Chapter 997: The ambition to destroy Xia (two updates combined into one)
Chapter 1000 The ambition to destroy Xia (two updates in one)
The first month of the tenth year of Xining.
In the first month of the first lunar month, envoys from the Liao Kingdom, Xixia, and Goryeo also came to congratulate the officials of the Song Dynasty.
In terms of etiquette, in the Liao Kingdom and Xixia, they did not bow to their monarch when they saw them, while in Korea and Huihe, they had to bow down as a vassal.
After the pilgrimage, the emperor would give a banquet to the envoys of Liao and Goryeo, but other envoys such as Xixia did not receive this treatment.
In short, the Liao Kingdom is on one level, and the Xixia and Goryeo Kingdoms are on another level, but there are differences due to the closeness and distance between the two countries.
There are also high and low levels of accommodation. Envoys from the Liao Kingdom, Xixia, and Korea all have fixed residences, while other envoys are arranged to live in concierge hotels.
In addition to paying homage to the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, the Liao envoys also had to burn incense at Daxiangguo Temple the next day, and then go to the South Imperial Garden to shoot arrows. The Song Dynasty also selected military ministers who were good at archery to accompany the Liao envoys in archery.
This time the military officials accompanying him were Zhong E, Liu Changzuo and Yao Lin.
They made great contributions in last year's Taoshui victory, and were rewarded for being recommended by Li Xian and Zhang Kai to the capital.
In the past, when watching the shooting competition in the Imperial Garden, people would go to the Imperial Garden to watch the excitement.
Now that I heard that he was a famous general from Xihe Road, countless people from the city went to the imperial garden to watch, and the crowds of people were a grand occasion.
Seeing this, the officials slightly raised the corners of their mouths, and immediately ordered the shooting contest to begin.
Feng Jing, Wang Gui, Zhang Yue and other prime ministers sat aside, while Wang Anshi asked for leave. After the banquet that day, Wang Anshi began to gradually fade away from the court.
Zhang Yue took a sip of tea and watched Zhong E, Liu Changzuo and Yao Lin riding into the imperial garden. In the past, shooting was a false response. Both the Song and Liao sides waited for the soldiers to string the crossbow arrows before handing them over to the Liao envoys and
To compete with Song Chen, both sides only need to activate the crossbow fangs.
But today is different, this kind of competition with false stories has been cancelled.
The three men of Zhong'e all entered the imperial garden on horseback. Their horses were filled with arrows. It seemed that they were trying to shoot on horseback.
Zhang Yue saw the surprised expressions on the Liao envoy's side. They did not expect that the Song people would actually play it real this time. This was a skill that was better than real swords and spears.
Zhang Yue knew this well, and it seemed that the official family was gradually showing its edge.
Immediately, each side sent three people to ride and shoot, and the competition officially began. Once the three accompanying archers hit the target, the surrounding people all cheered. On the contrary, no matter whether the Liao envoy's shot hit or missed, there was silence in the field.
.
When a Song official succeeded in shooting, the official sitting on the throne was very happy, and then gave a reward to the stone next to the throne.
Silver pommel horses, clothing, gold and silver utensils, etc. were given one after another.
In the end, the three of them were better than the Liao archers brought by the Liao envoy, and the people shouted, as if the Song army had defeated the Liao on the front line, and they were very proud.
Zhonge, who was the last to appear, proudly raised his riding bow and rode around the shooting garden three times.
Wherever Zhong E passed, the people burst into enthusiastic cheers.
At this moment, the officials whispered: "This act of planting is really taking over the host."
"If you get carried away with your complacency, there will be disaster."
"It is not a good thing for a military official to succeed."
"In the beginning, I built the city of Suizhou privately, recruited Weiming brothers to rebel against Xia, and was promoted to an official family for his military achievements. If this person succeeds, the imperial court will have trouble with Xixia again in the future."
"Encouraging side work is not a blessing to the country."
At this time, the Liao envoy, who had failed in the archery competition, just said that Song Dynasty's bows were not good. The officials laughed and gave the Liao envoy the same reward.
The official looked at the three military ministers in the field with happy faces, and said to the Prime Minister on the side: "Zhang Kai is really good at selecting talents."
Zhang Yue sat on the chair and was speechless. These three people were discovered by Zhang Yue when he was the envoy of Xihe Road.
Li Xian and Zhang Kai used the talents they cultivated and the soldiers and horses they worked hard to build, and achieved world-shaking achievements. However, the officials did not know whether they forgot or something, and praised Zhang Kai in front of Zhang Yue and several prime ministers.
The credit comes.
Of course, Zhang Yue would not talk about these merits at this time. As a governor and an administrator competing for merit, such a pattern would be small.
According to official advice, he decided to promote Zhong E to the position of deputy capital commander in front of the palace and transfer him to the capital to command the imperial army.
Zhang Yue thought to himself that the officials had poached Zhang Kai from him, and they had poached Zhang Er from Zhang Kai.
But thinking about the differences between the official family and Empress Dowager Gao, I understood his intention. The Forbidden Army must have its own trusted generals.
Officials are now building their own team, whether it is to exterminate Xia, establish a prince, or create new laws.
Officials must all "cut off my will" and never take advantage of others. After Wang Anshi's death, there will be a situation of group ministers, and there will be no independent minister.
The three military ministers left Shinan Imperial Garden with great honors, and the common people lined the streets to see them off.
The officials and several governors also left the imperial garden.
On the way, Feng Jing said: "Your Majesty, this time the envoy from Xia has decided to stay until after the Lantern Festival."
The official asked: "Does Li Bingchang really want to attach himself to the Song Dynasty?"
Feng Jing explained that it turned out that Li Bingchang, the leader of the Xixia Kingdom, sent an envoy to express his goodwill to the Song Dynasty.
It turns out that after Xixia's defeat at Taoshui last year, Xixia also immediately adjusted its stance towards the Song Dynasty.
Li Bingchang, the leader of the Xixia Kingdom, began to rule personally. In the past, the affairs of the Xixia Kingdom had been controlled by the Empress Dowager Liang and her brother Prime Minister Liang Yimi.
The two brothers and sisters have always advocated uniting with the Liao Kingdom to reject the Song Dynasty. This time, Li Bingchang took office and actively improved relations with the Song Dynasty.
First of all, Xixia once again offered money and sincerity to the Song Dynasty.
But Li Bingchang did not simply kiss Song Dynasty. He was also prepared for war and war.
To be able to make peace, you must first be able to fight. Xixia's thinking is very clear. Therefore, Xixia continued to send troops to the Fourth Road of Shaanxi to show off its military power. At the same time, it built a ancestral city near Huanqing Road of the Song Dynasty.
At the same time, Li Bingchang expressed his sincerity in negotiating peace to the Song Dynasty through Yu Zanghuama, the current deputy general manager of troops and horses in Qinfeng Road.
However, the officials did not fully believe in Li Bingchang's sincerity. Instead, they asked Feng Jing and Zhang Yue: "The Xia State has always been cunning and changeable, and the rebellious minister Li Yuanhao betrayed his trust many times back then. This time Li Bingchang showed kindness to me, the ministers thought that
how?"
Feng Jingdao: "What your Majesty said is absolutely true. The barbarians are cunning and repeated and should not be taken lightly. The Xia Kingdom is always in a state of obedience and rebellion. We must accommodate them. We must not get involved in their political affairs."
The official was quite dissatisfied with Feng Jing's words and said: "I heard what Yu Zanghuama said. Li Bingchang did resume the practice of Han rituals in the palace and wanted to change the Han system. This is not a Chinese intention? What does Zhang Qing know?"
Zhang Yue said: "At first, Yu Zanghuama was a minister who wanted to surrender. Later, he was very determined to follow the Song Dynasty. His words should be credible."
The official asked: "Looking from this point of view, can Li Bingchang succeed in changing the imperial system?"
Zhang Yue said: "I believe that the way to control chaos is both from the basic point of view and from the practical point of view."
"The new defeat of Xixia made the people and scholars feel depressed. Li Bingchang wanted to change to the Han system, intending to change his laws and save the country. This was done by changing his affairs."
"But the customs of the Xia Kingdom are very different from those of China. If you change the customs without changing the basics, this reform is not in line with people's hearts and will definitely fail!"
Li Bingchang changed Xixia to the Han system, which was exactly the same as the emperor's reform, in order to regain power from the old forces and strengthen the imperial power.
Zhang Yue said that Li Bingchang's reform would definitely fail.
Wang Anshi's reform proposed "change customs and legislate laws." To change the system, we must first change the customs.
Unless Li Bingchang could imitate Emperor Xiaowen of Wei and move the capital to Luoyang, he would not be able to successfully change customs.
Changing the law without changing the customs is a waste of time.
Ignoring the traditional governance methods and long-held cultural traditions of the Xixia nomadic people, this was undoubtedly putting the cart before the horse, so Zhang Yue concluded that his restructuring would fail.
The officials were overjoyed after hearing Zhang Yue's words, and still said: "But Li Bingchang supports the Han system and shows his favor to me. If he doesn't support it, how can he be allowed to explain to the people? Even if his reform fails, he can still be made Internal friction and loss of national strength."
Zhang Yue's original intention was that Li Bingchang's reform would definitely fail, and the odds of us betting on him were very low. But the officials believed that no matter whether he won or lost, we must train him well to make him consume Xixia's national power.
Zhang Yue thought to himself that the official idea could not be said to be wrong, but it seemed too straightforward.
Instead, I would kindly advise Li Bingchang, I know you admire China, but the Xia Kingdom is different from Chinese folk customs. Your sudden restructuring will definitely arouse opposition from the country, and the son of a man is more precious than his mother. Please listen carefully. What your mother and uncle say is king.
Anyway, the conflicts between Li Bingchang, Empress Dowager Liang and Liang Yimi were irreconcilable, and Li Bingchang would definitely not listen.
When the official saw that Zhang Yue didn't answer, he was about to show his displeasure.
Zhang Yue, however, had noticed his words and immediately said: "Your Majesty, congratulations!"
When the official saw what Zhang Yue said, he looked satisfied and said, "Qing Zhang, the envoy from the Xia Kingdom asked to see you when he came to the court, so you will find out what Li Bingchang means for me!"
Immediately, the official said to Sun Gu, the magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture on the side: "All the envoys of the Xia Kingdom must make careful arrangements for their entry and exit in Kaifeng Prefecture."
Zhang Yue and Sun Gu both said it was.
…
The Song Dynasty also tried its best to receive Xixia envoys.
Being received by Zhang Yue, the prime minister, can be regarded as an extraordinary treatment. This shows that the officials attach great importance to this and are determined to win over Li Bingchang.
The Xixia envoy has been active in the Song Dynasty in the past few days and has made a request to visit the Song Dynasty market.
This made the accompanying envoy very distressed, but the officials responded to the Xixia envoy's requests and allowed him to have a look at Chinese customs.
Of course, the courtiers had objections to this, thinking that the Xixia envoys were doing something bad for me by prying into Chinese customs. However, the officials had made a decision and did not listen to the officials' advice, allowing the Xixia envoys to visit Bian accompanied by their envoys.
Free access to and from Beijing.
The official style of conduct is also becoming more and more vigorous and decisive, and one person is dictatorial.
Therefore, the treatment and courtesy the Xixia envoys received in the past few days were beyond the standards, even surpassing those of the Liao envoys. Not only did they meet many high-ranking officials of the Song Dynasty, they even met the Prime Minister.
Zhang Yue was ordered by the emperor to entertain the Xixia envoys. He did not choose to be in the embassy, but in the lively place of Mahang Street.
In the first month of the first lunar month, Bianjing held the Guanpu Festival for three days.
Maxing Street, Panlou Street, Zhou Dongsong Gate, Zhou Xiliang Gate and the southern area are all decorated with colorful sheds, which are the most prosperous and lively places. Near the colorful sheds, people sell crowns, combs, pearls, hair, face, and clothes.
, flowers, collar wipes, boots, toys, etc.
Men and women in Bianjing would choose their favorite goods under the colorful shed. The market under the colorful shed was open all night long and didn't end until daytime the next day.
Zhang Yue came out in the evening. At this time, horses and cars were passing through the streets, and people from high officials to ordinary people were going to Guanpu or to enjoy the toys.
Zhang Yue raised his eyes to look at the wine shop. Women also came in and drank with the men in a generous manner.
The place where Zhang Yue met with the Xixia envoys was a singing and dancing place on Mahang Street.
After Zhang Yue entered, he saw five or six young dancers dancing with umbrellas at a waterside pavilion, while a singer beside them was playing and singing with a pipa.
Nowadays, the popular ditty in Bianjing is no longer Liu Ci, but Su Shi's ditty.
Dancing to clear the shadows, how does it seem to be in the human world... Almost everyone in the community can hum a few songs.
After Zhang Yue, the Xixia envoy sat down in the elegant room on the second floor, the envoy saw this scene and couldn't help but said: "Nine out of ten of the bustling and bustling places in the world are in Bianjing City."
The envoys and other Song Dynasty officials on the side all laughed when they heard this.
Zhang Yue also had the same plan. Since you want to see how our Song Dynasty is doing, I will simply let you see it openly.
"Your Majesty, please take a seat!"
Zhang Yue and the other party sat in the front row, and other officials from the Song Dynasty and Xixia sat on the two rows of chairs behind them.
Everyone came to the pavilion to enjoy the singing and dancing, and they all felt that the joy of life had reached its peak.
This Xixia envoy wears a small golden crown on his head, a narrow red robe, and a gold quilt around his waist. His name is Li Qing, and he is a Han Chinese. His status in Xixia is not high, about the same as a county magistrate in the Song Dynasty, but it is said that he is very respected.
Li Bingchang trusts.
In the past, it was absolutely unimaginable to be able to sit on an equal footing with a prime minister like Zhang Yue.
However, Li Qing showed no sign of timidity at all, and he still talked eloquently in front of the prime ministers of great powers.
Zhang Yue asked in a seemingly casual manner: "Does the leader of your country also like to use Han people?"
Li Qingdao: "Why do you say this when Mr. Zhang is the prime minister? Our country's rulers are not divided into Chinese and Yi. Both Han and Fan ministers are treated as one family and treated equally."
"If this is really the case, why would your lord change it to the Han system? As far as I know, the first emperor of the Xia Kingdom (Li Liangzuo) changed the Han system. When your envoy met with the late emperor at Zhengdan, I remember that he wore a fish pendant around his waist.
The bag is gone now."
Li Liangzuo had carried out sinicization reforms at that time. At that time, Fu Bi claimed that he had obtained Chinese land, used Chinese manpower, claimed Chinese titles, imitated Chinese officials, appointed Chinese talents, read Chinese books, used Chinese cars, and traveled in China.
system'.
Li Qingdao: "This was later changed by the Empress Dowager. It was not the intention of the king. If it were not for my heart's desire to be Hanized, there would be no need to send me here. I would ask the Emperor of the Song Dynasty for help."
"Help?"
Li Qing nodded and said: "That's right. The Song Dynasty had a war with Xia last year. The Song Dynasty heard about the border and the city. Moreover, our country was hit by natural disasters last year and many people in many places had no income. Therefore, we asked the Emperor of the Song Dynasty to allocate money.
Add relief.”
"If this is the case, our Lord is willing to permanently submit to Han culture and change to the Han system. From now on, there will be no war between the two countries."
Zhang Yue thought to himself, well, why didn't you say you were here to beg for alms. You should have said it earlier, why didn't you say it earlier.
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty said that he truly admires Hanization, but why does the state document claim that he does not use the surname of this dynasty, but the surname was given by the previous dynasty?"
Li Qingdao: "This has been stated clearly in the ceremonial letter of the late lord, and my lord will not reply again."
"Then how can I see your Lord's sincerity?"
"Changing to the Han system shows our Lord's sincerity, otherwise we would have to attach the Liao system to the Song Dynasty!"
Faced with Li Qing's threat, Zhang Yue couldn't help but laugh and said: "Yes, but there is one more thing Xixia must give up the land of Lanzhou."
Li Qing's eyes flashed and he said: "It's hard for someone to do this."
Seeing that the other party's refusal was not firm, Zhang Yue smiled and said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to rush to reply. We don't have to miss this wonderful song and dance on such a beautiful occasion."
Judging from the performance of the Xixia envoy, Zhang Yue thought to himself that Li Bingchang really wanted to negotiate peace.
After watching a night of singing and dancing that night, the Xixia envoys, escorted by Song Dynasty officers and soldiers, returned to the post house in the west post of Duting.
In order to worry about any accidents, the team guarding the Xixia envoys numbered hundreds of people, which was comparable to the ceremonial guard of the prime minister.
Zhang Yue saw this scene in the courtyard and was thinking for a moment. At this time, someone asked: "Ms. sir, how was your talk with Ambassador Xia?"
Zhang Yue saw that the person speaking was Sun Gu, the prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture.
"It's the governor! Why didn't I see you just now?"
Sun Gu said: "The officials asked me to take care of the safety of the Xixia envoys and the confidentiality of their comings and goings. How dare I neglect it. That's why I have been arranging these things these days, but I am ashamed to accompany them."
Zhang Yue laughed when he heard this.
A mere Xixia envoy not only had a husband accompany him, but even the prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture was alarmed.
"Just ask the people below to handle these things."
Sun Gudao said: "That day I saw that the officials were very interested in provoking civil strife in Xixia and used Li Bingchang to oppose the Liang brothers and sisters. Even if this strategy was successful, it may not be able to destroy Xia. It is not a solution once and for all. Once the matter is exposed, Song Xia will
From then on, there was a constant feud. From then on, there was a continuous flow of swords and weapons, and there was no peace in all roads in Shaanxi."
"I am so worried that I am waiting here to ask Mr. Zhang what he means."
Zhang Yue saw Sun Gu's intentions and said truthfully: "To be honest with Sun Fuyin, the Xixia ruler does have the intention to use the power of this dynasty to eradicate the Liang brothers and sisters."
Sun Gu became pale after hearing this and said: "This is bad. I also listened to what Mr. Zhang said that day in front of the emperor. Li Bingchang has no chance of winning at all. The senior officials in the country will not support him."
"Once Li Bingchang is defeated, the Liang brothers and sisters know that we support their leader, why don't they raise an army to hold them accountable?"
Zhang Yue was silent when he heard this, and Sun Gu said: "Xiangong Zhang, your Majesty has long had the ambition to destroy Xia. You must not tell the truth to him about this matter. This is for the sake of the common people and the country. Sun begs Xianggong Zhang."
Before Zhang Yue agreed, someone on the side said: "Why did Mr. Sun say this?"
But when someone walked out, the person speaking was the official who accompanied Zhang Yue to receive the Xixia envoy today. He was also Zhang Yue's former aide Xu Xi.
Xu Xi was recommended by Li Xian and Tong Guan, and was appreciated by the officials. He was promoted to Zhongshu and studied official affairs in the Ministry of Household Affairs. This time when the Xia Kingdom came as an envoy, the emperor asked Xu Xi to accompany him throughout the whole process to spy on Xia Kingdom's reality.
Zhang Yue knew that Xu Xi had great ambitions to make great achievements. He must have been lobbying the officials these days, saying that Li Bingchang really wanted to join the Song Dynasty.
Therefore, he persuaded the officials to alienate the relationship between Li Bingchang and the Empress Dowager Liang and his son, thinking that they would plot Xixia's plans in the future.
Now, after listening to the entire negotiation between Zhang Yue and the Xixia envoys, he was about to chase out and have a few words with Zhang Yue, when he happened to see Sun Gu chatting with Zhang Yue.
Xu Xi immediately came forward to expose it.
Sun Gu glanced at Xu Xi, not wanting to argue with him, and immediately got on his horse and left after having a good meal.
Zhang Yue looked at Xu Xi who had penetrated him and couldn't help but said: "Dezhan, Dezhan!"
Xu Xi lowered his head and said: "Xianggong Zhang showed great kindness to Xu, but Xu thought that at this time, Xianggong Zhang should report this to the officials and should not hide anything."
Zhang Yue said: "Did I say I wanted to hide it?"
Xu Xi said: "I judge a gentleman with a villain's heart. I'm worried that my husband doesn't want your majesty to accomplish the unparalleled feat of destroying Xia!"
"Asshole!"
Zhang Yue scolded angrily, Xu Xi's expression changed drastically, and he knelt down in front of Zhang Yue hastily!
