Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

Fukuoka Shipyard.

After more than half a year of rushing to complete the work, and with the investment of various manpower and resources, the shipyard has only managed to complete two shipyards so far.

However, the two platforms are now under martial law by the Tang army, and the engineering projects here have been taken over by ship engineers from Taiyuan Shipyard and Dengzhou Shipyard.

"Your Highness, regarding the construction schedule, since we currently have no shortage of manpower, and the frameworks of both treasure ships have already been erected, we guarantee completion by the end of this year, with a trial run next spring..."

The chief engineer of Fukuoka Shipyard is not only a senior professor at the Imperial University.

They were themselves key targets of protection by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Prince of Han's personal guards.

Li Ke stood on the high platform, looking down at the Japanese slaves working within the massive framework of the treasure ship below.

"Our people don't need to do any heavy physical labor, but they must thoroughly inspect every part of the project for me. The standards must be strict and meticulous!"

Everyone could hear the distrust that His Highness the Prince of Han had towards these Japanese pirates.

Li Ke stood with his hands behind his back, then slowly turned his head to look at a blond, blue-eyed guy next to him.

"Putret, I have ordered the construction of a complete research institute for you on Tsushima Island. There is a specially set-up prison for prisoners there. The Crown Prince has also ordered the equipment you need for your research to be sent from Daido Prefecture."

"Once these Japanese slaves finish their work here by the end of this year, I will have them sent to your side... If you make a mistake, I will personally deal with you without my brother even needing to lift a finger!"

"Understand?"

The somewhat sinister voice made the foreign youth named Putre immediately tense.

He nodded hurriedly.

"Your Highness, please rest assured. My teacher explained everything before I came. Please trust my expertise; the Tang Dynasty Pharmaceutical Research Institute guarantees there will be no problems!"

Li Ke neither confirmed nor denied the claim.

He looked indifferently at the obsequious and humble appearance of the Japanese slaves below, his eyes filled with coldness.

"I hereby inform the Mononobe clan, the Inuga clan, and the Kyoraku clan that I have given them ample time, but if they think they can slack off because of this, I will send my Tang cavalry to capture slaves!"

Deputy Liu Tao bowed his head: "Yes, Your Highness, rest assured, I will have someone inform them immediately."

Li Ke placed his hands on the railing in front of him, looked down at the shipyard, then at the shimmering sea in the distance, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

"My brother longs to travel and see the world, but many things prevent him from leaving Chang'an and Taiyuan. I must become stronger as soon as possible so that my brother will have less pressure..."

Almost the same thought was also lingering in the mind of Prince Li Yin of Liang at this moment.

The Military Affairs Office of the Silla Royal Palace.

Although this is Silla, in reality, it is now the Prince of Liang of the Tang Dynasty who is in control of everything.

"Your Highness, these are the names of those who made great contributions in the recent Battle of Amuro Castle. Please take a look."

Marquis Jing Shui, Jing Junhong, respectfully handed a list to Li Yin.

When Li Yin opened it, he found that it did not contain the names of Tang soldiers and officers, but rather a list of Silla officers in the Tang allied forces.

The rewards for Xue Rengui and his men had already been distributed.

This list was specifically prepared by Jing Junhong and the others at Li Yin's instruction.

"The people on this are all brave and loyal on the battlefield... Their families work in the industries we have established and have also been allocated land."

Li Yin nodded in satisfaction.

Outside the Military Affairs Office, seeing Li Yin walk out, Kim Seung-man, who had been asked to wait outside, quickly went up to him.

She followed Li Yin respectfully, like a cautious maid.

"You've met your sister? Did she say anything to you?"

The carriage swayed gently.

The official roads in Silla are not yet fully developed, but this does not bother Lee Eun as he looks at the list in his hand, as well as the list of Silla soldiers and officers who have won military exploits.

He glanced at the documents and casually asked a question.

Jin Shengman hurriedly shook her head: "No, no... it's just..."

"Just say whatever you want to say!"

Unable to discern Li Yin's current mood, Kim Seung-man appeared even more anxious.

"The taxes from Silla have been collected this year, but there's still a shortfall to cover the military expenses... My sister and the others want to build a fleet of ships to trade with the Tang Dynasty and earn some money."

Li Yin raised an eyebrow slightly, and finally looked away from the document in his hand with surprise.

"Did Kindeman suggest this himself? Or...did you suggest it?"

Kim Seung-man pursed her lips, not daring to meet Li Yin's gaze.

"Yes, I brought it up with her first."

She didn't even dare to warn Lee Eun to show some respect to his sister, who was the Queen of Silla, or at least not to address her by her name directly.

She seemed worried about arousing Li Yin's suspicion and dissatisfaction.

He hurriedly offered an explanation.

"I just want my sister to go to the Tang Dynasty herself and see how well His Highness the Crown Prince governs the country, so that she can better understand how to govern a country in the future."

Li Yin chuckled, but it was a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

He looked Kim Seung-man up and down, who always seemed to have all sorts of clever tricks up her sleeve.

"You still plan to send your sister to the Tang Dynasty? Aren't you worried that I'll have her entire fleet sunk at sea and then put you on the throne?"

Jin Shengman's pretty face immediately turned pale, and Li Yin rolled her eyes.

"Alright, I was just joking. At least for now, Jin Deman is smart enough not to cause any trouble for me. Going to the Tang Dynasty is good. She can meet my royal brother and see if he would be interested in her."

"If you can stay by my brother's side, that would be best. If not... then you should obediently return to Silla and be her mascot!"

mascot......

Kim Seung-man pursed her lips and sighed softly.

"Your Highness is certainly not being polite..."

Li Yin sneered: "No need for formalities. At least I'm only using words for now. If I were to actually take action... hmph."

"Don't say you didn't predict what you said!"

In Sassanid Persia, within a magnificent palace, the resounding voice of Pei Sixue, the Tang Dynasty envoy, echoed.

Although he couldn't understand what the other person meant, he had previously translated what the other person had said and told it to Yazd II, the Sasanian Persian monarch, which had greatly angered him.

"Nonsense! This is a frame-up! A deliberate frame-up! Our people have never entered your Tang Dynasty's trade route. We are currently fighting the Arabs, how could we possibly send troops to such a distant place?!"

"Even if you're demanding compensation from us, you should at least provide sufficient evidence!"

A Sassanid Persian economic minister roared.

Damn Eastern bandits!

Just like those damned Turks, they're a bunch of shameless bastards!

Today, Sassanid Persia is in decline and can no longer even suppress emerging Arab nations.

The national treasury relies primarily on land taxes, which have reached their limit and cannot be increased further.

In the past, when the country was powerful, it could receive tribute from other conquered small countries, but now that source has been cut off.

Trade tariffs were significantly reduced due to the war with the Arabs.

Even so, these damned Eastern bandits still managed to frame the Sassanid Persians for attacking the caravan, relying solely on a few hundred sets of tattered armor they had cobbled together and discarded.

asshole!

We desperately want more fearless caravans to pass through our area so they can pay their taxes!

We'd have to be crazy to attack them!

"We will absolutely not accept such disgusting blackmail from you!"

The Minister of War was also making a fuss.

Only the Second Prince of Yisi had a gloomy old face, and it was unknown what he was thinking.

Pei Sixue listened with a cold smile to the halting translation by the translator beside him.

After hearing that these guys didn't take the matter seriously, he stopped saying anything more.

His purpose has been achieved.

He had already conveyed the Emperor Emeritus's instructions.

"Alright! In that case, we'll have to meet on the battlefield!"

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and waved his sleeve.

He walked gracefully out of the hall without looking back.

Behind them, a shout suddenly came from the Second Prince of Izanagi.

"and many more!"

Pei Sixue was tugged at by the translator beside him and turned around to look at the Second Marquis of Yisi with a puzzled expression.

He saw the other party and several ministers whispering anxiously to each other.

Only then did they look at him again.

"This envoy from the Great Tang Dynasty, I swear on the honor of our royal family..."

The translation was only halfway done when Pei Sixue interrupted it with a cold laugh.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, your Sassanid Persian gods have no jurisdiction over the territory of my Great Tang. Oaths of divine retribution are of no use to me!"

"I have come with the orders of our Emperor Emeritus. The Sassanid Persians must either pay reparations to our Great Tang, or... we shall meet on the battlefield!"

"If the Arabs you mentioned find out about your situation, will they also take advantage of your misfortune?"

He turned his head and looked around with deep emotion at this Western Region palace, which was completely different from the style of the Tang Dynasty.

"Tsk tsk tsk, I wonder how many more years this palace will last? One year, or two?"

"Or perhaps only a few months?"

Enraged, Yizi II turned pale and slammed his fist on the armrest of the throne.

"Bang! If you think that you can bully and extort us at will because of this, then you are very wrong! The Turks cannot make us submit, and the Arabs cannot make us bow down."

"Even you people of the Great Tang Dynasty can no longer make us cower and retreat!"

He had originally planned to see if he could salvage the situation and reconcile, but after seeing Pei Sixue's attitude, he realized that he should not engage in a major war with the Tang Dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty will not obediently return to the negotiating table.

These damn bastards, they claim to be here to negotiate, but they have absolutely no sincerity whatsoever...

When Pei Sixue led his troops back to Xizhou County of the Great Tang Dynasty.

Xizhou County, nearing October.

In the vast cotton fields, a large number of laborers are picking cotton.

In the lands where Li Jing, the Duke of Ying, was rewarded, there were rows of dark-skinned Kunlun slaves bending over to pick cotton.

Pei Sixue gave a detailed account of what had happened.

"My lord, I see that Sassanid Persia is on its last legs. The people who toil on the land are all emaciated, and even the officials cannot hide the worry on their faces."

"Although they have rejected the demands of our Great Tang, they are clearly at their last gasp."

"If the commander trusts me and grants me an army of at most 20,000 men, I will surely wipe out Sassanid Persia by the end of this year!"