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

This was also the first time Li Yuanchang had seen Xue Wanche. He had read about this burly man in a book in his previous life.

This was Li Jiancheng's top general, who participated in the Battle of Xuanwu Gate and attacked the Prince of Qin's mansion. Despite being on the losing side, he did not die and was even given an important position.

Just hearing this one thing, you can imagine how powerful he was. Li Shimin didn't kill him, and the elders of the Zhenguan era didn't want to deal with him either. If you didn't have some ability, you wouldn't be able to survive.

He was eight feet tall, with a robust and well-proportioned physique. His every move exuded the air of a great general. Although he was nearly fifty years old, the vitality he radiated was extremely vigorous.

With her flowing black hair and invincible aura, she could scare away thousands of people with just one glance.

"Your Highness, the Prince of Han." He bowed, his voice deep and resonant.

He bypassed Gong Yun and the other escort officers directly, as their status and rank were far too different. Only Li Yuanchang was worthy of his attention and greeting.

Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow. Xue Wanche should be a military commander in the camp. He had never seen him in the court before, but he did not expect that the other party would recognize him first.

"Vice Commander Xue."

"Why is your baggage load so heavy?" Xue Wanche frowned slightly. His insight was amazing; he could tell from just passing by that the number of people and the amount of goods in the convoy were seriously mismatched.

Li Yuanchang frowned: "The military supervisor said that there was a temporary relocation at the front line, and in order to speed up the journey, a batch of supplies was left behind, and the Lantian warehouse clerk was put in charge of escorting them."

"But no one was given the task."

Upon hearing this, Xue Wanche frowned.

"I see."

How could a politician who participated in the Xuanwu Gate Incident and a renowned general who had spent half his life on the battlefield not know that it was unreasonable, but he saw through it but chose not to say it?

His gaze swept across the scene before settling on Gong Yun.

"You must be the military advisor in charge of grain storage? I have extra warhorses. I'll allocate 500 to the grain storage officers of Lantian County. Use horses; they're faster than manpower."

The unexpected timely help filled Gong Yun and the others with joy and excitement!

Five hundred horses could solve our predicament in one fell swoop!

"We are very grateful for Vice Commander Xue's help!!"

Li Yuanchang was initially delighted, but then he keenly sensed something different.

When Xue Wanche gave the horse, he meant to distribute it to the granary official of Lantian County, not to Li Yuanchang.

This detail is worth appreciating.

Xue Wanche seemed to be avoiding suspicion.

Li Yuanchang already suspected that the extra supplies were suspicious, and after Xue Wanche said that, he became even more convinced that he might be being targeted.

The only ones who could be avoided by even Xue Wanche, and who also had a motive, were the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families.

That was a "class" that even Li Shimin didn't want to offend to death!

Li Yuanchang was already at odds with them, firstly because of Wang Mian, and secondly because he helped Li Shimin break their partial monopoly.

At this moment, Xue Wanche looked at Li Yuanchang again, cupped his hands and said, "King of Han, I still have a long way to go, so I won't stay any longer. Take care."

"Vice Commander Xue, have a safe journey." Li Yuanchang smiled, bowed, and expressed his gratitude.

But he didn't ask any further questions; some things are better left unsaid.

Moreover, this kind of targeting is completely different from Li Tai's targeting.

Li Tai is completely framing you, and you can report him, but this kind of targeting is completely official and fair. If you can't handle it, you can only blame yourself for being incompetent.

Such things happen frequently in the workplace in later generations.

Many bosses do this to fire employees, or even to sleep with female subordinates.

They won't openly harm you, but they'll put pressure on you and cause you trouble in secret.

You can't sue; you can only fight back with your strength.

Xue Wanche also revealed a stern smile, then led his team and disappeared from sight in an instant.

Only after everyone had completely left did the officers and soldiers dare to cheer loudly.

"Very good!"

"There are extra horses!"

"Vice Commander Xue is too kind!"

"Hahaha!"

Gong Yun, his face beaming, emerged from his gloom and approached Li Yuanchang: "Your Highness, thank you."

"Without you, we would be in dire straits."

He knew very well that someone of Xue Wanche's rank wouldn't even glance at insignificant people like them; the five hundred horses were purely a gesture of respect to Li Yuanchang.

Li Yuanchang smiled bitterly, thinking that all the officers and soldiers in Lantian Prefecture were actually unlucky because of him.

"General Gong, there's no need for that. We are comrades."

A smile appeared on Gong Yun's slightly aged face.

"Your Highness, you take charge. I'll go fetch the horses now."

"good!"

"..."

Xue Wanche kept his word and sent five hundred tall and strong warhorses back directly.

Suddenly, the pressure on the escort in Lantian County was greatly reduced, and even returned to normal levels. After all, these were top-notch warhorses, which were more useful than people for carrying supplies.

Five hundred horses are equivalent to fifteen hundred laborers, and they have greater endurance.

The vacated staff were all used to push the carriages, and they could even take turns.

With that, the risk of missing the opportunity was eliminated, and they quickly continued on their journey.

Day after day, they endured wind and rain, and as Youzhou drew ever closer, Li Yuanchang gradually became familiar with Gong Yun and the others, and they became more like a team.

Although Gong Yun was a military officer and nominally Li Yuanchang's superior, in reality, Li Yuanchang was the one who led the way during the journey.

Regardless of status, ability, or reputation, they all recognized Li Yuanchang.

September 28th.

The land of Youzhou is bordered by mountains and the sea, with fertile fields stretching for thousands of miles.

"Your Highness, we should arrive in Youzhou City this afternoon."

"I've been here before. We've completed our mission a day ahead of schedule." Gong Yun smiled with relief, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes looking rather kind, unlike the sharp features of a typical officer.

He joined the army at the age of eighteen, and in his life he hardly made any merits, but he never made any mistakes either. He earned his place in the army purely by working his way up over thirty years.

From many perspectives, it can be considered lucky, after all, the position of Cangcao Canjun in Lantian County is much more sought after than in other places.

"Hahaha!"

"Congratulations, Brother Gong! You've managed to avoid a single mistake during the transport. Once the war is over, you can go home and enjoy your retirement surrounded by your children and grandchildren," Li Yuanchang said with a smile.

Gong Yun revealed a look of longing: "Your Highness is the same; you can go back sooner or later."

"I'm too old to lift a heavy chair, but Your Highness is in the prime of your life, so we should take this opportunity to gain more merit."

"This escort mission went smoothly, which is a good start."

The two exchanged a smile. They had found they had a lot in common along the way, not about military life, but about family.

Li Yuanchang missed his family, and so did Gong Yun, which led to them becoming friends. Li Yuanchang directly called him Brother Gong.

"Alright, I'll take your kind words, Brother Gong. If I happen to find the head of the Xueyantuo Khan while I'm transporting grain, I'll hit the jackpot."

"Hahaha!!"

The crowd burst into laughter.

If you actually find it, that would be a great achievement, but the probability of that is even lower than winning the lottery jackpot in later generations.