Tang Dynasty: To win Yang Guifei, they asked Emperor Xuanzong to die.

Li Mao naturally understood perfectly and immediately agreed, "We'll do as you say!"

The two quickly allocated their forces and went their separate ways.

Li Mao led one group of people southwest, while Guo Ziyi led another group northwest.

"Help—help me—"

Li Mao's group walked five miles but still did not see the missing scout. Instead, they encountered a soldier fleeing in a panic.

Upon seeing Li Mao and his group, and then looking at the Tang army banners behind them, the soldiers cried out as if they had seen saviors: "Ahead... are those Tang soldiers ahead? We... we have been ambushed by the enemy in the rear. Please send reinforcements, General!"

Upon hearing this, Li Mao dismounted.

He stepped forward and said, "Don't rush, tell me slowly. Which army are you from, and what's the situation at the front?"

The soldier, panting heavily, answered in a trembling voice, "I...I am from Shuofang County. There are several military camps in Shuofang County, totaling five thousand men, stationed at the fortified position. We received orders to return to Lingzhou, but on the way, we were ambushed by the Turks at the sand dunes ahead."

"The Turks are cunning and knowledgeable about the terrain, making them highly skilled in battlefield warfare. The situation is extremely critical; we request the general's immediate assistance!"

This person did not recognize Li Mao, nor did he know that he was the famous Prince Shou.

He only saw the Tang army's banners and immediately cried for help.

Li Mao's expression grew grave. He understood that the situation was worse than he had anticipated. Since it was a surprise attack, the Turks would certainly have made thorough preparations, and Shuofang County would be completely baffled by the attack.

Thus……

Their situation will be very passive!

"General, let's set off, or we won't be able to wait any longer..." the fleeing soldier urged.

Li Mao then said, "Send a signal to Ziyi's side, and tell them to follow the direction of the signal to rendezvous with us. Now that we know the situation at the front, we can't let them still be like headless flies, not knowing where to go."

Someone immediately took the order and carried it out.

However, the fleeing soldier suddenly said, "No, there's no need!"

Everyone looked over, their eyes filled with doubt.

"That's right, there was another brother who escaped with me and asked for reinforcements. He ran in the opposite direction from me, so he must have encountered another group of people by now."

Upon hearing this, Li Mao narrowed his eyes.

Ordinary soldiers, when they encounter reinforcements, will not interfere with the situation of the reinforcements.

Moreover, it makes no sense to ask whether the other team encountered deserters...

Li Mao temporarily accepted the deserter's statement and did not request the transmission of the signal again.

On the surface, he remained calm, but in his heart, alarm bells were ringing.

—This deserter appears flustered, but everything he does is actually very purposeful. Is this really how a fugitive should appear?

"How much further do we have?" Li Mao asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

The deserter said without turning his head, "Not far ahead, where the smoke of battle is, is where our army is located."

The road ahead was sparsely covered with vegetation, and the occasional cry of a night dog added to the eerie silence. Li Mao grew increasingly uneasy, and he gently touched the long sword at his waist, waiting for the right opportunity.

After walking for a while, the deserter suddenly stopped.

Turning to Li Mao, he said, "General, there's a small hill not far ahead. We can use it for cover. You wait here while I go ahead to scout it out. Watch my hand signals, and when the time is right, we'll advance."

Li Mao nodded, already having made up his mind.

He pretended to agree to the man's request, but in the blink of an eye, he swiftly drew his Tang sword from his waist and held it to the man's neck!

"Who exactly are you?" Li Mao said coldly. "Where are the spies we sent out earlier?!"

A flicker of surprise crossed the other person's eyes, but they quickly regained their composure.

He chuckled and said, "I didn't expect to be seen through so quickly. You people of the Tang Dynasty are indeed a bit smarter than those Tibetan bastards."

Upon hearing this, Li Mao's question was answered.

"Are you a Turk?" His face darkened further, and the pressure on his hand increased. "How did you know we were leading an army here? What happened to the scouts who went out earlier and to Shuofang County?"

The Turk sneered: "We have our own ways of finding out what's going on in Chang'an. But now is not the time to discuss that. I want to ask you a question—Your Highness Prince Shou, are you ready to face your destined fate?"

On the other side, Guo Ziyi also noticed something amiss.

From the moment he met the deserter who claimed to be lost, he had a vague feeling that something was amiss.

Especially when spending a long time with someone, this person always seems to make some small, unintentional movements, such as constantly rubbing their fingers on the hem of their clothes and glancing around from time to time.

Such people usually have something to hide.

I had to put on a show in front of them, so I couldn't help but do some little tricks to relieve the pressure that I couldn't bear.

This person is probably not simple...

Realizing they might have encountered villains, Guo Ziyi subtly winked at his trusted confidants, signaling them to prepare. At the same time, he deliberately slowed his pace, creating some distance between himself and the suspected enemy guide.

“Stop for a moment,” Guo Ziyi finally found an opportunity to speak, “I think there’s something suspicious here.”

The other party clearly hadn't expected to be seen through, and actually listened to what was being said.

But his tone betrayed his anxiety: "This is the road I took here, it's very safe, how could there be anything suspicious? General, don't be too nervous, the battle is taking place at the front, the enemy's reach hasn't extended to us yet!"

As he spoke, he gestured for Guo Ziyi to continue forward.

However, Guo Ziyi did not listen to him, and his gaze toward him grew colder and colder.

Guo Ziyi said slowly and deliberately, “Our soldiers of the Great Tang Dynasty do not easily contradict their superiors, nor are they so arrogant and careless as to be able to observe their surroundings so carefully while fleeing.”

Upon hearing this, the other party was taken aback for a moment.

He then completely lost interest in pretending.

He whirled around, a fierce expression on his face: "Fine, fine! Since you've found out, I have nothing left to hide. I'll take you Tang soldiers and die with you all, that's serving the Khan!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man pulled out a fire drill device from his pocket.

This is a simple hand grenade from the Tang Dynasty. Once ignited and detonated, it has extremely powerful destructive force.

Guo Ziyi was shocked and immediately stepped forward, shouting to the soldiers behind him, "Back off! Back off! This man has a fire drill; he's dangerous!"

As the villains detonated the fire drill step by step, Guo Ziyi felt despair.