"That's right!" Cui Hongdu said with a smile, "I had forgotten about this. He Ba and Fa Seng didn't come this time, but they missed a once-in-a-century opportunity!"
"If I miss this time, there will be another time. Am I going to treat them poorly?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile. He found a total of more than 30 stones of gold sand, sea dragon skins, mink skins, and beaver skins in Ampei's mansion. There were more than 10,000 precious furs and furs of various kinds. Except for the small portion that was used to reward meritorious soldiers, the rest fell into Wang Wenzuo's private pocket. Cui Hongdu, as the deputy envoy of the mission, naturally received a generous share, and stayed with him. Compared with his colleagues in Baekje who missed this opportunity to make a fortune, he was both proud and a little scared.
"Ming Gong is right! Forgive me to be honest, this windfall is too big!" Cui Hongdu said carefully: "It was only after I came to the Japanese country that I learned that it is rich in gold and silver, as well as fine furs. If the imperial court Someone here knows that even though I am a wise queen today, I cannot stop a villain with pink eye from slandering me every day!"
"Yes!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "You are right, I have considered this aspect, but if you do not share the reward for the soldiers, you will not be able to win the soldiers' death next time; if you share the reward, there will be more people to talk about. Miscellaneous, it will be leaked out sooner or later. After much deliberation, I can only dedicate part of the proceeds to the emperor and seal the mouth of the villain in advance!"
"Yes!" Cui Hongdu sighed: "This is the only way to do it, but even so, I'm afraid it's hard to prevent the villain's slander. After all, money touches people's hearts, and what you got this time is too much! If anyone in the court knows about you If you have gained so much, someone will definitely find a way to unseat you and take your place to make a big profit!"
Wang Wenzuo nodded. Cui Hongdu had indeed said exactly what he had been worried about. The reason why he tried every means to gain wealth was that he himself was not a noble person and he also liked money. Secondly, if you don’t have money in your pocket, you can’t recruit talents and establish your achievements. As the saying goes, if the water is clear, there will be no fish, and if the people are clear, there will be no friends. Since ancient times, people who are willing to risk their lives to open up territories are usually They are all people who value fame and wealth, such as the thirty-six officials under Ban Chao, Chen Tang, and Dong Zhuo. If measured by daily moral standards, such people are probably not good people, but they want to expand territory and make contributions without leaving. Don't drive this kind of person. There are many such people under Wang Wenzuo. If you want to drive such people to work hard, you can only provide practical benefits.
Of course, the court will not pay for this money, and it has no way to pay it out. You can only find a way to get it yourself, and the way to get this money is generally not very bright. Therefore, famous generals in ancient times were usually not too tough on the word "Integrity". They would turn a blind eye when they encountered an emperor who knew how to use people. Often, after defeating a powerful enemy, they would be punished by the censor for money. In terms of impeachment, this is the case for Shi Wansui, Li Jing, and Lan Yu. Wang Wenzuo was also quite worried that someone in Chang'an saw that he had made a lot of money in the Japanese country, and thought that he could marry me, so he persuaded Gaozong or Empress Wu to take his place. My family knows their own affairs. Although Wang Wenzuo came to the Japanese country and everything went smoothly, he was actually walking on thin ice. As long as he took a wrong step, his previous efforts would be wasted. If he came to make money instead, he would be in trouble. tidy.
Seeing Wang Wenzuo's worried expression, Cui Hongdu secretly scolded himself for talking too much, and hurriedly said with a smile, "Sanlang, actually, you don't have to worry too much. Chang'an is far away from the Japanese country. It will take at least a year or two to make sure that you will benefit from it, and then they can convince you." The emperor and the queen will need another half a year, right? After such a long time, what should be obtained has been obtained long ago. Whoever comes will only have to eat the leftovers of our brothers. You can just change to a comfortable state and become the governor! You will not suffer any loss!"
"Haha, your method is easy to use, but it's a bit damaged!" Wang Wenzuo shook his head and smiled bitterly, but Cui Hongdu came up with a plan for dealing with corrupt officials with ancient Chinese characteristics: make as much as you can, and wipe it all. In Japan, it is estimated that they would first dig out all the shallow gold and silver mines that can be dug, then block up the mine pits, distribute a seal skin to each head of the Japanese in Ezo, and then board the ship with full bags and walk, leaving only The next piece of the Japanese who had his butt stripped bare and full of resentment was given to his successor. It will be recorded in the history books: After so-and-so left office, the new officials became corrupt and despicable, which aroused civil unrest and failed to defend the government. Then he lamented that the emperor is unclear, he is close to villains and far away from virtuous ministers, he has good generals but cannot use them, and so on.
"How can we say it's a loss? Let's tie our heads to our belts and work hard to conquer this territory. The old men in Chang'an are jealous and want to come and eat what's ready. Shouldn't we just move our butts obediently?
Make room for him? Cui Hongdu said with a smile: "Sanlang, if you want to say something arrogant, the situation in the Japanese country is the result of your hard work over the years. If you had replaced someone casually, they would have been gone a long time ago. At most, the Japanese sent people to Chang'an Duo After kowtowing a few times, calling me a vassal and paying tribute, the princes of the court let him go easily. Even the Baekje court was too far away! Not to mention the Japanese country!"
"Stop talking, let's not talk about this!" Wang Wenzuo shook his head: "It's too early to talk about this now. If we can't defeat the prince, the eldest brother, we have to get on the boat and run away even if the court doesn't say anything!"
"Prince Zhongda brother! Do you think it is really difficult to deal with?"
"I don't know!" Wang Wenzuo shook his head: "But judging from the information sent in the past two days, something is not good!"
"What's wrong? He moves quickly?"
"It's fast, but it's not fast!" Wang Wenzuo shook his head: "But the growth rate of the troops under his command is very scary. If the messenger is not lying, he is now marching with flags stretching for more than ten miles. In total, there are at least 30,000 or 40,000 people!"
"Thirty or four thousand people? So many!" Cui Hongdu's face changed slightly: "This, this is too much, isn't it?"
"I also think it's a bit outrageous!" Wang Wenzuo said with a wry smile: "I calculated the time and found that it has only been seven or eight days since the eldest brother and the prince started the uprising. If there are really so many people, they must not be recruited, but Heroes from all directions rise up to watch the scenery unfold!"
"Rise up and look at the scenery! This, isn't this Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, the high emperor of this dynasty?"
"Absolutely, so I have suggested Saitama transport important supplies from the palace to Nambazu, and at the same time ordered the construction of fortifications there. If Brother Naka breaks through the mountains and enters the Nara Basin, then we will take the initiative to retreat to Nambazu!"
Cui Hongdu nodded. The Japanese Asukakyo did not have a city wall. Their defense against Asukakyo was in the mountains around the Nara Basin. But the problem was that Prince Nakadai was not a foreign enemy, but the actual ruler who had been in charge of the government for more than 20 years. He recruited troops. The momentum of the uprising also proves that at least the people in Omi are indeed on his side. With such a large army coming, the credibility of the mountain defense line is really questionable. And once the Zhongda Brother entered the Nara Basin, the hearts of the people would collapse. Even Han Xinbai Qi came back to life and could not compete with the Zhongda Brother Prince in this situation. The only thing Wang Wenzuo can do is to retreat in order to advance and delay to wait for change.
The reasons why he retreated to Nambazu are as follows: First, the terrain is tight and easy to defend but difficult to attack. Nambazu is located at the end of the estuary of Lake Nara. It is the tail of a slender promontory, surrounded by sea on three sides, and only one side is connected to the land. , it can be defended with only a small number of troops; and there are a large amount of food supplies for Asuka Kyo in the warehouse here, so there is no need to worry about being besieged for a long time. Once we control this place and cooperate with the navy, we can stop the food fleets from various countries transporting to Asuka-kyo. After the army of the eldest brother and prince enters Asuka-kyo, they will be in a state of food shortage.
Second, it is easy to get backup. Nambazu has enough docks. Whether it is reinforcements from other orders loyal to Saitama or from Baekje, they can easily arrive. However, unless the prince of the middle brother is strong enough, It is difficult for the fleet to block this place. And before Wang Wenzuo comes to Asukakyo, he will definitely burn all the ships and shipyards he can find. It is impossible for the prince, the eldest brother, to build a fleet that is enough to threaten Nambajin in a short period of time.
Third, to maintain political appeal, Nambazu is very close to Asuka-kyo. If Saitama leads people to escape to other counties loyal to her, the prince, the eldest brother of Naka, can openly ascend the throne in Asuka-kyo. In this way, Chuaka will The eldest brother prince became the orthodox court, and Saitama was at best a court in exile; but Saitama just retreated to Nambajin, carrying the three artifacts and the main ministers. Even if the eldest brother prince occupied Asuka Kyo, politically speaking, he was just a On a 50-50 basis, the two sides will still have to win over other counties and counties through military victory and political wooing, and there will be more in the future.
"The female emperor agreed?" Cui Hongdu asked.
"I didn't agree at first, but I was convinced!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile, "My mind is still very clear, so I can still fight!"
"Hehe!" Cui Hongdu laughed dryly: "What about our gold and silver? Do you want to load it on the ship first?"
"I asked Cao Sengnu to do this!" Wang Wenzuo said, "You also go back and pack your belongings. Here we
I'm afraid I won't be able to stay long! "
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Kasagi Mountain.
There was a soft sound in the forest, and the sound lingered in my ears. The stream flows at the bottom of the valley, winding through the stone river bed. Under the tree, the war horses neighed softly and stretched out their hooves to pry the soft ground covered with fallen leaves. People lowered their voices and talked nervously in hushed tones. Most people's faces showed tension and exhaustion. No wonder they were like this. After marching in such rugged mountains for several days, their food bags were gradually empty, but there was no sign of leaving the mountainous area. In such rugged terrain, where a small group of enemies can immobilize tens of thousands of people, what could be more dangerous?
"We don't have to wait long!" A samurai in black robes put his bow bag next to his knees and was carefully scraping the fish scales with a short knife. People around him looked at the small fish in his hand with salivation.
"Those guys guarding the mountain road are not fools. We are an army of 30,000 people! 30,000 people!" The warrior emphasized loudly: "If one person shoots an arrow, they can be buried alive. They should surrender to the banner of Jin Zhiyu earlier. , can obtain official status, isn’t it beautiful!”
"What's the use of thirty thousand people?" A gray-haired old warrior next to him sneered: "You have all seen the mountain roads here. Let alone thirty thousand people, there will not be more than three hundred people who can go up to fight with one hundred thousand people. All they have to do is stay in the rock stronghold and throw rocks down there!"
"So what, even if they can kill hundreds of thousands of people, what's the use?" The black-robed warrior had already scraped off the fish scales. He pierced the small fish with a branch and carefully placed it on the bonfire: "That woman What can the Emperor give him? The situation is so great that no one can fight against it!"
The words of the black-clothed samurai aroused the approval of everyone. For most people here, whether it is Prince Nakadai or Princess Saitama, they are all demigods and half-humans living in the clouds, far away from them. Very far. But the appearance of the Nishiki no Banner brought hope. As long as they surrendered to Prince Nakadai and fought back to Asukakyo, the new emperor would grant them official positions. In this way, they would usually be arrogant and domineering in the country, plundering their land and squeezing tribute at will. The agents of Fu can no longer do anything to them. That's why these people took up arms and threw themselves under the imperial flag of Jinzhi like crows, fighting for their own land and their own future.
"Emperor, the new emperor is here!"
A sharp-eyed soldier shouted, and everyone looked in the direction of his finger, and saw a man on horseback wearing a black gauze and brocade robe slowly approaching under a gorgeous brocade flag. No one dared to say anything. Look, they all knelt on the ground with their faces close to the ground, and their bodies were trembling with excitement.
Prince Zhong Daxiong was sitting on horseback with a majestic look on his face. He glanced at the resting soldiers on both sides of the stream. He couldn't count the densely packed heads, but he could feel the power hidden in the crowd. It was this A force of strength surrounds him, pushes himself, lifts himself, and moves towards the supreme position he longs for.
"How are the defenders in front doing?" asked the prince, the eldest brother.
"The arrow has been shot into the book, but the defender has not given a reply yet!" the officer whispered.
"how long it has been?"
"It's been two hours?"
"So long?" The prince, the eldest brother, frowned: "We can't delay it like this. This is probably a delaying tactic. It's too dangerous to camp in the mountains after dark. Tell the defenders that they must give an answer immediately. If If they surrender, I can give them the title of ninth class, otherwise once the army attacks, they will be destroyed together, and there will be no mercy!"
"Yes, General, go and urge them immediately!" the officer responded.
"Go, this is the last pass in the Kasagi Mountains. As long as you pass here, it will be a flat plain!" A smile appeared on the face of Prince Nakadai: "As long as the army appears by the Nara Lake, the rebels will fall apart. That evil girl Saitama can only be captured without any help!"
"The general will obey the order!"
Looking at the officer's quickly leaving back, the prince, the eldest brother, let out a long breath. He had a premonition that victory was right in front of him and within reach. He stretched out his right hand, clenched his fist, and whispered in a low voice that only he could hear: "Nakatomi-san! It's a pity that you are not with me, otherwise you can see with your own eyes that I ascend to the throne in Asuka Kyo. !」
