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

Late November of the fifth year of the Zhenguan era.

As the year draws to a close, officials in various government offices across the Tang Dynasty are busily and anxiously preparing for the year-end administrative tasks, submitting reports and summaries as required...

Not only in Guannei Circuit, but also in Hedong Circuit, Hebei Circuit, Henan Circuit, and even Hexi Circuit under the jurisdiction of the retired emperor, the enthusiasm of officials has been significantly improved.

For no other reason than that, Li the Skinflint... no, His Highness Crown Prince Li Chengqian actually announced that all government offices would have their scheduled holidays for the year to be observed according to the established number of days.

Special departments take turns resting, but everyone else gets a full set of days off.

If it weren't for the fear of being targeted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the officials would probably have been overjoyed and wept upon receiving the news, shouting out their joy.

"The sky has eyes!"

However, while all the officials were looking forward to the holiday, Hou Junji, who had been the mascot garrison commander of Yanmen Pass for several years and the father-in-law of the Crown Prince, was excitedly anticipating the end of the year.

They boarded a ship bound for Japan.

"set off!"

Following his order.

The naval forces stationed in Dengzhou, Hebei Province, immediately set sail and headed out of port.

On the Zhennan treasure ship, Hou Junji looked excited yet solemn.

Looking at the dozen or so generals he had brought with him from Yanmen Pass, he said, “You have all followed me for many years, and it is no exaggeration to say that you are my confidants. But when you asked to come with me from Yanmen Pass, I already made some things clear.”

“You are generals of the imperial court, and you eat the military pay and salary of the Great Tang Dynasty. Since you are still standing here now, I will not give you the chance to disembark.”

Hou Junji's tiger-like eyes swept around with a hint of gloom.

"Anyone who dares to harbor secrets or disobey military orders during this trip to Japan... shall be executed!"

Everyone was startled, and then they all bowed in respect.

"I obey the General's order!!!"

Hou Junji nodded and, in front of everyone, took out a carefully folded geomantic map from his bosom and unfolded it in front of them.

The map is simple, but it's immediately obvious that it's a map of Japan.

What made the officers present even more alarmed were the two large red circles on the map and the text marked on them.

"Ishimi Ginzan"

"Sado Gold Mountain"

The mere mention of "mountains of gold and silver" was enough to instantly cause the officers, who were previously unaware of the mission, to breathe heavily.

"General, this..."

Hou Junji did not show any surprise at the reactions of the crowd. In fact, when he learned of the news, he couldn't help but gasp.

He had previously wondered why His Highness the Crown Prince didn't vigorously develop the vast grasslands and land of Zhenbei Road.

They even dispatched the King of Han to build a navy and manage the Eastern Seas, sparing no expense in the financial resources.

now.......

"That's right, this is our purpose for this trip! To take these two places, and also... to establish a long-term presence here!"

After speaking, Hou Junji suddenly took a deep breath.

A loud voice proclaimed: "His Highness the Crown Prince's decree!"

Instantly, the generals present, who were still immersed in shock, straightened their expressions and bowed on one knee.

Hou Junji took out an imperial edict that Li Chengqian had given him before he left Chang'an.

"By order of His Highness the Crown Prince..."

"The Japanese are lowly and despicable, ignorant of the glorious manners of our dynasty, and unworthy of the people of this blessed land. They are not worthy of the gifts of gold and silver, and their joy deserves divine punishment! The virtue of water has failed, and Tang Hui shall seize the sun and moon, and condemn these wicked and despicable people to the netherworld!"

"I hereby appoint the Duke of Lu of the Great Tang Dynasty as the Pacification Commissioner of the Eastern Seas, to command the Dengzhou naval garrison, to take over all affairs of Fukuoka Port, to command the Fukuoka garrison and all construction personnel, and to manage the Eastern Seas!"

"I hereby order Duke Hou Junji of Lu to immediately begin the attack on the gold and silver mines of Japan from the day he receives this decree! All departments, including the military, industry, civil administration, and commerce, shall unite as one to jointly defeat the Japanese invaders!"

"I await your triumphant return from the palaces of Chang'an, the day when you will be granted titles and your families will be honored..."

After Hou Junji finished reading the imperial edict, the generals present, who had previously harbored some ulterior motives, were overjoyed and bowed in celebration.

"We will certainly not fail His Highness the Crown Prince's imperial command!"

"Slaughter the Japanese invaders and change the world!"

.......

Both the Iwami Silver Mine and the Sado Gold Mine are located on Honshu Island in Japan.

However, one is located in the southwest of Honshu Island, which is equivalent to Shimane Prefecture in later times, while the other is located on Sado Island, which is across the sea from the west of Honshu Island.

Fortunately, their positions were practically no different from being served on a dinner table for the Tang Dynasty, which possessed a formidable naval power.

You only need to travel north from Fukuoka along the sea current and along the island's coastline for a few days to reach the location of the Iwami Ginzan on the geomantic map.

Simply continue sailing north, and you will reach Sado Island.

On Sado Island, the so-called Sado Kinzan is just a general term.

Strictly speaking, it should be called Sado Gold and Silver Mine, and there are a total of four: Aikawa Gold and Silver Mine, Nishi-Sankawa Sand Gold Mine, Tsuruko Silver Mine, and Shin-Ei Silver Mine.

"Duke of Lu, the area of ​​the Iwami Silver Mine we are visiting is currently within the sphere of influence of Izumo Province in Japan. Its strength is considered a very powerful force on the Japanese mainland..."

At Fukuoka Port, Liu Tao, the deputy who had been left behind by Prince Li Ke of Han to assist Hou Junji in conquering Japan, gave a solemn report.

"However, according to our current intelligence, Izumo Province is currently in a critical period of three-way struggle. The Izumo region in the Izumo River basin, the Kichizuki forces in western Izumo, and the Susa clan based in Susa-go are currently fighting over territory."

Inside the hall, the Tang army generals present looked at each other in bewilderment.

Some people were still whispering among themselves.

"So complicated? Japan is such a tiny place, just one small area, yet it's home to several different groups of people? Good heavens, is this some kind of Three Kingdoms period?"

"They're strong? Could they be stronger than our Great Tang Dynasty?"

"Well, maybe...."

Seeing everyone's serious expressions, Liu Tao quickly waved his hand to explain.

"No, no, it's just a tiny country, naturally incomparable to my Great Tang. What I'm saying may sound complicated, but it has nothing to do with my Great Tang. Although those three parties are constantly fighting, in my opinion... it's at most like a clan feud in the southern region of my Great Tang."

Immediately, the group of fierce Tang generals, who had been pondering how to volunteer to fight in Japan, kill the enemy general first, and win the first victory, were speechless.

"No, Counselor Liu, since you've already said they're all a bunch of chickens and dogs, what are you still saying to us?"

“Our soldiers are all clad in fine iron armor, and ordinary arrows cannot even scratch us. These weak Japanese devils can be scattered and crushed with a single drumbeat, without even needing to use firearms!”

"Hmph... What a waste of emotion!"

Seeing that everyone was unhappy, Hou Junji glared at them.

"Have you forgotten why we came here?! Our goal is mountains of gold and silver. Your military merits are not calculated by how many Japanese heads you have chopped off, but by how much gold and silver we can transport back to the Tang Dynasty!"

He gave these murderers a warning, and they finally behaved themselves again.

Hou Junji then looked at Liu Tao, who looked embarrassed.

"Counselor Liu, ignore them and continue!"

Liu Tao nodded: "We don't need to care about how those three forces fight, but if we want to occupy the Iwami Silver Mine for a long time, we must first clear out these Japanese devils. Besides, it's not appropriate to let the soldiers do mining, is it?"

Then everyone nodded in agreement.

A dangerous and fierce smile curled at the corners of their mouths.

"My lord, it's just capturing slaves, isn't it? This humble general requests permission! Give me five hundred elite soldiers, and I'll wipe out these Japanese slaves within half a month, and drag them all into the mines!"

A man with a slight Longyou accent was the first to stand up and speak.

Before he finished speaking, the man in front of him also hurriedly stood up and shouted.

"My lord! Let me go! I have served you for many years, and previously I was in charge of night watchman reconnaissance. Now..."

"Duke, just give me three hundred men!"

"I have two hundred men!"

Immediately, the hall, which had just quieted down, erupted into another round of noise.

Obviously, although Hou Junji just said that military merit is determined by the amount of gold and silver brought back to the Tang Dynasty, but... a general who stays in the mines and gold refineries for a long time, and a general who has been out capturing Japanese pirates for a long time and whose battles have not been successful.

Who deserves more credit?

Everyone knows it very well.

Hou Junji felt like his head was about to explode from listening to these bastards' endless arguing.

"Stop arguing! What's all this noise about?! Anyone who makes another sound will be put in charge of supply transport from now on! And he won't get a single military merit!"

The scene fell silent instantly.

Besides a 5,000-strong elite Tang army, Hou Junji also brought 3,000 Japanese samurai from Japan, a fact that even Hou Junji himself didn't know Li Chengqian had come up with...

Three thousand Japanese samurai were arranged in a military formation in front of the Tang army. Even the samurai armor, which should have looked sinister and imposing, seemed to have a touch of cuteness.

After a few days of rest, the army once again embarked on a grand journey aboard the Dengzhou naval fleet.

Heading towards the Iwami Ginzan.

In November, Japan is in the depths of autumn.

Along the western coast of Izumo Province, fishing villages dot the landscape. Fishing is an essential skill for the local Japanese people to survive. With the gentle sea breeze blowing, it is certain that at this time of year, many Japanese people, having enjoyed the benefits of invading neighboring countries, will have the time and energy to come here for leisure and vacation.

However, nowadays... Japan's overall strength, among the monsters of East Asia, is not even comparable to Silla and Baekje.

At this moment, the coastal people were not only dressed in thin clothes, but it was also difficult to see many people with strong physiques.

It was around three or four in the afternoon, and many fishermen were processing their catch for the day.

Fishing nets were quite common in the Tang Dynasty, with even ordinary people along the coast learning how to make and use them. But in present-day Japan, they were a closely guarded secret controlled only by powerful shogunate families…

A young Japanese boy laboriously dragged a fish basket, covered in mud and sand, back from the beach.

Several brainless, stupid fish were struggling inside, trying to break free from the fish basket.

But all it does is keep stabbing at the bottom of the fish basket.

"Aujisan, aujisan! So many fish, so many fish!"

The boy shouted, and the old man who was packing up a sampan turned around when he heard the noise. He was about to say something, but his expression changed drastically in the next moment.

"Aojisan..." The boy ran over excitedly, but the old man ignored the sea fish that were still jumping around on the ground, grabbed the boy, and was about to get up and run towards the village.

The boy was confused and anxiously turned around to catch the fish, but then he saw a shocking scene that he had never seen before in his life.

On the waves rippling in the sea breeze, in the distance, dark silhouettes resembling islands are rapidly approaching...

"Do you all understand the Duke's orders?! I'll repeat them again!"