After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

The cavalry ahead were suddenly startled.

The speed decreased slightly, and the distance between the two sides quickly closed.

Zheng Ming and the other guards from the Tang Prince's residence, along with the Imperial Guards, were immediately impressed and shouted, "Excellent!"

Unfortunately, these thieves were no ordinary people. They had excellent horsemanship skills, and their horses were well-trained. In addition, Big Black needed time to prepare the next rocket, so the opposing cavalry quickly adjusted their formation and increased their speed again!

"Bang!"

Big Black fired its third rocket, and the speed ahead decreased again.

Li Xing's eyes darted around, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Brother Erlai, now we can try climbing the mountain."

Upon hearing this, Er Lai gritted his teeth: "Xing-ge'er, where's the gun that Big Brother gave you?"

"It's on its back!" Li Xing said. "Big Black has been loaded with gunpowder and bullets."

"good!"

Er Lai's expression suddenly turned fierce. He selected four servants, including Du Gui and Wang Xiao, to follow him, while the rest of his servants continued to follow Da Hei in pursuit, lest the bandits launch a counterattack if their numbers dwindled.

The horse gallops swiftly.

Ahead lay the faintly visible green mountains.

Not long after.

The cavalry ahead turned north at Niuertang Mountain and galloped all the way to the riverbank, intending to bypass Niuertang Mountain from the north.

Big Black led the large group to turn around and pursue them, constantly using whistling arrows to slow down the bandits.

Erlai, along with Li Xing and several servants, turned their horses around and, taking advantage of a brief moment when the river breeze blew south, spotted the path up the mountain and began to ride up!

Half a month has passed since the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the moon over the mountain is already more than half full.

The bright moonlight shone on the road, and the riders sped along as if they were walking on water.

With each step of the horseshoe, the sand and gravel on the ground were crushed and sank into the mud along with the golden autumn leaves.

The "Giddy up" sound kept going on and on.

Sweating profusely, the men whipped their horses desperately, but the horses panted heavily as the mountain road grew steeper and the horses slowed down.

The horse's breathing grew heavier and heavier, and its speed gradually decreased compared to a person's running speed. Eventually, it even slowed down to a person's walking speed and could no longer climb the mountain.

Li Erlai made a snap decision and ordered everyone to abandon their horses.

"Get your weapons!" he shouted, ordering his servants to pick up spears and sabers.

He then took the musket from Li Xing's back and carried it on his back.

"Xing-ge, you stay and watch the horses!" Li Xing was covered in sweat, but he knew he would be a burden in the upcoming battle, so he loudly agreed.

The horse is gone.

The mountain path was easier for them to climb.

All of them were from farming families, so crossing mountains and valleys was not a difficult task for them.

Du Gui had been climbing mountains since he was a child, so going into the mountains felt like coming home. After he pointed in a direction, the group abandoned the main road and took a side path, rushing up the mountain through the woods.

The crunching sound of breaking branches and the rustling sound of footsteps grew increasingly urgent in the jungle.

After climbing to the top of the mountain.

"Go down the mountain this way!" Du Gui shouted, pointing to a road.

If we descend the mountain from here, we can intercept that group of people at the riverbank.

Erlai kept walking and shouted, "Charge!"

The main road on this mountain is already extremely steep.

This path is even steeper.

The group had to rush down the mountain while simultaneously holding onto the tree trunks to slow down and avoid crashing into them, their hearts pounding with fear as they made their way down.

They inevitably stumbled a few times, but quickly got up again, covered in fallen leaves and pricked by thorns in the mountains. In the midst of their rapid run, no one cared about the pain.

……

The reflection of the mountain moon falls into the river.

A fishy wind swept across the great river.

The horses' hooves sometimes trampled over clumps of water plants at the foot of the mountain, sometimes trod across a stretch of sandy beach, and sometimes waded through a river that had overflowed onto the beach.

The sound of horses' hooves pounding the water was crisp and clear.

Water splashed everywhere.

A large herd of horses hurriedly crossed a stretch of water.

Water splashed from one's own horse's hooves inevitably splashes onto others, and one's own horse ends up getting soaked as well.

Feng Yu raised his hand to wipe the water droplets from his face, his expression gloomy.

Their horses were fast and had great stamina, and could have easily shaken off their pursuers, but the men behind them kept firing whistling arrows, which terrified the horses.

In addition, Xu Tianji led them on a detour along the riverbank, making the road more complicated, which slowed them down further, allowing the horse caravan behind them to catch up tightly.

Shen Shou looked up, gritted his teeth and shouted, "Brother Xu, why did we come to the riverbank?" He couldn't help but ask the question.

The riverbank is full of aquatic plants, sand pits, and rocks. If a horse is not careful, it may get stuck or trip and be overtaken by the people behind it.

The cavalry behind them were clearly not ordinary soldiers. Even if they were to be wiped out, they might still be entangled by the surrounding garrison troops or even the Beijing garrison.

Xu Tianji remained silent, lying on his horse.

Everyone was furious, and Madam Huang even cursed aloud, saying, "Speak up, you mute Xu!"

Xu Tianji remained silent. He was the third disciple of the Right Protector and was highly trusted by the Right Protector. Although the crowd was resentful, they could only follow him closely.

Not long after, they ran.

Feng Yu's expression changed, and he shouted, "Grab your weapons!"

Everyone was startled, and those with swords instinctively drew their swords, while those with spears raised their spears.

He raised his eyebrows and looked ahead.

Under the moonlight.

A shimmering silver light.

Nearly twenty armored cavalrymen were mounted and stopped on a sandy beach in front of them.

Everyone was shocked.

This cavalry...is this the Beijing garrison?!

Someone cursed viciously, "Xu Laosan! You bastard, you betrayed us?! You dragged me into this trap?!"

Feng Yu and Shen Shou also exchanged a serious look, their eyes filled with disbelief.

ambush?

Did Xu Laosan lead them into the ambush?

Deng Deng Deng!

At this time.

Twenty riders clad in silver armor suddenly galloped towards them.

Feng Yu and Shen Shou both gritted their teeth, harboring resentment in their hearts.

Tigers are in front, wolves are behind, a great river lies to the left, and a high mountain lies to the right.

Their horses had no chance to turn around!

Xu Laosan led them to a dead end!

Feng Yu glanced at Ning Baixuan, who had been placed on horseback by Shen Shou, and was about to speak up, asking everyone to cover Shen Shou's escape.

But then Xu Tianji shouted, "They are there to meet us!" Everyone was taken aback, not understanding what he meant.

Dust billowed up, and the sound of horses' hooves thundered in.

Twenty riders galloped toward them.

Their direction was not the same as theirs, clearly indicating that they wanted to avoid them and help them block the pursuers.

Feng Yu was overjoyed: "So you're one of our own from the Heavenly Principles Sect!"

His shout was quite loud and carried far towards the other party.

The two cavalry groups approached each other in an instant.

But then he heard the leading general on the other side say disdainfully:

"How can we men be compared to you bunch of worthless traitors from the Heavenly Principle Sect?"

Feng Yu was taken aback.

Huang's wife and the others were furious and cursed loudly.

The cavalry passed each other.

Xu Tianji roared, "Ignore him! We must rendezvous with the Right Protector as soon as possible!"

Hearing that this person not only looked down on them, but also on their own sect, the group gritted their teeth in fury.

Feng Yu frowned and called out, "Brother Xu, could they be...?"

"Exactly!" Xu Tianji replied directly.

Shen Shou sighed from horseback and said, "Gentlemen, let them curse..."

Amidst the crowd's anger.

A thunderous roar could be heard:

"Gentlemen! We were all raised by His Highness! Today we rise up! We will advance without hesitation! His Highness's promise is as good as gold; from today onwards, those who aspire to be generals will become generals! Those who aspire to be lieutenant generals will become lieutenant generals! Those who aspire to be kings and nobles will become kings and nobles! The rewards and privileges for one's wife and children are right before our eyes!"

"kill!"

"Kill them all!"

A fierce wind was blowing along the riverbank.

They saw twenty armored cavalrymen, spears in hand, galloping across the sand and shallow water toward them.

Dahei, Zheng Ming, Lü Jin, and their group all turned pale with fright!