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

After completing negotiations with the imperial court, a triumphant Li Yuanchang issued a series of orders, officially beginning his annexation of Japan.

This involves not only military aspects, but also trade, education, and other areas.

The reason why so many states were destroyed and then restored, only to rebel again, in ancient history is that they only had military force.

Military force cannot conquer a country or even a tribe; the most sophisticated form of conquest is cultural assimilation.

They speak the same words, eat the same food, and write the same stories.

This presents a significant challenge for Li Yuanchang, as talent cultivation and development, as well as the formulation of rules, are all tough nuts to crack.

Mid-February.

Xue Rengui reported another victory, officially breaching the city and annihilating the Japanese.

Its emperor and a whole host of nobles surrendered.

February 19th.

Li Yuanchang officially approved the establishment of two top educational institutions on the Far Eastern Peninsula: the "Chang Province Government" and the "Military Academy".

The provincial capital of Chang'an was modeled after the Imperial Academy in Chang'an, mainly training civil officials and scholars, but the knowledge they learned was very different from that in Chang'an.

His governing philosophy, compulsory subjects, and promotion system were completely unique, personally designed by Li Yuanchang. They broke away from the antiquity and rigidity of feudal dynasties, replacing them with a concept from a thousand years later.

Officials can no longer rely on nepotism or literary achievements as their criteria for success; instead, they should be judged by their actual population and economic performance.

This move was a complete and utter severance, cutting off all the rules of the Tang Dynasty and Goguryeo, and establishing a completely new system.

As the name suggests, the Military Academy was a place for training soldiers.

This place is not only a school; Li Yuanchang also incorporated the entire arsenal into it, forming a vast system of schools with more than 10,000 members.

This place was not only responsible for training military generals, but also for continuing to develop Han thunder weapons and even firearms, thus serving as a protective umbrella for the entire Han people.

In addition to these two universities, Li Yuanchang also successively established nine departments, including the Commerce Department, Taxation Department, and Land Department.

Each department had its own duties, and responsibilities were more clearly defined, making it an advanced version of the Tang Dynasty's "Six Ministries and Six Warehouses" system.

These systems covered not only Goguryeo, but also the entire country of Japan, as well as numerous islands and reefs such as Tsushima Island and Ryukyu Island.

Once the decision was made, this vast sea area and peninsula were seamlessly connected, like a sophisticated engine being gradually assembled.

Of course, this requires breaking free from the war with the imperial court; otherwise, with constant fighting, there would be no way to develop, and money and supplies would become a huge problem.

With millions of people in both locations combined, what do they eat and drink?

Time flies, and another month has passed.

March 24th.

On this day, the harsh winter in Liaodong gradually passed, and the signs of spring warmth and blooming flowers became increasingly obvious.

One prison wagon after another rolled over the newly sprouting soil, traversing mountains and valleys, and were transported by the army all the way to the central prefecture.

When the convoy arrived, the whole city was in an uproar!

Upon receiving the news, Li Yuanchang reluctantly got out of his warm bed.

The Japanese Emperor, Empress, their sons, and various princes and ministers, totaling one hundred people, were successively escorted into the front hall of the massive Han King's Palace.

They were once powerful and influential figures in Japan, but now, defeated and captured, they are nothing more than ordinary people.

The Emperor, who was almost mythologized, was now disheveled, wearing only a thin gray robe, shivering, and looked extremely wretched.

They prostrated themselves on the ground, kneeling all over the small square.

Someone was crying, and the sound was quite clear.

Li Yuanchang descended the steps one by one, his black python robe exuding an imposing aura.

The Japanese emperor was so frightened by just one glance that he thought the person walking towards him was the new master of the Tang Dynasty. The oppressive feeling was so strong that he didn't even dare to look him in the eye.

Li Yuanchang's steps were rhythmic, each step like the approach of death.

He walked right up to the Emperor of Japan and said, "Raise your head."

The Japanese emperor slowly raised his head, his face pale and weak, but he looked to be only in his twenties.

Li Yuanchang was surprised; he had always thought it was an old man.

"So you're the Emperor Kōtoku who's going to kill me?"

"It has nothing to do with the Emperor. It was me, I sent them!" shouted a Japanese retainer close to Emperor Kōtoku.

"Did I give you permission to speak? You noisy brat!" Li Yuanchang said indifferently.

Guo Chao raised his knife and slashed.

puff!!

Blood splattered, and the head flew off.

"ah!!"

The Japanese prisoners gasped in surprise, and some even burst into tears.

"Is there anyone else who wants to speak?" Li Yuanchang looked around, exuding a strong sense of ruthlessness as a victor.

The Japanese prisoners trembled and dared not utter another word.

Emperor Kōtoku's mind went blank, his face was covered in blood, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

When the knife was held to his neck, he reacted with a start, shouting for his life, "I am a vassal of the Tang Dynasty! If you dare kill me, aren't you afraid the Tang Emperor will punish you?"

Upon hearing this, he was met with sneers from all around.

Li Yuanchang said with a smirk, "Your Majesty, don't you know that I have already reconciled with the court?"

"Reconciliation?" Emperor Kōtoku was bewildered, panicked, and incredulous.

Li Yuanchang had an imperial edict brought to him and threw it directly at Emperor Kōtoku's face.

"Take a good look."

When Emperor Kōtoku picked it up and saw the words written in black and white on the paper, "The Japanese Emperor deserves to die for assassinating a prince of the Tang Dynasty," his face turned completely green!

"No, that's impossible!"

"It's fake, it's fake!" He lost control of his emotions, unable to accept that his only benefactor had sold him out!

Li Yuanchang said calmly, "Truth and falsehood are intertwined; you, as the Emperor, don't even understand this simple principle?"

"You Japanese are nothing but a bunch of clowns trying to interfere in the internal strife of the Tang Dynasty."

"Now that the war is over and I have made peace with the court, who else should I target if not you?"

"There are no eternal enemies in the world, only eternal interests, and you are the victims."

The blunt words shattered Emperor Kōtoku's last hope. He was struck dumb, collapsed to the ground, and trembled like a dog.

Seeing that he was completely desperate, Li Yuanchang said again, "Issue an edict to abdicate."

"I will spare your lives, but you, all you princes and nobles, each write a letter to the entire territory of Japan, proclaiming that you shall submit to the administration of the Han Prince's Palace, and that all the islanders and servants under your rule shall surrender, or else it will be considered treason."

"In this way, I will be well, and you will all be well too."

He learned from the lesson of Li Shimin killing Dou Jiande and others, which led to persistent discontent in various parts of Hebei. Instead of killing them, he imprisoned them. Otherwise, he would have incited hatred within the Japanese, and local resistance would have continued indefinitely. It would have been difficult for the people to accept him as Li Yuanchang.

Don't be fooled by the fact that these guys are now like stray dogs; centuries of spiritual enslavement, especially the existence of the Emperor, have destined many to be blindly loyal.

This is why he didn't kill Gao Baozang, but instead kept him around.