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

Chapter 283: Burning the Cauldrons, Turmoil in the Royal Court
In the rebel camp, the flickering bonfire reflected the excited and excited expressions of everyone.

The joy of victory filled the hearts of every volunteer soldier. Laughter and cheers rang out one after another, as if the entire grassland was celebrating their victory.

However, Yuan Jingxin, who was one of the few people who knew the truth about Lin Zhongyun's attack on the grassland, frowned at this moment, looking particularly solemn.

He looked up at Lin Zhongyun, who had just escaped from the crowd, and felt extremely complicated and conflicted.

The Northern Barbarians were his old enemies in the Central Plains.
Every generation of people in the Central Plains has an ambition to expel the northern barbarians and conquer the Wolf's Lair.

Now, they are very close to this goal. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them. Once they miss it, it will be too late for them to attack the Northern Barbarian Mansion next time.

However, he also understood that their current advance alone was actually a gamble, a desperate attempt.

They were unfamiliar with this grassland mansion and once discovered by the northern barbarians, they would most likely fall into the trap they had prepared in advance.

More importantly, they didn't bring much food and fodder with them when they entered the grassland this time.

Although there were only 40,000 to 50,000 people on this trip and the scale was not very large, he became less confident as he saw the food supply running out day by day.

Yuan Jingxin stood by the campfire, looking at the laughing faces, feeling an invisible pressure in his heart.

He understood that his words would undoubtedly pour cold water on Lin Zhongyun, who was in high spirits. It would boost others' morale and undermine his own prestige, and might even cause Lin Zhongyun to fly into a rage.

But even so, he still wanted to speak out what was in his heart.

It was not for any other reason, but because Lin Zhongyun was his lord. He should be loyal to his lord and this was what he had to do as a subject.

He nodded slightly, took a deep breath, and walked towards Lin Zhongyun. The light from the bonfire cast mottled shadows on his face, reflecting his inner entanglement and determination.

"Your Highness, I'm afraid our remaining food and supplies will not last long!" Yuan Jingxin's voice was low, but full of determination.

Lin Zhongyun's eyes flickered, the smile on his face paused slightly, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes, but soon that displeasure turned into admiration for Yuan Jingxin.

He knew that Yuan Jingxin risked his life to give advice for the future of the rebel army. He was so happy to have such a loyal and outspoken minister that how could he be angry with Yuan Jingxin?

In fact, he had been thinking about this question just now.

forage,

No matter what time it is, it is the top priority to consider when marching and fighting.

This time, if it weren't for the Northern Barbarians causing a big mess in Yangzhou and cutting off their food supplies, he would not have ordered the army to retreat to suppress the rebellion in Yangzhou, and he would not have led these troops alone to advance deep into the enemy's territory.

He was not a fool, so he naturally understood the risks of advancing alone, and he also saw that the food supplies were running out day by day.

But he understands better.

Once this opportunity to attack the enemy directly is missed, it will never come back.

They can really wait until next year to regroup and attack the Northern Barbarians again, but by that time the Northern Barbarians will not be as weak as they are now.

The weeds are not burned out, but they grow again when the spring breeze blows.

He had seen such vivid examples more than once in his previous life.

Therefore, this time he went against all odds and went deep into the grassland in order to eradicate the problem completely and prevent future troubles.

"I know your concerns!"

Lin Zhongyun looked at the grassland hidden in the darkness in the distance with a sharp gaze, and said in a deep voice: "We are indeed alone and deep in the enemy's territory, and we are short of food and grass, but this is the challenge we must face.

If we don't take this opportunity to defeat the Northern Barbarians in one fell swoop, we may never have such a good opportunity again."

Yuan Jingxin's heart tightened, knowing that Lin Zhongyun had made up his mind, but he was still unwilling to give up the opportunity to persuade him. "Your Highness, because of this, we must act more cautiously. We are not familiar with the environment on the grassland. Once the enemy sets an ambush, we will be in great danger."

Lin Zhongyun nodded, a trace of contemplation flashed in his eyes. He understood Yuan Jingxin's concerns, and knew that the current situation was indeed not optimistic. What Yuan Jingxin was worried about was not impossible to happen.

The night wind from the grassland blew on his face, bringing a hint of coolness and making his thoughts clearer.

Yuan Jingxin felt a little relieved when he saw that Lin Zhongyun was not angry because of his advice, but he was still worried. "Your Highness, the rebellion in Yangzhou has not been quelled yet. The northern barbarians have been beaten by me and can only stay in the city. It is not as good as before."

He continued, "Your Highness knows that even if we retreat, the Northern Barbarians will not have the strength to defend the northern border. We can wait until next year to regroup and then strike a fatal blow to the Northern Barbarians."

In his opinion, they could retreat now, and it was a bit too hasty for Lin Zhongyun to advance alone.

In fact, there was a more important reason why he was unwilling to give up the idea of ​​persuading Lin Zhongyun.

That was the rebellion that occurred in Yangzhou. Now it is only Yangzhou that is complaining about the problem of food and fodder, but if left unchecked, I am afraid that this panic will spread to the entire Central Plains.

Under such circumstances, those aristocratic families that originally hated them would certainly not miss the opportunity to add fuel to the flames. Under their manipulation, I am afraid that the Central Plains would be plunged into another bloody storm.

At that time, regardless of whether they had wiped out the Northern Barbarians, the territory they had fought so hard for was handed over so easily, which made him feel very unwilling.

But he also understood that this was just a worry in his heart, and it would be alarmist to say it out loud now, so he never dared to tell Lin Zhongyun.

Lin Zhongyun was silent for a moment, with complex emotions flashing in his eyes. "I know you are worried about the food supply. I have already made a plan for this."

Yuan Jingxin was slightly stunned, with a hint of doubt in his eyes. He knew that Lin Zhongyun always thought things through, but at this moment, he was alone in the deep and with a shortage of food and grass, and he really couldn't see any perfect plan.

"Fight to support the war. As long as we continue to chase along this river, we will definitely encounter their team delivering food and fodder." Lin Zhongyun looked at the winding river in the distance with a sharp gaze, as if he saw hope for the future.

As for food and fodder, he was not too worried about it.

Although the environment on this grassland is harsh and food and grass are scarce, the northern barbarians can survive on this grassland, and they definitely have food and grass reserves.

Knowledge from his previous life told him that even on the grassland, places that could form settlements and produce a lot of food usually had one characteristic, which was that they were very close to water sources. Therefore, even though the grassland was vast and endless, no matter how the tribes migrated, they could not escape these points.

As long as they search along this river, they will encounter the tribes of the northern barbarians anyway, and then the problem of food and fodder will be solved.

Yuan Jingxin felt a little relieved when he heard this, but his worries were still not completely dissipated. "Your Highness, this is indeed a solution, but we need more investigation and preparation to ensure that everything is foolproof."

Lin Zhongyun nodded in agreement. "You are right. We cannot act rashly. We must strengthen investigation and ensure that every step is under our control."

He turned around and gave orders to the generals around him, "Immediately send out a reconnaissance team to travel along the river to find the food and grass reserves of the Northern Barbarians. At the same time, strengthen the defense of the camp to prevent the enemy's sneak attack."

The generals took the order and left, and the atmosphere in the camp became tense. The soldiers began to get busy, preparing for the next challenge.

Yuan Jingxin looked at all this and felt a little relieved, but he still didn't dare to take it lightly.

As night fell, the bonfire in the camp was still burning, illuminating the faces of every rebel soldier.

Lin Zhongyun stood in the center of the camp, his eyes determined, as if he was thinking about every step in the future. He knew that this battle was not only to drive out the northern barbarians, but also for the future of the Central Plains.

……

At the same time, the Northern Barbarian soldiers who had managed to escape earlier began to run desperately after a short rest.

Galloping in the starry night, the sound of war horses continued to stir over the grassland, raising dust.

Both of them were elite warriors among the Northern Barbarians and had experienced hundreds of battles, but this time, their hearts were filled with unprecedented fear and urgency.

They were deeply shocked by the strength and swiftness of the rebel army. They knew that this news was so important to the Northern Barbarians that they must not neglect it in the slightest.

The grassland was cold and windy at night, and the horses' breath turned into white mist in the cold air. The two men held the reins tightly, their eyes were firm, and they had only one belief in their hearts - to pass this news back to the Northern Barbarians as soon as possible and inform the leaders of the tribes.

They didn't rest at all along the way. The sound of horse hooves echoed on the grassland, as if urging them to speed up. The stars in the night sky were faint, but they were enough to guide them in the direction they were going.

The vastness and silence of the grassland seemed particularly depressing at this moment. Every moment of delay could mean the demise of the Northern Barbarians.

Finally, at dawn, they arrived at the main city of the Northern Barbarians. The two men almost fell off their horses, exhausted, but they did not stop for a moment and immediately ran to the big tent to report to the leaders of the tribes.

When this news reached the Northern Barbarians, the leaders of the tribes were shocked and in uproar. The atmosphere in the tent suddenly became tense, and everyone's face was filled with shock and uneasiness.

"What? The rebels have already penetrated deep into the grassland?" a tribal leader exclaimed, with disbelief in his voice.

“In that case, doesn’t it mean that the Khan and the others…?” the other person said with his eyes wide open and a pale face.

"They are so fast!" Another leader slammed the table angrily, his eyes flashing with anger and fear.

Everyone was panicking, and the entire tent was in chaos. The leaders of each tribe discussed and tried to find a solution, but everyone was filled with anxiety and panic.

It's not that they didn't receive critical intelligence on the front line. On the contrary, Hu Yanhuan and Hu Yanzhong informed them of the news long ago that their major tribes had already begun to migrate.

But even so, they never expected that the front line would collapse so quickly, and the rebel army had already reached the heart of the grassland.

At the current speed of the rebels, they will reach the royal court in just a few days and they will be wiped out.

Thinking of this, everyone's faces turned even paler, and now they couldn't help but feel a sense of regret in their hearts.

If they had listened to Hu Yanhuan and Hu Yanzhong and evacuated quickly, they would not be facing the current situation and they would not be so passive.

"We must take action immediately!" an elderly leader said in a deep voice, trying to stabilize the situation, "We can't let the rebels continue to wreak havoc!"

"Even if we retreat now, it's probably too late!" Someone said with regret in his heart.

"retreat?"

In response, someone snorted coldly and shouted in a low voice: "Retreat, retreat, you keep thinking about retreating. Are we the Northern Barbarians really inferior to the rebel army?"

"That's easy for you to say."

Another leader said worriedly, his voice full of helplessness and despair. "But our food reserves are running low. How can we fight them?"

……

For a moment, the entire tent was in chaos and constant quarrels, just like a busy market.

The leaders of each tribe had their own considerations, and each held their own opinions. They were not convinced by each other, and no one could make up their mind for a while. Some advocated gathering troops to fight immediately, while others suggested retreating to a safer place.

In this chaos and panic, Hu Yanhuan finally stood up, his eyes were sharp, and he scanned the crowd. He knew that someone had to stand up at this time to stabilize the morale of the army and formulate a response strategy.

"That's enough, calm down!" Hu Yanhuan's voice was deep and powerful, echoing in the big tent, instantly suppressing the noise inside the big tent. Everyone was shocked by his momentum, and they all shut up and looked at him.

"The true intentions of the rebels have not yet been determined, so don't panic." Hu Yanhuan continued, his tone full of determination and calmness. He knew that only when he was calm could he make the right decision.

After saying this, he slowly walked up to the two soldiers who had been running day and night, and asked with a cold face: "Who is the leader of the rebel army? How many people are there?"

The two soldiers were already exhausted, but they knew the heavy responsibility they shouldered, so they pulled themselves together and reported in detail: "My Lord, the leader of the rebel army is Lin Zhongyun, and the rebel army has about 40,000 to 50,000 people."

Hu Yanhuan frowned slightly when he heard this. It turned out that Lin Zhongyun was leading the troops this time, which made this matter extraordinary.

"Have you found out their specific movements and intentions?" Hu Yanhuan continued to ask, his eyes sharp as if he could see through the minds of the two soldiers.

One of the soldiers thought for a moment and replied, "We have been fleeing all the way and have not been able to detect their specific movements. But from what we have seen, the rebels seem to be traveling along the river, probably in search of food and supplies."

"Looking for food?" The two people's words made Hu Yanhuan's eyes suddenly brighten, as if he had thought of a way to break the impasse.

(End of this chapter)