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

"General, more than 1,300 people have been injured, mostly by shrapnel that has penetrated their bodies. Some have also had their bones broken by those bombs. Their recovery time will be very long." A general with a bandage wrapped around his forehead said, bowing with his hands clasped. The fear in his eyes was still evident.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

In just a short time, the injury rate reached nearly half. What if the attack lasted for a long time?

Is this Han Lei Yao?

The claim that Goguryeo was destroyed in just two battles seems to be true.

Li Ji murmured to himself, glancing at the injuries of his subordinates. Although there were no open wounds, the injuries were extremely severe, and the armor was practically useless, which was beyond his comprehension.

"Take good care of the wounded."

In the end, he made his rounds, leaving behind only this one sentence before departing. There were no impassioned speeches, no easy reassurances, only silence.

Back at the main camp, several important high-ranking officials gathered.

"General, if I may be so bold, we cannot continue this attack. So many people have been injured in just one probing attack. If we launch a full-scale assault, the casualties will be even greater."

"In the end, our army will inevitably be forced to retreat due to logistical reasons!" Someone who had been holding back all the way finally found an opportunity.

It could have been said to your subordinates that it was undermining morale, but now you can say it.

But this statement was immediately met with opposition.

"No!"

"Isn't this ridiculous?"

"His Majesty ordered us to quell the rebellion, and we've only just begun. Are we going to stop after suffering a few casualties? How are we going to explain this to His Majesty?"

"Besides, what war doesn't result in death?"

"That's right, even if Han Lei is powerful, that's all he can do. We just need to climb the city wall and engage in hand-to-hand combat. Han Lei will run out of steam sooner or later!"

"..."

Li Ji, sitting in the main seat, finally couldn't listen any longer and said quietly, "Do you know that the other side has already held back? Otherwise, what we would have brought back wouldn't be wounded soldiers, but a pile of corpses."

A cold, blunt sentence shattered everyone's illusions, and they immediately fell silent.

Everyone remained silent, unwilling to admit it, but it was the truth.

Han Lei never threw anything at people's heads; he threw them all onto open ground, relying solely on the shockwaves to injure people and repel enemies.

Most importantly, the rebels in Anshi City did not finish off any of the remaining enemies. They could have used their countless arrows to suppress and kill the rebels, thus preventing the rescue.

However, the rebels in Anshi City watched them rescue people the entire time.

When Li Ji uttered these words, the high command of the three armies were at a loss as to how to quell the rebellion or what emotions to adopt when facing the rebel army of the Prince of Han.

"This general wishes to submit a memorial to His Majesty," Li Ji suddenly said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked up in unison, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"General!"

Li Ji waved his hand: "My mind is made up."

"Such an attack is tantamount to suicide. If we try to enter the city, the corpses will pile up like mountains, and at least 100,000 of the Tang Dynasty's elite troops will be buried. The Tang Dynasty cannot afford such a price."

"I cannot gamble with the lives of countless soldiers!"

His eyes were resolute, even if doing so would incur Li Shimin's reprimand or even dismissal.

"General!"

"General!"

His subordinates, including Xue Wanche, all tried to persuade him.

Everyone knew that Li Shimin was currently in a fit of rage, and no one dared to lightly suggest withdrawing the troops. One could imagine what would happen once the memorial reached Chang'an.

Just as the debate raged within the camp over whether to attack or submit a petition to Chang'an, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Duke of England, to be cowardly before even fighting—is this the behavior of a hero?"

"His Majesty trusts you so much, is this how you intend to repay him?"

The slightly sarcastic tone drew unfriendly glances from everyone in the tent, but upon recognizing the newcomer, they all held back their anger.

The newcomer wore a wide black robe and a jade belt, but no armor. He had an imposing presence and was clearly no ordinary person.

"Lord Gao, you've come at the right time. Han Lei, did you see what happened during today's attack?" Li Ji remained calm and composed, showing no anger.

This person was Gao Jie, an important official in Chang'an and one of the clerks of the Political Affairs Hall.

Although his rank was far lower than Li Ji's, he was personally appointed by Li Shimin to be in charge of pacification and defection, as well as foreign diplomacy.

Another aspect is monitoring frontline operations without interfering in military command!

In the past, Li Shimin would never have sent such a supervisor. He was confident in himself, trusted his subordinates, and was relatively open to warfare.

But everything changed after Li Yuanchang and Chang'an turned against each other.

Li Shimin's health was failing, and he knew his time was coming to an end. At this critical juncture, coupled with the rebellion of generals in the field who refused to obey imperial edicts due to their dissatisfaction with the court, he no longer fully trusted his subordinates.

"General."

"I saw it. More than a thousand people were injured. Commander, you want to retreat?" Gao Jie said indifferently.

Li Ji frowned.

"Lord Gao, the army suffered casualties of up to half its size in just a few skirmishes before even reaching the city walls. Our army's methods are simply no match for Han Lei."

"That weapon is incredibly powerful. One hit could tear even a ladder to shreds. It's like an ant trying to shake a tree. How can we possibly attack?"

"Today's attack was merely a show of force by the King of Han; out of consideration for past relations, he did not strike with deadly force..."

He tried his best to explain the whole story, appealing to emotions and reason, but Gao Jie relied on his position as a member of the civil service and the position of the regent.

He said directly, "Li Shuai, are you speaking up for Li Yuanchang?"

The unreasonable question made Li Ji freeze for a moment, and then his aura suddenly changed, from gentle and calm to an extremely oppressive stare!

A mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood seemed to rise and fall in his pupils. It was a temperament truly honed on the battlefield. With just one glance, he could frighten a hundred ghosts into turning away!

Li Ji wasn't weak; he just happened to run into gunpowder. He wasn't a coward either, but he was prioritizing the bigger picture; he wasn't someone anyone could easily manipulate.

At the same time, many people inside the tent cast unfriendly glances at Gao Jie.

These are not ordinary people; they are all veterans who have made great contributions on the battlefield. Their gazes are not something that ordinary people can withstand.

Gao Jie's scalp tingled instantly, his heart pounded, and he felt a momentary, instinctive panic.

Realizing he had gone too far, he immediately corrected himself: "General Li, I was only thinking of the overall situation and fulfilling His Majesty's instructions."

He clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, his expression unnatural, and a bead of sweat unconsciously rolled down his forehead.

If Li Ji is angered, he will definitely be the one to suffer. Although the higher-ups are not at ease with him, they also hate civil officials persecuting military generals.

Although no one speaks of Goguryeo's current situation, most of the court officials are aware of it, and Li Shimin is also aware of it.

Li Yuanchang's rebellion was an attempt to claim that he was persecuted, forced to rebel, and compelled to protect himself.

Li Ji slowly withdrew his gaze, and the imposing aura and sense of oppression immediately dissipated.

He reverted to being that composed, stagnant middle-aged scholar-general.

"I hope that's really what Gao thinks, that he only cares about national affairs and not personal feelings."