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

Li Yuanchang's words back then proved prophetic; no matter how many rewards and assistance the Tang Dynasty offered, it could not win the friendship of the Tibetans.

They harbored deep-seated hatred towards the Han people. As the two great empires continued to rise in power in the 7th century, a war was inevitable, and the Hexi Corridor and the Western Regions were the most acute points of conflict.

The Tibetans could not possibly abide by the rules of the Tang Dynasty in trade, military affairs, and diplomacy, just like in later generations, the essence of which is the same.

If Li Yuanchang hadn't intervened back then, Tibet would probably be developing much faster today.

Soon, the Tibetan army, like a war chariot capable of crushing the earth, marched straight towards the western front.

Their plan was brilliant: first burn the supplies, then launch a pincer attack.

Ordinary commanders would simply launch a pincer attack, not caring about supplies, fearing they wouldn't arrive in time. It could be said that Lun Qinling was afraid Li Yuanchang wouldn't die.

The Tibetans were extremely swift throughout the entire process, from the first stage of intercepting grain to the second stage of annihilation, taking only one day.

In ancient times, even sending a message was difficult at that time.

What's even more critical is that tens of thousands of Tibetan troops are heading towards Li Yuanchang's rear.

This is not reinforcement.

It wasn't a pincer attack either.

Instead, they parachuted in from behind and launched an encirclement attack!

This was even more daring than Li Yuanchang's surprise attack on Xueyantuo back then, which was a solo surprise attack, but this time the Tibetans launched a surprise attack involving a complete encirclement.

The sky above Tuyuhun remained dark and gloomy all day long, as if something big was about to happen.

"..."

It was the evening of the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The sky over the entire Gongwang Plateau was tinged with a blood-red hue, an extremely eerie sight.

At an altitude of 3,000 meters on the plateau, thousands of corpses lay scattered, and rivers of blood flowed. The three major battlegrounds were in ruins, and the bodies of the Tibetans were everywhere.

Only the bodies of those killed in action in the Far East Army could be taken away at night.

"Your Highness, it should be broken in two days at most."

"The Dayan Legion is outwardly strong but inwardly weak. Its defensive equipment has been completely worn out, and in recent days it has relied entirely on hand-to-hand combat," Xue Rengui said with absolute certainty.

Immediately, the soldiers on the front line cheered, their faces filled with excitement.

After nearly a month of encirclement and annihilation on such a harsh plateau, victory is within reach, and the joy is unimaginable.

"Don't get excited yet. It will take another two days, which means it's not completely eradicated yet. We must not let our guard down."

"Anything remains a problem until it's resolved; opening up new problems halfway through is the worst thing you can do."

Immediately, everyone fell silent, no longer daring to celebrate so frivolously.

Although I don't understand what "opening champagne halfway through" means, I can roughly understand that it means you can't celebrate beforehand.

Immediately afterwards, Li Yuanchang withdrew the binoculars that had been used to survey the three major positions on the plateau and looked at Lu Zhong, the logistics supervisor.

"Has the supplies not arrived yet?"

Upon hearing this, all the generals looked over.

The supplies haven't arrived yet?

Everyone's eyes were focused on the remnants of Dayan's army and the imminent victory, but they overlooked the fact that the logistical supplies were overdue for the first time.

"Your Highness, not yet."

"This batch was delayed by two days, but our army's food reserves can last for at least seven days. I suspect it's because winter is approaching and the roads are difficult to travel."

"Some places are too dry and difficult for carriages and horses to travel," Lu Zhong said.

It was only two days late, and it was still in the final stages of the war, so it did not cause panic.

However, Li Yuanchang's right eyelid kept twitching, and the first-ever shortage of supplies made him feel that something was amiss.

"You will personally lead five hundred men down the mountain to urge them on. If you manage to meet the convoy, escort it back up."

"Five hundred?" Everyone was shocked.

"Your Highness, this..."

The Far Eastern Army is now also in a state of being full of wounded soldiers. The encirclement and annihilation of the Dayan Army Corps has come at a certain cost, and the number of wounded has exceeded 8,000.

With personnel extremely scarce right now, isn't sending so many people down to provide support too much?

"No need for further words, let's go now, immediately."

"The Dayan Legion's fate is sealed, and I do not wish for any mishaps." Li Yuanchang, having navigated the political arena for ten years, possesses an extraordinary intuition.

Something unusual is bound to happen; it's always good to be on guard.

"yes!"

Lu Zhong said no more, personally mustered his troops, and went down the mountain.

As darkness fell and the temperature plummeted, at an altitude of 3,000 meters, in December, and in the 7th century, not in the era of global warming, the combined effects of all these factors could almost freeze a person to death in the wild.

The Far East Army immediately ceased its offensive and switched to defense, clearing, making fires, and cooking.

The battlefield fell silent instantly, and the entire plateau was filled with the howling of a biting wind and an aura of death!

The extremely high-intensity encirclement and annihilation campaign, which has lasted for so long, has long since turned the Gongwang Plateau unrecognizable.

As the sun set and night fell, under the heavy, oppressive twilight, the Far East Army proceeded in an orderly fashion, but only a few hundred meters away from the buffer zone.

The Dayan army suffered heavy casualties, and the battlefield was full of shell craters from gunpowder explosions, with blood accumulating inside that could not be drained.

The Tibetans huddled together for warmth, exhaling white mist as they shivered, their former ambition to march eastward and annex Tuyuhun long gone.

They looked more like a group of homeless people.

There was not enough food, not enough water, and even campfires were scarce. All the trees had been cut down, and only commanders could enjoy the harvest.

Screams and groans were everywhere; the situation had deteriorated to an extreme.

Da Yanmangbuzhi stood on the watchtower, his eyes bloodshot, having been unable to sleep for what felt like the last few days.

The speed of the defeat far exceeded his expectations, the shadow of death had completely loomed over him, and his fighting spirit had been extinguished by Li Yuanchang.

It was a complete rout.

He looked exactly like a gambler who had lost everything at the gambling table.

"The Grand Chancellor has announced that our Dayan Legion's 80,000 warriors fought to the very last moment, and died on the very ground they deserved, just as he had wished."

"I, Dayan Mangbuzhi, have not betrayed the Grand Chancellor. I only hope that after we die in battle, the Grand Chancellor will treat the old, young, women, and children of my Dayan family well, so that the blood of my 80,000 warriors will not have been shed in vain."

Upon hearing this, his son Dayanmocuo was filled with despair.

"Father, since you know the Grand Chancellor is treating us this way, why don't you leave?"

"We still have over ten thousand well-rested elite troops waiting to be deployed. Why not break out?"

Dayan Mangbuzhi sneered, "Going back is the same as dying, so we might as well drag Li Yuanchang to his death here."

"Drag them to death?" Pairs of brown eyes looked puzzled and surprised.

Dayan said hoarsely, "Early on, before we launched our second attack, when the order came from Lhasa, there was actually a secret letter that came with the order to attack."

"It was given to me by the Grand Chancellor. The Grand Chancellor wants me to hold Tuyuhun and fight Li Yuanchang to the end, implying that he has a way to destroy them here."

"But Father, isn't the Grand Chancellor trying to eliminate us? The fact that he hasn't sent reinforcements clearly..."