Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 512 A Newborn Calf Is Not Afraid of Tang
Zuo Rong arrived in Chang'an in early December.

In the past two years, the Mohe army has been invincible on the Japanese islands, capturing the Japanese capital, plundering nearly half of the country's wealth, acquiring a lot of gold and silver mines, and adding Japanese slaves, thus rapidly increasing the country's strength.

After Qiqi Zhongxiang captured Asuka Castle, he brought the Queen of Wa and the royal nobles to the Mohe royal court and held a surrender ceremony at the Sumo tribe ancestral temple.

The surrender ceremony of the Mohe people involved having prisoners strip naked from the waist up, wear sheepskins, tie hemp ropes around their necks, and lead them like sheep.

Qiqi Zhongxiang also invited other tribal chiefs to come and observe the surrender ceremony.

Japan was not a weak country, but it was completely conquered by the Mohe people. This greatly enhanced the self-esteem of the Mohe people and also greatly increased the prestige of Qiqi Zhongxiang.

It was because all the chieftains were convinced of his sincerity that he conceived the idea of ​​establishing a kingdom, but unfortunately the Tang Dynasty did not agree.

Although Qiqi Zhongxiang felt dissatisfied, the Mohe people were very pragmatic.

He knew that the Mohe were no match for the Tang Dynasty at the moment, so he had to swallow his pride and continue to develop his strength, hoping that his descendants could wash away the shame.

The Battle of Wa Island greatly increased the power of the Mohe Kingdom. On Wa Island, they regarded all forces except the Tang Dynasty as their prey.

They first hunted the Ainu, taking those who were willing to submit as slaves and killing all those who refused.

Faced with the Mohe cavalry, the Ainu people had no ability to resist and were quickly wiped out, with only a small number escaping back to Kuyi Island.

The Mohe people's second target was Silla.

However, at the urging of Jo-yeong, Ki-ki Jung-sang agreed to form an alliance with Silla to jointly resist the pressure from the Tang Dynasty.

Unfortunately, the Silla people were blindly arrogant, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the chieftains of the Mohe tribes. In order to maintain his authority, Qiqi Zhongxiang had no choice but to make them his second target.

The Mohe people could have wiped out all the Silla people on the Japanese islands, but Jo-yeong suggested that they leave a small area for Silla.

Jo-yeong had considered things very deeply. He believed that among the three kingdoms of the peninsula, Goguryeo and Baekje had been destroyed, and Silla, being fickle and having already offended the Tang Dynasty, would also be destroyed sooner or later.

When the Tang army attacked Silla, they were no match for them. In the end, the King of Silla could only flee to the Japanese islands with all his wealth.

When the time comes, the Mohe will go and destroy Silla, and then they will be able to obtain the wealth accumulated by the Silla royal family over hundreds of years.

Qiqi Zhongxiang thought it made a lot of sense, so he agreed.

The Mohe people's third target was the Japanese.

The remaining Japanese all fled to Iyo Island, including the Japanese prince, Naka no Ōe.

Unfortunately, the island has been almost completely undeveloped; the entire island is a wild, mountainous landscape without even a single paved road.

The Mohe cavalry could not utilize their advantages. The 5,000 cavalrymen they sent were routed by the Japanese using mountain warfare tactics and had to retreat.

In addition to waging war on the Japanese islands, the Mohe people were also rapidly expanding in their homeland.

They attacked the Sushen to the north and plundered the Shiwei to the west, and their prosperity was immense.

For this reason, Zuo Rong was actually very busy, and he managed to squeeze out a little time to come to Chang'an to pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived in Chang'an, he was summoned by Dai Zhide, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, who asked him whether the Mohe had invaded Silla's land on the Japanese islands.

Jo-yeong was startled and replied, "The situation in Japan is chaotic. We have not occupied any land in Silla. We have only fought with them for some land."

Dai Zhide frowned and said, "Prince Zuorong, this is where you are wrong. We have already investigated the matter. Silla occupied nine of the Japanese's provinces, and you took eight of them. This is really unreasonable."

Zuo Rong hurriedly replied, "When we sent troops to the Silla region, we informed the Protectorate General of Yeongju."

Dai Zhide shook his head and said, "What's the use? Now the Silla people have complained to His Majesty, and His Majesty is very angry after hearing it and has ordered you to return the land to them."

Zuo Rong was very anxious and said, "Minister Dai, those territories that were conquered have already been bestowed upon the nobles below by my father, and I'm afraid they will be difficult to return."

"How about this, we'll handle the negotiations with Silla. We'll make sure they're satisfied and we'll never let them bother His Majesty again!"

Dai Zhide said in a deep voice, "No, His Majesty's word is law. Since he has ordered you to return it, you must return it!"

Jo-yeong was furious: "We went through so much trouble and lost so many warriors to conquer this land, and you want us to return it to Silla with just a word? How can you be so unreasonable!"

After all, he dared not lash out in front of Dai Zhide, and could only lower his head and agree obediently.

After returning to the guesthouse, Zuo Rong summoned his deputy to discuss the matter.

The deputy envoy was his younger brother, Ye Bo. Although he had just come of age, he was more robust and tall than Zuo Rong, with bulging muscles and two gold rings on his arms that were taut.

This was Ye Bo's first time in Chang'an. He was initially quite fond of the Tang Dynasty after seeing its prosperity, but he was furious when he heard Zuo Rong say that the Tang Dynasty wanted them to return the land.

"Brother, how dare the Tang people make such an outrageous demand! It's utterly despicable!"

Zuo Rong said in a deep voice, "The Tang people like to consider themselves a superior country, meddling in the affairs of other countries and forbidding others from fighting, just to satisfy their vanity!"

Ye Bo angrily retorted, "Why should we listen to them? If they dare to bully us, we'll beat them up!"

As the saying goes, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger.

Ye Bo had never seen the Tang army before. In the past two years, the Mohe people had developed rapidly, conquering east and west without a single defeat, which made this young calf extremely arrogant.

Zuo Rong, however, was different from him. He knew how terrifying the Tang army was. He glared at him and said, "Don't talk nonsense. No one has ever been able to defeat the Tang people on the battlefield!"

“That’s because the Tang people have never fought against us!” Ye Bo insisted stubbornly.

At this moment, an elderly man with seven long braids spoke slowly.

"Your Highness, although the Tang people have never fought against us, they have destroyed Goguryeo, which had suppressed us for many years. If the Great Chieftain hears you say this, he will surely punish you severely!"

This man, named Qi Sibiyu, was the chieftain of the Baishan tribe of the Mohe people. He was resourceful, steady in his actions, and deeply trusted by Qi Qizhongxiang.

He also came to Chang'an as a deputy envoy on the orders of Qiqi Zhongxiang to investigate why the Tang people did not allow the Mohe to establish a state.

Ye Bo's face flushed red as he said, "Are we just going to let the Tang people bully us?"

Qi Sibiyu said calmly, "When facing a stronger enemy, we should not fight head-on, but outsmart them. Back then, when we were bullied by Goguryeo, we did not fight them to the death, but retreated to the deep mountains."

"What about now? Goguryeo is gone, but we are still here."

Ye Bo paused for a moment, then realized that Qi Sibiyu's words made some sense. "Then how do we outsmart them?"

Qi Sibiyu said in a deep voice, "Although the Tang people like to meddle in other people's business, Silla is fickle and has long lost the trust of the Tang people. I don't understand why the Tang Dynasty should help them get their land back?"

Zuo Rong's eyes flashed: "That's right, this is something I've been considering."

Qi Sibiyu added, "I recently heard that the Tang people are transporting grain to Youzhou, which seems to indicate that they are planning to wage war in Liaodong. We must be wary of this."

Jo-yeong said, "I think their transfer of grain was intentional, an attempt to force us to return the Japanese islands to Silla by force."

Qi Sibi stroked his beard and said, "That's right, this is the usual practice of the Tang people."

Ye Bo suddenly said, "Could it be that they want to annex our Mohe?"

Upon hearing this, both Qi Sibiyu and Zuo Rong laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Ye Bo said, displeased.

Zuo Rong smiled and said, "The emperors of the Central Plains dynasties like to reclaim the territories of previous dynasties in order to enhance their prestige. This is why they attacked Goguryeo. But we Mohe are located in a remote area and have never belonged to the Central Plains dynasties. They will not be interested in us."

These were words that Qiqi Zhongxiang had told him, and now he was using them to educate his younger brother.

Qi Sibiyu said calmly, "Even if they come to fight, we are not afraid!"

These words invigorated Ye Bo, who quickly replied, "Fighting on home soil, our warriors can defeat them, right?"

Qi Sibiyu glanced at him and said, "No, what I mean is, if they attack, we can escape into the deep mountains and forests."

Ye Bo: "..."

Qi Sibiyu snorted and said, "There's nothing shameful about it. Our ancestors originally lived in the deep mountains and forests, making a living by fishing and hunting!"

Yebo muttered, "What about Japan? That's not where our ancestors lived."

Qi Sibiyu was silent for a while, then said, "If they attack the Japanese islands, then it will indeed be troublesome."

Jo-yeong said, "In any case, let's find out why the Tang emperor is helping Silla."

Qi Sibiyu asked, "Does the eldest prince have a solution?"

Zuo Rong laughed and said, "I once saved Liu Renyuan, the Protector of Yingzhou. Later, when I was on the Japanese island, I tried my best to befriend him. Perhaps I can find out the reason from him."

Early the next morning, Zuo Rong sent someone to Liu Renyuan's residence to deliver a visiting card, hoping to pay a visit the following day.

The person who replied said that Liu Renyuan was attending Pei Xingjian's wedding banquet the next day, so he hoped that Zuorong would visit him the day after tomorrow.

Zuo Rong had long heard of Pei Xingjian's reputation and thought that those attending a wedding banquet of this caliber must all be high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty.

If I could participate myself, the chances of getting intelligence would be much greater.

He immediately swallowed his pride and went to Liu Renyuan's residence in person.

Although this was against Tang Dynasty etiquette, Zuo Rong couldn't worry about it for the sake of national affairs.

Fortunately, Liu Renyuan was a Tang dynasty person of Xiongnu descent. He was not very particular about etiquette and valued loyalty highly. He remembered Zuo Rong's life-saving grace and, upon hearing of Liu's visit, sent someone to invite him into his study.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zuo Rong explained his purpose, expressing his great admiration for Pei Xingjian and his hope to attend his wedding the next day.

Liu Renyuan hesitated, then said, "If it were an ordinary wedding banquet, I would definitely find a way to bring you, my brother. But this wedding is a personal bestowal by the Emperor, so the scale is different..."

Zuo Rong sighed, "If it's really too difficult, then let it go. I know that in the hearts of you Tang people, we Mohe people and Ainu people are no different!"

Upon hearing the word "Ezo," Liu Renyuan recalled Zuo Rong's help back then, gritted his teeth, and said, "Fine, I'll take you along, brother."

Zuo Rong was overjoyed and said, "Thank you very much, Brother Liu!"

The following afternoon, Zuo Rong arrived at the Liu residence and accompanied Liu Renyuan to the Pei residence to attend the wedding banquet.

On the way, Jo-yeong casually mentioned that the Tang emperor had ordered them to return the land to Silla.

After listening, Liu Renyuan showed a look of surprise on his face and remained silent.

Zuo Rong sighed, "Brother Liu, when we attacked Silla, we clearly informed your Protectorate. Now you're asking us to return it. That's unreasonable."

Liu Renyuan was silent for a moment, then said, "Since His Majesty has issued an order, you should obey it. In any case, he only wants you to return the land; you can keep the wealth and people that were looted."

Jo-yeong sighed, "I just don't understand why His Majesty still favors Silla, given their fickle nature."

Liu Renyuan said, "Silla is, after all, a vassal state of our Great Tang. Your attack on them was wrong, and it cannot be said that you are showing favoritism."

Seeing his strange expression, Zuo Rong frowned and said, "Brother Liu, you're not hiding something from me, are you?"

Liu Renyuan chuckled dryly and said, "How could that be?"

Last month, the emperor proposed to attack the Mohe people. Now, it is definitely the emperor's plan to let the Mohe people take over the land and emperor Silla.

Although he had a good personal relationship with Jo-yong, he dared not leak such military secrets, as that would be a capital offense!

Seeing the strange expression on his face, Zuo Rong became even more suspicious and wondered to himself, "He must know about this, but why didn't he tell me? Could it be that the Tang people have other motives?"

The wedding banquet was indeed of a very high standard, with a constant stream of carriages outside the gate, all of them luxurious cars from various wealthy mansions.

When they lined up to go in, the two people in front of Zuo Rong and Liu Renyuan were Princess Xincheng and her husband, Changsun Quan, while the two people behind them were Prince Wu, Li Ji, and Duke Zhou, Wu Minzhi.

During the grand court assembly on the first day of the month, although one could see the powerful and influential figures of the Tang Dynasty, they were all seated separately and could only be seen from afar. The people one could talk to were all foreign envoys.

This is the first time I've had the opportunity to meet with the top management of the Tang Dynasty like today.

When Liu Renyuan handed over the invitation, a steward asked about Zuo Rong's identity.

When Liu Renyuan revealed Zuo Rong's identity as a Mohe prince, many people looked at Zuo Rong, making him feel somewhat embarrassed.

Fortunately, there wasn't much trouble. The invitation stipulated that the recipient could bring one attendant, and the butler let them in.

(End of this chapter)