Transmigrated into Li Chengqian, he effortlessly ascended the throne and became emperor.

The desperate counter-charge of four thousand elite Tang cavalry indeed achieved terrifying results in the first half hour of engagement.

Ma Wenju and other fierce generals tore through Goguryeo's vanguard line as easily as slicing melons and vegetables, carving a bloody alley through the thick ranks of 40,000 troops.

However, a miracle cannot erase a tenfold disparity in troop strength out of thin air.

As the initial fervor and reckless enthusiasm gradually faded due to the intense depletion of their physical strength, the harsh reality, like icy water, poured over the hearts of every Tang soldier.

There are far too many enemy troops.

After defeating one floor, there are three more floors to go.

After one spear was severed, five more broadswords suddenly appeared, stabbing towards them like a forest.

Although the Goguryeo people were caught off guard by the Tang army's frenzied momentum, their large numbers gave them a strong ability to withstand pressure.

As the command flags of the Goguryeo rear guard began to wave, the 40,000-strong army, like a giant swamp, slowly closed in from all directions, attempting to completely annihilate the 4,000 elite cavalry within the formation.

"Pfft—!"

A cavalryman's warhorse neighed as its forelegs buckled and he collapsed to his knees.

Before he could even get up, more than a dozen spears mercilessly pierced him, turning him into a pincushion.

Such tragic scenes began to play out frequently in every corner of the battlefield.

The Tang army's momentum was abruptly halted.

The blade chipped, the warhorse foamed at the mouth, and his comrades fell one after another.

The intense smell of blood was no longer a catalyst for fighting spirit; instead, it became a poison that awakened fear.

When one's strength is insufficient, the instinctive fear of death will creep up the spine like a venomous snake.

"I can't hold on any longer... How can we ever finish this?!"

"Forty thousand people...we'll be worn down to death!"

Several Tang soldiers at the forefront hesitated for a moment amidst the deafening battle cries, and their horses slowed their pace.

On the battlefield, once the first person retreats, defeat will spread to every corner at a frenzied pace.

At this critical moment, a person who should have been in command and stabilized morale became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Commander-in-Chief: Zhang Junyi.

This high-ranking general watched helplessly as Goguryeo soldiers surged in from all sides like a black tide, and as his own formation was gradually compressed and eroded. His defenses completely collapsed.

Staying here would definitely mean certain death, but he didn't want to die!

"The tide has turned...the tide has turned!" Zhang Junyi's voice trembled. Suddenly, he yanked the reins, turned his horse around, and without hesitation, frantically whipped the reins in the direction they had come from. "Retreat! Retreat now! The entire army retreat!!!"

The general is the courage of the soldiers. As the commander-in-chief of the army, his roar and the sight of him leading the retreat instantly dealt a devastating blow to the soldiers who were already struggling to hold on.

"Manager Zhang has left!"

"The general has fled! We've been defeated! Run!"

The originally well-organized cavalry wedge formation instantly collapsed under Zhang Junyi's exemplary leadership.

The 4,000-strong force suddenly showed alarming signs of complete collapse.

Upon seeing this, the Goguryeo general raised his sword in ecstasy: "The Tang army has been defeated! Charge forward with all your troops! Leave no one alive!"

The enemy's morale soared instantly, and they launched a surprise attack on the retreating Tang army.

The defeat seems inevitable.

However, at this darkest moment when the army was in complete disarray, Li Daozong appeared.

"Anyone who dares to back down will be killed without mercy!"

A figure as imposing as an iron tower galloped wildly on horseback, defying the retreating crowd, like a majestic mountain, firmly anchored in the path of the fleeing army.

Seeing Zhang Junyi leading the escape, Li Daozong felt no panic, only a surge of murderous intent.

The composure of a renowned general was on full display at this moment. After a brief moment of astonishment, Li Daozong forced himself to calm down quickly.

"Slay the commander's flag! Stabilize the formation!"

Li Daozong swiftly and mercilessly beheaded the two fleeing soldiers who were leading the escape.

"The Tang Dynasty has no concept of retreating from the enemy! Only fighting to the death! Forming ranks! Meeting the enemy!"

Under Li Daozong's roar, the Tang army, which had been in complete chaos, finally regained some rationality and began to instinctively move towards him, barely managing to stabilize their crumbling formation.

But defense is definitely not in Li Daozong's nature.

Taking advantage of the brief lull in the soldiers' formation, Li Daozong spurred his horse and charged swiftly up an unnamed hill on the flank.

After only three breaths, a chilling smile suddenly appeared on Li Daozong's blood-stained lips.

"They're nothing but a rabble!"

Although the Goguryeo army was numerous and powerful and was pressing forward, their originally tight formation had become severely disorganized and chaotic due to the Tang army's previous desperate charge and the current all-out push to pursue the fleeing soldiers.

Soldiers do not know their generals, and generals do not know their soldiers.

Their central command system is in an extremely vulnerable blind spot.

As long as their central command is completely disrupted, these 40,000 men will be nothing more than a bunch of headless flies.

Li Daozong turned his horse around and charged back to his own lines, looking at the dozens of royal guards who had been protecting him.

"The enemy's formation is in disarray. Follow me and strike at their heart! Do you dare?!"

The dozens of guards were all veterans of countless battles, loyal to Li Daozong.

"I am willing to die alongside the Prince!"

Without further ado, Li Daozong made a decisive move, leading his mere few dozen cavalrymen in a sudden descent from the high ground.

Li Daozong took the lead, wielding his broadsword with wide, sweeping strokes, leaving behind a trail of severed limbs flying everywhere.

These dozens of people had no desire to fight; their only goal was to charge around and create maximum chaos.

The Goguryeo generals were completely stunned.

They simply couldn't understand why, when the main force of the Tang army was on the verge of collapse, there were still dozens of lunatics who dared to charge straight at their central command!

The desperate infiltration of these few dozen men instantly caused great panic in the Goguryeo central army. Command flag signals immediately fell into chaos, and the enemy troops pursuing at the front line could not receive orders, so their offensive immediately stalled.

However, a few dozen people are still just a few dozen people.

After a brief period of chaos, the Goguryeo central army reacted, and countless spearmen and heavy infantry surged forward like a tide, trapping Yi Do-jong's dozens of cavalrymen in the core.

"Your Highness! We can't get out!" A guard, riddled with bullets, fell to the ground with a bitter laugh.

Li Daozong was covered in blood, and his warhorse was neighing in agony, but the fighting spirit in his eyes grew even more frenzied.

The longer we linger here, the more time the main force of the Tang Dynasty on the periphery will have to regroup.

"What does it matter if I sacrifice myself for this Tang Dynasty today?"

Li Daozong laughed loudly, preparing for a final, desperate battle.

At this critical moment, when life and death hung by a thread—

"Ugh—!!!"

A loud bugle call suddenly rang out from behind the Goguryeo army, on the horizon shrouded in battle dust.

This bugle call was no ordinary military horn, but the Nine-Dragon Golden Horn, unique to the Tang Dynasty imperial family.

Everyone paused involuntarily for a moment.

A huge black battle banner broke through the thick dust and smoke, fluttering in the wind. On the banner, a five-clawed golden dragon with bared fangs and claws was embroidered with dark gold thread.

Beneath that battle banner, a small but extremely well-equipped elite heavy cavalry force was racing against time to penetrate the battlefield.

The Six Guards of the Eastern Palace! The Crown Prince's Personal Guards!

But that wasn't the most eye-catching thing for everyone.

Protected in the very center by this group of people was a young man riding a pure white Ferghana horse, without a single blemish.

"Your Highness?!"

Li Daozong, trapped in the formation, suddenly narrowed his eyes, hardly believing his own.

The Tang soldiers on the periphery, who were regrouping, all exclaimed in disbelief.

"It's His Highness the Crown Prince! What brings you here, Your Highness?!"

Li Chengqian had no intention of exchanging pleasantries with his soldiers. He charged into the battlefield with his spear, instantly decapitating several Goryeo warriors who tried to stop him.

What was originally a hopeless situation was turned around in an instant.