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

"Do you all understand the Duke's orders?! I'll repeat them again!"

On the deck of the Zhennan treasure ship.

Hou Junji swept his tiger-like eyes across the room, exuding an aura of majesty.

At this moment, he was no longer the old master of the Duke of Lu's mansion who was beaten and begged for mercy by his daughter Hou Qianya when she returned home, nor was he the "sycophant" who fawned over Li Chengqian in the Eastern Palace.

At this moment, he is a former general of the Qin King's mansion, a minister who served two generations of the emperor, and a brave and valiant general who fought his way up on the battlefield.

As soon as the order was given, the generals lined up on the deck immediately straightened their backs and raised their heads.

"Your subordinate, Song Dahu, commands 500 cavalry and 300 infantry. He is ordered to wipe out the fishing villages, fortresses, and Japanese pirates along the coast of Chuyun Kingdom within ten days!"

"Your subordinate, Kang Youming, commands 300 cavalry and 800 infantry. He has been ordered to gather prisoners and Japanese villagers from various places and escort them to Yinshan!"

"My subordinate, Li Ting, commands 400 infantry and 200 cavalry, responsible for escorting the artisans from the Ministry of Works, as well as their tools and supplies for mountain clearing..."

"Your subordinate..."

After everyone had given their reports, Hou Junji slowly nodded.

He glanced at his deputy beside him and gave the order.

"Log in!"

"Thump thump thump! Thump thump thump..."

The dense, heavy drumbeats rang out from the treasure ships led by the Zhennan, followed by the Dengzhou naval warships, which began to slowly lower their sails and reduce their speed.

As the fleet slowly came to a stop not far from the coastline, small boats were lowered from one side of the ship.

One by one, the brave and valiant vanguard of the Tang Dynasty, clad in armor and wielding sharp blades, filed onto the ship.

Several ships with crossbows mounted on their sides sailed across the coastline, their soldiers aiming at the fishing villages on the shore, providing cover for the landing troops.

However, it is clear that this is a process they have practiced many times.

Applying this to modern Japan, especially to a small fishing village that Japan doesn't consider valuable at all, is truly like casting a silver spoon in someone's eye.

As the dozen or so small boats from the Tang Dynasty reached the shallows, the soldiers scrambled to their feet.

As they rushed toward the shore, only a dozen or so figures emerged from the fishing village, each wielding a harpoon or a stick.

Only the one in the lead looked like he was properly equipped; he must be the village's samurai leader, holding a long sword.

However, at this moment, he looked at the hundreds of Tang soldiers who were charging towards him with ferocious smiles on their faces.

His previously fierce expression froze instantly.

He was stunned for only a moment, then...

"Run! (Run!)"

Without any hesitation, he abandoned his men and immediately turned to flee for his life.

The guys who realized what was happening instantly showed expressions of horror.

Shouting, he dashed back the way he came.

however.

How could the Tang army, which could be called the elite of the Tang Dynasty and was entrusted by Li Chengqian to carry out such an important military mission, be a simple force?

Faced with the few guys who tried to escape, a dozen Tang soldiers drew a short crossbow from their waists in unison.

“Click…”

The machine expands, and a short crossbow is automatically loaded.

"咻咻咻......"

"Pfft!"

"Ah!!! It's too late!"

"Ah! Muxi, Daskote! (Master, save me!)"

Several small boats carrying warhorses and a few cavalrymen landed on the shore. The cavalrymen quickly mounted their horses, which neighed loudly.

Cheng Chumo charged ahead: "Quickly eliminate the armed forces in the village and control the able-bodied men! We'll go and block their path!"

"Yes! General!"

Even in Japan today, a noble samurai might not be able to own a horse, let alone in the era of warhorses. A dozen or so Qinghai Cong horses, which are nearly twice as strong as Japanese horse breeds, completely refreshed these short men's understanding of warhorses.

The samurai, who had just fled from the village and was trying to escape elsewhere, heard the commotion behind him.

One glance back and I was instantly terrified.

Cheng Chumo was a ruthless man of few words. He swung out a long-handled broadsword that was longer than two Japanese soldiers combined.

Using the momentum of the charging warhorse, the Mo Dao cleaved several of the warrior's followers into pieces on the spot, leaving them with their eyes wide open in death. Finally, the Mo Dao hilt struck the warrior, sending him spinning in mid-air.

It slammed violently onto the ground, which was littered with severed limbs and blood.

"Tied!"

When the Tang army had less than 500 troops landing, this small fishing village had already fallen completely under the control of the Tang army.

All the elderly, children, women and kids in the village were gathered together.

They trembled, their faces filled with terror and shock as they stared at these "demons," each one of them much larger and more imposing than the rest of them...

Hou Junji arrived shortly afterward, and Cheng Chumo threw the warrior, whose ribs were broken in countless places, onto the ground.

"Reporting to the General, this area is now completely under control, and this man is the village's strongest fighter..."

Upon hearing this, the Tang soldiers around him all showed expressions of contempt.

Hou Junji had no interest in the wailing and terrified Japanese miners and immediately gave the order.

"Leave some men to guard the ships and find a high point by the sea to dock and build a port. The rest of the men... proceed according to plan!"

"Yes!!!"

The army began to land in large numbers, and then, under the leadership of their respective generals, they began to use this place as a center to launch conquests in the surrounding areas and inland regions.

They want to mine and want to stay there long-term.

It is necessary to use force directly, since the Tang Dynasty needs a large number of lowly miners to mine at low cost.

In less than three days, a terrifying message spread throughout China.

"What?! You bastard, do you know what the consequences are for lying about military intelligence and deceiving the lord?!"

In the Yiyu River basin, there is a mansion built in the mountains and forests.

Second-in-command Yi Yuchuan Sanhe angrily stood up and drew his long sword.

He stared coldly at the retainers and samurai kneeling before him, and questioned them.

The latter kowtowed repeatedly. He had been fleeing all the way, and only escaped from the hands of the Tang Dynasty's killers by virtue of his familiarity with the terrain. Yet, he did not show any fear or apprehension in his eyes.

"Master, Second Master, I would never dare to deceive you! The Ōta Prefecture is finished! Everyone, everyone has been captured by those bastards, even General Ōta was severely injured and dragged away..."

Upon hearing this, everyone present narrowed their eyes again.

One of the three heroes of Izumo Province, the head of the family, Izumo Kashiwa, took a deep breath.

"Tell me slowly, tell me everything you know, especially... which family is the enemy? Is it the Kikizuki family or the Susanoo family?"

The samurai looked panicked and trembled all over.

"No, no, none of that... It's the Tang Dynasty! It's the Tang army!"

"Nani!!!"

At this moment, everyone present, even Yi Yuchuanlu who had been able to remain relatively calm, stood up in shock.

"Tang army? What are they doing here?! We've never provoked them!"

And at the same time.

The same situation occurred among the other two factions in Izumo Province.

Hou Junji's goal was the silver mines and the miners. From the landing point onward, he didn't care whose territory it was, as long as his cavalry could quickly reach and capture it.

As a result, in just a few days, the Tang Dynasty captured four to five thousand young Japanese laborers from various places who could be used for mining. Inevitably, this also encroached on the territory of the three powerful states of Izumo.

The same time.

Deep in the mountains, the craftsmen of the Ministry of Works, under the orders of Hou Junji, began to explore the mountainous areas where intelligence indicated the existence of silver veins.

They followed ancient prospecting procedures, first observing the mountain's contours to look for signs of exposed mineral veins. They struck rocks with hammers, carefully listening to the echoes to determine the rock's hardness and potential mineral content. Next, they scraped ore powder with a special touchstone, using color changes to make a preliminary assessment of the ore's composition.

The Tang soldiers responsible for protecting them looked around warily.

Whether they can find a mineral vein is the sole criterion for the success of their military operation.

The environment of Iwami Ginzan is rugged yet beautiful, with clouds and mist swirling around the mountains, babbling streams, and lush forests.

While Tang soldiers were out capturing Japanese invaders and preparing to mine, deep within the Iwami Silver Mine...

The craftsmen used ropes and simple ladders to climb steep rock walls and venture deep into the heart of the mine. They used torches to illuminate the dark caverns, carefully observing the texture and distribution of the ore and recording every detail.

Several days in a row.

Finally, just as Hou Junji was beginning to worry about whether the information given by the Crown Prince was accurate.

A faint, sharp whistling sound, accompanied by the sound of an explosion, suddenly came from one direction in the mountains.

"It's a signal flare! It's a signal flare! One blast! We've found it! We've found the ore vein!"

"General! We've found a mineral vein!"

The guards rushed in to report, but Hou Junji had already rushed out of the tent first.

When I saw the faint red smoke swirling in the distant sky, my spirits instantly lifted.

I was just about to take some people to see it.

Suddenly, a fast horse rushed into the camp.

"Reporting to the General! Three forces in Japan have joined together to launch an attack on us!"

Hou Junji: "..."

What the hell is this called?

This is what you call double happiness!

Hou Junji's large-scale military camp was set up at the foot of Iwami Silver Mountain, which quickly led several heads of major Izumo clans, including Iyu Chuanlu, to find the location.

From the withered and desolate forest, a group of samurai ronin with no military formation or discipline, along with many other fellows who looked more like thugs, emerged.

It seems they wanted to give the Tang army the feeling of being surrounded by wolves, thus gaining the upper hand in terms of morale.

However, those people, whose height was not even as tall as the urine stains left on the tree trunks by the Tang soldiers, made them look ridiculous and laughable.

The brothers Cheng Chumo and Cheng Chuliang exchanged a glance.

Not to mention, even when fighting these little dwarfs, one of them used a long-handled battle axe, and the other used a long-handled broadsword.

This is actually quite difficult to handle.

It actually benefited the swordsmen, spearmen, and archers in the army...

"Where is the commander of the Great Tang Dynasty?"

A strange-sounding Tang language voice came from in front of the Suzaku group, and before Hou Junji could even step forward, the dwarfs started making strange noises like "oh oh oh".

The Tang Dynasty swordsmen, their blades gleaming, exchanged glances, ensuring each strike was swift and precise.

They both saw the doubt in each other's eyes.

What kind of special etiquette is this?

Or... do they think it sounds more imposing to call it that?

Hou Junji, who also arrived at that moment, noticed the ghostly appearance of the person opposite him, and a strange look flashed across his face.

He then gave instructions to the adjutant beside him.

"Send the order!"

"Target: enemy troops on the opposite side! Archers, fire three volleys in a row!"

"Even tiny Japan values ​​military etiquette; how can our Great Tang, a land of propriety, be outdone?!"