Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 418 Three Imperial Decrees
Li Zhi sat on the dragon throne in the Ganlu Hall, closing his eyes to rest.

On the dragon's desk lay an urgent report from the Ministry of War, a memorial personally submitted by Pei Xingjian, who had already investigated the reasons why the King of Kang had gone back on his word.

The King of Kangguo has actually converted to Abbasid Caliphate!
It must be said that in this era of immature science, religion's ability to sway people's minds is extremely powerful.

Now that we know the reason, the remaining problems are not difficult to solve. Most of the nine kingdoms of Zhaowu still adhere to Zoroastrianism. As long as this matter is exposed, the other eight kingdoms will destroy Kangguo on their own.

However, Pei Xingjian's memorial proposed that the Tang Dynasty send troops to Kangguo to capture the King of Kangguo alive, which made Li Zhi ponder deeply.

Over the years, he has come to understand more and more that fighting too fiercely is not good for ordinary people, so he tries to avoid fighting as much as possible.

However, Pei Xingjian stated in his memorial that only by sending troops to attack could the Tang Dynasty deter the other countries and also help with the subsequent restoration of Tokharistan.

Just as Li Zhi was hesitating, a palace attendant came to report that Wu Meiniang wanted him to come over.

Li Zhi immediately picked up the memorial and strode to the Lizheng Hall.

Wu Meiniang was already waiting for him outside the palace and invited him into the bedchamber. As soon as Li Zhi sat down, he saw a game of chess on the table, but it was not Go, but backgammon.

"Meiniang, are you going to play backgammon with me?" Li Zhi chuckled.

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "Your Majesty taught me Go, so I will teach Your Majesty backgammon in return."

Li Zhi looked at the chessboard on the couch. This backgammon was similar to Chinese chess, but it required rolling dice.

Chess already existed during this period, but it only had four types of pieces: general, horse, chariot, and pawn, and sixty-four squares, so it wasn't very well-known.

Under Wu Zetian's guidance, Li Zhi quickly mastered the rules of backgammon. However, because of the dice game, he kept thinking of the later game of Ludo and couldn't muster much interest.

Wu Meiniang noticed that he wasn't very interested, so she asked Li Hong about his investigation of the Kang Kingdom outside the palace.

Li Zhi said, "There's still no report today, and it probably won't be that soon. By the way, Pei Xingjian sent another report; the matter in Kangguo has been investigated and clarified."

As he spoke, he took the memorial from his sleeve and handed it to Wu Meiniang.

After reading it, Wu Meiniang's eyes sparkled.

According to Pei Xingjian's investigation, the King of Kangguo suddenly changed his mind because he had been indulging in excessive sexual activity in recent years, which had caused his health to deteriorate and his life to end.

Once, while hunting, he met a Muslim named Ibn. After talking with him, he developed a strong interest in the Abbasid Caliphate.

The Abbasid Caliphate is a two-life religion, where life is one life and death is another. After death, people are sent to heaven or hell according to their good and evil deeds in life.

This concept of good and evil refers not only to doing good and doing bad, but also to the good results of believing in a religion and the bad results of not believing in a religion.

Only by believing in religion and doing good deeds can one enter Paradise; belief comes first, and doing good deeds comes later.

In other words, as long as you don't believe in religion, it doesn't matter how many good deeds you do; as long as you believe in religion, it doesn't matter if you do some wrong things, you can just do some good deeds later.

The positive effects of religious faith far outweigh the positive effects of doing good deeds.

The King of Kangguo originally believed in Zoroastrianism, but after hearing about the doctrines of the Abbasid Caliphate, he abandoned Zoroastrianism and embraced the Abbasid Caliphate.

Firstly, according to the Aboriginal religion, one does not die after this life, but can be reborn, which is very attractive to him.

Secondly, he knew that he had done many evil deeds in his life. From a religious perspective, the impact of these evil deeds would be smaller than that of Zoroastrianism after he became a believer in the Abbasid Caliphate, and he would be able to enter Paradise after death.

Li Zhi looked at Wu Meiniang and said, "Didn't you also believe in Buddhism? Have you noticed the similarities between the two religions?"

Wu Zetian still believes in Buddhism, but she has changed from openly believing to secretly believing, keeping it a secret from Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi).

She hesitated for a moment and then said, "Buddhism emphasizes reincarnation, and people are reborn according to their good and bad deeds in their previous life."

Li Zhi laughed and said, "It's actually the same thing. Both religions use people's fear of death to lure you into their faith."

"The Abbasid Caliphate has a theory of two lifetimes, while Buddhism has a theory of karma. Although they promote good deeds, their core purpose is actually to recruit people to their religion. The Abbasid Caliphate has the concept of good results from faith, while Buddhism has the saying that one can become a Buddha by laying down one's butcher's knife."

"Although I do not understand Zoroastrianism, I believe it has similar theories."

"Everyone fears death, but kings especially so. It is precisely because of his fear of death that the King of Kang was bewitched by the Abbasid Cult, completely forgetting that the Abbasids had previously intended to overthrow his rule. Isn't that tragic?"

After hearing this, Wu Meiniang paused for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Just then, Wang Fusheng walked over and said softly, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Sixth Prince, and General Wang request an audience."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "They must have come to report. Let them in."

A short while later, Li Hong and Li Xian entered together, followed by Wang Jishan and Xue Ne.

Wang Jishan had heard Wu Minzhi's report and originally intended to report to Li Zhi, but he encountered Li Hong and several others in Ganlu Hall, so they came to Lizheng Hall together to pay their respects.

As soon as the formalities were over, Li Xian said impatiently, "Father, my brother and I have already investigated the task you assigned us."

Li Zhi looked somewhat surprised and asked, "So fast? Tell me about it."

Li Xian then recounted the results of their investigation, emphasizing his own achievements.

Li Hong listened attentively from the side, not taking credit for himself, but only saying at the end, "Father, Shi Sanlang deserves much credit for clarifying this matter."

When Li Zhi saw that their findings were the same as Pei Xingjian's, he nodded and said, "Not bad, you found it in just one day. It seems you can share my burdens in the future. You can reward Shi Sanlang for his merits as you see fit."

Li Hong said: "Yes."

"Now that we've figured it out, what should we do next? Do you have any good suggestions?" Li Zhi wanted to test them again.

Li Xian hurriedly said, "Father, the King of Kangguo was able to restore his country with our help, but now he has joined the Abbasid Cult. Such a treacherous person should be severely punished!"

Li Zhi looked at Li Hong and asked, "What does the Crown Prince think?"

Li Hong thought for a moment and said, "I think we should first investigate why he believes in the Abbasid Cult. It's not too late to deal with him after we find out the truth."

Li Zhi then looked at Xue Ne: "Xue Ne, what are your thoughts?"

Xue Ne was taken aback, not expecting the emperor to ask him. He stammered, "Your Majesty, I agree with your opinion."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Alright, I understand your opinions. You've all had a hard day, so go and rest."

All three of them took their leave and departed.

"Wang Qing, you must have secretly guided those three to investigate so quickly, right?" Li Zhi asked with a smile.

Wang Jishan hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, it was indeed His Highness the Crown Prince who discovered this matter. My men were able to find out thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Zhi took it as mere modesty and said, "Alright, tell me, how should we handle the matter of Kang?"

Wang Jishan pondered and said, "I believe that to deal with the King of Kang, we do not need to use force. We only need to expose his belief in the Abbasid Caliphate, and the other eight countries will deal with him on their own."

Li Zhi nodded and then asked, "Meiniang, what do you think?"

Wu Meiniang said, "Has Your Majesty noticed that after the internal strife in the Abbasid Caliphate, the attitude of the Nine Sogdian States towards us has changed?"

The nine Sogdian states were most afraid of being annexed by the Abbasid Caliphate, which is why they strengthened their dependence on the Tang Dynasty.

Now that the Abbasid Caliphate is in turmoil, they believe that after this internal conflict, the Abbasid Caliphate will be weakened and will no longer pose a threat to them. This is why their attitude has subtly changed; the fact that several other countries immediately followed suit in opposing taxation when Kangju opposed it is clear evidence of this.

Wu Meiniang continued, "In my opinion, to deal with these small countries, we need to prepare honey and whips. Give honey to those who obey and whip those who disobey, and they will behave."

Li Zhi said, "You mean we should send troops to attack Kang?"

Wu Meiniang said, "Yes, those other small countries that have repeatedly committed similar offenses should also be punished."

Li Zhi pondered for a long time before saying, "Alright, I understand your opinions. Please allow me to consider them further."

After leaving the Lizheng Hall, Li Zhi pondered quietly for more than an hour before issuing three imperial edicts.

The first decree was issued to the Inner Court, instructing them to persuade the King of Kang to defect, and for the King to expose the fact that the King of Kang believed in the Abbasid Caliphate at the grand court assembly on the first day of the month.

The second imperial edict was given to the Court of State Ceremonies, instructing them to place those countries that repeatedly failed to pay taxes at the lower end of the Grand Court Assembly.

The final imperial edict was issued to the Anxi Protectorate, authorizing Pei Xingjian to send troops to attack the King of Kang.

However, Li Zhi also made a request: speed was of the essence, and the battle had to be won as quickly as possible. If the capital of Kangguo could not be captured within a month, even if it was a victory, it would not be considered a merit.

In December, Liu Rengui, the governor of Yingzhou, sent back a report detailing the latest situation in Japan.

After its failed surprise attack on Echizen, which was occupied by Silla, Japan began a protracted war with Silla.

Within Japan, the conflict between Queen Takara and Ōekazuchi remains. Neither side trusts the other and both want the other's forces to lead the charge, resulting in a lack of unity within the Japanese army.

Meanwhile, the Buyeo Boksin tribe, which had defected to Silla, was transferred to Japan, which strengthened Silla's military and led to a counterattack against the Japanese mainland, gradually putting Japan on the defensive.

Unexpectedly, during a battle between Silla and Wa, Buyeo Boksin suddenly disobeyed orders, led his army into Omi Province of Wa, occupied Sakata Castle, and seemed to be planning to establish his own independent regime.

On the other hand, because the main force of Japan was tied down by Silla, and a portion of its main force was stationed in the south to guard against the Tang Dynasty, the north was left vulnerable.

The Mohe and Ainu peoples naturally wouldn't let this opportunity pass, and they launched a large-scale invasion of the small states north of Japan. They were ruthless and often massacred entire cities, causing the Japanese to flee south in droves.

The two countries almost went to war once over a city.

Besides the two countries, small fleets from the Kingdom of Ryuki and the Kingdom of Yasha appeared in the coastal villages of northeastern Japan.

The wandering demons kill any man they see, and spare no children either. Only young women are spared, but they are abducted and used to reproduce.

The Yaksha people were even more cruel, eating people alive and capturing the Japanese as food.

The northern part of Japan has been plunged into a living hell.

This was a result that Li Zhi had not expected.

He had assumed that the Japanese army was strong enough to drive out Silla and the Mohe, but to his surprise, the Japanese army was bogged down by Silla.

From this perspective, even if the Tang Dynasty did not intervene, Japan was likely to be destroyed, and Li Zhi's plan to use Japan as a mining territory might be affected.

Not long after Liu Rengui's report arrived, envoys from various Liaodong countries also came to Chang'an.

This time, there were envoys from several countries, namely Ezo, Ryuki, Kudomei, and Sushen.

They now know that Japan has fallen to its current state because its main force was wiped out by the Tang Dynasty.

Out of respect for the powerful, they sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty.

Apart from the Ezo, the people of the other three countries are very similar to the Mohe people, like different branches of the same ethnic group. However, the people of the Ryuki Kingdom are whiter, while the people of the Kyudomei Kingdom are darker.

In addition, the envoy from the Liugui Kingdom said that the Yaksha Kingdom also sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty, but they encountered the Liugui Kingdom's delegation in the Mohe region, and the two sides started fighting over a single word.

The envoys from the Kingdom of Liugui were more numerous, and they killed all the envoys from the Kingdom of Yaksha and stole their tribute, so Li Zhi could no longer see the Yaksha people.

Even if the Yaksha envoys hadn't been killed by the wandering demons, Li Zhi still wouldn't have been able to see them.

The Yaksha people look like savages, wear tree bark as clothing, have protruding teeth, and eat humans. If they were to come to the Tang Dynasty, they would likely be treated as wild beasts by the Tang people and killed on the spot.

As the sound of bells and drums rang out, the sixteenth year of the Yonghui era became history, and the Tang Dynasty entered a new year.

Early morning, the streets were already under lockdown.

Tang Dynasty officials and envoys from various countries gathered outside Chengtian Gate, awaiting the start of the grand court assembly.

As soon as the clock struck Chen (7-9 AM), everyone lined up and filed into the Taiji Palace, arranging their ranks before entering the main hall.

A short while later, Li Zhi, dressed in a black formal suit, entered in his imperial carriage.

The elaborate ceremony took nearly two hours to complete. Emperor Gaozong and all his officials and envoys then moved to the Wude Hall, where the music of string and wind instruments began, and the banquet commenced.

In the southwest corner of the main hall was the seat for envoys from various Western Regions countries.

While drinking his wine, Muba glanced at the envoys in the southeast corner opposite him and sneered, "Brother Kang, look, those people have really long body hair, like monkeys. They must be from the Ezo Kingdom, right?"

Although Connor was only the deputy envoy, the other envoys were more familiar with him.

Connor ignored him and silently drank his wine.

The Shi Kingdom envoy suddenly said, "Stop looking at those small Eastern Yi countries. Haven't you noticed that something's not right today?"

The envoy from Cao Kingdom snorted and said, "Something is definitely not right. Our country used to be ranked in the thirties, but this year they've ranked us in the fifties. This is outrageous!"

They were speaking Sogdian, so they weren't afraid of being overheard.

Muba snorted, "Who told you to promise to pay taxes to the Tang Dynasty, and then suddenly change your mind!"

The envoy from Cao Kingdom said, "It was Kang Kingdom that first opposed it. Envoy Ibn, could you please explain?"

Ibn said calmly, "That's right, it was my Kang Kingdom that led the opposition. This matter was originally voluntary. We don't want to pay taxes, so why should the Tang Dynasty force us?"

The envoy from Cao State said, "That's right. We are so far away from the Turks, there's no need for us to give the Tang Dynasty extra money just because we're worried about them."

Muba angrily retorted, "After our Mu Kingdom was destroyed by the Turks, how can your Cao Kingdom remain unscathed?"

The envoy from Cao Kingdom laughed and said, "I don't believe that the Tang Dynasty would let the Turks destroy you. Aren't they afraid of raising a tiger that will eventually become their own enemy?"

Ibn squinted and said, "I'm afraid the Turks are colluding with the Tang Dynasty. This incident was orchestrated by them to force us to pay taxes!"

Everyone was shocked by these words and fell silent.

Kangna suddenly sneered and said, "Ibn, the Arabs sent you to Kang to bewitch the king in order to sow discord between the nine Sogdian kingdoms and the Tang Dynasty, so that when the Arabs annex us again in the future, the Tang Dynasty will not intervene, is that right?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the envoys from various countries all changed.

Ibn's face turned purple, and he said angrily, "Kanna, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Kang Na suddenly stood up, strode away from his seat, and went to the center of the hall. He said loudly, "Your Majesty the Emperor, Kang Na, the Deputy Envoy of Kang Kingdom, has important matters to report!"

The sound was extremely loud, drowning out all the surrounding singing, dancing, and noise.

(End of this chapter)