Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 451 The Black Ship Arrives
Emperor Kōtoku read the battle reports from the front lines, slapped his thigh with delight, and laughed heartily.

"Great, that's excellent!"
"In just a few months, our army has swept across the peninsula and is now pointing its sword at Pyongyang!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty..." Fujiwara no Nakatomi no Kamatari was about to offer a few words of flattery when the monk sitting next to him beat him to it.

"Under His Majesty's leadership, the valiant Yamato warriors are invincible, truly overcoming all obstacles and achieving victory after victory."

"Wherever the Emperor's chrysanthemum pattern went, the Han barbarians bowed and worshipped, and the Ming people fled at the mere sight of it."

"This is the Bodhisattva asking you to save the people from the tyranny of the Ming Emperor."

Jianzheng, who had been smuggled from the mainland, clasped his hands together and began to speak eloquently.

It is quite rare for a high-ranking Ming Dynasty monk to appear in the core circle of Japanese politics.

Emperor Kōtoku immediately stopped smiling, put on a devout expression, and clasped his hands together.

"This is a test sent to me by the Bodhisattva. I am filled with trepidation!"

"The high monk is truly a treasure bestowed upon me by the Bodhisattva. Just as the high monk said, the Ming Dynasty is a house on the verge of collapse, only lacking the final push of the Yamato warriors."

He greatly admired this eminent Chinese monk, who spoke so eloquently that even his flattery didn't feel like flattery.

Moreover, the intelligence provided was very accurate, precisely dissecting for the Japanese the true nature of the Ming Dynasty across the sea—a country that appeared outwardly impressive but was inwardly corrupt.

He loves it.

"Humph!"

Fujiwara no Kamatari glared displeasedly at the unusual monk.

I was here first, but that bald monk actually... As a confidant of the Emperor, he felt a sense of crisis that his niche had been taken over.

However, he dared not openly mention crickets in front of His Majesty, and could only offer sarcastic and contradictory remarks:

"High-ranking monks are proficient in Buddhism, but may not be very knowledgeable about warfare."

"Now that we have won the battle, the first thing we should do is stop and let the soldiers take some wealth from the cities we have captured to celebrate properly."

Monk Jianzheng immediately retorted:
There is an old Chinese saying: "One should strike while the iron is hot, but the momentum will wane on the second attempt and be exhausted on the third."

"You may not know this while you are on the Japanese islands, but although the morale of the Ming Dynasty's city garrison is low, the city's defenses are still very strong."

"If we don't press our advantage and let our momentum dissipate, it will only become more difficult to conquer the city!"
"If we heed your clumsy advice, it will truly delay military operations and bring even greater disaster!"

While he may not be good at military campaigns, he is certainly very good at political maneuvering.

He launched into a scathing critique of Fujiwara no Kamatari, leaving him red-faced and unable to refute his words. He then turned to Emperor Kōtoku and spoke with heartfelt sincerity:

"If you do not take what Heaven has given you, you will surely suffer the consequences."

"Your Majesty, now is the perfect time to cross the Pae River and continue our advance!"

These words struck a chord with Emperor Kōtoku, stirring up an intense itch within him.

The founder of Japan's unification, the protector of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and the successor of the Central Plains...

With these three labels on him, who wouldn't be confused?

"Very good!"

He seemed to have made up his mind, and suddenly stood up.

"Give the order! Immediately issue orders to the soldiers at the front!"

"Let the warriors of Yamato Province... and other provinces continue their northern expedition without stopping for a moment!"

Fujiwara no Kamatari's suggestion was completely ignored, leaving him utterly humiliated. He glared fiercely at the foreign monk who had stolen his thunder.

"Ok?"

He seemed to vaguely see that the monk Jianzheng looked at the emperor with a strange gaze.

There seemed to be a hint of malice in the corners of his mouth.

He closed his eyes.

Everything was as usual. The eminent monk of the Ming Dynasty still had a devout and peaceful expression, looking up at the Emperor with an appreciative and reverent gaze.

"Your Majesty is decisive; you are truly the chosen one of Heaven."

Monk Jianzheng smoothed down the slight upturn of his lips and followed the other person's words:

"After the Yamato warriors have replenished their supplies and rested, they can march into the Central Plains and rebuild China."

Emperor Kōtoku paused, then asked with a puzzled look:

"Supplies? What supplies?"

Aren't the Yamato people a herbivorous people? Why do they need supplies?

"what?"

Even the monk Jianzheng was momentarily speechless.

No matter how much he acts as a spy to spread false information, he is still a reasonable Chinese person at heart.

At least they know that soldiers need to eat.

While the military advice offered was flawed, it was still far less insightful than the Japanese's own abstract ideas.

As the saying goes, a charlatan's whole life can't compare to a fool's genuine expression of emotion.

What could he say about the Japanese chieftain's brilliant plan, which was essentially handing himself a death sentence?

"Respect, understanding, and blessings."

Master Jianzheng piously clasped his hands together.

Emperor Kōtoku was in a very good mood, but he also felt that he was a very proper person and it was inappropriate for him to laugh loudly in front of the high monk.

He could only take the opportunity to leisurely stroll to the geomantic map while looking at the outline of the mainland and grin with smug satisfaction.

The intelligence he and the entire Japanese nation received was, if not drastically different from the reality, certainly completely diametrically opposed.

The fundamental reason lies in the fact that the situation on the Korean Peninsula is literally "constantly changing"—

The day before, the Japanese army was winning big, but in the blink of an eye, they were pushed into the sea.

Emperor Kōtoku is currently receiving outdated battle reports that reflect his earlier victories.

He will probably never receive a report of defeat in his lifetime.

The Japanese on the peninsula, in a way that conveys high emotional intelligence, would say "their bodies are entrusted to the mountains," while in a way that conveys low emotional intelligence, they would say that they have all been turned into mounds of corpses, and no one can send messages to the main island anymore.

Beyond the cone of light that transmits messages, the people on the Japanese islands also live contentedly on their own information islands.

And within the light cone of the event.

Jangmun Kingdom, which faces Silla's Geumseong across the sea.

Fishermen are raising their sails and heading out to sea to fish.

This place is hundreds of miles away from Naniwa-Fujiwara-kyō, the political center of the Japanese islands.

So he basically doesn't pay much attention to the "Emperor" at Naniwa Palace.

The general public was completely unaware of the extent of the trouble they had caused.

They continued to live, work, and support their lord as before.

Recently, however, their unchanging lives have been somewhat disrupted.

The young people in the village all crossed the sea to the west to fight for the Emperor in Korean territory.

Nagato and Silla, across the strait, can be described as old rivals who love and hate each other.

Not only did the peninsula suffer greatly from Japanese pirates.

There is also a saying about "Han invaders" on the Nagato side.

Those were pirates from Silla.

However, in recent years, with the decline of the Tang Dynasty, which was the main ally of Silla, the Japanese pirates have completely overwhelmed the Korean pirates.

Based on the principle of taking advantage of proximity, almost every able-bodied man in Nagato worked as a pirate in Silla to earn extra money through shady dealings.

Recently, they've even extended their reach to Baekje, the kingdom next to Silla.

"Hey, did you hear? My son wrote to say that people in Silla can eat white rice now!"

"Holy crap, Amaterasu! We can't even afford bran and chaff, so how come Koreans get to eat silver relics?!"

"They say the Ming Dynasty is supporting them. Like dogs, they wag their tails at the Ming people, and the Ming people reward them with meat and bones."

"Damn Ming people, why are they feeding the Koreans rice? Do the Koreans even deserve to eat human food?"

"Don't be angry. My son grabbed a lot of rice there, and your son probably won't miss out either."

"May the Bodhisattva protect us. Seeing Koreans eating rice is more painful than me not being able to eat rice myself."

On the fishing boat, the Japanese fishermen chatted casually.

Adhering to the principle of "even if I suffer a loss, I cannot let others benefit," they vehemently criticized the Koreans and the Ming Dynasty that fed them.

Because the Japanese are a society that places great emphasis on hierarchy. In their subconscious, Koreans have always been considered "inferior," a class below them. They eat chaff, while Koreans are only fit to eat excrement.

Now, the inferior people are actually eating rice, and their treatment is even better than that of their "senior classmates"!
That's breaking the rules!

Not only are the Koreans despicable, but the Ming people who support the Koreans' bad rules are also despicable!
"I heard that His Majesty the Emperor summoned a great flood to inundate the Ming Dynasty, which is why the war went so smoothly. My son will be able to come home and get married soon."

"Oh? I didn't expect that His Majesty of Naniwa Castle to still be somewhat useful."

"That's right, otherwise our lord wouldn't be so enthusiastic, personally leading the boat out to sea..."

The fishermen were casting their nets and chatting casually when they suddenly realized something was wrong.

Why did it get dark so quickly?
"It is going to rain?"

Several fishermen subconsciously looked up.

"That is……!"

A mountain appeared, hurtling toward the fishing boat at a speed they had never seen before at sea.

The towering "mountain" cast a huge shadow, enveloping the entire fishing boat.

"save……"

Before the Japanese could utter a single word, they were mercilessly crushed by the massive, dark ships, leaving only a few floating planks on the sea.

And behind this tall black ship.

There were countless ships of the same height.

The ship's hull is entirely black, and its bow is cut into a beautiful streamlined shape.

At the top of the mast, a large black flag with gold trim fluttered in the wind.

A large character was written on it:
Bright.

The invincible expeditionary fleet of the Ming Dynasty, like a mountain range, sped towards the coast of Honshu Island in an orderly and quiet manner.

…………

Three poles in the sun.

On the coast of Changmen Kingdom, farmers wrapped in thatch basked in the winter sun to warm their bodies.

"what?"

He seemed to see it in the distance where the sea and sky met.

A thin black line appeared.

He thought he was hallucinating and closed his eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, the black lines had not disappeared.

Instead, it became thicker and thicker.

Clearly, something huge and terrifying is approaching.

"That is……

"What?"

The Japanese people came out of their thatched huts, shaded their eyes with their hands, and gazed towards the sea.

They also noticed the unusual activity in the sea, but they didn't know what that "unusual activity" was.

That magnificent "line" was clearly beyond their comprehension.

First, we can rule out that it is a human creation.

In broad daylight, under the clear sky, there can't be any ghosts or monsters around, right?

Could it be... a tsunami?!
Just as the Japanese were standing on the dry bank, discussing amongst themselves.

That black line, like a tsunami, quickly reached the shore.

This time, the Japanese on the shore finally saw it clearly.

That's a boat!
Even after witnessing it with their own eyes, they still couldn't believe that it was something "human" could build.

Because those ships were so large that they far exceeded their understanding of what a "ship" as a means of transportation was.

In comparison, their small sampan looked as ridiculous as a monkey riding a log across the sea.

Moreover, there are so many of these large ships.

The harbor was densely packed with people.

What kind of political entity could possess such an astonishing fleet?

Soon, the fleet had anchored at the shore.

Each boat was entirely black, casting a dark shadow over the small Japanese village on the shore, like a long mountain range.

The Japanese just stared blankly, feeling only awe and even forgetting to feel afraid.

People are not afraid of things they cannot understand.

What does that flag say?

A sharp-eyed villager pointed to the large "Ming" character on the flag and asked a question.

Everyone looked at each other, and no one recognized them.

Chinese characters are the domain of refined people in government; how could these common folk possibly understand them?

They only recognized the lord's family crest and knew that if they saw it from afar, they had to kneel down and pay their respects, or they would be severely beaten.

As for other signs, they were beyond their comprehension.

So they did nothing.

We could only watch helplessly as these large ships docked and released a swarm of small boats.

When the fully armed soldiers stepped off the assault boats and charged forward menacingly.

The Japanese on the shore then belatedly realized that something seemed wrong and began to flee.

However, it was too late.

Behind them, billowing dust rose up, like a tangible barrier, firmly enveloping the entire small Japanese fishing village.

Unbeknownst to them, another group had quietly landed and surrounded the village.

The men surrounding them looked like cavalry, but not the kind of cavalry the Japanese were familiar with.

Because they are so tall and strong.

The tall horse beneath them was as imposing as a bear standing upright, forcing them to look up at it.

The knights on horseback were even more majestic, their armor reflecting the winter sun so brightly it dazzled them.

One man and one horse, and they are a mountain of immense pressure.

And there are many more "mountains" like this.

Compared to them, the usually arrogant Lord Nagato was like a monkey riding a dog.

Moreover, those knights were covered in gleaming golden armor and had masks on their faces.

This is no ordinary person, he's practically King Kong from the stories!

"May the Bodhisattva protect us! May the Bodhisattva protect us!"

The Japanese knelt down in a rush, bowing and worshipping the Great Ming Vajra who had descended to earth.

This reflects the deeply ingrained hierarchical order and worship of the strong among the Japanese.

When they encounter a species that is clearly stronger than themselves, they immediately become passive and extremely submissive.

As for their earlier trash talk against the Ming Dynasty?

Oh, that was just a joke, Japanese officer!
"Ah."

Facing the Japanese soldiers kowtowing, the young cavalry captain from Huazhou in the Central Plains merely smiled coldly and looked into the distance.

On the coast, the first infantry unit had successfully landed, assembled in a simple formation, and completely surrounded the other side of the village.

All the vulnerabilities have been patched.

The cavalry captain smirked and slowly drew his sword.

…………

A controlled fire wiped out all traces of this small village's existence.

The first wave of Ming soldiers who landed wiped the blood off their swords and immediately set up camp to welcome the reinforcements that followed.

The flagship docked, and a tall, imposing general slowly disembarked.

"Japan... Ha!"

(End of this chapter)