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

This is similar to a functional division, directly dismembering Goguryeo into three regions: one for fighting, one for martial law, and one for sowing seeds. This could avoid the complete shutdown caused by war as much as possible and also facilitate command.

Once the functional zones were defined, Li Yuanchang immediately mobilized his troops.

"The demilitarized zone was established as the Southern Prefecture, with Wang Hongzhi as its first administrative official. He led the personnel of the former Liangzhou Prefecture to be responsible for a series of affairs, including grain, grazing, sowing, refugees, and taxation."

"All standards shall be based on those of Liangzhou."

"The Second War Zone is set up as the Northern Prefecture, with Song Yu serving as its first administrative officer, responsible for conscription and troop deployment."

"Add another 5,000 elite troops, led by Wan Jun, to guard Pingxi City, be responsible for training troops, and support and command the joint operations of many cities in the north."

"The main war zone will be established in the Central Prefecture, where I will personally oversee it."

"Jin Minda led 40,000 soldiers to guard Anshi City. He also added two regiments of the Yi-class battalion, totaling 2,000 men, led by Lu Zhong and Liao Jie, who were equipped with Han thunderbolts, repeating crossbows, and heavy crossbows for defense."

"The rest of the troops will remain to guard the central prefecture, which is the old Chang'an."

"The area within a radius of 300 li shall be under full military control. The scout camp shall establish more relay stations, and all warhorses and provisions shall not be stored in one place."

"The First Administrative Officer of the Central Prefecture is Su Gui..."

"..."

His entire personnel appointment process was extremely smooth; he had almost never fought such a rich battle before!

They're back! All the old comrades are back!

He not only brought his family over, but also almost all of his former subordinates from Liangzhou. There are probably over a thousand non-military personnel with him.

Even after arriving in Goguryeo, many ordinary people who had once been protected and promoted by Li Yuanchang vowed to leave their homes and follow him to the death!

The miracle in Liangzhou made them believe that Li Yuanchang was the future!

Even the entire Nanqin trading company was moved here, along with a large amount of resources, which will lead to rapid development of commerce within Goguryeo in the future.

The lives of ordinary people will be improved.

Overall, it's just that the Han Prince's forces have moved to a different location, but the core structure remains the same, even if it takes time to adapt and get used to it.

But Li Yuanchang believes that there is still time.

Goguryeo was not weak to begin with, and it could mobilize a much larger population than Liangzhou had ever had. It was just that its infrastructure was poor and it needed to develop.

Two months later, in early December.

After a year-long tug-of-war on the border, military confrontation has finally begun!

The enraged emperor has definitively classified this incident as a rebellion, and his vanguard of 50,000 cavalry, led by Ashina She'er, has arrived at the Liao River.

The scouts from both sides have already begun their actual confrontation.

"Report!"

"Your Highness, the remaining main force of the imperial court is less than two hundred li from the Liao River!"

"Report! Ashina She'er's troops have begun logging on-site to build boats, presumably for a large-scale river crossing!"

"Report!"

"Your Highness, Ashina She'er has called out from across the river, declaring that if our army does not surrender within five days, the main force will cross the river and there will be no further negotiations, leaving no survivors!"

A barrage of messages flooded into the Central Prefecture, which was formerly the Qiong King's Palace.

Immediately, there was a chorus of curses, and calls for battle poured in.

"As a fellow soldier, Ashina She'er aided and abetted the wicked!"

"Your Highness, please grant me permission to send troops to launch a surprise attack while they have just arrived and their base is not yet secure!"

"That's right, they dared to make provocative statements before the main force even arrived; we have to teach them a lesson!"

"With Li Ji's army absent, this is a golden opportunity! Your Highness, what are we waiting for? Send out the troops!"

The generals of Battalion A and Battalion C were all volunteering for battle; they were not afraid at all.

Their view was also reasonable; the enemy had traveled a long distance and their base was not yet stable, making it the best opportunity to launch an attack, but Li Yuanchang remained unmoved.

"Li Ji's military tactics were extremely intense."

"Ashina She'er is a seasoned veteran; how could he make such a basic mistake?"

"There's a problem with this."

One sentence instantly extinguished the soldiers' fighting spirit like cold water, and everyone regained their composure.

Li Yuanchang stood up, his hands behind his back, looking at the vast map of Liaodong: "I even suspect that Li Ji's army may be arriving soon, and it's not even two hundred li away."

"If we launch a military attack, we'll be walking into a trap."

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this opinion!

It was only after a moment's realization that the imperial court had sent the Tang Dynasty's premier military force, commanded by Li Ji, with his advisors all being prominent and ruthless figures who had conquered entire countries.

"But Your Highness, the scouts' reconnaissance..."

"Reconnaissance isn't always accurate. If Li Ji really wanted to fake it, he could easily mobilize hundreds of thousands of laborers." Li Yuanchang turned around, his eyes deep.

Even the usually stern Xue Rengui spoke up at this moment.

"Your Highness is absolutely right. Li Ji is the only one who can be compared to Duke Wei. His military strategy is divine, and he would never make such a basic mistake."

"During their first attack on Goguryeo, they had already seen the situation within Goguryeo's territory, making it more likely that they were luring the enemy out of their hiding place."

"So this is a treacherous scheme!"

"The other side deliberately let our scouts see it!" said Cao Hong, the military advisor of the Bing Battalion, his eyes serious.

Li Yuanchang said, "Warfare is based on deception. It involves a mix of truth and falsehood, reality and illusion."

"They are also demonstrating to demoralize our troops and create a deterrent effect."

"Furthermore, I predict that Li Ji will not launch an offensive this year."

"Unless we go there and fall into their ambush."

"Winter is coming, and Li Ji has kept the lessons of the past in mind. No matter how anxious Li Shimin is, he will probably have to wait until spring to cross the river. He cannot launch a rash attack."

"Then, Your Highness, shall we do absolutely nothing?"

Li Yuanchang shook his head: "Maintain the status quo and respond to any changes as they occur."

"There is still a final window of opportunity. Order your men to focus on preparing the city's defenses and recruiting and training as many soldiers as possible. There is no need to waste our energy on these smokescreens."

"yes!!"

"..."

three days later.

West of the Liao River, all that could be seen was the Tang army, which covered the entire plain like a meadow, with countless Tang army flags fluttering in the wind.

Large numbers of felled trees were dragged to the shore bit by bit by laborers.

On a hillside, gazing at the ever-flowing Liao River, a faint sigh rang out.

"Three days have passed. If they didn't come immediately, they won't come. The King of Han didn't fall for their trap."

The voice was calm, yet tinged with a heavy tone; it came from Li Ji, the commander-in-chief of the Tang army.

Behind the mountain where he stood, there was a vast Tang army that blotted out the sky. Even if only a corner of it was revealed, it was already like a black ocean!

It was far more numerous than the vanguard army that was on the surface.

Just as Li Yuanchang predicted, the contest between the two sides had already begun. Once he took the initiative to attack, he would be surrounded and walk into a trap.

"General, the Prince of Han is also a skilled military strategist. It is not your fault that this attempt failed."

"It's all Your Majesty's fault for trusting the Prince of Han and giving him military power, which gave him the means to oppose the court," Ashina She'er said, a man of Hu blood, and a staunch loyalist to Li Shimin.

Li Ji gave a bitter smile, hesitated to speak, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

He simply said, "Let them withdraw. They won't cross the river to attack. The entire army should rest and regroup."