In the Song Dynasty, there was no law or order.

"Heavy rain falls on Youyan,

White waves surge into the sky, and fishing boats are seen outside Qinhuangdao.

If you can't see the vast ocean, who do you know where to go?

Thousands of years ago, Wei Wu whipped his whip, and there was a posthumous chapter in Jieshi in the east.

The bleak autumn wind is here again, and the world has changed. "

At the end of October in the seventh year of Qingli in the Song Dynasty, in the Chongzheng Hall, everyone gathered around the table and admired Zhao Jun's pen and ink.

After years of practice, his calligraphy skills are not perfect, but they are not too bad either. The silver hooks and iron paintings between strokes are quite popular.

However, Fan Zhongyan picked up the rice paper, looked it up and down, and said: "This word is a perfect word, but I'm afraid it doesn't match the scene."

Zhao Jun scratched his head.

In the morning, Liu Yong's official document from Zhejiang arrived.

Liu Yong went to Qianqing Shipyard in early October, but the news did not arrive until late October.

There's no special reason, it's just that slow.

Jinzouyuan is divided according to the urgency of the news. Urgent reports must be delivered by express horse.

Naturally, the slow newspaper is delivered by boat to the north slowly.

This official document was not an urgent matter, so it was not delivered to them until this morning.

The content is nothing more than the same.

First, the ironclad ship was officially delivered, and Ning Haijun will take it to Japan.

The second is that Liu Yong was inspired by the scene of the turbulent situation. He wanted to write about his heroic feelings, but he couldn't.

So he asked Zhao Jun to find the mysterious Mr. Lu Xun and praise the battleship with a single stroke.

The problem is that Zhao Jun is not very good either.

It's okay to ask him to copy it, but to write a poem according to the situation is obviously to embarrass him.

So under the encouragement of everyone, I came up with a poem that although majestic, was not quite suitable for the occasion.

Yan Shu said with a smile: "Han Long used to copy lyrics but couldn't write them himself, but it has completely ruined Mr. Lu Xun's good reputation outside the country."

"Lao Deng, don't stand and talk without your back hurting."

Zhao Jun raised his customary middle finger and said: "You look at You Apo, no looks at noBB, you can go ahead."

"If I can, I'll come."

As a master of poetry, Yan Shu naturally could not say that he was not good, so he started writing.

After a while, a poem with gorgeous words and many uncommon words was written.

After reading it, Zhao Jun said with disdain: "The naval battleship is so majestic. You wrote it in a pretentious way and it has no meaning at all."

"I."

Yan Shu wanted to have a fit, but was discouraged.

He really didn't write it well, because he is good at euphemistic words, but he needs to think carefully about bold words, which is not so easy to write.

Secondly, he has no military career and has never seen an ironclad ship, so naturally he is not that capable.

Fan Zhongyan pondered for a long time and said, "I'll do it!"

Then he took the brush and started writing.

Everyone turned their heads and saw that Lao Fan had served in the military many times and had inspected the Shandong Navy, so he was still very capable.

First of all, "Autumn comes and I look at the tide, and there are storms and storms. The waves are flowing down to Qiantang, and the former princes and princes have great ambitions for hegemony. Wu and Yue are fighting, the flags of the Seven Kings are blowing in the west wind, and Qian and Liu are ruling the roost. The beacon is shining for a while, but the war will end."

"To this day, from the beginning of the Song Dynasty, Dezhou has been under great rule. During that time, it was prosperous and powerful, and the ships and masts on the harbor were vast. The iron ships circled the clouds around the island bay, and looking northward, they sailed and hunted, and the blue waves were vast. They went to Yingzhou Island, and the prosperity of the country was written for thousands of years. "

"good!"

When everyone saw it, they saw that it was quite wonderful, and they couldn't help but applaud.

Only Zhao Jun said sourly: "Lao Fan is still good at flattering, I can't match him."

The formal lyrics of this water tune first describe the scenery of the Qiantang River, and then extend to the ancient war in Hangzhou, where Wu and Yue successively occupied the place and fought.

Later, it was written that Wu King Liu Bi made a profit by boiling salt in Hangzhou, which triggered the Rebellion of the Seven Kings.

Finally, he writes about the Hangyue battle between Qian Liu and Liu Hanhong, to show that the world was once in constant war.

Xia Qian writes that today, the virtuous Song Dynasty has risen, ended the war and unified the world, and created a prosperous dynasty.

Then the fleet of the Song Dynasty set off from the port of Hangzhou. The armored ships passed through the island. The flagpoles on the ships were buzzing and the waves rippled far away. They were going to the distant Yingzhou to write a legend that would last for thousands of years for the country's strength.

It can be said that Lao Fan's poem not only flatters Zhao Zhen, but also writes about armored ships, and it is also quite heroic. When Xia Qian opens his mouth, it means that the country is peaceful and the people are safe, which is quite something.

After all, if you think about it, you will know that before Su Shi grew up, Lao Fan's writing of the bold and unrestrained poems handed down from generation to generation was pretty good, and his level must be high.

Lao Fan said modestly: "It's just average. If Su Shi writes it in the future, it will definitely be better than what I wrote."

"Okay, let's publish it to the newspaper then."

Zhao Jun licked his lips and said: "Although the Song Dynasty has become powerful and has defeated the Liao Kingdom, it has become invincible in the world. But in times of peace, we must always remind the people why the country is strong. Once it becomes strong, it cannot start to live in a dream, sing and dance, and write those Love, love and love are endless things like separation and sorrow.”

"Oh, you look down on us graceful people, don't you?"

Yan Shu rolled up his sleeves and said viciously: "Don't think that because you copied Su Shi's poems and created the Bold School, you are a master of poetry. I haven't settled the score with you for copying my son's poems."

"No, no, no."

Zhao Jun hurriedly laughed and said: "You need to have this drunken lying on the battlefield, and you also need to have drunken lying on the hook. It's just a joke, so Uncle Ri, don't be angry."

Ever since he copied the lyrics, he had told them the difference between the graceful and bold styles.

Because Yan Shu likes to write lyrics very much and has many poems handed down from generation to generation, he often communicates with Zhao Jun. This kind of joke is often made and is harmless. Anyway, he and Yan Shu have a really good relationship.

"Okay, you old guys and brats, stop making trouble. Everyone in the Constitutional Yuan should be serious."

Cai Qi was still calm. Seeing that the two of them were like two children, he waved his hands and said: "Then again, I can understand Hanlong building an iron-clad ship. We also understand the theory of sea power to prepare for the Song Dynasty to dominate the ocean in the future. . But why do we have to go to Japan? There are already troops stationed there. Is it just to avenge future generations? "

"Of course it's more than that. I just suspect that Japan's ambition may harm our interests, so I'm just preparing in advance."

Zhao Jun shook his head and said.

"oh?"

Everyone was puzzled.

Song Shou asked puzzledly: "How to tell?"

"Because I was the one who instigated it."

Zhao Jun pointed at himself and said with a smile: "I installed the Imperial City Division in Japan to trade with some wealthy families in various parts of Japan who are rich in mineral resources, and encourage them to become kings on their own."

"You want to destroy Japan?"

Fan Zhongyan frowned.

Now the Song Dynasty has just defeated the Liao Kingdom. Although its troops and horses are strong, it is hard to say whether it can expedition to Japan.

It was too far away. The straight-line distance from Hangzhou was more than 800 kilometers. Even if there was no wind or rain, it would take more than a month.

For example, Jianzhen's eastward journey started on November 16, 753, and did not arrive in Satsuma, Japan, Kagoshima until December 20.

Shijian, where Da Song wants to go, is even further away. Even if he is familiar with the route, it usually takes at least a month and a half to get there.

Second, the journey is very dangerous.

Not to mention the subsequent typhoons that Mongolia encountered in an attempt to destroy Japan, just talking about the trade between Song and Japan in these years, many ships encountered mishaps.

That is to say, the Song Dynasty occupied Jeju Island and could take the relatively safe northern road to Japan.

But even on the northern route, there are still four to five hundred kilometers in the middle without any island stops, and the direction can only be determined by astronomical reference objects and compasses.

The trade between Song and Japan has been developed for nine years. During these nine years, countless ships have been lost due to getting lost on the sea.

Therefore, even if the benefits of sea trade are huge and one trip is enough, except for those who are so poor and desperate in Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, they will often not choose to take the risk to go to sea.

Therefore, based on these two points, if a large-scale military attack on Japan is to be carried out, the only way is not for the navy to go out, but for the army to arrive in Goryeo first, and use ships to transport the soldiers to Tsushima Island, with Tsushima Island as the front line and North Korea as the rear. , launched a home invasion of Japan.

Otherwise, sending the navy directly to the expedition would be a gamble on luck. With luck, there will be no wind and waves, and we may be able to reach Japan safely. As luck would have it, the situation suddenly changes, and the entire navy is in danger of capsizing.

But now the Song Dynasty has only built up its navy, and it has not yet gone to Nanyang. It is too risky to do so directly. But taking the land route would consume a lot of national power, and you would have to communicate with Goryeo. It is estimated that Goryeo would also be afraid that they would cut off the border through false routes, which is indeed not advisable.

"That's not true."

Fortunately, Zhao Jun heard Fan Zhongyan's words, shook his head and said: "Although I hate this country, I have not lost my mind. It is really thankless to destroy Japan now. In more than ten years, when my steamships are everywhere It’s not too late to go.”

"Well, that's right. We can obviously develop scientific and technological power in a few more years to make the country stronger and reduce casualties when attacking. Why rush at this time? Not only will it consume national power, but there are also huge risks."

Seeing that Zhao Jun was very sensible, Fan Zhongyan nodded with satisfaction.

Yan Shu wondered: "Then since you don't intend to destroy Japan, but you are inciting them to civil strife, and sending armored ships, then..."

As he spoke, he pondered for a moment, then suddenly his eyes lit up and he said, "Han Long's move goes far."

"Uncle Larri still understands me."

Zhao Jun looked at him and smiled, seemingly in silence.

However, the others were confused.

Zhang Shixun was old and couldn't keep up with his thinking. He said in confusion: "What kind of riddle are you doing? Tell me and listen. Don't hide it."

Yan Shu said: "Why don't you understand? Hanlong wants to ensure Japan's domestic civil strife and the decline of its national power. At the same time, it also wants to ensure our interests in Japan and prevent the cessation of trade and the outflow of gold and silver minerals due to civil strife."

"I see."

Now everyone suddenly realized that they were indeed not to blame.

All the old men are in their seventies or eighties. Although they have rich political experience, given their age, sometimes their thinking is slow and it is normal for them not to turn around immediately.

"Japan is a country so ambitious that it must perish as soon as possible."

Zhao Jun said: "And I predict that they will not allow us to trade freely with them. I am afraid they will hinder it, or even interrupt our trade. This will seriously threaten our interests."

"Why?"

Li Di was puzzled: "Now that the Song Dynasty has defeated the Liao Kingdom and restored the glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties, how dare they be so presumptuous?"

"the reason is simple."

Zhao Jun stretched out his index finger and gestured: "First of all, Tsushima Island is occupied by me, the Song Dynasty."

"Although this island is Japanese territory, we spent money to rent it with the locals. With the contract, we have a reason. How can they tolerate it?"

Jia Changchao said: "What's more, we stationed troops here in the name of preventing trade from being attacked by pirates. At that time, we also sent envoys to Japan to meet their emperor. Do they want to tear up the contract?"

The military order Ning Haijun received this time was to set off for Japan on the grounds of protecting trade navigation.

In fact, the Song Dynasty stationed troops on Tsushima Island in the name of protecting the trade between Goryeo and Japan. There was a legitimate reason.

At that time, Japan also protested this situation and sent people to the island to negotiate with the Song army.

However, the Song Army won over the island residents in advance and spent money to purchase land on the island. They rejected Japan's unreasonable demands on the grounds that the garrison site was purchased and there was a contract certificate.

Later, the Song Dynasty defeated the Xixia and Liao Kingdoms and took the initiative to send envoys there. The Japanese Emperor Suzaku received them. Under the persuasion of some Japanese dignitaries who had benefited, the Emperor Suzaku had no choice but to accept the reality and no longer protested against the Song garrison. Things about Tsushima.

After all, Emperor Suzaku is just a puppet in name only. The Fujiwara family is still in a stage of serious internal strife, and they have no time to care about Tsushima. Considering that the Iwami Silver Mine has given them a lot of benefits, they can only do this for now. Say it again.

Therefore, the Song Dynasty holds a righteous name. If the current Emperor Go Lengquan wants to tear up the contract, isn't that just to anger the Song Dynasty and give the Song Dynasty an excuse to attack them?

However, Zhao Jun shook his head and said: "Do you think I have forgotten the hatred of future generations? But in fact, I have not forgotten it at all. In these years, I have allowed the Imperial City Division to be active in Japan and collect their intelligence. I analyzed a very important "

"What's up?"

Everyone looked at him.

Zhao Jun said: "The character of the Japanese nation."

"National character?"

Yan Shu asked in surprise: "Does the nation still have character?"

"certainly."

Zhao Jun said with a smile: "Because the Han people are a farming people, they have the characteristics of being settled, not fond of migration, attaching importance to agriculture, and paying attention to hard work and pragmatism. The nomadic people live in no fixed place, wander around, have a strong sense of crisis, and have strong adaptability. , good at riding and shooting, etc., these are all national characteristics.”

"I see. Then tell me, what is Japan's national character?"

Yan Shu thought what he said made sense.

"Muqiang, ambitious, insecure, good at double-dealing, full of urgency and desire for a stable mainland."

Zhao Jun listed them one by one.

Cai Qi asked: "How can we find out?"

"Geographical factors."

Zhao Jun said: "Did you know that during the Tang Dynasty, Japan only sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty, but never really paid tribute to the Tang Dynasty, nor did it admit that it was a tributary country of the Tang Dynasty."

As he spoke, he shook his head and said, "It's funny to say that I am a history student, but I didn't know about this until the past few years."

When he was in college, he didn't take the elective course "Selected Readings of Historical Materials" at all. However, because he was interested in the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty, he did some research on the history of the Han and Tang Dynasties. Therefore, when he read the history books of the Tang Dynasty, he always thought that Japan was a tributary of the Tang Dynasty. .

But it wasn't until the spy lurking in Japan collected some historical data about Japan in recent years that he realized that Japan had tricked the Tang Dynasty.

It turns out that every time Japan sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty thought they were here to pay tribute, so they were called "tributary envoys". They were treated the same as envoys from other countries, and the gifts brought by the Japanese were called "fangwu". Also gave Japan a large number of rewards.

Therefore, in the history books of the Tang Dynasty, Japan has always been treated as a vassal country.

However, Japan did not recognize them as tribute envoys at all, and never asked the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to canonize them. Even the envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty did not even bring their credentials, and used routines to deceive the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty every time they came.

For example, the emperor only dared to call him the emperor, but the Japanese said that their monarch was the emperor in heaven. Of course, the envoys to the Tang Dynasty did not dare to mention it.

But they are also unwilling to call their monarch a king, which is also treasonous in Japan. Therefore, they once again adopted a compromise method and used the name "Zhu Ming Le Mei Yu De" to get through.

What does "Jiu Ming Le Mei Yu De" mean?

In fact, it is the Japanese pronunciation of the word "emperor". People in the Tang Dynasty did not understand why, and thought it was the name of the Japanese king. Therefore, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty's "Edict to the King of Japan" says at the beginning, "The King of Japan is edicted to advocate enlightenment, beauty, and virtue."

From this point of view, we know that the Japanese never thought about joining the Tang Dynasty's tribute system. They just wanted to steal culture, systems, technology, and knowledge.

Hearing Zhao Jun's words, everyone widened their eyes and said, "Is there such a thing?"

"good."

Zhao Jun explained: "Although it is recorded in the history of the Tang Dynasty that Japan was a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, neither they themselves nor their history books admit this. Now you understand."

"Well"

Fan Zhongyan frowned and said, "Japan is indeed a very ambitious people."

Zhao Jun continued: "Sticking to the topic just now, due to geographical factors, Goryeo will directly face attacks from nomadic, fishing and hunting tribes in the Northeast, so it is very happy to be protected by the Song Dynasty and is willing to be the dog of the Song Dynasty."

"It's different in Japan."

"As an island country isolated overseas, they have no threat of external invasion, so naturally they don't want to have a father above them, so they will not recognize the Tang Dynasty as their suzerain state at all."

"For example, during the Ming Dynasty, there was a tribute battle. In order to compete for the profits of tribute, two local princes in Japan sent two groups of tribute missions to China. They clashed in Ningbo, not only killing each other, but also wreaking havoc along the way back home. Burning, killing, looting and kidnapping.”

"So why did two Japanese princes compete to pay tribute? It was because the Ming Dynasty gave generous rewards to tributary states, so the Japanese shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu saw the benefits and joined this system."

"But they didn't really want to become a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. It was purely the reality and cunning in their bones that made them think it was profitable, so the local daimyo pretended to be the king of Japan to cheat the Ming Dynasty."

"And their frequent earthquakes made the Japanese extremely insecure. Therefore, Japan's national policy has never been to hope to be protected by others, but to invade and occupy a continent to get rid of the turbulent life in the past."

"For example, before the Battle of Baekgangkou with the Tang Dynasty, Japan controlled the Baekje Kingdom on the Korean Peninsula."

"After the Tang Dynasty destroyed Baekje, it also supported Prince Yu Fengzhang of Baekje, who was a hostage in Japan at the time, to return to the country to succeed to the throne, trying to defeat the Tang Dynasty and occupy the entire Korean Peninsula."

" Later, during the Ming Dynasty, after Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified Japan, his self-confidence soared, and he thought about destroying the Ming Dynasty and occupying China, claiming to "sweep the Ming Dynasty and unite the three kingdoms into one". He sent troops to Korea in a mighty way, hoping to destroy Korea and then attack the Ming Dynasty. "

"As a result, Japan was defeated again in the two Wanli Korean Wars. "

"From this combination of things, it can be seen that Japan has never wanted to be a vassal of China honestly, but has always been on the edge of the tribute system. It pays tribute when it is beneficial, and does not pay tribute when it is not beneficial. "

"Even if it comes to pay tribute, it has always deceived the Chinese dynasty, using various methods to make a fuss and deceive the outside world. Internally, it has always regarded itself as a "divine country", saying that the Chinese emperor is the emperor of the sunset, and they are the emperor of the sunrise, trying to be on an equal footing with the Chinese dynasty. "

At the end, Zhao Jun looked around at everyone and said loudly: "The Japanese nation is full of cunning and deception by nature, and their wolfish ambitions can be seen. "