met free Page 2475
Page 2475
He gestured for Emperor Sutoku to kneel and kowtow.
Emperor Sutoku knelt down, bewildered.
The royal family, nobles, and monks behind him also knelt down.
The translator whispered a few words in Zhang Jun's ear.
Zhang Jun frowned and asked, "Where is the Little King of Wa and the Great King of Wa?"
Fujiwara no Tadashi replied, "The Emperor is afflicted by evil spirits."
"He fell seriously ill and could not be cured even by the monks of Heian-kyo."
"They were escorted to Nara to have a priest exorcise the evil spirits."
Zhang Jun was taken aback.
The thought immediately came to mind was of Emperor Huizong of Song.
Suddenly I couldn't laugh or cry.
The negotiating envoy, Oe Koreyoshi, who had been detained by the Ming army, asked in surprise:
"Did the regent also go to Nara?"
Fujiwara no Tadashi said, "My son has fallen ill with a serious disease."
"Cannot leave the sickbed."
Oe Koshun grew increasingly terrified.
Pointing at Fujiwara Tadashi, he said, "What...what do you want to do?"
Fujiwara no Tadashi stopped speaking and turned to Zhang Jun:
"A small, inferior state, long deprived of the king's benevolence,"
"Even to the point of neglecting the Celestial Empire."
"What are His Majesty the Emperor's instructions?"
"Please give your instructions, angels."
Zhang Jun repeatedly confirmed with the translator
Then carefully consider this passage.
Then he inquired about Fujiwara no Tadashi's identity.
Finally, I looked at Da Jiang Weishun, whose face was filled with terror.
It seems there's trouble in the Japanese court.
Since Fujiwara no Tadashi was so compliant,
There's no need to complicate things further.
Zhang Jun said, "Bring Da Jiang Weishun and his men..."
"Seize them all,"
"The crime is offending the angels."
Zhao Xiaozhong was confused and asked, "Why?"
Zhang Jun smiled and said, "You'll know in time."
Seeing that Oeko Weishun was still being detained,
Fujiwara no Tadashi was overjoyed.
I sincerely admire the Ming Dynasty envoy's discerning eye.
As long as the Ming Dynasty doesn't exploit people too much.
Fujiwara no Tadashi was happy to agree to all the conditions.
Since it was a treaty made under duress,
And there were treacherous officials seizing power.
The negotiations went extremely smoothly.
Chapter 3249 Peace Negotiation Terms
The following terms were agreed upon:
First, Japan was a tributary state of the Ming Dynasty.
The King of Japan must be officially recognized by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
Secondly, the Japanese emperor cannot usurp the throne.
The emperor must no longer be allowed to claim the title of emperor.
Third, Japan opened five ports.
To facilitate trade between merchants of the Ming Dynasty.
Fourth, Japan relinquished Tsushima and Sado islands.
These two islands will henceforth belong to the Ming Dynasty.
Fifth, Japan designated the area within twenty li (approximately 10 kilometers) of Iwami Castle and Mount Ōmori.
Lease it to the Ming Dynasty for three hundred years.
The annual rent is one thousand taels of silver.
Sixth, Emperor Tainin (Emperor Sutoku) was formally appointed King of Japan.
Seventh, Emperor Zongren (Emperor Retired Toba) showed utter disrespect for the Celestial Empire.
He must personally go to Kaifeng to apologize to the Ming Emperor.
Eighth, compensate the Ming Dynasty with 300,000 shi of military grain.
Article 7 was added by Fujiwara no Tadashi.
They dared not add it openly.
But he dared to subtly hint at it to Zhang Jun.
Zhang Jun took out the imperial edict of investiture and read it aloud.
Emperor Sutoku knelt down in a daze to receive the imperial decree.
This little brat hasn't transformed into a Great Tengu yet.
It wasn't that powerful monster.
But he's already eleven years old.
He could sense that everyone around him was trying to sabotage him.
After performing the full kowtow ceremony,
The little boy accepted the "Golden Seal of the King of Japan" and the imperial edict of investiture.
They were "escorted" back to the depths of the palace by palace servants.
During the negotiations these past few days,
Zhang Jun already understood the situation in Japan.
He told Zhao Xiaozhong, "Fujiwara no Tadashi wants to be a powerful minister."
"It implies that I took the Japanese emperor away,"
"He likes to act as regent and manipulate the young king as a puppet."
"So, as long as he's the one negotiating,"
"I'll agree to any conditions."
"I see!"
Zhao Xiaozhong was quite impressed.
I feel like I've learned something new.
Zhang Jun sneered, "I've already asked."
"Although the Fujiwara Hokuke family has many followers,"
"But it can only control Heian-kyo and Nara."
"Moreover, even if we control these two places,"
“It is also necessary to unite with monks and other nobles.”
"The land is in the hands of powerful local lords,"
"The Taira and Minamoto clans have already controlled the powerful families of several counties and states."
"There's still a lot of chaos going to happen in Japan in the future,"
"Let's see who can't hold back and makes a move first."
Zhao Xiaozhong remarked with emotion, "Mr. Zhang has been in Japan for less than half a month."
"They actually managed to straighten out this mess."
Zhang Jun said, "You'll know if you read more history books."
"Japan's political system is very complex,"
"It is both a prefecture-kingdom system and a prefecture-county system."
"If it were a prefecture-county system, the imperial court would have the power to appoint and dismiss prefects,"
"But most of those prefects don't take up their posts."
"The region has long been controlled by powerful local figures,"
"Military and political affairs are all controlled by powerful clans,"
"These powerful figures will eventually become feudal lords."
"Even if he is not a feudal lord, he is like a military governor of the late Tang Dynasty."
Zhao Xiaozhong said, "Probably not."
“I’ve met local powerful clans in Japan,”
"A place the size of a county,"
"There could be several powerful clans."
"The army in their hands,"
"No more than a few or a few dozen warriors,"
"At most, we can recruit a few hundred more local soldiers."
"Warfare is more like a theatrical performance,"
"They fought fiercely over two plots of land."
"Do these people even deserve to be called feudal lords?"
Zhang Jun said, "If no one intervenes,"
"Local magnates cannot naturally become feudal lords."
Chapter 3250 Local Powerful Figures
"But the deceased King of Shirakawa promoted those so-called Northern Warriors,"
"They also controlled local powerful families through the samurai in the north."
"The one who can mobilize the most powerful figures is Taira no Tadamori,"
"Fujiwara no Tadashi is now going to become a powerful minister,"