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

The matter remained unresolved until nightfall.

But the fighting gradually ceased as both sides rescued the wounded, collected the bodies, cooked, and rested. At dawn, the Tang army's bugle was sounded, and the attack resumed.

It was like a cycle, dragging countless lives into this bottomless, tireless battlefield.

As time went by, the Tang army faced immense pressure from casualties, far exceeding those of the Han army, almost ten times greater.

Hanley's bombing left them helpless.

The border troops, who were once a source of great pride, became lambs to the slaughter under such methods.

Ashina She'er even considered forming a suicide squad to seize the city, but this was a battle situation that could not be controlled by whether one was afraid of death or not.

Later on, as the number of wounded soldiers increased and logistical pressure grew daily, Ashina She'er had to reduce the scale of his attacks.

This makes taking Anshi City even more distant.

More than a month later, the Tang army had suffered more than half of its casualties.

Ashina She'er was forced to use a large number of Goguryeo refugees to launch an attack, which led to widespread resentment among the local people.

The Tang army camp suffered numerous attacks and mutinies, and with its logistics in dire straits, the Tang army not only failed to capture Anshi City, but also found itself in a dilemma.

Ashina She'er was in a terrible predicament.

……

Changan.

Spring is in full bloom, and the place is bustling with activity.

The mountains of corpses and seas of blood on the border were unknown to the people there. At that time, the people of the Tang Dynasty did not know that the Tang Dynasty had reached a crossroads.

The critical illness of the Heavenly Khan and the fate of Li Yuanchang will determine the course of events for the next few decades, or even hundreds or thousands of years.

Inside the Lizheng Hall, the aroma of medicine was strong.

"Cough cough cough..."

A violent coughing fit rang out, and a large number of imperial physicians rushed in, only to be driven out.

After several days of unconsciousness, Li Shimin, finally regaining some consciousness, slowly sat up with the help of two eunuchs.

If Li Yuanchang were here, he would be shocked!

Li Shimin aged rapidly, becoming unrecognizable. Half of his hair was white, his complexion was extremely poor, and even his pupils could hardly focus.

Where is the former glory of the Heavenly Khan? Now he is just a wretched middle-aged man tormented by illness.

He was only fifty-two years old this year, which in later generations would only be considered middle-aged, but the old ailments he had suffered from when he was young, coupled with the backward medical care in ancient times and years of excessive hard work in government, had completely worn down his health.

Historically, he had already collapsed.

It was already early August. Historically, Li Shimin died in July. After all, he was a great emperor throughout history, and the time and place of his death are clearly recorded.

The reason he didn't collapse was purely because of Li Yuanchang.

He wasn't at ease leaving Li Yuanchang behind!

Li Shimin, who had just sat up, still felt a wave of dizziness, and then he coughed up a mouthful of blood mist.

"His Majesty!"

Exclamations arose from all around, and the assembled high-ranking officials, including Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang, paled.

"Father, Father!!"

Li Zhi knelt before the bed and burst into a sorrowful cry, almost crying himself to death.

After Li Shimin vomited blood, he wiped himself clean and surprisingly regained a sliver of consciousness.

"You're not dead yet, so what are you crying for!"

"Young slave, rise!"

"Father, sob sob sob..." Li Zhi was heartbroken and still cried. Unlike Li Tai's fake crying, he was crying for real.

But because it was true, it made Li Shimin, who was already suffering from illness, even more furious.

Seeing that things were not going well, Changsun Wuji quickly gave Li Zhi a meaningful look.

Li Zhi then wiped away his tears and stood up.

Years have passed, and Li Zhi has grown quite a bit taller, now about 1.75 meters tall. At 21 years old, he is a man.

But his submissive and indecisive demeanor remained. At this moment, he didn't seem like a crown prince about to take over the imperial scepter, but more like a child about to lose his father and protection, at a loss, with no other emotions besides sadness.

With the help of the imperial physician, Li Shimin stabilized his body and sat cross-legged on the wooden couch. His hair was slightly disheveled, and he no longer had the majestic demeanor he once did.

"What are the battle reports from the front?"

"Your Majesty, everything... is still alright," Changsun Wuji said, exchanging a glance with Chu Suiliang.

"So what happened? Did they capture Anshi City?" Li Shimin's body collapsed, but he wasn't stupid yet.

"Your Majesty, not yet." Changsun Wuji bowed and only dared to answer this one sentence. Many military reports were suppressed by him and Chu Suiliang.

They feared that once the memorial was submitted, Li Shimin, who was already terminally ill, would not be able to withstand it.

"So you've been besieging it for so long without success?" Li Shimin's voice was hoarse, and his cloudy eyes looked rather unwell.

Changsun Wuji cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Anshi City is different from other cities; it will take some more time."

"Ashina She'er is still trying to find a way to break through the city. We, who are assisting the Crown Prince, are also doing our best to raise funds for logistics so that the army can stay safe on the front line this winter."

Li Shimin held his forehead with one hand, seemingly somewhat weary.

He didn't even have the strength to speak loudly: "Is Liaodong a place where a large army can stay in winter? How will logistics be transported from thousands of miles away?"

"Have you all forgotten where I've been!"

Everyone was speechless and dared not speak; the scene was completely silent.

Li Shimin then added, "Send a message to Ashina She'er: if Anshi City cannot be captured before winter, then withdraw."

Everyone raised their heads in unison, their eyes filled with a hint of confusion and surprise.

Li Shimin was furious before and was willing to do anything to destroy the King of Han. Why did he suddenly change his mind?

"Your Majesty, this..."

"Do as instructed!" Li Shimin said in a deep voice, "I have fought wars all my life, how could I not know the risks of having my logistics cut off?"

"If anything happens to these 200,000 troops, it won't just be a problem for the Prince of Han; it will mean the destruction of the entire Li Tang dynasty, and countless people will be dragged into an endless abyss."

"Although I have a strong desire to destroy the Prince of Han, it cannot outweigh the overall situation of the nation!"

"Cough cough cough!!"

As he spoke, he coughed violently again, coughing up a lot of blood, and his breath became weak once more.

Clearly, in his final moments, Li Shimin, knowing his time was running out, gradually calmed down and anticipated some potential risks.

Upon hearing this, the officials burst into tears, crying out in anguish, "Your Majesty!!"

Li Shimin stretched out his hand with difficulty: "You all get out, Zhinu, come here!"

"Father!"

Li Zhi knelt at his feet, weeping bitterly.

The ministers all withdrew, everyone was crying, everyone felt like the sky had fallen, and everyone knew they had something to say after their deaths.

Father and son looked at each other. Li Shimin, seeing that Li Zhi was not very heroic, stopped blaming him. At this point, it was too late to change the crown prince and cultivate his character.

Seeing Li Zhi cry, the Heavenly Khan's eyes gradually reddened, and some cloudy tears flowed out.