In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

"The Japanese??" Li Yuanchang blurted out, somewhat surprised, as he hadn't recognized them at all.

This guy's accent and height don't match!

The only difference between his entire outfit and that of the Tang Dynasty monks was his cassock.

"Little Japanese?" The monk was bewildered, not understanding what he meant.

Li Yuanchang realized that the term "Little Japan" didn't exist at that time; "Wa" was the official name for the island nation.

At that time, Japan wasn't even a country; it was practically a nobody among the Tang Dynasty's subordinates.

A glint flashed in Li Yuanchang's eyes. Li Shimin wanted him to find the elixir of immortality, even though he thought it was nonsense.

But an imperial decree is an imperial decree, and he had to bring something back to report, otherwise Changsun Wuji would impeach him.

The monk in front of us had traveled to and from the East China Sea many times and was skilled in observing celestial phenomena at night, so he seemed to be a good navigator.

"What's your name?"

The monk put his hands together in prayer: "My Dharma name is Ji'an."

"Are you very familiar with the East China Sea?" Li Yuanchang asked again.

"I suppose so," Ji'an said with a smile.

"If I absolutely must go out to sea now, do you know of any routes that can avoid the storm?" Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow.

Ji'an hesitated for a moment.

Then he said, "This humble monk sees that you are no ordinary person. The officials from Mingzhou are still guarding the gate outside. They may be helpless against others, but they may still have some chances for you."

"Oh? Tell me about it?" Li Yuanchang gestured for him to sit down.

Ji'an chanted a mantra and then slowly sat down: "This humble monk does know a route that can avoid the winter storms, but it requires a detour, and there are few supplies on the islands and reefs along the way. This requires a large enough ship and enough supplies, otherwise we will drift at sea until we die."

Li Yuanchang didn't rush to ask about the route; asking would be pointless, as the route on the vast ocean was impossible to describe.

"So where does this route ultimately lead?"

"Where does the benefactor wish to go?" Ji'an asked in return.

"Penglai Immortal Island." Li Yuanchang blurted out. This was the place Li Shimin wanted him to go to. It was once a mythical place in the entire East China Sea, where immortals were said to live.

There are also historical records of this.

But Li Yuanchang always felt that it was a misconception.

"Huh!" Ji'an suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Li Yuanchang squinted and looked at him: "Do you know where?"

Ji'an said, "Benefactor, as you know, this humble monk has visited before, but I was unable to find the entrance and enter the legendary abode of immortals."

"It must be that the gods refuse to see him."

Li Yuanchang's eyes lit up slightly, and he glanced at Guo Chao without making a sound.

This was quite an easy thing; as soon as they arrived in Mingzhou, they met a Japanese monk who claimed to have been to Penglai Island.

If that's the case, then the fleet can go directly there, and the time spent searching for the medicine will be greatly reduced.

The sooner Li Yuanchang returns, the better.

At that moment, he took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, and did not show too much eagerness.

This monk's origins are unknown, so we cannot trust him easily.

"I see, what a coincidence."

"Let's see how strong the wind and rain really are."

Ji'an smiled and did not argue, but simply gave a Buddhist name.

"Amitabha."

Following that, Li Yuanchang asked him some questions, but none of them were related to Penglai Island; they were all questions about navigation and Japan.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Ji'an left.

"Guo Chao, you personally take two men to keep an eye on this monk and see if his words and actions match up behind the scenes."

"If possible, search the inn where he's staying."

"But don't let the other party find out, and don't hinder his travel," Li Yuanchang whispered.

"Yes!" Guo Chao clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"..."

The next day, the rain stopped and the sky cleared, with rainbows even appearing in the sky.

This is completely different from what the monk Ji'an said about the Dragon King's prayer mat being overturned.

Li Yuanchang set off early in the morning with the people of Mingzhou Prefecture to the coastal docks to inspect the treasure ships.

Even before he arrived, he could already see three huge wooden treasure ships on the dock in the distance. They were very much in the style of the Tang Dynasty and looked like three giant beasts lying on the water.

"Whoa!!"

Li Yuanchang reined in his horse and stopped at the dock, his gaze completely drawn to the scene.

This was the first time he had ever seen the treasure ships used by the Tang Dynasty in the deep sea!

It is nearly fifty or sixty meters long and extremely majestic. It is pointed at the bow and wide at the stern, with a deep draft. The keel runs through the bow and stern of the ship. The sides of the ship bulge out like the belly of a fish, making it very grand!

"hiss!"

"What a huge ship!"

"It can actually float on the water!" Huang Tu and his group were shocked. They came from the mountains and the largest boats they had ever seen were small boats that could hold a few hundred kilograms.

What lay before them was a colossal machine capable of carrying tens of tons of cargo.

Although it would be nothing in later generations, in ancient times it represented the pinnacle of shipbuilding and was a dream product.

Even Li Yuanchang couldn't help but exclaim in his heart, "Wow, the Han people at this time were already able to build such large ships!"

At the same time, the West was probably still playing in the mud, right?

During the Age of Exploration, the Han people should not have fallen behind!

At this moment, Zhuo Xi, the governor of Mingzhou, stepped forward with a smile: "Your Highness, as you can see, that is the treasure ship that Mingzhou is responsible for reinforcing."

"Watertight compartments, iron nails and mortise and tenon joints—the sails of navigation are all contained within!"

"Even in the face of great storms, it remains as steady as Mount Tai!"

"Let's go up and take a look." Li Yuanchang was both curious and eager.

"yes!"

Upon boarding the ship, Li Yuanchang was once again captivated by the craftsmanship of the Tang Dynasty.

The so-called watertight compartments are actually made by dividing the interior into five compartments with bulkheads, and then further subdividing them into smaller compartments. This method allows the other compartments to remain unaffected and continue to float when the ship hits a reef and takes on water.

This concept is still in use today!

The most outrageous is!

This is all handmade!

The Tang Dynasty did not have precision machine tools; everything was handcrafted by skilled artisans bit by bit. The difficulty of this was simply outrageous!

Li Yuanchang had examined it carefully and found that the iron nails and tenons fit together perfectly, achieving absolute tightness even without the help of high-precision instruments!

Even from the surface, no trace of splicing can be seen with the naked eye.

Horror!

"How many helmsmen does this ship need to start?" Li Yuanchang asked as he walked into the narrow cabin.

"Your Highness, a helmsman is usually required, and there are many sailors. Based on the weight of these three treasure ships, a rough estimate is that each ship will need one hundred experienced and strong sailors."

"During the voyage, the food and water needs of several hundred people require the calculation of specific weights."

"This is to avoid sinking due to overweight, and we also need to accurately calculate the sailing distance to prevent supplies from being left empty and adrift at sea."

Li Yuanchang nodded; this was indeed a thorny issue.

"Let's go back first, we'll talk about it when we get back."

"Cui He, you stay here with your men and take the opportunity to thoroughly inspect the treasure ship."

"I will first lead my men back to Mingzhou to recruit sailors and prepare supplies."