Li Shimin faked his death? Then I will be powerful enough to conquer the world!

On the battlefield, the deafening shouts of killing had gradually subsided like the tide, leaving only dead silence.

The wind seemed to have stopped howling, and the bloody smell filled the air, making the deathly silence even heavier.

The faces of the soldiers of the Three Thousand Battalion were covered in blood, which was like a hideous mask, covering their originally resolute faces.

Blood mixed with sweat flowed down from his forehead, leaving shocking marks on his cheeks.

The sharp blades in their hands were still dripping with blood, and the bright red blood fell drop by drop.

The heads of the Tibetan cavalry were chopped off one by one. The wide-open eyes on the chopped heads seemed to still carry the astonishment before death.

There was a lingering look in his eyes, filled with reluctance to accept the loss of life and fear of the cruelty of war.

The battlefield was in a mess, with broken shields and broken swords scattered everywhere.

Looking at the corpses of the three thousand soldiers on the ground, some of them had mutilated limbs, broken limbs and arms separated from their bodies, bones sticking out from the bloody wounds, and internal organs spilled all over the ground. The tragic scene was unbearable to watch.

Some still maintained a fighting posture, their bodies leaning forward, weapons still tightly gripped in their hands, faces showing an expression of being ready to die, but their empty eyes had forever lost the luster of life.

Everyone fell silent. This silence was like the calm before the storm, so oppressive that it almost suffocated people.

This was their first time to participate in a war. Before going out, their hearts were filled with passion, like burning flames, and they were full of desire for victory. They fantasized about the glory of returning in triumph and looked forward to writing their own glory with military exploits.

However, the cruel war ruthlessly crushed their dreams and hopes, and made them witness the hideousness and horror of death.

The entire 3,000-strong camp was composed of elite soldiers and generals carefully selected by Li Chengqian in Xianyang.

The selection process was extremely strict, and the people of the entire Xianyang city were shocked by the selection conditions at that time.

The selection scene was lively yet extremely tense.

First, recruit young and strong people in Xianyang.

Without missing any details, each person's physical fitness, martial arts level and psychological quality were strictly evaluated, and the best were selected to join the three camps.

Afterwards, a more brutal selection was carried out among the three major camps. Through repeated actual combat exercises, physical challenges and tactical assessments, the best performers were selected from among the many outstanding candidates to enter the Three Thousand Camp.

It's like forging a sword through thousands of hammers, only the toughest and sharpest can stand out.

At that time, Mr. Qi said solemnly that the soldiers of the 3,000-strong battalion had excellent physical fitness, were well-trained, and had proficient military skills.

Whether it is riding, archery or close combat, it can be done with precision and uniformity, and every command can be executed quickly and accurately.

They also have high tactical qualities. Faced with various complex and changing battle situations, they are able to quickly understand the situation, apply tactics flexibly, and cooperate with each other seamlessly.

Except for not having experienced the baptism of war, everything else is close to perfect.

They all came from Xianyang City and were as familiar with each other as a family. Traces of their common life could be seen in the streets and alleys of Xianyang.

They may be neighbors, greeting each other in the early morning.

Maybe they were childhood playmates, playing together by the river.

They may be relatives who get together during festivals.

Qin Ruzhao's eyes were dull and empty as if he had lost his soul. He looked at a corpse not far away with some confusion.

That was Yu San, who had grown up with him.

In his memory, Yu San always had a bright smile, and that smile was as warm as the sunshine.

They once chased and played in the streets and alleys of Xianyang, and their laughter echoed throughout the streets.

They looked forward to the future together, lying on the soft grass, gazing at the white clouds floating in the blue sky, and fantasizing about becoming admirable heroes when they grew up and defending the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

At that time, their eyes were full of expectations and longings for the future, as if the whole world was at their feet.

But now, Yu San was lying on this cold battlefield, his body surrounded by a pool of dried blood. The blood was like an insurmountable chasm, completely separating their past and present.

He closed his eyes forever. Those once bright eyes would never open again, and there would never be that warm smile again.

Qin Ruzhao's lips trembled slightly, and his heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by an invisible big hand, causing him great pain.

He couldn't help but think of Yu San's mother, the kind woman who always warmly invited him to dinner.

In the warm courtyard of Yu San's home, the aroma of food filled the air, and the woman's kind smile seemed to be still before his eyes. She always put the most delicious dishes into his bowl, her eyes full of love.

I thought of Yu San’s sister, the lovely little girl who always pestered them to tell stories. She sat beside them, sometimes surprised, sometimes laughing while listening to the stories. Her silver bell-like laughter seemed to still echo in my ears.

How should I face them?

Every breath he took was like a wound in his chest, and the pain went deep into his bones.

.........

"Collect the bodies of our brothers!"

Qin Ruzhao suppressed his grief and shouted in a hoarse but firm voice.

The voice seemed particularly abrupt in the silent battlefield, but it also had an unquestionable power.

"Yes! General Qin."

The soldiers responded in unison, their voices filled with endless sorrow, each syllable filled with reluctance and grief for their comrades.

No one cried, everyone had a blank expression on their face, like the walking dead.

They numbly collected the bodies of their comrades, and every movement seemed so heavy.

They carefully placed their comrades' bodies on the horses, their movements slow and cautious, as if their comrades were just asleep and they were afraid of disturbing their sleep.

Their hands were trembling slightly, which was the result of the painful struggle in their hearts. Although their faces were stern, the sadness in their eyes surged like the tide, which was the deep attachment and reluctance to their deceased comrades.

"Brother Qin, Xiao Shisan is also killed!"

Ye Lingfeng, the deputy general of the Three Thousand Battalion, spoke with a slightly hoarse voice. His voice was like an old bellows, with each syllable carrying painful friction, and the hoarseness revealed endless fatigue and sadness.

His eyes were full of bloodshot, which were like red spider webs, crawling all over his eyeballs, and the light in his eyes became dim.

The muscles on his face twitched slightly in pain, and his lips trembled unconsciously.

The image of Xiao Shisan instantly appeared in Qin Ruzhao's mind.

That was the first time we were selected by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to join the Three Thousand Battalion.

It was a sunny day. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince stood on a high platform in the parade ground, with the Tang Dynasty military flag fluttering behind him, rustling in the wind.

Little Thirteen's young and excited face seemed to be right in front of him. His eyes were full of longing for the future, and they were as clear as a mountain stream, without a trace of impurities.

They are all brothers in the same dormitory. Xiao Shisan is the youngest and ranks thirteenth.

We spent five years of training together, and during those five years, the dormitory was filled with their laughter.

They trained together under the scorching sun. The scorching ground burned their feet and their clothes were soaked with sweat, but no one complained.

They encouraged and competed with each other, and shed the sweat of their youth on the training ground.

They chatted together late at night, the moonlight shining through the window onto their bed. They shared their dreams and thoughts, talked about their relatives and the girl in their hearts, and the laughter seemed to still echo in their ears.

But now, Xiao Shisan will never come back. He will stay in this cruel battlefield forever and become a victim of war.

Qin Ruzhao suppressed his sadness. His brows were tightly furrowed, as if he wanted to lock all the pain between his brows. The veins on his forehead bulged, showing his inner struggle.

He knew that now was not the time to dwell on grief, and his eyes grew firm, gleaming with hope.

"Let's go back to Yizhou and have Commander Li send troops to support Songzhou."

He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force, and his white jade-like knuckles made a crackling sound.

"I'm afraid Songzhou won't be able to hold out for much longer. Yizhou must send troops to support it immediately!"

"Yes!" Ye Lingfeng replied. He straightened his back, and the pain in his eyes was gradually replaced by resentment.

……

Songzhou.

The sky over the entire Songzhou City seemed particularly gloomy, and the air was filled with dust and debris.

The people in the city looked solemn. They tightly grasped their crude weapons, their eyes filled with determination and fear.

The soldiers were on full alert, their armors covered with scars, their faces covered with fatigue and dust, but their eyes were still sharp.

However, the army and the people were united and shared the same hatred for the enemy, and they were able to barely withstand the fierce attacks from Tubo.

At this moment, corpses were scattered all over the ground outside Songzhou City, and the bloody smell filled the air. The pungent smell almost made people nauseous.

The bodies of the Tibetans were piled all over the ground, most of them were ragged slaves.

They were like driven ants, their bodies were extremely thin, some were even wearing shackles and their bodies were covered with whip marks.

Their eyes were filled with fear and despair. Driven by the Tibetan army, they continued to surge to the top of the city in waves, staggering but unable to stop.

There was no desire for victory in their eyes, only helplessness in survival and fear of death.

"Commander Han, our defenses are almost exhausted. We may not be able to withstand the next Tibetan offensive!"

A captain reported to Han Wei anxiously, his face covered with dust and sweat. The dust was washed away by the sweat, leaving traces of mud, like a chaotic graffiti.

There was worry in his eyes, his brows were tightly furrowed as if they could pinch a fly to death, his lips were chapped, and his voice trembled slightly when he spoke.

After listening to his men's reports, Han Wei patted the captain who came to report on the shoulder. His hand was steady and powerful.

The warmth of the palm caused the captain's body to tremble slightly.

"Don't worry, Songzhou City cannot be broken!"

He wiped his hand across his face, and his originally dark face immediately revealed some whiteness, which was the dust that had accumulated while defending the city.

"Commander-in-Chief, the army hasn't arrived yet. Behind us is Yizhou. The road from Yizhou to our Songzhou has been blocked by Tibetan cavalry."

The captain frowned, his face full of worry, and his eyes showed helplessness.

"Yizhou only has 30,000 soldiers. How can they get through the Tibetan cavalry and rescue Songzhou?"

There was a hint of desperation in his voice, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Even if they come, I'm afraid it will be a drop in the bucket!"

Looking at the captain's dejected face, Han Wei showed no panic at all.

He looked into the distance with a firm gaze, which seemed to be able to penetrate the mountains and reach the imperial court. His eyes revealed his trust in the Tang Dynasty and his belief in victory.

"Believe in the Tang Dynasty, believe in the imperial court. The imperial court will not abandon us. It's useless for us to think too much."

His voice was steady and powerful, like a reassurance to the people around him. Every word he said fell heavily on people's hearts, like the beating of a war drum, inspiring people.

"Instead of complaining about yourself here, you might as well do your job well."

He paused, his tone more resolute.

"It's just two words."

"Just hold on."

"Defend Songzhou, and we will all be promoted and recorded in history."

Han Wei's words echoed in the air, rekindling the fighting spirit of every soldier who heard them. They gripped their weapons tightly and their eyes became determined.

They will live and die with Songzhou City.

Tibetan military camp.

Songtsen Gampo sat in the main seat with a gloomy face. His expression was as dark as the sky before a storm.

His eyes were fixed on Lun Qinling who was kneeling on the ground below.

Lun Qinling was now covered in dust and dirt, his armor was badly damaged, covered in blood and dust, his hair was messy and stuck to his cheeks, and he had completely lost the high spirits he had when he first went to battle.

He lowered his head, not daring to look directly into Songtsen Gampo's eyes, and his body trembled slightly, revealing his inner fear.

"Lun Qinling, you went out with a full ten thousand cavalrymen, and now only three thousand have returned."

Songtsen Gampo's voice was low and suppressed, but it contained uncontrollable anger, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"A whole seven thousand cavalrymen, just gone like that?"

There was a hint of anger in his tone.

In fact, he was already burning with anger.

Horses are always precious strategic resources.

Even though Tubo has vast grasslands, the environment is harsh and cold.

Breeding war horses is not easy.

A total of seven thousand horses!

That was a huge fortune, and even Songtsen Gampo, the Tibetan king, would feel a pang of pain.

If it weren't for Lu Dongzan's face, a defeated general like Lun Qinling would have been ordered by Songtsen Gampo to be whipped, or even punished more severely.

Listening to Songtsen Gampo's tone, Lu Dongzan knew in his heart that Songtsen Gampo was very angry, but was still suppressing it.

He coughed, breaking the tense silence, and asked doubtfully, "Lun Qinling, you are a Tibetan warrior, and you led a full ten thousand cavalrymen. How could you have suffered such heavy losses?"

His eyes were scrutinizing, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Even if you encountered the Tang army and couldn't defeat them, you could have just fled with your cavalry, right? Why did you lose 70% of your troops?"

Lu Dongzan's words also aroused Songtsen Gampo's curiosity. Although he was angry, he also wanted to know the reason behind the incident.

After all, Lun Qinling's strategy was good. It cut off the connection between Songzhou and the Tang Dynasty, allowing them to attack Songzhou with peace of mind. They thought it would be a great victory, but they did not expect such heavy losses.

Lun Qinling looked up at Lu Dongzan, a hint of barely perceptible panic flashing across his eyes, and then he lowered his head again, "Prime Minister, what I encountered was not the Tang army, but a group of Tang light cavalry."

His voice was a little hoarse, as if he was hiding something.

"They are well-equipped and number over ten thousand. I led seven thousand warriors to fight them."

He began to describe the terrible battle, trying to find an excuse for his defeat.

"Even though the enemy had a large number of people and was well-equipped, more than half of them were killed or wounded."

There was a hint of tragedy in his tone.

"But in the end, we were outnumbered. Luckily, I had left 3,000 men in Songzhou to cut off Songzhou's communication channels, so we were able to escape."

Lun Qinling's eyes rolled around as he was thinking about how to make the lie more convincing.

After all, no one present witnessed the battle personally, so he couldn't say what the real situation was. He tried to shift the blame to the enemy's strength to reduce his own guilt.

When Songtsen Gampo heard that the Tang Dynasty had also lost a similar number of troops, he finally felt a little relieved and weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

Now is the time to recruit people, Tubo needs every warrior. Songtsen Gampo did not intend to pursue Lun Qinling. After all, his martial arts skills were still recognized by him, and he still needed him to continue serving Tubo.

"Lun Qinling, get up! Although you have suffered heavy casualties, there are reasons for this. I will forgive you this time. Let your merits atone for your sins."

Songtsen Gampo spoke calmly, his tone no longer showing the anger from before, but was replaced by a sense of majesty and magnanimity.

Lun Qinling was secretly delighted in his heart, but responded to Songtsen Gampo with a sad face.

"Thank you, Zamp!"

He lowered his head, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, a hint of pride flashed in his eyes, and he was glad that he had escaped.