After listening to the advice, I rebelled and became an emperor of all ages

Chapter 268 Ambition or the people, a difficult choice!

Darkness enveloped the earth, but the scorching flames illuminated everything.

The glow of flames began to spread across the fields, and the hot air waves immediately swept in all directions, engulfing everything.

As the flames spread, the air was filled with a burning smell and the suffocating heat made it feel like there was nowhere to escape.

"Look, the fire has begun to spread!"

The middle-aged scholar stood outside the city, his eyes as sharp as torches, looking at the raging fire in front of him, with only endless calmness in his eyes. His expression was cold, as if he didn't care about the scene in front of him at all, and he didn't even have a trace of pity.

Hu Xiehu felt uneasy, staring at the rolling flames, and a wave of fear surged in his heart. He couldn't help but ask: "Military Advisor, will the rebels discover the fire soon?"

"They will definitely find out, but by the time they realize it, the fire will be too big to put out." The middle-aged scholar's voice was filled with cold confidence, "And this is exactly what we want."

Although the middle-aged Confucian scholar spoke very lightly, Hu Xiehu's heart was difficult to calm down. The fire before him was like a ferocious beast, devouring the surrounding fertile fields with its fangs and claws.

Lin Zhongyun's stern face kept appearing in his mind, and he imagined how gloomy Lin Zhongyun's face would become when the rebels learned what happened here.

"They will surely be subjected to Lin Zhongyun's crazy revenge in their rage," Hu Xiehu thought to himself, "At that time, can we really stop the rebels and Lin Zhongyun's horses?"

At this moment, he no longer had any confidence in his heart.

The middle-aged scholar remained stern and ignored the news. His attention was completely attracted by the flames in front of him. He had only one thought in mind, which was to completely burn the food and grass of the rebels to buy time for the northern barbarians to recuperate. In his eyes, the flames were both destruction and an opportunity for rebirth.

"There is never absolute justice or evil in war, only victory and failure. The winner becomes the king and the loser becomes the bandit. This has been the case since ancient times." He turned around, his eyes as sharp as knives, staring directly at Huxiehu.

"What are you worried about?" His voice was cold and firm, piercing into Hu Xiehu's heart mercilessly. He knew what Hu Xiehu was worried about, but he thought these worries were nothing but groundless worries, even too naive.

"You have to understand that even if we don't burn Yangzhou today, Lin Zhongyun will definitely march straight in after breaking through the northern border and completely destroy the royal court of our Northern Barbarians."

His eyes were as cold as ice, revealing an unquestionable firmness, "I have never doubted this."

He never doubted this, and it was precisely because of this that he had to take such a big risk and go deep into Yangzhou just to delay the progress of the rebel army.

Hearing the middle-aged Confucian scholar say this, Hu Xiehu was shocked.

Although he understood that the middle-aged Confucian scholar did this for the sake of the entire Northern Barbarians, he could understand it, but understanding was ultimately just understanding.

Although he could understand the middle-aged Confucian scholar, the uneasiness in his heart still lingered.

"Military Advisor, aren't we afraid of paying a heavy price?" He finally couldn't help asking, with a hint of trembling in his voice.

The middle-aged scholar smiled slightly, with a cold arc on his lips: "Price? In this war, the price is inevitable. You must understand that only victory can bring survival, and failure will mean destruction."

The flames shot up into the sky, growing larger and larger, completely igniting the vast wasteland.

With the help of gusts of cold wind, the raging flames began to spread towards Gaodu City.

At this time, Gaodu City was surrounded by flat land, and the advantage of having an unobstructed view turned into their biggest disadvantage, because there was nothing that could block the raging flames between Gaodu City and the flames.

Hu Xiehuan estimated the time in his heart. With the fire spreading at this rate, it would not take long for it to spread to Gaodu City. That would be the time when the tragedy would be truly horrific.

After a long silence, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes, and he shouted in a deep voice: "So, military advisor, should we lie in ambush here and wait for the movement of the rebels?"

The fire flickered, but never went out. The middle-aged scholar's face did not turn red under the firelight, but instead made the gloom on his face more solemn. His eyes were like the abyss, revealing a suffocating depth.

"No, I said Jialing City is just the beginning." He said coldly, with his hands behind his back, his tone deep, as if he was brewing a bigger conspiracy, "In addition to Jialing County, Yangzhou also has Jianghua County, and these are our targets."

He put his hands behind his back and spoke in a deep voice, not noticing that Hu Xiehuan beside him had already turned pale because of his words.

“Time, time, time!!!”

He couldn't help but clench his hands in his sleeves, and kept emphasizing the importance of time, "We only have one day left now. By tomorrow, the rebels will definitely react."

"So, we must destroy the rebel army's food and grass as much as possible during this period. I have selected eight of the most important cities in Yangzhou. You will immediately lead your troops to divide into eight groups and cause greater destruction before the rebel army reacts."

There was a sudden rush of uneasiness in my heart.
Doing so would simply push the hatred between them and the rebels to a point where it could not be reconciled.

"Military Advisor, what if we fail to complete the mission before they react, or if we encounter a counterattack from the rebels..." he asked hesitantly, with a hint of uneasiness in his voice.

"No ifs!" The middle-aged scholar's voice was like an icy blade, mercilessly cutting off Hu Xiehu's worries. "In war, hesitation will only lead to failure. You must understand that only decisiveness can win victory."

"Your mission this time is not to attack the city, but to do everything you can to create more chaos, just like what happened in Gaodu City."

Hu Xiehu gritted his teeth. Although he still felt uneasy, he knew he had no way out. Staring at the burning flames, he felt an invisible pressure, which came from the urgency of time and the ruthlessness of war.

At this moment, a trace of determination flashed through his mind, as if the flames were burning not only the land, but also the hesitation and fear in his heart.

He was not an indecisive person. His original uneasiness came from his fear of the rebel army and his worry about the future of the Northern Barbarians.

But now that the situation has developed to this irreversible point, there is only one thing he needs to do, and that is to obey the military advisor's plan.

This time, it’s a fight between them and the rebels, either you or I will die!!!
"Okay, I understand." He finally made up his mind and said in a firm voice, "I will leave immediately and make sure the mission is completed."

Just like that, in the darkness, the elite Tiger troops transformed into eight cavalry units and set off quietly like ghosts, heading in all directions overnight.

Every cavalryman had a stern look on his face and a determined light flashed in his eyes, because they knew that what they were shouldering was nothing but the hope of the entire Northern Barbarians, which could not be lost.

Hu Xiehu rode on the war horse and felt a strong sense of mission.

"For the future of the Northern Barbarians!" He silently said in his heart, and the determination in his heart became more and more firm. His cavalry team was like a sharp sword in the dark night, piercing straight into every corner of Yangzhou, and was bound to turn the entire Yangzhou into a mess.

Not long after Huxiehu left, the rebels in Gaodu City finally made a move. As the heavy wooden door was slowly pushed open, the people in the city poured out like a tide, their faces full of fear and anxiety. They just wanted to get away from the raging flames and escape this sudden disaster.

However, when they rushed out of the city gate, what greeted them was the scorched earth and the heat wave that had not yet extinguished.

The air was filled with a scorching breath that hit them in the face, as if every breath was burning their lungs.

"Quick! Fetch water! Pour the water out!" Some people in the rebel army began to give orders frantically, trying to use water to stop the spreading fire, but their efforts seemed insignificant.

The flow of water did little to help the parched land, and only served to make them more desperate.

This scene was also seen by the middle-aged Confucian scholar. He stood in the distance, watching it all coldly with a sharp gaze.

"Military advisor, the rebel army has made a move, should we attack immediately?" the deputy general said eagerly.

Now the rebels in Gaodu City can finally sit still no longer, and everyone is busy putting out the fire. Taking advantage of this chaos, they can easily attack the city and capture Gaodu City in one fell swoop.

However, faced with such a question, the middle-aged Confucian scholar did not speak. Instead, he turned around, looked at the generals who were eager to try, shook his head, and made a decision that surprised everyone - retreat!

"retreat?"

When everyone heard this, their brows furrowed even more tightly.

They had no idea what the purpose of retreating at this time was. They could easily take over Gaodu City right now.

"Military Advisor, why are we retreating now?"

"Yes, isn't our goal to capture this Gaodu City?"

……

At this moment, everyone turned their eyes to the middle-aged Confucian scholar, their eyes full of doubt and confusion.

Faced with everyone's doubts and confusion, the middle-aged Confucian scholar did not respond. He just looked at the increasingly fierce fire, his face becoming increasingly gloomy.

In fact, he never expected that the fire outside could burn Gaodu City into ruins.

After all, Gaodu City did not store large amounts of food and fodder like Jialing City, and they had not climbed up the city wall and started a fire from inside.

He knew clearly in his heart that it would not take long at all for the raging flames to burn up the wilderness outside the city. In that case, with nothing to burn, the raging fire would extinguish itself and would never spread into the city.

From the beginning to the end, his arson had only one purpose: to cause panic among the defenders in the city.

What's more, taking over Gaodu City does not mean much to them now. Will taking over Gaodu City bring about a qualitative change to the situation of the Northern Barbarians?

Or in other words, once the rebels react, will they be able to defend the city of Gaodu with just these people?

This idea is very unrealistic. Once they really capture Gaodu City, it will become a burden to them tomorrow.

Faced with the siege of the rebels, would they abandon the city and retreat? Or would they abandon the city and retreat?

Since they will eventually be unable to defend it, why are they still going through so much effort and risking their lives to attack Gaodu City?

Even for them now, Gaodu City is already within their reach.

Although withdrawing like this would undoubtedly let this excellent opportunity slip away from them, it would be a great pity.

But even so, the most important purpose of their trip has been achieved.

However, even so, the middle-aged Confucian scholar knew in his heart that the most important purpose of their trip had been achieved.

Under this raging flame, the fertile fields within a ten-mile radius of Gaodu City have all been turned into scorched earth, and the surrounding areas are full of grief. The destruction of the fields is not only a loss in the present, but also a desperate blow to the future.

This level of destruction can be said to have cut off Gaodu City's hopes for the next few decades. With no land to farm anywhere, the population of the entire Gaodu City will begin to decrease, and it may even turn into a ghost town.

And the most important thing is that Gaodu City is just one of his many plans, and there are many more cities in the entire Yangzhou that will suffer such attacks.

As the flames spread, the scope of destruction will continue to expand, which is bound to bring an irreversible blow to the rebels.

If this is the case, even Yangzhou, which is known as the "Arsenal of the World" and is extremely wealthy, will definitely not be able to withstand such a loss. Such a blow to the rebel army is undoubtedly a huge one.

Especially with the burning of large tracts of fertile land, a series of thorny problems will follow, especially for those people who once made a living by farming, losing land means losing everything.

Among the rebels, many were of common people. They followed the rebels in pursuit of a better life and were eager to change their destiny.

However, they now find that they no longer have land to cultivate. Without land, they have lost the foundation for survival and their retreat is completely cut off.

By then, the rebels will surely become restless and angry. The originally indestructible morale of the rebels will most likely be split, and a wave of rebellion will inevitably arise.
This will definitely have a huge impact on Lin Zhongyun's prestige. At this time, the disadvantages of too high prestige will be revealed, because everyone has high hopes for him, hoping that he can come up with a solution and lead them out of the predicament.

Faced with such a situation, Lin Zhongyun has become their last hope. They hope that Lin Zhongyun can come up with a satisfactory answer to calm their dissatisfaction and anxiety.

However, once Lin Zhongyun's decision displeases others, his original prestige will backfire and even cause a mutiny.

At this time, Lin Zhongyun had only two options. One was to return to help quell the chaos in Yangzhou, but that would certainly end the rebel army's desire to continue pursuing the northern barbarians.

The other option is to cut the Gordian knot and capture the Northern Barbarians before everyone's emotions explode, but is that possible?
If Lin Zhongyun had not pacified the Northern Barbarians before everyone's emotions exploded, then his image in everyone's mind would completely collapse, and would inevitably cause greater chaos.

But no matter which option he chose, it was enough to make Lin Zhongyun extremely anxious, and he was unable to spare the time to continue targeting the Northern Barbarians.

This time he wants to see whether Lin Zhongyun will choose his ambitions or the people who have always supported his rise?
(End of this chapter)