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

Finally, the plan was finalized.

To ensure safety, Li Yuanchang also brought ten repeating crossbows.

These are the best equipment obtained from the Ministry of War. Equipping Huang Tu and others with them is equivalent to the "Delta Force" of the Tang Dynasty.

Venturing deep into the island is more like a precise execution operation, and generally speaking, it is not very difficult.

After calculation, the operation was scheduled to begin before dawn the next day. If they did not return, Guo Chao would lead a team to provide direct reinforcements.

Immediately afterward, Li Yuanchang acted on his words, leading his men to disappear from the camp via a shortcut.

As they ventured deeper, the treacherous environment of Tsushima Island became even more apparent!

Everywhere was thicket of thorns, rainforest, and rugged mountain paths. They weren't very high, but walking on them was extremely strenuous.

Adding to the woes, the continuous heavy rains caused landslides in many places, making the roads muddy and leaving the people in Huangtu in a very difficult situation.

In the end, the team had to use ropes to connect everyone to prevent them from slipping.

Every step they took required using a knife to clear the way.

Fortunately, Tsushima Island is ultimately just an island, not very large, and the areas where the locals live are relatively concentrated.

Two or three hours later, around afternoon, Li Yuanchang led his team over the rainforest and steep paths, and finally saw the residential area!

The so-called "residential houses" are actually simple dwellings built with stones, wood, and bamboo. Most of them are like this, stacked on top of each other, stretching for several miles, and there are many locals there.

Occasionally you can see a few houses that are decent, but they are at most the level of ordinary houses in a town in the Tang Dynasty.

"Your Highness, this should be the place."

"Tsushima Island has a slightly larger population than some other islands, and has formed clusters and markets."

"However, there are probably quite a few pirates inside." Ji'an was panting heavily, covered in mud, and he was having trouble keeping up with the pace.

Li Yuanchang nodded, about to say something, when his binoculars froze.

On a pile of rubble, about fifty or sixty people were gathered, their hair disheveled and faces dirty, surrounding a large pot.

The big pot was bubbling and boiling, and what was cooking inside was...

Li Yuanchang could even see the hair clearly.

The islanders chopped it up with knives and began to share it.

Li Yuanchang frowned, stunned. This guy really eats people!

"Master Ji'an, are you sure these people can communicate? Is there a pharmacy in there?"

"We can communicate. This place isn't completely isolated, but there's a strict hierarchy. The lowest class can only live as savages, while the better class owns houses and land."

"As for pharmacies, there are some; the two prisoners told me the way."

"However, compared to the Tang Dynasty, it is far inferior. I don't know if we can find suitable medicinal materials."

Li Yuanchang nodded: "That's good."

"Let's bypass the entrance and climb down that hill over there."

"yes!"

As he spoke, he grabbed some mud from the ground and smeared it on his body. Not only that, he also deliberately tore his clothes to shreds and covered them with mud.

Everyone followed suit.

If we don't do this, we'll be discovered as soon as we go in and become walking food.

One-Eyed Dragon has already revealed that the population of Tsushima Island is at least two thousand, which is a relatively large number, and it is impossible for everyone to know each other.

Taking advantage of a chaotic situation is the most direct and efficient way to profit.

After making the final preparations, the eleven people walked through the dense forest to the east side of the islanders' settlement.

Just as they were about to climb down, they bumped into two pirates who were holding samurai swords.

The two were stunned the moment they met.

The pirates were trying to identify Li Yuanchang and his men.

Li Yuanchang and the others were pulling up the rope when two people suddenly jumped out before they could react.

It was a pause that lasted for about two breaths.

Li Yuanchang reacted quickly, and before the other party could make any move, he pulled out his crossbow and fired a burst.

boom! !

The two pirates fell to the ground, blood spilling from their mouths, dying instantly—a pure display of weaponry, or rather, a crushing defeat of civilization.

Li Yuanchang even felt like he was dealing with some foreign powers.

"Bury the body, and don't let anyone find out, quick!"

"yes!"

"Your Highness, you can carry the samurai sword. It's a rank marker on the island, and it should make things easier," Ji'an reminded him.

Li Yuanchang found it strange that a monk named Ji'an knew so much, but considering that he was originally a Japanese monk, it seemed normal.

He then took off his samurai sword, keeping one for himself and giving the other to Ji'an, the only one who understood Japanese.

After dealing with the body, the group successfully climbed down the hill and entered the islanders' residential area.

Upon entering, they immediately encountered many ragged, barefoot indigenous people, all of them thin and dark-skinned.

Some women can no longer even tell whether someone is a woman or a man.

Li Yuanchang was a little nervous at first.

But as soon as the crudely made, worn-out samurai sword at his waist was revealed, the indigenous people immediately showed awe, either making way or kneeling down.

Two small, broken samurai swords became his magic weapons that allowed him to travel freely without hindrance.

Li Yuanchang couldn't help but wonder, did the samurai way in Japan start in the 7th century?

He didn't know much about it, only that during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, several major families in Japan united to elect a new emperor and did indeed fight a naval battle with the Tang Dynasty at Baiyingkou.

The infiltration went surprisingly smoothly!

"arrive!"

Ji'an suddenly stopped and looked at a bamboo house with several Japanese characters on the plaque.

"This is it. This is what a medical clinic is; there are Japanese doctors working there!"

Li Yuanchang looked around and gestured for Ji'an to go forward and knock on the door.

Ji'an knocked repeatedly, but there was no response from inside.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Li Yuanchang had no choice but to lead his men directly inside and then close the bamboo gate again.

The interior space here is larger than I imagined, presenting an enclosed bamboo house feel, somewhat similar to the mansions of the Tang Dynasty.

but!

Han Chinese mansions emphasize grandeur and artistic conception, but this bamboo house exudes an extremely gloomy and niche feel.

Upon entering, surrounded by mud and weeds, and with the cold, dreary bamboo house, Li Yuanchang even thought he had entered a haunted house.

But this was indeed a medical clinic. Li Yuanchang and everyone else could smell an extremely pungent and unpleasant odor. They didn't know what it was, but it smelled a bit like herbs.

Is anyone there?

"Is anyone there?" Ji'an called out several times in Japanese, but there was still no response.

Li Yuanchang didn't care about anything else: "You guys keep watch."

"The rest of you, come in with me and search."

"yes!"

creak...

Li Yuanchang pushed open the bamboo door and entered the house.

The first room was used to store dry firewood.

The second room was filled with some strange and unusual objects.

The third room was extremely spacious, filled with miscellaneous items.

Until the fifth room, when you push open the door, it is filled with all kinds of jars, and the pungent smell is coming from there, giving it an eerie feel!

"Medicinal herbs!" Huang Tu exclaimed.

Li Yuanchang looked over and saw that the wall, which was backlit, was piled with all sorts of medicinal herbs and tree roots.

He was overjoyed, for he had already spotted several usable herbs that were also found in the Central Plains!