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

a few days later.

Li Yuanchang's army officially crossed the Hengdu Liao River and, taking advantage of the warm spring water, marched at full speed without rest.

The 20,000-strong army was relatively small in size and moved quickly, soon entering Yingzhou along the designated route.

This route was not set by Li Yuanchang, but by the imperial court. In fact, the imperial court was very wary of him, otherwise they would not have even prevented him from entering Tongguan.

Li Yuanchang didn't hold it against him, even though he was there to put out the fire.

In his view, taking precautions is normal, and he would also take precautions against the imperial court.

The Far East Army had only one thought in mind: to expel the barbarians.

Mid-May.

The army marched to within 30 li of Tongguan.

Before he even arrived, Li Yuanchang received a major message from the messenger: Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) had personally come to Tongguan to welcome him!

This stands in stark contrast to the defenses that prevented the Far East Army from using the pass through the interior.

Without time to think, Li Yuanchang quickly led his troops to speed up their journey.

At this moment, Tongguan was in an uproar upon learning that Li Yuanchang had arrived with his troops.

Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) personally led a large entourage on this trip.

"Your Majesty, you must not leave the city. You may summon the King of the Far East for an audience alone."

"Yes, you are the ruler of a country. What if something were to happen to you?"

"We can't go out! We can't go out!"

"..."

The constant persuasion and roadblocks greatly annoyed Li Zhi, who was in a hurry, and he eventually snapped.

"That's enough!"

He roared, and everyone trembled.

"You bunch of bastards, this won't do, that won't do!"

"You prevented the Far East Army from entering the pass, claiming it was for security reasons, and I could have let that go. But I have come to Tongguan today to see off the three armies, who are going to fight the Tibetans!"

"What's the problem?"

"I am the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, not its incompetent ruler!"

"If I arrive at Tongguan and still remain secluded, how will the soldiers view me, the emperor of the Great Tang? You keep saying that the Far East is too powerful to control, but I think it's you people who are causing the army and officials to become disloyal!"

boom!

Li Zhi angrily smashed his belt, a rare outburst from his usually mild-mannered personality.

The large group of ministers blocking the gate trembled and quickly fell silent.

These words were quite harsh, directly accusing the civil service group of sowing discord and forcing the Far East away from the court, which was exactly the same slogan used by Li Yuanchang when he forced the emperor to abdicate.

No one dares to take the blame for this, not even if Changsun Wuji himself came.

"Get out of the way!"

"Now I am going to bid farewell to the soldiers of my Great Tang!"

"If the King of the Far East had any ulterior motives, he would not have personally led a large army, traveling thousands of miles, to obey my orders and launch the Eastern Army's western expedition!" Li Zhi said firmly, with an unusual firmness.

The civil officials looked grim, exchanging glances.

"Do I have to say it a second time?!" Li Zhi roared in anger.

wow...

The courtiers were forced to make way.

Subsequently, a large number of palace maids, eunuchs, and soldiers followed.

Generally speaking, emperors only bring so many eunuchs and palace maids when they travel, especially during imperial tours. This shows that Li Zhi had no intention of taking precautions during his trip.

Half an hour later, outside Tongguan City.

When Li Yuanchang saw Li Zhi's grand procession, he immediately realized that there weren't actually many soldiers around him.

He couldn't help but smile. Li Shimin once thought Li Zhi was weak and indecisive, but everything has two sides.

Li Zhi was indeed quite humane.

Before he arrived, he had thought that Li Zhi would bring many imperial guards with him, but this was beyond his expectations.

Li Zhi was not afraid, so naturally he did not take any precautions and immediately ordered the three armies to stop a mile away.

He arrived alone with only a few generals.

"Li Yuanchang!"

"It's him!"

Many civil officials exclaimed in surprise and stood on tiptoe, some of whom had only heard of Li Yuanchang's reputation but had never seen him before.

Li Yuanchang is an indispensable figure in the history of the Tang Dynasty, whose reputation is mixed.

Some people want Li Yuanchang and the Tibetan Empire to both suffer heavy losses.

However, some people admire Li Yuanchang's character; when the country was in trouble, he was the first to rush to its aid.

If it were any other king, he would most likely have feigned illness and refused to go, since few would dare to confront the Tibetan iron weapons.

Who would risk their life if they could live a life of luxury?

There was another gaze from behind the crowd, already red-rimmed, almost bursting into tears.

"Whoa!!"

Li Yuanchang reined in his horse and trotted up. Many years had passed since he last saw the emperor, but at this moment he still performed the kowtow of a subject.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects! May Your Majesty live ten thousand years! May the Tang Dynasty live ten thousand years!"

"Your humble servant kowtows to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years, and may the Tang Dynasty live ten thousand years!"

Xue Rengui and other generals bowed respectfully, without any arrogance.

This was like a powerful slap in the face to those who said the Far East army was too powerful to control and that Li Yuanchang was a traitor.

"Hahaha!"

Li Zhi laughed heartily, in high spirits, as if his face was glowing.

He personally stepped forward and offered his hand to help, saying, "Seventh Uncle, you must be tired from your long journey!"

"Your Majesty, I dare not accept such praise."

"When enemies invade from beyond the borders and the Great Tang suffers, we, your subjects, should not shirk our duty, even if it means braving mountains of knives and seas of fire!" Li Yuanchang said.

As he spoke, he glanced around, intending to see if Changsun Wuji was there, but unintentionally caught sight of a figure he longed for.

He was immediately stunned!

Mei Niang!

His entire body leaned forward almost reflexively for a moment, and Wu Meiniang in the crowd also took a step forward, her eyes filled with tears.

Immediately, Li Yuanchang forcibly withdrew his gaze. This occasion was not suitable for a reunion, nor was it suitable to show any connection, otherwise it would not be good for Wu Meiniang at this moment.

"Seventh Uncle, why don't you send the army over? My purpose in coming here is not only to visit you, but more importantly, to bid farewell to the army."

As he spoke, Li Zhi waved his hand, and a large number of imperial guards carried out box after box and pot after pot of stewed meat from Tongguan.

The quantity was so large that it was enough to feed 20,000 people.

Don't underestimate this simple stewed meat. In ancient times, it was a great honor to have it served as a special meal for everyone, and it took a considerable amount of effort.

Li Yuanchang smiled and said, "Your Majesty is very thoughtful."

"Rengui, have the army disarm and sit on the ground in order, awaiting His Majesty's distribution of food and the oath-taking ceremony!"

"Yes!" Xue Rengui clasped his hands in a fist salute and quickly returned to his original position.

Li Zhi was in a good mood and held Li Yuanchang's hand tightly, showing his gratitude for Li Yuanchang's acceptance of the mission in a time of crisis, as well as his approval of Li Yuanchang's attitude and behavior.

Li Yuanchang has no intention of rebelling!

"Seventh Uncle, it's been so many years, but you're still the same. I can still remember how you risked your life to save me back in the hunting grounds."

"Even after many years, Uncle Seven is still the bravest pillar of the Tang Dynasty."

"If you have any further requests, please speak freely, and I will do my best to fulfill them."

Li Yuanchang blurted out that he had no other requests, but then he glanced at Wu Meiniang. The two looked at each other for a moment and understood each other perfectly.

"Your Majesty, the army has traveled more than a thousand miles and is somewhat tired. I wonder if it is possible to designate an open area outside Tongguan for the army to rest for one night before setting off again."