Wentang

Chapter 745 Untitled
It has been a month since Chang'an got the news of the Battle of Treasure Island.

Li Shimin couldn't help laughing when he saw the battle report: "The Strategy Department did a good job and accurately predicted the situation in Japan."

Li Ji said modestly: "Thank you for the praise of the sage. The strategy department can't do this without the information provided by the brother departments. Half of the credit belongs to them."

Li Shimin said deeply: "The work of collecting intelligence is equally important, and we must continue to strengthen the ability to collect intelligence for decision-making."

Fang Xuanling said: "I also agree that the territory of the Tang Dynasty is expanding day by day, and it takes months to reach Chang'an as far as the farthest point. It will be too late to wait for the imperial court to respond in case of emergencies. Early warning Particularly important."

Changsun Wuji said: "Just warning is not enough, we have to deal with it. If Governor Liu Dadu hadn't transferred two gunboats to the Singapore Madoka Navy this time, with 6000 of them facing tens of thousands of Japanese navy, I'm afraid It’s also more ominous than good.”

"Once the navy of Xinma Island is defeated, the more than 10,000 families of Tang people living on Xinma Island and Dead Leaf Island, as well as the [-]+ good horses raised on it, will all become the possessions of the Japanese kingdom."

"There is also Treasure Island, a treasure island that transports millions of gold and silver to the imperial court every year, and it will also fall into the hands of the Wa people. The national power of the Wa country that gets these resources will expand rapidly. We are thinking that it will be difficult to win them. "

Ma Zhou also answered seriously: "Forget about horses and supplies, the key is population. Once these more than [-] households fall into the Wa Kingdom, one can imagine how miserable it will be. At that time, no one will be able to bear the responsibility for this crime." .”

Speaking of this, the faces of many people present became a little unnatural, most of them were civil servants, including the emperor Li Shimin.

The reason is very simple. At the beginning, the strategy department made a judgment on the situation in the entire Datang and its surrounding areas, which was in the form of prediction.

Among them is the possibility of the Japanese National Assembly rebelling again, and gave a general time frame, which is the past two years, and believes that the imperial court should strengthen the defense of Xinma Island.

At that time, many people thought they were alarmist, and some even used the banner of benevolence and justice, saying that treating a vassal state like this was not the behavior of a suzerain state.

On the surface, it was just because the strategy department hadn't produced any results, and everyone expressed doubts about their research and judgment.On a deeper level, it is to suppress the military.

Once everyone agrees with the conclusions of the Department of Strategy, its political status will rapidly increase and it will become a key department that can influence the international situation.

And this department is in the hands of the Privy Council, which is equivalent to expanding the power of the Privy Council.

When the civil and military were separated, it was well said that the Privy Council only took care of the internal affairs of the army and war affairs, and everything else was managed by the civilian side.

Studying and judging the international situation, deciding where to increase troops, where to reduce troops, who to fight with, etc. are the affairs of the Zhengshitang.

Now the military suddenly has an extra strategy department, which has taken away their jobs. How can this work?

Therefore, many civil officials said that the Strategic Research Institute should honestly study the issue of war, and that this kind of issue should be left to our civil service department.

Li Shimin also had some doubts about the conclusion of the strategy department. Although he didn't say who he supported, he also put this proposal on hold.It's just a simple warning to Dizhou, so that they can pay attention to the movement of Japan.

As a result, the Wa country really rebelled, which was slapping them in the face, which naturally made them feel uncomfortable.

Some military generals are also ashamed. The reason for their shame is different from that of civilian officials. It is not because of the suppression of the Strategic Academy, but because of the suppression of the Maldives Islands Navy.

If it weren't for Liu Ren's willingness to resist the pressure and allocate two gunboats to the Singapore Navy, this battle would be really mysterious.Although they had selfish intentions, they didn't want Datang to suffer such a failure.

Thinking of such a scene, they all broke out in a cold sweat, feeling terrified in their hearts.

Li Shimin coughed dryly, and said: "The Strategy Department has proved its value. From now on, everyone's opinions on it must be taken seriously, and we can no longer ignore it as before."

As soon as he opened his mouth, he explained that the matter was over, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly replied: "Here."

Li Shimin asked again: "Mao Gong, what is the judgment of the Privy Council on the situation of the Japanese country after the war?"

Li Ji replied: "The Strategy Department believes that as long as two points are achieved, it can be guaranteed that the Wa Kingdom will not pose a threat to our Tang Dynasty in the next 20 years."

"First, maintain the split situation within the Wa kingdom. Although the strength of the Suwo family has been greatly reduced after these two major defeats, it is still not to be underestimated."

"Although the power of Prince Shotoku is relatively weak, they have great influence on the political situation and are qualified to inherit the position of the king."

"The lord of the country was originally not strong, but after this coup d'état, its strength has greatly increased... Coupled with other large and small feudal states, the political situation is extremely chaotic."

"As long as we continue to balance all aspects of the relationship and let them fight each other endlessly, they will not be able to organize an army to rebel against Datang again."

"Secondly, restore the Chikushi Kingdom. The Chikushi Kingdom is an ancient kingdom in the sea area of ​​the Wa Kingdom. It was destroyed decades ago because of its resistance to the tyrannical rule of the Wa Kingdom."

"But the royal family and the people are still there, and we can separate the Chikushi Kingdom from the Wa Kingdom in the name of helping them restore the country."

"The best port in the Wa Kingdom is Chikushi Island. Soga and Eizo hid their troops here for secret training during the two rebellions."

"Separate this place from Japan, and their navy will lose its hiding place, and it will only be exposed to everyone's eyes."

"There are only two sea routes to the outside of the country. One is from Xinma Island to the north to Beiju Luzhou. The other is from Chikushi Island to Nanyang or via Tsushima Island to Liaodong Sidao."

"Xinma Island is under my Tang's control. If Chikushi Island is seized again, Wa Kingdom will lose all outward channels and be completely locked there..."

"With these 20 years, the population of my Tang Dynasty in the Dead Leaf Island area of ​​Xinma Island can increase to [-] households. Even if the Wa country changes its mind again, there is nothing it can do."

Li Shimin looked at the map, analyzed what he said in his mind, and finally slapped the table and said: "This strategy is very good, send someone to do it immediately."

"Here." Li Ji got up and said.

Here he deliberately concealed a piece of information, that is, Liu Rengui had already communicated with Cai Yang in this regard a long time ago, and now Cai Yang probably has completed these two things.

But it doesn't matter. When further news comes, it can be explained that the two sides coincided with each other.The prediction of the strategy department played a role, and Cai Yang's outstanding personal ability was also recognized by everyone.

One score, two credits, perfect.

Then it is to discuss how to reward these meritorious men, but they only need to consider the rewards of high-level officers, and the middle and low-level officers and soldiers will be negotiated and drafted by the Privy Council and the Ministry of War.

It's easy for others to say, Cai Yang's award was suppressed by Li Shimin, but at the same time, he also made a decree, let Cai Yang handle the affairs of the Wa Kingdom and go to Beijing to face the saint.

To put it bluntly, Jane is in the emperor's heart, and the emperor wants to reward him face to face after seeing him.

Following the decrees issued one after another, the news of Datang's second defeat of the Wa Kingdom also spread, but it did not cause much sensation.

Most of the people's comments on this matter are:

"Waguo? What kind of country is Waguo? How dare you touch my Tang's ass? Isn't that courting death?"

"What? Just defeating them without destroying the country? This general is too soft-handed. Anyone who dares to show his teeth at Datang should be killed directly."

"Oh, you said that the Wa country was defeated again? I really like your use of this word..."

"It's so strange to defeat a small country. It would be abnormal if I didn't hear such news someday."

"That's right, I can hear cocoons coming."

This is the evaluation of the people of Tang Dynasty on the naval battle of Xinma Island. There is nothing to say about the big things.

But for the small countries around Datang who fantasize about enclosing their own land, this is nothing less than a blow to the head.The Wa Kingdom is also one of the most powerful forces other than the Tang Dynasty, and if it is said to be cleaned up, it will be cleaned up.

It was still a great victory under the huge disparity in military strength, which made them even more afraid of Datang.

Yue Shan didn't hear anything outside the window, it was Liu Rengui who came to visit him in person to know the news.

Cai Yang?He thought about it for a long time before he remembered who this person was. One of the earliest generals of the Dizhou Navy, he seemed to be a school lieutenant at the time, but he had grown into a general.

As for the follow-up arrangement of the imperial court, who will take over Cai Yang's position, follow-up immigration, cultural infiltration, etc., he is not interested at all.

At this moment, he just wants to wander in the ocean of knowledge, study hard and make progress every day.

Besides, it is not suitable for him to show too much interest in politics. The more prominent the people related to him are, the more he has to restrain himself and behave in a non-human way.

Liu Rengui was also aware of this point, he came here to ask for advice on other matters, and he only said it because this matter involved everyone in Xinma Island.

After speaking, he turned to ask about his own affairs, chatted for a while after consulting, and left.

After sending Liu Rengui away, Yue Shan went to the front yard to play with his wife and children for a while, then continued to plunge into the pile of old papers.

In this way, more than two months later, the finishing work on the Xinma Island side was finally completed.

After the death of Soga Ezo, the structure of the Wa Kingdom changed from the original Soga family being the dominant family to the coexistence of Soga, the Emperor's family, and the Shotoku Prince's family.

A skinny camel is bigger than a horse, and the Suwo family is still the strongest, but because of this rebellion, the family has become very disunified and has been unable to dominate the situation in Wa.

The emperor's line was the most profitable party in the coup d'état. It took back a lot of power from the vassals and started the road of centralization.

Although facing several other big vassals, there is no overwhelming advantage in strength, or even a big advantage.But the righteousness of the national lord puts them above all factions.

Prince Shotoku's family lost the suppression and persecution of Soga Ezo, and began to regain their power.The other vassals also took advantage of this rare opportunity to step up their strength to avoid being swallowed by others.

It can be said that they themselves are very satisfied with the current situation in the Wa Kingdom, and Datang is also very satisfied.

Then there is the matter of the Zhuzi Kingdom. With the support of Datang, the Zhuzi Kingdom, which had been destroyed for decades, was rebuilt again.

Wa Kingdom, which had just experienced a big defeat and a coup d'état, was powerless to stop it, so it could only pretend that it didn't see anything.But it didn't acknowledge its legitimacy, and everyone knew what was going on in their minds.

But this is exactly what Datang wants to see, the more you hate each other, the better for us.If the two countries are good, I am good, everyone is good and support each other, Datang will have a headache.

The lord of the Zhuzi Kingdom also knew very well what he relied on to restore the country, and submitted the letter of credence to Datang as soon as the country was reestablished.

And asked Datang to send someone to help them re-establish the administrative system. In order to express their gratitude, they also gave up two powers, military and diplomatic.

The court of the Tang Dynasty agreed to their request out of kindness, and granted it the letter of credence and the seal of the king of Zhuzi of the Tang Dynasty, acknowledging its legal status.

At this time, Datang is the suzerain of this continent, and only with its recognition can it be a legal regime.Without its acknowledgment, no matter how long you pass it on, you are still a puppet regime, and anyone who wants to beat you will beat you.

And with Datang's acknowledgment, when someone beats you, you have to consider the consequences.Even if he was beaten in the end, there is still a place to file a complaint.

The sea area of ​​Xinma Island was divided into a war zone separately, and the force was expanded from 6000 people to two Zhechong Prefectures.

But to the disappointment of those who wanted to pick peaches, Li Shimin sent his confidants to serve as the governor of Xinma Island.

In order to prevent the superintendent's power from being difficult to govern, the local civil administration system was improved to check and balance-Xinye Road was officially established here.

The scope of jurisdiction includes islands such as Xinma Island, Dead Leaf Island (Sakhalin Island), Treasure Island and large areas of sea area, and the management of Chikushi Kingdom is also handed over to Xin Yedao.

Cai Yang, Wang Hu and others were officially transferred away, and the follow-up arrangement will not be known until Cai Yang goes to Beijing to meet the emperor.

However, it is foreseeable that they will definitely follow Cai Yang. No matter what position the court appoints Cai Yang in the end, it is unlikely that he will take up the position alone.

It is inevitable to bring some confidantes, Wang Hu and the others are Cai Yang's confidantes.

By the time Cai Yang arrived in Chang'an, it was already winter and the weather became very cold.

When he got down from the Weishui Pier, he was extremely shocked when he took the train for the first time. He couldn't believe that there are such powerful tools in the world.

In fact, everyone who just came to Chang'an has been shocked by the train, and it has even become a scenic spot. Many people like to squat next to the railway and watch the train when they are free.

And it is precisely with the word of mouth of these people that the tool of train gradually spreads all over the country.Anyone who is a little bit more informed now knows that Datang has a kind of iron ox that drinks water and eats fire, and can drag ten thousand tons of weight and run like flying.

This time he did not enjoy the welcome of the people when he entered Beijing. After all, this kind of victory was too common for Datang at this time, and it was no longer worth the effort.

However, in order to express his importance, Li Shimin sent several cabinet members and servants to greet him, and took him directly into the palace.

Cai Yang, who had never experienced such a battle before, broke out in a cold sweat nervously, and his legs were a little weak after entering the palace.

Even though he dared to be arrogant when facing the lord of the Wa Kingdom, he was only a fourth-rank governor in the Tang Dynasty.The first time I came to Datang's center to meet a saint, it was something I didn't even dare to think about before.

Who is Li Shimin, with eight brains, how can he not see Cai Yang's nervousness.So he showed his gentle side, and his words were like a warm spring breeze.

The result is that before the conversation is over, Cai Yang has become a loyal minister and filial son of the Li family, wishing to die for the Tang Dynasty and a saint.

The subsequent conversation was also a joy between the monarch and his ministers.Cai Yang showed his abilities, expounded his ideals and views on the situation, and Li Shimin was very happy to have won another good general.

Li Shimin was happy, and the reward for Cai Yang naturally came down.The knighthood is certain, Uncle Xin, the rest of the rewards are ignored.

As for his next appointment, it has not been decided immediately.This is normal, and it is not surprising that the appointment of such a senior official sometimes drags on for a year or so.

Besides, Cai Yang has just been made an earl, so he has to give time for him to show off when he returns home.

Before you know it, another year has passed, and in the new year, the chariot of Datang continues to move forward at a fast pace.

Yue Shan continued to search for inspiration and collect materials for the new book at home.

At this time, a major event that caused a sensation in the world happened.

Xuanzang came back from studying Buddhist scriptures.

(End of this chapter)