"Suspicious? Why do I think this is caution?" Prince Zhong, the eldest brother, gently adjusted the tip of the knife, and the blade sank into the seaman's nose. With just a little force, it would pierce.
"Say it! Tell the truth!"
"Brother, what I say is the truth!"
"It's a pity that it's not the whole truth!" The prince, the eldest brother, sighed: "Princess Saitama did recruit you to deal with me and marry you, but you didn't come to see me tonight to report treason!"
"What else could it be?"
"Of course you are provoking an internal fight between me and Princess Saitama, and then you can profit from it!" Prince Naka, the eldest brother, said with a smile: "Since my strategy of sending troops to the peninsula failed, my reputation and prestige among the wealthy families has plummeted, and you not long ago The few edicts issued have pleased the wealthy families and improved their reputation a lot. If I arrest people according to the list you gave me, no matter what the result is, the wealthy families will only hate me even more. At that time, you will turn against me again. one strike--"
At this point, the prince, the eldest brother, stopped. He looked at his brother with a smile, the blade of the knife flickering.
"Brother, you are thinking too much!" The Prince of the Sea People laughed: "I am your brother from the same mother, why can't you trust me more?"
"It is precisely because you are my brother from the same mother that I have to think more!" The eldest brother, the prince, smiled and said: "If I have to say the reason, it is very simple: if I were in your position, I would do the same. This is the only way to do it!"
"Then I have nothing to say!" The Prince of the Sea People sighed helplessly: "Kill me!"
"I also want to do this, but you know this is impossible!" Prince Zhong, the eldest brother, retracted the knife: "You are very lucky. Really, if you had died a few years ago, you would have died like Youma. Now the country can no longer withstand another civil war, which is why I clearly know that you and Saitama are engaging in various little tricks, but I still pretend not to know."
"Then thank you, brother!" The words "I don't believe it" were clearly written on the face of the Prince of the Sea People. He straightened his clothes and stood up to leave, but was stopped by the eldest brother, the Prince of Zhong.
"stop!"
"What's wrong, brother?" The Prince of the Sea People turned around: "Are you going to put me under house arrest? Or exile me?"
"No, Hairen, you will marry Kono Sanryo (the daughter of the prince of the eldest brother, the niece of Hairen) immediately!"
"But, but -" the prince of the sea people was stunned. He looked at the prince, the eldest brother, in surprise: "I have obviously -"
"Nothing but!" The prince, the eldest brother, sneered: "Are you going to say that you are already married to Saitama? Hasn't it been announced yet? That means you haven't been married yet. Marrying Corono Sanryo will also be good for you. After I ascend the throne, I will make you my heir!"
Dahairen licked his lips, as if weighing the size of the cake his brother threw to him. The eldest brother, the prince, sneered: "Dahairen, you have to understand that no matter how many conflicts there are between us, we are all brothers, and the throne only Can it be passed down in our lineage, and our problems can be solved later, but Saitama’s problem must be solved now?”
Dahairen heard the implication of his brother's message - as long as he married his daughter and severed his alliance with Princess Saitama, he could forget about the past things, but if he refused, his brother would regard him as an enemy and would not care about him. Knock yourself down mercilessly. After weighing the pros and cons, Dahairen chose to agree.
"Well, since the elder brother insists, as the younger brother, I have no choice but to accept it!" The Prince of the Sea People smiled and said, "I just feel a little sorry for Korano Sanliang!"
"There is nothing to be sorry for! Endogamy is a tradition in the royal family!" Prince Naka, the eldest brother, said with a smile: "Haimeren, you can come to Kawahara Palace from tomorrow on. There are many affairs in the government, and I need your help!"
"Understood!" Prince Dahairen nodded and caught the first piece of cake thrown by his brother. Kawahara Palace was the palace where Emperor Saimei lived when he was alive. At that time, Japan had not had time to imitate the Tang Dynasty in the king's court and handling. Government affairs are separated from the administrative offices, and the emperor's court is the actual place of government affairs. Although Prince Nakadai has not ascended the throne, the government is actually in his hands. He invited Prince Dahairen to Kawahara Palace, which actually allowed him to participate in government affairs and share power.
After seeing off the people from Dahai, the Prince of Zhongda Brother returned to the desk, pulled out the list from under the "Zuo Zhuan" and read it carefully. He couldn't help but reveal a sarcastic smile. As he expected, the people from Dahai were here. There are a lot of tricks in this list. This younger brother of mine is really a man who enjoys misfortune! After thinking for a moment, he put the list next to the oil lamp. The flame of the lamp licked the paper and soon turned it into a handful of fly ash. The breeze blew across the table, and he opened a few pages of the "Zuo Zhuan" to reveal the following text: "How disgusting is Jiang? It's better to take care of it early, without letting the vines grow, the vines are difficult to control. The vines cannot be removed. Kuang Jun’s beloved younger brother!” The duke said, “If you do too much injustice, you will surely die. I will treat you like a child.”
Amaterasu Shrine.
Princess Saitama was praying to the gods in the courtyard when the Priestess brought the news of the appearance of Chinese angel ships on the sea.
It was a cold morning, and the distance was as gray as the sky. Princess Saitama stood under the tree, raising her hands in the air, praying to Amaterasu, asking the god to give her strength and punish her enemies. But the sky is always dark, and thick clouds block the light. This is not a good sign. Have you done something wrong and offended the great god? Princess Saitama thought to herself.
Princess Saitama noticed the Priestess entering the courtyard. Could it be because someone interrupted the ceremony? This is not without precedent. The solution is to sacrifice and use sacrifices that the gods like to relieve the gods' anger and regain their favor. Just as Princess Saitama was considering which sacrifice to choose, Priestess boldly said, "Ship, the ship has arrived!"
"What ship?" Princess Saitama frowned, suddenly thinking that maybe it would be a good idea to offer this idiot as a sacrifice to Amaterasu.
"The Tang Dynasty's ship, a fleet claiming to be the Tang Dynasty envoy has arrived at Namba Tsu (today's Osaka Port in Japan, which was an important maritime gateway to the capital area in the Asuka and Nara periods of ancient Japan, and was also the main entrance for immigrants from the ancient mainland to enter Japan's Honshu Island) !」
"What?" Princess Saitama put down her hands and turned around. She strode across the courtyard and climbed the steps. The maid on the side brought her slippers and put them on for her, then a shawl and a hair crown. The princess asked the maid to do it for her. While changing clothes, he asked: "When did you arrive? How many boats are there in total? How big is the boat?"
"We arrived the day before yesterday. There were five boats in total, and the smallest one weighed more than 600 dan!"
Princess Saitama let out a long breath, and joy filled her chest. The size of the ship was a good criterion. At that time, there were not many forces in East Asia that had the ability to build such a large ship, but soon there was another worry. It came to my mind again: "What's going on over there at Katsuragi? Go and find out!"
"As you command!"
After the Priestess left, Princess Saitama quickly regained her composure. She began to think about what changes the arrival of the Tang envoy would bring to the situation. She gave up soon after. There were too many uncertainties, but one thing was certain. - Whoever contacts the Tang envoy first will get the upper hand.
"Come here, prepare the sedan chair! I'm going to Namba Tsu! Now!"
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Namba Tsu.
"Nambazu is ahead, lower the sail!"
The lookout overhead shouted loudly from the top of the mast, and the captain walked back and forth on the deck to issue orders. As Nambazu at the bottom of the bay came into view, the entire Tang fleet immediately fell into a hectic activity.
Wang Wenzuo knew that hundreds of years ago, this coastal highland was completely covered by forest, with only sporadic fishermen settling on the shore. As more and more immigrants came to escape the war on the mainland, their fleets landed here, and then continued to advance and develop inland, gradually forming today's Japanese capital.
Nowadays, the coast is covered with houses and trestles, and the river is full of large and small boats going upstream. It is obvious that the Japanese capital has a large population, otherwise there would be no need for so many boats to transfer supplies.
"This place reminds me of Guangyun Lake in Chang'an!" Cui Hongdu whispered.
Wang Wenzuo nodded silently. The Guangyuntan Lake that Cui Hongdu mentioned was located downstream of the Ba River in Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty. It was also the largest river port in Chang'an. It was here that waterships from all over the country gathered. The surrounding Guangyuntan Lake was
The warehouse is also where the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Chang'an City lie, and is known as the kitchen of the world. Wang Wenzuo, who came from later generations, knew more: Nambazu is today's Osaka, Japan, but unlike the Warring States Period and modern Japan, the two coastal kingdoms of Hanoi and Settsu in Japan at that time were only a large area. In the shallow sea, Nambazu is a highland deep into the bay, and the Nara Basin is an open wetland lake. Many rivers from the surrounding mountains merge into Lake Nara, and then flow into the sea through rivers such as the Yamato River. It is not surprising that the early ferry people who arrived in the Japanese archipelago chose this place as their foothold. After arriving at Nambazu, they went upstream and entered Lake Nara. They could easily and conveniently reach every corner of the basin without going deep into the windy and rough waters. Osaka Bay is like a natural harbor that is inland but has direct access to the ocean. There is a large area of fertile land around the lake that can be cultivated. It can be said to be a chosen place.
"For a ship as big as ours, we might have to be careful about running aground when traveling through inland waters!" Cui Hongdu whispered.
"It doesn't matter, at most unload the cargo, then it shouldn't be a big problem!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "I always feel uneasy when the ship is parked in the open sea!"
"Um!"
The sudden arrival of the Tang fleet immediately caused panic among the Japanese on the shore. More than a dozen fast boats came up. Wang Wenzuo ordered his soldiers not to fire, and informed the boats of their identity and purpose. About half an hour later, the Japanese sent a water diversion officer. However, port officials stated that the Tang ship could not stay at the port and its crew could not go ashore until they received a reply from the capital.
"It doesn't matter, this is what it should be!" Wang Wenzuo understood the Japanese official's answer from the interpreter and nodded: "Sancho, get a gift for this person. We are destined to meet each other!"
When the Japanese official heard the interpreter's translation and saw the pair of celadon utensils sent by Sanqiu, he knew they were high-quality Tang products. He was overjoyed and hurriedly thanked them profusely. Wang Wenzuo nodded: "Ask him how many people are on board this time. Everyone will get a small gift. Anyone who meets you will have a share!"
The Japanese official heard that the sailors and crew members who were traveling with him also had gifts, so he shouted loudly. When Sancho asked for an interpreter, he understood that the Japanese official said there was no need to bother, just give him all the gifts, and he would naturally share them with others when he returns. human.
"That can't be done! Master said that everyone should have a share, who knows if you will just keep it to yourself!"
After hearing this, the Japanese official looked a little unhappy, but he finally asked the sailors to come over. Sancho distributed them one by one in front of everyone, two taels of tea leaves wrapped in three feet of silk cloth (tea was regarded as a rare commodity at that time). Medicine), although most of them didn't know what was wrapped in the silk cloth, they still knew the silk cloth, and they all kowtowed to Sanqiu to thank him, while the Japanese official stood aside and complained softly.
"What did that guy say?" Sancho asked the interpreter in a low voice.
"He said feeding the cows and eating good rice! Probably means that giving these good things to those sailors is a complete waste!"
"This guy!" Sancho laughed: "Isn't it a waste to give him one person? What a joke!"
Perhaps because of the pair of celadon vessels, the Japanese were very attentive. They led Wang Wenzuo's fleet to a sandbank. In the afternoon, they sent a lot of fresh vegetables, fish, eggs and wine. In the evening They also built a bamboo shed on the sandbar and sent twenty young women, which made the Chinese sailors and soldiers on the ship happy.
"Master Fu, how long do you think it will take for the Japanese to let us enter the capital?" Cui Hongdu put down his wine glass. The rice wine sent by the Japanese had a very weak taste, which made Cui Hongdu feel a little unable to swallow it.
"I don't know yet!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "But there is nothing wrong with being here!"
"There's nothing wrong with this place?" Cui Hongdu laughed: "I think this place might as well be in Tsukushi, at least there's a palace there!"
"Sangqiu, go and call Cao Sengnu!" Wang Wenzuo ordered and said to Cui Hongdu: "Hongdu, have you forgotten what you just said? This Nambajin is the Guangyun Lake of the Japanese! Isn't there a lot to do? land?"
"Do you want to do business with the Japanese here?" Cui Hongdu asked.
"Of course, why else would I be so generous before? Give everyone a meeting gift? I
As an envoy of the Tang Dynasty, am I still afraid that a Japanese petty official will embarrass me? "
"Yes! That's right!" Cui Hongdu also understood at this time. Nambajin is the largest port of the Japanese. Those who can make a living here must be well-informed people. The high-quality porcelain Wang Wenzuo sent earlier, Tea, silk, etc. are all favorite items of Japanese nobles. This kind of thing will spread throughout the Japanese capital in as short as three to five days or as long as half a month, and there is no fear that no one will come to buy it.
