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

Chapter 335 Li Zhongwu: I will go even if there are tens of thousands of people!
The vast grassland is endless, and the withered and yellow grass stems are trembling in the biting north wind.

The cold wind whistled past, blowing the dry grass on the ground into the air, hitting people's cheeks from time to time, causing a stinging pain. This pain seemed to remind everyone that the price of survival is never easy.

The moonlight was bright and cold, illuminating the smooth road ahead, but at the same time it also exposed their figures. This was a double-edged sword, guiding their direction and exposing their whereabouts.

Li Zhongwu looked at the road ahead and then looked back. Although his vision was blurry in the night, the densely packed Northern Barbarian Army behind him was like a black line, getting closer and closer to them.

The north wind carried the neighing of war horses, like the roar of wild beasts, shaking the vast grassland. Li Zhongwu's heart tightened, he knew that Hu Yanhuan's cavalry was coming faster than expected.

This speed difference made him think of how they chased the enemy in the Central Plains. Now, the roles of hunter and prey have been reversed.

The sound of horse hooves was as deafening as thunder, echoing across the empty grassland for a long time. This sound was not only a threat to them, but also a test of their will.

Li Zhongwu turned around and involuntarily tightened the reins to speed up. After all, this grassland is the home ground of the Northern Barbarians, and those excellent war horses can gallop freely on this grassland. For those war horses and the Northern Barbarians, this is where they live and their world.

He understood that only if they moved faster would they have a chance of escaping the pursuit.

"Brothers, don't give up. Follow me closely. We must hold on until dawn!" Li Zhongwu's voice sounded firm and resolute in the cold wind. This voice was not only an encouragement to his subordinates, but also a promise to himself.

He held the spear tightly in his hand, which was his belief in fighting against the enemy and his desire for survival. The night on the grassland became darker, but the light in their eyes became more determined, which was the unyielding fire in the face of difficulties.

Li Zhongwu's shouts echoed in the team, inspiring the hearts of every soldier. They lowered their heads, tried their best to drive their tired bodies, and moved forward towards the dawn of hope. The cold wind on the grassland seemed to have sensed their determination and became more violent, as if testing their will.

Li Zhongwu's warhorse was like a flash of black lightning in the night, leading the team to gallop across the grassland. Their figures became blurred in the moonlight, but their indomitable fighting spirit became clearer.

However, although their fighting spirit may still be high and they are unwilling to surrender easily, the horses under their crotch have reached the limit of their physical strength at this moment, and their four hooves are churning, showing obvious signs of fatigue.

Li Zhongwu felt a great sense of responsibility. He patted the horse's neck hard to encourage it, hoping that it would persevere and continue running.

At this critical moment, the advantage of the Northern Barbarians was fully demonstrated. Their speed remained unabated, like an unstoppable storm, sweeping away all obstacles ahead.

Although the warhorses' panting was getting heavier, Li Zhongwu knew that as long as they could hold on for a while longer, they would have a chance to find a place to take shelter and temporarily escape the pursuit of the northern barbarians.

Under the iron hoof of the northern barbarians, the fate of him and his warriors hangs on this ray of hope. It is a race against time and a battle with fate.

"General, this is not a solution. The war horses can't run anymore!" The captain of the guards following behind him suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice with a hint of despair.

The warhorse under him was foaming at the mouth, its limbs were trembling, and it was almost falling down. The situation was extremely critical.

The situation of the other soldiers was not much better. Most of their war horses were captured from the northern barbarians, which were far inferior to the fat and strong grassland horses under Hu Yanhuan's subordinates. This greatly affected their marching speed.

Li Zhongwu gritted his teeth tightly, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. He knew that if they continued like this, they would be caught up sooner or later. It would be wishful thinking to rely on speed to get rid of Hu Yanhuan. They had to find another way.

He looked around. If they were in the mountains of Central Plains, they could easily find a place to hide anywhere and use the terrain to get rid of the pursuers.

However, this was an endless grassland after all, and everything was flat as far as the eye could see. There was no place to hide at all, which put them in an unprecedented predicament.

In fact, Li Zhongwu did not plan an ambush in advance to cover their retreat.

This realization made him feel bitter. Because there were only a few people who followed him to break out, he had to allocate some of his troops to protect His Highness.

As a result, there was no extra manpower left for an ambush. This tight situation made him feel helpless.

"How abominable!" He clenched his teeth, a trace of anger and unwillingness flashing in his eyes.

Various possible tactics flashed quickly through Li Zhongwu's mind. Each thought was as fast as lightning, yet as fragile as bubbles.

He knew that he had to make a decision immediately, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable and might lead to the annihilation of their small team. This pressure was like a heavy burden, pressing on his heart.

However, this time, Hu Yanhuan, who hated Lin Zhongyun and him to the core, did not give him any chance to breathe.

Hu Yanhuan's persistent pursuit was like a sharp sword, constantly approaching Li Zhongwu's throat.

Just in the moment when the warhorse took a short breath, the rumbling sound of the iron hooves became clearer.

The black mass of cavalry came like a tide, and the sky was covered with dust, as if the end of the world had come, making people feel extremely oppressive and fearful.

This scene was like a picture of the end of the world, slowly unfolding before Li Zhongwu's eyes.

At this time, he could clearly see Hu Yanhuan's smug face and the sharp blade waving in his hand.

There was a gleam of victory in Hu Yanhuan's eyes, which was the excitement of a hunter about to capture prey.

"Li Zhongwu! You can't escape!" Hu Yanhuan's voice was like a demon from hell, and it was particularly harsh in the wind and snow.

He led the cavalry in the lead, like a black torrent, sweeping towards Li Zhongwu and others. This voice seemed like the call of the god of death, which made Li Zhongwu's heart tighten.

"There's really not much time left!" Li Zhongwu gripped the reins tightly, the anxiety in his heart burning like a raging fire.

He quickly weighed the options in his mind and knew that he had to act immediately, otherwise their small group would be in danger of being wiped out.

At this extremely urgent moment, an inspiration suddenly flashed in Li Zhongwu's mind.

He recalled a natural phenomenon he had witnessed on the grasslands - wind erosion gullies. Although the scale of those gullies formed by wind erosion could not be compared with that of huge canyons, their complex terrain could provide them with an excellent shelter and might even be the key to turning the situation around.

Fortunately, there was such a gully not far from their current location.

Li Zhongwu quickly assessed the situation and realized that this might be their only chance to escape from the predicament.

Acting decisively, he immediately issued an order instructing all personnel to move quickly to the nearest ravine area.

The terrain there is complex and intricate, making it ideal for ambushing pursuers.

As the sound of horse hooves gradually approached, Li Zhongwu and his remaining soldiers quickly rushed into an intricate gully area at the critical moment of life and death.

They made full use of the cover of the gully, moving forward quickly while setting simple traps. Dead branches, stones, and even saddles were used to create obstacles.

Hu Yanhuan's cavalry team was therefore forced to slow down and did not dare to easily enter this area with extremely complex terrain.

Li Zhongwu seized this opportunity and commanded his soldiers to move flexibly in the ravines, cleverly avoiding the sight of the pursuers again and again.

Time is passing by every second. Although the current situation is still very critical, they have at least gained a precious respite for the time being.

The wind was howling, mixed with the enemy's roar, but in this ravine, Li Zhongwu and his soldiers seemed to have disappeared.

Under the cover of the ravine, Li Zhongwu began to calmly plan his next move.

He knew very well that these low ravines could only hold Hu Yanhuan back for a while. If they wanted to completely get rid of Hu Yanhuan's pursuit, they had to find a safer hiding place or an opportunity to counterattack.

In this ravine, they might be able to find an ideal ambush point and use the rugged terrain to deal a heavy blow to the pursuers.

Li Zhongwu gazed at the rugged terrain around him and knew he had to make a decision quickly.

So he chose a high point with a wide view and observed Hu Yanhuan and his pursuers' every move from above.

His eyes were like those of a hawk, tightly locking onto the enemy's movements. At this moment, he already had a preliminary plan in mind.

As the night deepened, the wind on the grassland became more and more fierce, as if playing a prelude to the upcoming battle. Li Zhongwu knew that success or failure depended on this one move, and he had to seize this fleeting opportunity.

At this critical moment, he stood on a high place with sharp eyes, and he could see the pursuers below clearly. He could clearly see Hu Yanhuan's cavalry moving slowly in the winding gullies, and the soldiers obviously slowed down their pace, obviously fearing this unknown terrain.

However, he also noticed the endless stream of Northern Barbarian pursuers. It was obvious that the huge noise he made had attracted the attention of all the Northern Barbarian soldiers, and they were pouring in like a tide.

Facing these Northern Barbarian soldiers who were coming in like a tide, he knew very well that it wouldn't be long before the Northern Barbarians would surround this ravine area, forming an inescapable encirclement.

But the more this situation happened, the more relieved he felt. The more pursuers there were on his side, the fewer pursuers there were on His Highness' side, and the safer His Highness would be. This just proved that his plan had been successful.

"General, there are too many pursuers from the northern barbarians. We will soon be surrounded by them." The personal soldier with a sad expression came to Li Zhongwu and said worriedly.

His voice had become hoarse, and his right shoulder was hit by an arrow, but he was gritting his teeth and using all his strength to break the arrow shaft, then tightly wrapping the wound with a cloth strip to stop the continuous flow of blood. "We have to find a way out as soon as possible."

Li Zhongwu was silent for a moment, then said firmly: "In this situation, running away will not solve the problem. The only way is..."

He did not continue speaking, because he knew in his heart that only by fighting with his back against the wall could he find a glimmer of hope.

Li Zhongwu's words made the guard's originally solemn and stern face even more gloomy. His eyes flickered with uncertain light, and he looked at Li Zhongwu, as if he wanted to say something but was hesitant. However, he finally took a deep breath, as if he had made some important decision, and his expression became unusually resolute.

"General, it doesn't matter if we, the unknown soldiers, die, but if you fail here today, your lifelong reputation will be ruined." He said with a stern face, "General, if you fall, it will be like losing an arm. While there is still a chance, you should lead your troops to break through immediately."

Li Zhongwu glanced at him calmly, his eyes firm and deep, as if he had already put life and death aside, "Fame is but a passing cloud, your highness's safety is the most important."

At this point, he glanced at Hu Yanhuan who was shouting below, and suddenly clenched his sword tightly in his hand, and shouted in a deep voice: "If I retreat now, the Northern Barbarians will react, and Your Highness will still be in danger."

"Since you are putting on a show, then do it in full. From now on, you take some people and pretend to be His Highness and continue to break out. This time, I will personally meet Hu Yanhuan to buy time for His Highness."

"this……!"

Hearing Li Zhongwu's words, the captain of the guards broke out in a cold sweat. He raised his head hastily and said with a defeated look on his face, "General, please think twice. If something goes wrong with you, how can we explain it to His Highness when we return?"

"explain?"

Li Zhongwu suddenly snorted coldly, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth, and his tone was full of regret and pity, "If you can't explain to His Highness, how can I report to the elders and folks of Cangzhou and Yuzhou? There is no winner in this war!"

The captain of the guard was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say. He tried to continue speaking, but when he raised his head, he saw Li Zhongwu's resolute eyes.

"That's enough. Don't say any more. I have made up my mind."

As he spoke, he grasped the reins with both hands, his eyes fixed firmly on Hu Yanhuan, and said sternly, "Tell Your Highness that I, Li Zhongwu, have expanded the territory for Your Highness without any regrets."

As soon as the words fell, the neighing of 'Herod' was heard, and behind a cloud of dust, a man and a horse went against the vast army.

This time, the saying "I will go even if there are tens of thousands of people against me" was truly reflected in one person.

(End of this chapter)