The army does not pay attention to trivial etiquette, so Guo Ning immediately sent an order to invite him.
A moment later, Yelu Chucai came in with Xuan Zhen.
Ni Yi excitedly moved a chair for Yelu Chucai. Xuanzhen knelt down to Guo Ning without squinting his eyes.
"No need to be polite, get up. I heard that the envoy went from Dinghai to Tianjin, then back to Haizhou from Tianjin, and then from Haizhou to Chenliu? This journey is thousands of miles, traveling by sea and land, and it is hard work in the wind and rain."
It's really hard work. Xuan Zhen was old. After going back and forth for dozens of days, he lost ten kilograms and his cheekbones became taller. But this was not the time to complain. Xuan Zhen bowed slightly and said, "Doing national affairs is not considered hard work."
"good!"
Guo Ning refused to be polite and asked with a pout:
"Your troops attacking Kaifeng have already arrived at Yancheng. I admire them for their swift action. But I don't know why Xianggong Shi persuaded the advisors in the government so quickly?"
"To be honest with Duke Zhou, many people in the south have heard of your great achievements in the north in the past few years. Earlier, Xianggong Shi had some doubts about this. He felt that if he supported the Duke, he would be criticized by the DPRK and China, saying that it was peace. The traitors who betrayed the Lord and usurped the Lord stand together.”
As soon as he finished speaking, all the generals in the military tent were furious.
Han Xuan slammed the table and shouted: "Traitor? Who is the traitor? My lord is a loyal minister of the Kingdom of Jin!"
Peng Yibin on the other side also slapped the table: "Why did you turn your back on your master and usurp the throne? The flower kingdom that my lord created with an iron bone flower must not have been given by the Jurchens!"
Han Xuan's statement is an impeccable official position. As Guo Ning's old comrade, he naturally has a tacit understanding and is cooperating with the posture.
When Peng Yibin shouted this sentence, all the generals were stunned.
You really have an unchangeable temper! This is just something we say in private, why should we publicize it publicly? Look at how you are seeking death!
At the awkward moment, Yelu Chucai laughed loudly and smoothed things over: "Messenger, don't use your words, let's talk about business."
Xuan Zhen nodded, pretending that the two angry generals did not exist, and continued: "However, Shi Xianggong told everyone that Dajin has its own orthodox inheritance. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the previous Emperor Daxing is now in Zhongdu. Jun. In any case, King Sui of Kaifeng has no reason to establish himself as the Emperor of the Jin Dynasty. Just like the Song Dynasty, there is also an orthodox inheritance. The crown prince of the Song Dynasty is King Rong, and there is no reason to change him in any case."
Yelu Chucai said from the side: "I heard that King Rong and Shi Xianggong have a teacher-student relationship?"
Xuan Zhen didn't hide it either: "Exactly."
It turns out that a very important reason why Shi Miyuan controlled the power of the Southern Dynasty was that he once served as the Yishan of Zishan Hall and taught knowledge to the princes of the Song Dynasty. The crown prince of Song Dynasty was very close to Shi Miyuan. Because of this closeness, Shi Miyuan's political opponents have often had an undercurrent of Yi Chu in the court in recent years, and there have been many confrontations between the two sides.
Shi Miyuan inherited the throne of the Jin Dynasty, and planned to inherit the throne of the Song Dynasty. This is to firmly establish the unshakable political correctness of Shi Miyuan's party, and no one can oppose it. All because once you oppose it, it is likely to be used by hostile people, which will become the beginning of the collapse of a series of our own ideas.
"I see, he is worthy of being the prime minister of the Song Dynasty... Then, why did Mr. Shi convince the counselors in the court so quickly?" Guo Ning continued to ask with great interest.
Xuan Zhen chuckled twice.
Today was the first time he saw Guo Ning, the powerful Zhou Guogong in the north. He felt that Guo Ning's face was slightly weathered, and he seemed to be a few years older than the rumored 20-something years old, but his eyes were extremely bright, even though he was handsome. Sitting also has a heroic demeanor. And the crispness of his words made it appear that he was indeed a warrior who rose to prominence on the battlefield as rumored.
However, such a warrior carried out a strategy against the internal affairs of the Song Dynasty, causing the Prime Minister's house to be in a state of embarrassment inside and outside. Listening to his words at this time, he seemed to have a bit of ridicule and contempt for the situation of cronies in the Song Dynasty court. . To be honest, this was not a pleasant experience for Xuan Zhen.
However, people in the Southern Dynasties have long been accustomed to this. Over the past two hundred years, this situation of conflicting opinions is the reason why the Song Dynasty became the Song Dynasty. It has long been integrated with the Song Dynasty and is inseparable.
To a certain extent, the Northern Dynasties had the power of the Northern Dynasties, so they had powerful ministers like Guo Ning who used force to calm down the situation; the Southern Dynasties had the elegance of the Southern Dynasties, so Shi Xianggong naturally had subtle means of balancing the internal and external situations.
Xuan Zhen smiled at that moment: "I'm not convinced."
"Not convinced? Then how..."
"My lord, please listen to me explain in detail."
"you say."
"Fifteen days ago, a person under Mr. Shi's family leaked the secrets of the imperial court. He said that someone in the prime minister's house proposed to send annual gifts to the imperial court in Kaifeng in order to end the wars in Huainan, western Beijing and other places as soon as possible and to renew the alliance between uncles and nephews. .”
"Huh?" Guo Ning looked at the generals around him: "The Southern Emperor has a new uncle?"
Amid the laughter of the generals, Xuan Zhen's face did not change: "The Song Dynasty's wild affairs were also shocked. They all felt that this was ridiculous and thought that this was an intensification of the appeasement of the north. So in just two days, there were ministers and Tai The students wrote letters, all criticizing the weakness of Shi Xiang, and begging the court to take advantage of the civil strife in Dajin to raise troops to conquer the Central Plains. At first, Shi Xiang ignored him, so everyone thought that Shi Xiang was weak-minded, and his feelings became more and more fierce. The number of letters increased, and there were more than 400 copies in one day..."
Guo Ning patted his thigh and thought for a moment before saying, "Is this situation probably what Mr. Shi would like to see?"
"Exactly."
Xuan Zhen nodded: "On the third day, His Majesty issued an edict and wrote a counter-narrative to Xianggong Shi. In front of me, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, Xianggong praised the loyalty of the officials who wrote the letter and decided to send troops to attack Kaifeng to relieve the imperial court's worries about the north. Then, based on the post-war situation, we will resume diplomacy with the Central Capital."
Hearing this, Yelu Chucai couldn't help laughing.
Guo Ning frowned and thought for a while, then burst into laughter: "What a great trick! Interesting! Interesting! People from the Southern Dynasties really have many methods, which is very different from us rough northerners."
After the laughter, Guo Ning pressed his hand on the table and leaned forward: "Xiangong Shi's ability to control the Lin'an court is really admirable. I am also impressed by the speed of your mobilization of troops and horses. There is indeed a Song army now. We have arrived at Yancheng; may I ask the envoy, what are Shi Xiang's orders to them? Are these people planning to compete with me for Kaifeng? Or, do they want to protect Kaifeng's puppet government in front of our army?"
"My army of the Song Dynasty marches in the territory of the Song Dynasty. I am afraid that the orders given by the Song Dynasty court to our soldiers of the Song Dynasty are not suitable for reporting to Duke Zhou of the Kingdom of Jin."
Guo Ning leaned back, raised his chin, and looked down at Xuan Zhen.
He said slowly: "I don't know the territory of the Song Dynasty, I only know the territory of the Jin Dynasty. If the envoy is unwilling to be honest about this, then how our army plans to deal with the Song army who invades the territory of the Jin Dynasty without permission will be Isn’t it the envoy sent to the Southern Dynasty?"
Guo Ning's relaxed posture was only slightly restrained, and the atmosphere in the entire military tent suddenly became depressing. His fierce reputation over the past few years, his invincible bravery and the prestige accumulated with countless corpses were like a heavy stone weighing on Xuan Zhen.
Ni subconsciously pressed his hand on the handle of the knife at his waist and stood at the door of the Chinese army tent.
Xuan Zhen's forehead was sweating.
He thought for a moment, looked around at the generals, and glanced at them.
"It doesn't matter, everyone here is my confidant. You can say anything you want."
"The soldiers and horses coming to Nanjing Road this time are from the Jinghu establishment envoy Zhao Fang Zhao Yanzhi, with a total of 20,000 soldiers and horses. Zhao Yanzhi is an old soldier of Xianggong Shi. He is good at training troops and governing, and he also has powerful generals who are accustomed to fighting. .”
Xuan Zhen respectfully saluted Guo Ning again: "We have no intention of seizing the entire Nanjing Road, but their purpose here is indeed Kaifeng."
Guo Ning waved his hand: "Stop beating around the bush and tell the truth!"
Xuan Zhen spoke faster: "We intend to join forces with Zhou Guogong to defeat the Jin army in Kaifeng. This time, I would like to ask Zhou Guogong to see the bravery of the Song Dynasty soldiers; further, I would like to ask Zhou Guogong to give our soldiers and horses a chance to enter Kaifeng. .”
"Haha, if you really want to join hands, then there is nothing wrong with entering Kaifeng together. The question is, after entering Kaifeng, will you still leave?"
"The army will naturally turn back, and there is absolutely no reason to stay there permanently. However, some people will always be left in Kaifeng to sweep the gardens and tombs of past emperors. Oh, by the way, when the situation in the north is settled, the Song Dynasty will send another envoy to communicate with Duke Zhou. Discuss the ownership of Kaifeng."
Guo Ning shook his head: "What's negotiable?"
"My lord, my lord, please listen to me. At that time, no matter what Duke Zhou wants, Mr. Shi will be happy to see it come to fruition. I can now promise to the Duke on behalf of Mr. Shi that Prime Minister Shi himself has no intention of belonging to Kaifeng." Craving.”
Guo Ning wanted Xuan Zhen to speak directly, but Xuan Zhen was probably used to bickering in the Song Dynasty court, so what he said was still difficult to pronounce, and his meaning went through several circles.
Guo Ning frowned for a moment: "What do you mean by this?"
"Xianggong Shi made a good calculation!"
Yelu Chucai on the side snorted heavily:
"Shi Xianggong sent his army north to attack Kaifeng, and he used only people from his own camp. When the discussion about Kaifeng's ownership will be held in the future, I am afraid that those who will come will be Shi Xianggong's political enemies. By then, the proud results achieved on the battlefield will have to be achieved in the future. If the diplomatic situation is handed over again, these people will definitely become the targets of thousands of people after they return to the court, and they will shed a layer of their skin even if they are dead. Hey, Prime Minister Shi has a good trick. This is using our navy as a tool for him to fight for power in the Song Dynasty court! "
A smile appeared on Xuan Zhen's lips: "This is mutual benefit, each getting what he needs, just like your business at sea."
Guo Ning coughed lightly: "Xiangong Shi and I will have many areas of cooperation in the future. I can agree to this small matter."
Having said this, Guo Ning leaned forward again: "But why?"
"Here is the letter written by Mr. Shi."
"Bring it to me and see."
Xuan Zhen took out the letter from his arms and sealed it with both hands.
Yelu Chucai winked at Ni Yi, who quickly came over and opened the envelope.
Guo Ning opened the letter and saw that the fonts on the letter were dense and graceful. It was indeed a bit like a prime minister. There were only eight words in the whole paper: "If you benefit from poverty, you will scatter, but you will never lose friends."
That’s quite magnanimous! It’s quite free and easy! This Shi Miyuan is worthy of being the Prime Minister of the Southern Dynasty!
Guo Ning read it twice and laughed.
Amidst laughter, Guo Ning gave the letter to Yelu Chucai and asked someone to accompany Xuan Zhen to entertain him.
After Xuan Zhen resigned and left, Guo Ning asked, "In your opinion, is Xuan Zhen telling the truth?"
Yelu Chucai replied: "He was very frank about the interests between Zhongdu and Lin'an. However, there should also be interests between Kaifeng and Lin'an... He never mentioned it, perhaps deliberately. Concealed, maybe Shi Miyuan didn't tell him anything. Duke, this Song army can be a friendly army, but it has to be guarded against."
Guo Ning nodded in agreement and pondered for a moment.
Han Xuan asked: "My lord, what should we do next?"
Guo Ning did not want the generals to look forward and backward, so he immediately said: "The people in the Southern Dynasty are bickering, let's just fight with swords and guns. What happens on the battlefield is the battlefield, everyone, prepare for the battle!"
Guo Ning raised his voice: "Xuan Zhen wants me to see the bravery of the Song Dynasty officers. This is ridiculous. I would like him to see the bravery of our Ding navy officers!"
