Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 447 Famous Intangible Cultural Heritage of China
"Generals..."

A weak voice broke in.

Yuchi Jingde and Pei Xingjian turned around at the same time.

Upon seeing that it was King Uija of Baekje who had come with the army, he stood folded his hands, his back slightly hunched, waiting meekly to the side.

Behind King Uija was Queen Jindeok of Silla.

She was even more timid than Buyeo Ui-ja, and dared not utter a sound.

This was the last crucial battle in which the Ming Dynasty's masters swept the invaders out of their home. On this memorable day, two loyal dogs of the Ming Dynasty ran happily to the front line to personally reward the Ming soldiers.

They weren't born this enthusiastic.

The attitude towards the Ming Dynasty was closely related to the battlefield situation.

Before the Ming Dynasty intervened to help them, they even considered backing down and submitting to the Japanese pirates who had slaughtered their city-state's people.

As soon as the Ming Dynasty made its move, they immediately fawned over it.

The Ming Dynasty crushed the Japanese with lightning speed, and the Japanese, in turn, slid to their knees and lay prostrate on the ground.

To be fair, while Koreans aren't great at fighting, they do have a knack for dogs' sense of smell.

A master of the "simp" (or "licking dog") field.

Faced with the two courteous and submissive princes, Pei Xingjian, a scholar who believed that "diplomacy is no small matter," remained polite and bowed slightly before asking:
"What brings you two princes here?"

"No, no, no... I wouldn't dare!" King Yi-ja waved his hands repeatedly.

Behind him, Queen Zhende forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, and said in a trembling voice:

“We are barbarian chieftains from beyond the borders, how dare we presume to call ourselves Your Highness…”

He speaks fluent Mandarin.

The King of Silla and the King of Baekje, these centuries-old enemies, now resemble siblings from the same kennel, facing the wolves and tigers of the Ming Dynasty—

To be precise, a former newspaper editor and a retired, rehired monk—

They only dared to huddle together for warmth, trembling with fear.

As loyal dogs of the Ming Dynasty, they also had to help bite their masters when they went out to fight against foreign enemies.

How effective it is depends on fate, but whether or not to do it is one's duty.

Then, the two of them watched the entire match from the sidelines.

I witnessed firsthand how the Ming Dynasty soldiers crushed the Japanese.

All I can say is that it was very exhilarating and violent.

And this formidable army was merely a detachment casually pulled from the Ming Dynasty, a force that could be safely entrusted to inexperienced scholars...

For some reason, the two vassal kings suddenly became very eager for the Central Plains to be ruled by the emperor.

As a result, the Chinese language has become visibly more standard.

"I still prefer your previous arrogant and two-timing attitude. Please revert to your old ways..." Pei Xingjian thought to himself, having had contact with both kings, while trying to make his smile as gentle as possible.
"May I ask what important matters you two...kings wish to discuss with us?"

He went straight to the heart of the problem and didn't dare use overly polite language, for fear of scaring the other party away.

"Oh, is that so?" Buyeo Ui-ja perked up and said:
"There was a Japanese prisoner in the camp, and his identity may be somewhat special."

Special Japanese prisoners of war?

Pei Xingjian and Yuchi Jingde were somewhat puzzled and exchanged a glance.

A short while later, a dejected Japanese man was brought in by the guards.

"It's you?" Yuchi Jingde scratched his head.

The so-called "special" prisoner brought in was the "Japanese horseman" who had been frightened off his horse by the head of the Tsushima king when Yuchi Jingde jumped ashore.

Incidentally, the Kingdom of Tsushima was destroyed when Yuchi Jingde led his navy ashore.

"Reporting to the two generals, I... have some knowledge of the barbarians of Japan."

Buyeo Ui-ja said humbly.

"Is he a nobleman?" Yuchi Jingde frowned.

“He is not an ordinary nobleman; he is royalty,” said King Yici.
"He is Emperor Kōtoku's cousin... the Japanese chieftain 'Kari,' Prince 'Katsuragi' of the Naka no Ōe clan. He made great contributions during the Isshin Coup and was recently made crown prince by 'Kari'..."

The Japanese captive, being a nobleman, could understand some of the language and knew that the people were discussing his identity. He hurriedly opened his mouth and tried to explain himself in broken Chinese:

"My goodness, Your Highness the Crown Prince! Let me go back, and the benefits will be huge!"

Yuchi Jingde ignored the other party.

Old Black Charcoal was too lazy to care about the other person's identity, and even less inclined to remember the other person's long and stinky name.

He simply glared at the guards escorting him.

The guard understood immediately, raised his right hand, and used his hard, thick arm guard to slap the Japanese man across the face.

"What's all the noise about! Did I tell you to speak?!"

The eldest prince was struck in the face with steel, and was slapped so hard that he spat out blood, saw stars, and had two of his front teeth knocked out on the spot.

King Uija and Queen Jinde immediately fell silent.

“Well, the Duke of E was referring to the Japanese. You two can speak freely,” Pei Xingjian kindly reminded him.

The Korean king nodded woodenly, but ultimately didn't dare utter a sound.

"That Zhongda... whatever he is, I don't care if he's a prince or a whore, a Japanese slave is a Japanese slave, they all have only one fate."

Yuchi Jingde remained calm, not even bothering to glance at the other person, and drew a short sword from his waist.

The two kings gasped in shock.

Old Black Charcoal's sharp eyes swept over the vassal king before shoving the short sword into the hand of the trembling Baekje king.

"You come."

"what?"

King Yici was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that he had a murder weapon in his hand.

"You want revenge, don't you?"

Yuchi Jingde patted Fuyu Yici on the shoulder.

"This is the man who commanded the Japanese soldiers to slaughter your people and nearly destroyed your country."

"Don't you want to personally kill this traitor and avenge your people?"

"I, I..." King Yi-ja stared blankly at the murder weapon in his hand, unsure of what to do.

The Japanese leader probably realized that he was about to die, so he struggled desperately, but was slapped a few times by the guards and made to behave.

Looking at the disheveled next emperor of Japan, King Yoshiji felt increasingly uneasy.

"Um... Commander Yuchi, this traitor is quite important within Japan and can be used as a valuable hostage."

"If I rashly kill someone to vent my anger, what if..."

"Wouldn't that be a little wasteful?"

The King of Baekje believed that politicians must be politically astute.

For the sake of political goals, even irrational "trivial matters" like revenge can be put aside.

For South Koreans, the most important politically correct thing to do right now is to serve "Master Ming" well, and all other issues can be put aside.

It's obvious even to a fool that the Ming Dynasty was about to have a rather "simple" exchange with Japan.

As for how to communicate, I don't know.

However, Buyeo Uija felt that it was best not to cause any unnecessary trouble.

Looking down at the obsequious king, Yuchi Jingde felt a mixture of amusement and pity.

Regardless, prioritizing the interests of the suzerain state is a commendable act of filial piety.

"Hostages are only useful in negotiations."

Yuchi Jingde said slowly.

"As for the Ming Dynasty, it has no intention of discussing anything with Japan."

"Huh?" King Yici was stunned, raising his head blankly to look up at the tall, famous old general.

Not negotiating with the Japanese?

So, to what extent did the Ming Dynasty intend to "exchange" with the Japanese?
While he was still in a daze, the tool in his hand was taken away.

Queen Zhende, holding a short sword, walked step by step toward the Japanese royal family.

"If you won't come... I will!"

Her voice trembled, but her steps were incredibly firm, and her eyes burned like fire.

The small kingdom of Silla suffered a devastating loss of tens of thousands of lives in a single massacre, with every corner of the country ravaged.

This is a deep-seated hatred that will never be forgotten!

Silla suffered a great calamity, and so did Baekje.

As Buyeo Uija watched her retreating figure with the knife, a surge of anger welled up within him.

Prince Katsuragi heard the footsteps of death and trembled with fear:
"What...what are you thinking? Please spare my life! I...I can return to my country and persuade the Emperor to surrender! I will become a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, pay tribute, accept investiture, and never betray them!"

Out of fear of death, his eyes became much clearer, and he even spoke fluent Mandarin.

"I will avenge my people..."

The Queen of Silla murmured as Buyeo Uija put her arm around her shoulder.

"What do you want to do? Do you believe his lies and want to spare his life?" she asked coldly.

The King of Baekje shook his head:
"You and I, together!"

Seeing his two mortal enemies charging menacingly towards him, Prince Zhongda was truly plunged into despair.

"Please... have mercy! I was wrong, I was wrong... ah!"

A piercing scream and a struggle quickly subsided into silence.

"Um……"

Although Pei Xingjian could be considered a scholar-general who had been on the battlefield, he still felt somewhat disgusted by scenes of killing.

"Duke of E, His Majesty's next strategic move will depend on you."

He chatted casually with the senior scholar Yuchi Jingde about space and air, trying to distract himself.

Yuchi Jingde, on the other hand, was extremely adept at the art of "murder," and chuckled at the young man's polite words.

"Not at all. As the naval admiral, my only responsibility is to transport the soldiers to the island."

"The operations on the island still depend on young talents like you."

He wasn't being polite; the task Emperor Li Ming assigned to the veteran general Yuchi Jingde was simply to make him a transport captain.

This does not include close combat operations.

Commanding the invincible fleet to make a grand entrance and blockade the coast was not for launching a pincer attack on the Japanese by sea and land.

The Japanese are unworthy.

The fleet's true mission was to pick up Ming soldiers and transport them to the Japanese islands.

They just happened to run into the remnants of the Japanese army led by Prince Naka no Ōe.

Not only Yuchi Jingde, but other older veterans were also not assigned to combat missions.

Because of the order personally issued by His Majesty Li Ming, young generals were to be fully utilized, while veteran generals could only command remotely and were prohibited from personally going to the Japanese islands to fight.

On the one hand, it is naturally to train young personnel and prepare for the next generation of military talent.

Using the Japanese as practice subjects is just right.

On the other hand, it was also because Japan was a poor and remote country. Although the Japanese people themselves were not strong in combat, the land was barren, the conditions were harsh, and it was too far away from the Ming Dynasty's mainland.

The veteran is getting old and can't withstand any more pressure.

If a few elderly men in their seventies or eighties contract a serious illness on that ghost island, or if non-combat casualties occur for other reasons, then it would be a huge loss.

Although the veteran group was very dissatisfied with the decision, they had no choice but to accept it.

After all, what wrong has His Majesty Li Ming done?
He just wanted everyone to sit together during the Lunar New Year and have a happy family reunion by making dumplings.

Yuchi Jingde could only skirt the rules and conveniently annihilate the Tsushima Kingdom outside of Japan, just to have his fun.

"In short, the future belongs to you young people."

As he spoke, Old Blackie patted Xiao Pei on the shoulder meaningfully.

"Although you are only leading a small force this time, doing odd jobs like cleaning up the front door."

"However, it was done very well, and I will put in a good word for it with His Majesty."

"In the future, you will be able to lead the real main force and undertake the real core combat missions."

"Maybe you'll be able to personally lead troops to land on the island and fight next month."

No, no, no, I'm a cultured person! I don't want to be promoted in the army or anything like that... A little voice inside Pei Xingjian's soul was shouting, but he still had to say thank you.

"...I am grateful for the Duke of E's favor, but my task is limited to eliminating the Japanese on the peninsula and 'assisting' the restoration of the new and 200 Korean kingdoms."

"As for the battles to come, that depends on the performance of the other generals. However..."

He looked at the beach behind him and scratched his head in frustration.

On the mudflats, Ming soldiers were busy cleaning up the battlefield. Specifically, besides collecting the bodies of the Japanese pirates, they were also binding up the Japanese prisoners of war and escorting them back to the rear.

After all, war isn't like Thanos snapping his fingers; it's impossible to kill the entire enemy in one fell swoop.

Conversely, those who actually die directly in battle are a minority.

The vast majority of the remaining Japanese soldiers obediently became prisoners of war.

This final battle is like that, as are all the previous battles.

In the rear camp of the Ming army, tens of thousands of Japanese prisoners of war were eating rice with peace of mind.

"Those Japanese prisoners of war...were they just treated 'like this'?"

Pei Xingjian asked, bewildered.

Yuchi Jingde nodded emphatically:
"His Majesty has ordered that it be handled 'this way'."

Sigh… Pei Xingjian sighed and resigned himself to the situation:

"Fine. Since this has fallen on my shoulders..."

“If it’s a bad reputation, His Majesty won’t let you bear it,” Yuchi Jingde said slowly.

"This is a good thing that so many people in the Central Plains want to do but never get the chance to do. Let's do it well."

He patted the young man heavily one last time before going off to direct the ship's movements.

Meanwhile, the kings of Silla and Baekje killed the chieftain of Wa and carried out another massacre of his corpse.

After venting their anger, the two of them prostrated themselves at Pei Xingjian's feet.

"Thank you to the soldiers of the Great Ming Dynasty for restoring our country and avenging the deaths of our people!"

Pei Xingjian looked down at the two kings with a very complicated expression.

He was not a cruel person who enjoyed indiscriminate killing.

but.

Looking at these two humble kings, I thought of the people they had slaughtered by the Japanese.

Thinking of the raging waves of the Central Plains, the Yellow River that changed its course, and how many times more compatriots died at the hands of the Japanese than Koreans.

The corners of his mouth gradually curved into a smile.

"You think killing one tyrant counts as revenge?"

Pei Xingjian himself was surprised that he could say such heartless words.

King Uija and Queen Jinde were clearly taken aback, their faces full of confusion.

Pei Xingjian's smile widened, growing increasingly cold.

"His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty has decreed that the dirty feet of the Japanese must not tread upon the sacred land of the Great Ming."

"what?"

The two kings' first reaction was that His Majesty the Emperor refused to accept Japanese prisoners of war into the country.

Wouldn't that mean these prisoners of war would have to be imprisoned in Silla and Baekje and raised by them?
It's impossible to send these tens of thousands of fresh troops back to Japan; the Ming army would only be creating trouble for themselves.

However, considering Chief Steward Pei's cold laugh, let's think about this issue again...

The two of them suddenly trembled all over.

I don't know if it was out of fear or excitement.

…………

A few days later.

One night.

People throughout Silla and Baekje could vaguely hear ghostly wails coming from near the Ming army camps close to the towns.

The people who had just been ravaged by Japanese pirates immediately recognized the meaning.

Those were the screams of a person before they were killed.

"May the Bodhisattva protect us, may the Divine Emperor protect us... It's alright, don't be afraid. We have the soldiers of the Great Ming Dynasty to protect us. Don't be afraid of those Japanese..."

The Korean man huddled under the covers, shivering, as he endured a sleepless night.

The next morning, everything was fine.

As expected, nothing happened.

People who got up early to go to the market discovered that shocking new "buildings" had suddenly been erected near the major city gates.

It was a pile of corpses made up of human heads, covered with earth.

That day, the ignorant Korean learned a new word:
Jingguan.

(End of this chapter)