On March 21, the team of Liao envoys arrived at the outskirts of Bianjing. After hearing the news, the Song court also sent people to greet them.
The ceremony to welcome the Liao envoys was quite grand. Privy Envoy Song Xiang and Deputy Privy Envoy Pang Ji led the team, as well as officials from Kaifeng Prefecture and Honglu Temple. Among them, Kaifeng Prefecture was mainly responsible for supervising and protecting the Liao envoys, and the secondary It assists in receiving Liao envoys, while Honglu Temple is mainly responsible for receiving Liao envoys.
In addition, there are Taichangyuan officials who serve as consultants on reception etiquette, and supervisory censors who report the progress to the officials at any time. There are more than 20 reception officials in total.
Compared with the number of officials who received the Liao envoys, the ceremony of welcoming them was even more exaggerated. The Tianwu and Pengri armies each had one battalion as a guard of honor, with 500 infantry and 400 cavalry.
As one of the deputy envoys who received the Liao envoys, Zhao Yang was naturally among this team. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but wonder, and asked Song Xiang: "Has the reception of Liao envoys always been so grand? Not only Song and Pang The two ministers have both come forward, and nearly a thousand forbidden troops have to be appointed as a guard of honor?"
Song Xiang smiled and explained: "It depends on who is the envoy of the Khitan sect and what official rank this person has. If it is just a routine note and a state gift, and the envoy is not really related to Yelu Zong... it means he is related to the Lord of Liao. , For example, if you appoint someone with a fifth-grade official rank, I, the Song Dynasty, can also send someone according to this rank to receive you, and there is no need for me or Xianggong Pang to appear."
Zhao Yang was surprised and said: "So, the identity of the Liao envoy this time is unusual?"
"Hmm." Song Xiang nodded and said: "According to previous reports from Zhending Mansion and Daming Mansion, the Khitan envoy this time is Xiao Xiaoyou... The younger brother of the Empress Dowager Xiao, the real biological mother of Lord Yelu Zong of Liao Dynasty, has served successively as Privy Envoy of the South Academy and Zhongshu Ling. , Prime Minister of Beifu, Stay in Tokyo..."
From Pang Pang's book, he added: "The official system of the Liao Dynasty was divided into the Northern and Southern Courts. The officers of the North Court were in charge of the affairs of the court, the affairs of the Khitan headquarters, and the administration of the tribes and subordinate countries; while the officers of the South Court governed... the Han people Prefectures and counties, taxes, and military horses. Under the two houses, there are the Northern and Southern Prime Minister's Offices, each with the Northern and Southern Prime Ministers and the Southern and Left Prime Ministers. The former is served by the four accounts of the royal family, and the latter is also filled by the five accounts of the uncle. They are all in charge of military and state affairs. . And Tokyo, that is, Liaoyang Prefecture, was formerly known as Xiangping and Liaodong..."
Zhao Yang suddenly understood and couldn't help but shook his head and said: "I thought the official system of the Song Dynasty was already messy enough, but I didn't expect that there would be an even messier one."
"Hehe." Pang Ji laughed dryly and did not answer.
After waiting for a while, a Japanese cavalryman came to report: "The Liao envoy team has advanced twenty miles."
"There are still twenty miles left?" Zhao Yang muttered in a low voice, then turned to ask Song Xiang and Pang Ji: "What are the rules for receiving Liao envoys? Take them into the city, meet with the officials, and hold a banquet to entertain them. , and then start negotiating?”
Song Xiang smiled, nodded and said: "It's roughly true, but there are slight discrepancies... Take this time as an example, today is the first day. I will greet him later and welcome him into the city. He rested in the post house under Honglu Temple and handed over his credentials at the same time. Tomorrow, the second day, we will bring him to meet the officials. Afterwards, Xu and Weishe exchanged greetings, and there will be a banquet in the palace at noon. On the third day On that day, the official family held a Sutra banquet to recruit attendants... that is, the scholars from various schools and the Liao envoys studied the meaning of the Sutra..."
Zhao Yang felt dizzy after hearing this, and couldn't help but ask: "When will the negotiations start?"
Song Xiang chuckled and said: "In fact, the negotiations have already started at the afternoon banquet on the second day. At that time, the envoys of the Khitan mission deliberately made things difficult for us on the grounds of showing poems and songs, and we, the Song Dynasty, They will also try every means to embarrass them, including the prayer feast on the morning of the third day. ... In view of the more special situation this time, I guess these two and a half days should be particularly intense."
"Get the head start, right?"
"It can also be said that if the Song Dynasty loses in both of these two items, the Khitan envoy will definitely be arrogant and take the opportunity to challenge and make some unreasonable demands; on the other hand, if it loses, it will naturally be embarrassed to mention it again. ... Every When envoys from the Liao Dynasty came to the Song Dynasty, they spent a lot of time debating classics, meanings, arithmetic and other matters, sometimes for several days..."
Zhao Yang gritted his teeth after hearing this. How could he have the spare time to spend so much time with the Liao envoy?
If he hadn't come here already, he would have been determined to go back. It wouldn't be too late to wait until the formal negotiations took place in the last three to five days.
After waiting left and right, the Liao envoy team finally advanced within ten miles. At this time, Zhao Yang could faintly see figures in the distance. Those figures were cavalry on horseback, numbering in the hundreds.
Immediately, the ground seemed to begin to tremble, and the hundreds of Liao cavalrymen in the distance also began to speed up. The formation seemed chaotic, but the momentum of the speeding charge was quite astonishing. The four hundred Japanese cavalrymen on the Song side were stunned. When he got off his horse, he felt restless and his formation gradually became chaotic. The commander of the battalion was so angry that he cursed loudly.
Seeing this, Zhao Yang turned to Song Xiang and Pang Ji and said, "It seems that it started from this moment."
Song Xiang and Pang Ji smiled slightly, then straightened their faces and looked at the Liao cavalry with cold eyes.
In fact, everyone knows that it is impossible for the hundreds of Liao cavalry on the opposite side to rush directly to the Song Dynasty to greet its envoys. However, seeing the hundreds of Liao cavalry rushing faster and closer, Tianwu and Pengri The hundreds of forbidden troops in the second army also tensed up their nerves subconsciously. Especially when the Liao cavalry rushed within a hundred steps, many Tianwu forbidden troops had already subconsciously put up a posture to meet the enemy. After all, a hundred steps away is not enough for them. As far as the cavalry is concerned, it is just a blink of an eye.
However, at this moment, the hundreds of Liao cavalry suddenly dispersed into two formations. They made a circle in front of the Song envoy team, and then stood up one after another, looking at the nervous Song imperial guards and laughing loudly. laugh.
"Too arrogant." Zhao Yang frowned.
Next to them, Song Xiang and Pang Ji also had expressions on their faces, and the other officials also had expressions of indignation.
Not long after, the convoy of the Liao envoys finally arrived. Dozens of carriages appeared in front of everyone like long snakes, slowly heading towards the Song envoys. One of the leading carriages had a The flags with the words "Liao" and "Xiao" are, not surprisingly, the car of Xiao Xiaoyou.
A little while later, Xiao Xiaoyou's carriage came within a hundred steps and stopped slowly, followed by all the carriages that also stopped one after another.
Song Xiang took a deep breath and reminded the officials: "Everyone, restrain your anger. Don't let the Khitan people catch you and blame me, the Song Dynasty, for not observing etiquette."
After that, he and Pang Ji took the lead to greet him.
Zhao Yang also followed.
At this time, Xiao Xiaoyou also got off the carriage and led dozens of envoys and attendants towards Song Xiang and others.
Both sides walked for dozens of steps and stopped a few steps away. Then Xiao Xiaoyou raised his hands and said to Song Xiang: "I, the Khitan son, are very brave and recalcitrant. I refuse to obey discipline and frighten the soldiers of your country. I frighten all of you and the soldiers of your country. I feel really sorry for them, and I will definitely reprimand them when I get back."
When Song Xiang and Pang Ji heard the word "frightened", their expressions changed slightly. After they finished speaking, Song Xiang said calmly: "When your country invaded our Song Dynasty Chanzhou, there were hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses. He did not frighten me, the Song Dynasty sergeant, and I shot your country's general Xiao Talan with an eight-oxen crossbow. Today, he behaved like a man of your country in such a playful way, how can I scare him?"
That's enough damage...
Zhao Yang glanced at Song Xiang with some surprise.
On the opposite side, Xiao Xiaoyou's expression froze, and all the envoys behind him also showed angry expressions. One of the envoys sneered and said: "I have the nerve to talk about things that happened decades ago... How can I come to Chanyuan without being frightened?" Alliance?"
Song Xiang said without changing his expression: "Because I, Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, was benevolent and saw that the Song and Liao countries had been at war for more than twenty years, with numerous casualties and loss of lives, and would not allow the war to happen again, so you retreated when you knew it was difficult. Taking the initiative to show goodwill and tolerate concessions means that you cannot fight. ... If not, why did your country fail to take Chanzhou at that time?"
He deliberately emphasized the four words "retreat when faced with difficulties".
The envoy was left speechless, and the other person immediately followed up with a sneer: "Fifty years ago it was still possible to fight, but now it is not possible. ... The three defeats of Sanchuankou, Haoshuichuan and Dingchuanzhai are still there. In front of you!"
As soon as these words were said, everyone among the officials of the Song State looked ashamed and angry. After all, they were defeated by Xixia in these three battles, and countless soldiers were defeated. This was the greatest shame of the Song State in recent years.
Pang Ji coldly laughed and said: "How come I heard that your country was also defeated by Xixia a few years ago? I originally wanted to force Li Yuanhao to submit, but before I thought, he was beaten to the ground and abandoned his armor..."
The envoys behind Xiao Xiaoyou were furious and scolded: "It's not you, the Southern Dynasty, who instigated this?!"
Song Xiang pretended to be surprised and said: "What this person said reminded me, Ambassador Xiao, the two countries agreed in the past that if the Khitan could restrain Xixia and reconcile with the Song Dynasty, they would add 200,000 silver silk to military expenses. , otherwise it will only increase by 100,000. After that, Xixia did not comply with your country's wishes, so your country once assembled a heavy army to conquer Xixia, but failed miserably. So... should I return the 100,000 silver silk that I, the Song Dynasty, delivered? Two, three, four, five, exactly five years, half a million.”
As soon as these words came out, the envoys behind Xiao Xiaoyou became even more furious and spoke one after another, threatening and ridiculing.
"We, Daliao, lost troops and generals in the Southern Dynasty for you, how dare you break the contract?"
"If you dare to destroy the alliance, you will restart the war between the two countries!"
"A big event happened on Hebei Road in your country this year. I thought your Majesty should not be so impulsive..."
The Song State also refused to lose, and they also started to quarrel with the envoys of the Liao State. Zhao Yang was secretly happy to see this: Who said that the literati of the Northern Song Dynasty were weak to the outside world? Don't be too harsh with your mouth!
It's a pity that the national defense force cannot keep up, so it's just empty talk.
"Everyone, everyone." Seeing that the two sides were about to quarrel, Xiao Xiaoyou quickly dissuaded them.
On the Song side, they saw that Song Xiang and Pang Ji were offended by the Liao envoys. They judged Honglu Temple affairs, served as the imperial censor He Tan, and monitored the censor Zhang Zexing. They also persuaded their colleagues to stop them.
During this period, Zhao Yang glanced at the hundreds of Liao cavalry who showed no movement. When he looked back and saw that his own imperial troops had no movement, he guessed that this matter would not be a big deal. It was just a verbal rivalry between the two countries' civil servants, or rather , it was the Liao envoy who deliberately created a tense atmosphere in an attempt to suppress the momentum of the Song civil servants.
But it is a pity that Song Xiang and Pang Ji are leading the team today. They are sitting in the seats of Privy Councilor and Deputy Privy Councilor. They are destined not to give in or compromise at all, otherwise they will be impeached by the Taiwanese remonstrance.
Sure enough, with the persuasion of Xiao Xiaoyou, He Tan, and Zhang Zexing, the officials of Song and Liao finally stopped quarreling and returned to the atmosphere that seemed harmonious at first.
Immediately, the two parties made an appointment to meet at the foot of Bianjing City, and then got on the carriage again.
While watching Xiao Xiaoyou get on the carriage, Zhao Yang clapped his hands and praised: "The sharp words of the two husbands opened my eyes and were wonderful!"
"I was almost scared out of my mind." Zhang Zexing, the supervisory censor who was not yet forty years old, raised his hand and wiped the cold sweat with his sleeve.
After saying that, he looked at Zhao Yang in surprise.
The expressions of the other accompanying officials looking at Zhao Yang were also a little strange. Among them, Li Dui, the official of the imperial censor and the miscellaneous officer, even said in a strange manner: "Why is Zhao Zhengyan so calm today? I thought that Zhao Zhengyan would show his talents in the palace that day and destroy the Khitan envoys. There’s arrogance.”
Zhao Yang glanced at Li Dui, not bothering to explain anything to him, and sneered: "Of course I am sure to destroy his arrogance... Don't ask, your rank is not qualified to know, just wait for a few days, and then let me know You opened your eyes.”
"..." Li Dui was so angry that he blew his beard and stared.
"Zhao Zhengyan must have noticed the movement of those Khitan cavalry." Pang Ji helped Zhao Yang to relieve the siege with a smile, and then said doubtfully: "This is a bit abnormal. In the past, if there was a quarrel, those Khitan cavalry would definitely come close to intimidate. Now, How can you be so peaceful this time?"
Song Xiang was thoughtful and shook his head slightly. Apparently he felt weird but didn't know why.
After everyone chatted for a few words, they each got on the carriage and returned to Bianjing City.
After a while, when the two groups of people arrived at the gate of Bianjing City, Zhang Yaozuo led the sergeants of Kaifeng Prefecture to take over the protection of the Liao envoys, while the sergeants of one battalion each of Tianwu Army and Peng Japanese Army returned to the Dianqian Division Military Camp.
As for the hundreds of Khitan cavalry, they stationed themselves outside the camp with their servants and set up military tents. Officials from Kaifeng Prefecture and Taichang Temple sent people to prepare food and drinks for them.
Since today was mainly about arranging accommodation for the Liao envoys, Zhao Yang said goodbye to Song Xiang, Pang Ji and others, crossed Zhijie and headed west towards the western suburbs outside the city.
At this time, in the western suburbs of Bianjing, Chen Xu, the commander of the Tianwu First Army, led nearly 2,000 imperial troops under his command to garrison at the site where the officials inspected the gunpowder ammunition. A hundred teams of about 20 people were either stationed in place, or Patrolling back and forth, the entire inspection site was surrounded by water.
Five hundred forbidden troops from the First Battalion of the Fifth Army of the Tianwu Army led by Zhao Yang were also temporarily transferred here after that day to serve as the main force for future "exercises".
When Zhao Yang arrived, Zhongjian was leading 400 imperial troops to train a volley of forty trebuchets, repeatedly throwing stones as heavy as ordinary gunpowder bullets - these forty trebuchets were all shot by Zhao Yang. In order to create a shocking scene, they were brought from the military camp in front of the palace.
The remaining hundred forbidden troops, under the leadership of Zhonge, practiced using individual firearms-turret guns.
The main body of the so-called sudden fire gun is a bamboo tube. After one end is reinforced, the gunpowder explosion propels the projectile out. It could be made in the Song Dynasty before. It is also described in "Wu Jing Zong Yao". It can shoot within ten steps. It's such a shame that projectiles can hardly penetrate infantry armor. A fully armed Imperial Guard wearing infantry armor is holding the gun at its muzzle, which probably won't even sway.
To put it simply, it is a three-nothing thing with no range, no power, and no accuracy.
But if it's used against armorless ones... it's quite shocking.
Zhao Yang had previously asked someone to bring in a few pigs for testing. After a dozen steps or so, dozens of muskets were fired. The pigs were beaten into sieves on the spot. Their bodies were covered with blood holes and blood flowed out, making people shudder.
But the embarrassing thing is that the pigs were injured but survived. They screamed in pain and ran around. In the end, they were stabbed to death by Zhao Yang's imperial guards.
But even so, the scene of bleeding from all the holes was enough to shock people. Therefore, Zhao Yang asked the gunpowder case to be slightly improved, strengthened the gun body and the bottom, and increased the gunpowder dosage. Not only were the hundreds of forbidden troops wearing Song Dynasty The strongest armor in the country is being practiced there. Regardless of whether it can be used by then, practice it first.
Furthermore, although the current muskets are useless, Zhao Yang can reach the level of a blunderbuss with a little guidance from the craftsmen of the gunpowder case, which has the initial value of use. In other words, this technology It is a must point, which can narrow the quality gap between the Song army and the soldiers of Xixia and Liao to the greatest extent.
