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

"This woman simply doesn't have the ability to do so many things in such a short time!"

"Did the Heavenly Khan send you to disrupt the situation in Japan?"

Li Yuanchang calmly shook his head: "That's no longer important."

"The important thing is how you choose next."

"Choose to surrender, and you can live, and even enjoy wealth and glory."

"If you choose to resist, you will die, and you will gain no reputation whatsoever. If false information is spread, the Emperor will be the first to target your family."

Despairing, Ishihara Satomi collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Even if I submit to you, I will still die, and my people will still be slaughtered, won't they?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang's eyes lit up slightly; the rhetorical question meant he was letting go.

"No."

"If you submit to the Ōtomo clan, you will not die, and Lady Chishima will send people to rescue your entire family and settle them in the south."

Ishihara Satomi sneered.

"You think this is the Tang Dynasty in the East?"

Li Yuanchang paced back and forth: "Let me put it this way, the Nakatomi clan will fall in the next few days, and the entire southern region will be taken over by the Ōtomo clan."

"And the Ōtomo clan is my friend, and I support him from behind. Do you think the Emperor's men can defeat him?"

Ishihara Satoshi was shocked, as if struck by lightning: "You!"

"You want to control Japan?"

Li Yuanchang did not answer, but continued, "Your second concern is your clansmen."

"I have already ordered people to block the news of today's battle, so there is no way the news could reach the Emperor's ears so quickly."

"In fact, even the Emperor wouldn't know you'd lost if you hadn't said anything."

"As long as you're fast enough, your people can be moved."

Ishihara Satomi's eyes flickered as she suddenly realized that she seemed to have fallen into a huge trap and conspiracy, but she was powerless to resist.

The Tang Dynasty's forces are cooperating with the Ōtomo clan; this is going to turn the world upside down!

But the Emperor was indeed completely unaware of this!

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"If you don't kill me, you must have something on your mind!"

Li Yuanchang nodded, and said frankly, "You guessed right."

"I want you to use your position to cover up the matter in the south as much as possible and report to your superiors that everything is normal."

Ishihara Satomi gritted her teeth: "There's no way to cover it up."

"You're even planning to attack the Nakatomi clan's territory. Do you think the Emperor doesn't know?"

"That's a matter for the future. What I want is to stall for time as much as possible. When the Emperor orders you to send troops, just deal with it."

"If all else fails, you, as the Minister of the South, should report to your superiors that there are tens of thousands of Tang troops here, thus intimidating the Emperor." Li Yuanchang's thinking was extremely clear. He ordered Ishihara Satoka's capture alive because he was taking advantage of Ishihara Satoka's position.

If we can delay for a while, the weapons sent from Liangzhou can be deployed after a round trip on the East China Sea.

If the Ōtomo clan could integrate southern Japan, they would be able to put up a tug-of-war with the Emperor, and there might even be hope of annexing it in the future.

This is in the interest of the Tang Dynasty, and also in the interest of Li Yuanchang.

"What exactly do you want to do?" Ishihara Satomi felt terrified, her eyes filled with fear.

"This is not something you should ask. I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. When the incense stick has burned out, tell me whether you will submit or not."

Li Yuanchang's calm demeanor was more intimidating than any harsh words he uttered.

Ishihara Satomi's face was grim, and he lowered his head in silence.

Once he does this, there's no turning back. If he succeeds, all will be well; if he fails, he'll be doomed.

Time ticked by, and the scene remained completely silent.

Li Yuanchang didn't know this person well and didn't know if he could persuade him to submit. If all else failed, he would have no choice but to kill him.

But after only half an incense stick's time, Ishihara Sato-kamura, ultimately fearing death, gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "I surrender!"

Li Yuanchang smiled with satisfaction.

Ishikatsu Chishima and the others were overjoyed. The defection of the Southern Ryosai Minister would undoubtedly greatly enhance the strength and success rate of the Ōtomo clan.

"very good."

"My lord, please rise."

Li Yuanchang personally helped the man up and untied him.

Then he changed the subject: "However, words are not enough."

"Why don't you write a letter back to stabilize the situation first?"

This question wasn't directed at him. Ishihara Satomi's face was grim, but to save his life, he had no choice but to write it down in public.

"When can you let me go back and take my people away?"

Li Yuanchang said, "You don't need to worry about that; Qiandao will take care of it."

Ishino Senjima stepped forward with a smile and said, "Your Highness is right. Now that you have joined, you are a member of the Ōtomo clan."

"These matters will naturally be handled by Qiandao."

Ishihara Satomi's face was ashen, and he didn't say a word, still very dissatisfied with Chishima.

Li Yuanchang was not in a hurry and took it one step at a time.

If Ishihara Satomi had been a staunch supporter from the very beginning, it would have seemed too fake.

As for whether Chishima can control this person, that depends on her abilities. Li Yuanchang will eventually leave; he can't stay here forever.

After dealing with Ishihara Satoshi, Li Yuanchang sent Chishima to persuade the other prisoners to surrender.

That group of men was already considered a decent army in Japan, with more than 700 men. If they could be brought over and put to use, it would be a great boost to the Ōtomo clan.

If Ishihara Satohira continues to lead the army, we will have another force that can be mobilized.

Compared to Ishihara Satoka, who was of noble birth and a close confidant of the Emperor, persuading the samurai to surrender was undoubtedly much simpler. As long as they were pardoned from the death penalty and promised generous rewards, there wouldn't be much of a problem.

Japan's culture and conditions were backward. Ultimately, the reason these Japanese pirates sided with anyone was simply to have enough to eat; those who were truly loyal to the death were always a minority.

Not long after, Li Yuanchang wrote a secret letter, which he entrusted to a trusted confidant in the Imperial Household Department to take back to the Tang Dynasty by small boat.

This secret letter will be delivered directly to Wang Hongzhi.

If all goes well, within two months at most, a shipment of provisions and military equipment will arrive in Japan, accompanied by at least ten officers.

These officers were not on the official roster; most of them were retainers of the Liangzhou Han Prince's mansion and had been following Wang Hongzhi for years.

In order to influence the situation in Japan, Li Yuanchang spared no expense, making investments in all aspects.

"Your Highness, Japan is too far away from us. You're using so much of your savings from the past few years to support them. Isn't that a bit much...?" A guard frowned.

Li Yuanchang said, "From a personal perspective, there may indeed be no benefit."

"But from a broader perspective, this is a losing proposition no matter what."

"Why?" the guard asked, puzzled.

Li Yuanchang strolled up the moonlit corridor, put his hands behind his back, and said with a smile, "This matter is very complicated, you wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you."

"But my actions have rendered meritorious service to the entire Tang Dynasty."

"If the Han people can control this place in the future, they can at least avoid naval battles decades later and carry out cultural invasion and assimilation in advance."

Upon hearing this, the guards said nothing more.

"Yes."

"Your Highness, it's too chilly at night, why don't you go back and rest?"

Li Yuanchang had just nodded and was walking back when he faintly heard the spiritual songs from the depths of Wushe again.