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

"Your Highness, His Majesty would never issue such an order; there must be a trap!"

"Back off! Back off now!!" he shouted urgently.

He knew that if he didn't back down, it would mean war.

Once the first shot is fired, there will be no turning back.

Cheng Yaojin had dismounted. Although he was old, his mane was still bristling, and he still looked like an old, venerable lion.

"What are you trying to do?" Li Yuanchang frowned.

"Your Highness, quickly order your men to retreat! They dare not charge at us!" Cheng Yaojin said in a deep voice, his eyes also filled with anger.

Someone actually used them as scapegoats.

"Your Highness!" Wan Jun and the others were anxious, as the enemy army was about to arrive.

If we retreat now, our position will be unstable, and we will only be able to keep being chased and attacked.

The three armies are already eager to fight, and even the Han Lei has been brought out.

In that instant, time seemed to stand still.

Whether or not war breaks out rests entirely on Li Yuanchang's decision, and everyone is watching him.

Fang Xuanling's eyes almost pleaded.

Li Yuanchang glanced at his men again, then gritted his teeth and ordered, "Step back!!"

Military orders are absolute. Even with a formidable enemy at hand, the cavalry group still turned around and began to retreat.

They retreated like the tide, leaving only Cheng Yaojin and Fang Xuanling behind. Faced with the massive army rushing towards them, they were as insignificant as ants.

Once the dense swarm of hooves arrives, they will be left without a trace.

But they did not back down.

Fang Xuanling's voice had aged to the point that he could no longer produce a loud sound, so Cheng Yaojin stepped forward, his voice booming like a bell, his hair standing on end in anger.

"Cheng Yaojin and Fang Xuanling are here!"

The enormous sound traveled over, but it was still drowned out by the overwhelming cavalry, and no sound could be heard at all.

"Damn it!" Li Yuanchang cursed, realizing something was wrong. Seeing that the two couldn't stop him, he decided to turn back and save the person.

But at the critical moment, the advancing imperial cavalry suddenly fell into chaos, with some men pulling on the reins and issuing an order to stop.

Faintly, angry shouts could be heard: "Stop! Stop!!"

The massive cavalry formation was like a carriage, one foot forward and the other foot braked, causing chaos and disarray among the riders and horses.

Boom!

boom!

Click!

Hundreds of riders were thrown into a stampede, resulting in a very serious trampling accident, with screams and neighing echoing everywhere.

"It's Duke Lu and Lord Fang! Stop right there!" someone shouted, first noticing something was wrong when they saw the two men standing there, then recognizing their faces and stopping them in time.

"Whoa!!"

"roar!!"

The densely packed imperial army came to an abrupt halt in front of the two.

Crackling sounds...

The horse's hooves rubbed violently against the ground, pushing it to its absolute limit.

The white beards of Cheng Yaojin and Fang Xuanling were blown wildly in the wind, and their warhorses were only a meter away from knocking them flying.

But they did not retreat or flinch, and forced the army to a halt by relying on their status and prestige.

The scene was extremely chaotic. At least tens of thousands of imperial cavalrymen had charged in, but they had mostly stopped.

Li Yuanchang deliberately took advantage of this chaotic moment to strike directly, seize the initiative, and create a time gap that prevented his opponent from getting started.

After all, cavalry needs to take the initiative.

But he didn't; he kept the army in check and nipped the possibility of conflict in the bud.

Both sides were wary and didn't want things to be irreparable, but some people wanted to provoke a war that was beyond repair.

Bang bang bang!

The drums of the charge sounded once again.

Cheng Yaojin was furious and roared, "Who dares to move?!"

The imperial cavalry, who had already stopped, looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

"What are you standing there for? The traitor Li Yuanchang is here! Attack immediately!" A general spurred his horse to the front and hysterically gave the order.

"You son of a bitch!"

Cheng Yaojin cursed loudly, but despite his age, he was still vigorous and charged forward.

The Demon King of Wagang, Duke Lu of the current dynasty—who doesn't know him? No one dares to stop him.

boom!

Although Cheng Yaojin was old, his former prowess had not faded. He rushed forward and punched the general in the abdomen, and the general fell to the ground with a thud.

"You bastard, what do you think you're doing?"

"Who dares to send troops?!"

"Who's in charge? Get out here!"

It must be said that Cheng Yaojin had a fiery temper, stepping on the general's body without any regard for the thousands of troops.

The dark mass of cavalry dared not move until the army split up, and a middle-aged general wearing chainmail stepped out.

"Duke Lu, please calm down."

"We didn't know it was you!"

"Li Wei, it's you! You son of a bitch, are you blind? Can't you see this?!" Cheng Yaojin was unusually furious and cursed loudly.

He almost thought he was going to die.

The middle-aged general dismounted, his face somewhat grim: "Duke Lu, we truly did not see the two armies clashing."

"Didn't you see it?"

Fang Xuanling coughed as he stepped forward, his eyes filled with anger: "Then why did you send troops?"

"His Majesty ordered us to negotiate with the Prince of Han at the Liao River. Without further instructions, we are not allowed to send troops. Who gave you the authority to send troops?"

A hint of guilt flashed across Li Wei's eyes.

"Lord Fang, this is because someone informed us that you two have been detained in the enemy camp and that the Prince of Han intends to use you as hostages to threaten our army."

"I am also worried about your safety."

"And with the rebels making unusual moves, we have no choice but to react?"

"Who informed us?" Fang Xuanling pressed.

"I don't know, that person has already left."

Cheng Yaojin chuckled and approached Li Wei: "They've left? What about the unusual activity? The King of Han's army has been west of the Liao River the whole time. What unusual activity?"

Li Wei said, "There was indeed something unusual; many people saw it."

"Furthermore, why is Duke Lu speaking up for the rebels?"

Don't try that on me!

boom!

Cheng Yaojin, with his fiery temper, punched Li Wei, knocking him to the ground.

"General!"

"Duke Lu!"

The surrounding troops were in an uproar.

Li Wei wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and got up: "Duke Lu, what do you want to do?"

"What are you doing? You almost started a war and almost caused countless deaths, and you still dare to turn the tables on me!" Cheng Yaojin threw another punch.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Li Wei's guards immediately drew their swords.

Eight hundred meters away.

"Your Highness, something seems wrong. Lord Fang and the others can't control the situation!" Wan Jun exclaimed.

"Don't rush, wait a moment." Li Yuanchang said in a deep voice, continuing to observe the situation of the imperial army through his binoculars.

"Where?" Fang Xuanling hissed, "Who dares to move!"

As one of the prime ministers, he had never made a mistake in his life, but this time, he sided with Cheng Yaojin.

"I am here by His Majesty's orders to oversee all affairs along the Liao River. Who dares to touch me?"

The vast army dared not make a move and continued to retreat.

"Men, seize Li Wei immediately!"

"Lord Fang, what gives you the right?" Li Wei asked rudely.

"Just for this!"

Fang Xuanling held up a waist token, which he had specially obtained from the palace before leaving, fearing that it would not be able to control the troops at the front.

The moment the waist token was revealed, the tens of thousands of soldiers were terrified and knelt down, saying, "We pay our respects to Your Majesty!"

Despite his weakened state, Fang Xuanling shouted, "From now on, all troops are under my command!"

"Take down Li Wei!"

"The army is returning to camp!"

"Those who disobey orders will be executed without mercy!"