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

"If you trust me, I can help you turn this situation around. I have many military doctors and the best medicine behind me."

"You can send all your people out, and I will have them help you resolve this as best they can."

He was very confident that distilled spirits could solve a whole host of problems.

The man hesitated upon hearing this, his true feelings exposed.

They weighed the pros and cons of contacting outsiders and ensuring the safety of their clansmen.

Under the torchlight, there was a long silence, lasting for more than a dozen breaths.

Li Yuanchang's friendly expression and calm demeanor eventually persuaded the man, who lowered his guard, took a bamboo water bottle from his waist, and handed it to Li Yuanchang.

Li Yuanchang knew this was probably meant to entertain guests, so without hesitation, he took a sip.

Guo Chao and the others tried to stop it but it was too late, fearing that it might be poisoned.

"You're braver than them," the man said.

Li Yuanchang smiled.

The man continued, "I am Huangtu, the chieftain of the High Mountain Tribe."

"If you help me, I won't let you do it for nothing. I'll give you a hundred lion skins and tiger bones."

Li Yuanchang was slightly startled upon hearing this. In later generations, this would have landed him in jail for life. Back then, when he eradicated the tiger menace, he only had a few dozen of these, which he sold for a considerable sum.

"Let your people come here first."

Huang Tu nodded, turned around and said a few words to his people. Immediately, several of them left, their massive bodies and leopard-like explosive power disappearing in an instant.

The mountains and forests shrouded in night are like flat ground, almost an ability etched into their genes, no different from that of animals.

Li Yuanchang saw this and liked it.

If he could recruit these people and equip them with heavy armor, he couldn't even imagine how strong they would become; they could easily take on several thousand people.

With the guard and standoff completely lifted, the mountains were illuminated as if it were daytime.

At six quarters past midnight, members of the mountain tribes arrived at the scene one after another.

You don't know until you come, and you'll be shocked when you arrive. Even the women in this tribe are very tall and strong. The Tang soldiers looked at them as if they were monsters.

Two thousand Tang soldiers set up camp to rest, while a large number of military doctors came into the forest and set up medical stations one after another.

The consultation and treatment began immediately.

Although ancient medical techniques were backward, the medical techniques of the Tang Dynasty were a significant advantage over these isolated primitive tribes.

Distilled spirits, such a wondrous substance, can cure most infections and abscesses.

In addition, the "Tang Xin Ben Cao" which had been revised during the Zhenguan era already had a certain therapeutic effect on rheumatic pain, bone injuries and ulcers, and poisoning-related stomach ailments.

In particular, the more than 800 kinds of herbs officially recorded in the Tang Dynasty were genuine and without any fakes.

The ailments of the mountain tribes are mostly concentrated in these areas. Their immunity is much higher than that of ordinary people. As long as the Tang army doctors take out some military medicines, they can quickly stop the bleeding and relieve the pain.

In just half an hour, the Tang army's medical doctors displayed their extraordinary skills, causing everyone to cry out in pain while they were being treated, which almost led to a conflict among the mountain tribes.

After the treatment, everything seemed miraculous, and people discussed it privately.

Seeing such miraculous effects, Huang Tu listened and watched, and his eyes couldn't help but reveal longing as he looked at the magical medicines that the Tang army had brought out.

With these things, the people will no longer have to suffer.

At this moment, Li Yuanchang fell silent, having already discerned the desire for the desolate map.

A person's weakness lies in any need they have.

The mountain tribe, consisting of men, women, and children, numbered no more than two hundred people. They were all treated in no time, and the treatment was about to end.

After talking with his clansmen, Huangtu took the initiative to approach Li Yuanchang.

Cheng Chuliang stopped the person directly, demonstrating in the opposite direction.

"Chuliang, don't be rude." Li Yuanchang walked over.

Cheng Chuliang then put down his hand, and he and the people of the mountain tribe were at odds with each other.

"I heard them say you are the king of the Tang Dynasty?"

"You've even heard of the Tang Dynasty?" Li Yuanchang asked, quite surprised.

Huang Tu nodded.

Li Yuanchang remarked with emotion, "The Celestial Empire is a great nation, with all nations paying tribute; it was no exaggeration."

He had met many non-Han people, and they could all speak a few words of Chinese.

"I am."

Huangtu's arms were as thick as a rock, comparable to those of a Qilin. He performed a ritual: "I have already sent someone to retrieve the tribe's most precious treasure."

"Could we exchange your medicine?"

Li Yuanchang and Guo Chao exchanged a smile.

"I can give you the medicine, and I don't want your treasures. You just need to agree to one condition."

Huang Tu frowned, his voice hoarse: "What are the conditions?"

"Join the Tang Dynasty," Li Yuanchang blurted out.

Huang Tu's refusal was equally decisive: "Impossible!"

The scene fell silent immediately.

Li Yuanchang did not give up: "I have heard of your tribe's rule that you are not allowed to leave the sacred mountain, is that right?"

Huang Tu nodded: "Apart from this condition, I can agree to everything else."

Li Yuanchang said, "But have you ever thought that if you stick to your outdated rules, your tribe will eventually perish?"

"You only have a little over two hundred people, with an imbalanced male-to-female ratio, coupled with a harsh living environment, so each generation will only have fewer people than the last."

Huang Tu frowned, but still shook his head decisively: "This condition is really unacceptable. Ancestral precepts are paramount."

Li Yuanchang had no choice but to accept that the two words "ancestral precepts" were indeed very restrictive for the ancients.

"Can't the ancestral precepts be changed starting with your generation?"

"Follow the Tang Dynasty, and you can get everything you want. Moreover, we will not enslave you; you only need to obey the orders of the Tang Dynasty."

Huang Tu shook his head, then suddenly raised his head again, as if he had just remembered something, and stared at Li Yuanchang.

Li Yuanchang felt a little embarrassed by the gaze of this burly, primitive man.

"What's wrong?"

Huang Tu seemed to have a deeper meaning: "It's not impossible...it's not impossible."

"The mountain tribes have an ancestral precept that the tribes must guard the sacred mountain for generations, as it is the origin of everything. If anyone leaves without permission, the entire tribe will perish."

"But our ancestors also left a prophecy that the mountain tribes will wait for the incarnation of a god who will save them from suffering. When the god incarnates, the tribes can follow him and depart."

Upon hearing this, everyone on Tang Jun's side looked at each other in bewilderment.

"The Great Khan of the Tang Dynasty is him," Li Yuanchang blurted out.

Huang Tu shook his head: "Our ancestors said that only those who pass our clan's trials can become incarnations of gods."

"Would the Great Tang Heavenly Khan possibly come here?"

Li Yuanchang remained silent.

He instinctively disbelieved these prophecies and ancestral teachings, which were numerous in later generations and mostly unreliable. However, after meeting the two charlatans, Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng, he began to believe in superstitions.

In order to gain the tribe's participation, he pressed, "What kind of trial would you like me to try?"

Huang Tu glanced at the rescued clansmen and the suddenly appearing Li Yuanchang, and suddenly felt a sense of anticipation.

A prophecy made over a hundred years ago, yet no one has ever come to fulfill it, perhaps...

"Sure!" he readily agreed.

"..."