Tang Dynasty: Saving Lives and Helping Others, Li Lizhi Falls for Him

Inside Shen Chang'an's courtyard, after listening to Shen Chang'an's explanation of papermaking and printing techniques, Li Shimin took out a roll of map from his sleeve and slowly unfolded it on the stone table.

Seeing this, Shen Chang'an was slightly taken aback.

This is a meticulously drawn map, with mountains, rivers, prefectures, counties, and passes all marked, and even the sea route from Dengzhou to Japan is depicted.

The ink on the picture is still very fresh, indicating that it was drawn recently.

"Did Your Majesty prepare in advance?" Shen Chang'an asked.

Li Shimin smiled, placed his finger on the location of Chang'an on the map, and slowly moved it eastward: "I knew you would ask sooner or later."

He didn't say much, his fingertips tracing the map over Chang'an, Baqiao, Weinan, Huazhou, Tongguan... He lightly tapped each place name he passed on the map.

He had traveled to all those places when he was young; some were places where he had fought wars, some where he had stationed troops, and some where he had just passed through.

But he remembered the terrain, distance, and passes of every place clearly.

"The Japanese envoy departed from Chang'an and traveled overland to Dengzhou, a distance of approximately 1,800 li."

Li Shimin's finger moved along the route, "They took the official road, heading east from Chang'an, passing Baqiao, Weinan, Huazhou, Tongguan, and then through Shanzhou, Luoyang, Zhengzhou, Bianzhou, Caozhou, and Yanzhou, continuing eastward until they finally arrived at Dengzhou."

"Once they reach Dengzhou, they will leave by boat, and then it will be difficult to catch up with them!"

Shen Chang'an nodded slightly, his gaze following Li Shimin's finger.

"but--"

Li Shimin changed the subject, "I received news yesterday that after those Japanese soldiers left Tongguan, they did not continue by land, but instead switched to waterways in Shanzhou."

"Waterway?"

Shen Chang'an raised an eyebrow. He had already anticipated this, since the Japanese wanted to get home faster by water.

"That's right, it's the Wei River and the Yellow River."

Li Shimin's finger moved to the confluence of the Wei River and the Yellow River. "The Japanese boarded ships in Shanzhou and sailed eastward along the Yellow River. Going downstream, the current was swift and the ships were fast, allowing them to travel more than two hundred li a day. The land route was no more than eighty li a day, so the water route was almost three times faster."

Shen Chang'an's heart sank slightly. If the Japanese were traveling by water, their current location would be much farther than calculated by land.

"They boarded the ship in Shanzhou and traveled eastward along the Yellow River, passing through Luoyang, Zhengzhou, and Bianzhou."

Li Shimin traced the Yellow River waterway with his finger and continued, "If we travel day and night, we would have already passed Bianzhou and be less than 500 li from Dengzhou."

He raised his head, his gaze landing on Shen Chang'an's face: "Mr. Shen, if you pursue them by land, your chances of catching up with them are slim."

Shen Chang'an remained silent, his gaze fixed on the winding Yellow River waterway on the map.

"You can't beat the waterway by land."

Li Shimin's finger continued to move along the Yellow River. "I suggest that after you leave Chang'an, you first take a boat down the Wei River eastward, pass Tongguan and Shanzhou, and go straight into the Yellow River. Go downstream, and your speed will not be slower than that of the Japanese."

"Upon reaching Bianzhou, we disembarked and boarded fast horses to travel east. The Yellow River is shallow east of Bianzhou, making it difficult for large ships to navigate, so the Japanese also had to disembark and travel by land there."

Shen Chang'an looked at the map, his brows gradually relaxing. Li Shimin was right.

Moreover, although he possesses cultivation, catching up through cultivation would not only be exhausting and mentally taxing, but it would also expose his trump cards to Li Shimin, making it a losing proposition.

"The land route from Bianzhou to Dengzhou is about 700 li."

Li Shimin moved his finger from Bianzhou to Dengzhou, saying, "With light cavalry and fast horses, one can travel 300 li a day and arrive in two days. It would take the Japanese eight or nine days to travel this section of land."

"Starting from Chang'an, by water and land, you can reach Dengzhou in five or six days at the fastest. If you travel day and night, you might even get there before them."

"What if they've already set sail from Dengzhou?"

"Then we'll find a boat in Dengzhou and set sail."

Li Shimin moved his finger off the land and pointed to the blue sea. "The sea route starts from Dengzhou, heads northeast into the Bohai Sea, and after landing on land, it heads southeast."

He looked at Shen Chang'an: "At this time of year, the sea winds are mostly from the southeast, which is favorable for the Japanese to sail eastward. If you set sail from Dengzhou to chase them, the wind direction will be unfavorable for you. However—"

He paused for a moment, then said, "If you set off within two days of their departure and catch up with the wind, you still have a chance."

Shen Chang'an watched Li Shimin speak eloquently and nodded inwardly.

As expected of an emperor who led troops to conquer the world, his ability to deploy troops was ingrained in his bones; he could even calculate the pursuit route thousands of miles away with such precision.

"Your Majesty is quite knowledgeable about geography," Shen Chang'an said sincerely.

Li Shimin smiled slightly, picked up his teacup and took a sip: "When I was young, I followed the retired emperor in his campaigns across the north and south, and I have traveled many of these roads."

"Which river is suitable for boats, which section of the road is suitable for horses, the Wei River, the Yellow River, the Bian River, and the Si River? I know them all."

He put down his teacup, his smile fading, and said seriously, "The Japanese have been away from Chang'an for about ten days. With the Wei and Yellow Rivers flowing downstream, they travel quickly. They have already passed Bianzhou and are only a few hundred miles from Dengzhou. If you don't set off soon, it will be too late."

Shen Chang'an nodded. Li Shimin was right. If they didn't leave now, they would lose their chance to catch up.

"Mr. Shen," Li Shimin put down his teacup, looked at him, and said solemnly, "What kind of assistance do you need from me?"

Shen Chang'an thought for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, please grant me a fast horse and a travel permit. In addition, I need a boat for use on the Wei River."

"Customs clearance documents?" Li Shimin raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I do not wish to be stopped and searched at checkpoints on the way, wasting my time," Shen Chang'an said calmly.

Li Shimin nodded: "I will take care of it as soon as I get back. I will give you the best horses and the most complete documents. As for the boats on the Wei River—"

He pondered for a moment and said, "I have someone prepare a fast boat on the Wei River. You can board the boat when you arrive. The boatman is from the Eastern Palace, so he is reliable."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Li Shimin stood up, rolled up the map, and handed it to Shen Chang'an: "I'm giving you this map. You'll find it useful on your journey, especially the sea route. The sea routes the Japanese used are all drawn on it."

"I will certainly make good use of it."

Shen Chang'an took the map and carefully put it away.

Li Shimin turned and walked towards the courtyard gate, but stopped after taking two steps and looked back at Shen Chang'an.

"Shen Chang'an, I don't care what methods you use. I just want to tell you, come back alive."

Shen Chang'an was slightly taken aback, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I have remembered this."

Li Shimin said nothing more, strode out of the courtyard gate, and got into the carriage.

The carriage curtain was lowered, and the carriage rumbled away into the distance.

Li Lizhi followed behind, stopped at the door, looked back at Shen Chang'an, and hesitated to speak.

"Does the princess have anything else to say?" Shen Chang'an asked.

Li Lizhi bit her lip and whispered, "Mr. Shen, you... be careful."

After saying that, she quickly got into the carriage, the curtain obscuring her face.

Shen Chang'an stood at the gate of the courtyard, watching the carriage disappear at the end of the official road before turning back into the courtyard.

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