12dz Chapter 1878: Get up! Stand up straight for me!
Chapter 1878: Get up! Stand up straight for me!
Dugu Jia knew that he had to stabilize people's hearts!
She began issuing a series of clear and decisive orders, speaking rapidly and without question:
"First, immediately close all gates of Chang'an! Martial law is imposed throughout the city! No one is allowed to enter or leave without my permission!"
"Second, order the general defending the city to immediately inventory all defense equipment in the city! Make sure there are sufficient logs, stones, kerosene, and arrows for bows and crossbows! Strengthen the city defenses and repair any damage!"
"Third, send multiple messengers with this imperial decree to the surrounding counties! Strictly order the governors of each county to immediately lead all their troops to the aid of Chang'an! Gather all scattered troops along the way and bring them back! Anyone who disobeys this order will be charged with treason!"
"Fourth, speed up the recruitment of new soldiers! Open the treasury and reward brave men generously! All men of appropriate age must enlist to defend the city!"
"Tell the people of Chang'an that if the Chu army breaks into the city, they will massacre the entire population! If you want to survive, you must defend it to the death!"
"Fifth, closely monitor the movements within the city. Anyone spreading rumors, destabilizing the army, or plotting any evil will be executed immediately, regardless of rank!"
Every order is full of iron and unquestionable meaning.
This queen mother, who was known for her cruelty and scheming, finally showed her decisiveness and fortitude in the face of the crisis of national destruction.
The ministers were intimidated by her aura, and when they saw that there was a clear strategy, their panicked mood calmed down a little.
Although the outlook remains bleak, at least we have a backbone and know what to do.
"What are you still doing?"
Dugu Jia raised his eyebrows and said, "Do it immediately!"
"I will obey your orders!"
The ministers woke up as if from a dream, accepted the order, and hurriedly left the hall, each going about their own business.
In the empty hall, only Dugu Jia and the still trembling Liu Xiang were left.
Dugu Jia sat back on the Phoenix Throne tiredly, looking at his good-for-nothing son beside him, a complex and inexplicable emotion flashed in his eyes.
She knew that this would be the last stand of the Han Dynasty and the ultimate gamble for the fate of her and her son.
If we win, there is still a glimmer of hope.
If you lose, there is no recovery.
Chang'an City, the ancient imperial capital, is about to face the cruelest test in its destiny.
In the front hall of the Weiyang Palace, after the ministers received their orders and left, the oppressive silence descended again, more suffocating than the previous noise.
Dugu Jia's forced dignity and composure could not help but reveal a hint of fatigue and solemnity that was hard to conceal when only the mother and son were left.
She rubbed her aching temples and was about to think about the details of the next step when she heard a muffled "thump" sound beside her.
Liu Xiang actually knelt down in front of her.
He clutched the hem of her skirt tightly with both hands, raised his still childish but frightened face, tears rolling down his cheeks like beads from a broken string, and spoke in a voice filled with sobs and extreme fear:
"Mother! Mother! We...we can't defend it anymore! We've lost our 200,000-man army. How can we defend Chang'an City?"
His voice trembled, almost wailing: "While the Chu army has not yet surrounded us, we... let's break out quickly!"
"Take your gold, silver, and valuables and find a safe place to hide! As long as the mountains are green, there will be no shortage of firewood, mother!"
"If...if we really fight with the Chu army, once the city is broken, Chu Ning will never let me and my son go! We will definitely be killed!"
"Mother, I...I don't want to die!"
Liu Xiang's spineless remarks were like the last straw that broke the camel's back, completely crushing Dugu Jia's already tense nerves.
She looked at the son whom she had poured all her hopes into and used all her efforts to push to the position of crown prince.
In the face of the crisis of national destruction, she was so cowardly that she only wanted to survive. A mixture of disappointment, anger and heartbreak erupted in her chest like a volcano!
"presumptuous!"
Dugu Jia stood up suddenly, and because he used too much force, the pearls and jade on the phoenix crown shook violently.
She looked down at her son, who was kneeling and crying, with a gaze as cold as ten thousand years of ice, and a voice so sharp that it pierced the dome of the palace:
"Look at you, fawning and begging! How is that like your father? When the late Emperor Liu Che was on the throne, even when faced with powerful enemies, was he ever a coward?"
"He's so adept at maneuvering and looking down upon the world, that's the demeanor an emperor should have! Look at you!"
She grew angrier as she spoke, years of pent-up resentment and the despair she felt at the moment pouring out at once:
"No wonder when that traitor Liu Xiu usurped the throne, so few people in the court, civil or military, stood up to speak for you, the legitimate prince!"
"They all went to support that ambitious bastard! It's because you're so weak and incompetent that you can't shoulder the responsibility of this country!"
"I've been planning for you for years, even risking the infamy of launching a coup, and this is how you repay me?"
"Facing a powerful enemy, instead of thinking of defending yourself, you only want to flee like a stray dog? Are you worthy of the Liu bloodline flowing in your veins? Are you worthy of your ancestors?!"
This harsh rebuke lashed Liu Xiang's heart like a whip, and also revealed the deepest scars in his heart.
He was so scared that he stopped crying, his face turned pale, his neck shrank, he dared not speak anymore, but his body shook even more violently.
After venting his anger, Dugu Jia looked at his son's pitiful appearance and felt a pang of pain in his heart again.
She knew that scolding alone was useless and she had to let him see hope, even if that hope was very slim.
She suppressed her anger, took a deep breath, and softened her tone slightly, but still carried unquestionable majesty:
"Get up! Stand up straight for me!"
Liu Xiang got up trembling, stood with his hands hanging down, and did not dare to look up.
Dugu Jia walked up to him, lowered his voice, and began to analyze the situation. Rather than explaining, it was more like encouraging this useless son and strengthening his own beliefs:
"Xiang'er, you only know that the Chu army is powerful, but you don't know that Chu Ning is also in a state of panic at the moment. He is definitely not sitting back and relaxing!"
A calculating glint flashed in her eyes: "Why do you think I dare to defend Chang'an at this moment?"
"This is because I have received a secret report that on the eastern frontier of Wei, the Tang Dynasty's military god, Li Jing, has joined forces with the Scorpion Tribe and led a 300,000-strong coalition army to launch a fierce attack on the border of Chu!"
"The Chu army has lost five cities in a row and is retreating step by step. The situation is precarious!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xiang suddenly raised his head, with a hint of surprise and a faint light in his eyes.
Dugu Jia continued, "Although Chu Ning defeated Liu Xiu, he would never sit idly by and watch the eastern front collapse! Otherwise, the Central Plains he had just conquered would be attacked from all sides in an instant!"
"Therefore, he must withdraw his main force to support the eastern front! If so, how many troops will be left to attack our Chang'an City?"
Her tone gradually became firm, "No more than 50,000 at most, maybe even less! And my Chang'an has high walls and deep moats, and we have ample defense equipment!"
"I have already ordered the conscription of new soldiers, the gathering of defeated soldiers, and the mobilization of county troops. By then, the garrison will be able to reach 80,000 or even 100,000 men!"
"With an army of 100,000, occupying the world's strongest city, against Chu Ning's exhausted army of 50,000 at most, as long as we unite as one and defend the city to the death, our chances of victory are extremely high!"