The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

Is there any suspense in this challenge?

Have!

If Li Er had been slower to realize it...

This gave the powerful families and An Lushan enough time to mobilize their armies and prepare for an encirclement and suppression.

Then they might be able to surround Li Er and his three thousand Xuanjia soldiers before the people who came seeking refuge arrive.

The outcome at that time will depend solely on whether Li Er can break through the encirclement.

And most likely, he can't do it!

Or perhaps the powerful families and An Lushan were not so cunning, and they joined forces to suppress him immediately.

Then it would be impossible for Geshuhan to lure the enemy into the trap so easily.

At least the Xuanjia Army's strength could not have been preserved so completely.

But there are no "what ifs" in this world.

When Geshu Han led his Xuanjia troops to kill enemy generals and seize flags, the morale of the 200,000-strong allied army of the aristocratic families collapsed.

When Yuchi Gong drove more than 100,000 people of the imperial court into a dead end.

The suspense surrounding this battle has been completely put to rest.

The powerful families can indeed spare a large army in a short period of time.

But the problem is that when Emperor Taizong's name is placed alongside theirs...

If they can muster 100,000 troops, then Li Er will have at least a million more soldiers around him!

Without a doubt, if both sides were to be laid bare, the prestige of the name Taizong would be terrifying!

"Let me tell you, if this challenge were to come from us, we might need to quietly develop our power, but for Li Er, it couldn't be simpler!"

Seeing that the battle was over, Liu Bang couldn't wait to speak.

"Just as I have such influence in the Han Dynasty."

Dealing with mere rebels couldn't be easier!

"The only pity is that I still don't know why the glory of the Tang Dynasty has turned into what is seen in the sky."

His view was the same as Li Er's.

Guo Ziyi, Geshu Han, and others can definitely be called capable ministers in times of peace and fierce generals on the battlefield.

With such people assisting, how could the country fall into chaos?

Some say it's Yang Guifei's fault.

Zhao Kuangyin thought for a moment and said.

Many historians' records place the blame on Yang Guifei.

"But in my opinion, it was because Li Longji became senile in his later years that he would have done the same absurd things regardless of whether Yang Guifei was around."

Even if there was no Yang Guifei, there was still Li Guifei and Wang Guifei.

The important thing is not that woman, but Li Longji himself!

“Absurd? I’m curious to see how absurd it is.”

"How absurd could it be that he brought the rebel leader into the challenge as well?"

In Xiang Yu's view, this was the most absurd thing Li Longji had ever done.

In the challenges posed by immortals, both the generals and soldiers they bring are all life-saving measures provided by the immortals.

If there is no general you can trust, it is better to leave the position vacant than to bring along a person with malicious intent!

Even more absurdly, for Li Longji, even those three thousand soldiers came from An Lushan's command!

This means that even if An Lushan's attack was not fatal, he would have countless opportunities to finish off his opponent.

Everyone belongs to him, and once the challenge begins, no one can stop it from happening!

"Although this matter is absurd, it doesn't seem to rank very high in his life as emperor."

"It can be said that, in the history we know, as long as he hadn't issued those inexplicable decrees and hadn't recklessly interfered in the battles on the front lines, the Tang Dynasty wouldn't have suffered such great losses in the An Lushan Rebellion!"

Old Zhu thought for a moment and said.

Li Longji, the master of micro-management, was not just a name without substance!

He single-handedly allowed the An Lushan Rebellion, which should have been suppressed long ago, to sweep across the entire Tang Dynasty!

The loss of soldiers and generals caused the entire Tang Dynasty to begin its decline!

"...It's hard to judge. Is it really this kind of person who ushered in another golden age for the Tang Dynasty?"

Xiang Yu's expression was complex.

During the prosperous Kaiyuan era, he still remembered his previous assessment of Li Longji's early life.

"His civil administration is flawless, and his martial arts skills are beyond question."

Old Zhu thought for a moment and said.

When judging an emperor, one cannot avoid considering his civil administration and military achievements.

Even if someone is only good at one thing, as long as they can stick to it to the end, they can probably be considered a wise ruler.

Unfortunately, Li Longji only persisted in civil administration for half his life before sinking into hedonism and becoming unable to extricate himself.

"Wait a minute, this An Lushan seems to be something special."

Everyone else was discussing intensely how incompetent Li Longji must have become in his later years to cause the once-prosperous Tang Dynasty to decline.

Zhao Kuangyin suddenly noticed something unusual.

An Lushan actually abandoned most of the cities and gathered the entire army of the Great Yan Dynasty at Tongguan Pass.

At the same time, powerful families are frantically drawing on their manpower.

Even though the court and aristocratic families are usually scheming against each other, everyone understands the principle of mutual dependence in the present situation!

Neither side could withstand Li Er's offensive alone; they could only win by cooperating!

As a former successful rebel leader, An Lushan knew this very well.

If Li Er wanted to conquer Chang'an and rebuild the Tang Dynasty, he would have to pass through Tongguan.

Under these circumstances, it would be unwise to divide troops and station them in major cities.

Under the sway of Emperor Taizong of Tang, the army of the Great Yan Dynasty often suffered losses and could not be replenished.

On the contrary, the army under Emperor Taizong's command only grew larger with each battle.

Moreover, once Li Shimin gains power, their own garrison might be insufficient and could very well defect.

Therefore, in Zhao Kuangyin's view, An Lushan's decision was undoubtedly the most correct.

Gather your forces and engage Li Er in a decisive battle beneath Tong Pass!

Instead of engaging in a meaningless war of attrition, let's use this battle to decide the outcome!

"Interesting. As expected, An Lushan does have some ability to serve as the military governor of three regions."

Old Zhu also expressed his approval of his actions.

Not being concerned with the gains or losses of a single city or place is a strategic vision that a top general must possess.

An Lushan's decisiveness won him the approval of the vast majority of people.

This also earned him a chance!

A fair and square battle against Li Er, a chance to challenge the outcome!

"He's found the only way to turn this challenge around."

An Lushan's actions added a touch of suspense to the challenge.

Within the sky.

Li Er also realized that his approach to Chang'an had been far too easy.

In fact, several cities in succession did not encounter any decent resistance.

If one cannot guess An Lushan's plans, then one is not worthy of being the General of the Heavenly Strategy.

"Your Majesty, the area beneath Tongguan Pass is likely the site of our decisive battle against the rebels."

"Should we make some repairs first?"

A hundred miles outside Tongguan, scouts had already discovered the enemy's informants.

Both sides are already very clear about each other's thoughts.

"A decisive battle? What do you think our army's chances of winning are?"

Li Er stood outside the tent, his gaze fixed on the direction of Tongguan.

"An Lushan's choice was very clever. He set the decisive battle outside Tongguan Pass, and the outcome was probably fifty-fifty."

Guo Ziyi spoke the truth.

"Then why should I engage in a decisive battle with him?"