After confirming that Sanqiu had fallen asleep, Acheng let out a long breath. Of course she knew how valuable a secret about "Wang Wenzuo"'s future whereabouts was, especially after learning that this man was also a soldier. After Sima, the meaning of this move becomes more valuable - when a crisis comes, if you are prepared in advance, you can not only avoid disasters, but also take advantage.
"You set off immediately!" Acheng said to the slave kneeling on the ground: "Give this to the master, the sooner the better."
"Here!" The slave stretched out his right hand to take the small bamboo tube from Acheng, then stood up and left. Watching the slave's back disappear into the night, Acheng looked back at the silent back room and let out a long breath.
———————————————————————————————————
The next day, Wang Wenzuo's residence.
"Brother Chang! This way——"
Black-toothed Changzhi stopped and looked towards where the sound came from. He saw Huicong waving to him. Beside him, Cui Hongdu, He Bayong, Shen Faseng, Monobe Lianxiong and others gathered around him and were saying something. What, while Dinghui, Cao Wenzong, Yiji Lianbode and others were standing on the other side of the yard, the eyes of everyone on both sides looked towards him at the same time, making Heijia Changzhi feel a little uncomfortable.
"Brother Chang, come over here!" Huicong came over and said, "It's still early, everyone wants to talk to you!"
"It's still early?" Hei Te Changzhi looked at the sky strangely: "It's not early, is it? Why don't you all go in and just stand here? Isn't it possible that the Lord hasn't gotten up yet?"
"I don't know if I got up or not!" Huicong whispered: "But Sanqiu said that we should wait a little longer. Today is different from the past. The Lord went to Chang'an and came back. His identity is completely different. We ministers should be careful. This is also appropriate. You followed the Lord to Chang'an, and we still have many things to ask you!"
"Ask for advice?" Hei Te Changzhi was stunned. Only then did he understand why Huicong called him over: "Actually, the Lord has not changed much. Although his official position has been promoted, he is still the same. I don't know what's the matter. Variety!"
"What about those people on the other side?" Shen Faseng interrupted: "I remember that there were no such people when Sanlang went to Chang'an. Who are they?"
"Oh? You are asking those people!" Hei Te Changzhi said with a smile: "Zen Master Dinghui and Yiji Lianbode are the leaders of the Japanese mission. Lord Cao Wenzong met the masters of swordsmanship in Chang'an and their martial arts are very good. Moreover, he has a high reputation among the two thousand evil youths from Chang'an who came with him——"
"Changzhi!" Cui Hongdu interrupted Black Teeth Changzhi's narration: "Sen Master Shen asked a little vaguely just now. We don't want to know the identities of these people, but we want to know their relationship with Saburo. Do you understand?"
"What is the relationship between these people and the Lord?" Heiqia Changzhi was a little confused when asked. Don't you understand? If these people could follow Wang Wenzuo to a ghost place like Baekje, what else would it matter?
"Changzhi, Brother Cui wants to know the position of these people beside the Lord!" Hui Cong said with a smile: "Are they above us or below us!"
"Oh oh oh!" Black Teeth Changzhi finally understood. Cui Hongdu, Shen Faseng, Hui Cong, and Mononobu Renxiong are from Tang Dynasty, Baekje, and Japanese. The only thing they have in common is that they are all Wang Wenzuo's subordinates. , and the emergence of these "new people" gave these "old people" a sense of crisis of being alienated or even replaced.
"You are worrying too much!" Black Teeth Changzhi laughed: "You still don't know who Mr. Fu is? Brother Cui and Brother Shen, you have been serving Mr. Fu for many years. Zen Master Huicong, you are Mr. Fu's right-hand man. , Mononobe-nii and Mori-kun-nii, you have also made great contributions, so these newcomers are naturally below you!"
After hearing Hei Te Changzhi's words, everyone looked much better. Cui Hongdu smiled and said: "We are not jealous of the virtuous and capable, but since Sanlang has opened a mansion, there must be rules in the mansion, otherwise wouldn't it be Is it a mess?"
"Yep!"
"good!"
"Brother Hongdu said exactly what I meant!"
"Yes, there must be a first-come, first-served rule. We followed Saburo to defeat this situation with swords and guns.
, you can’t just sit back and enjoy the success of your work before it’s accomplished, right? "
"Everyone, come in! The master is waiting for you!"
Sancho's voice interrupted everyone's discussion. They quickly arranged their clothes, lined up according to seniority and official position, and filed in. Ding Hui and Cao Wenzong also consciously fell two steps behind, as if there was an invisible rope separating them.
Wang Wenzuo was sitting in the middle, his crimson official robe showing his rank, his eyes slightly closed, probably thinking about something. Everyone in the hall subconsciously held their breath, stepped lightly, and stood in their position.
"Everyone is here!" Sancho whispered.
Wang Wenzuo opened his eyes and glanced at the subordinates on both sides. Under the thick eyebrows were a pair of slightly narrow eyes. The beard on the sideburns was trimmed very neatly and was the same color as the futou on the top of his head. Everyone knelt down in unison and saluted their Lord.
"Subordinate, please see Ming Gong!"
"Get up! Everyone should know that the imperial court has appointed me as the ambassador to comfort Japan, right?" Wang Wenzuo's voice was low, but it was enough for everyone in the room to hear clearly: "So I plan to open a palace, and you are my first subordinates. Officer!"
No one made a sound, but everyone's eyes shone with joy. It's one thing to hear about it, but it's another thing to hear it from the person involved. For any scholar, what could be happier than joining the shogunate of a promising Shangguan?
"Time flies so fast, almost ten months have passed since the Battle of Baijiangkou. This is very bad. The Japanese should have recovered from the initial panic, but there is no way. Without the will of the imperial court, we can Not much has been done!" Wang Wenzuo sighed: "Monobe Renxiong, do you have any new information here?"
"Master Fu, the prince, the eldest brother, has ordered the construction of a stone city and a beacon tower at a suitable place for landing in the Chikushi area!"
"Yes!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "Prince Zhong Daxiong, does that mean he has not ascended the throne and proclaimed himself king yet? Or does it mean that the Japanese have proclaimed another person as king?"
"I did not make another person the king. The edicts issued by the eldest brother, the prince, were all issued in the name of the crown prince!"
"Well, very good!" Wang Wenzuo nodded with satisfaction: "It seems it's not too late for me to come back! Is there any other news?"
"Not long ago, the Japanese court issued several decrees. This is a copy!" Mononobu Renxiong took out a silk book from his sleeve and presented it with both hands. Wang Wenzuo took it from Sancho and looked at it carefully. There are three decrees in total: the first is to increase the nineteenth level of the crown established in 649 (the fifth year of Dahua) to the twenty-sixth level; the second is to grant privileged status to the head of the powerful clan (the clan leader). The chief of the big clan gave him nine knives, the chief of the small clan gave him a small sword, and the chief of the small clan gave him arrows. The third is to recognize the "Minbu" and "Jiabu" of nobles with surnames. Wang Wenzuo looked at it for a moment and asked, "What do these three edicts mean? Please explain them!"
"Yes!" Mononobe Lianxiong responded: "The first one should be to increase more official ranks and create more opportunities for officialdom; the second and third ones are concessions to each family! It should all be because After the defeat at Baijiangkou, the prestige of the prince, the eldest brother, has been damaged, so you have to make concessions!"
"Well, that should be it!" Wang Wenzuo nodded. At that time, the Yamato regime was in the process of transforming from a clan aristocratic oligarchy to an emperor's law and order state, and Prince Nakadai was the biggest promoter of this process. He launched an attack on the Korean Peninsula A big reason for the war is to increase one's own prestige to promote domestic reforms. However, the defeat of Baijiangkou completely disrupted his plan. Not only was he unable to inherit his mother's position as planned, he also had to make concessions to the clan nobles.
"By the way, why is this edict not signed by the eldest brother, the prince? Did I read it wrong?" Wang Wenzuo suddenly asked.
"You read that right, these three edicts were issued by the Prince of the Sea People! He is the biological brother of the Prince of Zhongda Brother!"
"Brother? Hahahaha!" Wang Wenzuo suddenly laughed: "Monobe Renxiong, you did a good job, I will reward you later!"
"Thank you, Lord Meimei!" Mononobe Renxiong quickly knelt down and thanked him.
"Hongdu, how is my shipyard doing now?" Wang Wenzuo suddenly asked.
"It's still the same!" Cui Hongdu responded quickly: "The boat shed and dock are fine, but most of the craftsmen have left!"
"Why? Where did they go?"
"They have all gone back to their hometowns to farm!" Cui Hongdu said with a wry smile: "The war is over and there are not so many ships to build. They still have to support their families!"
"Okay!" Wang Wenzuo sighed in disappointment. He knew that Cui Hongdu was telling the truth. Baekje, which had just ended its three-year civil war, was an extremely poor country. It was not an exaggeration to describe it as "the family has no money to spare". A person like this The country certainly cannot afford to support too many non-agricultural populations - shipbuilders are no exception.
"Then prepare a few larger ships!" Wang Wenzuo said: "First send an envoy to the Japanese country to express goodwill and send a hundred prisoners at the same time!"
"Okay, I'll get ready right away!"
"One more thing is about the rotation of garrison troops!" Wang Wenzuo said solemnly: "I discussed it with Ambassador Liu Rengui and Liu Shijun when we were in Chang'an. The imperial court should let these garrison troops return home in September this year! "
"Is that after the autumn harvest?" Cui Hongdu asked.
"Yes, if there is more food in the government treasury, the domestic military government can also recruit more people!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "Cui Hongdu, you guys have time to go around the camps and see how many are willing to stay!"
"I'm afraid no one is willing to stay!" Cui Hongdu shook his head: "Even if you pay me a salary, it won't be of much use. It's too dangerous here and it's too far away from home!"
"Okay!" Wang Wenzuo shook his head with some disappointment, but he knew that Cui Hongdu was telling the truth. Cui Hongdu and the others were willing to stay because they could become big landlords in Baekje. Why should other soldiers stay in Baekje? Even if they are paid, the problem is that these soldiers are not poor. On the contrary, they are at least middle-income farmers. Many of them have servants and farmers. It is better to run their own farm in their hometown than to risk their lives. The danger is that Baekje is much better off with this dead salary, right?
"Then we just have to work hard to train the two thousand people I brought!" Wang Wenzuo sighed: "And Sanqiu and Yuan Fei, you two must also take care of those who are loyal to me. After a while, I will We need to organize a hunt outside Sixian City!"
"Yes!" Yuan Fei and Sangqiu responded quickly. Cui Hongdu and others showed a hint of joy on their faces. Wang Wenzuo obviously did this to review the power available at hand, which is naturally a good thing for them.
Mononobe Renxiong and Morijun Oishi exchanged glances and said in unison: "If we want to attack the prince, Naka-eldest brother, we are willing to lead our tribe as the vanguard!"
"It's too early to talk about using troops!" Wang Wenzuo smiled and waved his hand: "There is no food! The imperial court didn't ask me to use troops against the Japanese. It's just that I need to be armed for civil affairs. Even if I want to negotiate with the Japanese, I have to have it on hand. We can only talk if we have soldiers!"
"yes!"
The meeting was over, and Wang Wenzuo was still sitting in his chair. The situation in Baekje was much worse than he imagined. It cannot be said that Liu Renyuan and Du Shuang were incompetent, but the negotiation with the Japanese was indeed on their task list. Not up front - they have too many things to worry about, and they don't have the energy to care about the big island across the sea. In history, the prince of the middle brother seized this rare opportunity to breathe. Although his peninsula strategy was a complete failure, he quickly adjusted his strategy, negotiated peace with Tang and Silla externally, and adjusted his relationship with the clan nobles internally. Finally, in a few days, He ascended the throne a few years later and became the famous Emperor Tenchi in history. Although the Yamato court failed to expand to the peninsula, it instead pointed the arrow of expansion eastward, thereby annexing a large area of land in the eastern part of Honshu Island, and established a miniature version of the Tang Dynasty on the Japanese archipelago, which can be regarded as a lost corner of the East. , harvest the mulberry leaves.
"The first thing to do now is to contact the Japanese first!" Wang Wenzuo clenched his fists. Judging from the three edicts that Mononobe Lianxiong took out, the prince of the middle eldest brother has now made certain concessions. Obviously, his political opponents It put a lot of pressure on him. This kind of concession may be forced, or it may be made proactively to divide the enemy and then defeat them one by one. Judging from the development of history, there is no doubt that the eldest brother, the prince, is the final winner, and the most likely one is the latter. For Wang Wenzuo, the most important thing is to intervene in this conflict as soon as possible, support, guide, and use these political opponents, so as to
And achieve the goal of defeating the eldest brother, the prince.
Of course, the political opponents of Prince Zhong Daxiong are not rookies who have not seen the world. Since they can hold high positions, they will naturally not let themselves be driven as soon as they see the official robes of the envoys of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Wang Wenzuo wanted to use them, and they also wanted to use the power of the Tang Dynasty. This was originally mutual. The prestige brought by the victory at Shirakawakou is of course valuable, but this alone is not enough. There must be real power, real power that can be invested in the Japanese archipelago.
