SEC Chapter 37: Has Prince Su, who stormed the palace, withdrawn his troops?
Chapter 37: Has Prince Su, who stormed the palace, withdrawn his troops?
"Great...General!"
The soldier fell to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling.
"His Majesty...His Majesty forcibly took control of the soldiers who were lying in ambush and withdrew them out of the palace!"
Upon hearing this, Huo Zhong was struck dumb, frozen on the spot.
His cloudy eyes widened instantly as he stared at the soldier in disbelief, as if trying to find a trace of a joke on his face.
However, the fear and despair in the soldier's eyes were so real that he could not doubt it for a moment.
"What did you say?" Huo Zhong's voice was terrifyingly low, like the suppressed tension before a storm.
"His Majesty...His Majesty said he wanted to lure the enemy out of their hole, and he personally led the army...led the army out of the palace!"
The soldier offered a rambling explanation, but anyone with a modicum of common sense would know that His Majesty was not trying to lure the enemy out; he was clearly showing cowardice before the battle even began and was preparing to flee with his men.
Huo Zhong felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head, almost bursting out.
He never imagined that the monarch he was risking his life to protect would make such a brainless decision when he was about to completely annihilate the rebels!
"You bastard!"
Huo Zhong roared and drew his sword from his waist, wishing he could chop something down!
However, he cannot abandon His Majesty just because His Majesty is so unwise and reckless!
The most urgent task is to find His Majesty as soon as possible and ensure his safety; otherwise, the sky of the Great Liang Dynasty will truly collapse!
"Send the order! The entire army, follow me!"
Huo Zhong roared and led the remaining troops like a whirlwind, chasing after them in the direction the soldiers had indicated.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Huo Zhong finally found Emperor Gu Xiaoxiao in a secluded grove of trees behind the palace.
However, what he saw left him speechless with astonishment.
Gu Xiaoxiao was dressed in military uniform, which made her look somewhat frail, but her eyes were exceptionally firm.
He was commanding the soldiers who were supposed to be lying in ambush in the "barbican," preparing to flank and launch a surprise attack on the rear army of Prince Su.
Of course, Gu Xiaoxiao did this not because she had a change of heart, or because she suddenly felt brave. The reason she did this was simply because she realized that she seemed to have no way to escape!
Because just as Prince Su "broke into" the palace, he ordered Zhou Qing and Li Hu to take the flanks and use a shortcut to guard the back gate of the palace!
Originally, based on the timeline, Gu Xiaoxiao's army should have been able to escape from the palace before Zhou Qing and Li Hu guarded the back gate. But... who told Gu Xiaoxiao to be so hesitant and procrastinating?
She didn't have the heart to just leave with the army that was lying in ambush in the palace, because she was worried that if she left in advance and the general won the battle, wouldn't she be accused of being a coward?
At the same time, she did not have the courage to lead the troops ambushing the Western Frontier elite cavalry in the palace to risk her life, because she was worried that if the ambush failed, she would lose the only army she could mobilize, and then she would be at the mercy of Prince Su.
Then, amid Gu Xiaoxiao's hesitation and indecision, Huo Zhong led his remaining troops to find them.
Soon, Huo Zhong, having figured out the current situation, was filled with anger at Gu Xiaoxiao for acting without authorization.
He strode forward, grabbed Gu Xiaoxiao by the collar, and held his blood-stained long knife to her neck.
"Your Majesty!" Huo Zhong's voice trembled slightly with anger. "I risked my life to set up this ambush, and you treat it so lightly! Now the enemy's forces are overwhelming. What will become of this Great Liang, and its millions of people?"
Gu Xiaoxiao's face was pale, but his eyes were unusually firm, without the slightest fear. He looked directly into Huo Zhong's bloodshot eyes and slowly said, "General Huo, the situation is hopeless now. We should unite our forces and break through the back gate with all our might. Once we escape the capital, we can gather troops from all over the country to come to the aid of the emperor and surely drive Prince Su out of the capital..."
"His Majesty!"
Looking at the emperor who was still thinking about running away, Huo Zhong's anger surprisingly subsided, replaced by a deep sense of powerlessness.
"Your Majesty, please follow my instructions from now on and do not act rashly. Otherwise, I may recognize Your Majesty, but the weapon in my hand will not!"
As he spoke, Huo Zhong tightened his grip on the long knife, bringing the blade even closer to Gu Xiaoxiao's neck.
Gu Xiaoxiao immediately nodded repeatedly, saying, "General Huo, I'll listen to you, I'll listen to you! Your hand... please don't shake, please don't shake!"
Just as Gu Xiaoxiao was filled with fear and trepidation, suddenly, at that moment, a commotion broke out in front of her.
It turns out that Prince Su has withdrawn his troops!
Both General Huo Zhong and Emperor Gu Xiaoxiao were completely baffled by this outcome.
They didn't understand why, when Prince Su clearly had the upper hand, it was Prince Su who was the one to retreat in the end.
While Gu Xiaoxiao and Huo Zhong were confused about what had happened, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, had his own reasons!
It turned out that when Prince Su, Gu Suyue, pursued them to what Huo Zhong called a "walled city," he knew things were going badly!
To the surprise of Prince Su, Gu Suyue, Huo Zhong did not set up an ambush there!
Originally, seeing Huo Zhong's retreat to this place and his ecstatic joy upon entering, Prince Su thought he was doomed, but... nothing happened here at all!
From that moment on, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, began to be cautious.
Although he didn't understand why nothing happened when Huo Zhong should have laid an ambush there, he knew that Huo Zhong, the great general, must have been involved in some kind of scheme to get into the palace so easily!
However, Huo Zhong's plan seems to have encountered some problems...
Even so, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, no longer dared to underestimate Huo Zhong!
Then, to prevent any unforeseen complications, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, immediately ordered a search of the palace for Emperor Gu Xiaoxiao.
As long as Gu Xiaoxiao is captured, then whether he abducts her to the Western Frontier or uses the emperor to command the feudal lords, it will be a great victory for Prince Su!
As a result, they couldn't find any trace of the emperor in the palace!
On the contrary, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, discovered that his army's rear route was at risk of being cut off.
In addition, his soldiers suffered heavy casualties in the complex terrain of the palace, and he was unable to find the emperor for a long time, so Prince Su couldn't help but feel a little worried.
What made him even more uneasy was that soldiers from other troops in the capital seemed to be gathering towards the palace. If they were surrounded, his three thousand elite cavalry would probably perish here.
"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Enemy tracks have been spotted behind the palace, and it seems... it seems the Emperor himself is leading the army!"
A scout rode up on horseback to report, his voice tinged with helplessness.
Upon hearing this, Prince Su's face instantly turned ashen.
He never expected that the cowardly and incompetent emperor would dare to personally lead troops to cut off his retreat!
"Gu Xiaoxiao..." Prince Su gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with a sinister light. "You're lucky this time!"
He knew that if he continued fighting at this point, he might really be doomed.
After weighing the pros and cons, Prince Su ultimately had no choice but to retreat...