Walking in the misty rain in the south of the Yangtze River, I was soaked in poetry.
Yelu Chucai, the Mongolian envoy who is currently in the capital of Lin'an City in the Song Dynasty, feels like this.
Compared with the ruins of the north, the beauty and prosperity of the south of the Yangtze River opened his eyes and made him feel lost.
What surprised him even more was the Wenzhi of the Song Dynasty. It could be said that he was stunned.
The Southern Dynasties were affluent, and everyone was neatly dressed, energetic, and full of self-confidence. Compared with them, the people in Lianghe had shabby clothes, sallow complexion, thin skin, and countless indifferent people. They looked more like beggars.
In fact, most people are worse than the beggars on the streets of Song Dynasty.
What shocked him most was the compulsory education in the Song Dynasty. All children had to go to school for free. This really blinded his eyes.
Throughout the ages, how many dynasties have allowed children to go to school for free?
Clean and tidy streets, prosperous business transactions, prosperous and prosperous people, and a martial spirit everywhere...
The economic prosperity, national power, and military power of the Song Dynasty dazzled him and secretly frightened him.
After sitting on the steamboat for a while, he was shocked by the power of the Song Dynasty, and felt confused and even a little frustrated about the future of Mongolia.
Over the years, he thought he had done something in Lianghe. Looking at it today, he seemed extremely ridiculous and had done nothing.
At the highest level of governance, neighboring countries look at each other, hear the sounds of chickens and dogs, and the people enjoy their own food, enjoy their clothes, live in their customs, enjoy their careers, and have no contact with each other until they grow old and die.
The people of the Song Dynasty were already so prosperous, but the two rivers he worked so hard to manage were still in a mess.
"Mr. Yelu, it seems that you are a little depressed."
Li Bangrui, deputy envoy of Mongolia, came over and said softly.
"Ms. Li, aren't you forcing a smile on your face?"
Yelu Chucai said softly. The two looked at each other and both smiled bitterly.
Although the two men worked for Mongolia, they were well-read in poetry and well-versed in Chinese culture. The words of wisdom that a gentleman cultivates himself and manages his family, governs the country and brings peace to the world, are unforgettable.
After Wokuotai came to the throne, they had some opportunities to display their talents. But the feelings of family and country that the king and his ministers knew each other, lived on the king's salary, and were loyal to the king and his king, seemed to have disappeared.
"Only when I arrived in the Southern Dynasties did I realize that I was a frog in the well. The wealth and power of the southerners was astonishing. It can be said that the Song Dynasty was a serious problem for our Mongolian country. It makes people uncomfortable to think about it!"
Li Bangrui sighed with emotion, his eyes complicated.
Yelu Chucai nodded slightly, feeling disappointed.
Whether it was culture or martial arts, the Song Dynasty, which they were not familiar with, seemed to have left the seemingly powerful Mongolia far behind.
"Li Xianggong, I thought that the current prosperity of the Song Dynasty, in addition to advocating martial arts, must be dominated by Confucianism and Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. Who would have known that by the time of the Song Dynasty, Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism had been greatly suppressed, and Confucius and Mencius had become popular. This was really unexpected.”
Yelu Chucai was filled with emotion and frowned.
The Song Dynasty used Confucianism to govern the country, and Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism has been its official school for a long time. The laws of heaven are preserved and human desires are eliminated. The trend of chatting is prevalent, and the concept of hierarchy is deeply rooted in people's hearts.
But now the Song Dynasty seems to have inherited the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, especially the teachings of Mencius, advocating "benevolence, righteousness" and "equality" as well as "gentleman" and "manly man", lifting the restriction of women, which is very different from Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism.
"Yelü, what you said is absolutely true!"
Li Bangrui nodded and agreed with Yelu Chucai.
"Take the military as an example, the army of the Song Dynasty was all led by military generals, and the use of civility to control military force was gone; women went to school, and women were exposed to the public and went out to work, which was incompatible with the Three Cardinal Guidelines; the imperial examination replaced the scholars with administrative schools, which studied both civil and military affairs; Chinese culture was originally about persuading people with virtue, but now it is about the law of the jungle and the law of the jungle. The laws of China have been lost, and the nature of tigers and wolves is growing stronger. The Song Dynasty is no longer the Central Plains dynasty of the past. For our country, Mongolia, this may not be the case. Good sound."
Nowadays, the national power of the Song Dynasty is booming, and both economically and militarily, it is far superior to the previous dynasties of the Song Dynasty. If the Song people wanted to restore the Central Plains and regain the glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties, there would inevitably be fierce battles with the Mongols.
"Xiangong Li, this is what worries me. There is no "virtue" in China, and force is used in the world. When children enter school, both men and women must practice martial arts; all soldiers and civilians carry swords, and the spirit of martial arts is pervasive; in newspapers Those who vigorously promoted Chinese doctrine and violated the Song Dynasty would be punished no matter how far away they were; military lecture halls and naval schools had a transcendent status as soldiers, and young people rushed to join the army, advocating bloodshed and sacrifice, and opening up territories. The Song Dynasty was extremely militaristic, and everyone was united. Tens of millions of people, who can compete?”
If others do not offend me, I will not offend others. If someone offends me, I will offend him. China has no "virtue" and only uses the "law of the jungle" to resolve disputes. Let alone the Mongolian cavalry invading the south, I am afraid that the Song people themselves will go north to use their troops.
"Mr. Yelu, are you saying that our mission to the Song Dynasty this time will be in vain?"
Li Bangrui said quietly, seemingly lacking confidence.
The Song Dynasty's national power was prosperous, and with the help of Hanzhong, it defeated the Mongolian army. The Song people could fight this war, and they also had this confidence.
On the other hand, Mongolia's battle in the south was so debilitating that it might not be able to withstand a major war in just a few years.
"At least, you and I have some knowledge of the Southern Dynasties. Unlike the tribal leaders and nobles in Mongolia, who still want to mobilize troops against the Song Dynasty, we don't know the heights of the sky. The rise of the Song people is probably inevitable. You and I should do our best!"
The king and the scholar-bureaucrats rule the world together, bullshit!
Song Emperor Zhao Hong Qiankun was arbitrary and half-human and half-god. As long as he was still the emperor of the Song Dynasty, the pace of using foreign troops would probably not stop.
"Where are Meng Ge and Kuo Chu? They didn't cause any trouble, did they?"
The two were silent for a moment. Li Bangrui looked around and asked.
"Kuochu and Brother Meng have been out for sightseeing for the past few days, and they are worried every time they come back. It seems that this trip to the Song Dynasty has been a big blow to them."
Accustomed to the vastness of the grasslands and deserts, the two brothers would definitely be lost in the wealth and prosperity of the Southern Dynasties.
As soon as Yelu Chucai finished speaking, Meng Ge and Kuo Chu walked in.
"Prince Kuochu and Prince Mengge, how do you two feel about this trip to the Song Dynasty?"
Li Bangrui asked Kuo Chu and Meng Ge with an apologetic smile on his face.
Yelu Chucai remained silent. He looked at the two young Mongolian nobles as if he wanted to hear their opinions.
"The people of the Song Dynasty are astonishingly wealthy. The children of the Song Dynasty all practice spear spearing, horseback riding, and the use of firearms, which is really scary. The Song army is tough and courageous and will definitely be a serious problem for Mongolia in the future. However, the way the Song people govern the country seems to be We can learn from it.”
Kuo Chu's face was gloomy, and he seemed to be in a bad mood.
"After I go back, I still have to train my troops well, recruit warriors from all over, and destroy the Song Dynasty early, otherwise our Mongolian country will be destroyed by the Song Dynasty. It's a pity that we can't get the Song people's method of making firearms."
Meng Ge and Kuo Chu have similar views.
Yelu Chucai and Li Bangrui both nodded.
The reason why the Song army killed all sides was not because of the power of firearms. Of course, the people of Song Dynasty would not give up the important weapon of the firearms country easily.
However, they failed to see through one thing. The people of Song Dynasty universalized compulsory education and practiced both civil and military education. This is terrible.
However, Mongolia is almost a state of slavery and a feudal system. How easy is it to implement national policies from top to bottom like the Song Dynasty?
"Prince Kuochu and Prince Mengge, this time you enter the Song Dynasty for peace talks. You must control your temper and not get angry. Especially the Emperor of Song Dynasty is fierce, so try not to offend him."
Yelu Chucai took the matter seriously and reminded Meng Ge and the others.
"Prince Mengge, you, Abu, were killed in battle. This was a war between the two countries. No wonder Emperor Song. When I see Emperor Song later, I hope you can restrain yourself."
Li Bangrui was worried and warned Brother Meng carefully.
Torre was killed in battle. As his son, Meng Ge was inevitably sad and angry, but he could not miss the important event of peace talks.
Compared to Meng Ge, although he also lost his brother Kuo Duan in the battle of Hanzhong, the relationship between the two brothers was average, and Kuo Duan was more calm and did not need to be warned carefully by the two of them.
Yelu and Chucai used Mongolian. Kuo Chu nodded lightly and did not refute.
"Witu Saheli, Li Bangrui, don't worry, you two. It wasn't Emperor Song who killed me, Abu. I won't blame Emperor Song. I just want to see what kind of person Emperor Song is and what he would say. What are you talking about?"
Meng Ge looked serious and assured Yelu Chucai and the others.
The Mongolian name of Yelu Chucai is Wutu Saheli, which means long-bearded person. Tongshi didn't need an interpreter, Yelu Chucai could hear it clearly.
Although Tongshi translated as "Mr. Yelu", Meng Ge's words had already been heard in his ears. Yelu Chucai was slightly unhappy, but it didn't show on his face.
Even the Great Khan of Mongolia, Wokuotai, addressed him as "sir" and treated him with great respect. Meng Ge is just a tribal prince, but calling him by his first name is really too much.
Remembering that Wokuotai's concubines were also very dissatisfied with his concept of "ruling the country with Confucianism", Yelu Chucai frowned unknowingly.
"Mr. Yelu, let's go see Emperor Song."
Li Bangrui observed the words and spoke softly, and there seemed to be a trace of loss and worry in his eyes.
In the eyes of these Mongolian clans and nobles, what do these foreign surrenders mean?
Yelu Chucai and others entered the palace and waited in the imperial study. When they saw the map of China and the world on the wall, everyone opened their eyes wide.
Kuo Chu and Meng Ge pointed at the map and kept talking. Meng Ge looked angry and seemed a little unwilling. Kuochu's brows were furrowed, as if he was worried.
Yelu Chucai and Li Bangrui looked at each other in shock.
The two maps seem to have made the Song Emperor's ambitions clear. Was their trip in vain?
The room is full of books and drawings. It seems to be a library for learned people, rather than a place where a king handles political affairs. But they understand that crucial decisions are made here, affecting the entire world, even overseas.
"Sorry to keep you waiting for so long!"
Zhao Hong came in with a smile on his face. Li Bangrui and Yelu Chucai became energetic and quickly stood up to greet Zhao Hong.
"The envoys of the Great Mongol Kingdom, Yelu Chucai, Li Bangrui, and Meng Ge, pay homage to the Emperor of the Song Dynasty!"
"Mr. Yelu, Mr. Li, two old friends, we have met each other for several years. How are you doing?"
Zhao Hong had a friendly smile, but he was not angry and intimidating, and he had the majesty of a superior person.
In fact, with his current status and prestige, it would be difficult for him to keep a low profile even if he wanted to.
"We haven't seen you for several years, but your majesty remains as charming as ever. I would like to congratulate your majesty!"
"Congratulations to Your Majesty!"
Yelu Chucai and Li Bangrui stood in front of him, respectfully saluting Zhao Hong.
Especially for Yelu Chucai, Emperor Song, like Ogedai Khan, gave him great psychological satisfaction by calling him "sir" respectfully.
"Thank you gentlemen, please take a seat."
Yelu Chucai and others sat down, and Zhao Hong looked at Brother Meng with a smile on his face.
"Brother Meng, you are Torre's eldest son, you are indeed a talented person, not bad."
This stubborn-looking, taciturn deputy envoy of Mongolia is the Mongolian Khan Meng Ge who was killed by the one-armed hero Yang Guo outside Xiangyang City in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".
In August 1259, the first year of Kaiqing's reign in the Southern Song Dynasty, the Mongolian Khan Meng Ge suddenly died suddenly under Diaoyu City in Hezhou. He was in such a hurry that he did not leave a will to determine his successor before his death, which led to the subsequent disputes between his two younger brothers Kublai Khan and Ali. Bu Ge fought for the throne for five years.
Although Meng Ge failed to destroy the Southern Song Dynasty and unify the world before his death, his death had a great impact on the world structure at that time. Meng Ge's death led to the third Mongol army westward by his other brother Hulagu. The expedition was forced to be suspended, coupled with the five-year succession struggle between his younger brothers Kublai Khan and Alibaba, which eventually led to the split of the Mongol Empire and changed the world situation.
However, having said that, Mongolia is a feudal system, and division and disintegration are inevitable, sooner or later.
