Chapter 155 Envoys from the Southern Tang Dynasty 2
"It's hard for us to get a glimpse of the Han Dynasty's court and ministers. We can only take a walk around the streets and alleys of the city!" Han Xizai looked at the deputy envoy with a sideways look.
As if he was explaining, his arrogance was quite disturbing.
The deputy envoy's face trembled. He had suffered a lot from Han Xizai's arrogance along the way. If it weren't for his "mission" of surveillance and observation, he would not follow this man out and would rather stay in the guest post.
I drank a glass of wine. I drank too much and my throat burned so badly that I almost spit it out. I finally recovered and complained: "The wine in the north is just not as sweet and mellow as ours in the south!"
He responded to Han Xizai with a slanted look: "What can be observed in this Kaifeng market? The population flow is not as good as that of Jinling, the business of merchants is not as prosperous as that of Jinling, and the morale of the people is not as good as that of Jinling. If the ethics and etiquette of politics are not as good as those of Jinling,
The difference is as big as clouds and mud..."
The envoy's mouth was full of pride for Jinling and contempt for Kaifeng. It was a kind of contempt from the heart, as if Kaifeng really was so miserable.
Hearing this, Han Xizai looked unhappy and said in a calm tone: "You must know that the Tang Dynasty has been managed for more than 20 years by the great ancestors and the two previous generations to protect the country and the people. Only then can the Tang Dynasty be as strong as today and Jinling be as wealthy. And the war in the north
Frequent and constant for years, ferocious beasts raided the country. The Liu family had only been in existence for two years. It is rare for Kaifeng to have such a small government!"
"The Han Emperor in Kaifeng City can be said to have been appointed at a time of crisis. He took the throne for only a year. Although he was young, he was able to stabilize the complicated situation, stabilize the court's army, control the heroes and generals, conquer Western Shu, and quell the internal rebellion.
Resist the Khitan, suppress the bandits and bring peace to the people, and more importantly, rectify the imperial court and organize and train the army..." Han Xizai looked worried and sighed deeply: "Every move must be steady while making progress. We are not afraid of the ferocity and cruelty of the Lord of the Central Plains.
Be careful not to be calm and composed. The Northern Han Dynasty will become my formidable enemy sooner or later!"
"Mr. Han thinks too highly of the Northern Han Dynasty!" The deputy envoy obviously disagreed: "It's too childish to just stroll around the streets of Kaifeng and praise the Han Emperor so much and assert that he is a powerful enemy of the Tang Dynasty.
!”
Without waiting for Han Xizai to speak, the deputy envoy continued: "It is said that the young emperor of the Northern Han Dynasty is a wise emperor, with civilized and martial arts. It is said that two years ago he defeated the Khitan with thousands of troops and hundreds of thousands, killed the Khitan master, and regained Youzhou, haha.
....."
"Whether it is true or false, regardless of him. Even if the emperor of the Han Dynasty is really wise, so what? Northern countries rise and fall, and emperors change so frequently. Now that the Northern Han Dynasty has its deer, how long it can defend its country is a question. Li Cunxu, Li Siyuan
, Shi Jingtang, all the ancestors of the sect, were heroes for a time, but now, they have long been turned into a handful of loess!"
It makes some sense to listen to his eloquent talk. In fact, in the past few decades, from Yang Wu to the Southern Tang Dynasty, that is, in his later years, Yang Xingmi had several head-to-head fights with Zhu Liang of the Central Plains. In the rest of the period, there were more
He was fighting with other countries in the shallows of the south. Although he was paying attention to the changes in the north, he was more like a bystander, watching a play.
I have watched this drama too much, and after watching it for decades, seeing the heroes of the Central Plains fighting life and death, I gradually developed a kind of stubborn arrogance. As a scholar from the Central Plains who traveled to the south, Han Xizai was quite touched by this, and he was very impressed by the deputy envoy's behavior.
This view is not surprising. In the Southern Tang Dynasty, many officials were betting on the fate of the Han Dynasty and talking about how long they could hold on to win the country.
Generally speaking, they were not optimistic. At first, they thought it would last five or six years. When Liu Zhiyuan passed away, he proposed two or three years. After Liu Chengyou succeeded to the throne and made some achievements, he took a longer look and felt that it would not last more than ten years. ...
Earlier, Han Xizai did not regard the Han as a formidable enemy, and even encouraged Li Jing to send troops to realize his ambition. However, after going north this time, as he observed all the way, his worries rose sharply. If the emperors and ministers of the Tang Dynasty still had this mentality, they would have to suffer sooner or later. Big loss.
Although the Han Dynasty still has the simplicity of a new country, with many ugly things, the people are miserable, the generals are vicious, and the government is in a tight situation, a word called "order" has gradually become more solid from vague, and the Han Dynasty has basically maintained stability. As for the rule of the Central Plains, the central authority's authority over local areas was also initially established.
These things can be observed with Han Xizai's naked eyes and knowledge. Speaking of which, he has been traveling south for more than 20 years, but he has actually witnessed the dark turmoil in the Central Plains. Back then, he pretended to run south and fled for his life. The desolation and panic are vivid in my mind. Comparing the two, the Han Dynasty today, although the devastation has not recovered, is much more stable than twenty years ago.
He was worried, but Han Xizai had no intention of arguing with the deputy envoy at this time. He was on the same road but had different opinions, and he even felt that all the words he spent on him were unnecessary.
Although Han Xizai didn't say anything, his sincere contempt still irritated the deputy envoy. He couldn't stand his arrogance and retorted resentfully: "Why do you think Mr. Han thinks that what I said is unreasonable?"
"Otherwise! The analysis is very reasonable, the matter is pointed out, and the truth is profound. There are not many people in the world who can have such insight!" Han Xizai praised, but his tone was so ordinary and pretentious.
Taking a deep breath, even though he was in a single room, the noise in the restaurant kept coming in through the doors and windows. The deputy suddenly felt that he was no longer as irritable as he was now, and said impatiently: "Mr. Han, you better think about it. , how can we fulfill our mission to the north? Don’t make such inexplicable lamentations and scaremongering here!"
Han Xizai smiled and said calmly: "The Emperor of Han does not want to meet him, so how can you and I force his way in?"
Dissatisfied with Han Xizai's calm and self-righteous performance, the deputy envoy said anxiously: "Does it mean that if the Emperor of Han does not see us for a year, we have to wait here for a year?"
"If you are impatient, you can go back south first!" Han Xizai said.
The deputy envoy was silent.
Seeing this, Han Xizai became a little more serious and said, "If you and I want to complete the task this time, I'm afraid it won't be that simple!"
"How do you say that?" The deputy envoy looked at Han Xizai. Although in the eyes of a southern scholar like him, Han Xizai was arrogant and arrogant, no one had ever belittled his knowledge and talents.
Han Xizai explained quietly: "Just because the Emperor of the Han Dynasty ignored our actions, we can know that he was probably hostile to our court. During this time, you and I visited the important officials of the Han court, but none of them were allowed to see us, not even gifts. I can't even send it away. Why is it not a good thing whether it is the Han Emperor's instruction or the Han ministers' wishes?"
Hearing this, the deputy envoy became nervous: "If this is the case, what should we do? If the mission is not fulfilled, how can I explain to His Majesty after I return to the court?"
Han Xizai smiled and didn't answer, making the envoy wish he could bite him.
He stood up, walked to the window, looked at the Tokyo cityscape outside, and pondered deeply. Han Xizai frowned in his heart. The task of going north this time was not as difficult as the emperor of the Tang Dynasty and his courtiers imagined. Since they came with good intentions, the Emperor Han Xizai He is a smart man. If the two countries have good relations, it will obviously be of greater benefit to Han.
While thinking about it, Han Xizai thought that his recent interactions with the courtiers in Tokyo were all behind closed doors. According to what he heard, the courtiers of the Han Dynasty were very corrupt and despicable, but this time, they were able to stay together.
He didn't believe that these people were less greedy. Even if it was just about this matter, when a greedy person could endure the greed in his heart and restrain his behavior, it would be worth pondering.
More than 20 years ago, Nanping King Gao Jixing went to Luoyang in person to meet with Li Cunxu. After observing that the Tang Dynasty was in chaos and political affairs were in a state of neglect, he felt at ease and happy to return to the south, saying frankly that he had no worries about the Northern Tang Dynasty.
Han Xizai was ordered to go to the north this time, but before he saw Liu Chengyou, he was already feeling heavy and unspeakable.