I studied in modern times

Chapter 1064 Yelü Hongji's New Favorite, Descendant of Abe no Nakamaro
In June, the capital city is lush and green, with grass growing tall and birds singing.

Emperor Yelü Hongji of Liao led a white horse slowly through the royal hunting grounds outside the capital city.

Dozens of elite palace guards closely followed him.

"Commander Chao..." Yelü Hongji suddenly remembered something and turned to look at a young guard behind him: "How is the Crown Prince's studies going lately?"

This young bodyguard was rather short, probably less than five feet tall, with fair skin and a delicate appearance.

But the look in his eyes when he looked at Yelü Hongji was one of filial piety mixed with a touch of worship.

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is a man of extraordinary talent, often able to draw inferences from one instance to another. Not to mention a layman like myself, even the scholars of the Academy often marvel at His Highness the Crown Prince's wisdom!" The young man replied with his head bowed, his tone somewhat strange.

Unlike the North, their accents are quite similar to those of the South.

To be precise, it should be said that it is very similar to the local accent of Minnesota.

However, Yelü Hongji could still understand it.

After all, they are all pronunciation methods that developed from the standard rhyme system of the Tang Dynasty.

Hearing the young man's praise of his heir, Yelü Hongji smiled and said, "Although the Crown Prince is intelligent, Minister Chao and the others still need to supervise him closely and not slack off!"

“Yes, sir!” The young man bowed and accepted the order.

Yelü Hongji gave an encouraging "hmm," then stepped forward and patted the young man on the shoulder: "Recently, there have been rumors in the court that Minister Chao is the Jin Ridi of our Great Liao!"

"You should strive to do your best!"

Upon hearing this, the young man's face immediately turned red.

He immediately knelt down, kowtowed, and said, "Your subject will serve Your Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince with his life!"

Jin Ridi was once a prince of the Xiongnu Xiutu. After returning to the Han Dynasty, he was highly valued by Emperor Wu of Han and successively served as a court attendant, a son-in-law of the emperor, and a grand master of the palace. Later, he and Huo Guang were both regents entrusted with the care of the young emperor, assisting Emperor Zhao. He was loyal and devoted, and his name is recorded in history.

Unfortunately, this young man was neither Han Chinese, nor Khitan, nor Xi.

His name was Abe Shin, and his Chinese name was Chao Xin. He was the son of the Abe clan (also known as the Abe clan), a powerful Emishi clan from Oshu (Mutsu Province) in Japan.

His father was Abe no Sadao, who was beheaded by Japan's greatest general, the so-called Yamanaka Taro Yoshiie, in the Battle of the First Nine Years a few years ago.

In the future, the most familiar person in the Mutsu Abe family will be none other than the former prime minister who was openly humiliated by the top-ranked male gunner in the Japanese server.

But now, the most famous member of the Mutsu Abe family is Chao Heng, the Duke of Beihai County of the Great Tang Dynasty, who was also the Grand Master of the Palace and the Imperial Censor, and was posthumously awarded the title of Second-Rank Grand Governor of Luzhou.

Chao Heng's Japanese name was 'Abe no Nakamaro'.

It originated from Mutsu Abe.

Although Abe no Nakamaro and the current Abe family may not have any direct blood relationship.

However, the Mutsu Abe family has passed down the achievements of their ancestor who became famous in Tang China and was highly valued and trusted by the Tang emperor for generations.

Then compare the humiliation and discrimination the Abe family suffered at the hands of the court nobles in Kyoto.

Therefore, when the Liao general Xiao Buda led the Liao army, carrying banners almost identical to those of the Tang Dynasty, and pursued the defeated Goguryeo soldiers across the sea to Japan,

The ferocious Liao army not only terrified the nobles of the capital, but also shattered their illusions of the Heian period.

This also emboldened the Emishi clans, including the Abe family, who had already submitted to the Minamoto clan.

Immediately dispatch envoys to Kyushu to make contact.

To other Japanese, the Liao people who came across the sea were ferocious, brutal, and ruthless.

But to the Emishi people, who had long been discriminated against, humiliated, and killed by Kyoto, how could this be considered an invasion?
She is clearly a living bodhisattva who saves people from suffering!
In the eyes of the Abe family...

This is more than just a living bodhisattva who saves people from suffering.

It's clearly the Tang Dynasty father who has arrived!
father!
help me!

I am your most filial and loyal subject, Abe!
My ancestors served Emperor Xuanzong, Emperor Suzong, and Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty with utmost loyalty!

Unexpectedly, when the Abe family and other Ezo envoys arrived in Kyushu...

Xiao Buda, having been thoroughly satisfied with what he had gained in Kyoto, returned home triumphantly with his spoils.

They came up empty-handed!

Fortunately, Xiao Buda returned the following year!
And this time, Xiao Buda Ye came and didn't leave.

They directly conquered the entire Kyushu province and gained the support of many Kyushu samurai families, including the Taira clan, raising the banners of "Revere the Emperor and Punish the Traitors" and "Restore the Emperor's Rule."

He insisted that the Japanese lord Shirakawa had been murdered by a powerful minister, and that he was there on the orders of the Liao emperor to avenge the king!

Upon learning this, Abe was overjoyed.

They all followed suit, raising the banner of "the powerful minister Fujiwara clan murdered the emperor," and demanding that they raise an army to "serve the emperor and punish the traitors," and that "the emperor's rule be restored."

At this time, the court nobles in Kyoto, in a panic, ordered the urgent recall of the army of Minamoto no Yoshiie, the governor of Mutsu Province, to defend the region.

Therefore, Mutsu was easily captured by the Abe and Kiyohara families.

This further convinced the Abe family that it was their "father from the Tang Dynasty" who had come to their rescue.

He immediately dispatched another envoy to Kyushu to contact the Liao people.

Other powerful clans in Ezo followed in the footsteps of the Abe family.

When the Abe family arrived in Kyushu and made contact with Xiao Buda,

At that time, there were already more than a dozen envoys from various regions in Kyushu.

The Abe family is neither the most powerful nor the most prominent among them.

Fortunately, even though the envoy from the Abe family used the name of his ancestor, claiming to be "a descendant of the late Duke of Beihai of the Great Tang Dynasty, posthumously granted the title of Grand General of Luzhou, Chao Gong, whose given name was Heng, respectfully inquires about the well-being of the Grand General of Tang."

This immediately alarmed Xiao Buda, who dared not delay and immediately received the envoy from the Abe family. After careful questioning, he confirmed that someone from the Abe family had indeed been granted an official title by the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, he had chatted and laughed with great poets such as Li Bai and Wang Wei, and they had become very close friends.

Therefore, Xiao Buda immediately reported to Yelü Hongji.

Yelü Hongji was overjoyed upon hearing this—the Liao people have always considered themselves the successors of the Tang Dynasty, and they directly refer to the Song Dynasty in the Central Plains as 'Bian bandits'.

At this moment, a loyal subject of the Tang Dynasty who had been living overseas suddenly appeared.

what is this?
Auspicious omens have descended from heaven!
Therefore, Yelü Hongji appointed Abe Shin's uncle, Abe Muneto, the current head of the Abe family, as the governor of Oshu and the military commander of Oshu.

Faced with such great favor from the Emperor of Liao, the Abe family was also moved to tears.

China is still the best!

The Emperor is wise and sagacious!
The Abe family, having served Kyoto as dogs for centuries, would be better off serving the Chinese emperor for even a single day.

Therefore, Abe no Munehito accepted Yelü Hongji's investiture without hesitation.

They immediately offered a map of the Mutsu region, which is controlled by the Abe family.

Also sent was Abe Shin's nephew—Abe Munehito originally had no sons.

Therefore, he has always been grooming his nephew, Shinichi Abe, as his successor.

Unexpectedly, last year, Abe Munehito's concubine gave birth to a son for him.

Now that he had his own son, this nephew had become an eyesore.

Therefore, sending his nephew to "China" to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors became the best choice for Abe Munehito.

Shinichi Abe arrived in Liaodong in March of this year.

At first, the Liao people only regarded him as a lucky charm, prepared a house for him in the capital city, gave him some servants, and arranged a sinecure for him in the palace.

However, Shinichi Abe was calm and cautious in his actions, and while in Japan, he had already learned a great deal about Confucian classics.

All of this made his life in the Liao Kingdom very comfortable, and he also received praise from many Liao people, including his superiors.

At that time, Yelü Yanxi, the grandson of the Liao emperor, needed a personal bodyguard who did not belong to any faction, had a clean family background, and was trustworthy.

Therefore, someone recommended Shin Abe.

Upon learning this, Yelü Hongji became very curious and personally interviewed the young man from Japan.

Yelü Hongji greatly admired Shinichi Abe's performance.

He was then appointed as a cavalry captain and placed by Yelü Yanxi's side.

At the same time, an imperial edict was issued allowing Abe no Shin to restore his original surname, Abe no Nakamaro, and to serve as a subject of the Liao Dynasty under the Chinese name Chao Xin.

As Chao Xin was recalling these events, he heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from afar.

He stood up and gazed into the distance.

Then they saw a knight with a command flag on his back riding towards them.

The knight reined in his horse about fifty paces from Yelü Hongji, dismounted, and walked forward to a point about ten paces in front of Yelü Hongji, where he knelt down and said, "Your Majesty! We, the Southern Dynasty ministers Ju and others, have urgently requested this!"

Yelü Hongji narrowed his eyes, then instructed Chao Xin: "Minister Chao, go and fetch the memorial so that I may have a look at it!"

“Yes, sir!” Chao Xin accepted the order, then stood up and walked toward the knight kneeling on the ground, holding a letter sealed with sealing wax.

He took the letter, bowed respectfully, and knelt down to present it to Yelü Hongji.

Yelü Hongji took the letter, checked the seal, and after confirming that it was undamaged, he took out a tinderbox, lit it to melt the sealing wax, and then took out the memorial inside.

After just one glance, Yelü Hongji burst into laughter: "My imperial grand-nephew is indeed filial!"

"Minister Chao!" he instructed Chao Xin, "Immediately convey my decree, summoning all the ministers to my tent for a meeting!"

After thinking for a moment, he instructed, "Furthermore, inform Scholar Wang to draft an edict, in the name of Yelü Ju and Yelü Yongchang, and in recognition of Song Yougong's merits, to increase their fiefs and elevate their ranks..."

"promise!"

Chao Xin accepted the order and left.

Yelü Hongji lowered his head and read through the joint memorial signed by Yelü Ju and Yelü Yongchang again, unable to suppress the smile on his face!

In their letter, Yelü Ju and Yelü Yongchang stated that, through their active lobbying, the young emperor of the Southern Dynasty had agreed to cooperate with the Liao Dynasty's diplomacy in jointly pressuring the Tanguts.

An imperial edict has been issued, ordering the Southern Dynasty's armies, including those in Fuyan Road, Hedong Road, and Xihe Road, to begin mobilization.

In this way, the Tanguts had no choice but to bow down and fawn over him!

"It seems that Yelü Ju and Yelü Yongchang were merely indulging in pleasure in the Southern Dynasty..."

"There was no collusion or secret dealings with the Southern Dynasty, as some people in the court have claimed!"

If they were indeed bought off by the Southern Dynasty, or even colluded with and betrayed the Liao Dynasty.

So, would they be so eager to cooperate with his major policies?

How could they get the rulers and ministers of the Southern Dynasty to agree to cooperate with the Liao Dynasty?
It should be noted that for the past few decades, the rulers and ministers of the Southern Dynasties had been opposing the Liao Dynasty.

What's more...

Yelü Hongji looked at the memorial, where Yelü Ju had said that the young emperor of the Southern Dynasty, in order to put pressure on the Dangxiang, had created a momentum by saying that he wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Liao Dynasty and marry the daughter of the Liao emperor as his concubine.

His smile grew even brighter!
Marry a princess to the Southern Dynasty!

This was the wish of three generations of Liao emperors!
Now, this wish is about to come true!
This made Yelü Hongji even more smug.

(End of this chapter)