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

"How far is the detour?"

"How did you get here from the Qilian Mountains?" Li Yuanchang put down his binoculars and frowned as he looked at the eminent monk from Dongping.

Dongping recalled, "Your Highness, this humble monk was lost at the time and did not know the way, this..."

"How long did it take you to walk on that flat ground down there?" Li Yuanchang asked patiently again.

Dongping said solemnly, "It took about a whole day, from dawn to the first light of the next day. I took a nap in between. I remember it very clearly because it was a sunny day."

"Then, less than three days later, they encountered the Tang army."

For an entire day… Li Yuanchang felt uneasy upon hearing this number.

Walking takes twelve hours, and even riding a horse at full speed would take two or three hours, so it would only take six hours in total.

Being exposed to open areas for such a long time is very dangerous.

But we've come this far, there's no reason to back down.

"Liao Jie, you lead a team of scouts ahead to scout the terrain, in case the Tibetans are lying in ambush."

"The rear guard should eat immediately, and after eating, they should descend the mountain first, but not go out. Wait until nightfall, then the main army will leave the mountains and forests together, traveling across the plains, and entering the western part of the Qilian Mountains before dawn the next day."

"Yes!!" everyone shouted, and they immediately began their operation.

What Li Yuanchang didn't know was that the Tibetan army's pursuers and interceptors had already basically arrived.

A pursuing force had reached the camp where they had camped the previous night, where they discovered traces of the Far Eastern Army's presence and began their pursuit.

Meanwhile, another intercepting force, as if possessing a third eye, was rushing towards the Qilian Mountains from the Tuyuhun grain route.

The script for the western retreat has completely shifted to a struggle for control of the Qilian Mountains and a vow to kill Li Yuanchang.

Lun Qinling didn't even glance at the truly fertile places of Tuyuhun, such as the representative strongholds like Fu'ai City.

Even after receiving a report that Li Yuanchang had fled north, he directly withdrew the 10,000-strong army that was heading to Fu'ai City.

In his eyes, there was only Li Yuanchang.

Li Yuanchang's death took precedence over the gains and losses of the entire Tuyuhun.

Qinling, the most outstanding figure in Tibet, made more than one arrogant statement in the army that he would bury Li Yuanchang and his subordinates here!

He certainly had the ability to do so. As the most brilliant figure in the history of the Tibetan Empire, he defeated Xue Rengui and ruled the Tibetan Empire for decades, causing the two emperors a great deal of trouble.

He shouldn't have been born at this time, but it seems that Li Yuanchang's sudden emergence brought this guy out ahead of time.

From God's perspective, the chaos and turmoil in the central region of Tuyuhun had subsided, and countless troops were continuously heading towards the Qilian Mountains.

From the start of the retreat, not only did Li Yuanchang see through Lun Qinling's ambush, but Lun Qinling also kept figuring out his route.

The two sides had never met, but they were evenly matched!

……

Time flies, and a day passes in the blink of an eye.

As darkness gradually swallowed the sky, the Far East Army, hidden beneath the thick, dark clouds, exuded silence and repression, poised to strike.

A fast horse suddenly rushed back from the flat mountainside, waving its flag vigorously.

Those were scouts; that meant the road ahead was viable.

"Let's go!" Li Yuanchang shouted.

Thousands of cavalrymen, who had been like statues, instantly came back to life, their joints creaking and their armor clanging, and they transformed into a bolt of lightning, swooping down from the mountains and forests.

Rumble!!

They instantly rushed into the flat area, charging in the wedge formation used in combat, and officially broke through towards the Qilian Mountains.

"Giddy up, giddy up!!"

Li Yuanchang's Red Lightning bolt surged ahead, leaving others far behind.

His black hair danced wildly, his body swayed, and his vision was severely obstructed, but he still held a pair of binoculars, constantly looking ahead and to both sides.

He can react immediately if any unusual changes occur.

Even though the Tibetans had long since disappeared, caution and vigilance remained a habit he had cultivated over many years.

Before long, the Far East Army completely disappeared without a trace from the northwestern region of Tuyuhun.

Like ghosts in the night, they relentlessly advanced towards the Qilian Mountains, each step filled with unwavering determination.

With food supplies running low, and each person having only two dry biscuits left to barely fill their stomachs, they had no other choice.

Half an hour, an hour, two hours...

The soldiers, working tirelessly under the stars and moon, watched as the Qilian Mountains drew ever closer, their majestic silhouettes looming before them. Suddenly, an unexpected change occurred!

In the distance, amidst the mountains and forests, a large flock of birds swept past beneath the scarlet full moon.

Immediately afterwards, a series of subtle tremors came from the horizon.

These movements were imperceptible to the thousands of Far Eastern troops who were charging forward. Even the unusual sight of birds taking flight could be attributed to the influence of the Far Eastern troops.

But Li Yuanchang smelled it, he smelled that unique scent on the Tibetan barbarians: bloodthirsty, savage, and foul!

His expression immediately changed, and he turned to look.

A line of shadowy figures rose from the horizon; it was not an illusion, but the silhouettes of an army illuminated by torches.

"not good!"

"They're Tibetans!"

"quick!"

For a moment, the Far East Army was in an uproar and was briefly at a loss.

But as the bugle call sounded, the deafening sound became the guide in the darkness, and the entire army quickly accelerated its charge, attempting to shake off the enemy.

On the other side, the fierce and unruly Tibetan cavalry, advancing side by side, were also in a frenzy, as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

"Where are the Tang troops?!"

"Where is Li Yuanchang?!"

"Xiao Lun's predictions are incredibly accurate; Li Yuanchang is planning to escape through the Qilian Mountains!"

A Tibetan general shouted excitedly, his eyes glowing green even in the darkness.

"Warriors of the Gar family, charge!"

"Kill one, reward one piece of meat!"

"Kill one general, appoint a hundred commanders, and bestow a hundred women upon him!"

"Whoever kills Li Yuanchang will be granted the title of one of the Ten Generals!"

"yes!"

"Kill them!"

The Tibetan soldiers drew their sharp scimitars, roaring and howling incessantly, their attack displaying savagery and terror.

The earth trembled violently as both sides went all out, shouts of battle and bugle calls resounding continuously.

What was originally planned as a lightning strike instantly turned into a fierce and chaotic battle.

With ammunition and supplies exhausted and his army surrounded, Li Yuanchang was clearly unwilling to engage in a direct confrontation with Gar's personal guard. Being bogged down meant being slowly worn down and killed.

He ordered the entire army to continue fighting and sent a cavalry force of about a hundred men to suddenly break away from the rapidly advancing ranks of the Far Eastern army.

They held fire tinder, but it wouldn't burn in the strong wind, so they simply stopped their horses.

"You Tibetan barbarians, go to hell!"

Whoohoo! !

The remaining dozen or so packets of explosives were all thrown out, the flames from the burning fuses glowing like fireflies.

The Tibetans failed to notice, nor could they possibly stop.

As soon as their vanguard arrived, they were engulfed by towering flames from a series of explosions.

The terrifying shockwave shattered both men and horses, sending sand and dust billowing into the sky!

Screams, howls, neighing horses, and roars filled the air.

Their massive ranks were thrown into chaos and abruptly brought to a halt by the explosion, as if they had crashed head-on into something, leaving them bloodied and battered.