Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 357 Your Majesty, I Understand Your Deep Meaning
The sunset is gorgeous and colorful, and the evening glow casts an orange-red glow, turning the Jinshui River into an orange-red color.

Li Zhi stood in a pavilion in the Qianbu Corridor, looking at the shimmering water. The thoughts in his mind were like the water, fluctuating.

Since arriving in the Tang Dynasty, he has always used future generations as a yardstick and historical books as a measure, trying his best to keep a cool head, which has led to the current situation.

But he is also a human being and has his own emotional preferences.

If Li Ji was obsessed with Goguryeo, Li Zhi also had the idea of ​​destroying Japan in his heart.

He hadn't taken action before because it was too absurd.

In the eyes of all the civil and military officials in the court, Japan was a poor and barren place, a desolate place where no one even lived. Conquering such a piece of land would be a waste of manpower and difficult to manage, so the court would definitely oppose it.

Under such circumstances, Li Zhi could not act on his own, so he could only hide his thoughts and wait until the three kingdoms in Liaodong were resolved before turning his sword towards Japan.

But now it is different. The killing of two hundred Tang soldiers is enough to arouse the indignation of the Tang people.

Just now, he deliberately listened to the discussion between Xue Rengui and others, just to understand their views on the matter.

Later, when he proposed to attack Japan, only Li Ji opposed it.

From the perspective of the Tang Dynasty, Li Ji was right, but Li Zhi was not going to listen to him this time.

Although destroying the Japanese is not good for the current situation or the Tang Dynasty, it will benefit future generations!

"Your Majesty, Her Royal Highness the Queen asks you to come over." Wang Fusheng suddenly said.

Li Zhi nodded, collected his thoughts, and headed towards the Lizheng Hall.

Like Li Ji, Wu Meiniang was an extremely rational person. She would definitely persuade herself not to attack Japan.

I used to be able to ignore her thoughts.

But now Wu Meiniang is abiding by her duties. Only if you show her enough respect will she continue to change towards being a virtuous queen. This requires some explanation.

However, it is not easy to fool her. What kind of excuse should I find?

After a while, Li Zhi came to the bedroom of Lizheng Hall, and Wu Meiniang invited him into the hall.

"Mei Niang, what smells so good?" As soon as Li Zhi entered the room, he smelled a burst of fragrance.

Wu Meiniang walked to a long table, reached out and grabbed a wine bottle, and said with a smile: "This is the Baihui wine I just brewed. I was just about to invite Your Majesty to taste it."

He poured a glass of wine and handed it to Li Zhi.

The wine is light green in color, with a subtle fragrance mixed with a hint of alcohol.

Li Zhi shook the wine glass and found that the wine was very thick, and it must have been brewed for a long time. He took a sip and it tasted slightly sweet, with a hint of bitterness. It must have been mixed with medicine, similar to medicinal wine, and had a nourishing effect.

Li Zhi had something on his mind. After drinking a glass, he raised his hand to signal Wu Meiniang not to add more wine. He asked her, "Meiniang, you asked me to come here because of the attack on Japan, right?"

Wu Meiniang said: "Yes."

Li Zhi coughed and said, "I know you object, but this is what I think..."

Wu Meiniang blinked and said, "Your Majesty, I have no objection."

"You don't object?" Li Zhi was stunned.

Wu Meiniang smiled slightly and said, "I was also confused at first, but I knew that Your Majesty must have a deeper meaning, so I thought hard and finally understood Your Majesty's deep meaning."

"My deep meaning?" Li Zhi murmured again.

Wu Meiniang clapped her hands, and the palace maid Yuping came in holding a red bow.

This bow is smaller than ordinary bows. It is painted with red lacquer and has a graceful curve like a crescent moon. The bow is carved with exquisite bird patterns.

This is the Hundred Phoenix Bow used exclusively by Wu Meiniang. It uses a golden arrow with the arrowhead wrapped in cloth into a spherical shape, which cannot hurt people.

She took the bow and arrow, straightened her back, slightly separated her legs, picked up the bow and arrow, and pulled the bowstring.

At this moment, Li Zhi saw some feminine spirit in her.

Wu Meiniang ordered five palace maids to stand opposite her, pulled the bowstring to its full extent, aimed at them, and glanced sideways at Li Zhi.

"Your Majesty, did I guess right?" she asked with a smile.

Li Zhi was puzzled, but his expression remained calm. He said, "Mei Niang, you are very strong. You can pull the bowstring to its full length."

"The bowstring of this bow was specially made by me. It is softer than ordinary bowstrings."

Wu Meiniang explained, then continued, "Your Majesty's actions are like me drawing a bow, with the string fully drawn and aimed at the five kingdoms. The five kingdoms will be frightened and will surely hope that the bowstring will be pointed at someone else."

"Oh, go on." Li Zhi narrowed his eyes and showed an unfathomable expression.

Wu Meiniang said, "Of the five nations, only one is guilty. The other four were dragged into this for no reason. These four nations will definitely make every effort to investigate the truth and use it to escape this crisis."

"Not bad, is there anything else?" Li Zhi squeezed his hands behind his back and asked with a smile.

Wu Meiniang pulled for a long time, her arms feeling a little numb, so she loosened her grip a little and said, "The true offender will definitely behave differently from the other four countries. They will desperately try to stop the investigation, and it will be easy to spot them."

Li Zhi looked up at the ceiling, silent.

Wu Meiniang handed the Hundred Phoenix Bow to the maid, came to Li Zhi, observed his expression, and said, "Your Majesty, was my guess wrong?"

Li Zhi coughed and said without explaining, "Mei Niang, according to what you said, the other four countries will soon find out the country that committed this crime?"

Wu Meiniang said, "That's exactly what I think, but I don't know much about foreign affairs, so I'm not completely sure."

Li Zhigan smiled and said, "Then forget it. I've already made this move. Now it all depends on how the Japanese respond."

……

"Mother, the situation is critical. Please put the country first and stay calm!"

"Calm down? I think you should calm down! This wasn't our fault, but the Tang people are accusing us of it. This is simply too much!"

In the Chikushi Asakura Palace in Japan, a fierce dispute broke out between Nakano Oe and Queen Takara.

Zhong Daxiong stepped forward and said, "You still don't understand the seriousness of this matter. If we don't explain it clearly, it will not be as simple as just fighting a war with the Tang people."

Queen Bao sat at the head of the table and said calmly, "Oh, so what?"

Zhong Daxiong said word by word: "We are in danger of extinction!"

Queen Bao was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "General Abe, did you hear that? Just because two hundred Tang soldiers were attacked by strong men who appeared out of nowhere, our country of Japan is in danger of being destroyed."

Abeibirov knelt on the mat and said calmly, "Your Highness is young after all and has little experience. It's understandable that he was frightened by the Tang people."

Zhong Daxiong was not provoked by him. He stood with his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice: "Kamatari, tell everyone about the consistent style of the Tang people."

Nakatomi Kamatari responded, stood up, bowed to Queen Treasure and Abehirov, and said:
"Since the Han Dynasty, the Central Plains dynasties have had a rule that if an envoy is killed, it is considered a declaration of war. No matter how far away, they will send troops to attack, destroy the country, and capture the king!"

After hearing this, Queen Bao's expression changed slightly, and she snorted coldly: "We may not be able to defeat them on land, but we have the advantage on the sea. General Abe, am I right?"

Abehirov said proudly, "Your Majesty is right. In a naval battle, we Japanese fear no one!"

Zhong Daxiong stared at Queen Bao and said, "So, mother has decided to fight the Tang people?"

Queen Bao raised her eyebrows and said, "Yes, we have the advantage in manpower and warships, and we also have General Abe. If they dare to invade, they will be defeated!"

Several Japanese ministers, led by Soga no Akagi, immediately echoed loudly and praised the queen for her wisdom.

But Queen Bao was not happy.

Because there were eight ministers participating in the council this time, they were the most powerful people in Japan.

The country of Japan implemented the Ritsuryo system, and the highest political official was the Daijo Daimin, who was Naka no Oe.

The Daijokan governed eight ministries: the Ministry of Central Affairs, the Ministry of Shikibu, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Administration, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance, and the Imperial Household Ministry.

These eight people are the Eight High Officials. Behind each of them, there is a large and ancient family. Not long ago, six of these eight people supported Queen Bao.

However, now, the Mononobe clan and the Fujiwara clan, who originally supported her, are silent.

Even her beloved son, Prince Ocean, remained silent.

This made Queen Bao finally understand that Zhong Daxiong had already subdued these people, but was just keeping it to himself.

Zhong Daxiong, who had always been willing to endure, actually exposed his full strength because of the Tang people, which also made Queen Bao secretly shocked.

At this moment, Abemaro walked quickly into the hall.

Given his status, he was not qualified to participate in the meeting and was immediately reprimanded by the ministers of the eight provinces.

"Maru, this is not the place for you!"

"Pay attention to your identity and step back!"

Abemaro knelt on the ground, supported his hands on the ground, and kowtowed, saying: "Your Majesty, the Queen, the princes and ministers, Silla has just sent a message. The situation is urgent, so I, Abemaro, have the audacity to intrude."

"What happened?" Queen Bao spoke up to help him out.

Abianmaro raised his head and said, "According to information from the Silla people, the Tang people are sending a large number of troops to Yingzhou and Laizhou."

Queen Bao asked again: "How many reinforcements have been added?"

Abianmaro said, "It's not clear yet, but the Tang army has over 600,000 troops on standby. If they really want to declare war, they'll probably deploy at least 100,000."

Queen Bao's face turned pale and she looked towards Abehirov.

Abe said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, don't worry. Even if the Tang people have many soldiers, they don't have ships and can't deploy their forces on the sea."

Nakatomi Kamatari said, "General Abe was wrong. When the Tang Dynasty attacked Goguryeo, they were short of warships, so the Tang Emperor issued an order. As a result, within four months, 400 ships were built to carry military supplies."

Soga Chixiong snorted, "They are just grain transport ships. They must be small boats. They are no match for our warships."

Nakatomi Kamatari glanced at him and said, "The Tsukushi commander is wrong. Every grain transport ship built by the Tang Dynasty is larger than Her Majesty the Queen's Karasuma!"

Soga Aka-nii angrily said, "Nonsense! How could such a ridiculous thing be possible?"

Nakatomi Kamatari said calmly, "Even though you haven't been to the Tang Dynasty, you can ask people who have been there about the ships they built."

"Vice Minister Abian, is this true?" Queen Bao's face became increasingly ugly.

Abianmaro murmured, "That's about right."

Queen Bao looked at Abehirafu again, but this time Abe also lowered his head.

Queen Bao took a deep breath, turned to look at Zhong Daxiong, and said, "My son, in your opinion, how can we prevent the Tang people from attacking our country of Japan?"

Zhong Daxiong said, "First, we must do our utmost to find out who attacked the Tang ships. This will help appease the Tang people's anger. Second, we must send an envoy to Chang'an to explain the situation to the Tang people."

Queen Bao was stunned and said, "Will they still listen to my explanation?"

Zhong Daxiong said, "They will definitely not give up until the real culprit is found. However, sending an envoy is a gesture, which is indispensable."

The Japanese attach great importance to the relationship between superiors and subordinates. Queen Bao nodded and said, "In your opinion, who is the best person to send?"

Naka-no-Oe looked at Abe-maro and said calmly, "I'll have to trouble Vice Minister Abe to go to Chang'an again."

Abemaro's face turned pale and he looked at Queen Bao for help.

If I go to Chang'an at this time, will I still be able to come back alive?
However, Queen Bao did not help him this time and said, "Secretary Abian, this is a matter of national security. I can only ask you to spare no effort and serve the Tang Dynasty again."

Seeing the cold gaze of Queen Bao, Abianmalu could only smile bitterly and said, "Your humble servant obeys your command!"

……

The sea water kept hitting the rocks, and the sound of Japanese soldiers training was faintly mixed in with the sound of waves.

The red sun has already set below the horizon.

Brother Zhong stood on the stone platform and looked into the distance.

The waves at dusk are calmer than during the day, but the undercurrents beneath the sea are more dangerous.

Brother Zhong faced the sea breeze, opened his arms, and smiled.

"Your Highness, the current situation is so dangerous, but you seem very happy." Nakatomi Kamatari's voice came from behind.

"Kamatari, I've always felt that danger and opportunity coexist. Don't you feel the same way?"

Nakatomi Kamatari was silent for a moment, then said, "I don't have your extraordinary vision. I only see the crisis, not the opportunity."

Zhong Daxiong smiled slightly and said, "That's because you haven't been able to step outside the current situation and look at the problem. Who do you think was responsible for the attack on the Tang army?"

Nakatomi Kamatari thought for a moment and said, "There aren't many forces capable of destroying two hundred Tang troops. Apart from us, there are only five or six other forces in this sea area."

Zhongdaxiong held up four fingers.

"Besides us, there are only four people who have this ability."

"Which four?"

"Izumi Sobun, Kim Chunqiu, Fuyu Yoshiji, and Ezo Oga."

Nakatomi Kamatashi nodded: "Not bad."

The eldest brother put down a finger and said, "If Fuyu Yici wants to do this, he will definitely inform mother. Judging from mother's attitude just now, he can be ruled out."

Zhong Daxiong lowered another finger and said, "Even if Jin Chunqiu has the intention, he doesn't have the courage. He can be eliminated."

Nakatomi Kamatari's mind moved, and he said, "So the only two who have this possibility are Izumi Gaisuben and Ezo Oga?"

Zhong Daxiong smiled and said, "The Tang people have long wanted to attack Goguryeo. If this is really their doing, the Tang army will definitely send troops. We can take advantage of their distraction and help Yici defeat Fuxin!"

"What if it's Ezo Oga?"

Zhong Daxiong said, "That's even better. Even if the Tang people can defeat the Ainu, they can't occupy the Ainu Islands. After they leave, we can take advantage of the Ainu's weakness and eliminate this formidable enemy."

Nakatomi Kamatari said respectfully, "Your Highness is very thoughtful and far-sighted. I admire you."

Zhong Daxiong said slowly, "However, if we want to turn this crisis into a favorable one for us, we must find out which family is responsible and obtain solid evidence to convince the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty!"

Nakatomi Kamatari said, "I will do my best to complete this task."

Zhong Daxiong raised his hand and said, "No, this is a serious matter. I must mobilize all my forces. Your people only need to take care of Ezo."

"What about Goguryeo?"

Zhong Daxiong said, "Don't worry, I'll let Dahairen investigate."

The news that the Tang Dynasty had increased its troops on the border soon spread to all the countries in Liaodong.

This is not good news for every country. No one likes the Tang Dynasty cavalry.

Even countries like Mohe and Shiwei, which had nothing to do with the matter, felt an invisible pressure when they saw the increase in the number of Tang troops in Yingzhou.

There were originally 30,000 Tang troops in Yingzhou, all of whom were cavalry. Now another 30,000 cavalry have been transferred, making a total of 60,000 Tang cavalry, like a sharp sword hanging over the heads of every country.

Under such heavy pressure, not only did Japan send envoys to Chang'an, but the countries in Liaodong also sent envoys to Chang'an to inquire about the situation, so as to prevent this sword from falling on their heads.

Just as Wu Meiniang described, when the Tang Dynasty pulled the bowstring to full strength, the reactions of various countries were surprisingly consistent.

With the exception of two countries, no envoys were sent.

That is, Goguryeo and Ezo.

(End of this chapter)