Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4837 Crossing the Ocean
The aroma of tea wafted in the air, the cool breeze blew gently, and the couple drank tea and chatted in the flower hall. As long as Princess Gaoyang did not act unreasonably, the atmosphere was very harmonious...

After chatting for a while, Fang Jun saw that Princess Gaoyang was hesitant to speak, so he asked with a smile: "What do you want to ask? Feel free to ask me directly and I will tell you everything I know. But I have to say this first. If you continue to make trouble, go back to sleep and we will see what happens on the bed!"

"Bah! Do you think about the bed all day? You are such a loser!"

Fang Jun: "..."

Okay, okay, the thief cries "stop thief" and the villain complains first, right?

He stretched himself and said, "Oh, I've been really busy these past two days. I feel so tired after sitting for a while. My lady, let's go and rest early."

Just get off the couch.

Princess Gaoyang hurriedly grabbed his arm, knowing that she would have no energy to talk after he tossed her around in her bedroom, so she looked at him with burning eyes and said, "Let me ask you something."

Seeing his seriousness, Fang Jun came back and sat cross-legged: "Please ask your Highness."

Princess Gaoyang rolled her eyes at him and said, "You are not a decent person..."

He paused, as if to organize his words, and then slowly said: "Although men are responsible for external affairs and women are responsible for internal affairs, I don't have Mei Niang's wisdom and strategy, but there is something hidden in my heart that is like a thorn in my throat, and I still want to ask you."

Fang Jun indicated that it was okay to ask.

Princess Gaoyang then said, "What's going on between you and His Majesty? Some time ago, those people in the royal family were jumping up and down and refused to settle down. We all know what they want to do, but you have always supported His Majesty. Why did you have so many conflicts with His Majesty? In any case, His Majesty is now in a legitimate position and there should be no changes."

She had never been very involved in family affairs. First, she had no interest in it, and second, she had no talent. Why bother herself with trouble? But she had to ask about this matter. The ownership of the throne was too much. She was afraid that her husband would do something unfaithful for the benefit of his family. Although both the King of Wei and the King of Jin were Taizong's legitimate sons, just like her husband's original intention of supporting Li Chengqian, if he could depose Li Chengqian and support the King of Wei or the King of Jin today, he could depose the King of Wei or the King of Jin and support some other king tomorrow...

As a princess of the royal family, she really didn't want to see her brothers being treated like puppets, with one being supported and then killed.

Seeing Princess Gaoyang mention this, Fang Jun did not hide it and sighed, "My lady, you misunderstood me. This matter is not a conflict between His Majesty and I, but His Majesty is eager for quick success and instant benefits, and he refuses to change despite repeated persuasion. He is impatient with those people who are always thinking about the throne, and always wants to catch them all in one fell swoop and get rid of them once and for all, but he does not know that this move is too risky. However, I can't persuade him, and he doesn't even listen to the Queen's advice. He even suspects that I am in collusion with the Queen and have a secret affair... His Majesty is obsessed with it."

It's okay to want to eliminate those disloyal people, and it's okay to want to be more proactive, but how can you use yourself as bait and take risks?

As the saying goes, man proposes, God disposes. There is nothing absolute in the world. No plan can be perfect. There will always be loopholes. If the plan fails, the price to be paid will not just be Li Chengqian. I am afraid that the foundation of the entire Tang Empire will be shaken.

This is also the reason why Fang Jun signaled Wang Xuance and others to exclude Zhang Liang. The left and right Jinwu Guards must be firmly controlled in their hands to deal with any unexpected situations.

If Li Chengqian really wants to die, then let him do it.

Princess Gaoyang held her husband's hand and said softly, "After all, he is the emperor and my brother. You should be more understanding and tolerant. He was able to sit on the throne because of your support. Now he needs your help. Don't be so mean to him."

No one knows better than her what role her husband played in supporting the emperor's ascension to the throne. No one understands better than her the lofty ideal of "national interests above all else" in her husband's heart. She believes that as long as it is beneficial to the empire, her husband will do his utmost to do it and will not harm the country for personal gain.

Such people deserve respect, but often they don't have a good ending.

But what can she do? On one side is her brother, and on the other side are her husband and family. She is caught in the middle and it is really difficult. She can only hope that her husband will continue to support His Majesty and maintain his power, so that His Majesty will be reluctant to do anything and will not dare to repay kindness with enmity.

It has always been difficult to have both family and country, and monarch and ministers.

*****
The autumn wind brings coolness to the north, and rice and wheat are being harvested in various places. Guanzhong and other places have begun to store autumn vegetables and prepare for the winter, but the sun is still scorching and the heat is rolling in the South China Sea. When Yang Zhou received Su Dingfang's order, he also learned from the maritime merchants in Da Nang about the massacre of Tang merchants in Si Rafu Port. He immediately summoned troops to maintain ships, replenish supplies, and equip weapons. A few days later, he drove the warship "Wei Wang" which had just been built and launched this year, led the royal navy and the "Dong Da Tang Merchants" armed merchant ships totaling more than 200 and more than 7,000 soldiers to leave Da Nang.

The fleet followed the route southward through the narrow strait of Gorofusa. To the north of the strait was the Kingdom of Loyue, and to the south was the Kingdom of Vihear. The Tang Dynasty Navy built a city fortress and a shallow-water dock in Gorofusa to repair merchant ships and warships, and also had the important task of guarding the strait.

After crossing the strait, the fleet plunged into the vast Western Ocean, turned north along the coast and arrived at the Kingdom of Luo, which was an important center for trade between the East and the West. After passing through the Kingdom of Luo and heading north, passing through various cities along the coast of India, the fleet arrived at the port of Kolanba in the Lion Country.

As early as last year, the Sinhalese who established the Lion Kingdom and the Tamils ​​who occupied the northern part of the island and the southern part of the Indian mainland had suffered heavy losses due to years of war and had to seek help from the Tang Navy. While selling a large number of high-quality weapons, the Tang Navy leased this port as one of the most important supply stations for the Tang on the Western Ocean route.

The fleet rested here for three days, replenishing fresh water, food and medicine. After leaving the port, it passed the "Meila Country" at the southernmost tip of India and sailed northwest along the west coast of India. On the way, it passed the "Ti Country", which had the "Milantai River" that flowed west into the sea.

From here, follow the route westward not far from the coast, passing more than ten small countries, and you will see a lighthouse standing at the end of the harbor. This is the "Luohe Yiguo", a small country within Persia, but it has a prosperous port and there is an endless stream of ships from the East and the West.

The ships anchored at the port and those entering and leaving naturally saw the huge fleet sailing on the sea. Merchants and sailors cried out in surprise, staring at the vast and endless fleet with wide eyes. They felt their whole bodies tremble, and an unstoppable sense of fear of the approaching wild beasts swept through their bodies.

"Oh my god! This is the Tang people's fleet!"

"Is this the legendary Tang Dynasty navy that wreaked havoc in the East Ocean? It is indeed mighty and invincible!"

"The Tang people's ships don't need to wait for the monsoon and can sail against the wind?"

"You just found out about this? You've never seen anything so strange before!"

"But the Tang Dynasty is thousands of miles away from Persia. Why would their navy come here?"

"Idiot, have you forgotten what happened in Shilafu Port two months ago? The governor of the Arab Empire was blinded by the wealth of the Tang people and temporarily increased the tax by more than double. The Tang people refused to accept it, so he actually ordered the massacre of Tang merchants, looting Tang people's money and goods, and burning Tang merchant ships! At that time, some people said that the governor had caused trouble and the Tang people would definitely retaliate, but many people did not believe it. They thought that Shilafu Port was thousands of miles away from the Tang Dynasty. No matter how powerful the Tang Dynasty was, it would not send troops on an expedition for a few merchants. Now look, are you dumbfounded? The Tang people really came, and they had such a powerful fleet!"

"I feel like the entire Arab Empire's warships combined don't have this many..."

"Ahem, having more ships doesn't necessarily mean victory. No matter how powerful the Tang navy is, it's still a long journey and may not be able to defeat the Arab army."

At this time, Persia had already been destroyed, and all its territory and people were enslaved by the Arab Empire. It had no good feelings towards the Arab Empire. Naturally, it was happy to see the Tang Dynasty's expedition to the Arab Empire, but it still had concerns about the Tang Dynasty's navy.

Some people disagreed: "If we don't have a foothold in the Persian Gulf, it's called a long expedition, but have you forgotten the port that is being built in the Aman Kingdom...what is it called?"

"No Xungang!"

"Oh, right, right, there is no Xun Port! That was leased by the Tang Dynasty from the Azdid people. It is said that the lease term is 999 years... This is not important. What is important is that the Tang Dynasty Navy built there is said to be the largest seaport in the entire Persian Gulf. As long as the Tang Dynasty Navy is stationed and resting there, it will not be a long expedition!"

"I've heard about it, too. It's said that all the craftsmen there were recruited from the Tang Dynasty. They had no shortage of money to buy building materials from the surrounding tribes. The craftsmen's skills were extremely high, and it's basically been completed in just half a year."

"The Tang Dynasty is powerful. It has more money and warships. Once the war starts, I think the warships of the Arabs will be in danger."

"The most powerful is not the Tang Dynasty, but the Tang people! Especially the Tang army. I heard that when they charge, their full armor is invulnerable to swords and guns, and their artillery is even more indestructible!"

"Hehe, the Arabs have always been arrogant. They destroyed our country, robbed our land, and enslaved our people. Now that they have met the Tang Dynasty, they are in trouble!"

These words aroused the sympathy of the surrounding Persians, who condemned and cursed the Arabs' arrogance and the Caliph's cruelty, and expressed their willingness to support the Tang navy in defeating the Arab warships and restoring the rules and order of maritime trade.

The Tang people are powerful, but they are the most law-abiding people on the sea. They clearly mark prices for transactions and never cheat anyone. They believe in mutual consent and never bully the weak. If a merchant ship encounters a hurricane or other trouble on the sea, there is no need to wait for rescue from their own country. They only need to ask for help from passing Tang merchant ships or warships, and they will definitely be rescued.

Only when fighting pirates could one witness the invincible power of the Tang Dynasty's warships and artillery firing in unison to destroy the world. Normally, although the Tang Dynasty was powerful, it was very kind. It was a kind of etiquette, friendship and harmony that came from the far East, which was far beyond the reach of an "evil" power like the Arab Empire.

……