Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 320: Japanese version of Wu Zetian?
Pingkangfang, Baifeng Tower.

Jin Yan sat in a private room on the second floor, watching Jin Famin pour her tea personally, and said calmly:

"What do you want from me, Prince? If it's just tea, I don't have time for you."

Jin Beommin said in Malay Korean: "Princess, there is no need to harbor hostility. You and I are of the same origin, so we should be close."

Jin Yan was stunned and asked, "What did you call me?"

Jin Beommin said, "In the eyes of us Silla people, you are the Baekje princess, and Buyeo Uiji is just a thief."

Jin Yan sneered, "That sounds nice, but aren't you still coveting Baekje?"

Jin Famin said solemnly, "I don't deny this. I believe that the Three Kingdoms of Korea should unite to become stronger. This is also my lifelong goal!"

Jin Yan stared at him for a long moment and said, "If the conditions for unity were led by me, Ma Han, would you still be so enthusiastic?"

Jin Famin was silent for a moment, then said, "Excuse me for being blunt, but Mahan has long been enslaved by the Buyeo people and is not qualified to be the leader right now!"

Jin Yan remained silent.

Jin Famin said slowly, "Princess Jin Yan, last year Baekje attacked the Tang Dynasty and was defeated. Buyeo Yici killed many nobles to consolidate the royal power. Now that Baekje's people are in turmoil, it is a good opportunity for you to return home."

Jin Yan glanced at him and said, "You asked me to return to China because you want me to cooperate with you to deal with Baekje, right?"

Jin Beommin corrected him, "To be precise, I hope you can return to Baekje and join forces with us to eliminate the Buyeo people and let the Mahan people take control!"

Jin Yan asked, "Is there any difference?"

"Of course. We are one people in the Three Kingdoms of Han. We share the same language and customs. If we rule over the people of Mahan, their lives will be better."

Jin Yan squinted her eyes and said, "You might be able to fool the common people of Mahan with this, but you oppress your compatriots even more cruelly than the Buyeo people. Don't you think I don't know?"

Jin Famin's face darkened.

Silla implemented the "bone rank system".

From top to bottom, they are: holy bones, true bones, six-head grade, five-head grade, four-head grade, third-grade head, second-grade head, and first-grade head.

The holy bones belong to the three royal families, and the remaining real bones and six grades of bones belong to the nobles.

Below them are the common people and the slave class.

Each level of bone rank is self-contained and does not marry each other, let alone marry commoners.

After a person is born, his or her bone grade is locked in for the rest of his or her life. The livelihood he or she engages in, the clothes he or she wears, and the size of the house he or she lives in are all strictly determined by the bone grade and cannot be exceeded.

In contrast, although the Mahan people of Baekje were also oppressed by the Buyeo people, it was not to such an extent.

Jin Yan continued, "In the Tang Dynasty, slaves have the hope of becoming legitimate sons, and legitimate sons can even join the army and become officials. Isn't it better for the Mahan people to submit to the Tang Dynasty than to follow you, the Silla people?"

Jin Famin snorted and said, "It's a pity that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty looks down on Baekje. He dismissed our request to attack us."

Jin Yan said, "Your Majesty has his own considerations. When the time is right, he will send troops to eliminate the Buyeo people and capture Buyeo Yici and bring him to Chang'an!"

Jin Famin shook his head and said, "That's just wishful thinking. I heard that the Tang Dynasty just helped a small country in the Western Regions to restore its independence. This shows that the Tang Dynasty's attention is on the Western Regions and it won't care about you, Baekje."

Jin Yan said, "Then let's wait and see. Goodbye." Then she stood up and left.

After a while, Jin Renwen came into the room and asked in a deep voice, "Brother, what's the situation?"

Jin Famin snorted, "This Mahan traitor seems to really want to bring the Mahan people back to the Tang Dynasty!"

Jin Ren asked, "I've already said it before, there's no way she'll cooperate with us."

Jin Famin said in a deep voice, "It's useless to stay in Chang'an any longer. It seems we have no choice but to return to Liaodong and find new allies."

Jin Ren asked, "Who are you looking for? We have Goguryeo blocking us, and those grassland tribes can't help us!"

Jin Famin said: "Then let's go find Japan!"

Jin Renwen was surprised and said, "Waguo and the Buyeo people have always had a good relationship. I'm afraid they won't help us deal with Baekje."

Jin Famin laughed and said, "The Japanese are greedy by nature and have always dreamed of gaining a piece of land. Now that Baekje is in chaos, won't they be tempted?"

Jin Renwen thought for a moment and said, "That being said, if we bring the Japanese into the land, I'm afraid they will become a new threat in the future."

Jin Famin laughed and said, "You are too honest. After we have used them, we will stab them in the back and drive them back to the island. That will be it."

Jin Ren asked, "The Japanese are cunning, I'm afraid they won't be so easy to deceive."

Jin Famin snorted, "How smart can a bunch of lowly people from a few islands be?"

Just then, a Silla attendant pushed the door open and came in, bowing to the two of them and saying, "Crown Prince, Prince, the king has sent someone with urgent news." He handed over a letter.

Jin Famin took it and looked at it, his face showing surprise. He said: "Very good, our luck has come. Let's go and return to Silla immediately!"

After Jin Yan separated from Jin Famin, she went back home first.

She has married An Lie, and after avenging her mother, she plans to settle in Chang'an. This is why she rejected Jin Famin without hesitation.

An Lie was a good businessman. After marrying Jin Yan, he took out his savings of many years and borrowed some money from Shi Sanlang to buy a large house with four courtyards on Pingkangfang East Street.

Jin Yan has a special identity and spends most of her time on duty in the Nei Lingfu, responsible for compiling intelligence in the Liaodong region.

It's a rare opportunity to go home today, but An Lie is not at home.

Disappointed, she planned to return to the inner court.

But the housekeeper stopped her and said, "Madam, Alang has instructed that if you come back, you should wait for him at home for a while. I have sent someone to look for Alang and he is back."

Jin Yan asked, "Did he say anything?"

The housekeeper said, "Alang is going to Mobei, so he has something to ask of you."

Jin Yan nodded and sat in the outer hall waiting.

After more than half an hour, An Lie came back.

He held Jin Yan in his arms and said happily, "Madam, if you don't come back, I will ask someone to go to the Inner Guard to look for you."

Jin Yan spent some time with him tenderly, then separated and asked, "I heard you were going to Mobei. Did something happen?"

An Lie took the tea handed to him by the servant, took a sip, and said, "Recently, many small tribes have appeared in Mobei. They are unruly and often steal horses, cattle and sheep from our ranch, so I went to take a look."

Jin Yan was surprised and said, "Are they the Turkic and Shiwei tribes again, pretending to be Tiele people?"

An Lie said, "No, they are all tribes that came from further north in search of water and grass. We call them northern barbarians."

Jin Yan was surprised and asked, "Since they are foreign barbarians, shouldn't the Yannan Protectorate expel them?"

An Lie said, "You've never been to Mobei, so you don't know how big it is. Even if the Yannan Protectorate wanted to expel them, it wouldn't be able to do so."

At that time, the various tribes in Liaodong pretended to be Tiele people and sneaked into Mobei to develop, and even the Yannan Protectorate found it difficult to expel them.

It was only because there were large tribes behind these small tribes that they voluntarily withdrew after the Tang Dynasty warned the large tribes.

The northern barbarians were different. The Yannan Protectorate could not find their leader and had no way to deal with them.

After listening to An Lie's explanation, Jin Yan asked, "So what are you going to do?"

An Lie said, "There aren't many northern barbarians. Shi Sanlang and I have recruited some strong men in the nearby counties and prefectures with a large sum of money. We plan to bring them over and garrison the ranch."

Jin Yan was slightly startled and said, "You are essentially raising a private army. I'm afraid the Yanran Protectorate will punish you."

An Lie waved his hand and said, "The Yannan Protectorate has reported this matter to the court, and the court has issued an order allowing merchants from Mobei to form their own militia to resist the Hu tribes."

Jin Yan nodded and said, "Then you must be careful of your safety when you go to Mobei."

An Lie smiled and said, "Don't worry, those northern barbarians have simple weapons and are no match for us."

That night, Jin Yan stayed at home and returned to the Internal Guard Office early the next morning.

Although she was a woman, because of her status, she was given the position of brigade commander and had a team of 100 people under her, who were specifically responsible for intelligence work in Goguryeo and Baekje.

She had just returned to her guard room and sat down when a captain came to report, saying, "General Jin, General Bilus returned last night."

Jin Yan looked up and asked, "Is the alliance between the three Tianzhu families going smoothly?"

The captain said, "I don't know. Since General Bei returned, no news has leaked out." Jin Yan frowned and said, "Is it not going well?"

"General Jin, I don't quite understand. We are responsible for intelligence in Liaodong. Why should we be concerned about the situation in the Kunming-Tibet region?"

Jin Yan glanced at him and said, "So, you all don't understand the mentality of the Goguryeo and Baekje people."

Dui Zhengqi asked, "What's their mentality?"

Jin Yan said slowly, "They just failed in their surprise attack on the Tang Dynasty. They must be trying their best to get news from the Tang Dynasty and determine whether the Tang Dynasty will attack them."

The captain touched his chin and thought that it made sense.

Jin Yan added, "They will also be paying attention to the situation in Kunzang, the Tang Dynasty. If the situation in Tianzhu is dangerous, the Tang Dynasty will focus on Kunzang and will ignore them."

The captain laughed and said, "The thoughts of these small countries are quite interesting."

Jin Yan said sullenly, "There's nothing interesting about this. They're just trying to survive. As long as the Arabs invade India and threaten the Tang Dynasty, they'll make new moves. We must be aware of them in advance!"

The captain said solemnly: "Yes!"

At this moment, an inner guard came with an official document in his hand and said to Jin Yan, "Commander-in-Chief, urgent news has arrived from Liaodong!"

Jin Yan took it and looked at it. After reading it, she was shocked and said, "Something happened in Baekje. I need to see General Wang immediately!"

He walked to the outside of Wang Jishan's public housing and was about to pass on the message when he suddenly saw the door was pushed open and Wang Jishan and Bilus walked out together.

When Wang Jishan saw Jin Yan, he asked, "General Jin, what do you want from me?"

Jin Yan presented an official document, saying, "General, urgent news from Liaodong: civil unrest has broken out in Baekje."

Wang Jishan took it, glanced at it, and then handed it back to her, saying, "General Bei and I are going to see the emperor. You should come with us."

Jin Yan agreed and followed the two of them into the Xuanwu Gate, all the way to the Linhu Palace to pay her respects to the emperor.

Li Zhi was sitting in the Lakeside Hall reading a book. He waved his hand to excuse himself from the formalities and looked at Bilus. He said, "Your Highness is back. Did your trip to Kunming and Tibet go smoothly?"

Bilus bowed and said, "Your Majesty, although there were some minor problems along the way, they were eventually resolved. The three families have signed an alliance agreement to jointly resist the Arabs."

Li Zhi said: "What went wrong?"

Bilus said, "It was mainly because the King of Sind proposed that the other two armies be handed over to him for command. Later, Tibet and South India disagreed, so he started to make trouble."

After hearing this, Li Zhi was surprised.

The most dangerous one at the moment is the Kingdom of Sindh, as they are closest to the Arabs, and the other two are equivalent to aiding them.

It is incredible that he still takes such a high attitude under such circumstances.

Bilus smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, that's just how Indians are. Their behavior often seems unbelievable. Fortunately, the problem has been resolved."

Li Zhi nodded.

In any case, this is the best he can do regarding the affairs of India.

He didn't want any Tang army to go to a foreign country to help others fight.

At this time, Wang Jishan said, "Your Majesty, urgent news has also arrived from Baekje."

Li Zhi asked, "What happened?"

Wang Jishan looked at Jin Yan and motioned her to speak.

Jin Yan stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Buyeo Bok-sin of Baekje suddenly rebelled and attacked Sabi Castle. The king of Baekje fled at night to Ungjin Castle. Baekje has been plunged into civil war."

Li Zhi frowned and asked, "Why did civil unrest suddenly break out? Who is Fuyu Fuxin?"

Jin Yan said, "Buyeo Bok-sin was the younger brother of Baekje's King Buyeo Ui-ja. He was the one who originally established the navy. After the defeat in the war, Buyeo Ui-ja's prestige was greatly reduced. He wanted to shift the blame onto Buyeo Bok-sin to restore his reputation. That's when Buyeo Bok-sin rebelled."

Li Zhi did not want to attack Baekje now. If Baekje was annexed by Silla due to internal strife, it would be troublesome to deal with Silla in the future.

"What is the current situation in Baekje?" he asked.

Jin Yan said, "After Yi Ci fled to Xiongjin City, he gathered an army of 30,000 and tried to attack Sabi City, but was defeated by Hei Chi Changzhi, a subordinate of Fu Xin, with an army of 10,000."

Li Zhi's eyes flashed: "Heichi Changzhi?"

Jin Yan lowered her head slightly and said, "This man was a famous general of Baekje. He was imprisoned by Yi Ci for pleading for my mother. After Bok Shin captured Sabi Castle, he was released and handed over the army to him."

Li Zhi said: "So, Fuxin has the upper hand now?"

Jin Yan showed a look of worry and said, "Yes, but Yi Ci has fled to Jinzhou and asked for help from the Japanese. The King of Japanese has promised to send troops to help him."

Li Zhi frowned and said, "Japan is also involved."

Jin Yan said bitterly, "The Japanese have always coveted the land. Yici is inviting a wolf into the house."

Li Zhi asked, "What are the reactions from Goguryeo and Silla?"

Jin Yan said, "Not yet. However, since Yi Ci has asked for help from Japan, it means that Goguryeo does not support him. Silla will definitely not miss this opportunity."

She really wanted to persuade the emperor to send troops to recapture Baekje immediately, but she did not dare to speak, fearing that she would interfere in the military and political affairs of the Tang Dynasty and anger the emperor.

Li Zhi pondered for a moment and asked Jin Yan, "The King of Japan you just mentioned, is that King Xiaodeok?"

Jin Yan said, "King Xiaode of Wa is dead, and King Qi Ming is in power now. She is a queen, known as Queen Bao."

After hearing this, Li Zhi was stunned. He was completely unaware of this matter.

Wang Jishan explained, "Your Majesty, Prince Qi Ming ascended the throne in the sixth year of Yonghui."

Li Zhi immediately understood.

The sixth year of Yonghui was his first year in the Tang Dynasty.

Since then, his attitude towards Japan turned cold and he cancelled the Tang Dynasty envoys, so he was unaware of the changes within Japan.

However, he did not expect that Japan was also ruled by a woman. He immediately asked the two of them about Queen Bao's situation.

When I asked, I was even more surprised.

This Queen Bao was actually born a queen, and she was very beautiful. She first married a member of the Japanese royal family, and later took the initiative to seduce the King of Japan and became the queen.

Li Zhi couldn't help but ask, "Mrs. Jin, did you hear these things, or is this really true?"

Jin Yan blushed slightly and said, "I heard it from my mother, and my mother heard it from my grandfather."

Jin Yan's grandfather was the former King of Baekje, so he wouldn't talk nonsense.

Li Zhi then asked, "How did she become the queen?"

Jin Yan said, "Queen Bao's husband was King Shu Ming. King Shu Ming died suddenly, and without a successor, several princes fought for the throne. Later, Princess Bao persuaded several ministers to nominate her as queen, thus ending the internal strife."

After hearing this, Li Zhi had an idea.

King Shu Ming should be Emperor Shu Ming in the history of Wa. Li Zhi remembered his name because the first batch of envoys to Tang Dynasty were sent by him.

This Queen Bao seemed to be quite resourceful, as she was able to convince the ministers to let her be the queen.

Jin Yan continued, "She only reigned for three years the first time before a coup d'état by the princes forced her to abdicate the throne to King Hyodeok. After King Hyodeok's death, she ascended the throne for the second time."

Li Zhi touched his chin and thought that for this Queen Bao to be able to succeed to the throne again, there must have been many power struggles in the process, which showed that she had good political skills.

This woman is simply a weakened version of Wu Zetian from Japan.

Jin Yan couldn't contain his worry and asked, "Your Majesty, Liaodong is about to fall into chaos. Will you send troops to recapture Baekje?"

When Wang Jishan and Bilus heard this, they glared at her.

Wang Jishan blamed her for overstepping her bounds.

Peroz did not want the emperor to listen to her instigation and focus his energy on Liaodong, as this would be detrimental to his restoration of the Persian Empire.

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "Alright, I know everything. I know how to handle this matter. You all may leave."

The three of them bowed and took their leave.

(End of this chapter)