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

In the mountains and forests, the groans of the wounded soldiers continued.

The distilled liquor and wound medicine were applied, causing so much pain that many people nearly fainted.

Without anesthetic, many people would have died from the excruciating pain of open wounds.

Li Yuanchang inspected the wounded soldiers, his expression extremely grave.

If we were to encounter another Ranger unit now and lose the advantage of a surprise attack, the situation would be very bad.

"Guo Chao, take your men and expand the defensive perimeter to a radius of seven miles. Send more guards with binoculars to the trees or mountains to keep watch."

"Report immediately if any unusual activity is observed in the nearby mountains and forests."

"yes!"

Guo Chao clasped his hands in a fist salute.

Immediately afterwards, Li Yuanchang approached Cheng Chuliang and asked, "How is it?"

"Brother, it's nothing, just a scrape. Damn it, I have to say, this Xueyantuo guy is pretty skilled; he managed to get me injured."

"But today we really had a good time killing them! Those Xueyantuo people who dared to compete with us Han people for territory, we killed their grandmothers!" Cheng Chuliang cursed, his hand covered in medicine, his veins bulging, but he didn't utter a sound.

Li Yuanchang smiled.

The success of today's encirclement and suppression was largely due to him and Yuchi Baoqi. The two were veritable killing gods, and at one point they drove the Xueyantuo cavalry into retreat. As the vanguard, they truly suppressed the enemy.

"Take your medicine and rest."

"Big brother, don't be afraid, I can still fight!"

"Just rest when I tell you to. There will be plenty of battles to fight later."

"Hehehe, okay." Cheng Chuliang laughed carefree, even excited.

Not only him, but many officers and soldiers felt the same way. After all, they had won a great victory, not only avenging their defeat but also making a great contribution.

Only Li Yuanchang remained serious and tense throughout, unable to smile.

Although the revenge was successful, they had strayed too far from the supply route and the Tang army's marching route. Last night, the pursuit alone took all night, covering at least a hundred li.

This means that reinforcements will arrive very slowly.

and!

He doesn't even know where he is now, only that he is in the west, and nothing else.

In other words, the Lantian County Cangcao troops at this moment had become a de facto isolated force, which was extremely unfavorable for military operations.

About an hour later, the temporary camp set up deep in the mountains finally quieted down, and the wounded soldiers, who had been treated with medicine, gradually fell asleep.

Those who were not injured rested half the time and patrolled the other half, taking turns standing guard and eating, without letting their guard down.

Everything was peaceful until the sun set and night fell.

A waning moon hung high in the sky, and the mountains and forests were pitch black.

From time to time, wild beasts roared and venomous snakes flickered their tongues as they passed by, but most of them were captured by the Tang army and eaten as game.

These beings are killers to ordinary people, but to the military, they are simply poultry.

Fearing that it would attract the Xueyantuo cavalry, Li Yuanchang forbade anyone to light a fire, so the entire camp was almost pitch black.

Only a small flame flickered inside a natural stone cave, providing dim lighting.

Li Yuanchang took out the only map he had and tried hard to recall the route he had taken the night before, using the time and speed to estimate the distance.

"Brother, what are you drawing?"

Li Yuanchang did not look up, concentrating on his calculations: "I am calculating when the reinforcements will arrive."

"How long will it take?" Yu Chi Baoqi asked, his face dark with displeasure.

"The good news is that it only takes thirteen or fourteen hours."

"Those laborers we rescued should have already reported the situation and asked for help."

"And what's the bad news?" Yu Chi Baoqi was unusually quick-witted for a moment.

Li Yuanchang frowned, stopped what he was doing, and looked up with eyes like lightning: "The bad news is that the nearest logistics camp to us is Da Mengchang."

Yu Chi Baoqi's eyes widened: "Isn't that Wang Mai's territory?"

Li Yuanchang nodded: "Yes, apart from a small number of Tang scouts, there are no combat troops along the entire grain route. They are all fighting the main force at the front. As one of the grain and fodder supervisors, Wang Mai has almost absolute authority."

"I am at odds with him, and there may be hidden dangers."

"This scoundrel wouldn't just stand by and watch me die, would he?" Yuchi Baoqi jumped up, somewhat agitated.

Li Yuanchang shook his head: "He doesn't have that much guts. Thousands of laborers went back to ask for help, and our people went with them. This matter can't be covered up unless he wants to have his whole family executed."

"What I fear most is that this scoundrel will deliberately cause trouble and not make a concerted effort to arrive."

"At the beginning of the year in Tuyuhun, I was tricked in the same way once."

"Ugh!" Yuchi Baoqi gritted her teeth.

"If he really dares to do that, I'll drag him down with me even if it kills me!"

"That damned civil servant!"

Li Yuanchang was blowing on the flames when this fellow's words nearly extinguished them.

He laughed and said, "But don't worry too much. There won't be too many Xueyantuo troops here. Judging from today's situation, the Shatuo army should be the army specifically responsible for attacking the supply lines."

"If we calculate based on five departments, the total number of people would be at most three or four thousand."

"Once we recover, we can return on our own. However, with such a large group of wounded soldiers, I dare not act rashly. If we encounter the enemy, the consequences will be quite severe!"

He was serious, still wanting to minimize the number of deaths; of the more than a thousand logistics soldiers from Lantian County, only this one remained.

He didn't want to let Gongyun down.

If they all die in battle, he will have no face to go to Lantian County.

"What my elder brother says is true; we can't ignore the wounded soldiers."

He had only spoken halfway when Li Yuanchang frowned, keenly hearing hurried footsteps outside.

The next second, Guo Chao lifted the straw mat and rushed in, panting and looking serious.

"Your Highness, a troop of Xueyantuo cavalry has appeared several miles away, seemingly searching for us!"

Li Yuanchang's expression changed drastically.

How many people?

"Your Highness, there aren't many, only a dozen or so, but they're heading this way. Should we strike first and take them out?" Guo Chao made a throat-slitting gesture.

Li Yuanchang breathed a sigh of relief. The dozen or so men were alright; he had sent men to erase the remaining hoofprints behind him when he led his troops into the mountains.

"Leave at least two alive. Also, make sure it's done neatly. Don't reveal our location, and don't alert their main force!" Li Yuanchang said sternly.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will do it myself!" Guo Chao clasped his hands in a fist salute.

Li Yuanchang nodded.

"Damn it, they really came looking for us. I'll go get Chu Liang," Yu Chi Bao Qi said in a deep voice.

"Stop!" Li Yuanchang called out.

"Don't rush. We don't know how many people Xueyantuo have come, or where they are exactly. It's not too late to make a decision after we have a clear understanding."

"Well... okay." Yu Chi Baoqi scratched his head.

Li Yuanchang looked helpless. His two brothers were fierce generals when they charged into battle, but they were really stubborn and reckless. If it weren't for him, Cheng Yaojin and the other two probably wouldn't have agreed to let them join the army for training.