I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1122 Please add the Emperor's title

A sharp iron hoe can easily cultivate hard land that used to require the combined efforts of several people; a piece of silk as smooth as water brings a sense of nobility and comfort that rough linen cannot match; a set of pure white porcelain tableware is enough to make all the nobles who use wooden or pottery utensils envious at a banquet; even a small jar of fragrant tea has become a new symbol of status and taste.

This experience of the difficulty of going from luxury to frugality quickly fostered a strong dependence on and desire for Han Dynasty goods among the upper class of the Japanese islands. Labor, especially the lowly laborers and slaves who were seen as "inexhaustible," became the most direct "currency" for exchanging these treasures.

At the same time, the Great Han also established a Maritime Trade Office at Fusang City, which was under construction in Hakata Bay, to collect gold, silver, copper, sulfur, and other materials that the Great Han urgently needed at designated prices.

At this time, the Japanese archipelago was untouched by civilization, and it still had many open-pit mines for gold, silver, and sulfur. These strategic resources, scarce in the Central Plains, were far less valuable to the Japanese than their shimmering silks and exquisite porcelains.

So Su Yao took out a map and had the officials teach the tribal leaders where to go and how to collect resources. Soon, a steady stream of gold and silver ore, sulfur ore, and laborers and slaves driven by the nobles began to converge on the Han army camp in Hakata Bay, and were then loaded onto ships and taken to the Central Plains.

The entire exchange process appeared fair and even incredibly generous to the Japanese—they traded their "useless" stones and "lowly" labor for the coveted treasures of the Celestial Empire. In Su Yao's strategic blueprint, however, this was a brilliant deal: exchanging short-term luxury goods for long-term strategic resources and control. The Han Dynasty gained much-needed minerals and labor for developing the East, while the Japanese superstructure was unknowingly bound and assimilated by the goods and culture of the Central Plains.

After witnessing the first transaction completed, Su Yao handed the place over to Jiang Qin and others, and then drove away again in his Griffin, ending his trip to Haidong.

The sea breeze was blowing, and the azure sky beneath my feet was gradually replaced by an endless expanse of fertile land.

Su Yao, carrying Wan Nian, traversed the land of Qi and Lu, soaring through the skies of the Central Plains. Countless officials and common people along the way were awestruck and knelt in worship, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

"Look! It's His Majesty the Tang Emperor's divine beast!"

"Heaven bless the Han! The God-King is surveying the heavens!"

"Long live Your Majesty! Long live Prince Tang!"

Farmers in the fields, merchants on the roads, and people in the city all stopped to look up, cheering and kneeling in worship.

Su Yao's exploits—riding a griffin, pacifying the Three Han states, eliminating rebellious subjects, and conquering the Japanese islands—had long been known to every household through serialization in the *Great Han Monthly* and word of mouth, even acquiring a more mythical quality. Witnessing it firsthand now further solidified the prevailing public opinion that "a divine being descended to earth" and "the Mandate of Heaven rests in the Tang Dynasty."

With Su Yao's return, this trend quickly coalesced into an unstoppable torrent, surging towards the heart of the empire—Luoyang.

In Luoyang, at the Southern Palace Council Hall, high-ranking officials of the imperial court gathered.

The officials, who usually argued heatedly about the "Great Rites Controversy," were unusually quiet today, with everyone's attention focused on the urgent report from Hanoi.

"His Majesty and Prince Tang have arrived in Hanoi Prefecture. All government offices in the capital have been ordered to prepare for their arrival. His Majesty will likely return to the capital soon!" Xun Yu, the Chamberlain, announced in a steady voice, holding a silk scroll, though his slightly trembling fingertips betrayed his excitement.

A suppressed gasp and whispers immediately filled the hall.

"They've arrived in Hanoi so quickly? Didn't they just say a few days ago that they were on an inspection tour to Lelang, pacifying the Three Han states, and heading to the Japanese islands to track down the mission's whereabouts?"

"Could it be that the matter of the Japanese islands has been resolved? This, this is truly a thunderous act..." The officials looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief and deep awe. In the months since Su Yao left the capital, his illustrious martial arts and miraculous deeds had already spread throughout the world through the "Great Han Monthly" and the official postal relays, but such a swift triumphant return still exceeded everyone's expectations.

"Yes."

Wang Ling, a lieutenant general of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, picked up the battle report and announced loudly, "His Highness, riding a divine beast, travels a thousand miles a day and has now pacified the Japanese islands."

Wang Ling, with a powerful voice, recounted Su Yao's achievements in the Three Hans and the Japanese islands one by one. With each recounting, the breathing of the officials in the hall quickened.

"His Highness subdued Baekje at Wirye Castle, executed the rebellious chieftain, and all the tribes of Mahan submitted to him!"

"His Highness descended upon Gongshan City as if from the heavens, and the fortified city was breached as easily as crushing dry rotten wood. The rebel chieftain Jin Yan surrendered without resistance and was swiftly executed!"

"Your Highness crossed the sea to the east, defeated the Kingdom of Dogs at Hakata Bay, burned its port, destroyed its army, and beheaded its king Himiko and more than ten nobles and advisors at the coastal altar, offering their blood as a sacrifice to the spirits of my martyred envoys!"

"His Highness has already annexed the Japanese islands, divided Kyushu into Yingzhou County, and placed it under the jurisdiction of Haidong Prefecture; he has left Jiang Qin as the General of Fusang, leading 3,000 troops to build a city and garrison it; and he has also bestowed upon Queen Himiko of Yamatai the title of Queen, allowing her to continue ruling her own prefecture, but she must be subject to the control of Han officials, and has sent her son to Luoyang to study..."

The battle reports, like thunderclaps, silenced the council chamber.

Those officials who had previously been privately gossiping that "Emperor Tang is neglecting his duties and is frivolous and immoral" now felt their cheeks burning with shame and wanted to disappear.

This is not a mistake; it is clearly territorial expansion and an unparalleled achievement!
After all, who could have predicted that?

Conquest, destruction of kingdoms, capture of kings, establishment of prefectures... This series of achievements worthy of being recorded in history was accomplished by one person in just over a month! And in the remote and uncivilized land of the East China Sea, far from the Central Plains!
Furthermore, if the news is true, soon a treasure ship laden with gold, silver, and other precious metals, as well as sulfur, will land at the mouth of the Yangtze River, revealing the immense wealth and benefits of His Highness the Tang Emperor's journey to the East Sea to all those who harbor doubts!
Wang Ling's voice grew increasingly loud with excitement as he surveyed the entire room, his gaze intense:

"This is not merely a display of martial prowess, but also a flourishing of civil administration that has educated the barbarians! Your Highness has established your authority and virtue on the Japanese islands, causing the barbarians to submit, expanding the territory, establishing prefectures and resettling people, and making the prestige of our great Han Dynasty spread far and wide to the east of the sea! The magnitude of your achievements is unprecedented in history!"

He took a deep breath and finally delivered his conclusion with a resounding voice:

"Tell me, how could the ancient Duke of Zhou and Yi Yin have achieved this? What are Huo Guang and Wang Mang compared to them?! His Highness Prince Tang's achievements far surpass the limits of what a subject can attain! If we still adhere to the old system and fail to grant him special honors, wouldn't that chill the hearts of the soldiers and the people's admiration?!"

These words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples throughout the council chamber.

Officials who had initially hesitated or held traditional views on etiquette were rendered speechless by such illustrious achievements and irrefutable facts. Facts speak louder than words; Su Yao's accomplishments and prestige had reached unprecedented heights, and any attempt to constrain his behavior with old frameworks appeared pale, powerless, and even laughable.

At this moment, Wei Ming, the governor of Yangzhou, who had returned to Luoyang half a month earlier to report on his duties and participate in the grand ceremony, stepped forward and made a groundbreaking proposal.

That is to say—please add the title of Emperor to the Tang Emperor!

(End of this chapter)