Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

Li Shiming had to admit that this move was worthwhile.

Xue Huaide alone is worth 100,000 soldiers.

Now, the Dragon Gate Formation stands in front of him like an insurmountable chasm, firmly blocking his 70,000-strong army five miles outside Jianghuai City.

Inside the city, Guo Ziyi's ambush troops were fighting fiercely, while on the north bank, the Xuanjia Iron Cavalry was being intercepted. Time was ticking away.

Every moment that drags on increases the uncertainty of the battle.

Every moment of delay increases the danger to the fate of the Tang Dynasty.

"Can't wait any longer."

Li Shiming suddenly spoke, his voice calm, yet it sent a chill down the spines of everyone around him.

He slowly drew the sword of the founding emperor from his waist; the blade gleamed with a cold light under the torchlight.

"Your Majesty?" Xue Che looked up, a hint of unease flashing in his eyes.

It's nighttime now.

Li Shiming's gaze remained fixed on the Dragon Gate Formation in the distance, and he said, word by word, "The night is deep, and the firelight flickers."

"No matter how exquisite Xue Huaide's formation is, it still needs to be commanded by flags. In the dark, with poor visibility, the transmission of flags will inevitably be delayed, and the transformation of formations will inevitably be sluggish."

He paused, then his voice turned stern: "And this is our opportunity."

Xue Che's expression changed drastically: "Your Majesty means... to launch a surprise attack under the cover of night?"

“It’s not about a direct assault,” Li Shiming corrected. “It’s about seizing that fleeting opening and breaking through in one fell swoop!”

He turned his horse around, facing the Tang soldiers who had already regrouped behind him, and his voice suddenly rose:

"Soldiers!"

Tens of thousands of eyes focused on it at once.

"Did you see it?"

Li Shimin pointed his sword at the Dragon Gate Formation: "It was that formation that blocked our path! It was that formation that caused the bloodshed of tens of thousands of our comrades on the battlefield!"

"That military formation—it's determined to trap the fate of our Great Tang Dynasty here!"

He took a deep breath, his voice booming like thunder: "But I tell you—without the formation, it cannot be broken! Without the barrier, it cannot be overcome!"

"Tonight, I will personally lead you to crush this Dragon Gate, storm into Jianghuai City, rescue our comrades, and win this decisive battle!"

"Long live the Emperor!" the soldiers roared in unison, their morale soaring.

But Xue Che panicked.

He suddenly stood up, rushed to Li Shimin's horse, his voice hoarse with excitement:

"Your Majesty! Absolutely not! You are of noble birth, the ruler of the nation. How can you personally venture into dangerous situations? Charging into battle is the duty of us lowly soldiers. Your Majesty should simply remain in command of the central army..."

"A body worth a fortune?"

Li Shiming interrupted him, his gaze piercing like a knife: "General Xue, if we lose this battle, we will lose Jianghuai, and the Chu army will advance unimpeded, and our Great Tang Dynasty will be in danger."

"By then, what use will my precious body be?"

He paused, his voice low but resolute: "If the empire is lost, I have nothing left. In that case, why should I cherish my life?"

"But……"

"All right."

Li Shiming waved his hand, his tone leaving no room for argument: "General Xue, there's no need to persuade me any further. Go and make the preparations."

"In a quarter of an hour, I will personally lead the elite troops of the central army as the vanguard, and you will lead the main force to follow."

"Remember—the goal isn't to break the formation, it's to break through! As long as we tear open a gap and break into the formation, the Dragon Gate Formation will fall into disarray!"

Xue Che opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but looking into Li Shiming's unwavering eyes, he could only clasp his hands in a deep fist salute:

"I obey your command!"

He turned and strode away, beginning to gather his troops.

Li Shimin sat alone on his horse, taking one last look in the direction of Jianghuai City.

In the darkness of night, the outline of the city was still faintly visible, and the beacon fires on the city walls remained lit.

Guo Ziyi, hold on a little longer.

I am coming.

He gripped the sword of the founding emperor tightly; the dragon pattern carved on the hilt hurt his palm.

This surge might just be the turning point.

It could also be... walking right into a trap.

But this is the way of the path to becoming an emperor.

How can anything be accomplished without gambling?

If we don't fight, how can we survive?

"Issue the order to the entire army."

Li Shimin's voice was calm, yet it resonated throughout the central army: "In a quarter of an hour, follow me—to break through the formation!"

The command flags waved, and the war drums beat again.

The Emperor of Tang is about to personally lead the charge.

This will be the most insane and decisive blow in this final battle.

The success or failure depends on this one move.

From midnight to dawn, for a full three hours, the plains east of Jianghuai City became a living hell.

Li Shimin personally led three thousand imperial cavalry, raising the dragon banner embroidered with the golden character "Tang" high, which, like a burning flame in the night, repeatedly attacked Xue Huaide's dragon gate formation.

The emperor took the lead, which instilled a frenzied morale in the Tang army—if even the emperor was willing to risk his life, why should the soldiers be willing to sacrifice themselves?

"Long live His Majesty! Long live the Tang Dynasty!"

With each charge, the Tang army erupted in a deafening roar.

They surged towards the twelve rotating steel circles like a tidal wave, ramming them with their bodies, hacking at them with swords and axes, using their lives to fill that line of death.

The corpses piled up like mountains in front of the battle lines, their blood soaking the ground and gleaming a dark red under the torchlight.

Meanwhile, the pressure on the Chu army increased sharply.

Xue Huaide stood on the command platform, his beard and hair flying in the night wind.

His command flags never stopped moving, and the twelve deputy flags behind him moved as if they were his own arms, accurately transmitting orders to every corner of the formation.

"Qian position circular formation - rotate clockwise three times, then retreat twenty steps!"

"Kan position—reverse two cycles, advance fifteen steps!"

"Move out of position—stop turning, archers fire in a sweeping barrage thirty paces ahead!"

Under his command, the Dragon Gate Formation became like a sophisticated killing machine.

The twelve circular formations sometimes crushed the charging enemy troops like millstones, sometimes clamped down on the cavalry on the flanks like iron pincers, and sometimes contracted like tortoise shells to defend against the rain of arrows.

Each change of formation took the lives of hundreds or even thousands of Tang soldiers.

But Xue Huaide's brows furrowed even more deeply.

"Commander Xue, the Tang army's offensive is too fierce!"

The lieutenant was covered in sweat: "Especially the central area where the dragon banner is located, they have attacked seven times in a row! The shield bearers of the Qian position circular formation have been rotated twice, and 30% of their spears have been lost!"

"I know." Xue Huaide's voice remained calm, but the knuckles of his hand holding the command flag had turned white.

He could see, of course, that Li Shiming was gambling with the emperor's life, trying to outlast him, out of willpower, and out who would make the first mistake.

While the Dragon Gate Formation is indeed ingenious, it requires absolute discipline and precise command.

In the darkness of night, visibility is obstructed, which naturally delays the transmission of orders.

The Tang army's reckless charges were gradually eroding the integrity of their formation and wearing down the defenders' strength and will.

More importantly—people's hearts.

When the Chu soldiers saw the Tang emperor personally charging into battle, saw the dragon banner standing firm amidst the rain of arrows, and saw the Tang army advancing wave after wave like madmen, an instinctive fear and pressure quietly began to grow within them.

"Tell the commanders of each formation,"

Xue Huaide said in a deep voice, "Stabilize our position. There's no need to pursue casualties. Just delay. Every moment we delay is more advantageous to us."

"But Commander Xue, if the Tang army keeps charging like this..."

"Unbreakable."

Xue Huaide interrupted him, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield like that of a hawk: "The greatest strength of the Dragon Gate Formation lies in the fact that it has no obvious weaknesses."

"The twelve circular formations are mutually supportive, forming a defensive network. If one is destroyed, there are still eleven left; if two are destroyed, the remaining ones will automatically reassemble..."

Before he could finish speaking, an unusual commotion suddenly erupted from the east side of the battlefield.