With a million soldiers, the empress begged me not to rebel

Liu An roared at the top of his lungs, his voice hoarse and his throat about to tear.

Several broken catapults were pushed by the soldiers and barely operated.

Huge stones smashed towards the Iron Pagoda with a whistling sound.

Dust flew, gravel scattered, and a few birds were frightened and ran around in panic.

However, most of these stones missed the target and their accuracy was questionable.

Only a few pieces hit the Iron Pagoda, but they only slowed down their speed slightly.

Even their pace was not disrupted.

The armor provided amazing protection, and rocks crashed against it.

It just made a dull sound and did not cause any substantial damage.

In a blink of an eye, Tiefutu rushed to the city gate.

They raised their maces high and smashed them hard on the city gate.

"Boom!" With a loud noise, the city gate shook violently and let out a painful groan.

The bricks and stones on the city wall fell down, as if crying silently.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

One, two, three...

The heavy city gate began to crack under the violent impact of the Iron Pagoda.

Spider-web-like cracks spread rapidly, and it was estimated that it would collapse at any moment.

The imperial guards on the city wall fought desperately, attacking the Iron Pagoda with spears, rolling logs and stones.

They roared and growled.

He smashed the weapon in his hand at the enemy again and again, his eyes full of despair and unwillingness.

However, their attack was of no use to the Iron Pagoda.

It was like scratching an itch through a shoe, and it was impossible to shake this steel giant.

A soldier of the imperial guards was knocked away by Tiefutu's warhorse.

He fell heavily to the ground, spitting blood, and it was obvious that he was not going to survive.

He lay powerlessly on the ground, his eyes empty, and the breath of life gradually dissipated.

"damn it!"

Liu An cursed, this battle is really difficult to fight.

"Shoot! Keep shooting!"

Liu An gave the order again, his voice filled with despair.

"Catapult, continue attacking!"

"Rolling logs, rocks, hot oil, use them all!"

Liu An commanded the battle at the top of his lungs, but the defenders on the city wall had already begun to collapse.

"We...we can't hold on..."

A soldier dropped his weapon and ran away.

"Escape!"

More and more soldiers began to flee, and the defenses on the city walls completely collapsed.

Liu An looked at the defeated soldiers and fiercely thrust the sword in his hand into the ground.

"Trash! They are all a bunch of trash!"

"Dad, let's...let's go too!"

Liu Qi grabbed Liu An's arm and said in horror.

Liu An wiped the blood off his face, and a look of determination flashed in his eyes.

He turned to look at Liu Qi behind him, his eyes complicated, filled with helplessness and unwillingness.

"Qi'er,"

Liu An's voice was low and hoarse.

"The capital...I'm afraid we can't defend it anymore."

Upon hearing this, Liu Qi's face turned even paler, his lips trembled, but he could not speak.

He grabbed Liu An's sleeve tightly, as if he was grabbing the last straw.

He had lived a life of luxury since childhood, so how could he have ever seen such a tragic scene?

Liu An felt even more annoyed when he saw Liu Qi like this.

He shook off Liu Qi's hand and roared:

"Why are you crying? Act like a man!"

Liu Qi was frightened by Liu An's roar.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I forced myself to hold them back.

He bit his lip, trying not to look too scared.

But his trembling body betrayed his inner feelings.

"Dad...what should we do now?"

Liu Qi asked with a trembling voice and a crying tone.

Liu An forced himself to calm down.

Now is not the time for father-son affection, a decision must be made as soon as possible.

"Go through the west gate!"

Liu An said this in a decisive tone, with a fierce look in his eyes.

"Li Jun has taken his men to burn the food supplies. The enemy forces in the west are relatively weak, so we still have a chance to break out!"

When Liu Qi heard this, hope flashed in his eyes and he nodded quickly:

"Okay! Dad, let's go!"

Liu An ignored Liu Qi and turned to look at the trusted guards beside him.

"Go, gather all the soldiers who can still fight, and follow me to break out of the city gate!"

The guard took the order and left, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

Along the way, there were defeated soldiers everywhere.

They abandoned their weapons and fled in all directions like dogs that had lost their homes.

The cries, screams, and curses mixed together to form a doomsday tragedy.

Liu An looked at the chaotic scene and knew that it was only a matter of time before the capital fell.

His former ambitions and ambitions have now all turned to nothing.

He even began to regret that he should not have usurped the throne and started this war.

"Report! Prime Minister, the city gate... the city gate has been breached!"

A soldier covered in blood stumbled over.

He knelt in front of Liu An, his tone flustered and tearful.

Liu An felt dizzy and his vision went dark, and he almost fell to the ground.

The guards beside him hurriedly supported him, and Liu An finally managed to stand firmly.

"How long has it been since?"

Liu An muttered to himself, his voice trembling and full of disbelief.

"It's only been about two hours, and the city gate has been breached?"

Liu An's hands and feet were cold and his mind was confused.

The officials around him were already panicking and at a loss, like ants on a hot pot, saying:

"Sir, let's escape from other city gates!"

"Hurry up, gather the troops, let's escape from the capital. As long as there is life, there will be no shortage of firewood!"

Liu Qi was also terrified. He held Liu An's hand tightly and cried out:

"Dad, let's go quickly. If we survive, we still have a chance to make a comeback!"

At this time, Li Jun came back from the west gate with the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

His body was covered in blood and his armor was torn, but his eyes were still sharp.

He dismounted, walked to Liu An, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice:

"Sir, I have fulfilled my mission and have burned the enemy's food and supplies!"

Liu Qi saw Li Jun and saw a glimmer of hope, so he stepped forward and said:

"General Li, please try to persuade my father! The city gate has been breached. If we hold on any longer, we will die!"

When Li Jun heard this, his face changed and he looked at Liu An, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

"This……"

He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Liu An had already made a decision at this moment.

"Retreat, go through the west gate."

His voice was low and firm, leaving no room for doubt.

The grand blueprint of imperial hegemony seems so illusory at this moment.

Like a mirage, it is ultimately an emptiness that cannot be grasped.

Only the instinct of survival is a real and urgent need.

As for the lives and deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in the capital.

In Liu An's heart at this moment, it has become insignificant, like an ant, not worth mentioning.

He thought indifferently, the most common people in the world are unruly people. If they die, they die. Why should we care?

The word "go" came out of his mouth in a low voice, as if he had used up all his strength.

He roughly pushed away Liu Qi, who was holding him tightly, as if he was pushing away a heavy burden.

It was like pushing away the last bit of hesitation and worry in my heart.