The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, also known as the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun and the Sixteen Prefectures of Youji, refer to the sixteen prefectures in the north centered on Youzhou (now Beijing) and Yunzhou (now Datong, Shanxi).
The founding emperor of the Later Jin Dynasty, Shi Jingtang (Hedong Jiedushi of the Later Tang Dynasty), rebelled against the Tang Dynasty and became independent. He asked Khitan for help, and the Khitan sent troops to support him in establishing the Later Jin Dynasty. Taizong of the Liao Dynasty and Shi Jingtang were related as father and son (Taizong of the Liao Dynasty was the father and Shi Jingtang was the son).
In the third year of Tianfu (938), Shi Jingtang ceded the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun to the Khitan in accordance with the Khitan's request, which expanded the territory of the Liao Kingdom to the Great Wall.
After that, the two Song dynasties failed to recover it until the 27th year of Yuan Zhizheng (1367), when Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Xu Da as commander-in-chief and Chang Yuchun as deputy commander-in-chief to launch a northern expedition against the Yuan Dynasty.
In just over a year, the Ming army captured most of the capitals of the Yuan Dynasty. At this point, the sixteen states of Yanyun were taken back by the Han regime, ending hundreds of years of rule by the nomadic regime in the north.
Because the Liao Emperor traveled around, the Liao Kingdom established five capitals, among which "Xijing" and "Nanjing" were among the sixteen states of Yanyun.
Therefore, when they wanted to return Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu, they only agreed to cede the seven states south of the two capitals, which happened to be the places with the largest number of remaining Han people and the places where the Song and Liao armies had the most battles in the past.
When it comes to strategic value, it still has some value, but the benefits to the Song Dynasty are limited. After all, it is frequently war-torn, so how can it develop? As a major military town, troops must be stationed at any time. In this way, the front line is stretched, which is very important for the Song Dynasty. Logistics are also a test.
Moreover, it is also a big problem to hold on to these places. If the Liao Kingdom recovers and makes a comeback in the future, it can launch a counterattack from here at any time.
But even so, after discussion between the monarchs and ministers of the Song Dynasty, they tentatively agreed. The Sixteen States of Yanyun were really too tempting for them.
This is especially true for Zhao Heng. The first two emperors of the Song Dynasty were brothers, and there were some suspicions that both of them were unfairly appointed. Not to mention Zhao Kuangyin wearing a yellow robe, Zhao Guangyi could be regarded as usurping his brother's throne, and then directly Let your own lineage inherit the throne, and guard Zhao Kuangyin's lineage to the death.
It can even be said that most of the Song Dynasty's defense against the clan was actually to guard against Zhao Kuangyin, the original "big clan".
As the son of Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Heng naturally knew that his father's greatest wish in this life was to take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.
Now I am watching my father's long-cherished wish come true until he dies. Just thinking about it makes me so excited that I can't help myself.
Li Yong was actually not satisfied with this, but he couldn't express his attitude too much at this time and could only obey these people.
He now understood why the imperial court still chose to initiate peace talks with the Liao Kingdom after winning the battle of Chanzhou.
The Liao Kingdom was defeated at that time, and seeing that the Song Dynasty's peace talks were very "sincere", a fool would not negotiate with them.
It can only be said that the Liao Kingdom still made the mistake of empiricism. At the same time, the current Song Dynasty is indeed insufficiently motivated but more than capable. If the Liao Kingdom had been stronger, or the Song army had been weaker, or the Song court had been more cowardly, , maybe the story of Jingkang’s shame will have to be staged in advance.
Of course, what is being staged now is the shame of going to Beijing, but the Liao Kingdom is obviously not as cowardly as the Song Dynasty, nor is it as bad as Wan Yangou.
Although the Chanyuan Alliance was a wise move in the long run, it was also caused by the inherent cowardice of the Song Dynasty monarchs and ministers.
Besides, can these people really see the long-term development of tens to hundreds of years?
Fortunately, Li Yong had already made a plan in his mind. Otherwise, he would be like Yue Fei and Di Qing. After working hard, he was tricked to death by a group of pig teammates, and he would be depressed to death.
"Your Majesty, I know you are a little unwilling..." Zhao Heng saw what Li Yong was thinking, and actually stayed with him specifically to comfort him afterwards.
Li Yong could only give a bitter smile, cupped his hands and shook his head: "The officials are worrying too much. Since it is a decision made by the imperial court, how can the humble officials dare to question it?"
"It's because I don't dare, not because I don't want to." Zhao Heng smiled, sighed, and said as if having a heart-to-heart conversation with him: "But you don't know your name. My father, who is Emperor Taizong,
I really wanted to take back the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun, but..."
Naturally, he couldn't say much about the late emperor, not to mention that the God of War with Donkey Cart was incompetent, but his spirit was among the best among the emperors of the Song Dynasty.
This is like Baldy Jiang who retreated in later generations. No matter how capable he was, he still had a unified heart. On the contrary, it was the cancer that caused division behind him that brought him out.
Li Yong nodded, his face looking slightly better.
Zhao Heng was even more pleased to see him like this.
As Li Yong thought, after he resolutely returned to Tokyo this time, the biggest doubt in Zhao Heng's heart was dispelled, and Li Yong's subsequent performance also confirmed over and over again that he was a loyal minister of the Song Dynasty. Naturally, Zhao Heng felt more and more Be trusted.
So now that he has obtained the Imperial Order, his status in the Imperial City has suddenly become transcendent, and he can enter and leave the palace at will. This is the emperor's courtesy to him.
In fact, based on Zhao Heng's character and conduct, if Li Yong was just a minister of the Song Dynasty, he would still be willing to work under him.
In other words, starting from Zhenzong, the subsequent emperors Renzong and Shenzong were all very suitable to serve as ministers under them. This is because they may not have the abilities of Boss Cao and Boss Liu, but they actively or were forced to have Boss Cao. , Boss Liu’s mind.
It was also after this that the Song Dynasty came up with the idea of "ruling the world together with the scholar-bureaucrats."
Compared with the civil service group advocated by the Ming Dynasty later, the power and status of the civil service at this time were truly transcendent.
After all, anyone who has studied history knows that during the feudal period, imperial power and prime ministerial power, centralized power and local separatism gradually tilted towards the former over time.
By the Ming and Qing dynasties, the unified imperial power system reached its peak, and the emperor's authority became supreme, truly worthy of the title of "The Ninth Five-Year Plan".
Any emperor with some brains in the Ming Dynasty would not be fooled around like Chongzhen. The Qing Dynasty treated ministers life and death. The emergence of the Military Aircraft Department allowed the emperor to directly bypass the civil and military ministers of the court and decide the rise and fall of the military and political affairs based on his own joy and anger. A handful reached its peak.
It's just that Li Yong didn't come here to eat and wait for death or to maintain the rule of the Song Dynasty, so if Zhao Heng didn't do a good job, he could replace him.
"By the way, I have one more thing that I want you to investigate."
"But according to the command..."
Zhao Heng looked at Li Yong, with a complicated look of struggle in his eyes, but it was obviously not for Li Yong. After a while, he sighed: "Aiqing is from Qiantang. What I ordered you to investigate is that in Qiantang In the Jiaofang Division, was there a singing girl ten years ago..."
Li Yong walked out of the palace. The person who escorted him out this time was not Li Shenfu, but another eunuch.
"There is no need to see you off, manager. Just go back on your own when you get here."
"Deputy Ambassador Li, walk slowly..."
Li Yong smiled and nodded. After walking a few steps, he looked back at the majestic and forbidding palace city. He sighed secretly with a gloomy look, then turned back and walked forward. As he walked, the corner of his mouth raised a deep smile. The arc of his face revealed an evil and arrogant smile.
Soon……
