Apparition of Emperor Taizong

Soon, led by Qin Ning, Li Yunlong and the three hundred fully armed soldiers walked into the teleportation gate leading to the Great Tang.

“Hum!”

After a moment of weightlessness, their vision was replaced by a blur of white.

Fortunately, this sensation did not last long.

When Li Yunlong and the others regained their sight, they found themselves in an entirely different world.

Here, the sun was also shining brightly under a clear blue sky.

“This is the Great Tang, now in the sixth year of the Zhenguan reign,” Qin Ning announced.

Li Yunlong and his men took in everything around them.

They noticed that this place had also been built into a base, and currently, many personnel from later generations were busy with their own tasks.

Not far away, on a vast open field, a massive army had already assembled, dark and dense.

These were troops from the Great Tang, the Great Qin, and the Great Ming, a combined force of one hundred thousand soldiers, gathered to suppress the An-Shi Rebellion.

Each soldier was equipped with firearms—at the very least, flintlock rifles and percussion rifles, while the better-equipped ones used bolt-action rifles sent from later times, commonly known as Type-38 rifles.

In addition, they were armed with mortars and many hand grenades. Their individual combat capability, when placed in ancient times, might be an exaggeration to say they could match a hundred enemies each, but one against ten was entirely within reason.

However, compared to Li Yunlong’s three hundred men, these soldiers were far inferior.

Though Li Yunlong’s squad had only three hundred men, each of them was equipped with submachine guns, rocket launchers, and even a tank.

This was roughly the strength of a battalion-level unit from later times, equivalent to about three companies.

With such equipment, placed in any period of ancient times, it was a complete dimensionality reduction strike—capable of matching a hundred thousand troops, and then some!

“Holy crap!”

The appearance of Qin Ning and his group immediately caught the attention of Zhu Yuanzhang, Li Shimin, and Qin Shi Huang.

They rushed over, their eyes burning with excitement as they gazed at the three-hundred-man team led by Li Yunlong behind Qin Ning.

Those weapons made their eyes gleam with envy—rows of machine guns, mortars, rocket launchers, and a tank.

These tools, placed in ancient times, were unimaginable in terms of the impact they could have.

Whether charging into battle or assaulting a city, nothing could withstand or counter a tank.

“Master, is this the military from later times? Such elite troops!” Old Zhu could not help but exclaim.

Compared to his own Divine Machine Battalion, these three hundred men were countless times stronger.

He had initially thought that the Divine Machine Battalion he had formed would at least be a decently ranked unit by later standards.

But seeing Li Yunlong and his men now, he realized his own battalion was nothing more than child’s play in comparison.

“This isn’t even the full setup,” Li Yunlong said, his chest puffed out and his face full of pride. “A normal three-hundred-man battalion should also be equipped with anti-aircraft guns, heavy anti-tank missile vehicles, and multiple rocket launchers. Ours is just a stripped-down version.”

“Mainly because in your era, those things are almost useless—no need for anti-aircraft, no need for anti-tank. As for rocket launchers… one tank is enough.”

“A stripped-down version is already this elite, and with just a three-hundred-man setup,” Li Shimin said. “I almost think that bringing your three hundred alone would suffice. The combined force of a hundred thousand from three dynasties is completely redundant.”

Qin Ning waved his hand. “Alright, time is getting short. Let’s prepare to move out.”

…

The fourteenth year of the Tianbao reign.

Inside the Tong Pass military camp.

The eunuch Bian Lingcheng held an imperial edict, and before all the soldiers, he read aloud Tang Xuanzong’s decree to execute Feng Changqing and Gao Xianzhi.

Feng Changqing was charged with spreading words that the rebel army was invincible, demoralizing the troops, and losing at Luoyang and abandoning Shan Prefecture.

Gao Xianzhi was accused of retreating hundreds of li from Shan territory without authorization to Tong Pass, as well as embezzling military pay.

As soon as the edict was read, everyone was enraged.

Clearly, this was entirely Bian Lingcheng’s slander against the two men.

“I retreat from battle—I may die without complaint. But if you say I embezzled military pay, that is a false accusation!”

Gao Xianzhi was furious and argued further, “Above is the sky, below is the earth. The soldiers are all here—how can you not know the truth!”

“His Majesty’s decree is right here. You lost at Luoyang and retreated to Tong Pass without authorization—these are established facts. Men, seize them and escort them out of the camp for immediate execution!” Bian Lingcheng sneered and gave the order.

Then, several soldiers who had accompanied him to deliver the decree stepped forward and took Feng Changqing and Gao Xianzhi into custody.

The two were dragged all the way outside the camp, their faces showing no fear, only grief and disillusionment.

“Execute them!”

Bian Lingcheng stood before the execution platform and ordered in front of everyone.

“Who dares?!”

Suddenly, a furious shout rang out, like a divine voice, shaking everything within earshot and stunning everyone present.

The next moment, beside the execution platform, a teleportation gate appeared, and several figures stepped out. They were unmistakably Qin Ning, Li Shimin, Zhu Yuanzhang, and Qin Shi Huang.

“Who are you people?!”

Although their sudden appearance shocked Bian Lingcheng, he quickly put on an angry face and barked, “How dare you! Wearing dragon robes—are you trying to rebel?!”

“Rebel?”

Li Shimin chuckled. “You ask who I am?”

“I am the Grand Commandant of the Great Tang, Director of the Department of State Affairs, Director of the Secretariat, Grand Director of the Shandong Circuit, Grand Director of the Yizhou Circuit, Governor of Yongzhou, Chief Commander of Liangzhou, Inspector of Puzhou, Grand General of the Twelve Guard Armies, Pillar of State, the King of Qin of the Great Tang, Great Ancestor, Heavenly Strategist General, and Heavenly Khan Li Shimin!”

This string of titles left everyone present dumbfounded.

But Feng Changqing was the first to snap back to reality, staring blankly. “You… you are truly the Great Ancestor?”

“Hmph!”

Li Shimin raised his head proudly. At the same time, a golden light surged from his body, forming into a golden dragon whose roar spread in all directions.

“A dragon… a true dragon!”

“The Great Ancestor! The Great Ancestor has truly manifested!”

In that moment, everyone present was awestruck, and they fell to their knees. “We pay homage to the Great Ancestor! Welcome the Great Ancestor’s return!”

“Rise,” Li Shimin said. He then walked toward Bian Lingcheng. “You are Bian Lingcheng?”

“Answering… answering the Great Ancestor, indeed… your humble servant Bian Lingcheng pays homage. Welcome the Great Ancestor’s return!”

By now, Bian Lingcheng had been terrified out of his wits by the dragon’s roar, his voice and body trembling uncontrollably.

“A eunuch interfering in military and state affairs, slandering the loyal officials of my Great Tang—you deserve execution. Death is too good for you.”

With that, a gleam of murder flashed in Li Shimin’s eyes, and he shouted to the soldiers behind him, “Bring me my sword!”