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

Soon, the treasure vault was found, and its location was right there on the spot, behind the stone gate.

This is a huge natural cave, with an interior space larger than the combined space of two large football fields, and it is filled with all sorts of goods.

From enamel jewelry to musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, and painting, you can find almost anything here.

Each piece was stained with blood, and countless people lost their lives because of it.

Moreover, it also stored a considerable amount of food, enough to feed several hundred pirates for at least a year.

If Li Yuanchang hadn't stumbled upon this place by chance, they might have been able to continue occupying it, becoming a nightmare for cargo ships on the East China Sea.

After finding the location, Li Yuanchang did not rush to move it, but quickly took action to clear the cave and take control of the island.

Seven hours later, all officers and soldiers of the division arrived and launched a massive search operation.

The cave was so big that many pirates hid inside and refused to come out. The pirates didn't find them, but they did find a large group of women!

There were women of all kinds: Han Chinese, Silla, Baekje, non-Han Chinese, and even Persians... more than a hundred of them, it was terrifying!

Some of these women, unable to bear the pressure, chose to submit to the pirates.

A small number of those who refused to submit were beaten beyond recognition or imprisoned in dark, watery dungeons, resembling savages—a truly horrifying sight.

Li Yuanchang rescued them all and provided them with food and water.

He then ordered the entire army to withdraw from the cave, leaving no one inside.

After clearing the area, he set up another fire at the two main exits of the cave, creating billowing smoke as the flames surged.

With human intervention, thick smoke continued to pour into the cave.

Using this method, all the pirates hiding in the cave were forced to escape and surrender to the Tang army.

The entire operation lasted three days and three nights before the cave was completely cleaned up.

Subsequently, Li Yuanchang executed Jing Jilang and a large number of pirates, hung hundreds of heads on the mountain, and piled up countless corpses into a mountain.

One purpose was to demonstrate, and the other was to declare control.

Several days later, after all this was done, Tsushima Island was shrouded in continuous rain, but it was much calmer.

After being busy for so long, Li Yuanchang finally had a chance to rest for a while and prepare for what was to come.

"How's the search at the treasure vault going?"

"Do you have the materials needed for the treasure ship?"

"Your Highness, there is!"

"We are still collecting information," Old Hu said, bowing slightly.

Li Yuanchang nodded: "Very good, then I will entrust this matter entirely to you."

"yes!"

"However, Your Highness, we don't have enough manpower. Repairing the treasure ship requires felling and transporting trees, and we also need to lift the treasure ship up. This requires a huge amount of manpower to complete the repairs on the bottom." Old Hu frowned.

Li Yuanchang said, "I will find a way to handle this."

"In the next couple of days."

"Yes, then this humble servant takes his leave."

"Huangtu, take Master Ji'an to the local area and tell them that the island has been taken by the Tang army. Anyone who wants food should gather at the cave entrance."

"Working for the Tang army will earn you food and clothing."

"yes!"

"..."

After giving his instructions, Li Yuanchang planned to take a nap.

Although this cave is a truly sinful place, surprisingly, it is warm in winter and cool in summer, and not damp at all.

He hasn't had a good night's sleep since arriving on Tsushima Island, as he has developed a lot of eczema due to the dampness and climate.

Not only him, but the entire division staff were finding it difficult to adapt to the cold and damp island climate, and almost everyone had skin diseases.

In addition, mosquito bites, though not fatal, are very bothersome.

He had just lain down.

Report.

A guard rushed in: "Your Highness, a female prisoner claims to be a physician and requests an audience with you."

"She said she could get rid of our skin rash."

Li Yuanchang had just lain down when he sat up again.

Skin rashes are hardly considered a disease in later generations, but in ancient times, one could only rely on their immune system to tough it out. However, the crew members, who were on the island for a long time, could not get better no matter what they did.

"Female prisoner?"

"Are they the women who were rescued?"

"right."

Li Yuanchang frowned. He remembered that almost all of those women had been tortured beyond recognition, some even crippled, with very few remaining intact.

However, for the sake of the entire division's health, he still said, "Bring them over first."

"yes!"

The guards turned back and brought a woman shortly afterward.

Compared to those female prisoners who were tortured, went insane, and were covered in wounds, this woman seemed more like a normal person, both in her clothing and her demeanor.

She was neither Persian nor of Central Asian descent, but a typical Asian with yellow skin and black hair.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!" She knelt down and performed a grand salute.

Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow: "Goguryeo people?"

He could already tell the accent.

"Your Excellency, it is I. I was sent by the regent of Goguryeo to Chang'an to study acupuncture and herbal medicine. When I was returning to Goguryeo by ship, I was caught in a storm at sea and was forced to drift to Tsushima Island, where I was imprisoned until I arrived with my troops."

The woman was articulate and spoke clearly and distinctly; she certainly didn't seem like a woman from an ordinary family.

Li Yuanchang became interested and stood up immediately.

"Raise your head, let me see you."

The woman slowly raised her head.

She wasn't exactly a young girl, but she wasn't old either; she was around thirty years old, which is the age when a woman is most mature and sophisticated, and is commonly referred to as a young married woman.

She had beautiful features, an oval face, and a unique charm in her eyes and brows, characteristic of Goguryeo people.

Overall, it's above average.

Of all the women Li Yuanchang had seen during his many days at sea, this was the most beautiful. After all, the sea was exposed to wind and sun, and it was a pirate civilization, so it was already good that the woman didn't look like a man.

"wrong!"

"All the women on this island have been tortured beyond recognition. You are considered a beauty by these Japanese pirates, yet you are completely unharmed?" Li Yuanchang found this unusual.

"Your Excellency, I studied medicine in Chang'an and even visited the Imperial Medical Bureau there. Although my medical skills are far inferior to those of the imperial physicians of the Tang Dynasty, they are unique here."

"Most of the pirates here are tormented by skin abscesses and other ailments. In order to avoid being harmed, I cured their diseases."

"Ijiro thought I was useful, so he ordered all the pirates not to harm me, so I am the only woman here who is relatively safe."

The woman was extremely serious, with a hint of lingering fear deep in her eyes.

Li Yuanchang saw that she could still mention the Imperial Medical Bureau, which was definitely not something she made up. Most people in the Tang Dynasty didn't even know the name "Imperial Medical Bureau."

Moreover, people can lie, but their demeanor cannot; this woman has a certain air about her upbringing.

"So, does that mean you held a fairly high position in Goguryeo?"

The woman smiled bitterly: "I suppose so. My name is Bae Hyun, and I am a member of the Goguryeo royal family. I was ordered to go to the Tang Dynasty to learn the best medical skills."

"But eight years have passed. I haven't been back for eight years. I'm afraid everything has changed, and no one remembers me anymore."

Li Yuanchang was slightly surprised. A member of the royal family?

This tiny island of Tsushima is also home to a royal family!

"Who is Gao Jianwu to you?"

The woman's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed with delight, "My lord, you know my uncle, the King?"