Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

How Moheduo Khan and his entourage in Taiyuan Prefecture experienced the joys of the Tang Dynasty gentlemen is a story for another time.

Tsukushi Province, once one of the feudal states within Japan, has now been completely transformed in just over ten days.

The two Di brothers, Di Rengui and Di Renquan, who were accompanying Prince Li Yin of Liang, as well as Princess Kim Seung-man of Silla.

The group witnessed firsthand how this so-called "Tsukushi Kingdom" was transformed in just over ten days, with the "feudal kings" and their so-called retainers and warriors being forced to their knees and beg for mercy by the Tang Dynasty.

He also witnessed firsthand how the Tang Dynasty craftsmen and officials who came with the fleet built up the foundation and framework of Fukuoka in just over ten days.

The two Cheng brothers, Cheng Chumo and Cheng Chumo, were appointed by Li Ke as the governor of Fukuoka Naval Port. Cheng Chumo was responsible for the daily training of the navy and also for supervising the construction of the port.

As for Cheng Chuliang, he was assigned to be the garrison commander of Fukuoka Castle... even though Fukuoka Castle at that time was just a "stone figurine" built by the Japanese.

Li Yin followed his elder brother Li Ke, learning diligently.

The preliminary work on the construction of Fukuoka is, in some ways, no different from the preliminary work on the construction of Busan Port when he went to Silla.

After killing a group of former "feudal kings" and their families from Tsukushi Province, wiping out the upper echelons of the area.

There was once a small but powerful samurai family here, which was supported by Li Ke.

Like dog trainers, these guys began to urge the Japanese slaves here to build cities and ports...

"You have to control the power involved yourself. Who can be used and who cannot be used is a long-term skill. I can't teach you too much. Kim Seung-man can be used, but it depends on the timing... If you go to Silla, you will need to make other plans."

“When necessary, we should also take our musketeers out for a stroll from time to time, so that some wicked bastards can hear the sound of gunfire... Your fourth brother’s method has its merits. As long as you’re human, you’ll always be afraid of death.”

"The choice between bullets and sweet treats isn't difficult for this type of person..."

On a beach in Fukuoka, Li Ke was taking a walk while giving his younger brother Li Yin a long, rambling admonition.

Li Yin listened quietly, occasionally responding with a word.

Watching the setting sun gradually sink below the horizon, the two brothers stood quietly on a reef.

After an unknown amount of time, the sky gradually darkened.

Li Yin, who hadn't said much until now, suddenly spoke up.

"Brother, tell me, how powerful will our Tang Dynasty become in the future? Even at its peak, the territory of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han couldn't compare to ours, and our people live in peace and prosperity..."

He took a deep breath.

He gazed in the direction of Silla and pondered for a while.

"Brother, do you think what the Emperor said when he asked you to go to Bingzhou with him a while ago was his true intention?"

Li Ke was taken aback, and then his expression changed.

Even though he was alone with his brother, he instinctively and quickly scanned his surroundings.

He glared at him: "Don't say such things again! If someone with ulterior motives spreads this to my brother, not only will we have no way to prove ourselves, but it will also really hurt him!"

Hear the words.

Li Yin stared intently at his elder brother.

His eyes were full of seriousness.

"Brother, you know what I mean, and I believe you can sense it too. Your Majesty definitely has this intention!"

He continued speaking without waiting for Li Ke to refute him.

"My brother has now given you military power, commanded the Embroidered Uniform Guard, spearheaded the political reforms in Dengzhou, and handled various commercial matters. Now he's even going so far as to put you in charge of managing Japan."

"Now that your situation here has just stabilized, and I merely mentioned it briefly, my brother has granted me such great authority, allowing me to govern Silla..."

"Brother! I'm afraid that from now on, Silla and Japan will be gifts from the Emperor to both of us."

however.

Li Ke glared at him and snorted coldly.

"Then I will only ever be king! There can only be one emperor in this world! That is our imperial brother! I will not recognize anyone else who sits on that throne in the future!"

While Li Ke and Li Yin were talking...

Several figures suddenly ran over from not far away.

They stopped some distance away from each other.

Li Ke frowned: "Liu Tao? What is it?"

The visitor was none other than a nephew of Liu Rengui, the current naval commander of Dengzhou.

Having read some books, being efficient in his work, and knowing some about navigation, he was kept by Li Ke's side as his deputy.

As for the people behind Liu Tao...

Li Ke narrowed his eyes. As a former commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he was still in charge of managing the Embroidered Uniform Guard's intelligence network related to Goguryeo.

"soldier?"

Liu Tao stepped forward and handed a document to Li Ke.

"Your Highness, these men are some retired veterans who failed to be selected in the previous selection of the new-style navy in Dengzhou. They came here from Dengzhou specifically to ask you if they could be permitted to engage in the slave-hunting business..."

Liu Tao himself was unsure about this matter.

Although there is indeed a slave trade in Dengzhou today, most of the slaves are from the peninsulas of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla.

Moreover, they were all government slaves.

There really aren't any privately organized slave-hunting groups like this in Dengzhou...

Li Ke looked at the document in his hand and beckoned the group of people to him.

"Yan Laichun, former lookout of the warship Nongjiang of the Dengzhou Navy, pays his respects to His Highness the Prince of Han!"

Li Ke looked at the man in the lead, named Yan Laichun.

He nodded slightly.

"Did you sail to Fukuoka Castle yourselves?"

"Yes!"

Yan Laichun respectfully replied, "I have some family wealth, and together with some friends from my hometown, we've managed to build a medium-sized seagoing vessel that can carry about three hundred people!"

"Why did you decide to get into this slave-trading business? Even though they're all Japanese slaves and their deaths are nothing to regret, it's still... I suppose it wouldn't sound good to talk about this in the village, would it?"

Li Ke flipped through the identity documents of these people in his hand, as well as some documents about their ship registration information, and asked a question.

“This…” Yan Laichun hesitated for a moment.

Upon meeting this Prince Han, he was not as difficult to talk to as I had imagined.

Suddenly, she mustered her courage and spoke her mind.

“We are all rough men, and we have been fighting against bandits and pirates for years. We are used to living a life of danger and bloodshed. Asking us to fish or farm... is not something our subordinates can do.”

aside.

Li Yin looked at these strong men with a flicker in his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

Just as Li Ke was preparing to send the others back to think things over, Li Yin suddenly spoke up.

"You mean you want to do something that makes a lot of money, even if it's dangerous?"

Yan Laichun looked puzzled, and Liu Tao reminded him.

"This is His Highness Prince Liang of the Great Tang Dynasty!"

"Your subordinate greets Your Highness, Prince Liang... Yes!"

Li Yin's eyes brightened even more: "How many of you are there?"

"Including me, there are now thirty people..."

"Can it be expanded to three hundred?"

Li Ke was startled, and then he saw a wicked smile on his younger brother's face.

"If you can recruit three hundred people to follow me, I will give you a job!"

I stayed in Fukuoka for a few more days.

Yi Eun finally boarded the warship bound for Silla.

The voyage consisted of three treasure ships, along with more than a dozen other ships carrying large quantities of grain and supplies.

In addition, a fleet also set sail from Dengzhou Port, personally commanded and escorted by Liu Rengui. Among the hundreds of ships were elite Tang Dynasty troops, armed to the teeth, arranged by Li Chengqian for Li Yin...

Li Yin stood on the deck, hands behind his back.

However, the worry in Kim Seung-man's eyes grew stronger as the fleet got closer to Silla.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

Just one day away from arriving in Silla, the fleet was about to reach its destination.

Kim Seung-man finally couldn't hold on any longer.

While Li Yin was having his meal, she suddenly knelt down in front of him with a thud.

Tears welled up in her beautiful eyes.

"Your Highness, I beg you, please spare my sister! She... she's already had such a hard life... she..."

She thought of many reasons.

But in the face of their current predicament, where they are like fish on a chopping board, all they can do is make this most humble and powerless plea.

Li Yin glanced at her.

He remained unmoved by the tears of such a beautiful woman.

Despite being a minor, Li Yin had seen countless beautiful women.

"Here in my kingdom, there are no sisters of yours, only obedient and disobedient Queens of Silla..."

He slowly put down his chopsticks.

"You shouldn't beg me to spare her, but rather you should beg your queen sister... Be smart!"

The Tang Dynasty's fleet arrived in Silla in a grand procession.

Busan Port today is far from having the well-developed infrastructure of Dengzhou Port. Apart from having sufficient water depth, the Tang Dynasty's navy certainly couldn't have so many ships to land on the shore.

however.

These treasure ships and sea vessels, resembling floating fortresses, delivered a resounding slap in the face to all the high-ranking officials of the Silla Kingdom who had come to welcome them.

"Your Majesty... are these people from the Tang Dynasty really here to help us?"

Eul-jae, the Silla minister responsible for assisting the current Silla Queen Kim Deok-man, had a gloomy expression.

It's obvious even to a fool that the Tang Dynasty must have reached some agreement with the envoy Jin Shengman that went beyond their authority, without their knowledge.

"Your Majesty, the Tang Dynasty has sent so many warships at once, and the number of soldiers they carry is definitely not small. We must be careful."

Minister Otsuji reminded him again.

Kindeman nodded, watching the Tang soldiers who began to dock one by one and disembark.

Especially after seeing that each of them was clad in iron armor and looked exceptionally elite.

My heart is filled with even more worry.

Could it be that his own sister didn't bring back any support, but instead brought back a giant wolf?

This idea became a reality after Li Yin and Jin Shengman disembarked and an agreement was presented to her.

"What?! You want us to hand over our military power?!"

"This is impossible! Kim Seung-man, who gave you this authority! You have no right to make such a big decision on behalf of Silla!"

Minister Yiji roared in anger.

Upon hearing these words, Li Yin revealed a smile that sent chills down Jin Shengman's spine.