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

This angered Cheng Chuliang, who was standing nearby.

"What the hell are you pretending to be? We've already delivered the supplies, why are you making such a fuss? Don't think I don't know you're targeting us!" he cursed.

This is also a microcosm of the discord between civil and military officials in ancient times. Many famous generals died unnatural deaths, often because they offended hypocrites who wielded the pen.

The surrounding area was shocked. How dare a mere brigade commander scold the supervising officer like that?

Wang Mai was furious. He thought to himself, "If I can't deal with Li Yuanchang, I can at least deal with a mere brigade commander like you."

"Someone come here!!"

With his shout, the situation instantly became tense, and Yuchi Baoqi was about to take action on the spot, but the guards of the Prince of Han's mansion blocked his way.

"Your Highness, what are you trying to do?!" Wang Mai shouted, secretly overjoyed. He couldn't be happier that Li Yuanchang would allow his men to run amok.

But Li Yuanchang was not fooled. He waved his hand casually, and his subordinates all took three steps back.

"I don't want to do anything."

"Your Excellency, arrest him if you wish."

Wang Mai's eyes flickered, but he couldn't detect anything unusual on Li Yuanchang's face.

"Hmph, insulting me, showing no respect for military regulations! Do you think I wouldn't dare take it?!"

"Someone come here!"

"Wang Jianjun, you may arrest him, but don't blame me for not reminding you. His father is Cheng Yaojin. After you arrest him, you must go to the Liangyi Hall to explain the situation."

Li Yuanchang finished speaking to him with a smile, then stepped back to make way for him.

He acted as if to say, "Do whatever you want."

Wang Mai was shocked to hear this; he knew nothing about it!

He suddenly looked at Cheng Chuliang, who had a dark face, a thick waist, and large, round eyes. His neck was thicker than his head, and he did indeed look more and more like Duke Lu.

At this moment, Cheng Chuliang walked out with his arms crossed, looking like he was saying, "Go ahead and arrest me if you dare."

Wang Mai's face turned ashen, as if he had swallowed a dead fly. Standing in the middle of the crowd, he was utterly humiliated!

It would be shameful not to arrest them.

Arrest him. How could he possibly offend Cheng Yaojin? He's the kind of person who dares to throw a tantrum at His Majesty.

It wasn't a big deal to begin with.

The atmosphere was extremely awkward, lasting for seven or eight breaths.

"This is the last time!" Wang Mai said, feeling frustrated. He could only manage to utter this one sentence before turning away, utterly humiliated.

Cheng Chuliang gave a dismissive snort.

But Li Yuanchang glared at him. It was a slap in the face, but Cheng Chuliang's impulsive personality was absolutely unacceptable. If this guy didn't have a good father, he would have died a more miserable death than anyone else.

"Hehe, bro, I know, isn't this guy pretending to be selfless while secretly plotting against you?"

"We need to be a bit tougher, otherwise they'll really take us for pushovers."

Li Yuanchang said sternly, "This is a one-time exception."

"yes!!"

"..."

After a short rest of about half an hour, the horses of the four hundred soldiers were changed. After expressing his gratitude to Ma Hong, Li Yuanchang ordered the entire army to move out at full speed to meet up with the rest of the Cang Cao's troops.

During this time, a minor incident occurred.

Wang Mai was humiliated and harbored resentment, so he deliberately had a batch of "second-class horses" replaced with his own.

Second-class horses are slightly inferior warhorses in the army and are generally not used by front-line troops. Their endurance and stamina are much inferior.

Li Yuanchang, who frequently dealt with warhorses, was well aware of the situation.

Cheng Chuliang wanted to seek an explanation.

But Li Yuanchang stopped him, not wanting to cause trouble or waste time; he just wanted to complete the mission as soon as possible.

Ma Hong also said that the battle had already begun on the front lines, and the Xueyantuo cavalry had started a large-scale infiltration to harass the supply lines.

After setting off, Li Yuanchang's four hundred men sped along the grain route at lightning speed. Unburdened and without any civilian laborers, the team displayed unprecedented speed.

On Baidaochuan, there were tracks everywhere from wheels and hooves, and Li Yuanchang also saw many wounded soldiers and corpses.

Those were all losses caused by the Xueyantuo cavalry's infiltration and attacks on the supply lines.

He led his team without stopping, speeding all the way, covering a straight distance of fifty miles in three hours, though the actual distance was far more than fifty.

He had already turned back halfway, but still hadn't seen any trace of the Lantian County granary corps.

Logically speaking, even if it's difficult to travel after the rain, it shouldn't be this slow.

With no other option, he could only continue advancing and send out cavalry to search in an arc.

They advanced another twenty li quickly to search, and it was getting dark, but they still hadn't found Gong Yun and the rest of the main force.

Li Yuanchang began to feel uneasy.

"Report!!"

"Your Highness, we've found something! We've found something!!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang quickly turned his horse around: "Giddy up!!"

The rumbling cavalry quickly passed through the woods and arrived at a hidden ravine.

There was a huge militia force hidden here, numbering nearly a thousand!

They were all disheveled, pale-faced, and huddled together for warmth.

When they saw Li Yuanchang, they suddenly knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness, the Prince of Han!!"

Li Yuanchang's expression changed drastically. They were laborers from Lantian County!

He had a bad feeling: "What's going on?"

"Where are the officers and soldiers? Where is Military Advisor Gong?"

"Your Highness, something has happened. Less than a day and a half after we parted ways, we encountered a cavalry force from the Xueyantuo."

"Gong, the military advisor, was forced to engage the enemy and told us to take our supplies and run ahead to fetch reinforcements."

"But the enemy cavalry was too fast. We lost our supplies and were forced to hide in this ravine. We've been hiding there for two days and one night, too afraid to come out!"

Boom!

This news came as a thunderbolt.

"What did you say?!" everyone exclaimed.

"My lords, it is absolutely true!"

"Hurry and reinforce Gong Canjun! There are many rangers coming!" the laborer cried out in a sorrowful voice.

Li Yuanchang's face was extremely ugly!

The worst fears came true. He took the dangerous route and was unharmed, but Gong Yun and the main force, taking the relatively safer route, encountered Xueyantuo cavalry.

"Where did the incident happen?!"

The laborer, trembling with fear, pointed out the way: "Your Highness, I know that the incident occurred about twenty miles to the north, but at the time, Military Advisor Gongyun led his troops westward to cover our retreat with our supplies."

"No wonder!" Tu Sitong and the others frowned. No wonder they hadn't encountered a single person from Lantian County on their way back; they had strayed from the grain route.

"Everyone has it!"

"Grab your weapons and let's go!!" Li Yuanchang roared, his voice like rolling thunder, startling a large number of birds in the forest into flight.

"yes!!"

Led by Cheng Chuliang, Yuchi Baoqi, and others, the brigade commanders roared in unison, unleashing their full bloodlust.

"Leave twenty men behind and take them back to the nearest Tang army camp. Send another ten men immediately to request reinforcements from the scouts. Tell them that the granary magistrate of Lantian County has been attacked by Xueyantuo cavalry and needs reinforcements!"

Even in the most urgent situation, Li Yuanchang remained calm and composed.

"yes!!"

Rumble...

The four hundred riders unleashed their full speed, rushing westward at breakneck speed, leaping off the supply route, deviating from the protected area, and heading towards the more desolate northern hills.