Chapter 62 Arriving in Beijing

Chapter 62 Arriving in Beijing
In military camps, women are generally not allowed to enter. Li Jue, accompanied by his personal guards, arrived at the entrance of the main camp and saw the figure that had haunted him in his dreams.
A woman in white stood under a large tree in front of the camp, surrounded by more than ten strong men guarding her.
Li Jue walked slowly over, the woman still wearing a veil, staring blankly at the sky. Despite having someone by her side, the woman appeared very lonely, as if she were the only person left in the world.
Heard the sound of collision, the woman turned her head and saw a man with a tall and handsome figure. His face carried a hint of exhaustion, and he wore a coarse linen robe outside his armor. He did not wear a helmet and had a white cloth tied around his forehead, with red eyes.
"Grandfather and grandmother passed away, and my uncle has also disappeared. His former comrades in the army, some have turned against him, others have died in battle. I imagine he must be feeling heartbroken." Tears welled up in the woman's eyes, longing to walk over and offer some comfort, and to be able to collapse into his arms and cry out the grief and frustration within her heart.
Li Jue looked at the men guarding the woman around her. These men were all soldiers, and some of them were wounded. Although their wounds had been treated, after years in the military, Li Jue couldn't help but notice that some of them seemed vaguely familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere a long time ago.
"Who are you?" Li Jue speculated in her heart.
She asked the guards to stop and walked towards the person alone.
As Li Jue looked at the person in front of her, she suddenly didn't know what to do. This person was the one she had been longing for day and night. Li Jue had countless words she wanted to say to her, but when it came to her lips, she didn't know how to start.
"How are you?"
A gentle voice filled with concern reached Li Jue's ears, and she couldn't hold back her emotions any longer. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she finally saw her after countless days and nights, but their roles had changed.
The woman silently watched as Li Jue cried, tears welling up in her eyes.
After a while, Li Jue regained his composure, knelt on one knee, and shouted, "This subordinate Li Jue pays respect to Your Majesty!"
Li Jue has recognized the people. They are all colleagues in the Feather Battalion, whom he had previously met in the military. Afterwards, they were transferred to the Imperial Guards for service. Combining the previous information, the identity of the woman before his eyes is now clear.
Chen Ling closed her eyes.
When they met in the capital years ago, there was a hidden affection between them. However, she was the emperor and the Great Xia was in turmoil. The influential families controlled the court and the people were suffering. She had to clear the world and couldn't be distracted by love. Their relationship was destined to have no future.
But I couldn't help it and met with Li Yue several times outside the palace. However, when Li Yue gave me a jade pendant to express his feelings, I had no choice but to leave and cut off contact.
Family rebellion, trapped in the capital, Chen Ling thinks every day, how great it would be if he could bring a large army here. But she knows that Li Yue is only a battalion officer, just a small captain, it's impossible.
The most trusted Li Jin betrayed, Chen Ling really wants him to be by her side.
With the fighting and protection of Li Long and tens of thousands of soldiers, she escaped from the capital and only then did she know that he really brought a large army. He is just a few hundred miles away from her.
Originally, Chen Ling should have gone south, where her own grandfather lived. As long as she reached there, her safety would be guaranteed. But she still chose to come here, wanting to see the person she had been longing for day and night.
It has been ten years, ten years since her ascension to the throne. She is tired, burdened with the weight of a woman, with chaos in the court, pressure from aristocratic families, and deceit all around. She is truly exhausted, she does not want to face all of this anymore.
Just let me be willful once!
When Li Jue knelt down in front of him, Chen Ling almost burst into tears. He figured out his own identity, and everything could never go back.
On August 25th, the news of the fleeing Empress arriving at the Camp of Huancheng spread throughout the world.
When the major families received the news, they all fell silent.
In order to take control of the capital, the families paid the price of over 200,000 people. And what was the result?
The main stronghold of the Zhu family was besieged, and the Huazhou Army took control of Xuzhou. Jinzhou, controlled by the Ge family, was completely destroyed, and most of the remaining Ge family members in Jinzhou were beheaded. The combined forces, including the 40,000 elite Imperial Guards, in Jinzhou and Xuzhou, now only had a remaining force of 100,000 people besieged in Xuzhou city.
In order to capture the female emperor and take over the capital, the noble families have made great efforts. They thought that the female emperor would go south, so they set up a tight network in the south. However, she unexpectedly went east.
How could she go east? In this situation, her own grandfather did not seek refuge, but instead sought refuge with the Huánzhōu Army? Doesn't she know that the Huánzhōu Army is controlled by the Yáng family? How dare she take such a risk with the rebellion of the five major clans?
Geyun looked haggard, and there were only a dozen people left in the entire Geya family near Beijing. The Geya family was almost wiped out. Even if they won, it would have no connection with the Geya family.
Zhu Huai was in the same situation. Xu Zhou was besieged, and the main branch of the Zhu family was in the city. Once the city was breached, the Zhu family's fate would be the same as the Geya family's.
"The number one aristocratic family in the world! Gone!" Zhu Huai suddenly regretted why he initiated this rebellion. Why couldn't he just continue to secretly control the world and be satisfied with that? Why did he want more?"
"General Jiang's expression did not change much upon hearing the news of Jiang Shouren's suicide. But it seemed that the death of his legitimate son had no effect on him."
Su Quan looked at the silent crowd and sighed inwardly. The Zhu family, Ge family, Ma family, and Xu family were all finished. The main camp was occupied by others, and the Yan family's forty thousand army was annihilated. There was no strength left to contend for anything.

Currently, only the Su family, Wei family, and Jiang family still have some strength. Each family still has some forces, while the Xu family and Kong family have only a few thousand people left.
The Imperial Prince Li is just a puppet. If the Empress is captured, the Su, Wei, and Jiang families will control the whole Da Xia. However, it is useless now. The Empress has already joined forces with the Huanzhou Army and Yuezhou Army, and with the protection of 160,000 elite soldiers, the aristocratic families have no chance of capturing the Empress anymore.

"Haha, I've worked so hard for so long, but in the end, the Yangliu family has taken advantage of it, how ironic!" Yan Ying, the head of the Yan family, laughed bitterly. The main headquarters of the Yan family is in Beihu Prefecture. Although they still have control over it, more than 40,000 troops have been lost, their second son Yan Zonglin has been captured, and several other senior generals have been captured. Although they are better off compared to the other families, they have also suffered a major blow.
Lih Jinyi still had a smile on her face as she stood behind the Prince Li Qin. Lih Jin, who was nearly sixty years old, was placed by the Minister of Temple Affairs, Chen Heng, next to the late emperor since childhood. Over the decades, with the help of Chen Heng, he has climbed to his current position. Since entering the palace, Chen Heng has never used him for anything until this rebellion, when he finally employed this pawn.
Through him, the rebels cut off the capital's connection with the outside world, and also through him, they opened the gates of the imperial city and broke through.
The aged Chen Heng hunched over, resolutely opposed the empress's ascension to the throne, but when the empress ascended, Jiang Shimou supported her. Faced with this situation, he could only endure silently. When Jiang Shimou took sides, he immediately showed his support for Prince Li Qian and participated in the rebellion.
"Now that things have come to this point, we should think about how to respond. The enemy forces are already at our border and we are left with only two hundred thousand troops. What should we do?" Wei Chang's face was full of concern. No one expected that the Yang and Liu families had secretly built such a powerful army. After years of hard work by ten influential families, they ended up being taken advantage of by others.
"Something is not right. If the Yang and Liu families are really planning something, with such a strong army in their hands, they could wait until we capture the capital before taking action. They could easily delay and wait for us to seize the capital before launching an attack to suppress the rebellion."
But they quickly sent troops after we started the uprising. What would they do if we hadn't taken the capital? Don't forget, the three major border armies are still quiet. Aren't they afraid of having their peaches picked?
"Could it be that Yang and Liu families are the empress's hidden pawns? Were they arranged in advance?" Chen Li's heart was also in panic now, with 160,000 troops stationed outside the capital city, the situation was changing too rapidly.
"The empress does not have the ability, and neither do the Yang and Liu families, to train such a strong army. Before Shou Ren passed on the message, the Ghost Wolf Army was mentioned, but their combat power may not necessarily surpass that of the Yuezhou Army and the Huanzhou Army. It is likely that there is someone else behind the scenes."
Don't forget, we have captured quite a few members of the Yang Liu families' main factions in the capital. If it is really their plot, would they allow the main factions to stay in the capital?" Jiang Shimou said coldly.
All of them stopped talking, indeed. Although many of the mainline members of the Yangliu families had fled before the siege, there are still many remaining. If it were truly them planning something, they would not have left behind so many people.
"Could it be the Tian family?" Su Quan tapped the table, feeling a bit puzzled.
"Impossible, if it was the Tian family, the Shadow Wolf Army would have also moved south. But currently, the 150,000 Shadow Wolf Army has shown no signs of movement." Li Jin replied, his eyelids drooping, in a calm tone.
The Daxia Longsparrow is under his control, and even though the Shadow Wolf Army is tightly sealed, news has leaked out that neither the Shadow Wolf Army nor the Hengzhou Army have any troops mobilized.
"Then who could it be? There are only a few powerful factions in the world. Besides them, who else has the ability to control so many armies?" Wei Chang angrily said.
"What about the Li family? I heard that both of Li Hu's sons are involved. Li Jue is in the Huanzhou army, while Li Qi has no official position but appears in the Yuezhou army. There are also many fierce generals without official positions, which is quite abnormal." Su Quan's eyes flashed with light as he suddenly stood up.
"Besides, all the 160,000 soldiers at the city gate have white cloth tied to their hands, and many in the army are displaying signs of mourning. It's obvious that they are mourning for someone. Both the Yang and Liu families are being held captive, but no one has died except for two individuals, Li Biao and Wu Xi."
Wu Xi never gets involved in military affairs, only Li Biao is left!"
Jiang Shimou did not respond, but a flash of seriousness crossed his eyes.
Limits remembered, "Before the Empress Dowager issued a decree to the two sons of the Li family, ordering them to integrate the troops from the three provinces in the north to suppress the rebellion. However, that was just me fooling the Empress Dowager. Besides, the Yang family controls Huanzhou, the Liu family controls Yuezhou, and the Zhou family controls Xianzhou. Would they allow the Li family to take control of the military power?"
"How could some families be so foolish? Will they just obediently hand over their military power when they see the imperial edict?" Kong Xiu didn't believe it. Noble families all have their own hidden agendas. Military power is their foundation for survival, and it is impossible for them to just let two little brats take away their military power.
"It's possible that it really is the Li family. We underestimated these two boys before." Su Quan, with years of political experience and a wealth of knowledge, made a judgment based on various circumstances and sighed bitterly.
"If it's really the Li family, we're in trouble. If it's the Yang and Liu families, we still have room to maneuver. But if Li Biao died in our hands and the fate of Li Long is unknown, the Li family and us are already in a life or death situation," Chen Li said in a panic.
The hall fell into silence, and everyone stopped talking. We thought that once we defeated the Feather Army, the Li family wouldn't be a concern anymore. So, after capturing the capital city, we immediately wiped out the entire Li family and Wu family. Who could have imagined that the Li family would still stir up so much trouble.
"Since it has come to this point, let's do our best. If it really is the Li family, and the capital city is breached, we are all on a dead end. So bring out everything you have, don't hide anything anymore," Jiang Shimou said calmly.
Chen Heng sighed and said, "There's nothing hidden anymore. We may not win if we fight in the field, and we may lose if we defend the city. Let's do our best. General Jiang, it's up to you."
Everyone looked at Jiang Shimou. At this point, we can only rely on Jiang Shimou. If we can defend the capital, there is still hope for everyone. If the capital falls, we will all die together.
General Jiang Shimou silently looked around, said nothing, and left.
Li Qi led a group of generals to the city of Nanwei. At this time, the two armies converged, with over ten thousand cavalry from Xianzhou scattered on the east and west, blocking the way. Li Jue led sixty thousand troops and fifteen thousand cavalry to occupy the city of Nanwei, blocking the path to the south of the capital. Li Qi led one hundred thousand troops to occupy the city of Beiwei, enclosing the capital from all four sides.
The Nanwei City camp, led by Li Jue, greeted Li Qi and others as they left the camp.
"Brother, are you okay!" Li Qi was very worried when he saw Li Jue's haggard face. Unlike himself, his older brother had stayed in the capital for two years and had a good relationship with their grandparents. He had also mentioned a lot about their interactions in his letters home. Now that their grandparents had passed away, Li Qi was worried that Li Jue would not be able to handle it. As for Li Jue's relationship with Chen Ling, no one knew for the time being.
Li Jueqiang smiled and said, "It's alright, let's go and see the emperor first."
"Eldest Prince, why would the Empress come to your side?" Like several prominent families, Ding Shixuan was also puzzled. Normally, the Empress should have gone south to seek her grandfather's help, so why did she come to find Li Jueqiang? It doesn't make sense.
The arrival of the empress has disrupted the plans of Wu Shilun and Ding Shixuan, making it difficult to handle many things.
Li Jue smiled bitterly and said, "Let's talk about this later. His Majesty is still waiting. After I meet with His Majesty, I will tell you."
Ding Shixuan still wanted to ask, but Li Qi raised his hand to stop him and shook his head. Ding Shixuan looked at Li Qi, sighed, and retreated.
"Let's go!" Li Qi straightened his clothes and stepped into the big tent.
陈灵坐在帅帐正中，十余名御林军士卒护卫在左右。这次突围，李龙和吴常安为了女帝安全，分别带着残余兵马往不同方向冲出，吸引了叛军的注意力，而陈灵则带着百余御林军从密道离开，一路上被叛军围堵，只剩下这十余人。
Li Qi entered the large tent, and Chen Ling carefully observed him.
He had a slender figure and was dressed in silver armor, with a linen robe layered on top. A white cloak floated as Li Qi moved, his face bearing a striking resemblance to Li Jue, but with a touch of youthfulness added.
These days, after spending time with Li Jue, Chen Ling has also learned a lot. Originally, she thought that Li Jue was the only one leading an army to suppress the rebellion, and she only wanted Li Jue to protect her as she headed south to join the Wangyue army. Later, she found out that Li Qi also had an army of 100,000 marching southward and had completely taken control of Jinzhou. There was also another 50,000-strong army besieging Xuzhou.
This reassured Chen Ling a lot, at least there was still hope for Da Xia.
Li Qi saw the Empress for the first time, and at this moment, the Empress was dressed in a golden battle armor, exuding a powerful and heroic aura.
"I have seen your majesty!" Li Qi and the other generals from Yuezhou saluted with a bow.
(End of this chapter)