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Yang Wanchun was also in despair. He had intended to sneak in and steal a march, but he did not expect the enemy to be well-prepared. Now, with the military situation urgent, he had no time to tally the casualties. Looking at the pitiful remnants behind him, he knew very well that this surprise attack had ended in a disastrous defeat.
Fortunately, he remained calm and did not lead his remaining troops back to the city; otherwise, the Tang army would have seized the opportunity to attack, and Anshi City would have been lost.
The Earthen Mound was constructed by the Tang army for siege purposes. With the sudden drop in temperature and heavy snowfall, the Earthen Mound was slowly freezing solid, becoming a man-made stronghold that could be used for combat.
Just as Yang Wanchun felt a glimmer of hope, bright red lights suddenly illuminated the enemy camp, followed by rumbling winter thunder that shook the heavens and earth!
"This... this is an omen from heaven! Could it be that Suimont truly possesses the celestial art of calling wind and rain?" Yang Wanchun was filled with dread. However, he soon heard a series of low, eerie sonic booms piercing through the air.
"No! This must be their terrifying artillery!" Yang Wanchun suddenly realized. When reports from scouts in Liaodong City arrived, he had scoffed at the absurd claim that the Tang army possessed divine thunder from above. Now it seemed that this was indeed true!
"Take cover! Everyone take cover!"
Yang Wanchun shouted orders as he hurriedly fell off his horse, using it to shield his body. Before he could steady himself, a deafening explosion erupted overhead. The Earthen Mound and the ground trembled violently as if a mountain were collapsing or a tsunami were crashing down. Debris and soil rained down continuously; not only soldiers but even horses were crushed into pulp!
Soldiers who had no time to react were quickly buried alive under the sand and soil. Explosions occurred one after another; the newly constructed Earthen Mound could not withstand the bombardment from Zhenwu General's artillery. Its foundation was shaken, and it collapsed heavily onto the walls of Anshi City!
Yang Wanchun excelled at defending cities; to protect against the Earthen Mound, he had reinforced and raised the southwestern city wall. Yet, it could not withstand the force of the collapsing mound, which crushed the wall down!
Some Goguryeo soldiers were buried by part of the Earthen Mound; during their escape, some were killed by falling debris from the wall, while others were severely injured by artillery blasts!
Yang Wanchun staggered to his feet, deafened and blinded by blood streaming down from his head. Everything before him appeared blood-red. He desperately shook his head as wails of despair and cries for battle pierced his ears like needles!
"Quick! Have the garrison in the city hold the gap!"
Yang Wanchun dedicated his entire life to Anshi City. At this moment, he disregarded his personal safety and the wounded soldiers around him. He crawled to a blood-soaked flag, strapped it to his back, and sprinted a few steps to grab a startled warhorse, frantically heading towards the Gap!
The Garrison responded promptly, with elite troops effectively blocking the Gap layer by layer. Pikemen and Shield Soldiers formed a flesh-and-blood wall!
As Yang Wanchun rode in, seeing the elite troops completely blocking the Gap, he felt a surge of panic and shouted, "This place won't hold! Everyone, move to the Earthen Mound! To the Earthen Mound!"
With their commander still present, the Garrison had no time to cheer. Like a tide, they surged out of the Gap and occupied the half-destroyed Earthen Mound!
After the Xu Zhen's forces collapsed the Earthen Mound, they took advantage of the residual explosion to launch a furious charge like a raging sea. However, the enemy's response was incredibly swift. Yang Wanchun still had reserves; the Garrison in the city had not rested but remained on the walls to prevent a counterattack from the Tang Army, which was now crucial as they were about to occupy the Earthen Mound!
The Xu Zhen charged twice, but the enemy remained unmoved. Lacking numerical superiority, her forces could not capture it!
At a critical moment, the Xu Zhen shouted at Fu Fuaiai, "Have your troops follow me into battle!"
Fu Fuaiai was a capable general under Changsun Wuji, which is why he was tasked with guarding such an important position as the Earthen Mound. However, with the Xu Zhen undermining his authority and recklessly collapsing the Earthen Mound, he could not simply agree to send his men to their deaths.
The Earthen Mound was built at great cost by countless auxiliary troops and local militia during daylight. Now it was destroyed by the Xu Zhen's artillery. Fu Fuaiai not only refused to give orders but also called for help when he saw Changsun Wuji approaching on horseback, claiming that the Xu Zhen was trying to seize his troops!
As the enemy gradually occupied the Earthen Mound and moved heavy equipment from the city forward, military resources slipped away uselessly. The Xu Zhen was furious and drew her long knife, ready to strike down Fu Fuaiai!
"Stop!"
Changsun Wuji shouted loudly. Not only did he disapprove of the Xu Zhen's unilateral orders, but he also could not allow her to seize his troops and attempt to kill his trusted general.
With Your Majesty present, Changsun Wuji naturally dared not speak further. The Xu Zhen angrily threw her long knife to the ground and hurled her blood-stained phoenix-wing helmet down, where it rolled to Li Shimin's feet.
Li Jue felt a tightness in his chest, unable to help but worry for Xu Zhen. However, seeing the favorable situation wasted by Fu Fuaiai, how could he not feel resentment?
Although Li Shimin had fallen behind Zhou Cang for a moment, he had already heard the booming sounds of Zhenwu General as he rushed over. When he saw the Earthen Mound crushing the city walls and finally breaking through Anshi City's Gap, his heart was filled with joy.
If Fu Fuaiai could take the opportunity to charge in, Anshi City could be taken!
However, contrary to what he hoped, Fu Fuaiai not only refrained from attacking but also rejected Xu Zhen's request. In such a pressing situation, he still divided responsibilities and looked at Xu Zhenbu below, where the injuries were horrifying. His main forces were nearly wiped out, which was truly devastating; how could this not infuriate Xu Zhen?
Changsun Wuji had served the emperor for a long time and could already sense the emperor's displeasure from Li Shimin's grim expression. He immediately removed his armor and shoes, nearly stripping down to nothing, and approached Li Shimin to plead for forgiveness.
"My foolish subordinate failed to grasp military strategy and delayed the opportunity for battle. Please grant me death, Your Majesty!"
Changsun Wuji knelt in the blood-soaked snow, this land drenched in the blood of enemies and also soaked with the blood of Xu Zhen's Brothers!
Xue Rengui's white attire was already stained red, while Zhou Cang and Xie Anting were covered in blood, their eyes filled with unwillingness and grief.
Yin Zong and Gao He Shu had feathers arrows embedded in their legs, arms, and backs. To respond to this night raid, Xu Zhen had nearly sacrificed all her forces. Li Shimin could not express what he felt—was it regret for not believing Xu Zhen's predictions? Or anger at Changsun Wuji's advice and Fu Fuaiai's cowardice and foolishness?
He himself could not clarify; all he saw was that Earthen Mound. Now that Earthen Mound was occupied by the enemy, it was even harder to breach than the original city walls because the enemy could finally move beyond the city and use the Earthen Mound to push their defenses forward.
This Earthen Mound was originally a crucial stronghold for breaching Anshi City; now it had fallen into enemy hands and became their best fortress to defend the city. It truly felt like making clothes for the enemy!
Li Shimin did not spare a glance at Changsun Wuji. The latter felt fear at that moment as he watched Li Shimin’s boots brush past his nose while secretly observing him walk towards Xu Zhen.
" Mr. Xu... I..."
Princess Jinyang still had her back turned to Li Shimin, who gently placed his hand on her shoulder. Her red armor was marked with numerous cuts from blades, and snowflakes fell upon it, quickly melting away; the armor was surprisingly warm!
It was heated by the blood of enemies, by the fresh blood gushing from Princess Jinyang's wounds, and by the constant clashes of her armor against enemy swords.
Princess Jinyang sensed the regret in Li Shimin's voice as he slowly turned his head. Tears streamed down her face, washing away the blood. In just two short years, she had endured fierce battles and achieved countless merits, rising from a minor role in Chang'an to becoming a Champion General. Now, she was crying!
This was not Princess Jinyang's first experience with life-and-death battles, but it was the first time she had risked everything, throwing all her brothers into the fray. Just as success seemed within reach, a petty person obstructed their efforts, leading to a failure that rendered her brothers' sacrifices meaningless!
Zhou Cang and the few surviving brothers were all tough men; they had never seen their lord in tears. Each of them hung their heads in silence, gripping their swords tightly. The air was thick with grief and resentment, more intense than the smell of blood.
Li Shimin looked at Princess Jinyang's tear-streaked face, his heart aching. How could he allow such a fierce warrior to shed such unwilling tears?
He turned and took a couple of steps before retrieving the long sword that Princess Jinyang had dropped on the ground. With a grim expression, he silently approached Fu Fuaiai.
Fu Fuaiai suddenly looked up but could not see the expression on His Majesty's face. A cold glint flashed by; Fu Fuaiai's head fell to the ground and rolled to Changsun Wuji's feet. The headless corpse sprayed blood, splattering Changsun Wuji completely, yet he did not dare to look up even slightly. When he dared to glance sideways, he saw Fu Fuaiai's lifeless eyes fixed on him in disbelief, lips still moving as if pleading for help…
Li Shimin did not look at Changsun Wuji but instead walked up to Princess Jinyang and offered her the hilt of the long sword. Gritting her teeth, she accepted it with both hands.
His Majesty gazed into the distance at the Earthen Mound and sighed softly before hoarsely uttering two words: "Withdraw troops."
The Sovereign turned to leave. Princess Jinyang watched his retreating figure and felt for the first time that her majesty truly seemed aged…
Changsun Wuji did not dare to rise; his hands and feet were frozen in place. Besides fear, he felt an overwhelming hatred towards Princess Jinyang!
Once the Sovereign returned to camp, Li Jue hurriedly helped Changsun Wuji up and began organizing troops to build a defensive line around the Earthen Mound before finally cleaning up the battlefield.
The military situation was indeed as Princess Jinyang had anticipated. After Garrison occupied Earthen Mound, the Tang army struggled to make progress. The weather grew increasingly cold, leading to many cases of frostbite among the troops. Changsun Wuji, eager to prove himself, led several assaults but returned empty-handed, suffering significant losses.
Meanwhile, news from Pyongyang Road indicated that the naval forces had landed and reached Jian'an City. However, Zhang Liang, fearful and hesitant in battle, failed to establish a camp and was caught off guard by a surprise attack from the enemy. In a state of panic, he sat stunned on Huzhuang, unable to respond or speak. Ultimately, it was his deputy, Zhang Jinshu, who sounded the drums and rallied the troops to repel the enemy.
Upon receiving the military report, the Sovereign was furious. If not for the inconvenient circumstances of war, Zhang Liang would have faced severe consequences.
In fact, before the war began, Zhang Liang had been skeptical about the campaign against Liao. However, seeing that the Sovereign had made up his mind, he requested to lead the Sea Route army as the Pyongyang Military Governor, commanding over forty thousand soldiers. Aside from Chief of Military Operations Cheng Mingzhen capturing Shabei City and taking eight thousand prisoners, he had achieved nothing noteworthy.
The Sovereign was increasingly agitated; Anshi City remained under siege for too long. He was reluctant to abandon Jian'an City while also worrying about Yang Wanchun potentially cutting off their retreat. The situation reached a stalemate.
In his anger, the Sovereign executed Zhang Wengan, Chief of Military Operations for Pyongyang Road, and was about to continue sending troops to attack Anshi City and Earthen Mound when news arrived from Dingzhou.
Former Crown Prince Li Chengqian had passed away in Qianzhou.
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