"Guan family, His Royal Highness King Qi is here!"
"Let him in!"
Still in the Chui Gong Hall, still in the same picture, still in the same position, Emperor Liu stood with his waist slightly bent, but this time, he was holding the bamboo stick that had been used for almost a year.
Liu Yun slowly walked in, and Emperor Liu's figure came into view. The old emperor's back was no longer as majestic as it was before, but he still persisted stubbornly. The light of spring shone on him through the doors and windows, still not losing " "Holy" feeling.
Seeing this scene, although he had not yet seen his old father's face, he could already imagine the gray beard and white beard. Liu Yun couldn't help but feel a little touched in his heart, and his eyes were even a little red.
Although he didn't understand some of Emperor Liu's policy concepts and practices, at this moment, Liu Yun's mood suddenly became calmer, and he lost a lot of worries about gains and losses.
Taking two steps closer, Liu Yun stretched his body and bowed: "Your Majesty, Liu Yun, see you!"
Hearing the sound, Emperor Liu turned around and looked at his fifth son. His eyes were obviously not very good. It took some effort to see clearly, and he asked casually: "I heard your voice, I am not in the right mood. What's wrong?"
Liu Yun calmed down, shook his head and said: "It's nothing, I just felt something when I saw my father's back!"
Emperor Liu was slightly surprised and waved to him without asking any more questions. Upon seeing this, Liu Yun walked quickly to Emperor Liu and gently supported Emperor Liu's raised arm. Emperor Liu subconsciously wanted to resist, but after noticing Liu Yun's sincere gaze, he finally did not refuse.
"I'm really uncomfortable with you looking at me like this!" After making a little joke, Emperor Liu said softly: "I've been waiting for your brothers to come to my door these past few days! You know the most important thing about the people you meet. Who is the person who surprised me?"
Liu Yun shook his head: "I don't know!"
"It's Liu Xiao!" Emperor Liu smiled.
"Brother Eleven!" Liu Yun frowned slightly.
Emperor Liu said with a bit of relief and pity in his tone: "If Liu Xiaolai told me that he didn't want to go, I can understand it! He has been weak and sick since he was a child, and he is loved by God as long as he grows up. Places like Nanyang, There is a lot of miasma and diseases, and even a strong man's life is in danger at any time if he goes there, let alone him? However, it was he who came to me and told me that he was willing to go..."
Speaking of this, Emperor Liu's eyes were even a little moist: "He told me that he had been in poor health since he was a child, and he had been cared for by his parents and brothers for a long time, but he had never repaid him in return. Domain, it’s hard to stop him!
I was deeply moved and ashamed when I heard these innocent words and these passionate words! For so many years, I have not cared more about your eleventh brother. I only gave him the title of Duke of Liang.
You are brothers from the same mother, but I take care of you more obviously than Liu Xiao. Do you admit it or not? "
When he said the last sentence, Emperor Liu's tone changed significantly, and his old eyes instantly became sharp, looking straight at Liu Yun.
Facing Emperor Liu's gaze, Liu Yun was rare and calm, and said: "My son is not as good as my eleventh brother. I have disappointed my father!"
After saying that, he slowly took two steps back, bowed to Emperor Liu solemnly and said, "My son, I have been thinking deeply these past few days. I dare not live up to my father's expectations, and I am willing to go to sea to serve my country!"
Liu Yun's attitude was frank and serious, and he didn't even use the estranged title of "junchen". He was obviously determined. Emperor Liu stared at him with a scrutinizing gaze for a while, then turned back to look at the enfeoffment map, staring at the two islands east of the Whale Sea and north of Japan, and sighed:
"I know that these are actually two barren lands. The South Island is just Ezo and there are still some indigenous people, but the North Island may be a desert island. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a barren island!
I also know that I have wronged you by asking you to go to these two places to seek refuge in the country! Today I will tell you what is in my heart and my true thoughts! What I hope for you is not to manage those two islands well, but to Japan in the south! "
Hearing this, Liu Yun felt unexpectedly calm, nodded and said, "I guessed it!"
Emperor Liu turned to look at his son again. When Liu Yun became serious, he showed a reassuring temperament, calm and focused. At this time, Emperor Liu kept having this thought in his mind: This son can be entrusted with an important task!
Staring at Liu Yun, Emperor Liu also said in a serious tone: "You have been to Japan. In your opinion, if we use Ezo Island as the base, can we attack Japan southward and turn it into Han territory?"
After hearing the question, Liu Yun pondered for a long time, his expression was not relaxed, and said: "The Japanese lineage has been passed down for a long time, and its system and culture have also learned a lot from China. There is a central court that is recognized and has a certain authority, and it is closely related to the indigenous countries of Nanyang and Andong. The tribes are completely different.
Of course, this is a small island country after all. With the power of a big man, it can overthrow it, but the time, military, financial, and material resources required to invest are immeasurable.
I can go to the two islands of Xinqi and Qi, and I am confident that I can manage them well, but without the continuous support of the imperial court, it is completely impossible to go south and engulf Japan. Fei'er lacked ambition and threw his forces into Ezo across thousands of miles of ocean just to destroy a neighbor that was friendly and close to the Han Dynasty. It would be difficult for the subjects to understand and it would be difficult for the court to persist for a long time.
It is true that the Han Dynasty is invincible in the world, but if there are enemies on all sides and war is everywhere, no matter how big the Han Dynasty is, it will not be able to withstand it. At the moment, the fiscal and taxation reforms advocated by my father are far from complete. Domestic states should still prioritize stability and should not use large-scale external troops.
Even if the enfeoffment is agreed upon, some emphasis should be placed on it. With the eldest brother in Anton, the court can temporarily relax. Anxi court can support it, and adding Nanyang is already barely enough, and there can be no more...
Therefore, I can go to sea to serve my country, but if I aim at destroying Japan, I am afraid that I will not be able to do it in my lifetime..."
After listening to Liu Yun's plea, Emperor Liu stood stunned for a long time, and then he came to his senses and said with a bitter tone: "Even you used the word lifetime, what about me?"
In fact, Emperor Liu understood the meaning behind Liu Yun's words. First, conquering Japan was time-consuming, laborious, and a waste of national power. He didn’t understand it, and I’m afraid his subjects wouldn’t understand it either. You know, over the years, Japan had always been respectful to the Han, paying tribute politely, arriving on time every year, and never having to pay tribute. There was a shortage and neglect, and the Han envoys came one after another. They were just short of being filial to their biological fathers.
Secondly, even if the goal is to annex Japan, it will require long-term and huge investment from the court, which is difficult to guarantee. Emperor Liu can be stubborn and persist, and others cannot resist, but what about him next? Needless to say, the conservative power of the Han Dynasty is too strong. If it cannot form a spontaneous sense of external expansion, there is a high probability that the people will perish and the government will die.
Rely on Liu?? Emperor Liu's understanding is that it is enough to maintain success, but not enough to develop. Emperor Liu's understanding of the prince now is not about whether he is satisfied with his heart, but whether he is suitable for the empire. Emperor Liu knew that he had made many mistakes during his rule in recent years and left many sequelae, which needed to be mitigated by his successors. What the Han Dynasty needed was a successor who would maintain his integrity.
And if the Han Dynasty uses all its strength to attack Japan, I believe that the powerful capabilities of the Han Dynasty's navy and army officers will be enough to defeat the enemy's occupied country. But what then?
What about Anxi? What about Nanyang? Compared with the vast treasures of Southeast Asia, little Japan is nothing...
