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

"This is not General Liao's fault. He is already wounded and I'm afraid he can't bear thirty strokes of the cane."

"That's right, Your Highness, please have mercy!"

"We are willing to take the punishment in place of the general!"

Liao Jie's face had turned deathly pale; thirty strokes of the military rod were no joke.

"Since you few are pleading for leniency, then the punishment will be shared equally. All of you captains of the scout battalion will receive three strokes of the cane!"

"yes!!"

The scouts were overjoyed and deeply grateful.

Three blows can cause screams of pain, but not enough to draw blood. The pain will subside within a few hours and won't affect combat effectiveness.

"As for you," Li Yuanchang said, looking at Liao Jie.

"For his poor performance, he was demoted two ranks and demoted to deputy scout commander as a warning to others."

"The scout battalion will be temporarily led by the former deputy commander, Shen Zhen."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed. So serious? A drop of two major levels.

Some people tried to plead for mercy, but were glared at by Li Yuanchang, who hadn't expected that this cliff would be a place where the scout camp could come without fear of being caught.

But being too slow to react is an unacceptable dereliction of duty.

"yes!"

"Your Highness, thank you for sparing my life. I will certainly atone for my crime by performing meritorious service!" Liao Jie quickly accepted the order.

"Get down there and get your wound bandaged first, then go and get your flogging!" Li Yuanchang shouted.

"yes!"

The scouts immediately slunk away; this was the first time they had been collectively punished, and also the first time they had failed in their duty.

Now, they are all completely baffled, not knowing how the Tibetans managed to do it so quietly, but they can only secretly blame the Tibetans for it.

Li Yuanchang gazed at the cliff, his vigilance towards the Tibetan army growing even stronger.

Over a thousand years later, they have not degenerated and possess even stronger primitive survival skills than later generations.

Last night, I learned a lesson.

After a long silence, he could only accept the fact that had already happened: "Men, cut off the heads of all Tibetans above the rank of centurion and send them to the mountain."

"Let Xue Rengui demonstrate his power, then launch a fierce attack!"

"In addition, bring some tung oil for warmth and use bows and arrows to shoot it on the cliffs over there every three days to prevent the Tibetans from repeating their old tricks."

Li Yuanchang pointed to the uneven, mottled stones, refusing to believe that the Tibetans could still walk on flat ground after applying the oil.

"yes!!"

"..."

It took Li Yuanchang about two days to rebuild the severely damaged camp.

After final calculation, more than 1,000 shi of grain and fodder were burned, more than 300 sets of camp tents and supplies were destroyed, and more than 500 Han thunderbolts were consumed.

Fortunately, the Tibetan army that launched the night attack was completely wiped out, and not a single one escaped.

In response, the Far East Army launched a fierce revenge!

Upon receiving the order, Xue Rengui, Wan Jun, and others quickly led their troops in a fierce attack on Mipo Mountain.

The battle cries on the plateau were deafening. Conventional methods such as bows and arrows and warhorses were completely useless here, and even some formations were rendered ineffective due to the unique terrain.

However, one thing still works even on such a high plateau: the three-unit combat system. This not only increased the Far East Army's combat effectiveness but also its survival rate, making it a hundred times better than chaotic battles.

Thanks to their excellent teamwork and amazing ability to cross the border under heavy loads, the Far East Army once broke through the pass.

This is a suppression based purely on combat strength and skill; even without the use of gunpowder, they still held the advantage.

Although they were eventually forced to withdraw due to the Tibetans' tenacious counterattack, the offensive was like wave after wave, constantly crashing and eroding their defenses. Under such circumstances, the Tibetans' defensive lines were gradually disappearing.

On the third day of the attack, the situation at Pomi Mountain became critical, and the Dayan Army had to send reinforcements.

Meanwhile, on the fourth night, Dayan Mangbuzhi repeated his old trick, sending 700 men down the mountain at night to try and burn the Tang army's provisions.

But this time, it won't be so easy.

As soon as they came down, they stepped on stones covered in tung oil. Their feet slipped, and at least a hundred people fell down the 100-meter-high plateau.

The person rolled down like a ball, covered in bruises.

Screams and wails pierced the night.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!"

The Far East Army, which had already been stationed there, was alerted and rushed to the scene, where a large number of crossbowmen opened fire.

Still hanging there, unable to advance or retreat, the Tibetans immediately became sitting ducks.

Puff puff……

"ah!!"

Screams rose and fell, but many of them were not killed by arrows, but rather lost their footing and fell off the cliff while trying to avoid the arrows.

Ultimately, the Tibetan force that attempted a night raid perished on the cliff in the first half, losing half of its troops without even seeing them.

The rest, like panicked dogs, fled back.

The successive defeats caused the morale of the Dayan Army to continue to decline, their will to fight to the death, and the defense of Pomi Mountain gradually became unbearable.

Finally, on the seventh day, the position was breached by the Far Eastern Army!

In the early stages of the invasion, the Tibetans had a chance to counterattack. Highland positional warfare is inherently a process of repeated struggle. It was easy to defend the lower part of Pomi Mountain, but not so easy to defend the upper part.

However, the Tibetans lost all morale, and there were even signs of desertion, causing them to miss their best opportunity and ultimately lose the key position of Pomi Mountain.

With nearly 30,000 troops stationed there, they failed to defend this pass. When Dayan Mangbuzhi received the news, he was so angry that he vomited blood!

He killed three generals who failed to defend properly, and then personally led a counterattack to try to recapture the garrison.

Although only two hours had passed, the Far Eastern Army, having taken over the position, had anticipated the enemy's counterattack and was well prepared.

As soon as Dayan Mangbuzhi descended, he was immediately met with a hail of crossbow bolts, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.

Dayan was unwilling to give up and still wanted to seize it, but he ended up paying an even greater price.

Bang bang bang!

The rumbling sound of the steel and leather being pulled apart continued—that was the crossbow!

Large devices like crossbows are difficult to transport to the plateau, and are generally not carried on military campaigns; they are usually carried for defending cities.

But this thing wasn't brought by Li Yuanchang; it was made on-site, by "engineers" within the Far East Army.

A barrage of arrows and heavy crossbows created a dense barrage of firepower, while Tang swords and spears suddenly emerged from deep pits and slopes, alternating between near and far.

The Tibetans, who were fighting fiercely, were left battered and bruised!

Their innate talent and strength seemed to have encountered their greatest nemesis.

After an hour of fierce fighting, Dayan Mangbuzhi saw that the situation was not good and could not withstand such casualties, so he was forced to call a retreat, leaving nearly two thousand corpses at the scene.