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

"Ah!" The guards cried out in surprise, then drew their swords and surrounded Li Yuanchang.

Li Yuanchang closed his eyes, letting the raging wind from the waterfall blow through his black hair.

At that moment, he even felt the same powerlessness that Zhuge Liang felt at Wuzhang Plain.

He had done his utmost, from the village relocation to the southward movement of the north, and the scattered breakout from Dingyuan Mountain, he had almost not missed a single step.

But in the end, they still couldn't get rid of the Xueyantuo people.

All I can say is that the reinforcements arrived too slowly.

"Whoa!!"

As the main force of the Shatuo army arrived, the scene was already dark and gloomy, like dark clouds pressing down on the city.

Compared to the enemy's thousand elite troops, the sixty-odd remaining soldiers were as insignificant as a floating duckweed, and could be overturned at any moment.

Qilianbajin looked down at him with a ferocious grin.

"Li Yuanchang, run! Why have you stopped running?"

"Aren't you supposed to be a fast runner?"

"Show me again how your horse leaps across the chasm!"

"Hahaha!"

The Xueyantuo people laughed and joked. Instead of making a move, they surrounded the enemy in a playful and teasing manner.

The guards were furious and began to curse.

Li Yuanchang knew that the other party was humiliating him, but he did not lose control. Instead, he rode his horse to the front.

Even though he was in dire straits, he still wanted to keep going, at least to buy his guards a little more time to catch their breath.

"Qilianbajin, do you really want to kill me?"

A cruel glint appeared at the corner of Qilianbajin's mouth: "What do you say?"

"You fool! If you had surrendered, I wouldn't have dared to do anything to you, but you killed Ban So and the envoy of Da Du She. Now no one can save you!"

"You killed two or three thousand of my Shatuo soldiers, how can I tolerate this!"

"After you die, this general will surely use your head as a wine jug!"

Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow: "Since you hate me so much, then I will give you a chance."

"I challenge you to a duel to the death!"

"Do you dare?"

He drew his sword and pointed it directly at Qilianbajin.

He understood the customs of the nomadic peoples of the grasslands, who respected the strong and believed that whoever had the biggest fist could legally possess everything, from food to women.

This is something ingrained in the bones of ancient nomadic peoples; on the grasslands, if one person challenges another, not daring to accept is considered a disgrace.

A general of Qilianbajin's rank would certainly not refuse.

It was obvious to the naked eye that he hesitated.

He had also heard of Li Yuanchang's reputation.

"What, are you scared?"

"Don't you grassland people pride yourselves on your bravery? Thousands of Shatuo soldiers have been reduced to this state, and your commander still doesn't dare to fight back. You can expect to be dismissed when you get back," Li Yuanchang said indifferently.

Qilianbajin's expression changed slightly; he couldn't bear this humiliation and immediately drew his curved sword: "You brat, how arrogant!!"

A glint of light flashed in Li Yuanchang's eyes. Even in dire straits, he did not give up.

If we can capture this person alive, there might still be a chance for a turnaround.

"Your Highness, you are injured. Let me do it." Guo Chao was extremely worried.

Li Yuanchang shook his head: "It's alright, if it weren't for me, he wouldn't have come down."

Having said that, he struck Chidian with the back of his sword, stepped forward, and deliberately entered the killing range of the Xueyantuo cavalry.

That's incredibly bold.

He gambled on the warrior spirit of nomadic peoples.

Clearly, he made the right gamble. Although Chilianbajin hated him to the core, he had no choice but to fight, otherwise he would not be able to stay in the army.

"Waaaaah, waaaaah!!"

"Waaaaah..."

The Xueyantuo cavalrymen, brandishing their scimitars, kept shouting and cheering in a nomadic manner.

It was a huge success.

Not to be outdone, the officials inside the tent smashed helmets with their Tang swords, repeatedly shouting, "Your Highness is mighty! Your Highness is mighty!!"

The atmosphere was already set, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, Li Yuanchang and Qilianbajin rode their horses one after the other, their faces close together, and a chilling atmosphere spread.

Qilianbajin was tall and mighty. Among nomadic peoples, those who could become generals were basically not from influential families; they didn't care about connections.

Their combat power is very strong, and they are basically at their peak.

In contrast, Li Yuanchang broke through enemy lines and fought repeatedly, without replenishing his food supplies. He only ate some berries, not to mention his physical strength.

He had at least five wounds on his body, which, although not serious, greatly affected his ability to fight.

Qilianbajin clearly noticed it as well; his eyes were sharp, like those of an eagle locking onto its prey.

He sneered, "You'll see how foolish your choice was."

"If I were you, I might live a little longer if I jumped."

Li Yuanchang held his sword horizontally, wiping the blood off the blade with the inside of his arm. He exuded both kingly and domineering power, his tall and upright figure in no way inferior to that of nomadic peoples.

"You talk too much nonsense."

"In my eyes, you are nothing but a nobody. If I had any logistical support, you wouldn't even be worthy of being my opponent."

He was deliberately provoking, and he was genuinely disdainful. If he had changed horses, he probably would have shaken them off.

Qilianbajin was enraged and his eyes were filled with ferocity.

"You madman, die!!"

"hiss!"

His warhorse neighed and suddenly charged forward.

Li Yuanchang's eyes sharpened, and he quickly entered a fighting stance. The red lightning beneath him started up, and its speed was in no way inferior.

boom! !

The two horses charged at each other, their Tang swords and curved blades clashing, sparks flying everywhere.

Everyone at the scene stared intently.

In the instant the two parted ways, Li Yuanchang lashed out with his elbow from behind, and with a bang, Qilianbajin's helmet flew off.

"Good!!" the guards shouted, their morale soaring.

Qilianbajin was furious. He turned back and attacked, slashing with his curved sword.

Li Yuanchang showed no weakness and kept responding to the challenges.

The two were almost locked in combat, wielding dozens of knives in a seemingly simple but actually desperate act.

If you can't block one strike, half your head will be chopped off immediately.

Real horse battles don't involve fancy skills; they're all about beastly combat, where no means are spared.

boom!

Li Yuanchang blocked with his sword, but his body swayed unsteadily.

His left arm was injured, and he was being relentlessly attacked by Qilianbajin, causing a large amount of blood to seep from the bandage.

He was even unable to wield the knife with both hands, and could only fight back with one hand against the experienced Chilenbajin, being hacked away and forced to retreat.

"Oh no!" Guo Chao and the others exclaimed in alarm.

The situation quickly reversed, with the Xueyantuo cavalrymen constantly letting out strange cries and shouts, as if Li Yuanchang was already doomed.

In this atmosphere, Chilenbajin gained confidence and continued to hurl insults.

"Draw your sword! Draw your sword!"

"Useless, utterly useless!"

"Too slow, too slow!"

"The Tang Dynasty is hailed as invincible under heaven, is this all your prince is capable of? Like a woman, weak and powerless!"

Li Yuanchang remained silent, simply retreating and waiting for an opportunity.

Waiting for the right moment to capture them in one fell swoop.

Soon, the opportunity came.

The arrogant Qilianbajin swung his sword with all his might, causing him to lose his balance. Li Yuanchang's expression hardened, and like a lurking tiger, he struck instantly.