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

Half an hour later.

In an open area within the camp, pale moonlight shone down, and spiders crawled across their webs on the treetops.

boom!

Three Xueyantuo cavalrymen, bound hand and foot and gagged, were thrown to the ground, whimpering and struggling.

"Your Highness, it's all resolved."

"We killed eleven, buried their bodies, brought back their warhorses, and left no survivors, only these three alive," Guo Chao said.

"Well done," Li Yuanchang said, as he approached the three prisoners.

The captive's brown eyes were filled with hostility and ruthlessness, and he seemed quite defiant.

"Draw some blood from them first!" Li Yuanchang was a ruthless man who didn't talk much.

"yes!"

The guards swarmed forward, pinning the man down like slaughtering a pig, and then drew their daggers, stabbing each man twice.

"Ugh!!"

Their agonizing screams were silenced, their mouths gagged, leaving them only able to whimper. They couldn't even struggle, as they were pinned to the ground.

Their brows rubbed against the stones on the ground, drawing blood, and the excruciating pain caused their veins to bulge.

boom!

Li Yuanchang stuck the knife in front of the three men, and then ordered his men to remove the cloths from their mouths.

The three prisoners shouted almost at the same time, calling out to their companions in the grassland language.

Li Yuanchang simply watched indifferently, neither stopping them nor saying a word.

The cold, mocking gazes around them were chilling.

a long time.

The three of them were exhausted and panting heavily.

"Aren't you going to call anymore?"

"Continue."

"Let's see if we can hear you even if we shout until we're hoarse." Li Yuanchang scoffed. He had expanded the sentry range to an area of ​​seven or eight miles, so their voices couldn't possibly carry out.

The three men looked grim.

"Those despicable Han Chinese, all they do is launch sneak attacks!"

Li Yuanchang scoffed: "If we're talking about sneak attacks, then what are you? You dare not fight the Tang army head-on, so isn't raiding their supply lines a sneak attack?"

The three were speechless and tried to struggle, but to no avail.

Li Yuanchang slowly placed the knife against one of the men's heads: "From now on, I will ask you one question, and you will answer one question."

"Otherwise, the knife has no eyes."

The person being held was shivering and dared not move an inch.

"You're dreaming!!" The Xueyantuo man on the left had a fierce look on his face.

puff! !

Li Yuanchang swung his knife back and cut off half of the head, killing him instantly.

Blood splattered, and the other two suffered ruptured livers and gallbladders.

"you!!"

"Don't think I'm just saying it for show. The promise of not killing prisoners is just empty words to me."

"First question, whose subordinates are you?"

Both of them were covered in cold sweat, their fear mingled with their unwillingness to submit.

puff! !

Li Yuanchang swiftly chopped off another head, the size of a watermelon rolling on the ground. Killing someone was as easy as drinking water.

The last person, his face covered in blood and trembling uncontrollably, thought to himself, "Give me some time to speak."

"Look, you're the only one left." Li Yuanchang raised his sword again, his black hair dancing wildly, the Tang sword reflecting the cold light of the moon, extremely intimidating.

The oppressive atmosphere was overwhelming; the ruthless killing spree, with no room for words, shattered the last prisoner's defenses. He stammered, "We are cavalrymen under the command of General Qilianbajin of the Shatuo Army."

Li Yuanchang squinted.

The Grand General is the top leader, not a commander or deputy commander.

Those under the tent belong to the category of personal guards.

"Has your main force arrived?"

His magnetic voice and menacing eyes made the prisoner dare not look him in the eye; he could only nod.

Li Yuanchang asked again, "How many people are there, and where are they now?"

"Great, the General has already gathered nearly a thousand men, and cavalry from other units are also on their way here."

"You killed the general's confidants and slaughtered six hundred people. The general was furious and ordered the Shatuo army to hunt you down with all their might. Now you have no way to return to Baidaochuan," the prisoner said.

Everyone's expressions changed, their faces turning serious: "What did you say?"

Li Yuanchang frowned; his worst fears had come true.

The Shatuo army, stationed outside Baidaochuan, arrived even faster than the Tang reinforcements.

"How many people are there in your Shatuo army?"

"There are still about three thousand men."

"Where exactly?"

"I don't know. I only know that the general's thousand men are in the valley fifteen miles away, and the rest of the troops should be heading this way," the prisoner said.

Upon hearing that it was fifteen miles away, Li Yuanchang tensed up at first, and then a murderous intent flashed in his eyes. His first thought was to strike first!

But he immediately dismissed the idea.

Although the enemy had not fully assembled, they still numbered a thousand men, and they were well-prepared and had sent out a large number of rangers to scout.

This is completely different from the surprise attack on Nu Xiba and his group. Not only will they not have the opportunity for a surprise attack, but they will also be exposed.

"What are the specific plans of Qilianbajin?" Li Yuanchang took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

"There was no plan. The plan was to find them, then surround and annihilate them all to avenge our grievances," the prisoner replied curtly.

This is also in line with the style of nomadic peoples, who are competitive and ruthless, and emphasize speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness, but never pay attention to tactics and strategies like the armies of the Central Plains.

Immediately afterwards, Li Yuanchang inquired about some information regarding the Shatuo army.

His army consisted of six divisions. One division was wiped out by Tang scouts, another by Li Yuanchang, leaving four divisions. One division had already joined forces with Qilianbajin's personal guards, which was the thousand men.

In addition, three more rangers will come from different directions to encircle and attack, bringing the total number of troops to nearly three thousand.

At this point, it was impossible for the soldiers from Lantian County Cangcao to return to Baidaochuan; they would definitely encounter them on the way.

Moreover, with so many wounded soldiers, the chances of breaking out were extremely slim.

After receiving the information, Li Yuanchang executed the last Ranger and then decisively launched an operation.

Hiding here is tantamount to waiting to die!

Waiting for reinforcements is not as good as trying to survive on your own.

"Quickly awaken the entire army, and have all the wounded mount their horses. The former guards of the Prince of Han's palace will scout ahead. The entire army will march south overnight to see if we can retreat back to Dingxiang City!"

"Guo Chao, take your men and hang these bodies in the opposite direction, then release thirty horses to leave trampling marks and mislead the enemy!"

"Right now!"

"yes!!"

The group clasped their hands in a fist salute and sprang into action.

More than 300 people completed the evacuation in less than 15 minutes.

As for the traces of where he had stopped, Li Yuanchang did not clean them up. Instead, he used them together with the bodies of the prisoners to create a smokescreen, which would at least buy the army half a day more time.

That very night, he led his men in a breakout attempt.

Heading directly east would be like walking into a trap.

Heading north leads to the southern desert, the main battlefield.

If we go west, we'll eventually run out of ammunition and food, and everyone will starve to death.

The only way to survive is to head south towards Dingxiang City.