In the third year of Jianwu in the Song Dynasty, in autumn, Lin'an City.
The drizzle and the howling autumn wind enveloped the sky above Lin'an City during the Song Dynasty. The nearby city wall was winding, the wharf was bustling, and pedestrians were everywhere; the distant mountains were intertwined with red leaves and purple leaves, and the mountains and rivers were empty, just like a picture scroll.
It is said that the poetry of the Jiangnan landscape makes people feel happy and indulge in it, but the golden envoy Li Qi sitting in the four-wheeled carriage has a gloomy face and a depressed mood.
Going all the way south from Tokyo City, he has never felt better since entering the Song Dynasty, especially the two cities of Jinling and Lin'an. While what he saw and heard opened his eyes, he also became more worried about the future of the Great Jin Kingdom.
It had been eight years since the Emperor of the Song Dynasty came to the throne. The weak Song Dynasty had undergone so many changes that were jaw-dropping and could be described as "earth-shaking."
The restaurants on both sides of the street are bustling and there are many shops. Some of the restaurants are rich and magnificent. Compared with Fan Tower and Chunfeng Tower in Tokyo, they seem to be on par, and even more lively. From a glimpse of the wharf grass market, we can see the prosperity of Lin'an City in the Song Dynasty.
Prosperity and wealth may not mean much, but the appearance of the people of the Song Dynasty is already different from what it used to be, which makes him secretly shocked.
There are many people carrying swords and swords, especially young people. They are full of confidence, and riders can be seen everywhere, many more than in Tokyo. They are strong and strong, and their clothes are not luxurious. Obviously, they are not all powerful children who show off their power.
Thinking back to what he saw along the way, the tough Song army was well-trained and seemed to be everywhere, making Li Qiyou look for him.
There is nothing to be afraid of when soldiers are brave and good at fighting. The Song Dynasty court has never lacked such soldiers, but the martial arts is so strong and the people of Lin'an City are in a depressed state, which makes him temporarily stunned.
No wonder the Song army was able to defeat the tens of thousands of Mongolian troops from the Torei tribe in the First Battle of Hanzhong. What they heard and saw this time has explained everything.
The people were neatly dressed and behaved in a proper manner. He could feel the superiority of the Celestial Kingdom even without contact.
Think about the city of Tokyo, where the capital of the Jin Dynasty is located. Not to mention the dilapidated city walls, garbage everywhere, human and horse excrement everywhere, and beggars all over the streets. Even most of the Jin people are sallow and thin, and many of their clothes are shabby and lifeless. Word.
Just like a four-wheeled carriage, even if the Kingdom of Jin could build it, would there be such a good cement road?
The officials from the street department were watching with eager eyes. There were many upright and fierce people among them, who seemed to be retired from the army. The officials talked with the citizens in a pleasant manner and did not do anything to bully the people.
A small grass market outside Wulin Gate was lined with shops and crowded. Foreign merchants and people of all colors and costumes came and went. It was orderly and lively. Its level of prosperity was already much higher than that of Tokyo. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. , unimaginable.
The roads are wide and flat, the streets are clean and orderly, the officials abide by the rules, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and the scholars are happy with what they do, which makes people think deeply.
It seems that only the heavenly kingdom in books has such a scene!
If the Song Dynasty was a celestial kingdom and the Jin Dynasty claimed to be "China", what was it?
Entering Lin'an City, the Royal Street is even wider and neater. There are mostly carriages and people on horseback on the streets. Compared with Tokyo City, there seem to be few people sitting in sedan chairs.
The sidewalks on both sides of the street are lined with green trees and people are constantly coming and going. Passing by a school, students were coming out. Everyone was wearing smart uniforms, and many of them had swords on their waists. They were all full of energy and full of youthful vitality.
Looking from the fence of the school, we can see that there are students practicing stabbing on the playground, some are swaying, climbing up and down on various weird instruments, and some students are running.
"What kind of school is this? Why are there so many women? This is not..."
Li Qi couldn't help it and blurted out.
Isn't it indecent for a woman to show herself in public? Isn't it deviant and deviant?
"You two, this is Lin'an Normal School. There are more than 1,200 people, and there are more than 100 female students in it. This is not surprising. There are tens of thousands of schools in the Song Dynasty, and all women attend them. Six years ago, I, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, organized a voluntary Regarding education, only 30% of girls go to school, but now it has exceeded 60%! School-age children all over the world go to school for free and have six years of compulsory education. This is the greatest good governance of the Song Dynasty!"
The accompanying young officials from the Ministry of Rites spoke with pride.
"Children of school age all over the world! How many people are there? How much does it cost?"
Li Qi was frightened and couldn't help but continue to ask.
With so many children attending school for free, was the Song Dynasty so rich?
"The number of people counted by the Department of Education last year was 9.6 million, and the court's annual expenditure on education is more than 20 million yuan. Regardless of men and women, taxes are levied on families that do not send their children to school. I am afraid that the number of people will be even greater this year."
The young official remained calm and spoke lightly.
"9.6 million! 20 million!"
Li Qi and Zhang Tiangang looked at each other in surprise.
9.6 million students! The population of the entire Great Jin Kingdom is less than 3 million.
Only those who have hope have hope. Compared with the population and national power of the Song Dynasty, the Kingdom of Jin is too difficult!
It turns out that the Kingdom of Jin also had so many people, but unfortunately they were all used up in the war.
The carriage moved forward, and a parade came along the opposite side of the street. Various long white cloth banners held by young people made Li Qi feel even heavier.
"Command the Northern Expedition and restore the Central Plains!"
"Recover the lost ground and avenge the national humiliation!"
The handwriting on the banner was huge and clear to the eye. Li Qi and Zhang Tiangang looked solemnly, looking at the banner and the parade in a daze.
It seems that with the successive victories of the Song army on the battlefield, the Song people's thoughts of the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains came to life again.
"You...are you just watching these things happen? Why can't you stop it and lock them all up?"
After reacting, Li Qi became a little angry and said something dark to the young official.
"What are you shouting? If they hear it, how can we leave?"
The young official looked stern and replied in a low voice:
"Your Majesty, the laws of this dynasty do not prohibit student demonstrations. Who dares to arrest people for no reason? If you have anything to say, please wait until you meet the court officials!"
Seeing the young official's indifference, Li Qi was angry and wanted to fight back, but Zhang Tiangang stopped him.
"Xiangong Li, you and I still have things to do, so don't get into trouble."
There is no point in being anxious with a small official in the Ministry of Rites.
Li Qi finally said nothing, feeling helpless and sad.
The majestic Jin Kingdom was so despised by the Song people and the country was in such decline, how could it not make him feel sad, angry and desolate.
Finally arriving at the Lin'an Palace, Zhang Tiangang and Li Qi entered the palace to offer sacrifices. The Emperor of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Hong, dressed in shabby clothes, happened to come out of the palace. Seeing Zhang Tiangang and Li Qi, Zhao Hong nodded slightly and left.
"Emperor of the Song Dynasty, can you stay..."
Zhang Tiangang shouted, Zhao Hong didn't look back, he just waved his hand without a trace of cloud.
"Emperor Song, is he just leaving like this?"
Li Qi's eyes widened with anger.
The envoys of the Jin Dynasty came to worship the Queen Mother of the Song Dynasty, but the Emperor of the Song Dynasty was so cold. Is this the way to treat guests?
"please!"
Zhang Tiangang looked embarrassed. The officials from the Song Dynasty who accompanied him were young and energetic, but their faces were as heavy as water.
The whole country is recovering lost territory, and the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains is underway. At this moment, you still dare to be disrespectful to the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. Do you really not know that the sky is high and the earth is high?
"Ms. Zhang, I, Dajin, have been despised by the people of Song Dynasty. I am so humiliated and humiliated. How can you endure it?"
"Xiangong Li, is there anything more shameful than the sheep-raising ceremony during the Jingkang period?"
Li Qi looked at Zhao Hong's leaving figure, then glanced at the Song official next to him, and whispered in Li Qi's ear.
Li Qi was dumbfounded and was pulled into the palace by Zhang Tiangang. He finished the worship ceremony without saying a word, thinking deeply.
"If you'd like to report it to the Emperor of Song, ask the Jin envoys Zhang Tiangang and Li Qi to see you."
Zhang Tiangang smiled apologetically and gave the accompanying young official a money bag.
"Wait!"
The young official returned Zhang Tiangang's money bag and walked away without changing his expression.
"Xianggong Zhang, the Song people are not kind, why are you so servile to the Song people?"
Li Qi was heartbroken and complained sullenly to his companions.
"Ms. Li, you have to bow your head when you are under the eaves. The Song Dynasty is now so powerful that I have no choice but to do it. What I do is just to find a way to survive for Da Jin."
"Xianggong Zhang, what are you talking about? Am I, Dai Jin, afraid of people from Song Dynasty?"
Li Qi was surprised by what Zhang Tiangang thought.
"Xiangong Li, the Song Dynasty's military power is so great that there is no rival in the world. Now when the Song Dynasty's national power is booming, there is a great victory in Hanzhong, and the voice of recovering the lost territory in the country is getting louder and louder. The feud between Song and Jin is sworn, and I don't want my country, Jin. The country will be destroyed and the species will be destroyed!”
Zhang Tiangang said bitterly, and Li Qi was frightened and said angrily.
"Is the Song army that terrible? Are the Tatar cavalry in the north dead? Wuguotai and the others won't seek revenge on the Song people?"
In Li Qi's mind, the deterrent power of the Mongolian cavalry always ranked higher than other countries, including the Song Dynasty.
"Xiangong Li, what the Song Emperor said is right. The war is about national strength and logistics. Even if the Tatars can compete with the Song Dynasty in the short term, what about the long term? The Song people have 70 million people, and the Tatars How much is it? How much money do I have?"
Zhang Tiangang whispered, and Li Qi's heart slowly cooled down.
"The grain, wood, gold, silver, copper, iron, sulfur, and fire salt needed for the Song Dynasty were shipped in from overseas in boatloads. Even Hexi began to feed back the Song Dynasty. The Tatars had cavalry, and the Song people also had cavalry. . The people of Song Dynasty have indestructible firearms, do the Tatars have them? Do I, the Jin Dynasty, have them?"
Zhang Tiangang said, feeling depressed himself.
The Emperor of Song Dynasty was always polite and polite, but this time he turned a blind eye. It seemed that the Song Dynasty's national policy towards the Jin Dynasty was about to change.
"Could it be that I, Dajin, am really dead?"
Li Qi lost his mind and said something confused.
"Until the last moment, the outcome is uncertain. It's better to hide our capabilities and bide our time and see if we can turn the tide."
Zhang Tiangang's face was full of sorrow, and his eyes were indescribably sad.
"Two distinguished envoys, the Queen Mother has passed away. I, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, am extremely sad and cannot see anyone related to me. You two, please go back to the post house!":
The two of them were in a heavy mood. When the young official came back, he gave a cold and unceremonious sentence and almost told them to go home.
"My future is uncertain, and the future is very uncertain!"
Zhang Tiangang's white beard trembled and he sighed sadly.
The Emperor of the Song Dynasty did not even see him, so the Northern Expedition of the Song Dynasty was probably inevitable.
They escaped the worry of annihilation by the Mongolian cavalry, but they could not escape the determination of the Song people to restore the Central Plains. The cycle of cause and effect is already doomed.
"Xiangong Zhang, the matter has come to an end, there is no need to worry about it anymore. Go back and report to the king. Between the Song and Jin Dynasties, we can only live and die, and both jade and stone will be destroyed."
Li Qi's heart calmed down at this moment.
What is supposed to come will always come, and there is no way to avoid it. The centuries-old feud between the Song and Jin Dynasties will finally come to an end.
"The current plan is to see whether Princess Wen can make Emperor Song change his mind? This is my last hope. Otherwise, the country will be destroyed."
Zhang Tiangang said quietly, and Li Qi was stunned.
"How miserable it is for me to rely on a woman and a child!"
After being shocked, Li Qi said sadly.
His Great Jin Kingdom may have run out of energy.
