Yunju Zen Temple is more than ten miles west of Xiangyang City.
The temple was built during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty. It is surrounded by creeks and towering ancient trees, making it extremely quiet.
Huo Xiaolian led more than a hundred soldiers from the front camp on horseback. Outside the Tianwang Hall, she saw more than a hundred Song soldiers standing on one side, each with a guard of honor.
Among the ceremonial guards, there were dozens of flags bearing the official title of the great scribe Lu Wende, making the ancient temple particularly lively.
Lu Wende was sitting in the palace, seemingly admiring his guard of honor.
Huo Xiaolian took a closer look around the ancient temple and found nothing unusual, so she went west to report it.
...
Li Xia once had a fight with Lu Wende in Sichuan.
Seeing each other after many years, Li Xia has not changed much, but Lu Wende has become much older.
People just can't stand getting older.
"You... are too cowardly." Lu Wende said, "I just brought these flags and scared you so much that you sent so many people to look at them. Are you so afraid of death?"
"When you become an emperor, you must have the airs you should have." Li Xia responded casually: "You should say, 'Foreign Minister Lu Wende, I have met His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty."
Lu Wende glared at Li Xia, anger bursting out of his eyes.
But after a while, he lowered his eyes and did not utter the habitual curse words again.
He was a charcoal burner, and he could say dirty things. But what's the use? He was old and seriously ill, and he couldn't stop the young man in front of him like the rising sun.
After a while, Lu Wende said "ho" twice and actually murmured.
"Foreign Minister Lu Wende, I have met His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty... and he has proclaimed himself emperor. How does it feel for you?"
"fine."
"Some people have advised me to be a rebellious minister." Lu Wende said: "But I am loyal to the Song Dynasty... I am loyal."
"You are more loyal to your clan than to Zhao Song."
Even though there was a dying old man in front of him, Li Xia did not echo the lies and told the truth.
Lu Wende neither admitted nor denied, saying: "Ali Hague has brought 30,000 people, not to attack Xiangyang, but to kill you. I can withdraw my troops and let him cross the Han River to surround you."
"good."
"But I didn't do that."
"Not this time."
"Ezhou...Give me back, and the third child, let him go."
"Yes." Li Xia said: "The Song Dynasty needs to recognize my title as emperor and declare me a vassal. The Tang and Song Dynasties are the kingdoms of my uncle and nephew..."
"Cough cough cough cough!"
A violent cough interrupted Li Xiali's condition.
Lu Wende spat on the ground and said: "I came to see you despite my serious illness just to settle the matter quickly. Let's not be like those civil servants and their mother-in-laws who bargain, okay?"
"OK."
"Then let's do it step by step, your Majesty the bullshit Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. First, let the Song Dynasty recognize your imperial title. The Song and Tang Dynasties are countries of brothers, and the Song Dynasty is the brother. From now on... I can't control it from now on, what do you think?
Whatever happens, so be it.”
"The Yuan and Song dynasties are the countries of uncles and nephews."
"Damn it!"
Li Xia continued: "The Song Dynasty court needs to pay me 200,000 annual coins, silver and silk each; to engage in trade and trade, and to set up forays in Xiangyang and Jiangling; also, the Westerners will return to the West, and the Easterners will return to the East. When the Mongolian army entered Shu,
A large number of Shu people fled to the south of the Yangtze River with their families. Now it is time for them to return to their roots. From now on, when people who claim their ancestral home is under our rule in the Tang Dynasty want to return home, the Song court cannot stop them. In this way, Jiangling Mansion can be returned to
You, but I must set up an area in Jiangling, station troops, and build a dock to welcome and protect the Shu people returning home..."
Lu Wende didn't listen and looked sideways at Li Xia, the anger in his eyes rising again.
He became angrier and angrier, feeling that he would be pissed off by Li Xia.
He originally thought that he was terminally ill and wanted to stabilize the situation for the sake of the Song Dynasty before passing away. The master promised to recognize Li Xia's imperial title and "reward" him with a few more gifts every year at most.
You know, in those days the West
Xia Liguo and Li Yuanhao annihilated tens of thousands of elite Song troops in four battles, and the peace treaty they reached was not that excessive.
Li Yuanhao established his own reign, and served the Song Dynasty as the "Lord of Xixia" externally. The Song Dynasty granted him 250,000 yuan each in silver, silk, and tea every year. Internally, Song envoys did not enter the Xixia capital to protect Li Yuanhao's "emperor in his kingdom".
In the name of "self-confidence".
To put it simply, Song Dynasty can provide benefits, but it still has to be in name.
For a while, Li Xia was still raising conditions, but Lu Wende finally couldn't help but interrupted.
"The country of uncle and nephew is absolutely impossible!"
There were more than 100,000 elite troops in Jinghu, led by Lu Wende, who resisted Li Ni's more than 50,000 troops.
If after this battle, he still wants to bow his head and ask the officials to call Li Xia "nephew Emperor of the Song Dynasty", then as soon as Li Xia's request reaches Lin'an, the first person who will be pointed out by thousands of people will be him, Lu Wende.
——"Lu Wende has disgraced his country by losing his master! Even if he kills the Shen clan, it is not enough to thank the emperor!"
No need to think about it, the abuse has already hit me.
How could he agree when his reputation was ruined? How could the court agree?
To be honest, before Lu Wende came, he didn't expect Li Xia to go so far.
But it was only then that he realized the serious consequences of his confusion.
It’s not like I’ve never been defeated in my life. I’ve never had to agree to such a shameful request after being defeated.
"Can you surrender to the Meng Yuan? Don't you want to surrender to the Tang Dynasty?" Li Xia said.
"You are Song Chen!"
Lu Wende closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths with some anxiety. He rarely tried to slow down his tone.
"The country of uncle and nephew cannot be planned. But... I can report to the court regarding annual gifts and population."
He gave in a step.
Unexpectedly, Li Xia refused to give in and said, "I'm not in a hurry. I can wait until you are dead and then talk to Song Ting slowly."
Lu Wende's tone became softer and he said: "I heard that Dong Wenbing conquered Tongguan?"
Li Xia shook his head and said, "You don't have to test me, I'm really not in a hurry."
"We can talk here today because I don't want the Yuan army to attack Hanzhong."
Maybe it was because he was dying soon and he wanted to try his best to keep his reputation in the last days. Lu Wende actually seemed a little sincere and said: "Your situation is not easy, so you can just accept it while I can still say it in the court."
If possible, why not settle the matter as soon as possible so that you can return to support the rear."
Li Xia still shook his head.
He was too lazy to bargain. He glanced at Fang Yankai who was standing outside the hall and said, "I will send officials to contact the Song Dynasty."
Afterwards, Li Xia raised his hand, indicating that Lu Wende's people could come and carry him away.
Let the old and sick go first as a courtesy.
Lu Wende was stunned, he didn't expect that Li Xia really had such confidence.
"Listen to my advice."
Lu Wende stopped the others who were about to step forward and said: "Song, Yuan, and Tang, your national strength is the weakest. And since the Yuan army can mobilize troops from the Huaihe battlefield to Jinghu, they must have launched a large-scale attack on your rear. There is not much
It's time..."
"Don't worry about it."
Lu Wende had no choice but to raise his hands, finally sighed and said, "Don't be as confused as me."
This sentence admitted that he was confused, and he suddenly became much depressed.
"Don't be like me. It's too arrogant to think that I can get rid of you first and then have the strength to deal with the Yuan army... You are just like me, too arrogant."
"You made a big mistake, which made you passive, so you can only agree to my request, right?"
Lu Wende was stunned.
Lu Wenhuan and Li Xia had met before, and the conditions were very good to discuss at that time. Li Xia didn't mention anything about the country of his uncle and nephew, its annual currency, or its population.
It was because of him, Lu Wende, that the situation became like this.
"I... I... advise you not to make mistakes."
Li Xia chuckled lightly, a little disdainfully.
This smile fell in Lu Wende's eyes, and he felt that he was so hard-hearted
intestinal.
For the first time, Lu Wende felt so powerless.
What he couldn't get on the battlefield, he tried to persuade Li Xia with his poor words, but in the end he couldn't persuade him at all.
Do we want to fawn over Uncle Fang and fawn over Jia Sidao like we did back then?
"Foreign Minister...Foreign Minister..."
"You, you fought badly in this battle." Li Xia said, "What you lost on the battlefield, you want to get back at the negotiation table - this is the second time you have been confused."
Lu Wende knew that he could not persuade Li Xia.
I fought a war that made everyone in the world laugh at me. I wanted to use a fig leaf to cover it up, but now even the fig leaf has been ripped away.
No guarantee for late holidays!
No guarantee for late holidays...
~~
Li Xia has already left.
Lu Wende was left alone sitting in the main hall, enduring the pain on his body and imagining the infamy after death.
"Because of Lu Wende's defeat, the Song Dynasty surrendered to the rebels."
"Lu Wende lost his mind, and everyone in the world laughed at him."
"The disaster in Ezhou and Xiangyang was actually caused by Lu Wende."
"..."
"I've been resisting captors all my life!"
Lu Wende suddenly yelled at the clay Buddha statue in the hall.
He raised his hand and pointed at the flags with his official title written on them outside the palace, each symbolizing his contribution to the Song Dynasty.
"I joined the army and fought for more than thirty years! I was confused once, just once! People in the world bite me like dogs. What do they want? What do they want from me?" Lu Wende became angrier as he spoke.
I don't know whether he was angry with Li Xia or thinking of the accusations he would face after his death.
This is not just a once-in-a-lifetime accusation.
"You want me to fight bravely to kill the enemy, you want me to be polite, you want me to be honest, you want me to be courteous and virtuous... You also want me not to make mistakes! If I make a mistake, killing the Shen clan is not enough to thank the emperor, then
What are the enemies I have killed in my life?! Bah, I am just a charcoal burner, why should I do this... I am just greedy, I am jealous, I am just illiterate, I am just confused...
....Just confused..."
"Shaobao?!"
Lu Wende scolded until he was exhausted, leaned on the chair, screamed in pain, and cursed bitterly: "The world does not allow me to be stupid, but I insist on it, and I did it on purpose!"
Throughout his life, he was deliberately jealous, deliberately illiterate, deliberately illiterate, and also deliberately confused.
"I just have dementia, so what..."
~~
The next day.
Li Xia read the terms drawn up by Fang Yankai and nodded.
"Very good, just send it to Xiangyang like this...make another one and send it directly to Lin'an."
"I obey the decree." Fang Yankai said: "Lv Wende also wanted to discuss this matter with His Majesty yesterday, right?"
"Well, he will agree."
"Yes." Fang Yankai said, "I heard from Huo Xiaolian that he cried in anger because he lost the battle."
"Understandable..."
The terms were sent to Xiangyang in this way. Half a day later, Xin Ma returned and reported the news. Li Xia was stunned for a moment after hearing it.
"Yeah?"
"It will be gone at night."
Li Xia sighed slightly and said, "Fang Qing, I guessed wrong this morning."
"Your Majesty is saying...Lu Wende is dead?"
Li Xia stood up and walked out of the tent, looking towards Xiangyang City with a little emotion in his heart.
He suddenly discovered, Jia Sidao, that it was not without reason that Lu Wende was scolded by later generations.
The first reason is that they cannot afford to lose.
Often, as long as they lose once, Zhao and Song will be one step closer to destruction, and it is too easy to become a minister of the country's subjugation...