In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

It was evening.

Chi Lian has returned, bringing with her two middle-aged men, one of whom is Han Chinese and the other is half Xianbei.

Chiling is a dividing line; to the west lies Tuyuhun, and to the east lies the traditional Tang Dynasty prefecture, although both now belong to the Tang Dynasty.

However, Tuyuhun was not conquered for long, and there was still a barrier between the two places. They were not completely assimilated, and the Tuyuhun side was still dominated by Xianbei, Tujue and others.

This is also why Li Shimin agreed to the marriage alliance; it was more about appeasing the Tuyuhun and gradually indoctrinating them.

Otherwise, in the 21st century, the territory might not be so large, and there wouldn't be so many ethnic groups.

"Greetings, King Han!"

The two men were trembling with fear. They were thin and had rough skin, and it was clear that they were people who did manual labor.

Li Yuanchang nodded: "Get up."

"Thank you, Prince Han!" The two men looked very nervous. They had never even met a county magistrate in their entire lives, let alone a figure as important as Li Yuanchang.

"Are you from Chiling?"

"yes!"

"I was born in Chiling, but I couldn't survive there, so I came to Shanzhou."

"The younger one too!"

"Then you must be very familiar with the local terrain?" Li Yuanchang glanced at the map on his table.

Ancient maps were far too abstract, at best 2D maps with just a few lines, completely different from those of later times.

They could only provide a general direction and some necessary routes and water sources; nothing else.

The two exchanged a glance, seemingly realizing something, and nodded sharply.

"Your Highness, Prince Han, this looks familiar, it looks familiar!"

"We grew up in Chiling since we were little, and we didn't leave until we were in our twenties. We would occasionally go back to herd cattle, chop firewood, and gather herbs, so we knew all the roads and paths."

"very good."

"I am now giving you a task: to accompany the army and lead the way across the Red Ridge. After the mission is accomplished, each of you will receive ten strings of cash, twenty bolts of cloth, and one hundred catties of millet."

Upon hearing this, the two were overjoyed and immediately knelt down.

"well!"

"Your Highness, I am willing!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness!"

"Very good, then you can go and prepare. We'll set off early tomorrow morning." Li Yuanchang waved his hand.

The subordinates were surprised. Depart tomorrow?

"Yes!" The two of them went to prepare with great joy. With so much reward money, they could work for many years without eating or drinking.

After everyone left, Li Yuanchang decisively said, "Now that we have a guide, you all go and prepare."

"Wu Yu, get on Princess Honghua's carriage first thing tomorrow morning."

"The three hundred guards were sent into Red Ridge intact, pretending they knew nothing."

"Recall all one hundred scouts, led by Song Jia, to provide close protection for Princess Honghua. Chi Lian, your men will also go with her, awaiting my further instructions."

"Let's split up and lure the enemy out!"

"yes!!"

"..."

The next day.

Li Yuanchang acted immediately, ordering the entire army to continue their march!

The grand procession departed from the post station, a truly magnificent sight, with the heavily guarded golden-topped carriage standing out prominently.

But the person sitting inside was no longer Princess Honghua.

The seemingly deserted post station was actually still heavily guarded, and the scout brigade of one hundred men returned one after another last night.

They will work with the Black Ice Guard to protect Princess Honghua's safety.

Li Yuanchang's ostensibly arranged marriage procession was actually a pretext for "selling out" his wife.

After much deliberation, Li Yuanchang concluded that the other party did not have many people and could not possibly be an official from some region. Since he knew that the other party was going to ambush him, he might as well give them a chance.

It's risky, but it can wipe them all out.

In half a day, the team left Shanzhou and then entered the Chiling Mountains, which stretch for a hundred miles.

This place is densely packed with mountains, rivers, forests, insects, miasma, and so on. If an ordinary person is unfamiliar with the terrain and rashly enters this place, there is a 90% chance that they will die inside.

These mountains in ancient times were not like those in later generations.

We had just entered Chiling, and it hadn't even been the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

"Your Highness, someone's here!" Guo Chao exclaimed.

Li Yuanchang rode on the Red Lightning, holding a self-made telescope. In ancient times, when the naked eye was the only means of seeing, this was a game-changer. When the naked eye could not see anything clearly, it could even see the feathers on a bird.

He gave a cold laugh and saw the figure lurking deep in the mountain stream. He didn't believe it was a hunter.

"I saw it, don't make a sound, keep walking."

"Stop again at night."

"yes!"

As the team continued to venture deeper into the mountains and valleys, Li Yuanchang spotted more and more unidentified individuals through his binoculars.

They monitored the entire convoy's direction, maintaining a distance of nearly a kilometer, hidden in the woods, completely undetectable to the naked eye.

They didn't seem to have any intention of attacking, and Li Yuanchang wasn't in a hurry, letting them monitor him.

Soon, the first night fell upon entering Chiling.

The mountains and valleys were pitch black, with the roars of beasts echoing incessantly.

Bonfires were lit on a flat hillside, and the marriage procession set up camp on the spot. The procession was huge, and so was the target.

On a mountaintop, rows of dark figures, like ghosts in the night, peered into the camp.

"Lord Changji, there are about three hundred people there, as well as a hundred carriages, which is roughly the same as the intelligence we have."

"The Prince of Han and the Princess of Tang are both inside. They will most likely take the horse path, otherwise their carriages will have difficulty passing through," Helian said in a deep voice.

At the very front of the crowd stood a burly Xianbei man, his eyes fixed on the camp, undoubtedly the leader of the group.

"Their security was very tight; they didn't seem like an ordinary army, but rather like battle-hardened elites."

"This Prince of Han sent by the Tang Dynasty is no good-for-nothing."

Helian nodded: "This Prince of Han is very famous in their area. He is said to be Li Shimin's most favored younger brother."

"hehe."

Changben sneered, a cruel smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"That would be even better."

"The emperor's brother's head was cut off, and the princess was divided and slept with by the Tuyuhun people. The Tang emperor must have no face left, right?"

"Lord Changji, in this situation... will the Tang Dynasty send troops to punish us?"

"Can we hold them off?" someone asked in a low voice, sounding worried.

Changben coldly replied, "So what if we send troops? It's still better than being dogs for the Han people!"

"The Tang Dynasty has been bullying Tuyuhun for more than a year or two. Why should the Han people interfere in our territory? Our Khan is incompetent and servile. No one but the general can restore Tuyuhun's glory!"

"It's advantageous to start a war!"

"Walk!"

"Let this Han King of the Tang Dynasty sleep peacefully for the last two days. Then I will personally cut off his head to atone for the shame of my Tuyuhun!"

"yes!"