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

"General!"

General Feng's men were furious.

Since enlisting, General Feng has been the backbone of their unit.

In their struggle against the enemy, whenever morale was low, General Feng would always be the first to step forward, bringing them hope and encouragement.

But now...

The mighty General Feng was pierced by a sharp arrow!

How could General Feng's army tolerate this?

Some even gritted their teeth and complained, "This Prince Shou really knows how to avoid trouble. He sent the general to bear such great pressure, just so they could have an easy time! I just saw signal smoke coming from the palace, which proves that they have already broken through the city and entered the palace."

"We are still fighting here, and even after the general was wounded, not a single person came to our aid!"

Upon hearing this, General Feng glared and shouted, "Shut up!"

"His Highness Prince Shou's troops have suffered greatly in recent days, and have already lost many men. Moreover, they have been practicing attacking Guanghua Gate all along, so it is only right that we be sent to Tonghua Gate to withstand the pressure. This is also my own choice... cough, cough cough..."

Despite being seriously injured, he still managed to say so much.

General Feng was exhausted.

The soldiers loyal to General Feng saw this and dared not utter another word.

Instead, he turned his grief into rage, raised his sword, and charged at the enemy: "Kill—"

For a time, swords flashed and spears clashed at Tonghua Gate.

General Feng quickly endured the pain and got up, rejoining the fighting force.

He held on until Guo Ziyi arrived with reinforcements, at which point he collapsed with a sense of relief.

At that time, Tonghua Gate was severely damaged.

Guo Ziyi immediately ordered: "Guards! Take General Feng to the palace and ask His Highness Prince Shou for instructions. Tell him that he is seriously injured and can no longer participate in the battle. Also, have these arrows inspected to ensure they are not poisoned."

"Yes!" Immediately, someone came and carried General Feng away.

General Feng's lips had turned white, and he could no longer hold on.

General Feng's subordinates temporarily took orders from Guo Ziyi.

Seeing that Tonghua Gate had been breached, they immediately demanded: "Tonghua Gate is connected to the surrounding city gates. Let's go all the way and take down all the city gates in the northeast!"

They were determined to inflict a major defeat on Shi Siming's private army and avenge General Feng's death.

Guo Ziyi agreed upon hearing this.

General Feng's men were all exceptionally brave and skilled in battle.

Let's go all out and show Shi Siming what the Tang army is all about!

At Guo Ziyi's command, the soldiers set out.

Two more hours passed, and it was already dark.

The Tang army won a great victory.

"Your Highness, we have fulfilled our mission and recaptured the three northeastern city gates, including Tonghua Gate. Together with the three northern city gates we recaptured earlier... Now, we only have a few northwestern city gates and the southern gate left to recapture!" Guo Ziyi excitedly reported to Li Mao.

Now, they have breached six city gates in a single day.

They defended the palace and even recaptured a small portion of Chang'an.

This greatly boosted the morale of the three armies, who were eager to rush to the front lines and seize the south from Shi Siming's private army.

Only Li Mao retained most of his rationality.

Li Mao shook his head and said, "Although this battle was fierce and exhilarating, it also severely weakened our army. Even General Feng is currently bedridden, and we don't know when his injuries will heal. If we get carried away now and go to attack the south, it would be a rash decision and we might make a mistake."

As arranged by Li Mao, everyone could only rest temporarily outside the palace. As for Guo Ziyi and General Feng, Li Mao made an exception and allowed them to stay overnight in the palace.

When Li Mao returned to the palace, it was no longer the bustling place it once was.

When Li Longji fled, he took Consort Liu and his favorite fragrant orchid with him.

Even most of the imperial guards, as well as the court officials and eunuchs, followed him.

The palace is now half empty, and even the lanterns in the corridors are unlit.

By the dim light of the candle, Li Mao unfolded a map of Chang'an and began to study it. He could let General Feng, Guo Ziyi, and the other soldiers rest, but he himself refused to rest easily.

As the leader of the group, he naturally has to set an example.

The candlelight illuminated the map on the stone table, and the pointer pointed to the southern region of Chang'an.

Li Mao's gaze sharpened, a resolute glint in his eyes.

"As long as we capture the southern gates, Chang'an can be completely recovered..." he muttered to himself, his finger lightly tapping the most important Mingde Gate on the map.

This is the starting point for conquering the south!

"Your Highness, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you everywhere!" Guo Ziyi walked in from the outer courtyard and saw Li Mao sitting in the courtyard, shivering in the cold wind. He sighed. Then, his expression became serious: "Your Highness, General Feng's injuries are quite serious. Although he is temporarily stable, he will probably have to stay in bed for ten days to half a month."

Li Mao looked up, his expression somewhat wistful: "He persisted all the way, and even when he was seriously injured, he did not back down a single step."

Guo Ziyi lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "General Feng's loyalty and courage deserve everyone's respect. He truly gave his all in this battle. Now the northeast of Chang'an is completely under our control. Only the west and south remain. If we can take them all, Chang'an will be ours!"

Li Mao nodded. He already had a plan in mind: to attack Mingde Gate in the south.

They just need to lie low for a while, wait until Shi Siming lowers his guard, and then strike, catching him off guard.

He said, “Taking the north and guarding the palace is the most important thing for everyone, but it is not what we want most in our hearts. There are the soldiers’ residences in the south of Chang’an. Their fathers, mothers, wives and children are trapped there, and their lives are uncertain. They must be very eager to go back.”

Guo Ziyi nodded.

He also wanted to go home and see his family as soon as possible.

He was still young and unmarried, but his parents lived in a small courtyard in the southern alley. He came from humble beginnings, having joined the Tang army through the military examination. His family was powerless and had not yet provided his parents with a comfortable retirement.

Li Mao's Prince Shou's residence was also located in the south.

Although Yang Yuhuan, whom he cared about most, was now safely in the Taizhen Temple, his concubine Wang and a group of eunuchs and servants were still in his residence.

First there is a country, then there is a family.

Now that he has protected the country, it's time for him to do his part for his family.

“Ziyi, others may be able to rest tonight, but neither of us can. We must immediately begin arranging the attack on the south gate. After biding our time, we must launch the attack immediately without delay.” Li Mao’s voice was firm. “We will wait until Shi Siming’s private army lowers its guard and then launch a surprise attack.”

Guo Ziyi replied, "Yes, Your Highness!"

It was late at night, but Li Mao still hadn't fallen asleep.

His thoughts drifted far away, and the image of Wang Shi kept echoing in his mind.

He had not seen her for a long time since the outbreak of the war.

Just as he was thinking about Wang Shi, a soft knock came from outside the tent.