Chapter 39: Li Longji Unleashes Another Masterstroke!
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There was still more unfolding across the heavenly screen!
“After Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing were executed, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang appointed Geshu Han to take command of two hundred thousand troops and defend Tong Pass.”
“Geshu Han was a renowned general. After taking over the defenses of Tong Pass, he repeatedly defeated An Qingxu, An Lushan’s second son, whenever he launched an attack.”
“Geshu Han believed Gao Xianzhi’s strategy had been correct, so he insisted on holding Tong Pass. He believed that once Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi began winning more victories, An Lushan would inevitably be defeated within two years.”
The Great Tang.
Seeing this, Li Er finally breathed a sigh of relief. Geshu Han’s decision was the right one.
Tong Pass was the vital route to Chang’an. Once Tong Pass fell, Chang’an would be in peril.
As long as a dynasty’s capital remained secure, as long as nothing unexpected happened, there would always be a chance to turn the tide!
Yet what appeared next on the heavenly screen sent Li Er into another fit of fury.
“Geshu Han had originally been defending the pass perfectly. As long as he waited for Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi to arrive with reinforcements, An Lushan would certainly be defeated. An Lushan knew this as well and was nearly frantic. He tried every method he could think of, but he simply could not break through.”
“However, after Yang Guozhong spread slanderous rumors, Emperor Xuanzong repeatedly urged Geshu Han to leave the pass and engage the enemy.”
“By then, the elderly Geshu Han was already weak and feeble. He even needed Gao Shi to help him mount his horse. But an imperial edict could not be disobeyed. With no other choice, Geshu Han led two hundred thousand soldiers out of the pass. They fell into an ambush laid by An Lushan’s army, and the entire force was annihilated. Geshu Han himself was captured while trying to buy time for Gao Shi and the others to retreat. Tong Pass fell soon afterward.”
Every emperor beneath the heavenly screen, regardless of dynasty, was rendered speechless by Li Longji’s astonishing maneuver.
For a moment, they even wondered whether Li Longji and An Lushan had some unspeakable affair going on!
Li Er was trembling from head to toe. “Damn it! Just wait until I get there—I’ll put an arrow through you myself!”
Suppressing the urge to vomit blood, he continued watching the video on the heavenly screen.
He wanted to see what other outrageous blunders Li Longji could possibly make!
Li Zhi was so furious that he had lost all reason.
They had already been guaranteed victory by simply holding the pass, yet this fool had insisted on interfering and issuing reckless orders!
Was this really his descendant?
“Idiot! What an idiot!” Li Zhi’s voice had begun to distort.
Because of this idiot’s blind commands, the entire Great Tang would have to pay for his mistake!
One did not fear an opponent as terrifying as a god; what one feared was an ally as useless as a pig. Two hundred thousand soldiers—an entire army!
Two hundred thousand!
The whole force had been wiped out!
Once Chang’an fell, the Great Tang would be only a step away from destruction!
If Li Longji appeared before Li Zhi now, Li Zhi would certainly teach him exactly how the Great Tang dealt with traitorous black-hearted schemers.
…
During the Kaiyuan era of the Great Tang.
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Li Longji watched the heavenly screen announce the fall of Tong Pass and collapsed into his dragon throne.
“Was I wrong? Was I wrong? No… no, I was not wrong. Yang Guozhong blinded me!”
“Yes, Yang Guozhong blinded me!”
Li Longji had found a reasonable explanation for his outrageous decision. “Guards! Drag the treacherous villain Yang Guozhong outside and execute him!”
Yang Guozhong dropped to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face. “Your Majesty… you… you cannot do this!”
“I cannot do this? If not for you, how could I have made such a decision? Take him away and execute him!”
Li Longji pushed all the blame onto Yang Guozhong.
He was the emperor, the Son of Heaven, supreme beneath the heavens. He could not be wrong.
Therefore, the fault could only lie with Yang Guozhong.
The guards at the entrance dragged Yang Guozhong away like a dead dog.
“You tyrant! You tyrant! Even if I gave the wrong advice, were you not the one who made the final decision?”
“Tyrant!”
Knowing that he could not escape death, Yang Guozhong began cursing him outright.
Li Longji was furious. “Have this dog executed by a thousand cuts! A thousand cuts!”
It was true that he had been at fault, but he refused to admit it. Thus, Yang Guozhong would simply have to die in his place.
Yang Yuhuan watched Li Longji’s icy expression. The words she had been about to speak died on her lips.
Li Longji then issued another decree. “Send orders to Gao Xianzhi, Feng Changqing, and Guo Ziyi. They are to do everything in their power. I will not interfere at all!”
“Anyone who disobeys will meet the same fate as this cup!”
With that, he hurled the glass cup in his hand onto the floor, smashing it to pieces.
Meanwhile, upon the heavenly screen:
“After An Lushan broke through Tong Pass, he advanced straight toward Chang’an. Li Longji summoned every imperial guard in the capital, intending to fight An Lushan to the death and personally lead the campaign.”
The people beneath the heavenly screen could not help feeling that this emperor still possessed a little courage.
The First Emperor of Qin: “At least he is a man with some spirit!”
The Han Boar: “Even if he loses this battle, I will acknowledge him as an emperor. Nothing else matters; I respect the fact that he personally leads the army.”
A Broken Bowl: “Heh! Just keep watching. This fellow is a sneaky bastard!”
The Yongle Emperor: “Exactly, who would have thought—”
All the emperors stared at the Yongle Emperor’s message and recalled Heavenly Treasure’s warning that spoilers were forbidden.
It seemed that even if they wanted to give away the ending, they could not. They could not see the rest of his message at all!
Li Er had originally thought this fellow might not be beyond saving. But judging by the situation, he still had another blunder in store.
He might well be about to make an utterly colossal one.
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“But on the eve of the decisive battle, Li Longji hurriedly fled with Yang Yuhuan, several members of the imperial family, and a number of ministers. As for the princes, grandsons, and consorts left behind because they could not be taken along, their fate was to be slaughtered by An Lushan’s forces.”
“The common people fled for their lives in every direction. In the dark corners of the city, street thugs robbed, murdered, smashed, and looted, plunging everything into chaos. The entire city of Chang’an lost all trace of its former grandeur.”
“When An Lushan captured Chang’an, the capital fell!”
The scene showed bandits burning, killing, and looting everywhere. Li Longji’s consorts and princesses were treated by An Lushan as toys in the palm of his hand.
The princes and imperial grandsons were slaughtered to the last.
The impact of the entire scene was overwhelming.
Beneath the heavenly screen, Li Er stared at the spectacle with blazing fury and slammed his fist against the table.
“Just as I expected! This fellow really did make an utterly colossal blunder!”
It was unbearably humiliating!
He had been humiliated beyond all measure. He did not even dare open the group chat.
He did not need to think about it to know that the entire group was probably laughing themselves sick.
With a grim expression, Li Er picked up his armor and began strapping it onto himself, not uttering a word.
The killing intent in his eyes had already become almost tangible.
He had made up his mind. Once he got there, he would do nothing else first—he would send this wretch to the next world with a single arrow.
In another realm, Li Zhi trembled with rage and shouted, “With conduct like this, how can he call himself a ruler? He has plunged the people of the Great Tang into misery and brought shame upon the imperial family!”
“Very well… very well indeed, Li Longji. It seems I will have to raise more death warriors.”
The emperors of every dynasty were also left utterly dumbfounded by Li Longji’s treacherous behavior.
The First Emperor of Qin: “I originally thought the old boy had some courage. Never would I have imagined that he would pull something like this.”
The Han Boar: “This old boy does not do a single thing worthy of being called human. I truly cannot understand how the glorious age earlier could possibly have been created by someone like him.”
A Broken Bowl: “I told you all—this kid is a sneaky bastard!”
The Yongle Emperor: “Nothing more to say… there is still more afterward!”
A Broken Bowl: “@The Yongle Emperor, who exactly are you, kid? You are not one of those cowards from the Song dynasty, are you?”
The Yongle Emperor: “??? Why are you insulting people?”
Disarming the Generals with a Cup of Wine: “??? What do you mean? You look down on the Song dynasty? If you have the courage, fight me one-on-one! @A Broken Bowl!”
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