Chang'an City Zhongsi Li Xiaowei Mansion.

There was deathly silence in the main hall.

Zhong Yao, who was described as withered, sat there helplessly, his old face as gloomy as deathly ashes.

In those eyes, complex expressions of anger, disappointment, fear, and pain were flickering.

The civil and military officials at the rank and the celebrities who usually spoke loudly seemed to be mute at this time, keeping silent and not even daring to speak loudly.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the person kneeling in front of the steps.

Hu Lie, whose face was covered with soot, knelt there in shame, not even daring to raise his head.

As Zhong Hui's lieutenant, Hu Lie accompanied Zhong Hui to fight against Gan Ning and Wang Zhen. However, Zhong Hui lay there forever in the majestic land of Chang'an, and Hu Lie also braved the accusations of thousands of people and suffered all kinds of injuries.

War wounded, he knelt down in the palace of the former king.

The thirty thousand troops were all wiped out in one battle, and their commander Zhong Hui was also killed.

Such a fatal defeat made even Hu Lie, who was now covered in battle wounds, feel deeply guilty and had to kneel there and beg Zhong Yao for forgiveness.

At this time, Zhong Yao could have ordered Hu Lie to be pushed out and beheaded, but considering that a new battle to defend Chang'an was about to begin, if the war went slightly wrong and he killed the general, who would sacrifice his life for him in the future?

After being in a daze for a long time, Zhong Yao sighed and waved his hands: "The matter has come to this. Instead of blaming yourself and asking for forgiveness, it is better to think about how to deal with the current situation and atone for yourself and your coach Zhong Hui!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Hu Lie's heart dropped, and he kowtowed repeatedly in thanks, then slowly got up and stepped aside dejectedly.

Zhong Yao glanced around at his subordinates and said feebly: "Zhong Hui's army has been completely destroyed. Lu Bu has gathered many forces to press towards Chang'an. Do you have any countermeasures?"

In response to Zhong Yao, there was silence.

In today's crisis situation, no one among those celebrities who are good at talking dares to say anything.

Zhong Yao became angrier as he watched, and said sternly: "I have supported you for so many years, and now Chang'an is in great danger, why have you all become mute? Speak!"

Zhong Yao, who had always liked to raise scholars, felt extremely disappointed at this moment. Only then did he truly realize that all he had raised were a bunch of rubbish.

"Sir, our army has lost all its elites, including the last tens of thousands of elites. I am afraid that Chang'an will be difficult to defend anymore. In the opinion of my subordinates, it is better to move the headquarters eastward to Hongnong immediately and wait for the soldiers to be reunited.

Then we will think of ways to regain Chang'an."

Someone finally spoke, and it was Zhong Yao's younger brother Zhong Yan who spoke.

The other advisers and generals expressed their agreement.

Zhong Yao also nodded slightly, seeming to show signs of agreement. After all, with his current broken strength, he really did not have the confidence to defend Chang'an anymore.

Unexpectedly, just as Zhong Yan finished speaking, Pang Ji, a famous Sili scholar, said anxiously: "Chang'an is the foundation of the Sili region. If Chang'an is lost, the whole Sili people will be frightened. And once the evil thief Lu Bu takes control of Chang'an, his money and food will be lost."

, Not to mention the rapid increase in the population, the geographical advantage alone will make us completely passive. I believe that Chang'an must not be abandoned."

As soon as Pang Ji's words came out, the famous locals in Chang'an all agreed.

Pang Ji is an outsider, and his own industry and influence are mostly around Chang'an, so he must protect Chang'an. By protecting Chang'an, he will protect himself.

Zhong Yan sneered, "The tens of thousands of troops are gone. Even if we have to defend Chang'an, what can we do to defend it?"

Pang Ji was startled and speechless for a moment.

At this time, Hu Lie, who had recovered from his shame, said: "Although Lu Bu has won several battles, his troops are only more than 10,000. I still have 30,000 troops in Chang'an City. With the help of the strong city

, I hope that we can withstand Lu Bu's attack. When the time comes, we will mobilize troops and horses from the surrounding prefectures and counties to cooperate internally and externally, and we can turn defeat into victory."

"Although the various states and counties can mobilize tens of thousands of troops, their combat power is far inferior to that of Chang'an's army. Even if they are mobilized, they will never be able to defeat Lu Bu's tiger and wolf army." Zhong Yan immediately poured cold water on him.

When Hu Lie was stunned and speechless, Pang Ji immediately said: "In addition to mobilizing troops, your Excellency can also make friends with the Xiongnu and Xiliang soldiers, give them more money, and make an agreement with them to attack Lu Bu from behind. Then Lu Bu's rear will be lost."

, if our reinforcements arrive again, they will most likely retreat without a fight."

After Pang Ji finished speaking, other celebrities in Chang'an also made loud remarks, saying that they would defend Chang'an to the death.

Zhong Yan's advice was soon drowned in a chorus of opposition.

Although Zhong Yao has always been able to distinguish right from wrong, has ideas, and can act arbitrarily, the current situation has made Zhong Yao undecided for a while. Now that Pang Ji and others have the upper hand, considering the foundation of his foothold in Sili, he thinks twice.

, had no choice but to stick to Chang'an.

While Zhong Yao and his ministers were still arguing, 30,000 elite infantry and cavalry led by Lu Bu had already broken out of camp and headed straight for Chang'an.

Before dusk, Lu Bu finally saw Chang'an City.

This Sili government seat stands majestically on the plain in the middle. The tall and long city wall demonstrates its position as the core of Sili.

Below Chang'an City.

"This is the legendary Chang'an City. It is indeed extraordinary. Zhong Yao, thank you for spending so much time to help King Chu build such a feng shui treasure city..."

Lu Bu sighed as he looked at the city, and in his mind, memories about Chang'an came up one after another.

Lu Bu knew very well how important Chang'an City was, and now, this legendary city was only a stone's throw away from Lu Bu.

On the same day, Lu Bu joined Gan Ning's troops and completed the siege of Chang'an from three directions: north, south, and west.

At Xu Shu's suggestion, Lu Bu left the east gate alone.

The soldiers and civilians in Chang'an City were panic-stricken, and most of them were thinking of escaping eastward. However, once Lu Bu surrounded them on all sides, it would encourage the enemy to defend the city to the death.

Lu Bu knew that he had few troops. If the enemy insisted on defending, it would not be easy to capture Chang'an, a fortified city in the world. Even if it were captured, his army would have to pay a heavy price. This was something Lu Bu did not want to see.

Leaving one gate unencircled is tantamount to leaving a way for the people of Chang'an to survive, giving them one more option to abandon the city and flee.

After the siege was over, Lu Bu was not in a hurry to launch an attack, but instead started a psychological war.

From the previous battle, Lu Bu still had thousands of heads of Sili surrendered soldiers, which came in handy now.

Lu Bu ordered that all these heads be thrown into the city of Chang'an on a thunderbolt chariot. He wanted to use these bloody heads to shock the hearts of the recalcitrant people in the city.

Sure enough, when the heads raining down from the sky fell into the sky, the already panic-stricken people in Chang'an City immediately became even more uncontrollable because of the enemy's terrifying act.

In addition, Lu Bu also fired thousands of letters of surrender into the city, urging the soldiers and people in the city to open the city and surrender. Otherwise, once the city is breached, all men, women, and children will be killed as punishment for their "aiding the evil" and assisting Zhong Yao.

Under the multiple psychological warfare, according to the intelligence sent by the city's detailed operations, Chang'an City was in a state of turmoil at this time, and the people in the city were confused and seemed to be in a self-defeating situation.

Lu Bu did not attack the city for the time being. He only waited to watch Zhong Yao escape, and then he could enter the city without any bloodshed.

However, to Lu Bu's surprise, as time passed, the expected civil strife did not occur, and Chang'an City remained rock solid.

A few days later, Lu Bu suddenly realized the latest secret report sent by the craftsmen.

At the critical moment, the wealthy families in Chang'an began to exert their strength.

The wealthy families in the Sili area donated generously and brought out their Tongke tribe to assist Zhong Yao in defending the city.

These families alone have tens of thousands of soldiers and horses.

Although the combat effectiveness of these private soldiers was not as good as that of the regular army, the number of four or five soldiers and horses, combined with the original more than ten thousand remaining soldiers, gave Zhong Yao a lot of confidence.

Zhong Yao relied on the support of these powerful families to firmly control the four key points. He also invited famous figures from all ethnic groups to spread the hearts of the people in the city and persuade them not to be deceived by Lu Bu, but to firmly support Sili Colonel Zhong Yao. .

The influence of these powerful families among the people is even greater than that of Zhong Yao, the Sili captain. Once they came forward, the panic in Chang'an City quickly stabilized.

New rumors soon replaced the old ones. They were spreading everywhere in Chang'an City. It was said that reinforcements from all walks of life were already on their way eastward. When the army arrived, Lu Bu would not be able to be arrogant for more than a few days and would soon be wiped out. ...pop!

Lu Bu photographed that piece of information on the case, a trace of hatred flashed across his brows.

"These aristocratic families in Chang'an are so hateful that they are not afraid that when I break the city, I will wipe them all out!"

Lu Bu was angry all his life, and all the generals on his left and right were in awe.

Xu Shu smiled faintly, "Those wealthy people in Chang'an are just outsiders. They only want to protect Chang'an to protect their property, money, and women."

Gan Ning, who was next to him, said: "Mr. Yuan Zhi said it well, but we have to break Chang'an first."

After saying that, Gan Ning held up his hands and said: "General, since the people of Chang'an are ignorant and seeking death, let's not be merciful to them. General, just order an attack on the city. I, Gan Ning, risk my life and I will definitely destroy Chang'an." Let the general take the city."

As soon as Gan Ning asked for battle, the other generals were all excited and clamored to attack the city.

"Of course it's possible to attack by force, but I won't do such a thing as killing a thousand enemies and damaging myself eight hundred."

Lu Bu waved his hand to calm down the excitement of the generals.

Conquering Chang'an was Lu Bu's stated goal, but his eyes were not limited to the small gains in sight, unless he was forced to do so.

Xu Shu nodded secretly and said to himself: "It is really not easy for General Lu to be so calm. He really lives up to the strength and talent of the generals who roamed the Central Plains back then."

When he was convinced in his heart, Xu Shu said: "Not all the members of the family are stubborn. I think we can dismantle this impregnable imperial capital from within."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Ying suddenly entered the tent, whispered a few words to Lu Bu, and handed over a letter.
Chapter completed!