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

"yes!"

Someone quickly left to deliver the message.

"General, shall we not cross the river now?" a military officer asked.

"With an army of 200,000, our winter logistics simply cannot keep up. We can only wait. I know His Majesty has decreed that we must quell the rebellion as soon as possible."

"But I cannot send people to their deaths," Li Ji said solemnly.

The accompanying officer remained silent, then asked curiously, "How confident is the commander-in-chief in his military campaign?"

Li Ji remained silent for a while without answering, but said, "I will think of another strategy. This will be an unpredictable war."

"But I will not hold back."

……

For a long period thereafter, as Li Yuanchang had predicted, Li Ji did not choose to immediately enter Goguryeo.

The war seemed to have entered a phase of much talk but little action, but everyone knew that this war was inevitable, it was just a matter of time.

Under the shadow of war, the Liao River has become an absolute military no-go zone, with only scouts from both sides constantly crossing the border to gather intelligence.

At this moment, despite the howling winter winds, the entire Chubu Prefecture was filled with peace!

The implementation of a state of war did not trigger any unrest.

Generally speaking, when war comes, food prices skyrocket, countless people flee, and nine out of ten towns are closed.

But in the central prefecture at this moment, things were completely the opposite. The shops on the main street not only did not close, but their number increased, and supplies of food, cloth, salt, firewood and other materials were constantly being provided.

Even the social order was extremely stable, with people earning goods and wages by cutting down trees, making bows and arrows, moving stones, and building post stations for the Han King's palace.

The more than 200,000 Goguryeo people taken in by the Southern Prefecture did not cause any chaos. Under Wang Hongzhi's leadership, they continued to reclaim wasteland, settle down, and build one simple town after another.

Li Yuanchang was able to provide them with almost all the seeds and tools they needed in a continuous stream.

These resources came from the former Goguryeo royal family and the powerful minister Yeon Gaesomun. The court did not take a single penny of their legacy; it all went into Li Yuanchang's pocket.

But this is only a part of his wealth.

"Report!!"

"Your Highness, we've arrived! We've arrived! All the supplies we transported from Liangzhou in advance have been diverted by sea, entered the port, and arrived at the Central Prefecture!"

"More than a thousand boats, all of them have arrived!" Guo Chao shouted excitedly.

These words caused an uproar.

Those who had long been in the Han Prince's mansion were not surprised; the wealth of the Han Prince's mansion was beyond the imagination of others.

But his subordinates from Goguryeo or other prefectures in Sannam West Province were all dumbfounded.

What does it mean to have more than a thousand ships?

Even the smallest boat that can go to sea can carry tens of thousands of kilograms!

More than a thousand, what does that mean?

Li Yuanchang laughed heartily, thinking that this was only a part of the whole picture. He hadn't put all his eggs in one basket; there were still a large amount of supplies in Tsushima Island and southern Japan.

Money and grain were the most basic necessities; he even moved the arsenal.

Even before Li Shimin launched his campaign against the mountain tribes, he had already foreseen this day. So at that time, he secretly ordered the Qin family to relocate and make preparations.

After two years, most of Nanqin's warehouses were moved to coastal areas so that they could be immediately taken to sea in case of an accident.

Before long, Li Yuanchang personally led a team out of the city to welcome them. The massive amount of supplies stretched from the city gate to the far end of the horizon, with an astonishing number of boxes!

This undoubtedly gave the army a huge advantage in its fight against the imperial court, since all wars are fought over resources!

"This humble servant greets Your Highness, the Prince of Han!" Qin Zun, with his graying hair and slightly tired appearance, bowed, his lips curtsying with barely suppressed joy.

He had been waiting for news from the sea these past few days, and today he finally received it. He had been eagerly anticipating it, fearing that something might go wrong.

"Haha, Father-in-law, no need for such formalities. You've done a great job these past two years in overseeing the relocation of supplies and the safekeeping of the entire clan!"

"Without the Qin family, we wouldn't be in this situation today!"

"Everyone will be richly rewarded!" Li Yuanchang shouted, addressing every servant of the Qin family.

"We thank Your Highness! We thank Your Highness!"

A deafening roar erupted from beneath the city gates, wave after wave, stretching to the horizon and drawing the attention of countless people.

This wasn't an army, just laborers and merchants, all of whom had followed Goguryeo.

Despite the uncertain future and the imperial court's suppression, they still came.

Li Yuanchang's prestige and ability far exceeded the court's expectations.

Forcing Li Yuanchang to rebel was the biggest mistake Li Shimin ever made in his life.

"Your Highness, please take a look. This is the transport list for this shipment, which contains approximately 11 million catties of supplies. The specific items are recorded here."

"Especially the fine horses Your Highness needs, ten thousand have been transported this time. This is the culmination of several years of grazing by the entire merchant guild. It's a pity that the time was too short, otherwise we could have brought in even more," Qin Zun said.

Li Yuanchang laughed and said, "It's already very good; it solves our immediate problem!"

"yes!"

"Your foresight is uncanny. With the relocation of warehouses across the country, the imperial court's control over Southern Qin has tightened, and many areas have come under surveillance."

"Especially after the Liao River incident, local governments received orders from Chang'an and even sent troops to seize and seal off the area. Fortunately, the goods were moved in advance."

"Otherwise, all the hard work the business has put in over the years will be for naught!" Qin Zun said, his face showing lingering fear.

No one knows how precarious and difficult the business has been these past two years.

The fiercer the fighting in Chang'an, the greater the threat they face!

If they had been any later, none of them would have been able to evacuate.

"yes!"

The business owners nodded in agreement, all deeply moved and admiring Li Yuanchang's foresight and vision.

"It's such a pity that so many land deeds, fertile fields, and manors are all gone."

"Years of hard work have all gone to waste."

At this point, the Qin family members were clearly pained, disappointed, and unwilling!

Resources may run out one day, but they are the foundation for continuously generating more money.

Li Yuanchang appeared optimistic, stroking the heavy box on the carriage and laughing, "It's alright, as long as the person is still alive, everything can be started over."

"Although we lost a large number of fertile land deeds, we gained the entirety of Goguryeo. The land and population here far exceed what we lost."

"All we need to do is replicate the production line, and that's it."

"I have already begun to integrate Liangzhou. After completing the initial accumulation, Southern Qin can still be resurrected in Goguryeo!"

"Yes!!" Everyone clasped their hands and shouted.

"As long as His Highness is here, there is always a chance!"

"We are His Highness's people in life and in death. If the court cannot tolerate us, then we will start anew!"

It's unclear who started shouting this, but it immediately triggered a huge chain reaction.

"Start from scratch!"

"Starting from scratch!!"

"Your Highness has declared yourself emperor! Your Highness has declared yourself emperor! We will be loyal to the death!!"

First, the Qin family shouted, then the army at the city gate and the common people joined in, their voices loud, deafening, and lasting for a long time.