Wu Haogu's enthusiasm for establishing "friendly diplomatic relations" with Japan was not due to the influence of the friendly diplomatic relations between China and Japan initiated by the older generation of proletarian diplomats in later generations, but because of the domestic political and economic needs of the Great Song Dynasty.

Because of the military setbacks of the Great Song Dynasty, since the founding of the country, there has been no time for the awesome. Therefore, the diplomatic line has always been relatively pragmatic, and it has pursued the flexible diplomatic principle of "not refusing to come, and not pursuing if you go". It doesn't always claim to be the superior state of the Celestial Empire - in fact, it is not, the Khitan is the superior kingdom of the Celestial Empire, not only claiming to be China to the outside world (mainly to the West), but also following the example of the Han and Tang dynasties to form a bunch of vassal states!

On the side of the Great Song Dynasty, it can barely be regarded as a vassal, and now it is Xixia, Dali, Jiaozhi, and Zhancheng. As for Japan, the situation is rather strange. The Great Song Dynasty, who was obviously not so enthusiastic about vassal states, always had the desire to turn Japan into a vassal state. In particular, the two "holy monarchs" of Shenzong and Huizong explicitly urged Japan to come to the DPRK.

Of course, it is useless to urge...... The Japanese themselves consider themselves to be the superior kingdom of the Celestial Empire! Their official family is also called "Emperor", the Emperor of Heaven! More awesome than the emperor of the Great Song Dynasty! How could it be possible to claim to the Great Song Dynasty? Not to mention the door, there are no windows.

But...... Wu Haogu is a traitor! Since he is a traitor, he will deceive the saint. Knowing that it was impossible for the Japanese emperor to recognize the Great Song Emperor as his master, he also had to claim that he could coax little Japan into a vassal country through "proselytizing".

Why? Naturally, there are benefits, and the advantage is that the Yuntai Academy can replace Mingzhou Mansion and become the counterpart unit of diplomatic relations between China and Japan.

Did China and Japan have diplomatic relations at this time?

Actually, there is!

Because the diplomatic power of the Song Dynasty was not concentrated in the imperial court, the general law at that time was that the central government handled the major matters by the Privy Council, and the small matters were transferred by the Luzhou on its own. That is, the central government has given border state officials a certain degree of autonomy in foreign affairs. Over time, a stereotype is formed. Moreover, there are diplomatic counterparts formed by convention, such as Xiongzhou on Hebei East Road corresponds to Liaozhuo Prefecture, and Daizhou on Hedong Road corresponds to Liaoshuo Prefecture. Yongxing Military Road Yanzhou corresponds to Western Xia Youzhou. And this policy was extended to overseas countries, Jingdong Road Miju corresponded to Goryeo, Liangzhejiang Road Mingzhou corresponded to Japan, and later added Goryeo Division during the reign of Shenzong. Fujian Road Quanzhou corresponds to the city, Zhenla, the South China Sea and the Western states.

This form of local-led diplomacy was known as the Puppet Diplomacy and was the only official form of diplomacy in China and Japan during the Song Dynasty.

However, the number of official documents in China and Japan is very small, and there are only 14 national documents recorded in historical records, of which nine are sent to Japan by the Great Song Dynasty and five are sent by Japan to the Great Song Dynasty.

In other words, the Mingzhou Prefecture is not a qualified diplomatic institution, and I am afraid that most of the bureaucrats who know about the affairs of Mingzhou do not know that they are shouldering the mission of diplomatic relations with Japan. Moreover, in Japan's own historical records, there have been contents of "giving to the king of Japan" and "sending to the Japanese imperial minister" - since it is possible to use "send" to the Japanese imperial minister, why should it be used to "give" to the Japanese emperor?

It's an official who doesn't understand diplomacy at all!

"Chongdao, do you want the Yuntai Academy to replace the Mingzhou Prefecture Yamen and become the yamen of diplomacy with Japan?"

Su Dongpo actually knew that the Mingzhou Prefecture had a job in diplomatic relations with Japan, and he also guessed Wu Haogu's mind - Wu Haogu just wanted to take the power of diplomacy with Japan! And he also wants to win the diplomatic power of Western countries such as Goryeo, Champong, Chenla, Java, Srivijaya, Tianzhu and Daeshi in the future!

However, the first thing to be won was the diplomatic power of the Japanese state of Dazaifu (which was a foreign trade agency established by the Japanese imperial court).

In the future, it is no longer the Dazaifu of Japan that the Mingzhou Prefecture moved to the Dazaifu of Japan, but the Dazaifu of the Japanese State was moved by the Yuntai School Palace.

Only in this way can the Yuntai Academy effectively carry out missionary activities against Japan - first of all, you have to coax people in letters, right? Why do you have to call Shirakawain "Emperor", right? "Emperor" and "Emperor" cannot be called, but "Emperor" is a bit ambiguous, a bit like the Buddhist "Dharma King", a religious title for a great monk.

Of course, the letterhead can't use such eye-catching words as "give" or "edict", and there is nothing to take advantage of this kind of cheapness, and it can't be taken advantage of.

"Teacher," Wu Haogu said with a smile, "If the Yuntai Academy Palace can't move the Dazaifu of Japan, how can we have direct contact with the Emperor of Japan?" Without the consent of the Emperor of Japan, how can we open seowon in Heiankyo, Hakata Port, Namba and other places in Japan? ”

"The Emperor of Japan?" Huang Tingjian interjected and asked, "Why do Japanese officials call this name?" Sounds a bit like a monk. ”

"It's not a bit like that," Mi Youren explained with a smile, "and he's just a monk." ”

"What?" Chen Shidao, one of the six gentlemen of Sumen, laughed, "What did the monk do to the official family?" ”

"It's not the monks who are the officials," Yoneyouren said, "but the Japanese officials who are the monks...... But the power is still in his hands. ”

"Yuan Hui," Su Dongpo asked strangely, "how do you know?" ”

Mi Youren on the side explained for Wu Haogu: "A friend of the teacher, Master Linzheng, a senior monk of Daxiangguo Temple, went to Japan more than three years ago, and was favored by the Japanese Emperor and became a monk. He asked the merchant to bring a letter back and say it...... The Japanese Emperor was very fond of my teacher's painting skills and wanted to invite him to Japan to paint a portrait. ”

"Oh? Chongdao, are you going to Japan? ”

Wu Haogu smiled and shook his head: "Naturally, the students don't go, and the students still have to follow the teacher to learn Confucianism...... But you can send Mi Yuanhui to go. ”

"I'm going?" Mi Youren immediately showed an embarrassed expression. If you go to Japan, you have to cross the ocean, what if the ship capsizes? I have a great future, but I can't end up drowning in the East China Sea.

"You don't want to go?" Wu Haogu looked at Mi Youren and said with a smile, "Then let's call Zhang Xizai...... But you have to ask him for an official position to get on the road.

When the time comes, I will ask the official family for a painting and hand it over to the Emperor of the French Emperor who will take it to Japan with Zhang Xizai to give to them, so that the Emperor will not refuse our Yuntai Academy to open a academy. ”

In the name of Song Huizong, it will be a Buddhist oil painting of Wuhao ancient painting. Wu Haogu was going to paint the great monk Zhishen, and he also wanted to paint it solemnly and sacred—to arouse the desire of the Emperor Baihein to "incarnate as a Buddha", so that he would not refuse the request of the Yuntai Academy to open a academy in Japan.

After all, "incarnating as a Buddha" has a greater benefit for Shirakawain!

Don't look at the White River Temple, which is now known as "the power of the four seas, the power of the day". However, the Japanese imperial power he represented was still very weak, and his authority was based on the new samurai class, the samurai group known as the Shirakawa-in Temple, and the so-called "imperial temples" built in the area of Shirakawa-shira.

By the way, the current state of Japan is nominally a centralized unification, not a feudal state in the name of a feudal state, but the land and population controlled by the imperial court are getting smaller and smaller, and they all fall into the hands of manors and temples.

The so-called "manor" is actually a fort, a private city, and a general existence similar to the military state under the head of the Liao State. It's not the kind of manor that just farms. Rather, it is a form of secession that is armed and largely self-sufficient.

In a way, the temple was another form of manor, which could also be used for land, feudal households, monks, and loyal samurai.

In order to expand its authority, Shirakawain also had to divide a large amount of land and population to samurai and temples loyal to him, thus further reducing the public land under the direct jurisdiction of the imperial court. This is a little bit of a lure to quench your thirst, just care about yourself, regardless of whether your children and grandchildren live or die.

However, Shirakawain was not at all unconcerned about the future, and during his decades of reign, he still implemented the "manor organization order" many times to compete for the manor controlled by the minister and the temple shrine that was not loyal to him.

And in order to fight for control of the temple, it became necessary to deify himself - his purpose of becoming a monk and becoming an emperor was actually to facilitate the seizure of the temple. The sacred and solemn "incarnate as a Buddha" oil painting can come in handy when competing for temples and shrines.

In addition, the Confucian ideas that Takehokoo was preparing to send to Japan also helped Shirakawain to control the samurai in the north. Confucianism talks about the three outlines and five constants, and the most important of them is not the monarch as the minister's program?

Oh, and there are factions in Confucianism that weaken the king, such as Mencius. Mencius is talking about the "Five Lun" instead of the Three Principles and Five Constants, in which the positioning of the relationship between the monarch and the minister is "the monarch and the minister are righteous", and there is also the theory that "the monarch is light, the people are the foundation, and the society is secondary". However, this Confucian theory of restricting the king does not need to be transmitted to Japan, and their emperor is already pitiful enough, and there will be no more restrictions on it.

"Teacher," Wu Haogu turned the topic to the content of "preaching" to Japan, "The students think that the way we preach to Japan must take into account Japan's national conditions. They don't need to pass on our 'Township Covenant', 'Shang Covenant' and 'Shi Covenant' to Japan. ”

Japan is now a manor economy, industry and commerce are not developed at all, and the peasants have no status, and they are for the samurai to play with. What kind of "appointment" can you make?

"Then what is the reason for Japan?" Su Dongpo asked.

Wu Haogu thought for a while and said: "Our country is now the holy monarch in power, and the monarch is at its peak, so we have to use all kinds of covenants. In Japan, the monarchy was weakened, and the nobles and monks seized the land and controlled the households, similar to the two Jin Dynasty in China. Therefore, it is necessary to preach the way of respecting the king, to emphasize the king, the minister, the father, the son, and the righteousness.

As for the avenue, don't pass it on for the time being, whether it's science or the way of nature, I'm afraid I can't compete with the Japanese monks for a while, so let's follow the path of Dali first. ”

"Dali?"

"Yes, Buddhism governs the heart, and Confucianism governs the country."