Chapter 146: Blood Battle at Hulao Pass: A Single Engagement Captures Two Emperors (Combined Chapter, Please Subscribe)

——The four seas boiled over.

The entire Central Plains, with Luoyang at its core, had erupted into an earth-shattering great war.

Warlords from all directions gathered to vie for the throne;

it had even taken on the meaning of a single battle deciding the realm.

No — it was a single battle deciding the realm.

For the lords of the realm, if this battle could not utterly annihilate Li Tang, then looking across the whole realm it would be hard to imagine who else could possibly withstand the might of the Great Tang.

Hulao Pass.

As one of the most vital passes in the Luoyang region, far too many stories had unfolded here, and countless legends had been left behind as well.

Cast one's mind back to those years past;

it was Gu Chen who had held back the allied forces of Yuan Shao and the other lords at Hulao Pass.

Although in the end he had been forced to withdraw from Luoyang, he had still blocked the lords from all directions before this very pass.

This battle was likewise where Gu Chen first rose to fame across the realm.

——Five thousand men.

Only five thousand men!

While ensuring Luoyang did not slip out of the encirclement, Li Shimin could draw off at most five thousand elite troops — and that was likewise all the Great Tang could muster.

The lords from all directions pressed the attack.

With the elite forces all deployed abroad, Chang'an itself was already under tremendous strain.

It was utterly unable to send any aid.

The encirclement of Luoyang on the front line demanded even more men and horses.

The force heading to Hulao Pass numbered only five thousand, and would have to face Dou Jiande's army of nearly a hundred thousand head-on.

The danger of this battle could well be imagined.

Li Shimin was still a man of considerable personal charisma; even facing such a situation, there were still quite a few generals who wished to follow him there.

However, Li Shimin only picked out those generals who were skilled in martial prowess.

As for those adept at command, naturally they were left behind on the front line.

Gu Yan and the other Gu clan juniors likewise requested to fight, but Gu Quan naturally could not agree to it.

With Gu Yu not yet present at court,

he, as the eldest son,

had to shield all his brothers from every risk.

The army set out.

No one had any certainty of victory in this battle, and Li Shimin, Gu Quan and the others had no retreat either.

No matter what, they had to hold Dou Jiande before Hulao Pass.

Otherwise, the Tang army would be caught in a pincer between Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande, and once the elite forces were lost, the Great Tang would be doomed to perish.

Under such circumstances, who could be free of pressure?

But no matter what, all that remained for Li Shimin and Gu Quan was to face it head-on.

Low leaden clouds pressed down, choking the battlements of Hulao Pass until they could barely breathe.

Li Shimin leaned against the mottled bricks of the arrow tower, his fingertip brushing over the still-wet bloodstains on the city wall — splashed there two days prior when scouts clashed with Xia cavalry outriders.

He narrowed his eyes, gazing at the rolling black clouds on the horizon.

Though he kept his composure throughout,

the mere sight of his unbroken silence was enough to show what Li Shimin was feeling at this moment.

At this moment, a series of shouts suddenly rang out.

"Report!" A messenger staggered up onto the city tower. "The Xia vanguard is already three li below the pass!"

The wind came gusting in carrying the smell of earth, and Li Shimin immediately glanced at Gu Quan; without a word of preamble the two of them climbed straight up onto the city wall.

The next moment, they saw a dark, dense mass of humanity — stretching beyond the eye could follow — rapidly closing in from afar.

Those crimson banners embroidered with the character "Xia" swept across the plains like a sea of blood.

Countless spear-points pierced through the clouds, refracting a cold, sinister light in the gloom, like a host of serpents flicking their tongues, as if pressing the very heavens and earth down upon the pass.

The drums suddenly thundered.

The Tang troops, long since prepared to meet the enemy, swarmed up onto the city wall and readied themselves for battle.

An invisible pressure descended.

The gloomy sky combined with that dark, surging host of soldiers produced an oppressiveness that was simply too overwhelming.

"Does Ziyuan fear it?"

Li Shimin gazed at the army drawing ever nearer, then suddenly spoke, turning to look at Gu Quan and asking.

"Does Your Highness fear?" Gu Quan did not answer but countered, his already very solemn face showing not the slightest change.

Seeing this, Li Shimin was first slightly taken aback, then suddenly the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he actually laughed outright, "A true man dies when he must die — what is there to fear?"

"I do want to see —"

"what this Dou Jiande can do to me!"

Before he knew it, Li Shimin's hands had already unconsciously tightened around the sword at his waist.

Gu Quan gave a slight nod, his gaze gradually sharpening as it fixed upon the army drawing ever nearer below the wall, and said calmly, "Indeed. A true man stands in the world — when he must die, he dies. What is there to fear?"

Neither of them made any attempt to rally the troops' morale.

With such an enormous disparity, what use was there in saying things to rally morale?

Reality is, after all, not a novel.

And it certainly isn't some TV drama where shouting a few lines while fighting outnumbered can rally the whole army.

Everyone gets scared, everyone feels the pressure.

If one wants to completely turn all of this around—

there is only one way: to truly repel the enemy and let the results speak!

In an instant the great army had already advanced close before the pass. Dou Jiande did not rush to attack, but rather urged his horse forward slowly, accompanied by several dozen orderlies, and sneered as he looked toward the top of the city wall.

"Up on the pass—is that the second son of the Li family?"

The shouts, one after another, instantly rode the breeze and drifted over.

The second son of the Li family!

Dou Jiande clearly intended to use the momentum to crush the Tang army's morale outright. He opened with words aimed at the mind, addressing Li Shimin directly in the tone of an elder.

"Bandits—why bother with mere words?" Li Shimin's voice rang like Jin Shi, every syllable resonant,

and the orderlies immediately tore open their throats, turning those words into a thunderous roar that echoed across the pass city above.

Once the clamor had quieted slightly, Li Shimin strode forward abruptly, drew his long sword, and the blade-light, like a silver ribbon, sliced through the gloom. He pointed his sword straight at Dou Jiande's army and declared in a clear voice: "I stand here today! If you have the guts, bring it on!"

"Bandits come with a great army, yet all they know is to show off the sharpness of their tongues."

"Could it be—"

"that you fear the might of my name, Li Shimin?"

Every response rang out like thunder.

At this moment, Gu Quan also spoke: "Gu Shizi Gu Ziyuan is here—how dare you Intrude on the Border?"

He did this entirely on purpose.

Nearly the bulk of Dou Jiande's forces were men of Hebei, and the name of a Gu family scion would absolutely affect their fighting spirit.

Sure enough, the moment those words left his mouth—

the army below instantly showed some signs of unrest.

In an instant, a flash of fury crossed Dou Jiande's face.

In fact, Li Shimin was right—he truly did harbor some wariness of Li Shimin, and of Gu Quan beside him.

"Seeking death!"

He dared not hesitate any longer.

Since the attack on the mind had failed, there was nothing for it but a frontal assault.

Although he truly was deeply wary in his heart, what could he do about it?

He had a hundred thousand troops at his back!

A hundred thousand troops could sweep away every obstacle.

—The great battle erupted in an instant.

Gu Quan's name could indeed shake the Xia army's morale, but to think that a mere name alone could rout the enemy was clearly not enough. Only someone of Gu Chen's caliber might be able to accomplish such a thing.

Dou Jiande would not wait any longer.

From the moment Gu Quan revealed his identity, the chance for this kind of psychological stratagem had been completely lost!

He had no choice but to attack directly!

Shouts of killing rose to the heavens, and dense arrows, accompanied by the constant whistle of splitting air, rained down like droplets.

Dou Jiande understood perfectly well.

He absolutely could not give Li Shimin the chance to stall him.

Even if this first battle could not directly breach Hulao Pass, it still had to yield some progress.

He did not believe the Tang army's morale could be so unshakeable.

So long as one victory was won, under such a disparity in numbers the Tang army's morale was bound to collapse entirely.

By then he could drive straight in.

In fact, Dou Jiande's aim in this battle was not merely for the sake of Wang Shichong—he had his own designs.

Having come this far—

who among them would not wish to go all the way and claim the seat of Hegemon of All Under Heaven?

Dou Jiande had long since made his plans.

So long as he could break through Hulao Pass, nearly annihilate the Tang army's elite, he could then ride the momentum to strike straight at Wang Shichong, seize Luoyang as well as Li Tang's Chang'an, Longxi, and other lands, and add to that his foundation in Hebei.

By then he would become the strongest warlord under heaven.

Precisely for this reason, Dou Jiande had not agreed to his advisors' strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" to attack Chang'an.

He needed to seize the initiative and pluck the fruits of victory.

As for what the other warlords would think by then—why should he care?

The road to the throne—

naturally required each to play his own hand.

Once he became the strongest warlord under heaven, why should he care about the attitudes of the rest?

So no matter what, Dou Jiande had to seize the advantage.

Under his continuous issuing of orders—

the entire Xia army's offensive was extremely fierce.

But Hulao Pass was a perilous barrier; no matter how many troops Dou Jiande had beneath him, constrained by the terrain he could not pile all his forces on at once.

This was the greatest reliance Li Shimin, Gu Quan, and the others had.

They only needed to hold back this fiercest wave of the Xia army's assault, and that alone would be enough to shatter their fighting spirit!

"Kill!!!"

"KILL!!!"

"KILL!!!"

"."

On this battlefield, which could be called a meat grinder, hormones surged endlessly, stimulating every soldier's emotions and unleashing deafening roars.

Li Shimin never retreated.

Alongside Gu Quan, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, and others, he fought alongside the troops before the pass!

There really were too many of them!

The Xia army's reinforcements flowed endlessly, like water—no matter how many you killed, more kept coming.

Amid the dense throngs, some always slipped past arrows and rolling boulders, climbing up the pass walls, triggering hand-to-hand combat.

Fortunately, Li Shimin had assembled the elite among the elite.

But it wasn't just the Xia army affected by hormones—these Tang troops were too.

Especially after witnessing Li Shimin and Generals like Gu Quan never retreating, their battle fury surged even higher.

But this battle was, for the Tang army,

equally grueling.

Blood soaked the earth; history seemed to reverse, countless lives falling once more beneath this legendary pass.

Among them were both Tang and Xia soldiers.

Yet compared to the Tang army's all-elite force, the Xia army's casualties were indeed heavier.

But under their overwhelming numbers, it was negligible.

—Three full days!

Dou Jiande had launched relentless assaults for three days.

On several occasions, he nearly broke through Hulao Pass—but each time, he was repelled.

In the end, he had no choice but to order his entire army to rest.

Under such massive casualties and psychological pressure, he had to prevent mutiny and preserve his troops' combat effectiveness.

Even though he knew Li Shimin must also be at his limit.

Just one final push away.

But often, no matter how unwilling, you had to accept it.

Because rumors had begun spreading in camp—rumors about Li Shimin and the Gu family—he had to control this.

Of course, there was another, more crucial reason.

He wanted Li Tang and Wang Shichong to keep exhausting each other.

This was the most critical reason.

As long as he maintained the right balance, he could then reap the benefits as the bystander.

Inside Hulao Pass.

Watching the enemy gradually withdraw, Li Shimin's longsword dropped instantly to the ground; his body collapsed like a drained man, gasping uncontrollably.

Gu Quan, Cheng Yaojin, and others were the same—completely unable to control themselves.

Three full days of assault.

These generals, including Li Shimin, had never left the front line; daily rest time was less than an hour, and even when resting, they did so before the pass.

The physical and mental toll was unimaginable.

But after only a brief rest, Li Shimin picked up his sword again and forced himself upright.

Seeing this, the soldiers immediately rose to their feet.

But Li Shimin waved his hand: "No need. Brothers, rest well—more great battles are coming."

He spoke softly, then moved to inspect the troops.

This he must do.

Only then could the soldiers truly see that their Qin Wang stood with them—giving them courage.

Perhaps too exhausted, the soldiers did not rise.

Only Gu Quan slowly stood up.

Li Shimin glanced at him, said nothing—Gu Quan was different from other generals, whether in prestige within the Tang army or his status, he could still make a difference now.

Perhaps due to exhaustion, the two supported each other as they walked slowly through the pass.

The ground was crimson.

Exhausted soldiers and corpses lay intertwined, indistinguishable.

Wounded men moaned in agony.

Many conscious soldiers instinctively tried to rise upon seeing Li Shimin and Gu Quan—but both stopped them.

Gu Quan did not overstep; he never spoke much.

He simply let Li Shimin comfort the soldiers, giving them hope.

At the same time, he arranged the next phase of defense.

Yet these horrific scenes made Li Shimin's expression grow ever graver.

The rise and fall of the realm—people suffer always.

He could not help but think of this phrase, the eternal truth.

After completing his inspection,

Li Shimin looked at Gu Quan and spoke gravely: "We cannot hold out like this forever—Hulao Pass will fall if we do."

His losses in this battle have been substantial.

Although compared to the Xia army attacking the city, these casualties could be called a great victory.

But after all, the troop strength was right here; the one holding the advantage was still Dou Jiande.

This was an indisputable fact.

"Do you have a good plan, Ziyuan?"

Without any superfluous nonsense, Li Shimin went straight to ask Gu Quan's thoughts.

Under the circumstances of defending the city.

He still trusted Gu Quan's talent very much.

"Shift from defense to offense, strike at their morale." Gu Quan seemed to have long since prepared his answer, sitting down as he spoke earnestly: "Only in this way might we be able to hold Hulao."

He recounted for Li Shimin the matter of how Gu Chen in years past had defended Luoyang with a small force.

Li Shimin had naturally heard these stories.

But compared to the Gu clan's genealogical records, they were indeed quite lacking.

Li Shimin listened very attentively, weighing every gain and loss within.

Once Fang Fu finished speaking, Gu Quan immediately requested to fight: "Your Highness, this general is willing to lead five hundred soldiers out of the city to display our military might!"

That's right, he wanted to go precisely while they had just finished fighting.

A bloody battle that had lasted three days.

If the Xia army saw that the Tang army still had the strength to fight, their morale would surely be affected.

Actually, this stratagem was not aimed at the high command like Dou Jiande.

It was simply using the human heart to set a trap!

Gu Quan firmly believed in the influence of the Gu clan's name throughout Hebei; even without knowing the Xia army's current state, he could determine that the Xia army's pressure was absolutely no less than the Tang army's!

"Good!"

Hearing this, Li Shimin nodded slightly and did not refuse.

But just as Gu Quan was about to rise, Li Shimin reached out and placed a hand directly on his shoulder: "I will go together with Ziyuan."

Gu Quan paused in his steps, slightly stunned.

Li Shimin smiled calmly: "If we are to display military might, how could I, as commander-in-chief of the three armies, step back?"

A true man should die when it is time to die.

At this stage, Li Shimin no longer cared about so much; he simply wanted to seize the one possibility available.

Gu Quan was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly without saying more.

"Let's go, first clean ourselves up."

"Let them see the military bearing of our Great Tang!"

As he spoke, Li Shimin directly pulled Gu Quan along with him.

Afterwards the two of them selected soldiers who still had some strength left, including Cheng Yaojin and others, and went together.

It was fortunate that the Tang army was not short of provisions now.

Capturing the Luoyang granary was absolutely the key to this battle; it gave the Tang army the greatest confidence to keep their morale from wavering.

Many people naturally still wanted to dissuade him.

Whether for Li Shimin's safety or for the great battle to come, Li Shimin resting well now was the wisest decision.

But Li Shimin was very calm, and before several hundred soldiers he said lightly: "The soldiers are all fighting in blood; how could I retreat?"

"As for safety."

His tone paused slightly, and he shook the bow and arrows in his hand: "I hold the bow and arrows, you all follow with your lances; even against a million, what can they do to me!"

From beginning to end, Li Shimin was always that calm and confident.

Perhaps this was where Li Shimin was extraordinary.

A commander like him would give his soldiers a rare sense of security.

Creak—

As the gates of Hulao Pass swung wide open, several hundred horsemen followed Li Shimin and Gu Quan as they charged out, passing through the corpses strewn across the ground toward the Xia army's main camp.

He did not linger along the way.

This news was naturally quickly reported back by the Xia army's scouts.

The entire Xia army, high and low, was shocked!

Who could have expected that after days of bloody fighting had just ended, Li Shimin would actually lead troops at this moment?

Had he gone mad?

Or—

Had something happened at Luoyang, and the Tang army's elite had already arrived?

Smart people often share one flaw.

That is, they overthink.

Especially when the Xia army, high and low, had already concluded that the Tang army was at the end of its rope, this kind of thing would make people unable to help overthinking.

But no matter what, how could Dou Jiande let slip such a structural opportunity?

These were prey delivered right to his door.

He did not hesitate at all, and immediately arranged soldiers to surround and cut off Li Shimin.

But was Li Shimin's trip a suicide mission?

He was merely displaying military might, while at the same time wanting to continue expanding the unrest within the Xia army's ranks.

When the cries of "Luoyang is lost, our Tang army's elite are about to descend on Hulao" gradually rang out, his plan was already complete.

There was no need to engage in a prolonged fight at all.

They didn't even need to fight and kill.

This was the benefit of small-scale guerrilla tactics; taking down Li Shimin, Gu Quan, and the others head-on would not have been so easy.

As for how many people actually heard these words, no one cared at all.

A single spark can start a prairie fire.

Even if only one person heard such talk, under the current situation, countless rumors would still rise among the Xia army.

—The situation suddenly changed.

Perhaps out of fear of the prophecy, or perhaps out of dread of the Gu clan.

Even though Dou Jiande kept trying to control things, he still could not stop the various rumors.

Once "deserters" began to appear.

The situation already showed signs of slipping from his grasp, but Dou Jiande was indeed a formidable leader—under such circumstances he even brought out the Gu clan, falsely claiming that he too had received Gu Yu's approval and the like, using this to soothe the people's hearts.

He no longer cared how the Gu clan would fare in the future.

As long as he could win this battle, he could withstand any backlash that came afterward!

But—he had made a critically fatal mistake.

As the weather grew hotter, to make fetching water easier, he had actually set up the entire army's camp directly on the east bank of the Si River.

He arrayed his forces in a line twenty li long, with the Yellow River to the north and Que Mountain to the south.

At first glance, this did not look like the makings of a defeated army.

But as the temperature rose, the proliferation of bacteria was an unavoidable factor in this era—especially when there was only a single water source.

—A great plague still struck the Xia army.

Although the accompanying physicians were able to quickly contain the epidemic.

With the rumors of the prophecy impossible to quell, any accident that occurred would be taken as "heaven's punishment."

"This is the retribution for us disregarding the Gu clan's kindness!"

"If our ancestors saw that we are now waging war against a son of the Gu clan, they would be shamed by us!"

"We beg Lord Wencheng for forgiveness."

"."

In just a few short days, the chaos within the Xia army became utterly impossible to control.

In truth, Dou Jiande had never committed any major error from beginning to end.

Every decision he made was the one most advantageous to himself.

Holding Li Shimin at Hulao Pass, letting the Tang army and Wang Shichong wear each other down, including the various lords attacking Tang Tu from all sides, while he reaped the fisherman's profit.

If all of this could proceed smoothly.

He would absolutely become the strongest lord under heaven, infinitely close to the position of sovereign of all under heaven.

But the only problem was—

He had underestimated Li Shimin;

And likewise underestimated the Gu clan's influence among the most ordinary common folk of Hebei.

Actually, one could not really blame him—it was simply a matter of human hearts.

Had he himself not once been one of them?

It was only that, with the change in his status and position, and the Gu clan's refusal to aid him, that gratitude and faith in his heart had imperceptibly faded, and faded greatly.

But even so, Dou Jiande still managed to steady the three armies.

But what good was that?

From the moment chaos appeared in his camp, for Li Shimin the opportunity had already arrived!

"Brothers, it is my intent to personally lead the army and strike directly at the Xia army's main banner."

"If possible—"

"I wish to launch a direct assault on the Xia army's main camp!"

Within Hulao Pass.

Li Shimin stood before a terrain map, explaining his decision to the assembled officers.

The formation stretching nearly twenty li had begun to loosen.

As long as one section could be severed, the enemy army could be completely split apart; one careless misstep might even cause the entire army to collapse in rout.

Though this move was very dangerous.

It was also a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity!

The hall was utterly silent; everyone was looking at Li Shimin with extremely resolute eyes.

—The answer needed no further words.

The fact that Li Shimin referred to himself as "gu" already made his attitude clear.

And these officers who had fought alongside him for so long.

Would not shrink back at this moment.

That very night, Li Shimin personally led the great army—nearly the full force out of the nest—and charged straight at the Xia army's main camp.

—No one could have anticipated such a reversal.

With such an enormous disparity in troop numbers, Li Shimin actually dared to switch from defense to offense.

Who could believe this?

But no matter how hard it was to believe, Dou Jiande had no choice but to face reality.

Yet in the end, all of this was still too late.

Li Shimin had long since scouted everything thoroughly; he had been waiting precisely for this critical moment to strike.

He had wagered nearly everything he had.

Including his life!

How could he possibly let Dou Jiande turn the tables?

Before the enemy army could even react, Li Shimin had already broken through the defensive line and charged straight toward the Xia army's great banner.

And then, at dawn.

As the Xia army's great banner was cut down, things did not go beyond Li Shimin's expectations.

The Xia army's soldiers instinctively assumed the rear had been attacked.

This was the hardest problem to solve in a chained camp — orders could not get through!

Li Shimin would never give up such an opportunity; while the enemy army still could not react, he swiftly cut off communications in all four directions.

He threw everything into attacking Dou Jiande's dragon tent.

The situation descended into complete chaos.

After completely losing contact with the central army, the Xia forces on all four sides had become headless flies.

Even if someone noticed something wrong with the central army.

Under such circumstances, another thought would instinctively arise.

— The central army had been utterly routed!

Even Dou Jiande himself might have been captured.

No one was willing to die for nothing, especially since the Xia army's morale had already collapsed; all these factors combined pushed the entire Xia army into the abyss of total collapse.

And Li Shimin never paused from beginning to end.

He had only one target—

That was Dou Jiande!

Chaos!

Utter chaos.

Dou Jiande had wanted to resist at first, but as things continued to unfold, he was ultimately forced to choose flight.

Regardless of how the soldiers on all four sides fared.

Even his own central army had already lost the will to resist.

How could this battle possibly be fought?

He could only flee!

Li Shimin paid no attention to the other Xia forces at all; his target was only one — he clung tightly to Dou Jiande and would not let go!

As long as Dou Jiande was captured.

With the Gu family's help and supplies, subduing these troops would not be a difficult matter!

When that time came, offense and defense could be reversed — this was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity!

Li Shimin was like a madman who did not care about his life, pursuing with reckless abandon.

He did not even spare a thought for his own injuries.

Under such circumstances, Dou Jiande finally had nowhere to retreat; under the dual pressure of body and mind, he carelessly tumbled from his warhorse.

Facing the Tang soldiers who arrived in an instant.

In his terror, he could only reveal his identity.

"Do not kill me — I am the King of Xia!"

"I am the Emperor of Great Xia."

What Hegemon of All Under Heaven, what Son of Heaven, what eternal hegemonic enterprise.

Under the threat of death.

Dou Jiande finally crushed everything he had once dreamed of.

He only wanted to live.

— The overall situation was completely settled.

Even when they saw Dou Jiande being brought over with their own eyes, some still found it hard to believe.

Li Shimin's expression was equally complicated.

Exhaustion; relief, and a flood of other emotions all surged in at once.

Even Gu Quan, who was always very stern, could not help but have his expression shift slightly.

For them.

This battle had ultimately cost far, far too much.

What Li Shimin bore on his shoulders was the Great Tang, a rising realm under heaven.

And what Gu Quan bore was the Gu family's prestige — even the Gu family's very survival.

If they had lost to Dou Jiande, would Dou Jiande have spared the Gu family?

Even if Gu Yu still had tricks up his sleeve.

The Gu family would still inevitably have paid an enormous price.

But now — they had won.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Shimin immediately took Dou Jiande and hurried back along the route they had come.

He wanted to subdue Dou Jiande's troops.

At the same time, he also wanted to send someone to deliver this news to the Luoyang front.

The current situation at Luoyang was still at a stalemate.

Wang Shichong was still holding out stubbornly; even though the city had reached the point of slaughtering horses for food, he was still clinging desperately to the city.

Now he had placed all his hopes on Dou Jiande.

As long as this news could be sent over.

Then the day to pacify Luoyang would soon be at hand!

The process of subduing the Xia army went remarkably smoothly—so much so that there was no need for Dou Jiande, that so-called Emperor, at all.

Facing a Xia army that had long since lost all will to fight.

All it took was for Gu Quan to show himself.

And they would lay down the weapons in their hands.

The truly troublesome matter was Luoyang. Faced with the news that the Tang army had already crushed the Xia army and even captured Dou Jiande alive, no one there was willing to believe it.

—Who would dare believe it?

Even Li Yuanji, Li Jing, and the others were dumbfounded when they heard this news.

Let alone Wang Shichong?

But reality is, after all, still reality.

No matter how unwilling Wang Shichong was to accept it—no matter how many men he killed one after another—the moment he saw with his own eyes Dou Jiande in that cage, everything was truly over.

Wu De, fourth year, eleventh day of the seventh month;

The tightly shut gates of Luoyang were, at last, slowly pushed open.

Wang Shichong had now stripped off his dragon robe, and in its place wore the attire of a minister.

Holding the jade seal he had once valued most, he led a host of civil and military officials slowly toward Li Shimin, then slowly knelt down.

One battle, and Heluo was settled!

——————

"In the third year of Wu De, the feudal lords conspired together to strike at Tang.

At the time, Grand General Quan followed Qin Wang Shimin on the campaign against the Eastern Capital, first seizing the key strongpoints, capturing several cities in succession, and then laying siege to Luoyang.

The Nine Provinces were shaken, the four quarters thrown into turmoil.

The Xia Emperor Dou Jiande, upon hearing the news, led a hundred thousand men from Hebei, hoping to ride the snipe-and-clam standoff. Qin Wang shifted his forces to Hulao to resist him; the Xia army assaulted the pass day and night, but for three days on end could not take it.

Quan offered counsel: 'Their army is worn and their spirit is failing—shift from defense to attack to shatter their will.'

Qin Wang took his advice, personally led his troops out, and the Xia host was thrown into panic; superstitious rumors rose on every side.

It happened that Dou Jiande arrayed his forces on the east bank of the Si River, his back to the Dahe in the north and linked to Que Mountain in the south, stretching for twenty li.

Before long a great plague broke out in his army and the battle line loosened. Qin Wang, watching for their lapse, personally donned armor and led the Xuanjia in a sudden charge; Quan cut his way forward all the way, with fierce generals Gong, Qiong, and others opening the path.

Dou Jiande broke and fled; he was pursued to Niukou Ford and there captured.

In this single battle, the slain and captured filled the fields, Heluo was settled, and all under heaven stood in awe."

—*Book of Tang*, Biography of Gu Quan

(End of this chapter)