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

"No rush," Li Yuanchang said.

"Maintaining the status quo is fine."

"There is still one important problem that has not been solved. Once it is solved, it will be time to wipe out Dayan Mangbuzhi."

"What's the important issue?" Everyone asked suspiciously.

Despite having a strong and well-equipped army, why wait again and again? A month ago, the army was resting and waiting for supplies.

But now, the enemy has attacked a second time.

Li Yuanchang didn't know how to scientifically explain the phenomenon of "altitude sickness".

Before the disastrous defeat at Dafeichuan, the Tang army was actually somewhat blindly arrogant, or rather, unaware of the concept of "altitude sickness".

The reason he did not launch another attack rashly was because the Tibetans had completely retreated to the plateau west of Tuyuhun.

To eliminate them and drive them back to their hometown, it is necessary to enter the plateau.

Although these plateaus are quite different from the Tibetan plateau in terms of climate, topography, and altitude.

But it was still an area that the Tang army had never set foot in.

In the event of a high-intensity, prolonged battle, such high-altitude countermeasures could instantly annihilate the entire Far East Army.

"Just follow orders, and you'll see when the time comes."

"Yes!" Upon hearing this, the generals dared not ask any further questions, so they bowed and acknowledged the order before withdrawing.

After seeing the man off, Li Yuanchang met with Murong Khan again.

The two cooperated well during this period. Murong Khan listened to his every word and did not make any mistakes, which saved them a lot of trouble.

If it were a less discerning king, they might have already started to suspect each other by now.

"Brother Murong, has there been any progress on the matter I asked you to inquire about the other day?"

Murong frowned: "Your Highness, the Khan has already sent people to inquire about that herb called Rhodiola rosea, but the Tuyuhun people have never heard of it."

"Even the oldest people in the area have never heard of such a thing."

Li Yuanchang frowned, somewhat disappointed. Had the Tang Dynasty not yet appeared?

This herb was used by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty during his western expedition. Its main function was to treat altitude sickness and fatigue, and it is said to be extremely effective, helping Kangxi win a great victory.

He planned to find this drug and, combined with certain altitude training, enable the Far East Army to fight on the plateau.

Just as he was at his wit's end, Li Yuanchang suddenly had an idea.

Is it possible that this medicine isn't called Rhodiola Rosea yet?

Thinking of this, his eyes suddenly lit up. If he remembered correctly, Rhodiola rosea was first used by Tibetan medicine practitioners and was the first herb to be used in medicine. This herb originally grew on the plateau.

Following this line of thought, Tibetan doctors must have known about Rhodiola rosea, even if they didn't know its name.

"Someone come here!"

"Your humble servant is here!" Guo Chao stepped forward.

"Immediately dispatch scouts to the western plateau and capture a group of Tibetan doctors!"

"yes!"

Guo Chao accepted the order and left.

"Your Highness, is this thing very important?" Murong Khan asked suspiciously.

"It is very important; this is the key to the Far East Army's entry into plateau operations."

As he spoke, Li Yuanchang looked outside again: "Bring Xue Rengui and Wan Jun here to me."

"yes!"

"..."

He acted immediately, not only sending people to capture Tibetan doctors, but also officially ordering the elite troops of the Far East Army to enter the plateau for training and acclimatization.

About two days later, the scouts had news.

Tuyuhun borders Tibet, and some Tibetan tribes live in groups deep in the western plateau. Several Tibetan doctors were successfully brought back.

Inside the royal palace.

The strangely dressed, dark-skinned Tibetan doctors trembled, kneeling on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.

Li Yuanchang glanced at Murong Ji.

Murong Ji understood and immediately stepped forward to translate.

Do you know what Rhodiola rosea is?

The five Tibetan doctors looked bewildered and shook their heads, replying in Tibetan, "We don't know."

"Remind them that this is a herb that grows in the highlands and can treat symptoms such as shortness of breath, body aches, and fatigue."

"Let them think it through. If they can answer the questions, I will not only spare their lives, but also give them plenty of gold, silver, jewels, food, and meat."

Murong Ji quickly translated.

Upon hearing about the treatments for shortness of breath, body aches, and fatigue, the five Tibetan doctors immediately had a reference point.

"have!"

"There is such a medicine, but it's not called Rhodiola rosea."

"What's it called?"

"It's called Daben. It's rare on the plateau, but it has amazing effects. We use it to boil water or soak in alcohol. Some people have headaches, dizziness, and fatigue, and drinking it can relieve them."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang's eyes lit up.

Headache and dizziness are also symptoms of altitude sickness.

"Describe what it looks like?"

Murong Ji provided the translation throughout, and her Tibetan language was quite good.

Tuyuhun was the name of a state, which was a multi-ethnic regime with Tibetan ancestry. In addition, the two countries shared a border, so they had common ground.

This is why the Tibetans considered Tuyuhun to be their territory.

The Tibetan doctors immediately said, "It's large, about the length of a palm. The flowers are small but dense, and the color is pale yellow."

"It looks like a leaf."

Li Yuanchang's eyes were filled with joy.

He didn't actually know what Rhodiola rosea looked like, but he was certain it was a herbaceous plant, which matched what the Tibetan doctors had said.

Where can I find this herb?

"I... I have it on me." A Tibetan doctor pointed tremblingly to the wine flask on his body.

Guo Chao quickly stepped forward, took it, and handed it to Li Yuanchang.

After Li Yuanchang opened it, the wine had a strong aroma; it was a diluted distilled spirit with a distinctive herbal scent.

He picked out a root from it, but after looking at it for a long time, he was still unsure if it was Rhodiola rosea.

"Send it to Xue Rengui at the military camp, and let him try it on the soldiers who are experiencing chest tightness and shortness of breath during their high-altitude training, to see if it can alleviate their symptoms."

"I will wait here for news."

"Yes!" Guo Chao clasped his hands in a fist salute and quickly dispatched a fast cavalry unit.

And so they waited until late at night.

The news finally came from the temporary military camp located on a high mountain southwest of Fuai City.

"Your Highness, it works. Within fifteen minutes of taking it, the headache and dizziness were completely relieved, with no side effects. However, the alcohol content is a bit strong, so it cannot be used directly on the army."

Guo Chao whispered in Li Yuanchang's ear.

Li Yuanchang's eyes flashed with a glint of light: "Understood."

He got up and went to the group of Tibetan doctors.

"I have a great need for this item. Do you know where I can find it?"

The Tibetan doctors, having already been treated well and given a meal, were now completely open with their questions: "Large quantity, how much is 'large quantity'?"

"At least five thousand plants," Li Yuanchang said after thinking for a moment.

"Five thousand?"

The Tibetan doctor was shocked upon hearing this.

"My lord, Daben is very precious and has very high requirements for its growing environment. It is naturally grown. The one I have is a wild plant that I found by chance on a cliff."

"With so many, I'm afraid we won't be able to find them."

"No, I, I know a place where it is!" another Tibetan doctor suddenly spoke up.