I studied in modern times

Chapter 742 Xiao Budaye's Discovery

Zhao Xu took a short rest in the imperial garden, and Feng Jing came back.

He also brought back someone.

Punishment forgiven!

Xing Shu has been busy negotiating with the Liao people these days.

Of course, he did not forget to do business.

Therefore, under the rejection and cancellation of punishment, the Liao people opened up to purchase.

This year's Jiaozi quota is 3 million strings of cash, but in just ten days, more than 1.5 million strings have been spent!
Zhao Xu was shocked when he saw it.

All I can say is that the Liao people really don’t take money seriously.

This is also a characteristic of the paper currency era.

As long as paper money is issued, there will inevitably be inflation, no matter what the standard is.

Because no one can control how they spend money.

What's more, in the eyes of the Liao people, the three million strings of Jiaozi every year were almost like money falling from the sky.

"Your Majesty..." Xing Shu came to Zhao Xu, bowed four times, and then said, "The Liao people said today that they are willing to use 200,000 taels of silver as a pledge and ask our court to help them print 1 million strings of Jiaozi..."

Zhao Xu narrowed his eyes as he listened.

Two hundred thousand taels of silver and an additional one million strings of Jiaozi?
It is in line with the Jiaozi trade treaty between Song and Liao.

But the problem is...

Didn’t Yelu Hongji refuse to take the real money a few days ago and just want to get something for nothing?
What's going on now?

Zhao Xu looked at Xing Shu.

Xing Shu bowed and said, "I heard that the Liao people seem to have found a small island rich in silver...Now they can get more than a thousand taels of silver every month!"

After hearing this, Zhao Xu was completely confused.

The Korean Peninsula is indeed rich in mineral resources.

But they are all buried deep underground!
An open-pit, island silver mine?
Zhao Xu couldn't figure it out!
At least he had not heard of any silver mines on any island in North or South Korea in modern times.

Could it be a silver mine that had been exhausted in the Middle Ages and has no records?
Zhao Xu immediately sighed: "The Liao people are so lucky!"

The monthly output of silver is more than 1,000 taels, which means more than 10,000 taels a year.

Very good!

Even in the Song Dynasty, such a silver mine would be considered a large mine.

no way!
East Asia is seriously short of silver!

On this earth, all the famous silver mines are on the other side of the ocean.

Today, that fertile land seems to be full of primitive tribes, whose level of civilization is comparable to that of the Shang Dynasty - they all love human sacrifice!
That’s not right either…

Zhao Xu thought of Japan.

It seems that there is also a super large silver mine on the Japanese archipelago.

I think it’s called Iwami Silver Mine?
Pity……

Now we can’t even reach Japan.

Otherwise, Zhao Xu was really moved.

However, they had no idea that the Liao army had already landed in Japan, and this was their second landing in Japan.

So, after sighing twice, Zhao Xu said to Xing Shu: "Since the Liao people have silver, then agree to their request!"

Two hundred thousand taels of silver, exchanged for one million strings of Jiaozi.

At the current rate at which the Liao people spend money, they can only sustain purchases for half a month at most.

"I will obey your gracious orders!" Xing Shu bowed again.

……

Heian-kyo, Japan.

The abdicated Emperor Shirakawa, Zhenren, was in his own court, listening foolishly to the accusations of the ministers who had escaped from Kyushu.

Although Heian-kyo already knew a month ago that the Liao army had landed in Kyushu again.

However, they were confused as to why the Liao army invaded Japan again, how many people were there, and what was the current situation in Kyushu.

no way!
After the invasion of the Liao Kingdom, the Kyushu region quickly fell into chaos. Most of the news received by Heian-kyo were contradictory or even absurd - some even claimed that a Liao army of 100,000 and thousands of ships were crossing the sea!

After taking Kyushu, they will attack China directly and destroy Japan!

It was not until now, when the nobles from Kyushu brought back the real intelligence about Kyushu, that Zhenren and his ministers finally knew the real situation there.

The Ping clan rebelled.

Not only did they rebel, they also landed in Kyushu with Liao soldiers.

Kyushu almost completely fell in less than a month.

The defenders of Chikuzen and Chikugo either surrendered or were completely wiped out.

Hizen and Higo were the bases of the Taira clan, and they almost surrendered at the first sight of the enemy.

The other countries did not resist for long.

This is not critical.

After all, last year's war had already proved that Japan's army was incompetent.

They were no match for those ferocious and wolf-like Liao people.

The key point is that the Taira clan actually raised the banner of "respecting the king and eliminating the enemy" and "returning power to the emperor".

He vowed to destroy the Fujiwara clan and restore order.

Originally, upon hearing this, Emperor Baihe was secretly delighted.

In his opinion, it would be best if all the Fujiwara clan died!

However, he soon became unhappy because the Taira clan not only carried the slogans of "respecting the king and eliminating the thieves" and "returning power to the emperor".

The Taira clan also announced that he, the Emperor Sadahito of Shirakawa, who was the heir of the royal family for eternity, had been poisoned by the Fujiwara clan.

The one in Heian-kyo now is just a puppet supported by the Fujiwara clan, an impostor, and not the real Emperor Shirakawa at all!

And it was the Taira clan who received the blood-stained imperial edict and was ordered to go to the Liao Kingdom to borrow heavenly soldiers to wipe out the Fujiwara clan.

The purpose of the Taira clan was also to preserve the inheritance of the Japanese imperial lineage and ensure the safety of Emperor Horikawa.

After listening to the story of the ministers who had escaped from Kyushu, Zhenren sighed and said to the other ministers present: "The Taira clan is so ambitious that they have colluded with the Liao people to bring disaster to our country!"

"Now, there is trouble in the world. Do you have any good ideas?"

The nobles and the aristocrats present looked at each other in silence.

Even the Left Minister Fujiwara no Michizane kept his mouth shut, frowned, and looked helpless.

Zhenren looked at them and knew that these people did not have no ideas, but were unwilling to offer them.

The reason was that he and Fujiwara no Michizane had invaded Kyushu last year with the help of the Liao army, causing the country to be shaken, and he deposed Fujiwara no Nobunaga on the charge that the Grand Minister of State Fujiwara no Nobunaga was incompetent and unable to cope with the situation.

But afterwards, he did not continue to be his puppet obediently.

Instead, he took advantage of the diplomatic victory, abdicated and became a monk, and supported his eight-year-old eldest son Prince Yoshihito to ascend the throne as Emperor Horikawa.

Then, he took advantage of the fact that he was the biological father of Emperor Horikawa and began to exclude the Fujiwara clan in an attempt to seize power.

This infringed upon the interests of the Fujiwara family.

Fujiwara no Michinashi naturally had some opinions about him.

Thinking of this, Zhenren said, "Are you all out of ideas?" The palace was still silent.

Those people in the palace, wearing tasseled crowns, robes, sashes, and holding tablets, are all masters of playing politics.

In Heian-kyo, they went in and out of the palace, generation after generation, and manipulated the imperial family like chess pieces.

However, over the past hundred years, these people have also offended a large number of people.

So, the situation has changed.

Seeing that they were silent, Jeongin picked up a wooden fish and tapped it gently.

Several attendants appeared in the hall and bowed their heads.

"Go and invite Mutsu no Kami Minamoto no Yoshiie to the palace!" Zhenren ordered: "Now the world is in trouble, we can only rely on the samurai!"

Suddenly, all the ministers.

These Chinese people, who were high above and looking down at the common people, immediately raised their heads and widened their eyes.

The left minister, Fujiwara no Michizane, was the first to step out: "Your Majesty, no!"

"Minamoto no Yoshiie is a samurai!"

"How can I step into the hall of the noble emperor and enter his chamber?"

In Heian period Japan, the status of samurai was extremely low!

This is because the so-called samurai were originally just servants and menial workers of the nobles.

Even now, the samurai are just running dogs in the eyes of the nobility and nobles who call themselves the masters of the court.

When can lackeys sit in the same hall with humans to discuss matters?
Even so, Minamoto no Yoshiie is the samurai with the highest military honors in Japan today.

Other people in the hall echoed.

But Jeongin was determined.

"The world is in danger now, Liao soldiers are invading!"

"Since you can't offer any advice, I can only seek the opinions of the warriors!"

"What's more, Minamoto no Yoshie is the most courageous man in the world!"

"The world is in danger now, and we can only rely on him!"

After saying this, Jeongin no longer cared about other people's dissuasion and forcibly ordered someone to summon Minamoto no Yoshiie to the palace.

A moment later, a warrior wearing a sash, over five feet tall, carrying a bow and arrows on his back, walked into the hall amid the indignant gazes of many people in the hall.

All the Chinese people were shocked when they saw this person ascend to the throne so quickly.

I already understood it in my heart.

From the very beginning, Zhenren had already planned to let Minamoto no Yoshiie ascend to the throne.

Whether they are willing to assist Jeongin or not.

The Chinese people suddenly felt humiliated.

But there is nothing you can do!

Because now, the military power and the samurai of Heian-kyo have been handed over by Sadahiro to the commander-in-chief of Minamoto no Yoshiie.

Minamoto no Yoshiie came to the curtain of Sadahiro. The samurai leader, known to the Japanese as Hachiman Taro Yoshiie, bowed and said, "Mutsu no Kami Yoshiie, I greet His Majesty the Emperor!"

When Zhenren heard Minamoto Yoshiie's voice, he was overjoyed and immediately said, "Minamoto, please don't be polite!"

"I invite you to the palace today, but I want to ask you..."

"Now, the Heike clan is in rebellion, coercing the Liao army to invade Japan. Do you have any good ideas?"

Minamoto no Yoshiie kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, I think that the best plan for now is to guard the coast carefully. We must not let the rebel Taira clan and the Liao army land in Sanyo Road and Nankai Road from Kyushu, and let them have any chance of going to Kyoto!"

"In addition, we should send envoys to Liao and Tang to meet the Liao ruler and the Song emperor in Tang..."

"In my opinion, as long as we can defend Shanyang Road and Nanhai Road, the Liao army will have no chance to take advantage..."

"And our envoys were able to reach Tang territory, meet the Liao and Song emperors, and receive generous gifts and humble words..."

"Liao State saw that there was no profit to be made, and Song State was willing to help persuade them..."

"Perhaps, our country can negotiate, just like last year, and pay some money and goods, and the Liao people will withdraw their troops!"

Jeongin listened and nodded in satisfaction.

This is what he wanted.

A head-on confrontation with the Liao soldiers?

He would never dare to do that!
Zhenren is well aware of the current combat power of the Japanese army - the mountain priests of Mount Hiei can carry the Buddhist treasures and move freely in an empty space.

How could they be a match for those Liao soldiers who were like evil spirits from hell?
Can't win!

They could only do as they did last year, bribe the Liao people, and then find a way to bring the Song Kingdom in the central Tang territory to its doom.

In this way, he can preserve his wealth.

However, everyone sitting in the hall began to get angry.

"No!"

“It’s a loss of sovereignty and humiliation to the country!”

"Didn't we send money last year?"

However, Jeongin was adamant and refused to listen to them.

Moreover, as the leader of the people in the palace, the Left Minister Fujiwara no Michizane chose to keep silent.

Therefore, these Chinese people can only curse and complain, but they cannot change anything.

……

Kyushu.

Xiao Budaya discovered something recently.

That is, it seems that in Japan, coins made in various dynasties of the Central Plains can be seen everywhere.

This was first discovered by straight women.

The Jurchens followed the Liao army deep into Kyushu, where they were given the power to plunder villages and markets that refused to submit.

So, we threw ourselves into it with joy.

Then they looted a large number of various coins.

The Jurchen people didn't know it, so they asked the Liao people.

Then, Xiao Budaya knew that he had discovered a gold mine!
Because he found countless kinds of coins among the coins he looted from the Jurchens.

Among them, the various Tongbao coins of the Tang Dynasty are the largest in number, followed by the coins of the Southern Dynasties.

But there are also coins from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties!
In short, there are all kinds of things!

After questioning Japanese nobles such as the Taira clan, Xiao Budaya learned that Japan had long been smuggling currency from the Southern Dynasty through various means.

Because Japan does not have the technology to mint coins!
This opened the door to a new world for Xiao Budaya.

You don't know how to mint money?

The Great Liao Association!

So he immediately sent people back to the country by boat, intending to request the court to transfer a batch of iron coins to test the waters!

If only iron coins could circulate in Japan...

This must be a great achievement!
(End of this chapter)