Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 1015 Never Before Heard of the Rong and Di Peoples Becoming One of the Chinese (Two Chapters Combined into One)

He Zizhen's plan was perfect.

Unfortunately, problems arose in the very first step.

He Zizhen originally thought that in just two or three months, and with Liu Huai hastily proclaiming himself emperor, no one would have time to react. He could then come to present a congratulatory letter as the first vassal state, which would please the emperor and bring him great benefits.
But in reality, there are far too many smart people in the world.

First and foremost, there were the Koreans.

There was nothing they could do; they were the closest and were the most terrified.

Zheng Fasan, He Zizheng, and Zhao Baiying were ruthless in their actions, sweeping across Liaodong with overwhelming force and turning a detachment into the imposing force of a main field army.

Originally, King Wang Hyun of Goryeo wanted to take the opportunity to send troops, ostensibly to fulfill the obligations of a vassal state of Jin, but in reality to seize the land west of the Yalu River. However, upon seeing the Han army's overwhelming force, he was terrified and retreated.

What Goryeo wants to do next is quite simple.

Ever since Kim Bu-sik established the national policy of subservience to the great powers for Goryeo, the attitude of the Goryeo monarch and his ministers has always been to side with whoever wins.

Now that the Han Dynasty has won, Goryeo will naturally become the Han Dynasty's most loyal dog.

Therefore, upon hearing that Liu Huai had ascended the throne in Yanjing, Wang Xian immediately dispatched his trusted confidant Jin Dunzhong with one hundred taels of gold, a thousand pairs of silver gourds, a jade ruyi, and ten beauties to congratulate the Han Dynasty on its destruction of the Eastern Jin.

Kim Don-jung originally thought this was a simple task, because although the Han military was secretly taking action against Goryeo, the government had never said a bad word about Goryeo. Moreover, the people were doing very well in trade. At this time, Goryeo had already submitted to the Han and requested investiture from the Han, which was the most polite and respectful attitude. What could possibly go wrong?

But Liu Huai showed them with his actions that there were countless mistakes he had made.

Since the Goryeo envoy entered Yanjing on December 15th, he has been placed under house arrest in the Honglu Temple and has not been summoned at all.

Kim Don-jung went from being confident at the beginning to feeling uneasy, until he was filled with anxiety.

While they waited anxiously, another group of envoys from Japan arrived at the Honglu Temple.

The leader's name was Taira no Tomomori, and his father was Taira no Kiyomori, who is now the Grand Minister of State of Japan.

This samurai leader, who had just seized power from Emperor Go-Shirakawa through a semi-coup last year and taken control of the government, was truly unlucky.

Because Taira no Kiyomori had just seized supreme power in Japan, a coalition of powerful clans from the Han Dynasty attacked.

This was not the half-baked inland river navy of the later Mongol people, but a group of water heroes who had traveled all over the country, braving great rivers, seas, and oceans, and stormy seas.

Around October of last year, Cheng Feng occupied Tsushima Island almost without bloodshed. After resting for a month, taking advantage of the absence of typhoons during the winter, he headed straight for Hizen Province.

Hizen Province was caught off guard and easily conquered by Cheng Feng. The samurai teams raised by the Muto family... or rather, the pirate and bandit teams, were wiped out in an instant.

After occupying several key locations, Cheng Feng ordered his men to attack the Japanese army along the coast while simultaneously implementing a vigorous land redistribution policy.

Not only should land be distributed, but also grain, money, houses, and women.

As it turned out, this historically proven policy of pacifying the people was far too effective, and soon his four thousand soldiers were all beaming with joy.

After feeding his men, Cheng Feng distributed the remaining food to the Japanese people, easily gathering a group of Han collaborators. Ignoring the winter, they attacked and seized territory in all directions.

During this period, some Japanese nobles and samurai did surrender, but Cheng Feng dealt with them decisively.

These sons of powerful families came to Japan with him to expand the territory and become superior people. How can we leave the native Japanese people to be superior?
This behavior caused widespread panic among the Japanese nobles, and this panic quickly spread to Kyoto.

Of course, Cheng Feng also had a more direct way of delivering messages. He cut off the nose of a young master from the Fujiwara family and made him deliver a letter denouncing the rebellion to the damned Emperor.

The letter was very simple.

First of all, how dare Japan, such a tiny and insignificant country, presume to claim itself as the "country from which the sun rises"? The Han Dynasty is to the west of Japan, so wouldn't that make Japan a country in decline? That's inauspicious; you should change it back to Japan.

Secondly, Japan is a tiny, insignificant country. How dare its king presume to call himself Emperor? Even the Emperor of the Han Dynasty was merely the Son of Heaven. What are you? You must change your ways.

Finally, Japan, you tiny little country, it's already a great honor for our Han Dynasty to want to trade with you, yet you've only opened a few ports—this is truly outrageous! Open the doors, free trade!

Emperor Go-Shirakawa was in a semi-puppet state, and we will not discuss his attitude after seeing this letter.

Taira no Kiyomori's expression when he saw this manifesto was absolutely priceless.

While he was so angry that his vision blurred, he immediately realized that Japan was facing the greatest challenge in its history.

This was a Central Plains dynasty with virtually unlimited manpower and resources compared to Japan!

However, Taira no Kiyomori lived up to his reputation as a cunning old fox who had outmaneuvered Minamoto no Yoritomo. He immediately made two preparations: on the one hand, he gathered a large army to prepare for the conquest of Cheng Feng's powerful coalition; on the other hand, he sent his son Taira no Tomomori to personally lead a team to Yanjing to meet His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han.

If there are any conflicts, we can talk them out. It's too rude to resort to violence right from the start.

Of course, the delegation led by Taira no Tomomori did not meet Liu Huai, but was instead taken directly to the Court of State Ceremonies.

These unlucky fellows were even worse off than the Goryeo envoys; they didn't even get to see a high-ranking official.

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, while He Zizhen and Lu Jiuyuan were still adrift at sea, Liu Huai finally had a moment to spare and summoned both delegations at the same time.

Both Ping Zhisheng and Jin Dunzhong were so exasperated that they had no temper left. Upon hearing the imperial decree, they immediately straightened their clothes and came to pay their respects.

At first, the two were somewhat angry, but as the armored soldiers led them into the palace and they discovered that they were being led directly into the main hall, their expressions turned solemn, and they involuntarily began to tense up.

There was nothing they could do; they were facing a rising dynasty in the Central Plains, and these peripheral vassal states had no choice but to show it respect.

These rules and rituals were clearly more shocking to Japan. Goryeo, at least, was part of the mainland and had witnessed the heroes of the Liao, Song, and Jin dynasties. But Japan was isolated overseas and closed off from the world. Even though Taira no Tomori was a wealthy son of a ruler, he had never seen so many elite soldiers before.
Putting everything else aside, his own father, Taira no Kiyomori, who was known for his tall stature, was only a little over 1.6 meters tall. When Taira no Kiyomori walked among the civil and military officials of the Han Dynasty, he was like a pheasant among cranes, becoming more and more frightened as he walked.

Jin Dunzhong had also been an envoy to the Jin Kingdom, and compared to the country bumpkin beside him, he was much more knowledgeable. He followed the warrior who was leading the way into the main hall, bowed, and was about to clear his throat to speak when a figure flashed beside him. Ping Zhisheng had already knelt down and kowtowed, shouting, "Your subject Ping Zhisheng greets His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han!"

Kim Don-jung looked like he'd found shit in his food, and for a moment it was unclear whether he should kneel down or remain standing to maintain national dignity.

However, Liu Huai ignored Jin Dunzhong. He noticed the stiffness in Ping Zhisheng's words and asked directly, "Ping Zhisheng? Can you speak Chinese?"

Taira no Tomomori bowed and replied, "I can speak a little bit..."

"That's good. Stand up and speak." Liu Huai nodded in response: "What brings you here?"

Taira no Tomomori quickly straightened up: "I have come here for the sake of good relations between our two countries. Now, the pirate Cheng Feng is leading a large army from the sea to attack my Japan. I am acting on the orders of the Emperor Emeritus and earnestly request Your Majesty to send a large army to join forces with our army to attack the pirates from both sides and restore peace and tranquility to our seas."

"How dare you!" Liang Su immediately stepped forward, brandishing his ceremonial tablet, and rebuked, "Emperor Emeritus?! What Emperor Emeritus does Japan have?! Japan wants to be a vassal state of our Great Han, yet its ruler calls himself Emperor Emeritus. This is utterly presumptuous and outrageous!"

Heiji swallowed twice, feeling his mouth was a little dry.

He had read Cheng Feng's manifesto in its entirety, so he naturally expected this question to arise.

This mess is nothing without being weighed, but it weighs a ton without being a heavy burden.

In ordinary times, Japan lives a quiet life behind closed doors, separated by the vast ocean. Let alone calling themselves emperors, even if they called themselves gods, no one would care.

The emperors of the Central Plains dynasties were too lazy to even conquer Goryeo, let alone Japan.

However, the current situation is that the megalodon, the emperor of the Central Plains, still seems to look down on the little octopus from Japan, but the sharp-toothed knife fish following behind the megalodon are not only interested in the little octopus, but very interested in it!

The titles of Emperor Emeritus, Emperor of Heaven, and Emperor of Law became incredibly powerful, enough to give the followers of the emperors of the Central Plains a pretext to declare war.

The reasons were readily available: there is only one sun in the sky and only one king on earth! I am suppressing a rebellion! Respect the king and expel the barbarians! Taira no Tomomori could only force himself to answer according to his prepared statement: "Your Majesty, Japan has no tributary relationship with the Han Dynasty. We are two separate countries. Our king can naturally be called the Emperor Emeritus."

Shi Ju was furious and was about to lift his robe and step forward to reprimand him, but Liu Huai stopped him by waving his hand.

“Since Pingqing has this opinion, then I can’t really pursue this matter. After all, who doesn’t have the ambition of becoming the Great Sage Equal to Heaven behind closed doors? I can’t blame the Japanese king for such a small matter.”

Just as Hirajimori breathed a sigh of relief, he heard Liu Huai continue, "But then I have two different interpretations."

"Firstly, all land under heaven belongs to the king, and all people within the realm are his subjects. Now, my subjects wish to unify the four directions for the Han Dynasty. I can only encourage and support them, but I cannot oppose them. Otherwise, how can I be the ruler of the world?"

Taira no Tomomori's face turned deathly pale instantly.

Liu Huai continued speaking: "Secondly, the Han dynasty has its own system, which is a mixture of hegemonic and benevolent rule. You Japanese people have no etiquette or clothing, no peaceful life, no names or writing; your lives are like those of people suffering upside down."

"Only by using tyrannical power to relieve the suffering of the people, and by using benevolent rule to educate the uncivilized, can the world truly be at peace and the seas truly pacified. What do you think?"

What else?

Even Liu Huai, the emperor of the Central Plains, has begun to deny the legitimacy of the founding of Japan. What else can be done?
Hiramori trembled like a leaf: "Your subject... Your subject cannot submit..."

His Chinese was indeed poor; after saying only one sentence, he started shouting loudly in Japanese, seemingly arguing his point.

"If you're not convinced, then so be it." Liu Huai waved his hand, and soldiers stepped forward to restrain Taira no Tomomori. "Drag him away and lock him up first. We'll talk to him about it after the matter with Japan is resolved."

Seeing Ping Zhisheng being carried away by the soldiers like a chick, Jin Dunzhong finally couldn't maintain his so-called national dignity and knelt down as well, kowtowing and saying, "Your subject is Jin Dunzhong, the Left Vice Minister of the Privy Council of Goryeo. I have come on the orders of my king to congratulate His Majesty on the destruction of the Jin Kingdom and the establishment of an unparalleled achievement! I request His Majesty to bestow titles upon our king and crown prince!"

Liu Huai nodded: "At least no other emperor has come. Stand up and speak."

Kim Don-jung's forehead was covered in sweat: "Our Goryeo has always been a vassal state of the Central Plains, and has long been bathed in the royal culture of the Celestial Empire. It is naturally different from those barbarians from beyond the borders of Japan."

"Long-term basking in the king's rule? I don't believe it." Liu Huai's smile was like a demon in Jin Dunzhong's eyes: "If that were really the case, why didn't Goryeo send troops to help me when I was fighting against the barbarians? Moreover, they once bowed down to Liao and Jin. They don't even understand the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals, respecting the king and repelling the barbarians, so what are they talking about in terms of the king's rule?"

Kim Don-jung knelt down again with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "It is not that our Goryeo Kingdom does not want to send troops to the Central Plains Emperor, but that our country is small and weak, and we are in danger of being overthrown if we are not careful. Our country's military strength is poor and our warriors are cowardly. We have been defeated in our previous battles against the Jin invaders. We are really unable and dare not do it."

Liu Huai nodded again, seemingly convinced. After a moment's pause, he asked, "Your name is Kim Don-jung, right? Is your father Kim Bu-seok, the famous prime minister of Goryeo?"

Jin Dun felt an even greater chill run down his spine, but he simply kowtowed and said, "It is indeed my father."

Sure enough, the next moment Liu Huai brought up Jin Fushi: "I heard about something your father did. On the day he led a delegation to pay tribute to the Song Dynasty, he learned of the Jingkang Incident en route and immediately returned to Liaoyang Prefecture to congratulate the Jin ruler Wanyan Wuqimai on becoming a vassal and to congratulate the Jin Dynasty on capturing the two emperors. Is this true?"

Jin Dunzhong was so frightened that he dared not refuse to answer: "It is true."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Jin Dunzhong had a sudden inspiration: "Back then, when I was about to pay tribute to the Song Dynasty for the sake of the country's major policies, I was quite dismissive of the Supreme Dao Emperor, thinking that he was a tyrannical ruler like Jie and Zhou."

His two sons, Zhao Huan and Zhao Gou, were in the same situation, which is why the late minister was not overly angry that day. As the saying goes, "The ruler is the guide for the subject; if the ruler is immoral, the subject will flee to another country." Indeed, our Goryeo, as a subject, has faced many difficulties.

The emperor and his ministers were all taken aback, not expecting that Jin Dunzhong could come up with a catchy rhyme by borrowing Mencius's ideas on the spot.

However, no one could refute it for the time being, because undermining the legitimacy of the Song Dynasty was a major military and political strategy of the Han Dynasty, and now this Goryeo hammer had unexpectedly succeeded.

Liu Huai burst out laughing, then sighed: "Of course I know that Zhao Ji is a figure like Zhou You and Shang Zhou, and I have no good feelings towards him."

However, just as the various feudal lords of China rose up to punish the Quanrong after Haojing was captured, Zhao Ji could die at the hands of Han heroes, or be burned alive by peasant rebels, but what about dying at the hands of the Jurchens?

Moreover, the Jurchen invaders invaded the Central Plains, committing countless massacres. Did Kim Bu-seok only feel pleasure because Emperor Huizong was humiliated, and not feel anger because the people of the Celestial Empire were being slaughtered and plundered by barbarians?

Kim Don-jung hadn't even considered this angle, and his brain immediately went blank.

Liu Huai did not press the issue further: "Today I do not wish to dwell on these past events, but rather to inquire about the state affairs of Goryeo."

"Your Majesty, please ask."

"You say that Goryeo has long been under the rule of the king and its heart is set on the Central Plains. What language do the people of Goryeo speak? Is it Chinese?"

Jin Dunzhong instinctively felt a little nervous: "A small country with few people, isolated overseas, naturally they don't use Chinese."

Liu Huai nodded: "Then is it written in Chinese characters?"

"High-ranking officials and nobles all use Chinese characters, but as for ordinary people, Your Majesty, they don't recognize any characters."

Liu Huai pressed further: "Then, did the King of Goryeo issue any decrees, establish schools, and teach the people Chinese language and characters? Did he also teach Confucian classics?"

Kim Don-jung was momentarily bewildered, but could only shake his head.

Liu Huai nodded slowly: "Then I understand. In other words, although Goryeo claims to have been under the rule of the Han Dynasty for a long time, its customs are very different from those of our Han Dynasty, and its culture and etiquette are different."

At this point, Liu Huai suddenly threw the cup in his hand to the ground, the shards and tea splashing onto Jin Dunzhong, leaving him momentarily at a loss.

"This is what you call being a vassal state? This is what you call being of one heart with the Central Plains?!" Liu Huai shouted, "What difference is there between you and those uncivilized barbarians?"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please calm your anger. It is truly a case of a small and weak nation..."

“Since the time of the Han Dynasty and Korea, China has been educating you for over a thousand years, yet you remain the same. I think it’s not that your country is small and weak, but that you harbor ill intentions and resist the rule of the king!”

Just as Jin Dunzhong was about to explain, Liu Huai's next words plunged him into an icy abyss.

"I don't care much about Kim Bu-sik's wavering between the Song and Jin dynasties for the sake of the country, but I simply cannot tolerate it." Liu Huai looked at Kim Don-jung coldly and said, "I heard that Kim Bu-sik wrote a book called 'Samguk Sagi' (History of the Three Kingdoms), which records the history of the three kingdoms of Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo on the Korean Peninsula and describes the legal lineage of the three kingdoms. Is this true?"

"Yes...yes...this is a biographical official history compiled by my late minister under the order of Emperor Renzong."

"Who do you think you are?! How dare you revise official history books?" Liu Huai's expression darkened. "Do you even respect the Central Plains dynasties?"

"If one day the Han dynasty falls into decline, will you then compile more comprehensive historical records, re-establish the language, and claim to be the orthodox dynasty?"

"If Japan is openly rebelling against the Central Plains dynasty, then you are insidious venomous snakes, hiding in the gutter, ready to bite at any moment!"

Kim Don-jung exclaimed, “Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This is a matter of attacking the heart! Your Majesty must not use such methods to punish your subjects, otherwise, who will remain unscathed?”

“Alright! Then I won’t attack your intentions.” Liu Huai stared into Jin Dunzhong’s eyes: “After you return to Goryeo, can you urge the King of Goryeo to open more schools?”

Could you allow my Han Dynasty to establish a medical school and a branch of the Academy of Sciences in Kaijing?

Could we promote the use of Chinese language and characters from the top down?

Could you please allow my Han Dynasty to establish an official historian?
Could we establish an imperial examination system to facilitate communication between the upper and lower levels of government?

Don't talk about non-interference in internal affairs. We are interfering in your internal affairs. If you don't even allow the suzerain state to interfere in your internal affairs, what kind of vassal state are you? Are you plotting a rebellion?
Kim Don-jung immediately hesitated: "This... Chinese characters and Chinese language are only used by our country's nobles..."

Liu Huai raised his hand and pointed, and armored soldiers pressed Jin Dunzhong to the ground.

"Fine then! I don't want this kind of half-hearted obedience, and I'm too lazy to keep snakes at home. Drag them out and lock them up!"

After Jin Dunzhong was dragged away, Liu Huai calmed down and said to the civil and military officials who were attending the first grand court assembly of the new year: "I know that many people have been tempted after I promised to establish feudal systems overseas, but I want to make it clear here that if you want to establish a country overseas and have the Han Dynasty recognize you as a vassal, then you must follow the Han system."

You are thousands of miles away from the Central Plains, you have learned foreign languages ​​and adopted foreign customs. Are you still Han Chinese? If you are not Han Chinese, why would the Great Han consider you its confidants?

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Yan was ravaged by nomadic tribes for centuries, while the State of Chu rivaled the Zhou Dynasty and could still be considered part of the Huaxia (Chinese civilization). But when would the various Huaxia states ever acknowledge the identities of the Quanrong, Hongdi, and Shanrong?!
I made it clear to my own children and nephews that this is something I must do, and I will see it through no matter what difficulties I encounter!

(End of this chapter)