To swiftly grasp the court's situation and firmly secure the throne, he devoted all his efforts to win over Yu Shen. However, this old fox remained unmoved.
No matter how many lures he cast, Yu Shen swallowed them all, yet acted as if nothing had happened afterward.
As for the other chancellors, there was even less to say!
Fan Zhengguo, Wang Xiang, and Zhong Shidao stood resolutely by Zhao Zhen's side.
If it weren't for Tong Guan's excessive actions, this emperor might not even have secured the position of Grand Councilor.
As soon as he prepared to move against Zhao Zhen, several chancellors joined forces behind Zhao Zhen.
The moment he showed any displeasure, they promptly shifted the blame back onto him.
At this moment, everyone was waiting to witness the spectacle, anticipating how this emperor would apologize to the chancellors.
The throne was a truly magical thing. Even for someone as timid as Zhao Huan, once he sat upon it, the brutality suppressed deep within his bones immediately surfaced.
The stronger their reactions, the more rebellious his spirit became.
Even knowing that continuing down this path would quickly earn him the moniker of a foolish ruler, he was undeterred!
"Get out! All of you, get out!"
Looking at the eunuchs and palace maids kneeling before him like quails, the exasperated Zhao Huan roared again…
Facing the enraged emperor, the low-ranking eunuchs and palace maids could only lower their heads and cautiously withdraw from the room.
Once they exited the hall, Shun Xi quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
At this moment, he truly regretted his decision. If he had known this would be the outcome, he might as well have accompanied Liang Shicheng south.
At the first hint of dawn, he had already been teetering on the edge of life and death.
"Report! Zhen Ding has fallen, An Fu Shi Li Mao and Du Ling Xia Liu perished in battle…"
Just as Shun Xi caught his breath, a sturdy soldier, supported by two eunuchs, knelt outside the Fuling Hall and shouted.
"What did you say? Zhen Ding has fallen?"
Hearing this, Shun Xi's head buzzed.
Unlike ordinary eunuchs, having been by Liang Shicheng's side, he had gained some worldly knowledge.
With Zhen Ding fallen, of all the Hebei region, only Xu Churen remained with any fighting capacity…
If Xu Churen were to fail, the entire area north of the Yellow River would fall to the Jurchens!
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
After taking several deep breaths, Shun Xi pushed away the young eunuch supporting him, took the dispatch from the messenger, and hurried towards the hall.
If Xu Churen fled like Tong Guan without a fight, the gates of Bian Liang would be completely open!
No matter how wronged Zhao Huan felt, at this moment, he had to win over Xu Churen at all costs…
While Zhao Huan and his ministers were embroiled in their schemes, in Taiyuan City, Zhang Xiaochun was once again locked in a bitter struggle.
After several probing attacks, the Jurchens had gradually begun to ascertain the weaknesses in Taiyuan City's defenses.
To swiftly capture Taiyuan, they began forcing peasants and craftsmen plundered from other cities to build siege engines day and night.
"My lord, the west city is in urgent danger! Those bastards are fighting like they have nothing to lose. General Wang requests another five thousand able-bodied men!"
The casualties on the city walls were too great. Even the soldiers under Wang Bing's command, though well-equipped, could not guarantee they would see the sun the next day once they entered battle.
For a city as large as Taiyuan to exert its basic defensive capabilities, they needed at least ten thousand soldiers.
Coupled with troop rotations, logistical support, and temporary reserves, the fighting was simply unsustainable.
However, even with the city's auxiliary forces, Zhang Xiaochun had fewer than fifteen thousand men.
To fill this gap, he had conscripted over twenty thousand laborers in recent days, provided them with basic training, and sent them directly to the walls.
Although the daily losses were substantial, they had at least managed to stabilize their front lines for the time being.
"I understand. I will arrange for men immediately!"
After the messenger left, Zhang Xiaochun frowned again.
Compared to the defenses on the city walls, he was more concerned about the food supply at this moment.
Feeding so many mouths in the city was no easy feat!
The arrival of the Jurchens was precisely timed. This year's harvest had already been poor, and they had been hoping for relief from the court. But now, with the war, Taiyuan City had become an isolated outpost. Supplies from outside could not get in, and everything had to rely on themselves…
Even with all the grain in the city centrally distributed, the situation remained grim!
The grain they had stockpiled, even if rationed at the lowest possible standard, with priority given to the army, would last them at most less than a month.
What the situation would be like after a month, Zhang Xiaochun himself dared not imagine…
"Father!"
As he agonied over the food shortage, Zhang Ji cautiously entered from outside.
"What is it? Has something happened?"
"Father, can you increase the grain rations for the citizens? Today alone, there have been fifteen instances of people looting grain. If this continues, people will start starving to death in the city before long…"
Looking at his father, who had lost a considerable amount of weight, Zhang Ji hesitated to continue speaking.
"If there were enough food, I would gladly distribute more to the people. But our current situation…"
Zhang Xiaochun's face was filled with bitterness as he spoke.
To defend Taiyuan City, the first priority was to maintain morale. If the citizens could not even get enough to eat, he did not know what would happen next…
"My lord, Zhang Ruhui, a Daoist priest from the Shenxiao Palace, requests an audience. He claims to have an urgent matter of great importance to discuss with you!"