Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4943: Japanese Ambition

Li Siliang looked at the elite troops of more than a hundred people hiding in the Buddhist temple in the snow, and was a little worried: "There are not enough people, it's not safe. Although my brother is a Qianniu Beishen, in charge of the defense of the Eastern Palace, and nominally all the Eastern Palace guards can be controlled, but once the Lizheng Palace is attacked fiercely, it is still unknown how many people will obey my brother's orders."

Fortunately, only a part of the Sixth Army of the Eastern Palace was stationed at the main gate of the Eastern Palace, otherwise the plan to raid Lizheng Hall and control the prince would have been impossible to implement.

Even so, the risks are great.

Li Anyan stood up straight like a javelin, looking ahead with his eyes fixed. He seemed to be able to see Lizheng Palace hidden in the wind and snow. He said in a deep voice: "These people are all loyal warriors raised by my family. I will lead them personally. If they suddenly attack Lizheng Palace when it is completely unprepared, the chance of success is very high. However, there are risks at any time and in any matter in this world. How can there be a perfect plan? Just do your best and leave the rest to fate."

For the past twenty years, every time he woke up in the middle of the night, he seemed to hear Li Chengqian with disheveled hair and covered in blood, shouting "Save me" in front of him. The hatred was like a maggot in his bones, lingering and had already seeped deep into his bones.

Fortunately, he guessed that neither Zhangsun Wuji nor Prince Jin would be able to accomplish anything, so he continued to endure until now.

Finally, the killing scene has arrived.

The two brothers have risked everything for this.

If this succeeds, the two brothers will naturally rise to the top, but if they fail, they will die without a burial place.

*****
In a house in Qinglongfang, Mononobe Ashikaga and his son Mononobe Maro were kneeling on a mat in front of the window, with wine boiling and a few side dishes on the coffee table. The lanterns outside the window were swaying in the cold wind, and snowflakes were dancing like butterflies under the light.

This was the property that the Mononobe clan spent a huge amount of money to purchase for the purpose of sending Amagami to study abroad.

The wine was warm, and Mononobe Maro took out the exquisite silver wine pot and filled two white porcelain wine glasses that were as thin as cicada wings and white and delicate.

"Dad must have been through a lot of hardships and was exhausted physically and mentally after traveling across the ocean. I offer you a toast to welcome you back home."

Although Mononobe Mamoru was young, he was already very mature in his dealings with people as a stranger in a foreign land.

Mononobe Ashikaga also raised his glass and looked at his son in front of him, feeling both relieved and distressed. He said with emotion: "My exhaustion as a father is only temporary, you will be fine after a rest, but you are in the Tang Dynasty, surrounded by foreigners, you must have been bullied and suffered."

Mononobe Maro was slightly stunned, then he clinked his glass and drank it all.

The essence of the mellow sake is stimulated after heating, making the sake more fragrant and taste better.

The father and son ate snacks, drank wine, and chatted happily. The long-lost family affection was very strong.

"Father knows that you are working hard, but for the sake of the Yamato clan, please persevere."

Mononobe Ashikaga sighed and said, "Han territory is vast, and the people are outstanding. It is far superior to Wa. Since we cannot be enemies, we can only be friends with them. Even if we cannot be friends, we must be servants of the Tang Dynasty."

He pointed at the sake in the pot and said, "We Japanese love sake, but even this sake was passed down from Han territory. The Han people used it for sacrifices as early as the Zhou Dynasty. 'When King Wu defeated King Zhou, the Yong and Shu barbarians assisted in the battle at Muye. During the reign of King Cheng, Yue often offered pheasants and the Japanese offered chang.' This is recorded in history books. The 'chang grass' was offered by us Japanese, and the Zhou people used it to make wine. The method of making wine was kept secret and was not introduced to Japan until the reign of Emperor Ryūchu...To this day, the Tang people are the best in the world in iron smelting, papermaking, firearms, etc. If we can't learn and use it for ourselves, when can we catch up?"

Although Wa was a barbaric country, there were many knowledgeable people in the country, and Mononobe Ashikaga was one of them.

When he stood on the field and looked at the blast furnaces in the foundry with chimneys and billowing smoke, he heard that the annual output of high-quality steel was millions of catties, while Japan's iron output was only less than 10,000 catties; when he saw the bamboo paper piled up like hills in the warehouse in the West Market, the price of a piece of paper was only a few hundred coins, while the Japanese paper was more precious than the silver mined in the silver mine; when he stood at the bow of the Tang Dynasty ship cutting through the waves and crossing the ocean, the Japanese workshop could only build fishing boats that were not much bigger than sampans...

It's a desperate contrast.

The most desperate thing was not that he had no hope of catching up in this lifetime, but that even if he used the broadest and most optimistic view to think about a hundred or two hundred years later, there would still be no hope...

The only way is to "learn from China's strengths in order to defeat China", to learn China's most advanced technology and knowledge. Even if we cannot catch up, it is good as long as we can narrow the gap.

Mononobe Maro only felt the bitter taste in his mouth after swallowing the sake. He smiled bitterly and shook his head, feeling depressed: "I'm afraid that my father will be disappointed. Tang people have already taken precautions against this."

"Ok?"

Mononobe Ashikaga was shocked and asked hurriedly, "They don't allow you to enter the school? Then what have you been doing in the Tang Dynasty for so long? Have you been blinded by the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, staying in brothels and visiting prostitutes and actors all day long?"

As he spoke, his voice became increasingly harsh.

The life of Japan was so difficult. The gold and silver mines on its land were almost all occupied by the Tang people, who half rented and half robbed them. The country had to rely on the little taxes squeezed from the common people and slaves to not only support the nobles, but also recruit troops to fight against the Ezo people who came from the north. The money that was saved with great difficulty was to be used on Mononobe Maro, but in the end he wasted it on the stomachs of prostitutes?

It's simply lethal!

Mononobe Maro bowed his head quickly, kowtowed and explained: "Father, please calm down. I have come from afar, carrying the hope of my people. How dare I degenerate and not do my job properly? It's just that the Tang people are very cautious about foreign envoys like us. We can study in the six schools and two halls, but the Zhenguan Academy, which specializes in the study of the nature of things, strictly prohibits us from entering!"

The Six Schools refer to Guozixue, Taixue, Simenxue, Luxue, Shuxue, and Suanxue, which were affiliated with the Imperial College. The Two Academies refer to Hongwenguan and Chongwenguan, which were the highest institutions of learning in the Tang Dynasty.

As for the "Zhenguan Academy", which combined the study of things, mathematics, Confucianism, astronomy, geography, firearms, and military preparations, it was independent of the Tang Dynasty's education system and was personally controlled by the emperor.

Foreigners wanted to enroll in school but were unable to do so.

"Zhenguan Academy?"

Mononobe Ashikaga was unaware of this and asked curiously, "Is it that powerful?"

Mononobe Maro said: "The most advanced iron smelting, papermaking, glassmaking, and even firearms in the Tang Dynasty were all created by Taiwei Fang Jun. This man is unrivaled in the study of things. He is the actual manager of the Zhenguan Academy. He is not only proficient in the study of things, but also has unrivaled mathematical attainments."

"Of course I know Fang Jun. The 'Eastern Tang Trading Company' he founded fills the ship's hold with gold and silver shipped from the islands of Japan every year, almost draining the lifeblood of Japan... But this man is so powerful?"

Mononobe Ashikaga was somewhat incredulous. Generally speaking, human energy is limited and it is difficult to take care of multiple fields. People with outstanding academic skills are inevitably lost in the ways of the world, and people who are proficient in common affairs find it difficult to concentrate on academic studies... But this Fang Jun actually achieved all of these, which was really extraordinary.

But it is not surprising. Whenever the national fortunes rise, there will always be some brilliant people. On the contrary, if the national fortunes decline, treacherous people will run rampant.

The two complement each other. It is hard to say whether it is the outstanding people of the time who boost the country's fortune, or whether the prosperous country breeds outstanding people...

"How abominable! As a great country like the Celestial Empire, you are so wary of foreign races like us who are willing to submit to you. You are so envious of your little technology and you don't have the demeanor of a great power at all!"

Mononobe Ashikaga gnashed his teeth at not being able to learn the advanced technology of the Tang Dynasty, but he could only feel helpless and furious.

The Japanese Kingdom is now in a precarious situation. Although it still bears the title of the common ruler of the islands, its political orders are difficult to issue from Asuka Kyoto. Knowing that the Tang Dynasty is secretly supporting the Ainu people and instigating the Goguryeo people to cut off the Japanese Kingdom piece by piece, it still has to put on a smile and beg for mercy from the Tang Dynasty.

It’s all Soga’s fault!

If the Soga no Emishi father and son had not wanted to use the power of the Tang people to seize the imperial power and then lead the Tang Dynasty into Japan, the Tang Dynasty would have simply disdained Japan, which was far away overseas and sparsely populated. How could it have gone to Japan for no reason?

When the Tang people discovered large amounts of gold and silver mines in Japan, they refused to leave no matter what.

After taking a sip of wine, Mononobe Ashikaga sighed, "You are in the Tang Dynasty and don't know the current situation in Japan. The Ainu people are pressing forward step by step and gradually encroaching on Japan's territory. Even the remnants of Goguryeo, who were beaten and fled by the Tang Dynasty, crossed the sea to Tsukushi, burning, killing, looting and committing all kinds of evil. It would be fine if the gold and silver mines were taken away by the Tang Dynasty, but now the Goguryeo people are kidnapping people everywhere and selling them to Hai Shang for huge profits. If this continues, the population will be plundered and the country will no longer be a country!"

You can earn money again if you lose it, but what can you do with a person if he is gone?
Mononobe Maro was shocked and wondered if his father would let him return to his country.
Don't!
Ever since he saw the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, he has been disgusted with Japan. Not to mention, Asuka Kyo, which is worshipped as a god by the Japanese, is not as good as Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty, and even Huayin and Lantian counties under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Prefecture are not as good as it.

The biggest gap is the amount of material supply. In Japan, even the royal family and nobles have to be frugal with the alcohol they drink, but in the Tang Dynasty, the supply is open, and as long as you have money, you can drink as much as you want.

Especially the courtesans and prostitutes in Pingkangfang, with their smooth skin and straight long legs, how could they be compared with the short, green-faced, and fang-toothed Japanese women?

I am also one of the most noble people in Japan, but when I think back to my life in Japan, I felt that I was not even as good as an ordinary country landlord in the Tang Dynasty...

He was afraid that he would not be able to refuse if his father asked, so he took the initiative to say, "Father, don't worry. Although the Tang Dynasty is powerful, it was built on the ruins of the former Sui Dynasty. The monarch and his subjects are united, the people are hardworking, and the three armies are dedicated. In just twenty years, the country has become rich and the people are strong. It can be seen that as long as you find the right path, it is not difficult to go from weak to strong. I will definitely find ways to learn the advanced technology of the Tang Dynasty. After I finish learning, I will go back to Japan to help my father govern the country. You and I will spend our entire lives to help Japan get rid of its current situation and gradually become stronger. Then you and I will definitely have a place in the history books of Japan!"

If there is no ladle, then I will draw a gourd and put it here. I have to trick my father into returning home quickly and not staying in the Tang Dynasty for too long...

Mononobe Ashikaga was indeed moved. He held his son's hand and said with great ambition: "Well said! The Chinese have a saying that 'where there is a will, there is a way'. I am very pleased that you have such determination! We, father and son, will work hand in hand to overcome all difficulties and will definitely revitalize Japan and go down in history!"

Mononobe Maro's mouth twitched, and he held his father's hand with sincerity and determination: "Don't worry, father. This is our sacred duty. Even if it means sacrificing our lives, exhausting our energy... we will do it at all costs!"

"Good son!"

"Father!"

The father and son held hands and looked at each other with earnest eyes. In this snowy night in a foreign country, one was full of ambition and the other had a burning heart.