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

Outside Weizhou, the sandstorm was even more intense than in Yecheng. The strong wind blew up the yellow sand, which hit the soldiers' armor, making a rustling sound.

Zhou Zhi led 10,000 elite soldiers and had already set up an ambush ten miles outside the city. The soldiers were wearing black armor, holding long spears, lurking behind the sand dunes, waiting for An Qingxu to fall into the trap.

When An Qingxu's carriage appeared in sight, a cold light flashed in Zhou Zhi's eyes, and he raised his hand and made a gesture.

The lurking soldiers immediately stood up, holding spears, and rushed forward like a tide, surrounding the carriage in an instant.

An Qingxu was sitting in the carriage when he heard the noise outside. He suddenly felt uneasy. He opened the curtain and saw the murderous soldiers around him. His face turned pale.

But he still suppressed his fear, asked the coachman to stop the carriage, and slowly got out of the carriage, holding the brocade box containing the jade seal and military token.

"Where is Prince Shi? I... I have come with the Imperial Seal and the Military Token, begging to see Prince Shi!"

An Qingxu's voice trembled slightly. He pretended to be calm and bowed in the direction of Shi Siming's camp.

But what responded to him were the soldiers' cold gazes and tightly grasped spears.

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves came from afar - Shi Siming, wearing golden armor, a sword at his waist, riding a black warhorse, slowly walked over.

The sunlight shone on his armor, reflecting a dazzling light, but without any warmth.

Upon seeing this, An Qingxu quickly knelt on the ground, raised the brocade box in both hands, and kowtowed to Shi Siming: "Prince Shi, I have brought the imperial seal and the military order of the Great Yan. I beg you to spare my life and quickly send reinforcements to save Yecheng!"

Shi Siming reined in his horse and gazed down at An Qingxu, who knelt on the ground, a cold smile playing on his lips. Without dismounting, he spoke slowly, his voice as cold as steel: "An Qingxu, do you remember how you sent someone to assassinate me back in Luoyang Palace? Do you remember how you cut off my food supplies and nearly killed me in battle at Tongguan?"

An Qingxu shuddered and quickly looked up, his eyes filled with fear. "Prince Shi, those are all misunderstandings! I believed the slander, and I know I was wrong! Please, for the sake of my father, An Lushan, spare my life!"

"An Lushan?" Shi Siming suddenly dismounted, walked up to An Qingxu, grabbed his collar, and lifted him up. "Are you worthy enough to mention General An Lushan? General An Lushan trusted you so much back then that he made you the crown prince, but what about you?"

"You killed him with your own hands for the throne! A patricidal and rebellious son like you, do you deserve to live in this world?"

An Qingxu was strangled by Shi Siming, his face flushed red, his eyes filled with resentment: "Shi Siming, stop pretending! Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? You just want to replace me and become the 'Emperor of Great Yan'! You gave me 5,000 dan of grain and let me continue to fight the Tang army to the death, but you just want to reap the benefits!"

"Hahaha!" Shi Siming laughed, his laughter full of sarcasm. "Since you know everything, I might as well tell you."

"What I'm sending you isn't food, it's a death warrant! I want you and the Tang army to fight to a mutual defeat, then I'll kill you with my own hands and take over your remaining troops! You think I'll save you? Dream on!"

Only then did An Qingxu fully understand that he had fallen into Shi Siming's trap from the very beginning.

He struggled to push Shi Siming away, but Shi Siming kicked him to the ground. The brocade box fell to the ground, and the jade seal and military amulet rolled out, covered in dust in the yellow sand.

"Shi Siming! You are such a villain! You lied to me! You will die a miserable death!"

An Qingxu was lying on the ground, struggling to get up and try to escape, but two soldiers held his shoulders and pinned him to the ground.

He looked at Shi Siming, his eyes filled with anger and unwillingness, and roared: "Even if I become a ghost, I will not let you go!"

Shi Siming was too lazy to waste time talking to him. He drew the sword from his waist, pointed the tip of the sword at An Qingxu, and shouted sternly: "Behead An Qingxu and his cronies. Send their heads to Fanyang for public display! Let everyone see the fate of a patricide and a rebellious son!"

"Yes!" The soldiers answered in unison, and the long swords in their hands were instantly unsheathed.

The knife flashed, blood splattered. An Qingxu's roar stopped abruptly, and his head rolled to the ground, his eyes still wide open, as if he was still unwilling to accept his fate.

Yan Zhuang and other close associates were also beheaded one after another. The blood dyed the surrounding yellow sand red, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.

Shi Siming looked at the corpse on the ground with no expression on his face.

He bent down to pick up the dusty jade seal and military token, put them in a brocade box, and turned to Zhou Zhi and said, "Send someone to Yecheng and tell the garrison there that An Qingxu has been beheaded. Tell them to surrender quickly."

"Also, take over the remaining troops of An Qingxu, count the troops, and reorganize the army."

"Yes, Your Highness!" Zhou Zhi bowed in response.

After killing An Qingxu, Shi Siming successfully took over his remaining troops.

After an inventory, his military strength increased from 150,000 to 200,000, making him the most powerful force in Hebei.

He stood on the city wall of Weizhou, looking at Yecheng in the distance, with a smug smile on his face.

The sunlight shining on his golden armor seemed particularly cold - he had finally gotten rid of his biggest threat, and now it was his turn to compete with the Tang Dynasty.

After the defenders of Yecheng learned that An Qingxu had been killed, they no longer had the will to resist.

Following An Qingxu's instructions, Cui Qianyou opened the city gate and surrendered to the Tang army with the remaining soldiers.

The Tang army effortlessly recaptured Yecheng, and the generals rejoiced and celebrated their victory with a feast. Guo Ziyi, looking at the recaptured Yecheng, was filled with relief: "The chaos is finally being quelled. Good days are coming for the Tang Dynasty."

After Shi Siming returned to Weizhou, he immediately summoned his generals to discuss the matter. He changed the name of Weizhou to "Beijing", built a high platform in the city, officially proclaimed himself emperor, and the country's name remained "Da Yan".

He was wearing a brand new dragon robe and his eyes were full of ambition as he accepted the homage of officials.

After becoming emperor, Shi Siming began to rectify military discipline. He severely punished generals who withheld military rations and distributed all the embezzled food and fodder to the soldiers. He personally trained the soldiers, going to the barracks every morning to train with them.

He also sent people to the Khitan and Xi tribes to recruit cavalry and expand his forces. Within a month, his army was completely transformed and its morale was greatly boosted.

At the same time, he was also actively preparing food and fodder - he sent people to reclaim the wasteland around Weizhou, encouraged the people to farm, and promised to exempt taxes for three years after the war.

He also sent people to Fan Yang to transport stored food and grass to ensure the army's food supply.

After everything was ready, Shi Siming stood on the city wall of Weizhou, looking at Chang'an in the distance, with a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes.

The wind from the north of the Yellow River swept over the walls of Weizhou once again. Shi Siming brushed the sand off his armor and vowed to himself, "Tang, I will take back what you owe me, bit by bit! I will complete General An Lushan's unfinished work!"

The embers of the Anshi Rebellion not only did not extinguish, but instead ignited an even fiercer flame in the hands of Shi Siming.

The war that engulfed the Tang Dynasty was far from over. The dragon flag atop the Weizhou city wall fluttered in the fierce wind, heralding the arrival of a new era of heroes.