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

When Qilianbajin's troops discovered the body and the scene, a full seven hours had passed.

As the sun rose, looking at his personal guards who had been killed, stripped naked, and hung up, Qilianbajin, dressed in full military uniform, felt an unprecedented humiliation. Enraged, he ordered the entire army to pursue them to the north.

This chase lasted for another three hours.

The highly mobile cavalry pursued them for sixty or seventy miles, but not only did they fail to spot a single Tang soldier, they also completely lost track of the horseshoes and other traces.

Qilianbajin's troops, on the contrary, managed to reunite with his two subordinate branches.

"Whoa!!"

He suddenly pulled on the reins, stopping midway, and the large group of cavalry all came to an abrupt halt in the open field.

"General, what's wrong?" The Xueyantuo generals asked, puzzled.

"Something's not right!"

"Going north leads to the southern desert. If the Tang army wants to escape, how could they possibly run north?" Qilianbajin asked, his face full of doubt.

It wasn't until they said that his subordinates realized that the route was wrong.

"Damn it, we've fallen for their trap! They must have headed south. Turn back and give chase!" Qilianbajin roared.

In an instant, the massive troop of two thousand rangers swiftly turned their horses around and returned along the same route.

"Giddy up, giddy up!!"

The thunderous sound of hooves was deafening, and their speed was terrifying.

"..."

October 5th.

This was the third day since Li Yuanchang led his men to break through the encirclement. Everything was calm and peaceful. Choosing to go south allowed him to avoid all the Xueyantuo cavalry, and they had a safe journey.

But another extremely serious problem confronted him: insufficient food supplies!

There wasn't enough food for the people, and the horses' feed had long been gone.

"Your Highness, it's almost empty."

"We've almost finished the dry rations we carried with us." Tu Sitong's lips were dry as he handed over two fist-sized steamed buns.

Looking at the boundless mountains and rivers, with sparse trees and little vegetation, Li Yuanchang frowned.

A person can go hungry for a day or two without any problem, since the horse will carry them anyway, which will save energy. What worries him most is the lack of fodder.

If you want a horse to run, you have to give it grass; that's basic common sense.

What will happen to all these wounded soldiers if the horses stop? If the enemy catches up with them again, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"Save the food for the wounded soldiers."

"The rest of the people eat one meal a day, and they collect all the wild fruits and vegetables they can find along the way."

Upon hearing this, Tu Sitong frowned: "Your Highness, you haven't eaten all day."

"I'm not hungry, take it back." Li Yuanchang shook his head.

"Well... okay."

"Your Highness, there is something I am unsure whether I should say." Tu Sitong hesitated.

"explain."

"This can't go on. We have too many wounded and are moving too slowly. We had already broken through, but this way we might be overtaken by the enemy."

"Why don't you take your personal guards and go ahead to Dingxiang, then send reinforcements to meet you?"

"This humble servant can lead the wounded soldiers and travel slowly from behind," Tusitong offered.

Li Yuanchang patted him on the shoulder, saying that Tu Sitong was worth cultivating as he was able to stay behind to cover the rear at this time.

"I cannot abandon them; they are my comrades. If word gets back, how will I lead my troops in the future?"

"Since we came together, we should go back together."

He refused decisively, which is not his usual style.

Tu Sitong probably sensed the team's difficulties and wanted to persuade them again.

But just then, a fast horse rushed back.

"Whoa!!"

The guard dismounted and said, "Your Highness, we have discovered a high mountain ten miles ahead. There is a water source and a large area of ​​green plants on it."

"There are also plenty of wild fruits to replenish our supplies!!"

Upon hearing this, the entire team erupted in commotion. The hungry and parched soldiers immediately began to discuss it, and smiles appeared on their tired faces.

For three days, no one was able to eat their fill, and they even had to share water.

After delivering the grain at Da Mengchang, the team only carried one day's worth of dry rations. At the time, no one knew that so many things would happen later.

If it weren't for the supplies seized after defeating the Nuxi Ba, many people would probably have starved to death long ago.

"Hahaha!!"

Li Yuanchang laughed heartily, clapping his hands and exclaiming, "Heaven has not forsaken me!"

"Heaven hasn't forsaken me!"

"Brothers, did you hear that? There's water and food just ten miles ahead!"

"Cheer up, let's get there before sunset and get some rest!"

"yes!!"

The disorganized and exhausted troops regained a glimmer of strength, and even the wounded soldiers perked up.

Immediately afterwards, the team gritted their teeth and sped along, eventually arriving ahead of schedule at the high mountain that had been scouted from the front lines.

Li Yuanchang was unsure of the exact location, as it was completely off course and sparsely populated, which was one of the difficulties in breaking through the encirclement.

The sparse population meant difficulties in resupplying and traveling.

When more than 300 officers and soldiers entered the high mountains, as expected, there was a large amount of lush greenery and weeds, with no barren landscape at all, and many animals lived there.

The towering trees were covered with bright red berries.

The entire army, men and horses alike, revealed longing in their eyes.

The officers and soldiers rushed forward, grabbed handfuls of berries, and swallowed them.

The horses all ran wild, rushing into the grass and starting to graze.

On the other side of the water source, heads were neatly buried in the spring water, drinking it down.

There is no time like this moment of exhilaration. When a person is extremely hungry and thirsty, military achievements are not important. All they want is to eat and drink their fill.

Feeling it was too slow, Cheng Chuliang climbed the tree and cut it down. His guards immediately collected the fallen branches, and the others followed suit.

Its abundance of berries and lush vegetation make it a veritable paradise.

"This should be Dingyuan Mountain."

Li Yuanchang led his men to climb the cliff. When they reached the top, although all they could see was desolate wilderness, this mountain was definitely the highest point for dozens of miles around.

This roughly matches the rough markings on the map in his hand.

"Your Highness, it should be. It's surrounded by mountains, just like the one marked on the map."

"If this is Dingyuan Mountain, then we are on the right track. If we continue in this direction for another fifty or sixty li, we will reach Dingxiang." Li Yuanchang pointed to a certain end and smiled.

"Very good!"

"It's finally coming to an end."

"We've escaped death, those idiots from Xueyantuo are probably still looking for us in the north." Guo Chao and the others laughed heartily, their bitterness finally over.

After his initial excitement, Li Yuanchang quickly became serious: "Even so, we cannot let our guard down. There's still one last step; we haven't even reached Dingxiang yet."

"yes!"

Li Yuanchang glanced at the soldiers frantically resupplying on the mountain, and at a group of wounded soldiers who were starving for food.

He was happy, but as the commander, he dared not let his guard down.

"Following the old rules, Guo Chao, you take some men down the mountain to keep watch and watch out for pursuers. Tu Sitong, you take the archers to set up a makeshift defensive line."

"Let's rest for the night and let the soldiers and horses recover their strength before setting off first thing tomorrow morning."

"yes!"