Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5173 Planning Iyo
"So good."

Fang Jun nodded in approval and said, "Although the battle in the Western Regions has not ended, the outcome has already been determined. It all depends on how far Xue Rengui can fight and how much impact he can bring to the Arabs and the entire Western world. I will set off to return to Chang'an soon, and the affairs here will be fully handed over to you."

Pei Xingjian agreed, and then asked, "The commander is worried about the East Palace?"

Fang Jun was silent for a moment, and without avoiding Lu Dongzan who was eavesdropping beside him, he said frankly: "Your Majesty is very determined to change the crown prince. If I don't return to Chang'an to take charge, I don't know what trouble will happen. Your Majesty seems to be indecisive, but in fact he has a stubborn character. If he is instigated by others and is determined to change the crown prince, I'm afraid no one in the court will be able to stop him."

The ownership of the throne means the distribution of power. If some people want to maintain the status quo, naturally there will be others who want to break it.

Whether they are civil officials or military generals, there are many who are not content with the status quo.

His position remained the same as before. The throne was the foundation of the country, and it was related to the stability of the country and the people's hearts. How could it be changed at will? The capital and wealth created by the hundreds of millions of people in the empire who worked hard and devotedly should not be consumed in such internal friction.

Pei Xingjian said cheerfully: "General, please go back without any worries. I will be able to guard the Western Regions."

Of course he would like to see the Eastern Palace stable.

Because Fang Jun openly stood on the side of the Eastern Palace and gave support, these "followers" of Fang Jun were naturally attributed to the "Prince's Party". As long as the kitchen and guards were stable and he could ascend the throne smoothly in the future, they would be counted as "meritorious officials in the palace" and "meritorious followers of the dragon". By then, there would be no surprise that they would become the mainstay of the court.

The reason why so many people are still rushing to "seize the throne" despite knowing the huge risks is because high risk also means high returns. The political energy contained in "following the dragon" may not be comparable to that of a capable minister's decades of hard work.

Fang Jun looked at Lu Dongzan and asked, "Dalun, do you want to stay here and observe what happens after this battle, or do you want to go to Chang'an with me?"

Lu Dong praised: "I miss Chang'an so much after so many years of absence. The Tang Dynasty must be changing with each passing day. It would be nice to go and see the most magnificent and prosperous capital city in the world."

Fang Jun smiled and said, "Then we will travel together. Please pack your bags, we will set off soon."

The battle in the Western Regions has been decided and ended with the Anxi Army's great victory.

As for whether Xue Rengui could create a myth and lead his troops to attack Damascus across thousands of miles, it was not foreseeable in advance. To accomplish such an unprecedented achievement, the right time, place and people are all indispensable. It can even be said that luck will be a more important part.

*****
Huating Town Naval Port.

During the rainy season, Jiangnan is always shrouded in clouds and rain. On days without the sun, even the air can be squeezed out of water, and all exposed objects are moldy and hairy...

Warships were docked at their berths. Even on rainy days, there were still sailors climbing up and down the sides of the ships, using tools to shovel away parasites attached to the hulls. There were also sailors on the decks, unfolding the sails and coiling the ropes, and conducting meticulous inspections.

The sea is full of winds and waves. Even the strongest warships cannot withstand a huge wave hitting them from the side. Sailing on the sea requires not only sophisticated shipbuilding technology and superb navigation skills, but also strict inspection and repair.

In a barracks in the port, Li Jinxing stood at the window, looking out at the misty rain in the harbor and sighed.

Behind him, Li Yifu, who was reading documents and files at his desk, did not look up and asked, "Why is the general sighing?"

Li Jinxing turned around, his muscular body bulging out his round-necked gown, his arms and waist were like those of an ape, his whole body was full of explosive power like a leopard. He grabbed the teacup on the table beside him, took a sip, and snorted.

"Li Canjun asks even though he knows the answer."

Although Li Yifu's transfer to the navy saved his career and gave him unlimited possibilities, he had to start all over again as an eighth-rank "military officer"...

However, Li Yifu was very satisfied with this position. The navy was different from the Twelve Guards. The latter were often concentrated in a certain military camp, with the general in charge and the chief secretary in charge of specific affairs. The other officials could only obey orders. The navy was different because each ship was a unit. Unless there was a major naval battle, generally speaking, three or five ships were enough to handle ordinary affairs, so the military officer could also hold certain real power.

What's more, Li Yifu transferred the navy directly to Li Jinxing, and Li Jinxing was ordered by Wu Meiniang...

Who in the navy doesn’t know the reputation of Madam Wu?
This is a powerful figure in charge of the "Dong Da Tang Trading Company". Especially with Fang Jun's love and trust for him, it is not an exaggeration to call him the "Emperor of Dong Da Tang Trading Company"...

So now Li Jinxing is leading a naval force of more than 30 warships and more than 2,000 people. He is responsible for completing the tasks assigned by Wu Meiniang, and even the admiral of the navy, Su Dingfang, is not in charge.

Li Yifu raised his head from the documents and files on the table, straightened his back, and said with a smile: "I have checked the files of every naval battle in the past few years, and found that those foreign barbarians are simply vulnerable. Even some tough ones have been crippled and annihilated long ago. With the military strength we have now, it is enough to capture an island and complete the task assigned by Lady Wu."

In the past, when I was in Chang'an, I heard all day long about how the navy won great victories and how invincible it was, but I actually had no intuitive feeling in my heart. After all, everyone knows that land warfare and naval warfare are not the same thing, and the knowledge and experience of land warfare cannot be applied to naval warfare.

I know that the navy is powerful, but I have no idea how powerful it is.

Now that I am in the navy and have reviewed previous battle reports and archives, I have discovered that the strength of the Tang Dynasty navy has reached an appalling level - even if the ships of all tribes and countries in the East and South Seas are added together, their number is not as large as that of the Tang Dynasty navy.

Not to mention the quality of the battleship...

In the whole world, the only navy that could possibly compete with the Tang Dynasty navy was theoretically the Arab navy - but that was only theory. After all, in the "Persian Sea" naval battle not long ago, the Tang Dynasty navy had defeated the larger force with a smaller one, and almost wiped out the Arab navy's power in the Persian Sea in one fell swoop.

So it’s just a matter of going out and conquering an island for Madam Wu, it’s a piece of cake.

Li Jinxing sat at the side of the desk and frowned, "How can it be so simple? It's not difficult to capture an island, but the difficulty lies in choosing which island... It can't be too close, so as to avoid controversy and damage Madam Wu's reputation, and it can't be too far. A trip would take several months on the sea, what's the point? It can't be too big, because it might attract interference from the central government if it's too conspicuous. It can't be too small, because it won't be worthy of Madam Wu's status and won't give a sense of surprise... It's not easy!"

The more I thought about it, the more annoyed I became, and I kept shaking my head.

When I read history in the past, I looked down upon those treacherous flatterers. Now that I have a chance to "get promoted", I am shocked to find that it is not easy to flatter. It is really difficult to guess the intentions of the superiors and do things beautifully.

Li Yifu seemed to have a plan in mind. He tidied up the documents and files on the table and piled them aside. Then he took out a sea chart from a box under the wall, spread it out on the table, and called Li Jinxing over to take a look.

The two men stood in front of the table, huddled together to look at the nautical chart.

Li Yifu drew an arc with a charcoal pencil on the southeast coast: "It's not good to be too close, so this area is excluded."

Li Jinxing nodded.

Although there are many islands in this area, they are too close to the mainland. Many islands belong to a certain state or county along the coast and are within the territory of the empire, so they naturally cannot be conquered.

Li Yifu drew another larger arc far away from the mainland: "Beyond this line, the distance is too far and not suitable."

Then, a curved, narrow sea area appeared on the nautical chart between the two arcs, with islands of various sizes scattered around.

"It can't be too big, and it can't be too small either."

Li Yifu then circled and drew on the islands marked on the sea chart according to their sizes, and finally eliminated almost all of them...

In addition to the islands that have been occupied by the navy, there are almost no ownerless islands of the right size and distance.

Li Jinxing was a little annoyed: "I thought you had an idea, but you're trying to tease me?"

"How dare I tease you, General? My career, my life and my fortune depend on this mission! If I fail to complete the mission, at most you can still be my lieutenant, but my life will be ruined!"

Li Yifu's tone was resentful, but he did not dare to complain.

After all, it was Fang Jun who caused him to fall into the current predicament. If Fang Jun heard his complaints, Madam Wu would not be able to protect him...

He used a charcoal pencil to draw a circle directly below Japan.

Li Jinxing was stunned: "Iyo Island?"

The King of Wa is nominally supreme, but in reality he can only control a tiny place like Asuka-kyo. The rest of the country is full of states and factions. At its peak, there were more than a hundred "countries" in this tiny country...

There were four states on Iyo Island, so some people called it "Shikoku".

Li Yifu stroked his beard and stared at the sea chart with a smile. The more he looked, the more satisfied he became. "This island is neither too big nor too small, neither too far nor too near. It faces Japan across the sea. There are not many plains on the island, and the mineral resources are poor. It is not so eye-catching, and it is very suitable."

Li Jinxing shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, this island still belongs to Japan in name. Now most of Japan's territory is occupied by the Ainu people, and most of its people have fled to Tsukushi Island and Iyo Island. If we want to capture Iyo Island, we must expel all the Japanese on it. If we encounter resistance, we must kill and arrest them. This move will inevitably cause protests from the central government. We can't cause trouble for the Marshal and Madam Wu."

Li Yifu didn't care. He raised the pen in his hand and pointed at the location of Tsukushi Island: "Why do we need to take action? We only need to hint the Goguryeo people on Tsukushi Island. They will surely be excited and willing to go to Iyo Island to burn, kill and plunder. At that time, the Japanese will definitely ask the Tang Dynasty for help. We can take advantage of the situation to intervene and occupy their place."