Chapter 110 Linzi
Linzi, the old capital of Qi State.

After King Wu of Zhou established the Zhou Dynasty, he granted Taigong Jiang Shang the title of Duke of Qi and established the State of Qi with its capital in Yingqiu. After Duke Xian of Qi ascended the throne, he reinforced and expanded Yingqiu City to prevent the invasion of the Dongyi people. Because the eastern wall of the expanded Yingqiu City was close to the Zibo River and was built along the river, Yingqiu City was renamed Linzi.

Linzi is a fortified city, and Murong Ju was mentally prepared for this.

Therefore, he was not in a hurry to attack the city. The army surrounded the city on three sides and left one side open, leaving only the south side of Lushan without any Yan troops besieging the city.

However, they set up ambushes along the Lushan Pass to encircle any rebels that might escape.

After being rejected several times for persuading the enemy to surrender, Murong Ju and General Lou Jushi developed a comprehensive siege plan and planned to divert the Zi River to flood the city. They also built a large number of siege equipment.

As a result, people could already see digging outside the city from the top of Linzi City.

After seeing this, the military officer Cui Xiaotong immediately understood, "General, the Yan army is digging the ground to flood the city with the Zibo River!"

Zou Wuben, the chief secretary of the General's Office, said, "No, no, it's almost October, it's already late autumn, the water level of the Zibo River has dropped, it will be winter soon, the water will freeze, and with the amount of water in the Zibo River, it can't flow back into the city. Is he planning to do that?"

Cui Xiaotong said: "That's right, it's to attack the hearts and minds. He did it for the soldiers and civilians in the city to see. As long as the outside of the city is blocked by water, even if it's just a shallow patch of water, it will make the people in the city panic. He just wants to attack the hearts and minds while attacking the city."

Then he pointed to the vehicles transporting wood and said, "Look, they have been making siege equipment all the time, ladders, ramps, and battering rams."

Murong Xuan's face changed slightly when he heard that. Although he pretended to be calm, his hands were clenched into fists, his body was trembling slightly, and his heart was already burning with anger.

Chen Dengyun, Jia Xiong, Yang Xianguo and others also looked worried.

Murong Xuan, who called himself the Great General, already knew the fate of Murong Anguo and Murong Jian.

He was quite surprised by this. It was probably: impossible, absolutely impossible.
He was not surprised that Murong Ying could do these things ten years ago, because that was routine operation.

He used to be a palace guard, so he knew Murong Ying well. He was brave and wise, with great talent and strategy. He defeated the Turks in the north, Tuyuhun in the west, and pacified the remnant Wei in the south.

But ten years later, it was unexpected.

Since the construction of Luoyang, Murong Ying has continuously increased his investment, repairing canals, building dragon boats, conquering Jiangdu, and conquering Goguryeo. Each and every one of these caused public resentment and the rise of war smoke.

At the beginning of this year in Guangwu, if it were not for the timely arrival of the army to support the king and the letter from the princess, Murong Ying would have already been "hunted north".

It was because of these things, plus the death of King Wei, that he decided to take the risk.

They thought that the rebellion of the three of them would attract the response of all the royal families in the world, but they did not expect that within just a few months, Murong Jian and Murong Anguo were captured one after another.

He was the only one left trapped in the city of sorrow.

Linzi is the foundation of Qi and the place he has managed for several years. It is impossible to give it up, but there seems to be no hope in defending it.

We can only hope that things change in the world.

However, Murong Ying eliminated those who were plotting rebellion one after another, and even forgave Murong Jian, who had no evidence of rebellion, which can be regarded as a combination of kindness and severity.

This also made the heroes of the world, the provincial governors, governors, prefects, generals, and princes recall the wise and powerful emperor ten years ago.

It seems like I'm really back.

For a moment, the lost prestige seemed to return to the emperor.

This made Murong Xuan feel ridiculous, because he recalled that Murong Ying's style was actually very similar to that of Emperor Xiaowu of Han.

Emperor Wu of Han was a heroic ruler who was warlike and aggressive, yet he made full use of his talents, exploited the entire country, and abused the people's power, but he did not let the people rebel or even destroy the country.

Could it be that Murong Ying was also such a heroic ruler? This made his slogan of saving the people from danger and reviving the Murong Dynasty become a huge joke.

Even though there are tens of thousands of soldiers and horses in the city now, and there are enough food and grass to sustain for two years, this battle cannot be won anyway. It is just a matter of how long they can hold out.

All we can expect are four words: "There will be changes in the world."

However, at the moment, within half a year at most, Linzi would definitely be conquered. Qi Wang Murong Ju and General Lou Jushi were both famous generals who were very good at using troops. The Yan army outside the city, together with the state and county soldiers and civilians, numbered more than 200,000.

Thinking about the possible outcome, Murong Xuan finally made a decision.

"We can't sit there in despair. There's no hope in defending Linzi. We have to break out. If we wait for them to bring the water over, it will be difficult to leave."

Jia Xiong said: "What the general said is very true. As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. I am willing to lead the elite troops to the front and clear the way for the general."

"We are all pioneers, paving the way for the general!"

Outside the Yan army camp at the foot of the city, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe and an old man in black cloth stood side by side, looking at Linzi not far away.

The middle-aged man was wearing a brocade robe and a fox fur coat. He was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old. Although he had a handsome face, his body looked a little weak and he coughed from time to time. It was the King of Qi, Murong Ju.

The old man who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him was General Lou Jushi. He was about sixty years old, wearing a black coat and an ordinary cape. He looked healthier than the young King of Qi. He had a ruddy complexion, was energetic, had sharp eyes, and raised gray eyebrows, which gave him a rebellious and flamboyant look.

"Your Majesty, do you think Murong Xuan will choose to break out?"

Murong Ju said: "General, I am not sure, but I will make plans for him to break out, and I will also make plans for a long-term siege. Anyway, it is next to Lushan, so build more catapults and have enough stones. We can smash Linzi open. Cough cough cough"

Mr. Lou glanced at Murong Ju and said with some concern: "My king, you still have to take care of yourself. You are the commander-in-chief. You can't make any mistakes."

Murong Ju smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, General. It's alright. I can hold on. Before leaving, my brother entrusted the affairs of Qingzhou to me. It has not been settled yet. But in less than two months, my brother has taken in Prince Chen and Prince Qiao. It really makes us, the officials in Qingzhou, ashamed."

Mr. Lou also laughed when he heard this, "Hahaha, the saint is decisive and resolute, so naturally we can't compare to him."

Murong Ju said, "General, you are right. But for the sake of our country, we should not wait for anything else. Ahem. General, I am not even a fraction as good as you in commanding the troops and making decisions on the battlefield. You will have to worry more about the future battles."

After he finished speaking, Murong Ju coughed again, like a candle in the wind.

Master Lou looked at the handkerchief covering Murong Ju's mouth, which was oozing blood, and frowned, but he did not say anything. Instead, he nodded and said, "I understand, Your Majesty, please rest assured and stay in the big tent. I will take care of all military matters."

Murong Ju nodded upon hearing this, then clasped his fist towards Master Lou and said, "Then I'll leave it to you, General."

He turned around and left with a slight stumble.

Mr. Lou stood with his hands behind his back, and couldn't help but sigh as he watched Murong Ju's receding back.

The King of Wei passed away less than half a year ago. The King of Qi does not look very well and he probably will not live a long life.

If I continue to struggle like this in the army, I don’t know how long I can hold out.

There are not many members of the royal family who can take on important responsibilities in Dayan now. Once the King of Qi is gone, the saint's life will be even more difficult.

Unlike the Han and Wei dynasties, since the founding of Dayan, more than half of the famous generals in the past few decades have been members of the royal family.

Now they are dying one after another. Among the royal family, apart from the saint himself, the King of Qi is the only famous general.

If the King of Qi also falls, there will only be some ambitious but talentless fools left.

(End of this chapter)