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

Ha Ji-hyo trembled slightly, her brows furrowed with embarrassment and trepidation. She raised her long eyelashes to meet Lee Won-chang's gaze, then abruptly lowered them again.

Then she gave a soft "hmm".

Li Yuanchang grinned, then lowered his head and kissed her.

Ha Ji-hyo's body stiffened, her mind went blank, and she instinctively resisted, but that was all.

Faced with Li Yuanchang's skillful kissing technique, she quickly lost all defenses, blushing and going limp, even suffocating for a moment.

Amidst the swirling mist, Ha Ji-hyo was completely captivated, her eyes sparkling with desire as she was kissed, raising her neck and closing her eyes tightly.

Li Yuanchang kissed her chin, neck, collarbone, and then down her body.

Immediately afterwards, Ha Ji-hyo's soaked dress slipped down her shoulders and all the way to her wrists.

Her fair shoulders and back, glistening with water droplets, were bare, exuding the most primal allure of a woman.

"Your Highness, you must keep your word. Don't start something and then abandon it..." Ha Ji-hyo knew what was about to happen. She was willing, but she was still afraid that Lee Won-chang would renege on his promise after taking advantage of her.

"Don't worry, Madam."

Ha Ji-hyo bit her lip and hummed in agreement, then took the initiative to take off her clothes, but was refused by Lee Won-chang.

The clothes were taken off, but not completely.

The ribbon had loosened, but it was still hanging on the fair-skinned body.

This is the essence of "finally appearing after much anticipation, still half-concealed while playing the pipa"!

Hot water surged and splashed.

Ha Ji-hyo hugged Lee Won-chang's broad back tightly, her fingers almost digging into his flesh. When she frowned, everything had already begun.

However, Ha Ji-hyo is, after all, a lady from a prestigious family, and she was too embarrassed to speak up the first time, so she did her best to restrain herself.

But as the water in the bucket continued to splash, even a living saint like her couldn't withstand it.

A white mist hung in the air, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

Delicate music also began to appear, progressing from faint to continuous, and then to high-pitched.

"..."

Three days later, the Lugan City Incident came to a complete end.

The news caused a huge uproar in the Goguryeo region.

But along with the news of the suppression of the rebellion came the definitive statement that Li Yuanchang had publicly burned letters, announcing the end of the rebellion.

Many city lords and nobles were not fools; they understood the implications and spent several days in a state of fear and gratitude.

Afterwards, these city lords and nobles flocked to the capital, either personally or by sending their sons to pay tribute and pay homage, declaring their sworn support for Li Yuanchang.

They jointly proposed to depose Gao Baozang and elect Li Yuanchang as the new king of Goguryeo.

This is a strong signal and a reward for Li Yuanchang's prudent handling of the aftermath of the rebellion.

His deterrence and tolerance garnered maximum support and resolved the problem of internal strife before the battle even began.

February 16th.

After meeting with the various envoys, Li Yuanchang ended his inspection tour ahead of schedule and returned to the Central Prefecture.

Although there were some unexpected events during the trip, it was generally a good one and came to a successful conclusion. The defenses of various cities were connected, and the training of new recruits is becoming increasingly mature.

The latent crisis was resolved because it was detonated in advance.

Upon returning to the Central Prefecture, Li Yuanchang immediately received two pieces of good news.

First, Yin Yao was pregnant.

This woman, who had lost everything, spent almost all her time with Buddhist scriptures and lamps, but suddenly life held new hope for her.

With tears in her eyes, she was determined to give birth to Li Yuanchang's child.

Li Yuanchang was naturally willing; it would be a great sense of accomplishment to have a child with a mature, cultured, and experienced woman like Yin Yao.

The second piece of good news came from Wang Hongzhi, who discovered a large amount of mineral resources in the Southern Prefecture, mainly sulfur and nitrate.

This implies the sustainability of black powder.

Li Yuanchang was overjoyed and exclaimed that it was a double blessing!

Meanwhile, west of the Liao River, in the no-man's land where Li Ji's 200,000 troops were stationed, a desolate scene unfolded.

When news of Li Daxun's defeat and death arrived, the court's advisors were filled with deep helplessness and regret; they had actually failed!

Li Ji gazed across the Liao River at the heart of Goguryeo, his resolute and composed face filled with worry. He said softly, "Let's do our best from now on. If we can succeed, so be it."

"Focus on completing your respective tasks. If there is no progress in the last two months, we will have no choice but to launch a full-scale attack."

His words conveyed a sense that even he had done his best and left the rest to fate.

He also seemed pessimistic about a strong attack and couldn't predict the future situation or direction.

"yes!!"

Behind him, more than ten people shouted loudly, each holding a brocade pouch, which represented their respective tasks.

"..."

Starting in late February, as the harsh winter was about to end, the imperial army became even more anxious, frantically seeking victory outside the battlefield.

Li Ji seemed unwilling to rely on the battlefield for victory. He knew that defeating Li Yuanchang, Goguryeo, and Han Lei would be extremely difficult and would result in countless deaths.

He didn't want that.

Therefore, he used every means at his disposal.

He brought in a large number of musicians to play music on the Liao River every day, and sometimes even the Prince's Battle Song could be heard.

The song drifted along the Liao River, echoing on both sides, and was inevitably heard by scouts from both sides, as well as some patrolling guards.

Not only that, Li Ji also sent troops across the river to openly recruit soldiers from the nine prefectures.

Li Yuanchang understood that Li Ji wanted to win hearts and minds. This method might not be able to recruit even one person, but as long as it shook the morale of the army and made people want to go home, his goal would be achieved.

Li Yuanchang reacted quickly, not only refraining from sending anyone to stop or attack this psychological warfare tactic, but also responding to Li Ji's offer of amnesty.

He submitted a lengthy memorial and letters, stating that amnesty was possible, but with the condition that the court first issue the rewards to the soldiers of the Nine Provinces Prefecture, and then execute Han Fei and other ministers who persecuted the border troops.

Neither of these demands was excessive; they essentially kicked a hot potato to Li Ji's feet, leaving him to punch cotton.

Since they have accepted the offer of amnesty, it is no longer considered a rebellion; it all depends on whether the imperial court is willing to accept it.

This was obviously impossible. Li Ji was afraid that once the reward was given out, it would be like throwing good money after bad. Moreover, given the circumstances, he knew very well that Li Shimin would not agree to execute anyone.

So he lied and claimed to be mediating, saying that he would first offer amnesty and then pay the difference, and that if the Kyushu Prefecture troops followed him in rebellion, they would all die.

After the other party made a clear refusal, Li Yuanchang reacted quickly and sent an open letter directly to the military.

The general idea is that accepting the imperial pardon and disarming oneself is tantamount to handing over one's head to the court.

If they don't accept it, they can continue to live a good life in Goguryeo, still respect the Tang Dynasty, and still be Han Chinese, only they won't listen to the treacherous officials of the court.

The two sides engaged in a back-and-forth struggle, using tactics from afar and employing all sorts of tactics, including being surrounded by enemies on all sides.

During this period, there were also some informants who infiltrated the movement and attempted to subvert it.

This stalemate lasted for more than a month, and ultimately, Li Ji's plan ended in failure.

He tried every means to support the Goguryeo forces, recruit the elite troops of Kyushu, and besiege the country on all sides, etc. But the forces within the Han Prince's mansion were as solid as iron and did not listen to the court at all.