Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 392 Large Silver Mine
Kameikan was the location for this negotiation.

Naka no Oe had already led the Japanese army out of Chikushi Asakura Palace and stationed thirty miles north of Kameikan.

The Tang army camped thirty miles south of Guijingguan.

Inside Kameikan, there was complete silence and the stagnant air seemed to make it hard to breathe.

A long table separated the Tang and Japanese people on both sides. The officials of the two countries participating in the negotiations glared at each other, and neither was willing to give in.

Neither Liu Rengui nor Zhong Daxiong participated in the negotiations in person. On the Tang side, Jiang Ke and Liu Renyuan served as the chief envoy and deputy envoy respectively.

On the Japanese side, Nakatomi Kamata and Onijima Kawakiyo were the chief and deputy envoys.

Seeing the situation deadlocked, Nakatomi Kamatari took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency, last year your envoys came to Japan to negotiate, and they only talked about ceding Kyushu, not Tsushima Island and Iki Island..."

Jiang Ke interrupted, "Last year is last year. This negotiation is not entirely based on last year's standards."

"No, the last time I went to Tamra, the conditions I agreed with your country were that we would abide by the conditions of the last negotiation with your country and the two countries would cease hostilities. Commander Liu agreed to that." Nakatomi Kamatari argued.

Jiang Ke frowned and remained silent.

Nakatomi Kamatari said, "The Tang Dynasty is a superior nation. The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty is a man of his word. He values ​​trust and keeps his promises. He is respected by all nations. I believe he will not go back on his word."

Liu Renyuan snorted and said, "Don't try to be so rude. If you don't want to cede these two islands, that's fine. Once the contract is signed, we will lead our troops to attack."

Nakatomi Kamatari said, "These two small islands are both our Japanese territory. If we sign an agreement, according to the armistice agreement, your country will not be allowed to send troops to attack them again!"

Liu Renyuan slammed the table and glared, "Since we can't reach an agreement, let's continue fighting!"

Nakatomi Kamatari said calmly, "It is not my country's fault in this matter. If the Tang Dynasty insists on continuing the war, my country will fight to the end."

Liu Renyuan was slightly startled and thought to himself, "This Dongyi kid is quite capable. He knows that His Majesty has issued an order. If we can't reach an agreement, we won't be able to explain to His Majesty."

Jiang Ke looked at him and said, "General Liu, we are here to negotiate, not to fight. Please be patient."

Liu Renyuan snorted and said nothing.

Before the two men came, they had already discussed that one would play the good guy and the other the bad guy. However, he didn't play the bad guy well and it seemed that he couldn't scare the Japanese, so they could only rely on Jiang Ke's good guy.

Jiang Ke said slowly, "The Japanese envoy just said that Tsushima Island and Iki Island are your country's territory. Is that not true?"

Nakatomi Kamatari said in a deep voice, "What's wrong?"

Apollo chuckled and said, "That's nonsense. The ruler of Tsushima, whose name is Tsushima Muneichi, is merely a vassal of your country, just like our Tamra was once a vassal of Baekje."

Because he was familiar with the situation in Japan, he was also in the Tang Dynasty's negotiation team.

Nakatomi Kamatari said, "Even if they are vassal states, they are still within the scope of the agreement. When the Tang Dynasty and the Arabs signed a non-aggression pact, didn't it also include their respective vassal states?"

Jiang Ke smiled and said, "According to what your Excellency said, as long as the war is stopped, neither of us will attack the other's vassal states again?"

When Nakatomi Kamatari saw him smiling, he felt something was wrong. After thinking about it carefully, he didn't find any flaws in what he had just said.

"Yes," he could only answer reluctantly.

Jiang Ke said, "Well, after this agreement is signed, your country will no longer take action against the areas occupied by Silla and Mohe."

Nakatomi Kamatari's face turned pale and he asked, "Why? They have invaded our Japanese territory, so of course we must drive them out!"

Jiang Ke said, "Because they are all vassal states of the Tang Dynasty. After the agreement is signed, if you attack them, you will be breaking the agreement and declaring war on the Tang Dynasty!"

Nakatomi Kamatari showed a hint of panic and said, "If we want to sign an agreement, they must withdraw from our country of Japan!"

Liu Renyuan sneered, "Why? We didn't have this condition before."

Nakatomi Kamatari was sweating profusely, thinking of a countermeasure in his mind.

Onijima River, who had been silent the whole time, cleared his throat and said, "Okay, I can hand over the two islands of Tsushima to you, but you must also make Silla and Mohe withdraw their troops!"

Nakatomi Kamatari was shocked and turned to look at Onijima Kawakiyo, as if blaming him for acting on his own.

Onijima Kawaichi shrugged and said, "They're just two small islands. They're not as important as Noto and Mutsu, are they?"

Nakatomi Kamatari said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince didn't ask us to give up the two islands. How will we explain this to His Highness when we return?"

Onijima Kawakiyoshi said, "There's nothing we can do about it. I believe Your Highness can understand."

Nakatomi Kamatari snorted, as if making a huge concession, and said, "Okay, we can agree to cede two more islands, but your country must not only make Silla and Mohe withdraw their troops, but also return Prince Oama."

Liu Renyuan laughed heartily and said, "Why are you so anxious? We haven't agreed to let Silla and Mohe withdraw their troops yet, but you're making it sound like we've agreed."

Nakatomi Kamatari said in a deep voice, "If you don't agree, the two islands cannot be ceded."

Jiang Ke warned: "Japanese envoy, if you don't agree, don't regret it."

Nakatomi Kamatari raised his head and said, "If your country goes too far in bullying others, my country of Japan will fight you to the end!"

He dared to be so tough not only because he knew that the Tang Emperor had already issued an edict and Tang officials would have some concerns, but also because continuing the stalemate would only benefit the Mohe and Silla, and the Tang would not gain any advantage.

Negotiation is a psychological game. If you care too much about your own gains and losses, you will easily be led by others.

Only by stepping out of the chess game, remaining absolutely calm and objective, and seeing clearly the interests and bargaining chips of both sides can we seek the greatest benefits for our country.

Jiang Ke and Liu Renyuan exchanged a glance and said, "Since you're so insistent, let's leave it at that for now. We're not in a hurry anyway."

This was actually the second negotiation between the two sides, and just like the last time, it ended in a bad mood.

After the negotiations, Jiang Ke and Liu Renyuan led the Tang Dynasty negotiation team back to the Tang army camp thirty miles away and reported the situation to Liu Rengui.

Liu Rengui was sitting in the tent reading a book, looking very relaxed. He just waved his hand and said, "I understand. We will continue the negotiations in three days."

Liu Renyuan couldn't help but say, "Commander-in-Chief, if we continue to negotiate, I'm afraid the Mohe people will reach the Japanese capital. By then, the Japanese imperial palace will be looted, and the Japanese will have no money to compensate us."

Liu Rengui glanced at him and said, "Don't be impatient. Negotiations are all about patience. If we lose, we'll just be reprimanded by His Majesty and demoted a few ranks. If the Japanese lose, they'll die and their country will be destroyed. Time is on our side."

Liu Renyuan smiled bitterly.

He didn't care what the Japanese did, he only cared about whether he could be promoted this time.

Jiang Ke was younger than him and had a better attitude. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "The governor is right. Just wait. The Japanese can't be more patient than us."

Liu Renyuan had no choice but to agree.

Three days later, the negotiations continued at Kameikan.

The point of contention remains the ownership of the two Tsushima Islands.

However, Liu Renyuan clearly noticed that Nakatomi Kamatari was no longer as calm as last time. Not only was his face pale, but he also had dark circles under his eyes. It was obvious that he had not slept well in recent days.

Nakatomi Kamatari said in a deep voice, "We can give the two islands to your country. We can also expel Silla and Mohe on our own, but there is only one condition: you release the prince of the Oama people." Jiang Ke also keenly noticed his change and tentatively said, "To release the Oama people, we need the emperor's order. We can send someone back to Chang'an to ask for your permission."

Nakatomi Kamatari's face turned pale, and he thought to himself, "It's been over a month since you left and came back. How can I have the time to waste with you?"

He took a deep breath and said, "Then, all you need to do is promise us to ask for permission on behalf of your Majesty, and the agreement can be signed."

Seeing him give in, Jiang Ke knew that changes had occurred within Japan again and their bargaining chips had been reduced again.

Naturally, he would not let this happen, and he made another request: "We also have another request."

Nakatomi Kamatari looked at him coldly, suppressing his anger and said, "Don't go too far, your country!"

Jiang Ke put his hands in his pockets and said calmly, "We promised to help you petition the Emperor. One more request isn't too much, is it? Why are the Japanese envoys so anxious?"

Liu Renyuan snorted, "Some people always forget that they are the defeated nation."

Nakatomi Kamatari closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he had suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "What other conditions do you have?"

Jiang Ke said slowly, "During the last negotiation, we mentioned the issue of gold and silver compensation. You said at the time that the national treasury was short of gold and silver, right?"

Nakatomi Kamatari said, "Indeed, our country of Japan does not have much gold and silver, and mining is not easy. In the national treasury, there are only a little over 200,000 taels of gold and a little over 500,000 taels of silver."

"We still have five thousand dan of gold sand, which adds up to over two hundred thousand taels of gold. In addition, we have fifty boxes of pearls and gems, worth approximately one hundred thousand taels of gold. As for the remaining gold and silver, I hope to repay them over five years, one hundred thousand taels of gold and one hundred thousand taels of silver per year."

Jiang Ke raised his hand and said, "We just came up with a better idea."

Nakatomi Kamatari asked, "What's the idea?"

Jiang Ke said, "I heard that there is a large silver mine in Iwami Country, not far from Kyushu. Give us that silver mine, and we can save ourselves the rest of the gold and silver."

A muscle on Nakatomi Kamatari's face twitched as he said, "Iwami Ginzan is the largest silver mine in Japan. It holds tens of millions of kilograms of silver. How can I give it to you?"

Jiang Ke said, "Storing more is one thing, mining is another. The amount mined in five years is not even as much as the compensation."

Nakatomi Kamatari was so angry that his veins popped out, but he also knew in his heart that it was because he was not calm enough that the Tang people saw through his flaw and took the opportunity to take another bite.

Guidao Chuanqing snorted and said, "There is a large gold mine in the southern part of Kyushu, but you are not satisfied. I can't believe that the great Tang Dynasty, which claims to be a superior country, is so greedy."

Liu Renyuan laughed and said, "When it comes to greed, who can compare to a pirate like you?"

Guijima Kawakiyo's eyes turned cold, and a cold murderous intent burst out.

Although he always told others that he was a pirate, he actually hated others mentioning these two words. Many people were killed by him for mentioning pirates.

Liu Renyuan narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why, you want to take action?"

Nakatomi Kamatari knew that if he continued to delay, the situation would only become more unfavorable. He shouted, "Alright, let's make another concession. If the Tang Dynasty has any further unreasonable demands, we might as well raise them as well!"

Jiang Ke smiled and said, "Since you haven't made any new demands for no reason, we naturally won't have any objections."

After three rounds of negotiations, the two sides finally reached an agreement and signed a ceasefire agreement at Kameikan.

By the time the negotiation results reached Chang'an, it was already the beginning of spring of the following year.

Li Zhi rode out of the Xuanwu Gate on a dragon chariot and toured around Chang'an City along the Wei River.

Last year's drought affected harvests across the country.

Therefore, he attached great importance to this year's spring plowing. After late January, he often went out to inspect the farming work.

However, he usually wandered around Chang'an City, leaving in the morning and returning to the palace in the afternoon, and only occasionally slept outside.

That morning, he went to Fuping County, north of Chang'an City, for an inspection. Seeing that the farming was going smoothly, he returned early.

When he returned to Taiji Palace, it was not yet the hour of You. Just after passing Xuanwu Gate, a eunuch came to report that Hao Chujun wanted to see him.

Li Zhi came to Ganlu Palace and summoned Hao Chujun to meet him.

Hao Chujun came into the hall, exchanged greetings, and told Li Zhi about the negotiation situation.

When Li Zhi heard that the large silver mine in Iwami Province was about to be acquired, he was overjoyed and said, "Well done."

With this silver mine, we can explore the terrain of Japan under the name of mining, and it will be easier to find a reason to attack the main island of Japan in the future.

For example, miners get lost.

Hao Chujun said, "Your Majesty, the Japanese didn't agree at first, but they had no choice but to agree because of a crisis in their own country."

Li Zhi asked, "What happened?"

Hao Chujun said: "The Mohe cavalry raided the Takai Castle in Shinano, Japan. After the city was broken, they killed all the men, old and young, and took the young women captive and sent them back to their country as slaves."

"That Gaojing Castle was not far from the Japanese capital of Asuka. The Asuka nobles were terrified and sent people to Baekje to invite Queen Bao back to Japan. Now Queen Bao has regained control of the Japanese capital."

Li Zhi was stunned and asked, "What about Brother Zhong?"

Hao Chujun said, "Brother Zhong is leading the army and stationed in Minong. He should be negotiating with Queen Bao."

Li Zhi thought for a moment and said, "In fact, when our army was confronting Zhong Daxiong, he could have asked Queen Bao to return and guard the state. But he is too power-hungry. Now that Queen Bao has returned on her own, there is no way they can reach a good outcome through negotiation."

Hao Chujun said, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. Japan is currently facing internal and external troubles. I'm afraid it will be destroyed without us having to intervene."

Li Zhi pondered for a moment and said, "It shouldn't be that easy. Send a message to Liu Rengui, and let him stick to the original plan, proceed steadily and steadily, and control Jiuzhou first."

Hao Chujun responded and asked, "Your Majesty, how should the Kyushu region be governed?"

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "There's no rush for this matter. Let Liu Rengui handle it for now. We can discuss it in detail later in February."

Hao Chujun agreed and left.

Li Zhi returned to his bedroom and picked up a book on the table to read.

This is a translated copy of the Tamra Chronicle presented to him by Awagi.

There are no history books in Tamra. Every king would personally write down the important events that happened in the country for future generations to learn from.

What Li Zhi wanted to know was not the situation in Tamra, but the situation in Japan through this book.

The 25th king of Tamra recorded a useful event.

At that time, Wa had not yet been unified and was divided into Ezo, Wa and Hayabusa.

The Hayato country was the original inhabitant of Kyushu, who were later defeated by the Wa country and their territory was annexed.

Just as Li Zhi was watching intently, Wang Fusheng came to his side and whispered, "Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Queen has sent someone to ask you to come over."

(End of this chapter)