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

Yuchi Gong was still forced to retreat by Jieli.

Therefore, due to Luo Yi's rebellion, the Turkic army of 100,000 men marched in force toward Chang'an.

This left the entire court in a state of utter chaos. No one expected that Jieli would break all alliances with the Tang Dynasty at this time and even conspire with Luo Yi to march on Chang'an.

"Your Majesty, I request that you send me more troops. I will surely defeat them so badly that even Jieli Niang won't recognize them!"

At this moment, the most furious person was Yuchi Gong. He had led 20,000 troops and was about to drive the Turkic army of 50,000 back to the grasslands when reinforcements suddenly appeared and ruined his military achievements.

"No, absolutely not!" Fang Xuanling hurriedly stopped him, saying, "His Majesty has just ascended the throne, and the situation in the court is still unstable. Moreover, the Turkic army numbers 100,000; it is not advisable to confront them head-on now!"

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Yuchi Gong was seething with anger. "They've already come to our doorstep, are we just going to sit here and wait to die?"

"No!" Changsun Wuji, who had served in the military, shook his head. "The reason why Jieli's army came here this time is not because they really want to fight against our Great Tang. If they really wanted to start a war, they would not dare to come to Chang'an with only 100,000 troops."

"Wuji is right." Li Er nodded. "Although Chang'an can't muster many troops, it's not difficult for me to hold off these 100,000 troops for a while. Once the local military garrisons arrive, they'll be trapped. So Jieli won't be that foolish."

"I believe they simply want to gain some benefits from me."

Li Er's words were met with agreement from everyone, even Yuchi Gong finally realized what he meant.

"Your Majesty, what should we do?" he asked.

Li Er narrowed his eyes slightly, "Just wait, Jieli will have to send someone to negotiate with me soon."

After saying this, he looked around and asked, "Where is Li Yu? And Xu Jingzong? Bring them here; I want to play the 'Breaking the Formation' music again!"

.........

Li Yu had no idea what was wrong with Li Er, because he and Li Chengqian had been eavesdropping on their conversation for a long time.

Even though the Turks had already invaded Chang'an, he still had the leisure to listen to music.

Does this mean history is back on track? Is he about to sign some kind of alliance with Jieli, the Wei River Alliance?

If that's the case, then I have to protect Li Xuanba. After all, if history were to continue along its original trajectory, my father would be the first to face the wrath of Heaven, just like in those online novels.

"No, I need to find Yuan Tiangang to take a look at me when I have time..."

Seeing that Li Yu was muttering something to himself, Li Chengqian nudged his shoulder and reminded him, "My father has already sent people to look for you. We need to get away from here as soon as possible."

"..."

.........

Li Er guessed correctly; the Turks did indeed send an envoy, and the one sent was Zhishi Sili, the chieftain of the Zhishi tribe.

As soon as this guy arrived, he was stopped at the door by Li Er's eunuch.

"His Majesty has ordered that you are not allowed to enter without being summoned!" The old eunuch's voice was high-pitched, but his words were extremely domineering.

Zhi Shisi was annoyed when his shoulder was grabbed, but when he tried to struggle, he found that the old eunuch's hand on his shoulder was like a vise, locking him in place and making him unable to move.

"snort!"

Zhi Shi Sili snorted coldly and stopped struggling.

Although he was loyal to Jieli, he was not a true envoy. As the chieftain of the Zhishi tribe, he did not want to easily give up his life here.

With that thought in mind, he simply sat down on the steps.

Upon seeing this, the old eunuch sneered inwardly, his eyes filled with disdain.

Sure enough, barbarians are barbarians; they have no manners whatsoever...

.........

Zhi Shi Si Li was very bored at the moment. He hadn't expected that the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty would make him wait for so long.

The eunuch who was supposed to announce the news had long since disappeared, leaving only the old eunuch with sharp eyes who seemed capable of crushing him at any moment at the door.

"Is your emperor listening to pipa music?" music came from inside the room, and Zhishi Sili asked curiously.

"Your Majesty is skilled in music, so you must have listened to it quite often," the old eunuch replied without even looking at him.

Ignoring the old eunuch's disregard, Zhishi Sili simply smiled: "I've heard you have a piece of music that the current emperor plays during battles. Is that it?"

"I have never been on the battlefield with His Majesty. I only know that the 'Qin King's Battle Song' was the music played when His Majesty returned in triumph."

The old eunuch's words startled Zhi Shi Si Li slightly. Just as he was about to ask something, he heard the sound of a door opening behind him.

"Chief of the Zhishi tribe, His Majesty requests your presence!"

.........

"Chief Zhishi Sili of the Zhishi tribe greets His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty!"

Upon arriving at the center of the main hall, Zhishi Sili bowed slightly.

"Rise," Li Er, who was sitting above, said calmly.

"Thank you, Emperor Tang!"

Once Zhishi Sili had regained his footing, Li Er stared at him with a cold smile and asked, "I heard that your Great Khan—Jieli—is coming to Chang'an as a guest? Is that true?"

Perhaps not understanding Li Er's teasing, Zhishi Sili bluntly stated, "Our Great Khan has come to Chang'an not as a guest, but to wage war against you!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Li Er laughed loudly for a while, then wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes and asked, "Is that what Jieli told you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhi Shi Sili nodded innocently, leaving everyone wondering whether he was truly foolish or just pretending.

"I ask you!" Li Er looked at Zhishi Sili with a smile, "What do you think of the iron cavalry of my Great Tang?"

"Not worth mentioning," Zhi Shisi replied dismissively.

"Then let me ask you again!" Li Er remained unfazed: "Why was your Turkic Khan, Jieli, with 50,000 elite troops, so utterly defeated by my General Yuchi with only 20,000 men?"

Upon hearing Li Er's question, Zhi Shi Si Li was speechless for a long time before awkwardly saying, "That's because your Tang soldiers are not as brave as our grassland men. They always like to use tricks and schemes."

"Hahahahaha!"

Li Er laughed so hard he almost fell over, not even having time to wipe away his tears, before saying, "In all these years of fighting, this is the first time I've heard of a battlefield where trickery and intrigue are forbidden!"

After saying that, Li Er continued to laugh.

"Hahaha!"

Zhi Shi Si Li suddenly laughed too, the naivety in his eyes disappearing, replaced by a hint of shrewdness.

"Why is the Great Chief laughing?" Li Er asked, his smile undiminished.

"I'm laughing at His Majesty the Tang Emperor, who is now surrounded by a large army, yet still has the mind to joke with me."

"Oh?" Li Er smiled and raised an eyebrow. "The Great Chief doesn't actually believe that your 100,000 troops can conquer Chang'an, does he?"

He met Li Er's gaze without yielding an inch, then smiled and said, "I think you must have misunderstood. We didn't come with an army of 100,000, but 300,000..."

.........