[Lightscreen]
[Historically, Wa (Japan) and the Korean Peninsula had never truly lost contact. They drifted apart and back together, again and again.
Back in the Sui dynasty, Wa had even sent an envoy—Ono no Imoko—to the Sui court. In his letter, he addressed the Sui emperor as "the Son of Heaven of the land where the sun sets."
The Sui emperor, naturally, was not amused.
Relations soured, but Wa quickly pivoted and deepened its ties with the peninsula. Before long, they learned an important fact:
There was a dad-tier boss on the peninsula.
Goguryeo.
The Sui dynasty was far away. Goguryeo was right next door. From Wa's perspective, Goguryeo had always been the biggest obstacle to setting foot on the peninsula.
Then came the nineteenth year of Zhenguan.
Li Shimin personally led a campaign and beat the Goguryeo, that Wa once thought invincible into the ground.
When news reached Wa, the aristocracy was shaken to the core.
Early the next year, Zhenguan twenty, a coup broke out in Wa. A new emperor ascended the throne and immediately issued the Edict of Reform. For the first time in Wa's history, an era name was proclaimed:
Taika.
Thus began what later generations would call the Taika Reforms.
To put it bluntly?
They grabbed Tang dynasty governance with both hands and copied it wholesale.
After all, Tang could pin Goguryeo down and beat it senseless. Learning from the strong was never wrong.
Three Departments and Six Ministries? Copied.
Eight Ministries, Hundred Officials? Copied.
Prefecture–County system? Tweaked slightly, renamed Province–District–Village.
Equal-field system? Modified into the Handen system.
Tax, corvée, and tribute? Literally copy–paste. Not a word changed.
Tang's advanced institutions flipped Wa upside down—and inflated its confidence to historic levels.
Soon, Wa began actively meddling in peninsula politics. When Baekje and Goguryeo teamed up to attack Silla, Wa's shadow was right there behind the scenes.
Li Zhi's nose was always sharp when it came to this kind of thing.
Before Su Dingfang moved to destroy Baekje, and with Li Zhi's approval, Tang forces suddenly raided the Wa embassy compound in Luoyang. No questions asked. Every Wa envoy was detained to prevent leaks.
By the time Wa heard about it, Li Zhi was already parading captives in Luoyang and filing victory memorials.
Tang troops were now physically on the peninsula.
Empress Kōgyoku grew anxious. If she waited any longer, there might not even be soup left to drink. Her stance hardened—troops were to be dispatched, and she would lead them personally.
Then fate intervened.
On the eve of departure, the empress died.
The newly enthroned emperor was far less aggressive. He halted the expeditionary force and shifted instead to providing supplies to Goguryeo and Baekje.
At the same time, shipbuilding continued. Troops were still being conscripted.
The message was crystal clear:
If Tang is crushing it, we stay home.
If Tang looks shaky, we sail in and pick up the scraps.
But from Baekje and Goguryeo's point of view—
Our brothers are getting beaten. And you're just… not coming?
Unacceptable. You have to come. Even if we have to trick you.
The already-fallen Baekje constantly sent Tang prisoners to Wa, claiming Tang troops were weak and easy prey.
Meanwhile, Goguryeo—its capital under siege—wrote letters without a shred of embarrassment:
Our soldiers are brave and fierce. We have shattered two Tang fortifications. Though the enemy relies on two strongholds to block our advance, they will soon fall.
They even described Tang forces like this:
"Tang soldiers clutch their knees and weep. Their edge dulled, their strength spent—they cannot even pull themselves free."
Baekje and Goguryeo unleashed their traditional skill.
They lied.
They lied so well that Wa bought it completely.
Wa immediately decided to send troops.
But the two "brothers" had oversold it.
Wa thought: If you're already beating Tang senseless, you clearly don't need help.
In that case, we'll just go hit Silla instead.
Together, we'll surely usher in a brighter future for the peninsula!
Baekje and Goguryeo were stunned.
Wait.
This… isn't how the script goes?
But Liu Rengui was ecstatic.
My script has arrived.]
"Guangshen…" Li Shimin repeated, torn between laughter and disbelief.
He didn't even know what it meant—but instinctively, it sounded insulting.
He set that aside for the moment. Watching Wa's reforms unfold, he actually found it amusing.
"They had it easy," he chuckled. "Our institutions took centuries to refine. They copied everything overnight."
Du Ruhui's face darkened.
"They learned a hundred Tang systems—yet not a single point of Huaxia ritual propriety. Still beasts in human skin. Detestable!"
That Wa empress's naked ambition reminded them all of later disasters yet to come.
Disrespect toward the Son of Heaven first—then, just decades later, invasion. And centuries on, actually carrying it out.
A wolf's heart, through and through.
Everyone nodded.
Baekje, at least, could be excused—Tang had been in the wrong first.
But Wa?
Tang gave them its best. And their first thought was conquering China?
Even a house dog won't bite its master.
These people weren't even dogs.
"I request to follow the example of the Sea Commanders and destroy the enemy for Your Majesty," Li Shiji volunteered.
He'd thought this through carefully.
The Western Regions were too far, and cavalry warfare wasn't where he shined brightest. His later victories against Xueyantuo owed much to familiarity—years stationed in Bingzhou taught him exactly how Turkic tribes schemed.
If so, why not take charge of the naval forces?
To the east lay the peninsula and Wa. To the south, countless islands.
No shortage of work.
Li Shimin nodded calmly, signaling him to wait.
Tang forces had already begun operations against Yizhou. The island had many native peoples—what they needed was a governor who could soothe with words and command fleets with steel.
Li Shimin quietly added Li Shiji (Li Maogong) to his list.
Then he saw his son's decisive move to prevent intelligence leaks and couldn't help praising him.
"Zhinu did well."
Military strategy lacking—but politically decisive.
Like me.
His gaze drifted to Zhangsun Wuji.
…Yes. Quite decisive.
Zhangsun Wuji noticed the look and thought he was being prompted to speak.
Studying the shifting situation on the Light Screen, he offered a careful judgment.
"There should still be a pro-Tang faction in Wa."
The term "pro-Tang faction" was common in later discussions of the Western Regions. Zhangsun Wuji had pondered it before—small states were always the same.
Opposing Great Tang head-on was like smashing an egg against a rock.
Some might choose national martyrdom—but far more were like Baekje's prince: eager to receive Tang titles and glory.
"If the empress truly died of illness," he continued, "their policy wouldn't waver like this."
Everyone immediately understood.
The transition from empress to new emperor hadn't been smooth. The vacillation suggested a fierce internal struggle between factions.
Li Shimin fell silent.
He understood this perfectly. But how to leverage a small state's pro-Tang faction to secure unwavering loyalty?
Foreign envoys visiting Tang was normal. If they wanted, they could come three or five times a year.
But for Tang to station itself inside a small state—and influence its internal politics…
A method surfaced in Li Shimin's mind.
Then he hesitated.
Was it too domineering?
Nearby, Liu Rengui watched with undisguised anticipation.
Who didn't want their name written into history?
It was never a question of wanting—only of being able to.
Liu Rengui never thought himself special. The only thing people talked about was how he'd once personally flogged a commandant to death.
Everyone in Chencang thought he was finished. Even Liu Rengui had prepared himself for prison.
Instead, he'd been commended for impartial justice.
Now, staring at this miraculous Light Screen, hope stirred again.
Could it be… that I really do have the makings of a great commander?