Chapter 2927 King of Japan
Nan Yan blinked: "Then, what is the second message?"
Zhu Feng said: "The second message is that he wants to be on good terms with the Great Yan Dynasty."
"ah?"
This "news" surprised Nan Yan. She said, "He wrote a letter praising the Emperor, which could be considered diplomatic rhetoric. Furthermore, the letter also subtly stated that the Japanese pirates had nothing to do with them. But how did the Emperor know that he wanted to establish a friendly relationship with the Great Yan Dynasty?"
Zhu Feng said, "In the letter, he referred to himself as 'minister'."
"ah?!"
This surprised Nan Yan.
Even though this was the first time she had heard the name Adachi Yoshio, and even though she didn't know much about the situation in Japan, the principle that a servant should not serve two masters should apply universally.
Since Adachi Yoshio was the emperor's general, that is, a subject, it was natural that he could not pay homage to anyone else.
However, he called himself "minister" in the letter he presented to Zhu Feng.
This is probably more important than the information revealed before, that the Japanese pirates harassing the southeast coast have nothing to do with them.
Nan Yan said, "Your Majesty, what does he mean by this?"
Zhu Feng smiled faintly and said, "I also want to know what he means."
“…”
"Or, let's think about it together."
Nan Yan perked up when she heard this. She even brewed two cups of tea and brought them to Zhu Feng. She also held a cup in her own hand, warming her fingertips.
Zhu Fengxian said, "A person must do something that benefits himself. Submitting himself to me will not benefit his status as a general."
"Not only is it of no benefit, it is also harmful."
Nan Yan continued, "A servant cannot serve two masters. As such an important figure in Japan, if he were to pay homage to the emperor of another country, he would probably be considered a traitor in his own country."
Zhu Feng nodded after hearing this.
"That makes sense."
"So, what kind of benefit can make him ignore everything else?"
“…”
Having said that, Zhu Feng frowned, and suddenly picked up the letter from Adachi Yoshio, opened it and read it again.
Nan Yan watched from the side and asked softly, "What did the emperor see?"
Zhu Feng's eyes were still fixed on the few lines on the paper as he slowly spoke, "Although this person's letter is simple, the wording doesn't convey any trace of treason or cunningness."
“…”
"For those who have reached this position, character is more important than means."
"oh……?"
"So if he doesn't have the intention of selling out his country for personal gain, then I'm afraid he has something else in mind."
"What are you thinking?"
"Plan for the benefit of one's own country."
"National interests?"
Nan Yan opened her eyes wide and looked at Zhu Feng, then at the letter in his hand. Suddenly, she understood something: "The Emperor means that although writing this letter may seem like selling out his country for personal gain, it will benefit Japan."
"good."
Zhu Feng nodded, a hint of sneer in his eyes. "I sent people to retrace the northwest Silk Road and open up the southeastern coastal defenses in order to reestablish the old tributary system. His actions are exactly what I want."
Nan Yan was even more puzzled: "The Emperor said he wanted to pay tribute to the Great Yan Dynasty?"
"Even if he doesn't want to, if he needs something from me, I have to make him want to."
Nan Yan's mind was even more of a mess.
He said, "The Emperor is willing to bear the charge of selling out his country for personal gain. What exactly is he asking for? Why should we pay tribute to the Emperor?"
Zhu Feng said, "Do you remember what I just told you? Even though Japan is so small, it has many mountainous regions. There are even some places that a general like him cannot control."
"yes."
"As the supreme ruler of a secular power, as long as he is a normal person, would he want to unify and subdue these forces?"
"certainly?"
At this point, Nan Yan suddenly jumped up from her chair: "He wants to use the deterrent power of the Great Yan Dynasty to unify Japan?"
Zhu Feng smiled faintly and said, "It's nice to lean against a big tree for shade, everyone would think so."
Nan Yan took a deep breath, held the armrest of the chair, and slowly sat back.
"So that's how it is..."
She sighed, as if she didn't know what to say. After a long silence, she said softly, "To unify our country, we have to pay tribute to another great power. This..."
Zhu Feng looked at her and smiled, "Is it hard for you to accept?"
Nan Yan hesitated for a long time and said softly, "It's hard to imagine."
Zhu Feng chuckled and said slowly, "Although big things have their own difficulties, it's better for a country to be too big and difficult to manage than too small and have nothing. Otherwise, many things will be beyond our control."
“…”
“Sometimes, it’s not just about a country, it’s also about being a human being.”
Nan Yan nodded slightly.
"I understand."
After she finished speaking, she looked up at Zhu Feng again: "If Adachi Yoshio has such thoughts, how does the emperor plan to deal with it?"
Zhu Feng said, "I have just expressed my thoughts."
"just?"
Nan Yan thought about it and immediately understood: "The emperor wants to restore the old days when other countries came to pay tribute, so he will accept his tribute."
Zhu Feng nodded and continued, "But, this is the benefit we gave him."
Nan Yan couldn't help but smile.
Paying tribute to another country may be a benefit, which may sound unbelievable, but such strange things are probably not uncommon in the interactions between countries.
Nan Yan said, "The Emperor wouldn't give him any benefits for nothing, would he?"
"certainly,"
Zhu Feng said, "Countries should be trustworthy, but trustworthiness cannot be the only thing. The Great Yan Dynasty is a great country, but it is not a victim of abuse."
Nan Yan asked, "What price does the emperor want him to pay?"
Zhu Feng said with a smile on his face, "What are the problems we are facing now? Let them solve them, won't it be fine?"
"ah!"
Nan Yan suddenly understood everything and came over to stare at Zhu Feng with shining eyes: "Your Majesty is saying that you want this Adachi Yoshio to deal with those pirates in his capacity as the Japanese general?"
"Yes, if he can deal with these pirates, he will be a meritorious service to our dynasty, and I will naturally accept his tribute."
Nan Yan smiled and said, "That's great! We don't have to spend a single soldier. We can just let them attack. This will not only weaken their strength, but also gain the tribute of a vassal state. This is really killing two birds with one stone."
Zhu Feng collected the two letters and put them back into the box. He said slowly, "I will issue an order tomorrow."
“…”
"Then it will all depend on whether this Adachi Yoshio has the ability. If he can truly wipe out those Japanese pirates, I will crown him the 'King of Japan'!"
Nan Yan was stunned when she heard this: "Huh?"
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