"You mongrel, recognize this! You stand before the Prince of the Great Tang!"
Li Xiaogong's personal guard ripped off his own trousers and tossed them over, adding a casual reminder.
"Yes, yes, thank you, Prince Tang."
Meichuan Kutou blinked in surprise, quickly grabbed the still-warm trousers, and kowtowed his thanks again.
While kowtowing, he used only one hand, the other tightly gripping the trousers, terrified of letting even a speck of sand touch them. This was a gift from a Tang prince, to be enshrined as a family heirloom upon his return.
His actions gave the guard goosebumps. "Your Highness, perhaps we should just let him go naked."
"He's holding the small trousers, and I feel awkward about it."
"Awkward about what, you fool! I can smell the stench from here. Be grateful someone treasures it!"
Li Xiaogong shot him a glance before turning to Meichuan Kutou.
"Who are these people behind you? Tell this prince."
"Reporting to Prince Tang, this is Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō, originally a candidate for Emperor, but abandoned by the Soga clan. These few behind him are Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō's advisors: Pururuga, Jigō Tomoko, and Kohebi Saizi."
Meichuan Kutou, propped up on one hand, replied from his prone position on the ground.
Li Xiaogong: ...
Guard: ...
Soldiers: ...
Hahahaha~~~
Silence first, then everyone erupted in laughter.
The names were too amusing.
After chuckling a couple of times, Li Xiaogong suddenly stopped, glared at Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō, and cursed fiercely.
"Just now, a dog-like creature dared to call himself Emperor and I turned him into a ball! Now another 'King' appears! With your demeanor, you dare to claim the title of King alongside me? Who gave you the courage to call yourself a King when you've been reduced to leading your troops to surrender! Come! Beat him! Let him see what kingly dignity is!"
Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō didn't understand what he was saying. Seeing a squad of soldiers menacingly approach him, he immediately panicked.
"What the heck, this isn't what I envisioned when I came down the mountain."
His advisors were also dumbfounded. What was going on?
Meichuan Kutou stood aside, watching the beaten Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō sweat profusely. After a moment's thought, he walked over and offered an explanation.
Only then did Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō understand why he was being beaten, but he felt wronged! The title of King was innate, something he couldn't control. However, the barrage of punches and kicks rained upon him made him cry out involuntarily.
"Yamete~! Yamete~
I don't want to be a King anymore, I don't want to be a King anymore. I just want to be a dog at Prince Tang's feet. Please, stop hitting me~"
"Stop! Li Xiaogong called out to the soldiers, then beckoned Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō over.
"You mongrel, it's good you know your place! Crawl over here and let this prince get a good look at you."
"Hai, hai!"
Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō scrambled on all fours to Li Xiaogong, looking up at him with fawning subservience.
Li Xiaogong gestured with his foot near Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō's chest and said contemptuously, "Scallop Big Chest? I don't see anything big. Was your mother out of her mind when she named you? A grown man with a name like that, aren't you afraid of being laughed to death? These dogs, they can't even come up with proper foreign names, yet they dare to call themselves Emperor and King, tsk tsk tsk."
After a tirade of complaints, he put on a stern face and continued, "This silver mountain was bought by the Great Tang with real gold and silver. If you want to surrender, fine. Over this period, you've dug out at least five million taels of silver. Return it all, and then we'll talk about what happens next. Otherwise, this prince will turn you into a boneless scallop!"
Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō was stunned. This silver mountain had yielded less than two million taels in total, and this Tang prince was demanding five million! He couldn't even gather that amount by turning the entire land of Wa upside down.
"Prince, Prince, Prince Tang, please clarify, I, I, I didn't even dig out that much silver."
"One, one, only less than two million taels in total."
"Damn your two million taels! You stole two million taels from me! Come, beat him for me!"
Li Xiaogong had no idea how much silver had been mined from the mountain during this time. Five million was just a bluff, but he hadn't expected to actually extract a confession.
"Damn it, two million taels! How many guns and cannons could I buy from that Fang Er kid with that amount!"
Another round of beating ensued until Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō was pummeled into a pig's head before they stopped.
"Speak! Where did you hide the stolen silver!" the personal guard asked fiercely, stepping on Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō.
"In, in, in Heian-kyō. Some was used to buy grain, and some for armor. There should be about half the stored silver remaining in Heian-kyō."
Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō dared not conceal anything. His only hope was that these Tang people would calm down and negotiate after taking the silver. As long as the Tang people agreed to his advisors' proposals, there would always be a chance to turn things around.
Upon hearing this, Li Xiaogong instructed one of his subordinates, "Xie Bi'an, take one regiment and escort his advisors to that damn Heian-kyō. Get the silver back for me!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Xie Bi'an bowed, accepted the order, and turned to leave. Several of his personal guards grabbed Pururuga and Jigō Tomoko, following behind.
Seeing his advisors being taken away and himself being left behind, Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō felt an opportunity arising. He quickly said obsequiously, "Prince Tang has traveled a long way and must be weary and hungry. Why don't I have my sister prepare some of her specialty dishes, as a token of my respect?"
Li Xiaogong was already tired of the seafood he'd been eating and nodded in agreement.
This made Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō ecstatic. He quickly whispered a few words to Kohebi Saizi.
Kohebi Saizi rose and headed towards the Iwami Ginzan silver mine. Less than half an hour later, she returned with a squad of Wa women. These women were much more attractive than those Fang Er and Chai Shao had taken back last time. In particular, the woman leading them caught Li Xiaogong's interest.
Yamashiro Ōmiya Ō quickly introduced, "Prince, this is my sister, Cangze Teng Yazi."
"Hmm~ Not bad, not bad. Hurry and prepare something to eat, let this prince sample the specialties of your tiny country."
Li Xiaogong nodded repeatedly.
"Hai~"
Cangze Teng Yazi clacked her wooden shoes on the sand, leaving footprints as she led the Wa women into the woods. A few of Li Xiaogong's personal guards followed, deeming it necessary to keep an eye on those preparing food for their prince.
Less than half an hour later, the Wa women returned from the woods carrying freshly prepared dishes. Four of them also carried two large jars. Cangze Teng Yazi was well aware of the current situation and tried her best to present herself attractively to Li Xiaogong. Standing at about 1.4 meters tall, she barely reached Li Xiaogong's chest, but she was indeed quite pretty, resembling a little porcelain doll with her attire.