After listening to Chen Ke's words, Yelu Derong was a little confused. In order to make him understand more, Chen Ke boiled the problem down to one sentence: "Maintain peace with the Song Dynasty, and your emperor's position will be very stable. If you go to war with the Song Dynasty,
, your emperor is in danger of being robbed of his position. Please tell me, who came up with this bad idea?"
Yelu Derong's face turned pale. He would not tell Chen Ke that it was Nerugu, the son of Yelu Chongyuan, who instigated their emperor to take advantage of the situation...
"What's more, is our Song Dynasty just a soft persimmon?" Zhao Zongji said solemnly: "Back then, you had Emperor Shengzong, Queen Xiao, and famous generals like Yelu Xiezhen, and they were still in our Song Dynasty.
The collision resulted in a bloody head. If my late emperor had followed the advice of the generals and sent troops to cut off your retreat, it would have been a problem whether your Khitan clan would still be around!"
After a pause, he continued in a loud voice: "Now, I, the Song Dynasty, have a seal of thousands of miles, millions of elite soldiers, countless money and food, clear laws and regulations, and everyone is united. If you, the Khitan, go to war, are you sure of victory?"
"No." Yelu Derong replied honestly, but then changed the subject and said: "But if we unite with Xia State and attack from both sides, we will definitely win."
"With Tubo restraining Xixia, how dare they come out in full force?" Zhao Zongji sneered.
"Tubo has already been married to Daliao." Yelu Derong said with a victor's smile on his face for the first time: "How can you help outsiders?"
"The Tubo people still understand the principle of dying lips and cold teeth." Zhao Zongji chuckled and said: "If we were gone in the Song Dynasty, whether it was the tiger-like Liao Kingdom or the wolf-like Xia Kingdom, they would eat them to pieces!
"After a pause, his eyes shone brightly and he said: "If your envoy does not believe it, please return it to the court immediately. Let both sides prepare for war and see whose prediction will come true!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After coming out of the diplomatic post house, Zhao Zongji exhaled a long breath and said: "It's so happy..."
"Where did this go?" Chen Ke said without much joy: "Just because words have the upper hand, it doesn't change that we are the ones being blackmailed." As he spoke, he punched the car wall hard and said, "Yes.
The saying goes, 'A weak country has no diplomacy'. As long as the Song Dynasty cannot defeat them on the battlefield, the Liao people can create obstacles for us at any time!"
"Yes." Zhao Zongji said with deep understanding: "It is really a shame and a great humiliation for our great Song Dynasty to be blackmailed like this!"
"Yes." Chen Ke nodded heavily and said, "Sooner or later, we will have to make them pay back double the amount!"
"Yes, double the reward!" Zhao Zongji was excited for a while. Then he returned to reality: "What do you think will happen next?"
"Yelu Derong must report to the Lord of Liao. I don't think they can give up." Chen Ke said lightly: "Otherwise, where will the Liao's face go? They still have to maintain the dignity of the first military power."
"So..." Zhao Zongji understood somewhat.
"There will definitely be a lot of conditions." Chen Ke said calmly: "I remember they said at the beginning that they would cede land or pay compensation. If they refused to cede the land of ten counties, they would increase the annual coin to five million taels. I think the next step
It’s time to ask for a high price and pay the money on the spot. Five million is impossible, but if you reduce it to zero, your husband will be happy.”
"We have dismissed all his reasons for ceding land." Zhao Zongji said: "Why do they still have the nerve to ask for money?"
"What kind of shame do you need when you want money?" Chen Ke chuckled and said, "Besides, the Liao people have figured it out. Many big shots in our court think it's worth spending money to buy peace! It's not them who pay for it anyway."
It should be said that there were two different attitudes towards the Sui coins in the Song Dynasty. One was that it was worth buying peace with money. This mainly existed among the civil service group, especially among senior officials. In their view, the border
The annual tax revenue of any business is more than ten or two hundred thousand taels. If it can be exchanged for the so-called "peace", it is really worth it. It's not good to go to war.
There is danger, and you can't enjoy a good life, and you have to mix with those annoying Qiu Ba.
Although they knew that if they did not recapture the Sixteenth State of Yanyun, the Song Dynasty would always have a bright butcher's knife hanging on its neck. But what they were thinking about was how to delay the fall of the butcher's knife, at least not on their own watch.
The other type is the scholars whose blood is still cold, the young officials, and the vast number of common people who "do not know the truth". They regard the Liao people as enemies of life and death, and dream of recapturing Yanyun...such as the current Zhao Zongji.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Fifty thousand copper coins is enough. I won't allow you to add an extra copper coin here!"
"I'm afraid you can't decide this." Chen Ke sighed softly. Zong Ji's attitude would probably be regarded by the big shots as a shortcoming like 'immaturity, too impulsive'. It's better to be stable and think of a scholar-bureaucrat.
Isn’t the Zhao Zongshi they think more likeable to them?
That's almost certain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The carriage stopped in front of the Chen Mansion. Zhao Zongji wanted to enter the palace to report back, but Chen Ke didn't need to go with him.
Watching the motorcade heading towards Yujie, Chen Ke did not enter the house. Instead, he boarded his own carriage that had been waiting there: "Go to Yipinlou."
After receiving the order, the coachman went to Thirteen Rows Pavilion. The carriage passed the Victory Bridge, turned west, and went up Nanmen Street, where he saw a bustling market. There were rows of shops, rows of shops, and shops standing on the street.
, there are various colorful flower towers tied up in front of the shop, like spring flowers, competing to bloom together, no one is willing to lag behind. There are also girls with colorful flowers standing in front of the door, and their cries are as melodious and sweet as the chirping of a hundred birds.
This scene is ordinary yet extraordinary. It is ordinary because in the city of Bianjing, which is rich in treasures, there are many markets that are much larger and more lively than this one. But it is also so extraordinary, because just two years ago
Half a year ago, this place was still in ruins, and further back, it was a shantytown where poor people lived.
The scene in front of me is partly due to the overall renovation of Shisanhangpu, and partly due to the sudden excess of funds in Bianjing City. The copper coins that were originally buried in the yards of wealthy households suddenly flooded onto the market, stimulating the market.
In order to increase consumption, and secondly to expand investment, these shops have sprung up like mushrooms after rain.
The carriage stopped at the corner of the street in front of a luxurious four-story pavilion with carved beams and painted beams. This was the "Yipinlou" opened by Chuanfu. Back then, Chuanfu came to Bian with the dream of opening the best restaurant in the world.
In the capital, he spent all his money to build this first-class building. Chen Ke also helped him get the name of the store inscribed by the emperor, and naturally it became an instant hit.
If there is only one brand and no real ingredients, it will definitely not last long. However, Chuanfu, the first famous chef in Sichuan, is not just a boast. Not only is he better than others in cooking, he also uses the skills taught by Chen Ke.
He is also proficient in hotel management and marketing knowledge, and Bianjing City is the best stage for him to show his talents.
After more than two years, Yipinlou not only did not close down after only three months of operation as expected by its peers, but its business is getting better and better, and its reputation is getting bigger and bigger. Now it has surpassed famous stores such as Yuxianlou and Taibaiju.
Second to Fan Lou, Rendian is the leader in the two businesses and is known as the third in the world.
There's no way, those two are both dozens or hundreds of years old, so it's not easy to surpass them...
At this time, Chuanfu came out. Chen Ke put away his thoughts, looked at his disciple who opened the door with a smile and said: "Boss Cai, are you rich again?"
"It's not like the master doesn't know me," Cai Chuanfu said with a naive smile: "The more tired you are, the more you eat, and the more you eat, the fatter you get."
"It looks like I'm really exhausted." Chen Ke laughed loudly and said, "Let's see how your store is doing."
"Master, please come in quickly." Cai Chuanfu became inexplicably nervous.
When you enter the store, you will see the plaque inscribed by the emperor personally, which is very eye-catching. Most of the customers who came in the first place came because of this plaque.
The hotel is splendidly decorated, with splendid curtains and embroidered curtains, and exquisitely carved beams and painted buildings. Its layout has a pavilion in the front and a high platform in the back. There are dozens of single rooms in the pavilion, which are spacious, comfortable and elegantly decorated. The high platform is a place for singing and dancing, and there are
There are a hundred or ten seats, and there are geishas singing for guests to have fun and relax.
It was dinner time at this moment, and the restaurant was already full. The sounds of drinking, talking and laughing, and the sound of orchestral music on the high platform were no different from the bustling city... The liveliness was the characteristic of restaurants in the Song Dynasty. The more lively, the better.
Business is good, but if it is quiet, there must be something wrong with the business.
Chuan Fu led Chen Ke to a quiet room on the top floor decorated with calligraphy and paintings on the walls and elegant decoration.
In the room, the nanmu table has been covered with a moon-white fine silk tablecloth. Cups, plates, silverware, and silk scarves are neatly arranged on the table; the four high-backed chairs have been covered with red velvet chair cushions; there are no chairs beside them.
A low mahogany drum-shaped stool where kaikos sit while drinking wine.
There was already a man and a woman in the room, standing at the table to welcome Chen Ke's arrival.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm late." Chen Ke cupped his hands and said with a smile, "Boss Chi, Qi Xingshou has been waiting for a long time."
Her eyes are filled with emotion, and her body is as beautiful as a weak willow supporting the wind. She is a beauty who has been out of touch for many years. She was among the top ten in the flower evaluation list two years ago, so she naturally deserves to be called "the first of the line"
’ Hearing this, he said with a look of resentment: “I didn’t expect that the young master called Nunu Xingshou, but he was born.”
This made Chen Ke iron his clothes and feel embarrassed. He smiled at the man in his fifties and said, "Boss Chi, Qi Xingshou is teasing me."
Boss Chi’s name is Chi Yunshan, and his identity is the owner of Fanlou, the best restaurant in the world. Even the hawker who buys pear sticks in the capital knows that Fanlou’s owner is not an ordinary person. Ordinarily, he will not set foot in the same industry.
However, due to an invitation from Chen Ke, Boss Chi had no choice but to honor the appointment.
