Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 424: Japanese Rat

When the typhoon rages on the mainland.

At the same time, the East China Sea.

Calm and calm!

This year's typhoon was moving in a very enchanting way, making landfall in Lingnan and Jiangnan areas very early on.

Only through external influences did it send some water vapor to the islands across the sea.

Therefore, Japan, which has suffered many disasters since ancient times, has rarely experienced good weather with good weather this year.

However, the "light" mood of the country's supreme ruler, Emperor Kotoku, was not as beautiful as the weather.

"Oh? Baekje and Silla dare to cut off tribute to our country of Japan at the same time?

"Koreans are so stupid, so stupid, haha~"

A disdainful smile appeared on Qing's face, but his tone was generally calm.

The young aide was still kneeling in a daze, while Nakatomi Kamata, who knew Emperor Kotoku's temper well, had subconsciously retracted his neck.

Sure enough, the next moment, the wind and clouds suddenly rose.

Emperor Kotoku's face suddenly changed and he angrily shouted:
"Dare to offend the Land of the Rising Sun? Aren't Koreans afraid of not seeing the sun tomorrow?!"

As he said this, he threw the bamboo slips in his hand with force.

It hit the young aide's head right on top, causing him to bleed.

The poor young man covered his bloody forehead and wailed, not daring to be angry or speak.

Nakatomi Kamatari glanced at the unfortunate little fellow with sympathy.

Or are you too young and inexperienced? Who would meet the Emperor without a helmet?

Seeing the miserable appearance of his retainer with a shattered head, Emperor Kotoku finally felt better. He returned to his usual gentle and courteous attitude and asked kindly:
"Is there any other news you want to report to me?"

There is good news, and there is also a lot of bad news.

For example, Silla and Baekje both abandoned their own currencies and accepted Ming paper money;

For example, the core industries of both countries are to provide black-bone chicken, ginseng, deer antlers and other economic products to Ming Dynasty. For example, the food supply of both countries is currently highly dependent on Pyongyang.
For example, the Ming Dynasty can directly control the appointment and removal of high-level officials of the two countries. For example, the integration plan of Kaohsiung, Baiji and Xinjiang has been proposed, and so on.

The above-mentioned "little news", together with the "little things" such as the sudden disappearance of Baekje's internal law chief Ping Mucho, the extermination of the entire Seoul Mu clan because they stepped left first when entering the house, and the complete purge of forces on the peninsula that were politically inclined towards Japan.

The young staff, who had just had their heads cracked open, regarded it as a trivial matter not worth reporting and swallowed it back.

"No, no, nothing happened on the peninsula..."

Emperor Kotoku's smile became even kinder: "Really?"

The beads of sweat on the retainer's face were getting bigger and bigger: "Really, really..."

Emperor Kotoku stared at his subjects for a moment, then sat back in his seat and waved his hand:
"I understand. Please leave."

Huh... The young aide felt that these few seconds were as long as an hour, as if he had been pardoned. He covered his smashed head and retreated with weak legs.

Nakatomi Kamatari glanced at his back with a pitiful and ridiculous look.

Young people are still too young. Whoever dares to make the emperor unhappy will be made unhappy by the emperor.

"My dear minister." Emperor Kotoku said.

Nakatomi Kamatari tensed up and said, "Your Majesty, what do you want?"

"You said..." The Emperor said slowly:

"The Koreans have been paying tribute to our country devoutly for a hundred years. Why did they suddenly dare to disobey our country after I ascended the throne? Do they simply want to express their dissatisfaction with me, or are they dissatisfied with the return of power to the emperor?
"Are they the remnants of the Soga clan?"

No, no, no, Your Majesty, I think you think too much... Nakatomi Kamatari complained in his heart, but replied respectfully:

"Is there a possibility that the Koreans just found a backer they can rely on, so they dared to use the power of others to bully us and brazenly tear up the alliance with our country?"

Even if the two of them closed their eyes and ears, they would still drive out the retainers who were passing on the detailed information.

However, it is easy to understand that the sudden rise of the Koreans in resisting the Japanese must have been led by the Han people.

"Li Ming, all the problems originate from him..." Emperor Kotoku gritted his teeth in hatred.

His Majesty the Emperor's logic is this - if there was no Li Ming, there would be no development of Liaodong, and there would be no annexation of Goguryeo.

The Chinese civilization would not be able to border the Korean Peninsula, and thus could not provide direct support to Baekje and Silla.

Then, Japan's power could have continued to infiltrate the peninsula and deepen its influence and control over the Three Kingdoms of Korea.

So far, his inferences were roughly correct.

But later on, his imagination became more and more outrageous, like a wild dog on the loose.

If it weren't for Li Ming, his Great Wa Empire would have been able to cross the East China Sea, attack Silla, annex Baekje, and use it as a springboard to move north to Pyongyang.

He even took advantage of the situation to unify Goguryeo, and pushed his troops to the Yanshan line, confronting and competing with the long-coveted Central Plains...

Not impossible!

The case was solved. It turned out that the biggest stumbling block preventing him from "spreading his power throughout the world" was that Li Ming!

At least that's what Qing saw. Except for the Ming Dynasty under the rule of Li Ming, all the people on the East Asian continent were NPCs, and they were no match for the Japanese samurai.

“The Han people are indeed inferior and incompetent, unable to even kill a young new king.

"Now that Li Ming has firmly established his rule over the Three Kingdoms of Korea, how can I extend my influence to the peninsula?"

Emperor Kotoku had a very good atmosphere.

I was clearly the one who came here first, so how come the Han people took the dog away?
Seeing that the emperor's expression became uglier the more he thought about it, Nakatomi Kamatari tried to divert his thoughts.

"Compared to foreign countries, Your Majesty. Now that the Soga clan has been destroyed, all the clans have bowed their heads, the government has been returned, and order has been restored. The country is thriving..."

"Xin your mother's head!"

Unexpectedly, halfway through the boasting, Emperor Kotoku's face changed again and he threw the inkstone at Nakatomi Kamata's head.

It’s really hard to pick up any pot!
Have the major clans in the country bowed their heads?

Has the government really been returned?
Emperor Kotoku was so angry with the gang of traitors in the country that he had no place to vent his anger. The inkstone he threw was so fast and accurate that it hit his retainer's temple.

Fortunately, Nakatomi Kamatari was no pushover. He tilted his head slightly so that the inkstone just happened to rub his scalp, hitting it but not completely.

Not only did the emperor feel happy, but he himself was not hurt.

He was secretly delighted with his own cleverness, and immediately put on a sad face, kneeling on the ground:
"I am stupid!"

Seeing the embarrassed look of his old confidant, Qing felt better and said in a kind tone:

"Nothing, it's normal that you don't know. It's just that the tribes in the country don't obey the king's rule and don't listen to my discipline, making it difficult for my orders to leave Naniwa Palace.

"Once the Soga clan died, the whole world became the Soga clan!"

In the past there was a group of powerful officials in Soga no Ieyasu, and all the rebels attached themselves to it. Although it was powerful, the good and bad camps were clearly divided.

Now that the Soga Group has collapsed, it's like a cesspool has exploded, spreading shit everywhere.

So, the emperor regained some of his power, but not much.

Although he didn't say it, Qing was very envious of China in his heart.

It's not only because China is rich, but also because China has a high degree of centralization. The Emperor has the final say and if the Emperor wants his subjects to die, they have to die.

If he had such great power, he would have forced all those disobedient chiefs to commit suicide by disembowelment that very day!

But he didn't.

That is why he was so concerned about the ownership of the peninsula and was furious about the sudden betrayal of the Koreans against Japan.

The inability to expand outward means the inability to divert domestic conflicts, and the spearheads of all parties will undoubtedly be directed at him as the emperor!

No, we must fight externally and divert the conflict outside!
"There is an old Chinese saying, 'If you don't accept a toast, you will be punished. Since Baekje and Silla dare to betray our country, our country should lead our troops to the sea to fight against the rebellion!"

Emperor Kotoku slammed the table heavily.

This conclusion confused Nakatomi Kamatari.

Why are we back to the diplomatic issue?

The domestic nobles don't listen to you, why are you looking for trouble with the Koreans?
"It is precisely because the nobles in the country do not submit to my rule that I must use military force against the mainland!
"Use victory after victory to deplete the power of the powerful families and consolidate my authority!"

There was a gleam of fire in Emperor Kotoku's eyes.

Waging war on the mainland was his clever little trick to consolidate centralized power.

"Your Majesty, that's a good idea." Nakatomi Kamatari quickly echoed, and then asked: "Are the nobles willing to send troops to attack Han?"

It was agreed that the decree would not leave Naniwa Palace, but now it can even send people to the other side of the ocean.

"Of course they are willing. If they can get the mainland's land, as long as they use this as bait, they will swarm over it like flies to rotten meat."

Emperor Kotoku said with confidence.

This is feasible... let's just assume it exists.

"But, Ming Country..."

"There is no need to worry about the direction of Ming Country."

“No need to worry…?”

Nakatomi Kamata didn't dare to say anything more.

No matter how much they use the label of "the country of sunset" to describe the other side, everyone knows in their hearts that the Ming Dynasty is a small island country that cannot be challenged.

It's good enough that they didn't come from across the ocean to kill your entire family, but you're still coming from across the ocean to join them?
Your Majesty, please don't really believe that you are the "Son of the Kingdom of the Rising Sun"! You can lie to your brothers, but don't lie to yourself.

Seeing his ministers suddenly fall silent, Emperor Kotoku laughed:
"The Ming Empire is great, but it does not have the Mandate of Heaven. They are currently unable to take care of themselves, see."

As he spoke, he handed a page of paper to his subject.

Nakatomi Kazuzu took a look:
"It has been raining heavily in China for months, and the flood disaster is serious?"

"Yes. Torrential rains caused disasters on the mainland, but the sea was calm, allowing the messenger to cross the sea smoothly and convey this message to me. Isn't this a symbol of the Ming Dynasty losing the Mandate of Heaven?"

The corners of Emperor Kotoku's mouth widened.

"Of course, I have another plan that can make them even more exhausted."

Nakatomi Kamatari was really curious:
"Your Majesty, what's your plan?"

Emperor Kotoku waved to him with a smile:
"Come here, I'll tell you."

Nakatomi Kamata was afraid that the emperor would suddenly hit him on the head with a hammer, so he moved forward nervously.

Fortunately, Emperor Kotoku was in a good mood and did not actually hit him with the bamboo slips. Instead, he whispered a few words.

Nakatomi Kamatari's expression changed from trepidation to surprise, and then to... joy.

"This plan will work! In this way, the Ming Kingdom will be too busy to take care of the small islands in the northeastern border!" he muttered happily.

Emperor Kotoku said proudly:
"Hehe, this plan of mine can at least make the Han people suffer for more than five years.

"It is even possible that the Ming Dynasty will never recover, the Mandate of Heaven will be sever, or even the dynasty will be replaced.

"By then, our army will at least be able to firmly control the city of Pyongyang, and they will have no choice but to accept this reality."

They invade other countries in order to divert domestic conflicts, and they launch sneak attacks on big countries in order to invade small countries. Afterwards, they fantasize that the big countries can be forced to the negotiation table by this sneak attack.

This is the way Japan thinks, a unique and clear way of thinking that has been passed down from generation to generation.

…………

Outside the door, the Emperor's guards were listening intently to the secret conversation between the Emperor and his retainers.

"We are going to launch a sneak attack on the Celestial Empire? What kind of sneak attack? When, where and how will we launch the sneak attack?"

The guard was startled and put his ear close to the crack in the door.

However, when it came to the crucial point, the king and his minister lowered their voices and were whispering about something, which could not be heard clearly.

"What are they talking about? Damn it, what the hell are they talking about!"

The guard's spy almost put his ear to the door.

Then he heard the excited voice of Emperor Kotoku from inside the door:

"This year is the first year of Taika Reform. Unifying the country, conquering the peninsula, and shocking China are the core of this 'Taika Reform'!"

This shout made the guard tremble all over.

"Dahua, reform..."

He murmured, secretly noting what he heard in his mind.

Such an important matter must be reported to Lord Buyeo Biru as soon as possible.

…………

Central Plains, Huazhou.

South bank of the Yellow River.

The night is deep.

Months of strong winds and heavy rains have caused the water level of the Yellow River to rise to a terrifying level.

In the past, even during the prosperous Zhenguan period, it would have been enough to cause a catastrophic disaster.

Fortunately, the current His Majesty Li Ming is an infrastructure fanatic who is obsessed with building projects all over the country.

Thanks to him, the Huazhou dam was built tall and solid, and is temporarily safe.

temporary.

In the pitch-black rain, there were flashes of fire.

Countless laborers pushed carts and carried loads on their shoulders, reinforcing and building the river embankment in the rain all night long.

"If the rain keeps falling like this, it's only a matter of time before the riverbank breaks. We can't build the dam all the way to the sky, can we?"

Ma Zhou, the Vice Minister of Works and the imperial envoy assigned to the front line of flood control to supervise the riverbank embankments, stood on the earthen slope outside the embankment, muttered worriedly as he looked at the sky that seemed to have a hole in it.

As a professional bureaucrat, his level is not low, but his career is not very good.

This time too.

Huazhou is a turbulent place where the Yellow River converges, and the levee can only be maintained with difficulty under the ravages of wind and rain.

The riverbanks had already collapsed in other places, and Huazhou had already sheltered many victims.

Both people and floods accumulated in Huazhou to alarming numbers.

"If the dam here fails, it will be a big problem...

"Everyone, work harder and tamp the soil down!"

Ma Zhou shouted loudly.

"Oh!" the man responded loudly.

Little did we know that a thousand-mile long dike could be destroyed by an ant hole.

Beside the dam where people of all races gathered, in the darkness where no one could see.

A few rats from Japan quietly found the weak point in the dam's foundation.

…………

"Minister Ma, the rain seems to have subsided a little. The dam should be safe tonight. Please go back and rest."

The governor of Huazhou advised.

"I'll take a look for a while. Please do as you please, Envoy Zhang." Ma Zhou said firmly.

Of course, Zhang Shijun couldn't do as he pleased. The central leaders were staying up late in their own areas, so how could a local official like him dare to go home and slack off?
Oh, another sleepless night...

The two senior officials yawned almost at the same time.

At the same time, there was a commotion coming from the direction of the dam.

"Huh? What happened? Did Envoy Zhang hear anything?" Ma Zhou asked vigilantly.

The governor was dozing off while standing and was suddenly awakened. He pretended to prick up his ears and listen.

On the embankment, it seemed like there were many people shouting.

The shouts were getting closer and louder.

It seems that it is——

“The dam has broken!”

(End of this chapter)