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

"We can slow down the production of black powder. The storage costs are too high. We should seal up the raw materials and manufacture it when needed."

"The main challenge now is to overcome the difficulties of muskets and cannons, and we need to allocate more resources to the cast iron sector," Li Yuanchang said.

Muskets and cannons were things he had always wanted to invent, but Hanley's limitations were too great; the throwing range was insufficient, making it difficult to adapt to various battlefields.

Once the fighting gets chaotic, Hanley's throwing becomes hesitant and timid.

In the past two years, even though Li Yuanchang has invested a lot and recruited and trained many blacksmiths, he still has not been able to handcraft a stable cannon barrel.

Both handguns and cannons have extremely high requirements for the accuracy and quality of the barrel, unlike entry-level guns like the Hanlei, which are much easier to handle.

Without machine tools or experience, it was all done by hand, which was extremely difficult.

"Yes!" Several officials in charge of black powder nodded in unison, indicating that they would do it immediately.

"In addition, take out 70,000 Han Lei and 3,000 explosive packs, load them onto the vehicles in advance, prepare protective equipment, and wait to depart."

"yes!"

"Xue Rengui, you can start preparing now. Take my token and go to the Beida Camp to mobilize 10,000 men."

"Go to the South Camp and transfer another 10,000 new soldiers."

"This time, I plan to lead 20,000 elite troops on this expedition, and you will accompany me."

"Yes!" Xue Rengui clasped his hands in a fist salute.

With the troops and equipment arranged, the next step was personnel appointments and removals after his departure.

Li Yuanchang thought the probability of the court making any underhanded moves after he left was very small, but he still had to be on guard.

Fortunately, he had many capable subordinates who intercepted many historical figures, so he could handle the situation perfectly.

He continued with his previous approach, having Jin Minda, Lu Zhong, and others guard Anshi City outside, while leaving the Southern Prefecture to Song Yu and Wang Hongzhi.

The Central Prefecture, serving as the main base, was handed over to Su Gui and Wan Jun.

It is basically a system with one civil official and one military officer, along with a large number of core members in charge, operating in a strict and orderly manner.

At the same time, he adopted Su Gui's suggestion to temporarily impose a curfew and militarize ports throughout the Far East in order to prevent any unrest.

As for Japan and Silla, he simply issued an order, and since Chido and Kim Seung-man were both his people, they naturally cooperated seamlessly, forming an unbreakable bond.

Let alone whether Changsun Wuji and his ilk would dare to act recklessly, even if they did, the Far East, from military to civilian sectors, is virtually impregnable.

The Far East is not limited to a single powerful ruler, but possesses a highly efficient and sound system of capabilities.

In some dynasties, chaos ensued immediately upon the death of a powerful ruler, but this was impossible in the Far East, where the equal distribution of benefits and responsibilities permeated every corner.

When the system is good enough, even without Li Yuanchang, the Far East would still be difficult to break through.

Moreover, Li Yuanchang had an heir, which in the minds of the ancients meant the fate of the nation. With a successor, the morale of the army would not falter and the people would be united.

"..."

A month later.

The imperial court replied, and Li Zhi issued another edict, officially appointing Li Yuanchang as the Grand General of the Western Expedition, giving him full authority to recover Tuyuhun.

At the same time, he appointed Li Ji as the Grand Logistics Manager, stationed in Chang'an, to oversee logistics and coordinate operations, which can be seen as agreeing to Li Yuanchang's various demands.

After receiving consent, Li Yuanchang did not hesitate and announced that he would send troops in three days.

The news sent shockwaves through the Far East!

Because the news was kept under wraps, the lower and middle levels only found out about it when it was finally released.

But by this time, all of Li Yuanchang's arrangements had already been implemented.

Over three days, provisions were transported first, with a large number of grain carts escorting the journey from Zhongbu Prefecture to Anshi City, then out of Liaodong, and into Yingzhou.

Then, they traveled thousands of miles to Tongguan. According to the agreement, the Far Eastern army could not enter the pass and had to pass through Luoyang, Longxi, Hezhou, and enter Qinghai Road.

Entering Qinghai Province is tantamount to entering a battlefield.

Latest news indicates that the Tibetan army has achieved actual control over the entire territory of Tuyuhun. Some of Murong Khan's men escorted him during his escape, while others had already surrendered.

For the next three days, Li Yuanchang acted as if he were going on a long trip, no longer asking about anything, and entering the mode of life after he left, while he devoted himself to spending time with his family.

When parting is imminent, sadness and tears are inevitable.

But Situ Lan always managed to hide her emotions well, thus keeping the entire backyard from worrying Li Yuanchang.

She also had selfish thoughts, not wanting Li Yuanchang to go to war, so she stayed in the Far East. But she also understood that her husband was no ordinary man and was destined to walk an extraordinary path.

Her duty was to protect this family for Li Yuanchang.

three days later.

One early morning, the army officially set off.

Upon seeing that the imperial envoy numbered only 20,000, he was immediately shocked and sought out Li Yuanchang to inquire whether these 20,000 men were the vanguard or the entire army.

Li Yuanchang's answer terrified the imperial envoy: 20,000 men?

"Your Highness, Your Highness, wait!"

"The Ministry of War has conducted a special investigation before this visit. There are at least 100,000 Tibetan troops within Tuyuhun territory, not including the surrendered soldiers within Tuyuhun. You only have 20,000 men. How do you plan to deal with this?"

"Even if we capture a place, we won't have enough manpower to garrison it!" an official caught up with us.

Guo Chao, who was standing to the side, smiled and said, "Government? What are you guarding? After Your Highness attacks, you will drive all the Tibetans out of the country."

"We don't want to occupy that place; we want to drive out all the Tibetans!"

"Even if everything goes smoothly, the number of troops is still too small." The official tried his best to persuade Li Yuanchang to send more troops.

Li Yuanchang had no idea what these officials were really thinking. He calmly observed them and shut them up with just one sentence.

"If you think this won't work, then you take command?" He handed over his riding whip.

The official was immediately embarrassed.

"Since His Majesty has entrusted me with full authority, you should not be pointing fingers at me. If you continue, I will definitely report to His Majesty and severely punish those who undermine the morale of the army!" Li Yuanchang said coldly.

The officials from the imperial court who had come to assist him all changed color upon hearing this and dared not say another word.

"Keep going!" Li Yuanchang roared and rode off to catch up.

"..."

Watching his retreating figure, and then looking at the majestic city of the Central Prefecture, the officials exchanged glances, their expressions unpleasant.

"Only 20,000 people have been mobilized, what are we going to do?"

"Isn't he afraid he won't be able to win?"

Disappointment was evident in their eyes and tone; they longed to see Li Yuanchang mobilize his entire force.

Besides that, I was shocked.

Twenty thousand people, which is far less than the court's estimate.

After all, Tuyuhun had already been annexed, and the Far East Army was now on the offensive. It was a consensus that the offensive forces should outnumber the defensive forces.

It is not only used for combat, but also for transportation, defense, support, and protection of supply lines.