Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 396 Consecration as Earl
After leaving court, Li Zhi summoned Wang Jishan and asked about the situation in Baekje.

He didn't trust Fu Yu Fuxin's words, so he wanted to hear the real situation from Jin Yan.

Wang Jishan replied, "Your Majesty, according to the latest news from Jinyan, Fuxin's army is indeed encountering difficulties in Gwangju."

"So, in your opinion, should we help him?" Li Zhi asked.

Wang Jishan had already considered this issue and said in a deep voice, "I think not only should we not help him, but we should also support Jin Yan and replace him immediately."

"Buyu Yici hasn't been eliminated yet. Isn't it too early to act now?"

"Your Majesty, you may not know that Buyeo Boksin has undergone significant changes recently. When he was rising to power, he employed a large number of Mahan people. Now that he is in power, he has neglected those Mahan people and is once again employing Buyeo nobles."

Li Zhi's expression froze. When he heard the word Buyeo nobles, he immediately thought of Goguryeo.

"Just now in the court, you said that Buyeo Boksin sent people to contact Goguryeo. Is that true?"

"Yes." Wang Jishan nodded and said, "This is the news that Jin Yan found out. Fu Xin sent a minister named Buyeo Quan to secretly go north to Goguryeo."

"Who is Buyeo Jeon?"

Li Zhi was quite familiar with the situation in Baekje, and he also knew most of the people around Buyeo Boksin.

This was the first time I heard the name Fu Yuquan.

Wang Jishan explained, "Buyeo Jeon is also a member of the Baekje royal family. He is the cousin of Buyeo Yici, and his wife is the sister of Quan Gaesomun."

"Among the ministers of Baekje, this man has the best relationship with Goguryeo. Whenever Buyeo Ui-ja sends an envoy to Goguryeo, he always sends Buyeo Jeon."

Li Zhi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did he only recently defect to Fuyu Fuxin?"

"Exactly. After Queen Bao left Baekje, Uiji's army was greatly weakened and morale was low. Just then, Hei Chi Changzhi led his troops to attack, and Buyeo Jeon volunteered to resist Hei Chi Changzhi."

"But after Yici appointed him commander, he led his troops to defect and join Fuxin. Fuxin therefore placed great importance on him!"

Li Zhi nodded. Buyeo Boksin promoted this person obviously in order to restore relations with Goguryeo.

Wang Jishan continued, "Your Majesty, Fuxin has begun to exclude Jinyan and does not allow her to participate in any major decisions or affairs."

"Could it be that he guessed that Jin Yan is one of ours?"

Wang Jishan said, "That shouldn't be the case. Fu Xin not only excluded Jin Yan, but was also wary of Hei Chi Chang Zhi. Originally, all the armies were led by Hei Chi Chang Zhi, but now he has had much of his military power stripped away."

Li Zhi said thoughtfully, "It seems that he has begun to be wary of anyone who can threaten his throne."

"In my opinion, this man is extremely power-hungry and doesn't want anyone to threaten his throne, including us."

Li Zhi narrowed his eyes and said, "That's why he sent people to contact Goguryeo. He wanted to use Goguryeo to check and balance us."

"Your Majesty is holy."

Li Zhi asked, "What is the current situation of Jin Yan in Goguryeo?"

Wang Jishan said, "Her status among the Mahan people has surpassed her mother's. However, Fuxin has already dealt with all the Mahan high-ranking officials, which has also resulted in her being unable to confront Fuxin."

Li Zhi nodded.

Wang Jishan continued, "Once Buyeo Bok-sin takes Gwangju, his prestige will surely soar. If we then support Jin Yan to deal with him, it will be quite troublesome."

Li Zhi touched his chin and said, "Then, according to you, how should we support Jin Yan right now?"

Wang Jishan said, "I would like to issue an order to Your Majesty to elevate Jin Yan's status above Fu Xin!"

"That'll be fine?"

Wang Jishan said repeatedly: "With our prestige in Baekje, as long as Your Majesty clearly supports Jin Yan, a large number of officials under Fuxin should defect to Jin Yan's side."

Li Zhi said, "Supporting Jin Yan is fine, but I'm just worried that as soon as we support Jin Yan, Fu Xin will send people to put her under house arrest."

Wang Jishan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, didn't the Baekje people ask us to help them attack Gwangju?"

Li Zhi glanced at him and immediately understood what he meant. He could take this opportunity to send troops to Gwangju, ostensibly to attack Yici, but actually to protect Jinyan.

"Sending troops to protect her is no problem. However, relying solely on our support is not a long-term solution for Jin Yan."

Wang Jishan said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. Jin Yan has been secretly trying to win over Heichi Changzhi. Her latest message said she has a plan in place and is 80% sure of winning him over. With his support, Jin Yan will be able to stand up to Fu Xin!"

Li Zhi said, "What do you need me to do?"

Wang Jishan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please issue an edict commending all the rulers and ministers of Baekje. Especially commend Heichi Changzhi, giving him the same reward as Bok Sin."

"That'll be fine?"

Wang Jishan said, "Yes, given Fuxin's suspicious nature, as long as His Majesty issues an order, Heichi Changzhi, the commander-in-chief of the front army, will definitely not be able to hold on for long."

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "Okay, I'll do as you say."

That night, Li Zhi issued several edicts, which were sent to the two provinces for stamping and then urgently delivered to Liaodong by the Ministry of War.

After receiving the emperor's latest order, Liu Rengui immediately transferred the main force back to Yingzhou to prevent Goguryeo's sneak attack.

Jiang Ke also received new orders and led 12,000 Tang troops back to Xiongjin Port to station.

Li Zhi also ordered all the decrees regarding Baekje to be handed over to him, and he was in charge of contacting Jin Yan and taking full responsibility for Baekje's affairs.

After the two of them led their troops away, only 15,000 Tang troops remained in the Falcon State area.

These 15,000 Tang troops and Jiang Ke's 10,000 Tang troops were all Yulin Guards transferred by Li Zhi from Chang'an.

This army is not only powerful, but also the only professional army within the Tang army. It has salaries and is suitable for long-term overseas deployment.

After Liu Renyuan was appointed as the governor of Hayabusa, he ordered the Chikushi Asakura Palace to be converted into the Hayabusa Governor's Office.

In accordance with the court's orders, he did not immediately send troops to occupy other areas, but instead sent envoys to begin winning over the Hayato tribe in Kyushu.

The Wa tribe did not occupy Kyushu for long, and the various regent states in the southern part of Kyushu were still controlled by the Hayato tribe.

The guardians of various regions in Kyushu already knew that Japan had ceded them to the Tang Dynasty, and seeing that the Tang people did not immediately resort to force, the leaders of various places went to the Hayabusa Governor's Office to pay a visit to Liu Renyuan.

On the other side, after Jiang Ke returned to Xiongjin Port, he was about to lead his troops to Gwangju, but he discovered something strange.

Originally, there were always many Baekje refugees near the port who wanted to go to the Tang Dynasty.

However, after returning this time, he found that outside the port, there were only merchants coming and going, and not a single Baekje refugee could be seen.

When Jiang Ke asked Deputy General Zhang who stayed behind at Xiongjin Port, he learned that it was Buyeo Boksin who sent people to Xiongjin Port to forbid the Tang army to transfer the Baekje people to Laizhou.

Lieutenant General Zhang ignored them.

So Buyeo Boksin sent people to set up checkpoints on all the roads leading to Xiongjin Port, preventing Baekje refugees from coming over, in an attempt to force them to agree.

Deputy General Zhang had few soldiers under his command and did not dare to act on his own, so he had to report the matter to Yingzhou.

In the end, Yingzhou never replied. After hearing this, Jiang Ke pondered for a while and ordered, "Send people immediately to expel the soldiers from those checkpoints."

Deputy General Zhang received the order loudly and immediately led the army to clear the checkpoints in various places. If any Baekje soldiers wanted to resist, the Tang army would kill them directly without mercy.

Jiang Ke was not in a hurry to go to Gwangju at this time, and was stationed in Xiongjin Port to train soldiers.

A few days later, Baekje officials came to apologize for setting up the checkpoint, saying it was just a misunderstanding.

Fuyu Fuxin dared to set up a checkpoint because he saw that there were few soldiers in Xiongjin Port, so he became bolder and wanted to test the attitude and bottom line of the Tang people.

Now Jiang Ke returned with 10,000 Tang troops and cut off all their claws that had crossed the line. He was angry but also shocked.

At the moment, he still needed the help of the Tang people to deal with Yici. He thought that it would not be too late to slowly expel the Tang forces after unifying Baekje, so he sent someone to apologize.

Jiang Ke didn't try to make things difficult for them, and said, "It's a misunderstanding. We didn't forcibly abduct the people of Baekje. We made it easier for them to seek refuge in the Tang Dynasty because they couldn't survive. If General Fuxin were to stop even this, it would be outrageous."

The official smiled and said, "General, you are absolutely right. It's the people below who have misunderstood my meaning. My king loves his people like his own children. How could he stop them from seeking their own survival?"

Jiang Ke asked, "Anything else?"

The Baekje official laughed and said, "To be honest with you, General Jiang, when our king learned that you had returned with the Tang army, he was overjoyed and danced with joy."

Jiang Ke asked: "Why is this?"

The Baekje official sighed, "It is because Ui-ji, like a cornered beast, is holding on to Gwangju, and our army has been unable to break through for so long that the king is worried. We ask General Jiang to lead the Tang Heavenly Army to help us capture Gwangju."

Jiang Ke raised his hand and said, "Don't worry, I am leading the army back to Xiongjin this time, just to obey the order of the court and help your country!"

The official was delighted and said, "That's great."

Jiang Ke said, "Not only that, His Majesty has also sent envoys to commend your king and his ministers. I wonder where General Fuxin is now?"

The official hurriedly said, "My king is leading reinforcements and is heading towards Gwangju."

Jiang Ke said, "Very good. You can take my Tang envoy to Gwangju to meet General Fuxin and read out His Majesty's commendation order in public. I will lead the army and arrive later!"

The Baekje officials rejoiced, "With His Majesty's commendation, our army's morale will surely be greatly boosted."

Jiang Ke selected a soldier from his men, handed him the emperor's commendation decree, and asked him to serve as an envoy to go to Gwangju with Baekje officials.

However, Fu Xin led the main army and marched towards Guangzhou. They soon camped sixty miles outside Guangzhou City, only ten miles away from Heichi Changzhi's tent.

After Heichi Changzhi learned the news, he hurriedly led his generals to pay a visit to Fuxin’s camp.

After entering the military camp, he saw a woman waiting behind the camp gate. It was Jin Yan.

Jin Yan waved to Heichi Changzhi, then turned and walked away.

Heichi Changzhi gave a few instructions to his men, chased after him, and came to an empty corner of the camp.

It was already dark at this time. Jin Yan was wearing a tight leather armor, and she looked slim and charming in the night.

Heichi Changzhi stepped forward and asked, "Princess, what do you want from me?"

Jin Yan looked at him and said, "I'm here to remind the general."

Heichi Changzhi was stunned and asked, "Remind me of what?"

Jin Yan sighed, "A few days ago, Buyeo Jeon spoke to the king, saying that you deliberately did not take Gwangju."

Heichi Changzhi glared and asked, "What? Did he really say that?"

Jin Yan said, "Yes, he said that you were harboring the enemy and secretly colluding with Buyeo Yici, so the king sent troops here."

Heichi Changzhi angrily shouted, "What a rotten dog! How can Your Majesty trust the words of these surrendered slaves?"

Logically speaking, a two-faced surrendered general like Fu Yuquan would have a hard time surviving in the new camp.

Who would have thought that Fu Xin would place such special importance on this man and even use him to divide Heichi Changzhi's military power?

Relying on this, this person often quarreled with Heichi Changzhi with an arrogant and domineering attitude. Heichi Changzhi hated this person very much.

Jin Yan hurriedly said, "General, please be careful with your words. The king has changed a lot recently. You must be careful with your words and don't offend the king."

Heichi Changzhi took a deep breath, bowed to her, and said, "Thank you, Princess, for your reminder. After I eliminate Yici and repay the king's kindness, I will resign and retire, and never associate with these people again."

After he finished speaking, he returned to the camp gate and led his men towards the tent of Buyeo Boksin.

When we came near the king's tent, we saw a flash of silver light. Outside the tent stood an armored troop, all of them wearing armor and holding sharp weapons, looking solemn and awe-inspiring.

This armored army was composed of the one thousand armored soldiers donated by the Tang Dynasty and hundreds of captured armored soldiers, forming an armored army of fifteen hundred people.

This army was named the Army of Light by Fu Xin. Fu Xin did not let them go to the front line to fight, but kept them by his side as his personal guards.

Dozens of soldiers of the Light Army stood in two rows, facing each other, with long spears in their hands pointing diagonally forward, crossing each other in the air, forming a sharp spear path.

This is to demonstrate the majesty of the king!

After Heichi Changzhi reported it, he walked under the long spear, feeling very uncomfortable.

Buyeo Boksin deliberately displayed his royal power in front of him, obviously no longer trusting him.

Heichi Changzhi quickly entered the royal tent and performed a Baekje etiquette to Bok Sin who was sitting on the throne.

"Your servant, Heichi Changzhi, pays homage to the king."

Fu Xin smiled and raised his hand, saying, "General Black Tooth, there's no need to be so polite. Please sit down and talk."

In addition to Fu Xin, there were three other generals in the tent. They had already occupied the first seats on the left and right, and there was only a low chair on the right.

Heichi Changzhi hesitated for a while and had to sit in the second seat on the right with a rather ugly look on his face.

Because the general sitting in the first seat on the right was originally his subordinate.

Fu Yuquan sat in the left seat.

He now holds the position of Zuo Ping and is also named King Acuo. No matter his official position or title, he is higher than Heichi Changzhi.

Fuyu Quan smiled and said, "General Heichi, before Yici had no Japanese help, you were able to win battle after battle. Now that Yici is besieged in Gwangju and in dire straits, why can't you defeat him?"

Heichi Changzhi glared at him and said, "It was you who persuaded the king to massacre the people of Gwangju after the city was captured. This is what aroused their rebellion!"

Fu Yuquan snorted, "You heard it, my king! He actually put the blame on you."

Buyeo Bok-sin narrowed his eyes and said, "General Hei-chi must be exhausted from the long battle. How about this, General Hei-chi, you take a break for a while, and let all of Buyeo attack Gwangju?"

Heichi Changzhi was disheartened and said, "I will do whatever the king commands."

At this time, a sergeant came to report that the official sent to Xiongjin Port had returned.

(End of this chapter)