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

"Your Highness, we are too far away to receive specific details, but the order to retreat was sent out long ago."

"As long as they don't end up like Sanyang City, there won't be any major problems," Jin Minda said.

Li Yuanchang frowned, suddenly thinking of another troublesome problem.

"If the entire army at Sanyang City is wiped out, doesn't that mean the Tang army has obtained supplies? Where will that place become a springboard?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned grim.

"Grass!"

Li Yuanchang cursed loudly.

It was originally a matter of who could hold out first and who would collapse first. If the battle lines were too long and logistics couldn't keep up, the Tang army would collapse on its own.

Now look what happened! The city lord of Sanyang City made a stupid move, sending a wave of goodwill to someone, but the person is gone and the belongings are gone.

Sanyang City could very well become a stepping stone, creating a vicious cycle.

Even if it can't threaten places like Anshi City, the city lords in the north can't withstand it!

Just as the atmosphere became tense, a scout strode to the door and whispered something in Guo Chao's ear.

Guo Chao immediately rushed in: "Your Highness!"

"We have just received news that our scouts have discovered a large group of Tang army supply wagons secretly moving from south to north on the back slope of Jinliang Mountain."

Grain carts, from south to north, in secret... When these words appeared together, everyone's eyes lit up!

"Tang army logistics!"

"It must be supplies for the frontline troops!"

"We've finally found their supply line!" everyone exclaimed.

Because of the siege warfare, the scouts' activity range was limited, so they were not clear about the whereabouts and supplies of the imperial army.

Most of the logistics were also located behind the imperial army, and this was the first time that a grain transport team had been discovered.

During the era of cold weapon warfare, if a grain transport team was discovered, it would inevitably be met with a swift and severe attack, which explains the excitement of everyone present.

"Is the information reliable?" A sharp glint appeared in Li Yuanchang's eyes.

Attacking the supply lines would undoubtedly be the most efficient shortcut to achieving his strategic goals and would also resolve the predicament in the north.

"Your Highness, it's reliable!"

"This information was discovered jointly by multiple squads of the scout battalion; it can't be fake!" Guo Chao clasped his hands in a fist salute.

The scout battalion's prestige is self-evident; they were selected from the best of the Liangzhou soldiers and equipped with a range of advanced equipment, including binoculars.

"Furthermore, it's said there were no fewer than several thousand grain carts!"

hiss!

Upon hearing this, the entire audience gasped. So many?

Are you sure?

Li Yuanchang's eyes showed a slight shock. What does several thousand vehicles mean? That's equivalent to the logistics of at least tens of thousands of troops.

"Your Highness, that's what the frontline report says, but because they can't get too close, the scouts can only detect the number of carriages."

"They speculated that it might not only include provisions, but also supplies such as bows and arrows."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang took a deep breath.

At that moment, he had basically made up his mind.

Such an opportunity is rare and should not be missed.

He quickly approached the sand table.

"Your Highness, this is Jinliang Mountain."

"There used to be an iron mine here. Yeon Gaesomun once recruited 50,000 laborers to mine it. The back of the mountain was hollowed out, and a road was naturally formed."

"If I remember correctly, this road eventually leads to the west of Sanyang City, about thirty miles away. It goes around a low riverbed and can reach further north. The route is difficult to travel, but it is extremely well hidden."

"Judging from this, they are supplying the vanguard army in the north. They probably intend to use this as an anchor point for a protracted war." Jin Minda knew this area like the back of his hand.

Li Yuanchang pinpointed the low-lying riverbed he mentioned, as it was the most suitable location for cavalry operations.

"Kim Min-da!"

"Your humble servant is here!"

"Act immediately! Select and prepare ten thousand light cavalry, and set off no later than tonight to intercept this grain convoy in the middle of the river!"

"Don't linger in battle, there's no need to defeat the enemy. I only want you to destroy this convoy's supplies!" Li Yuanchang said with extreme seriousness.

"Yes!!" Kim Min-da clasped his hands in a fist and shouted, then quickly left.

"Very good!"

"If this attack succeeds, we will subdue the enemy without a fight!"

"Under normal circumstances, we would never have had such an opportunity. The imperial army's battle lines were stretched too thin, which has created a disadvantage. They are forced to send supplies forward, giving us this chance!"

"Haha, that's right!"

"..."

As soon as the sun went down, tens of thousands of light cavalrymen had already secretly assembled.

They were all from Jin Minda's elite troops. Although their combat strength was not as good as the Jia-class battalion, they were still quite good and familiar with the local terrain.

"Report!"

"Your Highness, General Jin has completed his assembly and is ready to depart at any time. He has sent word to inquire when we will depart."

Li Yuanchang took a deep breath and was about to say "immediately" when...

"Report!!"

"Your Highness, urgent! Urgent!" Two guards shouted, dragging a messenger who was about to run out of breath.

Li Yuanchang and Guo Chao both changed color.

Urgent dispatch from a thousand miles away?

"What happened?"

The messenger was practically carried in, panting heavily, as if his heart and lungs were about to explode, as he pulled a secret letter from his robes.

"Your Highness, Lady Chishima has sent an urgent message from afar, requesting that we deliver this to you immediately, saying it contains urgent intelligence!"

Li Yuanchang took it and quickly tore open the wax seal.

Inside, it read, "Master, beware of a trap! More than a month ago, the spies planted by Qiandao discovered that a Tang Dynasty delegation was secretly meeting with the Emperor."

"Not long ago, we tracked another large-scale movement of the Emperor's army, and we thought it was going to launch an attack on Ōtomo Prefecture."

"But it was later confirmed that the Emperor's army never went south; instead, they went to the port of Kushima in the west. There is evidence that they boarded ships, but their whereabouts are unknown. It is estimated that at least 30,000 men were involved!"

boom!

A thousand waves of emotion instantly surged within Li Yuanchang's heart!

Did the Tang Dynasty delegation secretly pay homage to the Emperor?

Later, no less than 30,000 Japanese troops left the port.

bass!

He strode forward, pulled out a map, and a tiny, prominent port of nine islands came into view, stretching from the east of the sea all the way to the northeast of the peninsula.

It's a large uninhabited area, accessible from the coast.

His first thought was that the Japanese emperor had been summoned by Li Shimin to join the war!

This is highly likely, because he and the Japanese Emperor are mortal enemies, and the entire southern part of Japan has essentially been taken over.

The Emperor dreamed of destroying the entire Ōtomo clan, and now it's no secret that the Ōtomo clan was acting on orders from Li Yuanchang.

The mother and daughter from Qiandao were even Li Yuanchang's people.

Immediately afterwards, his second reaction sent a chill down his spine.

Something's not right!

"It's a trap!" Li Yuanchang exclaimed.

"Quickly, stop Jin Minda's attack! Immediately! Guo Chao, you go personally, right now!!"

Guo Chao was taken aback, astonished by his excited demeanor and the stark contrast in his previous reaction. What was wrong?

"yes!"

He dared not delay and fled at top speed.

Li Yuanchang frowned, pacing back and forth, already sensing a dangerous atmosphere!