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

With an anxious and disheveled expression, Murong Khan, who had lost his edge, trembled violently upon hearing the voice. His pupils focused, and when he saw that figure, both familiar and strange, who seemed like a god or a demon, his eyes were filled with disbelief and excitement!

"Your Highness, the Prince of Han!"

"drive!!"

He charged forward on horseback.

"Whoa..."

As soon as Li Yuanchang reined in the horse, Murong Khan dismounted and knelt on the ground.

"Brother Murong, what are you doing?"

Li Yuanchang jumped off his horse and helped the man up.

The ruler of Tuyuhun, the Great Khan, wept bitterly, almost choking with sobs: "The world treats me like a stray dog, only my brother, the King of Han, only my brother, the King of Han, is willing to accept me!"

"It's been many years since we last met. When I came here, I was worried that Brother Han would not take us in, but now it seems that I was judging a gentleman by my own petty standards."

"My brother, the Prince of Han, actually came to greet me personally..."

"For the rest of my life, I, Murong, will forever remember this kindness. If I break this vow, may the heavens and the earth cleave me apart!"

Li Yuanchang smiled bitterly, looking at Murong, who looked much older, with bloodshot eyes and in extremely poor mental condition, and couldn't help but sigh.

This is equivalent to going bankrupt in middle age.

"Brother Murong, you flatter me. We've known each other for many years, there's no need for such formalities."

"Get up first, let's talk in detail at the military camp."

"Perfect timing. I have just arrived at the Longxi Plateau and am still unclear about the situation in the Hehuang Valley and the enemy forces on the other side. I need your help."

Upon hearing this, Murong Khan was excited and repeatedly praised it.

Once the army joined forces, the number of soldiers soared to 32,000, which increased the logistical burden.

But Li Yuanchang did not refuse them.

He simply sent someone to Longxi Prefecture to request an increase of one-third in the budget for grain and fodder. The entire Longxi region was the main force responsible for logistics this time, and Li Zhi had already given the order for this.

Li Yuanchang was in charge of suppressing the rebellion and had no intention of being polite to them.

Although it was true that the Tang Dynasty suffered from natural disasters year after year, with only 30,000 troops fighting on the front lines, such expenditures were entirely within the Tang Dynasty's treasury's means.

Putting aside everything else, the taxes levied annually by the Southern Song and Northern Qin dynasties alone amounted to a huge sum.

It should be noted that before Li Yuanchang broke the monopoly, the aristocratic groups led by the Five Clans and Seven Families paid very little tax thanks to their privileges and influence.

Back at the main camp, Li Yuanchang personally poured a cup of tea for Murong Khan, and his confidants were also allowed to sit down. These details moved the Tuyuhun leadership.

"Khan, how is that girl Honghua?" Li Yuanchang asked, taking the initiative to speak. In terms of seniority, he was of the same generation as Li Shimin, so it was only natural for him to call Princess Honghua "girl".

So-called seniority also depends on strength. If he really wanted to be casual, he could call Li Zhi "boy".

However, it depends on whether you are strong enough. When you are strong enough, people will feel friendly towards you; when you are not strong enough, they will be unhappy with you.

This has always been the case throughout history.

"Brother King of Han, no, King of the Far East!"

"After Princess Honghua fled with Ben Khan, she fell ill, but fortunately, she recovered after recuperation. This time, Ben Khan came to seek refuge with him in order to recover lost territory, so he did not bring her with him."

"She has now settled in Liangzhou. Before she set off, she learned that you were coming to reinforce her, and she specifically asked me to deliver this letter to Your Highness."

Murong Khan offered it with both hands, and now he could only rely on Princess Honghua's connection to get help from the Tang Dynasty.

Li Yuanchang took the letter and read it.

"It's good that she's safe."

"Don't worry, in my opinion, Tuyuhun was a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. The suzerain state cannot sit idly by when a vassal state is annexed."

"Personally, Princess Honghua is one of the few princesses in the royal family who has a close relationship with me, so I will definitely help her with this favor."

Upon receiving the definite promise, Murong Khan was almost moved to tears.

"King of the Far East, I am not afraid of your ridicule, but what I hate most in my life is men crying and wailing. I am by no means a weak person, but I have been forced into this situation!"

Li Yuanchang nodded, sat in the main seat, and turned his head: "I understand. If you were weak, you should have gone to Chang'an for refuge instead of lingering here. Quickly lead your remaining troops to assist me."

"Tell me what happened."

"Let's finalize our strategy as soon as possible. Once everything is settled, we'll officially enter the Hehuang Valley."

Murong Khan nodded emphatically.

"Your Highness, more than a year ago, after the late emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne, the Tang Dynasty was still holding a state funeral, and I personally went to the funeral."

"It was at that time that Tibet got wind of the situation and, taking advantage of the late emperor's death and the court's inability to attend to matters, sent troops to harass and plunder."

"But at that time it was just a small group of bandits who would plunder and leave. I sent envoys to negotiate with the Tibetans, but the Tibetans refused to acknowledge it, saying that they were not their people and that they might be some robbers."

"To this, I can only swallow my pride and bear it."

"In the following six months, such incidents became more and more frequent, with more than four thousand people being abducted."

"The Khan was furious and ordered a rebellion, but instead suffered heavy losses."

"Faced with a huge disparity in strength, I had no choice but to seek help from the imperial court. However, the court's response to me was that it would order the Tibetans to stop crossing the border."

"Having received the new emperor's promise, I thought I was reassured, but this seemed to have angered the Tibetan army instead. They believed that Tuyuhun was sowing discord between them and became increasingly audacious."

"The largest cavalry force ever deployed was 30,000!"

"Under pressure, I had no choice but to appease them and sent them a lot of gold and silver treasures, hoping that Tibet would not come again."

"Whether it was the imperial court's order or the money I sent, Tibet did indeed quiet down for a month."

"But they soon returned, and their targets were no longer just ordinary people and herdsmen; their spearhead was even aimed at the Tuyuhun army."

"They crossed the border in various ways, provoked us in every way, and some soldiers, unable to bear the humiliation, fought them off, which ultimately became a pretext for the other side's invasion!"

"About half a year ago, Tibet officially used the pretext of soldiers dying in Tuyuhun territory to openly send 100,000 troops across the border, ignoring the might of the Tang Dynasty, and launched an attack all the way."

"While seeking help from Chang'an, the Khan led his troops in a counterattack."

"Even if I mobilize the entire nation and personally lead the troops, we are no match for the Tibetan cavalry. They..."

Murong Khan's face darkened: "They defeated the Tuyuhun army of 50,000 with only 3,000 men; their iron hooves were incredibly fierce!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Rengui, Qin Wei, Yang Tuo, and other former generals of the Nine Provinces Army, who had experienced many major battles, were all astonished.

Three thousand to break fifty thousand?

This is an exaggeration in any situation.

"It is my incompetence that prevented me from buying more time. Before Chang'an could react, Tuyuhun... Alas!"

Murong Khan was extremely annoyed and slapped his thigh.

Along with his confidants, all of them wore expressions of despair, and some generals even still had lingering fear of the highland barbarians in their eyes.

Li Yuanchang listened quietly until the end.