Chapter 194 All under heaven belongs to the king!
Cui family residence.

The heavy snow was still falling from the sky, as if covering the land with a thick layer of white gauze.

After taking a look at the sky that was about to darken and then at the increasingly biting cold wind, Cui Hao's sullen expression relaxed a little, and the huge rock hanging in his heart was finally put down.

"I guess the rebels won't launch an attack today." He said this to his brother beside him, with a hint of fatigue and relief in his tone, "But to be on the safe side, those who defend the city today still can't let their guard down."

"Yes, Fourth Young Master!" The servant beside him received the order and immediately bowed in response, his face full of respect.

Cui Hao is ranked fourth among the direct descendants of the Cui family, so he is also called Cui Laosi.

Although there were three young masters before him, the talents and vision of the other three young masters were far inferior to that of the Fourth Young Master Cui.

It is under the management of the fourth young master Cui that the Cui family has been able to prosper in recent years and occupy a place among the major families today.

It can be said that if this kind of thing had not happened, the Fourth Young Master Cui would have been the next head of the Cui family.

Therefore, they always had full confidence in his orders.

Cui Hao had no idea what others were thinking at this moment. He just stared at the gradually dimming sunlight, and his brows, which had just relaxed, were twisted together again.

Unwilling to do so,

Why? !

Waves of resentment surged into his heart, and he felt a mixture of emotions. In addition to sourness, he felt more angry.

He roared secretly in his heart, anger burning in his chest like fire, and the anger in his heart made his originally handsome face turn hideous and terrifying.

In fact,
They had already grasped the whereabouts of the rebels long before they arrived at Cui's base.

However, the Cui family is so big and powerful that it would take some time to evacuate them all. If they retreated in a big way, the rebels would definitely get the news, and then all their efforts would be in vain.

In addition, if everyone evacuates, everyone will inevitably panic. At this critical moment, the Cui family must have someone step forward to take charge of the situation and stabilize the people's hearts.

however,
He racked his brains but could not imagine that the person who would step forward to take charge of the situation would be himself.

"I have worked hard for my family, and have exhausted all my energy, just to be forced into this moment?!"

Cui Hao was filled with anger. Recalling everything he had done for the Cui family over the years, the grievance and resentment in his heart grew larger.

He once thought that his plan to surrender to Daqian and his plan to increase his family's withdrawal and preserve capital were all for the better survival of the Cui family. However, he now finds that he is just a scapegoat who has been pushed to the forefront of the storm.

It was he who proposed surrendering to Daqian in the first place, and it was also he who proposed the plan to withdraw and preserve the family's capital. It can be said that he has devoted all his energy and efforts for the Cui family. Is this how the family treats him?

He is shooting himself in the foot and the loss outweighs the gain.

Originally, he thought that since he had done so much for the Cui family over the years, the position of the head of the Cui family should be his no matter what.

But now he saw it all clearly.

It turned out that he was so far away from the position of the head of the family, not just one step away.

At this moment, as the snowflakes flew, his heart was filled with despair.

He knew very well that it was wishful thinking for the Cui family to resist the rebel army alone.

Although other major families have threatened to stand on the same front with the Cui family and send reinforcements to the Cui family.

It was true that the major families would send reinforcements, but whether they would actually take action in the end was another matter. Those families probably wanted to take this opportunity to find out the true strength of the rebel army, and to see if Lin Zhongyun would really follow his orders and not give in.

Therefore, the moment the family asked him to stay here, it was equivalent to announcing his death.

At this moment, he kept thinking about his past ideals and ambitions. Every moment he worked hard in the Cui family during those years was to be able to stand at a higher position and lead the family to a brighter future.

He was unwilling to give in,

I don't want to die here like this.

He was unwilling to accept that this was the end of his life.

At this moment, the wind was whistling in the distance, and the howling cold wind was mixed with a "tramp, tramp" sound, and it was getting closer and closer to them.

The sound was as dense as drumbeats, accompanied by the whimpering of the cold wind, as if it were a passionate war song, foreshadowing a sudden catastrophe.

As the sound got closer, the snow on the top of the city began to fall off, hitting the ground with a loud "pa pa" sound.

Cui Hao's heart suddenly sank as he realized the seriousness of the situation. He quickly looked into the distance, and in the darkness, he could vaguely see teams of heavily armored soldiers, with torches swaying in their hands, reflecting faces full of murderous intent and fanaticism.

In the dim night, torches broke through the fog and dispelled the dead silence and darkness, but they also brought them fatal nightmares.

"Hurry, look!" someone exclaimed. The voice sounded particularly sharp in the cold wind, instantly breaking the tranquility of the city.

"That's the Rebel Army attacking!"

"The Rebels attacked at this time!!!"

Cui Hao's heart tightened and his face turned pale in an instant. His heartstrings, which had just relaxed, became tense again. He shouted to the people around him: "Pass the order down, the whole army is on alert, no one is allowed to shoot without my permission!"

The sentry standing by was frightened and turned pale when he saw such a scene. He said in a panic, "Master, there are too many rebels. I'm afraid we are not..."

“Stop talking nonsense!” Cui Hao’s voice was like thunder, deafening. Anger and fear intertwined in his heart. Even though he could no longer maintain the calmness and elegance of a scholar, he roared hysterically like those reckless men he once despised: “Quick, tell everyone to pick up their weapons and prepare to defend the city!”

At his stern shout, the people in the city began to pick up weapons and rushed to the top of the city walls in panic.

Although Cui Hao felt uneasy, he also felt a sense of relief at this moment. At least everyone was taking action, and at least they had not completely collapsed.

However, as the rebels approached, Cui Hao's heart became heavier. The torches were like the eyes of evil spirits, approaching closer and closer, reflecting the hideous faces of the soldiers, and they were mighty and powerful.

Can they really be a match for such a rebel army?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Why did the rebels attack at this time? Did the rebels already know the Cui family's plan? Or did they lie in ambush in the cold wind, waiting for this moment to come?

"Damn it!" Cui Hao gritted his teeth, the anger and unwillingness in his heart burning like flames.

At the same time, Li Zhongwu rode his horse and whipped it, looking very proud. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk, sweeping over the defenders on the tower, secretly assessing the situation in front of him.

The top of the city wall was filled with skinny poor people, and even more were the elderly, weak, women and children. The tribe soldiers who actually defended the city were few in number, and they all hid behind those poor people, looking timid.

If they attack by force, these people alone will definitely not be able to resist for a moment.

However, he did not intend to attack immediately. He was here on Lin Zhongyun's orders to hold him accountable, so attacking the city was secondary. He knew very well that Lin Zhongyun had sent him here not to calculate the gains and losses of a city or a place, but to kill a chicken to scare the monkey.

Although the other noble families will soon be their next targets, they still need to stabilize the rear. And there is no doubt that the Cui family is the target of their power.

Thinking of this, he shouted to the people on the top of the city wall: "I am here on the orders of King Wu to hold you accountable. The Cui family colluded with the northern barbarians and did atrocities here. According to the law, you should be executed."

His voice was like thunder, shaking people's hearts.

"However, King Wu is kindhearted and considers that you are innocent. As long as you are willing to give up the money you have plundered from the people, you can be spared the death penalty."

Li Zhongwu's eyes were as sharp as knives, staring directly at the people on the top of the city wall, as if he wanted to see through their souls.

"I know that most of you have been coerced and have no real intention of rebellion. Now as long as you lay down your weapons, the King of Wu will forgive you for your past. Do you really want to pay the price with your lives for the aristocratic families that have oppressed you all these years? Do you want to be cannon fodder?" His words were like a sharp knife, cutting through the fear and hesitation in people's hearts.

Soon, under Li Zhongwu's persuasion, people on the top of the city wall gathered and talked a lot. Some people began to waver and put down their weapons, with hesitation and fear in their eyes.

They were not a regular army, but were forced here. Now when they saw this mighty army, they no longer had the will to fight in their hearts.

Cui Hao panicked when he saw this scene. He felt as if his heart was struck by a heavy hammer. He asked in a stern voice, "Why would they give up all this? All this was accumulated by our ancestors, and we paid a price for it!"

"My Cui family is willing to surrender, but definitely not at this price. Isn't this a bit too overbearing?"

"overbearing?"

Li Zhongwu sneered, his eyes revealing a hint of sarcasm. Looking at the still stubborn Cui Hao, he said coldly: "Let's not talk about your wealth and cruelty, and oppressing the people. Just the sentence "This land belongs to the king" is enough."

"My patience is limited. If you still harbor delusions, you will only end up dead."

After these words were spoken, the person who was already frightened in his heart completely collapsed this time.

Seeing those former tribesmen begin to waver, Cui Hao's unwillingness and anger suddenly erupted, and unable to suppress it, he chose to shoot arrows.

"Shoot your arrows!" Cui Hao's voice was like a tearing roar, echoing on the top of the city, carrying endless despair and hysteria.

in an instant,
Arrows poured down like locusts, densely packed, heading straight for Li Zhongwu.

Despite this, facing this sudden rain of arrows, Li Zhongwu showed no fear on his face. Instead, he revealed an arrogant smile, as if this baptism of death was exactly the battle he longed for.

"Everyone, attack!" He ordered loudly, his voice like a war drum, inspiring the morale of the soldiers behind him.

He rode his horse forward, braving the hail of arrows without flinching, waving the long sword in his hand like an angry dragon, sweeping away the incoming arrows.

He was fully focused, with only one goal in mind, rushing towards the high suspension bridge.

Just as he was about to reach the suspension bridge, he leaped forward, his sword flashing like a meteor across the night sky, and he swung his sword down with unparalleled momentum.

A cold light flashed,
"Crack!" A cold light flashed, and the suspension bridge that was originally hung high was cut off, making a loud "bang" sound, and fell heavily to the ground, stirring up thousands of feet of smoke and dust.

At this moment, when he came to his senses, he found that his armor was full of sharp arrows.

But fortunately, the new type of armor had strong enough defense, and the dense feather arrows did not penetrate the armor.

"Charge!" Li Zhongwu's voice was like a horn, resounding in the night sky.

Under the dark night, only the light of torches could be seen, like brilliant arcs, rushing towards the city gate. Encouraged by him, the soldiers of the rebel army came in like a tide.

"Guard the gate!"

"Guard the gate!"

Cui Hao's voice seemed extremely weak at this time, as if it was drowned by this frenzy. Facing Li Zhongwu's heroic spirit, Cui Hao never expected that Li Zhongwu would cut down the suspension bridge in the rain of arrows, and a wave of powerless panic and despair surged in his heart.

Originally, with the existence of the suspension bridge, they could delay a little more time and consume the rebels' combat power to the greatest extent.

However, now, with the suspension bridge being cut off, the rebel army was completely at the gates of the city. He could only watch Li Zhongwu leading the soldiers down the mountain like a tiger, rushing towards the city gate, feeling extremely anxious.

The rebel army was already at the gates of the city, and under their attack, the remnants of his army wouldn't be able to hold out for long.

"It's over!"

"It's all over!"

The scene before him made Cui Hao look ashen and he fell into complete despair.

He looked at Li Zhongwu's heroic figure helplessly, with an indescribable fear rising in his heart.

……

At this moment, Tan Tai Ao and Liu Jiuren were ready to go.

"General, the rebels have already started!"

At this time, the scout came to Tan Tai Ao to report.

"Well, how many of them are there?"

Tan Tai Ao nodded slightly, looking at the firelight shining in the dark night, and said in a deep voice: "Could it be that this is the only person? Besides, Li Zhongwu is too arrogant. Wouldn't it be courting death to take the initiative to attack at this time?"

"General, now that it's pitch dark, it's a good time for us to create panic."

Liu Jiuren on the side also hurriedly said: "We can kill them by surprise under the cover of night, and then escape with the Cui family."

"As long as we save a group of people, no matter how many there are, we can get away with it."

Originally he was worried about whether he could escape unscathed, but now with the cover, they don't have to worry at all.

"General, there are not many rebels coming this time, and the base camp is more than 20 miles away from here."

"very good."

Tan Tai Ao nodded in satisfaction, and then ordered loudly: "Pass the order down, everyone attack together, several people attack one person, don't fight to the death."

"Yes!"

The scout immediately went down to pass on the order.

Under Tan Tai'ao's command, a group of cavalry rushed out in the middle of the night...

(End of this chapter)