Chapter 265: The mission goes north and the two men fight
Shen Tang and others left Lin'an City and headed north. Before setting off, they had already planned their route. Lin'an was nearly a thousand miles north to Sizhou, where Zhang Jun was located, and from Sizhou they continued to the north. , heading towards Daming Prefecture. After arriving at Daming Prefecture, go north again, pass through Xingzhou and go to Zhending, and finally arrive at Daxing Prefecture, the capital of Zhongdu.
The distance between north and south, plus the detours, is four to five thousand miles away. Their speed is not very fast, and some of the escorts and honor guards are on foot, so they only travel about a hundred miles a day.
In other words, it would take them about two months to reach Zhongdu.
Slowly heading north all the way, there is no need to worry or take precautions in the Song Dynasty. Shen Tang is not familiar with other people, so they rarely talk to each other on weekdays. Wang Bian, on the other hand, is quite good at singing. Regardless of whether he was familiar with Wu's skills or not, he soon became enthusiastic with everyone. However, one thing made Shen Tang feel a little worried! From Wang Zhi's daily words, Shen Tang It can be seen that he is an absolute advocate of peace.
For the Kingdom of Jin, he worshiped with fear. It is no exaggeration to say that even the moon of the Kingdom of Jin was a bit better than the Great Song Yuan in his eyes. In addition to the king, many minor officials in the mission were obviously It was also secretly arranged by Tang Situi and others. Except for a few people, most people had similar ideas to Wang Bian.
"Everyone, this time we are honored by His Majesty's grace. No matter what, if the peace talks are to succeed, we must not let down the entrustment of His Majesty and the two prime ministers!" Wang Peng rode on his horse and fell behind Shen Tang. He was surrounded by many familiar people. Junior official, listen to Wang Peng talking on the horse.
"What Mr. Wang said is true, but the war between our dynasty and the Jin Kingdom has just ended. It is said that the Jin Kingdom also suffered a lot of losses. Now, Lingbi and several other cities are still under the control of our dynasty's army! In this Under such circumstances, how can the Kingdom of Jin not be angry? Therefore, if we want to calm down the anger of the Jin people, we may have to pay some price." Someone said in response.
Wang Pian laughed loudly and said, "Don't worry, Prime Minister Tang has informed me before coming here. Now all the land in Sizhou we occupy will be returned to the Kingdom of Jin. After that, Prime Minister Tang and Chen will also write a letter Your Majesty, please let Mr. Zhang withdraw his troops from Sizhou and return to the territory."
"In addition, as long as it is not too excessive, we can first compensate for part of the military supplies and then add some Sui coins. Presumably, those Jin people will not embarrass us!"
Wang Peng's words made many people around him feel relieved!
"If that's the case, it would be much easier. Everything still requires Mr. Wang to think more about it."
Wang Pian smiled proudly and said, "Don't worry, everyone, you just need to do what I say, and this time the peace talks will be successful. When the time comes, when we return in glory, Prime Minister Tang and Prime Minister Chen will definitely ask for credit for you."
"However, when we arrive in Zhongdu, I hope you will not go against Wang's advice during the peace talks. After all, we are responsible for the safety of our country, and we must not be reckless in anything!"
"That's naturally the case..."
The conversation among the people made Shen Tang frown.
No wonder Zhao Shen is worried. This is the method of peace talks that the peace advocates think of? What is the difference between this and later generations' efforts to use the country's material resources to please all nations? Moreover, if it is such a peace talk, why do they need to go there? Even if we send a dog, the peace talks can still succeed.
Also, only a fool would not agree to holding a large pile of gold and silver and letting others take it.
After pondering for a moment, Shen Tang couldn't help himself. He pulled the reins of the horse and started walking alongside the king.
"Master Wang, the land of Sizhou has been captured by Prime Minister Zhang, how can we let it out easily?" Shen Tang said slowly.
Hearing Shen Tang's question, Wang Pian's eyes flashed with contempt.
Originally, he had already received the news that Tang Xiang recommended him as the official envoy. In this way, his rank could be upgraded to at least the sixth or even fifth rank. But who knew that the duck he got at the last moment would fly away. .
The chief envoy became Shen Tang, but he became the deputy envoy, and his rank remained unchanged.
In his opinion, the position of sergeant should have been his, so how could he overlook Shen Tang? Moreover, although Shen Tang was the number one scholar, in his opinion, it was nothing more than that.
Perhaps, Shen Tang was indeed better than him in knowledge. However, when it came to his ability to dance, he thought that he would be better than Shen Tang. Therefore, he had already made up his mind. Although, this time, it was Shen Tang who However, he wanted to completely oust Shen Tang and take all the credit for the peace talks.
The results in the past few days are also very remarkable. Most people have become familiar with him and agree with his ideas. At least, it seems that among this mission, he is more like an envoy, and Shen Tang is more like an envoy. is an outsider.
"Sir Shen, although you are the number one scholar, you don't understand the situation between our country and the Kingdom of Jin, and you don't know anything about foreign affairs."
"I would like to ask Mr. Shen, was it Mr. Zhang who snatched the land of Sizhou from the hands of the Kingdom of Jin?" Wang Peng asked quietly.
Shen Tang nodded, "Exactly!"
Seeing Shen Tang's somewhat dull expression, Wang Pian curled his lips disdainfully, "Look, we, the Song Dynasty, have been in the heavenly dynasty. How can we do evil things in a country of etiquette? Sending troops for no reason has already made me great. The Song Dynasty has lost its reputation for benevolence and righteousness. If it seizes Sizhou by force, wouldn't it make the world laugh at it? If so, what is the difference between the Song Dynasty and barbarians like the Jin Kingdom?"
This shameless statement made Shen Tang not know how to refute it for a moment!
After a while, Shen Tang finally said with some anger: "Master Wang, this Sizhou land was brought into our hands after Prime Minister Zhang led his army through several bloody battles, and now that the Jin soldiers have retreated. If we give it up just like this, , then wouldn’t the blood of our soldiers of the Song Dynasty be shed in vain? Is it worthy of those soldiers who died on the battlefield?”
"Master Wang keeps saying that this land of Sizhou was snatched from the hands of the Jin Dynasty. So, doesn't Mr. Wang know that this is my hometown of the Song Dynasty? I think back then, the Jin Dynasty plundered the northern land from our government. Go, we are just getting our things back, why not? Who dares to laugh at me, Da Song?"
"We will also compensate the military personnel and increase the annual coins!"
Shen Tang glared at Wang Pian, "Master Wang, don't you know what shame is? Giving your wealth to the enemy and letting the enemy's sophisticated weapons attack us in turn, I, Shen Tang, really can't figure out, you, Master Wang, are my ministers of the Song Dynasty." , still the golden man’s loyal dog!”
Shen Tang's scolding made Wang Pian flush with anger, "You... Shen Tang, you are so presumptuous!"