Chapter 1

The snow fell heavily from the sky!

The snow in February came suddenly, inexplicably, and fatally. The snow, as large as goose feathers, fell for seven days and nights, almost without stopping. Such rare heavy snow could crush trees and houses, and even form a thin layer of ice on the wide River Ming, but it could not cover the city walls of the small city of Ming, nor the land beneath the walls.

For every clod of earth and every blue brick on the city walls was soaked in hot blood. The land beneath the city walls was red, with countless pools of blood.

Luo Shixin, tall and slender, stood on the city wall, the large iron spear in his hand having long lost its original sharpness, having pierced through a thousand bodies, the tip almost becoming an iron rod. Everyone inside and outside the small city looked at that tall and slender figure with expressions of fear.

Almost seven days and nights of relentless fighting, Luo Shixin could be said to have fought a thousand armies with his own strength. Without his heroic bravery, how could a mere few hundred people resist the strong attack of Liu Heita's tens of thousands of troops?

That invincible valor, that contemptuous spirit, made everyone, friend or foe, tremble with fear.

At this moment, no one knew that the brave Luo Shixin, who seemed to be a reincarnation of a hero, was actually feeling his internal organs churning, his legs so weak that they could hardly support his tall and slender body. The trembling from deep within his soul made him want to fall off the city wall and end it all. That awe-inspiring and terrifying posture of holding the spear was actually because he needed a cane to support his body's center of gravity.

How terrifying!

Travelling through time is a dream for almost all novel enthusiasts, and for Luo Shixin, a "ten-year-old" bookworm, it was even more so.

This Luo Shixin is not that Luo Shixin.

The name was given by his father, and Luo Shixin had no choice. Because of this name, Luo Shixin had been called "Luo the Big Fool" since childhood: compared to the young heroes in history, the silly Luo Shixin in novels, who could match Li Yuanba in strength, was more popular and famous.

Luo Shixin always fantasized about how to travel through time, how to possess all the beauties of the world, with Diaochan on the left and Xishi on the right, Wang Zhaojun lying in front, and Yang Yuhuan leaning behind. He would have a group of subordinates eagerly fighting for the world, living a carefree and enjoyable life. However, from some point on, many tragic time-travel stories began to circulate online.

Becoming Heshen and encountering the death of Emperor Qianlong; becoming Li Jiancheng and ending up at the Xuanwu Gate, these were once laughed off.

But now Luo Shixin couldn't laugh anymore.

The heavens had played a huge joke on him, making him, this Luo Shixin, unexpectedly become the fierce general Luo Shixin of the late Sui and early Tang dynasties, with the arduous task of defending the city of Ming.

Heaven!

Anyone with even a slight knowledge of that period of history would know that historically, Luo Shixin fought Liu Heita's army for eight days in the city of Ming. Exhausted and captured, he died a heroic death and entered the annals of loyalty and righteousness at the age of twenty.

When he woke up in Luo Shixin's body, it was just after the battle had ended. The city walls were covered with corpses, and the number of severed limbs was countless. As for Luo Shixin, he... it was hard to describe him. The clots of blood on his body could be used as armor, layer upon layer, peeling off like pot stickers, with the thickest reaching half a centimeter.

The sight made this "Luo Shixin," who had never even killed a chicken, vomit profusely, his internal organs churning, almost dying from the vomiting.

This made the soldiers, who had been fighting for many days and whose morale was already low, even more demoralized, with some even shedding silent tears.

Fortunately, this "Luo Shixin" had a relatively large heart, and he didn't vomit to death. He put on a brave face and inquired about the current situation.

Only then did he learn that Luo Shixin had taken over the defense of the city of Ming from Wang Junktuo seven days ago.

There was only one day left before the historical fall of the city of Ming.

One more day, and he would become a prisoner, his head on the chopping block.

"Luo Shixin" was so scared that he wet himself, standing on the city wall in the wind and snow, leaning on his "cane" and looking at the Liu Heita army not far away.

Fight to the death? Or surrender?

These two choices were fighting in his mind.

With Luo Shixin's reputation, if he surrendered, Liu Heita might not heavily use him, but he would at least save his life. But what was the point of temporarily saving his life? His enemy was Li Shimin, the first enforcer of the Li Tang dynasty, the ultimate crisis responder, the great figure praised by Mao Zedong as "the greatest military strategist in history." There were also his super subordinates, such as Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao, and Cheng Yaojin. Liu Heita, a mere warlord, was no match for them and would be defeated in no time. Facing the Tang army would be suicide. Moreover, even if he agreed to surrender, the soldiers around him might not agree. They were all from Guanzhong, and their families were in the Guanzhong region. If they died in battle, their families would receive compensation, but if they became traitors, their families would suffer. The women might become slaves or prostitutes, but the men would die without a doubt.

With over eighty fierce soldiers, if half of them opposed him, it would be a serious problem. Was he really Luo Shixin? How could he fight them?

Historically, Luo Shixin was not a general who won the hearts of his soldiers.

Luo Shixin racked his brains, searching his memory of this historical period.

Because of the same name, Luo Shixin was particularly interested in his namesake from a thousand years ago and was very familiar with his deeds, which came in handy now.

According to his understanding, the city of Ming was strategically important, located on the north bank of the River Ming, like a nail driven into the heart of Liu Heita's Han Dong army. Initially, it was guarded by the general Wang Junktuo, but when Wang Junktuo could no longer hold it, Luo Shixin volunteered to take over. However, the heavens played a huge joke on him, and in mid-spring, a heavy snowfall began, lasting for seven days and nights. Li Shimin's Tang army was stationed on the south bank of the River Ming, separated from the city by a river. The heavy snow blocked their reinforcements, turning the city of Ming into an isolated fortress.

According to historical records, Luo Shixin held out for eight days before the city fell and he was killed. Four days after his death, the Tang army counterattacked and recaptured the city of Ming, then sent the general Li Shiji to guard this strategic location.

In other words, to overcome the difficulties and wait for the Tang reinforcements, he needed to hold out for at least three to four more days.

Could he hold on?

Looking at the devastated city of Ming, the current Luo Shixin had no confidence at all.

The city of Ming was a county under the jurisdiction of Liu Heita's stronghold, Mingzhou, and its defenses were not impressive. However, it was advantageous in its location at the confluence of the River Ming and the River Zhang, surrounded by water on all sides, with a width of over fifty steps and a depth of three to four zhang, forming a river island city. However, days ago, Liu Heita had built two large floating bridges to the northeast of the city, depriving the city of its geographical advantage. Apart from a city wall that could be climbed with a ladder, there were no natural defenses.

"Is there no escape from death?"

Luo Shixin clenched his fists, his lips bleeding, and thought to himself, "To hell with it, whether it's Li Shimin or Liu Heita, saving my life is the priority. Live one day at a time."

At this critical moment, he decided to go all out. If he was lucky and could hold out until the Tang reinforcements arrived, he would be promoted and rewarded. If not, he would surrender and then find a way to save his life. Li Shimin had no favor to him, so there was no need to die for him.

Yes, that's what he would do.

Luo Shixin made up his mind and unconsciously stomped the iron spear in his hand on the ground.

Bang!

Shattered stones flew in all directions!

This casual strike actually shattered the blue stone slabs used to defend the city wall.

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