Li Pingyuan, who fled back to the city, tried to contact Li Chengzhi, and then found that Li Chengzhi had surrendered and surrendered with Chengguo's best weapons and equipment.
Suddenly, Li Pingyuan aged more than ten years. Li Chengzhi's betrayal was more painful to him than losing on the battlefield.
Li Chengzhi has always been given hope by him, but he has been disappointed every time. He occasionally has wisdom, but always lacks strength.
But he cared very much for this son, and now Li Chengzhi's betrayal really made him feel chilled.
She even became a little discouraged and sighed. She originally thought it was just Li Shaoyun, but she didn't expect that there was also a Li Chengzhi hidden inside.
No wonder a lot of news spread. It turned out that Li Chengzhi, who understood military affairs, did it. Was it because he was dissatisfied and wanted to make Li Shaoyun the crown princess?
He even felt a little melancholy, and doubts about whether he was really right were swirling in his mind.
He is old and doesn't really have much pursuit of power. He just made the same mistakes that an old man would make.
Afraid of death, afraid of old age and death.
There are many heroes in the world, from emperors and nobles to traffickers and pawns. They all have the same fear of old age, so they all want to become immortals and obtain eternal bliss.
The same goes for Li Pingyuan, especially since he has seen a real immortal, so why doesn't he have the desire to become an immortal?
Especially knowing that the path of immortal cultivation is the path of unifying the nine states, ridiculing and becoming a king, and becoming a king.
King Cheng was unkind to him, so he could only be unjust to King Cheng. He had already set up his ambition to unify the world, and Zhuang Xun suddenly emerged.
It took less than a year to go from Jiannan Road to the entire You Kingdom, and it also took less than a year from the establishment of the Xia Kingdom to the conquest of the country now.
Compared with his many years of planning, he was overwhelmed. He never thought that Zhuang Xun could compete with him. It can even be said that before Zhuang Xun went to Zhao State, he thought that Zhuang Xun would be his helper because he was his son-in-law. , we are a family after all.
Helping him unify the world, just like the throne can be given to the eldest daughter, it can also be given to the second daughter. After all, he just wants to become an immortal.
In the past, I didn’t want to cultivate immortality because I thought it was illusory, but now I want it because the path is right there.
Then Zhuang Xun came back from the State of Zhao. The next step was to capture the State of Yu. It would only be a matter of time before it became a state, so Li Pingyuan panicked.
He is a person with a strategic vision, so he can naturally see the significance of Zhuang Xun's escape from the Zhao Kingdom. However, Zhuang Xun really escaped from the Zhao Kingdom, which means that Zhuang Xun's goal is not to become a leisurely prince.
This created a fierce conflict with his goal, and Zhuang Xun was eventually placed under house arrest. To suppress Zhuang Xun, he could not let Zhuang Xun ruin his path to immortality.
The result is the current situation. From Zhuang Xun's perspective, it is unreasonable for the father-in-law to suddenly change his attitude. How can a father-in-law who is even willing to give land suddenly have to restrict his development?
Little did he know how fast he climbed, faster than his father-in-law expected. He was still slowly planning to usurp the throne. He was already the de facto king of the netherworld. My father-in-law probably never thought that Zhuang Xun could unify Jizhou. of talent.
In the military camp, he organized the city defense. He was unwilling to accept it. After planning it for so long, he was unwilling to be taken away by Zhuang Xun.
"Grand Master, as long as you hold on and the spring flowers bloom, the Zhao army will be able to support you."
General Yu was also disappointed with this defeat, but he still persisted in persuading him that there was still hope, there was still hope.
"Zhao Guo's support?" Li Pingyuan, feeling hopeless, muttered to himself.
"That's right, Zhao Guo also suffered a new defeat at the hands of Zhuang Xun. Now it is reorganizing its army. It is not easy to march to attack the passes in winter. When spring comes, the flowers will bloom and they will march eastward to take revenge."
General Yu said encouragingly that he believed in the State of Zhao. The State of Cheng was already unable to fight against the State of Xia alone and needed the help of the State of Zhao. The State of Zhao had what Cheng Guo needed.
A Chengguo is needed to prevent Zhuang Xun from internal integration, and a Xiaguo is needed to have worries, so Zhao will definitely protect Chengguo.
"The reputation of Zhao State cannot be said to be good. After a long period of siege, people's hearts everywhere are floating." Li Pingyuan thought about his situation, which was extremely difficult.
As mentioned before, if Zhuang Xun's invasion cannot be defeated quickly, it means that the land that was originally attached to it will have other thoughts.
"No matter how popular people are, it depends on the Grand Master. How can the Aristocratic Family know what the Xia State is doing to the family? Some people are unwilling to accept the control of the Grand Master, let alone the control of the Xia State."
Zhuang Xun's new methods and methods are famous among the aristocratic families. The aristocratic families are afraid of his power and resist his arrival.
When Li Pingyuan came, he treated the family as human beings. When Zhuang Xun came, he had to make them pay the food together with the losers.
In order to resist Zhuang Xun, all the aristocratic families welcomed the enemy who killed his father with a smile. The enemy who killed his father could not harm their interests, and Zhuang Xun cut off their financial path.
What General Yu said did make sense, and Li Pingyuan relaxed a little.
"If Grand Master wants to give up the Immortal Path of Immortality, we won't force it, so we can gather together and disperse." General Yu used retreat as advance.
Li Pingyuan saw that it was a method of provoking generals. Thinking of becoming an immortal, thinking of immortality, his will gradually became firmer. He had no choice but to do so. This was his weakness.
He cheered up and thought that even if his son betrayed him, having his second sister in the Xia Kingdom would not be a loss to him, and his wish would come true on his own.
Arrange the city defense work. Although Xia Guo has not stormed for the time being, it takes time to prepare siege equipment, and Li Pingyuan has not been able to sleep peacefully for several days.
This ancient capital is filled with panic. As the former seat of Jizhou, the memories of wars are engraved in everyone's mind. Every war represents a disturbance in life.
There was chaos in the palace, and everyone was talking about the fall of the country. The rumor was that King Cheng had defected to the Xia State. Now that Grand Master Li could not defeat Li Rusi, the fall of the country would be inevitable sooner or later.
Noticing this trend, Li Pingyuan went to the palace to see Li Shaoyun, hoping that she would control these rumors and give Li Shaoyun some confidence that they still had the possibility of winning and were not bound to lose.
As usual, when they met at Fuqin Palace, Li Pingyuan could still see Li Shaoyun's haggardness through a gauze curtain and the smell of sandalwood.
Seeing Li Pingyuan feel sad and guilty, because of his own thoughts, he brought his daughter with him. He could understand Cheng Wang, and he was also becoming Cheng Wang.
"Dad, let's drink tea first. You've worked hard these past few days. This is the tribute tea specially ordered by my daughter to brew. After all, let's take care of ourselves first. Don't tire yourself out from worrying about things."
Li Shaoyun raised her hand and said with concern. She didn't ask about the battle report, but first she was concerned about Li Pingyuan's physical condition. The look of concern made Li Pingyuan even more sad.
He picked up the tea, which was still warm, took a sip, and said with some guilt: "Dad is incompetent, so we can only stay trapped for the time being, but don't worry, there will be a solution."
"Is it because of my daughter that my younger brother defected, causing this battle to fail?"
Li Shaoyun sighed, as if she was lamenting that she had robbed the crown princess of her position, that's why Li Chengzhi surrendered, feeling heartbroken and powerless.
In fact, she herself knew best why Li Chengzhi surrendered. It wasn't all her instigation, but it was just that it hadn't been exposed yet.
"I don't blame you. Chengzhi himself agreed, and he defected to the Xia Kingdom, but he still couldn't become the emperor. I think it was for other reasons."
Li Pingyuan would not easily put the blame on others. There are many opinions on this matter. It is okay to say that Li Chengzhi and his second sister have a good relationship. If you are looking for reasons, there are too many.
"We are now trapped in an isolated city. Dad, just surrender. My daughter will no longer have the sweet dream of a princess."
Li Shaoyun hesitated, sighed, and expressed her feelings in a pessimistic tone with a bit of resignation.
"The design strategies of Qinghe Road and Jiannan Road have not been used. The opponent is crossing the river on ice. Our advantage has been lost. Now that the city is outside the siege, let's surrender. Second Sister is here and will not embarrass us."
After careful persuasion, the only thing that smoothed the gap has been eliminated. Even if Zhuang Xun retreats, there will be no navy ships left behind. Burning them on fire is the last dignity.
"Don't say such depressing words. As the ice and snow melt, as long as we wait until Zhao State sends out troops, Xia State will definitely retreat. They can't eat us."
This conclusion is reasonable. Zhao Guo will betray his trust again, but if he does not help, he will face a more difficult situation. Zhao Guo's monarchs and ministers, as long as they are not sick, know how to choose.
It is even said that as long as the first wave is survived, Zhao Guo will provide immediate support regardless of the consequences, just to suppress Zhuang Xun, not to mention that Zhao Guo now has a deep hatred for Zhuang Xun.
"But don't we just become Zhao's pawns? Can we really unify the world like this?"
Li Shaoyun was full of doubts and said that fighting for world supremacy is all right, but how can you be a human chess piece? It would be even more ridiculous if the chess pieces become fish in the end.
"Zhuang Xun is still a chess piece. You shouldn't give up if you have the opportunity. Just seize the opportunity and respond correctly."
Li Pingyuan was not discouraged. He had just gained confidence from General Yu. In order to become an immortal, he was not willing to let go of even the slightest chance.
"But now Zhuang Xun has become a chess player. Father and daughter don't want to be the princess. We are a family after all. Don't get too tense as a family."
Li Shaoyun said with a sad expression, lamenting and persuading Li Pingyuan to resist like this, but it was Zhuang Xun of the family who was fighting, why bother.
"..." Li Pingyuan's expression was stiff and he couldn't say anything.
"Dad, what are you insisting on? You understand how slim the odds are. Why do you have to be the emperor of Kyushu? Why do you have to go against your brother-in-law? My brother doesn't like the status of a prince, and my daughter doesn't want you to continue to take risks, so I just stopped. Come on, daddy."
Li Shaoyun's tone was almost pleading. She really hoped that Li Pingyuan could let go of his obsession. If possible, she also hoped to become the king of Kyushu. She was a woman with an extremely strong desire for power.
But she knew that Cheng Guo's success was slim. There might have been a chance, but when Zhuang Xun's Xia Kingdom began to rise, Cheng Guo's role would only be a supporting role.
She has an extremely clear understanding of the impact and consequences of each of Si Qinmi's policies.
An analogy has been made, that is, Xia Guo is a person with no burdens, and Cheng Guo is a person with heavy burdens. When traveling on the same road, Cheng Guo can create some stumbling blocks to hinder Xia Guo's progress before Xia Guo can surpass him. , but once the Xia Kingdom surpasses the Cheng Kingdom, it will never catch up again.
"My mind has been decided. No matter who you are, if you don't want to be the princess, I can send you out, just like you thought before."
Li Pingyuan was stumped by his daughter's question. He just couldn't bear the problem. King Cheng could spend a country's energy to find an immortal and asked him. The opportunity to become an immortal was right in front of him. How could he not want to give it a try?
But with Li Chengzhi's example, he also sympathized with his daughter. He couldn't risk his whole family's life on his own future and consume his second daughter's affection for Zhuang Xun.
He decided that he wanted to break off the relationship.
By severing these relatives, even if he wants to hit the wall, he will hit it alone, without involving his children.
Before, I still had a sense of superiority, like Li Rusi, who couldn't stay at Zhuang Xun's place and could come back at any time. How could he, Li Pingyuan, be worse than Zhuang Xun's place?
The same is true for Li Shaoyun and the others. Li Pingyuan always believed that under his wings, he would give the best to these children. Under his protection, these daughters would be even better.
But as things developed today, he had to admit that times had changed. It was Zhuang Xun who was stronger, and after the blow from Li Chengzhi's surrender to Zhuang Xun, he no longer insisted that his children would be on his side.
"Dad, do you really want this? Do you have to be so insistent?" Li Shaoyun sighed and looked at Li Pingyuan's tea cup.
"What are you looking at? I didn't drink at all. I already knew that you weren't thinking about it before. How could I not be careful as your father?"
Li Pingyuan showed a hearty smile, as if he had defeated Li Shaoyun, which was somewhat childish.
"It's probably a sleeping pill or something like that. After all, she is my daughter and you don't want to kill me. It can only be this kind of medicine that makes people incapacitated."
"If you want to be Zhuang Xun's concubine, go ahead. Don't treat me like a prostitute. Damn you bastard. I want to kill my two daughters. One of them is already, well..."
He wanted to stand up, but found that he couldn't stand up. His body was weak. He was poisoned. As he said, it was a drug that makes people lose mobility.
"When?" So careful, so attentive, when exactly is it.
"This sandalwood is indeed very fragrant. Did dad guess that my younger brother's defection was instigated by his daughter?" Li Shaoyun's slender fingers gently twisted the incense burner cover, everything was self-evident.
"I didn't guess this, but I have a vague feeling that your brother is not that smart. How dare he disobey my order? With your participation, the truth will come to light."
Li Pingyuan seemed to have untied the knot in his heart and had a smile on his face.
"Give me something to detoxify. I have already told people to guard outside. If you don't go out in two hours, they will come in with the gold medal, which will be very ugly. I won't stop you from joining your sister."
Already taking precautions, he knew in his heart that the bargaining chip he provided was no longer enough to attract Li Shaoyun. He had a premonition that Li Shaoyun's attitude would change. The rumors in the palace may be based on Li Shaoyun's attitude.
"General Yu? Someone has already gone to subdue them." Li Shaoyun said lightly, already prepared.
"They are monsters. Don't kill your men."
"What a coincidence, those who deal with them are not mortals either."
(End of chapter)
