I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 502: Goryeo takes the blame! When big countries compete, small countries suffer

Unknown island.

On a high cliff.

Su Liang looked at Qingyuan Youde and Qingyuan Bridge kneeling on the ground with contempt on his face.

These two Japanese people were willing to do anything to survive.

Su Liang stroked his small, beautiful beard and said, "I already knew that the 20,000 soldiers were from Goryeo. I knew about it the moment they set out from Goryeo."

"As for you, you tricked me to this island not to find evidence, but to kill me, right?"

"Unfortunately, you, Qingyuan Youde, fell into the trap set by Wang Youcheng, the special envoy of Goryeo. And Wang Youcheng might have been instructed by Xiao Kaishi, the envoy of Liao. They want our Song Dynasty to go to war with Japan..."

Su Liang told them all their plans.

Qingyuan Youde's forehead was covered with sweat. Only at this moment did he realize how terrifying Su Liang was.

It turned out that before he lured Su Liang to the island, the latter was already aware of his purpose.

Su Liang also described Xiao Kaishi and Wang Youcheng's plan exactly.

"Central Prime Minister Su, it was...I wronged the Song Dynasty and Master Cao Hu. It was Xiao Kaishi and Wang Youcheng's idea to kill you. I just wanted to save my life!"

Qingyuan Youde said this while he kowtowed, his face covered in dirt.

this moment.

He hated the Goryeo envoy Wang Youcheng, who was the most insidious person.

Fortunately, Su Liang saw through this plan, otherwise if Su Liang and the three thousand Song soldiers were really killed, the entire Japan would be finished.

Killing Su Liang alone could be framed as pirates; killing three thousand Song soldiers could only be the work of the soldiers.

Qingyuan Bridge behind him also kowtowed, fearing that Su Liang would order his men to chop him to death.

He had also heard about Su Liang's character. He hated evil and would kill anyone he wanted.

They do this kind of thing.

Even if Su Liang threw them into the sea to feed the fish, the Japanese court would not dare to stand up for them. Instead, it would continue to apologize to the Song Dynasty.

Su Liang slowed down and said, "In the eyes of this Zhongcheng, your lives are worthless. Now I can give you a chance to live."

Hear the word "survive".

Qingyuan Youde and Qingyuan Bridge both raised their heads.

"Next, how to characterize this matter is entirely up to me, the Minister. I want to attribute this matter to the Koreans."

"It was the Koreans who pretended to be pirates, extorted and killed Japanese merchants, and framed Cao Hu, a merchant from the Song Dynasty. It was the Koreans who intended to make Japan an enemy of the Song Dynasty, and then sent 20,000 soldiers to pretend to be Japanese soldiers and kill this Zhongcheng. All the sins are on the Koreans, and you Japanese are also victims!"

Hearing this, Qingyuan Youde and Qingyuan Bridge were stunned.

They would love it that way.

In this way, they are not at fault at all.

Su Liang continued, "However, after this matter is determined, this Minister wants Japan and Goryeo to go to war until Goryeo is destroyed."

"If Japan cannot destroy Korea, then the Song Dynasty will choose to attack Japan. Before May 1st next year, only one of Japan and Korea can survive."

Qingyuan Youde's eyes turned and he understood Su Liang's intention.

Goryeo was a vassal state of Liao. If the Song Dynasty and Liao went to war, Goryeo would definitely participate, and Japan might also participate.

Japan's combat effectiveness is far superior to that of Goryeo.

Su Liang used this incident to destroy Goryeo and severely injure Japan.

The biggest beneficiary of this plan was Song.

If this hadn't happened.

Qingyuan Youde would certainly not want to go to war with Goryeo. Although Japan had the strength to destroy Goryeo, there would also be heavy casualties.

But this time, the Liao Kingdom and Goryeo joined forces and almost killed him, causing the destruction of Japan.

He really wanted to give Gao Li a good beating.

Qingyuan Youde thought for a moment and said, "We in Japan have the power to destroy Goryeo, but Goryeo is a vassal state of Liao after all. If Liao joins the war, I'm afraid we won't be able to destroy Goryeo."

"You can inform Liao in advance that your goal this time is to destroy the Goryeo army, and then after looting some wealth, you will retreat to the East Island. You don't want an inch of Goryeo. If Liao joins the war, our Song will also join the war!"

this moment.

Qingyuan Youde admired Su Liang very much.

Su Liang knew the Liao Kingdom too well. The Liao Kingdom protected Goryeo because once Goryeo's territory fell, they would be attacked from the west.

If Japan only kills and plunders, and hands over Goryeo's land to Liao, the probability of Liao joining the war is extremely low according to its current situation.

At this time.

Qingyuan Bridge suddenly said, "Su Zhongcheng, we can go and destroy Goryeo, but there is a prerequisite."

"If we destroy Goryeo without the Liao Kingdom's participation, I hope that the Song Dynasty will not use force against Japan for the next 20 years, and Japan will definitely not help the Liao or Xixia to attack the Song Dynasty."

Hearing this, Qingyuan Youde on the side also nodded.

After destroying Goryeo, their military strength would inevitably be greatly damaged. If the Song Dynasty attacked, they would have no ability to resist at all.

Su Liang shook his head slightly.

"At this moment, you have no right to bargain. If you agree, you can live longer, and Japan can live longer too; if you don't agree, Japan will surely perish before the first day of May next year."

"My patience is limited. I will give you five more seconds to think about it."

"We... agree... agree!" Qingyuan Youde replied immediately.

He had no other choice, and Japan had no other choice.

If they did not agree, the 20,000 soldiers would become Japanese soldiers. Japan was the first to provoke, and if the Song Dynasty destroyed it, Liao and Goryeo would definitely stand idly by.

If one can survive, one will naturally choose the option that allows one to live longer. This is the only choice the King of Japan has.

……

After a while.

Su Liang brought Qingyuan Youde and Qingyuan Bridge to Xiao Kaishi and Wang Youcheng.

The two were stunned when they saw that Qingyuan Youde and another prisoner had mud all over their clothes and redness and swelling on their foreheads.

Wang Youcheng saw two people walking towards him and was about to speak.

But Qingyuan Youde actually kicked him.

"boom!"

Although Qingyuan Youde's legs were short, they were very powerful and he kicked him to the ground with one kick.

On the side, Wang Youcheng's guards were about to step forward, but were stopped by several Song soldiers.

boom! boom! boom!
Qingyuan Youde and Qingyuan Bridge gave Wang Youcheng a good beating.

Wang Youcheng was being beaten.

Xiao Kaishi, who was standing by, felt even more anxious.

"Enough!" Su Liang said loudly.

Suddenly, Qingyuan Youde and Qingyuan Bridge stopped.

Wang Youcheng's face was bruised and swollen, and he was dying.

Su Liang came to Xiao Kaishi with a smile.

"Special Envoy Xiao, do you know that we almost lost our lives around midnight last night?"

"Ah? What happened?" Xiao Kaishi pretended to be surprised, and his acting was very good.

"Last night, Goryeo sent out 20,000 soldiers with a total of 40 warships to surround us and kill us all. Fortunately, our soldiers from Chuzhou and Haizhou were brave and killed 14,000 of them and captured 6,000, which saved us from disaster!"

"They were wearing Japanese soldier armor, intending to frame Japan. After our army's interrogation, we learned that all of this was a conspiracy by the Koreans. The reason why Japan framed our Song Dynasty was all the work of the Koreans. Our Song Dynasty is a victim, and Japan is also a victim!"

"Ah? The Koreans are so vicious?" Xiao Kaishi continued to act.

immediately.

Su Liang looked at Qingyuan Youde and said, "Special Envoy Qingyuan, you just said that you want to ask your ruler to go to war with Goryeo. Is this true?"

"The Koreans are too despicable. They almost caused the destruction of our country, Japan. We, Japan, will definitely declare an all-out war against Korea until it is destroyed!" Qingyuan Youde said with clenched fists.

Su Liang smiled and said, "I, the Song Dynasty, support you. You go first. If you can't destroy them, we will go next."

Su Liang naturally wanted Xiao Kaishi to understand what he said.

……

aside.

Xiao Kaishi, who was very nervous, and Wang Youcheng, who was beaten black and blue, were both a little confused.

Xiao Kaishi was confused as Su Liang seemed to know everything, but he also seemed to think that this was only done by Goryeo and had nothing to do with Liao.

Wang Youcheng was confused. When Goryeo attacked and killed Su Liang in Japan, they made a big deal about it, so how could it be that Goryeo was the mastermind?

Suddenly, Wang Youcheng understood something.

His head jerked up.

"Su... Su Zhongcheng, these plans were not made by my Gaoli. It was Qingyuan Youde who wanted to harm you. It was Xiao Kaishi who wanted to make a big deal out of this matter and cause a full-scale war between the Song Dynasty and Japan. I... I was just following orders."

After these words were spoken, Xiao Kaishi suddenly became nervous.

Su Liang looked at Xiao Kaishi and asked with a smile, "Special Envoy Xiao, is that so?"

Xiao Kaishi puffed out his chest.

"He's talking nonsense. Our Liao country has always been upright in everything we do. How could we do such a thing? Was there a Liao citizen involved in this matter?"

Wang Youcheng wanted to say something, but Qingyuan Youde stepped on his head.

Su Liang said: "I don't believe that the Liao Kingdom would be involved in this matter."

"Special Envoy Xiao, how do you think about this? Dongying and I are both victims, so it is not appropriate for us to investigate. You will investigate this matter, and then we will announce the results together. What do you think?"

"Ok, Ok."

Xiao Kaishi understood it all at once.

He concluded that Su Liang must have found out that this was a joint effort of Liao, Goryeo and Japan.

But if this is the truth.

The Song Dynasty had to fight the Three Kingdoms at the same time, so Su Liang chose a scapegoat, Goryeo.

Then let Japan and Goryeo fight a life-and-death battle.

As Xiao Kaishi was the presiding judge, he would naturally put all the blame on the Koreans. Only in this way could he escape guilt.

Otherwise, he would have to live without the Song Dynasty, and the current Liao Kingdom was not willing to fight.

As for how Japan and Goryeo will fight next, that is not his concern.

Wang Youcheng also understood everything.

But at this moment he could no longer speak. He had taken a wrong step and had plunged Goryeo into an irretrievable situation.

……

After a while.

Everyone boarded the boat and prepared to return to Bianjing. The only difference from when they came was that the Korean envoy Wang Youcheng and his followers were all prisoners.

Su Liang would only allow the delegation led by Qingyuan Youde and Xiao Kaishi to return after they had investigated the matter thoroughly and made it public.

……

The frontmost warship, on the deck.

Su Liang looked at Cao Hu, whose arm was broken, and said, "Cao Hu, after the new year, Japan and Goryeo will go to war. There will definitely be a shortage of food and clothing on the island of Japan, and there will be more and more smugglers. You should discuss with the uncle in advance and buy as much silver, sulfur, gold and other rare commodities as you can, and keep the price as low as possible. Next year, I require you to completely control Japan's maritime trade!"

"Yes." Cao Hu replied respectfully.

"Today, I put all the blame on the Koreans, and spared the Liao Kingdom and Japan. It's not out of kindness, but for the sake of destroying the Xia in the northwest next year. Next, I will deal with them one by one."

"Also, this island cannot be nameless. You can come up with a name. Also, no matter how big the surrounding islands are, you must have people erect monuments on them, so that these ownerless islands will all belong to the Song Dynasty. The monuments should be good and will not be destroyed for thousands of years."

"Cao Hu, I obey your command!" Cao Hu would unconditionally execute Su Liang's orders regardless of whether he understood them or not.

Su Liang patted Cao Hu on the shoulder and said, "Go, and be careful."

Immediately, Cao Hu took his followers and went to the merchant ship opposite.

……

Two days later, the ship approached the shore.

Su Liang has written down all the details of the matter, and once he reaches the shore, the postman will quickly deliver it to the palace.

Xiao Kaishi's interrogation speed was extremely fast.

It was soon confirmed that the Goryeo court had ordered people to impersonate Song people to extort and kill Japanese merchants, and had sent 20,000 soldiers to impersonate Japanese soldiers to kill Su Liang and 3,000 Song soldiers.

Xiao Kaishi and Qingyuan Youde have also written letters, which will be delivered to their emperors (kings) after they go ashore.

Su Liang discussed with the two and decided to make the matter public at the New Year's Day court meeting of the Song Dynasty, and the three countries would jointly condemn Goryeo.

……

The 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, afternoon.

In the city of Bianjing, the festive atmosphere was strong, the streets were bustling, and people who bought New Year's goods were sending cartloads of them home.

Because Su Liang was ordered to go to sea, Zhao Zhen sent two carriages of New Year's goods to Su's house.

Wen Yanbo, Wu Yu, Wang Yaochen, Ouyang Xiu, Bao Zheng, Cao Guojiu, Zhao Yunrang and others all sent New Year's goods to Su's house.

Tang Wanmei was so busy that she couldn't refuse, so she had to wait for Su Liang to return.

Near dusk.

An urgent letter was delivered to Zhao Zhen.

When Zhao Zhen opened it, he couldn't help but be overjoyed.

"Haha, this Su Jingming is so amazing, like a god! Like a god!" Zhao Zhen walked back and forth in the Chuigong Hall with the letter in his hand, laughing out loud.

The eunuchs standing by were so frightened that they kept observing his expression. If he was crazy, they would immediately call the imperial physician.

After a while.

Zhao Zhen finally calmed down.

"Su Jingming not only proved the innocence of our Song Dynasty, but also caused a full-scale war between Japan and Goryeo, without using a single soldier to make both enemy countries lose. The Liao Kingdom is likely to not dare to move. It is really a good strategy!"

"If he hadn't been so persistent in becoming the Chief Censor, I would have made him a prime minister. No, I would have made him a king."

The eunuchs standing by were dumbfounded when they heard this.

A person of a different surname was crowned king.

What a great achievement this is!

The eunuchs knew that this was just Zhao Zhen's monologue, so they naturally did not dare to spread it.

If the news gets out, they will be guilty of a capital crime.

Zhao Zhen picked up the letter and was about to share the good news with the ministers in the Secretariat, but after a second thought, he murmured, "Let's not let them know for now. It won't be too late to let the ministers know during the New Year's Day meeting. They will surely be happier then."

……

The twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, night falls.

Smoke was rising from the kitchen of Su's house.

Every time this day comes, Tang Wanmei will cook by herself.

Because Su Liang liked the dishes she cooked the most, even if it was just a vegetarian porridge, Su Liang could tell whether it was Tang Wanmei's cooking.

And this moment.

Su Zimu and Su Qinyi put on new clothes, moved two small stools and sat at the door.

As long as they can remember.

Su Liang was with them every New Year's Eve.

Before Su Liang left, he told them that he would come back for the reunion dinner, so they believed that Su Liang would be home soon.

Tang Ze and Tang Wanmei also believed that Su Liang would come home for the reunion dinner tonight.

Not long after.

Tang Ze also moved a stool and sat next to Su Zimu and Su Qinyi.

Soon, the meal was ready.

Tang Wanmei looked at the empty doorway and said, "Dad, Zimu, Qinyi, please come inside. It's windy outside and you may catch a cold easily."

"I won't go in. I want to wait for my daddy!" Su Qin frowned.

Tang Wanmei glared and said, "Your father is doing something big. Even if he doesn't come back tonight, you are not allowed to be angry or cry. Do you hear me? Go back to the house!"

Just when Tang Wanmei was about to pull Su Qin back to the house.

Suddenly someone came in from outside the door.

He was holding a bunch of fireworks in his hands, which completely obscured his face and figure.

He walked quickly towards the courtyard.

Tang Ze was stunned and quickly picked up the stick beside him.

Su Zimu was also very alert and quickly stood in front of Tang Wanmei and Su Qinyi.

Recently, many people come to Su's house to give gifts.

But who would give such cheap fireworks as gifts? Moreover, he walked straight into the courtyard without handing over a visiting card. It looked strange at first glance.

"Who are you?" Su Zimu asked sternly, with a bit of the majesty of Bao Zheng when he was handling a case.

"Your father!" The speaker continued to walk forward.

Hearing this, Su Zimu couldn't help but get furious and picked up a bench to smash it.

He had great respect for Su Liang.

These words made him feel that this person was an offense to Su Liang.

"He really is your father!"

Tang Wanmei instantly recognized Su Liang's voice and couldn't help but smile.

At this time.

Su Liang dropped the fireworks on the ground, revealing his handsome face which was still covered in sweat and a little dirty.

He dismounted and ran straight home.

On the way, he did not forget to buy a bunch of Su Zimu and Su Qinyi's favorite fireworks and firecrackers.

"Daddy! Daddy! I miss you so much!"

Su Zimu and Su Qinyi excitedly threw themselves into Su Liang's arms.

Tang Wanmei and Tang Ze also laughed. If Su Liang was missing tonight, it would not be the New Year for them.

Outside.

The two guards listened to the laughter of the Su family reuniting at their residence and hid again.

If a stranger appears.

He would be checked before knocking on the door of Su's house, so it is impossible for an unidentified stranger to break into Su's house.

"Su Zimu, go wash your hands, eat first, and then set off the fireworks!"

"Qinyi, go get new clothes for your daddy!"

……

While Tang Wanmei was washing Su Liang's face and combing his hair, she was giving orders to her children.

Tang Ze was leisurely sorting out the fireworks and firecrackers that Su Liang had bought, humming a popular tune in Bianjing City.

……

A quarter of an hour later, Su Liang's family officially started their meal.

The family chatted and laughed.

Su Zimu was at the age when he loved to talk the most, and he kept talking to Su Liang, while Su Qinyi put her arm around Su Liang and kept picking up food for him.

Su Liang smiled happily.

He rode a fast horse from the canal this morning and rushed to Bianjing City.

Just for this reunion dinner.

Although his legs were sore at the moment, looking at the cute appearance of his son and daughter, he felt that it was all worth it.

Dinner is over.

The family set off fireworks and firecrackers in the yard.

Then it was time for Tang Ze, Su Zimu and Su Qinyi to compete in staying up all night, their signature program.

As for Su Liang.

Tang Wanmei had already prepared bath water for him, and then the two went to the bedroom to reminisce about the past.

……

The next day was the first day of the first month of the second year of Zhihe.

It was very cold at four o'clock in the morning.

Before dawn, the main streets of Bianjing City were brightly lit.

Su Liang, dressed in purple official uniform, appeared in the Forbidden City.

All the officials were very surprised, as they did not know that Su Liang had returned to Bian Jing.

All the gentlemen asked Su Liang what the result was.

Su Liang guessed that the emperor wanted to give all the officials a surprise, and immediately said: "Everything will be revealed at the grand court meeting today."

Next.

The happiest New Year's Day court meeting for all officials of the Song Dynasty is about to begin, which will be recorded in at least one page of history books in the future.

(End of this chapter)