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

A large fleet departed from Japan and quietly arrived west of the Liao River at dawn that day.

Due to the freezing weather, parts of the river basin were frozen over, and the fleet was stranded downstream of the Liao River.

If it weren't for the military scouts who spotted this scene through their binoculars, the two sides might never have met.

Immediately, an icebreaking team of two thousand people set out and spent three days pulling the fleet back to shore using only manpower.

The ship was in the style of the Tang Dynasty, but it was full of Japanese people.

Contrary to popular belief, these Japanese were no longer the ragged, vicious, and emaciated sea refugees.

They wore thick clothing, carried uniform weapons, and their ships were even equipped with large anchors to protect them from storms.

These things are extremely rare for an island nation with a backward civilization.

No one knows how Ōtomo acquired these things; it's as if they were simply pulled out of the sea out of thin air.

"Your Highness!"

A shout rang out from the deck, followed by a large group of Japanese people who came down, performed a deep kneeling bow, and shouted in Japanese.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Prince of Han!"

Li Yuanchang grinned: "What, it's you?"

The leader was none other than Ji'an, whose ear had been cut off by Li Yuanchang.

In his quest for revenge, he tricked Li Yuanchang into getting involved in an internal conflict in Japan, causing considerable trouble. After redeeming himself through meritorious service, he became Chishima's subordinate.

"Your Highness, it is indeed your subordinate."

"I have come here on the orders of Lady Chishima to deliver supplies."

Upon hearing this, a hint of excitement and agitation flashed deep in Li Yuanchang's eyes.

Nowadays, there are few things that can excite or excite him. Consort Yin wearing nun's clothes is one example, and this batch of supplies is another.

How many?

Ji'an was solemn. He had now completely returned to his original appearance, no longer dressed as a monk, but wearing a Tang-style robe.

At first glance, he looks like a bachelor.

"Your Highness, there are eight ships in total. Three are saltpeter, three are charcoal, and two are sulfur. Each ship carries a total of 130,000 catties."

"Furthermore, another ship sank to the bottom of the sea due to strong winds. Your Highness, I apologize for my incompetence."

Li Yuanchang nodded. He had been to the ocean before and knew about the uncontrollable factors at sea, so he didn't blame him.

130,000 jin isn't a lot.

Historical records indicate that medium-sized ships used at sea during the Tang Dynasty could carry a load of up to 100 tons, which is equivalent to 200,000 catties in ancient times, and could easily travel between the Tang Dynasty coastline and the peninsula.

"Besides this batch, how many more are there on the island?"

Ji'an frowned: "Your Highness, this is all we have. Lady Chishima has mobilized tens of thousands of people to search for these three items."

"It's faster at first, but once you've collected the saltpeter the first time, it's harder to find it the second time."

"In addition, the island has limited manpower, far less than that of the Tang Dynasty, and the army must guard against a sudden attack by the Emperor's army. Therefore, the lady asked me to bring this batch to His Highness as an emergency measure."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang's joy diminished slightly.

Charcoal and sulfur were more than sufficient for ancient times, even for Japan, as these natural resources were abundant everywhere.

These few ships alone are enough for Li Yuanchang to use in Goguryeo.

But there's one thing: nitrate. That's the real bottleneck.

As anyone who has read the novel knows, the secret recipe for making gunpowder is one part saltpeter, two parts charcoal, and three parts sulfur, with saltpeter accounting for as much as 75%.

Moreover, nitrate cannot be used directly; it needs to be purified, and the huge losses during purification are extremely exaggerated.

But these are the conditions: produce as much as you can first, and deal with the rest later, Li Yuanchang thought to himself.

Then, with a sharp look in his eyes, he said, "Men, quickly unload all the cargo from the ship."

"Secretly delivered to the military camp deep in the mountains. No one is allowed to approach or discuss it without my permission!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Tu and his trusted confidants were all shocked.

What is it that His Highness takes so seriously, that even discussion is forbidden?

"yes!"

The order had just been issued.

"Report!!"

A swift horse galloped in, shattering the tranquility of the shore.

The scout dismounted and rushed over: "Your Highness, envoys from the court have arrived at the military camp!"

Li Yuanchang's expression changed slightly. Why did they have to come at this time?

"How many people came, and who are they?"

"Your Highness, there are approximately one hundred and twenty people. The leader is Changsun Huan, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies!"

Li Yuanchang frowned. Wasn't that Changsun Wuji's second son? Now the second-in-command of the Court of State Ceremonial, in charge of diplomacy.

Why is he here?

"Stop, move it down, don't move it. Huangtu, you personally lead men to guard this place and don't let anyone get close."

"I will go see the imperial envoy first."

"yes!!"

After giving his instructions, Li Yuanchang immediately led his men back.

He could roughly guess why Changsun Huan had come here.

West of the Liao River, the Tang army camp was situated on a high plateau surrounded by mountains. This served two purposes: firstly, to isolate Goguryeo's spies on the Liao River, and secondly, to protect against natural disasters such as floods.

The military camp had been in place for several months, and the bushes in the desolate wilderness had been trampled into paths by the army.

At this time of day in the past, the shouts of the Tang army would have echoed through the mountains, but Changsun Huan's arrival was like a plague, quickly silencing the entire camp.

As soon as Li Yuanchang returned, he sensed that something was wrong.

A subordinate rushed to his side and whispered something, and Li Yuanchang's face immediately fell.

"Damn it, they really think the title of his eldest grandson is a golden ticket!"

He cursed and flew into a rage, then strode towards the main camp.

The main camp was filled with a somber atmosphere. All the military commanders of the rank of superintendent and lieutenant were present, which was the main reason why the entire camp was quiet and there was no drill among the soldiers.

All the main commanders have been summoned here, so who can go and train the troops?

"Greetings, King Han!"

"Greetings, King Han!"

A cacophony of sounds echoed all the way.

Those inside the main camp also heard the commotion and looked outside.

The young man sitting in the main seat changed his expression slightly and subconsciously wanted to stand up, but then he remembered something, picked up his teacup and sat back down in Li Yuanchang's seat, not moving an inch.

As soon as Li Yuanchang stepped inside, he saw Changsun Huan, dressed in a sable coat and wearing an official hat, exuding the air of a nobleman, sitting there leisurely drinking tea.

He completely considers this his own home.

In terms of seniority, official rank, and reputation, he was not qualified.

But that wasn't what angered Li Yuanchang.

Instead, it was a row of officers forced to kneel on the ground: Lu Zhong, the military advisor of Battalion B, Zhou He, the supervising officer, Yang Tuo, Yang Zi'an, and everyone else were kneeling.

It should be noted that the Tang Dynasty did not have the custom of kneeling at any time; that was the Qing Dynasty's custom. Generally, when meeting a superior, one would stand, or at most bow.

Kneeling, on the other hand, is more like a form of punishment.

Zhou He, the commander of the First and Second Regiments, and Yang Tuo had obvious five-finger marks on their faces.

"Who hit him?!" Li Yuanchang roared in fury.