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

A barren, empty field.

Li Yuanchang waited for the returning scout team, and just as he had seen through his binoculars, there was another battered cavalry unit, which was indeed Lu Zhong's troops.

When they emerged from the darkness and came into full view.

Li Yuanchang's heart clenched suddenly!

This team of 500 people has now dwindled to less than 100!

He tried to find Lu Zhong, but was shocked to find that he could not find him. Moreover, he saw a trace of sorrow in the eyes of these soldiers, and they all hung their heads with no morale.

His expression immediately changed drastically, and he rushed forward, demanding, "Where's Lu Zhong?"

boom! !

The leading officer knelt down with a thud, and the rest of the soldiers followed suit, their sobs echoing through the night-covered forest.

Suddenly, the vast army fell silent, everyone realizing what had happened.

"Your Highness, General Lu has been killed in battle!"

"Waaaaah..."

Li Yuanchang's ears immediately went ringing.

The entire army was shocked, envious, and heartbroken!

A few breaths later, the sound of crying shook the mountains and fields!

Lu Zhong came from the Kyushu Prefecture Army and followed Li Yuanchang in the campaign against Goguryeo. He later participated in the fight against the court's purges and made outstanding military achievements. He was an absolute backbone and high-ranking officer.

Li Yuanchang knew that the battlefield was ruthless and that swords had no eyes; perhaps generals would die in battle, but he never expected it to be now.

"How did he die?" he clenched his fists, his voice almost hoarse.

It felt as if my whole body was being gripped tightly.

The officer, Lu Zhong's nephew, burst into tears, crying, "General Lu fought to the death to delay the Tibetan cavalry, and was hunted down and killed by four Tibetan generals."

"General Lu told us to run before he died, saying we should find His Highness and ask him to avenge him!"

Immediately afterwards, someone else cried out in despair.

"Your Highness, General Lu died a terrible death! His head was cut off by the Tibetans!"

"Not even a complete corpse was left!"

Upon hearing this, the Far East military camp erupted in chaos. The soldiers' eyes turned bloodshot instantly, and curses and roars filled the air.

"..."

Li Yuanchang felt as if his heart had been clenched tightly. Lu Zhong, a middle-aged subordinate from Fengzhou who spoke with a thick southern accent, was one of the people he trusted most.

He tragically died in battle while covering his retreat!

This sudden encirclement has already killed far too many people in the Far East Army.

His eyes stung with tears, then blazed with fury. His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and he looked like a beast poised to pounce.

"Do you know who the opposing commander is?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Your Highness, we don't know. We only saw the words 'Gar Family' on their military flag, but we don't know who they are."

"At that time, our troop strength was a hundred times that of the enemy's. Our delaying tactics were futile, and the enemy did not fall for our trap. They came to encircle and annihilate us, and after taking the general's head, they did not pursue us further."

"We originally wanted to return to the Gongwang Plateau, but the main army had already left. Later, we returned to the supply route, but were chased by small groups of Tibetan cavalry. We fled all the way here and hid in the mountains until we saw our people appear before we came out."

"Your Highness, it is my fault for failing to protect the General, resulting in his death in battle and bringing shame upon the Far East Army. I am willing to atone with my life!"

Perhaps overwhelmed with grief, Lu Zhong's nephew, Lu Fei, drew his knife, intending to commit suicide, or perhaps he wanted to shoulder the blame for the defeat alone.

boom!

Li Yuanchang caught the knife with his bare hands.

"Your Highness!" everyone exclaimed, and Lu Fei was even more terrified.

Li Yuanchang gestured with his left hand that everything was alright, but with his right hand he gripped the knife tightly, letting the blood drip down, and raised it high above his head.

"Everyone, lift your heads!"

He roared, a divine sound that dispelled all darkness and negative emotions.

The hundred dejected and grieving soldiers who returned all raised their heads to look at him.

"You bought the army enough time to retreat. You shouldn't be bowing your heads; you should be proudly holding your heads high, because you are heroes!"

"Lu Zhong's death is a loss for the Far East!"

"I swear, I will avenge the fallen soldiers, I will avenge Lu Zhong who died in battle, until the very end!"

His gaze was firm, his voice was deep, and his imposing presence pulled the morale back from its slump.

The entire army roared: "Fight to the death! Fight to the death! Fight to the death!"

The sound reverberated through the night, lingering for a long time, exuding a terrifying murderous aura that kept even the fiercest beasts in the mountains from showing their faces.

Hatred is a powerful medicine, instantly rekindling the fighting spirit of the Far Eastern Army, which was in dire straits and about to run out of food.

But morale is one thing, reality must ultimately be faced.

After reuniting with Lu Zhong's troops and learning everything that had happened, Li Yuanchang returned alone to the makeshift tent made of two sheets of cloth, pondering his next move.

The best-case scenario is to break through the eastern supply route and force our way back.

This was the only thing that could be done before the food supply ran out, but it was hard to say how many people would survive or return to Fuai City in the end.

After all, Qinghai Lake is too flat, and once Gar's personal guards discover it, they will immediately pursue it, making it almost impossible to escape.

He tried to find a safer way, but food would run out in two or three days, and this timeframe severely limited the possibilities, making it seem like no method would work.

He couldn't find a solution even in the middle of the night; it seemed like everything was a dead end.

He even set a final deadline: if he still couldn't find another way after dawn, he would have no choice but to force his way out the same way he came.

Hesitation in this matter will only lead to chaos, and the continued delay will consume our already limited food supplies.

Da da da……

Suddenly, hurried, heavy footsteps sounded, and Guo Chao lifted the white cloth and walked in.

In the dim light, Li Yuanchang looked up: "What's wrong?"

"Your Highness, our scouts just captured a suspected spy in the deep mountains. He tried to approach our troops but was caught."

"The people below discovered that he was a monk who claimed to be from Chang'an, on his way to the Western Regions to seek Buddhist teachings, and his Dharma name was Dongping."

"The people below are unsure about the situation, so they've come to report."

"Huh?" Li Yuanchang was taken aback.

"Have Tang Dynasty monks appeared in this place?"

Guo Chao smiled wryly: "Your Highness, at first I was just as surprised as you were that people other than Tibetans could appear in this place, but it is indeed the case."

"That person's accent is indeed that of Chang'an, and many people have confirmed this."

Li Yuanchang frowned. It was true that Buddhism was expanding during this period and a large number of monks were traveling around seeking Buddhist teachings, but going to the Western Regions was not the way to go.

"Bring the person here so I can take a look."

"yes!"

Guo Chao probably knew he wanted to see him, so he had someone bring the monk to the military camp in advance, and he was brought in shortly afterward.