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

"If Gar's personal guards cross the Qilian Mountains, outflank our supply lines, and launch a surprise attack, they will surely cross the Hexi Corridor!"

"These important towns in Hexi are all heavily guarded by the imperial army. How did they manage to get in so quietly?"

"Tens of thousands of troops, not just a few dozen people!"

Li Yuanchang's eyes were grave: "Only this route can escape our scouts' detection, reach our rear, cut off our supply lines without anyone noticing, and complete the encirclement."

"At first, I couldn't understand how the Gar family came to be."

"Only now do I understand that the Tibetans have played a very long game. They spared no effort to expend countless manpower and resources. It wasn't that they didn't want to rescue the Dayan Legion, but rather that they wanted to have enough time to kill me."

"The Dayan Legion is not a pawn to be sacrificed, but rather tasked with a mission of total annihilation."

"I underestimated Galdonzan."

Guo Chao frowned: "But Your Highness, how did they get through the important town of Hexi?"

"If they want to go south to Qinghai Lake, they must at least pass through Suzhou."

"The Grand General of Hexi commands tens of thousands of troops; there's no reason the Tibetans should be able to cross. Could it be... that Hexi has been breached?"

Li Yuanchang raised his head and looked at Guo Chao. He didn't say a word, but the deep, dangerous look in his eyes seemed to say everything.

From a timeline perspective, it was impossible to conquer Hexi and then march south.

Therefore, there is only one truth!

Guo Chao was jolted awake, his heart filled with a storm of emotions.

Having read Li Yuanchang's eyes, a terrifying thought suddenly popped into my mind!

"No, that can't be!"

"The imperial court...they betrayed us?!" His eyes were filled with disbelief and anger.

Li Yuanchang looked up and took a deep breath, his Adam's apple bobbing. In that instant, it seemed as if a raging fire was being digested within him.

He kept telling himself that the situation was very complicated and he had to stay calm.

His resolute face exuded a chilling sense of danger, but his anger was firmly suppressed within him by his strong mental fortitude.

A heart brimming with the fury of a tiger, yet gently sniffing the fragrance of a rose.

The entire tent remained quiet for more than twenty breaths; you could hear a pin drop.

The monk from Dongping clearly sensed something was wrong. He was so overwhelmed by Li Yuanchang's imposing presence that he broke out in a cold sweat, as if the entire magnetic field here was in chaos.

a long time.

Li Yuanchang finally spoke, his voice both magnetic and cold: "No matter what, let's get out of danger first."

"Don't make this public yet."

The calmer he remained, the more serious the situation became.

Guo Chao took a deep breath.

"yes!"

"Then, Your Highness, let's break through the encirclement, quickly fight our way back to Tuyuhun, and then find a way to return to the Far East."

"I'm afraid the Far East will also be attacked," Guo Chao suggested.

His considerations were not without merit. If they were truly betrayed this time, and the imperial court deliberately allowed the Tibetan army to enter the pass and purge the Far East Army, then the Far East region would inevitably be in danger as well.

"No."

"With the situation on the front lines unclear and news of my death still pending, no one dares to truly take action in the Far East."

"The Far East is still safe now." Li Yuanchang was extremely rational; he didn't react immediately or disregard everything and head straight back to the Far East.

"But Your Highness, we must break through this encirclement."

"Our supplies are running out; we have no choice but to take this step."

"There's another way!" Li Yuanchang blurted out.

"Is there another way?"

"You mean?" Guo Chao's eyes flashed as he looked at the monk from Dongping.

Li Yuanchang nodded.

"If the Tibetans can leave, so can we."

"Since I'm on my way, I need to verify my suspicions."

"This isn't over!"

His eyes darkened, a primordial beast was imprisoned in his heart. The Far East Army suffered heavy casualties, and Lu Zhong and others died in battle. Was this due to the strength of the Tibetans, or betrayal by his own people?

Who should be held responsible for this?!

When this beast is released, there will surely be mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and blood debts will be repaid in blood!

"..."

The next day.

As dawn broke, layers of thin mist swirled among the mountains, severely obstructing visibility. Li Yuanchang ordered the entire army to break camp and prepare to enter the legendary Qilian Mountains.

This is a place that Huo Qubing once conquered, a place full of legend, but Li Yuanchang has now conquered even further and annexed more territory.

However, Li Yuanchang was always labeled as a powerful minister, and he was never recognized by the core aristocratic circle of the Tang Dynasty.

The mainstream ideology of the hierarchical relationship between ruler and subject even compared him to Cao Cao.

Over the years, Li Yuanchang has never paid attention to anything else. He pursues things differently from others and doesn't care about other people's opinions at all.

But now, everything is different.

If it's really as speculated, then the imperial court has gone too far!

Li Yuanchang has made all the necessary preparations; those behind the scenes will all pay the price!

On his return trip, his main mission had shifted from reclaiming Tuyuhun to investigation and revenge.

Perhaps it was fate, or something predetermined, that God had accidentally sent the monk from Dongping to him, bringing him not only some secret information.

It also gave him a chance to retreat.

This monk survived being lost in the Qilian Mountains for several months. He may not remember all the ways back, but he truly knew where there were clean water sources, grasslands, and berries within the Qilian Mountains.

He survived thanks to these methods, and Li Yuanchang decided to give it a try, since it was much less dangerous than forcibly turning back and fighting his way out.

If all else fails, even if it means killing the warhorses and dividing them among ourselves, we must bring the people back.

It turns out that they live very close to the Qilian Mountains.

Suddenly, the view opened up, revealing a massive mountain range that seemed to have existed since time immemorial, rolling beneath the clouds. It was incredibly awe-inspiring.

This is not a single mountain peak or plateau; this mountain range stretches for over a hundred miles and is one of the most important mountain ranges in Chinese history.

It has inherited too much civilization, and has also influenced the air and temperature in the south, and is a natural barrier for the Hexi Corridor.

Once you enter this place, you can theoretically return to the homeland of the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, once you enter this place, you will no longer need to engage in "extreme dry pull" on the Great Plains to escape your pursuers.

The terrain alone severely limited the Tibetan cavalry.

Unfortunately, when Li Yuanchang looked at the mountain range that appeared in 21st-century elementary school textbooks, there was a chasm like the Milky Way hanging in the middle!

That's right, it's an insurmountable barrier!

The mountains on the northwest side of Tuyuhun are not connected to the Qilian Mountains. They look close, as if you could walk there in one step, but in reality they are at least several miles apart.

Moreover, it was impossible to go directly down the mountain and enter the Qilian Mountains, because there was a cliff in front of them, a kind of road that even the Tibetans could not walk on, so they had to go around it.