Tianjin Mansion.
In a newly built garden, a banquet was going on.
Yelu Chucai held a pen in one hand and a wine cup in the other. Take a few sips occasionally, and then smear a few words on the paper. However, his poetry was not good. He thought hard for a long time on the spot and could only come up with two sentences. The phrase "strings and poems can help you have fun, and you can enjoy the ease of old age", in the eyes of experts, it is rough and easy.
There were many literati attending the banquet, and the one sitting at the head of the guest table was Xuan Zhen, the special envoy of the powerful minister Shi Miyuan of the Southern Dynasties.
At this time, many people asked Xuan Zhen to evaluate Yelu Chucai's poems. Xuan Zhen laughed and said: "Of course it is good!"
The garden they were in was newly completed last month. The waterside pavilion where the banquet was held was on a very high ground, close to the Yuhe River, and could overlook a large area in the west of Tianjin Prefecture. This garden is part of the entire Tianjin government construction. Perhaps in order to make Xuan Zhen, the envoy of the Song Dynasty, feel friendly, many urgent adjustments were made in the last part of the project to make the style more in line with the aesthetics of the scholar-bureaucrats of the Southern Dynasty.
Within the main entrance of the garden, there is a winding path paved with cobblestones. There are strange flowers and stones on the side of the road. Two of them have rugged postures. It is said that they are rare masterpieces moved from the Central Capital Imperial Garden. Among the flowers and rocks, there are clear streams and graceful green trees. Occasionally, you can see corridors and water pavilions hidden among the flowers and trees.
After arriving in Tianjin, Xuan Zhen first visited Yelu Chucai, a loyal minister of the Zhongdu court, and expressed to Yelu Chucai his hope that the navy would send troops to contain the Kaifeng court. Yelu Chucai did not explicitly agree or object. He only said that Zhou Guogong was on inspection in Haizhou, Shandong, and the two families happened to miss it. Therefore, he had to wait for Zhou Guogong to return before he could make a decision.
Xuan Zhen settled down in Tianjin. In the first few days, he was very anxious and asked about Guo Ning's whereabouts every day, but later he gradually became relieved.
First, because Xuan Zhen was here, Yelu Chucai moved his office to Tianjin Mansion, and invited Xuan Zhen to attend banquets from time to time, and treated him very politely and gracefully.
For hundreds of years, the Jin people have looked down upon the Song envoys with arrogance. Even if the Jin Dynasty is divided now, this condescending attitude will be difficult to change. But Yelu Chucai and his cronies did not have this attitude at all. Their attentiveness to Xuan Zhen was simply flattering.
On the other hand, Xuan Zhen proposed that he wanted to leave the library and go out for a walk to relax. Yelu Chucai also agreed.
Xuan Zhen is an official who is familiar with practical matters and has great discernment. Shi Miyuan asked him to come to the north with the intention of believing what he heard and seeing what he saw. Once he went out, although the area he was allowed to move around was limited to the Tianjin pier and a few miles around the museum building, he still saw a lot of things.
He saw that on the low-lying saline-alkali land on both sides of Lushui, platform foundations several miles wide were being built, and large pieces of stone were being transported to pave the corridors. On the huge platform, there are tall palaces and buildings, as well as neat and uniform buildings and various buildings that Xuan Zhen cannot understand clearly, but they must have clear functional plans.
Just looking at the specifications from a distance, you can tell that Duke Zhou pursued perfection and considered everything carefully in order to build his own domineering mansion.
Although I can't get close enough to take a closer look, I can roughly estimate that the entire project is almost the same as King Hailing's construction of Daxing Mansion in the central capital and the restoration of Kaifeng Mansion in Nanjing.
During the reign of King Hailing, Dajin was relatively powerful and had a vast territory. He also relied on force to plunder the people, so that he could build majestic cities. How does Guo Ning's strength and foundation compare to King Hailing?
With this idea in mind, Xuan Zhen paid special attention to the many construction projects of the Ding Navy in the next few days. As expected, he discovered many large-scale construction sites one after another, and a huge number of civilians were working on them.
When Prime Minister Shi summoned his cronies for a secret discussion, many of them felt that Jia She, the newly appointed envoy to Huaidong, had a close relationship with merchants, which would help the Song Dynasty understand the internal affairs of the Zhongdu court. Jia She also often reported that Guo Ning was so ambitious that he opened a military academy in Tianjin and trained naval forces, so that his income and expenditure relied heavily on maritime trade.
Now it seems that Guo Ning does more than just the military academy and navy?
A regime that has just controlled half of the Jin Kingdom and has not yet established its position has invested so much manpower and material resources in a remote seaport; and this half of the country has been repeatedly destroyed by the fierce Black Tartars, how much oil and water can be squeezed out?
Yang Chengzhi, who often accompanied Xuan Zhen on trips, was quite proud of this. He often explained to Xuan Zhen that this is the port, this is the shipyard, this is the military fortress, that is the workshop, that is the school, that is the bridge, and there are centuries-old treasures everywhere. big plan.
A century-old plan? Isn't it a joke?
When Ying Zheng built the Great Wall and Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty dug the canal, they all thought it was a century-old plan, but what was the result?
To put it too much, Emperors Shizong and Zhangzong of the Jin Dynasty spent countless people's efforts to build the so-called northern boundary trench, which was a century-old project. Where is the boundary trench now? Where are the hundreds of thousands of troops stationed in the trenches?
Xuan Zhen really disagrees with this approach. But this was very beneficial to the Song Dynasty.
During several subsequent trips, Xuan Zhen made insinuating inquiries to many accompanying officials and literati. At first they talked about him indifferently, but then they were not affectionate and exchanged a few words with each other in a cryptic manner.
It turns out that Zhou Guogong Guo Ning was born in the grass, had an impatient temper, and acted vigorously and resolutely no matter what he did. He also wanted immediate results for his subordinates, which is why his Dinghai regime rose so quickly.
But after he took control of the Zhongdu court, he still acted like this. Whatever he thought of, he would do it. He didn't understand the principle of governing a big country like cooking small dishes. Therefore, the ministers responsible for government affairs were often overwhelmed. As for maintaining financial plans, , it is even more difficult.
In this way, Xuan Zhen made his judgment clearer.
Last year there was news from Kaifeng that Zhongdu was in urgent need of food and supplies. That was true. Prime Minister Shi once gave instructions to block the smuggling of grain to the north, which indeed brought great trouble to the Zhongli court.
In the year since then, the Zhongdu court of the Jin Kingdom has been deliberately managing its relationship with the Song Dynasty, trying to achieve secret cooperation with the Song Dynasty in various ways. They sought the copper coins of the Song Dynasty and the food of the Song Dynasty. To this end, they did not hesitate to win over officials of the Song Dynasty privately and set up trading houses specifically for maritime trade.
why is that?
Because of the coexistence of the East and the West, Guo Ning could not openly surrender to the Song Dynasty. He had to maintain his strength against the Song Dynasty in order to continue to claim to be orthodox. But he had to rely on maritime trade to maintain such a large army and huge expenditures as a naval regime. Without the financial resources from the sea, his seemingly simmering situation could not be maintained for a day, let alone go further and usurp the throne of the Kingdom of Jin.
If the Song Dynasty's financial resources were instead invested in the battlefield with Kaifeng, it would definitely affect the trade with Zhongdu, which Zhongdu would never like to see.
If the Song Dynasty suffered heavy losses in the fight with Kaifeng, it would either turn to Kaifeng, or the whole court would become angry and mobilize troops. This would also affect the trade with Zhongdu, which Zhongdu would not like to see.
From the standpoint of the Zhongdu court, I hope that the Song Dynasty will maintain stability, that the Prime Minister will always be in control of the court situation, and maintain a tacit understanding with the Duke of Zhou in the north. Only in this way can Guo Ning invest in those century-old plans in Zhongdu and suppress the imperial power step by step.
So, when the Song Dynasty needed the Zhongdu court to send troops to contain Kaifeng, could they refuse?
After all, we are not asking them to raise an overwhelming army to fight against Kaifeng, it is enough to contain them!
Eating food from the sea and holding money from the sea, how could they have any reason to refuse Song's request?
In the following days, Xuan Zhen and Yelu Chucai had several banquets, and while they were drinking, they made inquisitive inquiries, which further confirmed this judgment. Therefore, he specially sent people to hire a light boat to leave the port, and headed straight to Dinghai as quickly as possible. He reported the situation to the Prime Minister in a secret message, and asked the Prime Minister to order Huainan, Jingxi and other parties to go all out to resist the Jin army. You have to be submissive and don't worry about the situation getting worse.
In the secret letter, Xuan Zhen asserted that although Guo Ning had not yet been interviewed, the general trend of the navy was such that it could not be changed at all. They would soon respond to the Song Dynasty's request and send troops to contain Kaifeng. And as long as they mobilize 10,000 to 20,000 troops on Hebei West Road or Damingfu direction, and make some momentum, the Jin army that invaded Huainan and Jingxi military prefectures from Kaifeng will have only one way to retreat.
From then on, the Kaifeng court was suppressed from the east and south, and there was no possibility of rash action. If the Zhongdu court wanted to fight against Kaifeng, it could not do without the financial support from the Song Dynasty and the blood transfusion of maritime trade. The Song Dynasty relied on its huge navy and the maritime trade management methods it had maintained for hundreds of years to be able to do so. Take the initiative!
The only difference is one thing.
That was when Guo Ning would meet him and decide to send troops.
This kind of delayed appearance was a common method used by Song Dynasty and Jin Dynasty when hiring envoys to communicate with each other. In the early years, some envoys from Song Dynasty were detained for more than a year.
Guo Ning has not sent troops, so the Song Dynasty has been entangled with the Kaifeng Jin Army on the long front in Huainan, western Beijing and other places. More than a dozen military states have been devastated by the war. This is the weakness of the Song Dynasty. Obviously, Zhongdu wants to make a fuss about this weakness.
Xuan Zhen told himself not to be anxious.
No matter how weak the Song Dynasty was in terms of force, it would not be without the power to fight back. Since Zhongdu cannot do without sea trade, they may come out to talk today or tomorrow sooner or later! Maybe, Guo Ning has already arrived at Tianjin Mansion and can come forward at any time!
Thinking of this, Xuan Zhen was distracted for a moment, but was encouraged by Yang Chengzhi, who was accompanying him, and composed two small orders in a row. He was a doctor of Taixue in the Southern Dynasty. He had served as a householder. His level of poetry and prose far exceeded that of ordinary scholars in the north, so he was highly praised by everyone.
Yang Chengzhi toasted to him with admiration. Xuan Zhen had a good drinking capacity. He drank three glasses in a row, and everyone cheered again.
Xuan Zhen smiled slightly, put the wine cup back on the table, cleared his throat, and waited for words. Suddenly, the sound of galloping horse hooves was heard in the distance of the quiet garden, and it kept getting closer. He calmed down, looked out, and saw someone dismounting from the outside of the corridor and whispering to the official on duty at the door.
After hearing the words, the official's expression suddenly became solemn, and he immediately led the man along the corridor again. The figure passed through the flowers and trees one after another, and when he reappeared, he had already gone around to the back of the banquet venue, and saluted Yelu Chucai, who was sitting at the head of the table, through a blue gauze cabinet.
Yelu Chucai looked drunk at first, but when he saw the knight arriving, his drunkenness faded away and his expression became serious. Not caring about apologizing to everyone at the table, he stood up directly and moved to the back of the Bisha cabinet.
Because of Shaluo's obstruction, Xuan Zhen could not clearly see the knight's appearance. He could only vaguely see him kneeling on one knee and presenting a document. After Yelu Chucai read it, he held the document and returned directly to Shuixie.
He did not sit down, but stood in the middle of the waterside pavilion.
Xuan Zhen asked with a smile: "Qing Jin, it's time to compose music and recite poems. You look like this, are you doing business? Come on, I will drink three drinks as a penalty according to the rules."
After saying this, there was no response.
Yelu Chucai opened the document, looked at it again, and then said in a deep voice: "The person who just sent the letter is a gold-medal gentleman. According to the system of our dynasty, as a certificate of gold medal, he can start a day and night tour at the delivery shop. An urgent delivery from hundreds of miles away. This golden gentleman set out from Haizhou, and it took him two days to kill four good horses, and only then did he get the news about my lord in time."
Xuan Zhen's drunkenness faded for the most part, and he quickly asked: "What's the news?"
"Your country has been engaged in fierce battles with the puppet dynasty troops in Huaidong, Jingxiang and other places for more than a month, right?"
"Yes, my Song army is well-prepared and can defend itself. However, Xianggong Shi did not want to see the lives of people in ruins, so he asked me to make a special trip north to help you send troops to help resolve the fighting situation in the south."
"My lord has agreed, no, he has already sent out troops."
Xuan Zhen was overjoyed, but did not show it on his face, but nodded reservedly.
He poured himself a cup of wine and continued to ask: "Thank you for your kindness! But I don't know how many troops you sent? Where are the troops? Is the battle going well?"
"Hao Mingsheng learned that the first batch of troops mobilized by our army this time were from the three commanders Luo Chongwei, Guo Zhongyuan, and Yin Chang, as well as from the command of Marshal Zuo Jianjun Liu Erzu, with a total of 40,000 horses; the second batch was also returned We will dispatch the troops of Zhao Jue, Han Xuan, and Shi Tianni, as well as some troops from the Mongolian Mongolia and Liaodong Jurchens, totaling 35,000 troops."
So many troops? Such a big deal? Doesn't Guo Ning love the Song Dynasty too much? Do they have that much food and supplies?
Many questions suddenly popped up in Xuan Zhen's mind, and these doubts were answered in Yelu Chucai's subsequent words.
"At this moment, our army has captured Xuzhou, Caozhou, Shanzhou, Guide Prefecture and other places. The gate of Kaifeng is wide open and can be invaded soon. Thanks to you for dispatching a large army to continue to contain the rebellious soldiers in Kaifeng in Huaidong, Jingxiang and other places. Ma, our army's battle situation is going very smoothly. I think we can quell the puppet dynasty in one fell swoop and restore the territory of Dajin. By then, we will definitely send envoys to Lin'an to solemnly thank you for your help."
As soon as the old problems are gone, new ones arise.
What restraint? Who is holding back? Who helped whom, and who should thank whom?
Xuan Zhen was silent for a moment, then raised his head and asked: "The many constructions here in Tianjin, as well as the situation where money and food have been tight and the maritime trade supply is urgently needed, are they all fake? Are they made specially for us to see?"
"The construction is real, but there is no rush to complete it. Money, food, and military supplies are indeed scarce, but with the transfer from Goryeo, Liaodong, Hebei, and Shandong, and the command of capable ministers who are proficient in general affairs, we can always squeeze out some military supplies. It's not that it's difficult. Moreover, this is not just for you, but mainly for the Jurchens in Zhongdu... In the past six months, many Jurchens in Zhongdu have fled, and it is just right for them to inform Kaifeng of the situation. Puppet dynasty, let them feel at ease."
Yelu Chucai bowed slightly to Xuan Zhen and said apologetically: "As a matter of fact, soldiers never tire of deception, and they don't deliberately deceive their subordinates. Bachelor, I'm glad you don't blame me."
Xuan Zhen let out a long breath. He stood up and wanted to leave the waterside pavilion immediately to show his dissatisfaction, but he didn't dare.
When he hesitated, Yelu Chucai took up the pen again and wrote dozens of official documents. He also took out his own gold medal letter and sent people running around with the letter to convey orders. Obviously, these official documents were of extremely high standard, but those who conveyed orders all shouted loudly and signed up to receive orders.
A dozen knights holding official documents ran around, eliciting responses from dozens or even hundreds of officials. These hundreds of officials continued to rush to the yamen under their jurisdiction, immediately triggering rapid action by personnel stationed in hundreds of yamen.
Xuan Zhen stood in the waterside pavilion and looked out. He could see cavalry, convoys and a large number of soldiers and civilians running out of countless camps and buildings in places as far away as Liukou and other places. In less than half a moment, teams of heavy transport began to appear on every road within sight. And over time, these cohorts have grown in size.
How many drills would it take to respond so quickly? How well prepared do you need to be? Xuan Zhen simply didn't dare to think about it.
In the waterside pavilion, Yelu Chucai's voice became louder and louder:
"In addition to the two troops and horses that directly take Kaifeng, we have also prepared a third group of troops and horses that are responsible for sweeping Hebei West Road and Damingfu Road from north to south. The baggage is all dispatched by Tianjin Prefecture. This group includes Li Ting and Miao Dao Run, Zhang Rou, Shi Tianying, and Yelu Ke paid Baal's troops, a total of 50,000 people. They divided their troops into two wings, captured Zhending and Daming, then went south to defend and dredge, and finally threatened Kaifeng from the north!"
"Kaifeng imperial court? Two gold from east and west? What a joke!" Yelu Chucai patted his hands and said in a deep voice: "We used 125,000 people! After this battle, everyone in the world will know that there is only one person in the world. There is only one imperial court in the Great Jin Kingdom!"
Xuan Zhen smiled and wanted to say something nice for the occasion. But when he saw the blue sky, white clouds, and bright sunshine, he felt groggy at home and could hardly stand still.
