Xue Rengui and Lu Benwei, along with eight other paratroopers, were in the same aircraft. They flew directly over the enemy's main force, positioning themselves in the middle to begin their bombing run.
They continued to sweep towards the rear of the enemy army.
With the threat of tanks gone, Lu Benwei, who was piloting the aircraft, lowered the altitude to about one hundred meters to ensure accurate bombing.
Xue Rengui, meanwhile, instructed his companions to mechanically retrieve the bombs, install fuses, and then throw them out of the cabin.
Just as the aircraft was about to pass over the enemy's rear, Xue Rengui suddenly spotted one of the Han generals who bore a striking resemblance to the person in the portrait given to him by the Duke earlier.
He quickly made a gesture to stop the bombing and signaled to Lu Benwei, asking him to maintain altitude and slow down. Xue Rengui then took out his binoculars and began to observe the scene below with great care.
The more he looked, the more he felt convinced that the woman was indeed the one in the portrait!
With excitement on his face, he pulled out the portrait from his怀 (huái - chest/bosom), handed it to the others, and then pointed in the direction of Li Xiuning.
Upon seeing the portrait he had taken out and his excited expression, the others instantly understood what was happening.
After receiving confirmation from everyone, Xue Rengui made an extremely daring decision.
He instructed Lu Benwei to fly the aircraft directly towards Li Xiuning's location. Not only that, but they also landed not far from where the women were.
Once the aircraft was stable, he instructed the others to wait on board while he went to them alone.
Although it was the rear of the enemy forces, there were still enemy soldiers present besides Li Xiuning. Upon seeing him, those soldiers immediately charged forward with their weapons.
However, the firearm soldiers were positioned on the flanks of the main army. Those at the rear were merely ordinary infantry. Looking at the weapons in their hands, Xue Rengui smiled dismissively.
Holding an Ak47 to his chest, he fired rapid bursts at the approaching enemy soldiers. After emptying one magazine, he quickly reloaded another.
With just two magazines, he routed the infantry, forcing them to scatter in all directions and no longer dare to approach.
Li Xiuning, upon seeing the helicopter land not far away, felt a surge of excitement. However, after clearly observing Xue Rengui's uniform, she frowned.
This was not a Tang Dynasty military uniform!
Especially the buttons on the uniform, which reflected the setting sun's rays. When had the Tang Dynasty become so extravagant?
This gave her a bad premonition. She reached under her right side, retrieved the ma shuo (马槊 - a type of spear) hanging from her mount's saddle, and then said to the others.
"Be on guard!"
Hua Mulan and the others heard her words and promptly drew their weapons, staring intently at Xue Rengui.
No one noticed that Guan Yu, upon seeing Xue Rengui, fell into deep thought once again.
Meanwhile, Xue Rengui and the others were less than thirty meters apart. Seeing their cautious demeanor, he quickly stopped.
"Under the command of the Duke of Shenyang of the Great Tang, Paratrooper One, Xue Rengui! May I ask if this is Princess Pingyang?"
Li Xiuning's brows furrowed even more upon hearing this.
"It is I. Who is the Duke of Shenyang?"
Xue Rengui was overjoyed and quickly explained, "My Duke is your son-in-law, the husband of Princess Mingyue!"
Princess Mingyue was Chai Yue's title.
Upon hearing this, Li Xiuning's knitted brows immediately relaxed, and with overwhelming joy, she urged her lion mount forward towards Xue Rengui.
"Roar~~"
The lion stopped three meters away from Xue Rengui, letting out a threatening growl.
"Be quiet!"
Li Xiuning slapped the lion across its face. The once majestic lion immediately closed its mouth, looking like a wronged young bride.
After reprimanding her mount, Li Xiuning looked at Xue Rengui and asked.
"How old is Yue'er this year?"
"My Duke is twenty years old this year. I heard Princess Mingyue is one year younger than my Duke, so she should be nineteen."
Xue Rengui replied somewhat uncertainly.
Hearing this, Li Xiuning couldn't help but sigh.
"Seven years have already passed!"
Xue Rengui didn't understand the meaning of her words. Instead, he took out his walkie-talkie and reported the good news to Fang Er.
"Paratrooper One calling Station Zero, Paratrooper One calling Station Zero, please respond, owwah!"
"Shhh~~ Station Zero received, Paratrooper One, please speak, owwah!"
"Princess Pingyang has been found, repeat, Princess Pingyang has been found, owwah!"
Fang Er on the other end of the walkie-talkie was stunned on the spot, as were Li Shimin and Chai Shao beside him.
They had not been able to find her last time, and everyone had assumed that the speculation about Li Xiuning being among the enemy was incorrect. Unexpectedly, just as everyone had dismissed the idea, Xue Rengui found her!
Li Xiuning, seeing Xue Rengui talking to a small black box and receiving a reply from it shortly thereafter, was greatly astonished.
"What is that thing you are holding?"
"Replying to Your Highness, this is called a walkie-talkie. It allows me to communicate with my Duke. Oh, and my Duke is likely with the Emperor right now."
"Where are they?"
"Replying to Your Highness, they are to the west, currently engaging your army."
Li Xiuning could no longer contain her emotions and said to Xue Rengui, "Quick, take me to see Erlang!"
Having not personally experienced Li Shimin's enthronement, she was still accustomed to calling Li Shimin "Erlang."
After urging Xue Rengui, she did not forget to say to Xiang Yu, Guan Yu, Hua Mulan, and the others, "Sisters, and all generals, quickly follow me to see my Erlang!"
Xiang Yu and the others were also overjoyed. If they reached the Great Tang, it would mean they were free from that person's control!
Everyone quickly urged their mounts forward towards them.
However, a small problem arose when it came to boarding the helicopter.
The lions were manageable, but Xiang Yu's rhinoceroses absolutely could not fit into the cabin. If they were to abandon them, they would feel reluctant. Thus, Xiang Yu proposed, "Please direct us to the route, little general. We shall make our own way there!"
Xue Rengui was unaware of their identities. At this moment, his only concern was Princess Pingyang. Therefore, he casually pointed them in the direction of Fang Er and Li Shimin, then instructed Lu Benwei to take off, carrying Princess Pingyang and Hua Mulan back.
"Brothers, shall we cut through the army?"
Xiang Yu drew the long sword at his waist, executed a casual sword flourish, and proposed to the others.
"Agreed, but try not to harm the Tang soldiers. They are all Han youths, it would be best to bypass them." Guan Yu sat cross-legged on the rhinoceros's back, holding his Azure Dragon Crescent Blade.
"Hahaha~ Well said! Then let's race to see who gets there first!"
Lu Zhishen grabbed the rhinoceros's ear and pulled it hard. The rhinoceros beneath him let out a scream and then bolted forward on its four thick legs, bypassing the army and charging towards the Tang forces along the route Xue Rengui had indicated.
Seeing this, the others laughed and scolded the monk for being sneaky, then quickly followed suit.