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

"very good!"

He looked satisfied. Chishima was quite efficient and did not hold back. In the past few days, she had gathered five thousand men in the Otomo clan.

This number was quite significant for Japan at that time.

Once supplies arrive at sea, they can instantly transform themselves into an army by simply throwing beans into the ground.

Even if the 5,000 troops were remnants of the Liangzhou Prefecture army and were untrained, they were enough to contend with the Japanese government.

In particular, the limited number of repeating crossbows, heavy crossbows, and telescopes were advanced technologies that Japan lacked, making them formidable weapons for defending cities.

"You may all leave," Li Yuanchang waved his hand.

"Yes!" Everyone in the hall left.

Li Yuanchang picked Mingli up in his arms.

"Your Highness, you are amazing."

"The entire clan reveres you as a god. They say that the Nakatomi clan, which had suppressed the family for decades, was wiped out so quickly by Your Highness."

Akari's eyes were bright and filled with admiration.

Women have always admired strength, and this is especially true in Japan.

"Hahaha."

"If that's the case, then let's celebrate tonight."

"How should we celebrate?" Akari asked curiously.

Li Yuanchang pinched her, and she let out a soft hum, her cheeks flushed slightly. She immediately lowered her head shyly and obediently hummed in agreement.

"..."

In the days that followed, Li Yuanchang began to "play the field" in Japan.

Originally, Li Shimin tasked him with finding the elixir of immortality, but due to unforeseen circumstances, he had to stay longer to help the Ōtomo clan consolidate their power.

Ishihara Satomi successfully stalled for twelve days by using various acts and false information.

However, as the news intensified, the news of the destruction of the Zhongchen clan and the intervention of the Tang army all spread over at once.

Ultimately, the Emperor dispatched 6,000 troops south.

This is already a huge army in Japan, the kind that would make anyone tremble with fear just by hearing about it.

mid March.

The battle officially broke out, and the news of Ōtomo's rebellion was completely exposed.

Under the command of military advisor Li Yuanchang, Ōtomo's army abandoned several unimportant towns to avoid direct confrontation.

Using a feigned attack and a real retreat, they gradually delayed the Emperor's army.

They believed they were winning step by step and gradually eroding the enemy's territory, but little did they know that this was merely a delaying tactic.

After twenty days of fierce fighting, the Ōtomo clan lost at least seventeen towns, but these were only towns; supplies and people had long since been moved.

It sounds terrible, but it's actually pretty useless.

A general from the Soga clan eventually realized something was wrong and led two thousand elite troops in two separate groups to directly attack the Nakatomi no Shogunate.

But by the time they realized what was happening, it was too late.

A steady stream of supplies arrived at Dayuan Port late at night, one heavy box after another, all filled with "good stuff" that had floated ashore from the sea.

Once the equipment from the Prince of Han's residence arrived, the balance of power shifted instantly.

Half of the five thousand able-bodied men were equipped with old armor, longswords with their markings erased, and hundreds of repeating crossbows and various spears.

Outside the Nakatomi no Shogunate, a civil war broke out in Japan, the largest in the country in ten years!

With overwhelming superior equipment and superior tactical command, Soga no Motoishi's two thousand elite troops were completely annihilated, and all their weapons and supplies were lost.

From then on, the army that the Emperor was leading the campaign against was severely weakened.

April.

Li Yuanchang ordered Ishihara Satoyama and others to lead the army in a counterattack. With the help of commanders like Guo Chao, they made great strides, quickly recovered all lost territory, and pushed the Emperor's forces back to the north.

This completely ignited the situation within Japan, enraging the emperor, who then reinforced the army to over ten thousand men.

In May, the two sides clashed again in the middle of Edo.

This battle was extremely fierce, and the entire river surface was covered with corpses.

Many members of the Ōtomo clan also died, but they ultimately held on thanks to Li Yuanchang's covert support.

The Emperor's forces suffered heavy losses but made no progress.

Subsequently, the two sides entered a complete standoff and small-scale conflicts, laying the foundation for the division of the island into North and South.

The friction between the two sides continued until July and had not yet ended.

During this period, Li Yuanchang helped Tanaka Chishima consolidate his power and offered several brilliant strategies.

The Ōtomo clan was allowed to postpone their proclamation of kingship, and Takashi Castle was built. The shogunate was also moved to an area with a greater buffer zone.

The most important port is Dayuan Port, which is almost the most important and largest port of entry and exit for Japan to Tang Dynasty. In the future, the Han Prince's Palace will need to trade through here and also send reinforcements to the Ōtomo clan from here.

Under Li Yuanchang's design, a port protection army of about 1,800 men was established in Dayuan Port, and it had certain defensive fortifications.

If someone attacks from the sea, the landing will be hindered.

Such a design was absolutely ahead of its time in ancient times.

To promote the Ōtomo clan led by Chishima, Li Yuanchang spared no expense, not only by investing a large amount of supplies and food through the Chamber of Commerce, but also by personally staying for several months as an "advisor".

From military affairs to personnel management, from local areas to ports, Li Yuanchang's influence was felt in every region.

His actions were not solely due to his relationship with the mother and daughter, but rather stemmed from strategic considerations.

The traditional political view of Chang'an was that the Central Plains were the center and all other directions were barbarians. It was impossible for them to make arrangements overseas in advance, so Li Yuanchang could only come secretly.

This would allow us to control overseas regions and Japan in advance, rewriting many things in the future.

Secondly, Li Yuanchang also cultivated a group of overseas confidants, leaving himself another way out.

Thirdly, the Chamber of Commerce has gained access to more markets.

After the Dayuan Port was taken over by the Daban family, it was restructured, and the merchant ships of the Qin and Song families could dock for free and navigate freely.

In the short term, this may seem like an extremely unprofitable deal, but in the long run, it is definitely a highly profitable business!

Of course, this requires the efforts of several generations to be effective. If Li Yuanchang is not mistaken, China has far too few outlets to the sea in the 21st century.

As a result, they have to spend countless hours and money every year to find an overseas posting.

Li Yuanchang's most far-sighted goal was to gradually integrate Japan into China, and supporting the regime, cultural infiltration, and gradual assimilation was the most effective method, even more effective than killing 100,000 people.

Overseas, unlike in Chang'an, Li Yuanchang was subject to constraints everywhere, so he made bold changes, transforming southern Japan into a "Chinese special zone".

Li Yuanchang even openly and publicly lived with Qiandao.

If this happened in the Tang Dynasty, Wei Zheng and others would have cursed him to death.

By the end of July, apart from some localized military clashes, most major events in southern Japan had been settled, and Li Yuanchang was preparing to leave.

He can't stay here forever; sooner or later he'll have to hand things over to his subordinates.