Monk Dalba was obviously older than when Zhao Kai saw him a few years ago. His eyebrows and beard were white, and his scalp was covered with a layer of short white hair.
Zhao Kai set up a vegetarian table in a spacious hall on the third floor of Daqing Hall to entertain Dalba... It was not a formal banquet, but an ordinary family banquet. The atmosphere was quite relaxed.
And Dalba also understood what Zhao Kai was thinking. This official of the Song Dynasty just wanted him, an old monk, to "tell everything he knew"!
After three drinks and five dishes, the pleasantries between the two parties were almost gone and the conversation began to get down to business.
"Were Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Xiebao invited by Li Renli and Cao Mian to assist in boxing in the Western Regions?" Zhao Kai asked with a smile, "Were they bribed by the Turks? Didn't they help Li Renli and Cao Mian attack the Great Wall?" Have you eaten the country?"
Dalba smiled and shook his head, "Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Xiebao were not invited by Li Renli and Cao Mian, but because they felt that the West had more money and weaker soldiers and wanted to make a fortune there. Since they were there to make a fortune, then What difference does it make whether to rob Dashi or to rob Rome? What kind of sultan in the country of Dashi is willing to spend money to buy peace, and is willing to be led by Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Xiebao to rob Rome? Why wouldn't they do it?
By the way, this Roman state is the Western Great Qin state in ancient books... It is now extremely weak. Like the Great Food State, it is almost a place name. There is no way to stop Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Xiebao, but it is hard to say how much territory the two father and son can occupy.
Now Xitang has encountered the same problem in the four towns of Anxi... It is easy to defeat the enemy, but difficult to occupy the territory. And once they are dispersed and take up space, it is difficult to gather them again.
Therefore, before Lao Na left Xi'an Mansion, the Western Tang Dynasty had advanced to the banks of the Huzhang River, and was taken there by Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Xiebao. "
Dashi and Rome (referring to Europe) are now feudal systems that have been shattered into pieces. This system is not difficult to defeat because of its dispersed power.
But it is not easy to occupy the territory piece by piece. Because the force on these territories is very dispersed, it is easy to break into pieces. And it is impossible to gather them all and annihilate them in just a few battles.
In addition, there has long been no unified and efficient bureaucracy in these territories. Therefore, foreign conquerors had to start from scratch and establish their own governance system. Not only is it time-consuming and labor-intensive, but it also has the problem that the larger the area is, the more dispersed the power will be.
Because there is no ready-made bureaucracy system to use, and there is no bureaucratic landlord class ready to serve the ruler... Therefore, the foreign rulers can only adopt the original feudal lords or enfeoff their own subordinates. Rule as a lord.
If the method of recruiting feudal lords is used, the foundation will be very unstable and the rule will be very unstable. Moreover, there is a powerful Tianfang Sect in the Western Regions, and there is Catholicism in Rome...
Therefore, the Western Tang Dynasty adopted the feudal method of the Western Zhou Dynasty and dispersed the tribes to take root in various places... But in this way, they had to engage in a long-term struggle with the local small and medium-sized feudal lords. In addition, the Western Region is too large, and there are many wastelands that cannot be opened to the public, so the settlements are far apart, making it difficult for the settled feudal lords to gather together.
Of course, in addition to the above two methods, you can also use wheel beheading and European methods to deal with North American Indians... But after all, the Western Tang Dynasty is a country with Buddhism as the state religion, and there are no people who believe in immortality. The Mongols are so ruthless.
Zhao Kai thought for a moment and then asked: "I plan to send Li Xiaozhong to Gaochang in the name of aiding the Tang Dynasty, and then send an academy to the Tang Dynasty to establish an academy in the name of Confucianism... Is it possible?"
"It's feasible!" Dalba laughed, "As long as the officials can give Xi Tang some camel barrels and good gunpowder... With the camel barrels and gunpowder, they can break into Hezhong Prefecture and the Great Valley. , these two places are the richest in the Western Region!"
Zhao Kai understood that without artillery, the Western Tang Dynasty, which had dispersed its forces, could no longer attack Hezhong and the Fergana Basin.
"Okay!" Zhao Kai said with a smile, "Master, I won't let you return it empty-handed... I will ask Li Xiaozhong to bring camel cannon and gunpowder to Gaochang, and I will also let him share some of the camel cannon and gunpowder. To Xitang.”
Dalba nodded, "Officials, please tell me one more thing... For the vassals of the Western Tang Dynasty from all over the Western Regions, there is actually no difference whether the official's surname is Zhao or Li. The above It doesn’t matter whether there are one official family or two. As long as their territory can be recognized and their stable life is preserved. Moreover, the Western Region has a vast terrain with many mountains, deserts, and grasslands, and the half-cultivating and half-herding people are scattered. Even if there is a little force, it will not threaten the Celestial Empire."
"I understand!" Zhao Kai nodded, "I will give the Anxi officials (referring to the little lords) the gunpowder for weapons and armor they want!"
"The official sage!"
Zhao Kai smiled with satisfaction. His next target was not the Western Tang Dynasty who had fled to the Western Regions, but the Northern Beggar Emperor Wan Yanliang in the north!
As long as the Western Tang Dynasty lives its own life in the Western Regions and does not cause trouble to the Song Dynasty, it will be fine.
...
If Wan Yanliang knew that Zhao Kai in the south, who managed to get out of poverty by robbing his brother and blackmailing his sister-in-law, actually gave himself the nickname "Beijing Beggar", he would definitely be extremely dissatisfied!
How could he, Wan Yanliang, be a northern beggar? There are mountains of gold, silver, and copper coins in the treasury of Guangning Mansion... Those are the wealth robbed from the Khitan people, the Korean people, as well as Hebei, Jingdong, Gyeonggi and other places in the Song Dynasty! There are so many flowers that I can’t even spend them all!
Although his father, Wanyan Zongqian, was quite stingy and was never willing to spend an extra penny, and even Guangning Mansion, the capital of the country, was in a shabby state, this did not mean that Wanyan Liang had no money!
Moreover, Wan Yanliang is not only rich, but also possesses both civil and military skills, a jade tree facing the wind, a wise and powerful warrior... Although he is only sixteen years old this year, under his leadership, the Great Jin Kingdom has reversed the decline of Tianhui in the last years. Not only did he conquer the country of Goryeo, but he also conquered Dashi in the west and Japan in the east. The territory was much larger than before he came to the throne!
How could the Emperor of Jin, who was both rich and excellent in both civil and martial arts, be the Beggar King of the North?
What? Expedition to the west? Conquer Japan? Is there such a thing?
Well, of course there is!
It was Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Xiebao and his son who led the troops in the Western Expedition...According to reports sent to Guangning by messengers disguised as caravans, the Dajin Western Expedition was on the banks of the Huzhang River at the western foot of the Tianshan Mountains. The Sultan King Sanjar of the Food Kingdom faced off for a month. In the end, the Sultan King Sanjar knew that it was difficult to win, so he surrendered!
Of course, this kind of victory of "proclaiming one's vassal status" must have some merit. After all, the Kingdom of Jin neither received any tribute from the Kingdom of Food, nor did it seize any land from the Country of Food.
At most, it was a nominal victory, and at the same time, there was an additional ally to oppose the Song Dynasty. According to Wanyan Zonghan’s memorial, this country of food and the Song Dynasty were also enemies. In order to compete for maritime interests, the two sides fought in the Nanyang and Western Seas. had many conflicts. Among them, the maritime trade in the West is the lifeblood of the food country, and the Song Dynasty is not allowed to get involved!
And the Great Jin Kingdom under the leadership of Wan Yanliang had many victories against Japan!
Because the actual head of the Hakata Shogunate, the mother of General Zhao Shanzhen, Wan Yanyan, was currently a guest in the small and shabby palace of Guangning Mansion.
"Your Majesty... Now the Song Dynasty is almost unified by Zhao Kai. Although there is still a Southern Emperor, Zhao Chen, Zhao Chen's eyes are only focused on the countries around Nanyang, and he has no thoughts of a northern expedition to the Central Plains. Moreover, I also heard some rumors that Zhao Chen was born from the adultery between Zhao Kai and his sister-in-law Zhu Lian, and he is Zhao Kai’s biological son! So if I, Dajin, want to fight against the Song Dynasty, I can’t count on anyone else! We are the only ones Only when my family unites, can I hope to win... If the Hakata shogunate, my son's son, can have more camel barrels, I can quickly pacify the whole of Japan for your majesty. By then, I, Daikin, will We can attack the Song Dynasty from both land and sea. Even if we recapture the lost lands of Yanyun, Hebei, and Shandong, it is not impossible!"
Sitting on his knees opposite Wan Yanliang, teasing Wan Yan Liang with tears in his eyes, it was his favorite aunt Wan Yan Yan.
Wanyanyan came to Guangning Mansion via Goryeo just three days ago. In fact, she didn't want to come to Guangning, but wanted to go to Beijing to see Zhao Kai... She tied herself up to plead guilty, and she could be beaten or scolded!
After she learned that Zhao Kai had conquered the southeast, she kept sending envoys to ask for permission, hoping to get a guarantee of freedom of movement. But Zhao Kai refused to let go... and made it clear in his reply that if Wanyan Yan came to plead guilty, it would be impossible to let her go.
Wanyan Yan, who couldn't get help from Zhao Kai, had no choice but to come to Guangning Mansion to see Wanyan Zongqian and Wanyan Liang.
Wanyan Zongqian was exhausted from handling state affairs in the past two years, and his health was not as good as before. He had no energy to deal with Wanyan Yan, so he casually gave her some camel tubes and wanted to send her back to Japan.
But before Wanyanyan could leave, she was called by Wanyanliang to be alone.
This mature woman in her twenties and under thirty is now the mother of four children (she gave birth to a daughter for Zhao Gou last year)...but she maintains her figure extremely well. Be good, not simply slim. The areas that should be "full" are "plump" enough, and the areas that should be "fat" are meaty enough. Although the waist and abdomen cannot be called slender, there is not much fat. After all, this is a woman who has been practicing martial arts since she was young, and she is very good at body control!
After listening to Yan Yan's words, Wan Yan Liang was probably hungry. He looked straight at the "feng" place and kept swallowing...
Wanyanyan, on the other hand, looked at Wanyanliang quietly.
After a while, Wanyan Liang finally heard Wanyan Liang say: "Aunt, Liang's father is old and frail, and he may die soon. When the time comes, Liang will definitely help aunt..."
Wanyan Yan smiled slightly and said, "I will also serve your Majesty well!"
As she spoke, she slowly knelt down and gently touched her head on the wooden floor.
