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

But the severity of the situation was beyond imagination.

Just as the Tang army moved to the foot of the back mountain and was about to slip away, birds flew continuously in the distant forest, and dark shadows flickered.

"stop!!"

Hundreds of people lay prostrate in the darkness.

"The Xueyantuo people are blocking our way!"

"Quickly, take another route!" Li Yuanchang's face was already very grim.

The entire battalion was forced to turn back, taking a detour along the mountain road and racing against time to descend the mountain from the west.

The same was true to the west, where the Xueyantuo people had preemptively sealed off Dingyuan Mountain.

Not only in the back mountain, but also in the west mountain, Li Yuanchang led his team in a great hurry, changing routes several times, but each time they were intercepted in advance.

Although the Xueyantuo people have not yet launched an attack, if the main force wants to descend the mountain, it will definitely be discovered.

Li Yuanchang was forced to lead his team back up the mountain.

After his failed breakout attempt, before he could even react, misfortune struck again when roars and cries for help from the Xueyantuo people suddenly rang out from the foot of the mountain.

Guo Chao's case, which had dragged on for so long, was finally solved.

"ah!!"

As the piercing screams echoed from the mountainside, the weather outside Dingyuan Mountain changed drastically in just three breaths.

"Up there!"

"The Tang army is on top!"

"ignition!!"

The Xueyantuo people roared, and countless torches ignited like firecrackers, illuminating the entire wilderness as if it were daytime.

The undercurrents were brewing, and the volcano finally erupted.

Driven by revenge, the Xueyantuo commander emerged from the bushes, his face ruthless: "We've finally found you!"

He abruptly drew his scimitar and immediately gave the order to attack: "Charge!!"

"Kill them!!"

The Xueyantuo people shouted and quickly organized their forces to launch an attack.

Standing atop the mountain, Li Yuanchang clearly saw everything through his binoculars as hordes of Xueyantuo people began their attack from all directions.

The entire Dingyuan Mountain was enveloped by a dense, oppressive blanket of clouds.

Seeing this, the entire camp was plunged into despair, instantly enveloped in an atmosphere of death.

"Damn it!"

"Damn Xueyantuo people!"

"Brother, we'll cover your breakout!" Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Baoqi roared, raising their weapons, full of fighting spirit, ready to fight their way out.

"Stop!" Li Yuanchang shouted.

"Brother, it's best to strike first; they might not be able to stop us!"

"Going down there would be suicide. Everyone prepare for battle. Hold your ground, attack from higher ground, they have no advantage!"

"Big brother!"

"Disobey orders and you will be punished according to military law!" Li Yuanchang roared. The situation was already at a critical point, and he had no time to explain to the two men.

The two immediately cupped their hands in greeting: "Yes!"

Li Yuanchang quickly assigned the battle plan: "Tu Sitong, immediately lead the archers to occupy the high ground. With limited manpower, tighten the defensive perimeter, ensuring archers are stationed in every direction, forming square formations of twenty men each. Go now!"

"yes!"

"Chu Liang, take fifty men to guard the back mountain. Bao Qi, take fifty men to guard the right side. Tell Guo Chao to guard the left side."

"I, the King, will defend the front!"

"Infantrymen and archers are of different heights; they cannot act alone!"

"Yes!!" The crowd clasped their fists and roared like thunder, there was no need to hide anymore.

"The wounded soldiers should go up the mountain and collect as many stones and logs as possible!"

"yes!"

As soon as Li Yuanchang gave the order, the large force quickly split into four groups. Although the number of people was small, they quickly organized a defensive line.

The presence of sentry posts and high vantage points, which had been scouted in advance, provided convenience for this moment.

On Dingyuan Mountain, the sound of rustling footsteps echoed continuously as a large number of people moved along the steep mountain path.

Although the Xueyantuo people were only good at fighting on the plains, their physical fitness was excellent. In the blink of an eye, they had already rushed up the mountainside and launched an attack on the summit in groups of a hundred.

"quick!"

"superior!"

"Slaughter these two-legged sheep of the Tang Dynasty, then go back and collect your reward!"

"Don't let others get there first, or you'll run out of kills!"

"..."

They completely disregarded the Tang army, estimating that there were only a few hundred men. In their view, this was a hunting game.

Even within the Shatuo army, there were bounties for heads.

The night wind was bitterly cold in the latter half of the night, sending chills down one's spine; leaves fell, and a murderous intent was palpable!

Pairs of eyes peered into the darkness at the approaching enemy.

The fierce, bloodthirsty barbarians, wielding scimitars, were surging up the mountain, almost unimpeded, until they reached the mountain's shoulder.

They encountered no resistance whatsoever throughout the entire process; it couldn't be easier.

This was merely a deliberate act by Li Yuanchang to tighten his defenses.

When their faces were touching, a loud roar completely tore through the night, bringing the tense atmosphere to a climax.

"Release the arrows!"

Whoosh! !

Arrows pierced the air and fell from the high point, making the unsuspecting Xueyantuo people easy targets. More than a dozen people died instantly.

"kill!!"

The enraged Xueyantuo people reacted with a roar, completely transforming their approach into a fierce attack.

"Go to hell with the Xueyantuo people!"

Cheng Chuliang's angry curse rang out.

boom!

He brought his axe down from the sky, smashing the head of the centurion leading the way, the head exploding like a watermelon.

More than twenty swordsmen jumped out with him, suddenly leaping down the slope and catching the enemy off guard.

Puff puff!

"what!"

The clash of swords and screams quickly echoed along the mountainside.

The great battle officially broke out, with sounds of fighting coming from all directions; it was extremely intense.

The Xueyantuo people suffered unprecedented attacks and incurred extremely heavy losses in the first instance.

Among them, the largest group was the one attacking from the front, with at least four hundred people coming up the mountain from the front, a dark mass. This was no longer a small force, but an entire army.

Faced with a force nearly ten times its own, Li Yuanchang did not order a melee, but instead waited for an opportunity.

Fifty meters, forty meters, thirty meters...

The enemy's vanguard had almost completely emerged from the woods and was heading towards the cliff position.

Li Yuanchang roared, "Now!"

He assumed a horse stance, exerting force with both arms, and his guards, lined up in a row, roared angrily, their veins bulging.

They were holding huge pieces of bluestone in their hands, the smallest of which weighed over 100 kilograms.

"what!"

Boom!

With everyone's combined efforts, the base of many rocks loosened and was subsequently overturned.

The Xueyantuo people who had just climbed up felt a sudden darkness overhead. When they looked up, they saw several large black shadows falling at high speed, and their pupils suddenly contracted.

Bang bang bang!

Click!

"ah!!"

The four hundred rangers were instantly smashed to pieces, screams filled the air, some suffered broken bones, others were reduced to bloody pulp.

As the rocks rolled down, loud noises continued, leaving behind trails of bright red blood.

Before they could even react, twenty repeating crossbows began a second wave of harvesting.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!!" the Xueyantuo commander roared.

While a dense barrage of arrows is indeed difficult to use effectively in the mountains and forests, and their limited quantity and limited lethality can suppress the enemy from raising their heads.

That's enough.