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

Could it be that Wang Shichong was also hiding his true strength?

Dou Jiande thought to himself.

He was able to conceal the Wagang army. Wang Shichong was a great general of the Sui Dynasty. After Emperor Yang of Sui was killed, Wang Shichong entered Luoyang and took over the Sui Dynasty's legacy. No one knows how much of the Sui Dynasty's wealth he inherited.

Could it be that Wang Shichong reaped considerable gains while in Luoyang?

Could it be that they incorporated a lot of Sui Dynasty troops? For example, the Xiaoguo Army?

Given Wang Shichong's position among the Sui Dynasty generals, this was not impossible.

The fact that Yang Guang sent Wang Shichong to Luoyang to guard the former capital of the Sui Dynasty is enough to show that Wang Shichong held a high position in the military.

Thinking of this, Dou Jiande's eyes turned gloomy.

If that's the case, then he's in some danger.

If this two-pronged attack fails, Wang Shichong and Li Mi will never give him a second chance.

With his current strength, he probably won't be able to hold out for long.

This risky attack outside the city also required him to allocate sufficient troops to defend against Li Mi. His forces were not abundant and were actually far inferior to Wang Shichong's.

He had just obtained the Imperial Seal of the State, and he was still thinking about establishing himself as king and ruling the country. He did not want to lose.

Looking at Wang Shichong so close at hand, he didn't want to lose, so he had no choice but to let Wang Shichong lose.

If we can defeat Wang Shichong directly in this battle and capture him alive, we can achieve the same result.

Dou Jiande, a ruthless and ambitious man, quickly put aside all burdens and prepared to make a desperate gamble after changing his mindset.

He informed the entire army of his plan and ordered them to charge forward.

After learning of Dou Jiande's plan, his army shouted that Wang Shichong's retreat was cut off and that they could make a name for themselves today!

Upon hearing the cheers of the enemy army, Wang Shichong's soldiers naturally hesitated and all looked in Wang Shichong's direction.

At this time, Wang Shichong had already received news that 10 troops and his 2 elite soldiers had been wiped out.

Then, upon hearing Dou Jiande's shout from the opposite side, his face turned extremely gloomy.

He thought Dou Jiande had already received news of the successful ambush and that the army would arrive soon.

This made him feel extremely troubled.

If he is caught in a pincer movement and surrounded by these two forces, he will likely be captured alive.

His gloomy expression was noticed by his subordinates, who were all startled and realized that what Dou Jiande said was true.

Both sides have now made misjudgments due to incorrect information.

Dou Jiande believed that Wang Shichong's strength in Luoyang had greatly increased and that he had either eliminated or resisted his ambush forces, so he prepared for a desperate battle.

Wang Shichong knew that his 2 elite troops had been wiped out, and that Dou Jiande had indeed hidden 10 troops behind him. However, Wang Shichong was unaware that these 10 troops did not belong to Dou Jiande, and he was equally panicked.

Especially when he noticed the panic among his subordinates, his heart skipped a beat.

With morale low and time running out, he too was preparing for a desperate last stand.

Before that, he must stabilize the morale of his troops, or he will suffer a crushing defeat.

"I had anticipated this, and ordered the Xiaoguo Army to defend the rear. If Dou Jiande's ambush force had attacked, it would have been stopped by now; otherwise, they would have already arrived!"

"Dou Jiande is within reach! Whoever kills Dou Jiande will be rewarded with a thousand pieces of gold and granted a royal title! The title will be hereditary!"

Upon hearing of Wang Shichong's bestowal of a title, the eyes of his many generals lit up and their breathing became heavy. They stared intently at Dou Jiande, for this was a hereditary princely title!

"kill!"

At Wang Shichong's signal, several of his confidants shouted and charged toward Dou Jiande.

Fearing that someone else would get there first, the others also rushed forward.

At this moment, they even forgot about the ambush that Dou Jiande had mentioned; all they could think about was Dou Jiande's head.

Dou Jiande's face turned cold, and he sneered, "Whoever kills Wang Shichong will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces and granted a princely title!"

Dou Jiande's soldiers charged forward with a roar, like wild bulls seeing a red cloth.

Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande both felt that they had been outmaneuvered and were in imminent danger. They had no choice but to fight desperately and fight with their backs to the wall! They hoped to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop before the hidden army arrived.

Under their promise, the soldiers on both sides fought fiercely, each blow drawing blood and each strike potentially fatal, resulting in a battle of unprecedented brutality.

Later on, the soldiers even forgot why they were fighting, and they forgot the promises and rewards made by Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande. They only knew how to fight, numbly swinging their swords or falling down.

Blood became the dominant theme of the entire battlefield, with corpses scattered everywhere and rivers of blood flowing.

After the fighting reached this point, some of Dou Jiande's and Wang Shichong's strategists finally realized something was wrong!

Where are their ambush troops?! X2

Something's not right!

Logically speaking, no matter what, the enemy's ambush should have arrived by now! Especially Wang Shichong, who had received news long ago that his subordinates had been completely wiped out by Qin Qiong and others.

Why has there been no news for so long?!

Dou Jiande was also puzzled. No matter what, it was impossible for Qin Qiong and his 100,000-strong army to be completely annihilated!

There should be news coming in, whether it's good or bad!

But why is there no news?

At this moment, Song Zhengben's expression grew increasingly grim. Dou Jiande noticed Song Zhengben's darkening face and couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about?"

Song Zhengben looked at Dou Jiande but did not answer. Instead, he asked, "My lord, do you carry the Imperial Seal with you at all times?"

"That's natural."

Dou Jiande nodded in confusion.

"May I have this old minister examine its authenticity again?"

Song Zhengben took a deep breath. If it was fake, that would be fine. But if it was real, and things just happened exactly as he thought, then the other party was simply terrifying!

Dou Jiande narrowed his eyes. Was the Imperial Seal of the State genuine or fake?

What does Song Zhengben mean by this?

He quickly took out the Imperial Seal of the State and handed it to Song Zhengben for inspection.

Song Zhengben disregarded etiquette and hurriedly accepted the Imperial Seal of the State, examining it carefully.

It is four inches in diameter, with five glass dragons entwined around it, and the inscription on it is indeed Qin bird-and-insect seal script, filled with the ancient charm of the pre-Qin period;

The jade is white with a bluish tinge, and it is indeed a top-quality Lantian jade.

Next comes the most important point. Song Zhengben looked at Dou Jiande and said, "My lord, I remember you have an imperial edict in your possession, which you obtained when you were summoned to lead an expedition to the Western Regions?"

It's hard to say how Dou Jiande felt about this imperial edict.

This imperial edict signifies that he was once a subject of the Sui Dynasty, but now he is one of the most powerful vassal states in the world, the owner of the Imperial Seal, and the most likely to replace the Sui Dynasty and establish a new dynasty.

However, this imperial edict was the first step in his rise to power. When he was still a nobody, the impact of this edict on him was unimaginable.

Like the white moonlight in his heart, he didn't want to abandon it.

Dou Jiande paused for a moment, then slowly said, "You want to compare the handwriting in detail, right?"

"No need, this is the real Imperial Seal of the State. I have checked the handwriting many times."

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Song Liben's face turned pale. It was actually true!

There are actually people who can resist the temptation of the Imperial Seal of the State!

Moreover, that person was a regional warlord, with the potential to rule the world!

"My lord, are you mentally prepared?"