Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 431 Japanese Mission
Feeling the blood in her mouth, Empress Wu now felt like crying but had no tears.

In this patriarchal era, it is as difficult for a woman to make a name for herself as it is for a beggar to rise up and break the inherent class rules.

Empress Wu's status as empress was her support, but it also restricted her development.

As the mother of a country, there is no reason for her to meet with foreign officials in private.

He has an inherent weakness in winning people's hearts and supporting his confidants.

Li Yifu was one of the few reliable and capable people she could think of...

Faced with the current disadvantages and the unknown enemy hidden behind the scenes, Empress Wu placed her hopes of breaking the situation on the other party, waiting for the other party to enter the capital, and the two of them will work together to find the enemy hiding in the dark...

As a result, before the Fengshan amnesty was even possible, Li Yifu was already killed.

Is this an accident?

No, absolutely not!
Although it was reasonable for Li Chongde to point his sword at Li Yifu, it was no exaggeration to say that the feud between the two would not end until one of them died.

But once is an accident, twice is an accident, so how many times has it happened now?
There is no way it could be an accident!

There must be someone behind the scenes watching me, and the power is not small.

Who is it?

Empress Wu's mouth was full of blood. At this moment, Li Zhi was still beside her. She still maintained the demeanor and grace of a queen, but there was a beast roaring in her heart...

You rat, if you have the guts, just hide for your whole life.

If I catch you, I will make your whole family be treated like those two bitches.

The two bitches are naturally Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao.

At this moment, Empress Wu's hatred for the person behind the scenes exceeded that for the two people she hated the most.

After learning that the Minister of Justice Liu Xiangdao had dealt a fatal blow to Li Yifu, Chen Qingsi no longer paid attention to the matter and let Empress Wu worry about it.

September 21st, the second year of Linde.

Chen Qingsi was invited to the residence of Duke of England Li Ji, along with Li Yuanli and Xu Jingzong.

A huge silk cloth was hung in the middle of the hall of the mansion, on which were densely recorded the entire Fengshan Ceremony.

Li Yuanli looked at Chen Qingsi and said sincerely: "Although I sighed countless times, every time I look at this plan, I can't help but sigh. Minister Chen is truly a god in this world."

Li Ji echoed, "Who wouldn't? Fengshan is such a complicated matter, and there are countless things to consider. However, Mr. Chen has made all these complicated matters clear to us with this so-called 'outline'. The work is divided into every department in detail, and no one can be lazy, let alone shirk responsibility."

This is the key.

It is a taboo to shirk responsibility, but this situation is unavoidable.

Even in later generations, there are always people who occupy positions but do nothing, let alone the feudal era?
The more complicated and bigger the matter becomes, the more people will try to take advantage of the situation.

It would be fine if nothing happens, but if an accident really happens, it is common for people to blame each other.

Now Chen Qingsi has drawn up a rough framework, and the specific departments responsible for any problems will be assigned to specific departments.

These Fengshan envoys can directly inquire about the progress of various departments according to the outline.

The huge and complex Fengshan process has been made simple and efficient with the help of this form outline.

Li Ji, Li Yuanli and Xu Jingzong all benefited from it.

Xu Jingzong sighed secretly. Chen Qingsi had grown too fast, beyond his expectation. He felt a little regretful. He wanted to establish a good relationship with him for future generations. He thought that when the other party really rose up and could threaten him, he would not have much time left. But he did not expect that in just a few years, the other party would grow to this point.

It was useless to regret now, so he joined in the flattery.

Chen Qingsi responded modestly.

Getting back to the point, this time their Fengshan group gathers again, it will be the last time to confirm the process.

After today, we will officially enter the Fengshan period.

The official time for the Fengshan ceremony was the beginning of the next year, but they had to leave in early October. It was more than a thousand miles from Luoyang to Mount Tai, and the emperor was leading a large group of civil and military officials, as well as vassal kings, envoys, and concubines. They could not move fast, so they had to reserve enough time.

As the chief envoy of Fengshan, Li Ji also said with some excitement: "Today, the Ministry of Rites sent news. The envoys from the Kingdom of Daqin have entered Chang'an and will arrive in Luoyang in two days."

The most important part of this Fengshan ceremony was to show off muscles to foreign delegations.

The situations of the three previous Fengshan ceremonies were different, but in general they were still a declaration of orthodoxy to the people of the world.

During the Qin Shihuang period, an effective tribute system had not yet been established.

China's external tribute system was created by Emperor Wu of Han, but he focused on conquest and expansion of territory, and the real suzerain state system had not yet been perfected.

As for Emperor Guangwu of Han, he paid attention to the people's livelihood and was not strong in external expansion. There was even an incident where sixteen kingdoms in the Western Regions, including Shanshan and Cheshi, were willing to surrender, but Liu Xiu refused to let them in.

Their Fengshan was mainly an internal show, but during the Sui and Tang dynasties, after a long period of division, the country's fortunes and national affairs experienced explosive growth.

Especially Emperor Taizong Li Shimin, he absorbed the excellent cultures of various ethnic groups through the open-minded approach and integrated them into Chinese culture. He also promoted Chinese culture to various barbarians in all directions, creating a situation where all nations came to congratulate him.

Facing a brand new era, this time's Fengshan was not an internal show, but a way to show off the country's strength to the outside world.

The envoys from all directions are naturally the highlight of the Fengshan ceremony.

During this half year, Luoyang gathered almost all the vassal states within the Chinese cultural circle, and some non-vassal states in the West also sent envoys.

Including the Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire, that is, the Arab Empire and the Byzantine Empire.

The envoys from the Arab Empire were the last batch...

As for Japan, the new king came personally with the ministers and arrived half a month ago.

On the first day the Japanese delegation arrived in Luoyang, they sent someone to deliver a visiting card, hoping to visit Chen Qingsi.

However, Chen Qingsi was busy finishing the Fengshan ceremony and was unable to spare the time, so he refused the request for a meeting.

But the Japanese delegation persisted, and Chen Qingsi chose to meet with them today.

Not wanting Li Ji to suddenly convene a meeting, Chen Qingsi had to ask people to return home and set the meeting date for tomorrow so that he could attend the meeting convened by Li Ji first.

Li Ji said: "This Fengshan ceremony will be conducted under the watchful eyes of hundreds of vassal kings and envoys. Any mistakes will bring shame to the court and become a laughing stock."

He looked at Li Yuanli and said, "Prince Zheng, you should go to Fenggao County first to prepare for the reception. You should also pay attention to the situation on Mount Tai..."

Li Yuanli was a prince, a member of the royal family, so he just nodded and said "Yes!"

"Mr. Xu, you are extremely talented and knowledgeable. You should accompany His Majesty to entertain envoys from various countries and help His Majesty solve problems."

Xu Jingzong liked this kind of job the most.

Li Ji then looked at Chen Qingsi, who smiled and returned the greeting.

Li Ji said, "Among the four of us, Mr. Chen is the youngest and most quick-witted. We have tried our best to do everything in the past year or so, but there are exceptions to everything, which is inevitable. We need someone to be ready for unknown variables at any time, and I think Mr. Chen is the best person to do this."

Chen Qingsi replied: "I will obey your orders!"

Li Ji arranged the tasks for the three people and said with some self-mockery: "I am old and my health is not as good as before. I can only be lazy and coordinate everything from the rear."

The three of them didn't take Li Ji's humble words seriously.

Apart from this one of the few founding fathers of the Tang Dynasty, who else is qualified to sit in the rear and lead them?

The four of them made a final summary and decided on the final implementation plan for Fengshan.

When he returned to the Chen family residence, Chen Qingsi discovered that the Japanese King Mosquito House and the Minister of the Interior Nakatomi Daiki had been waiting there and had not left.

Jiang Chen said: "We have conveyed the Lord's intention. But the other party said that the Lord has a great favor for Japan, so we should wait a little longer. It's okay."

The grace of rebirth!
This is absolutely true.

After all, when he was in Japan, his status was slightly higher than that of MacArthur, who later became a five-star general.

Thinking of this, Chen Qingsi came to the reception room, where King Mosquito House and Nakatomi Daiki were sitting respectfully.

Seeing Chen Qingsi come in, the two of them immediately stood up and stepped forward to greet him.

"Minister Chen!"

Although Chen Qingsi looked down on the two men, he still behaved very politely. He returned a slight greeting to the King of the Mosquito House and let the two men take a seat.

Facing Chen Qingsi, the King of Mosquito House looked a little embarrassed and uneasy. He didn't know what to do with his hands. Sometimes he grabbed the corners of his clothes, and sometimes he rubbed his thighs, as if wiping the sweat from his hands. He didn't even have the courage to look Chen Qingsi in the eye.

Chen Qingsi was not surprised by the Mosquito House King's behavior.

The Japanese in later generations boasted that their emperor was an eternal dynasty!
What does it mean to have a dynasty that will last forever?
To put it bluntly, it is about pure bloodline. In order to maintain their own bloodline, the Japanese royal family has inbreeding, which leads to genetic confusion and the birth of all kinds of deformed and disabled people.

The Mosquito House King in front of him was physically normal, but his brain was obviously inferior to that of an ordinary person.

Because of this, the power of Japan is now in the hands of the Minister of the Interior Nakatomi Daiki and the Shogun Fujiwara no Yoshimichi.

Both of them were established by Chen Qingsi, and Fujiwara no Yoshimichi was the monk Yoshimichi.

Monk Yoshimichi was ashamed of his origins, so he used his power to acknowledge a member of the dying Fujiwara clan as his father, inherited his family name, called himself Fujiwara no Yoshimichi, and then became the Shogun.

Chen Qingsi couldn't understand, but he didn't bother to ask. As long as Japan did not involve the interests of the silver mine, how they developed had nothing to do with him.

Seeing that King Mosquito House was afraid of him like a tiger and couldn't even think rationally, Chen Qingsi could only look at Nakatomi Daiki.

Nakatomi Daiki felt a little ashamed and thought it was a disgrace to have such a king. He said, "This time, my king and I came to Luoyang, not only to respond to the call of His Majesty the Emperor of the Celestial Empire, but also to hope to get the help of the Celestial Empire to suppress the bandits in Kanto."

It turned out that the big thunder that Chen Qingsi left in Japan officially exploded.

Because Chen Qingsi had crippled Japan, the native Japanese inhabitants were unable to suppress the Hayato tribe on Kyushu Island and the Ezo tribe in Hokkaido.

The Hayato tribe occupied most of Kyushu Island, while the Ezo tribe took over Dewa and Mutsu, and also occupied parts of Echigo and Shimotsuke.

The momentum of the Hayabusa tribe was suppressed by the regular army of Japan. Because there were troops stationed by the Tang Dynasty in the west of the Japanese island, there was no major turmoil and it was the first to restore its rule.

The situation in the eastern Kanto region is more complicated...

The Tang Dynasty's troops reached Owari and Mino, helping the Japanese government to control the Nobi Plain, and did not continue to advance into Shinano, Mikawa, Totomi and other areas.

With the Nobi Plain as the dividing line, to the east, the old forces of Japan did not submit to the Japanese imperial court.

These old forces not only fought among themselves, but also with the new forces and the Ainu people. The whole of Kanto was in chaos, with dogs barking and biting each other at will.

Relying on the financial resources of the Kinki Plain and the Nobi Plain, the great general Fujiwara no Yoshimichi fought many brilliant battles at the beginning, recovered a lot of lost territories, and captured Suruga, Kai, Shinano, Echizhong and other places, forcing the rebels to retreat to Kanto.

However, as the resistance grew stronger, the old forces, which were in chaos, began to differentiate between the superior and the inferior and gradually gained cohesion. Fujiwara no Yoshimichi could no longer fight and the two sides were in a stalemate.

Currently, the Japanese government's eastern front line in Echigo borders the Emishi people, while Suruga, Kai, and Shinano border the Kanto rebels.

Under tremendous pressure, the old Japanese forces, who were once mortal enemies, formed an alliance with the Emishi people, and agreed to face the outside world together and resist the Japanese government.

The Japanese government now felt great pressure and could not resist their alliance.

Hence today’s call for help…

Chen Qingsi was delighted when he heard this. This kind of chaos was in the best interests of the Tang Dynasty. He said, "Why not ask for help from the Tsukushi Protectorate?"

He asked this question even though he knew the answer.

Chen Qingsi has always had the final say on the strategic decisions of the Tang Dynasty.

The definition of Wakoku is that the island cannot be in chaos, but it cannot be stable either.

The silver reserves of Iwami Silver Mine are the largest mines known to the Tang Dynasty so far. It is only in the early stages of mining, but it has already begun to make a profit and brought a lot of profit to the court. If it continues at this pace, it will become the economic pillar of a region in the east in a few years.

If Japan is allowed to remain too stable, no one can guarantee whether they will have any unusual thoughts.

Therefore, as long as the forces supported by the imperial court, led by King Mosquitoya, are not severely damaged, the Tang army in Chikushi Protectorate must not act rashly, and it would be impossible for them to send troops easily.

Nakatomi Dahui said with a sad face, "Protector Zhou said that he did not have the imperial decree, so he dared not send troops rashly and had to ask the court for instructions. His Majesty the Emperor of the Celestial Empire did not agree..."

Chen Qingsi pretended to understand and said, "Your Majesty is in the Central Plains and doesn't know much about the situation on the Japanese island. Let me understand the situation. If everything is the same as I told you, I will persuade Your Majesty and help you resolve your worries."

After all, they are the ones you support, so you have to do your part to help them when needed.

Don’t keep a tiger as a threat…

After a series of bloody battles, the old forces of Japan have become truly elite troops. If they continue to develop in this trend, it will be disadvantageous to the Tang Dynasty.

The example of Li Chengliang raising a tiger and causing trouble is still in Chen Qingsi's mind...

Chen Qingsi didn't expect a group of cats to defeat a tiger. Since there were already signs of the tiger, he would strangle them in the cradle.

Hearing Chen Qingsi's promise, King Mosquito House and Nakatomi Daiki were both overjoyed and thanked him one after another.

King Mosquito House suddenly took out a gift box from his arms and handed it to Nakatomi Daiki.

Nakatomi Daiki held up the gift box and said, "We have one more favor to ask..."

Chen Qingsi asked: "Speak!"

Nakatomi Daiki said earnestly, "The whole country of Japan is celebrating the enthronement of the Celestial Empire. Our respect for the Celestial Empire is greater than that for Mount Fuji. I hope that the Emperor will consider our country's piety and move as far forward as possible in the ranking of other countries so that we can see the Emperor's face and body."

(End of this chapter)