A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

Ling Qiu was truly puzzled. How could Dou Jiande's ambush force maintain such a strong fighting capacity when facing a well-prepared enemy?

This is beyond what can be described as "elite".

Even they were moved when faced with this situation.

A collapse can also occur when an army suffers heavy losses.

However, from beginning to end, until its annihilation, this army maintained a minimum level of combat capability.

This is simply unbelievable; it's not the kind of quality an army in dire straits would exhibit.

Not to mention, in Ling Qiu's view, this ambush force was not that elite.

Just as Ling Qiu was racking his brains trying to figure it out, a valiant young man wearing bright armor led a dark army charging towards him.

The seasoned veteran Ling Qiu immediately recognized that the army in front of him numbered no less than 10.

Judging from the equipment of this group of troops, their combat capability is also quite impressive.

Especially the fully armored cavalry in the very center, even among Wang Shichong's army, their numbers were not large, and they were only about equal to the enemy's.

Where did this powerful outsider come from? Why is it here at this time?

Ling Qiu's mind was filled with questions.

However, his military training enabled him to react instinctively and lead the remaining troops in setting up defenses.

Although Zhao Tao was defeated by him, his last-ditch counterattack still caused heavy losses to Ling Qiu's 20,000 troops.

Currently, fewer than ten thousand people still possess combat capabilities.

Facing an army of 100,000 charging towards them, they had virtually no chance of winning.

However, he was promoted and trusted by Wang Shichong when he was still a nobody, and even on such an important battlefield, he was still kept as a trump card until the end.

This was a crucial battle that would determine whether Wang Shichong could dominate the world. The trust placed in him made Ling Qiu willingly serve Wang Shichong with utmost loyalty.

He sent someone to inform Wang Shichong's ambush troops, and then quickly organized a defensive line, trying to buy more time for Wang Shichong.

However, he did not expect that his every move was exactly as Li Shimin had anticipated.

Li Shimin had no intention of working for Dou Jiande; what Li Shimin most wanted to see was Dou Jiande fighting to the death alongside Wang Shichong.

Li Shimin was not prepared to break through Ling Qiu's defenses until both sides were severely weakened.

At this moment, Ling Qiu finally realized who the army they had overlooked was.

The Imperial Seal of the State was clearly taken away by Qin Qiong and others from Shanzhou. Since it has appeared in Dou Jiande's hands, it must be because the two sides reached an agreement.

Dou Jiande wasn't stupid. After obtaining the Imperial Seal, he knew he would face a joint attack from Li Mi and Wang Shichong, so he naturally prepared a backup plan.

The Wagang generals who gave him the Imperial Seal of the State, along with this army, were his trump cards that he could rely on completely.

It now appears clear that Qin Qiong and others have already defected to Dou Jiande; this was a setup against them.

They were just unlucky to be chosen by Qin Qiong, or rather, Dou Jiande.

Dou Jiande believed that Li Mi, who had lost the generals of Wagang, was just a paper tiger, and that Wang Shichong was their real threat. Therefore, he sent Qin Qiong, who had defected to him, to ambush him.

The purpose was to eliminate Wang Shichong, a major threat, leaving only Li Mi, who was only recently captured, as a threat.

Ling Qiu smiled bitterly to himself. With the support of the Wagang generals, and with Dou Jiande's calculated moves against him, there was a high chance that he would succeed.

All he could do now was try to slow down the enemy's advance and give Wang Shichong more time.

With only 10,000 exhausted soldiers, facing a well-rested army of 100,000 led by three of the top ten generals in the land and countless other generals, what merit did Ling Qiu possess?

He was neither Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu, nor Han Xin, the military genius; he simply couldn't turn defeat into victory.

It wasn't until the two sides began to engage in close combat that Ling Qiu suddenly realized that the fighting power displayed by the opposing army was completely inconsistent with their appearance.

No, Ling Qiu's keen war sense told him that the other side was deliberately hiding their strength and conserving their power.

But why? This is clearly the Wagang Army that Qin Qiong belonged to.

They handed over the Imperial Seal to Dou Jiande in exchange for merit in supporting the new emperor. Why then did the Wagang people repeatedly show mercy to them in battle?

Ling Qiu, who had already disregarded life and death, was puzzled, but he didn't have much time to think about it. Even though they were conserving their strength, the fighting power displayed by this army still shocked him.

"Are you willing to surrender?"

Li Shimin looked at the generals before him with satisfaction. Even in this situation, they still refused to betray Dou Jiande and actively organized defenses to hinder him.

Li Shimin would not let go of any loyal and righteous person he encountered.

"No need for further words, a loyal minister does not serve two masters!"

Ling Qiu refused.

Although he couldn't understand why, in his eyes, the army before him was Dou Jiande's, and his benefactor had a blood feud with Dou Jiande. The two sides had fought dozens of battles, and their relationship was irreconcilable.

Not to mention that Dou Jiande also possessed the Imperial Seal of the State. When two dragons fight, one of them is bound to die.

It's a pity that, given the current situation, the victor is most likely Dou Jiande, not his benefactor Wang Shichong.

Enough is enough. If there truly is an underworld, then Ling Qiu will continue to expand Wang Shichong's territory there.

Watching the soldiers fall one after another around him, Ling Qiu gave a bitter smile and then committed suicide by cutting his own throat with his sword.

"Those who are loyal and righteous shall be given a grand funeral."

Li Shimin personally covered Ling Qiu's eyes and then turned to his men.

"When do we go up?"

Cheng Yaojin wasn't very interested in collecting the spoils of war.

The benefits gained here are mostly from military supplies, with a small portion occasionally used as reserves for military pay.

However, Cheng Yaojin was extremely clever.

He knew that the greatest gain in this battle would not be the gold, silver, treasures, food, and armor he plundered, but rather stepping into the core power circle of the Li family and successfully getting on the fast track to becoming a powerful figure.

That is far more valuable than the gold, silver, money, and armor before us.

On one occasion, Cheng Yaojin actively tried to impress Li Shimin.

"No need to rush. Let them fight it out until they're bloodied and battered, then we'll see."

Li Shimin reassured Cheng Yaojin, saying that their Li family was only one step away from achieving hegemony over the world.

He must remain calm.

Dou Jiande, who was on the front lines, felt increasingly uneasy as the battle progressed. Where were the ambush troops he had arranged?

Including the Wagang army, the total number far exceeded 10.

With such a force, taking down a mere Wang Shichong should be a trivial matter. So why, even now, is there still no trace of him?

He still has no doubts about Qin Qiong and the others. Anyone in Dou Jiande's current position would not have doubts either.

Who would doubt that someone who presented the Imperial Seal of the State was harboring malicious intentions?