Chapter 5203 Claiming Credit and Shifting Blame

Chapter 5203 Claiming Credit and Shifting Blame
"Hmm? Jiro went to Japan?"

Li Chengqian looked at the memorial presented by the Ministry of Rites, frowned, and asked a question.

Xu Jingzong, who had just returned to Chang'an, looked somewhat thin and dark-skinned, which dispelled the accusations that he had been extorting money and indulging in lavish lifestyles during the land surveys in various places...

When asked by His Majesty, Xu Jingzong replied, "Your Majesty, I just saw this memorial. It was sent by the navy with an urgent dispatch. The Grand Commandant has reached a preliminary agreement with Japan on the matter of submission and has urged officials from the Ministry of Rites to go and negotiate the specific details."

Li Chengqian was somewhat annoyed: "A dignified Grand Commandant of the Empire, yet he went to such a lowly and barbaric land as Japan, showing no respect whatsoever!"

Liu Ji agreed, saying, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. As the Grand Commandant, he should be stationed in Chang'an, guarding the capital region, and assisting Your Majesty in stabilizing the court. How could he just decide to go on a trip overseas and then arbitrarily order the navy to incite internal strife in Japan, intending to destroy the country?"

Li Chengqian glanced at him and said, "I am worried about the Grand Commandant's safety. The reason why Japan is in such a state of chaos today is because of the navy's instigation from within and without, and the machinations from above and below. It is inevitable that some Japanese people hate him to the bone. If they take advantage of his presence in Japan to carry out an assassination, that would be terrible!"

Liu Ji: "..."

Xu Jingzong almost burst out laughing: "Your Majesty, rest assured, the Grand Commandant is always meticulous. Since he dared to set foot in Japan, he must have made thorough preparations for defense. With the elite of the navy, the Japanese, who are not even a rabble, will certainly not pose a threat to him."

Liu Ji, having finally gotten a chance to speak ill of them, naturally wouldn't let it slip away easily: "That's true, but the Japanese are, after all, an ancient country with a history spanning thousands of years. Although they are ignorant and backward, their traditions have been passed down and they consider themselves orthodox. How can we rely on our military strength to blatantly interfere in their internal affairs? Furthermore, we should incite and bribe Japanese nobles to carry out this so-called 'democratic election' through deception... The Tang Dynasty can decide the selection of the Japanese king, but it cannot sever their lineage or cut off their descendants. Otherwise, how will the world view the Tang Dynasty? Will the instigator have no descendants?"

There is some truth to what this said.

Between nations, unless there is a mortal enemy relationship like that between the Tang Dynasty and the Turks or Goguryeo, one should not easily destroy a country or cut off its lineage. A strong country should even maintain the legitimacy of a weak country. This is not only a matter of law, but also a matter of righteousness.

Otherwise, if the Tang Dynasty can manipulate the "democratic elections" of Japan today, will it be able to manipulate the "democratic elections" of other countries tomorrow?
As a result, the barbarian tribes lived in constant fear and trembling, which greatly damaged the prestige of the Tang Dynasty as the "Celestial Empire." Who would respect the Tang emperor as the "Heavenly Khan" in the future?
Even more so, if the Tang Dynasty manipulates the people of other countries to conduct "democratic elections" to demonstrate public opinion, will the Tang Dynasty one day also hold a "democratic election" and let all the people of the world choose who will be the emperor?

Xu Jingzong disagreed, retorting: "Your Majesty wishes to have the princes 'establish fiefdoms throughout the land,' which naturally requires foreign territories for their settlement. Rather than expending countless manpower, resources, and wealth, and sacrificing the lives of countless soldiers to conquer and subjugate territory by territory, this 'elected' method, allowing barbarian tribes to choose their own allegiance, can save a great deal of national resources. The Grand Commandant risked his life to personally travel to Japan to establish the basis for negotiations between the two countries. Such hard work and meritorious service should serve as a model for all officials."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ji shook his head and sighed.

He believed that his talent and ability were no less than Xu Jingzong's, but when it came to shamelessness and flattery, he readily admitted defeat.

Li Chengqian waved his hand to stop the two from arguing and asked Liu Ji, "The Grand Secretary has also read this memorial. In it, the Grand Commandant has put forward various conditions and restrictions regarding Japan. Do you think there are any inappropriate points, or do you have any additions?"

Liu Ji had no objection to this: "The Grand Commandant's memorial on guiding the culture and history of Japan is to the point. From now on, the culture and history of the Japanese will be under the control of the Tang Dynasty. Decades later, the next generation of Japanese will only know that they originated from China, and all their culture will come from the support and teaching of China. They will consider themselves subjects of the Tang Dynasty and be loyal to the Tang Dynasty, but they will not know their origin. Compared with this, things such as trade, leasing, and enfeoffment are trivial matters."

Although there was a power struggle between him and Fang Jun, and he was constantly trying to weaken Fang Jun's influence and seize more benefits from him, Liu Ji also had the pride of being the Grand Secretary. The struggle was within the bounds of reason, but he did not want to call a deer a horse or reverse the truth, nor would he stoop to such things.

Fang Jun directly severed the historical heritage of Japan, merging its cultural origins into China, changing its customs and traditions. After thirty to fifty years, a new generation emerged, unaware of the existence of "Japan" and only knowing of "China," thus becoming one with the Tang Dynasty as a vassal state.

This was the most thorough annihilation of the country and extinction of its lineage. It was incomparable to the so-called pursuit and destruction of the country by the likes of Li Jing and Li Ji in the west.

Li Chengqian was also very satisfied.

His desire to "feudalize the world" required, first and foremost, the availability of land to establish fiefdoms. If not, then he had to send troops to fight. Once a major war broke out, the costs of provisions, weapons, supplies, compensation for the wounded and the bestowal of official titles and ranks would all amount to enormous sums of money. Even though the Tang Dynasty's national treasury and imperial funds were currently abundant and wealthy, such a large-scale war would still cripple the nation.

Compared to those aggrieved and wailing meritorious officials of the Zhenguan era, Fang Jun's bloodless methods were most in line with the interests of the empire.

Why bother with a large-scale military campaign when "democratic elections" can be so easily organized?
It's not just a matter of wasting national funds; it also easily earns him the reputation of a "tyrant." "Military expansion and warmongering" is never a good thing...

"Now that the Grand Commandant has laid the groundwork, the details of the negotiations will be handled by the Secretariat..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Jingzong quickly said, "Your Majesty is wise. Such matters concerning vassal states have always been handled by the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonies. Your humble servant is willing to personally go to Japan to take over the negotiations and formulate detailed treaties to ensure the interests of the Great Tang Dynasty."

How could we just stand by and watch such a great achievement be taken away by the Secretariat?

Fang Jun personally oversaw the negotiations in Japan, clearing away the most difficult obstacles. The toughest nut had been cracked, and the rest was just a matter of time before things naturally fell into place. Xu Jingzong would naturally not let such a merit slip away in vain.

In the imperial court, Xu Jingzong was second to none in terms of competence, and he was second to none in taking credit...

Liu Ji said angrily, "But Japan is not yet a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. This negotiation is not a normal diplomatic relationship between the two countries. What does it have to do with the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonies? The Secretariat should send people to continue the negotiations so as to conclude an alliance."

Xu Jingzong shook his head repeatedly: "What the Grand Secretary said makes some sense. It is clear that the Secretariat or the Ministry of Rites have the authority... But the problem is that this matter is of great importance and concerns the future systems of the countries in the East and South. A person of sufficient weight must go to oversee and take charge. The Grand Secretary is the prime minister of the country, with a high position and great power. How can he go to Japan to participate in the negotiations? And apart from the Grand Secretary, no one in the Secretariat is more suitable than me."

"okay……"

Li Chengqian was getting a headache from the two arguing and said with dissatisfaction, "An imperial prime minister and a grand minister are acting like common laborers, haggling over every penny and refusing to give in to each other. What kind of behavior is this!"

Liu Ji and Xu Jingzong quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive us!"

Li Chengqian snorted and looked at Xu Jingzong, asking, "Minister, you have traveled all over the country and measured fields these past two years, which can be described as hard work and great achievements. Now you are going to Japan and crossing the ocean. Can you endure such hardship? Take care of your health and don't push yourself."

Xu Jingzong was overjoyed: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Although I am tired, I am willing to do my best to serve Your Majesty and help you achieve a glorious era and a great cause! Even if I have to give my all, I will do it willingly."

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction.

Therefore, emperors throughout history have never lacked treacherous officials around them, because these officials are not only good at handling affairs, but also good at speaking. Thus, even though it is known that they are morally deficient and of poor character, it is still difficult to demote them.

Just imagine if you were surrounded by officials like Wei Zheng, then being an emperor wouldn't make much sense...

Of course, he understood the art of balancing power, which meant that loyal ministers should be given more authority and treacherous ministers should be restricted. He would not allow the emperor to favor treacherous officials and cause chaos in the court.

However, although the matter was entrusted to Xu Jingzong, the Grand Chancellor's face could not be disrespected.

"The Secretariat is the central government of the empire, and it cannot stand idly by in such an important matter. The Vice Minister of the Secretariat and Minister Xu can accompany each other."

"The minister obeys the order."

Liu Ji breathed a sigh of relief.

Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, countless countries have been destroyed, but never before has a country submitted to the Tang Dynasty through "popular election." This is a remarkable event, which is in line with the Confucian principle that "a good warrior does not boast of his achievements." It is conceivable that once this event is accomplished, Confucian scholars will surely clamor and praise it, and it will definitely be recorded in history books. If the Secretariat does not participate, it will inevitably be attacked and considered to have failed in its duty.

Li Chengqian flipped through the memorial again and couldn't help but laugh: "Remains of Xu Fu's life have been discovered on the coast of Naniwa... Xu Fu was even once the king of Wa, and all the previous kings of Wa were descendants of Xu Fu... Hehe, that's utter nonsense."

Speaking of this, Liu Ji also laughed: "The Japanese believed such absurd words without a doubt. At the time of the 'democratic election,' the Japanese not only had no hatred or hostility, but admired the strength of the Celestial Empire. They cheered and were eager to submit to the Tang Dynasty, thinking that they had returned to their ancestors. It's ridiculous."

Li Chengqian shook his head: "How can barbarian lands and ignorant people know the truth of the world? Whatever the nobles who hold power say, the people will take it as the truth. Occasionally one or two people can see through the truth and understand the facts, but they are also drowned in the cacophony of public opinion... The Secretariat and the Ministry of Rites must cooperate sincerely and be familiar with all the procedures. They must also carefully examine the mentality and reactions of the Japanese people and formulate a law that can be used for a long time, so that they can quickly come up with a solution in similar situations in the future, saving time and effort and prioritizing efficiency."