Richard was played hard by Wang Zhongling for several days. He finally found out about Li Qi. How could he let him go so easily? The next day, when it was still slightly bright, he arrived with his entourage and gifts.
Li Qi's pear garden in the eastern suburbs, I'm afraid of missing Li Qi.
But because Li Qi didn't come at that time, and Richard didn't make an appointment, the fruit farmers in the pear orchard didn't dare to allow Richard in. After all, it was harvest time, and God knows if you, a sanctimonious guy like you, wanted to steal pears.
Richard didn't take it seriously, because Li Qi wasn't there, so he just waited when he went in, pacing back and forth in front of the door, so he wasn't in a hurry.
After nearly half an hour, I saw a carriage approaching slowly from the west.
finally come!
Richard was extremely excited when he looked at the carriage, because he saw Li Qi in front of him who had been waiting for a long time to show up. He even doubted whether Wang Zhongling had lied to him, so he hurried forward to greet him.
"Privy Envoy, Privy Envoy."
From a distance, Richard started shouting passionately, just like a wife at home greeting her husband who came back from the war, full of passion.
"U---!"
Maqiao, who was driving, stopped, turned around and said, "Bu Shuai, someone is calling you."
"who?"
Li Qi's voice came from inside.
At this time, Richard had already arrived at the car and said hurriedly: "Privy Envoy, it's me, Richard of Xixia."
As soon as he finished speaking, he opened the carriage curtain with one hand, and Li Qi walked out of it, "Oh, it turns out to be the prince!" As he spoke, he had already stepped down from the carriage, and first raised his hands.
Then he asked with a curious look on his face: "Why is the prince here?"
Richard stopped playing nonsense and said directly: "I came here to see the Privy Councilor."
"Yeah?"
Li Qi was slightly "surprised" and said, "Looking for me? Why are you looking for me?"
"I---."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Your Majesty, we'd better talk in the garden. Please."
Richard was full of grievances and was about to tell Li Qi, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was interrupted by Li Qi. He swallowed the words on his lips and nodded.
Li Qi and Richard came to sit under a pear tree in the pear orchard. A fruit farmer quickly brought a fruit plate, but that was all. Li Qi was poor, so getting some fruit was already enough fun.
Li Qi smiled apologetically: "I didn't know that the prince would come today. I apologize for the poor reception."
However, now, even if Li Qi puts out delicacies from the mountains and seas, and even cooks them himself, Richard may not have an appetite. He hurriedly said: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. It's a perfect day to eat freshly picked pears."
"Your Majesty is indeed a classy man."
Li Qi laughed and said mysteriously: "Reveal a secret to the prince."
Richard asked curiously: "What?"
Li Qidao: "Your Majesty, I don't know, but these pears are an unparalleled raw material in the world."
This---this can also be called a secret. Richard muttered to himself, but exclaimed: "Seriously?"
Wow! I just said it casually, and besides, it's not a secret. It's too fake for you to be so surprised. Li Qi chuckled: "Of course it's true. Speaking of this unparalleled thing in the world, the prince is here."
It’s just right. My unparalleled achievement is about to take shape, so your prince may wish to give you some advice.”
It's unparalleled. If I continue like this, I'm afraid I'll die on a hunger strike. Richard smiled and nodded, and said perfunctorily: "Definitely, definitely." After a pause, he added: "Actually, I'm coming here today.
If you need help, ask the Privy Councilor for help."
Li Qi said very cheerfully. "Really? Then the prince has really found the right person. I, Li Qi, am famous for my love of helping others."
Richard was overjoyed when he heard this, but Li Qi immediately said: "However, we can't talk about official matters. As for private matters, it's easy to talk about anything except borrowing money."
Do you think you are happy to help others? Richard had the urge to vomit blood and asked in confusion: "Why---why is this?"
Li Qi said honestly: "To be honest, I don't have the power to make decisions in official matters, and I have no money in private matters."
Richard looked embarrassed.
Li Qidao: "Is the prince really here to borrow money?"
"Of course not." Richard shook his head hurriedly.
"No? Is it a business matter?"
Richard nodded awkwardly a few times.
Li Qi sighed: "Then I really can't help you."
Richard said anxiously: "This---this is impossible. The Privy Councilor is a popular person in His Majesty's eyes and holds great power. Moreover, I heard that the envoys from Korea and Japan were received by the Privy Councilor."
Li Qi shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, you have praised me, but what you said is not wrong. I am indeed responsible for this matter, and I also received the Korean envoys and the Japanese envoys. But that is because there are very big differences between our three countries."
There are many important things to discuss, but the emperor has not arranged for me to meet you."
What he said was straightforward, and the implication was that there was nothing important to discuss between us.
Richard frowned and said, "But it's because of this war."
Li Qi chose silence.
Richard added: "I came here today specifically for this matter. I dare to swear to God that our king has never thought of having a military confrontation with your country. This---this is all forced by the Jin Kingdom.
We do this."
It's weird to believe you. You Xixia are not good birds either. Li Qi nodded and said: "We all know this, but it's not important anymore. Haven't we already turned our hostility into friendship?"
Richard was a little confused when he heard it, and said: "Yes---is it?"
Li Qidao: "Haven't we already signed a brotherly alliance with your Kingdom of Jin?"
"Our Kingdom of Jin?" Richard asked in astonishment.
"Yes! Haven't you already become the subjects of the Kingdom of Jin? I must have remembered this correctly."
"this---."
Richard hesitated to speak, Li Qi was right, they had already surrendered to the Jin Kingdom, but everyone knew that Xixia was actually an independent country, and their diplomacy was still handled by themselves.
The Kingdom of Jin does not have much relations. "Having said that, it has never affected the relationship between our two countries."
Li Qi sighed: "We thought so before, but the facts prove that our diplomatic strategy towards Xixia is completely wrong."
Richard said: "Ah? How do you say this?"
Li Qidao: "You said you sent troops this time, all because of the Jin Kingdom?"
Richard nodded repeatedly.
"Isn't this it?"
Li Qi opened his hands and said: "You keep saying that your surrender to the Jin Kingdom will not affect our relationship, so how do you explain your sending troops?"
This sentence left Richard speechless.
Li Qi sighed again and said: "Your Majesty, there are just the two of us here. I will tell you the truth from the bottom of my heart. Our emperor has decided to cut off all contacts with you that should not exist. Now you come to ask me.
.There is nothing I can do."
Richard was shocked when he heard this and said: "You---how could you do this?"
Li Qi snorted and said: "You think I think that I was the one who single-handedly promoted the trade between our Song Dynasty and your Xixia. Now I have also suffered a big blow because of this matter. If it is the prince who comes here this time,
You, even if your people wait here for a day, I will not see him, you are treating our Song Dynasty like a monkey!"
Richard was sweating profusely and his voice began to tremble as he said, "Privy Councilor, why are you saying that? There must be some misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? We are not blind." Li Qi smiled and said: "In the past, we in the Song Dynasty regarded Xixia as an independent country, whether it was lifting the salt ban or strengthening trade. We thought you had the final say.
Power, it's a pity that we were wrong. With a word from the Jin Kingdom, you sent troops to the Song Dynasty. As a result, the relationship that we worked so hard to establish was gone.
I think trust is the most basic whether it is between people or between countries. But you don’t even have the power to make the decision. How can you ask us to trust you? Today the Kingdom of Jin asks you to send troops, so you will send troops. Tomorrow the Kingdom of Jin will ask you to send troops.
If you cut off all dealings with us, then you will cut off all dealings with us. Then what binding effect does the contract signed between us have? Instead of talking with you as a subject, we might as well talk with your master.
To be honest, during the negotiation process with Jin Guo, we have already given your share to Jin Guo. You can negotiate and coordinate internally. If you have good internal communication, you can ask Jin Guo to send envoys, and we can continue
Negotiate. From now on, we will treat Xixia and Jin as a whole. Whether it is trade or other aspects of communication, we will go to Jin. As for you, that is your internal matter. We
I won’t ask any questions.”
Li Qi's words are also very reasonable. You can't make money or profit. You are an independent country. Once you betray the alliance, you will become the ministers of the Jin Kingdom. But after betraying the alliance, he said
This is a conflict between the Kingdom of Jin and you. It has nothing to do with us Xixia. We are still very friendly. You are treating everyone in the world as fools. This is so unreasonable.
Now the Jin Kingdom is also angry with Xixia. In fact, Wanyan Zongwang and Wanyan Zonghan were guarding against Xixia from the beginning to the end, because at that time the Jin Kingdom adopted some tolerant policies in exchange for Xixia's surrender, and because the Jin Kingdom was busy destroying the Liao at that time,
It also did not do much to consolidate the relationship with Xixia. The Wanyan regime knew very well that Xixia was unwilling to surrender to itself, and Xixia had always placed itself in the position of a normal country.
So later Wanyan Zonghan did not give all the land originally promised to Xixia to Xixia, and part of it was returned to the Song Dynasty. As for some strategically important lands in the Jin Kingdom, he held them all in his own hands to deter Xixia. This is also
Why did Xixia want to invade Lanzhou in the first place? It was because they could not defeat the Jin Kingdom, but they were unwilling to give up, so they tried to pick on the weak and hoped to take back the land from the Song Dynasty. Unexpectedly, they were captured by Yue Fei in Lanzhou just after they left.
The fight was a huge defeat.
However, this defeat cast a shadow on the relationship between Jin and Xia, and the two sides began to be suspicious of each other.
Richard kept wiping the sweat from his face. If the Song Dynasty really implemented economic sanctions against them, then Xixia would definitely suffer a big blow.
ps: Please recommend, please give me monthly tickets... (To be continued...)