Yang Gun went to Heian-kyō with the letter from the Japanese government, and was also received by Japanese officials, but was not taken seriously. When officials came to visit and discuss matters, they were all vague and perfunctory.
He suddenly felt that this journey was not easy.
Half a month later, another visitor came to the inn. It was just a letter brought by a servant. Yang Gun unfolded it and saw that it was written in clear Chinese characters. The visitor claimed to be Ono Yoshifuru, a councilor of the Japanese court, and wanted to invite Yang Gun, an envoy of the Liao Dynasty, to the temple where he lived to taste tea.
Fortunately, Yang Gun had long dealt with the Northern Han Kingdom in Youzhou Nanyuan and could read Chinese characters, otherwise the letter would have to be translated by someone.
Yang Gun was unfamiliar with the place in Heian-kyung and was worried about having no connections. As long as there were Japanese officials willing to make friends with him, he would have no reason to refuse.
He glanced at the servant who brought the letter. He had a short knife on his waist, was not wearing a hat, and had his hair in a bun, which made him look like a man. He asked casually: Why does Ling Gong live in the temple
The servant said in Chinese: Ono-kun is proficient in battle tactics and poetry, and is also quite good at Buddhist practice, and often lives in a temple.
Yang Gun nodded and said, "Please lead the way."
Being in a foreign country, Yang Gun brought only two followers with him. The four of them rode out of the city on horseback. When they reached a mountain, they had to leave one person to look after the horse and abandon the horse to climb the mountain on foot. The winding and steep dirt and stone path in the mountain soon made Yang Gun feel difficult.
After walking for nearly half an hour, they finally saw the eaves of the temple in the lush forest. At this time, Yang Gun was already panting and dizzy. If he hadn't seen the roof of the house, he really couldn't hold on. Yang Gun was also a warrior, but in the northern grasslands, he rarely climbed such a long mountain road.
The sound of the wooden fish being struck and the chanting of incomprehensible Japanese scriptures were so faint that Yang Gun felt as if his head was lacking blood and had long lost any interest in appreciating the music.
The Japanese servant stretched out his arm holding a short knife to block the followers behind Yang Gun, and then bowed and pointed to the entrance of the temple in front. Yang Gun said to the follower breathlessly: You just wait for me here.
He walked in alone in the direction he was looking for, let out a long sigh, and was so tired that he wanted to sit down and rest immediately.
At this moment, Yang Gun noticed someone kneeling behind him. He turned around hurriedly and saw a woman in a dress carrying a pillow wiping the mud marks on the floor with a towel. He looked down and saw that her boots were covered in mud, while the floor of the temple hall was spotless.
Yang Gun took off his boots calmly.
After a while, a bald middle-aged man with a thin face and a short stature came out and bowed, saying: "The distinguished guest must be Mr. Yang, the envoy of the Liao Dynasty. I am Ono Yoshifuru who invited Mr. Yang. Please take a seat."
Yang Gun calmed down, put his hand on his chest, and bowed to the man, then walked to a tea table, saw a cushion, and sat down on it with his legs crossed. He took off his hat, revealing his bald head.
Maybe the Japanese man thought he was weird, but Yang Gun also thought he was weird. He shaved his head to be a monk, but he was also a military commander. There were women in dresses in the temple.
Ono Yoshifuru smiled and said: The Khitan people of the Liao Dynasty did not speak when they met each other.
Yang Gun said: Han'er will greet each other when they meet, we just need to bow to show respect to the host.
Ono Yoshifuru nodded: People from different places have different customs, we need to gradually understand them.
Yang Gun thought for a moment and responded: I am Yang Gun.
After hearing this, Ono Yoshifuru laughed again and said, "So Yang Jun has come thousands of miles to Heian-kyō to help us resist the attack from the Central Plains."
Yang Gun said calmly: "I was entrusted by the Liao Emperor and the Northern Court Privy Councilor Xiao Gong, and I came here for this matter. I wonder if Mr. Ono has heard about the major events in the Central Plains. Shu Tang, Southern Han, Eastern Han, and Dangxiang Pingxia Liao Youzhou have been occupied by Xu State; Xu State Lord Guo Shao is ambitious to expand and advance, and the Liao State has felt deeply threatened."
Now the Liao Dynasty has received accurate information that Guo Shao is preparing to invade Dongdao in order to obtain the silver mines in Japan for military expenses. If Japan can resist the attack of Xu's army, it will also be of great help to the Liao Dynasty.
Ono Yoshifuru did not refute immediately, and agreed: What Yang Jun said seems reasonable.
Yang Gun hurriedly said: The Liao Dynasty has Han craftsmen in Shangjing Bohai who can help your country refine silver. Your country will surely become richer by relying on the silver mountain. Our country can also help the Japanese army understand how to deal with Xu Jun’s tactics.
Ono Yoshifuru suddenly changed his polite and humble disguise and interrupted Yang Gun a little rudely: The intention of the Liao court is for the two countries to form an alliance to jointly deal with your powerful enemy Xu State.
Yang Gun was stunned for a moment, and a surge of anger rose in his heart.
This Japanese seems humble on the surface, but he is actually very arrogant. He thinks too highly of himself. The Liao Dynasty is just trying to deal with the Xu State, so why would it make an alliance with the East Island and use their strength
Yang Gun said coldly: Lord Ono may have misunderstood my meaning. The Liao court took the initiative to provide assistance to your country, and it was indeed for its own consideration, but the real urgent matter was not the Liao, but your country. I advised the monarch and ministers of our country to prepare for war early, otherwise, when the time comes, you will surrender at the first sight.
After hearing this, Ono Yoshifuru's face looked unhappy. He took a deep breath and said: I'm afraid that Mr. Yang also misunderstood the Yamato people.
Oh Yang Gun looked at him with interest.
Yoshiko Ono: Our favorite thing is cherry blossoms. Unfortunately, Mr. Yang came at an unlucky time. The beautiful cherry blossoms have already withered. It is really difficult to enjoy this thing by chance. Its flowering period is very short. When it is at its most beautiful, it withers and flies away.
His expression was stern, and he said in awkward Chinese: I would rather die in glory than live in disgrace for His Majesty the Emperor Amaterasu. It is the honor of the Yamato people.
After listening to the long speech, Yang Gun's anger subsided a little. He remembered that he had been blocked everywhere in Heian-kyō, and offending this person was not a good idea. He immediately changed his words and said: I heard that Ono-kun is good at Japanese poetry and is a poet. Poets always have some sincerity in their hearts.
As expected, Ono Yoshifuru benefited greatly from it. He knelt on the futon, leaned forward, bowed slightly to Yang Gun, and his tone became much calmer: Without feelings in the heart, it is impossible to write good waka.
As he was talking, he actually raised his voice and suddenly started to sing. Yang Gun was almost amused, but he couldn't laugh because Ono Yoshifuru's face was serious and he didn't look like he was joking at all. Yang Gun didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and sat there in shock.
At this time, a woman came up with tea. Ono Yoshifuru fanned the tea with his palm, sniffed it, and then sat upright with his eyes closed, looking intoxicated. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and smiled, saying: The fragrance of tea, flowing water, cherry blossoms, and every blade of grass and tree all have Taoism and Buddhism. The Yamato people understand the true intention of Amaterasu from all things.
Yang Gun said nothing. How could Taoism and Buddhism be mixed together? Could it be that the Amaterasu Taisho he mentioned was related to the Buddha? And could they drink tea together like the two of them were doing now? Anyway, Yang Gun was completely confused. The temple in the mountains and the people on the distant island seemed familiar. They were somewhat similar to Han'er, yet mysterious and elusive.
Yang Gun felt that Ono Yoshiko was very particular about the tea ceremony, but his way of drinking tea was somewhat different from that of Haner. In Yang Gun's opinion, the etiquette and culture of the Japanese seemed a bit artificial, but very distinct in their deliberateness; and Yang Gun had also seen various Haners, and Haner gave him a feeling that he was more natural and solid, as if a sentence was a great sound, simple but very open-minded, and not deliberate. Things like Confucianism were spontaneous and therefore not artificial.
When the woman poured tea into the small cup, Yang Gun did not drink it all in one gulp. If it were a Khitan, they would like to boil cow and goat milk with tea leaves and drink it in a large bowl. However, Yang Gun was knowledgeable after all, and did not do anything reckless in public. He just took a sip and tasted the tea. It was a bit bitter and he did not think it was very delicious.
Yang Gun said: "This envoy's visit is not a lie. I hope your country will send people to inquire about it. If you believe this news, Lord Ono can send someone to inform me at any time."
Ono Yoshifuru nodded and said: If Mr. Yang comes to visit me next time, I would like to discuss Xu Jun's equipment and tactics with him. After he said that, he pondered for a moment, and repeated his previous sentence in a self-consciously interesting manner: People from different places have different customs, and we have to gradually understand them, including the enemy.
Yang Gun felt that the conversation was over, so he stood up, bowed to his chest, and left to put on his shoes.
He turned around and thought about Ono Yoshiko's last sentence. Maybe Ono Yoshiko felt that the same sentence had two different meanings when said twice, so he thought it was very wise. Anyway, this guy is very strange. Since he is a warrior, why does he pretend to be cultured
A sneer appeared at the corner of the poet Yang Gun's mouth.
Anyway, today's trip was not very pleasant, because he had to walk the difficult mountain road again on the way back. The steep mountain road was still difficult to walk down the mountain, and he couldn't walk fast or slow.
However, this was not a pleasant trip, but it made him feel that he had made substantial progress. When Yang Gun returned to the inn, he immediately recalled the situation of the Pingxia battle, asked someone to grind ink, and hurriedly described it; he also drew a picture to roughly draw the appearance of the artillery and muskets used by Xu's army.
In addition, there are also plate armor, cherry spears, swords, bows, crossbows, and spears used by Xu Jun, with pictures and texts, and detailed descriptions. Yang Gun hopes that Ono Yoshifuru can not only drink tea and write poems, but also have some military experience. If so, he will certainly fear and respect Xu Jun.
Yang Gun also wrote that the Xu State Imperial Army was its main force, with elite soldiers who had fought hundreds of battles, skilled in weapons and battle formations, strict military discipline, and fearless of death. It was roughly similar to the recruitment system of the Tang Dynasty's Long March warriors, who did not cultivate land or manage business, but only trained for war.
As soon as he arrived in Heian-kyo, he realized that Japan was indeed learning the customs of the Tang Dynasty as rumored. They should be familiar with some of the military systems of the Tang army in the past, so they made this comparison.
Yang Gun finished writing it three days later, revised it again, asked his followers to copy it, and then sent it to the temple on the mountain to present it to the Japanese Councillor Ono Yoshifuru.