"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.
"You saved my life last night, so what does that mean?" Princess Saitama smiled and said, "If you pacify the rebels for me, the country of Thousand Chariots can rule side by side, so what does that mean?" "
There is a reason for what Princess Saitama said. The "Kingdom of Thousand Chariots" in her words literally means a country that has the ability to dispatch a thousand chariots. However, this sentence has a meaning in the cultural background of ancient East Asia. It has a special meaning. Since King Wu defeated Zhou and established the Zhou Dynasty, the patriarchal system of kinship and respect has been implemented. That is, how much land a feudal ruler can occupy, how many people he has, how big his city is, and how many troops he has are determined by his title, that is, with his title. Determined by the emperor's kinship.
In the early Western Zhou Dynasty, there were six armies of the emperor, three armies of the princes and big countries, two armies of the minor countries, and one army of the small countries. The first army had 12,500 people. If we calculate 75 people in a chariot, the first army would only be about 200 chariots. up and down. The emperor probably only had more than a thousand chariots to go up and down, and the big country only had five or six hundred. But with the development of the economy and the prosperity of the population, by the middle and early Spring and Autumn Period, big countries like Qi, Qin, Lu, Jin, and Chu also had the strength of thousands of times. By the late Spring and Autumn Period, even medium powers like Lu, Song, and Zheng There are also thousands of chariots of strength, and they can call themselves the kingdom of thousands of chariots. Overlords like Jin and Chu can even have the strength of three thousand chariots and five thousand chariots, so they are worthy of the name of the kingdom of ten thousand chariots.
Therefore, in the context of ancient China, the Kingdom of Thousand Vehicles generally refers to the feudal lords such as Qi, Qin, Jin and Chu, that is, the vassal states with strong strength that can conquer one vassal on behalf of the emperor (it is impossible to have a Kingdom of Thousand Vehicles in the interior of the country). of). Princess Saitama's words not only showed her goodwill to Wang Wenzuo, but also showed that she wanted to be called the uncle of the Tang Empire in Northeast Asia, and her loyalty was to conquer Goguryeo, Silla and other vassals on her behalf.
"The emperor will report your loyalty to the emperor on your behalf!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "But the life and death of the eldest brother, the prince, are not yet known, and the capital has not yet stabilized. I wonder what the princess's plans are?"
"Of course we should first go to all the counties and recruit young men!"
"Of course this is important, but if Fuyu Fengzhang succeeds last night and kills us all, and the prince, the eldest brother, is still alive, what do you think he will do?"
"Most likely he will ascend the throne first, and then spread the word to all countries to protest against rebellion!"
"Well, I feel the same way, so I think the first step you should take now is to ascend the throne. Only if you have a legitimate name can you be right!"
Wang Wenzuo's last words moved Princess Qiyu, and she nodded: "You are right, I will prepare to ascend the throne immediately!"
Omi State, the government office.
The courtyard at the entrance of the Guosi Yamen clanged and became chaotic. People stood on bullock carts, carrying barrels of rice wine, bags of dry grain, and bundles of newly feathered arrows. The blacksmiths were busy forging hot steel, repairing the damage to the chain mail, and shoeing the war horses and laden mules. The women were busy mending blankets, cloaks, and straw sandals. Outside the outer wall, large and small tents were dismantled one after another. Soldiers lifted buckets to put out the bonfires, while veterans took out grindstones and carefully sharpened their knives for the last time before going into battle. The horses neighed and panted, the officers gave orders, the soldiers cursed each other, and the noise reached its peak like a rising tide.
"Are all the young men from the surrounding counties here?" The prince, the eldest brother, asked as he raised his hands so that the attendants could tighten his belt.
"The quickest thing is that it will take three days!" Nakatomi Kamatashi said: "The only ones who have arrived now are from the neighboring counties!"
"It's too slow. Let them hurry up. They must arrive before dark tomorrow at the latest!"
"Yes, I will send someone to urge you immediately!" Nakatomi Kamazu replied.
"What about the army rations?"
"It's okay to say that there are 4,000 shi of rice in the Guoji's warehouse, and several wealthy families nearby also sent 2,000 shi of rice!"
"Very good! Adjust the time to dispatch troops to noon tomorrow. If those who haven't arrived by then don't wait, let them catch up along the way!"
"Tomorrow at noon?" Nakatomi Kamatashi was surprised: "Isn't this too hasty? There are only about 3,000 people in the country now. I'm afraid such a small force is not enough?"
"My Lord, as long as you raise the flag, loyal ministers and righteous men will swarm from all directions!
"The prince, the eldest brother of Zhong, said with a smile: "At this time, all the heroes are eagerly waiting for the banner of righteousness. Whoever raises the banner first, and whose banner is higher, can recruit more troops. Hiding in No one in the Guosi Yamen will know about you! Set out at noon tomorrow and raise my Imperial Flag high so that everyone along the way can see it!"
"As you command!"
At noon the next day, four to five hundred more people rushed to the Imperial Palace. As expected, the prince, the eldest brother, did not wait any longer. He ordered the gorgeous banner to be raised, then rode on an energetic red horse and left. Omi Kuniji. Women and farmers stood on both sides of the road, jaw-dropping in amazement at the majesty of the army. The fact was just as the prince, the eldest brother, had expected, with his flag flying on the road, there was an endless stream of people coming to seek refuge. At that time, there had not been a large-scale civil war in Japan for hundreds of years, and the social class had long been solidified in a mess. There were too many wealthy people who had people and food in the county, but because their background was too low, they had no chance to get ahead. The move of Prince Zhongda brought them hope of changing their destiny - as long as they could follow the Imperial Banner into Asuka Kyo, they would no longer be local tycoons without titles and positions, but could become county guards and state ministers. , acting as an official, sacrificing others, and realizing a class jump.
So when the eldest brother prince's army passed through the entire Omi Kingdom and entered the Yamazaki area, the total strength of the army had increased from more than 3,000 people at the beginning to an army of 20,000 people.
"The world's major events are indeed as expected by Your Majesty!" Nakatomi Kamazashi said with sincerity.
"Your Excellency, Buddhism and bloodline are important, but the human heart is the real power!" Prince Zhongcheng pointed at the endless marching ranks: "Do you see, this is the human heart. The human heart wants to build a new powerful country. No one can fight against the human heart!"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" a military envoy shouted.
"What's up?"
"The vanguard intercepted an envoy leaving Asuka Kyo and found on his body the decree issued by the imperial court!"
"Is there an edict from the imperial court?" The eldest brother, the prince, sneered: "Bring the people here!!"
The messenger's shirt had a big tear on his chest and there were a few bloodstains on his face. It was obvious that he had suffered a lot just now. The officer respectfully presented a road leather bag with his hands. The prince, the eldest brother, took the bag and took out a bag from it. He sneered disdainfully, opened the seal with the royal emblem, and started laughing after reading two lines: "I didn't expect Saitama to be on the throne. It seems we have another female emperor!"
"This is strange. There should be more solid reasons for the Prince of the Sea People to ascend the throne!" Nakatomi Kamazu said in a low voice.
"I guess he was harmed by this woman, right? That stupid boy, if he listens to me, the throne will be his sooner or later!" The prince, the eldest brother, sighed with a complicated expression and asked the captured envoy: "Where is the sea man? ?Is he still alive?"
"Prince of the Sea People? He was killed by the evil thief Fuyu Fengzhang!"
"Killed by Fuyu Fengzhang? What about Fuyu Fengzhang?"
"Already dead!"
"Dead too?" The eldest brother, the prince, frowned and walked to the messenger: "If you tell the whole story honestly, I will spare your life!"
The messenger took a look at the eldest brother, the prince, and finally decided to trust him. He coughed twice, then recounted everything he knew that night in detail, and finally said: "Princess Saitama has been enthroned as the emperor. And ordered all the counties to recruit soldiers to attack the traitors behind the burning of Asuka Kyo!"
"Burn Asukakyo with fire? Fuyu Fengzhang is really brave! It's a pity that he didn't burn those who deserved to be burned!" Prince Nakatomi shook his head in disappointment, and asked Nakatomi Kamatashi, "Nakatomi, sir, What do you think should be the top priority now?”
"We should attack Asuka Kyo as soon as possible and kill Princess Saitama!"
"Yes, this is indeed the most important thing, but it is not everything!" Prince Nakada brother smiled and said: "If I guess correctly, this messenger should not be the only one. Saitama should have sent dozens or even hundreds of them. Messenger, declare the crime and recruit soldiers to attack us, right?"
"That's natural. Anything can happen on the road. If
If it were me, I would send at least four messengers to each county just in case! "
"That's right, so we can't intercept all the messengers. At the same time, there should be other messengers heading to Mino and Owari Province, right?"
"Yes!" Nakatomi Kamazu has caught up with the prince's thoughts: "Your Majesty, do you mean that we must consider a retreat?"
"Yes, that's right!" Prince Nakadai showed a satisfied smile: "If I break into Asukakyo and capture or kill Princess Saitama alive, then everything will be fine. As long as a pardon is issued, those counties who raised troops to attack me will be fine. Countries will also lay down their arms. But if I am defeated, or the war reaches a stalemate, those counties that take up arms behind us will be a nuisance. Nakatomi-san, you must rush to Owari and Mino. Go and conquer these two counties and make them the base of the army."
"I obey!" Nakatomi Kamazu lowered his head. Owari and Mino were newly developed areas of the Japanese country at that time. They had fertile land, large populations, and rich military resources. They were also very close to the core area of the Japanese country. They divided East and West Japan. The unbreakable natural fortress is also within the borders of Meino Country. If Prince Nakadai is defeated, he can retreat into the territory of Mino Country, guard the key points, and exploit the resources of East Japan to fight again.
"Very good, then let's break up here!" Prince Nakatomi grabbed Nakatomi Kamazu's right hand and raised it high: "When you go east this time, I will also hand over my banner to you and grant it to you, Minister Zuo. Official position. In ancient times, after King Wu destroyed the Shang Dynasty, he died early. Because his son was young, he entrusted the country to the Duke of Zhou. King Wu's three younger brothers colluded with the merchants and launched a judgment. The Duke of Zhou temporarily took over the government and divided the army with Lu Shang. , defeated the rebels and protected the country. You are my Duke of Zhou and Lu Shang. If anyone dares to disobey, he will be executed first and report to me later."
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Asuka Kyo.
"These are all rewards for you!" Wang Wenzuo pointed to the deerskin bags on the tray in front of him: "You did a good job that night. At present, the east of the sea is in turmoil, and the Holy Emperor has worries about looking east, so he is a strong man. This is an opportunity to make great achievements. Don’t miss it!”
"Thank you, General, for the reward!" Dozens of warriors from the Tang Dynasty responded in unison. They were all soldiers who performed great feats that night, such as dancing, seizing the flag, trapping the enemy, and beheading generals. Among the gold that Wang Wenzuo found from the Anbei Mansion Some of them were taken out and rewarded heavily to these meritorious people to boost morale and prepare for the next war.
Wang Wenzuo waved his hand, and everyone in the hall filed up and received more or less gold sand according to their merits. The least number of them was three or four taels. Holding the heavy deerskin bag in their hands, everyone was smiling from ear to ear.
"Ming Gong!" Cui Hongdu whispered: "Just now someone from the Anbei family reported that Fuyu Fengzhang's wife is also hiding in the house!"
"What? Fuyu Fengzhang's wife is also in the house?"
"Yes, that night after Anbei's mansion was surrounded, she couldn't escape, so she disguised herself and hid among the slaves in an attempt to get past her. However, she didn't want to be reported by her subordinates, so I sent someone to guard her!"
"This woman is really unlucky!" Wang Wenzuo laughed: "When she married a guy like Fuyu Fengzhang, it was obvious that she was not his wife. Otherwise, how could she do such a big thing without any news being revealed? Now Well, the whole family will pay for it!"
"Yes! If Saitama knows, a hundred lives will be lost!" Cui Hongdu said with a smile.
"That's true!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "Let's take it easy, we will interrogate him in a few days and then make an opinion!"
"Yes!" Cui Hongdu said: "One more thing. The ship back to Baekje has already set off, but the round trip will take a month or two at the fastest. During this time, we are just a paper tiger, with only these three or four hundred dollars on hand. people!"
"Three or four hundred people are three or four hundred people!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "It is precisely because we are small and the journey is so long that the Japanese are not wary of us. That's why Saitama, Dahairen, and Brother Zhong are so unscrupulous in fighting . Only then will Saitama grant me an official position and let me lead troops to deal with the prince, the eldest brother. If I bring thousands of people, why don't they hate the enemy and fight against the brothers outside the wall to avoid their humiliation? It is better to be far away, and it is better to be close, in this world Things cannot be generalized!"
"Ming Gong
indeed! Cui Hongdu said with a smile: "But I'm afraid that in the end, we won't get an inch of ground and all our hard work has been in vain. That would be bad!"
"Isn't gold sand and fur good for you?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "In the future, there will be silver mines and trade. Isn't this enough? People can't want everything. In the end, they will catch nothing, and then it will be all in vain!" "
