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

The setting sun was like blood, dyeing the broken walls and ruins of Tongguan scarlet.

The flags on the city wall had long been riddled with holes from arrows and drooped limply in the evening breeze like a broken soul-calling banner.

Geshu Han was dragged by two rebel soldiers like an animal. The rough hemp rope cut deeply into his skinny wrists, leaving several purple and black blood marks.

Half of his body had long been out of control, a chronic condition left by a stroke. He was now being dragged and staggering forward. Every step felt like walking on the edge of a knife. His knees almost fell to the ground several times, but the soldiers held his arms and lifted him up fiercely, as if they were teasing an old dog waiting to be slaughtered.

"Hurry up, old man!"

A rebel soldier with a ferocious face kicked him impatiently. The iron nails on the sole of his boot scraped through his prison uniform, tearing a long hole and revealing the purple flesh underneath.

Geshu Han groaned, and a trace of saliva flowed out of the corner of his mouth uncontrollably, dripping down his chin into the dust, mixing with the blood. It was hard to tell whether it was humiliation or pain.

He wanted to raise his hand to wipe it off, but his right arm felt like it was filled with lead, and he could only let the sticky liquid flow down his face.

Once upon a time, he was the "God of War" that made Tubo tremble in fear in the Hexi Corridor.

Whenever he mounted his snow-white warhorse, the huge "Geshu" banner behind him was like a thunderclap, throwing the enemy into disarray. The soldiers sang the ballad "The Big Dipper is high, Geshu carries his sword at night, and even now he peeks at the herdsmen, afraid to cross Lintao," and revered him as a deity.

At that time, he was strong and muscular, with a voice like a bell. After drinking a bowl of strong liquor, he could pick up a sword, ride a horse, kill generals and seize flags.

But now, the stroke has taken away his strength, and a decree from the saint has pushed him into an abyss of no return.

Geshu Han sat in a simple prison cart and was pushed by soldiers at the front of the team.

He looked at the skinny and pale laborers around him, who were holding rusty hoes and sickles, and some were even holding a sharpened wooden stick.

Are these people going to face An Lushan's battle-hardened border troops?

There was no fighting spirit in their eyes, only fear and confusion, like a group of lambs to be slaughtered.

He turned his head and looked at the towering Tongguan Tower in the distance. It used to be the strongest barrier in his eyes, but now, he had to give up this barrier with his own hands and lead a group of rabble to fight a battle that was bound to fail.

His rebel army easily broke through the Tang army's positions and surged towards Tongguan like a tide.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the soldiers who had just been guarding the city walls dropped their weapons and knelt down in surrender.

The gate of Tongguan was like a big open mouth, swallowing An Lushan's army.

Geshu Han watched the military flag, which symbolized the majesty of the Tang Dynasty, being trampled under the feet of the rebels and crushed to pieces by horses' hooves. Suddenly, he felt dizzy, his vision went dark, and he passed out.

When he woke up again, he had become An Lushan's prisoner.

In the rebel army's central tent, the flickering candlelight made the wolf head totem on the wall flicker.

An Lushan was wearing a robe embroidered with golden dragons, leaning on a bed covered with tiger skin, playing with a jade ring in his hand, his eyes full of mockery.

Behind him stood a dozen burly guards, all with fierce eyes.

Geshu Han was held by two soldiers and stood in the tent like a puppet.

His prison uniform was already soaked with blood, his hair was disheveled on his shoulders, and half of his face was crooked due to a stroke, making him look extremely miserable.

"General Geshu, how are you?"

An Lushan finally spoke, his voice hoarse and thick with a Hu accent. "Back then, you were in Hexi, killing my Khitan brothers. You were so majestic. How did you become like this now?"

Geshu Han moved his lips and wanted to say something, but the stroke made his tongue stiff and he could only make a "wuwu" sound.

He struggled to stand up, but was held down by the soldiers around him. His knees went weak and he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Hahaha!" An Lushan laughed heartily upon seeing this. "The former war god of the Tang Dynasty can't even stand steadily now? How ridiculous!"

He stood up from the bed, walked to Geshu Han, and lifted his chin with his foot. "Look at you, your hair is all white, and your face has so many wrinkles. You look like an old man."

"Is such a person worthy of being a general?"

Sparks of anger flashed in Geshu Han's eyes. He stared at An Lushan intently, his teeth chattering.

If he hadn't been suffering from a stroke, he would have really wanted to pounce on the traitor and bite off his throat.

"What? Not convinced?"

An Lushan sneered, suddenly raised his foot and kicked Geshu Han hard in the chest.

Geshu Han fell backward like a broken sack and fell heavily to the ground. A mouthful of blood spurted out of his mouth and splashed on the cold ground.

"Do you think you are still the powerful Geshu Han?"

An Lushan squatted down, leaned close to Geshu Han's ear, and spoke in a low and vicious voice, "I'm telling you, your sage has sold you out! He knew you had a stroke and that your soldiers were all civilians, yet he still forced you to go out. He wanted to use me to kill you!"

"You're just a discarded child, a useless old thing!"

Geshu Han's body trembled violently, and he looked at An Lushan in disbelief.

Although he knew that Li Longji was suspicious of him, he never thought that the emperor would be so cruel that he would sacrifice 200,000 soldiers and the barrier of Tongguan in order to get rid of him.

A huge sadness surged in my heart, which was even more painful than the pain in my body.

"What? Don't believe it?"

An Lushan pulled out a letter from his bosom and threw it in front of Geshu Han. "Take a look at this for yourself. This is a letter written to me by one of your generals. He has already told me all your military information."

"You think your perseverance can save Chang'an? Dream on!"

Geshu Han struggled to stretch out his hand, wanting to pick up the letter, but his fingers were out of control and he couldn't reach it.

His eyes gradually became empty, like a lamp that had run out of oil.

Yes, how could he forget that some of his men had already been bribed by An Lushan? Otherwise, how could the rebels break through the defense line so easily?

And does the saint know all this?

"Hahaha!" An Lushan looked at Geshu Han's distraught expression and laughed even more triumphantly. "Now, what else do you have to say? Why not submit to me? We are both barbarians. I can give you an official position. It's better than following that heartless saint."

Geshu Han slowly raised his head, and a glimmer of light suddenly flashed in his turbid eyes.

He used all his strength to spit a mouthful of blood at An Lushan: "Traitor... traitor... I... I will never... submit to you even if I die..."

His voice was intermittent and unclear, but it was filled with a resolute spirit.

An Lushan's face instantly became ferocious. He stepped on Geshu Han's face and crushed it fiercely: "You old man, you are shameless! Since you want to die, I will grant your wish!"

"But before you die, I want you to see how your Tang Dynasty, your Chang'an, was destroyed!"

He turned to his guards and ordered, "Drag him away and throw him in jail! Give him only a bowl of stale water every day. Let him live to see me capture Chang'an and capture Li Longji alive!"

The guards stepped forward and dragged Geshu Han out like a dead dog.

Geshu Han's body rubbed against the ground, leaving a long trail of blood.

He didn't struggle or speak anymore. He just kept his eyes open, staring at the flickering candlelight on the ceiling, his eyes empty and sad.

He recalled his youthful days in Hexi, when the sky was blue, the grassland was vast, and the soldiers' smiles were genuine.

He recalled the first time he met Li Longji, when the sage shook his hand and said, "General Geshu, with you here, I can rest easy."

He remembered the oath he had sworn: "I am willing to die for my country and protect the vast land of the Tang Dynasty."

But now, the oath still rings in his ears, but the land is shattered. He, the former "God of War", has become a stroke-stricken old man who can't even stand steadily, a prisoner abandoned by the emperor.

The cell was dark and damp, and smelled of mold and blood.

Geshu Han was thrown onto a pile of straw. He curled up, feeling his body grow colder and colder, his consciousness gradually blurring. He seemed to hear the ballad the soldiers were singing again: "The Big Dipper is high, Geshu Han carries his sword at night..."

The singing became more and more distant and blurred.

Finally, his head tilted to one side and he stopped breathing.