Chapter 121: Reply Letter

(ps: Everything is the author's beautiful expectation, heartbroken, after releasing that chapter in the morning, the numbers plummeted at noon, it was exhausting, I almost thought I had the talent of a great god……)

South of the River, Yangzhou.

In Wang Po (Wang Xiu)'s study, the lights were bright.

Before him lay a top-secret report from Eastern Garrison City ten thousand li away.

The report was Wang Meng's handwritten account, meticulously recording everything they had done since landing.

And his analysis of the current situation in Japan and his next-step action plan, while asking Wang Po (Wang Xiu) for instructions on arrangements.

After reading the letter, Wang Po (Wang Xiu) wore a satisfied smile.

The plan was progressing smoothly, and Wang Meng did not disappoint him.

Wang Xiu's consciousness, residing in Wang Po's body, burst forth with an unprecedented agitation.

He knew he was personally changing history, firmly believing that altering this history would have no impact on the Wang Family, and might even make it more prosperous; he did not know how many Wang Family members had sacrificed in that recent war.

He was clearing the greatest potential threat for the nation he loved a thousand years hence.

No, not merely to eliminate the threat.

He wanted to turn this threat into his sharpest blade, to let it threaten other threats!

Let his predecessors no longer suffer, and also those detestable boar hides; with him, they would never dare enter the passes again in this lifetime. He would, on the foundation of preserving the family lineage, do what he could for the whole nation.

After all, the Wang Family does not vie for the supreme treasure; its current strength can be described as strong troops and sturdy horses, and it shows no weakness before any power.

Wang Po (Wang Xiu) read Wang Meng's handwritten letter again, carefully, three times.

According to the letter's contents and his mental plan, they matched perfectly.

Wang Xiu's consciousness, dwelling in Wang Po's body, felt an indescribable sense of ease.

This feeling was like personally manipulating a precise sand table, watching the pieces move exactly as he intended, step by step toward the preset destination.

"Well done, Wang Meng, you didn't disappoint me." Wang Po muttered to himself, his voice tinged with a smile.

He rose, walked to the huge world map in the study, and lightly traced the elongated outline of Japan's islands with his finger.

"It seems a nail has been firmly driven in, but that's not enough."

Wang Xiu knew well that this place, Japan, had scarce resources and cramped land, but its greatest advantage was its large population, a people innately inclined to obedience and frenzy.

Such people, when well tamed, become the most useful dogs; if mishandled, they will bite back at their master.

What he wanted to do was not simple conquest and occupation; that was too lowly and too costly.

What he wanted was to fundamentally transform this place, making it thoroughly a springboard and source of troops for the Wang Family's expansion into the wider ocean.

"Come here." Wang Po called toward the door.

"Head of Family." A personal guard responded and entered.

"Go summon Chief Wang Tian to my study."

"Yes."

Not long after, footsteps sounded; the over-fifty but still vigorous Wang Tian entered the study. As soon as he came in, he saw the smile on Wang Po's face and understood.

"Head of Family, has there been good news from Eastern Garrison City?" Wang Tian asked, clasping his hands.

"Uncle, come look." Wang Po smiled and handed Wang Meng's letter over.

Wang Tian took the letter and examined it intently; the longer he looked, the deeper his astonishment grew.

Although he was the Chief of the Overseas Administration Bureau and the executor of the whole plan, he sometimes felt that what the family head had in mind was beyond the imagination of his generation.

Nurturing proxies, conducting economic dumping, opening schools for cultural transformation, absorbing local armed forces for our use—this combination of measures was flawless and silent in its effect.

The tiny Matsura Family would likely never know, even to death, how they had gradually become puppets of the Wang Family.

"The Head of Family's plans are unfathomable even to spirits. This young man Wang Meng is also a talent capable of executing your intentions without the slightest deviation." Wang Tian set down the letter and praised sincerely.

"This is only the first step." Wang Po's gaze returned to the map: "The Matsura Town dog is now obedient, because we gave it a big enough bone and a hard enough whip."

But a dog kept too long will come to see itself as the master. We cannot keep only one dog.

Wang Tian immediately grasped Wang Po's meaning: "Is the Head of Family saying we should nurture more 'Matsura Families'?"

"Not bad." Wang Po nodded. "On Japan's Kyushu Island, the great and small powerful clans number no fewer than eighty, if not a hundred. They are riddled with conflict, constantly attacking each other. This is our best opportunity."

He picked up a vermilion brush, drew a circle on the map centered on Eastern Garrison City, and from that circle drew several arrows outward.

"I want Wang Meng, using Eastern Garrison City as a platform, to contact all accessible local powerful clans. Our goods can be sold to anyone; our weapons can also be sold to anyone. We can even provoke them to fight each other."

Hearing this, Wang Tian's heart skipped a beat; he asked somewhat hesitantly: "Head of Family, if we do this, won't Kyushu be engulfed in war, the people plunged into misery? …Is this not contrary to heavenly harmony?"

Wang Po turned his head, looked at his uncle, and spoke solemnly:

"Uncle, remember: mercy toward the enemy is cruelty toward oneself. The Wang Family is not here to be saviors; we are expanding living space for the Wang Family's eternal foundation."

"Japan in chaos is to our benefit. The fiercer they fight, the more they rely on our weapons and goods. The more of their people die, the more easily we can use our own people to fill the vacant lands and mines."

"When their elite are wiped out, the people we have cultivated—who speak our language, learn our knowledge, and use our accustomed local talents—will naturally take over this place."

Wang Xiu's words made Wang Tian, who had long overseen intelligence work and considered himself as hard-hearted as iron, feel a chill run down his back.

"I understand." Wang Tian drew a deep breath, completely suppressing that reluctance. He knew the Head of Family stood at a height he could not aspire to; his duty was to carry out the Head's orders without deviation.

"Then I'll go reply to Wang Meng's letter now?"

"Not urgent." Wang Po waved his hand. "I'll write the reply myself; I still have more important matters to instruct him."

He walked to the desk, spread a sheet of fine xuan paper, and personally ground the ink.

Wang Xiu's consciousness raced through his mind, planning not just the next operational orders for Wang Meng, but a complete, sustainable colonial guideline.

"First, in trade, we must differentiate." Wang Po mused while telling Wang Tian, "For ordinary powerful clans, we can sell them ordinary ironware, salt, and cloth, exchanging for their silver and grain."

"But for agents like Matsura Town, already under our deep control, we can sell them higher‑grade goods, such as the outdated firearms and armor we have phased out."

"The price must be high—high enough that they must strain themselves to afford it. This ensures their military advantage while keeping them permanently in debt, forced to work for us."

"Second, mineral prospecting must be put on the agenda immediately. Tell the people sent by the Prospection Bureau not to fear spending money or fearing death.

"At the greatest speed, have me locate the Stone View Silver Mountain and the Life Field Copper Mountain. Once found, in the name of the Trade Warehouse, spare no cost to seize the land around the mines for us. Then, using our people and those Liang Army prisoners, directly begin mining!"

Third, the scale of the school must be expanded. Not only should we recruit the children of the powerful and wealthy, but we should also recruit intelligent children from among the commoners.

Teaching materials must be uniformly compiled by our Education Bureau. We must make them believe from childhood that the Wang Family is the embodiment of civilization and the incarnation of order. We must make them feel honored to become subjects of the Wang Family.

For those who study well, we can bestow upon them the Wang family name, making them 'Honorary Wang Family Members,' thereby dividing and winning over the local upper-class elites.

"Fourth, and this is the most important point." Wang Po's pen paused on the paper, then wrote the four characters "thought control."

Tell Wang Meng, we must use our advanced culture and goods to subtly change their living habits. Let them become accustomed to using our iron control pots for cooking, our cotton cloth for clothing, drinking our tea, and reading our books.

When everything they have becomes inseparable from ours, they will no longer be able to free themselves from our control. This is far more stable than conquest by sword.

Wang Po finished explaining his entire plan in one breath.

Wang Tian listened beside him, his heart stirred and sweat beading on his forehead. He took out his notebook and quickly wrote down every word the Head of Family said.

He knew that what was recorded in this notebook would be the supreme guideline for the Wang Family's future overseas endeavors.

Wang Po finished writing the letter, sealed it with wax, and handed it to Wang Tian.

"Uncle, ensuring safety, send it to Zhen Dong City as quickly as possible. Tell Wang Meng to go ahead and do it, not fearing mistakes. South of the River will forever be his strongest backing."

"Yes, Head of Family!" Wang Tian received the letter, bowed solemnly, and hurriedly withdrew.

In the study, only Wang Po remained.

Wang Xiu, through Wang Po's eyes, gazed at the enormous world map, his heart burning with fervor.

Wa Country is merely a beginning. His gaze has already crossed this small island, heading toward the richer South Sea Islands to the south, toward the Indian Subcontinent where gold and spices abound, and even toward that distant, unknown, fertile continent.

Speaking of which, at this moment in Zhongyuan, Li Cunxu had just wiped out the remnants of the Later Liang, and was eagerly preparing to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor, establishing the Later Tang.

His gaze was still fixed firmly on the northern Khitan and the several separatist regimes in Zhongyuan.

He never would have imagined that, to his south, the Wang Family, which had voluntarily declared it would never march north, had quietly extended its reach into a vast realm he could not possibly comprehend.