After staring a while longer and seeing they were only building the platform with no other activity, Li Yuanji yawned. After instructing the soldiers to keep watch, he returned to his residence to rest. When he came back the next day, Li Yuanji was startled. The platform that had been level with the city walls just last night had been raised a full double in height overnight, towering into the clouds.

The soldier Li Yuanji had left to guard this position said, “Your Highness, they worked on the platform all night until dawn before stopping. Since there was no other activity, I didn’t disturb Your Highness’s rest, but I can’t figure out what they’re trying to do.”

Li Yuanji was equally puzzled, but he had a vague feeling this matter wasn’t simple. After pondering for a while, he said, “Go to Ziwei Palace and tell Crown Prince about the situation here. Ask him to come over.”

“Yes.” As the soldier hurried to Ziwei Palace, in the Tang army camp outside the city, Liu Hongji was looking gravely at the dozen or so soldiers standing before him. “This mission means certain death with no survival. Are you truly resolved?”

“Yes!” The dozen soldiers answered in unison. The one standing in front said, “Sir, Li Jiancheng killed so many brothers—he absolutely cannot be spared. We few have no ties or attachments. If we die, no one will remember us, let alone grieve. Rather than living and dying in confusion like this, we might as well do something meaningful—at least die for a worthy cause!”

“I, Liu Hongji, promise you here that after this battle, as long as the Great Tang exists, your names will always remain and never disappear!”

These resounding words brought tears to the soldiers’ eyes as they choked out, “Thank you for these words, Sir. Please give your orders!”

“Good!” Saying this, Liu Hongji called out, “Bring the items up!”

Soon, someone carried over five kites, each a full three zhang wide. Although Yunyi had said only one person flying onto the city walls would suffice, for safety’s sake, Liu Hongji had ordered five kites made, just in case. Once Li Jiancheng reacted and moved those catapults, there would be no more opportunity.

As the saying goes—opportunity lost will not come again—this was precisely the case!

After giving instructions, three men first climbed the platform. As for the kites, being too large to carry up conveniently, they waited until the three had ascended, then lowered ropes to hoist them up.

At this time, Li Jiancheng had arrived on the city walls and witnessed this scene. Li Yuanji said beside him, “Elder brother, what do you think they’re doing? They’re surely not flying kites right now—there’s no wind!”

Li Jiancheng’s face was grave as he remained silent. He certainly didn’t think Liu Hongji was flying kites out of idle amusement. Besides, where would such enormous kites come from—three zhang wide, broader than ordinary houses?

But he couldn’t understand why Liu Hongji would make such useless kites during a military confrontation. While he was pondering, Li Yuanji’s voice reached his ears: “Elder brother, look quickly!”

Looking up, he saw one kite had already been hoisted up, with one soldier strapping it firmly to his body. At first glance, he looked like a giant bird. The soldier seemed to have something else bound to his body, but being too far away to see clearly, they could only make out that it was black.

Then they witnessed an astonishing scene—the soldier with the kite strapped on actually leaped from the platform dozens of zhang high, gliding toward them in a bird-like manner. However, after gliding only a dozen zhang, he plummeted to the ground, lying motionless. Tang soldiers immediately ran to him and dragged him back, his fate unknown.

One, two, three!

Soldiers continuously strapped on giant kites and leaped from the high platform, then crashed to the ground. Some unlucky ones even had their brains spilled out upon impact—quite horrifying.

Li Yuanji grew increasingly bewildered, “Elder brother, do you think they’ve gone mad, using this method to seek death?” Apart from intentionally seeking death, Li Yuanji could think of no other reason to explain what he was witnessing.

Li Jiancheng stared grimly at another soldier strapping on a kite, preparing to leap. Liu Hongji wasn’t mad—he would never do something so self-destructive. There must be his reason, but… what exactly?

A personal guard beside them tentatively said, “Your Highnesses, could they be trying to use kites to fly into our city?”

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanji slapped his thigh hard, “Right! How could I forget this—we have so many catapults and crossbow carts that they can’t attack from below, so they’re trying to attack from the air. It must be this!” Speaking thus, he laughed coldly repeatedly, “That old fox Liu Hongji has no shortage of rotten ideas, thinking up such absurd things. Never mind that they can’t fly at all—even if they could, what then? Could ten or twenty soldiers flying in capture Luoyang? Truly laughable!”

The personal guard flattered him saying, “Unable to take Luoyang, they’re desperately trying anything. We’re just watching a show!”

“Watching shows is too mentally taxing for me.” Saying this, he told Li Jiancheng, “Elder brother, there’s nothing worth watching. Let’s go.”

“No rush, let’s watch a while longer.” Though Li Jiancheng agreed with Li Yuanji’s words, he still felt Liu Hongji’s purpose wouldn’t be so simple.

Though Li Yuanji disagreed, he had always trusted Li Jiancheng. Seeing him say this, he could only continue staying on the city walls watching Tang soldiers leap from the tower repeatedly.

On the Tang army’s side, as more and more died, Liu Hongji and the others’ expressions grew increasingly grim. Indeed, theory and reality were far apart—each time the kites only glided a dozen zhang before crashing, completely unable to approach Luoyang’s city walls.

After another soldier was severely injured in the crash, Du Ruhui beside him finally couldn’t bear it, “Sir, perhaps we should stop for now.” Though the soldiers weren’t afraid of death, such meaningless sacrifice was truly heartbreaking.

Liu Hongji had the same thought and immediately sent word to halt the attempts. By this time, they only had five soldiers left who could be used.

After the messenger left, Du Ruhui frowned, “Could it be the kites aren’t large enough, so they can’t carry people to glide to Luoyang’s walls? Should I have someone make an even larger one to try?”

“The kites should be large enough. It should be…” Liu Hongji glanced at the motionless leaves nearby and said slowly, “due to the lack of wind at this time.”

Hearing this, Du Ruhui suddenly understood, “That’s right! I remember as a child, kites could only be flown when there was wind.” After a pause, he said, “So we can only wait for wind to come?”

“Correct, and this wind must blow toward Luoyang.” Speaking to this point, Liu Hongji sighed, “It’s also my fault for overlooking this most important point, causing those soldiers to be severely injured or even… die.”

Of the soldiers who had leaped from the platform, two were lightly injured, four severely injured, and one had landed head-first and died on the spot!