Chapter 27: Coup d’état (5)
"General Zhao, should I call you general or cousin? Just as the name implies, I hope my brother can give up the throne. If he is willing to cooperate and give up the throne, maybe I will really consider satisfying him and let you be my general to protect the country. How about it? "
"Don't dream like a fool. I, Zhao Ziyin, only recognize one monarch. Just based on what you just said, you should be executed on the spot. How dare you still speak so shamelessly? It's not too late for you to confess your guilt now, otherwise I will definitely be the first one to not let you go!"
"Not letting go? Humph, I don't know who will not let go of whom now, eh!"
After the conversation with Zhao Ziyin ended, Zhao Zixi made a gesture and all archers were ready to shoot at any time. Zhao Ziyin prepared for battle as he had expected.
"Brother, now I just want to know, are you willing to give up the throne? As long as you are willing to give up the throne, we can avoid unnecessary bloodshed——"
"Even if I give up my throne, I will never give it to you."
Zhao Ziheng knew Zhao Zixi too well. Zhao Zixi did not have the ability to govern the country, especially under the current situation. Handing Zhao over to him would only lead to the early destruction of Zhao. Even if he had to hand it over, he had to entrust it to someone he trusted, so he spoke his thoughts without hesitation.
"Hmph, in that case, I'll just have to snatch it from you, let go—"
Hearing Zhao Ziheng's answer, Zhao Zixi chuckled and then gave the order to attack.
"Protect the Emperor——"
Arrows were fired from all around the high walls at the same time. Zhao Ziyin immediately gave orders to protect the emperor. The soldiers had already recovered from their panic. Although they were not as experienced as Zhao Ziyin, these soldiers were well-selected elite soldiers. They immediately followed Zhao Ziyin's orders, surrounded Zhao Ziheng, and shot down the flying arrows one by one.
"Immediately provide cover and protect the emperor to evacuate from here——"
Under the command of Zhao Ziyan, the guards were busy shooting down arrows while covering Zhao Ziheng's evacuation. Their small number also played a certain advantage at this time as their actions were not disturbed by the large number of people. Each of them was very skilled and provided very tight cover. However, there were too many archers on the high wall and the guards were shot and fell one after another.
In the face of an enemy with absolute superiority, even elite soldiers with extraordinary skills could not resist. In a short while, the number of guards had been reduced by half . Zhao Ziheng and his companions were approaching the palace gate. At this time, a large number of soldiers appeared from the second palace gate, and it seemed that they were going to completely annihilate Zhao Ziheng and his companions...
"Your Majesty, please go first, we will cover your retreat——"
"Well, please!"
Zhao Ziheng did not reject Zhao Ziyan's kindness because he knew what his death would mean. No matter what, he could not die at least for now.
With only a dozen guards and their own skills, Zhao Ziheng and his men successfully fought their way to the palace gate. There were about 10 to 20 enemy soldiers guarding the gate. Compared with Zhao Ziheng and his men's skills, they were simply vulnerable. Although they also sacrificed several soldiers, they still managed to break through. While Zhao Ziyin and other guards were struggling to resist and delay time, Zhao Ziheng and his men successfully escaped from the palace gate. Zhao Ziyin and his men then fought and retreated...
"General, please withdraw here first and let us resist—"
"No, as your general I cannot abandon you--"
During the fight, a soldier who was fighting hard to kill the enemy made a suggestion to Zhao Ziyan who was also resisting, but Zhao Ziyan immediately rejected it.
"General, we all know that you value us subordinates, but you can't die here. The country still needs you very much, and the emperor also needs you very much, so please don't hesitate. Zhu Jun and I will be responsible for delaying here. Please take the others away quickly--"
This is the determination of his subordinates, and it is also a test for Zhao Ziyan. He has never abandoned his subordinates on the battlefield before. It is also well known that he values and trusts his subordinates, so many people are willing to follow him to death. Now he faces the choice of whether to abandon his subordinates for the first time. This is a great test for him who has always regarded his subordinates as family members.
"Tian Yi is right. It's not that the general has abandoned us. We chose to do this ourselves. Please take the others away quickly."
At this time, Zhao Ziyu and others had arrived at the palace gate. There were dozens of people before, but only about ten people were left here. The enemy soldiers were unstoppable. If no decision was made, no one would be able to escape, and it was very likely that they would catch up with Zhao Ziheng.
"I know, Zhu Jun, Tian Yi, on behalf of all the soldiers of Zhao State, I salute you two."
"The general thinks too highly of us. We are only able to do a little to help the general and the emperor."
"withdraw!"
Zhao Ziyin suppressed his passionate emotions and ordered the soldiers to retreat from the palace gate. The soldiers who retreated with him paid tribute to Zhu Jun and Tian Yi for their selfless spirit and presented Zhao Ziyin and his compatriots with military etiquette. Zhu Jun and Tian Yi closed the palace gate that was isolated from the outside world, and then made way for the enemy to fight. There was no need to think too much, as they would inevitably die here, but before they died, they could make a little contribution to the people they swore allegiance to, and they died without regrets.
Zhao Ziheng and his men broke through the siege and fled. Zhao Zixi would not let them go easily. The royal city was put into a blockade. The market that had seemed lively before suddenly became extremely tense, as if what had been seen before was just an illusion. There were 300 guards at the beginning, but now only a few are left...
Zhao Ziheng and his group, unable to escape from the royal city, could only hide somewhere in the city. The streets were full of searching soldiers. If they were discovered by accident, they would probably be wiped out in one fell swoop, and the situation would become irreversible.
It was already dark, which was undoubtedly a good opportunity for Zhao Ziheng and others to escape from the pursuers. They wanted to get in touch with the guards who were traveling with the wedding party, but Zhao Ziheng, who had evacuated first, had not yet joined up with Zhao Ziyin, making their actions even more difficult.
"No news about General Zhao yet?"
"I'm very sorry, Your Majesty. We've learned from the enemy that General Zhao has escaped, but we're still unable to get in touch with him—"
"We must contact General Zhao as soon as possible and send two people to infiltrate the enemy camp and report the pursuit to me at any time!"
"yes!"
There were only eight people who escaped with Zhao Ziheng. Sending two more elite soldiers into the enemy's territory would, needless to say, weaken their own forces again. However, being able to know the enemy's actions could greatly increase the chances of survival. Therefore, Zhao Ziheng's approach was very wise. Even if he reduced the number of guards, he had to know the enemy's intelligence. When the two sides were fighting, intelligence was very important. It might not have been taken so seriously in ancient times, but in the 21st century, it was related to success or failure and survival, so it was of paramount importance.
