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

He had never fought against the Tibetan army, nor had he ever seen Tibetans, but he was certain that the Tibetan army would be the strongest enemy the entire Tang Dynasty could ever encounter!

They have no shortage of famous generals like Jin Minshun, no shortage of large horse farms like the Eight Wards and Forty-Eight Garrisons, and no shortage of formidable border troops like those from Shuofang and Anxi.

This empire possesses its own system, writing, medicine... it is a truly complete entity.

What's most frightening is that they have their own beliefs. The religious beliefs of the Tibetans are truly terrifying, and at present, Bon religion is still the dominant religion.

The Bon religion is extremely bloody, with human sacrifice being a basic practice. Relying on a group of shamans to perform mystical rituals, they can often make the Tibetan army unleash a fighting force that knows no pain or death.

Therefore, Li Yuanchang put in his best effort in this battle against Tuyuhun, showing no sign of underestimating it.

Time flies, it's early August.

After a nearly six-month march, the Far East army finally arrived in Longxi.

The Longxi Plateau is located at the border between the Tang Dynasty and the Tuyuhun. The Hehuang Valley, the easternmost part of Tuyuhun, is the source of the Wei River of the Tang Dynasty.

This river runs through the two places and is the eastern route for travel between them.

Further north lies the Hexi Corridor, but due to various reasons, Li Yuanchang did not choose to send troops from Hexi this time.

"Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up!!"

On the Longxi Plateau, the Far Eastern Army was constantly on the move, with grain carts continuously coming and going.

The army was ordered to remain stationed in place, causing a sensation among the local people.

The spontaneously organized civilians came to the Far East military camp crying and begging for help. They were all poorly clothed, covered in wounds, and starving.

"Report!!"

"Your Highness, it has been confirmed that the entire territory of Tuyuhun has been swallowed up, and there is no one left, not a single city, still fighting."

"The Tibetan cavalry have crossed the Hexi Plateau at least three times, burning, killing, and looting, causing severe damage to the local people," Yang Tuo, a military advisor in the scout battalion, ran over and said.

Li Yuanchang's eyes were cold and detached: "I have already seen it."

The generals looked at the refugees crying and begging for help from the Far East Army not far away, and fell silent.

The annexation of the entire Tuyuhun territory was to be expected. The journey alone took nearly half a year, which was more than enough time for the Tibetan Empire to plunder Tuyuhun countless times.

However, the Tibetan army took advantage of the situation to advance eastward and plunder the Tang Dynasty's homeland, which was somewhat infuriating and heartbreaking.

The so-called plundering means taking away all property and livestock, capturing men to be conscripted, taking women to be used as tools, and leaving the rest as they please.

However, judging from the Tibetan style of doing things during this period, they basically just burned everything, or even ate human flesh, which was extremely cruel.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Tibetan army that the Far East Army is now facing is the Tibetan army during the period when Bon religion was prevalent, which was also the most barbaric era of Tibet.

This is not a battle against people, but a battle against a pack of wild beasts from the plateau.

"First, settle these people down; we'll take in as many as they can."

"Then we sent a note to Longxi Prefecture, asking them to take us in and to report the true situation in Chang'an."

"yes!"

Li Yuanchang's expression was not good when he said this, partly because he was dissatisfied with the court's decision-making error, which led to this disaster.

Secondly, it reflects a sense of helplessness in the face of reality.

There's no way around it; this is ancient times. Border areas are essentially no-man's-land, with no high walls or garrisons. The ruling class generally only values ​​cities.

The Tibetans often crossed the border without the imperial court even knowing, and even if they did, they wouldn't launch a major offensive over a hundred or so ordinary people.

This is completely opposite to later generations, where as soon as an army crosses the border, war breaks out immediately, and the death of one or two people, once exposed, will trigger a huge conflict.

But things were different in ancient times. The common people living on the Longxi Plateau were truly miserable. Whenever there was any trouble on the border, they were the first to suffer.

Only when their core interests are threatened will the ruling class send troops, using a grand-sounding slogan to avenge the dead people.

Li Yuanchang believes that intervention should have been initiated from the beginning to prevent any deaths.

This was a decision-making error by Li Zhi, who initially wanted to resolve domestic issues through diplomatic means.

Of course, the bigger reason was the selfishness and self-interest of the entire Yonghui regime's leadership.

He could set aside past grievances because of foreign invasion, but that's not how people think. They just dump this situation on him and then really don't care about anything else.

"Where are the provisions?"

"Is it in place yet?"

"Your Highness, it is still in transit. The exact quantity has not yet been counted, but I have already ordered people to check it carefully to prevent any adulteration. If we go there, it will affect the operation," said Liao Jie, the quartermaster.

Li Yuanchang nodded. He wasn't too worried about that. Just because the people in the court were bad didn't mean they were stupid. They hadn't even started cheating.

Now that this has been discovered, we can only wait for the Far East Army to abandon their post or simply turn their guns on us.

"Report!"

At that moment, another rider charged through the densely packed military camp.

The man dismounted: "Your Highness, tens of thousands of soldiers have suddenly appeared in the north of our territory!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, and the soldiers who were moving stones to build the camp all stopped what they were doing. The Tibetans?

Even Li Yuanchang was shocked. He had seen bold people before, but never anyone this bold. Was Tibet about to invade the Tang Dynasty?

No, they shouldn't be Tibetans.

The Tibetans could not have come from the north, as that would have required passing through the Hexi Corridor, which was Tang territory.

"The visitor claims to be Murong Khan of Tuyuhun, who has come to seek refuge and assist Your Highness!"

call!

Everyone relaxed, and many even prepared to mount their horses and fight.

This explains why the Tuyuhun army was defeated, and Murong Khan fled to Liangzhou with Princess Honghua to seek help, while his remaining troops also retreated there.

It's perfectly reasonable for them to come from the north.

How much further?

"Your Highness, it's still five li away."

"Come, follow me to greet them personally," Li Yuanchang said.

"yes!"

Although Murong Khan is now a defeated general, or even a stray dog ​​who has lost everything, Li Yuanchang's position is growing ever larger, becoming the King of the Far East and the Grand General of the Western Expedition.

The two men were worlds apart in status and power, but Li Yuanchang still personally greeted them without showing any disdain.

First, the two were friends. Second, when they broke with Li Shimin, Tuyuhun did not send troops to support him like other tribes on the grasslands.

But he also wrote a letter, clearly stating that Li Yuanchang was wronged and pleading for leniency.

He always remembered this kindness.

A person who doesn't remember kindness is a beast!

On the plateau of Longxi, a large army of Tuyuhun soldiers came to surrender, but their military appearance was extremely poor. Every soldier's face was filled with emptiness, despair, and helplessness.

They were essentially wiped out, losing their homeland and loved ones, and forced to retreat within the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

Even from a distance, Li Yuanchang spotted Murong Khan at the front of the procession. He immediately mounted his horse and shouted, "Brother Murong!"