We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 638: Japanese version of Cao Cao plus Zhu Di?

Li Che showed respect on his face:

"Thank you for your hard work. You are a meritorious official who has served our country well. Your contribution is invaluable."

"Your Highness!" Yi Qi's calm eyes finally showed some turbulence.

"Don't rush to talk, take a break first and catch your breath." Li Che waved his hand, "Come on, give this warrior a seat!"

Huai En immediately brought a chair from the back, placed it behind Yi Qi, and said softly:

"General, please take a seat."

Yi Qi dared not accept it, and said with great trepidation, "I don't deserve the title of general. Thank you very much, eunuch."

Huai En smiled slightly and said nothing more.

Although he was born a eunuch, he has been training in the navy for the past three years, taking care of miscellaneous tasks at sea for Li Che, and has developed a practical talent.

Li Che placed a heavy trust in Huai En, so Huai En would naturally hold himself to high standards.

Unlike the eunuchs living in the deep palace, Huai'en interacts with the low-level sailors every day. He knows how difficult it is for these people, so he naturally respects low-level heroes like Yi Qi even more.

Seeing that the prince and his personal eunuch were so polite to him, Yi Qi was a little at a loss and stood there not knowing what to do with his hands.

I definitely didn’t dare to sit down. Didn’t I see that my immediate boss was still standing?

Fortunately, Li Che saw his embarrassment and said, "Yi Qi, tell me about the situation in Japan."

"Yes!" Yi Qi's voice was unusually clear. "The situation in the island nation is indeed as Your Highness expected, very complicated... They are not as weak as the rumors say. On the contrary, they have some... abundant martial virtue..."

After saying this, Yi Qi glanced at Li Che out of the corner of his eye, and when he saw that his expression did not change, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"The situation in our country has changed dramatically. Although we still call ourselves the Yamato Dynasty, the sacred artifacts have been lost. The Emperor of Japan has become a puppet at the mercy of others, and power has been completely transferred to the Kaibu clan."

"Kaibu clan?"

Li Che raised his eyebrows slightly. This was not the first time he heard this surname.

In secret reports, the Kaibu clan has always occupied a core position, almost equivalent to the top family in Daqing, and the one that is the first in the gap.

"Indeed, the master's name is Kaibu Munemasa." Yiqi said solemnly, "He comes from a powerful family on the west coast of Kyushu Island. His family has made their living by the sea for generations and he is an expert in sailing."

"The scale of his family's navy is the largest among all the islands. Their warships are very sophisticated, and their sailors are even more fierce."

"About twenty years ago, amidst internal strife among the nobles of Kyoto, the Japanese imperial family was weakened. Kaifu Munemasa, under the guise of suppressing pirates, led his massive navy directly into the Seto Inland Sea, under the pretext of 'pacifying the rebellion and supporting the emperor,' but in reality, he was laying siege to Kyoto."

"After a campaign of 'cleansing the imperial court,' the entire court was purged. From then on, the Japanese Emperor lived in seclusion in the Qingliang Palace, rarely intervening in government affairs."

"Nowadays, all imperial decrees come from the Haibu Palace, and seven or eight out of ten important positions in the court are held by his cronies or trusted warriors."

Li Che couldn't help laughing when he heard this.

What kind of script did this guy have? Lao Cao and Judy?

But it is not surprising. History is always surprisingly similar. Major events that occur in one's own country may have happened somewhere on the other side of the ocean thousands of years ago.

"Holding the emperor hostage to control the princes?" Li Che's lips curled up with a hint of coldness. "That would save trouble. Is Haibu Zongzhen's regime stable?"

Yi Qi's tone was filled with disbelief: "It's unexpectedly stable."

"Kamibe Munemasa's methods were brutal, but he was also very methodical. He abolished many of the empty positions of hereditary nobles, vigorously promoted the samurai class with real achievements, and selected capable and talented ministers to govern on his behalf."

"Especially those who were loyal to him and had outstanding military achievements, were granted land and privileges by him."

"The power of the island nation's samurai class has greatly increased. Their 'Blood Saber Clan' is directly affiliated with the samurai group, and their combat power is particularly terrifying."

"It is said that they are all fearless and skilled in sword and bow combat. Ordinary soldiers would be unable to withstand a single blow from them."

Zhang Zhen on the side frowned slightly, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Yi Qi's words were too blunt, praising the enemy's strength so much that Zhang Zhen was a little worried that His Highness would be unhappy about it.

But he soon saw that Li Che was not at all displeased, but instead fell into deep thought:

"The Samurai Rise..."

This is consistent with the memories he had in his previous life. Samurai are an extremely important class in Japan, or it is not an exaggeration to say that they are the most important.

The rise of the samurai is almost equivalent to the rise of Japan's military power.

"What about their military equipment?" Li Che asked again, "I remember there was intelligence that Japan was researching gunpowder?"

Yi Qi leaned forward and lowered his voice, "This is exactly the focus of my investigation!"

"Your Highness, as you can see, the Kaibu clan has not merely learned the gunpowder techniques of our Fengguo, but has imitated and studied them almost obsessively!"

"I risked my life to infiltrate their secret workshop deep within Hakata Bay in Kyushu. What I saw and heard was shocking!"

Li Che's expression was serious: "Tell me the details."

"Yes!"

Yi Qi organized his words and continued:

"Their workshop is enormous and operates day and night."

"Some of the craftsmen were indeed defectors from the Daqing Ministry of Industry's gunpowder workshop and were treated as honored guests."

"Not only did they successfully replicate the gunpowder used in Daqing, but they also seemed to have improved the formula, making it quite powerful."

"What's more, they have been able to cast iron cannons stably!"

Li Che frowned slightly. The iron cannon is the fire gun, but the two countries have different names for it.

The fire gun was certainly not as advanced as Feng State's flintlock rifle, but the fact that they were able to make the fire gun meant that they had already gotten rid of the crude use of gunpowder.

Yi Qi continued:

"I have personally witnessed that although their iron cannons are far inferior to those used by our army in terms of range and accuracy, their numbers are increasing rapidly."

"There are mountains of newly cast gun barrels in the workshop, and finished guns are assembled every day."

"They are also developing a throwable explosive pot called 'Bao Lao Yu', which is incredibly powerful. Kaibu Munemori is well aware of its benefits and has invested countless resources in it!"

The hall fell into a brief silence, with only the ticking of the clepsydra and the crackling of the candlelight.

Li Che did not complain about anything. After all, the gunpowder did not leak from Feng State.

Gunpowder existed as early as the previous dynasty and was introduced to Japan at that time.

In recent years, the rise of Feng State and its famous battles all took advantage of the power of gunpowder. It is impossible to conceal such a thing.

Therefore, the imperial court asked Emperor Qing to personally study the gunpowder.

All the surrounding countries that had some ability were working hard to study this thing, fearing that Li Che would one day run into their homes with gunpowder.

As for those craftsmen who ran away from Daqing to Japan, Li Che had already anticipated this.

There is no shortage of traitors in any era.

As the saying goes, the world is bustling with people, all for the sake of profit. The world is bustling with people, all for the sake of profit.

Interests are always the greatest driving force for human beings. The difference is that some people live for the interests of the country and nation, while others live for their own selfish interests, even at the cost of selling their souls.

Fortunately, Japan's gunpowder level may be similar to that of Daqing, but it is still far from Fengguo.

The flintlock rifle was only the top technology of Feng State three years ago, not three years later.

After a long while, Zhang Zhen, who was standing behind Li Che, pondered and said, "Your Highness, the Japanese are very determined to imitate us. If time passes, the danger of their firearms must be carefully considered. However..."

He changed the subject, speaking with absolute confidence: "Their imitations are still worlds apart from the sophisticated firearms of our Fengjun Shenji Army!"

"Not to mention the four great naval divisions under your Highness' command. Their ships are as huge as a city, their cannons are powerful, and their ships are sturdy. They are in no way comparable to those short Japanese ships."

Reminded by Zhang Zhen, Li Che immediately asked, "That's right, where is the navy?"

"Since the Haibu Clan was founded on the navy, the strength of the navy must be its foundation."

Yi Qi immediately responded, "Your Highness, the navy upon which the Kaifu clan relies is truly the largest and most powerful in the Japanese archipelago."

"Their main warships were named 'An Zhai'. The larger ones were quite impressive, covered with thick bamboo and wood, and shaped like fortresses."

"There are also a large number of nimble and swift 'Guan ships', whose sailors are so skilled in maneuvering that they can navigate stormy waters as if on flat ground."

"Kaibu Munemasa himself is a master of naval warfare, well-versed in ocean currents and monsoons. His fleet conducts exercises year-round in the western waters of Kyushu, employing cunning and ever-changing tactics."

"According to my humble observations and various sources, there are probably no fewer than 500 large and small warships capable of sea combat. Among them, there are at least 30 large warships capable of carrying over a hundred men and equipped with rafts and firearms!"

"The admiral of the navy is Kaibu Yoshihisa, the younger brother of Kaibu Munemasa, and he is also a formidable general."

"Five hundred... thirty huge ships..." Li Che's fingers stopped tapping. "The regime is stable, the warriors are loyal and devoted, the firearms are advanced, and the navy is powerful..."

"Haha, this Kaibu Munemasa is truly a man of character. He has forcibly turned the scattered Japanese islands into a solid block."

Zhang Zhen bowed and said, "Your Highness is absolutely right, but his so-called tyranny is nothing more than a frog in a well trying to see the sky."

"The warships of our Fengtian Navy are so huge that the Japanese ships are nothing but chickens and dogs in front of them."

"Furthermore, Your Highness is personally leading the main force of the Fengtian Army this time, bringing with him the full might of the nation and a force as devastating as thunder. How could a mere island nation be able to withstand this?"

What Zhang Zhen said was not flattery. This guy just trusted Li Che so much...or rather, admired him.

Li Che raised his hand and stopped Zhang Zhen from speaking.

He looked at the sea map on the wall again, and his eyes gradually became cold as he looked at several Japanese islands.

"iron plate?"

“No matter how hard the iron is, it still needs to be tempered by fierce fire and forged by heavy hammers!”

"This time, I personally lead the Feng Kingdom's army across the sea to the east, bringing with me the majestic power of heaven and the full strength of the nation, to smash this ironclad plan, along with the ambitions of Haibu Zongzhen, into pieces!"

"He relied on the navy to seize power and gunpowder to establish his authority. Today, let him see what true sea-burning fire and true wave-breaking troops are like!"

Li Che turned his gaze towards Yi Qi and said, "The intelligence you gathered is very valuable. Go down and rest well. You will be ready to be summoned at any time."

"I accept my order from my humble position!"

Yi Qi bowed again and retreated silently into the shadows of the corner of the hall.

The palace door closed, blocking out the night wind from outside.

Li Che stared at the nautical chart again, his finger slowly moving along the planned route of advance, and finally landing heavily on it.

Zhang Zhen and his personal guards stared at their lord with burning eyes, and no one dared to say a word.

After a while, Zhang Zhen stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "Your Highness?"

Li Che smiled slightly.

The next second, a voice resounded throughout the hall:

"Propagate my king's order: The Royal Guard and all the battalions directly under my command are to prepare for battle immediately and select an auspicious date..."

"Never mind. Send a message to the Heavenly Supervisor and tell him that I think the next seven days will be an auspicious day!"