Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

"How much do we know about the enemy's situation?" Hu Bugui frowned, his hawk-like eyes scanning the map in front of him, with a hint of solemnity in his tone.

"Reporting to Your Majesty," an armored general stepped forward and clasped his fists, "The enemy this time is about 50,000 strong, led by the Turkic Khan himself, and they are coming with great force. They seem to know the defenses around Chang'an City very well, and their marching route is strange and unpredictable, so it is difficult for our spies to track them down."

"It seems that we have a spy among us." Another general said in a deep voice, with a hint of anger in his tone, "Otherwise the enemy would not be able to understand our deployment so well."

Hu Bugui nodded slightly to show his agreement. He turned to look at Wu Tao, and seeing that she was looking down in deep thought, he asked softly, "Taotao, what do you think?"

Wu Tao raised his head with a firm look in his eyes: "I think the most urgent task is to stabilize the morale of the army, strengthen the city defense, and prepare for a protracted war. The enemy is in the dark, and we are in the light, so we must not act rashly."

"That makes sense." Hu Bugui looked at Wu Tao with appreciation, and then ordered the generals, "Pass the order down, the entire army will enter the first level of alert, strengthen the defense of the city wall, and at the same time strictly investigate suspicious persons in the city, and make sure to bring the spies to justice!"

"Yes, sir!" the generals responded in unison, then turned around and rushed to their respective posts.

After everyone left, Hu Bugui walked over to Wu Tao, gently held her hand, and said softly, "Don't worry, we will definitely get through this."

"I believe you." Wu Taohui held Hu Bugui's hand, his eyes full of determination.

At the same time, Chuntao was leading the maids in the mansion running around the city. While they were spreading the news of the enemy's brutality to the people and boosting their morale, they were secretly observing the actions of the people around them, trying to find the spies hiding in the dark.

"Sister Chuntao, why do you think those bad guys want to attack Chang'an City?" asked a little maid in confusion.

"Because they are greedy, they want to rob our homes and wealth." Chun Tao explained patiently, "But we can't let them succeed. We must unite and protect our homes!"

"Yes! Protect our home!" The maids clenched their fists, with determination flashing in their eyes.

As night fell, the lights in Chang'an were bright, but they could not cover up the tense atmosphere in the air. Everyone was preparing for the upcoming battle, with their hearts filled with anxiety and uneasiness.

At this moment, a fast horse came galloping, breaking the tranquility of the night...

The sound of horse hooves shattered the night. The messenger ran all the way to Hu Bugui, knelt on one knee, and reported loudly: "Report! Your Majesty is at the city gate and has arrived at the tower!"

This news was like thunder from a clear sky, exploding in everyone's ears. Hu Bugui and Wu Tao looked at each other, and both saw surprise in each other's eyes. No one expected that the emperor would personally lead the army at this critical moment!

The two men did not dare to delay and immediately straightened their clothes and hurried out to greet him.

As soon as they reached the tower, they saw a group of people and horses slowly approaching with a golden imperial sedan chair. The emperor was wearing a dragon robe and a crown on his head. Although he was over fifty years old, he was still energetic and majestic without even getting angry.

"Your Majesty, I (a commoner) pay my respects to you!" Hu Bugui and Wu Tao both knelt on the ground and saluted.

"Everyone, get up." The emperor gave a false hand and looked at Hu Bugui with admiration, "Bugui, you did a great job. I was not wrong about you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Hu Bugui stood up with a respectful look.

The emperor turned his gaze to Wu Tao again, a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes, and asked, "Who is this?"

"Your Majesty, this is Miss Wu Tao. She has made great contributions to our army in resisting the foreign enemies this time by providing advice and strategies," Hu Bugui introduced hurriedly.

"Oh?" The emperor became interested and took a closer look at Wu Tao. Although she was dressed simply, she was smart and lively. He couldn't help but admire her in his heart, "What a wonderful woman! In this war, you two must work together to protect our Tang Dynasty!"

"Your servants obey your orders!" Hu Bugui and Wu Tao responded in unison.

The emperor's visit not only boosted morale, but also brought a large amount of food, supplies, and elite soldiers.

The next morning, an army marched into Chang'an City. This army was brave and well-equipped. It was the reinforcements sent by the Tang Dynasty's ally, the Huihe!

The leading Huihe general was named Ashina Falcon, with a burly figure and a resolute face. He dismounted, walked up to Hu Bugui, clasped his fists and saluted: "Friend of the Tang Dynasty, Ashina Falcon is here to help!"

"General Ashina, you have come a long way and have worked hard!" Hu Bugui hurried forward to greet him. After exchanging a few words, the two sides entered the city wall together to discuss the next battle.

With the support of the emperor and the joining of the allies, the morale of the Tang army was greatly boosted. However, everyone knew that this was just the calm before the storm. The Turkic army was coming with great momentum, and this battle would be a crucial battle to determine the fate of the Tang Dynasty!

And how will Wu Tao, a girl from modern times, use what she has learned to help Hu Bugui and the Tang army achieve final victory in the coming battle?

The arrival of the emperor and the reinforcements from the Huihe army undoubtedly gave a shot of strength to the precarious city of Chang'an. But everyone knew that this was only the calm before the storm. With the Turkic army approaching, the real test had just begun.

On the tower, Wu Tao stared at the endless enemy camps outside the city with a frown. These days, she had already thoroughly studied the military deployment map of the Tang Dynasty, combined with modern military theory, and gradually formed a set of countermeasures in her mind.

"General Ashina, the Turks are coming with great force this time, and their commander, Mochuo, is brave and good at fighting. We must not underestimate the enemy." Wu Tao turned to face the Huihe general beside him and said in a steady tone, "In my opinion, our army should adopt the strategy of 'luring the enemy deep into our territory and defeating them one by one'."

Ashina Falcon raised his thick eyebrows and asked with interest, "Oh? What do you think, Miss Wu?"

Wu Tao walked to the sand table, pointed to a valley outside Chang'an City, and said, "This place is called Black Wind Valley. The terrain is steep and easy to defend but difficult to attack. We can first send out an elite force, pretend to retreat, lure the main force of the enemy into the Black Wind Valley, and then use the terrain advantage to divide and surround them and annihilate them one by one."

Hu Bugui looked at Wu Tao's instructions on the sand table, his eyes full of admiration. He knew that Wu Tao was not a person who only talked about war on paper, and the strategies she proposed were often well thought out and unique.

"This is a brilliant plan!" Hu Bugui nodded in agreement, "However, it is not easy to lure Mochu into the Black Wind Valley."

Wu Tao smiled slightly and said confidently: "Don't worry, General. I have a plan."

Afterwards, Wu Tao informed Hu Bugui and Ashina Falcon of his detailed plan and deployment. After listening, the two nodded repeatedly and admired Wu Tao's wisdom and courage.

It was a dark and windy night, a good time to act. Hu Bugui, wearing armor and holding a long sword, led a group of elite cavalry and quietly left the city, galloping towards the rear of the Turkic army.

The purpose of their trip was not to engage in head-on battle, but to penetrate deep into the enemy's rear, raid the enemy's food and baggage storage areas, and cut off the enemy's supply lines.

Wu Tao stood on the city wall, looking at Hu Bugui's receding back, praying silently in his heart for his safe return.

At the same time, in Chang'an, Chuntao was directing several maids to sort out the intelligence they had collected and prepare to send it outside the city. This intelligence came from every corner of the city, including the enemy's movements, troop deployment, and even the private discussions of the Turkic soldiers.

These seemingly insignificant information can play a huge role in Wu Tao's hands and lay the foundation for the Tang army's ultimate victory.

As the night deepens, a battle that will determine the fate of Chang'an City is about to begin...

Night enveloped the city of Chang'an. The torches on the city walls swayed in the cold wind, reflecting the anxious faces of the people in the city.

Chuntao and a few clever maids shuttled through the streets and alleys of the city. They disguised themselves as ordinary people, selling perfume and rouge while quietly asking for information.

"Have you heard? General Hu led his troops to attack the enemy camp last night and burned the Turkic people's food supplies!"

"Is this true? That's great! God bless us, our Chang'an City is saved!"

Similar conversations kept coming into Chuntao's ears. She calmly wrote down these fragmentary pieces of information. After returning to the temporary base, she quickly compiled the collected intelligence into a book and sent it out of the city through special channels.

Outside the city, Hu Bugui was leading an elite force, hiding in the mountains and forests. He took the intelligence brought by the carrier pigeon, read it carefully in the dim light of the fire, and a confident smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Pass the order down and act according to the original plan!"

Under the cover of night, the Tang army sneaked into the enemy camp like ghosts. They acted quickly and cooperated well, and soon found the enemy's stronghold where food and grass were stored.

"kill!"

The shouts of killing pierced the night sky, deafening. The Tang army was unstoppable and soon defeated the enemy troops guarding the grain and grass. A raging fire shot up into the sky, illuminating half of the sky and the ecstatic faces of the Tang army soldiers.

This night attack not only dealt a heavy blow to the enemy's morale, but more importantly, cut off their supply lines. When the victory news was sent back to Chang'an, the people in the city were jubilant, and even the emperor, who had always been frowning, showed a long-lost smile on his face.

"Good! What a great Hu Bugui! I was right about him!" In the Golden Palace, the emperor was very pleased and praised Hu Bugui highly.

Wu Tao stood aside, listening to the emperor's praise for Hu Bugui, and her heart was filled with joy. She knew that this victory was inseparable from the efforts of everyone, and even more so from Hu Bugui's bravery and fighting skills.

However, just as everyone was celebrating their victory, a more powerful enemy quietly approached, heralding an even greater crisis...

However, just as everyone was celebrating the victory, an urgent secret letter from the border was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the joyful atmosphere in the Golden Palace.

When the emperor opened the secret letter, his face suddenly changed. His originally relaxed brows were tightly furrowed, and his hands even began to tremble slightly.

"Your Majesty, has there been any change in the war at the border?" Wu Tao stood aside, keenly aware of the emperor's mood changes, and a sense of uneasiness rose in his heart.

The emperor took a deep breath and handed the secret letter in his hand to the eunuch beside him: "Pass it around."

The eunuch took the secret letter and read it aloud. The content of the letter was very simple, but it was like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart hard.

It turned out that the Turkic Khan was furious when he learned that the food and grass had been burned. He assembled an army of 100,000 and divided the troops into two groups. One group continued to besiege Chang'an, while the other group took a detour and went straight to Liangzhou, an important border town of the Tang Dynasty.

Liangzhou was an important barrier for the Tang Dynasty to resist the invasion of nomadic tribes in the north. Once Liangzhou was lost, the consequences would be disastrous.

The atmosphere in the Golden Palace suddenly became solemn. The ministers were talking to each other, with worries and anxieties on their faces.

"My dear ministers, do you have any good ideas for this matter?" The emperor's voice sounded a little tired, and it was obvious that he was overwhelmed by the sudden news.

The ministers looked at each other, but no one dared to speak easily.

The Turks came with great force this time, with an army of 100,000, like a mountain pressing down on one's head, making it hard to breathe. What's more difficult is that they split their troops into two groups, one in the open and one in the dark, making it hard to defend against.

"Your Majesty," Hu Bugui, who had been silent all this time, suddenly stood up. His eyes were firm and his tone was calm. "I am willing to lead the troops to Liangzhou to resist the Turks!"

"General Hu!" Wu Tao was shocked and looked up at Hu Bugui with worry in his eyes.

The journey to Liangzhou was extremely dangerous. If one was not careful, the whole army might be wiped out. More importantly, Hu Bugui had just experienced a great battle and his body had not yet fully recovered.

"My dear Minister Hu, you..." The emperor was also a little hesitant. He knew that this journey was full of dangers, but now, apart from Hu Bugui, he really couldn't find a more suitable candidate.

"Your Majesty, I have made up my mind!" Hu Bugui knelt on one knee, his tone firm and unquestionable.

"Okay!" The emperor took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with determination, "I will appoint you as the General of the Western Expedition, and you will be fully responsible for the war in Liangzhou!"

"I obey your order!" Hu Bugui thanked the emperor for his grace. When he stood up, his eyes met Wu Tao's, his eyes full of determination and resoluteness.

Wu Tao knew that after this departure, she didn't know when she would see him again...