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

"Great idea!"

"They've ambushed us, so we'll ambush them instead!"

"It's better to let the Japanese pirates come out on their own than for us to go looking for them!"

"If we win this battle, Li Ji will most likely never dare to attack again!"

"Perfect, let's use these dogs of the Emperor as a starting point. They're not even qualified to interfere in our Tang Dynasty's internal strife!"

Everyone came from the Tang Dynasty and the Central Plains, and their attitudes were almost unanimous. They were still somewhat lenient towards their own people, but they were basically united against the Emperor's army.

"Your Highness, where shall we ambush them?" Kim Min-da asked again.

Li Yuanchang looked at the sand table and carefully considered the route. In such a short time, it was obviously too late to conduct an on-site survey. He needed to come up with a plan and determine the solution as soon as possible.

"Is there a narrow passage nearby?"

"..."

Half an hour later, finally! A detailed, bold, yet feasible plan was finalized.

The task of luring the enemy out of their hole at Jinliang Mountain was still assigned to Jin Minda's troops, and it was still a massive force of 10,000 light cavalry.

This doesn't fit the lightweight design needed to lure the snake out of its hole, since 10,000 people is too many. But Li Yuanchang believes that you can't catch a wolf if you don't want to lose your cubs.

If only one or two thousand people go, it is very likely that the Japanese Emperor's army will not show up, after all, this is their trump card.

At least from Li Ji's perspective, Li Yuanchang was unaware of this matter; he was certainly planning a fatal blow.

The location for the Han army's counter-ambush was set at "Black Dragon Valley".

This place is named for its winding shape resembling a black dragon. Both sides are dark mountain ridges with a slope angle of about seventy degrees, which is very steep and the vertical drop is more than one hundred meters, making it an ideal ambush location.

In response, Li Yuanchang decided to personally lead the team, with the entire B-class battalion mobilized, carrying almost all of Anshi City's black powder, a full five thousand Han thunderbolts!

Their target was the Japanese Emperor's army.

Because of the dispute in southern Japan, the Emperor and Li Yuanchang were practically permanent enemies. Their collaboration with the court to launch a sneak attack from behind was undoubtedly a huge hidden danger.

Li Yuanchang hadn't originally intended to conquer Japan in one fell swoop, but he thought he'd take this opportunity to break their bones.

The loss of this army severely weakened the Japanese emperor, essentially making him a lamb to the slaughter for the Ōtomo clan.

In his plan, the peninsula, along with the entire Japanese kingdom and the Ryukyu Islands, would form a vast territory that would fall under his sphere of influence, effectively becoming part of the Han Chinese territory.

While resisting the imperial court, Li Yuanchang was extremely excited to have expanded the territory for the Han people to such an extent.

Our ancestors always looked down on these places, considering them poor and worthless. Even if they conquered them, they wouldn't want them; at most, they would relocate some people.

But Li Yuanchang knew very well how important these coastal ports would be to the Chinese nation a thousand years later.

Therefore, this action is no longer just a struggle with the imperial court, but also concerns the fate of the entire nation for thousands of years!

It doesn't matter who's in charge, but the territory must belong to the Han people.

Due to the special and covert nature of the operation, Li Yuanchang and Jin Minda repeatedly confirmed the route and the response to emergencies.

The troops below are assembling, and the two men and many advisors are constantly rehearsing on the sand table to prevent any unexpected situations.

The two raced against time until the first quarter of the Yin hour in the middle of the night, which is around 3 a.m. in later times.

The 10,000 light cavalry responsible for luring the enemy out set off under the cover of night, passing through the same city gate as the subsequent ambush force.

Located at the eastern gateway of Anshi City, it is backed by mountains and accessible only by a cliffside plank road, making it very secluded and able to avoid the surveillance of the Tang army.

After Kim Min-da's troops had completely disappeared, Lee Won-chang also set off.

The entire B-class battalion, including its guards, numbered over 3,200 men and was mobilized.

This is a high-stakes gamble. If the judgment and plan are wrong, then Anshi City will be in danger. After all, the commander and the main force have all come out, and only 30,000 Goguryeo auxiliary troops and some reserves remain to defend Anshi City. The number of Han Lei is only 300, which is just for show.

If Li Ji were to receive this information, he would undoubtedly send an army of 100,000 to launch a direct assault.

But as dawn broke, everything returned to normal.

The morning sun bathed every corner of Anshi City, and the outskirts were peaceful; not to mention enemy troops, it was difficult to even spot a wild rabbit.

Just as Li Yuanchang predicted, Li Ji's focus had shifted away from this area, and they may have even left most of their base camp.

"..."

Dozens of miles east of Jinliang Mountain, deep within the rugged mountains and treacherous waters, flocks of birds flew in unison, as if some enormous creature was passing through the lush, wildly growing forests.

The birds were startled, the rabbits and wild animals scattered, and even the ground trembled slightly.

"ah!!"

A human scream pierced the sky.

"Baka!"

puff! !

A Japanese samurai with a half-moon haircut cleaved a colorful snake in two with a single stroke, the snake's head still hanging on his thigh.

In just a short while, the samurai was poisoned. The powerful neurotoxin made it difficult for him to breathe instantly, and after a dozen breaths, he lost his struggle and began foaming at the mouth.

A group of Japanese people surrounded them, and behind them were countless Japanese rattan armor warriors, densely packed like monkeys covering the mountains, numbering at least tens of thousands!

Instead of taking the main roads, they ventured into the deep mountains and dense forests of these uninhabited areas. They were all dressed in rags, reeked of foul odors, and had black and yellow teeth, as if they had been traversing these uninhabited areas for a very long time.

"arrive!"

"We've finally arrived!"

"General Miyamoto, this is it. The Tang army wants us to wait here!"

"We can get out of the mountains just ahead. This should be the area where the Tang Dynasty and Li Yuanchang are fighting!" said a warrior with a bun hairstyle, his dark hands holding a map.

Miyamoto Takekawa had a cold gaze, a stubble-covered face, and a slightly weathered appearance. One of his eyes was naturally blue, giving him a captivating aura.

He looked around at the mountains: "Order the troops to cease fire and to rest quickly."

"Send out spies to make contact with the Tang army immediately!"

"yes!"

He then swept his exhausted subordinates over and began to rally them.

"Soldiers of the Emperor, we have traveled thousands of miles, crossed seas, and traversed mountains and rivers, all for this moment, to join forces with the Tang army to destroy that scoundrel Li Yuanchang!"

"Only with his death can Ōtomo be taken down!"

"Only then can southern Japan be recovered!"

"This man has occupied our land, seized our wealth, and bullied us Japanese. His crimes are unforgivable. You must all do your utmost to defeat him!"

"yes!"

A group of samurai bent over and shouted in Japanese, their murderous aura fierce and their wickedness extreme.

Miyamoto Takekawa slowly took out a scroll, which depicted a human figure. Although the figure was very realistic, it was clearly Li Yuanchang.

"You won't live much longer."

"You will pay the price for your actions. Daring to oppose the Emperor and support the Ōtomo clan, huh? You really think we can't do anything to you?"

He chuckled coldly to himself, a hint of cruelty flashing in his blue eyes.