Chapter 429
A Reverse "Treaty of Shimonoseki"!
...
Zhao Yu was still at ease with Cai Jing, knowing that this cunning and treacherous minister would never miss an opportunity to extort money from Japan.
However, given the gravity of the matter, Zhao Yu still had Liang Shicheng convey a bottom line to Cai Jing.
In other words, Japan ceded Tsushima Island to the Song Dynasty in exchange for 10 million taels of gold and 100 million taels of silver. Japan also opened all of the Song Dynasty's coastal areas as trading ports and allowed the Song Dynasty to invest and establish factories in Japanese trading ports.
That's right.
The conditions proposed by Zhao Yu were a reversal of the Treaty of Shimonoseki!
This was an idea Zhang Chun gave to Zhao Yu.
Clearly, Zhang Chun intended to return this humiliating treaty to Japan.
Frankly speaking, the Song Dynasty's offer of such terms was absolutely taking advantage of a crisis.
It should be noted that during the Jingkang Incident in history, the Jin Dynasty captured the outer city of Bianliang. Taking advantage of this, the Jin people made exorbitant demands for war reparations, but all they asked for was 10 million ingots of gold (500 million taels), 20 million ingots of silver (1 billion taels), 10 million bolts of silk, and 1,500 young girls.
But that was a treaty signed under duress; the lives of millions of residents in Bianliang were in the hands of the Jurchens. Crucially, the lives of the emperor, the royal family, the imperial clan, the ministers, and the nobles—who could decide everything—were also in the hands of the Jurchens. Couldn't they just pay whatever money they wanted?
But now, the Song Dynasty has neither marched its troops to the Japanese capital nor set foot on the Japanese mainland. Yet, with only a large army that has not yet been deployed, it is demanding such harsh conditions. This is an unprecedented form of extortion.
Zhao Yu knew that such a price demand would inevitably provoke fierce opposition from Japan.
After all, although Japan was invaded by the Jurchens and the Japanese army was suffering defeat after defeat, the Jurchens were still in northern Kyushu and had not yet attacked Honshu in central Japan, nor even Chugoku or the four main islands, and were even further away from the Kinki region.
In other words, Japan still has room to maneuver.
However, there isn't much room for maneuver.
It's important to understand that even if Japan weren't completely destroyed, just the Jurchens occupying northern Kyushu would have been unbearable for Japan.
First of all, there are gold and silver mines on northern Kyushu Island, and their total reserves must far exceed 200 million taels of silver.
Putting everything else aside, just looking at the gold and silver reserves there, it's worth Japan spending 200 million taels to protect northern Kyushu, let alone protect Japan itself.
Crucially, northern Kyushu served as a "bridgehead" connecting the Japanese archipelago with the mainland. To the north, it faced the Minochi region across the Korea Strait, and to the west, it bordered the Yellow Sea and the Song Dynasty. It was the only convenient passage for trade and personnel exchange between Japan and the East Asian mainland.
Hakata Bay, a natural deep-water port, has been Japan's largest foreign trade port since the Heian period. Silk, porcelain, and tea from the Song Dynasty, ginseng and linen from Goryeo, and even spices and medicinal herbs from more distant regions all had to land here and then be transshipped to core areas such as Heian-kyo and Kamakura.
Japan's lacquerware, folding fans, sulfur, copper ore, and other specialties also needed to be loaded onto ships here to be exported to exchange for foreign exchange and strategic materials to maintain the country's operation.
Therefore, losing Kitakyushu would mean that Japan would be completely isolated from the East Asian trade circle, becoming an isolated "island" overseas, and its domestic economy would stagnate.
Northern Kyushu was the "first line of defense" for the Japanese mainland. Once it was lost, it would be like opening the door to thieves, and the destruction of Japan would probably be only a matter of time.
Furthermore, the Chikugo Plain and Fukuoka Plain in northern Kyushu have fertile soil and are among the most important grain-producing areas in western Japan. The rice and wheat produced each year can supply the food supply for millions of people in the Kinki region. Hakata Bay has abundant fishery resources, and the catch not only meets local needs but also supplements the food supply to Kyoto through canal transport.
That is precisely why Japan absolutely cannot afford to lose Kitakyushu.
In this way, it seems that it is not impossible for the Song Dynasty to propose ceding Tsushima Island, paying huge wages, and allowing Japan to open all its trading ports to the Song Dynasty.
Furthermore, if the Song Dynasty did not seize this golden opportunity to make a huge demand, Japan might be even more worried, fearing that it might be like letting a tiger in through the back door while keeping the wolf out the front.
In short, Zhao Yu let Cai Jing talk to the Japanese envoy first, taking it slow, since it wasn't the Song Dynasty that was in a hurry.
When Zhao Yu returned to his harem, he saw more than a hundred short women kneeling before him.
Needless to say, they must be Princess Consort Consort and Princess Consort Nozomi, along with those one hundred Japanese beauties.
Without the bulky "twelve-layered kimono," their floor-length hair was cut short, the white powder on their faces and bodies was washed off, their big black teeth were brushed clean, and normal eyebrows were drawn on them. These Japanese beauties no longer looked like Sadako, but like a group of normal women.
Ok.
Even so, these Japanese beauties are different from women of other ethnicities.
It could be due to the short stature inherent in Japanese women, their unhealthy diets, or the fact that they mostly live indoors and lack physical activity, while customs such as corsets and twelve-layered kimonos worn by aristocratic women have affected their natural bone growth. In any case, all these Japanese beauties are very short.
Zhao Yu estimated that the tallest among them was less than 1.5 meters, most were a little over 1.4 meters, and many were only a little over 1.3 meters.
Zhao Yu felt that they were like a group of elementary school girls who hadn't grown up.
Of course, looking at their female characteristics, you'll find that although they aren't fully ripe, they are at least of age where they can be picked.
However, Zhao Yu's understanding of Japanese beauties was that they were like Yui Aragaki, Satomi Ishihara, Kyoko Fukada, Masami Nagasawa, and Izumi Itai, or like Sora Aoi, Yui Hatano, and Maria Ozawa.
These little girls...
Fortunately, these Japanese beauties are indeed quite good-looking.
Several of them even bore the resemblance to Yui Aragaki, Masami Nagasawa, and Izumi Itai. One even looked somewhat like Yui Hatano. Looking at her, Zhao Yu thought, 'If only her figure were like Yui Hatano's.'
To Zhao Yu's surprise, "Yui Hatano" actually understood Chinese.
After Zhao Yu told the Japanese beauties to rise and dispense with formalities, "Yui Hatano" whispered something in Japanese to Princess Soko and Princess Yoshiko. Princess Soko and Princess Yoshiko stood up respectfully, and the other Japanese beauties followed suit.
Although Princess Congzi and Princess Xizi weren't particularly beautiful, they possessed a remarkable air of elegance. Princess Congzi, in particular, despite being in her early twenties, had the presence of a mature woman with a youthful face and large breasts. At the same time, she exuded a sacred aura typically associated with spiritual women. Zhang Chun looked at Princess Congzi and asked, "Are you a nun?"
In Japan, female ordained nuns are usually called "ni-sō" or "ni". In addition, female practitioners who have not received full ordination are called "sāmi-ni". For some senior female monks who have teaching responsibilities, they can also be respectfully called "ni-shī".
As soon as Zhang Chun opened her mouth, "Yui Hatano" was taken aback! She hadn't expected that Zhao Yu's concubine would know the title for Japanese female nuns.
"Yui Hatano" quickly recovered from her surprise and translated Zhang Chun's question for Princess Consort Congzi and Princess Consort Xizi.
Princess Consort Chong nodded to Zhao Yu and Zhang Chun, indicating that she was indeed a nun.
Upon seeing this, Zhang Chun said, "As far as I know, the Buddhist precepts of your dynasty clearly stipulate that formally ordained nuns must strictly abide by the precept against sexual misconduct, and marriage is strictly prohibited. Is that correct?"
After "Yui Hatano" translated for Princess Consort Soko, Princess Consort Soko replied in Japanese, and "Yui Hatano" translated for her in turn: "Buddha said that one can only attain enlightenment after all sentient beings have been liberated. Now, with the danger of our country collapsing before us, and war raging across northern Kyushu, millions of people will be plunged into fire and water. What is the point of cherishing this life?"
After a pause, Princess Congzi lowered her eyes, clasped her hands, and continued, "The precepts of nuns are meant to protect all living beings; if one clings to minor precepts while seeing the country fall and the people displaced, it is putting the cart before the horse. I swear by the bloodline of the royal family that I am willing to remove my nun's robes, return to secular life, and make peace through marriage, only asking that the Great Song send troops to repel the Jin, protect the safety of my Japanese land, and ensure the peace of my people. This is not breaking the precepts, but rather sacrificing my own life to help all living beings cross over. If the Buddha's heart is clear, he will understand my will."
Zhang Chun scoffed at this, saying to Zhao Yu, "Many so-called 'nuns' in Japan at this time are actually noblewomen, widows, or others who have cut their hair for specific reasons, not formally ordained nuns. Their behavior is not strictly bound by precepts. Moreover, some schools of Buddhism in Japan are beginning to loosen their restrictions. For example, the wife of Shinran, the founder of the Jodo School, became a bhikkhuni, which has set a precedent for changes in Buddhist precepts. In my opinion, she is also in this situation..."
"Yui Hatano" never expected Zhang Chun to be so knowledgeable, and immediately felt a sense of awe towards her.
After hesitating for a while, "Yui Hatano" looked at Zhang Chun and asked, "Does Your Majesty understand my Japanese?"
It's no wonder that Yui Hatano asked this question; she was afraid that she or other Japanese beauties might say the wrong thing and bring disaster upon themselves and Japan.
Zhang Chun wanted to say "I don't understand," but Zhao Yu, who was standing next to her, said, "She knows a little bit about it. Mama de, mama de, is that right?"
Upon hearing Zhao Yu's words, the group of Japanese beauties were all stunned! They never expected that Zhao Yu, the emperor of the Song Dynasty, would utter such Japanese. They also couldn't fathom under what circumstances Zhao Yu had learned this phrase.
Zhang Chun, who was standing to the side, was already thick-skinned, and had become even more shrewd over the years, but she still couldn't help but blush after hearing Zhao Yu's words.
Why?
This was because Zhang Chun had said this Japanese phrase to provoke Zhao Yu, and Zhao Yu had learned it.
Zhang Chun thought to himself, 'Luckily, these people don't even know what "yam-die" means, otherwise, with such vulgar and obscene language from my instructor's family, the censors would definitely impeach me!'
Zhao Yu said "Yama-dee" purely subconsciously. He had forgotten which TV series it was from, but he just casually used it to ease the atmosphere.
However, after this test, Zhao Yu felt that words like "yama-dake" and "ichiku" probably hadn't yet developed into bedroom terms in Japan at that time.
After this minor incident, Princess Consort Consort and Princess Consort Nozomi, through "Yui Hatano," pleaded with Emperor Zhao Yu to send troops to rescue Japan.
In response, Zhao Yu first stated that the Song Dynasty forbids the empress dowager from interfering in politics. Since these Japanese beauties are newcomers and unaware of this rule, he will not punish them this time. Then, Zhao Yu expressed his sympathy for Japan's plight and said that if both sides could reach an agreement on the cost of sending troops, he would send troops to aid Japan.
Seeing that Zhao Yu intended to send troops to rescue Japan, Princess Consort Consort, Princess Consort Nozomi, and a hundred Japanese beauties were very happy and grateful to Zhao Yu.
Zhao Yu then took the opportunity to put his arms around the waists of Princess Consort Congzi and Princess Consort Xizi, and then watched some Japanese beauties dance for him.
Were Princess Consort Congzi and Princess Consort Xizi nuns?
What does this have to do with Zhao Yu?
It wasn't Zhao Yu who forced them.
Furthermore, if they weren't nuns, Zhao Yu might not have been so sexually interested in them.
Zhao Yu liked their coy, hesitant manner, a mixture of desire and self-reproach.
After being introduced by "Yui Hatano", Zhao Yu learned that the dance performed by the Japanese beauty was called "Shirabyoshi Dance".
This is a dance that has become very popular in Japan in recent years. The dancers are usually women who wear white dresses of young Japanese nobles and golden eboshi hats. They dance gracefully while singing "Ima-yō-ka" and swinging their white sleeves.
This dance originated as a ritual dance performed by priestesses in temples. Later, it was gradually invited to be performed in the homes of nobles or warriors, and thus gradually became popular.
"Yui Hatano" also introduced to Zhao Yu that there were two dancers among them, one named Yujiu Gozen and the other named Gio, both of whom were well-known dancers in Japan and were specially selected by the Hokage Shirakawa to present to Zhao Yu.
It is not difficult to see from this that the White River Dharma King has indeed put in a lot of effort this time.
It is not difficult to see just how much pressure the Jurchens put on Emperor Shirakawa.
This gave Zhao Yu even more confidence in obtaining the conditions for sending troops that he wanted.
Oh, I forgot to mention, "Yui Hatano" was supposed to become Empress Fujitsubo, the consort of Emperor Toba.
Just before "Yui Hatano" was to enter the palace, the Jurchens attacked. Emperor Shirakawa learned from a group of Song merchants that Emperor Zhao Yu was a womanizer and his favorite thing to do was to defeat the enemy and seize their wives and daughters to take into his harem.
Emperor Shirakawa immediately decided to present Japanese beauties to Emperor Zhao Yu.
Because of her fame in Kyoto and her fluency in Chinese, "Yui Hatano" was chosen by Emperor Shirakawa to be included in the list of tributes, and was also made the translator for a group of Japanese beauties.
While the fact that "Yui Hatano" is very suitable for the role certainly plays a part, it also involves the political struggle between Emperor Shirakawa and Emperor Toba.
But what does this have to do with Zhao Yu?
For Zhao Yu, as long as he can communicate with "Yui Hatano" teacher, that's enough. He doesn't care who she almost became in the past, because she's his now.
That evening, Zhao Yu chose Princess Sora, Princess Yoshiko, and "Yui Hatano" as his consorts. In addition, "Yui Aragaki," "Masami Nagasawa," and "Izumi Itai" also served as substitutes to witness and serve Zhao Yu's Sino-Japanese exchange with Princess Sora, Princess Yoshiko, and "Yui Hatano"...
...(End of chapter)