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

Half an hour later, it was completely dark.

The vast northern land was plunged into absolute darkness, making the search extremely difficult, as many remaining hoofprints and other traces could no longer be seen.

However, Li Yuanchang still ordered the entire army to light torches, even if it might attract any Xueyantuo cavalry that might be present.

Illuminated by the torchlight, every blade of grass and every tree in the wilderness began to become clear.

A Tang soldier's corpse lay among the flowers and grass, his pupils dilated, his face pale as he stared at the waning moon in the sky. Lividity had appeared on his face, indicating that he had been dead for some time.

Not far from him, there were more and more corpses, and even warhorses had their heads chopped off by Xueyantuo's scimitars, with blood flowing all over the ground.

"Giddy up, giddy up!!"

Li Yuanchang frantically struck the red lightning, constantly rushing forward. What he saw and heard was shocking!

A fierce battle had taken place in the wilderness, leaving behind a pile of corpses, numbering in the hundreds, which had become a veritable mass grave.

The overwhelming stench of blood and filth was nauseating.

And they were the soldiers and officers of Lantian County!

Seeing these tragic scenes, everyone was filled with grief and indignation.

They may not know each other, but as comrades-in-arms, they have traveled together and helped each other. How could they not be saddened to see so many people die?

Some roared on their warhorses, while others wailed on their warhorses.

The wind kept whipping across Li Yuanchang's face, but he remained expressionless and didn't stop. This wasn't the final battlefield yet!

But he was extremely anxious.

He had fought in wars, and he knew very well that with such casualties, the situation must be deteriorating rapidly.

It's unlikely that a single cavalry unit could have driven the entire government forces of Lantian County to such a point, or even traveled this far.

Subtracting the 450 men under Li Yuanchang's command, Gong Yun could mobilize at least close to a thousand officers and soldiers. Even if they weren't front-line troops, they were still soldiers.

Judging from the scene, there were obviously more corpses of soldiers from Lantian County. Judging from the direction of death, they were likely scattered by cavalry from all directions.

They ran for an unknown amount of time before finally bursting into a forest.

"Whoa!!"

Li Yuanchang tightened the reins, and the four hundred men slammed on the brakes!

What one sees is devastation, corpses strewn everywhere, fallen flags burned to ashes, fallen soldiers lying haphazardly, and large flocks of crows pecking at something.

Within a radius of three miles, all was red earth!

Everyone was stunned, almost petrified!

Despair, unease, heartache...

I'm late...

Li Yuanchang clenched his back teeth tightly!

"It's Commandant Gong!"

"It's Commandant Gong!!" someone shouted.

Li Yuanchang quickly dismounted and rushed into the bushes nearby.

Under the torchlight, Captain Gong's helmet had long since disappeared, and his face was pale; he was already dead.

He was pierced by three spears, and his eyes remained wide open, gripping his knife, until his death!

"Brother Gong!!"

Cheng Chuliang shouted.

He had clashed with Gong Zi over cutting in line when they set off, but seeing Gong Zi's tragic death now, Cheng Chuliang's eyes turned bloodshot.

Li Yuanchang's face was grim, and he was burning with rage!

"Let's see if there are any survivors!"

"Find Military Advisor Gong, alive or dead!"

"yes!"

The entire army quickly dispersed and began searching separately.

But the scene was so horrific, almost like a small war, that everyone knew the odds were against them.

Soon, the officers and soldiers found more and more familiar faces in the battlefield and ruins.

Gong Zi, He Shu, Zhang Huang, and a series of other officers and brigade commanders from Lantian County's granary almost all died here, resulting in a complete annihilation of the army.

Moreover, most of them died tragically, and many of their bodies were incomplete.

"Report!"

"Your Highness, Your Highness, up the mountain!!" a soldier shouted, his face grim.

Li Yuanchang's heart skipped a beat, and then he rushed up the hillside.

Torches are lit everywhere, illuminating the area as if it were daytime. As a high vantage point, this place seems to have once been guarded by soldiers from Lantian County.

In the center of the large number of corpses, one body stood out because it had been tied up in mid-air by the enemy, with blood dripping down from the tips of its shoes.

He was completely naked and had been humiliated before his death.

"Fuck your mother!" the soldiers cursed in grief and anger.

Li Yuanchang's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. With a bang, he drew his sword, took a running start, and leaped into the air, stepping on a rock.

puff! !

The rope was cut, the body fell to the ground, and was caught by Guo Chao and others.

He was none other than Gong Yun.

"He's still breathing! He's still breathing!" Guo Chao shouted, checking his nose for breath.

Li Yuanchang excitedly grabbed Gong Yun and shook her violently.

"Brother Gong, wake up, wake up!"

"Don't sleep!!"

He kept shouting, urging the military doctor to help stop the bleeding.

Gong Yun slowly opened his eyes at this moment. His body was extremely weak, and there was no trace of blood in his body. It was terrifying.

"Your Highness..." His voice was like a candle flickering in the wind.

"Waaaaah!!" The fifty fellow villagers and soldiers who had followed him for many years knelt down and wailed.

Li Yuanchang grasped his hand.

"Brother Gong!"

"Don't speak, just hang in there!"

Gong Yun shook his head, his breath weak, and his weathered face looked even more withered.

"Someone, quickly prepare a carriage!" Li Yuanchang tried his best to save him.

Gong Yun grabbed Li Yuanchang with tremendous force, his eyes wide open.

Li Yuanchang's heart sank to the bottom.

It's probably just a last gasp before the flames die out.

Overwhelmed with grief, he bent down and leaned in to listen.

Gong Yun's voice was like a broken window in winter, constantly being eroded by the cold wind.

"Your Highness, please stop."

"I...I'm not going to live."

"No, I never expected to be defeated on my last mission." He gave a bitter smile.

For a moment, the sound of weeping could be heard all around.

Li Yuanchang's eyes stung. He remembered that Gong Yun had said that after this battle, he would retire from the army and return to his hometown to take care of his children and grandchildren.

But this time, he could never go back.

Suddenly, blood shot up from Gong Yun's throat, which he swallowed back forcefully, his veins bulging as he struggled to keep his body upright.

He pleaded urgently, "Your Highness, please do me a favor!"

"Speak!" Li Yuanchang choked up, knowing that Gong Yun was on his last breath, his life hanging by a thread.

"Help, help me take care of my family, and their families too. There are no men in their families, and they will be bullied in the countryside. It's my fault for being useless; I caused them all to die in battle."

Tears of blood welled up in Gong Yun's eyes—a mixture of reluctance, resentment, and guilt towards his subordinates.

Cheng Chuliang and Yuchi Baoqi, two tough and rugged men, instantly burst into tears, as did the guards of the Prince of Han's mansion.

"good!"

"I guarantee it!" Li Yuanchang nodded vigorously.

Gong Yun gave a bitter laugh, his teeth covered in blood.

"Thank you so much!"

With his last breath, he pointed in one direction: "Your Highness, there are new shoes I made for you on that horse's back. They're made of cowhide and won't hurt your feet."

"We'll leave our funeral arrangements to you!"