I really didn't want to burn it.

In my past life, Afghanistan was an incredibly cursed place, not to mention how many empires it brought to their deaths throughout ancient history. Even in modern times, this country's track record of ruining major powers continues.

Leaving aside Britain and the former Soviet Union, even the beautiful United States is stuck in this deep pit.

If the United States were to actually lose in the war, Afghanistan, the graveyard of empires, would undoubtedly bear a heavy responsibility.

Ultimately, it is the result of the unique geographical and cultural environment of Afghanistan.

Without the use of weapons of mass destruction, any country that attempts to conquer this place by force will only have its national strength drained by this place.

"The Graveyard of Empires?"

Xiang Yu's tone was full of confusion, clearly indicating that this was the first time he had been addressed in this way.

"So, Godfather, you didn't let Qin conquer this region because of this eerie name?"

"It's not just metaphysics; this place is really difficult to manage."

Li Ang shrugged and said.

Whether it was the Qin Dynasty or the Tang Dynasty, Li Ang's attitude towards Afghanistan during his rule was always the same—to ignore it.

The reason is simple: this place is really difficult to govern. The cost of effective management is disproportionate to the output, and it may even lead to an endless abyss of military spending.

Look at the results of the wars launched by the three superpowers of Britain, Russia, and the United States against Afghanistan in the past. Which one of them did not turn their war in Afghanistan into a magnificent war that buried their own national destiny?

"Is that right?"

Xiang Yu clearly didn't believe it, but since his adoptive father rarely believed in superstition, he figured he might as well just ignore it.

Li Ang didn't offer any further explanation, but simply watched the Tang army camp silently, pondering his next move.

Before coming here, I chose the map "Imperial Graveyard" because I was afraid of running into an enemy encirclement. The idea was that if the Tang army proved too formidable, I could wage guerrilla warfare against them here.

But now, Li Ang has other ideas.

Since the Tang Dynasty is so unhelpful, should I take a slightly riskier and more aggressive approach?

"Should we cut into the heart of the territory and teach that Empress Yang a lesson?"

Li Ang was unaware of the matter concerning Secretary Hu; he still believed that the person sitting on the throne in Luoyang was the historical Yang Yuhuan.

Although it's unclear why Yang Guifei became Empress Yang, the information provided by that psychopathic killer in Group A shouldn't be wrong.

After all, this intelligence came from the interrogation of the bespectacled man, Beryl Gat, by Ying Zheng's direct intelligence agency.

If we're talking about Group A's attack on the Imperial Preceptor's residence, who was the most annoyed?

Aside from Li Ang himself, there was Ying Zheng.

At first, Ying Zheng didn't pay much attention to the attack. After all, Li Ang's house was home to all sorts of strange people, and who knew who was conducting some kind of magic experiment.

Thus, it wasn't until the Imperial Preceptor's residence was destroyed that Ying Zheng realized what was happening.

Unfortunately, it was too late by then; the attackers had already grabbed DD and left.

This whole stunt naturally enraged Ying Zheng.

Beryl Gat, who was captured, became the perfect scapegoat for Ying Zheng.

So Ying Zheng, while laughing and saying "I am not a demon," subjected Beryl Gat to all sorts of torture and torment.

The specific process is difficult to describe because it was too bloody and violent to be put into words.

Judging solely from the outcome, Beryl Gat's body was completely ruined by Ying Zheng, to the point that it was utterly incurable.

However, in return, Beryl Gat has become an omnipotent being who answers every question. Now, anyone can ask him anything, and he will answer truthfully without a single lie. Of course, this obedient and compliant answering machine comes at the cost of Beryl Gat's only movable part being his mouth.

M78 Nebula 756365104

Simply crippling one person was certainly not enough to quell the First Emperor's anger.

Ying Zheng's greatest desire was to lead his army to attack the Tang Dynasty and conquer the entire country.

Given the current size of the Qin Dynasty, attacking those small European countries would be no challenge at all. It would be better to go toe-to-toe with the Tang Dynasty, a country that Li Ang once ruled.

Unfortunately, Ying Zheng's dream was nipped in the bud by Li Ang himself.

Li Ang took the lead in the expedition because he still had some affection for the country.

Although Li Ang said something like "children and grandchildren have their own blessings" when he left, how could Li Ang completely let go?!

At the same time, this was also to prevent the Tang Dynasty from launching a surprise attack on the Qin Dynasty. Because of the special nature of Ying Zheng's Cast class, he could provide support for unexpected situations that occurred in his own territory (country).

In other words, as long as Ying Zheng was still on Qin territory, no one could attack Qin.

Li Ang's favorite thing to do is to first ensure that he is in an invincible position, and then seek victory.

"Godfather, what should we do next?"

Seeing that Li Ang was holding the binoculars and not speaking, Xiang Yu asked in a low voice, "Should we drag him out and do a heist?"

Xiang Yu felt that since he had already thrown the army camp into chaos, he could use a small force to lure the Tang army out of the camp and launch an ambush.

Given the Qin army's current equipment and condition, and assuming they are caught off guard, it would not be a problem for them to inflict a major loss on the Tang army, or even severely cripple their main forces.

"never mind."

Li Ang shook his head slightly, rejecting Xiang Yu's idea.

"Hey? Godfather, why aren't you fighting? It's clearly a good opportunity."

Xiang Yu was completely puzzled.

“I didn’t come here to turn Afghanistan into a bloodbath for the Tang Empire, nor did I come here to liberate the local natives. My goal from the beginning was never to wipe out the Tang army’s military forces here.”

"Ah, isn't that right?" Xiang Yu was full of confusion.

“Of course not, no, I should say that my original purpose was somewhat similar to what you said, but now I have a better plan,” Li Ang explained with a smirk.

"Oh."

Xiang Yu nodded awkwardly, looking quite disappointed.

Despite his disappointment at not being able to charge into battle, Xiang Yu had no courage to defy Li Ang.

“Besides, I don’t think your seduction will succeed.” Li Ang pointed to the military camp and said, “Look over there.”

Xiang Yu looked in the direction Li Ang was pointing and saw a man in black armor directing the Tang army to rearrange their camp. The disturbance caused by Li Ang and his men's sniper rifles earlier had been largely quelled.

"That guy's got a knack for it, way better than those rigid-minded officers..."

Xiang Yu suddenly remembered that the Tang army was trained by his adoptive father, and quickly shut his mouth. He secretly glanced up and saw that Li Ang's expression was very displeased, and there was a faint black aura emanating from his body.

"Oh no, my godfather is furious!"

Xiang Yu quickly changed the subject: "That...that...that man, like Mochizuki Chiyome, is he a so-called heroic spirit? He's quite something. Heroes who can leave their mark on history are indeed no ordinary people...Father?"

Li Ang put down his binoculars and snorted coldly: "Anyway, those guys are just idiots who will only stay in the same place if no one leads them."

"He's definitely angry!"

Xiang Yu shrank back, even more afraid to speak.

"Let's go, we probably won't achieve anything today."

Li Ang shrugged and led the Qin army away from the valley.

Before leaving, Li Ang took one last look at the bespectacled spirit in the military camp below.

"Brother Xi... Hmph."

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For the next period of time, Li Ang led the Qin army to continue harassing the Tang army, firing sniper shots at the Tang army camp from high places every day.

This tactic of warfare did not cause much damage, but it was extremely humiliating, making the Tang army very uncomfortable.

However, Siegfried, the actual commander-in-chief of the Tang army, remained unmoved by this situation.

He was well aware of the enemy's intention to lure the Tang army out, so he adopted a strategy of holding firm and not venturing out.

Staying in the barracks and letting the enemy launch sneak attacks won't result in many deaths per day. But if you lead your troops out and get ambushed, it won't just be a matter of a few deaths.

After understanding the military strength and specific circumstances of both sides, Sigurd never considered annihilating the enemy.

Capturing guerrillas in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan was no easier than severing all ties with Brunhilde.

Of course, Sigurd didn't just hide in the military camp like a coward.

While defending the camp to the death, he was also gradually modifying the camp's layout to make it more difficult for the enemy to launch a surprise attack.

In fact, Li Ang's victories dwindled day by day in the following days.

Li Ang himself didn't seem to care much about this.

His ambitions have long since shifted away from Afghanistan; the reason he remains here is to create the illusion that his main force is still stationed in Afghanistan.

In fact, Li Ang had already planned to leave only a portion of his army here in a few days, while he himself would lead Xiang Yu and more than half of the army into the heart of the Tang Dynasty to cause trouble.

Li Ang's only targets have always been the people in Group A, Empress Yang of the Tang Empire, a certain secretary fox (who is unaware that the two are actually one), and the Holy Grail of this singularity.

Li Ang had absolutely no interest in leading the Qin Dynasty to bring down the Tang Dynasty—a matter of shifting resources from one hand to the other.

Putting aside his lingering affection for the Tang Dynasty he founded, allowing the Qin Dynasty to occupy this place would be utterly pointless. After all, once Ryougi Shiki divides the singularity, the connection between the Tang and Qin Dynasties will be severed, and there will be no further contact.

However, things often take unexpected turns. On the last day before Li Ang was to depart for the Tang Dynasty, something happened that neither he nor Sigurd had anticipated.

This incident completely disrupted the two's plans.

On this day, just as Li Ang finished firing his sniper shots and was preparing to leave, the former Afghan garrison in the Tang army camp suddenly rushed out in a swarm!

Li Ang was dumbfounded, Xi Ge was speechless, and only Xiang Yu was happy.

"Haha, I, Xiang, finally have a chance to fight!"

written request for leave

I caught a cold, and I feel groggy and have a terrible sore throat.

I'm taking a day off today, but will update as usual tomorrow. _(:з」∠)_

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Chapter 291 Meiniang, you have disappointed me greatly.

A few minutes ago, in the Tang Dynasty military tent.

"What? We're going to have to deploy?!"

Upon hearing the regional commander's order, the officers and lieutenant generals were all taken aback.

“But… didn’t that man named Sigurd say…” one of the lieutenants tried to persuade his superior.

"Hmph, what does that young master from Luoyang know!"

The commander of the Protectorate, with a melancholy expression, gave a disdainful snort.

"His goal is to stabilize the situation in Afghan province; as long as the entire province doesn't descend into chaos, he'll have accomplished nothing. But!"

The burly commander, with a face full of scars and a stubble beard, resembling a reincarnation of Zhang Sanye, slammed his fist on the table.

"Do you think Her Majesty the Empress will let us off the hook after this outcome?!"

"..."*N

Everyone present fell silent, exchanging uneasy glances.

Indeed, as the commander said, the current situation is not a big deal for the young officer from Luoyang, but it is very bad for them, the regional officers.

According to the military regulations of the Tang Dynasty, if such a rebellion occurred in a military region under its jurisdiction, the punishment would be confiscation of property and extermination of the entire family, which would be considered lenient.

"If we don't take this opportunity to wipe out the enemy completely and make amends, are we going to wait for the imperial edict to dismiss us from our posts and confiscate our property in Luoyang?"

"..."*N

The commander straightened his hat and said solemnly, "Although she is now the new empress, don't forget that she was the heir chosen by that vicious old witch. When it comes to decisiveness, the emperors of the Tang Dynasty have never lacked the courage to carry it out."

Although the Tang Dynasty only had three female emperors, each of them was a defender of the law.

It is said that during the reign of Emperor Taizu Li Ang, he often disguised himself as a wealthy young man and led his personal guards to patrol the streets of Luoyang. Whenever he encountered lawbreakers, he would personally enforce the law and punish them severely.