While Chui Gong Hall was discussing the matter of Ma Zheng, Xiao Xiaoyou, Xiao Guhe, Qiu Hong and others were also discussing in secret in the post house under Honglu Temple.
"What should we do now?"
When Xiao Xiaoyou asked this question, Qiu Hong frowned and thought: "First, send someone to the city to inquire about the news, to find out whether Zhao Yang is really the adopted son of the Emperor of Song Dynasty, and whether he is really trusted by the Emperor of Song Dynasty. Furthermore, Song Dynasty There are a few people in Ting who think like him."
So Xiao Xiaoyou sent out more than a dozen of his subordinate officials.
When these people left the post house, the officials in the post house immediately reported the matter to He Tan, who was involved in Honglu Temple.
He Tan then asked: "Are there any soldiers from Kaifeng Prefecture following?"
"have."
So He Tan didn't ask any more questions. Although the envoys from other countries were actually spies on the surface, the Song State's confidential places were guarded by sergeants, so He Tan didn't worry about any secrets being stolen by the Liao State.
However, he still ordered the official: "When he returns, ask the accompanying Kaifeng Prefecture sergeant to come see me."
"yes."
In fact, it was already around Shenshi time and less than an hour before sunset. However, in view of Zhao Yang's reputation in Bianjing, the dozen or so envoys from the Liao Kingdom who were sent out still got a lot of information and hurriedly came back to report to Xiao Xiaoyou. Three people.
"I don't know if he is that boy, but Zhao Yang is quite famous in the city, but it is mostly a bad name. He is also said to be a demon star and a bad boy... According to legend, this person first came to prominence at the beginning of this year. He once worked with his relatives Zhang Yaozuo and Quan Zhi Kaifeng Qian Mingyi, a minister of the government, and others had a bad relationship. Later, for some reason, this person and his relative Zhang Yaozuo got together and worked together to demote Qian Mingyi from the capital..."
"I heard the same thing when I inquired about it. It is said that this man was deeply favored by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. He also had a fight with the Emperor's brother Liu Congguang and his cousin Li brothers in Fanlou, which alarmed the whole Bianjing. However, Liu Congguang and the Li brothers later They were all demoted, but this man was not convicted."
"It is said that this person is also the commander of the first battalion of Tianwu's fifth army. He once shouted, 'Who knows that only the person who sings the number one scholar outside Donghua Gate is a good boy'..."
"Many people suspect that this son may be the illegitimate son of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. Although the Kaifeng Mansion has refuted the rumors, they cannot explain why this son has various privileges and can freely enter and exit the palace. He once lived and ate in the palace of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, and was specially given the service of Fei, Wear purple…”
"It is said that it was Fan Zhongyan who was defeated in the temple fight before, and it was this son who persuaded the Song emperor to issue an edict to return to the capital. Qian Mingyi, a former official in Kaifeng Prefecture, is said to have offended this son and was demoted from Bianjing... …”
When Zhu Fan heard the news about Zhao Yang, Xiao Xiaoyou, Xiao Guhe and Qiu Hong looked at each other.
The good news is that the young man named Zhao Yang is not the adopted son of the Song emperor. The bad news is that this son enjoys various privileges no less than the emperor's adopted son, and is deeply favored by the Song emperor.
What's worse is that there are various signs that this son opposed the Song Dynasty's "advocating culture and suppressing military" culture, and tried to improve the status and treatment of sergeants and military attachés... Isn't this right?
The boy once told them personally that the Song Dynasty was currently in need of a war to reawaken the spirit of worshiping martial arts.
"It seems that Song Ting will not agree to increase coins and cede land..." Xiao Guhe said regretfully.
After Xiao Xiaoyou heard this, he said worriedly: "That's just a small matter. What this man said, 'Song is in need of a war,' is a big deal! But I don't know how many officials in the Song Dynasty have the same idea as this man..."
"Why are you panicking?" Xiao Guhe said: "I don't deny that that kid may have real ideas, but when he said this, he was probably responding to our coercion, and he may not really want to fight with Daliao."
"What if?" Xiao Xiaoyou said worriedly: "You have also seen the Song Dynasty's firearms. The first half of the attack on the camp with gunpowder bombs was astonishingly powerful, let alone the last... those huge mounds were razed to the ground with a roar. No matter how strong the city wall is, it can't stop it. There are also the Song people's muskets, which fired a volley, and the ten horses bled to death in an instant..."
Xiao Xiaoyou recalled the memory of that time, and Xiao Guhe could no longer maintain his composure. The scene of ten war horses bleeding to death from all holes had a too strong impact on him.
What if he were the cavalry of the Liao Kingdom?
He forced himself to calm down and said: "Our cavalry in Daliao have armor for self-defense... Moreover, the range of the Song people's muskets is not enough..."
"How do you know that people in the Song Dynasty will no longer improve themselves?" Xiao Xiaoyou asked.
Xiao Guhe was speechless: "Then... what should we do?"
Qiu Hong, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy of the Liao Dynasty, thought for a moment and said seriously: "Tomorrow, I will go to see the Lord of the Song Dynasty. I will first condemn the Song Dynasty for ignoring the feelings of the brothers of the Liao and Song Dynasties and secretly developing firearms. In order to be detrimental to the Liao Dynasty, I asked the Song Dynasty to The imperial court will destroy the firearms and will not allow research and development to improve..."
"Do you think Song people will agree?" Xiao Guhe looked incredulous.
Qiu Hong shook his head and said: "Song people will naturally not agree. The condemnation is just to save face, and by the way to express Daliao's indignation over this..."
Xiao Xiaoyou nodded with deep understanding: "What happens after that?"
Qiu Hong sighed softly and said: "The Song people must have been preparing for today's drill for a long time. It can be seen that after they learned that the Yellow River had changed its course, they expected that Daliao would react to it, so they took precautions early... …Therefore, don’t think about marriage, increasing coins, or ceding land, and just submit the second letter of credence honestly.”
Xiao Xiaoyou and Xiao Guhe looked at each other and had no objection.
At the same time, He Tan also asked the sergeants of Kaifeng Prefecture who were accompanying the Liao envoys. He couldn't help laughing when he learned that the dozen or so Liao envoys were searching for Zhao Yang's details everywhere in the city.
Early the next morning, Xiao Xiaoyou and three others requested to visit the official family of the Song Dynasty. After learning about it, Zhao Zhen invited them into the palace.
After meeting Zhao Zhen, the three of them angrily condemned the Song State for secretly developing firearms, and deliberately accused the Song State of trying to "destroy the alliance and backstab", causing the Song State to lose its morality. Zhao Zhen was angry and funny after hearing this. , and felt a little secretly happy in my heart.
However, he also knew very well that most of the firearms currently developed by the technology department led by Zhao Yang were just paper tigers. It was a fluke that they could scare the Liao envoys, and they could not be immediately applied to war. Naturally, they could not be used to defeat the Liao Kingdom.
Therefore, he could only explain in kind words: "Your envoy has misunderstood. The Song Dynasty improved firearms only for self-defense, and it was by no means aimed at other countries, let alone your country... Zhao Yang also said yesterday that Song and Liao are countries of brothers. After sharing nearly fifty years of peace, is there any reason to start a war and put the people of the two countries in dire straits?"
Xiao Xiaoyou doubted: "However, Zhao Zhengyan also said that your country is in need of a war..."
Zhao Zhen raised his eyebrows and said: "He is young and energetic, and he is ashamed of the Song Dynasty... He has suffered many external defeats, so he wants to use a war to awaken the Song Dynasty's worship of martial arts, but he doesn't know the price of starting a war... This is just a childish argument, so please don’t take it seriously.”
Xiao Xiaoyou, Xiao Guhe and Qiu Hong looked at each other, and then asked: "I wonder how many people in your dynasty have the same ideas as Zhao Zhengyan?"
A playful smile flashed across Zhao Zhen's face, and he wrote lightly: "How can anyone agree with the child's reckless remarks?"
Immediately, he changed his tone and said: "Your Majesty, don't worry. We, the Song Dynasty, have always abided by the Chanyuan Alliance and tried our best to maintain the harmony between Song and Liao. On the contrary, your country, although it claims to be a country of brothers, has repeatedly offended and intimidated. In the past, Li Yuanhao claimed the title of emperor, but your country did not think about crusade. Instead, when our Song Dynasty's crusade against Xixia was unfavorable, it added insult to injury and threatened to increase the currency, otherwise it would invade our Song Dynasty's territory. This time, our Song Dynasty suffered from floods, and hundreds of thousands of people on the Hebei Road were damaged. The surname has been displaced. Your country has no regard for the brotherly country and once again took the opportunity to coerce and force marriages, increase coins, and cede territory..."
Although Zhao Zhen's tone was gentle, what he said made Xiao Xiaoyou, Xiao Guhe, and Qiu Hong ashamed.
After Zhao Zhen finished speaking, Xiao Xiaoyou quickly said: "The lesson learned by the Song Dynasty Lord is that in fact my Lord does not want to be like this, but there are villains around him who instigate him. When the foreign ministers return to the court, they must report to my Lord and expel him." Evil villain."
"Ha." Zhao Zhen seemed to be smiling but not smiling.
Seeing this, Xiao Xiaoyou hurriedly submitted a second letter of credence.
Another letter of credence?
Zhao Zhen was very surprised and asked Wang Shougui to come forward and take the letter of credence and take it for a closer look.
After just a few glances, a look of surprise appeared on his face: "Your country... wants to conquer Xixia?"
"Yes." Xiao Xiaoyou said respectfully: "In fact, this is what I and others came for. As for the things I mentioned before, it's just that there are villains in the court who instigated my lord. We have no choice but to obey. I hope Lord Song will forgive me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qiu Hong said again: "We, the Liao Dynasty, are willing to attack Xixia again. Please ask the Song court to increase the coin by 100,000 to fund military expenses."
Zhao Zhen thought for a moment and said with a smile: "I, the emperor and ministers of the Song Dynasty, rule the world together. Although I am a monarch, I must also listen to the suggestions of my ministers... Let's do this. Your envoy will go back to the post house first. I will recruit my ministers to discuss the matter before sending him." Let the people discuss with the envoy."
Xiao Xiaoyou and the other three had no choice but to say goodbye and leave.
After they left, Zhao Zhen immediately summoned the privy envoy Song Xiang and the deputy privy envoy Pang Ji.
After a while, Song Xiang and Pang Ji came to Chui Gong Hall. Seeing Zhao Zhen smiling, they were very puzzled and asked curiously: "The official Long Yan is very happy, but I don't know why. Can you tell me and others? Envoy Are you also happy about it?"
Zhao Zhen said with a smile: "Just now the three envoys from Liao came to the palace to see me. Do you two husbands know what they are doing?"
"What?"
"They came to denounce me, the Song Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, I ignored the friendship between my brothers and secretly developed firearms in order to be detrimental to my country..."
"What a condemnation..." Song Xiang and Pang Ji laughed when they heard this.
The monarch and his ministers laughed heartily for a moment, and then Zhao Zhen said to them seriously: "In addition to the condemnation, Xiao Xiaoyou and others also handed over a letter of credence, claiming that this is the original... Forget it, this is not important, what is important is Yes, they want to conquer Xixia, and they came here to inform me about the Song Dynasty."
"Fighting Xixia?" Song Xiang was stunned for a moment, and then said with some hindsight: "Yes, Li Yuanhao passed away in the second half of last year, and our Privy Council only learned of this at the end of the year. It's almost the same when we come to the Khitan..."
Pang Ji also chuckled and said: "A few years ago, the Khitan conquered Xixia, but they were defeated by Li Yuanhao and their face was greatly damaged. Therefore, this time, taking advantage of Li Yuanhao's new death and Xixia's internal instability, they took the opportunity to attack..."
Zhao Zhen nodded and said: "For this reason, the Liao envoy requested an additional 100,000 coins as military expenses. I did not refuse in person. I'm sorry to bother you two."
Pang Ji cupped his hands and smiled and said, "With Zhao Sijian by his side, the Khitan envoy will not dare to make any mistakes."
Zhao Zhen also laughed.
After a while, Song Xiang and Pang Ji left Chui Gong Hall and went straight to the posthouse under Honglu Temple with Gao Ruona.
On the way, Song Xiang sent someone to the main office of the Ministry of Industry to invite Zhao Yang.
Around six o'clock in the morning, Song Xiang, Pang Ji, Gao Ruona, Zhao Yang, and Zhang Yaozuo, who were responsible for negotiating with the Liao envoys, gathered in the post house again, and opened fire first with Wang Yiyong, He Tan, Chen Xu and other officials who came after hearing the news. In a small meeting, the matter of "Liao's intention to conquer Xixia" was mentioned.
"What's this, hitting three shots first if there are dates but no dates?" Zhao Yangpo was a bit confused about whether to laugh or cry.
The Song officials present shook their heads repeatedly, accusing Liao of being too greedy and never forgetting to take the opportunity to blackmail Song.
Immediately, Wang Yiyong asked Song Xiang: "What do the officials think of the Khitan's invasion of Xia?"
Song Xiang shook his head and said: "The officials didn't mention it, but they probably just sit back and watch the two tigers fight."
All the officials present also nodded, but Zhao Yang raised an objection: "Why not pretend to be supporting the Liao Kingdom and take the opportunity to solve the problem of restraint on the Fourth Road in Shaanxi?"
When everyone was stunned, Pang Ji was the first to react and said with a little surprise: "What Zhao Sijian said is absolutely true. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! The Liao Kingdom is attacking Xia, and Xixia will not dare to act rashly..."
Wang Yiyong frowned and said, "Even if Xixia doesn't act rashly, there are still a lot of local Tibetan people... It's probably not easy to organize households to equalize the people and solve the problem of restraint once and for all."
Zhao Yang discussed the matter and said: "If Xixia doesn't move and the Song Dynasty can't clean up the local peasants, then in my opinion there is no hope for the Song Dynasty. You should eat and drink, sit back and watch the decline of the Song Dynasty."
"..." Everyone was speechless and looked at each other.
Only the little Mr. Zhao in front of me dared to say such treacherous words.
"That's not what I mean." Wang Yiyong explained: "I'm afraid that the Khitan's expedition to Xia will end in a hurry... A few years ago, they sent 200,000 troops with great momentum, but were defeated by Xixia in half a year... The number of people in Shaanxi's four groups One hundred thousand, both soldiers and civilians. If we want to settle it properly, it will take one or two years. If the Liao Kingdom makes the same mistake again..."
Zhao Yanghun said nonchalantly: "If there is any action in Xixia, the Song Dynasty will continue to attack at worst. This will be just in time to implement the strategy re-drawn by the Privy Council, and there is no need to pay the annual currency of 250,000 silver silk..."
"Is it too hasty?" Wang Yiyong hesitated.
Song Xiang frowned and thought for a while, and said for a long time: "The expedition to Xia is indeed hasty, but it is possible to organize households and people. This opportunity is once in a lifetime and should not be missed... Xixia is attacked by the Khitan, so they will not dare to help the Tibetan people. At most, they will send Just ask and comfort him and send him away. As for whether the Khitan will make the same mistake again...that can only depend on God's will."
Seeing everyone nodding in agreement, the censor Zhang Zexing said: "Such important matters should be reported to the officials."
After that, he asked everyone to rest for a while in the post house and went to the palace with He Tan to report.
After going back and forth for nearly half an hour, Zhang Zexing and He Tan hurried back and told everyone who was bored in the small conference room: "The officials have something to say, be sure!"
Everyone was refreshed and hurriedly sent people to ask the Liao envoy to restart negotiations.
After a while, the two parties gathered again in the large conference room.
It has to be said that when they saw Zhao Yang again, everyone on the Liao envoy seemed to have lost half of their momentum. On the one hand, it was because of the drill yesterday, and on the other hand, it was because of what Zhao Yang said yesterday, "Song Guo is short of a war to wake him up." Both of these remarks left a very deep impression on the Liao envoy.
In fact, the combination of these two things made them even more fearful.
No, after meeting Song Xiang and Pang Ji, it was clear that Gao Ruona and Zhang Yaozuo had higher official positions than Zhao Yang, but Xiao Xiaoyou was the first to greet Zhao Yang: "Zhao Zhengyan, we meet again..."
Zhao Yang also looked quite friendly, cupping his hands and smiling: "How did Mr. Xiao know that I was promoted yesterday? Now I am a doctor in the Ministry of Industry and a right-hand admonisher..."
"..."
The corners of Xiao Xiaoyou's mouth twitched, and the envoys from the Liao Dynasty looked at each other speechlessly.
No one was curious about why this guy was promoted, because they knew it all.
