In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

He sighed, his gaze repeatedly sweeping over Li Yuanchang, revealing a solemn expression.

In just a few years, he felt an increasingly powerful aura emanating from Li Yuanchang.

He had only ever felt this kind of aura from one person!

"Life is unpredictable," as the Duke of England aptly put it.

"Once upon a time, I only wanted to be a carefree prince, ruling Liangzhou, with no great ambitions, just living a life of leisure and waiting to die."

"But now, I've been forced to come here!"

He deliberately emphasized the word "forced".

Now that Li Ji has reached this position, what is there that he doesn't know, and what is there that he can't see clearly?

He didn't dwell on right or wrong, nor did he discuss fairness; he knew there was no answer.

He simply said, "Your Highness was once the pride of the Tang Dynasty, the pillar of the Tang Dynasty, and a monument in the hearts of countless soldiers."

"Now that we meet on the battlefield, does Your Highness truly intend to tell them that their former pride is going to war against the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Yuanchang frowned: "Why doesn't the Duke of Ying go and ask His Majesty if he really intends to sacrifice countless soldiers' blood to achieve his so-called grand plan?"

"Does he really want all the people of the prosperous Tang Dynasty to see his senile and muddled side in his later years?"

Li Ji was startled; only Li Yuanchang would dare to say such a thing.

"Your Highness, even if the court has done poorly, His Majesty has already made a promise. It is you who caused the situation to worsen. You went back on your word, not only defecting but also attacking and taking away more than a thousand people."

Li Yuanchang shook his head: "I did nothing wrong!"

"I am rescuing my own family."

"As for going back on one's word, that was originally a tactic to deal with His Majesty's use of the Han Prince's family for blackmail."

"I merely rebelled, unlike others who obeyed and silently accepted their fate. Does that mean the fault lies with me?"

These words left Li Ji with a helpless, bitter smile.

"Your Highness, you are too young and impetuous."

"Sometimes suffering a loss is a blessing in disguise. Your resistance was too intense. If you had known how to hide your shortcomings and endure grievances from the beginning, your path might have been much easier."

Li Yuanchang said, "What you said makes sense, but in the end, if you're not young and full of vigor, then you're not a young person."

"I am not like most people. If hiding my talents and suffering grievances means watching the people around me die without doing anything and just trying to survive, then I would rather not do it."

"Anyway, the world is so big, you can live anywhere!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji's last glimmer of hope for persuasion was extinguished.

He knew that Li Yuanchang would not surrender, nor would he trust the imperial court.

It's come to a point where it's a fight to the death.

"If that's the case, Your Highness, then we'll have to meet on the battlefield."

Li Yuanchang glanced at him. He was an absolute genius in the era of cold weapons, but things were different today.

"It is obviously impossible for you to withdraw your troops. You are carrying out the emperor's orders and cannot refrain from attacking."

"but……"

Li Yuanchang paused, frowning seriously: "But Duke of Yingguo, just give it a try, just to make a show of it. I won't go too far."

"I do not wish to kill Tang soldiers, nor do I wish for a civil war!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji was shocked, and his heart was filled with turmoil.

If someone else had said this to him, he would most likely have dismissed it, but since it was Li Yuanchang, he had to think twice.

The implication is that he would show mercy and let the Tang army off the hook, preventing a large-scale attack on the city. He has the ability to annihilate an army of 200,000!

What made Li Yuanchang so confident that he even advised him to be careful?

The only name he could think of was "Han Lei"!

Their eyes met at that moment, one calm, the other horrified!

Their eyes met, and an eerie silence fell.

It was as if the offensive and defensive maneuvers of hundreds of thousands of troops had all erupted in their hearts at this moment.

"..."

Li Ji had seen all sorts of storms and battles in his life, so even when facing Li Jing, he wouldn't be horrified or panicked.

But Li Yuanchang's confident words threw him off balance.

He didn't even know how he left and returned to the military camp.

However, the atmosphere has already been built up to this point. If he doesn't attack, he will only damage the morale of the army and delay their chances of winning. When winter comes, he will have to retreat again.

Furthermore, Chang'an wouldn't let him off the hook if he knew.

That night, Li Ji did not sleep a wink. Finally, at dawn the next day, he ordered a probing attack.

The war drums sounded in unison, and the battle cries reached the heavens.

Around three thousand Tang soldiers, as the first group to attack Anshi City, officially launched their assault.

They were elite troops, very fast, and had learned from the unfavorable lessons of Li Shimin's first attack on Anshi City. They were well-prepared and brought plenty of supplies and equipment.

The ladders to the clouds were even specially reinforced, and there were arrow towers on the ladders.

But none of this mattered. Before they even reached the city gate, a series of explosions, like thunder, rang out.

It came without warning; flames suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and the powerful impact instantly engulfed the attackers.

Shrapnel flew by, whizzing past us haphazardly.

"ah!!"

Screams and screams intertwined to form a rhapsody.

The ground was blasted into huge craters, and soil and rocks rained down like rain, sending rows of soldiers flying.

Armor can withstand swords and blades, but it cannot withstand the impact that shatters bones and muscles.

At that moment, a thunderbolt struck the ladder to the clouds, and with a deafening roar, the massive, heavy object was instantly torn to pieces.

Building it required countless human and material resources, but destroying it and tearing it into countless fragments took only a moment.

All the Tang army officers who were supervising the battle from afar witnessed the event firsthand, and they were all dumbfounded, as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight!

"this……"

The silence was a profound shock to the traditional military of the Tang Dynasty!

In no time, the vanguard's flag was blown off, and the orderly charging troops were routed!

This elite border army from Shuofang was already under immense pressure before they even officially began their siege.

Let alone fighting, it's difficult to even stand still.

One captain, driven by rage, charged forward recklessly, desperately organizing the attack.

But the limits of human strength were ultimately overwhelmed by firearms; a group of people were blown away, coughing up blood as they flew more than ten meters.

Beneath the city walls, amidst the charred remains and the smoke of gunpowder, chaos reigned. There seemed to be nowhere to settle down, and panic and unease permeated the vanguard.

The attack lasted only three minutes before Li Ji abruptly called it off.

A large number of Tang soldiers came up to rescue the people, and the city wall did not fire arrows or throw Tang thunderbolts again, allowing them to take the people back.

One hour later.

The central camp of the Tang army.

The air was filled with wails and screams, and morale was extremely low.

Li Ji led a large contingent to inspect the site, where he found thousands of wounded soldiers wailing in pain, while military doctors busied themselves with their tasks.

They were injured to varying degrees, mostly by shrapnel, which were not fatal but rendered them unable to fight and were very difficult to treat.