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

Yan Kai gave a wry smile. "Your Highness, the preliminary assessment of the losses indicates that the army has suffered casualties of around 50."

"How can there be so many?"

Xia Ping was shocked; his estimate was only 30!

Seeing that he could no longer hide it, Yan Kai had no choice but to tell Xia Ping the whole story.

"The enemy general's attack on our flank did not actually result in too many losses; the real loss was in morale, with fewer than 5 troops lost."

"However, the fact that the enemy general's flag was cut down dealt a huge blow to the morale of our army."

"Moreover, the enemy arrogantly charged into our army and then successfully broke out. A mere 100,000 troops moved as if they were in an empty field. Under the attack of both sides, the morale of the troops near the central army was almost gone."

"At this time, the vanguard army was still attacking Chang'an City, and the impact was not too great."

"But unexpectedly, the garrison commander in Chang'an City dared to lead his troops to charge out directly, which made the vanguard realize the changes that had occurred in the rear. During the attack, their morale suddenly plummeted, causing a great impact."

"The front camp collapsed and began to flee, which also affected the demoralized middle camp, dragging it along with them in the retreat, and even the rear camp was greatly affected."

"During the retreat, there was trampling and pushing, chaos ensued, and countless people were killed or injured."

"The Tang army that attacked our side, along with the Tang army that broke out from Chang'an, continued to slaughter the fleeing soldiers, and a large number of troops chose to surrender."

"Afterwards, Marshal, your sudden illness and subsequent coma further demoralized the army, leading to a crushing defeat. Without you, even the rear camp could not hold on."

"If it weren't for the generals and their personal guards doing their utmost to stop the rout and gather the remaining troops, probably not even 50 would have been able to return to the camp."

Xia Ping clutched his heart, his face flushed, and his breathing became rapid.

The military doctor beside him reacted quickly, inserting a silver needle. Xia Ping gasped for breath before he calmed down.

"Thank you, doctor."

Xia Ping thanked the doctor.

"Your Highness is too kind to thank me; it is my duty. But Your Highness must not be angry any further."

"Silver needles can only suppress the symptoms, not cure the root cause. If this continues, I'm afraid..."

The doctor didn't finish his sentence, but Xia Ping understood what he meant.

If he continues to neglect his health, he probably won't live much longer.

But how can I not get angry?

500,000 casualties!

Even with the current strength of the Great Xia Dynasty, 50 would be enough to cripple it.

Let alone the Great Xia, even if the Great Tang lost 50, it would be a serious blow, and the emperor would have to personally give an explanation.

In many countries, the loss of 50 men could be enough to declare the country extinct.

"Is the camp's defenses in place?"

"The arrangements are complete. The defense will be mainly organized by the 50 troops remaining in the camps, while the troops that have retreated from the front lines will rest and recover their morale."

After listening to his subordinate's words, Xia Ping nodded, "That's good."

"The enemy general is incredibly audacious; we must take precautions to prevent a night attack."

Xia Ping gave him a few words of advice, still worried.

"Yes, tonight we will take turns on guard duty to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Yan Kai accepted the order, glanced at Xia Ping with concern, and then left the tent to organize the defense.

"The blame for this great battle lies entirely with me, and I will plead guilty to His Majesty."

Xia Ping sighed, feeling pessimistic about his political future. Those people in the court would never let go of this golden opportunity.

"Go back and get some rest. Spend more time with the soldiers and boost morale."

Chang'an City.

After Li Shimin sobered up, he began to think about the Great Xia.

Having just ascended to the position of Crown Prince, he was attacked and driven to Chang'an. This humiliation was etched into Li Shimin's heart.

Li Shimin sought revenge from morning till night.

According to their intelligence on the Great Xia, the Great Xia seems to have just undergone a change of throne. With a new emperor comes a new court, and Xia Ping may not necessarily be trusted by this new ruler.

No, the new ruler of Great Xia seems to be a child. The country is in turmoil due to the young age of the ruler, and there are also important relatives and ministers leading large armies in the field. This is a great opportunity.

With just a little provocation, internal strife will definitely break out within the Great Xia, and that will be the opportunity for their Great Tang.

They recovered the Western Regions, invaded the homeland of the Great Xia, and doubled the territory of the Tang Empire.

Even Li Shimin trembled with excitement at the thought of such achievements.

However, a sufficiently eloquent and astute person must be sent to Great Xia to sow discord.

Who should we choose?

Li Shimin looked around and found that the one capable of undertaking this important task was actually his brother-in-law, Changsun Wuji.

Changsun Wuji almost perfectly inherited the abilities of his father, Changsun Sheng, and deeply understood the essence of his father's strategy of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones, and uniting the weak while separating the strong. In the process of unifying the world under the Tang Dynasty, he made great contributions to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty with just his words.

Some of the feudal lords, even after being betrayed by Changsun Wuji, were still helping him count his money.

"Wuji".

Li Shimin told Changsun Wuji about his plan. This matter required going deep behind enemy lines, being isolated and helpless, and being able to endure years of loneliness. After all, Changsun Wuji was his brother-in-law, and he did not want to force him.

"I am willing to go!"

Changsun Wuji bowed. His sister was Li Shimin's Crown Princess, but the struggles in the harem were cruel. If he wanted to become Empress and make his nephew the new Crown Prince, Changsun Wuji had to have outstanding military achievements.

He sowed discord between the Xia and Tang dynasties, thus making outstanding contributions to the Tang dynasty's annexation of the Xia. Such achievements are more than enough.

"Take care of yourself!"

"There are many prisoners in the military camp. Go and extract some of them to learn more about the Great Xia from them."

Li Shimin patted Changsun Wuji on the shoulder, everything was understood without words.

Changsun Wuji left with unwavering steps, his resolve heavy.

When the battle reports arrived from Luoyang and Chang'an, the court officials were shocked!

Li Shimin was too bold and his achievements were too brilliant. However, this also made some old scholars jump up and down. Li Shimin's status was so noble. As the crown prince of the dynasty, a wise man would not stand under a dangerous wall. How could he do such a dangerous thing?

Why is the foundation of the nation so solid?

They also impeached Li Jing and a group of generals for allowing the crown prince to do such a dangerous thing; their intentions were despicable!

However, Li Yuan suppressed all of this. When he first received the news, he was also very worried about Li Shimin, but he was also proud of the achievements Li Shimin had made.

However, he was also somewhat wary of Li Shimin's military achievements. Li Shimin's prestige in the army was so high that even the emperor's words carried less weight in the army than Li Shimin's.

If it weren't for Li Jiancheng and Li Xiuning keeping him in check, Li Yuan really wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

Now that he has achieved such great military exploits, it is likely that even Li Jiancheng and Li Xiuning will find it difficult to suppress him.

If an emperor cannot exercise imperial authority, then being an emperor is far too humiliating.

Especially since he was the founding emperor, which founding emperor didn't have the power of life and death, and the ability to take whatever he wanted?

It seems it's time to replicate Jiancheng and use it as a check on Li Shimin.

Shimin, don't blame me. Blame it on your exceptional talent, so exceptional that even I am wary of you.

Don't worry, you are the Crown Prince. After I pass away, everything will be yours.

But you can only take what I give you; you can't take it if I don't give it to you!