Yang Peng looked at Du Nan with a smile, and everyone looked at Du Nan. Du Nan suddenly realized something, pointed at his nose and said in disbelief: "Brother, you, you don't want to, but you want to..." Yang Peng nodded, "I just want you to be the ambassador of the Lianghuai Xuanwei !" Although Du Nan had expected it, he still felt a little unbelievable when he heard Yang Peng actually said this, "This, this, I can't do it!"
Yang Peng joked: "You usually talk about the world and talk with such ease, but why do you shrink back when things happen?" Du Nan scratched his fat head, "This, this is different!..." Yang Peng He smiled and said: "You don't have confidence in yourself? Do you think you don't have this ability?" "That's not true, it's just, it's just, this is a bit too sudden!" Then he said half-jokingly and half-worriedly: "If I make a mess, Wouldn’t it make eldest brother angry?”
Yang Peng laughed, "You're still a little unsure!" Du Nan was really embarrassed and a little annoyed. Why did he suddenly become so cowardly? Yang Peng walked up to Du Nan, patted his shoulder, and said with a smile: "Since I leave the matter to you, I naturally have confidence in you. Just go ahead and do it. Why be timid! Good or bad Well, at least I tried my best, and when I look back in the future, I won't regret it!" Du Nan nodded gratefully, "Thank you for your teaching, brother, I will try my best!" Duan Zhixian said angrily: "Be a propaganda envoy. That's all, what's there to be afraid of? It's really inexplicable!" Yang Peng laughed, and Du Nan was quite embarrassed.
Duan Zhixian said with joy on his face: "It's better now. I finally have a Xuanwei envoy, and I'm finally free! His grandma, dealing with these bullshit government affairs is really annoying!"
Yang Peng joked: "It's really inappropriate to let Duan Zhixian do such a thing!" Du Nan and Bai Tong couldn't help laughing. Duan Zhixian patted his bald head and laughed: "That's right, that's right! I'll stay here Feel more comfortable in the barracks!”
Yang Peng said to Bai Tong: "Bai Tong will be Du Nan's assistant and help him manage the two Huaihe lands!" Bai Tong clasped his fists and agreed. Yang Peng looked at Duan Zhixian, "Although government affairs are the responsibility of Ambassador Xuanwei, the military must also provide support when necessary!" Duan Zhixian patted his chest, "Don't worry about this, as long as the fat man says something, we will definitely help with all our strength. !" Du Nan clasped his fists gratefully and said: "Thank you so much, General!" Duan Zhixian waved his hand: "Thank you!" Then he said angrily: "What I don't like the most is these bullshit etiquette, fat man, you can talk and do things from now on. Just get straight to the point, don’t beat around the bush with me, or I won’t recognize you as my brother!”
Du Nan laughed and said: "The general's temper is just right for me! Don't worry, general, I don't like red tape either!" Duan Zhixian laughed loudly, "Okay, okay, these are good brothers!" Yang Peng said with a smile. : "Okay, let's stop talking nonsense and let's discuss serious matters." Then several people started discussing some key matters between the two sides.
At the same time, Zhou Xian returned home, looking a little absent-minded. Seeing his father like this, his son Zhou Lu asked in confusion: "Father, has something happened?" Zhou Xian sighed, sat down and said depressedly: "I saw King Yan today!" Zhou Lu said Surprised, "The King of Yan has come to Yangzhou?" The entire Lianghuai area was not notified of Yang Peng's coming to Yangzhou. Only Duan Zhixian, Cheng Shijie and other military generals were informed. Therefore, the local people did not know that Yang Peng had arrived in Lianghuai before. matter.
Zhou Xian nodded, "I came yesterday." Zhou Lu was very surprised: "This is strange, why don't we know about it?" Zhou Xian shook his head, "It's nothing. It's just that today my father is in front of King Yan. You've lost your master!" Zhou Lu was very surprised. Zhou Xian frowned and continued: "A few of our servants actually bumped into King Yan in the tavern. The desperate servant even called Chief Zheng to arrest him. The result can be imagined!"
Zhou Lu was stunned for a moment, "It's actually like this!" Then fear surged in his heart, "Then, wouldn't King Yan be furious?" Zhou Xian shook his head, "That's not true, Yan. Wang, he didn't take this matter to heart. He just sentenced those servants and government servants to exile, and he didn't reprimand me." Zhou Lu breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: "It seems that King Yan He still values his father very much, otherwise why would he expose this matter so lightly?" Zhou Xian nodded, remembered something, looked at Zhou Lu, and asked anxiously: "How is the woman you robbed now? How is she now? Are you okay?" When Zhou Lu heard his father mention that woman, he immediately got angry. "That hateful woman is really a fine wine if you don't eat the toast!" Zhou Xian frowned and asked, "How is she doing now? You don't have it. How about her?" His tone was anxious and nervous.
Seeing his father like this, Zhou Lu couldn't help but be very surprised, "She is still being treated for her injuries and is not seriously injured. Father, why are you so nervous about that woman?" Zhou Xian couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief when Zhou Lu said that the woman was fine. He frowned and said, "I don't know who was chewing his tongue in front of King Yan. King Yan specifically asked you about robbing civilian girls..." Zhou Lu was shocked and then furious, "It's that bastard who got tired of living. You dare to accuse me of my tricks in front of King Yan!" Zhou Xian glared and shouted: "Please be quiet!" Zhou Lu closed his mouth in depression.
Zhou Xiandao: "It's not bad. King Yan doesn't intend to pursue this matter, he just wants us to deal with the aftermath. You, immediately send someone to send the woman back, and at the same time send the family two hundred taels of silver, asking them to Don't talk nonsense!" Seeing Zhou Lu's unwillingness, he immediately glared and shouted: "Did you hear that?" Zhou Lu said very depressedly: "Father, my son feels that following this King of Yan is really boring! We are loyal to him, But there is not much benefit, and you still have to be cautious. If I had known this, I would not have taken refuge in him!"
Zhou Xian showed a thoughtful look, "What you said is not completely unreasonable. Since Yan Yun took over the Huaihe River, the income of our three major families has shrunk a lot, and we have to be cautious. We have completely lost the prestige of the past. !..." Zhou Lu was very excited when he saw his father saying the same thing, and immediately said: "Father, why don't we dedicate Yangzhou to the imperial court! Think about it, the imperial court will definitely treat us with great preferential treatment!"
Zhou Xian was very moved, but then he shook his head, "No, if we really do this, your and my heads will be taken away by the Yan Yun Army tomorrow! Although we are local officials, we have no soldiers in our hands. The Yan Yun Army It’s the tiger and wolf forces again that even the Khitans are trying to avoid. If we act rashly, the consequences will be disastrous! Don’t mention this matter again in the future!”
Zhou Lu was depressed and unwilling, but he also knew that what his father said was right. If he showed up randomly at this time, he would definitely not end well. Zhou Xiandao: "Although we are not as prominent as in the past, the three of us still play a decisive role in the land of Lianghuai. We just have to be more restrained. The general trend is still the same as in the past. Humph, on the land of Lianghuai Who dares not to look at our faces! But we must also learn to adapt to the environment! It is good to have a foolish king above us. We can do whatever we want without any scruples, but a foolish king cannot keep the country. Sooner or later, the country will be destroyed by a strong man like King Yan. Taken away, so we can't always hope that the king will be fatuous, and we have to adapt to the situation of working under a wise master!" Zhou Lu sighed.
Early the next morning, Zhou Xian came to report to Yang Peng, saying that he had sent back the daughter Zhou Lu had robbed according to King Yan's instructions, and that he had compensated the family heavily and solemnly apologized. Yang Peng was very satisfied and praised Zhou Xian, and the matter was over.
Soon after, Yang Peng issued an order for all the prefectures and county magistrates in Huaihe and Huaihe to come to Yangzhou for a meeting. After receiving Yang Peng's order, the magistrates from Lianghuai and Huaihe rushed to Yangzhou one after another. At the meeting, Yang Peng publicly announced the order to appoint Du Nan as the Xuanwei envoy, and introduced Du Nan to everyone. When the magistrates and magistrates saw that Ambassador Xuanwei turned out to be a fat man with an unassuming appearance and a kind face, they were secretly happy, thinking that such a person would be easy to deal with and that everyone would have a good life in the future. Everyone bowed together: "I'd like to pay my respects to Mr. Xuanwei Envoy!" Du Nan smiled and returned the greeting: "You are welcome, gentlemen! I am a young man with little talent and little knowledge. Please take care of me!" Naturally, everyone agreed, but there was something else in their hearts. Calculate.
Yang Peng left all the government affairs in Huaihe and Huaihe to Du Nan and Bai Tong, and left Yangzhou to inspect along the Yangtze River. He spent half a month before returning to Yangzhou. That night, they talked with Du Nan for most of the night. Early the next morning, Yang Peng and his secret guards boarded the ship and left Yangzhou, returning to Yanjing.
As soon as he returned to Yanjing, Han Jinxin reported to Yang Peng: "King Yan, the envoy from Xixia is here."
Yang Peng chuckled and said, "He came quite quickly!" He looked at Han Jinxin and asked, "How long have you been here? Did you say anything?" Han Jinxin said, "It's been a few days since I've been here. Although my subordinates have been here with him for a few days, We talked several times, but he remained tight-lipped and did not explain his purpose! This man is thoughtful and has a deep city. He is not a simple person!"
Yang Peng thought and nodded, "Go and inform him. I will summon him in the palace hall tomorrow!" Han Jinxin promised and retreated.
Yang Peng put everything behind him for the time being and went to the backyard to see his wives and concubines. As the saying goes, a long break is better than a wedding. Yang Peng spent the whole day with his wives and concubines, not going anywhere and not caring about anything.
At the same time, the Xixia envoy living in the guest house began to make preparations for his audience tomorrow after receiving the notice from the Yan Palace.
Early the next morning, the Xixia envoy came to the gate of the palace to ask for an audience. After a while, the guard came out and said, "Your Majesty, please follow me." The Xixia envoy nodded slightly, and then followed the guard into the gate. Yang Peng was sitting in the hall and saw the Xixia envoy walking slowly under the guidance of the guards. The Xixia envoy's name was Li Tianhao. He was from the Xixia royal family. He was in his forties. He was not tall and skinny, but had an extraordinary temperament. His eyes were sunken and deep. At first glance, he looked like the kind of person who was used to thinking. He was wearing party items. Wearing the attire of a nobleman, the hair on his head was shaved into three locks, hanging down from the back, left and right respectively. His right hand was swinging by his side, but his left hand was holding a golden document in front of his chest, which must be a certificate of credence or something like that.
Li Tianhao followed the guards into the hall and looked up at the legendary King of Yan sitting at the top. He saw that the man above him was so heroic and powerful that he couldn't help but feel heartbroken. He thought to himself: King Yan dominates the world. When I saw him today, he certainly lived up to his reputation, but he was too young, which was a bit unexpected!
These thoughts only flashed through my mind, and then I put my right hand on my chest and bowed: "Li Tianhao, the envoy of Daxia, pays homage to His Highness King Yan!"
Yang Peng looked at him and said with a smile: "Your envoy does not need to be polite!" Li Tianhao held up the credential in both hands and said: "This is the credential of our country. I, Xixia, are willing to form a brotherly state with King Yan. At the same time, I also wish to On behalf of His Majesty the Emperor of our country, I would like to extend my sincere greetings to His Highness King Yan!"
Jiang Li walked down, took the credentials, and then forwarded them to Yang Peng. Yang Peng took the letter of credence, opened it, and read it. He saw that the words written on it were just polite remarks about the exchanges between the two countries, and they didn't have much meaning. Putting down his credentials, he said: "Thank you Emperor Xixia for your kindness. Naturally, I, Yan Yun, am willing to live in harmony with Xixia. Please convey my greetings to His Majesty the Emperor of your country!" "Yes." Li Tianhao responded, and then said : "In addition to expressing our country's goodwill, this envoy is here to discuss one more thing with His Highness, King Yan!"
Yang Peng knew what he was thinking and asked with a smile: "What does your country want to discuss with me?" Li Tianhao said: "About Shanxi..." After a pause, "Liao Kingdom has assigned Shanxi to our country, so please invite His Highness King Yan Return Shanxi to our country!"
Standing on the left, a heroic and stunning female general in armor and cloak snorted, "Your envoy is joking, Shanxi does not belong to the Liao Kingdom. What qualifications does the Liao Kingdom have to give Shanxi to others!" This female general is none other than someone else. It was one of Yang Peng's wives, the former eldest princess of Liao Dynasty, Yelu Hanyu. At this time, in addition to Yelu Hanyu, there were also Zhang Yan, Han Jinxin, Liu Zhiliang, and Chai Yonghui in the hall. Yelu Hanyu stood at the left as a general, and the other four were civil servants, standing on the right, with Yelu Hanyu standing at the right. Han Yu ranks first, followed by Qian Letian, Han Jinxin, and Huang Qiaoyun.
Li Tianhao glanced at the female general and couldn't help being stunned, and said to himself: There is such a beautiful and heroic woman in the world! who is she? Could it be Princess Yelu Hanyu of King Yan?
Li Tianhao bowed and asked, "May I ask if you are the Princess of Yan?" "Exactly!" Li Tianhao performed a chest-pressing salute, "I don't know if she is the Princess, I'm disrespectful!" He straightened up and said solemnly: "What the Princess just said The words are inappropriate! Since Shanxi was captured by the Liao Kingdom, it is naturally the territory of the Liao Kingdom! Now that the Liao Kingdom has ceded it to me, Xixia, it is my Xixia territory!"
Yelu Hanyu asked: "According to your envoy's wishes, the Liao Kingdom captured Shanxi by force, and Shanxi belongs to the Liao Kingdom. Then I, Yan Yun, captured Shanxi from the Khitans with my own ability, and Shanxi should belong to me, Yan Yun!" Since it belongs to me, Yanyun, why did your envoy come to ask me, Yanyun, for Shanxi with the peace treaty of Liao?"
Li Tianhao said: "I'm afraid the right and wrong of this cannot be explained clearly!" Then he said to Yang Peng: "I hope that King Yan will not damage the relationship between you and me because of Shanxi!"
Yang Peng asked with a smile: "Are your envoys threatening me?" "Don't dare! I'm just telling the truth! Yan Yun has now formed a deadly feud with the Liao people in the north. At the same time, the Song Dynasty in the south is also hostile to Yan Yun. There are many doubts. Although Yanyun is powerful, I am afraid that it is already unable to cope with these two directions! If Yanyun is enmity with Xixia again at this moment, I don’t need to say more about Yanyun’s situation! "
Chai Yonghui snorted coldly, "We have been making trouble for a long time. You Xixia want to take advantage of others' danger!" Li Tianhao turned around and clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, you are serious! In fact, I, Xixia, do not want to become enemies with Yanyun. Our Majesty said As long as Yanyun is willing to abandon Shanxi, then Xixia will not only not be Yanyun's enemy, but also Yanyun's most reliable ally. We are willing to go south with Yanyun and divide the Song Dynasty equally! In this way, Yanyun But if you give up one Shanxi, you can gain half of the south of the Yangtze River. I believe you can understand which is more important!"
Yang Peng sneered and said: "You Xixia have such a good idea! You can get Shanxi without any effort, and then use me, Yan Yun, to conquer Jiangnan in one fell swoop! You Xixia have taken advantage of everything, aren't you afraid that you won't be able to sleep at night? "
Li Tianhao said: "This is something that is beneficial to both you and me. Please think again, King Yan! Why would King Yan have to enmity with Xixia for a mere Shanxi? At that time, if we, Xixia and Liao, send troops to attack at the same time, Yan will The king asked himself, could he withstand it?"
Yang Peng burst out laughing, his laughter reaching into the sky. Li Tianhao couldn't help but be surprised, because he heard a contemptuous attitude from the other party's laughter. He felt like a tiger laughing at a sheep, and he couldn't help but feel flustered and at a loss.
Yang Peng stopped laughing and said categorically: "Shanxi is the land passed down by the ancestors of my Chinese clan. Not an inch is redundant and will never be given to foreigners! If you want Shanxi, just take it based on your ability!" Full of pride.
Li Tianhao frowned and said: "Why does King Yan have to act on his own initiative! If we really go to that step, I'm afraid that King Yan will not only lose Shanxi!"
"So what? I, the Yanyun soldiers, can fall on their own land, but they will never give in! If you want our land, come and we will stay with you until the end!" Yelu Hanyu, Zhang Yan and Chai Yong Hui looked at Yang Peng with admiration and looked very excited.
Li Tianhao felt a little at a loss. He originally thought that Yan Yun would give in due to the current situation, but he did not expect that the other party's attitude would be so determined! He could feel the other party's determination and knew that it would be futile to say anything else, so he clasped his fists and said, "I am very surprised by King Yan's words! In this case, I have nothing more to say!" Then he bowed to Yang Peng, left.
Yelu Hanyu looked at Yang Peng and said very excitedly; "Brother, these words are so heartwarming!" Chai Yonghui nodded with deep sympathy. Han Jinxin thought: "I'm afraid Shanxi will fall into an unprecedented bitter war soon!" Yang Peng said: "I have expected this!" Then he smiled and said, "Come if you want! We Yanyun must truly It is impossible to rise without going through several fierce battles! A phoenix can only be reborn from the fire, and steel can become a talent only by tempering, and we, Yan Yun, are the same!"
Everyone nodded in sympathy.
Yang Peng looked at Qian Letian and asked: "Have the envoys sent to Xixia, Liao Kingdom and the imperial court been sent?" Qian Letian clasped his fists and said: "The envoys to Liao Kingdom and the imperial court have been sent long ago, and only the envoys to Xixia They haven't been sent out yet, but the personnel have been selected and are just waiting for King Yan's order." Yang Peng said: "Our envoy will go to Xixia together with the envoy from Xixia!" "Yes."
Chai Yonghui asked in confusion: "Brother, since Xixia is so rampant, what is the use of sending envoys?"
Yang Peng smiled and said: "That's not necessarily the case! Although Xixia sent envoys to threaten us, it does not mean that Xixia will definitely send troops together with Liao! Even if Xixia has made up its mind to send troops, we can also use diplomatic means to find ways to disrupt the Xixia people The rhythm of the situation prevents them from taking action with the Liao Kingdom! In short, all means are necessary! If these means are ineffective, then the decisive battle will be, huh, who do we Yanyun have to be afraid of!" Chai Yonghui felt the same way. nodded. …
This morning, Yang Peng, dressed in casual clothes and surrounded by guards, rode towards the outside of the city. Yang Peng couldn't help frowning when he saw that there seemed to be more refugees in Korean costumes on the street than before. The group of people walked out of the south city gate and saw more Korean refugees in the distance from the city gate to the far pier. At the same time, Korean ships carrying refugees continued to land from here, and there was a bustling scene everywhere. Chen Xiao immediately looked at it for a moment, then turned the horse's head and ran towards the undulating green mountains to the east, followed closely by the secret guards. The group of people ran into the mountain forest, and the surroundings seemed to immediately quiet down. The previous hustle and bustle seemed to be very far away, and it was like another world compared to this place.
Yang Peng rode on a horse and strolled among the green pine, cypress and bamboo forests, breathing in the fragrance of nature, listening to the singing of birds and the gentle sound of the bamboo branches swaying in the breeze, and felt particularly comfortable. It's such a pleasure to have half a day's leisure in a floating life!
After a while, the group turned around a mountain col, and a valley full of green bamboos immediately appeared in front of them. Behind the heavy bamboo shadows, there was a large courtyard hidden in it.
After walking for a while, a courtyard wall and a small courtyard door appeared in front of them. The courtyard door was tightly closed, with a bamboo gauze lantern on each side. Looking beyond the courtyard wall, I saw pavilions and pavilions looming under the trees. Although the courtyard is not large, it gives people a very quiet and elegant feeling.
A guard stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a moment, the door opened, and a Feifeng female guard appeared in front of everyone. When the flying phoenix female guard saw the scene in front of her, her face showed joy. She quickly pushed the door open and ran out to worship: "I pay my respects to the master!"
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
