Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 419: On the other side of the sea, there is an island country

Li Ming let out a sigh of relief.

Although it cannot be considered as ironclad evidence, the evidence Di Renjie now possesses is enough to bring over the kitchen helper from Baekje to "assist in the investigation."

"The question is, how do you prove that Baekje is involved in this incident?"

Li Ming did not forget this premise.

To be honest, who the murderer is is the least important part of this case.

Because in a political assassination of this level, that guy was almost certainly a pawn pushed aside by the mastermind behind the scenes.

The only value of catching a discarded pawn is to follow the clues and find the big villain hiding behind it.

However, since the other party is a big villain, he will definitely be bad to the end.

Maybe the kitchen helper who set the fire has already...

"Has he been stabbed eight times and forced to commit suicide?" Li Ming asked half-jokingly.

Di Renjie shook his head: "Oh, not really."

That’s good. “Has that guy been caught?” Li Ming asked.

Di Renjie still shook his head:
"No. We just found out the identity of the murderer and are about to ask him to assist in the investigation.

“It turned out that the kitchen helper had not come to work for several days.

"When we arrived at his house, we found that he had hanged himself."

Li Ming was stunned: "What's the difference between this and what I said? Isn't this still being silenced?"

Di Renjie shook his head in confusion: "It's different. He was hanged, not stabbed eight times in the back."

"You have to grasp the main point... Oh, forget it." Li Ming didn't want to argue with him anymore and brought the topic back.

"Now the person has been silenced, and the chain of evidence has been broken even to him.

"How do you prove your assertion? How do you prove that the mastermind behind that kitchen helper is Baekje?"

The arsonist's nationality doesn't mean anything.

The Ming Dynasty had a very rich ethnic group population, and everyone lived together. But there was no rule that Baekje people had to work for Baekje, or that Turks had to work for Turks.

It is not impossible for third-party hostile forces at home and abroad - such as ministers in the central government, local nobles, or the remnants of the Turks, the barbarian chieftains of enemy countries such as Zhenla - to hire someone to kill someone.

I just happened to buy a minor character whose ancestral home is Baekje.

"Yes, your majesty, yes."

Di Renjie took out the third piece of information.

“This is the record of the envoys from Baekje coming to pay tribute last month.

“According to records, the messenger once met the kitchen helper on the road when he was out buying vegetables.

"The two passed each other and exchanged a few words. But because of the distance, the tracking personnel were unable to hear clearly, which was a pity."

Di Renjie sighed and continued:
“The vegetables consumed by the State Council were all supplied by a specific vegetable garden outside the South City, but the two of them met by chance outside the West Gate.

“This shows that this was most likely a pre-arranged meeting.

"I would venture to guess that it was during that meeting that the two parties may have hatched the arson plot."

Li Ming pondered for a while and nodded in agreement:
"Indeed, although I don't know what the two said, the encounter itself is indeed suspicious."

When foreign envoys meet with their own people in private, it is somewhat like they are not considering themselves as outsiders.

"What is the origin of that kitchen helper?" Li Ming asked finally.

This time Di Renjie did not look up the information again, and answered without hesitation:

"Born in the border area between Baekje and the former Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla were at war, and he and his family settled in Goguryeo until we occupied Pyongyang."

For those who can enter the State Council, doing a good background check is the most basic thing.

"But now it seems that the man's escape was not simple. He might have been a spy sent by Baekje to infiltrate Goguryeo from the beginning."

Di Renjie speculated.

Li Ming shrugged:

“Since he’s dead now, there’s not much point in dwelling on his identity.

"Let's go ask Baekje what those Dongyi people mean."

His tone was very calm, with no obvious emotion expressed.

But Di Renjie couldn't help but shudder when he heard it.

This is murderous intent...

However, this bone-chilling chill did not last long.

Soon, Li Ming regained his original aura and patted his beloved general on the shoulder.

"Anyway, you solved the case so quickly, which is a great achievement!"

This time, the case was fully entrusted to Di Renjie, which was also a test of his abilities.

It can be said that the younger brother's performance did not disappoint him at all.

Not only did they find important clues to the case, but they also helped to rectify official discipline in the capital.

More importantly, in the process of handling the case, my younger brother has initially demonstrated the ability that an excellent prime minister should have -

He has clear ideas and meticulous thinking, and he does not blindly follow what is above him or what is written in books, but only what is practical.

In the fanatical Ming Dynasty where "there is only one sun in my heart, Your Majesty", this trait can be said to be rare and precious.

This kind of good minister who can serve you for the rest of your life should be cultivated well.

Just like the "cultivation" of Fang Yize and Changsun Yan.

“You are very capable. If this case can be solved, you will be the first to be credited.

"It's just a little shortcoming - you should be more confident in yourself, that would be better."

As he said this, Li Ming gave Di Renjie a small punch on the shoulder encouragingly.

Poor Di Renjie was so frightened that his body trembled.

After finishing his work report, he returned to his previous state, almost curled up into a ball, muttering timidly:

"No, no, no... It's all thanks to your Majesty. I just did some trivial clerical work..."

"Oh, why are you so polite? Hahaha~" Li Ming laughed and patted his younger brother.

The little brother was so frightened that he dared not say a word.

He really wasn't being polite.

It seems that Di Renjie is investigating this case.

But the work he did, although tedious, was actually not that difficult.

Just ask more people, check more information, and then summarize the results.

It can be said to be an alternative form of "surveillance check".

All the information Di Renjie needed was secretly recorded by His Majesty's bureaucratic system.

As long as you are willing, you can always find out when, where and what an individual did.

Everything leaves traces, what a strict surveillance!
What’s even more frightening is that this airtight surveillance does not rely on the role of any specific person.

All operations are systematized and everything is based on laws.

Such a strict spy ruling system even made him, the spy chief, shudder!

Unimaginable, unimaginable.

Your Majesty's control over this country has reached an unimaginable level of terror!
This really turned the Ming Dynasty into a huge machine!
Before, Di Renjie was fully focused on investigating the case, so he thought this surveillance system was quite convenient.

And now, the aftereffects are coming.

He gradually realized the power of this ruling system, and the more he thought about it, the more scared he became.

"what happened to you?"

Li Ming patted Di Renjie gently.

Xiao Di woke up as if from a dream, and shuddered all over.

Only then did I realize that my clothes were soaked with sweat.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty..." After having physical contact with the dictator, Di Renjie was speechless.

What I have done, said, and even thought about... In fact, His Majesty Li Ming can find out everything!

In front of His Majesty, he is like a completely transparent person and has no secrets at all!

Thinking of this, Di Renjie felt truly frightened.

Through this case, he suddenly realized the true horror of His Majesty Li Ming——

Unfathomable.

On the surface, he looks cheerful, but in fact, he knows everything. He can see the slightest movement in this country...

"Are you...are you feeling unwell?"

Seeing his friend suddenly start shaking as if he had the hiccups, Li Ming started to panic.

Damn it, please don’t do that. I don’t want anyone I want to reuse to become a sickly and useless person!

"No, I...your servant..." Di Renjie was sweating profusely.

The more I tried to calm down, the more panicked I became.

"You're too tired from work, why don't you go back and rest for a few days?" Li Ming said worriedly. Di Renjie was as if he had been pardoned, and he sang a nod in a daze and ran away.

"Hiss...hey?"

Looking at his little brother who moved as swiftly as a rabbit, Li Ming scratched his head in confusion.

It seems that Di Renjie is in good health?
But I told him not to be too nervous, but he seemed to be getting more and more panicked...

“But never mind.

"If we can prove that this is caused by foreign forces, then it will be easy to deal with..."

Li Ming's tense expression relaxed.

When envoys are abroad, they represent the will of the country.

If the one causing the trouble is an external enemy.

If the forces that want to shoot down the sun are not from within the Ming Dynasty.

Then the problem will be easier to solve.

Today's Ming Dynasty is invincible in the world.

The only force that can bring about the destruction of this great empire is internal factors.

The corruption of the bureaucracy, the counterattack of the landlord class, the outbreak of hellish contradictions...

Any of them could strike a blow to the heart of this huge, mixed empire.

It has only been a few days since Li Ming became the common ruler of the world.

Even if we count from the time he proclaimed himself emperor of the Ming Dynasty, it has only been one year, right?

If this year's benevolent governance results in assassination by internal hostile forces.

That means the contradictions have become so serious that a “great purge” must be launched.

Fortunately, there is no sign of this yet.

"It would be great if there were no setbacks in the investigation of this case, and it would be great if there was no insider, otherwise Di Renjie and the Anti-Counterrevolutionary Committee would have a lot of work to do."

Comrade Li Ming, the kind emperor and father of the Ming people, muttered in his heart.

Based on the existing evidence, let us take Baekje as the starting point and continue to sort out the case.

“The first obvious problem is that there is a motive for committing a crime.

"What was Baekje's motive in assassinating me?"

Thinking of this, Li Ming's face, which had just relaxed, darkened again.

Is there a possibility that Baekje is actually just the middle link in the murder case and is just a protective shell?
Is the real villain someone else, or is he even hiding in the country?

In this case, all previous speculations will have to be overturned and started again.

There are still villains who want to harm me...

“There is no end to this line of reasoning.

"If it is not necessary, do not add more entities. Let's start with Baekje's independent planning..."

Li Ming fell into deep thought.

If Baekje wanted to attack me and create chaos in Ming, its purpose could not be to flatter the landlord class.

There are only three reasons:

One is to break away from the status of a vassal state and proclaim himself emperor.

The second was to restore the Goguryeo nation.

The third is to annex the northeastern territory of the Ming Dynasty and expand the country's interests.

Among them, the first and second motivations can be unified into the third point.

The question is, as a weak country like Dongyi, do you really have the ability and courage to dare to tickle the sore spot of the great unified Chinese empire?

The answer is, yes.

Even during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, the barbarians from all directions were often dishonest and would come to take advantage of it for no reason.

For example, Goguryeo, Tuyuhun, Tubo, Linyi, etc., not to mention the Turks.

The Chinese cultural circle highlights a white-eyed wolf culture——

No matter where the monkeys are, they all think they are the little China and want to fight for legitimacy.

Therefore, Baekje can also regard Ming Dynasty as another "Tang Dynasty"——

We dare not take any rash actions in the core Han areas for the time being.

But they still dare to take advantage of the slightest delays.

“But he had the wrong idea.

"We should ask the Baekje people what they really want."

There are some rules for how to ask.

Asking with your mouth will make you seem weak, and the answer you will almost certainly get is just one sentence: I don’t know!

But asking directly with fists would seem too aggressive.

Moreover, the financial situation is tight now, and we have to mobilize troops in the southwest.

If a second front is opened in the northeast, it will cross the Asian continent diagonally and win two wars at the same time.

I guess Fang Yize would have let out a sharp explosion.

“You can’t ask the question by asking directly, and you can’t afford to fight directly.

"We have to continue to investigate further until we have solid evidence and get to the bottom of it.

“By the time the investigation is finished, this rainy season will be almost over. Domestic dam construction will no longer be urgent, and the war can begin once the budget is generated.

"Take advantage of the hot summer and autumn to attack Baekje first, and then attack Zhenla in the winter.

"With such a huge scope, the military expenditure must be off the charts, right? I wonder what Fang Yize would think..."

Li Ming was making a brief plan in his mind and looked up subconsciously.

"When will this rain stop?"

…………

"Today is a sunny day, a good day for holding a summer festival.

"In memory of our deceased national ministers, the Soga clan."

The Korean Peninsula, where Silla, Baekje and Goguryeo are located, is further east.

Japanese Islands, Wakoku.

The newly enthroned Emperor Kotoku stood with one foot on the charred ruins, looking up at the clear blue sky, with a pure smile on his face.

At his feet, among the charred ruins of walls, lay a charred corpse that was as dry as a dead branch.

Almost no one could recognize that this charred corpse was once the most powerful minister in Japan, Soga no Emishi.

Just a few days ago, his son Soga no Iruka was killed by Emperor Kotoku, who was still a prince at the time, in a "Hongmen Banquet"-style palace coup.

This is the "Yulsa Change".

The stumbling block to imperial power had been removed in this coup, and the rubber-stamp emperor once again had real power.

As a result, the island nation's clans temporarily ended their division and were nominally under the leadership of the Emperor at Naniwa Palace in Osaka.

This was the beginning of centralization in the island nation.

"Your Majesty, according to the report, the envoys from Baekje and Silla have arrived at Fujiwara-kyo (Asuka) in Nara and are waiting to be summoned by Your Majesty."

Nakagami Kamata, a close minister of Emperor Kotoku and the mastermind of the Eulsa Coup, reported to Your Majesty in a very respectful tone.

The Emperor, who had been so gentle just now, suddenly became furious, like a summer rainstorm.
"Nara! Nara! Why is it still Nara!

"Don't they know that I have moved the capital of the world from Fujiwara-kyo to Naniwa Palace? Naniwa Palace is the center of the world!"

The close ministers were terrified and lowered their heads, not daring to say much.

After the storm, there was calm again.

After a moment, the emperor's expression became gentle again.

“Please arrange for troops to welcome the envoys from the two Han states who are coming to pay tribute and bring them to the capital.

"Okay?"

A faint smile.

"Yes... yes!" Nakatomi Kamatari felt his hair stand on end and he retreated in fear.

After the little episode, Emperor Kotoku returned to his own world, muttering to himself.

"The Two Han...originally there were the Three Han. Baekje, Silla, and Goguryeo.

"Goguryeo, where did you go..."

His eyes turned to the West.

The other side of the sea.

"bright……

"Li Ming..."

(End of this chapter)