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

"To let any random, inexperienced child dare to impersonate a member of the former dynasty's royal family—is this the style of the Great Xia?"

"Is there the Imperial Seal of the State as proof? Are there the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers as proof? Are there the Imperial Edicts passed down through generations as proof?"

"Even if there's nothing there, I can just grab any child, put your Great Xia's dragon robe on him, and then claim that he's the late emperor's posthumous son, supporting him in reclaiming the throne."

Li Shimin would never admit that the child in front of him was a member of the Yang family's imperial lineage. As long as he stubbornly refused to admit it, then what Yang Zhengdao said would naturally be invalid.

Moreover, what he said makes sense; the royal bloodline, especially the direct line, is managed very strictly.

The royal family will use various means to confirm the purity of the child's bloodline.

If you just pick any child and there's no other evidence, you can't prove anything at all.

"As everyone knows, all the members of the previous dynasty's royal family were beheaded by Yuwen Huaji in Jiangdu City, with none surviving."

"The mighty King Wuping of the Great Xia Dynasty would actually resort to such despicable deception?"

"Hahaha, don't be angry."

"Your Majesty's identity is perfectly clear to both of us, and there is absolutely no falsehood in it."

"I, Xia Ping, admire your character and spirit."

"If you acknowledge that the Great Xia and the Great Tang are brotherly nations, both descendants of the Yellow Emperor, then I will give this child to you as a symbol of the friendship between the two nations."

"The army of my Great Xia will also withdraw from Chang'an, and may even withdraw from Liangzhou."

"How about it? This suggestion is pretty good, isn't it?"

Xia Ping said with a smile.

The generals and soldiers behind him looked at Li Shimin expectantly. Although Yang Zhengdao's status was also sufficient, it was ultimately a dynasty that had already perished, and could not compare to Li Shimin's status as the current crown prince.

If Li Shimin were to acknowledge it on the spot, it would be the second greatest joyous occasion in the history of their Great Xia, second only to the establishment of the empire. The cohesion and unity of the entire country would rise to a new level, and their status would become even more noble, far surpassing that of the surrounding countries and comparable to that of the citizens of the Divine Continent Empire.

"impossible!"

Li Shimin resolutely refused.

"If you want to fight, then fight!"

"Currently, Chang'an has an army of 500,000, and the city's food reserves are enough to feed them for three years!"

"The walls of Chang'an are among the two most fortified cities in the world today, and the Tang Dynasty's 200 million reinforcements will arrive soon."

"With the army inside Chang'an attacking from both sides, your defeat is inevitable!"

After Li Shimin finished speaking, he prepared to return to Chang'an to reorganize his troops and prepare for war.

Xia Ping squinted at Li Shimin's expression, unsure of exactly how many troops were currently guarding Chang'an.

However, his goal was not to take Chang'an. If he had taken Chang'an, the Tang Dynasty would have gone mad.

The Great Xia Dynasty is now facing internal and external troubles and cannot withstand the madness of the Great Tang Dynasty. He also does not want to overshadow the emperor with his achievements and bring about his own death.

But if he were to speak out against Li Shimin now, it would mean that he had fallen into a disadvantageous position.

Seeing Li Shimin's determined steps toward returning, Xia Ping still took a step back.

"Your Highness, please wait."

"I led an army of 200 million to help the Sui Dynasty restore its rule; how can I return empty-handed?"

"If Your Highness has no sincerity in negotiating, then we have no choice but to fight."

Li Shimin turned his horse around and looked coldly at Xia Ping.

If the Tang army hadn't been in a state of disarray, would he have put up with this?

"So what do you mean?"

"Don't spout your unrealistic ideas. I'll only listen once, and you only have one chance."

Li Shimin pressed his advantage and continued his attack.

Xia Ping: "..."

His retreat meant he was now in Li Shimin's grasp.

Despite having both the Sui Emperor and a large army at his command, he was held back by various reasons and forced to bow down to the child before him—a truly humiliating disgrace.

"If this is Your Highness's attitude, then I am in a difficult position."

"If it's too difficult, then don't do it."

Li Shimin said coldly, "When I went back just now, I suddenly felt a sense of peace and tranquility."

What's there to be afraid of? It's just a fight, right?

With 30 troops in hand, and the enemy with less than 200 million, but with over 100 million reinforcements, the advantage lies with us.

When has Li Shimin ever been afraid of war?!

"Let's see who's truly capable on the battlefield!"

"That's how it's on the battlefield: the winner takes all!"

Xia Ping was a little speechless. Are all young people these days so irritable?

He clearly appears to be a deep and thoughtful person; to become the crown prince, he certainly wouldn't be a reckless fool.

But what does this guy mean by suddenly wanting to fight?

But since Li Shimin had said so, he couldn't show weakness, otherwise he would lose all his prestige.

Moreover, he was also angered by Li Shimin's words. Xia Ping had fought in the south and north without a single defeat. How could he be an ordinary person?

He was only considering things from a political perspective and hoped to directly obtain the political benefits he wanted. If Li Shimin really couldn't be persuaded, he would naturally resort to force to achieve his goal.

"Then let's fight!"

Xia Ping's face was also cold. "I hope you'll still be this arrogant after I conquer Chang'an, or even Luoyang!"

This time, Xia Ping did not use the Western Regions army as cannon fodder. Chang'an City is not like Yumen Pass; it is several levels more difficult to attack.

Moreover, this army suffered heavy losses during the attack on Yumen Pass, and sending them to their deaths again might lead to a mutiny.

Facing Chang'an, Xia Ping did not choose to launch a full-scale attack from all sides, nor did he choose to surround the city from three sides while leaving one side open.

Instead, they seized the main gate of Chang'an and launched a frenzied attack.

Faced with Xia Ping's shrewd siege tactics, even Li Shimin was initially overwhelmed and disorganized.

It took several days to get used to Xia Ping's offensive rhythm.

Xia Ping, who was outside the city, sensed that Li Shimin had adapted to his siege rhythm. He grinned and, taking advantage of Li Shimin adjusting his strategy according to his attack rhythm, suddenly changed his tactics, catching Li Shimin off guard.

Xia Jun also climbed the city wall of Chang'an for the first time, but was quickly driven down by Qin Qiong and others.

The following day, Li Shimin summoned all his generals.

"We are now outnumbered by the enemy, and reinforcements are slow to arrive. Does anyone have a plan?"

The generals and soldiers had all followed Li Shimin for a long time, and they could tell from Li Shimin's expression that he already had a plan.

They all shook their heads.

Li Shimin glanced at the people around him and said, "It's not a good idea to keep defending Chang'an. Continuing to fight will only lower our morale and raise the enemy's morale."

"I've decided to take the initiative!"