The prince is more stable

Chapter 963 The Fate of the Japanese
Among Zhao Xiaoqian's many wives and concubines, the two Japanese sisters actually had a relatively weak presence.

Their acquaintance with Zhao Xiaoqian was an accident. In the years that followed, in order to win Zhao Xiaoqian's favor, the two sisters could only rely on quantity, and they would often accompany him together.

In matters of love between men and women, Zhao Xiaoqian was actually quite a scoundrel, a trait he probably inherited from his father. However, Zhao Xiaoqian ultimately didn't reach his father's level.

He couldn't just turn his back on someone after he was done with them. He responsibly added all the women he had been with to his harem, and as long as they didn't cause too much trouble, they would basically stay with him for life.

Both Japanese sisters were granted the title of imperial concubine, so their status was naturally quite high. Di Ying took good care of them, providing them with the best of everything in the palace.

However, as Zhao Xiaoqian's status became more and more prestigious, the two sisters became less and less confident.

They were terrified that Zhao Xiaoqian would one day abandon them heartlessly and send them back to Japan by imperial decree.

This concern is not unfounded. Just yesterday, they received a secret letter from their family elders in Japan, sent from across the ocean.

The situation in Japan is already very bad.

The source of the trouble was a Song Dynasty general named Zhang Rong, who was once a general under Zhao Xiaoqian.

This general, who was loyal to Zhao Xiaoqian, has now become a fearsome villain in Japan, described as "ruthless killer," which is even an exaggeration.

The Song Dynasty was peaceful and prosperous, and its national strength was growing stronger. In a few years, the Song Dynasty might become a powerful dynasty no less than the Han and Tang Dynasties, and would once again be admired and worshipped by the world, with all nations paying tribute.

But Japan today is a living hell, filled with corpses and bloodshed, all the result of the atrocities committed by Zhang Rong and his Song army.

The Taira and Minamoto clans, who were once so powerful that even the Japanese imperial family had to defer to them, were now inevitably dragged into the quagmire of war by the Song army's rampage.

The two sisters were still young, not yet twenty years old. Their experience and vision were even smaller. Their small minds were filled only with serving their husbands, raising their children, and the high-class etiquette and unconditional obedience of the nobility.

Aside from these, they can't hold much else in their hearts, such as family, country, or the world.

Therefore, they could not understand why the official doted on them so much, yet was so cruel and ruthless towards their country, committing such heinous atrocities.

Is it that the official inherently dislikes Japan, or does he simply want to expand his territory and incorporate Japan into the Song Dynasty's domain?

This question had been troubling the two sisters, but they dared not ask it in front of Zhao Xiaoqian. Until yesterday, they received a secret letter from their elders, informing them that the situation in Japan was already very dangerous.

The Song soldiers were like demons crawling out of hell, killing, burning, and looting everywhere. They didn't treat the Japanese as human beings, and all sorts of heinous crimes were commonplace. The Japanese people wailed and cried, but no one could save the situation.

The Song army, equipped with sophisticated firearms, was no match for the Japanese army, which consisted almost entirely of peasants.

Therefore, under Zhang Rong's command, the Song soldiers could fight wherever they wanted, take whatever territory they desired immediately, and kill as many people as they wanted, with no more and no less.

As a result, the originally powerful Taira and Minamoto clans inevitably clashed with the Song army.

The outcome of the conflict was also a foregone conclusion: both families suffered repeated defeats, and the Song army advanced step by step. Now, the situation in Japan is extremely critical.

Thus, in despair, the two families remembered the two eldest daughters who had once been given to the Duke of Song, who is now the Emperor of Song.

On the main battlefield, they were truly helpless. It was only a matter of time before they were annihilated by the Song army. If this situation continued to develop, the entire Japan would fall to the Song army, and both families would be wiped out in the war.

Perhaps even Zhao Xiaoqian himself did not expect that when the Song army was launching a western expedition against the Western Xia, preparing for a war of annihilation, Japan, which was just across the sea, was also about to be destroyed by the Song army.

Zhang Rong's actions were surprisingly swift, partly because the Japanese army was utterly incompetent.

The Japanese are inherently inferior in terms of race and genes. In their country, 1.5 meters is considered very tall. How could someone of that height fight against the fierce and powerful Song soldiers?
Moreover, the Song army also had flintlock muskets that ensured equality for all.

After receiving the secret letter from their elders, the two sisters were both anxious and scared, so they crawled into Zhao Xiaoqian's bed tonight.

That night, Zhao Xiaoqian felt both tired and comfortable.

I woke up this morning with a dull, aching pain in my lower back.

Who would have thought that, even as emperor, one would be like an ox or a horse handling state affairs by day, and then like an ox or a horse pulling a millstone to travel the world by night?

I'm so angry, when can a man stand up?

Or, let the woman sit on it herself!

It must be said that Japanese women are truly gifted when it comes to serving men.

This ability seems to be ingrained in the genes of Japanese women, as if it were an innate skill.

Upon opening his eyes early in the morning, Zhao Xiaoqian rubbed his aching back. Looking at his two sisters, one on each side of him, both equally tired and asleep, Zhao Xiaoqian sighed inwardly and then began to reflect on himself.

Am I being too licentious? Should I have the imperial chef stew a tiger penis to nourish myself?
Will I die on a woman's belly someday?

The sisters woke up at the same time when they heard an alluring moan beside them. They saw Zhao Xiaoqian staring intently at them, and they were both shy and happy.

Seeing that the two women still seemed unwilling to let him go, Zhao Xiaoqian's eyelids twitched, and he hurriedly stopped them.

"That's enough, that's enough. If you keep squeezing me out of them, I'll really become a scumbag..." Zhao Xiaoqian sighed.

The two sisters chuckled and obediently stopped their flirtatious actions.

"My lord, the Empress is pregnant, and we also want to..." Lady Ping said softly.

"There's no rush. It depends on fate. Besides, I'm not a heartless person. Do you think I'd kick you out just because you haven't had children?" Zhao Xiaoqian comforted him.

Hearing that he wouldn't kick them out, the two sisters were overjoyed, and half of their worries were immediately relieved.

Then the two sisters remembered the secret letter sent by their elders, and their expressions became conflicted and hesitant.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at them briefly and noticed their hesitation. He then ruffled their hair and said, "We've been married for a long time, so you can speak your mind without any reservations. Whether I'm a duke, a prince, or the emperor, I'm just your husband in front of you."

"A wife doesn't need to worry about what she wants to say to her husband."

The two sisters were so moved that their eyes reddened. After a long silence, Lady Ping lowered her head and whispered, "This humble servant dares not interfere in matters of state, much less influence my husband's decisions. But yesterday, my sister and I received a letter from our family elders, and they..."

Before they finished speaking, Zhao Xiaoqian already understood what they meant.

The current situation in Japan is entirely Zhao Xiaoqian's doing. Zhang Rong led his troops to wreak havoc in Japan, and whether it was occupying territory or killing and looting, it was all at Zhao Xiaoqian's behest.

On a larger scale, Japan, this island nation, is a natural port that the Song Dynasty needs. If the Song Dynasty wants to explore the eastern part of the ocean and find new continents in the future, it will set off from the ports on the east coast of Japan.

This was a strategy that Zhao Xiaoqian had planned long ago and would not easily change; occupying Japan would make it easier for him to make his own arrangements.

To put it bluntly, Zhao Xiaoqian also had some personal selfish motives.

After all, his hatred for Japan was deeply ingrained in his past life. Although the Japanese had not yet committed those heinous crimes against China in this era, Zhao Xiaoqian had to completely conquer the country in order to be responsible for future generations.

The Japanese are a despicable people, and their nature is extremely base.

They bully the weak and fear the strong, and are afraid of power but not of virtue. In other words, they will only grovel and submit to powerful forces, and may even develop a perverse and distorted loyalty.

When faced with the weak, they reveal their inhuman side, treating them as nothing more than human beings, and killing and torturing them without any scruples.

Faced with such a people, Zhao Xiaoqian had no choice but to kill them, and finally completely conquer them and incorporate them into his territory.

At present, Japan truly looks up to the Song Dynasty with great admiration. Before Zhang Rong led his army to land in Japan, everyone in Japan, from the imperial family and feudal lords to ordinary people, had an unparalleled yearning and respect for the Song Dynasty. Anyone or anything related to the Song Dynasty would be met with envious and jealous glances.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian was well aware that this was because the Song Dynasty was now powerful, and Japan had to rely on the trade of Song Dynasty goods for its economy.

What if, several years later, the Song Dynasty is no longer powerful? What if its national strength declines? What will Japan's attitude towards the Song Dynasty be then?

Zhao Xiaoqian would not naively gamble on the good and evil of human nature, much less naively believe that this despicable nation would continue to submit to and revere the Central Plains dynasty.

Since it will inevitably become a scourge sooner or later, we might as well take advantage of our national strength and eliminate this scourge completely, so that future generations will not suffer the same hardships as those of modern history.

With his arms around his sisters' shoulders, Zhao Xiaoqian closed his eyes as if he were dozing, but said calmly, "I know what you mean."

The two sisters secretly observed his expression, but saw that his face was neither happy nor sad, revealing nothing. Ping Shi became anxious and whispered, "I'm sorry, sir, we have overstepped our bounds. We will not mention this matter again. Please don't blame us, sir."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and said, "It's not that serious. Although the empress and concubines are not allowed to interfere in politics, you care about the fate of your families. In my opinion, it is your families that raised you, and it is because of this that I have two gentle, considerate, and knowledgeable women..."

After a pause, Zhao Xiaoqian's tone became more serious: "Write a reply to your family elders and tell them to submit to Zhang Rong, one of my generals, as soon as possible and give up all resistance. They can still retain their current wealth and honor."

"But from now on, they can no longer be loyal to the Japanese Imperial Family, but to me. Japan will soon be incorporated into the territory of the Song Dynasty."

"I have important strategic plans for this island nation, and I cannot allow it to be controlled by foreigners."

“Your clansmen will henceforth be Song subjects. Make them hand over their power and troops, and I can guarantee their wealth and honor.”

"As for the fate of other Japanese, you don't need to worry about it."

(End of this chapter)