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

"One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand," and only at this moment did he understand the true meaning. Gong Yun, Gong Zi... and other faces floated into his mind.

Now he will be responsible for all the officers and soldiers in Lantian County!

Two hours later.

Li Yuanchang assembled all the troops of the Zhechong Prefecture in Lantian County, totaling 3,111 men including his former subordinates. This was a considerable force in ancient times.

He did not hold a military review or a victory celebration banquet, but instead immediately set up a memorial altar to commemorate his fallen comrades.

Thousands of heroes perished, their ashes piled up like mountains.

Because of the urgency of the war, they were unable to return to Chang'an immediately, but Li Yuanchang had already used his connections and status to accomplish this task.

Before leaving, he found a jar of distilled liquor.

Da da da……

The fragrant wine poured continuously onto the ground.

"Brother Gong, He Shu, Zhang Huang, Cao Zhen, Gong Zi, Xiao Jingtian, Luo Yiheng..."

He kept silently reciting the names of every comrade-in-arms who had fought alongside him and transported supplies.

"We went to the northern border together, and you all took good care of me. In the battle of Dingyuan Mountain, some of you swore to protect me with your lives."

"No matter what, my present state is the result of your sacrifices."

"What you have not finished, I will finish for you. If you are watching over us from heaven, please bless the brothers who survived. When it comes time to reward those who have done good, I will treat your families well."

"I will come to see you all again when I return to Chang'an!"

As they spoke, many soldiers were already weeping softly.

Even among the soldiers of Zhechong Prefecture, many were saddened and shed tears. Although they were divided into frontline and logistics personnel, many of them knew each other, and some were even from the same village.

As fellow soldiers, most of them are sentimental.

Li Yuanchang stood up at this moment and said in his loudest voice, "May you have a safe journey!"

"Farewell, everyone!!"

"Farewell, everyone!!"

The three armies roared in unison, and the war drums resounded, echoing across the sky and lingering for a long time.

There are no paper money falling from the sky, no ghosts dancing and music; the helmet that each soldier takes off is the simplest and most romantic ritual.

In the presence of more than 3,000 people, their ashes were loaded onto trucks and hauled away by a large caravan.

This is not the imperial army. The imperial army is under tremendous logistical pressure at the moment, and there is no one who can take away the body. Even if Li Yuanchang finds someone, he can only take back the ashes. Taking back the body is simply impossible in ancient times.

Unless it's an extremely high rank, it should at least be at the level of a general.

After all the ashes had been transported away, Li Yuanchang withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the three thousand elite soldiers behind him!

It was obvious to the naked eye that their temperament and physique were a cut above the logistics personnel, and their combat effectiveness was definitely up to the standard of the Prince of Han's mansion.

They were soldiers from the Chang'an region, not ordinary soldiers, only slightly inferior to the central imperial guards.

"Brothers, His Majesty has ordered that all officers and soldiers of the Lantian County Garrison Command cease their assaults on the front lines and instead proceed to the grasslands to carry out a new mission!"

"And I am your great general. You will be directly under my command, and I will be responsible to His Majesty and the commander-in-chief."

Do any of you have any doubts?

"No, no, no!!"

Three loud roars, deafening and resounding.

They were full of vigor, with an average age of no more than thirty and an average height of over 1.7 meters. They were absolutely elite, and before being handed over to Li Yuanchang, they had already followed Li Ji to win many battles.

They were unruly, but they showed no contempt for Li Yuanchang. The battles of Tuyuhun and Dingyuan Mountain had already established his prestige in the army.

Transporting the ashes of comrades and subordinates allows them to return to their hometowns, and also wins the hearts of the people.

"Good, very good!" Li Yuanchang said with a strong voice, holding his sword horizontally, striding with the power of a dragon and the gait of a tiger.

"My first order is for the entire army to prepare immediately. One day from now, the entire army will break camp. Our first destination is the Gena Grassland!"

"Our first target: the Qimeng tribe!"

"Before the harsh winter ends, we must assemble a coalition of grassland tribes to join forces with the main force on the western front, defeat the Xueyantuo, and ensure the eternal prosperity of our Great Tang!"

He was confident and spirited!

He was a natural orator, delivering his speeches with passion, intonation, and clear pronunciation, quickly igniting the morale of the entire army.

"Yes, yes, yes!!" the soldiers roared, brandishing their spears.

"May our Great Tang Dynasty live ten thousand years!"

"May our Great Tang Dynasty live ten thousand years!!"

"..."

The enormous sound wave swept across the entire training ground and spread for miles. Its terrifying power attracted the attention of many, including some imperial guards.

Li Ji stood on a hillside, stroking his beard, a hint of appreciation appearing in his deep, mysterious eyes.

"Grand Steward, I thought the Prince of Han couldn't control these elite troops. Many of the soldiers in Lantian County are sons of meritorious officials, and their ancestors were veterans with military achievements."

"I didn't expect you to take over so quickly," a composed middle-aged man said.

Li Ji smiled.

"Are they capable and meritorious descendants of the Cheng or Yuchi families?"

The speaker was stunned, and he and his large group of generals were all speechless.

Yes, what skill or merit can compare to the sons of the two dukes? The loyalty of Cheng Chuliang and Cheng Chuliang to Li Yuanchang is evident to all.

Li Ji exhaled a breath of stale air and suddenly sighed, "Every time I see the Prince of Han, I feel that I am getting old."

"In the blink of an eye, it's already the sixteenth year of the Zhenguan era."

"Most of the important officials of the Zhenguan era are in their twilight years, but the Prince of Han is so young!"

Someone cupped their hands in greeting: "General, you're still in your prime."

Li Ji was indeed not old, not even fifty. When Li Shimin passed away, he was the minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor. From the perspective of later generations, he was from the older generation.

However, considering the historical context, he was actually from the middle generation.

"But the King of Han is only twenty-one."

"When I was his age, I was far inferior to him."

Upon hearing this, another silence fell. A group of valiant warriors looked on with a hint of envy and jealousy. Yes, twenty-one, too young!

He already held multiple titles, including Grand General, Grand Commander, Governor, and Prince, all of which were real power with no empty titles. Even though he had been stripped of some power, everyone knew that returning was only a matter of time.

"Yes, he became famous at a young age, standing out from the crowd..." someone said, stopping halfway through.

Li Ji gently shook his head: "The Prince of Han is by no means a young and frivolous person. He has experienced several great ups and downs. He may seem absurd and unstable, but in reality, he is steady and reliable."

"Looking at the entire Tang Dynasty, you can't find anyone like him, at least I haven't seen one."

"Zhijie and Jingde have found a good son to entrust to; in this respect, those two old rascals have all come ahead of us."

His cryptic murmurs were difficult for others to understand, and then he laughed.

"Defeating the Xueyantuo is not difficult for me, but to completely subdue them is very difficult."

"I'm starting to get excited, looking forward to the King of Han's appearance."

"If he can truly unite the various tribes of the grasslands, he might actually gain control of the northern deserts in one fell swoop!"

A sharp glint appeared in his eyes. Expanding territory was the ultimate dream of all soldiers, but actual control did not equate to the submission of a certain king.

"..."