Chapter 169 Wande Bell
Goguryeo spent a lot of money this time. A thousand-year-old jade ganoderma lucidum is worthy of their national treasure. The reason why it was sent all the way to Daqi was to please Emperor Changzhi and seek Daqi's blessing.
Some time ago, a rebellion broke out in Goguryeo. The younger brother of Goryeo King Lee Sun started a rebellion and almost overthrew the regime. Although it has been temporarily suppressed, the other party is still seriously ill and may attack at any time.
Li Xun had no choice but to send his daughter to Daqi for help.
Li Xun was an obedient Goguryeo king, and his son was also relatively gentle. In comparison, his younger brother Li Wan was fierce and warlike. If he ascended the throne, there would be no peace in the north. Therefore, Song Yuzhu had already made preparations in advance and sent troops to aid Goguryeo after the New Year.
Next is the gift from Japan.
The Japanese prince Matsumoto Tsuru personally walked forward holding a wooden box, fell to the ground and shouted: "Long live the emperor."
Song Yuzhu said indifferently: "Stand up." Japan was not a vassal state of Daqi, so it should not have to perform such a great ceremony, but no one stopped him if he was willing to kowtow.
Matsumoto Tsuru said: "I present to your majesty the Heavenly King Sword of Lang Tianwang."
Lang Tianwang is a legendary figure in Japan. It is said that one thousand years ago, Japan was still a primitive tribe. Later, a capable man named Lang appeared. He led his tribe to unify Japan and established a new regime. He was honored as Lang Tianwang by later generations.
The box was opened, and inside was a rusty iron sword. This thing might be very precious in Japan, but it was worthless in Daqi. After all, who would spend money to collect antiques from a tiny country? Compared with the tributes from the previous two countries, it was really not presentable.
The envoys below were whispering to each other. Some said that Japan was shabby and gave away a broken sword. Others felt that Japan did not respect Daqi enough. They thought that you should just keep your country's swords to yourself. What's the point of giving them to others?
Unexpectedly, Matsumoto Tsuru said something shocking next: "I brought a letter from the King of Wa, Wa is willing to become a vassal state of Daqi."
These words are worth pondering. No country is willing to become a vassal state of others, because once a war breaks out, the vassal state will easily be the first to be pushed onto the battlefield.
Take Goguryeo for example. It was located in the northeast of Daqi and bordered the Xiongnu Kingdom. If Daqi and the Xiongnu fought, they would have to take the lead.
Of course, being a vassal state also has other benefits. For example, Daqi’s crop planting, textile, smelting technology and many other advantages can be learned by vassal states.
Japan is an island country that does not border any country, so no matter what kind of war happens in Daqi, it has nothing to do with them. Of course, they can also share Daqi's advanced technology. This is a calculation that they are making, and they probably regard others as fools.
Song Yuzhu said: "This sword is so valuable, Japan should keep it. As for the issue of vassal state, we can discuss it after the dinner." After saying that, he waved his hand, and the next envoy who wanted to present the treasure came forward.
Matsumoto Tsuru was unwilling to say something, but the Persian envoy pushed him away.
The Persian envoy could not speak Chinese, so he had an interpreter with him.
He mumbled for half an incense stick of time, causing the translator's face to turn red. Finally, he translated haltingly, "The King of Persia admires Your Majesty very much and wants to make a deal with Daqi. I hope to get Your Majesty's consent."
The Persian envoy smiled and nodded. Seeing that he had finished translating in just a few words, he was a little worried, fearing that his translation was wrong. Persia is a commercial country. Its specialty gems, spices, carpets, etc., if they can be sold in Daqi, they will definitely make a lot of money!
The tribute from Persia this time was quite modest, with a box of colorful gems, each the size of a fist. Song Yuzhu took a look and secretly sighed in his heart, if it were in modern times, any one of them would be enough for him to buy a house in the capital.
Song Yuzhu said: "Daqi is very willing to conduct business with Persia, and a railway line to Persia will be built next year." He has planned this line for a long time. It starts from Zhongzhou, passes through Xizhou, Loulan, crosses the Helan Mayi Mountains, and connects to the Persian Empire.
Because Daqi's business has also reached a bottleneck period. The introduction of machines has accelerated the speed of production. Now supply exceeds demand, and it is more difficult for ordinary people to make money.
After the translator finished speaking to the Persian envoy, the latter became very excited and danced with joy as he bowed to Song Yuzhu.
The Nanzhao Kingdom behind actually presented a pair of twin girls. These two girls were fair-skinned, beautiful and pitiful. They looked and figured exactly the same.
The Nanzhao envoy said, "The sisters were born with one heart and one body. If one of them is touched, the other will also react. And they are both virgins."
The envoys and officials sitting below had lustful looks on their faces, looking back and forth at the two sisters, almost stripping them naked to feast their eyes.
Song Yuzhu waved his hand and said, "Take them away." He had no desire for women, but if he refused, the sisters would definitely not have a good ending.
Zhao Xiao, who was sitting next to him, had a face as black as the bottom of a pot. Sending a woman to Yuzhu, the country of Nanzhao probably deserves a beating!
The envoys that followed presented tribute one by one, and finally arrived at the Jin Kingdom.
Yeluta stepped forward, clasped his fists and said, "Greetings to the Emperor of Daqi. I am here on the orders of the Khan to congratulate Daqi on the New Year and to present a small gift."
More than a dozen eunuchs outside the hall carried in a huge box. Everyone looked around, wondering what was in the box.
Yelu Ta kept the secret a secret and said: "This item originally belonged to Daqi. I, Emperor Taizong, once brought it back to Jindu. Now it has been returned to its original owner." As he spoke, he opened the box, and inside was a huge bronze bell!
"How dare you! Did you do this on purpose?" Xu Bing stood up angrily and shouted.
Yeluta was stunned: "What do you mean by intentional?"
"Send a bell" sounds like "send off the dead", so Yelu Khan should be killed!
Amudan was also panicked after seeing this "tribute". No wonder the eldest prince suddenly fell ill and the other princes were unwilling to come. To see Emperor Changzhi off on such a happy day, isn't this seeking death?
A group of soldiers rushed out of the gate. They were wearing armor and holding muskets, and they surrounded Yelu Tower in unison.
Yelu Ta also realized that there was something wrong with this thing, but his father Khan did not tell him that there was a bronze bell inside when he came.
Song Yuzhu walked down from the throne with a sullen face and looked at the large bronze bell in the wooden box. The bell was engraved with the Tao Te Ching and was indeed a product from the Central Plains.
Qin Fengtu suddenly stood up and said, "This... this Wande Bell?!"
The ministers also became excited: "Wande Zhong, could it really be the long-lost Wande Zhong?!"
Song Yuzhu was stunned. He had also seen the record of Wan De Zhong when he read ancient books.
According to legend, this bell was built by the Han Emperor, and the scriptures on it were engraved by the great Confucian scholar Li Er himself. Ringing the bell can enhance national prestige, straighten the backbone, and shake the mountains and rivers!
Unfortunately, the bell was lost during the war when the Jin people invaded. Emperor Tiansheng mobilized the entire country to search for it for more than ten years, but there was no clue. Unexpectedly, the bell was brought back to the Jin capital by them.
Song Yuzhu reached into the deep bell and felt around, and sure enough, the words "Wan De" were engraved inside.
"Yes, this is the Wande Bell from our Central Plains!"
The ministers sobbed and their eyes turned red. They glared at Yelu Tower. This bell was the evidence of the Jin army's march north and the massacre of 300,000 people in the Central Plains. Such a blood debt was too heavy to describe!
"Everyone, please step back. Master Yelu, thank you for returning the Tiande Bell. I hope there will be no more war between our two countries." Song Yuzhu said.
Yeluta swallowed his saliva. He was almost scared to death just now and thought that his life was going to end here.
Amudan also breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He didn't know what the Khan was thinking, but he actually sent back the Wande Bell. He was familiar with the culture of the Central Plains. He heard that when the Taigu Sect took away the Wande Bell, hundreds of thousands of people from the Central Plains knelt down and cried under the city wall.
Because this bell is not just a bronze bell for the people in the Central Plains, but also their spiritual sustenance.
Yeluta put his hand on his chest and said: "May there be no more war between our two countries."
After the gift presentation, there was a banquet. Song Yuzhu left early because she was tired.
Without the emperor around, the others had no restraint and started chatting freely, discussing which country's gift tonight would please His Majesty the most.
Everyone tacitly agreed not to mention the Wande Bell, because it originally belonged to Daqi, and the Kingdom of Jin returned it to its original owner.
"If you ask me, it must be the jade Ganoderma lucidum that the emperor likes the most." After all, the emperor was ill some time ago. With this thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum to nourish his body, he will surely recover soon.
"I think Tianzhu is more practical. They gave us a golden Buddha statue. That's real gold and silver."
"Anyway, they are all stronger than Japan!"
"Hahahahahaha..." the ministers burst into laughter.
Matsumoto Tsuru clenched his fists, and his eyes darkened as he looked down at the sword box beside him. He had already lowered his posture so low, why did Daqi still laugh at him like this?
In recent years, the Japanese people have been frequently targeted by the navy of Daqi, and they dare not go out to sea to fish in Daqi, because as soon as they meet, the other side will open fire without saying a word, destroying the boats and killing people.
The King of Wa was really at a loss, and wrote more than ten letters asking for peace, but they were like a drop in the ocean and never received a reply. Finally, he had no choice but to send him to ask to become a vassal state of Daqi.
However, judging from the attitude of Emperor Daqi, he may not agree. It seems that I have to think of other ways.
*
On the other side, Yeluta held the wine glass and drank one cup after another.
Amudan, who was sitting next to him, whispered, "Your Highness, don't drink too much."
Yeluta sneered and said, "The wine in the Central Plains doesn't even smell as strong as horse urine. It won't make people drunk at all."
"Then drink less, so as not to cause more trouble." There have been enough things happening tonight, and he really doesn't want to clean up the mess for the Third Prince.
"Did you know what the tribute was all along?" Yeluta suddenly asked after putting down his wine glass.
"You colluded with my eldest brother and asked him to pretend to be sick and rest, deliberately causing me to come here!"
Amudan was stunned: "What are you talking about?"
"Don't think I don't know, otherwise why doesn't he come himself?"
"Since Your Highness thinks so, I have nothing to say."
"If you don't say it, it means you agree. None of you are good people!"
At the end of the meal, people got up and left one after another. Amudan was too lazy to continue playing along with him and just left the palace.
Yeluta was drunk and he staggered out.
It happened that a young eunuch accidentally bumped into him while he was packing up.
"Get out of here!" Yeluta raised his leg and kicked the eunuch in the chest. The force of this kick could kill a cow, let alone this skinny eunuch.
The man flew four or five meters away, rolling his eyes and spitting out blood.
The eunuch next to him was so frightened when he saw this that he immediately reported it to the chief guard. The guards surrounded Yeluta and did not allow him to leave the palace.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
