Chapter 111: Fight! (2 / 2)

The emperor turned to the Grand Historian.

The Grand Historian was a well-read scholar who had spent forty years in the royal archives before becoming a court historian. He was well-versed in many topics and began recounting the events after a moment of thought. “This is indeed true. In the ninth year of Gaozong Yuanheng, due to the Wokou’s disrespect towards Zhou, they took advantage of Zhou’s campaign in Liaodong and, in their diplomatic letter, referred to their ruler as ‘heavenly sovereign,’ attempting to test Zhou’s reaction. Gaozong was furious and, despite the challenges of fighting on two fronts, dispatched 50,000 troops aboard a thousand warships to attack the Wokou.”

During a regime change, much information tends to be buried, particularly details about the previous dynasty. Official records often emerge much later. Even many senior officials present had never heard of this battle—except those who had read the Old Records of Zhou.

The Grand Historian, considering the audience, simplified his explanation.

“In the ninth year of Yuanheng, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the Zhou army landed on Tsushima Island. Within hours, the island was completely subdued.”

“By the twenty-fourth, they had conquered Iki Island.”

“On the twenty-ninth, they entered Hakata Bay. On the thirtieth, they set foot on Kyushu.”

“Conquering Kyushu in half a month, and while fighting on two fronts? That doesn’t seem too difficult,” commented a Left Military Governor with a laugh. He patted his chest and added, “Your Majesty, say the word. Give me 50,000 troops, and I’ll crush the Wokou!”

The Vice Minister of Rites shook his head. “If it were so easy, why would the Zhou need to attack three times? The key must lie in that evil wind.”

The Grand Historian nodded in agreement and continued, “Originally, only scattered resistance remained in northern Kyushu. Within four or five days, the Zhou army could have reached Dazaifu. However, on the thirtieth, a sudden storm arose and raged for five consecutive days. Of the thousand warships, only two hundred survived. Of the 50,000 troops, a mere 3,000 escaped back to the mainland in small boats, while 7,000 to 8,000 were captured. The rest perished in the storm.”

“This happened three times. Though the ships carried celestial observers to predict the weather, the evil wind was elusive…”

It was Liang Rui who spoke next. Wearing plain, ash-colored robes, he frowned and said, “Your Majesty, I understand the importance of maintaining Da Xia’s dignity. If we appear weak, neighboring tribes may indeed underestimate us. However, the Wokou’s strange wind is troubling. If Da Xia were to launch not three but even two campaigns against them, it would be enough to ruin our reputation.”

He proposed a solution: “In my humble opinion, we could instead send envoys to rebuke the Wokou king in person and reject their tribute to demonstrate our imperial authority.”

The emperor neither agreed nor disagreed.

After all, his main objective was the Wokou’s gold and silver mines.

But the mention of an “evil wind”…

Just…

At this critical moment, the inner voice of Little Bai Ze sounded. His face was full of confusion.

[Didn’t anyone in the Zhou Dynasty think of attacking the Wokou at a different season?]

[Typhoons are common from June to October. Why not attack in the spring? Why insist on this time of year—just because it’s the season for fattened horses and traditional campaigns?]

[Also, they could consider using Jeju Island as a base. It’s the closest point to the Wokou.]

Jeju Island?

The emperor exchanged glances with a few military generals.

Yongchang Marquis recalled Jeju Island’s location and nodded subtly to the emperor. He whispered, “It’s an isolated island between our mainland and the Wokou, closer to Goryeo. We raise horses there and sometimes exile criminals to that area.”

—In other words, Xu Yanmiao’s strategy was feasible?!

The court of Da Xia was stunned.

Little Bai Ze actually understood military strategy?!

No one was more shocked than the Ministry of War’s officer.

His close friend wasn’t just a naive simpleton? Could he secretly be a military strategist who had simply never shown his hand?!

“Xu Lang…”

Xu Yanmiao snapped back to reality. “Huh? What?”

The officer cautiously asked, “You looked so solemn just now…”

Xu widened his eyes. “Did I look especially serious?”

[Oh no, I didn’t control my expression! Will they think I dislike the Wokou?]

The officer: “…”

Actually, no. He made that up to steer the conversation.

“Yes, a bit,” the Ministry of War officer coughed lightly before continuing, “I noticed you were listening very intently. Are you very familiar with the Wokou?”

Xu Yanmiao scratched his cheek. “Well… sort of?”

[I mean, I’ve just looked into which months the Wokou don’t experience typhoons, the best geographical locations to launch an attack, the resources available on their islands, which countries have used what strategies against them, and which were effective or not…]

As these inner thoughts surfaced, Xu unconsciously recalled the information and muttered to himself internally.

The Da Xia court: “…”

As the saying goes, your enemy knows you best.

Considering Xu Yanmiao didn’t even know what month mulberry trees were planted, yet he had specifically researched which months the Wokou were free from “evil winds”…

It really seemed like he despised the Wokou.

That settled it—they had to attack!

Yongchang Marquis, speaking in his thick northern accent, boldly lied with a straight face: “Your Majesty! I’ve lived near the coast before! I’ve witnessed these evil winds and know exactly when they occur and cease! Moreover, I have a young friend with a deep personal vendetta against the Wokou. I humbly request Your Majesty to send me to avenge him!”

The Left Military Governor spat at him forcefully: “You call that avenging someone?”

You’re clearly after their gold and silver mines!

Shameless!

Since modern and contemporary periods can’t be included, this story will not feature related plotlines.

The author is merely writing about a fictional, small nation that disrespects Da Xia. Any resemblance to actual events is purely coincidental.

(Serious tone)

For the corrupt official, I drew inspiration from Heshen.

Of course, not the exaggerated “eight hundred million taels of silver” from folklore, because according to The History of Chinese Currency

, during Qianlong’s era, the total silver reserves in the entire Qing Dynasty amounted to only about 300 million taels.

Moreover, based on The Elite Family’s Wealth: A Study of Qing Dynasty Elite Household Asset Structures, a Qing elite’s total assets—including cash, real estate, and appraised valuables—likely did not exceed five million taels.

(Sources primarily include the Archives of the Grand Council, Communications from the Imperial Household Department, and Official Treasury Reports from the Imperial Household Department.)

If you’re concerned about inflation, you might want to look into the Ming Dynasty’s “Longqing Opening of Trade.” Here’s a brief mention:

[In 1567, Emperor Longqing lifted the maritime trade ban, allowing private merchants to trade freely across the East and West Oceans. Scholars estimate that between 1567 and 1644, approximately 330 million taels of silver flowed into the Ming Dynasty from overseas—equivalent to one-third of the world’s total silver production during that period.]@@novelbin@@

[And despite the significant influx of silver, rice prices remained remarkably stable:]

Early Ming Dynasty: During the Hongwu era, the national rice price was 0.5 taels per shi.

Mid-Ming Dynasty: During the Hongzhi era, rice prices in Beijing rose to 1.8 taels per shi.

After the Longqing Trade Opening: Rice prices in Beijing dropped back to 0.5 taels per shi.

Late Ming Dynasty: During the Wanli era, after experiencing flooding, rice prices rose to 1.6 taels per shi but typically remained at 0.5 taels.

During the Chongzhen Era (End of Ming): Rice prices surged to 3.6 taels per shi.

(So, the gold and silver mountains of the Golden Island are still manageable.)

The story of Emperor Gaozong of Zhou attacking the Wokou takes inspiration from the Sui Dynasty’s “The Son of Heaven of the Land Where the Sun Rises Sends a Letter to the Son of Heaven of the Land Where the Sun Sets” and the “Mongol Invasions of Japan.”As for the Mongol invasions of Japan, what I could never understand is…

Why would they use flat-bottomed riverboats to sail on the open sea (baffled)? When a typhoon hits, if your boats don’t capsize, whose would?