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

However, this time he deliberately placed the bag further away from the pirate leader.

The pirate leader, greedy for money, stepped forward, but the bag slipped from Li Yuanchang's hand and fell to the ground the instant he reached for it.

The pirate leader missed his grip and instinctively looked down.

Li Yuanchang's eyes flashed with anger, and he grabbed the man's arm, instantly dragging him over.

At the same instant, the guards erupted in fierce battle cries, raising their swords and slashing without warning.

Puff puff puff puff!

"what!"

A piercing scream tore through the rainforest, and before the pirates could react, a large number of them were instantly cut down, followed by a fierce battle.

"Greed is not a good thing," Li Yuanchang said coldly, his voice like the whisper of death, as he pressed the man to the ground.

The pirate leader had a dagger stuck in his neck. He was gripping Li Yuanchang tightly with one hand and the dagger tightly with the other. Blood was gushing from his mouth, and his body was trembling in pain as he struggled.

He tried to call for help, but his men couldn't break in and were completely overwhelmed by the guards inside the tent.

"Relax, dizziness is normal, it will pass quickly."

As Li Yuanchang spoke, his arm muscles bulged, *plop!*

The dagger pierced through instantly!

The pirate captain's pupils widened in agony, his legs stiffened, and his strength was rapidly waning.

Immediately afterwards, Li Yuanchang beheaded him on the spot, grabbed him and roared, like a tiger howling in the mountains.

Upon seeing this, the pirates were terrified and immediately scattered and fled like startled birds.

They scrambled and crawled, not even bothering to pick up the bodies of their companions, and disappeared into the rainforest.

The battle lasted only a dozen or so breaths; it came quickly and ended just as fast, and the opponent was no match for them.

"Hey, come back!"

"Stop chasing!" Li Yuanchang shouted.

"Your Highness, if we don't kill them all, they might go back and call for reinforcements," someone said in a deep voice.

Li Yuanchang shook his head: "Whether we kill them all or not, the other pirates will find out."

"If we chase after them, we might fall into a trap or even get lost."

"The most urgent task is to restore their strength as quickly as possible; there are too many wounded."

"Your Highness is right. The island is fraught with danger and has a complex terrain. The locals are used to making a lot of traps, so pursuing them is not a good thing," Ji'an said.

Upon hearing this, the guards had no choice but to abandon their murderous intent.

"Pile up these people's corpses as a demonstration, put up a sign that says anyone who crosses this line will be killed without mercy!" Li Yuanchang was ruthless and decisive.

Since a peaceful resolution was impossible, he decided to use the most ruthless methods to intimidate the islanders and prevent them from launching an attack.

"yes!!"

The first conflict under the overcast and rainy morning passed just like that, and no one was injured.

But in last night's shipwreck, too many people were injured, including himself.

Most importantly, Li Yuanchang was well aware that this conflict was just the beginning. There wasn't a single samurai among that group of people, which meant that the main pirate force on Tsushima Island had not yet shown up.

People die for money, birds die for food; these desperate Japanese won't let go of the easy prey that's already in their mouths.

Picking up the bag of salt, he quickly returned to the camp and began to formally count the number of people, the wounded, and the supplies.

In addition, the appearance of pirates forced him to strengthen the security of his refuge and build some simple fortifications.

This busy period lasted until evening.

At this moment, the weather on the island was still overcast and raining heavily. The damp and cold climate of the deserted island added to the bad situation of the wounded.

"Your Highness, more than 370 people have minor injuries, so it's not a big problem."

"But more than fifty people have broken bones, are seriously injured, and have some open wounds."

"In addition, 68 people are missing, presumably swept into the sea last night, including 12 of our brothers!"

Upon hearing this, the entire camp fell into a deathly silence, so quiet that the sound of rain could be heard.

Li Yuanchang sighed heavily and gazed towards the sea.

If he had died on the battlefield, he could have retrieved his body and even traded it with his opponent through any means, but now he was buried at sea.

"It is I who have wronged them; I cannot even bring their ashes back."

"Collect their belongings and take them back to their men, including every sailor. I will provide for them to the fullest extent."

"yes!"

"The King of Han is wise!"

At this moment, Li Yuanchang took Guo Chao aside.

"Where are the supplies?"

He didn't ask in front of the sailors, for fear of causing panic.

Guo Chao's face was extremely grim: "Your Highness, that treasure ship sank, suffering heavy losses and taking away two-thirds of our supplies. The food we have now will not last until the next voyage."

"Fresh water is running out, and we've started collecting rainwater to drink."

"Also, half of our bows and arrows reserves have been lost."

"The worst part is that the medicine sank with the ship, and the wounded are now using the medicine they carry with them, which may not be enough."

Upon hearing this, even Li Yuanchang felt a chill in his heart.

After surviving the storm, a series of problems arose.

They set sail and encountered a storm.

Not going to sea would delay things for another six months, making the situation in Chang'an delicate and potentially causing endless trouble.

No matter which option you choose, it's a hassle!

"call!"

He exhaled a breath of stale air and said decisively, "Don't spread this news yet."

"Once the rain stops, we'll go into the local residential area and figure out a solution."

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

"Your Highness, is your injury?"

Li Yuanchang glanced at his thigh: "It's nothing serious. The wound isn't deep, and it will heal quickly after applying the medicine."

"But they..."

His gaze was filled with worry as he looked at the seriously injured, many of whom had suffered open wounds from the impact of the shipwreck.

Such wounds need to be kept in a dry and clean environment, but this scene is damp and wet, with rainwater flowing in and insects and snakes roaming around, making the wounds very susceptible to infection and suppuration.

That would be troublesome.

"Let's gather the supplies first and see if there's any intact distilled liquor left in the cabin."

There's always a way out.

"yes!!"

Li Yuanchang was busy until very late at night.

First, they led a team to clear out a clean shelter at a higher point overnight so that the wounded could stay there.

Secondly, patrol the camp's defenses to prevent pirate attacks at night.

He handed over the camp to Huangtu after midnight and then fell into a light sleep.

"..."

Deep within Tsushima Island, in the heart of a bamboo village.

Inside the stone cave, washed clean by the heavy rain, the candlelight flickered.

The place was extremely rough and barren, like a bandit's den, yet it was filled with all sorts of exquisite objects: calligraphy and paintings from the Tang Dynasty, gemstones from Persia, and knives from nomadic tribes—a completely incongruous sight.

They were all looted from the sea.

The howling wind during a heavy rainstorm sounded more like the wailing of ghosts and wolves.

Human and animal bones were piled up everywhere.

A disheveled woman was frantically gnawing on a bone, while a man was vigorously doing the same behind her...

The entire cave was like a lawless, unbalanced zone of civilization.