In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era: I became Yang Guozhong's eldest son.

Yang Xuan ignored Cui Shen's panic and did not interrupt Li Guangbi's fervor. He quietly walked to the desk and gazed intently at the autumn leaves falling outside the window.

Xianyu Zhongtong's reaction was faster and more ruthless than he had expected.

"It seems that my dear father was the one who was stirring things up behind the scenes."

Yang Xuan's voice was soft, yet it carried a chilling undertone.

"He must have sensed the crisis in Chang'an and was preparing to make Jiannan Road his last refuge. And I, his disobedient son, became a hidden danger that he had to eliminate."

Yang Xuan turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present like a knife, exuding an overwhelming aura of authority.

"Gentlemen, let us no longer harbor any unrealistic illusions about Chang'an or the imperial court. From the moment Xianyu Zhongtong's army set out, we have been branded as traitors."

"Now, we only have two choices: either surrender and offer yourselves for execution, or take your knives and chew these three thousand five hundred men up and swallow them whole!"

"Yaozhou is our only foothold in this chaotic world. Anyone who dares to seize it will have to pay with their life!"

Yang Xuan suddenly drew the horizontal sword from his waist and slashed it down on the desk in front of him, sending wood chips flying and exuding a murderous aura.

"Pass on my military orders!"

Yang Xuan's voice, like a resounding bell, echoed throughout the study.

"The entire city of Yaozhou is immediately placed on the highest level of wartime alert. All four gates are tightly closed; without my written order, no one is permitted to enter or leave!"

"Pei Zhao, immediately lead three hundred crossbowmen to garrison the walls of Yaozhou. Move all the rolling logs, stones, oil, and ballistae onto the city walls."

"Yes!" Pei Zhao clasped his hands in a fist salute, responded sternly, and turned to leave in a long stride.

"General Li!" Yang Xuan turned to look at Li Guangbi.

"Your subordinate is here!" Li Guangbi stepped forward, his body radiating a murderous aura that seemed almost tangible.

"Those eighty heavy cavalry are our last trump card, and we must not expose them easily in the siege of the city walls. You will lead the heavy cavalry and lie in ambush at the Qing'ao Well camp, ready to act as a surprise force to deliver a fatal blow to the Jiannan army at the most critical moment. Zhang Wu's five hundred light cavalry are your responsibility."

"Your subordinate obeys! I will make sure that Zhang Wu never returns!" Li Guangbi's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he strode out of the study.

"Cui Shen!" Yang Xuan finally looked at the head butler.

"Your subordinate is here!" Cui Shenqiang suppressed his fear and straightened his back.

"You are in charge of coordinating all the allocation of supplies within the city. Mobilize the people in the city, organize stretcher teams and grain transport teams. Tell them that if the city falls, everyone will die. If they want to live, they have to fight alongside us."

"Understood!"

Military orders flew out of the county government office like snowflakes, and the war machine that had just started running in Yaozhou City instantly roared with a deafening sound.

The once bustling streets were instantly deserted by vendors and pedestrians, replaced by squads of fully armed soldiers with grim expressions.

The heavy city gates slammed shut with a creaking sound from the winches. Merchants gathered in the streets in panic, bewildered and helpless.

Just then, a carriage with an unassuming appearance but an undeniable air of nobility stopped in the middle of the long street.

Princess Yanhe stepped down from the carriage with the help of her maid. Today, she was not wearing her usual plain dress, but instead wearing a magnificent princess's formal attire that symbolized her status as a member of the Li Tang imperial family.

She walked calmly and steadily to the panicked merchants and common people.

"Fellow villagers and merchants."

Princess Yanhe's voice was clear and powerful, instantly drowning out the noise of the street.

"The Jiannan army has invaded our territory without cause, intending to massacre the city. My husband is already on the city walls overseeing the battle. I am a member of the Tang imperial family, a princess of the current dynasty. Today, I will live and die with Yaozhou. Anyone willing to assist in defending the city, transporting supplies, and treating the wounded will be richly rewarded by the county government after the battle. Anyone who deserts in the face of battle or incites unrest will be punished according to military law!"

Her dignified and composed demeanor, along with her status as a representative of royal authority, acted like a stabilizing force, instantly calming the panicked hearts of the people in the city.

Large numbers of women and young men spontaneously gathered together to boil wound medicine, tear bandages, and carry dry rations.

Meanwhile, inside the Zhechongfu camp.

He Lanjin looked at the large number of salt-protecting soldiers who had taken over the city's defenses, his face ashen and his whole body trembling.

He never imagined that things would escalate to the point of directly confronting the Jiedushi's army.

"Yang Xuan, are you insane! Those are three thousand five hundred regular soldiers! You're leading us all to our deaths!"

He Lanjin roared in despair at Yang Xuan, who had just finished inspecting the defenses.

Yang Xuan stopped and looked at the once arrogant and domineering Commandant of the General's Office, a mocking smile appearing on his lips.

"Commander Helan, you seem to have no idea what's going on. You took my money and killed your own men. I've had your weaknesses in my hands for a long time. In Xianyu Zhongtong's eyes, your General's Office has long been in cahoots with me. If you go out and surrender now, Zhang Wu's first strike will be your head."

Yang Xuan stepped forward, patted Helan Jin's stiff shoulder, and said in a chilling tone, "Bring all your soldiers to the city walls and fight this battle well. If you win, you'll still be your captain, and you'll still have a share of the salt profits from Yaozhou. If you lose, we'll keep each other company on the road to the underworld."

He Lanjin's face was ashen. He knew that he was now completely tied to Yang Xuan's chariot, with no way out.

Looking at the orderly crowd below the city, Yang Xuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He walked down from the city wall, came to Princess Yanhe's side, and reached out to tidy her hair that had been ruffled by the wind.

"The situation is dangerous; you didn't need to come in person," Yang Xuan said softly.

Princess Yanhe raised her head, her gaze gentle yet resolute: "My husband is fighting desperately on the city walls, how can I sit idly in the inner quarters? Besides, the people in this city are also our subjects. Although I don't understand military affairs, I can still help you with the task of calming people's hearts. My husband, just focus on fighting the enemy, I will guard the rear of Yaozhou City for you."

Yang Xuan squeezed her hand tightly, said nothing more, turned around and strode back to the city wall defense line.

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood.

Yang Xuan stood alone at the highest point of Yaozhou City, looking down at the city that had been thoroughly armed to the teeth, his gaze deep and cold.

He knew that this head-on confrontation with the Jiedushi of Jiannan would be the most severe life-or-death test he had faced since his transmigration.

This was also his final battle in which he definitively established his own rules on this land.

Once he wins this battle, no one in the entire southern part of Jiannan Road will be able to stop his rise to power.

Just as Yaozhou City was on high alert, preparing to face the fierce attack of the Jiannan army.

Thousands of miles to the north, in the city of Youzhou.

A terrifying storm, powerful enough to plunge the entire Tang Empire into an abyss, finally tore away the last shred of pretense.

The 9th day of the 11th month of the 14th year of the Tianbao era.

The north wind howled, and heavy snow fell.

An Lushan, the military governor of Fanyang, Pinglu, and Hedong, stood on the command platform outside Youzhou City, wearing specially made wide, heavy black iron armor.

Standing beside him were Shi Siming, Gao Shang, Yan Zhuang, and other trusted generals and strategists.

Looking down at the 200,000 elite border troops below, who resembled tigers and wolves, and at the Han and Hu soldiers who stood tall like pine trees in the wind and snow, their swords and spears like a forest, An Lushan's eyes gleamed with mad ambition and greed.

An Lushan turned to Shi Siming beside him and said in a low voice, "Old Shi, we've been planning this for so many years, and success or failure hinges on this one move. You lead the vanguard battalion and take Taiyuan Prefecture as quickly as possible!"

Shi Siming licked his chapped lips, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust: "Rest assured, Commander, those pampered soldiers of Taiyuan Prefecture can't stop our iron cavalry from Fanyang!"

Gao Shang, fanning himself with a feather fan, added coldly, "General, this southward campaign demands speed. Along the way, appease those who surrender, slaughter those who resist. We must reach the Yellow River before the court can react!"

"Yang Guozhong wreaked havoc on the court, deceived the emperor, and caused widespread suffering among the people!"

An Lushan's obese body erupted with a wild roar, which, amplified by his powerful internal energy, resounded throughout the entire training ground.

"I have received a secret imperial edict, ordering me to lead a large army south to purge the court of corrupt officials, execute treacherous ministers, and restore order to the dynasty!"

He suddenly drew the sword from his waist and pointed it at the gray sky.

"The entire army breaks camp; target—Chang'an!"

"Victory! Victory! Victory!"

The roar of the 200,000-strong army was like rolling thunder, shattering the snow falling all over the sky, shaking the entire Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, and completely announcing the end of the Tang Dynasty's golden age.

......

On the other side, the chill of the eve of the storm had already flowed back into Jiannan Road from the northern sky.

The wind and snow outside Youzhou City and the sound of war drums had not yet reached this southwestern frontier, but on the official road outside Yaozhou City, a cloud of yellow dust had already risen.

The earth trembled, and the sound of horses' hooves, like a dense drumbeat, struck the hearts of every soldier and civilian in Yaozhou.

Zhang Wu, the resolute captain, rode a tall, green horse, wearing mountain-patterned armor, holding a whip, his eyes fixed on the distant city of Yaozhou with a sinister gaze.

As a capable general under Xianyu Zhongtong, the military governor of Jiannan, he always looked down on the garrisons in these remote prefectures and counties.

In his eyes, the so-called Yaozhou Salt Protection Army was nothing more than a bunch of rusty iron pieces who only knew how to bully the villagers.

"Captain, Yaozhou City is just ahead." A scout rode up and knelt on one knee to report, "The city gates are tightly closed, and the defenders can be vaguely seen on the city walls, but there is no sign of a large force coming out of the city to meet the enemy."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wu's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"A bunch of country bumpkins who have never seen blood, they'd probably wet their pants just hearing the name of our Jiannan Army, and could only cower behind the city walls, trembling with fear."

Zhang Wu raised his whip, pointing at the city ahead, "Send the order: five hundred light cavalry, without stopping, advance directly to within an arrow's reach of the city walls, and demonstrate their power by circling the city! I want those peasants in the city to hear what a true imperial army of the Celestial Empire looks like!"

"Here you go!"

Five hundred light cavalrymen readily accepted the order and broke away from the main force like arrows released from a bow, galloping wildly towards Yaozhou City.

They deliberately spurred their horses and shouted wildly, brandishing their swords, attempting to completely destroy the defenders' psychological defenses.