After leaving Caiduo Town, they headed north. Passing Yingtian Prefecture, a guard reported that the prefect, Chang Xuelin, who had been implicated in the embezzlement of disaster relief grain, had been executed. Soon, they arrived in the capital.
Zhao Huan gazed at Bianjing, the capital of the Song Dynasty, feeling as if he were in another world. Regardless, the Song Dynasty's economy was indeed formidable. Bianjing, in particular, was a scene of revelry every night. Ever since the curfew was lifted, the capital's bustling districts remained brightly lit well into the night. The lifting of the curfew was largely thanks to Cai Jing. It was Cai Jing who had suggested it to Emperor Huizong, and it was a boon for the people; at least their nightlife had become much more enriched.
It was early morning when Zhao Huan returned to the palace. He did not rush to the harem, but went directly to the Wende Hall because there was urgent military business to be dealt with there. Li Gang, Meng Gu Rao and others were already waiting in the Wende Hall.
"Your Majesty, we bow to you..."
"Okay, everyone, stand up. Let's stop talking nonsense. I want to hear your opinions. Zhao Li did something earth-shattering. He actually captured the Japanese emperor. But this also poses a difficult problem for me. Should we fight Japan or not?" Zhao Huan sat on the dragon throne, and the palace maids had already handed him tea and snacks.
"Your Majesty, I think we should go to war. At the same time, the Song Dynasty will send a joint fleet to Japan. After reuniting with Prince Li, we will capture Japan in one fell swoop." Li Gang was the first to express his attitude.
He Li agreed with Li Gang's opinion: "I agree. This time, it was Japan that started the trouble. They covet the cargo of our dragon ships and want to take it for themselves. This time, Prince Li has captured the emperor alive, and he can use this as a threat to send troops to pacify Japan and incorporate small Japan into the territory of the Great Song Dynasty. We can imitate the Tang system and establish a protectorate in Japan to exercise jurisdiction over them."
To be honest, this was the most difficult decision for Zhao Huan. Whether to attack Japan or not, and how to manage it after conquering it, were all very thorny issues.
Japan's Heian period was relatively backward, and Emperor Torini was incompetent and incompetent, perhaps even inferior to Zhao Ji. The feudal lords of various regions of Japan nominally recognized the emperor's position, but in reality, each lord had his own army and did not fully obey the emperor's rule.
After Toriihito ascended the throne, imperial power declined further. The situation was similar to that of the late Han Dynasty, with the only difference being that the Japanese people were so enamored with the emperor that they avoided any rebellion. However, the various vassal states struggled against each other, and wars continued unabated.
Meng Gu Rao disagreed, "Your Majesty, I disagree with Li Gang and Lord He Li. War is dangerous, and sending troops to Japan will bring no real benefit to the Song Dynasty. Furthermore, we are separated from Japan by sea, making it extremely difficult to supply them. Even if we manage to conquer Japan, it is a barbaric and backward place, and the people are unaware of the power of the Son of Heaven. We will still have to send people to govern it. It would be an unnecessary burden."
Duan Xiaorong and Meng Gurao shared the same idea. As the Minister of Revenue, he was in charge of the economy. He was most aware of the consequences of conquering Japan, so he followed suit, saying, "Your Majesty, if we conquer Japan, it will become Song territory. Appointing Japanese officials alone is a problem, even if we send them. However, the emperor is far away, and this can easily lead to a situation where one side dominates and refuses to submit to the emperor's rule. The main problem is the long distance. Given the Song Dynasty's capabilities, trade with Japan is too expensive, especially over the long seas. A natural disaster or man-made disaster in Japan would likely take months or even a year to reach Bianjing. Conquering Japan is a hot potato."
Zhao Huan nodded. This was also what he was most worried about. "I think so too. Taking over the Japanese administration is a difficult problem. It will do more harm than good to our Song Dynasty. However, if we release that damned Emperor Nihito, I will not be able to swallow my anger, and it will be difficult to demonstrate the majesty of our Song Dynasty. These jumping clowns have no idea how powerful our Song Dynasty is."
Meng Gurao and Duan Xiaorong exchanged a glance, and Meng Gurao lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, I have a suggestion, but I'm not sure if it's feasible."
Zhao Huan knew that if Meng Gurao didn't offer any advice, it would be fine, but if he did, it must have been carefully considered. "Tell me about it."
Meng Gurao continued: "Give up Japan, but make them surrender."
Zhao Huan didn't understand: "What do you mean, release Niao Ren? It's easy to make them surrender, but I'm afraid they're only surrendering on the surface, and secretly have evil intentions towards our Song Dynasty."
Li Gang was a belligerent who loved to fight at the slightest disagreement: "Your Majesty, I believe we should declare an all-out war against Japan and conquer it. As for how to govern Japan after we conquer it, that's also simple. Send a Song official to Japan to appoint officials, and then send a reliable minister to govern, and that's it."
"Lord Li says it easily, but who should we send? The people in that remote and poor place are uneducated and often cause trouble for the court. Don't forget, Mongolia is still eyeing the border covetously. We will apply our experience to Japan, so what should we do about Mongolia? We have to be on guard against this," Duan Xiaorong said angrily.
He Li, the fiery hot-tempered man, also jumped in and said, "What kind of trouble are they causing? They disobeyed the imperial court, so we sent troops to suppress them. Just imagine how much trouble such a tiny country can stir up!"
It seems that these four regent ministers have argued about this matter countless times. They each have their own opinions and reasons.
"Alright! Stop arguing." Zhao Huan interrupted them. "Don't underestimate this tiny country. Little Japan shouldn't be underestimated. Of course, they can't become a force to be reckoned with right now. Meng Gurao, tell me what you think about how to make Japan surrender."
"Your Majesty, we can go to war. Emperor Torihito has been captured, and the princes from all over Japan have risen up in arms, rebelling under the banner of saving the emperor. We should beat them hard until they are subdued, and beat the little Japanese so that they have no power to fight back, and make them afraid of the might of the Song Dynasty. Then we can release Torihito, so that they will be both afraid and terrified of the Song Dynasty, and make Japan pay tribute and become a vassal state of the Song Dynasty. Or we can simply not allow the emperor to be emperor, but only a vassal. The Song Dynasty will not manage them, so let them govern themselves." Meng Gu Rao expressed his thoughts.
Zhao Huan nodded. "I've considered this before. Forget about not allowing the Emperor to become Emperor. After all, the Japanese people worship the Emperor, so let's keep the Emperor for now. But Japan won't be allowed to station troops. Only a small number of local security forces are allowed."
Everyone was delighted to hear this. Not allowing Japan to maintain an army or engage in large-scale militarization would, on the one hand, save labor, and on the other hand, without an armed army, would not pose a threat to the Song Dynasty.
It was possible to retain local security forces, but this would make Japan a lamb to be slaughtered. Fortunately, Japan was isolated overseas, and no country at that time was willing to cross the sea to invade Japan. Moreover, Japan became a vassal state of the Song Dynasty and was under the protection of the Song Dynasty. No one was willing to provoke the tiger of the Song Dynasty.
"This plan is feasible, Your Majesty. Do we still need to hold court early in the morning?" Li Gang asked.
Zhao Huan shook his head. "No, it's decided. However, this is only a temporary measure. Japan can't always obey and not station troops. But at least we can guarantee domestic peace in Japan for three years, and prevent them from having any dissenting thoughts against the Song Dynasty for ten years. As for the future, if I am still alive, Japan will not cause any trouble. If I die, it will be left to future generations to decide whether to take over Japan."
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