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

"Kneel down!"

"Your Highness, it's him!"

Li Yuanchang stood up and raised the only source of light to look at it.

The dim candlelight illuminated the scene, revealing that the so-called monk was completely bald except for his head; there was no trace of a monk anywhere else on his body.

He was dressed in tattered clothes, thin as a skeleton, with frostbite all over his hands and face, shivering. He had only human physiological characteristics, not the demeanor of a high monk. He looked exactly like a refugee who had been on the run for months.

"Greetings, General."

The monk, barely holding on, used the last of his strength to speak.

Li Yuanchang could tell from the accent that they were from Chang'an. Whether they were Tibetans learning Chinese or people from the grasslands, they all had strong accents.

He casually took out half a dry biscuit and handed it to him. It contained some honey and wild vegetables, which was the standard ration for Far Eastern cavalry. This time, it was an upgraded version when they entered Tuyuhun.

It's a very scientifically balanced combination, containing carbohydrates, sugar, and some dietary fiber. After baking, all the water is drained off for easy storage.

The monk was on the verge of starvation, but he still shouted a Buddhist chant before accepting the food and then wolfed it down!

In the still of the night, the only sound in the tent was the primal sound of him devouring.

"Cough cough cough!"

While eating, he choked and his face turned red.

Li Yuanchang gestured to Guo Chao, who handed him some water.

The monk drank the water gulped down, his face flushed, and he was almost choking to death before he was able to breathe heavily while lying on the ground.

The half-cake was bigger than his head. He ate half of it and left the other half, seemingly reluctant to finish it.

"Thank you so much, General!"

"Saving a life is like building a seven-story pagoda. General, you will surely be blessed with good fortune. This humble monk is willing to pray for your well-being for three years."

Li Yuanchang was amused by his appearance.

He waved his hand: "Forget about praying for blessings, I don't believe in that stuff."

"You said you're from Chang'an, so what are you doing here?"

The monk from Dongping was taken aback when he heard the words "this king".

He changed his story and said, "Your Highness, I came from the Hexi Corridor. I originally planned to enter the Western Regions to seek Buddhist teachings, but I was chased by a tiger and mistakenly entered the Qilian Mountains."

"Later, I was hit by a flash flood, bandits, and fell ill. I was completely lost for several months and survived on wild fruits and vegetables until I got here."

"I saw a large number of troops stationed in the mountains, and suspected they were Tang troops, so I approached to seek help."

As he spoke, his gaunt face revealed a look of misfortune mixed with optimism.

Li Yuanchang was shocked.

"You're still alive?"

Fierce tigers, flash floods, vicious bandits, illness—any one of these in ancient times would have been a certain death sentence, unlike in later generations.

The monk from Dongping smiled awkwardly and put his hands together in prayer: "Perhaps this is the test that Buddha has given me."

Li Yuanchang frowned. He had never heard of any famous monks who went on pilgrimages during Li Zhi's reign.

It was probably an imitation of Xuanzang during the reign of Emperor Taizong.

He didn't know what to say. He didn't believe in this. Those so-called scriptures couldn't save people at all. Human suffering could not be solved by the spirit. In ancient times, scriptures were just a means for the higher-ups to control the lower-ups.

However, there were indeed many eminent monks in the Tang Dynasty who followed one after another, and some of them did indeed want to seek the Dharma to save the world. Although I do not agree with their beliefs, their spirit is commendable.

"Your Highness, may I ask where this is?" The monk from Dongping asked, mustering his courage, when he saw that the prince did not speak.

It seemed that eating dry rations had helped, and the carbohydrates had worked, restoring some of his energy.

Li Yuanchang said, "This is the northwestern corner of Tuyuhun, bordering the western regions of Tibet, but it's basically impossible to reach your destination from here."

"You've completely gone astray."

"what……"

The disappointment and unease of the monks in Dongping were palpable.

"Fine, seeing that you are also a Han Chinese, and from Chang'an at that, you can be considered a fellow townsman of mine."

"You shall join my army."

"But whether you can get out depends on your fate," Li Yuanchang said.

Dongping pressed further, "Your Highness, may I ask where you are going?"

"Return to the capital of Tuyuhun, Fuai City."

"But within a radius of a hundred miles, tens of thousands of Tibetan troops are besieging and searching for me. My chances of survival are slim."

Dongping is shocked!

"Have the Tang Dynasty and Tibet gone to war?"

Guo Chao looked suspicious. Did this guy not know?

Li Yuanchang thought about it and it wasn't surprising. This guy had been lost in the mountains for several months, and the Far East Army hadn't even reached Tuyuhun yet.

In addition, given the limited access to information in ancient times, it was impossible for a monk to know such a thing.

"Yes, the war has begun."

The monk from Dongping suddenly realized, and his eyes showed a mixture of solemnity and compassion: "So that's how it is. No wonder there are traces of the army everywhere."

"May Buddha have mercy! May Buddha have mercy!"

He repeatedly chanted Buddhist prayers and turned his prayer beads, as if he were performing a ritual to help those who died in battle.

Li Yuanchang's ears twitched slightly, and he squinted: "What did you just say?"

"May Buddha have mercy..."

"The previous sentence."

"No wonder there are traces of the army everywhere," the Dongping monk said, bewildered.

Li Yuanchang frowned: "What other troops have you seen around here?"

Guo Chao, who was standing to the side, immediately became solemn.

"No!"

"Not around here." Dongping shook his head: "A month ago, when I lost my way, I found a water source. There was a lot of horse manure there, as well as traces of the army marching and eating."

"Some of the artifacts appear to have been left by the Tibetans."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang's expression changed, a certain nerve was quickly activated, and he strode forward, staring intently at Dongping: "Was it seen in the Qilian Mountains?"

"This humble monk doesn't know exactly where that place is; this humble monk was lost at the time." Dongping was somewhat nervous, as if a fierce tiger was leaning down and sniffing him.

Li Yuanchang's eyes shifted dramatically.

"map!"

"Yes!" Guo Chao belatedly realized what was happening and quickly found a map.

Li Yuanchang spread the map out on the ground; it covered almost the entire Tang Dynasty, Tibet, and the Western Regions, and was densely covered with markings.

This is the most comprehensive map of the entire 7th century. Even the maps of Chang'an are not as complete as this one. It was all collected and recorded by countless merchants from the Northern Song and Southern Qin dynasties as they traveled all over the country.

The map clearly shows that from Hexi to the northwest of Tuyuhun, there is an extremely dangerous mountain range that stretches for more than a hundred miles.

This area, collectively known as the Qilian Mountains, is an extremely famous mountain range in Chinese history, known even to later generations.

To the north are Ganzhou, Suzhou, and other places, which is what the Tang Dynasty called the Hexi Corridor.

It is a natural barrier to the Hexi Corridor and the mountain range referred to in the famous saying, "They took away my Qilian Mountains, so that my livestock could not roam freely."

Its geographical location is at the intersection of the three kingdoms of Tang, Tubo, and Tuyuhun, making it extremely complex.

Upon receiving news of the sudden appearance of the Tibetan army, Li Yuanchang was shocked and came to a shocking and terrifying conclusion.

"Even in the Qilian Mountains, the Tang army couldn't possibly be there. The army you saw must be Gar's personal guard!"

Guo Chao was terrified!

The area is at an altitude of over 4,000 meters and is extremely pristine. Although it is fed by rivers, it is only passable during the summer and autumn seasons, and the journey is extremely difficult.

Then, upon further thought, he exclaimed in alarm, "Your Highness, something's not right!"