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

The phrase "urgent dispatch from a thousand miles away" is not used lightly. Ordinary imperial edicts would not be delivered in this way unless something extremely serious had happened. Once an urgent dispatch was made from a thousand miles away, all city defenses, checkpoints, and post stations along the route had to fully cooperate.

If a messenger was struck by lightning on the road, those within a hundred li in front of and behind him would be held accountable. This was the rule in ancient times!

"Let's go take a look." Li Yuanchang got up and put on his shoes.

"Yes!" The three of them followed suit.

As soon as Li Yuanchang left the Far East Prince's Mansion, he heard the rumble of horses' hooves at the end of the street, with an army clearing the way and escorting him.

The leader, covered in dust from his journey, galloped wildly on his horse!

With a dark face and large, imposing figure, he possessed an extraordinary courage, unmatched by anyone other than Cheng Chuliang.

"Big brother, big brother!!"

"Brother Chu Liang!"

"Whoa!"

Li Yuanchang personally took control of the horse's reins for Cheng Chuliang.

Panting, Cheng Chuliang dismounted, first giving Li Yuanchang a bear hug, then quickly untied his bundle and took out a bright yellow imperial edict.

Just as everyone was startled and knelt down to receive the imperial decree.

"Brother, His Majesty has instructed that the edict was written by him personally and is to be read by Your Highness only; no one else is allowed to open it!"

Everyone was shocked again.

An urgent message was sent from afar, and no one else was allowed to open it. What major event has occurred?

Li Yuanchang took it, opened the wax seal, and walked into the mansion while looking at it.

Cheng Chuliang and the others followed, but they dared not look at the imperial edict the entire time.

Just as he stepped across the threshold, Li Yuanchang suddenly stopped, his eyes fixed on the line of words that Li Zhi had personally written!

The Tibetans invaded, Tuyuhun was lost, and Murong Khan and Princess Honghua fled to Liangzhou...

The Tang Dynasty is in peril. I hope Seventh Uncle will set aside past grievances and lead the troops to resist...

The news exploded in his mind like a thunderbolt. These things were not unfamiliar to him, but they were extremely shocking!

This is at least a decade or more ahead of schedule!

He stood there, motionless for a long time, his eyes wide open, filled with complex emotions and contemplation.

Historically, after the death of Songtsen Gampo of Tibet, a new prime minister took power, and the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet began to deteriorate rapidly.

The powerful Tibetan Empire rose to prominence alongside the Tang Dynasty, continuously annexing neighboring countries and expanding its influence. Tuyuhun was an important foothold for their eastward expansion.

As the buffer zone was gradually eroded by the Tibetan Empire, the fateful showdown between the two great empires began in the 7th century, and Xue Rengui's famous Battle of Dafeichuan broke out because of this event.

Tibet's aggressive stance shattered Li Zhi's hopes of using diplomatic rhetoric, ultimately leading to war.

Moreover, for the next two hundred years, the two sides were constantly at war, with hundreds of recorded battles, and neither side was willing to concede to the other.

Tibet could not conquer the invincible Tang Empire, and the Tang Empire could only look at the terrifying plateau terrain and sigh with regret.

Li Yuanchang already knew this.

But the timeline doesn't match up at all. The Battle of Dafeichuan was in 670 AD, twenty years later. Based on that time, Tuyuhun wouldn't have been annexed so quickly.

The entire Far East Prefecture was quiet, and everyone was solemn, but in Li Yuanchang's heart, a storm was raging.

"..."

Because the incident happened suddenly and involved a huge amount of people, in order not to affect public sentiment and opinion, Li Yuanchang did not make it public immediately, but only told a few of his closest confidants.

Su Gui, Wang Hongzhi, Song Yu, Wan Jun, Xue Rengui, Cao Hong.

"The Tibetans have attacked the Tang Dynasty?!"

Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.

Li Yuanchang produced a written edict: "Take a look for yourselves."

The group carefully took the document and passed it around, each of them looking uneasy.

"That's true!"

"His Majesty has personally ordered His Highness to lead a western expedition!"

"The Tuyuhun are gone?"

"So fast? Why didn't the imperial court send a large army to stop it? Why is the news only coming out now?"

Li Yuanchang said in a deep voice: "It should be due to the severe drought in Guanzhong and the previous war, which caused considerable losses, leaving the court unable to spare the resources to send troops. At first, they wanted to use diplomatic language to deter the Tubo."

"Thus, the best time for intervention was missed."

Su Gui and the others frowned, their expressions grim.

They were all subjects of the Tang Dynasty. Even though they had disagreements with the court after arriving at this border, none of them wanted to see the Tang Dynasty invaded or threatened by Tibet.

Li Yuanchang also came to a realization at this point.

The timing doesn't match up, most likely because Princess Wencheng faked her death, the marriage alliance failed, and the political alliance between the two sides was not stable.

In addition, the punitive expedition launched by Li Shimin gave Tibet the illusion that the Tang Dynasty was beset by internal and external troubles and had already split apart.

That's why we dared to be so bold as to do it ten or twenty years in advance.

However, it is undeniable that Tibet was a powerful empire throughout history, the only one that could be compared with the Tang Empire.

"Then, Your Highness, what is your opinion?"

Li Yuanchang's eyes sharpened, and he blurted out: "Tibet's annexation of Tuyuhun and its threat to Hexi have already violated the core interests of the Tang Dynasty."

"Of course, I, the King, have no choice but to shoulder this responsibility!"

"But Your Highness, that's too far. The march alone would take at least several months, traversing the entire Tang Dynasty. How could His Majesty have thought of sending you on a western expedition?"

"The imperial court has so many border troops, why does it have to send us?" Su Gui pointed out incisively.

"Yes, Your Highness, this matter is too risky. We must think it over carefully!" Even the usually steady and straightforward Wang Hongzhi seemed to oppose sending troops.

"What if the court takes drastic measures the moment you leave...?"

"Yes, this looks like a trap. If it's really as urgent as the edict says, His Majesty should have sent the border troops to put out the fire, instead of sending Your Highness."

"If we send troops and reach Tuyuhun, it will be at least half a year later, and by then it will be too late," Wan Jun complained directly.

Li Yuanchang pondered for a moment: "Your considerations are not without merit."

"But the probability of resorting to underhanded tactics is extremely low."

"This is only possible if I go there and suffer a defeat, with the entire army wiped out."

"I reckon that some in the court want to preserve their strength and are more likely to watch as I and the Tibetans fight it out, resulting in mutual attrition."

"Your Highness, then you absolutely cannot go!"

"We've worked so hard to get to this point, how can we fall into their trap!"

"Those bastards in the imperial court are still determined to destroy us! We've already made peace, obeyed Chang'an's orders, and paid so much tax every year, yet they still treat us so unfairly!"

"Damn it, they're obviously sending us over there just to fill in the blast holes!" Cao Hong cursed.

"When the fire broke out, they didn't put out the fire. Now that the buffer zone of Tuyuhun is gone, they're letting us pass. What does that mean? Are they afraid of taking responsibility? I don't think the emperor is any better!"

"Hey, General Cao, watch your language!"

"My lords, I am angry on behalf of His Highness!"

"..."

Soon, the Far East Royal Palace was in an uproar because of this imperial edict for the western expedition.

The impulsive ones directly cursed the imperial court, while the more conservative ones expressed doubt about the intention of mobilizing troops from thousands of miles away.

Almost everyone from top to bottom opposed obeying the imperial court's order to launch a western expedition against Tuyuhun.

They believed that the imperial court was capable of resolving the issue itself.

Most importantly, the court's intentions are unsettling, and the long journey presents too many challenges. The Tuyuhun stronghold has already been lost, and going there now would be like the "dry pull" in a modern video game!