However, Li Ke did not take it lightly. He knew that these enemies were very cunning, and if they launched an attack now, they would be in great danger.
Therefore, he decided to sit still for the time being and wait for the time to mature before launching an attack.
Li Ke ordered the troops to ambush on both sides of the pass, leaving only a few people patrolling near the pass. This can both attract the enemy's attention and create conditions for their attacks.
Time passed little by little, and from the deepest tower at the pass, several groups of soldiers with scars and uniforms of the Tang Army came out supporting each other. When they saw Li Ke, they felt like they were seeing a savior.
"His Royal Highness the King of Shu!"
Li Ke was shocked. He didn't expect that there were soldiers from the Tang Army here.
He walked forward quickly and saw that these soldiers were all in ragged clothes and their bodies were covered with scars, obviously after a long battle.
"His Royal Highness, King of Shu, you are here!" A soldier held Li Ke's hand with trembling hands and said excitedly, "We have been waiting for a long time and thought you would not come!"
Li Ke felt moved in his heart. Looking at these tired soldiers, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
He asked: "Who are you? Why are you here?"
A soldier replied: "We are the defenders of the Great Wall. We have been besieged here by the enemy for a month. We originally thought there was no hope, but yesterday an army suddenly came to support us and beat back the enemy."
Li Ke's heart tightened, and he asked: "Who are that army? Where are they now?"
The soldier shook his head and said: "We don't know who that army is. They just came to support us and left after defeating the enemy. We wanted to go with them, but they didn't allow it."
Li Ke's heart tightened, and he felt that this matter was not simple.
He looked at these tired soldiers and couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He knew he had arrived too late and these soldiers had already suffered too much.
He decided not to waste time and immediately led the army into the dark tower of the Great Wall.
Entering the dark tower of the Great Wall, Li Ke was stunned by the sight in front of him.
The dark building was covered with dust and cobwebs, and it had obviously not been cleaned for a long time. The walls were full of bullet holes and knife marks, and it was obvious that a fierce battle had taken place here.
Li Ke walked up the stairs to the second floor and saw an old table there with a letter on it.
He walked over and picked up the letter, and saw the words "Historical signature from the Emperor" written on the envelope.
Li Ke was shocked. He knew the importance of this letter. He opened the envelope and saw that the letter read:
"Your Majesty, the general has been ordered to guard the Great Wall and has fulfilled his mission. However, the enemy force is strong and our army has suffered heavy casualties. Now, our army has run out of ammunition and food, and the general is asking for reinforcements. If your majesty accepts this letter, I hope you will dispatch The army comes to support, otherwise the Great Wall will be lost!"
The end of the letter read: "Guardian Li Ji cried and cried."
Li Ke looked at the letter and couldn't help but sigh. He knew he had arrived too late. If he had arrived earlier, perhaps none of this would have happened.
He decided not to dwell on the mistakes of the past and to do what he should do now.
He ordered the troops to rest in dark buildings, and at the same time sent people to find food and medicine to treat the injuries of these tired soldiers.
"Tell me carefully what's going on. The defense of the city tower really won't cause this kind of situation, right?"
After Li Ke finished doing this, he also asked the soldiers in the dark building. As for the guard here, Li Ji had died in the battle, and Wang Chao was now in office.
Wang Chao told Li Ke exactly what happened.
There was a traitor in the dark building, and an elite team from the grassland entered the dark building at night, causing the entire dark building front to be lost. The people in the grassland also chose to leave as soon as they learned of Li Ke's arrival. , and they were able to survive until now only by sticking to the dark building.
After learning the news that the dark building had been lost, Li Ke felt heavy in his heart. He knew that this news would have a great impact on the morale of the Tang army.
Therefore, he decided to immediately organize an elite force to find traces of the elite prairie team and wait for an opportunity to launch an attack.
He selected five hundred cavalry, ordered them to prepare weapons and horses, and assemble under the tower.
At the same time, Li Ke also realized another problem: if the news of the loss of the dark building spreads to other areas, the entire front will be affected.
Therefore, he decided to hide the news for the time being and wait until he came back to make plans.
After everything was ready, Li Ke led five hundred cavalry and chased after the departure of the grassland troops.
On the other side, the situation in Chang'an is not optimistic either. News of border battles and news of betrayers appearing in the secret towers of the Great Wall were all deliberately added to the flames and appeared in the streets and alleys of Chang'an.
Above the court meeting.
Li Shimin sat on the dragon chair with an extremely serious look on his face, looking at the military report in his hand.
"Eighteen Steppes!"
Li Shimin whispered in his mouth, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
He knew that this grassland tribe was one of the most powerful tribes on the grassland and had always been hostile to the Tang Dynasty.
But now, the elite troops of this tribe appeared in the dark tower of the Great Wall and took away the guard there, Li Ji.
All this shows that this tribe has gone to war with the Tang Dynasty.
Li Shimin's heart felt heavy, and he knew the seriousness of this matter.
"My dear friends, what do you think?" Li Shimin finally asked.
The ministers in the court were silent for a moment, and then a minister stood up and said: "Your Majesty, the situation at the border is serious. The news of the loss of the secret tower has spread throughout the Tang Dynasty. Now there are betrayers, which will have a negative impact on morale. It has caused a great impact. I suggest that we send a large army to support immediately to restore morale."
Li Shimin nodded and said: "What Ai Qing said is absolutely true. However, the armies of the Tang Dynasty are currently fighting in other areas, and there is only one imperial guard in Chang'an City. I have sent people to mobilize armies from various places to come for support. , but time is tight, I don’t know if I can get there in time.”
Another minister stood up and said: "Your Majesty, the most important thing now is to stabilize the situation. We can send envoys to the grassland to negotiate with them, hoping to temporarily alleviate the situation."
Li Shimin thought for a moment and said: "This method is feasible. However, we need an experienced and courageous envoy to complete this task. Which beloved prince is willing to go?"
There was silence in the court. Everyone knew that this mission was very dangerous and no one was willing to go there easily.
Li Shimin looked at the ministers in the court and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
