Tang Dynasty: Starting at Xuanwu Gate, this prince is better off not being one.

The fourth day of the sixth month in the ninth year of the Wude era.

The roosters seemed to crow much earlier than usual that day, as if to foreshadow that this day would not be peaceful.

Li Yu, Li Chengqian, Li Tai, and Li Ke drank tea all night until they heard the rooster crow and then they pushed open the door to go out.

The four arrived at the main hall of the Prince of Qin's residence, where Changsun and the others, who had also been up all night, were sitting. Of all those in the Prince of Qin's residence, perhaps only four-year-old Li Zhao was sleeping soundly.

Upon entering, Li Yu saw a servant reporting something to the eldest grandson. As he walked in, he overheard the report: "Your Highness, His Highness Prince Qin has successfully entered Xuanwu Gate!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yu clearly sensed that Changsun seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and her tightly furrowed brows relaxed.

As she relaxed, the atmosphere in the room also relaxed a bit. Apart from Dugu Jin, who was worried about her husband, everyone else was a little drowsy.

Just then, Li Er's General Qiu Xinggong rushed in, waking everyone who was about to fall asleep.

"Madam! Madam! Someone reports that a group of cavalry, nearly a thousand strong, is heading towards the Prince of Qin's residence from ten miles away. Leading them is Feng Li, the General of the Eastern Palace's Imperial Guard!"

"What?" Upon hearing this name, Changsun hurriedly asked, "Is the Crown Prince or the Prince of Qi among them?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty! Neither the Crown Prince nor the Prince of Qi are among them!"

Upon hearing this, Changsun was relieved, but he quickly realized that this group must be coming to attack the Prince of Qin's mansion, so he hurriedly ordered all the guards in the mansion to be summoned.

"Sister-in-law! Let's escape first!" Dugu Jin glanced at Li Yu, then grabbed Changsun's hand and urged, "The Qin Prince's mansion only has two hundred personal guards left. Even if we add the five hundred guards my husband transferred, we only have seven hundred men. The enemy has a thousand men and horses. We are outnumbered!"

Seeing Dugu Jin's anxious expression, Changsun patted her hand, intending to comfort her, but was interrupted by Li Ke's mother, Madam Yang, who said, "Third son, don't be anxious. We should send someone to investigate their strength before making any plans!"

Li Yu could tell that Lady Yang was clearly worried that if the Prince of Qin's mansion were destroyed, she would have nowhere to go. After all, as a former princess of the Sui Dynasty, she had already experienced hardship once.

"What's there to inquire about?" Dugu Jin glared angrily upon hearing this, "A cavalry charge of ten miles can only cover the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn; where would they find the time to scout?"

"I……"

Just as Madam Yang was about to retort, Li Yu stepped in to interrupt her, turning to his eldest grandson and saying, "I think my mother is right. We have very little time left. Besides, once we get through this crisis, you and my second uncle can move directly into the Eastern Palace. At that time, this Prince Qin's mansion will be nothing more than an idle residence!"

Li Yu's words made Yang blush, but she didn't know what to say. Although he was speaking to the eldest grandson, the implication was clear to anyone who wasn't a fool.

"alright!"

Changsun stared intently at Li Yu: "As Chengqian's elder brother and the future Prince of Zhao, all decisions from now on will be made by you!"

"Me!?" Li Yu pointed to himself incredulously.

"That's right!" Changsun nodded firmly. "These seven hundred guards will be under your command. As for how to arrange them, that's entirely up to you."

Although Changsun was not entirely confident in Li Yu's ability to handle the task, he thought that Li Yu was always full of clever ideas, and that most of the seven hundred men were Zhao Wang's personal guards. So, for some reason, he inexplicably handed over the power to Li Yu.

Upon hearing Changsun's words, Li Yu was instantly overwhelmed with worry.

Damn it, I'm just here to take refuge, and to make up the numbers as my father suggested, instead of just standing by like Li Jing. Why am I the one leading the troops? Any random general you find to stay behind would be better than me! I don't look like I'm capable of leading troops at all.

Thinking of this, Li Yu was about to wave her hand to refuse, but just then, the cavalry general who had reported earlier rushed in again and said, "Madam, the Crown Prince's iron cavalry is less than five li away from us, and their momentum is even faster!"

After saying that, Qiu Xinggong lowered his head and waited for Changsun's instructions.

At this moment, Changsun turned his gaze to Li Yu, as if he needed Li Yu to make a decision right now.

Seeing that everyone else was also turning their attention to him, Li Yu gritted his teeth and instructed Qiu Xinggong, "General Qiu, may I ask if the manor has enough arrows?"

"Your Highness, we have over five thousand arrows in the manor!" Qiu Xinggong replied with a bow.

"Very well!" Li Yu nodded. "In that case, I'll trouble General Qiu to gather these seven hundred men here and select the most skilled archers among them!"

"This..." Qiu Xinggong looked at Changsun, and seeing Changsun nod, he replied, "Yes!"

Not long after Qiu Xinggong left, a dense sound of footsteps and whispers could be heard outside the door.

The noises only subsided when Li Yu and the others pushed open the door.

Looking at the two groups of people, one large and one small, that had already been divided up, Li Yu nodded in satisfaction.

He didn't want to waste time on "winning people over," so he whispered something to Qiu Xinggong and then slipped a piece of paper into his hand.

"Quickly lead the troops to guard the gate and arrange the defenses according to the instructions above."

.........

The sky was still dark, but the firelight illuminated the sorrow on Li Yu's face with crystal clarity.

His idea was actually very simple: to arrange for a group of people to ambush at the gate of the town, drop smoke bombs the moment the enemy cavalry charged in, and then fire a volley.

But judging from the approaching sound of hooves, it was clear that there wasn't enough time to complete all the arrangements.

"Your Highness! Perhaps this humble general should lead a group of men to intercept them first, so as to buy you some time!" In this critical situation, Qiu Xinggong knelt down on one knee and pleaded with Li Yu.

His gaze was earnest, but Li Yu still shook his head: "No, our forces are already insufficient. If we are further dispersed, and they defeat us one by one, then everything will be over!"

Seeing that Li Yu disagreed, Qiu Xinggong pleaded again, "Then this humble general will go alone, just to buy some time for His Highness!"

Looking at the righteous and awe-inspiring man before him, Li Yu smiled wryly and helped him up, dusting off the dust on his body, saying, "General Qiu's righteousness is beyond my reach. Very well, I will allow you to lead a hundred cavalry to harass the Crown Prince's cavalry."

Worried that this stubborn man might sacrifice himself for righteousness, he patted Qiu Xinggong's shoulder heavily and said, "Remember, you must harass him, don't charge in head-on. If I don't see you return safely after an incense stick's time, I will punish you!"

Seeing Li Yu relent, Qiu Xinggong excitedly knelt on one knee again and said, "This humble general will not fail in his mission! I am willing to fight to the death for His Highness and hold him off for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!"

"Sigh!" Li Yu sighed helplessly, realizing that his son hadn't listened to a word he said.

"Alright, kid! I'll try to get you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!"

.........