Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 387 - 238 The Emperor Has Escaped!_3

Chapter 387: Chapter 238 The Emperor Has Escaped!_3

However, what Chuge had not anticipated was that as time hurriedly passed outside, dawn was approaching, yet a servant hurriedly came knocking at the door.

"Master, master!

"It’s terrible, I heard His Majesty... His Majesty escaped from the city last night!

"The city is now in complete chaos, master, you must get up and see!"

Chuge was stunned, then said in shock, "What did you say?"

But before he could even step outside, a thick fog had already enveloped the area.

This meant that his challenge had failed.

Before exiting this historical segment, he once again observed from a god-like perspective, witnessing the situation after the Jin soldiers had moved south.

With the emperor’s escape, many high officials also fled the city with him, and this news spread quickly, impossible to conceal.

As a result, the entire capital became a place of great anxiety and fear. Many wealthy merchants also began to flee, and even the defending troops became demoralized.

Although Li Boxi still tried to organize defenses, with the loss of morale, the Jin soldiers quickly breached the capital.

Afterward, the Jin soldiers carried out a massive massacre in the capital and looted extensively, almost all of the Qi Dynasty’s northern territory was overrun.

The Jingping Incident had arrived ahead of schedule.

Perhaps the only piece of good news in this timeline was that Emperor Qihui and Emperor Yingzong of Qi, due to their quick escape, along with some noble relatives, were not captured by the Jin soldiers.

But the Jin, having swiftly taken over the capital, grew even more ambitious and continued their invasion southward. During the exile, the emperor’s orders were not heeded, and the local garrisons lacked unified command, leading to further disintegration, creating a situation even more difficult to manage than the Jingping Incident.

Chuge saw that the light in the capital faded fastest, followed closely by Cen Bridge Inn, and then the nearby countryside and the city of Pingding County.

Clearly, the other three locations largely depended on the capital’s survival.

Had the capital been able to withstand the Jin’s main forces, the other areas might have had a chance to resist. But once the capital fell, the Jin could freely sweep through the surroundings and then join forces with those attacking Taiyuan City, leading to unstoppable consequences.

Back in the initial scene, Chuge annoyed, slapped his forehead.

"Having hunted geese all year, to think I’d be pecked in the eye by one...

"I knew from historical records that Emperor Yingzong had thoughts of fleeing, but I didn’t expect it to come so soon, so suddenly... and according to historical records, wasn’t he stopped by Li Boxi?

"Such a pity for the other three guys in this instance, who knows who they are, got dragged down by me."

Chuge couldn’t help but blame himself.

He had chosen the identity of a scholar, confident in his ability to carry the team, yet he had inadvertently become a breakthrough point due to a moment of negligence.

"Let’s go again!"

Chuge was somewhat speechless, but this was after all a rookie mistake, only because he hadn’t yet fully adapted to the thought processes of this instance and thus capsized.

Soon, Chuge found himself back in the court.

This time his approach was the same as before. Whether the emperor was pleased or not was secondary; his first move was still to curry favor with Li Boxi. After all, defending the capital was the paramount task at the moment.

Once back at his mansion, Chuge dared not ignore the affairs outside his windows anymore.

He immediately had his servants prepare a carriage and rushed to Li Boxi’s residence.

...

Under the night sky, the capital, amidst its tranquility, also seemed somewhat oppressive.

Though the Jin’s forces had already started moving south, there were still several days before they would truly besiege the capital.

But how many days exactly, no one could say for sure.

After easily breaking through the defenses of the Yellow River, the Jin advanced southward like a hot knife through butter. This was partly due to the brave fighting of the Jin soldiers and the Qi Army’s instant collapse, but there were also significant differences in battlefield strategies.

Unlike the Western Army, which was held up by the strong city of Taiyuan, the Eastern Army breezed through after seizing Yan Jing with the help of defectors. From Yan Jing to the outskirts of the capital, there was effectively nothing formidable to defend, nor was there a strong city like Taiyuan firmly entrenched in their path.

From this perspective, the unstoppable momentum of the Jin could be understood.

But those with a bit more insight knew that although there was no strong city like Taiyuan, there were various small towns, numerous provinces and counties along the way, whose scattered soldiers, if added up, were considerable.

Had the officers commanding these forces been able to make swift, decisive actions, using their limited military strength to harass the Jin’s supply lines and ambush isolated Jin soldiers, the situation could have been vastly different.

But this more favorable possibility, imagined by some, ultimately never materialized.

In this vast chaos, every commanding officer thought themselves powerless; facing the Jin’s fierce assault alone was like seeking death. However, if all the Qi Dynasty’s troops along the Eastern Route harbored this mindset, then the only possible outcome was for the Jin to march straight through.

Thus, Emperor Yingzong should have known that if he needed to flee, this was the optimal moment.

Delaying even slightly, a few days would pass in the blink of an eye. By then, when the Jin forces descended upon the city, enveloping the entire capital, escape would be as challenging as flying to the moon.

— Swords do not have eyes, and in the chaos of escape, it would be difficult even for the Jin to distinguish between a minister and the emperor. If mishap were to occur, such an outcome would be unacceptable for an emperor’s dignity.