Tang Dynasty: To win Yang Guifei, they asked Emperor Xuanzong to die.

The area in front of Guanghua Gate was indeed as desolate as when the Tang army was stationed there.

Shi Siming did not seem to attach much importance to this vulnerable area.

Guo Ziyi explained, “Guanghua Gate is close to the palace wall, with no waterways nearby, and the gate itself is built quite high. In addition, there are several other city gates nearby, so it has never been a strategically important location since ancient times.”

Although the defenses here are weak, it is not easy to attack.

Ordinary people would be deterred by the high city walls, but Li Mao's army was no ordinary force. He and Guo Ziyi had been devising tactics for days, drawn by the "difficulty in attacking" and inconspicuousness of Guanghua Gate.

With the right tactics, even a difficult attack can become an easy one.

Li Mao was very confident in his tactics.

but……

He sighed and said to Guo Ziyi, "Our tactics for attacking the city gates are flawless and we are sure to succeed. However, the elite troops we have dispatched this time are only half of the main army, and another half will remain in Luoyang. We have also suffered losses along the way, and several of our soldiers have fallen ill from the ordeal. Facing Shi Siming's private army, which is recuperating in Chang'an, I'm afraid that even if we kill a thousand enemies, we will lose eight hundred of our own."

Li Mao didn't mention the worse-than-ideal situation; he didn't like to say discouraging things.

“Your Highness, I understand.” Guo Ziyi nodded, but said, “But our journey is not for winning a battle, nor for showing off our heroism, but for the Daming Palace and for the people of the city. This journey is imperative, and even if we know that what lies ahead is a pit of fire, Ziyi will go through fire and water without hesitation!”

With Guo Ziyi's words, Li Mao had no more hesitation.

He raised his arm and gestured for the soldiers to speed up their advance.

Just as the group was about to approach Guanghua Gate, everyone stopped in their tracks.

Guo Ziyi stopped in his tracks and asked, "What was that sound?"

Then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from behind.

Li Mao listened intently for a moment, then immediately became alert: "Could it be that enemy troops are attacking from the rear?"

No one answered, but everyone's expressions were as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Only Guo Ziyi turned his horse around and shouted, "Who cares who comes? We'll just fight our way out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and prepared to break through the formation and leave.

Seeing this, Li Mao didn't have time to think and spurred his horse to follow.

The group, unaware of each other's origins, were all prepared for a fierce battle.

However, the leader of the "enemy" team looks so familiar.

Li Mao thought to himself, and then ordered, "Everyone, do not act rashly. Let's see what the other side is up to first."

At that moment, a familiar whistle rang out from the "local" camp.

Immediately afterward, the leader took the lead and galloped over.

Li Mao finally saw the man's face clearly.

—It was none other than our old acquaintance, General Feng!

General Feng shouted from his horse: "Your Highness Prince Shou, do not fire the arrow, it is me!"

Li Mao and Guo Ziyi exchanged a glance, and both breathed a sigh of relief.

General Feng was a capable general in the court and an old acquaintance of Li Mao.

His appearance at this moment is undoubtedly great news.

General Feng quickly arrived, dismounted, and saluted Li Mao: "Your Highness, I received a secret report in Jiangnan and have come to provide support on the orders of the Crown Prince."

This was a lifesaver. Li Mao personally helped him up and said, "General Feng, you've had a hard journey. How was it?"

General Feng dusted himself off and said, “Fortunately, we traveled day and night and made it in time. Along the way, we felt that the area around Chang’an was desolate, so we knew that things must be bad in the city. It wasn’t until we saw your temporary camp near Lindu Village and learned that you had come to our rescue that we were relieved.”

"His Highness the Crown Prince has already instructed His Majesty to evacuate Chang'an, but he is concerned about the palace and the people, and is worried that your army may suffer losses and be unable to deal with the enemy. Therefore, he specially sent me to lead troops to provide support."

In the end, Li Heng was more reliable than Li Longji.

Li Mao thought to himself, then turned to look at Guo Ziyi.

Guo Ziyi immediately understood and said, "That's great. With General Feng's help, we have no worries about breaking through Guanghua Gate. However, with so many people involved, the plan needs to be readjusted."

"Let's regroup our forces, splitting half of them into two groups to attack Guanghua Gate, and the other half to attack Tonghua Gate to the east. Tonghua Gate is very close to Longchi, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. This way, we can use a feint to the east and a diversion to disrupt the enemy's formation."

Although General Feng did not know Guo Ziyi, he trusted Li Mao very much.

Guo Ziyi, who could be so highly regarded by Li Mao, must have been a reliable person.

General Feng agreed to Guo Ziyi's strategy without hesitation: "Good idea!"

Li Mao added, "Ziyi, send a spy to inform the Imperial Guards in the palace that our plan has changed and that they should prepare to coordinate an attack from within and without."

"Yes!" Guo Ziyi clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.

After the three agreed, General Feng immediately led his troops to Tonghua Gate.

They would approach stealthily, hidden by waterways and mountain rocks, and launch a surprise attack, catching the enemy off guard.

At that time, the Tang soldiers in front of Tonghua Gate were already ready.

At General Feng's command, everyone stepped forward, the ladder was erected, and the soldiers quickly climbed up. At the same time, Li Mao and Guo Ziyi were also silently approaching Guanghua Gate.

At Tonghua Gate, Tang soldiers quickly scaled the city wall and engaged in fierce fighting with the defending troops.

They deliberately made a big show of force. When the enemy troops stationed in other locations heard that someone was attacking near Tonghua Gate, they all became ready for battle.

General Feng has been leading his troops to guard Jiangnan. The war in Jiangnan has been quelled, and their daily work consists of patrolling and occasionally suppressing some insignificant remnants of rebel forces. They have been recuperating and are in excellent condition.

"General Shi, this group of men is not easy to deal with! This humble general... this humble general requests reinforcements from the garrison guarding the other city gates!" The general guarding Tonghua Gate realized that he was outmatched and immediately went to Shi Siming to ask for reinforcements.

Shi Siming could never have imagined that the Tang army was waging war on two fronts.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Tonghua Gate is a strategically important place and cannot be lost. Men, send reinforcements from Guanghua Gate, Fanglin Gate, Chunming Gate, and other places to support Tonghua Gate. You must defend Tonghua Gate, or you will all pay with your heads!"

No one objected, and they did as Shi Siming said.

This is the moment when the Light Gate is at its weakest.

At Li Mao's command, the soldiers who had been lying in ambush at the base of the wall ascended to the top and captured Guanghua Gate, which Shi Siming's private army had not taken seriously, with almost no effort.

Next to Guanghua Gate were Jingyao Gate and Fanglin Gate. After Li Mao secured Guanghua Gate, he focused all his forces on attacking Jingyao Gate and Fanglin Gate. That afternoon, Li Mao had captured all three major city gates in the northwest.

The Chongxuan Gate of the Imperial Palace slowly opened.

It was the Imperial Guards of the Inner Court who welcomed them into the palace.

"Your Highness, it's done!" Guo Ziyi exclaimed excitedly.

However, at the same time, at Tonghua Gate...

The two largest teams were locked in fierce combat here when a sharp arrow pierced through General Feng's shoulder!