Those two men were struck speechless by his questions, but their doubts were not dispelled. After a while, they said again: “It’s October now, yet hailstones fall from the sky – this is truly strange. The gentleman just said those carved hailstones were Turkic trickery, but in fact, all of this is the gentleman’s speculation without real evidence. What if… it’s real?”

“There is no ‘what if’!” Liu Hongji said with a grave expression: “His Majesty will surely be a wise ruler for the ages, expanding territories and raising the Great Tang’s national prestige!”

“But…” Before that soldier could continue, Liu Hongji interrupted: “If it’s not so, I, Liu, am willing to personally cut off my own head!”

No one expected Liu Hongji to suddenly speak such harsh words. For a moment, no one spoke. Liu Hongji surveyed everyone with a cold voice: “Well, does anyone else have questions?”

After waiting a while with no one speaking, he raised his voice: “If not, then properly defend the city gates. As long as reinforcements arrive, the situation will reverse. If you remain listless as before, thinking about things you shouldn’t think about, then… it’s a dead end. Because the Turks are fierce and brutal, and the current Turkic Khan is even more cruel and merciless. You’ve all heard about the massacre at Yanmen Pass – do you think the Turks’ words are trustworthy? Will they really spare your lives after taking Chang’an?”

“Wake up! Everything they’re saying now is to deceive you into giving up resistance so they can enter the city. Once they enter, blood will stain Chang’an. Not only you, but your parents, wives, and children will all become souls under their blades – none will survive. Is this what you want to see? Is this your wish? Answer me!” The last three words were roared from Liu Hongji’s throat.

“No.” At first, only scattered voices responded, but gradually more and more joined in. Not only those on the tower, but soldiers below the city also answered loudly.

“Since you don’t want this, then take up your swords and defend Chang’an, defend the Great Tang.” Before Liu Hongji finished speaking, another voice continued: “If this battle is won, everyone will receive twenty bolts of silk as reward. Generals will advance one rank, soldiers will advance three ranks!”

With these words, Li Shimin slowly walked up to the tower. As soon as he appeared, Du Ruhui quickly said: “Your Majesty, this place is dangerous. Please leave immediately!”

Li Shimin ignored him and surveyed the soldiers in a circle, saying with resounding force: “As long as the Great Tang exists, every one of you is a hero of the Great Tang! I will remember, and the people of Chang’an and all the Great Tang will remember! Please, for the Great Tang, for yourselves, for your families behind you, defend Chang’an!” With these words, he actually clasped his hands and bowed to those soldiers!

All the soldiers were stunned by this action. In their minds, emperors had always been high and mighty, not to be looked at directly. Yet now, this emperor was actually bowing to them, these humble people. For a moment, they didn’t know what to do. When they came to their senses, they hurriedly stepped aside to avoid Li Shimin’s bow, but he didn’t straighten up, maintaining his bowing posture!

“Defend the Great Tang to the death! Defend the Great Tang to the death!” Someone shouted, and soon others followed, one voice after another, even louder and more resolute than when they had answered Liu Hongji earlier – it was deafening!

Seeing this scene, Du Ruhui and the others finally felt relieved. With this determination, Chang’an would definitely not fall!

With these repeated shouts, the city’s defenders swept away their previous dejection and despair, fighting with all their might to prevent the Turkic soldiers from charging up – not for anything else, not for the emperor, but for themselves and their families behind them!

The battle became even more brutal than before, but this time it referred to the Turkic side. Soldiers constantly fell screaming from the city walls, and in the next hour, not a single Turkic soldier broke through the defenses on the wall or set foot on the tower!

Seeing his side’s corpses piling higher and higher below the city walls, Jieli Khan’s face turned terrifyingly pale. He couldn’t believe that after doing so much, it had all been in vain – truly hateful!

“Great Khan, perhaps… we should retreat…” Before Zhishisili could finish, a palm the size of a fan had already struck his face, splitting his lip while a sinister voice reached his ears: “Dare say that again, and I’ll kill you with one stroke!”

Zhishisili shrank his neck but still persisted: “Great Khan, our casualties today have nearly reached ten thousand. If this continues, it’s really not a solution!”

Jieli Khan said icily: “Don’t say nearly ten thousand – even if it truly reaches ten thousand, we cannot retreat. We must take Chang’an today!”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but that he couldn’t retreat. Having sacrificed so many lives without gaining anything, when word reached the Turks, those tribal chieftains would surely be dissatisfied with him. It might even threaten his position as Khan, which he absolutely could not accept. So only one path lay before him: take Chang’an at any cost, only then could he wash away his previous errors.

Seeing his resolute attitude, Zhishisili could only swallow his words and silently watch the mountain of corpses grow higher, a sorrowful thought rising in his heart. Even if… they attacked the city at any cost, could they really take Chang’an? Reinforcements… could arrive at any moment!

Thus, the stalemate continued until noon. By this time, Turkic casualties had exceeded ten thousand, and the soldiers had developed a fear of that seemingly unconquerable city wall. Their attacks had slowed considerably, and no matter how Jieli Khan urged and pressed them, they remained sluggish.

On one side hoping reinforcements wouldn’t come, on the other hoping reinforcements would arrive quickly!

At the first quarter of the afternoon, the Turkic soldiers felt trembling beneath their feet, growing stronger and stronger. Someone lay down and pressed his ear to the ground, then screamed with a deathly pale face: “Reinforcements! Their reinforcements have arrived!”

With his words, a cavalry unit came galloping, banners bright, armor gleaming. Just watching from afar gave one a tremendous sense of pressure!

This cavalry didn’t charge straight at them but stopped not far behind the Turkic army, watching them with exceptionally cold gazes.

In fact, this cavalry wasn’t numerous – probably several thousand – but everyone knew this was just the advance guard, with at least tens of thousands of troops following behind.

Jieli Khan watched this scene with cold hands and feet. He knew in his heart that he had missed his chance. Taking Chang’an had become impossible at this moment, and he had sacrificed so many lives for nothing!