After Geshu Han was defeated in Lingbao, his escaped generals passed the news to Chang'an.

Before this, Li Longji and the civil and military ministers had already fallen into panic.

Because the situation in the west became unclear.

If Li Xuan had not crossed the Yellow River in Jincheng, Li Longji would still feel a little more at ease.

This was also the time when Li Longji was most "diligent in government affairs" in history.

On ordinary days, there was an endless stream of envoys traveling on the Silk Road.

Li Longji wanted to hear news about the Jincheng Yellow River in the morning, noon and evening.

Only after knowing that the defense line was solid could he close his eyes and rest for a while.

Li Xuan's delay in crossing the Yellow River gave him the illusion that Jincheng and the Yellow River were a "natural barrier".

Li Lu's reply also made Li Longji believe that Shisanlang had completed his control over the Longyou Army and the various Hu tribes in Longyou.

His Shisanlang is also a genius!
Unlike when he faced An Lushan, Li Longji knew that the thief Li was brave and good at fighting, so he did not urge Li Lu to take the initiative to attack.

Wait for victory in the east, then send in a large army to support and attack the west.

He will prove to Li Xuan that the reason he can expand the territory thousands of miles is not because Li Xuan is brave, but because he is stronger.

But it just backfired.

The loss of news about Simeon was like a torch in the darkness that suddenly went out.

Li Longji waited and waited, but the dawn he longed for never appeared again.

The messenger had only one piece of news: the Longyou Army, following the orders of Prince Ying, blocked the post stations and roads along the way and put down the civil strife in Longyou.

For many days, the news was ambiguous.

The princes and nobles in Chang'an all said that something had happened to Prince Ying and that the traitor General Li was about to attack Chang'an.

Otherwise, Prince Ying would definitely submit a memorial with a name, and the envoy sent by the court would surely be able to pass.

The only consolation is that Wuwei is two thousand miles away from Chang'an, unlike Tongguan, which is very close.

They thought that if they continued their exploration for a few more days, they might get some news from the west.

But the news of Lingbao's defeat on April 6th was like a huge hand, strangling the Tang Dynasty by the throat.

Li Longji's eyes went dark and he fainted for a moment.

He hoped that the hundreds of thousands of cavalry and flying cavalry in Tongguan could turn the unfavorable situation around.

Now that Lingbao has been defeated, how many troops are left to guard Tongguan?
The deputy general of Tongguan kept requesting support.

But where are the troops available in the imperial court?

"Ge Shuhan misled me! I knew he was a mediocre person. If he was still alive, I would have executed him."

After Li Longji regained consciousness, he summoned civil and military officials to the Xingqing Palace for a solemn court meeting, but he was filled with sadness and loss.

The crown and dragon robe could be tidied up by the palace servants, but the decadent expression could no longer be concealed.

The elderly man, who should have been enjoying his retirement, was betrayed one after another by the two people he trusted the most.

The powerful empire he created is facing the risk of collapse.

This building is about to collapse, who can save it?

People cannot reach Li Longji's height, and do not understand how Li Longji felt when he fell from the sky.

Li Longji, who had been in good health, now looked like a frail old man.

His Highness's civil and military ministers did not even dare to breathe.

Everyone has worries in their hearts.

The most difficult thing for them to accept is Li Xuan's advance into Jingzhao, which brought about a nightmare-like rule!

"I will personally lead the army!"

Li Longji suddenly stood up from the couch, his eyes wide open, gritted his teeth and issued an edict: "I will let the crown prince govern the country!"

Civil officials and military generals all looked at Li Longji in disbelief.

It would be fine if there were an army of 100,000.

But there are no more soldiers in Chang'an, and it will take some time to recruit more troops in Jingzhao.

"Your Majesty, you must not do that. You are the Son of Heaven. How can you, with your dignity as the emperor, personally come to the front line? The country cannot be without a ruler for a day!"

Yang Guozhong became anxious when he heard this. He fell to his knees and persuaded Li Longji to take back his decision.

The crown prince is the regent, will he still have a chance to survive?

I'm afraid that as soon as Li Longji leaves, Li Heng will be instigated by his ministers to kill him.

Li Heng would definitely do such a thing to gain fame.

At this moment, at the very front of Xingqing Hall, stood a person who shouldn't be there.

Crown Prince Li Heng!

This was the first time that Li Longji approved him to participate in state affairs since he became Crown Prince Li Heng.

This shows that Li Longji’s idea of ​​leading the army in person may no longer be just talk.

Li Heng was secretly delighted. After twenty years, he finally stood here.

But his goal is not just to stand here.

"Your Majesty, you can't... The country is in danger, and the emperor should be at the center."

"Your Majesty, you must not..."

Yang Guozhong's followers also stood up and knelt on the ground to persuade him.

Until now, there are still ministers who believe that Tongguan can be defended.

After all, everyone has been to Luoyang, the world's most imposing pass that "even birds cannot cross" is deeply rooted in people's hearts.

But whether it was Geshu Han, Guo Ziyi or Li Guangbi, they all proposed the strategy of defending in a dangerous place, tireing out the enemy for a long time and waiting for an opportunity to attack, but Yang Guozhong only cared about himself and did not listen at all.

Now Yang Guozhong just holds the thought that living one day at a time and being rich one day at a time is the best.

As long as he still has power, why would he care about the starving people on the ancient roads between the two capitals?
"An, a barbarian, actually trampled on the palace of our Great Tang and raped the palace maids and concubines. In the 140 years of the Tang Dynasty, there has never been such a great shame and humiliation."

"An old horse in the stable has a thousand miles to go; a martyr in his old age has great ambitions. Although I am old, I also want to recover Luoyang. When the soldiers see me leading the army in person, they will fight to the death to defeat the An thief and take back the foundation of our ancestors!"

Li Longji was not moved by Yang Guozhong's advice.

"Prince, please persuade His Majesty!"

Seeing that his advice was useless, Yang Guozhong rolled his eyes and said the opposite to Li Heng.

Li Heng wanted to be the regent so badly that he could not wait to hear what Li Longji said. He thought the opportunity had come and he attacked Yang Guozhong: "Your Majesty, An Lushan is favored by the court and there is no reason for him to rebel. The right prime minister is at odds with An Lushan, so the resentment is getting deeper and deeper, and he always wants to kill An Lushan. In this way, the traitor has an excuse to raise an army in Fanyang in the name of clearing the court. In addition, the hatred between Li and the right prime minister is also known to everyone. He also raised an army in the name of clearing the court. Now Luoyang has been lost, Lingbao has been defeated, and there is no news from Jincheng. How can Prime Minister Yang Guozhong not be at fault?"

Li Heng directly blamed Yang Guozhong for both An Lushan's rebellion and Li Xuan's rebellion.

He believed that as long as Yang Guozhong was killed, at least Li Xuan would have no reason to rebel.

If Li Xuan continued to march towards Chang'an, he would be criticized by people all over the world.

But Li Longji just watched Li Heng talking and remained silent.

He always felt like someone was pointing at him.

Seeing this, Yang Guozhong had no fear at all. He confidently bowed to Li Longji and said, "Your Majesty, I have long predicted that An Lushan would rebel, and I have reported this to Your Majesty for many years. Today, An Lushan has started a rebellion, and it is not the Prime Minister's fault."

"Why did An and Li, who were purging the emperor's side, point directly at the right prime minister? If this is not the prime minister's fault, what is it?"

Zhang Jun, the Minister of the Dali Temple, was a notorious troublemaker. He had always been suppressed by Yang Guozhong and was frustrated. Now he pointed at Yang Guozhong and scolded him.

"You are wrong! In the Han Dynasty, Wu and Chu killed Chao Cuo in the name of purging the emperor's rebellion. In the end, Emperor Jing of Han beheaded Chao Cuo. Did Wu and Chu finally withdraw their troops? You are slandering like Yuan Ang."

Yang Guozhong replied to Zhang Jun with confidence, showing the integrity of a loyal minister.

"The interior is empty, and the An bandits marched in without difficulty, crossing the Yellow River without any effort. The prime minister did not deploy defenses in advance, which shows that the prime minister lacks the overall situation."

Fang Guan, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, also stepped out and made a statement.

"Minister Fang's scholarly view is extremely pedantic. How many troops do you think are needed to resist 200,000 cavalrymen?"

Yang Guozhong directly attacked Fang Guan personally.

He had long been unhappy with Fang Guan. When there was a heavy rain in Guanzhong in the 13th year of Tianbao, this guy had the audacity to secretly report to the emperor.

The ministers who were related to Li Heng could not tolerate Yang Guozhong's tyranny, so they came out one after another and began to attack Yang Guozhong.

But Yang Guozhong's calm and cunning arguments seemed like he was having a debate with a group of scholars.

Overall, Yang Guozhong was at a disadvantage, and it seemed that the prince's side had the upper hand.

Little did they know that Li Longji's expression had turned very ugly at this moment.

"Oh!"

"Enough! The country is in danger now, this is not the time to look into who has done good and who has done bad. The country is about to perish, and you are the crown prince and ministers, yet you are fighting among yourselves. How can you defeat the thieves Li and An?"

Li Longji, who was already furious, became even angrier when he saw this quarrel.

"Dismiss the court! The Right Prime Minister will discuss matters with me in the back hall!"

Li Longji didn't want to listen to any more nonsense, so he summoned Yang Guozhong to talk alone.

This made Li Heng suddenly realize that he had fallen into Yang Guozhong's trap.

When Li Longji was upset, the last thing he wanted to see was internal disunity.

I was already upset, and now I'm even more upset. How can I not be angry?
As the civil and military ministers looked at each other in bewilderment, Yang Guozhong retreated to Jiaotai Hall with Li Longji.

"Right Prime Minister, when can you summon another 100,000 troops? I have decided to lead the army myself."

Li Longji could not forget the time when he led the army in person.

"I dare not say it!"

Yang Guozhong knelt on the ground again.

"I forgive you for not being guilty!"

Li Longji anxiously asked Yang Guozhong to speak.

"The Crown Prince has suddenly become so powerful, and so many civil and military officials agree with him. I'm afraid that once Your Majesty goes to Tongguan, he will be honored as the Supreme Emperor."

Yang Guozhong said slowly.

He knew what Li Longji was most worried about now.

The emperor led the army in person to maintain his power.

This just shows that Li Longji was afraid of losing power!
After hearing this, Li Longji's lips trembled and he never mentioned the matter of leading the army in person again.

"Sage, there are still 3,000 guards in the royal stables by the Wei River, and there are 3,000 new soldiers in Bashang. You can order Li Fude to lead 3,000 guards and 3,000 new soldiers to support Tongguan. We can still hold the pass with the help of the dangerous pass."

Yang Guozhong took the opportunity to make suggestions to Li Longji.

"That's the only way. Order them quickly!"

Li Longji nodded in agreement.

How could an army of just over 100,000 men hold out after a crushing defeat? How could they hold out with a weak division of 6,000 new recruits?

"The west is of utmost importance. Your Majesty should quickly order Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi to lead the army back to provide support."

Yang Guozhong suggested again.

"Generals Guo and Li have won consecutive victories in Hebei!"

Li Longji frowned. He had always been looking forward to Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi attacking Huanglong and forcing An Lushan to withdraw from Luoyang.

"Chang'an is the core of the country. If Li the thief takes advantage of the situation and besieges Chang'an, what's the point of recovering Hebei?"

Yang Guozhong said this seemingly with reason and evidence.

"Send my secret decree to Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi to integrate the Hedong Army and the Shuofang Army and return from Jingxing to support Chang'an."

Li Longji stared, nodded and instructed Yang Guozhong.

"According to the order!"

Yang Guozhong bowed.

"We must investigate the military situation in Jincheng County as soon as possible. County governors from all over the country can recruit volunteers to defend their country! Don't be stingy with official positions to reward them."

Before Yang Guozhong left, Li Longji did not forget to give him instructions.

He couldn't sleep until he knew the battle situation in Jincheng.

"I will send more spies to find the mountain paths and gather information."

Yang Guozhong replied and retreated.

Li Longji sat alone in the empty and quiet Jiaotai Palace, and was reluctant to return to his own bedroom. It was not until the sun set that Li Longji set out for the Hua'e Xianghui Tower.

This is what I do every day lately.

He climbed to the top of the Hua'e Xianghui Tower and had a good view of Chang'an.

Unfortunately, when Chang'an was flooded, he did not have the courage to open the curtains.

Floods only bring suffering to the people, but rebellion concerns his life and property.

Since An Lushan launched his rebellion, the beacon fire at Tongguan has been lit again.

According to the Tang Dynasty's system, a beacon tower was set up every thirty miles from Tongguan to Mount Li.

The last beacon tower was designed on the top of the main peak of Mount Li.

Different from the general "emergency beacon fire", the beacon fire on Mount Li is called "peace fire".

If Tongguan is safe, it will be lit once in the early morning and once in the evening to report safety to Chang'an.

Such a situation of war can bring comfort to Li Longji.

Li Longji climbed the Hua'e Xianghui Tower just to watch the peace fire.

On this day, Cui Qianyou attacked Tongguan day and night.

The blood flowed in the Yellow River and spilled on the mountains. It was so cruel!

But Tongguan was still in the hands of the Tang army. In the evening, Li Longji saw the smoke rising from the beacon tower on Mount Li and breathed a sigh of relief.

The rebels failed to break through Tongguan, which proves that everything is fine!
When Li Longji looked to the west, he could only see the vast Xianyang Plain.

With the arrival of early summer, the place is full of greenery.

This made Li Longji suddenly think of Li Xuan’s famous line “Wildfire cannot burn it all, it will grow again with the spring breeze”.

"Li Qilang, when I catch you, I will ask you in person why you betrayed me."

In a trance, Li Longji saw Li Xuan riding a horse and wearing golden armor on the Xianyang Plain.

He pointed at the non-existent figure and cursed.

Gao Lishi, who was bending behind him, rubbed his eyes and stared blankly.

After making sure there was nothing, he sighed.

Until dark!

Tongguan is still shouting.

Lady Guoguo, Lady Hanguo, Yang Qi, Yang Jian and others in Chang'an City did not share the worries of Li Longji. They still partied in their brightly lit mansions.

Another day passed, and the beacon fires were still lit in the morning. But in the evening, when Li Longji was in Hua'e Xianghui Tower, he found that the time had come, but the peace fire on Mount Li had not been lit.

"What about the peace fire? If the fire is not lit due to negligence, the official in charge of the beacon tower will be executed."

Li Longji stood there and stared quietly, waiting for another half an hour.

Only the moon rises!

At Tongguan, more than 300 miles away from Chang'an, corpses were piled up like mountains and the military flags on the city walls had been broken.

The rebels were celebrating their capture of Tongguan and looking forward to the rewards they would receive.

"Call the Right Prime Minister!"

Li Longji slapped the railing and shouted.

He gave up, and it was not the officials' fault.

The peace fire does not bring peace!
Unexpectedly, Yang Guozhong just came to ask for an audience with Li Longji.

"Your Majesty, the governor of Longxi has sent a message, claiming that a group of light cavalry is riding non-stop towards Chang'an. They seem to be under the command of the thief Li. There are probably several thousand of these light cavalry, each with three horses, and they can travel a hundred miles a day. It seems that they are going to raid Chang'an..."

Before Li Longji told Yang Guozhong about the "Ping'an Fire", Yang Guozhong told him a piece of news that left Li Longji dumbfounded.

He covered his chest, his breathing stopped, his whole body was cold, his eyes were blurry, and his eyes were wet.

He wanted to say something, but he was speechless and couldn't utter it for a moment.

When I raised my hands, they were shaking.

"His Majesty……"

Gao Lishi hurried forward to straighten Li Longji, and was very worried about Li Longji who had been hit repeatedly.

Yang Guozhong was also worried about Li Longji's health, so he stepped forward and entrusted his life and property to Li Longji.

If anything happened to Li Longji, those people would devour him until not even a bone was left.

He was also afraid of Li Xuan. Those thousands of light cavalry might have already entered the Jingzhao area.

Yang Guozhong even felt that the threat from Li Xuan would be greater.

Longyou has been controlled by Li Xuan, and the reinforcements of Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi will definitely not be able to return.

There is not even enough time to recruit and train new soldiers.

After Gao Lishi and Yang Guozhong helped Li Longji to the couch for a while, he was finally able to speak again: "There is no smoke rising from the beacon tower on Mount Li, Tongguan may have been lost. There is the thief Li in the west and the thief An in the east, God has doomed me!"

After nearly fifty years of reigning over the country, it would finally be interrupted by a surprise attack like this.

Even though there were still many counties in Jianghuai, Shannan, Lingnan, and Jiannan in the Tang Dynasty, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.

Is his fame and reputation coming to an end?
Regardless of where Li Xuan is, Tongguan has been breached, which is more than 300 miles away, and the rebel cavalry may arrive within two days.

"Sage, the Tang Dynasty is not at the end of its rope yet. The setbacks are only temporary. When the righteous armies of the world come to the defense of the king, the clouds will clear and the moon will appear."

"As the saying goes, a strong army will be destroyed, and a strong tree will be broken. The thieves Li and An are unpopular, and they will not have a good end."

Compared with Li Longji, Yang Guozhong's words were slightly calmer.

He had his own plan before he asked to see Li Longji.

"Guo Zhong has something to say."

Li Longji asked anxiously.

"The saint can leave Chang'an and go to Shu to take charge of the overall situation in Shu."

Yang Guozhong replied to Li Longji.

He had forgotten that he had just said in the court two days ago that "the emperor cannot lead the army in person."

Perhaps running away was just to preserve strength, which did not contradict what was said before.

Jiannan was Yang Guozhong's territory, and he felt it was easier to gain power in Jiannan.

"Isn't that abandoning Chang'an and the people? Have there ever been emperors who abandoned their capitals?"

Li Longji looked at Yang Guozhong in surprise, his words full of doubt.

"The saint is not abandoning the people of the capital, but a temporary solution. If you don't leave, it will play into the hands of the thieves Li and An. The road to Shu is difficult, as difficult as climbing to heaven. As long as there are a few hundred warriors guarding the road, even thousands of troops will not be able to pass. You command the world in Shu, and wait until Chang'an is recovered before returning to the court."

As Yang Guozhong spoke, tears flowed down his cheeks: "The current situation is urgent. I know that the saint is not afraid of death, but the saint must consider the people. If you live and die with Chang'an, who can save the world?"

He knew that Li Longji was stubborn and deliberately gave him a way out.

When Li Longji heard the words "life and death", he was terrified.

He dared to lead the army in person, but he did not dare to face death.

If you are an ordinary citizen, you may be able to face death calmly when you are old and sick.

But the more powerful a person is, the more he fears death. There is no such thing as having lived enough or enjoying enough.

The taste of power goes deep into my bones.

Li Longji was a person who was unwilling to give up power and did not want to die.

"For the sake of the people, I can only temporarily flee to Shu."

Li Longji sighed.

"The Saint can only take a small number of people away, otherwise the whole Chang'an will be in chaos and the Saint will be in danger."

Yang Guozhong reminded Li Longji again and told him some preparations.

Li Longji nodded.

The situation was precarious and he had no time to prepare.

This is a very difficult decision to make!

On that day, Li Longji ordered the news of the fall of Tongguan to be blocked, and ordered people to light the beacon fire on Mount Li to give the princes and ministers in Chang'an an illusion.

The next morning, Li Longji went to the Qinzhengwu Building to summon his ministers.

He once again expressed his intention to lead the army in person.

Yang Guozhong did not stop it, and the emperor and his ministers acted in unison.

Li Longji was afraid that the civil and military ministers would not believe him, so he appointed Jingzhao Yin Wei Fangjin as the Imperial Censor and concurrently the Envoy of Dun.

Cui Guangyuan, Shaoyin of Jingzhao, was appointed as Yin of Jingzhao and governor of Xijing, and he let the eunuch Feng Shenwei take charge of the keys to the palace.

All these arrangements made the court and the people believe that the saint was heading to Tongguan to fight a decisive battle with the rebels.

The people hoped that the saint would lead the army in person and kill people everywhere.

Afterwards, Li Longji lied to all the civil and military officials, saying that Prince Yi Li Yan was going to Jiannan to serve as the Jiedushi of Jiannan, and ordered Jiannan Road to begin preparations for various supplies.

After doing all this, Li Longji did not return to Xingqing Palace, but quietly moved from Jiacheng to Daming Palace.

His trusted eunuchs secretly informed some princes, ministers, princes, and emperors' grandchildren to live in the Daming Palace.

You can't scare the snake away.

Lady Guo, Lady Han and others were among them, and they packed up their gold and silver jewelry overnight.

If the mansion wasn't on the ground, they would have carried it away.

Their ostentatious actions have caused some knowledgeable people to worry.

As for the concubines and princesses outside the palace, Li Longji didn't care about them.

At the same time, Li Longji asked Gao Lishi to inform General Chen Xuanli of Longwu, asking him to summon the Longwu Imperial Guards in Chang'an, as well as a small part of the Feilong Imperial Guards, a total of 3,000 people, and to transfer all the remaining thousands of war horses in the stables to escort the emperor into Shu.

"As expected! As expected!"

In the Daming Palace, after Li Heng learned that Tongguan had fallen and the Li bandits were approaching, he suddenly understood why Li Longji had made such arrangements.

This is to escape!
"The Saint has abandoned the people, abandoned the capital, and lost the hearts of the army and the people. Your Highness's chance has come."

Eunuch Li Jingzhong said beside Li Heng.

Li Jingzhong has not yet changed his name to "Li Fuguo". Although he looks like a human, he is Li Heng's most trusted eunuch.

Li Heng praised Li Jingzhong for his ability to adapt to changing circumstances and his extraordinary talent more than once.

"I don't have a chance. Jiannan is Yang Guozhong's territory. If I go there, I will die without a burial place."

Li Heng was afraid and didn't want to go to Jiannan.

He had no military power at all and was like a thorn in Li Longji's side.

"The opportunity is with Chen Xuanli. Please let me go and meet Chen Xuanli."

Li Jingzhong said to Li Heng.

"No, Chen Xuanli has served our father for fifty years. He is loyal to us."

Li Heng knew that it was almost impossible to rely on Chen Xuanli to launch a coup.

"That's not what I meant. The country is in this state today because of Yang Guozhong and the Yang family. It's definitely not okay to let Chen Xuanli help Your Highness seize power, but it's still possible to take the opportunity to get rid of Yang Guozhong."

Li Jingzhong replied to Li Heng.

"That makes sense. This palace should eliminate the troubles in the world. Let Jingzhong do it."

Li Heng nodded.

He was still planning something deeper in his mind.

Li Xuan's pressure was enormous, and he became worried whenever he thought of the west, but he was unwilling to live under Li Longji's shadow forever.

However, he believed that it would take some time for Li Xuan to reach Chang'an, after all, he came from Jincheng County, which was two thousand miles away.

Li Heng believed that only he could bring vitality to the lifeless country and restore its former glory.

That night, Li Jingzhong met Chen Xuanli in the Daming Palace as he wished. He explained the situation to Chen Xuanli with reason and emotion, and boldly assumed that if Yang Guozhong was not eliminated, the saint would be threatened by Yang Guozhong when he arrived in Jiannan.

The entire Jiannan was promoted to officials by Yang Guozhong. Although the generals of Jiannan were mediocre, they were favored by Yang Guozhong and followed his orders.

Chen Xuanli witnessed the destruction of the country and had long been dissatisfied with Yang Guozhong, so he and the prince hit it off.

He asked Li Jingzhong to go back and give his regards to the Crown Prince on his behalf, and promised to find an opportunity along the way.

……

Yang Yuhuan has arrived at the Daming Palace with Li Longji.

The incident happened suddenly and has reached this point.

Yurong's lonely tears are running out, and a spring pear blossoms with rain.

She was born in Shu, grew up in Luoyang, and lived in Chang'an.

I will return to Shu tomorrow.

I heard that the man's troops had arrived in Jingzhao.

Thinking of him, every thought of Yang Yuhuan was filled with bitterness.

Sadness was like a heavy shackle that bound her soul.

She couldn't tell her own thoughts at all.

The moonlight was setting in the west, its clear light shining on the world, and shining through the window onto Yang Yuhuan.

The light and shadow are holy and lively.

"Snapped!"

She, who always loved the moon, suddenly closed the window.

The huge contradiction made her confused.

Li Longji came to Yang Yuhuan, held her hand and told her that everything would be fine.

"Click..."

Li Longji knew that Yang Yuhuan liked the moon, so he opened the window again.

He looked at the waxing moon in the sky and vowed to keep a low profile and then return to Chang'an to rule the world.

The hour of midnight has passed, and today is the tenth day of April.

That night, countless people stayed awake all night.

The candlelight is as bright as day, and the sound of the night watch is fading.

……

In the early morning, before dawn, Gao Lishi whispered to Li Longji, who had dark circles under his eyes, "Saint, the time has come."

"it is good!"

Li Longji nodded, tidied himself up a little, and walked out of the Daming Palace with Yang Yuhuan, who was wearing a veiled hat.

At this time, it suddenly started to drizzle and mist fell.

But no one held an umbrella while escaping.

The ceremonial guards following Li Longji were shaking, and the canopies on both sides were tilted.

The crown prince, princes, concubines, princesses, Yang Guozhong, Chen Xilie, Wei Fangjin, Chen Xuanli and others, as well as some of Li Longji's trusted eunuchs and palace maids, supported Li Longji in leaving Yanqiu Gate.

On the broad avenue inside the palace, there was a great crowd of people in gorgeous clothes of all colors.

Li Longji's hands and feet felt numb at this time, but fortunately the cool drizzle hitting his face made him slightly more awake. He was able to walk out of the gate of Daming Palace with the help of palace servants.

In the team, if it were not for the stunningly beautiful Yang Yuhuan accompanying him, no one would have been able to tell that this lifeless old man was the emperor.

The panic and desolation were written all over his face, and he looked like a dog that had lost its home.

Who could have thought that this was the supreme being in the world?

When the princes, nobles, princes and grandchildren of the emperor learned that Tongguan had been breached, their eyes became bloodshot and they wanted to hurry up, fearing that if it was too late they would be caught up by the rebels.

But Li Longji's influence was still there, and no one dared to surpass him.

It was not until dawn that Li Longji left Yanqiu Gate.

Fortunately, the Daming Palace is not in Chang'an, so the people of Chang'an and the princes and ministers have not been alarmed for the time being.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that there are many people following Li Longji.

In fact, they accounted for less than one-tenth of the princes and nobles in Chang'an.

Thousands of palace maids in Xingqing Palace and Taiji Palace will be left to the rebels.

Once the rebels broke into Chang'an, the fate of the eight thousand palace maids, the beauties from the imperial music troupe, and the opera troupes would be predictable.

After leaving Yanqiu Gate, Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan were helped onto the dragon chariot.

The rest of the princes and nobles got on their cars and began their escape to the south...

The Longwu Army and the Flying Dragon Imperial Guards infantry and cavalry covered their evacuation.

Among these teams, only the "Four Yangs" carried carts of gold, silver and jewelry.

They are still reluctant and can't let go.

The Daming Palace was getting farther and farther away, and Li Longji looked back at Longshouyuan with melancholy.

The drizzle enveloped the team as they moved forward...

(End of this chapter)