen are the ones who let you go. Let's see how you explain it to Your Majesty in the future!

Shen Jingshi snorted and left.

In the afternoon, the old servant saw through the crack of the door that the sergeants brought firewood and piled it at the door. His face turned pale, and he turned to the master and said, Master, we will not die of thirst or starvation, we will be burned to death.

Better than freezing to death... Zhang Yin said.

The old servant nodded and said loudly to the door: If you want to burn, bring more firewood, it will be warm.

The firewood was piled up, but no one came to light it. The sergeants blamed each other, and Shen Jingshi refused to do it himself.

At night, the master and servant were so thirsty and hungry that they couldn't sleep, sitting on the stool and facing each other silently.

Little Master is really not worth what Marquis does. The old servant told the truth when he was about to die.

I'm not for him. Zhang Yin said, not caring whether others believed it or not.

There was a cry from outside, The enemy is attacking!

The old servant got up and shouted again, No, it's General Deng!