Hou Tao is Gu Qing's most valued confidant, otherwise he would not have given him the important responsibility of protecting King Yan.
The core mission of the Imperial City Division is to protect the safety of the royal family, and spy functions such as investigation and arrest are all derived from this core.
In order to ensure the safety of King Yan, the manpower assigned to Hou Tao were all elites in the division, and many more were later assigned.
But Gu Qing didn't expect that King Yan was still injured in the assassination and almost died.
When they first received the news, everyone was paralyzed with fear. If Hou Tao had been in front of him at that time, he would have killed him with a knife for no reason.
More than half a month had passed, and Gu Qing's mood had calmed down a lot. Now looking at Hou Tao kneeling in front of him, he felt a little angry again.
"Dereliction of duty!? To put it lightly! I think you did nothing at all! You failed to nip the problem in the bud, failed to deploy controls during the incident, and did not pursue the suspect afterwards. If you didn't do anything, what's the use of you? ? What’s the use of my Imperial City Division!?”
Hou Tao raised his head slightly, opened his mouth, and wanted to say something, but saw the cold expression on Gu Qing's face and lowered his head deeply again.
Seeing how he hesitated to speak, Gu Qing became even more angry, "What!? If you can't do something, do you even dare to say something?"
Hou Tao's eyes were filled with bitterness, and he did not dare to act like a dead fish. "It is the incompetence of my subordinates who did not notice the dangers in advance. However, His Highness travels incognito, and he has always emphasized that he is not allowed to disturb the people, and his subordinates did not dare to violate it, so he did not set up any measures along the way." , His Highness later ordered the investigation to be stopped..."
"Stupid!" Gu Qing shouted softly, hating that iron could not make steel, "We are loyal to His Highness, so naturally we must listen to His Highness in all other matters, but His Highness's safety cannot be left to him alone. Who are we? We are hawks and dogs. ! It’s a shadow! If you want to do things that His Highness has not thought of, and that His Highness has not achieved, you should act based on His Highness’s safety. Don’t stick to the rules. If necessary, do the dirty work first... Forget it, it seems that you are not suitable to be responsible for His Highness anymore. If you are in danger, I will replace you when I report to His Highness."
"Ah? That subordinate..." Hou Tao felt aggrieved.
Gu Qing sighed. Now that the Imperial City Division is about to be split, he will leave the Imperial City Division and take charge of the newly established Investigation Department and Military Intelligence Department. Originally, he intended to recommend Hou Tao to take over the Imperial City Division, but judging from Hou Tao's performance , not suitable.
Although Hou Tao disappointed Gu Qing, he didn't intend to let him get depressed. "You don't have the ability to take charge of yourself yet. I think you should go to the Military Intelligence Department to start working."
Hou Tao was somewhat mentally prepared. Although he was inevitably frustrated after hearing these words, he accepted his fate, "I would like to thank you for the small favor. After arriving at the Military Intelligence Department, I will definitely work a hundred times harder to atone for my sins."
"His Highness has not punished you, so how can I blame you? You have to thank His Highness for his kindness, otherwise you would have been dead by the time I came to deal with it."
Gu Qing shook his head and heard the sound of footsteps, "Get up, Your Highness is here."
After a while, Zhao Mengqi came in from the side door and exchanged greetings, "Everyone is sitting down..."
Everyone sat down. Zhao Mengqi caught a glimpse of Hou Tao's lonely face, and his heart moved. He looked at Gu Qing and chuckled, "Consultant Gu, did you lecture him?...Actually, he is not to blame for this. I'm fine anyway, so don't be too harsh." Accountable."
"Your Highness, there are no rules and regulations. No matter what, it is true that Hou Tao has neglected his duties and is no longer suitable to bear the important responsibility of His Highness' safety. Therefore, I suggest that someone be replaced."
"Who should I replace?"
"Wei Chen belongs to Yi Lu Derun. He is good at detectives and has a more cautious personality. Since he joined the Imperial City Division, he has made numerous achievements and rarely makes any mistakes. He must be better able to protect His Highness."
Zhao Mengqi had met Lu Derun several times. He was really good at handling cases and had a good impression, so he said without comment, "Oh, where is Hou Tao?"
"Hou Tao's temperament is a bit weak, so Wei Chen temporarily plans to put him in the Military Intelligence Department for training."
Gu Qing knew that Zhao Mengqi had always been kind to those around him, so he should be able to accept this arrangement.
Zhao Mengqi nodded as expected, "That's not bad... Well, that's fine. Originally, I was worried about the person in charge of Donghai Company, so I might as well let Hou Tao take over."
Gu Qing was stunned, still thinking about the key points. Hou Tao himself was surprised first.
"Huh? Your Highness, you can't do business in a humble position."
"What's so difficult about doing business? It's just buying low and selling high. You don't know how to learn. What's more, Donghai Company's business is a little different. If you let others come, you still have to learn. Don't worry. I'm here to find you today. It's the right time. It’s about Donghai Company, please listen first and then talk.”
Immediately, Zhao Mengqi told the general concept of Donghai Company to the people present, and then said leisurely.
"The Japanese are a very contradictory nation. They always have two extreme personalities in one. They are extremely aggressive by nature but can often behave very gently. They are brave by nature, but also very cowardly. They appear to be docile, loyal and generous. , but he is rebellious, full of resentment, and has a strict hierarchy, but he does not obey his superiors easily. He often commits rebellion against his superiors. He is polite in daily life, but he is also arrogant. He is conservative and stubborn at heart, but he sincerely admires me, the Chinese leader. Civilization, under power, adapts easily to radical innovation."
"It seems complicated, but in short, Japanese people actually respect the strong, and decide which side of their character to show based on each other's strength."
"The Japanese government was also very complicated. It had a royal family and a court, but it was very weak. It was basically just a brand. To use a metaphor, it was a bit like the Zhou royal family during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The real power was the Kamakura shogunate composed of a samurai group. The shogunate's The nominal leader is General Fujiwara Yoritsugu, but the actual person in charge is the hereditary Hojo family, with samurai serving as "guardians" and "land control". "
After listening to King Yan's story, Ai Shijiu was shocked from ear to ear, "This Japanese country is really chaotic. If it's a big place, there are quite a lot of things going on..."
"It's quite chaotic, but not chaotic enough. I'm just telling you this to give you a rough idea. For the time being, it has little to do with us. After all, the current Hojo in power still pursues the foreign trade policy of the Heike era, which has nothing to do with us. North Korea is considered a good neighbor and has normal trade, which is enough for you to open up a situation in Japan."
Chinese civilization has always been far ahead of the Japanese, so the Japanese have never been able to resist the products from China. There was trade with China as early as the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Later, although the Japanese trade policies and methods changed many times, the trade between the two countries continued. With.
From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, both sides mainly engaged in official tribute trade, especially the Battle of Baijiangkou. After the ambitious Japanese country was beaten to the ground by the Tang Dynasty, they suddenly woke up and began to kneel down crazily. They sent a large number of envoys to the Tang Dynasty to Chinese culture, institutions, commodities, etc. were moved back to Japan on a large scale.
However, after the fall of the Tang Dynasty, the Japanese nation stopped sending envoys to the Tang Dynasty, and strictly prohibited its own people from trading at sea. It entered into a closed country that lasted for nearly 400 years. However, in order to satisfy the nobles' pursuit of Chinese goods, they still allowed Chinese merchant ships to enter, which meant they passively accepted trade. .
In the Song Dynasty, the imperial court actively expanded overseas trade. In order to establish official relations with the Japanese country, Shenzong wrote a letter to the Japanese emperor and entrusted a Japanese monk to deliver it along with the gift. However, because the letter contained the words "return to Japan" , caused dissatisfaction between the Japanese government and the public, and the discussion was delayed for five years. Finally, it was decided to reply in the name of Dazaifu, rather than in the name of the Japanese court. This act itself was a refusal to "establish diplomatic relations." Z.br>
Firstly, the Japanese court and nobles at all levels were very xenophobic. Secondly, perhaps the Song Dynasty's force was not enough to make the Japanese "sincere and respectful". Anyway, trade could continue and there was no need to negotiate the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Dazaifu is responsible for diplomacy and overseas trade. Almost a hundred years ago, the Heike family began to take control of Dazaifu and actively carried out trade with the Song Dynasty. After accumulating a large amount of resources, they expanded their power and became the ruler of the Japanese country. They lifted the country's isolation and strongly encouraged Japanese merchants to take the initiative to go overseas. Although they tried The establishment of diplomatic relations with the Song Dynasty was opposed by the nobles and failed, but the trade between the two sides became more and more prosperous.
Even though the Heike regime was replaced by the Kamakura shogunate, the trade situation was maintained. However, the Song Dynasty had repeatedly notified the Japanese state due to the outflow of copper coins. Therefore, the Japanese state issued a new policy last year to limit the number of its own merchants going to the Song Dynasty.
"Shall we open up the situation?" Gu Qing was a little confused and pointed at Ai Shijiu and Hou Tao, "Does Your Highness mean that I and the others are Donghai Company?"
Zhao Mengqi tapped the table lightly, "Yes or no, how should I put it? On the surface, Donghai Company is independent, but I have many arrangements that need to be completed by relying on it, so its composition will be more complicated. The company manager is Qian Guozhong of the Qian family basically
Only responsible for the commercial part, Hou Tao serves as the company's deputy overseas manager, responsible for special tasks, and Ai Shijiu serves as the company's deputy security manager, responsible for military support. "
Gu Qing was vaguely aware of Zhao Mengqi's plan, but Hou Tao was still confused, "Special mission?"
"Isn't this Military Intelligence Department just established? There are many businesses that we are not familiar with. We simply use the Japanese country as a training ground for intelligence, infiltration, control, etc. You know how to do it specifically, Gu Qing. The initial purpose is to protect Donghai Company's business practices. ,..."
"As for the Zhejiang navy, all members have been temporarily integrated into the East China Sea Company. It is an open force. In addition to ensuring the safety of trade routes, it must also take the initiative to eliminate pirates and train its combat power to become a real navy and ultimately monopolize control of the East China Sea."
Afterwards, Zhao Mengqi spent another hour assigning specific tasks to them, and finally said, "Within three years, we must control the Japanese economy to the maximum extent! At the same time, initially control Tamna Island and make it the headquarters of the Donghai Company."
Gu Qing said cautiously with concern, "Your Highness, you have arranged the affairs of the Japanese country in detail, and all ministers should follow it, but this Tamluo Island belongs to Korea. Although Korea and our country have cut off official exchanges, private trade has not Still active, the two countries are still friendly, not to mention the Goryeo court is still resisting the Mongols, they have a common enemy with us, and are barely friendly forces. If we move Tamna Island, will it arouse the hatred of the Goryeo court and make it attack the Mongols? Surrender and surrender?"
The relationship between Goryeo and Mongolia is a bit long to talk about. In short, it was beaten by Mongolia for thirty years. The country has long been reduced to the back garden of the Mongols. They moved to Ganghwa Island years ago, and with the help of the ocean's natural moat, the Mongols were helpless.
"Haha." Zhao Mengqi chuckled, "What kind of friendly forces are a group of sticks? We tried to join forces with Li to fight against the Jin several times, but they were rejected. Now what can we expect them to do on an isolated island? In my opinion , they will surrender to Mongolia sooner or later, and they can hold on for another three to five years at most."
The relationship between the Song Dynasty and Goryeo was also very complicated. It can be divided into two stages. During the Northern Song Dynasty, the relationship was as good as honey, but after the Southern Song Dynasty, it became increasingly cold, until diplomatic relations were severed.
"Besides, I didn't let you go there openly. The Tamna royal family is still there. Suppose that a group of Japanese pirates come to the island to eliminate the military and political forces of Goryeo and help Tamna restore the country. Then we can start trade with the restored Tamna. Establishing diplomatic relations, is there a problem with this?"
"Huh?" Gu Qing was stunned, "Japanese pirates? Where did the Japanese pirates come from?"
Zhao Mengqi pursed his lips toward the flower hall door, "Hey, isn't it just outside?"
