SWDnovel Chapter 93 Japan's Gold and Silver Mountains
Chapter 93 Japan's Gold and Silver Mountains
The two sides are worlds apart in terms of both status and strength.
Perhaps, Lü Xiao had long forgotten about them.
After all, how can the stars compare to the bright moon?
Why do you all seem so distraught when Lü Xiao is mentioned?
Li Mi slammed his hand on the table, and only then did everyone come to their senses.
"Your Majesty, you may not know this, but Lü Xiao... was once a member of our village."
In the end, it was Wang Bodang who spoke up to explain.
"What?" Li Mi was shocked and stood up abruptly, urgently asking.
"Such a talented person, he was once in your village? How could you let him go!"
He knew Lü Xiao's abilities well; he had captured Yang Xuangan single-handedly.
He led eight hundred young soldiers deep into the northern grasslands and captured Shibi Khan, bringing him back to the eastern capital.
Such martial prowess and courage far surpass those of ordinary people; they should be treated with great respect wherever they are placed.
He simply couldn't understand why Wagangzhai would let go of such a peerless genius.
"The reasons for this are complex and cannot be explained in a few words."
Wang Bodang hesitated, clearly unwilling to discuss the matter further.
Xu Maogong's face darkened, and he lowered his head, remaining silent.
He was one of the masterminds who drove Lü Xiao away back then, and mentioning it now is undoubtedly reopening old wounds.
Finally, Qin Qiong stepped forward and briefly explained the ins and outs of the break between Wagang and Wagang.
However, he deliberately concealed the sordid details of Wang Bodang's personal grudge against Lü Xiao, thus saving face for both sides.
"Nonsense! What a pedantic view!"
After listening to Qin Qiong's account, Li Mi couldn't help but shout angrily, deeply regretting Lü Xiao's departure.
In his view, the position of chieftain should be determined by ability, and there is no need to care about background.
Princes and generals, I would rather be kind!
If he could have such a capable person as his master, he would even be willing to give up his position as the chieftain and assist him in achieving great things.
Lu Xiao lost his position as chieftain of Wagang, but then received a title of king in the imperial court, which precisely shows that Lu Xiao was already under royal command.
Unfortunately, the Wagang people were short-sighted and released a true dragon with their own hands, missing the best opportunity to compete for the world.
"It's too late to regret now; let's focus on the present."
Seeing how much Li Mi valued Lü Xiao, Wang Bodang became increasingly uneasy and quickly changed the subject.
They were afraid that if they pressed them any further, all the shameful things from back then would be exposed.
"That's right!" Li Mi snapped out of his daze, his eyes instantly sharpening.
"I will set off immediately to seek assistance!"
After learning about Lü Xiao's background, he felt even more threatened.
Given the current state of the Wagang people—ambitious yet incompetent—they would be utterly helpless should Lü Xiao come to retaliate.
If the Wagang forces are not strengthened as soon as possible, they will be wiped out by the imperial court sooner or later.
Immediately, Li Mi packed his belongings and set off to leave Wagang Village.
Qin Qiong, Wang Bodang, and the others dared not delay.
They left their strongholds to contact their former bandit friends, stockpile provisions, and reorganize their troops in preparation for the upcoming great battle against the imperial court.
Wagangzhai was not the only one that regarded the Sui Dynasty as a major threat.
In Liaodong, King Gowon of Goguryeo was already on high alert regarding the movements of the Sui Dynasty.
Especially after Yang Guang ventured deep into the northern desert and captured Shibi Khan alive, Gao Yuan was unable to sleep at night.
He feared that one day when he opened his eyes, Yang Guang would appear before him.
Although Goguryeo had many passes and a rugged terrain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.
However, Gao Yuan still dared not relax in the slightest and immediately dispatched a large number of troops to various strategic locations to be on high alert.
It was practically a death order: not even a dog from the Sui Dynasty was allowed to set foot in Goguryeo!
"Your Majesty, an envoy from Japan has come with important business."
"Please come in."
Gao Yuan waved his hand, showing great respect for the Japanese envoy.
Goguryeo, Japan, and the Eastern Turks were all originally opposed to the Sui Dynasty.
Now that the East Turkestan has submitted, he must win over his last ally.
"What brings you here?"
Upon meeting the Japanese envoy, Gao Yuan went straight to the point and asked the question.
"Your Majesty, please look at this!"
The Japanese envoy remained calm and waved to his attendants to bring out an exquisite wooden tray, which he then personally presented to Gao Yuan.
Gao Yuan curiously lifted the brocade cloth on the wooden tray, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his voice began to tremble:
"This...this is gold and silver?!"
On the plate were unrefined raw gold and silver ores, pure in color and substantial in weight.
He simply couldn't imagine that a tiny island like Japan could possess such precious mineral resources.
"Your Majesty, this product is abundant within our borders."
The Japanese envoy spoke in a calm tone, yet with a hint of deliberate boasting.
Japan is located on an island with no powerful enemies around it, and its relationship with Goguryeo is currently good.
Meanwhile, Silla and Baekje, situated right next to Goguryeo, were utterly powerless to cross the sea and attack the islands.
In order to win over Goguryeo, they deliberately revealed this secret in order to further deepen the alliance between the two sides.
Gao Yuan suddenly stood up, his breathing becoming rapid.
If there truly were inexhaustible mountains of gold and silver within the borders of Japan.
That was a continuous stream of wealth, enough to sustain his long-term resistance against the Sui Dynasty.
"Prince Seongdeok said that if Your Majesty can destroy Silla and Baekje, then there will be no more obstacles between our two countries."
Every year, our country contributes 50% of its mined gold and silver.
The Japanese envoy spoke slowly.
"really?"
"This is absolutely true, but we do not know whether Your Majesty can withstand the Sui Dynasty's offensive."
"The Sui Dynasty?" Gao Yuan scoffed and waved his hand dismissively.
"Even when Emperor Yang Guang led a million-strong army to personally lead an expedition, I defeated them all. The Sui Dynasty is nothing to fear!"
"Your Majesty is wise!" the Japanese envoy quickly complimented.
"In that case, Your Majesty, please send an envoy to accompany me back to Japan to ascertain the truth."
"It would be good to discuss the annihilation of Silla and Baekje as soon as possible."
The allure of gold and silver mountains instantly strengthened the alliance between Goguryeo and Japan.
Japan's willingness to offer such substantial profits naturally stems from its own strategic planning.
If the Sui Dynasty had known that Japan was rich in gold and silver, it would have attacked in a massive offensive like hungry wolves.
Goguryeo, however, was different. The two sides were allies, sharing both prosperity and adversity.
Rather than letting the Sui Dynasty gain an advantage, it would be better to give this benefit to Gao Yuan and let Goguryeo shield them from the Sui Dynasty's military might.
At the same time, Japan could also take this opportunity to secretly develop its power, accumulate wealth, and strengthen itself.
When the Central Plains dynasties fall into turmoil, that will be the time for the rise of Japan.
It is not a pipe dream that they could then march westward and take control of the Central Plains.
At that moment, inside the Shuo Prince's Mansion in Dongdu, Lü Xiao was lying on a couch when he suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of wild joy in them.
Initially, his desire to attack Japan was purely a spur-of-the-moment selfish act, and he wanted to take advantage of this potential threat to cause trouble in the future.
But just now, he suddenly remembered that Japan is known as the Iwami Silver Mine.
This country, apart from being inherently despicable, is a veritable treasure trove!
"This time, we're really going to be rich!"