Huang Shang's smile became even brighter, and then he nodded to the masked warrior who stopped Helian Tieshu, showing approval.
Now that Helian Tieshu had dismounted, Huang Shang turned his body to one side, stretched out his hand and said, "General Helian, please."
Helian Tieshu stepped to Huang Shang's side.
The officials of the Song Dynasty who followed Huang Shang were stunned, and they really didn't know what diplomatic skills Huang Shang used.
The Song Dynasty had been a country for a hundred years, and many people had dealt with foreigners in the surrounding areas. Not to mention losing battles, even when winning battles, no one had ever left such experience in dealing with foreigners as Huang Shang.
Huang Shang didn't know what others were thinking, so he entered the city side by side with Helian Tieshu, and the others followed behind.
Although Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo was the leading metropolis at that time, due to traffic, population and other reasons, it could not compare with the scale of modern cities, and it did not feel far away on foot.
Along the road, you pass through the most prosperous streets. On both sides of the street are teahouses, taverns, pawn shops, and workshops. There are many small vendors with big umbrellas in the open spaces on both sides of the street. The street extends to the east and west, all the way to the quieter suburbs outside the city. However, there are still people on the street: some are carrying burdens, some are driving ox carts to deliver goods, some are driving donkeys to pull trucks, and some are stopping to watch the Bianhe River. The view. With the tall tower as the center, there are rows of houses on both sides, including tea houses, wine shops, foot shops, butcher shops, temples, public houses, etc.
Although foreign envoys came to visit, Huang Shang did not block the roads to welcome them and disturb the people. Instead, he just walked through the crowds.
A group of officials in court uniforms, along with a few people in exotic costumes, were just walking on the street. They gave way to the people they met. It was really strange, and they all looked sideways.
The common people in Kaifeng Mansion in Tokyo were knowledgeable and realized that these foreigners were from the Northwest Xia Kingdom. They had also heard about the war that had just been fought and knew that the Song Dynasty was defeated. However, there was no grand welcoming ceremony, and they were just walking among the people. No one could guess that they were the envoys, and they all guessed what they were doing.
Folks should not be received by officials, and officials should not be so casual. After so many years, I have never seen such a lineup, nor heard of it.
Huang Shanghun didn't care, and casually pointed to various wine shops and shops on the street to introduce Helian Tieshu, and said to Helian Tieshu: "General, I think the Song Dynasty has a vast land and rich products. The people live and work in peace and contentment, and the business is prosperous. Compared with Xia, How is the country?"
They were walking down the busiest street in the capital of the most developed country in the world, and asked an envoy from a minority regime that relied on force to separate the northwest: Can your country be as prosperous as this one?
Helian Tieshu was filled with hatred and shouted in his heart: "You have been defeated! Why don't you compete with me as an army?"
However, the more confident Huang Shang became, the more cautious Helian Tieshu became. The envoy of Song Dynasty has always been very talkative. He had heard about it a long time ago and was mentally prepared for it. He never thought that he would be able to compete with the envoy of Song Dynasty for words.
What he relies on today is the powerful army of Xia State. No matter how lively the talk is, he will not lose a ounce of meat. The Song-Ken peace talks are not just about the army.
Helian Tieshu said coldly: "It is indeed prosperous, but it is a pity that such a prosperous trade is not protected by a strong army. What a pity! What a pity!"
He said "what a pity" twice and shook his head.
Huang Shang glanced at Helian Tieshu in slight surprise. It was a bit sharp, and what he said was on point. He was able to serve as an envoy to the Song Dynasty at a young age, so he couldn't be a fool.
Huang Shang smiled and said: "Yes, the Song Dynasty's army was a bit embarrassed this time."
Helian Tieshu didn't expect that Huang Shang would speak out about the army's faults in front of him. Isn't this just admitting defeat?
Huang Shang continued: "We are going the wrong way."
Helian Tieshu said coldly: "Are you saying that your army was lost in attacking Daxia and went to the wrong place?"
It’s better not to use this kind of excuse to embarrass yourself. The war is over. Why we fought is no longer important. Only winning or losing is important.
Huang Shang shook his head and said: "That's not what I mean. What I mean is that there is a problem with the construction of our army. The Song Dynasty lacks horses and is not good at attacking. Going deep into the enemy's territory will magnify the weaknesses. However, the Song Dynasty has advanced weapons to defend the city. Only by defending can we exert our greatest strength. Advantage."
Helian Tieshu sneered: "I've never heard that passive defense can strengthen a country."
What Huang Shang means is that we can't defeat you, but you can't defeat us either. How could Helian Tieshu agree to this? If he agreed, wouldn't the victory be in vain? What's the point of talking about it!
Huang Shang smiled and said: "It's understandable that the general doesn't understand. After all, the Xia Kingdom is not yet civilized and only knows how to conquer by force."
His subordinates were defeated and he was not ashamed to speak loudly.
Although Helian Tieshu had already expected that he might not be able to defeat the Song envoy, but by evading the important and making fun of himself for being savage, he was thinking that he was too savage. He couldn't even understand such words, right?
Helian Tieshu said coldly: "I would like to hear the details."
Huang Shang said: "Okay, there is still some way to the post house, so I will talk to the general. In fact, war is not the only way to strengthen a country. China once had a dynasty called the Han Dynasty, and the Han Dynasty had an emperor called Emperor Wu of Han. His martial arts was strong and he defeated the Huns, but the country became weaker and weaker. We in China are different from you. Our production is production and war is war. Your war and production are relatively unified. It may be that in recent years you have learned more about China and are more related to It was different at first, but if you want to reach the level of China, there are too many restrictions."
Helian Tieshu cursed in his heart: "Just say what you want, even if you don't forget to step on me."
Huang Shang continued, minding his own business: "Even if you win the battle, can you still avoid killing people? Since you also want to die, how many of you are enough to die?"
Helian Tieshu's heart moved. This was not unreasonable. The sparse population was their fatal injury. The Song Dynasty had such a large territory and such a large population that it would be useless to win. They absolutely could not afford to consume the vast ocean of People's War.
Huang Shang said again: "You won the war just for some money. We, the Song Dynasty, spent a lot of money in a year. We have plenty of money, and that money is our best weapon. There are also many poor people in the world. Okay, there are countless people who are willing to sacrifice their lives for money. If our army can't win, it's just a matter of paying people to fight for us. We only pay the money and don't worry about other things. We don't have to worry about how many people die. Isn't that even more important? good?"
Helian Tieshu was shocked and his heart was shaken. In fact, people are very complicated, and Huang Shang's words cannot stand up to scrutiny. It's just that no one has ever proposed this theory. Now that it is suddenly proposed, Helian Tieshu is unable to refute it.
But what he was thinking about was that Song was not the only country around Xia Kingdom, and he was living in the cracks. Moreover, Xia State is not a country composed of a single ethnic group. There are also ethnic minorities in the country, such as Han, Tubo, and Uighurs.
(End of chapter)
