Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

After the prince helped Hu Bugui up, he looked around. The battlefield was filled with the smell of blood, and all he could see were broken flags and bodies lying in disorder. He took a deep breath and said in a heavy tone: "Pass the order down to properly bury our soldiers and treat the wounded immediately. Don't neglect it."

"Yes!" The general beside him took the order and left.

The prince turned to Hu Bugui and said with concern: "General Hu, you should also go and take care of the wound. I can leave this to you."

Hu Bugui bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am fine."

Seeing that he insisted, the prince no longer forced him and walked into the tent side by side with him.

Inside the tent, several reinforcements who had come with the crown prince had been waiting for a long time. When they saw the crown prince and Hu Bugui coming in, they all stood up and saluted.

"Generals, there is no need to be so polite." The prince raised his hand to signal everyone to take a seat. "The situation is urgent now, so let's be brief. General Hu, you have a better understanding of the enemy's situation. Do you have any strategy to defeat them?"

Hu Bugui walked to the map, pointed to several locations on it, and said in a deep voice: "Although the enemy was defeated this time, they are still strong. According to the spies' report, Xue Rengui has retreated to the Black Wind Valley, which is 50 miles away from here. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If we attack by force, I am afraid we will pay a heavy price."

A burly general said, "General Hu is right. Our army has traveled a long distance and is exhausted. It is not advisable to attack by force. In my opinion, it is better to rest for a few days and make plans after we have recovered our strength."

Another general expressed a different opinion: "No! Our army's morale is high now. If we miss this opportunity, when the enemy recovers, we will lose the advantage."

Everyone started discussing, but no one could convince anyone else. The prince listened quietly, tapping his fingers on the table, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

At this time, Hu Bugui, who had been silent all this time, spoke up: "Generals, I have an idea. We can divide our troops into several groups. One group will feint an attack on the Black Wind Valley to attract the enemy's main force, while the other groups will make a detour to cut off the enemy's retreat. By attacking from both sides, we will surely be able to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop!"

After hearing Hu Bugui's plan, everyone nodded in praise. The prince also agreed: "This is a great plan! General Hu is indeed resourceful!"

After discussing the strategy, everyone discussed the specific details. Wu Tao had been quietly listening to the movements inside the tent. When she heard Hu Bugui's plan to divide the troops, she couldn't help but feel worried.

War is cruel, and one can lose one's life if one is not careful. Although she does not understand military affairs, she also understands the importance of food and grass to the army. Thinking of this, Wu Tao turned back to her tent and secretly made up her mind to do her best to provide logistical support for Hu Bugui and the soldiers so that they would not have to worry about the consequences.

Wu Tao called Chuntao and ordered, "Quick, gather all the sisters, we will prepare food and medicine overnight, and we must make sure the soldiers are well fed and warmly clothed, and conserve their energy!" Chuntao took the order and left. After a while, the tent was crowded with people. Everyone was busy, some were boiling water and cooking, some were counting medicines, and some were mending clothes. Although they were tired, everyone's face was filled with determination.

Wu Tao shuttled among the crowd, bandaged the wounds of the injured soldiers and comforted them softly. She knew that what she could do was limited, but she hoped to do her best to contribute to this war.

As night fell, the sky was dotted with stars and the night wind was mixed with a hint of coolness. Hu Bugui, wearing armor and carrying a sword, led a team of elite cavalry and quietly left the camp. Their target was an enemy camp located outside the Black Wind Valley.

"General, the enemy camp is ahead." A scout reported in a low voice.

Hu Bugui nodded slightly, and under the cover of night, he carefully observed the situation in the enemy camp. The camp was brightly lit and noisy, and it was obvious that the enemy was not aware of the danger.

"Pass the order, everyone must remain quiet, resolve the battle as quickly as possible, and leave no one alive!" Hu Bugui lowered his voice, his tone cold, as if he was a Shura from hell.

"Yes!" the soldiers responded in unison, with bloodthirsty gleams in their eyes.

The next moment, Hu Bugui rode out first, the long sword in his hand piercing the night sky, bringing with it a streak of cold light, and rushed straight to the enemy camp...

Wu Tao watched Hu Bugui lead his army and disappear into the night, feeling mixed emotions. She knew that this battle was crucial to the Tang army, and she also understood the cruelty of war. But what could a weak woman like her do? Wu Tao took a deep breath, suppressed her anxiety, and turned back to the camp.

In the camp, the groans of the wounded and the busy footsteps of the medical staff intertwined, forming a sad picture. Wu Tao looked at the painful faces and felt a strong sense of responsibility. Although she did not know medical skills, she could do what she could for these soldiers who were defending their country.

"Chun Tao, go find some clean cloth and clean water, and ask the soldiers to help build a few simple tents to accommodate the wounded." While giving the orders, Wu Tao rolled up his sleeves and began to clean the wounds of the wounded.

Chuntao left immediately and returned with a group of women and old people. They were all local residents who came to help voluntarily after hearing that the Tang army had set up camp there.

"Girl, let us help you." A gray-haired old lady held Wu Tao's hand, her eyes full of love and gratitude, "These are heroes who defend their country. We can't let them feel disheartened."

"Yes, girl, please let us do our best." Others also echoed.

Wu Tao was deeply moved as she looked at the sincere faces. She knew that although these people lived at the bottom of society, they had hearts of gold.

"Thank you everyone, thank you everyone!" Wu Tao's eyes were moist and he bowed deeply to everyone.

Under Wu Tao's organization, the people quickly devoted themselves to the work of rescuing the wounded. Some of them helped clean the wounds, some helped bandage them, and some served tea and water and asked about their health. In a short time, the originally chaotic camp became orderly.

At the same time, on another battlefield outside the Black Wind Valley, the Tang army's reinforcements were launching a fierce attack on the enemy according to plan.

"Kill!" The deafening shouts of killing resounded through the night sky, and the Tang army soldiers rushed towards the enemy camp like a tiger descending from the mountain, unstoppable.

"Report! General, Tang army reinforcements are coming from the flank!" An enemy scout ran into the tent in a panic and reported to the enemy general.

"What?!" The enemy general was horrified. "How could they come so quickly? Could it be..."

Before he could figure it out, the Tang army soldiers had already rushed into the camp, and a melee ensued...

Outside the Black Wind Valley, shouts and screams shook the sky, and flames shot up into the sky, illuminating half of the night sky. The arrival of the Tang army reinforcements was like a flash of lightning that broke through the darkness, completely disrupting the enemy's formation. Hu Bugui led the charge, and the long sword in his hand was like a bloodthirsty dragon. Wherever he passed, the enemy fell one after another.

"Kill! Avenge our dead brothers!" The morale of the Tang army was boosted, and they fought bravely and unstoppably. The enemy thought they had won, but they did not expect the Tang army reinforcements to arrive so quickly. They were caught off guard, their formation was in disarray, and they were defeated step by step.

"General, the Tang army's reinforcements are unstoppable, let's retreat first!" An enemy general hurriedly advised when he saw the situation was not good.

The enemy leader looked at the situation in front of him, his heart was burning with anger, but he had to admit that at this moment, retreat was the best option. He gritted his teeth and ordered: "Retreat!"

The enemy retreated like a tide, but Hu Bugui did not rush to pursue them. He reined in his horse, turned around, and clasped his fists to the generals who were helping him, saying, "Thanks to the general for arriving in time, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous."

The reinforcements smiled and replied, "General Hu, you are welcome. We are here to support you. It is our duty. Now that the enemy has retreated, let's count the casualties and rest before making any plans."

Hu Bugui nodded, and then ordered the battlefield to be cleaned up and the wounded to be treated.

At this time, Wu Tao was busy in the camp. She handed the last roll of clean cloth to Chun Tao and said, "Chun Tao, go and see if there is anyone who needs help."

"Yes, Miss." Chuntao responded and turned to leave.

Wu Tao looked around and felt relieved to see that the wounded had been properly settled. She walked to a campfire and wanted to warm herself up.

"Girl, why are you here alone? Don't you want to take a rest?" An old woman walked up to Wu Tao with a bowl of steaming ginger soup and asked with concern.

"Thank you, I'm not tired yet." Wu Tao took the ginger soup and said with a smile, "I feel relieved to see that everyone is fine."

The old woman sighed and said, "This war has caused so much suffering to so many people! I hope this war can end soon so that the people can live in peace."

Wu Tao nodded in agreement. At this moment, she accidentally saw a wounded soldier with a panicked look on his face, as if he was deliberately avoiding something. Wu Tao's heart suddenly became alarmed. She walked to the soldier calmly and asked with pretended concern: "Brother, how is your injury? Is it serious?"

The soldier avoided his gaze and stammered, "I... I'm fine..."

Wu Tao was more certain of her guess, and she continued to ask calmly, "Brother, I see your accent is a little strange, you are not a local, right?"

The soldier's face changed, he stood up suddenly, turned around and tried to escape, but was grabbed by Wu Tao with quick eyes and hands.

"Someone come! There's a spy!" Wu Tao shouted, and the surrounding soldiers rushed over and surrounded the soldier.

Wu Tao found a secret letter from the soldier, which contained confidential information such as the Tang army's defense map.

"General Hu, something terrible has happened! I have captured an enemy spy!" Wu Tao ran all the way to Hu Bugui with the secret letter and told him what had happened in detail.

Hu Bugui's face turned pale. He took the secret letter and read it, and his heart was immediately filled with shock...

Hu Bugui took the secret letter and saw the lines of handwriting in the light of the fire. His face became more gloomy. The letter recorded in detail the deployment map of the Tang army, the food and grass reserves, and even the night patrol routes were clearly marked. If Wu Tao had not discovered it in time, the consequences would be disastrous. He took a deep breath, handed the letter to the deputy general beside him, and said in a deep voice: "Send the order immediately to strengthen the vigilance, and all patrol teams change their routes. In addition, send someone to inform the reinforcements of this matter. Be careful!"

The deputy general took the order and left. Hu Bugui turned to look at Wu Tao, his eyes full of admiration: "Miss Wu, this time it is thanks to you, otherwise our army would be in danger."

Wu Tao shook his head gently: "General Hu, you are too kind. I just did what I should do. Now that the enemy spies have been eliminated, we must be more careful and vigilant. The enemy leader is cunning and must have other tricks up his sleeve."

Hu Bugui nodded in agreement. "Miss Wu is right. I have arranged for people to take strict precautions and will not let the enemy spies take advantage of the opportunity again." He paused and looked in the direction of Black Wind Valley. A gleam of light flashed in his eyes. "The enemy's sneak attack failed this time, so they must be unwilling to give up. Our army can just take advantage of their own strategy..."

In the military camp at night, the lights were on. Hu Bugui and several generals sat around the table, studying the map carefully. Wu Tao stood aside, listening to them discussing the deployment of troops, feeling a lot of emotion in her heart. She had never thought that she, an ordinary girl from modern times, would be in an ancient military camp and participate in a war that concerns the fate of the country.

"Although the enemy retreated this time, they did not go far, but camped at Luofengpo, ten miles away from the Black Wind Valley." Hu Bugui pointed to a valley on the map and said in a deep voice, "Luofengpo is in a dangerous position, easy to defend but difficult to attack. The enemy chose to set up camp here, which shows that they are well prepared."

A general frowned and said, "General Hu, in your opinion, how should we respond?"

Hu Bugui sneered, his eyes gleaming with confidence: "The enemy wants to use the terrain advantage of Luofeng Slope to fight against our army, but we don't want to do what they want. Pass the order down, the whole army will move out at night and head to Wangyue Slope on the east side of Black Wind Valley!"

"Wangyue Slope?" Several generals looked at each other, puzzled. Wangyue Slope was flat and had no shelter. If they fought with the enemy here, wouldn't they have no chance of winning?

"I know you all have doubts in your heart." Hu Bugui glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice, "But I am sure that after the enemy receives the news that our army has set up camp at Wangyue Slope, they will come out in full force to encircle and suppress us!"

Wu Tao's heartbeat suddenly accelerated. She seemed to have a premonition that a big battle was about to begin...