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

It seems he was also wary of his reputation. Japan values ​​the spirit of Bushido, and even though it is not yet fully formed, it is a tradition among their nobility.

"Let them come over!" he waved his hand.

"Hey!" The samurai then made way with unfriendly expressions.

Li Yuanchang led his men to stand face to face with Nakatomi and his group.

However, the atmosphere at the scene did not ease at all; instead, it was extremely oppressive.

Throughout the entire mansion, above and below, in all directions, samurai from the Nakatomi no Shogunate surrounded it, their eyes filled with hostility.

At the slightest sound, they would attack en masse, leaving Li Yuanchang nowhere to run.

"Master Nakatomi, it seems there has been some misunderstanding between us." Li Yuanchang broke the silence first, neither humble nor arrogant, and even with a smile.

Nakatomi's face immediately darkened.

"Misunderstand?"

"Your department harbored a traitor to my master, a notorious criminal of Japan, and killed my men. You call this a misunderstanding?"

"Your Highness, aren't you being a bit too presumptuous?"

"You dare come here without bringing that bastard with you?"

As he spoke, Nakatomi glanced behind him, his expression cold and stern.

Li Yuanchang said calmly, "Patriarch, we did not know beforehand that this person was a wanted criminal of your department."

"As for killing your men, you attacked first, and your tribe knew beforehand that we came from the Tang Dynasty, and even that we were an official army, yet you still did it."

At this point, Nakatomi and his family's high-ranking members all had slightly shifty eyes, clearly feeling guilty.

"What evidence do you have that we did it?!" Nakatomi retorted directly.

Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow and said, "Didn't the patriarch just say that we killed your people?"

Nakatomi was instantly speechless, turning his back to her: "I wasn't talking about them!"

Li Yuanchang laughed, but didn't argue. It was pointless; the other side would definitely deny it to the death, otherwise they wouldn't have sent masked men to their own territory.

"Therefore, in any case, we have no intention of offending your ministry."

Nakatomi turned around, his eyes sinister: "If that's the case, shouldn't His Highness the Prince of Han hand over the person?"

Li Yuanchang shrugged: "I wanted to befriend him, but he's run away now."

"you?"

"They ran away?"

The Nakatomi family was filled with indignation.

"Heh, Your Highness, do you take me for a three-year-old?"

"He's in your group, where are you going?"

"If you don't want to hand over people, just say so!" Nakatomi was furious and immediately turned hostile.

In an instant, the hordes of warriors all around began to press forward.

The ten guards, including Huang Tu, felt immense pressure and gripped their sword hilts, ready to fight at any moment.

At the very heart of the storm, Li Yuanchang remained calm and didn't even glance at those people.

"Master, please calm down."

"He really ran away."

"Otherwise, I will bring the person to you directly."

"For the sake of a mere fake monk, I have no reason to offend you, do I?"

Nakatomi stared intently into Li Yuanchang's eyes, on the verge of exploding, and almost gritted his teeth as he said, "Where did he run off to?"

"They've taken a small boat westward, and are probably already on their way back to the Tang Dynasty, far from your sphere of influence."

"If the patriarch doesn't mind, I will take care of bringing him back to you."

"How about this demonstrates that I have absolutely no intention of interfering in your affairs?" Li Yuanchang offered a solution.

Nakatomi sneered, somewhat skeptical, but readily agreed anyway: "Sure!"

"However, I will not release your people and your ship!"

"I'll release him only when you hand over that traitor!"

Li Yuanchang feigned hesitation and appeared troubled.

This is his first principle in doing business: he must never easily agree to any conditions proposed by the other party, and must always attach additional conditions.

"Master, what you're doing puts me in a difficult position."

"Difficult to handle?"

"Then let's not do it!!"

Nakatomi sensed Li Yuanchang's weakness and his arrogance immediately surged. He angrily smashed his bow and arrow.

With a shout, the surrounding samurai drew their swords in unison, the gleam of their blades illuminating the entire scene.

Huang Tu and the others quickly drew their swords and protected Li Yuanchang in the middle.

The fighting and battle seemed ready to erupt at any moment.

However, Li Yuanchang knew very well that this was nothing more than the other side showing off their power.

He feigned dissatisfaction and restraint: "Then, Patriarch, what do you intend to do?"

"King Han of the Great Tang Dynasty, I've made myself very clear: find the person and hand him over, and I'll release him!"

"Otherwise, you can prepare to collect their corpses!" Nakatomi threatened.

Li Yuanchang looked around and said cautiously, "Alright, Patriarch, don't be impulsive. I agree, but there's not enough time. Three days is too short."

"Then that's none of my business. Three days is three days!" Nakatomi said firmly.

Li Yuanchang frowned and said, "Three days is definitely not enough time to bring them back. If you kill the Tang Dynasty sailors, this matter will not be resolved peacefully."

"This voyage was undertaken on the orders of the Heavenly Khan. By killing them, you are challenging the Heavenly Khan's dignity!"

"At that point, it won't be a decision I can make."

"I do not wish for armed conflict, nor do I wish for the mission to fail. Patriarch, you surely do not wish to invite further trouble, do you?"

The people behind Nakatomi began to whisper among themselves.

He himself hesitated, a flicker of doubt crossing his eyes: "How long will it take you?"

"One month," Li Yuanchang blurted out.

This is his second principle in negotiations: always inflate the price actually required.

Nakatomi no's relaxed attitude immediately turned sour: "A month?"

"dream!"

"How long can the head of the family give us?" Li Yuanchang asked in return.

"At most fifteen days!" Nakatomi no cut it in half.

"Twenty days!"

"Master, you should give me some time to find people. You have our ships and men, what are you afraid of?" Li Yuanchang said.

"Eighteen days, this is my final deadline for you!" Nakatomi said in a deep voice.

Li Yuanchang took a deep breath, feeling quite satisfied; the time was more than enough.

But he still looked like he was at a disadvantage and felt aggrieved, and almost forced himself to say, "Fine, eighteen days it is."

"Within this timeframe, you must guarantee the safety of the Tang personnel. If even one person dies, this matter cannot be resolved!"

Nakatomi glanced at his staff, then stepped forward coldly, staring intently at Li Yuanchang until their noses almost touched.

"You just wait and see!"

"If I don't see that traitor in eighteen days, everyone in the port will die, and I will execute them all, leaving no one alive. No more killing ten people a day!"

Even his voice had a chilling quality to it.

This clearly shows that the Japanese were very arrogant and tough, which could explain why the two sides went to war during the reign of Emperor Gaozong.

They actually don't submit to the Tang Dynasty.

"good!"

"We'll exchange the hostages and the ship at the port. You mustn't harm them until I return; just let them stay in the port," Li Yuanchang said.