In the third year of Kaiyun of the Later Jin Dynasty, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in 945 AD, it was the Shangyuan Festival.
In this era, the Lantern Festival has the supreme status among all festivals and is the most important festival of the year.
But today, on this Lantern Festival, the atmosphere in Tokyo city is like dense clouds in the sky. There is no trace of joy, but it is extremely depressing.
Because Xuzhou Wuning Army Jiedushi Hu Ci Le sent someone back with news that was like a thunderbolt from the blue.
The Jin State deployed in the north. Du Chongwei, the brother-in-law of Shi Jingtang, the founder of Jin Dynasty, and the uncle of today's emperor Shi Chonggui, joined the Khitan Lord Yelv Deguang with an army of 100,000 troops by the Hutuo River.
This bolt from the blue immediately knocked down Shi Chonggui.
When the army went out to fight, they had to capture Youyun first and then conquer the desert. As a result, within a few months, the situation took a turn for the worse and the country was about to be destroyed.
It is a pity that among the generals of the Northern Expedition of the Jin Dynasty, there were only two loyal ministers, Huangfu Yu and Guo Lin.
In addition, Wang Zhou, who wanted to commit suicide in order to honor his ministers, and Hu Cile, who did not forget to inform the Wuning army before running back to Xuzhou's Wuning army territory, were already very conscientious.
The other generals now regard Yelu Deguang as the emperor.
What is even more exaggerated is that the Jin Dynasty can have two semi-loyal ministers and one Hu Cile who still has some conscience. It is the dynasty with the most loyal ministers since the Liang and Tang Dynasties.
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In the north of the city, facing the panic of others, Feng Dao very skillfully sent his old wife and son to Wubao in the mountains outside the city.
Then he dismissed most of the servants and asked them to leave Tokyo City to avoid disaster, leaving only the eldest son Feng Ping to serve in the mansion.
Feng Dao took great care of the servants in the mansion, and gave each servant and maid property according to their usual status and level.
There were as few as one or two guans, as many as more than ten guans. All the servants and maids burst into tears of gratitude.
However, when it came to the turn of the coachman who usually followed him and his wife Sun's personal maid, Feng Dao said nothing and had no intention of giving him any severance money.
The coachman was a simple and honest man, who was always taciturn. Even if someone offered him gold and silver, he wouldn't dare to keep it in order to get him to say good things in front of Feng Dao. He would give it all to Feng Dao, so he was deeply trusted.
The maid is a good woman who is literate and can sing Buddhist scriptures. Because of the Buddha's relationship with Feng's wife Sun, she is also highly valued by the Feng family.
The coachman was not surprised, because he was a close confidant of Feng Dao. Although all the servants in the mansion had been dismissed, he still had to use the coach on weekdays.
It's just that the maid is a little strange. She is the maid of Feng Dao's wife, not Feng Dao's.
Could it be that Taoist Feng, who is over sixty years old, is old-hearted and wants her to stay with him?
At that moment, the maid bowed lightly and asked in a gentle voice: "My husband, please go to bed early today. I will go and warm your bed first."
"Go and keep Chef Sun." Feng Dao waved his son Feng Ping out to make arrangements.
The servants and maids in the mansion have been dismissed, but the cooks and cooks in the kitchen cannot be let go, otherwise they will starve.
After watching Feng Ping go out, Feng Dao was sitting in the room, seemingly drowsy, but his eyes suddenly ejaculated.
He looked at the maid who was still graceful even though she could be called an old lady, and smiled lightly.
"I heard that there was a strange woman in Tokyo who was good at makeup and could make men look like old women and strong women like old men. Later, she was taken into the house of a wealthy man from Sichuan with ten thousand yuan. I don't want to see her today.
I dare not let you serve me, otherwise Ambassador Zhang will definitely not be able to spare me."
The maid's expression did not change, but she looked at Feng Dao with some confusion, as if she didn't understand what he was talking about.
The honest-looking coachman's lips curled up. It turned out that Feng Dao had deliberately not dismissed the two of them because he had already figured out their identities.
"My husband suddenly made a revelation today. I think I have made a decision in my heart, but you guessed wrong. The person in front of you is not the fourth stall head, but the servant's little girl, the Hairpin Girl."
The hairpin girl was still pretending, but the coachman suddenly made it clear. When the hairpin girl heard this, she stopped pretending, her eyes quickly changed from confusion to shrewdness, and she gave Feng Dao a charming look.
"Since my husband has noticed it a long time ago, why don't you point it out? You don't have to play tricks on me."
As she spoke, the hairpin girl took out a small book tied with a rope, and then took out a strange little writing brush out of nowhere.
"My lord, please tell me where you saw the flaw, so I can summarize it to avoid exposing the secret next time."
When Feng Dao heard this, he was stunned for a long time.
After being exposed by themselves, these two people not only did not immediately kneel down to beg for mercy, nor did they quickly reveal the truth to save their lives, instead, they seemed to be chatting with their close friends, and they actually had to learn lessons in front of him.
At that moment, Feng Dao's face turned cold. Although he was a civil servant, he was not an ordinary civil servant. He was a civil servant who had been at the center of the country all year round, and ordinary military personnel would be polite to him when they saw him.
The kings of the Tang and Jin dynasties all regarded Feng Dao as the prime minister of the country, and no one dared to be so frivolous in front of him.
"You guys, aren't you afraid that I'll report you to the official?"
The coachman chuckled and said, "My husband, you are the official yourself. You are always the most talented and smart person in the world. If you want to apply for the official position, you should have applied for it a long time ago. You will not wait until now."
And don’t your husband want to know who sent my brother and sister to the house?”
Feng Dao smiled bitterly, "Who else could it be? Besides the bold and extremely tolerant Prince Liang, who else could recruit such a talent to spy on this old man's house.
If you, brother and sister, were not sent by King Liang and had no harmful intentions, how could you have been allowed to live to this day?"
As he spoke, Feng Dao clapped his hands, and dozens of strong men armed with swords and guns came in from outside the room in an instant.
It turns out that Feng Dao sent his eldest son Feng Ping out not to arrange for a cook, but to summon guards.
"Capture these two men, take them to the dungeon, and keep them under strict guard."
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At the same time, there was another scene in Liu Tao's mansion in the north of Tokyo.
In these years, although Liu Tao still held the official position of doctor in the Ministry of Industry, everyone knew what he did.
He is a nail placed in Tokyo by King Zhang Tian of Liang Kingdom, so much so that Liu Tao's house has almost become a transportation station for Liang Kingdom's intelligence.
Even Shi Chonggui, who was not much involved in the palace, knew that Liu Tao was working for Zhang Zhao.
But with such an identity, the later Jin Dynasty not only did not imprison Liu Tao, but even retained his official position as a doctor in the Ministry of Industry, and there was never a shortage of Lumi.
And Liu Tao is also very sensible. He does nothing but one thing.
They kept sending scribes, doctors, and even carpenters, stonemasons, and farmers with expertise from the Central Plains, such people at the bottom of society, to Hexi.
If it had been a normal king, let alone Emperor Qin, Han, Wu and Tang Taizong, Li Siyuan and Shi Jingtang would have rushed to Hexi long ago if they had not killed Liu Tao.
This is really digging into the foundation of my Da Jin Dynasty!
But Shi Chonggui didn't feel much about this. Liu Tao only sent one or two thousand people to Hexi a year, which was less than one-tenth of the deaths caused by natural disasters and man-made disasters under Shi Chonggui's rule. Therefore, Shi Chonggui didn't care at all.
Instead, he used this as an excuse to continuously issue orders to Liu Tao in the name of Queen Feng, ordering him to contribute Hexi sugar, cotton cloth and various rare treasures from the Western Regions to the palace.
Haha! This has become a business.
However, just because of this, Liu Tao's position in Tokyo is very stable, because he has the support of Liang Guo behind him.
What would happen if the Khitan entered Tokyo? The Khitan leader Yelu Deguang was the sworn brother of King Liang, what could he do to his sworn brother's subjects?
At this time, Liu Tao was receiving compliments from a group of petty officials from the Ministry of Industry.
These people came here to seek psychological comfort. They hoped to be protected by Liu Tao after entering Tokyo City.
But when Liu Tao returned to the backyard, his expression immediately became calm.
Because a strong Sogdian man with a majestic figure was waiting for him, and it turned out to be Zhang Liecheng, the adopted son of King Zhang Tian, the ambassador in brocade clothes.
"Feng Dao detained the old leopard and the hairpin girl, and sent a few people to investigate. The four doors of Feng's house were tightly closed, and no one even answered the door."
Zhang Liecheng turned around and smiled brightly. The reason why he ventured to Tokyo at this moment was because of Feng Daolai.
Zhang Liecheng was greatly stimulated by Murong Nobunaga recently. Murong Nobunaga and his wife joined the battle to lobby for Zhang Zhao to win Guanzhong. They worked so hard, but he couldn't make Murong Nobunaga more beautiful than his father.
"The old fox is waiting for us to come up and negotiate terms!"
A look of surprise flashed across Liu Tao's face, "Will the elder of Changle surrender to the Heavenly King?"
Feng Dao had a very high status in the hearts of civil servants at this time. Scholars, whether wise or foolish, all respected Feng Dao implicitly.
It can be said that Feng Dao was promoted by the civil servants at this time. If he can take refuge, it will greatly improve the reputation of Liang Kingdom.
Zhang Liecheng slowly shook his head, "It shouldn't be time yet. Feng Dao is a man who has traveled around the world without falling. He doesn't offend people easily, and of course he won't take refuge in anyone easily.
And whether Feng Dao will defect to him or not doesn’t depend on him, but on the military power that I, Great Liang, are about to show.”
Liu Tao nodded in agreement, "The ambassador is going to Feng Dao's house? Do you want to arrange someone to meet him?"
Zhang Liecheng grinned and said, "No need, in Tokyo city right now, the people who dare to kill someone are not even born yet."
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Feng Dao thought it would be Liu Tao, but he never expected that what came to him was a majestic Sogdian. Just by looking at his appearance, Feng Dao immediately knew who it was.
"Ambassador Zhang is the son of the King of Heaven. There seems to be no need to put himself in danger."
Unable to tell whether it was admiration or confusion, Feng Dao looked at Zhang Liecheng and said slowly.
"Mr. Changle is a respected elder. He can be called Zhang Dalang in a certain way."
Zhang Liecheng raised his hand and said, "If someone is in the residence of the Prime Minister and Fu of the current dynasty, why is there such a danger?"
"Sure enough, you are so brave. I admire you. Since the Ambassador is here in person, please take your subordinate away. Feng is very old and is not worthy of the Ambassador spending so much energy."
Zhang Liecheng waved his hand, "Mr. Changle has already dismissed his servants, and there are no other coachmen, so we might as well stay."
Feng Dao smiled bitterly, and the wrinkles on his forehead deepened a bit, "Why bother with Ambassador Zhang? The Khitan will go south soon, and the King of Heaven is far away in Hexi. Even if the whole army sets off now, it is too late, and I really can't help.
busy."
"With Changle's wisdom, you can't see the general trend of the world, right? Do you really think that uncle will establish another emperor?"
With that said, Zhang Liecheng gave his own answer.
"Of course not. A single Shi Chonggui can cause such great difficulties to the Khitan. If Zhao Yanshou becomes the lord of the Central Plains, in five or ten years, will the Khitan still be able to keep Yan Yun?
As for Du Chongwei, his head is just temporarily stored on his neck, how can he be the emperor of the Central Plains?"
Feng Dao looked at Zhang Liecheng in surprise. He was very familiar with Yelu Deguang, Zhao Yanshou and Du Chongwei, so he could judge that Yelu Deguang might not be emperor again.
But how did Zhang Liecheng be judged? Could it be that the spies of the Jinyi Messenger had penetrated deep into the upper echelons of Khitan?
Feng Dao was confused here, but Zhang Liecheng continued to say, "If Zhao Yanshou and Du Chongwei were not established, the Emperor of the Central Plains, and maybe Uncle Yelu would come and sit there by himself.
It's a pity that the Khitans are not Shatuo, they have never been citizens of the great dynasty, and they have bad habits. It is difficult to win the support of the people in the world, and I am afraid they will not be able to sit firmly."
"The ambassador wants to say that in this world, only Prince Liang is the true master, right?" Feng Dao showed a noncommittal smile and asked in a low voice.
Zhang Liecheng chuckled, "Mr. Changle, do you think there are others who can do it? Meng Chang? Li Jing? These people are just pretending to be powerful, how can they resist the elite soldiers of Hexi?"
At this time, Meng Chang of Hou Shu was working hard to govern. Although his efforts to govern were highly questionable, in the eyes of outsiders, Shu was a powerful country with abundant soldiers and abundant food and fertile fields.
The leader of the Southern Tang Dynasty, Li Min, passed away the year before last. The successor Li Jing is very similar to Meng Chang. They are both young and promising leaders who seem to be in their prime.
Moreover, the Southern Tang Dynasty recently took advantage of Wang Min's civil strife to attack and destroy the Min Kingdom, which had the hidden meaning of Tiannan Shangguo.
If another person had said this, Feng Dao would have felt that this person was exaggerating, but when Zhang Liecheng said this, Feng Dao felt that it was a bit natural.
We are not afraid of not knowing the goods, but we are afraid of comparing goods. Meng Chang and Li Jing seem to be wise masters, but compared with Zhang Zhao, they seem to be nothing.
But for Feng Dao, he still didn't want to take refuge with Zhang Zhao so soon.
It's not because of anything else, it's simply because the Khitan leader is about to enter Tokyo, and Zhang Zhaoyuan is in Hexi and will not be able to reach the Central Plains for a while.
It would be very dangerous for him to seek refuge with Zhang Zhao, even if he did so secretly. If Yelu Deguang noticed it, he might be killed with a knife.
For people like Feng Dao, whether it is Yelu Deguang or Zhang Zhao, no matter who enters Tokyo, they must rely on Feng Dao, He Ning, Li Song and others to govern the country, so they will not seek refuge with anyone.
is the safest.
Zhang Liecheng sneered in his heart. His father was really wise. He could see the true face of these people from afar in Hexi.
Zhang Zhao told him at that time that Feng Dao would never place a bet easily, and it was almost impossible to recruit such a person.
And the reason why Zhang Liecheng still came after knowing that Feng Dao was such a person was because recruiting Feng Dao was actually Zhang Liecheng's highest goal.
Since it was the highest goal, he had naturally realized that it could not be achieved, so Zhang Liecheng quickly adjusted his goal, and his expression slowly became calmer.
"Mr. Changle is indeed a roly-poly, but I would like to remind Mr. Feng that the master of the certain family is different from the leader of the Khitan Kingdom. The Liang Kingdom not only has loyal and brave warriors, but also has many talents in governing the country.
Zhang Gong Xichong, Pei Yuan, Fan Zhi, Xue Juzheng, etc., all have the ability to serve as prime ministers and assistants.
The Hexi imperial examination also held two subjects, and there are scholars from Yanzhou and Qingzhou in this examination. Elders from Changle should not be too confident."
It was said to be a reminder, but in fact it was a threat, because after Zhang Zhao's five or six years of tireless efforts to recruit talents from the Central Plains, the Liang Kingdom already had a small administrative team.
"Thank you, Ambassador, for reminding me." Feng Dao was not angry at all when faced with the threat. He even bowed his hand to Zhang Liecheng, as if Zhang Liecheng was really just here to remind him.
"This is the reason why I invited the ambassador to visit me. I am worried about my family's life and cannot surrender to the King of Heaven at this moment. However, Feng Dao is still from China. How can I be willing to be a slave to the Northern Banners?
I know that the difficulty faced by the King of Heaven lies in how to enter the pass without compromising the great righteousness. Therefore, I have a strategy and I ask the ambassador to help me. I will definitely make the King of Heaven get the best of both worlds."
"Oh? Please invite Feng Gongdao to come."
What Feng Dao said was exactly what Zhang Liecheng meant.
When he came this time, his highest goal was to recruit Feng Dao, and his lowest goal was to get Feng Dao to come forward and solve Zhang Zhao's problem.
"The King of Heaven is only concerned that if he enters Guanzhong at this moment, he will be considered as conspiring with the Khitan and as an accomplice of the Northern Captives.
But what if at this time, the emperor in Daning Palace issues a letter of credence inviting the king of heaven to lead an army into the Central Plains to fight against the Khitan?"
Zhang Liecheng's eyes lit up, it was true! Just like Liang Jun was invited by Shi Jingtang for the first time when he entered Guanzhong, he could also be invited by Shi Chonggui this time.
In this way, it is justifiable!
It's just that Shi Chonggui is not stupid, how could he open such a hole? It's not like people with a discerning eye can't see that King Zhang Tianwang of Hexi wants to go to the Central Plains.
"How sure is Feng Weng's plan?"
"If the ambassador can risk his life and follow me into the palace, and if he pretends that he is entrusted by his younger brother Murong Erlang, then he is 90% sure!"
Zhang Liecheng felt a strong discomfort rushing from his Dantian to the Baihui point on his head, instantly making him extremely irritable.
Why can't you get rid of Murong Erlang's shadow anywhere?
Feng Dao also saw that Zhang Liecheng's face was a little uncomfortable, so he quickly explained.
"Murong Erlangjun is the uncle of the emperor in Daning Palace. When he was in Tokyo in the past, he helped the poor and those in need. He kept his word and had a great reputation.
More than three years ago, during the funeral of the late emperor, Murong Erlangjun greatly shocked the emperor.
Although the emperor is angry at Murong Erlang for being rude, he also knows that he is a reliable person. If the ambassador can vouch for Murong Erlang's integrity, the emperor will definitely believe him."
What a thief! Only Murong Nobunaga has good reputation, right? Zhang Liecheng suddenly felt a little discouraged.
He was born as a mule on the outskirts of Samarkand, and the treatment gap between him and Murong Nobunaga, who was born in Rome with a golden key, was really too big.
What's even more annoying is that Murong Nobunaga is more capable than him.
I can’t accept it!
And this is not the time to think about this. So, I, Ambassador Zhang, bit my tongue and tried my best to look very calm and asked.
“Don’t know how to make a guarantee?”
"Ambassador Langjun can tell the emperor that if the Liang army wants to help him, he can cede Guanzhong, pay an annual tribute of 100,000 pieces of brocade and silk, and send the Wang family, the foster mother of the Duke of Xi, to Liangzhou, and the emperor will call him the king of heaven.
As long as you agree to these four points, the Liang army will arrive at dawn and dusk."
Hiss! Zhang Liecheng took a deep breath, widened his eyes, and looked at Feng Dao in shock.
I can't tell! This roly-poly who seems to be happy with everyone turns out to be so ruthless when he strikes!
The duke of the State of Xi was named Li Congyi. Just by looking at his name, you can tell that he belongs to the royal family of the former Tang Dynasty. It is indeed true that he is the only living youngest son of Emperor Mingzong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Siyuan. Li Congyi's adoptive mother, the Wang family, is the famous Concubine Wang Shu.
This Concubine Wang Shu is not an ordinary person. She also has a nickname, Huajian Sha. Just by hearing this nickname, you can tell how beautiful this girl is.
Hua Jianxian is known as the most beautiful woman in the Five Dynasties. Mrs. Hua Xin, the queen of the Zhou Dynasty, is even better than the queen.
Although she is now twenty-eight years old, she is still beautiful.
Even though in history, when Yelv Deguang entered the Central Plains, Hua Jianxian was already thirty-one years old, she was still unstoppably beautiful.
At that time, Nayelu Deguang also offered sacrifices to Li Siyuan in the morning and told Hua Jianxian that Li Siyuan was his eldest brother and Hua Jianxian was his sister-in-law. Brother Guang decided to treat each other with courtesy.
But in the afternoon, Yelu Deguang felt itchy and unbearable, so he changed his mind and took Hua Jianxian into his room.
You must know that for a man like Yelu Deguang, there is no shortage of women around him. Hua Jiansha is not Shi Chong's noble concubine, and he does not have the feeling of being a conqueror when he enters the house.
Moreover, Shi Chonggui’s empress Feng was the most beautiful in the harem, and Yelu Deguang had seen her several times.
He could insist on not accepting the young Feng, but he must accept the already thirty-one-year-old woman, who can now call herself an old woman. Her beauty is ordinary.
And it is not easy to call him Weng. If you call him with his surname, it will be similar to grandpa in later generations. Feng Weng almost means Mr. Feng.
But if you address someone alone without a surname, you would just call the person grandpa directly.
Although Shi Chonggui did have to call Zhang Zhao grandpa in terms of seniority, it was different from directly addressing him as weng.
Zhang Liecheng couldn't help but swallowed his saliva. These four items even seemed to him, the leader of the secret service organization, to be a bit too much.
"Can the emperor really agree? Is it too much?"
Feng Dao chuckled and returned to his good-natured look, without showing any trace of the ruthlessness he had shown just now.
"Conditions always have to be negotiated. Besides, this is a great contribution to saving the nation. If you don't appear ruthless, how can others believe it?
But this is the first time I’ve mentioned it, I’m afraid Ambassador Langjun has to take some risks.”
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Sure enough, Zhang Liecheng revealed his identity and entered the Daning Palace. After placing these conditions, Shi Chonggui became furious and almost had Zhang Liecheng pulled down and chopped.
However, soon after Zhang Liecheng was driven away, danger befell Shi Chonggui.
It turned out that after Yelv Deguang learned that Huangfu had committed suicide, he immediately sent Zhang Yanze and Khitan Fu Zhuer to lead four thousand cavalry southward.
Zhang Yanze took advantage of the Jin army's generals and bypassed Xingzhou, Xiangzhou, and Weizhou all the way south, reaching the bank of the Yellow River.
However, the cold weather at this time saved Shi Chonggui's life.
Historically, Zhang Yanze went south in September. Because the journey went smoothly, he had already crossed the Yellow River from Baimajin before the Jin court could react, and invaded Tokyo three days later.
But this time, Zhang Yanze couldn't walk until he reached Weizhou. The wind and snow were particularly strong along the way, and many soldiers suffered from frostbite.
After approaching the Yellow River, the snow was knee-deep, making it impossible to continue forward. The Yicheng Army soldiers could only ask the soldiers of the Yicheng Army to leave Weizhou City and stay in Weizhou for repairs.
Shi Chonggui was frightened and summoned Feng Yu, Li Song, He Ning, Feng Dao and others for discussion.
Feng Yu and Li Song suggested summoning Liu Zhiyuan to serve as King Qin of Beijing.
Shi Chonggui was afraid of Liu Zhiyuan, even more afraid of Zhang Zhao. He looked at Feng Dao and asked in a low voice.
"The current plan is to summon Liu Zhiyuan to the court? Is there any other way?"
When everyone thought Feng Dao would agree, Feng Dao stood up and said.
"The Hedong soldiers are in Hebei, and the Khitan soldiers and horses are also in Hebei. Even if Liu Zhiyuan obeys his orders and leads the Hedong soldiers to go south, can they still defeat the Khitans?
Even if they can defeat the Khitan, will they still obey the imperial edict after entering the capital?"
Shi Chonggui and everyone were speechless. Feng Dao continued: "If Liu Zhiyuan comes to Beijing, I can continue to do what high officials have done, but how will your Majesty handle himself?"
There was actually nothing wrong with Feng Dao's words, and Shi Chonggui knew it well. He glanced at Feng Yu and Li Song and immediately felt that these two people could not be trusted.
Even if Feng Yu is his brother-in-law, Liu Zhiyuan will most likely not kill him as long as he doesn't seek death, but Shi Chonggui himself will definitely die.
Thinking of this, Shi Chonggui showed a sad expression on his face.
"My father is a son-emperor, should my son still be a grand-emperor? If Guanzhong is ceded, even if the Khitan retreats, how long can we survive?"
Feng Dao squeezed out a few tears and said, "The Lord humiliated me and died. Cheng is willing to follow Sang Guoqiao's example and go to Zhang Liecheng to cry out and beg Liang Guo to relax the conditions."
But everyone should also understand that no matter whether the Khitans or Liu Zhiyuan enter the capital, everyone will have to be prisoners even if their lives are not in danger.
If the king of Liang sends troops to help, your majesty can still become the emperor of Henan."
Shi Chonggui burst into tears after hearing this, and he bowed respectfully to Feng Dao, because what Feng Dao said was entirely for his sake.
"Then it's fair to do it justice."
This chapter has been completed!