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

The heavy rain continued, accompanied by frequent lightning.

The palace was bustling with activity, with personnel constantly being moved around.

This torrential rain was a gift from heaven, allowing Fuaicheng to escape the most difficult siege.

Li Yuanchang dared not delay any longer, as the vast majority of people on the Tuyuhun side were indeed not up to the task.

He quickly assembled about three hundred guards, fed them, let them rest, and made rapid adjustments.

During the previous days of defending the city, they mostly served as commanders and protect Princess Honghua, so they suffered no losses.

They possessed the best equipment on the entire Tuyuhun battlefield and still had the strength to fight.

Li Yuanchang had no intention of running away; he planned to replicate Su Dingfang's miracle of stealing the Eastern Turkic Khan with a hundred cavalry!

The fifth quarter of the hour of You (5:45 PM).

The twenty scouts sent out returned, bringing back the route and the precise landmarks of the rebels' encampment.

From then on, the plan was finalized.

"Crimson Flame".

"Your Highness!"

"I've left you fifty men. In the latter half of the night, you will take Princess Honghua and leave through the west gate. There are valleys and depressions there, suitable for escaping and hiding. You will head east ahead of me and flee to Shanzhou," Li Yuanchang said.

Upon hearing this arrangement, Chi Lian immediately panicked: "Your Highness, we'll go together! I'll face this crisis with you!"

Li Yuanchang said solemnly, "This is merely a contingency plan I've prepared; it doesn't mean this attack will fail!"

"The princess of the Tang Dynasty must not fall into the hands of foreigners; otherwise, it would be a disgrace to all Han people!"

"Don't act impulsively now!"

"To relieve me of my worries!"

A look of worry appeared on Chi Lian's beautiful face, but seeing Li Yuanchang's unprecedented sternness, she could only say, "Yes."

"Your Highness, be careful when you launch your attack tonight! So many people in Liangzhou are waiting for you!"

She felt a little flustered.

Li Yuanchang touched her face and kissed her red lips hard.

"Rest assured, if I dare to do this, there will be no surprises!"

Although he spoke casually, he was actually a little nervous inside, after all, it was his first time doing something like this, and the risk factor was extremely high.

But he knew he had to do it.

Chi Lian didn't know what to say, and she knew that she could no longer help with anything militarily, so she could only stand on tiptoe and kiss him back.

She offered her warm, soft flesh to Li Yuanchang, not in a fleeting moment, but in a torrential downpour; it was the only thing she could do.

Li Yuanchang realized what Chi Lian wanted to do and did not refuse.

Absolute tension needs a moment of release.

The kiss was as passionate as the thunder and rain outside.

Chi Lian unbuttoned her outer garment, revealing broad shoulders, a slender waist, and fair skin befitting a beautiful woman—a truly striking sight.

The two stumbled and fell onto the couch.

Chi Lian pressed her red lips to Li Yuanchang's ear and cheered him on with her most passionate and unrestrained voice.

……

Shanzhou.

There was no wind or rain, and the night was dark and gloomy.

The lights in the governor's mansion were suddenly turned on, and Xu Zhong, the governor of Shanzhou at the time, was urgently awakened by his subordinates.

"Lord Xu!"

"Why are you in such a panic so late at night!" The old man, who was sleeping in bed with his young concubine, was quite displeased.

Those outside, impatient for the others to finish dressing, cried out anxiously, "Master Xu, something's happened!"

"A messenger from the Han court arrives from hundreds of miles away! Tuyuhun is in turmoil, and a major incident is suspected. The Han king requests reinforcements!"

boom!

The old man, who was wearing an overcoat, suddenly narrowed his eyes and was startled. He no longer cared about his young, fair-skinned concubine or about putting on his clothes. He rushed out in three steps and slammed open the door.

"What did you say?"

"Lord Xu, it's absolutely true, the King of Han's men are right outside the mansion!"

"The envoy's party and the princess are in danger; the King of Han requests immediate military reinforcements!"

Xu Zhong's expression changed drastically: "Quickly, quickly, take this governor's command arrow and order the military advisor to set out immediately!"

"yes!"

"Lord Xu, wait!"

A woman's voice rang out.

Xu Zhong turned around, his expression slightly changing: "Madam, what are you doing here?"

A noblewoman of about thirty years old walked over and said to her subordinate, "You may leave now."

"Do not inform Military Advisor He yet."

The subordinate's expression changed, and he looked at Xu Zhong.

"What are you doing?" Xu Zhong asked, displeased.

"Master Xu, it's not too late for you to listen to me." The woman said meaningfully.

Xu Zhong was very anxious, but seeing his wife's expression, he held back and dismissed the others before saying, "Madam, please speak quickly!"

"Not long ago, my family came to visit. They did not want Lord Xu to send troops immediately."

Xu Zhong frowned and scolded, "Are you crazy? Those are the Prince of Han and the princess! If His Majesty finds out I stood by and did nothing to save them, we'll all lose our heads!"

"Master Xu, they are only asking you not to rescue them immediately, not that they don't want to rescue them."

"It's better to stall for a little longer."

Xu Zhong squinted and whispered, "Who...who are they?"

"Your Highness, the entire Shandong gentry, including many others, do not wish for anyone to send troops to their aid in time."

Xu Zhong was shocked. The entire Shandong gentry?

Then, even more surprised, he asked suspiciously, "How did they know something was wrong with Tuyuhun?"

"Lord Xu, this is not something we can ask. Court intrigues are beyond our comprehension."

"Have you forgotten what the King of Han did before?"

"But they said that as long as Lord Xu is even slightly late, they will fully support Ying'er to enter the Six Ministries in this year's Imperial Academy selection."

"Furthermore, Xu Gong arrived later in the Tuyuhun Incident, but he certainly made contributions."

Xu Zhong's eyes first showed interest, then anger: "Are you crazy!"

"You dare agree to something like this? You want me dead?!"

The woman grabbed Xu Zhong, her face urgent: "Lord Xu, you only delayed your troops slightly, how could anyone have known?"

"And you should think about Ying'er's career!"

"You're about to retire and return to your hometown. Who will support Ying'er then?"

"The Shandong gentry are fully supporting Ying'er's selection. If they just help out, wouldn't it be a piece of cake?"

"Moreover, if Lord Xu insists on sending troops immediately, we will offend the entire Shandong gentry and their numerous networks of connections!"

"This isn't just one person!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhong's face turned ugly, and he struggled, caught in a dilemma.

The woman continued, "Lord Xu, even if something happened to Tuyuhun, you didn't kill the Han King and the princess. That was Tuyuhun's crime. Why should His Majesty come after you?"

"It's so far away, no one would know if it were a day or two late!"

"you!!"

Xu Zhong gritted his teeth. Having served as an official for half his life, how could he not know that a large group of immortals wanted the King of Han to die in Tuyuhun!

Knowing in advance what happened in Tuyuhun, even a fool could sense that something fishy was going on.

He was torn between two conflicting thoughts, his eyes constantly shifting as he wavered between sending troops and feigning ignorance. On one hand, there were the Shandong gentry and the potential benefits; on the other, there was the prospect of providing aid that offered no advantage whatsoever.

a long time.

He asked in a deep voice, "Does anyone know about this?"

The woman was delighted: "It's just the two of us."

Are you sure?

"Sure!"

Xu Zhong remained silent, a long silence.

A flock of crows flew over the governor's mansion, and dark clouds gradually obscured the moonlight.

The governor's mansion, which should have been bustling with activity, was eerily quiet, eerily quiet.