Li Shimin did indeed plan to burn the granary, but not last night – tonight. That carrier pigeon was also deliberately allowed to be caught by Xue Ju, precisely to ensure his soldiers would be completely sleepless and utterly exhausted. On the second day, when they prepared to rest, Li Jiancheng, who had already received the message, ordered his men to continuously beat gongs and drums, preventing them from sleeping and adding exhaustion upon exhaustion. Once the gong sounds stopped, those who had not slept for two days and one night would naturally fall asleep the moment their heads touched their pillows.

Seeing Li Jiancheng appear, Li Shimin quickly dismounted and approached, “Elder Brother, are you alright?”

Li Jiancheng had by now suppressed his inner displeasure and said gratefully, “Everything is fine. I just feel terrible for troubling Second Brother to come specially to aid me.” He had already learned the general situation from the secret message.

“How can Elder Brother speak such distant words?” As they spoke, soldiers came to report that the two armies had completely merged and could withdraw at any time.

Li Jiancheng glanced around and asked puzzledly, “Where is Yuanji? Why don’t I see him?”

“I sent Yuanji to do something. He will come to join us later.” Saying this, he turned and ordered, “Pass down the command to withdraw south immediately. Remember, move quietly and do not disturb Xue Ju’s army.”

After the soldiers left, Li Shimin said, “Elder Brother, let’s go too.”

Li Jiancheng nodded, mounted the horse a soldier brought over, and together they led the army south. After they had left about ten li, Li Yuanji quietly led a cavalry force of several thousand, successfully infiltrated Xue Ju’s army, and set fire to their granary. By the time the great fire blazed up, the dozing soldiers finally discovered it and cried out to extinguish the fire, while Li Yuanji’s group had already galloped away without a trace.

After they had frantically extinguished the fire, before Xue Ju could send people to pursue the arsonists, he discovered the city gates wide open and the drawbridge lowered. Upon entering the city, he found it completely empty – overnight it had become a ghost town.

Seeing this, Xue Ju knew without thinking that it must have been Li Yuanji and his men who set the fire and had coordinated overnight to evacuate Li Jiancheng and the others. That secret message was nothing but a smokescreen – he had been played for a complete fool.

Although Xue Ju was furious beyond measure, he was helpless. This time much of their provisions had been burned, and continuing pursuit would not benefit them. After much deliberation, he finally occupied Gao City and decided to reorganize his army before making further plans.

Three days later, the army safely withdrew to Chang’an – no, to be precise, they fled back!

Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji, and others knelt in the Taiji Hall, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Li Yuan stared coldly at the people below with darkened eyes. Before the battle, he had placed great hopes on this campaign, but the final result was this, leaving him deeply disappointed.

As the air in the hall became so stagnant it seemed to solidify, Li Jiancheng kowtowed, “Your son has failed to live up to Imperial Father’s expectations. Please punish me, Imperial Father!”

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanji quickly said, “This matter has nothing to do with Elder Brother. It’s all because your son did not listen to Elder Brother’s words and acted willfully, causing the army’s defeat and countless casualties among the soldiers. Your son is willing to bear all responsibility for the mistakes!”

“Bear all responsibility?” Li Yuan, dressed in a black nine-dragon robe, rose from the dragon throne and slowly walked to Li Yuanji, his voice cold and hard as iron, “Now forty thousand soldiers are dead – forty thousand lives. How will you bear responsibility? With your life?”

Li Shimin, fearing he might truly kill Li Yuanji in anger, quickly knelt and said, “Imperial Father, please calm your anger. Fourth Brother also wanted to pacify troubles for the Great Tang and accidentally fell into Xue Ju’s trap. Please, Imperial Father, considering Fourth Brother’s loyal heart, show leniency!”

Li Jiancheng also said, “Imperial Father, as the commander-in-chief, your son failed to insist on his position, allowing Fourth Brother to make a grave mistake. Your son is the one who should be punished most!”

Besides these two, Yin Kaishan and others who had fortunately survived also requested punishment. For a time, the Taiji Hall was filled with voices seeking punishment.

Yin Kaishan gritted his teeth, “When the Prince of Qi went to battle, this general also bore responsibility. This general is willing to be punished alongside the Prince of Qi!”

Liu Wenjing bowed his head, “And this minister – this minister failed to dissuade the Prince of Qi and deserves death ten thousand times!”

“Enough!” With Li Yuan’s words, the Taiji Hall instantly quieted. No one dared speak again, anxiously awaiting Li Yuan’s judgment.

Li Yuan swept over everyone and said mockingly, “What, do you all want to die so badly, so eagerly asking me to kill you?” After pausing, he continued, “Killing you would certainly be easy – just a matter of nodding my head. But what use would that be? Could it turn back time and let us win this battle? No, it would only make Xue Ju happy because he’d have fewer enemies! But… the great defeat at Qianshui Plain, losing forty thousand soldiers, weakening our army’s morale, and causing military hearts to scatter – this cannot go unpunished!”

After a long wait, Li Yuan’s voice finally rang out again, “Yuanji, you were reckless and impulsive, not knowing to consider consequences, causing forty thousand soldiers to die because of you and dragging down the entire army, preventing victory. Your princely rank is hereby stripped, demoted to Duke, with your fief reduced to three thousand households.”

“The Crown Prince failed to prevent this and also bears fault – his salary is docked for half a year, and he shall reflect for three days! As for Liu Wenjing and Yin Kaishan, they are dismissed from office and reduced to commoners, to remain in the army and atone through merit.”

After dealing with Li Jiancheng and the others, Li Yuan turned his gaze to Li Shimin, his eyes extremely complex. That day, because of the Xuanba incident, plus wanting to give his eldest son a chance to establish merit as an example, he had entrusted the three hundred thousand army to Li Jiancheng to quell Xue Ju’s rebellion, never expecting such a disastrous defeat.

Was Li Shimin always the most suitable person to lead troops?

“The Prince of Qin changed the march route without authorization – this is a fault. But rescuing the Crown Prince and the soldiers trapped in the city, and burning Xue Ju’s provisions – this is merit. Merit and fault cancel each other out, so there is neither reward nor punishment.”

“Thank you, Imperial Father!” After Li Shimin received the decree, Li Yuan wearily waved his hand, “All of you withdraw.”

After leaving the Taiji Palace, Li Jiancheng said guiltily, “It’s all because I, as the elder brother, am inadequate, implicating Second Brother in Father’s punishment!”

“Since you and I are brothers, we should share fortune and misfortune together. What talk is there of implication?” Saying this, Li Shimin added, “What’s most urgent now is to reorganize military morale and eliminate Xue Ju, making the Western Qin forces disappear forever. I believe this is what Imperial Father most wants to see.”

Li Jiancheng nodded, “I understand. In the future, we three brothers will together wash away this shame!”

After Li Shimin left, Li Jiancheng looked at Li Yuanji, who had remained silent throughout, “What’s wrong? Still brooding over the defeat at Qianshui Plain?”

Li Yuanji said sullenly, “Since Imperial Father raised his army, we’ve never suffered such a great defeat. How can I be happy? Moreover…” He glanced in the direction Li Shimin had gone and uttered what seemed like a disconnected remark, “Elder Brother, are you truly willing to accept this favor?”

“Of course not, but now is not the time to worry about such things.” Li Jiancheng gazed at the morning clouds that had not yet dispersed in the sky and said with his hands behind his back, “The great defeat at Qianshui Plain, and Gao City captured by Xue Ju – now Xue Ju has become a mortal threat to us and even to Imperial Father. How to eliminate him is the urgent matter at hand!”