In the early spring of the Southern Kingdom, the wind of recovery warms the earth. As the most prosperous city in the Jiangdong region, Jinling has recovered from the cold winter ahead of schedule.
The water in the canal connecting the inside and outside of the city surges slowly, and a group of white ducks flap their webs, playing and squawking in the pond of the owner's house. Across the water barrier, there is an endless stream of various southern boats, carrying different loads, shuttling through the market.
Standing on the attic of the hotel, leaning on the railing and looking out, Tao Gu stroked his beard in style, secretly comparing Tokyo and Jinling. In Tao Gu's view, in terms of the prosperity of the market and the richness of products, Tokyo is still not as good as Jinling, and the living standards of the people are even worse.
In his heart, Tao Gu envied the prosperity of Jinling, the beauty of the scenery, and the beauty of Pingting. Of course, it was a kind of envy with the desire to conquer and destroy. As a close minister of the Han Emperor, Tao Gu still kept his identity in mind and his buttocks were not crooked.
Sitting alone at the table, he ordered the officials to bring tea sets, prepared the charcoal fire, and took out the good tea given by Li Jing, the Lord of the Tang Dynasty... He summoned his entourage and started to do it himself. The two of them sat across from each other and tasted it, two or three. A pot of strong tea turns into fresh water, and time passes by.
"Winter is turning to spring, living in a solitary house, drinking light tea, I don't know how long it will be..." Tao Gu couldn't help but sigh, his face showing boredom.
The envoy heard the words and couldn't help but ask for advice: "Mr. Tao, we have been coming south to Jinling for more than a month. Since the envoy's order has been fulfilled, why are we still here?"
Tao Gu's secret destiny was not known to any of the attendants. When he asked about it, Tao Gu shook his head and said, "I must have unspeakable difficulties!"
"Could it be that the imperial court has another opportunity to teach secretly?" the envoy asked.
Tao Gu raised his finger, nodded at him a few times, and said in a warning tone: "Since you have made a guess and need to know something, you shouldn't ask more questions!"
"Yes! I'm talking too much! It's just..." Seeing this, he hesitated.
"Just what?" Tao Gu was a little confused.
"It's just that I heard from lower officials that people in Jinling have been discussing recently that our court wants to unite with the Southern Tang Dynasty to share the affairs of Ma Chu..."
"What!" Tao Gu was shocked and a little unbelievable: "The secrets of the imperial court have been leaked to the public?"
"Only focusing on the relationship between the pseudo-Tang monarch and his ministers, but not taking into account the market!" After thinking for a while, Tao Gu came to his senses, first shook his head, and then laughed: "The pseudo-Tang monarch and his ministers are so secretive, and military and state affairs are discussed among the people, how can it be? Am I facing my opponent?"
It has been a month since I went to Jinling as an envoy last winter. There is no problem with normal courtesy exchanges. Of course, since Tao Gu raised the key issue of "discussing the difference between Chu and Chu", there has been no result...
Tao Gu originally thought that the emperors and ministers of the Southern Tang Dynasty might be tempted, refuse, or hesitate, but he did not expect that they could struggle for so long without reaching a conclusion to reply to the Northern Han Dynasty.
In this way, Tao Gu suffered a lot. He stayed in the hotel all day long, drinking wine and sipping tea. Qin Huai's brothel and Chu Pavilion still attracted him, but because of the emperor's "small talk" before leaving, his mind was always tight and he did not dare to act arbitrarily.
After this, life becomes more and more difficult. Without the red sleeves to add fragrance, writing poems and lyrics becomes very boring. Only when the Lord of the Tang Dynasty summoned him to the palace for banquets several times could he take the opportunity to experience the extravagant enjoyment of the Southern Tang court.
"Hey...waiting all the time is not an option! We have to ask to see Lord Tang again!" Tao Gu said.
After saying that, he fell silent, with a doubtful expression on his face, as if he was thinking about his next plan.
At this time, the attendant asked with a flattering smile: "Mr. Tao, this guest post is very boring. Do you want to make some arrangements for entertainment?"
Sui Shi has heard about some of Tao Gu's habits.
"Huh?" Tao Gu perked up after hearing this. He noticed the man's flattering smile and was moved. However, he gritted his teeth and waved his hands repeatedly: "No! No! No!"
Resisting the impulse, he sighed heavily and let the entourage retreat. He ordered the postman to serve wine, poured it and drank it himself. When he was slightly tipsy, he took a pen and ink, wandered to the side, and wrote on the wall of the room: Xichuan dog, common people's eyes, horse bag, royal kitchen rice. ...
When Tao Gu was suffering from hunger and thirst in Guanyi, and was unable to sit still, a royal banquet in the Jinling Palace in the Imperial Palace was coming to an end. Singing and dancing, playing the sheng and Xiao, changing cups and cups, it was so joyful.
As soon as the interest arose, someone would bring up old things again. After eating and drinking, it's time to discuss state affairs.
The monarchs and ministers gathered for banquets, drank wine and composed poems. Li Jing was always very interested. When he mentioned the things that made him hesitate recently, he couldn't help but sigh. He coughed heavily, attracting the somewhat distracted attention of several ministers, and asked: "My lords, the Northern Han Dynasty's discussion has been delayed for a long time. I must give you a reply. What decision will Datang make?"
The puppet emperors and ministers of the Tang Dynasty also held several discussions on this matter. As usual, they were divided into two groups, the Beilai scholar group and the Jianghuai bureaucracy group. Only this time, the northerners group, which had always advocated "aggressiveness", supported and refused, but the southerners advocated agreeing and took the opportunity to capture Hunan.
At this time, as soon as Li Jing opened his mouth, Han Xizai stood up. He had not drunk much wine, his eyes were clear, and he said loudly: "Your Majesty, the country of tigers and wolves in the Northern Han Dynasty, if you highlight this issue, you must have impure motives, harbor evil intentions, and conspire with it. It’s like seeking the skin of a tiger, so I hope your majesty will be careful!”
It is quite unexpected that Han Xizai, the northern scholar leader who always advocated aggressiveness, tried his best to dissuade the Southern Tang from sending troops. When Tao Gu first came to raise this proposal, he was the first to oppose it. His attitude was resolute, and he argued with the courtiers according to his will. There were several fierce disputes.
And sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Feng Yansi, who had returned to the Central Committee of the Southern Tang Dynasty to pay homage to the Prime Minister, stood up, glanced at Han Xizai, and said lightly: "Shilang Han has said this repeatedly, so please explain how impure the motives of the Northern Han Dynasty are. What evil intentions?"
Although Han Xizai was conscious and had a sense of crisis, it would be difficult for him to make random guesses about the intentions of the Northern Han Dynasty.
Just as he was about to turn around and try to persuade him, he heard Feng Yansi continue, his words already laced with sarcasm: "A few years ago, Minister Han strongly advocated foreign expansion, opening up new territories, and all day long he was aiming to conquer the Central Plains in the north and return to Chang'an? What's going on now? Is it because I have lost my ambition and is short of breath? There is chaos in Ma Chu, and a huge piece of land is right at the mouth of the Tang Dynasty. It is ready to eat with open mouth, but it is so cowardly, it is really disgusting!"
Being ridiculed in this way, Han Xizai's arrogance suddenly made him angry. However, he resisted it and did not argue with Feng Yansi. He turned to Li Jing and said sincerely: "Your Majesty, my ambition is small, but the safety of the Tang Dynasty is great. The military is a major matter for the country, and it is related to the survival of Fujian. The territory is still undecided, and Wu and Yue are harassing us from behind. How can we rashly intervene in Hunan again? Since the Northern Han Dynasty proposed this proposal, they must pay great attention to it. Under their tiger eyes, how can the Tang Dynasty easily take over?"
"Haha..." Feng Yansi laughed: "In my opinion, Minister Han is trying to increase the ambition of the Northern Han Dynasty and destroy the majesty of the Tang Dynasty! Since his last mission, he seems to be always afraid of the Northern Han Dynasty! "
"Your Majesty!" Feng Yansi saluted Li Jing solemnly: "After the civil strife between the Ma brothers, the country's strength was greatly reduced, the people were weak and the army was exhausted. However, Ma Xi'e seized the throne and became arrogant, extravagant and lewd, with political chaos and lack of kindness, which caused resentment among the people. , and lost the morale of the army, it is already a country that is about to perish. The Tang Dynasty has one hundred thousand troops, and it is close at hand. Even if there is no initiative from the Northern Han Dynasty, I would like to suggest that your majesty attack and seize the Chu land in one fell swoop!"
"What Han Shilang is worried about is that the Northern Han Dynasty has a conspiracy!" Feng Yansi glanced at Han Xizai and continued: "However, I think that no matter how much the Northern Han Dynasty plots against Hunan, they are far away in the Central Plains. In the three states of Jingnan. They mobilized troops for an expedition. Our army is in the south and can be easily controlled. The Northern Han Dynasty only stationed two thousand troops and horses in Lizhou, which shows its guilty conscience. Based on the information from the ministers, the Northern Han Dynasty came out here I am afraid that I want to use my power from the Tang Dynasty to destroy Chu, and then take the opportunity to get a piece of the pie!"
"I think that if I can accept his invitation and take all Chu territory, even if I give him some states and counties, it will be food in my mouth in the end. Why should I be afraid of it?"
"Your Majesty, please don't miss this opportunity!"
After listening to what Han and Feng said, Li Jing fell into entanglement again. She looked at Feng Yansi and Han Xizai.
"Your Majesty, please be careful!"
"Your Majesty, this opportunity cannot be missed!"
After a long time, Li Jing suddenly asked: "Where is the Han envoy Tao Gu?"
Mentioning this, Feng Yansi smiled and responded: "It is said that Tao Gu, a guest staying in a hotel, is having a hard time!"
Li Jing said to Feng Yansi: "Feng Yanqing, please host a banquet in private, ask Tao Gu to talk about it, and then explore this person's tone!"
"Yes!" Feng Yansi responded quickly.
Seeing Li Jing entrusting Feng Yansi to the side, Han Xizai suddenly felt something bad in his heart.
