Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5225 must be demolished.
Soga no Aka-nee thought he was hallucinating and was shocked and incredulous: "...Huh?"

Demolish...demolish Tennoji Temple?!
Timber was used to build the palace?!

How can that work!
The existence of Tennoji Temple signifies the Soga clan's victory in their struggle against the Mononobe clan and embodies the Soga clan's most glorious years; how could it be demolished!
Unsure whether Fang Jun was genuinely thinking this or joking, he stammered, "This...this...this isn't appropriate, is it?"

Fang Jun turned around, with the wind and snow behind him, enveloping the entire temple. He smiled faintly and said, "It's just a temple. Isn't it a good thing to contribute to the construction of the royal palace? Even the Heavenly King Buddha statues enshrined here should feel honored."

Soga no Aka was speechless, completely bewildered.

Fang Jun gave a half-smile.

Ashikaga, naturally seizing the opportunity, interjected, "His Highness Prince Wei possesses the incomparably noble blood of the 'Heavenly Khan' of the Tang Dynasty. Now, he has graced 'Fusang' with his presence, establishing a kingdom and protecting the Japanese people. All Japanese should be grateful and do their utmost to build an incomparably luxurious palace for His Highness Prince Wei, even at the cost of their own lives, let alone a mere temple! Do you really think these few terracotta sculptures are less noble than His Highness Prince Wei of the Tang Dynasty?"

"Absolutely not!"

Soga no Aka panicked: "My achievements today are all thanks to the support of the Great Tang. I have long regarded the Great Tang as a god or Buddha in the heavens, something that cannot be profaned. I would not hesitate to give up my life for it. How could I be reluctant to give up a temple? Your Highness, Prince Wei, and Grand Commandant, please rest assured that I am willing to take on the task of building the palace. All the building materials and money needed will be supplied by the Soga clan. If the palace does not satisfy Your Highness after its completion, I am willing to accept punishment!"

What he feared most was that the Tang Dynasty would shift its support to the Mononobe clan.

Due to historical reasons, the Soga clan and the Mononobe clan were sworn enemies. However, when the Mononobe clan saw that the situation was not good, they left Asuka-kyo and went to Iyo Island to develop their power. This made it impossible for the Soga clan to reach them, and they had to temporarily put aside their feud.

Conversely, once the Mononobe clan received the full support of the Tang Dynasty, how could they possibly let the Soga clan go?

Fang Jun smiled and pointed to the main hall: "You should think it over carefully. Although this place is built in the style of the Central Plains, it is actually completely different from the place where His Highness Prince Wei usually lives. It is not easy to build a palace in Nanbojin that His Highness will be satisfied with. The amount of money and silk required is not small. Please do not make things difficult for yourself."

"Don't be embarrassed!"

Soga no Aka, gritting his teeth, said with great enthusiasm, "To be able to do my part for His Highness is truly an honor for the Soga clan, and it is a wonderful thing that we could never ask for!"

Tennoji Temple was far too important to the Soga clan, its symbolic significance unparalleled. Its demolition would mean a drastic decline in the Soga clan's prestige in Japan. The Tang dynasty's support of the Soga clan was precisely because of their prestige; without it, what use would the Soga clan have?
After all, for the wealthy and powerful Tang Dynasty, the outcome wouldn't have been significantly different regardless of which Japanese force it chose to support...

Feeling that Fang Jun was too insidious and ruthless, he quickly turned to Li Tai: "Your Highness, rest assured, I will keep my word and will absolutely not let you down!"

The presence of Tennoji Temple here signifies the enduring prestige of the Soga clan. Even after dynastic changes and their subjugation by the Tang Dynasty, the Soga clan remained a top-tier aristocratic family in this land.

The demolition of Tennoji Temple would completely destroy the reputation of the Soga clan. Everyone would know that if the Tang people no longer valued the Soga clan, wouldn't they all rise up and attack them?
Li Tai nodded calmly: "I'll wait and see."

It was somewhat amusing. Fang Jun could only be described as "unrestrained" when he was in Chang'an, but once he crossed the border and entered a foreign land, he had to be described as "ruthless".

Before coming to Japan, he had a general understanding of the situation within the country. After all, the Ministry of War had been collecting all kinds of information about Japan by any means for several years, and the information was so vast that it filled two rooms. It ranged from the succession of the Japanese kings and the types of gods to the living conditions of the people, the fertility of the land, and the specific details of the powerful families.

Although the Soga clan was hailed as the foremost aristocratic family besides the Wa kings, its strength was far inferior to that of the Tang dynasty aristocratic families. Moreover, the Wa kings suffered heavy losses in the power struggles, and building a palace in Naniwa would have nearly bankrupted them.

However, under Fang Jun's threat to "demolish Tianwangji Temple," he had no choice but to sell everything he owned to promise to build the palace.

Once the palace is completed, the Soga clan will be severely weakened. If they wish to regain their former strength and compete with powerful Wa clans such as the Mononobe and Ōtomo clans, they can only move closer to the Tang Dynasty and use its resources to strengthen themselves.

Li Tai understood that Fang Jun was "preaching" to him, teaching him how to govern Japan and how to discipline the Japanese aristocratic families.

Fang Jun, the "bad guy," has already done it himself; all he needs to do in the future is "benefit him."

……

When Cen Changqian and her party arrived, the prepared food and wine were brought to the side hall, where everyone ate separately and discussed the governance of the "Fusang Kingdom".

Cen Changqian was "handpicked" by Li Tai to be the prime minister, and he not only spoke the most, but also grasped the essentials.

When he mentioned that the land of "Fusang" was barren and lacked resources, and that the country should vigorously develop fishing and trade to attract more Tang people to set up workshops there, and to offer them preferential treatment or even tax reductions, and to purchase rice from Southeast Asia... the expressions of the Japanese people present were quite interesting.

This young Tang Dynasty official, who appeared to be under thirty, sat next to the emperor and the Grand Commandant, speaking eloquently and confidently. His radiant confidence filled the room, making all the Japanese feel ashamed of themselves.

Ashikaga turned to look at his son, who was as quiet as a chicken, and shook his head with a sigh.

Mononobe Maro was already a promising young talent among the Japanese, and after studying in Tang China, he became even more knowledgeable and talented, surpassing many others. However, at this moment, compared to the true talents of Tang China, the gap was not small.

Perhaps the strength or weakness of a nation is fundamentally determined by the quality of its talent pool.

The Tang Dynasty is now thriving and enjoying a glorious golden age because of the outstanding individuals who emerged during its reign.

This prosperous era, in turn, feeds back into the younger generation, creating a new generation of well-informed and talented individuals, fostering a continuous cycle of growth and development...

Upon hearing this, Li Tai exclaimed in admiration and said to Fang Jun, "I have always known that Cen Changqian is one of the best students in the academy, with outstanding talent and a brilliant mind. Now that he has been appointed as the prime minister, I can rest easy!"

Fang Jun snorted, his face not looking too good: "It is a waste of such talent to be confined to a corner of the Japanese island! If it weren't for Your Highness's earnest request, how could I have agreed to let him come to 'Fusang' to serve as prime minister? At most, he will stay here for two or three years to assist Your Highness in sorting out government affairs, setting up government offices, and formulating policies. After that, he will return to Chang'an. I have other plans."

Whether in a country or a region, the most common phenomenon is "the tea grows cold when the person leaves, and the policy ends when the person dies." The only way for any official to continue their political views and ideas is to cultivate a successor.

Under Fang Jun's influence, the later outstanding students in the academy, such as Cen Changqian, Di Renjie, and Xue Yuanchao, were destined to succeed him in carrying on his "new policies"...

Therefore, how can we allow Cen Changqian to be confined to a corner of the Japanese island and have her growth delayed?

Japan is too small, with a sparse population and barren land. It's passable for practicing, but living there for a long time will inevitably broaden one's horizons and make it almost impossible to return to Chang'an and become the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Tai ignored Fang Jun and said to Cen Changqian, Yan Zhuang, Liu Shenli, Chai Lingwu and others: "Don't listen to this scoundrel's nonsense. In this small territory of 'Fusang Kingdom', I will share wealth and honor with you all! Whatever ideals or ambitions you have in your hearts, as long as you can convince me, you can boldly carry them out. Even if there are mistakes, I will take full responsibility!"

In order to win the heartfelt support of these outstanding young men, he was determined to go all out and let them do whatever they wanted.

After all, he came to Japan to enjoy life, to establish a new country and pass on his bloodline. Why would he have to work "early to rise and late to bed" when there are already talented people available?
Then, with a sigh, he said to Changsun Run, "Don't dwell on the past. Since His Majesty has allowed you to serve as an official in Fusang, he will forgive and forget. From now on, stay here with peace of mind, be a down-to-earth person, and work diligently. As your cousin, I will certainly not treat you unfairly."

Changsun Run rose and bowed deeply to the ground: "Thank you, Your Highness..."

I haven't felt this kind of warm care for a long time, and now, feeling it again in Japan, far from my homeland, I am naturally moved to tears.

"Hey, Twelfth Prince is a promising young man of the Changsun family. His father and grandfather were both unparalleled heroes. How can he act like such a child? Now that he has entered officialdom, he should hold his head high and strive for excellence!"

"Yes! Thank you for your instruction, Your Highness."

After several rounds of drinks, Fang Jun pointed at Suwochi and said to Cen Changqian, "This brother has volunteered to take on the important task of building the royal palace. You will gather the craftsmen of the Tang Dynasty to design and draw the blueprints for the royal palace, and supervise its construction... If the standards are not up to par or the materials are of inferior quality, you will demolish the Tianwang Temple and transport the bricks, tiles and timber away to build the royal palace."

Cen Changqian glanced up at the side hall of the temple, and then recalled what she had seen when she entered the temple. She immediately understood Fang Jun's meaning: "Grand Commandant, rest assured, I will do my utmost to complete the construction of the palace."

As students of the academy, they had naturally accepted Fang Jun's idea of ​​"to destroy a country, first destroy its history." If they wanted to truly turn Japan into "Fusang" and make it a bulwark of the Tang Dynasty, guarding a region, they would naturally have to eradicate and completely eliminate the history of the Japanese.

This temple was not only magnificent and famous, but it also came from a glorious period in the history of the Japanese. Regardless of whether Soga no Akagi had enough building materials to supply the palace, this temple had to be completely demolished...

As for whether it will affect the spread of Buddhist scriptures and the recruitment of believers by the Tang Dynasty Buddhist community in Japan... those old monks are the richest, so let them pay for the construction of the temples themselves.