My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

Ashina Simo rode on horseback, holding a long spear, looking down from a high vantage point.

Hegan Chengji dared not be negligent, drew his Yitian Sword, and circled around Ashina Simo.

When the battle began,

He Gan Chengji's movements were initially slow, but later they became faster and faster, as if his feet had left the ground, forming a white blur as he rotated clockwise.

Ashina Simo had never seen anyone move so fast. He thought to himself, "No wonder people say that Hegan Chengji is the number one assassin in the Tang Dynasty. It seems that his reputation is well-deserved."

Ashina Simo and Hegan Chengji fought for twenty rounds without a clear winner.

Li Chengan, watching from the city wall, was also terrified.

He feared that if the two tigers fought, one of them would surely be injured.

then,

He gripped the edge of the battlements, bent down, and called out, "Hegan Chengji, Zhang Shizheng, come back quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Hegan Chengji feigned a move and jumped out of the circle: "Wait a moment! It's not that I'm afraid of you, but the Crown Prince has ordered me to go back and find out the situation before I fight you."

I'll say it again: I advise you to surrender to the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible, and not to fight like a cornered beast.

Ashina Simo pulled on the horse's reins and laughed heartily: "Now it seems like you're the ones who are surrounded. I think you should be thinking about how to break through the encirclement."

"Luoyang is a fortified city with ample food supplies and strong defenses."

Although you have besieged Luoyang, taking it will not be so easy.

What will you do when your supplies run out after a while?

I advise you to release Qin Ying, Zhang Zhilong, Zhang Zhihu, Zhang Zhibiao, and Zhang Zhibao first.

Why should I listen to you?

"And where did you put Ashina Jieshelu?"

"He is a traitor to our Turks, and I have already imprisoned him. When I return in triumph, I will kill him!" Ashina Simo said with resentment in his eyes.

"You two are brothers."

"He is indeed my brother, but he is determined to be a traitor to the Turks and a lackey of the Tang Dynasty, so I can't blame him."

Hegan Chengji realized that further discussion was useless, so he returned to Luoyang City with Zhang Shizheng.

Li Daozong ordered the city gates to be closed, the drawbridge to be raised, and the city to remain in a defensive posture without engaging in battle.

Zhaoren Palace.

Li Daozong paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, sighing and saying slowly, "Speaking of fighting, I've fought dozens of battles, big and small, but I've never felt so frustrated."

Now that the city's water supply has been cut off, how long can the support last?

Furthermore, the imperial court did not send any reinforcements.

The imperial guards in Chang'an were already few in number, yet the enemy forces were unable to capture the city after a prolonged siege.

Although the five-nation coalition had retreated to Tongguan.

However, they could surround Chang'an at any moment.

Our troop strength is far too disparate from the Turkic forces; how can we possibly fight this battle?

Li Chengan straightened his clothes: "Uncle, you don't need to boost the morale of others and diminish the prestige of our own people."

I believe that although the Turkic army is formidable, it is not invincible.

at this time,

Zhang Shigui suddenly stood up and pointed at Li Chenggan: "Li Chenggan, this is all your fault!"

If it weren't for you, how could my four sons have been captured?

Also, He Gan Chengji and Zhang Shizheng, what did you say when you went into battle?

You said you could capture the Turkic general and use him to exchange for my four sons. Did you manage to do that?

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shizheng was filled with shame: "General Zhang, it was our fault that we failed to capture Ashina Simo in battle. We underestimated our opponent."

We apologize for this.

However, it's a bit unreasonable to pin this on the Crown Prince.

"If not him, then who is to blame?" Zhang Shigui pressed aggressively.

"If the opposing general is indeed Ashina Jieshe, then you might have something to say."

However, the situation is now very clear.

The Turkic general outside the city was Ashina Simo, the elder brother of Ashina Jieshe.

Ashina Jieshe has been imprisoned by him.

This shows that Ashina Jieshe had already done a lot of work in the process; otherwise, his brother would not have imprisoned him.

Therefore, you should thank the Crown Prince for this; how can you blame him?

"Uh—." Zhang Shigui was speechless.

Li Chenggan waved his hand: "Grandpa Zhang, you and Hegan Chengji have worked hard this time!"

"Your Highness, we are not tired."

"Although Ashina Simo was not captured."

However, it also gave us a deeper understanding of the Turkic army, providing us with more detailed intelligence for formulating our next operational plan.

Therefore, you two still deserve credit.

We are ashamed.

Li Daozong suddenly stopped walking and looked at Li Chenggan: "Your Highness, I heard that you were very brave and skillful in commanding the troops during your campaign in the Western Regions."

Some people say that your command of battles is no less than that of Guan Zhong and Yue Yi.

How do you think we should fight this battle?

Li Chengan replied modestly, "Uncle, you flatter me."

You and General Zhang are both renowned generals who have fought countless battles and made outstanding contributions to the Tang Dynasty.

How dare I presume to teach someone my own lesson?

"No, no, no, you can tell me your thoughts."

Li Chenggan pondered for a moment: "Uncle, General Zhang, we can do it this way."

The next night, around the second watch.

Outside Luoyang City,

Ashina Simo was drinking alone in his tent.

He was also very frustrated, because Luoyang had been besieged for several days.

(This sentence is incomplete when it stands alone and needs to be supplemented with a subject based on the context, such as "The enemy army failed to conquer it after a long siege." However, since only necessary parts can be modified and there must be a substantial difference from the original sentence, it is corrected here according to the rules to) The enemy army failed to conquer it after a long siege.

If the fighting continues like this, as Hegan Chengji said, even their own food supply will become a problem.

Luoyang is indeed a fortified city.

in those days,

After Yang Guang became emperor, he rebuilt Luoyang, which required a huge amount of manpower, material resources, and financial resources. At the same time, he also strengthened the city's defenses.

Later, Wang Shichong occupied Luoyang and carried out reconstruction and reinforcement.

Therefore, Ashina Simo attacked Luoyang several times but failed to capture the city.

He ordered his men to bring Ashina Jieshe into the tent.

Ashina Jieshe was dragged over by two Turkic soldiers and bound hand and foot.

Ashina Simo waved his hand, and the two Turkic soldiers withdrew.

Ashina Simo looked at Ashina Jieshe and said, "We Turks are a great nation, far stronger than the Xiongnu of yesteryear."

The Xiongnu unified the northern grasslands, and our Turks once commanded a million armored soldiers. Why did you surrender to the Tang Dynasty?

"Brother, before I came to the Tang Dynasty, I had a very bad impression of it."

However, after I arrived in the Tang Dynasty, I discovered that the Zhenguan era, which was established by Li Shimin, was much better than we had imagined.

"Our Turkic power is waning; there's no way to reverse it."

Ashina Simo slammed his wine cup on the table and roared, "Nonsense! The restoration of our Turkic kingdom is just around the corner!"

Now, Luoyang is completely surrounded by us, and its fall is imminent. If we can seize Luoyang, we can then launch a surprise attack on Chang'an.

at first,

We should not concentrate our main forces around Chang'an.

After all, Li Shimin was based in Chang'an, and capturing Chang'an was much more difficult than capturing Luoyang.

Ashina Jieshe sneered: "Do you think Luoyang is easy to take?"

Ashina Simo lowered his head and remained silent, because he already sensed that Luoyang City would not be easy to conquer.

"If Li Chengqian hadn't been in Luoyang back then, things would have been a bit better. But now that he's in Luoyang, how easy is it for you to take it?"

Ashina Simo, in a punching motion, said: "What's so great about Li Chenggan? Does he have three heads and six arms?"

He's still wet behind the ears, just a greenhorn.

"Brother, you're really wrong. People often say, 'Ambition knows no age; without ambition, one lives a wasted life.'"

Although Li Chenggan is very young

but,

He was a seasoned veteran with extensive combat experience.

Don't forget that the Dangxiang, Tuyuhun, and Yanqi were no match for him. Is this just a coincidence?

"We must acknowledge their advantages, and Li Chengqian's prestige is now vastly different from what it used to be, do you know that?" Ashina Jieshe sat in a chair, his arms bound and unable to move.

"What prestige can a mere boy have?" Ashina Simo scoffed.

"In the Western Regions, the Tanguts, Tibetans, and Tuyuhuns are willing to obey his commands; to the east of the Tang Dynasty, the Great King of Shanbei, Fuyu Fengzhang, and Jindeman are loyal to him. How can this be tolerated?"

Ashina Simo tapped the document lightly with his hand: "Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. Even if they start sending troops now, by the time their army arrives here, we will have already captured Luoyang. What do we have to fear?"

"Li Chengan often uses unconventional tactics in his military campaigns, brother, you must not be careless."

"I advise you to surrender to the Tang Dynasty," Ashina Jieshe said earnestly.

Ashina Simo was furious: "Have you been drugged or possessed? How can you be so afraid of Li Chenggan!"

"To tell you the truth, at dawn tomorrow, I'll use your head as a sacrifice for the flag, and then launch a general offensive to take Luoyang in one fell swoop."

Ashina Jieshe stared at Ashina Simo with his eyes: "Fine, my death is a small matter, but our more than 100,000 troops will probably suffer along with you."

"How dare you curse my army?" Ashina Simo roared in fury, shouting outside, "Guards!"

at this time,

Two Turkic soldiers entered from outside and saluted: "General, please give your orders!"

Ashina Simo pointed at Ashina Jieshelu: "Drag this scoundrel out and give him forty heavy lashes, each one drawing blood."

"promise!"

The two Turkic soldiers agreed and pushed Ashina Jieshe out.

Ashina Jieshe turned around and scolded, "Ashina Simo, you're only good at bullying your own kind, what kind of hero are you?"

at this time,

Another Turkic sentry rushed in from outside, shouting in a panic: "Report...Reporting to the general, something terrible has happened!"

Ashina Simo frowned: "What's the matter?"

The sentry wiped the sweat from his brow: "That's right, we've learned that troops are marching towards us from the north, east, and west."

Upon hearing this, Ashina Simo abruptly stood up: "Nonsense! Where would the Tang army get reinforcements?"

"General, after careful reconnaissance, we have determined that the army attacking from the west is from Tibet."

The armies attacking from the east were from Baekje and Wa (Japan).

The armies charging in from the north were those of the Dangxiang and Tuyuhun.

"What? Approximately how many men do they have?"

"Each force should have no fewer than 20,000 men!"

Ashina Simo was also panicked.

Because he understood that in doing so, they would be like dumplings wrapped up in someone else's pocket.

The worst thing to do in military strategy is to attack from both sides. Moreover, the enemy has three forces from three directions, plus the Tang army in Luoyang in front of us, so that's four forces.

That's just enough to take them all in.

Ashina Simo still refused to believe it, waving his large hands: "This is impossible, absolutely impossible!"

The three western countries and the two eastern countries are more than a thousand miles apart.

How could they have reached Luoyang so quickly?

"General, this is absolutely true; we have investigated it very thoroughly."

Ashina Jieshe said, "Brother, you are already surrounded. Don't fight like a cornered beast anymore. Surrender now, and you can save the lives of hundreds of thousands of our Turkic brothers!"

Ashina Simo drew his sword: "Even if three armies come, I am not afraid. Send down the order to Ashina Zhong to lead 30,000 troops to meet the Tibetan army."

Ashina Misha led 30,000 troops to meet the army from the north, which was composed of the Tuyuhun and Dangxiang.

Ashina Buzhen led an army of 30,000 to meet the army from Baekje and Wa from the east, while I personally led the remaining army to launch a fierce attack on Luoyang.

"You're insane! If you do this, you'll kill hundreds of thousands of our Turkic brothers!" Ashina Jieshe said.

at this time,

Ashina Simo was no longer listening to anyone's advice and only wanted to do this: "Take him away first, and we'll settle accounts after I defeat the enemy."

It must be said that Ashina Simo truly deserves to be called the number one warrior of the Turks; he was brave and invincible.

He personally led his troops in a fierce attack on the north gate of Luoyang, with chariots in front and ladders behind, advancing wave after wave!

Both sides fought fiercely for control of the north gate, resulting in mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.

The Turkic army charged forward with their eyes closed, as if they had gone mad.

Li Daozong personally climbed to the top of the city wall to command: "Hold on! Hold on for me!"

but,

Who could be Ashina Sima's match?

Desperate to save his son, Zhang Shigui fought Ashina Simo for more than ten rounds.

He found Ashina Simo to be too ferocious.

Zhang Shigui raised his long spear high and smashed it down on Ashina Simo's head.

Ashina Simo used a move called "The Python Turns Over," first using his spear to deflect the other man's long spear. Due to the immense force,

The long spear slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

The spear continued its advance, aiming for Zhang Shigui's chest.

The gun was moving too fast and at too strange an angle; Zhang Shigui had no time to dodge.

He thought to himself that after fighting for decades, he never expected to die at the hands of this scoundrel.

At that moment, a loud clang rang in their ears as the two weapons collided.

Zhang Shigui glanced around and saw a young man in white standing before him. It was none other than Xue Rengui.

Xue Rengui twice tried to join the army, but was turned away by Zhang Shigui both times.

From then on, the two sides became enemies.

Therefore, Zhang Shigui never expected that Xue Rengui would come to his rescue at this critical moment.

"Xue Rengui, what do you mean by this?" Zhang Shigui asked.

Xue Rengui said coldly, "It is not that I want to save you, but that the Crown Prince wants to save you."

Zhang Shigui looked up at Li Chengan on the city wall and was also surprised, because a few days ago,

He also led his troops to pursue and kill Li Chenggan.

"You mean the Crown Prince sent you to rescue me?"

"That's right. You should go back and rest. I'll take care of things here."

Zhang Shigui wondered if Li Chenggan could be so kind.

He picked up the spear and stepped aside.

Actually, it wasn't that Zhang Shigui was no match for Ashina Simo; the main problem was that he had his own concerns.

Because his four beloved sons are still in someone else's hands.

Therefore, when he fought Ashina Simo, he dared not use his full strength, for fear that if he hurt Ashina Simo, his four sons would have to die.

Zhang Shigui dared not use his full strength, but Ashina Simo didn't care about that. He had a hostage in his hands, so he was very confident.

Ashina Simo did not know Xue Rengui.

He pointed with his finger: "Who are you?"

"My name is Xue Rengui," Xue Li said in a clear and resonant voice.

Ashina Simo thought for a moment and said, "Are you Xue Rengui, the one who lifted the stone lion with one hand in front of the old-established blacksmith shop?"

"Indeed, it is Xue."

What position do you hold in the Tang Dynasty?

"I don't hold any official position; to be precise, I'm currently just an ordinary citizen."

Upon hearing this, Ashina Simo felt as if he had been greatly insulted and retorted, "Does this mean that your Tang army has no great generals?"

"You actually sent a commoner like you to fight me."

"You don't need to be too arrogant. Our Crown Prince originally intended to fight you."

But I said, why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

"Let's talk after you get past me. If you can't even get past me, then there's no need for you to fight our Crown Prince, is that right?" Xue Rengui said calmly.

"Wow, Xue Rengui, you're something else! I've seen arrogant people, but I've never seen anyone as arrogant as you."

Come on, today, let's put our horses to the test.

However, Ashina Simo said that...

He had just been struck by Xue Rengui's halberd, and his arms were numb.

Ashina Simo already knew that Xue Rengui possessed the strength of a thousand jin in his arm.

This is a battlefield; further discussion is pointless.

Ashina Simo and Xue Rengui then began to fight in front of the north gate.

Li Chengan stood at the head of the bed and looked down.

It turns out that Ashina Simo and Xue Rengui are truly like a tiger climbing a mountain encountering a tiger descending a mountain, a dragon in the clouds encountering a dragon in the fog.

A worthy opponent is a worthy opponent.

Li Chenggan can also take this opportunity to learn a lot.

Both of their weapons were extremely heavy and unique, especially Xue Rengui's halberd, which weighed three hundred jin (approximately 150 kg), making it unprecedented and unparalleled.

Back in the day, Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade only weighed eighty-two catties.

Ashina Simo and Xue Rengui fought for thirty rounds in front of the north gate, with no clear victor.

Ashina Simo saw this and knew something was wrong.

Because their current situation is not one of being attacked from both sides, but rather being surrounded on all sides.

At this moment, he was unaware of the situation on the other three fronts.

If we win, that's fine. But if we lose, this time it will be utterly hopeless. Forget about restoring the Eastern Turkic Khaganate; we might not even be able to survive.

Some Turkic soldiers wanted to help Ashina Simo.

Upon seeing this, Xue Rengui struck them down one by one with his halberd, smashing their brains. The remaining Turkic soldiers, seeing how ferocious Xue Rengui was, dared not advance and could only shout from the sidelines.