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

The moonlight was like water, and their eyes met.

At that moment, the world seemed to fall silent.

Li Yuanchang was very clear-headed and slowly reached out to take Wu Lan's hand.

Wu Lan blushed and avoided eye contact.

Immediately afterwards, with a creak, the wooden bed creaked, and Li Yuanchang sat up and picked up Wu Lan.

She was slender and very light.

Wu Lan's heart raced, her shoes flew off, and she was held in Li Yuanchang's arms. Her breathing became rapid, and she stared intently at him.

When Li Yuanchang kissed her, she blushed and tried to pull away, but it was more like a young girl's shy panic than a rejection between a man and a woman.

The moonlight shone through their lips, and they finally closed them slowly.

Wu Lan grabbed Li Yuanchang's clothes, closed her eyes, and was slowly laid down.

She was trembling all over, experiencing a thrill akin to tasting forbidden fruit, leaving her in a completely dazed state.

After a while, she felt like she was suffocating. She turned her head to the side, grabbed the bamboo pillow with both hands, her brows furrowed, and felt a warm touch on her neck, as if a thousand insects were crawling on it.

The girl's dress gradually loosened, and the sash slipped down to the foot of the bed.

Li Yuanchang was very gentle and in no hurry, admiring this masterpiece of nature, the girl's perfect body.

The girl is beautiful, sweet, and shy—she's "perfect," only lacking white stockings; she has all the essential qualities.

Li Yuanchang was no longer thinking straight and used all his strength.

"..."

The next day.

The sun was shining brightly, and the weather was sunny and pleasant.

Everything was calm. Last night, what seemed like drunkenness was actually a natural progression.

Situ Lan must have heard about it from the steward Li Hou early on, so she sent over some clean clothes and told people not to disturb her.

Wu Lan was flustered and embarrassed when she received it.

He stayed with Li Yuanchang and refused to come out.

It wasn't until the thoughtful Situ Lan came to pick her up that she understood. Having been through similar experiences, she immediately understood when she saw Wu Lan walking with some difficulty.

After bidding farewell to Wu Lan, Li Yuanchang went to the morning meeting feeling refreshed.

Although the Far East Royal Palace is a royal palace, and Li Yuanchang has never intended to establish himself as independent, the Far East Royal Palace is now too large!

It is much larger than when we left Liangzhou, with seven or eight more departments and more than a hundred subordinates of various kinds. This only includes those stationed in the central government, not those sent out to other places.

In reality, it was just a meeting of the Prince of Han's Palace in name only, but it was practically the same as the meeting in Chang'an. He was truly an uncrowned king in the true sense.

The main topic of discussion in the morning was still the "Western Expedition".

The majority opinion on this matter was still against sending troops. They distrusted the imperial court and were worried that once the army set out, the court would take advantage of the situation and launch an attack.

Some even argue that the Tibetan invasion of Tuyuhun was a conspiracy, that the event never happened, and that they were simply working together to deal with the Far East.

Li Yuanchang finally spoke out and expressed his opinion.

He first eliminated some unrealistic speculations one by one, and then used various sources to corroborate his subordinates that Tibet had indeed annexed Tuyuhun.

Then, with a single sentence, he silenced the Far East Royal Palace, where opposition was running high.

"Are you willing to watch your compatriots be trampled upon by the Tibetans?"

This statement elevates helping the imperial court to the level of saving the nation; the starting point is different, and the meaning is even more different.

It is undeniable that the Far East has actually become autonomous, only it has submitted to the imperial court. The vast majority of people here no longer yearn for the Central Plains and are even wary of Chang'an.

But it is equally undeniable that they still have Han Chinese blood and share a common belief.

This is something inherent in the Han people: whenever the nation is invaded, it is often a time when they set aside past grievances and unite against external threats.

This is why, even during the highly fragmented Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, foreign tribes dared not come to the Central Plains.

Anyone who dares to enter will be the first to be wiped out.

Ultimately, this far-reaching decree was quickly passed under Li Yuanchang's leadership and became a consensus: to expel the barbarians and protect the Tang Dynasty.

After making a decision, Li Yuanchang sent a group of people to set off with Cheng Chuliang to return to Chang'an to report back.

He also brought with him several petitions, including one that the court should not interfere with the command of the battle, and another that the core objective of the battle was to regain control of Tuyuhun, and that was all.

The imperial court could not order the army to continue advancing and invade Tibetan territory at that time, because that would be impossible.

Of course, the most important issue is logistics.

It was simply impossible for the Far Eastern army to transport supplies from the peninsula to fight in Tuyuhun; the logistics could only be handled by the Gyeonggi Province and the Guanzhong area.

To prevent anyone from hindering the operation or causing trouble, he requested that Li Ji be in charge of logistics and that at least 300,000 shi of grain be prepared in advance at the front line.

This is a prerequisite for sending troops.

Li Yuanchang predicted that Li Zhi would definitely agree, since these were all things that should be done, and it was perfectly reasonable to let Li Ji be in charge of logistics.

Therefore, after Cheng Chuliang set off, he began preparations ahead of time.

……

Inside a secluded military restricted area, Li Yuanchang inspected the warehouses filled with a dazzling array of goods, all wrapped in layers of thick oil paper to prevent moisture.

Each sheet of oiled paper possesses devastating power; it is a true treasure of China.

This place was originally a small racecourse located on the hill behind the palace of the old Goguryeo dynasty, used exclusively by the Goguryeo royal family for horseback riding, hunting, and holding small events.

Since Li Yuanchang didn't live in the palace, and it was just sitting empty anyway, the back mountain was converted into the current "Military Affairs Workshop," which was used to store finished products, while manufacturing was done elsewhere to avoid the risk of spontaneous detonation and chain explosions.

There are extremely strict safety regulations here, prohibiting open flames, strangers, and even all wild animals have been hunted down in advance.

At least eight drainage ditches were dug in all directions and are cleaned regularly.

From a physical perspective, the risks of explosion, rotting, and flooding are eliminated.

Even the names of craftsmen and supervisory officials were engraved on every brick and tile, ensuring that the responsibility system was implemented for everyone, making it impossible to cut corners.

Moreover, a "three-shift" system is implemented here, meaning that a new batch of people is rotated every four hours. The area is heavily guarded around the clock, and everyone is a loyal confidant of the Far East Royal Palace. Their descendants are all raised by the Far East Royal Palace.

Each level requires a token and a password.

Any irregular entry or exit from the warehouse, or any transfer orders, will be subject to arrest by the troops stationed here.

It is no exaggeration to say that this was the most heavily guarded arsenal in the Tang Dynasty.

How many finished products does Hanlei currently have?

Cui He, the head of the Military Affairs Bureau, led his men and said, "Your Highness, the current stock of Han Thunder exceeds 170,000. Including the latest additions, the precise number is 173,100."

"This does not include the explosive charges, which have the largest yield, numbering ten thousand, and are all sealed underground."

Li Yuanchang nodded.

"So what's the current production efficiency? How much black powder is being produced on average per day?"

"Your Highness, the process is quite lengthy. The time spent on excavation, transportation, and manufacturing is rather scattered. If we calculate the average daily weight of the finished product, it would probably be around one thousand catties."

A thousand catties a day, that's more than 300,000 catties a year, enough to make tens of thousands of Han thunderbolts.

For an agricultural era, especially considering that it had only been established and developed in the Far East for a few years, this was already quite good.