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

The moment the siege tunnel was laid out, only the thunderous war drums of the Tang army could be heard in the world.

Liaodong City was finally laid bare to the Tang army's might.

But just as the general offensive was about to begin at dawn, an imperial edict was sent from the emperor's central command tent directly to Crown Prince Li Chengqian's camp.

"Issue my decree!"

Li Shimin, mounted on his steed, armored and armed, stared coldly at the Imperial Guards standing outside the Crown Prince's tent.

"From this moment on, the Crown Prince only needs to rest quietly in his tent."

"Without my personal edict, if the Crown Prince steps even half a step outside the camp gates, I will use all of your heads as a sacrifice to the flag!"

"Yes, sir!" More than a hundred heavily armored guards knelt down on one knee with a thud.

Li Chengqian, inside the tent: "..."

Okay, I'll take sick leave.

……

At the beginning of the Chen hour (7-9 AM), the siege officially began.

The commander-in-chief at the front was still Duke Li Shiji of England, who stood proudly on the chariot and swung the command flag down.

"Trecket! Launch!"

The 300-pound boulder was propelled into the air by the thick ox tendons, like a black meteor shower falling from the sky, accompanied by a shrill whistling sound that tore through the air, before crashing heavily onto the city wall of Liaodong City.

"Boom! Boom! Boom—"

The city wall was shaking violently, and rubble mixed with severed limbs and broken arms flew everywhere.

"Crash it! Push it up!"

More than ten massive rams covered in raw cowhide, propelled by hundreds of shirtless, muscular Tang soldiers, launched a desperate charge toward the city gate through the newly filled passage.

The dull thuds were like the pounding of a giant beast's chest, each blow sending dust tumbling down the city walls.

However, the garrison in Liaodong City was by no means willing to be slaughtered.

As a key stronghold that Goguryeo had painstakingly built up over decades, its defense system was nothing short of extraordinary.

"Raise your shields! Set up cover!" The hoarse voice of the Goguryeo general rang out from the city wall.

Countless thick logs were urgently pushed onto the city wall, and leaning against the wall, they quickly formed a thick, large wooden shelter.

The boulders launched by the Tang Dynasty's catapults bounced off the highly elastic wooden planks, failing to cause devastating damage to the city wall itself.

Immediately afterwards, the bugle call for a counterattack sounded from the city walls.

"Fire arrows! Roll logs and rocks! Pour molten gold!"

In an instant, arrows rained down like locusts, blotting out the sky and the sun.

The logs, which took several people to encircle, came crashing down with sharp barbs, and boiling excrement poured out along the city wall.

"ah--!"

The line of cars crashing at the front instantly turned into a living hell.

The muffled thuds of flesh being torn apart and the piercing screams of agony rang out one after another, and blood stained the frozen earth below the city.

Li Shiji issued twelve military orders in succession to urge the rear army to launch a strong attack, but in the face of such a high and three-dimensional defense, the Tang Dynasty's offensive was like a raging wave crashing against a reef, and was forced to retreat amidst the ruins and pools of blood.

The first battle ended in failure.

……

One day, two days, three days...

Slashing with knives and axes, bombarding with cannons, crashing into cars to the death.

Tunnel warfare, ladder assault, earthen mound assault...

For a full twelve days, the Tang Dynasty used almost every siege tactic recorded in military books.

Every day, new corpses piled up beneath Liaodong City, and every night, deafening battle cries shattered the night sky.

But the majestic city wall, though riddled with holes, still stands there stubbornly.

The stalemate after twelve days of siege created an unprecedented sense of frustration and oppression throughout the military camp.

Back then, Emperor Yang Guang of the former Sui Dynasty led a million-strong army, but his troops were defeated and buried in the sands beneath this fortified city, ultimately perishing far from home.

Is history about to repeat itself here today?

In front of the central command tent, Li Shimin, clad in golden armor, stood with his hand on his sword, staring intently at the city, his face ashen.

No, the Tang Dynasty was definitely not the Sui Dynasty!

I am not Yang Guang!

As if in response to the emperor's indomitable will, Heaven finally gave its answer.

The 17th day of the fifth month in the 19th year of the Zhenguan era.

On the originally desolate and cold Liaodong battlefield, a sudden warmth swept across the commander's flag.

Li Shimin suddenly raised his head.

The tail of the banner began to tumble violently to the north; the wind had picked up.

It wasn't a northerly wind, but a southerly wind blowing from the Tang Dynasty's homeland across thousands of miles of sea, and it was even a rare gale!

The wind speed suddenly increased in just a few breaths, making the flags all over the ground flutter and making it almost impossible to open one's eyes.

"Your Majesty! Heaven is on our side!" Li Shiji rushed over. "The wind direction has changed drastically; it's now blowing directly towards the southwest corner of Liaodong City!"

Li Shimin immediately understood Li Shiji's meaning: "Order the elite troops! At all costs, seize the fortified position and set it on fire!"

"promise!"

Dozens of soldiers who had been lying in ambush outside the city braved the dense rain of arrows from the Goguryeo soldiers and frantically approached the southwest corner of the city wall.

There stood a towering siege tower, several meters high – the Chonggan.

"Stop them! Shoot them!" The Goguryeo commander, sensing the deadly danger, roared hysterically.

Arrows rained down, striking the warriors' armor. People fell one after another, but others immediately stepped on their fallen comrades to continue climbing.

The captain at the very top was hit by two arrows in his left arm and pierced by a spear in his right leg, but he gritted his teeth and smashed through the shield at the top, pressing the torch soaked in raging oil firmly against the wooden corner tower in the southwest corner of Liaodong City.

Even as he fell backward, pierced by four or five spears at the same time, a tiny flame had already been ignited.

The wind fuels the fire, and the fire gains momentum from the wind.

In the blink of an eye, the cluster of flames transformed into a crimson line, spreading wildly to both sides along the seemingly indestructible wooden fortifications built by the Goguryeo people themselves.

The raging flames rose dozens of feet high, turning the southwest corner of Liaodong City into a blinding sea of ​​fire.

"Fire! Firefighting!"

"Water! Where's the water!"

Thick smoke billowed, and the heatwave was intense.

The Goguryeo defenders' formation collapsed instantly.

The fire relentlessly consumed every defender, turning the city walls into a complete mess. Everywhere, Goguryeo soldiers, burned to a crisp, fell from the walls with agonizing screams.

A golden opportunity is presented to us; if we do not seize it, we will suffer the consequences!

Li Shimin took a deep breath and swung his sword forward.

"Tang soldiers, heed my command—all troops, general offensive!!!"

The deep, resonant sound of the horn pierced through the wind and the sea of ​​fire, echoing through the sky.

"kill--!!!"

After twelve days of suppressed emotions, the Tang soldiers surged towards the city gate, which was ablaze with flames, like a tidal wave.

There is no turning back, only moving forward.

Half an hour later.

The city gate collapsed with a sickening cracking sound.

The black dragon and black bird banner of the Tang Dynasty finally rose proudly atop the smoke-filled city walls of Liaodong.

Liaodong City has fallen.

……

As dusk fell, the fire gradually died down.

Li Shimin did not ride in the imperial carriage, but instead rode the same battle-scarred Tiele horse, accompanied by Li Shiji and other fierce generals, slowly stepping into this formidable city in Liaodong, which the former Sui army had longed for but had never been able to conquer.

The streets were lined with piles of spoils, stacks of grain and supplies, and Goguryeo prisoners bound in ropes, their eyes filled with despair. There were also Goguryeo generals who, once so arrogant, now knelt in the mud, trembling and not daring to lift their heads.

But Li Shimin's gaze did not linger on these spoils of war for even a moment; instead, he slightly raised his head and looked ahead.

His soldiers stood there.

Everyone was covered in blood, some from enemies, some from their own.

Li Shimin stopped his warhorse, said nothing, and simply gazed at the group of Tang soldiers who had won his illustrious reputation.

The soldiers also looked up, gazing at the emperor on horseback, who was dressed in golden armor and looked like a god.

Someone, without anyone knowing, raised the still-dripping broken sword high in their hand and roared from the deepest part of their chest.

"Long live!"

This sound was like a spark falling into a pot of oil, instantly igniting the entire dilapidated city.

All the Tang soldiers suddenly drew their weapons, pointing them straight at the sky, veins bulging on their necks, and roared with all their might.

"Long live the Great Tang Dynasty!!!"

"Long live the Emperor!!!"

The deafening cheers soared into the sky, completely tearing apart the vast twilight of the Liaodong Peninsula, and also announcing that the Tang Dynasty had officially trampled this vast black land.