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

Heavy rain was pouring down, and leaden-gray clouds hung low over the city walls of Constantinople.

The huge Theodosian Walls are faintly visible in the rain, silently guarding this ancient capital known as the "Eternal City" for thousands of years.

On the city wall, Byzantine soldiers, wearing wet chain mail and holding torches, watched vigilantly at the shadows surging in the darkness outside the city.

The light of the torches flickered in the rain, illuminating their tired and nervous faces.

At this time, in the Frankish palace, Udric III was pacing anxiously in the hall inlaid with exquisite mosaics.

The king, who was over sixty years old, had a crown on his head that flickered coldly in the candlelight, but it could not hide the anxiety and confusion in his eyes.

"Why? Why would those lowly slaves and peasants betray their country and help the Tang army from the far east?"

Udric III suddenly stopped, his hoarse voice echoing in the empty hall, "This is their land, this is their kingdom!"

He slammed his fist into the marble pillar beside him.

The palace eunuchs were silent as a mouse, not daring to make a sound.

They had never seen the king lose his composure like this. In the past, Udric III always appeared calm and majestic, and he could handle even the most difficult political affairs with ease.

But now, the Tang army's relentless advance and the people's defection at home have completely confused the old king.

In order to find out the truth, Udric III spent a lot of manpower and resources and sent spies everywhere to collect intelligence.

Finally, after a long and meticulous investigation, he gradually understood the power of the Tang army's "heart-attack tactics."

In the Frankish villages occupied by the Tang army, the slaves and peasants who were usually treated as worthless by the nobles felt for the first time the respect and care they had never felt before.

The Tang army soldiers would distribute the expensive milk candies from the East to the pale and skinny children one by one.

The children held the candies in their hands. They had never tasted anything so sweet.

Not only that, the Tang army would also spend a lot of money to hire local people to lead the way for them.

For these people who had lived in poverty and oppression for a long time, this silver was like a gift from heaven, enough for their family to live a life of food and clothing.

What shocked Udric III even more was that when the farmers and slaves helped carry the Tang army's engineering equipment, the Tang army actually provided them with a hearty meal.

Hot bread, fragrant stew, and fresh vegetables, these foods that are common on the tables of nobles are delicacies that the lower-class people of Frankishness could not even dream of.

"Since ancient times, the nobles have always been high and mighty, while the peasants and slaves have been nothing but weeds, crop after crop, trampled upon by us."

Udric III murmured to himself, "But now, these 'weeds' that we despised have become our biggest problem."

After careful consideration, Udric III made a decision that would change the history of the Franks.

He immediately summoned the court ministers and announced in a firm tone in the court: "Pass it down, from now on, the Frankish Kingdom will abolish slavery!"

"From now on, everyone, regardless of their birth, is a citizen of my Frankish Kingdom!"

"This order will not be discussed and will be executed immediately!"

The ministers looked at each other in shock.

The abolition of slavery was undoubtedly a huge blow to the interests of the aristocracy.

In their cognition, slaves were the private property of the nobles and the important labor force to maintain the nobles' luxurious life and manor production.

However, facing the king's unquestionable gaze, they could only swallow their opposition and doubts in silence and obey his orders.

Udric III did not stop there.

He thought that simply abolishing slavery would not be enough to resist the Tang army's offensive. After some thought, he decided to ask for help from the Byzantine Empire.

"Also, send someone to Constantinople as fast as possible to seek an audience with His Majesty Justinian."

"Tell him that from now on, there is no Frankish Kingdom. Long live the Roman Empire!"

As he spoke, Udric III slowly raised his hand and performed a standard Roman salute.

At this moment, he saw the glory of the former Roman Empire and longed to use the power of Byzantium to restore that glory.

At the same time, outside Constantinople, in the Tang army's camp, Pei Xingjian sat quietly in the commander-in-chief's tent, with various military maps and documents placed on the table in front of him.

This famous Tang Dynasty general who had experienced many battles now had a frown on his face, and his eyes revealed a rare struggle.

The flickering candlelight cast Pei Xingjian's figure on the tent curtain, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

He closed his eyes, and the impregnable walls of Constantinople kept appearing in his mind.

This city, known as the "Shield of Europe", has a dangerous terrain, tall and strong city walls, multi-layered fortifications, and a wide and deep moat.

Unlike the open terrain used in the previous attack on Damascus, the Tang army's cavalry advantage was difficult to exert here, and the difficulty of the siege increased exponentially.

"There are only two ways to get through here."

Pei Xingjian slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the location of Constantinople on the map. "Countless artillery shells, countless lives lost."

Every word he said seemed to carry a heavy weight.

Since the expedition, although the Tang army has been unstoppable, it has also paid a huge price.

The original army of 500,000 soldiers has now been reduced to just over 300,000 soldiers after countless brutal battles.

Moreover, as the battle line lengthened, logistical supplies became increasingly difficult, and the Tang Dynasty's treasury was constantly being depleted.

On the desk, there was a mountain of urgent military reports from the court, each one urging the capture of Constantinople as soon as possible.

The imperial court's order was very clear: the vanguard troops were to take Constantinople and clear the obstacles for the subsequent western expedition army led by Wu Tianyan.

This seemingly simple order actually required Pei Xingjian to lead more than 300,000 soldiers to act as the vanguard and forcibly attack the city while braving the enemy's rain of arrows, boiling oil, and various city defense equipment.

"General..."

The adjutant walked into the tent cautiously, looked at Pei Xingjian's tired face, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Attacking such a city that is easy to defend but difficult to attack will surely be a brutal and bloody battle, and countless soldiers will pay the price with their lives.

Pei Xingjian raised his head and looked at his adjutant, his eyes full of helplessness: "Take out all the remaining shells we have. Let's try it first. If it doesn't work, we'll find another way."

It would be difficult to cause substantial damage to the walls of Constantinople with these shells alone, but in the absence of a better solution, they could only try their best.

As the night deepened, the soldiers in the Tang army camp began to get busy.

One cannon after another was slowly pushed out, and the soldiers carefully loaded ammunition and adjusted the muzzle angle.

Under the moonlight, the metal surface of the Qianwu Cannon glowed coldly.

On the city walls of Constantinople, the Byzantine soldiers also noticed the unusual movements of the Tang army.

They gripped their weapons tightly, ready for battle.

On the city walls, huge catapults, crossbows and other defensive equipment are ready, ready to deal a fatal blow to the invading enemy at any time.

At the rear of the Tang army camp, in a makeshift medical tent, military doctors were busy preparing various medicines and equipment.

Stretchers were neatly arranged, waiting for the incoming wounded. The air was filled with a pungent smell of medicine, which mixed with the tense atmosphere outside the tent, making it suffocating.

Some experienced veterans sat by the campfire, silently wiping their weapons.

There wasn't much expression on their faces, but their eyes revealed their worry about the upcoming battle.

They knew that this would be an unprecedented fierce battle, and perhaps tomorrow, many of them would fall forever in this strange land.

"Lao Zhang, do you think we can take this city?"

A young soldier broke the silence, his voice trembling.

The old soldier called Lao Zhang stopped what he was doing, looked at the young soldier, and then looked at the towering walls of Constantinople in the distance.

"It's hard to say. The city wall is too strong, and I heard that the Byzantines have deployed many powerful weapons on the wall."

"But we are the sons of the Tang Dynasty. We can only do our utmost to carry out His Majesty's orders."

The young soldier nodded, tightened his grip on the weapon, and a hint of determination flashed in his eyes.

The other soldiers around also echoed, and the bonfire reflected on their young and resolute faces.

At this time, in the imperial palace of Constantinople, His Majesty Justinian also received the news that the Tang army was about to attack the city, as well as Udric III's request for help.

He stood in front of the window, looking at the Tang army camp outside the city that was faintly visible in the night, and fell into deep thought.

"Your Majesty, the King of the Franks is willing to submit and join the Roman Empire. Should we send troops to help?"

A minister asked cautiously.

His Majesty Justinian turned around, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

The strength of the Tang army should not be underestimated. If we send troops rashly, we may end up in trouble.

"Send the order to strengthen the city defenses and closely monitor the movements of the Tang army. As for Frank's request, put it aside for now and wait and see."

"We need manpower to resist the Tang army."

Justinian finally made his decision.

He decided to first strengthen Constantinople's strong fortifications to resist the attack of the Tang army, and then make long-term plans.