Tang Dynasty: The Holy Prince, the Dragon that Reigns Over the World

The day after Li Chengqian met Soga no Goan, Li Chengqian was called to the palace by Li Shimin.

"Have you met Soga Goan?" Li Shimin asked with a smile.

"I have seen him. He has been sent back by my son." Li Chengqian nodded.

"Failed to reach an agreement?" Li Shimin asked.

"Well, the Japanese are making a fuss, confusing right and wrong, and even want our Tang Dynasty to pay compensation and apologize to them." Li Chengqian said unhappily.

"Oh? The Japanese slaves are so shameless. How did Dalang deal with them?" Li Shimin said with a gloomy face.

"Take off his pants and spank him 10 times. Teach him how to speak human language." Li Chengqian said calmly.

"Beat him, spank him. And take off his pants. Dalang, although the Japanese are shameless, they are still envoys of a country. You are humiliating them. This is not good. Our Tang Dynasty is a country of etiquette." Li Shimin said in surprise.

"Just beat him. With that kind of face, it will be difficult to appease the people's anger if we don't beat him. I beat him so that he can learn how to speak human language. It's for his own good. He is so old, but he can't even speak human language. As the father of the Celestial Empire, I think it is our obligation to teach these sons how to talk to their father." Li Chengqian said with an expression that he was doing it for his own good.

"You still want to cause public outrage? You just want to beat them up, and you act like you're being righteous. I heard that Dalang's conditions are quite high." Li Shimin curled his lips. Li Chengqian nodded, and then told Li Shimin the conditions he had offered. He added a sentence at the end.

"It's not too high. I think it's very fair." Then he put on an expression asking for approval and support.

"That's fucking not loud enough. The Japanese are shameless, not stupid. Do you think anyone with a brain would agree to it? If I were a Japanese envoy, I wouldn't agree either." Li Shimin said with his eyes wide open.

"What a vision, Aye, what a vision. This is still considered high. I did not destroy Japan directly, and even agreed to negotiate with it. I am truly magnanimous and have a heart of Buddha. Japan should be grateful and kneel down to thank the Tang Dynasty for its grace, and then happily fulfill the conditions I proposed one by one. But this Japanese slave is so ungrateful that he actually disagrees with my good intentions. I am very sad." Li Chengqian said with great sorrow.

"Hey, Dalang. Who did you take this shameless look from? You were born in the Qin Palace and received positive education. How come you are becoming more and more insidious and shameless? Look at the plans you have made in the past few years. Each one is more sinister than the other. You are almost plotting against all the neighboring countries.

You are kind-hearted and have Buddha in your heart. The condition you set is no different from the destruction of the country. The Japanese slaves should be grateful and kneel down to thank the Tang Dynasty for its grace. You still feel sad. Your shamelessness has been improved. Look at your father, who has been kind and righteous since childhood..." Li Shimin sighed and then started to brag endlessly.

Li Chengqian looked at Li Shimin, bewildered. Why was he bragging? Did Li Shimin awaken some special attribute? The more Li Chengqian listened to the boasting, the more he felt that he had inherited Li Shimin's shamelessness. The boasting was a bit too much, and it was getting more and more outrageous. Li Chengqian couldn't listen any more and interrupted.

"Aye, are you going to keep me in the palace for dinner?"

"Dinner? It's not even noon yet. Is Dalang hungry?" Li Shimin said in surprise.

"No, I see you keep talking nonstop, I'm afraid it's almost evening. Father, let's say whatever we want to say. You are a wise and holy ruler, no amount of praise is too much. However, you also have to be careful with your choice of words. Is 'suitable for a family' a word to praise a man?" Li Chengqian said.

"Well, fine, I admit that I used inappropriate words. My son, please feel free to offer me any good words you have, and you can also praise me as much as you want." Li Shimin said after thinking for a moment, and then acted as if to praise me as much as you can.

"Hiss, my goodness, it's not enough to praise yourself, you also want me to praise you together. I'm busy with official duties, I'll take my leave now." Li Chengqian took a breath and prepared to run away.

"Come back, come back. What are you running for? Didn't I just ask you to praise your father? Why are you running away? You unfilial son, how long has it been since you last went to the palace to have dinner with your father and mother? Today you stay in the palace to have dinner and have a few drinks with your father. By the way, send someone to bring in my great grandson. If you don't come, why don't you have people bring my great grandson into the palace from time to time?" Li Shimin said dissatisfiedly.

"Are you really going to ask Japan to cede territory and pay compensation? After all, our Tang Dynasty is the Celestial Empire, so we should be magnanimous. After the Japanese envoys met you, they also asked many ministers to plead for mercy. Many people wrote to me asking me not to be too harsh on Japan, as it would damage the reputation of the Tang Dynasty.

"I also think that since Japan is willing to admit its mistakes and apologize, Dalang should not be too harsh. I think it is better to let Japan pay some money as a token of respect. If the surrounding vassal states see it, it will also damage the reputation of the Tang Dynasty and you and me." Li Shimin advised.

"We don't have to cede the land, but there is one place that Japan must lease to the Tang Dynasty. All the output from this place must belong to the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty must also station troops here," Li Chengqian thought.

"What kind of place is this that is so important to Dalang? And why is there a garrison there?" Li Shimin wondered.

"There is a place in Japan called Iwami Province, where silver is produced." Li Chengqian said.

"What's the big deal about how much it can produce? How can a mere sum of money be compared with the reputation of our Celestial Empire?" Li Shimin said disdainfully.

"Father, there is a mountain of silver over there. Are you so generous, father? Do you want fame instead of money?" Li Chengqian said in surprise.

"Silver mountain? How much silver is there?" Li Shimin shouted when he heard it.

"Hmm? I estimate that if we mine it at full capacity, we can produce more than 6 million taels a year." Li Chengqian thought about the brief introduction of Iwami Silver Mine to future generations and said.

"What? More than 6 million taels, more than 1200 million strings of cash. Dalang, we must fight and make Japan give this place to the Tang Dynasty. Damn, more than 1200 million strings of cash, which is equivalent to % of the annual tax revenue of the Tang Dynasty. How can Japan have the right to own a mountain of silver? This mountain belongs to the Li family, and it must belong to the Li family." Li Shimin said excitedly.

This is a stable source of income for the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty is indeed short of silver, mainly copper. If there is support from the output of silver mountains, it will not take many years for the Tang Dynasty to implement the silver standard. This is also what Li Chengqian has been discussing with court officials and Li Shimin.

"Besides, isn't it said that mere silver and money cannot be compared with the reputation of our Celestial Empire? Once money is mentioned, reputation is no longer a consideration? How realistic." Li Chengqian curled his lips and said in a low voice.

"Huh? What is Dalang mumbling about?" Li Shimin frowned and said dissatisfiedly.

"No, my son is saying that the sage of our Great Tang is wise and powerful, and he should own everything in the world. How can the small Japanese slaves be worthy of owning the silver mountain? Only our Great Tang, the common ruler of the world, is worthy of it." Li Chengqian immediately offered his flattery.

"Well! Very good, very good. Dalang, you should pay more attention to words of praise in the future. Don't always use words like wise and brave. You can innovate and be flexible." Li Shimin smiled, stroking his beard.

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes, then sent someone back home to have Su Wan'er bring Li Yun into the palace and have a meal with Li Shimin and Zhangsun Wugou.

Li Xiaogong finally waited for the supplies from Goryeo on Tsushima Island, and Li Ke also sent 2 soldiers to stay on Tsushima Island to guard the supplies, so that the anti-Japanese army could focus on fighting against Japan. Along with the supplies, there were also Li Dejian's 10 troops and the Goryeo garrison fleet.

In order to speed up the progress of the war against Japan, Li Chengqian ordered Li Dejian to lead 5 Turkic Wolf Cavalry and 5 Flying Diao Army to join the Army to Destroy Japan, and appointed Li Dejian as the deputy commander-in-chief of the Army to lead the army to attack the four countries.

Li Chongyi was ordered to lead the Goryeo fleet to join forces with the Anti-Japanese Fleet. Li Chongyi was appointed as the general manager of the Anti-Japanese Fleet to assist the three troops in landing and protect the safety of the sea transportation line. Then he sailed along the coastline of Japan. Li Chengqian issued an order that no Japanese ship should go to sea, and that any military or civilian ship should be destroyed immediately upon discovery.

After a brief discussion, Li Xiaogong immediately ordered the entire army to attack Japan. Xue Li led the Xuanwu Army, Feilong Army and Shenji Army Artillery Battalion to land in Nagato. Li Xiaogong led the remaining 13 troops to land in Satsuma.

Xue Li's troops encountered strong resistance from the Japanese navy and local people when they landed in Nagato. With the powerful firepower support of the Tang navy, especially the addition of the Tang cruiser "Chang'an", the Japanese army's defense collapsed instantly, and Xue Li successfully landed in Nagato.

The gunboats showed great power at the Baijiang River estuary. Li Chengqian was overjoyed and, after asking Li Shimin for instructions, ordered the Tang Shipyard (which Li Chengqian applied for in the sixth year of Zhenguan) to build another 10 ships, which were designated as "prefecture-level" cruisers, named after the prefectures in the Tang Dynasty, and the first ship was named "Chang'an".

Li Xiaogong and Li Dejian also successfully landed in Satsuma and Tosa with the help of the navy. When the Japanese king and his ministers learned that the three armies of the Tang army had landed in Japan, they were shocked and hurriedly sent envoys to the Ezo area to ask the Ezo to send troops to help.

After Japan agreed to make Hokkaido a permanent place for the Ezo people to live and demanded a large amount of money, the Ezo people agreed to send troops and hand over their ships to Japan. Japan pieced together the ships of the Ezo people and formed a fleet of 500 ships.

Upon seeing this, Soga no Emishi immediately appointed Chu-na-gun Zao-sai Ichiro as the Grand Admiral of the Navy and ordered the fleet to fight a decisive battle with the Tang Navy. After the victory, the Tang Army's water transportation line was blocked.

The Japanese general Zaozai Ichiro led 500 ships to Tsushima Island. After the Tang navy discovered the enemy, Li Chongyi ordered the Tang navy's 230 ships to gather in the waters of Tsushima Island, waiting for the Japanese army to come and fight a decisive battle with them.

On the Tang Navy's flagship Chang'an, Li Chongyi looked at the Japanese fleet approaching him with a monocular telescope and smiled.

"Oh, quite a lot. There are quite a lot of them, but their size hasn't changed much. They're still so small. They're small, everything about them is small."

"Brother, this is a personal attack. If you are short, everything about you is small. What if the Japanese slaves' vulgar things are not small?" Li Chonghui laughed.

"Besides, it's impossible. How big can a person with such a short stature be? How did the prince say it? Yes, it's disproportionate. However, I heard that Japanese women are very docile and obedient, and they will do whatever men say. We can try to find one when we fight against Japan this time." Li Chongyi licked his lips and said.

"Brother, aren't you afraid that your sister-in-law will find out and beat you to death?" Li Chonghui said with a smile. Li Chongyi was famous in the Tang Dynasty for being afraid of his wife.

"What are you afraid of? I'm a very strong brother-in-law. Besides, we're just having fun and we're not going to marry her home. Your sister-in-law won't know." Li Chongyi said.

"Bragging, bragging well. After several years of contact with the prince, your tone of voice is becoming more and more like the prince. By the way, who is the commander of the Japanese army on the opposite side?" Li Chonghui said with a roll of his eyes.

"General, the commander of the Japanese army in front is the middle minister of Japan, Zaoji Ichiro." The captain of the Jinyiwei who was accompanying the army said with a smile.

"'Premature Ejaculation Ichiro'? Is this a person's name? Is this a person's name, or a nickname given to him by a Japanese woman? Are you sure you are not mistaken?" Li Chongyi asked in surprise.

"How dare I make a mistake. When I first learned the Japanese general's name, I couldn't believe it just like the general. After checking again and again, it was this name. At that time, I was still thinking that this dwarf was too arbitrary in naming. This is not a human name. This is a disease." The captain of the Jinyiwei who accompanied the army laughed.

"My goodness, the Japanese general is here to see a doctor. Then this general has to play the role of an old Chinese doctor and cure the Japanese general's premature ejaculation problem once and for all. Come, pass on my order. All ships should form a battle line with the Chang'an as the center. Hit them hard for me and cure the Japanese army's unspeakable secret." Li Chongyi said.

After receiving the order, the ships quickly formed a battle line. Seeing this, the Japanese general hurriedly gave orders.

"The Tang army's firearms are powerful. The ships dispersed and maneuvered to avoid the Tang army's firearms. They approached the Tang army's ships at full speed and engaged in a boarding battle with the Tang army." The Japanese army immediately dispersed their formation and charged towards the Tang army.

"Ah, you've learned your lesson. Come on, order all ships to load incendiary bombs and burn these dwarfs to death." Li Chonghui ordered. The incendiary bombs used by the Tang army fleet were larger than those equipped by the army, with more explosives and a larger range of fire.

"Target, between the two Japanese ships ahead, prepare the incendiary bombs. Fire." The commander of the third position of the Tang army's Spring and Autumn class battleship 'Qin Mu Gong' gave the order. Then an incendiary bomb whizzed towards the Japanese ship and exploded between the two Japanese ships. The rain of fire spread in all directions, instantly igniting the wooden ships of the Japanese army on both sides. The fire spread rapidly, burning the two Japanese ships visibly.

The Tang army launched a large number of incendiary bombs and rockets, setting the Japanese ships on fire one by one. The Tang army's "Chang'an" fired volleys one after another, blowing the Japanese ships to pieces and sinking them to the bottom of the sea.

"All ships, charge fast. Don't worry about the losses and the soldiers who fell into the water. The burning ships will accelerate and ram into the Tang ships, and perish together with the Tang army. Tell all ships that the time has come to serve the Emperor and die for the sake of Japan. Gentlemen, the day you become gods, we will see you in heaven. Charge."

Zao Zai Ichiro saw that the Japanese ships had lost more than half of their troops before they even approached the Tang army, and he shouted loudly. He then ordered his ship to rush towards the Tang army first, and the other Japanese ships saw this and also rushed towards the Tang army without hiding or avoiding.

"Wow, that's pretty fierce. A suicide charge, your courage is commendable. However, no matter how powerful you are, it can't change your premature ejaculation problem. Come on, order all ships to move away from the Japanese army, replace the mines, use long-range firepower to destroy the Japanese army's suicide charge. Anyone who gets close, push them away with a long pole, and then shoot them with bows and arrows." Li Chongyi said disdainfully.

The Tang army ships immediately started to move, keeping a distance from the Japanese army, and dropped iron mines, rockets, and shells into the Japanese fleet. The Japanese ships that could catch up were pushed away by the Tang army with long poles and quickly shot. Those that could not catch up were sunk by the Tang army from a distance.

The naval battle lasted for more than an hour, and the Japanese army was completely annihilated. The ship of Japanese general Zao Zai Ichiro was overturned by a cannonball and fell into the water. The Tang army fished him out, Li Chongyi asked.

"How about it, Mr. Premature Ejaculation, surrender."

"No one in our great Japan surrenders." Ichiro Saozai said firmly.

"Really? Come here, cut off one of his testicles. If he still doesn't surrender, cut off the other one. There's no use in keeping it anyway." Li Chongyi said with a smile.

"You, how can you treat me like this? A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated. Kill me quickly." Zaozai Ichiro said angrily.

"Oh, that's such a waste. I might as well castrate you and send you to my prince as a low-ranking slave. Come on, get started." Li Chonghui said.

Zaojiro was pinned to the ground and his pants were stripped off. The guard was holding a sharp blade, smiling sinisterly and ready to cut him. Zaojiro said anxiously.

"I surrender, I surrender."

"It's not like a candle. It won't light up unless it's lit. Come, take him away and keep him under guard. Report to my father and the prince that I destroyed the Japanese fleet in the Japanese waters near Tsushima Island and annihilated the entire Japanese fleet. I captured the Japanese middle minister Zaoji Ichiro. Our army suffered no casualties, and from then on Japan no longer had a navy." Li Chongyi said.