At first light, outside the south gate of Chang'an City.
"Fate that happens at night..."
"Five or six officials were killed, and the killers were also killed by the officials..."
There was a corpse lying on the pure white snow, the blood sprinkled on it had frozen, and the color contrast was sharp.
Although the common people did not dare to get close, they crowded around a few dozen steps away, whispering, and pointing around the post house where the accident occurred.
It can be seen that in these troubled times, the people of Chang'an lived a relatively stable life. Even when King Qin came to control Chang'an, there were not many war disasters.
The businessmen traveling from north to south only glanced at the scene of the death, secretly saying that the people of Chang'an had never seen the world make such a fuss.
"Daming Yuli, what official died?"
"I asked the sweeper in the post house and he said he was an official from Lin'an."
"Sent by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty?"
"Why does our King of Qin care about the Emperor?"
"So I killed him with one knife."
"Don't talk nonsense..."
At this time, many officials were checking the scene, and not long after, two more groups of people arrived.
But it was the Military Intelligence Department and the Public Information Department who sent people at the same time.
As the minions of King Qin, these spies had a fierce, cold and arrogant temperament, and many people were frightened and did not dare to stay longer.
Compared with the Military Intelligence Department, what frightens many gentry and common people in Chang'an City is actually the Public Information Department. After all, one controls the outside world and the other controls the inside.
At this time, the Military Intelligence Department went straight to the corpse left by the killer. However, the official of the Public Information Department walked towards the crowd with his knife in his hand and scanned it with blazing eyes.
"Who said 'Emperor' just now? Take it down!"
"yes!"
"..."
"Captain, those few left before we came."
"check!"
The official frowned and called his subordinates to give instructions, vaguely saying something like "short manpower" and "a mixed bag".
"The envoy is here."
"The envoy is here."
These words came from two groups of people. After a while, Lin Zi strode out of the city in plain clothes and quickly leaned over to inspect the corpses of the killers.
"Hush!"
Jiang Fan rode his horse from outside the city. He dismounted before the horse could stop and strode directly towards the crowd of onlookers.
"Oh shit."
He spat on the snow, glanced at the situation around him, asked the official from the Public Relations Department to ask a few questions, then waved his hand and cursed a few more.
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"Damn it, if anyone who wants to support Li's merit is so crazy and dares to take action... he will be dead."
With the news of the Mongolian envoys going south, some people in Chang'an City have indeed had a change of heart recently.
Jiang Fan is the most sensitive about this matter. He can probably know who wants the King of Qin to proclaim himself emperor and who wants to slow things down. Some are out of public motives and some are selfish. It doesn't matter as long as they don't go out of their way.
The Public Opinion Department is responsible for controlling the situation.
As for Jiang Fan's attitude, he knew that King Qin would take that step sooner or later, so he was not in a hurry.
"What are you looking at! They're gone!"
Jiang Fan squinted at the people who were dispersing and the few spies who followed quietly, then came to his senses and walked towards the forest.
"I haven't seen you for a year. What are you busy with? Where's your hair?"
Lin Zi pulled up the brim of his hat and said, "I'm going to the Western Regions to become a lama."
"We each took care of our own things before, and we haven't done anything together yet, right?" Jiang Fan squatted down next to the corpse, used a hook to pull open the collar of a corpse and looked at it.
"Song and Yuan are about to form an alliance." Lin Zi sighed.
"We haven't formed an alliance yet, and the envoys haven't arrived in Lin'an yet." Jiang Fan said in a low voice.
Lin Zi then leaned close to his ear and asked: "What? You are also planning to take action."
"Let's talk about this first. Who is dead?"
"Don't worry, it was indeed Meng Yuan who did it."
"you sure?"
"Control the Eagle Guards." Lin Zi pointed to the sole of one of the corpses and said: "Those who enter the country through the iron ore smuggling route in Junzhou will be given a set of clothes and hats after passing Tongguan."
"understood."
"There is gunpowder under the fingernails. The dog has stolen our gunpowder." Lin Zi resented it.
Jiang Fan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Just control the Eagle Guard."
"Otherwise? Which one of the king's subordinates would dare to take action and kill the envoy without permission? I don't know what the king's temper is. It's not like you need credit."
The responsibility for the envoy's death this time obviously falls on the Military Intelligence Department.
Lin Zi squatted there, and when he raised his head, the wrinkles on his forehead were visible, and he was quite worried.
If his biggest feature in the past was his ordinary appearance, now he is getting uglier and uglier.
"Let's go and see King Qin..."
~~
After returning to Chang'an this time, Li Xia has been processing the official documents accumulated for more than half a year, as if he was imprisoned in the Qin Prince's Mansion.
He seemed a little surprised when the two intelligence chiefs told Wu Ze what happened before and after the Song Ting envoy was killed.
"Are you sure it was Meng Yuan who did it?"
"Go back to the king and make sure." Lin Zi said: "But I can guarantee that this is the most elite manpower they have deployed in Chang'an City. They only wanted to kill a few Lin'an officials. I think they lost money."
"Check it first before talking."
"yes."
Wu Ze stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, my family still has many old friends in the south of the Yangtze River, and I also know many warring factions. How about we send a letter to contact you?"
"Okay, let's do it."
Li Xia waved his hand and asked them all to go down, spread out the letter paper and started writing.
Jiang Fan did not leave, however, and said: "Meng Yuan dares to send people to our territory to kill people, for fear that we will be easy to bully."
"What do you want?" Li Xia continued to write without raising his head.
"The Public Opinion Department can also go to Lin'an and kill Kublai Khan's envoys."
"Kublai Khan sent an envoy, unlike Jia Sidao who randomly appointed a small doctor from the Ministry of Rites. The envoy has several envoys and hundreds of guards. How many people do you want to bring to kill?"
"I can take people there and I can do it."
"Forget it." Li Xia said.
Jiang Fan was stunned, he rarely heard King Qin say forget it.
How can we just forget about it?
"Killing a few people doesn't mean much. If Song and Yuan really want to form an alliance, you can't stop it by killing the envoys."
"But the dogs killed people in Chang'an City, and if they don't make amends, it will be a shame on the king..."
"It doesn't matter." Li Xia said: "What should be considered in these matters is interests, the interests of the country. If it is beneficial, we will unite, if not, we will divide. There is not much point in fighting in a small way, but it seems that we are still the rebel bandits before we took power."
"Yes." Jiang Fan had no choice but to swallow his breath.
Instead, Li Xia smiled.
The Yuan Dynasty now needs to send spies to Chang'an to kill people to save the situation. Thinking about the national power of the Great Mongolia at its peak, this matter seems a bit ridiculous.
Of course, Dayuan's national power is still far stronger than his, and this cannot be changed overnight.
What has been quickly changed is the confidence in people's hearts.
Confidence can be revealed from a person's words and deeds.
After finishing the letter, Li Xia put down the pen and handed the letter paper over casually.
"Send someone to Lin'an and hand it over to Jia Sidao."
"Then this matter..."
"That's it, enough explanation."
~~
A letter left Chang'an City.
It was sent to Wanzhou by express post, taking the Lychee Road. The knights in the Tang Dynasty delivered lychees to Concubine Yang very quickly, and now the letter delivery is not slow either. This road was abandoned and rebuilt, and welcomes were sent through it.
It's like walking out of the dust and smoke of history.
After arriving in Wanzhou, we turned to the waterway and crossed the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.
When the letter arrived in Wushan, it was New Year's Eve.
Ahead, both sides of the Yangtze River are bustling with lights, there are sounds of firecrackers in the city, lanterns are hung, and every household is serving hot wine and food.
There are also people who stretch their necks to look at these lively street scenes, envying those who can celebrate the New Year well, and then continue to huddle under the city wall with hungry stomachs.
Some people froze to death on the roadside, covered in snow and unknown.
Farther away, someone was having fun on a soft blanket that was magnificent and warm as spring, embraced by a dozen beauties with skin as white as snow.
Some people have a happy family gathering, some are arrogant and extravagant, some are poor and distressed...all are from this world.
The waves were rolling, and the world ushered in the sixth year of Xianding in the Song Dynasty.
~~
Yi Chou, the Year of the Ox.
In the sixth year of Xianding in the Song Dynasty, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was the Lantern Festival.
A letter from the Prince Qin's Mansion in Chang'an was finally opened in Jia Sidao's hands.
"Arrogant."
After just one glance at the thin letter paper, Jia Sidao felt slighted and cursed casually.
"Jia Xiangxunjian, seeing the letter is like seeing you. This year, Xia traveled thousands of miles westward, leaving Yumen, Yangguan, Anxi, and the Beiting Protectorate. He killed the Mongolian lord Ali Buge in the desert; broke the clan king Hedan in Loulan; killed the prime minister Yelu.
It was cast in Luntai; the three major khanates of the alliance were united in Tianshan. Thinking of the prosperity of the Han and Tang Dynasties, I dare not talk about my achievements, for fear that future generations will label us as weak. I wish I could go straight to Mobei to cleanse the Chanyuan and the humiliation of Shaoxing...
"
"I'm not as excited as your mother to hear you bragging." Jia Sidao cursed and wanted to put down the letter in his hand, but finally continued to read it.
Looking back, Li Xia simply quoted many contemporary people's comments on the Shaoxing peace talks to remind Jia Sidao to pay attention to his posthumous reputation.
Only the last sentence makes people really care.
"Although he has no talent, his lifelong ambition is to first wipe out Hu Chen and then unify the world. If Mr. Jia is willing to help, he will still be regarded as a prince in the future."
The "first" and "then" here are the conditions set by Li Xia, that is, he promised not to rebel soon.
The letter was thrown away with disgust.
Jia Sidao covered his eyes with his hands and rubbed his brow, looking extremely frustrated and too tired to speak.
"How dare you recruit me? How dare you..."
As he whispered this, his anger gradually grew.
It's only been a few years. Who was that little beast when he came back alive from Kaifeng?
Death row prisoner, fugitive.
It was Xianggong Jia who came to help and saved Li Xia who was desperate.
Just like seeing a cricket about to be trampled to death, he raised his hand and stopped the person who was about to step down. This shows how miserable Li Xia's life is.
In the years that followed, even if Li Xia became king, in Jia Sidao's eyes, Li Xia was still inferior to him.
A baseless rebel has no future even if he rises to prominence. How can he compare to the Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty?
"You are not worthy of recruiting me... Clean up the dust first, first... and then how long?"
Jia Sidao got up and went back to the bedroom. He waved his hand and drove out the beautiful maid who was sleeping with him. He lay on the bed alone, feeling exhausted.
Recently, he has been tossing and turning every night, unable to fall asleep, and he has been very tired when dealing with official duties during the day. He wanted to lie down and rest for a while, but soon fell asleep again...
"Ping Zhanggong."
"The official Zhaoping Zhanggong..."
Jia Sidao was very tired. When he opened his eyes, he was a little surprised that it was still bright.
He thought he had slept for a long time, but when he asked, he found that he had only slept for less than half an hour.
"What did you just say?"
"The officials summoned Pingzhang Gong to the palace to discuss politics."
"An official?" Jia Sidao was surprised.
If he didn't mention it, he would have forgotten that there was an official in Lin'an City.
…
They entered the palace city in a leisurely manner. The sedan arrived directly in front of the Xuande Hall. A chamberlain came forward and helped Jia Sidao get out of the sedan.
"Ping Zhanggong is here. The officials have been waiting for a long time."
"Um."
After straightening his robes and official hat, Jia Sidao stepped into the Xuan De Hall.
At this moment, he still felt that the court was under control.
However, when he glanced around, he saw that not only the official Zhao Yu, but also Xie Daoqing and Quan Jiu were sitting on the imperial couch.
The officials in the hall all lowered their heads and did not dare to look at Jia Sidao.
Faces with guilty expressions turned around one after another. Jia Sidao understood what happened in an instant and his face turned cold.
He was not even in the mood to salute, so he bowed to Xie Daocheng hastily, then straightened up and immediately teased him.
"Why don't you dare to look at me? Are you planning to agree to Yuan Ting's conditions without even talking about it?"
The incident happened suddenly. Jia Sidao was as quick as he was, but he didn't think of what to say. He actually quoted the words in Li Xia's letter and mocked him with a half-smile.
"Aren't you afraid that future generations will crown the Song Dynasty and be known as weak?"