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

Despite his lack of understanding, once the order was issued, Li Yuanchang could only quickly adjust and lead his team to Huangfeng Post Station.

When they arrived, almost all the logistics personnel of Lantian Zhechong Prefecture, a total of four teams, had arrived, numbering in the thousands.

"The King of Han has arrived!!"

Gong Yun and the others turned around. They were all exhausted and were now surrounded by five hundred carts of heavy supplies, all of them at a loss.

"Your Highness."

"Your Highness."

Li Yuanchang returned the greeting with clasped hands, but after just one glance, his brows furrowed. These five hundred carts were practically overflowing!

"Sir, what's going on?"

"Why did they suddenly throw so much stuff at us halfway through the journey?"

"Do you have enough personnel, vehicles, and livestock?"

Military Advisor Gong, his face weathered and pale, shook his head.

"The military supervisor said that the situation in the north is critical, and in order to reduce the burden on the troops, some of the soldiers have unloaded some of their supplies and are letting us take them with us."

"It's still the 17th, and there aren't any more laborers."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Chuliang immediately began to curse.

"Isn't this deliberately designed to prevent our Lantian Garrison from arriving on time? Doesn't a military supervisor have this much common sense?"

"Military Advisor Gong, have you offended the military supervisor?"

Gong Yun, being older and more composed, pondered deeply, and even he began to have doubts.

"Chu Liang, say less!" Li Yuanchang frowned.

He also felt it was somewhat unreasonable, but there was nothing he could do about it.

During the Zhenguan era, Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin) was quite enlightened. He never placed military supervisors to monitor commanders during battles, but he did have them in place to prevent delays in supplies and the desertion of laborers, thus ensuring the logistical security of the front-line troops.

For the escort team, the orders of the supervising officer were everything, and they had no choice but to obey.

The atmosphere at the scene became tense; with so many things laid out, how to transport them became the key issue.

"Your Highness, you and the rest of you, please lead the men and set off first."

"I still have two hundred men left to handle this," Gong Yun finally spoke, taking on the heavy responsibility and leaving most of the work to his subordinates.

"Sir, how can this be?"

"Two hundred people aren't enough."

"Yes, and you also have to oversee the entire army."

"No need for further words. Delaying will only result in punishment for everyone," Gong Yun said in a deep voice.

The other captains felt it was unfair to their superiors, but they were helpless and could only carry as many people as possible to share the burden before setting off.

But after all that trouble, nearly 300 truckloads of cargo were still stranded.

Li Yuanchang didn't leave; he stayed.

"Sir, let's go together."

"Your Highness..."

Li Yuanchang interrupted, "You said it yourself, if we don't make it, everyone will be punished."

"My hundred personal guards are excellent and capable of great service."

Gong Yun hesitated, "Alright, thank you, Your Highness."

Li Yuanchang grinned: "No need for that. In terms of military rank, I am still your subordinate."

Gong Yun's worried expression was immediately amused; he never dreamed that a prince could be his subordinate.

Immediately, the two began to redeploy troops, optimize personnel, and process the "out of thin air" extra supplies in batches.

With the help of the two hundred men around Gong Yun and the manpower squeezed out by Li Yuanchang, this batch of supplies was eventually completely divided up.

But the entire team is already far beyond its capacity.

Most of the laborers were carrying provisions on their backs and were unable to assist, even though the supplies were carried by carts and horses, which were not automatic and required manpower to push.

With limited manpower, the march was slow, and encountering uphill sections made it an incredibly difficult and hellish challenge!

Therefore, Gongyun had to reduce his rest time in order to complete the task of traveling.

Li Yuanchang, leading his escort team and laborers, could normally travel 200 li in 12 hours, excluding rest time, but now, with reduced rest time, they have only traveled a little over 100 li.

After two days, more than a thousand people were on the verge of collapse!

Apart from the guards of the Prince of Han's palace who could hold out, everyone else was exhausted.

Li Yuanchang and Gong Yun discussed the matter several times and both understood that traveling at this pace would make it impossible to reach Youzhou on time. Even if they weren't beheaded, they would certainly face punishment.

Gongyun had no choice but to send someone to consult the military supervisor and request that more laborers be sent.

"How is it? Has the supervising officer said when the reinforcements will arrive?"

A crowd gathered around.

The returning soldiers were panting and looked grim: "Sir, the supervising officer said that there is a severe shortage of laborers along the entire line, and everyone is rushing to meet the deadline. There's nothing he can do."

He told the adults to figure it out themselves.

Upon hearing this, the army's last hope was shattered.

Gong Yun's face turned even uglier.

"Who is this military supervisor?" Li Yuanchang suddenly asked.

The dejected officers and soldiers' eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope, after all, it was the King of Han who spoke, and his tone was almost like an interrogation.

"Yes, who is this military supervisor!" Cheng Chuliang and Yuchi Baoqi shouted in agreement.

"Your Highness, farewell."

"The military supervisors are directly under the Ministry of War, and they are acting impartially. It is inappropriate for you to be punished and sent to the army now, which would only cause more trouble."

"It doesn't matter if I'm late. At most, I'll be demoted. I'm almost fifty years old, and I don't have any ambition in this life. I was going to retire anyway."

Gongyun had probably heard of Li Yuanchang's reputation for daring to beat even the emperor's son-in-law, so she quickly tried to dissuade him.

Li Yuanchang frowned: "Don't worry, my lord, I know what's important. I just want to know who they are."

Gong Yun felt ashamed. Wasn't asking about the background just a way to settle scores with the other party?

He refused to say, thinking he would take responsibility alone and smoothly get through this last military mission.

Li Yuanchang was about to press for more information.

At that moment, suddenly.

The deafening thunder of hooves swept in from behind like a tidal wave; it was the sound of cavalry, the kind of noise only cavalry could make when they were on the move.

All eyes turned to them.

At the very front, about a dozen riders led the way, holding up banners with the character "Xue" on them and shouting, "Cavalry is passing through! Make way! Make way!"

"Get out of the way!" Gong Yun quickly ordered.

Immediately, the officers and soldiers scrambled to spread all the carts and horses outwards in a V-shape, leaving a wider path for the post road.

At this moment, a dark mass of cavalry arrived from behind, stretching as far as the eye could see, numbering at least tens of thousands. They were all clad in chainmail and rode tall Turkic horses, resembling an army of demons emerging from hell.

"The Imperial Guards!"

"They are the Imperial Guards of Chang'an Zhili!"

"So powerful!"

"Whose subordinate is this?!"

Cheng Chuliang and the others exclaimed in surprise. Almost all the officers and soldiers looked at the cavalry with an admiring gaze. Being able to enter such an army represented the highest honor.

"It's him, isn't it?" Li Yuanchang stood by the roadside, scrutinizing him and muttering to himself.

The only person who could lead such an elite force, carry the Xue banner, and participate in the war against Xueyantuo could be a fierce warrior who once fought one-on-one with Qin Qiong, the "Double Flower Red Stick" of the Tang Dynasty.

Everyone watched the powerful cavalry army pass by with awe, including Li Yuanchang. No man could resist the allure of such battles and the thrill of conquering the world.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will be the main force in the fight against Xueyantuo.

It took a long time for the entire army to pass through completely, kicking up clouds of dust.

Just as Gong Yun was directing his men to restore their formation, suddenly, over a hundred cavalrymen who had already gone far away turned back.

"Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up!!"

"Whoa!!"

The hundred riders hovered, their banners bearing the character "Xue" gleaming brightly above their heads.

All the logistics officers and soldiers stood at attention and saluted in unison: "We pay our respects to Vice Commander Xue!"