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

Li Yuanchang rushed to the outside of the main camp, which was the mountain pass of the Mipo Mountain position.

At this moment, the group arrived and galloped wildly in the darkness, throwing several riders to their deaths, leaving them bloodied and broken, but they did not slow down in the slightest.

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves shattered the tranquility of the night.

"Urgent military dispatch!"

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!!"

The cavalrymen roared in the howling wind, their voices filled with urgency.

"I am Li Yuanchang!" Li Yuanchang shouted in response.

"Ah..." The newcomer was shocked and surprised. How did this person get here?

But no one dares to impersonate these five words.

"Whoa!!"

All the cavalry immediately slammed on the brakes, stopping at the mountain gate. The horses' hooves seemed to be rubbing against the gravel on the ground, almost sparking.

Immediately afterwards, a captain dismounted and rushed forward.

"Report!"

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"

The word "something's wrong" instantly chilled Li Yuanchang's already anxious heart.

"Our army was ordered to inspect the grain supply route, traveling by urgent means. Passing through the vast plains west of Qinghai Lake, we still did not see any grain convoys. Instead, we unexpectedly discovered tens of thousands of Tibetan troops approaching our rear!"

boom!

This news struck like a bolt from the blue, causing a huge tremor at the mountain gate, and everyone's eyes widened in shock.

"What did you say?!" Li Yuanchang exclaimed, taking a step forward with his eyes wide open.

The captain said urgently, "Your Highness, it's absolutely true! At least 50,000 troops are heading towards our rear! Commander Lu sensed something was wrong and sent us back immediately to report the news and urge Your Highness to retreat!"

"He led more than 400 men to set up an ambush along the way to delay the enemy, but the number of enemy and our forces was far outnumbered, so it was estimated that we could not hold out for long."

"Your Highness, let's go!"

"If we don't leave now, it will be too late!"

In an instant, the scene erupted in excitement and discussion.

Li Yuanchang felt as if a mountain was crashing down on him, and his mind went completely blank for a moment.

Fifty thousand Tibetan troops appeared in the rear?

How did you get there?

A hundred questions and shocks filled his mind, but years of conditioned reflexes made him smell the scent of death, and his back felt almost ice-cold!

With its supply lines cut off, 50,000 troops launch a surprise attack from the rear...

At that moment, he suddenly realized that the Dayan Legion was indeed a sacrifice, but Gardonzan's core objective was not to destroy the Dayan family, but to destroy him!

Exchange the supreme commander for the supreme commander!

Kill one, send one away!

This scheme can no longer be described as merely ruthless.

This perfectly illustrates the saying: those who achieve great things cannot be afraid of death!

Li Yuanchang turned around and roared, "Issue my order: break camp immediately, discard any non-essential items, and retreat at once!!"

The sound echoed and exploded.

What was shattered was not only the tranquility of the Gongwang Plateau, but also the dream of victory.

Retreating now would be like letting go of a piece of meat that was already in their mouth.

"..."

Soon, the entire Far East Army headquarters was quickly restored.

To save time, drums were beaten in unison, shaking the plateau and directly notifying the front lines.

The Tibetan soldiers above were startled awake, initially thinking that the Far East Army was about to launch a nighttime attack, and hurriedly set up defenses.

But in reality, the Far Eastern Army was not going to attack, but to retreat.

This is somewhat unbelievable for both sides, but it is the truth.

Chaos reigned within Mount Mipo.

"quick!"

"Faster!"

"We don't need the camp anymore!"

"We don't need the pots anymore, and we'll throw away all the heavy things!"

"Let the wounded go first!"

Li Yuanchang was running around, shouting, and coordinating, with an unprecedented urgency, even feeling a sense of impending doom, as if a knife were at his throat.

It often takes a lot of time for an army to break camp.

In the depths of the high plateau during the dead of winter, the difficulty of evacuation is multiplied.

The mountain roads are rugged, and if the traffic is not managed properly, stampedes and falls can occur, seriously affecting efficiency.

Moreover, the limited number of carts, horses, and torches available in a short period of time was insufficient to transport all the supplies and wounded at once.

The crisis was no less severe than the Dunkirk evacuation in later times; although the number of people involved was much smaller, the outcome was the same.

Anyone who doesn't leave will be surrounded and killed.

"His Highness has ordered that we break camp before dawn!"

"Faster!"

"The wounded go first, the infantry follow, and the cavalry last!"

"What are they dawdling about over there doing?!"

"hurry up!"

"..."

Throughout the entire Mipo Mountain camp, shouts were heard everywhere, torches were everywhere, and there was constant coordination and mobilization. Everyone was extremely busy.

Li Yuanchang had made predictions based on his calculations.

Judging from the time when Lu Zhong's troops discovered the Tibetan army, the Tibetan army that suddenly appeared was at least three hours away from where they arrived.

This period is also known as the golden hour.

If they can retreat in advance and escape the enemy's encirclement, then it will be a perfect escape.

Half an hour later, the wounded soldiers' camp and some necessary supplies had all been transferred and they officially descended the mountain, with torches forming long lines.

Although the situation was urgent and dangerous, everything was under Li Yuanchang's control.

The Far East Army's military proficiency was impeccable, adhering entirely to later standards. They were perfectly capable of marching in formation, ensuring their retreat was not chaotic or disorderly.

But then, it got light!

As the azure sky turned a pale white, and golden light pierced the darkness of the Gongwang Plateau, the natural protective barrier disappeared.

The Dayan Legion, atop the plateau, saw the Far Eastern Army retreating, a long line of soldiers leaving.

About half an hour ago, they found it strange that the Far East Army hadn't attacked. Torches were lit everywhere and drums were beaten loudly, but they still didn't attack.

Dayan Mangbuzhi thought it was a trap set by Li Yuanchang to lure the enemy, and having been fooled too many times, he dared not make any rash moves.

But now, with daylight and clear visibility, he repeatedly confirmed that the Far Eastern Army was undoubtedly retreating.

The Tibetan army erupted in celebration, believing the crisis was over.

That was how it was originally planned; the two sides ceased military confrontation.

But Dayan Mangbuzhi seemed to suddenly realize something.

"No, Li Yuanchang wouldn't let us go without a reason!"

Something must be going on!

"We can't let him go!"

"Send troops! Send troops!!"

He roared out in a series of hysterical shouts, desperate and reckless after losing so badly.

Then, the Tibetans, who had been holding out like turtles for more than half a month, suddenly launched an attack from below.

Tens of thousands of iron hooves swept down from the plateau, causing snowflakes to fly wildly, the earth to shake, and creating a tremendous commotion!

"The Tibetans are coming down!" the retreating Far East troops exclaimed in surprise.

Li Yuanchang turned around abruptly, staring intently at the dark, surging torrent.

He had taken precautions and left troops behind to cover his retreat, but his worst fears still came true.

Dayan Mangbuzhi, the victim, has finally realized what's happening!

His heart sank to the bottom.

"Your Highness, please leave first. I will take care of things here!"

"With Xue Rengui blocking the way above, there's no problem. You can go first!" Wan Jun urged with his men.

"Your Highness, please leave quickly!"

"We'll cover the rear!"

Many people petitioned, but at this point it was no longer a question of whether Li Yuanchang wanted to leave or not.