Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 452 Using Swords to Civilize Barbarians

After Zhao Chiman returned to the governor's mansion, he took Li Yizhen to bed and they lingered there for a while.

Li Yizhen assumed that he had been holding back for too long on the Goguryeo battlefield and tried his best to flatter him.

They finally parted ways after midnight.

Li Yizhen leaned against Zhao Chiman's arm, turned her head to observe his expression, and finally noticed that something was wrong.

"My love, what's wrong? Why are you unhappy?" She reached out and gently stroked Zhao Chiman's eyebrows.

Zhao Chiman turned his head to look at her and said, "Zhen'er, you should go back to Chang'an."

Li Yizhen's expression changed, and he said, "You want to kick me out?"

Zhao Chiman held her in his arms and said in a deep voice, "No, I'm just worried about you staying here. After this meritorious service, I have been promoted to the fourth rank of military officer. In the letter my mother wrote to me, she also said that I should take you back and that she would not send you away again."

Li Yizhen breathed a sigh of relief and said reproachfully, "You scared me. I'm not going back. Wherever you are, I'll be there too."

Zhao Chiman said solemnly, "I am not joking. After the battle against Goguryeo, His Majesty will probably deal with Japan. I am not at ease with those Hayatos."

Li Yizhen asked, "Are you worried that they will defect to Japan again?"

Zhao Chiman said coldly, "I actually hope they side with Japan, so I can kill them first! I'm afraid they'll outwardly support us, but then launch a surprise attack on the Governor's Mansion while we're attacking Japan!"

Li Yizhen thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll go to Laizhou first, and I'll come find you after you've finished fighting, okay?"

Zhao Chiman hesitated for a moment, then finally agreed.

In the following days, because Li Yizhen was about to leave and Zhao Chiman had just returned from the battlefield, the two were inseparable and spent their days and nights in ecstasy.

Originally, I planned to leave in April, but it was delayed again and again until mid-May.

Zhao Chiman, thinking that there was still a big battle ahead and he could not be too indulgent, urged Li Yizhen to leave quickly.

That afternoon, Li Yizhen packed a small package, and Zhao Chiman sent her four guards. Just as they were about to take her to the port, someone from the Governor's Mansion came and said that Liu Renyuan invited Zhao Chiman to come over.

Zhao Chiman had no choice but to tell Li Yizhen to wait for him to return before heading towards the Governor's Mansion.

Upon arriving at the Governor's study, they found Liu Renyuan beaming with joy, a man standing behind him.

"Haha, Brother Zhao, you've come at the right time! You can get revenge for the humiliation you suffered that day!"

Zhao Chiman asked in surprise, "What do you mean by that, Commander?"

Liu Renyuan said to the man behind him, "Baekje man, you should talk to Brother Zhao."

The man bowed to Zhao Chiman and said, "My name is Dao Chen, a general under Fuyu Fuxin. I was sent by my king to Chang'an to submit to the Tang Dynasty. Now that His Majesty has accepted our surrender, he has sent me here to be under the command of Governor Liu and General Zhao."

Liu Renyuan said impatiently, "Enough with the nonsense, get to the point!"

Dao Chen said in a low voice, "Yes, as far as I know, Hayato has secretly colluded with the Japanese to jointly deal with the Tang Dynasty. That's why His Majesty sent me here, hoping that the two generals will be careful!"

A glint of light flashed in Zhao Chiman's eyes: "Hayato betrayed us?"

Dao Chen said, "Yes."

Zhao Chiman took a deep breath and asked Liu Renyuan, "General, has His Majesty issued an edict?"

Liu Renyuan grinned and said, "His Majesty has already sent Jiang Ke with 20,000 troops to support Junzhou. When that happens, we can go all out and beat those scoundrels!"

Zhao Chiman then asked, "Has Your Majesty issued a battle plan?"

Liu Renyuan said, "His Majesty didn't say, so I think he wants us to decide on the battle plan ourselves!"

Zhao Chiman said with burning eyes, "Commander, this humble general wishes to lead troops in a surprise attack on Hayato!"

Liu Renyuan frowned and said, "Brother Zhao, I know you want revenge, but you can't be too impulsive. Under the current circumstances, we should wait for General Jiang to come and then discuss it together."

Zhao Chiman slowly said, "Governor, I did not act impulsively, but after careful consideration."

Liu Renyuan glanced at Dao Chen and said, "General Dao, you must be tired from your journey. Go and rest first."

Dao Chen cupped his hands and said, "Yes," before taking his leave.

Liu Renyuan then said, "Brother Zhao, please tell me your thoughts."

Zhao Chiman said, "Japan is currently in chaos, and the morale of its soldiers is low. This is the perfect opportunity to deal with them!"

"They dare to continue fighting against us because of two things. First, they think of the more than 10,000 Baekje soldiers under Bok-shin as a surprise force. Second, they think of Hayato's troops as reinforcements."

"Now that Fuxin has surrendered to our Great Tang, if we strike first and deal with the Hayato clan, do you think the Japanese will still dare to oppose us?"

Liu Renyuan stroked his chin and pondered, "That makes some sense. But Hayato hasn't betrayed us yet, so isn't it inappropriate for us to make a move first?"

Zhao Chiman raised an eyebrow and said, "We tried to reason with the Hayato and show them kindness and righteousness, but they still betrayed us. This shows that it's useless to talk about kindness and morality with barbarians. They only recognize swords and spears!"

Liu Renyuan said with a wry smile, "How could I not want to wipe out those barbarians? But the officials in the court, and even Protector Liu, all told me to focus on winning over the hearts of the local people and not to act rashly. If we strike first before they rebel, we will surely give them a pretext to criticize us."

Zhao Chiman said solemnly, "This battle is also to show Prime Minister Liu and the other prime ministers in Chang'an what we're made of."

Liu Renyuan was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Zhao Chiman said, “In the Central Plains of China, if we want to establish a dynasty and unify the world, we must win people’s hearts with benevolence and righteousness. This has led many people to follow suit when dealing with foreign barbarians. However, they do not know that barbarians do not know etiquette and law, nor do they understand benevolence and righteousness. This method is not applicable.”

“I am also a scholar, and I once had similar thoughts, believing that we should educate the barbarians with etiquette so that they can return to the heart of the Central Plains and never rebel again.”

"But now I feel that we should use swords to teach certain barbarians, and only then will they take the initiative to learn the etiquette of our Great Tang Dynasty."

"This battle will let the world see which method is better. If I am wrong, at most I will be punished, which is insignificant. If I am right, it will change the world's attitude towards barbarians and set an example for future generations!"

Liu Renyuan stared at him blankly: "Brother Zhao, I didn't expect you to have thought so much. I thought you just wanted to get revenge." Zhao Chiman laughed: "It won't delay my revenge."

Liu Renyuan laughed and said, "Alright, since you're so determined, I have nothing more to say. Whatever you want to do, I'll fully support you!"

Zhao Chiman held up one finger: "I only need a thousand elite cavalry."

……

Rizhou, governor's office.

When Hayato previously served the Japanese, the tribal chief was called the Shugo-ryo, and the official residence was called the Shugo-fu.

Later, when the Tang people came to power, they simply changed the sign and the name, going through the motions, and the tribe remained under the control of its own family.

Inside the residence, Yoshio Hyuga was hosting a banquet for the minor nobles of the tribe.

These minor nobles had many private soldiers, also known as warriors. These warriors were all brave and skilled in battle, well-equipped, and no less than the Tang army.

In every battle, it was the warriors who led the serfs into battle.

The private soldiers numbered only a few hundred, charging at the forefront, while the serfs numbered nearly ten thousand, following behind the samurai. This was the lead goose tactic they had learned from the Yamato people.

With samurai leading the way, even untrained serfs could unleash formidable fighting power.

The Hyuga clan consisted of more than thirty nobles who divided up the clan's land.

Each household could support more than twenty samurai, who could then manage hundreds of serfs like sheepdogs.

Therefore, although the four major tribes of the Hayabusa were not numerous, they were able to muster an army of more than 30,000, which was more than three times the size of the Tang army. This was the reason for the pride of the Hayabusa people.

At the banquet, although Yoshio Hyuga did not directly mention dealing with the Tang Dynasty, his words already expressed his dissatisfaction with the Tang Dynasty.

His minor nobles, who all followed his lead, also began to criticize the Tang people when they heard his change of heart.

A minor nobleman suddenly said, "Prefect..."

Yoshio Hyuga sneered, "You call me a guardian? I don't want to hear the word 'governor' again!"

The minor nobleman hurriedly replied, "Yes, Guardian. We just received news that a Tang army has passed through Feizhou and is heading towards our Rizhou."

Yoshio Hyuga was taken aback and asked, "How many people are there? What are they doing here?"

The minor nobleman said, "There are only a thousand cavalrymen, who are said to be patrolling the various states!"

The nobles breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that there were only a thousand Tang soldiers.

Yoshio Hyuga sneered, "The Tang people are trying to put pressure on us. Hmph! Do they think a mere thousand men can scare me?"

"Guardians, destroy them!"

"Yes, kill them, and take their horses and armor!"

The nobles all started to jeer.

Yoshio Hyuga waved his hand and said, "No, although the Tang people are fewer in number than us, they are tall and strong, and their fighting power should not be underestimated. Let the Japanese fight them first, and then we will join forces with the chieftains of the other provinces to cut off their retreat. From now on, Kyushu will all be ours!"

The nobles cheered and applauded!
After the banquet, a nobleman approached Yoshio Hyuga and said with a smile, "Guardian, I would like to offer you something good."

Yoshio Hyuga laughed and said, "Oh, what good stuff?"

The nobleman clapped his hands, and a woman entered the room. Unlike typical Japanese women, she was tall, a head taller than Yoshio Hyuga.

Yoshio Hyuga's eyes gleamed as he asked, "What country is this woman from?"

The nobleman laughed and said, "It is indeed Lady Tang!"

Yoshio Hyuga was overjoyed and asked the woman a series of questions, but after a few, his face darkened.

"This isn't Tang Nu, the voice is wrong!"

The nobleman's expression changed drastically, and he shouted angrily at the woman: "Are you really a Tang woman?"

The woman exclaimed in fear, "I...I am a Goguryeo person."

The nobleman was furious and wanted to kill her, but Yoshio Hyuga stopped him.

"It's alright, I'll accept this gift," Yoshio said with a smile.

As night fell, Yoshino roused himself and fought until midnight, displaying his divine prowess before finally falling into a deep sleep.

In his dazed state, he heard some noise, and suddenly heard a "bang," as if the door had been kicked open, which jolted him awake.

Looking up, a group of Tang people in full armor walked in, their armor clanging as it clashed.

The leader of the Tang people was Zhao Chiman. He coldly stared at Hyuga Yoshio and said, "Do you still recognize me?"

The man was terrified and said in a trembling voice, "I am the governor of the Great Tang Dynasty. How dare you bring troops into my residence?"

Zhao Chiman coldly said, "You lowly barbarian, do you even deserve to be the governor of my Great Tang Dynasty?"

With a clang, the sword was drawn from its sheath.

The man was terrified. He lay on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Don't kill me! I know I was wrong. I am willing to submit to the Tang Dynasty forever and never have any other thoughts!"

"Too late." Zhao Chiman sneered coldly, waved his arm, a flash of white light, and his longsword drew an arc as a head rolled to the ground.

(End of this chapter)