Chapter 211 Appeasement is the most important thing?
Chapter 211: Comfort comes first.
This letter is written in Chinese characters. The writing style is smooth and neat. As I read it, I secretly praised it. The literary accomplishment of Chen Huang, the king of Annan, is much better than that of the Emperor of Song Dynasty. It’s just his good calligraphy. I Far worse than that.
For a long time, although the Annan Kingdom has its own unique spoken language, it does not have its own written language, so it has always used Chinese. It was not until recent years that the word "Nan" of its own language was gradually invented. This is a kind of mixed use with Chinese characters to express the written language of its own people. However, in upper-class societies such as the Annan royal family, Han culture is still respected, which includes speaking and using Chinese.
Chen Huang mainly talked about two things in his letter. The first thing was about Annan's acceptance of the Mongolian canonization. Since Mongolia annexed Dali, the northwest of Annan has been conveniently adjacent to Mongolia. His Majesty the Emperor of China knows that Annan has a small territory and is weak. .Although I, the people of Annan, are all thinking about the Celestial Empire, we are unable to fight against the Mongolia. We have no choice but to accept its canonization. Chen Huang is ashamed. Your Majesty is the Holy King of the Celestial Dynasty. You should understand the difficulties of the king of a small country. Please ask your Majesty again. understanding.
understanding.
This is originally a world where the weak and the strong prey on each other. The Annan Kingdom is a small country, and its territory is densely covered with mountains and forests. Compared with Mongolia, the remote and remote areas are naturally isolated and isolated. For more than 300 years since the founding of the Song Dynasty, the focus has been on the north and the The west had no time to take care of the south, so the Annan Kingdom could still live happily. After the Mongols destroyed Dali, the Annan Kingdom could no longer be alone and adopted a strategy that would not offend anyone.
Although I can understand Annanguo's helplessness, can I forgive him?
I continued to read. The second thing mentioned in the letter was the recent incident in Guangyuan County at the junction of northern Annan and Guangnan West Road in the Southern Song Dynasty (the seat of its governance is today's Guilin, not Nanning, the capital of Guangxi Province today). Celestial Dynasty Your Majesty the Emperor, frequent Zhuang gatherings occurred in Guangyuan County, and even the gatherings caused trouble. After investigating, they found out that the cause was caused by Nong Fu, a descendant of Nong Zhigao, a traitor to the Celestial Dynasty two hundred years ago. His purpose was to restore Nong. In the Great Southern Kingdom founded by Zhigao, Nong Fu and others appeared in Guangyuan County and the area of Tangyouzhou (now east of Jingxi, Guangxi) on Guangnan West Road in the Celestial Dynasty. Huang was afraid that he would become Nong Zhigao's second best, so he asked the Emperor of the Celestial Dynasty to investigate. To ensure peace between the two places.
I have seen the name of Nong Zhigao in the story of Di Qing. During the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, Nong Zhigao rebelled and once occupied parts of Guangxi and Guangdong. He even besieged Guangzhou, the administrative office on Guangnan East Road, for fifty days. After a long time, he was defeated by Di Qing, who was the deputy envoy of the Privy Council at the time. In the end, he was nowhere to be found.
After reading it, I said: "Envoy Chen Yuan."
"Chen Yuan is here."
"You go to the post house to stay first. I have to think about it before I can reply to your monarch."
Ma Tingluan said: "Your Majesty, envoy Chen Yuan and others came to visit secretly. Therefore, I asked the officials of Honglu Temple to specially arrange their residence."
"Really? Ma Aiqing can make her own arrangements."
"Your Majesty the Emperor, Chen Yuan retires."
Ancient dynasties like to regard themselves as the Celestial Dynasty. As long as they surrender to their surrounding neighbors and say some flattering words, they can make Longyan happy and receive a large number of rewards from the emperors of China. Once these neighbors become powerful, they will harass our borders, and even If you push forward into the inland areas, if you encounter a strong counterattack from the court, you will turn into a coward and beg for mercy in a low voice. Most emperors in the past like to show the so-called style of a great country and a celestial dynasty, and flaunt themselves as benevolent and righteous kings. Most of them forget about this. The most they can do is reprimand them, and then think about how difficult life is for these neighbors, and then increase the rewards.
But this kind of "benevolent" approach will not make our neighbors sincerely surrender. For thousands of years, this phenomenon has remained unchanged. This also confirms an ancient saying: Those who are not of our kind will have their own hearts. different.
"Xiao Qi."
"The little one is here."
"Jia Sidao, Weng Yinglong, Ma Tingluan and eight academicians of the Government Affairs Council are here to discuss matters in the afternoon."
Although Wang Yao, Wu Jian and Zhang Jian were appointed by me to join the Government Affairs Council, I only know the names and brief experiences of these three officials who once worshiped the prime minister and served in the cabinet based on the memory of later generations. As for the details of the three of them. I know very little about their deeds, so I also want to understand the personalities and insights of these people.
Wang Yao. He was a Jinshi in the 13th year of Jiading in the Southern Song Dynasty (1220). In the second year of Jingding, he moved to the Ministry of Rites and became the Minister of the Ministry of Li. He was appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of Officials and became a bachelor of Guanwen Palace. He was a man of Qing Dynasty and vigorous cultivation. In the first year of Xianchun, he was informed of Privy Council affairs and had the power to participate in political affairs. Because he was at odds with Jia Sidao and always took the lead in the war, Lizong did not like him, so he stayed idle at home for a long time. In the early 10th year of Xianchun's reign, he was promoted to Prime Minister of the Left. He always insisted on resisting the Yuan Dynasty.
Zhang Jian. In the fourth year of Chunhu (1244), he passed the provincial examination of Biyuan. He was promoted to Zhongshusheren, served as Zuolangguan, storyteller in Chongzheng Palace, signed the Privy Council and participated in political affairs. Later he was promoted to Tongzhi Privy Council Affairs. In the 10th year of Xianchun (1274), he became the right prime minister and the Privy Council envoy. Zhang Jian was a generous person. He usually interacted with people and often agreed with other people's opinions. Scholars called him "Manchu Huan" and said that he had no principles in doing things. .
As for Wu Jian, I only know that he served as left prime minister in the late Southern Song Dynasty. I know nothing else.
I know relatively much about Liu Mengyan, firstly because of his special surname, and secondly because he is one of the famous traitors in Chinese history.
According to historical records, Liu Mengyan was a treacherous man. He was good at adjusting to the wind. After winning the first prize, he served as the official Zongzheng Shaoqing. He was compiled by the secret pavilion. He was promoted in Fujian. He was the right minister of the Ministry of official affairs. He was promoted to a senior official by tired officials and a bachelor of Duanming Palace. In the first year of Deyou (1275), he was appointed Tongzhi Privy Council and participated in political affairs. He was appointed Prime Minister and Privy Envoy to the right. He was the governor of all the army and horses. Although he was ordered to be in times of crisis, he retreated from the situation. He claimed to be ill and did not leave home until the Queen Mother came in person. His family just began to serve as Zuo Prime Minister. Soon after, he was demoted to the Yuan Dynasty in the first year of Tuanzong Jingyan (1276). After Wen Tianxiang was defeated and captured, Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, respected Wen Tianxiang's talents and conduct. He treated Wen Tianxiang as a distinguished guest and sent him many times. After the people failed to persuade him to surrender, they resorted to torture. But Wen Tianxiang remained steadfast and unyielding. Some Song ministers who surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty asked the Yuan Emperor to release Wen Tianxiang as a Taoist priest. The Yuan Emperor also had this intention. However, Liu Mengyan stopped him and said: "Tianxiang comes out and calls for Jiangnan again." "Righteous soldiers resist the Yuan Dynasty. Where will we be placed?" This strengthened Kublai Khan's idea of killing Wen Tianxiang. For the newly established Yuan Empire, Liu Mengyan could be regarded as a meritorious minister. However, what the historians of the Yuan Dynasty revised There is no "Biography" of him in "History of the Song Dynasty". On the contrary, a "Biography" was established for Wen Tianxiang, praising him as one of the great men among the Jinshi of the Song Dynasty. It can be seen that even enemies look down on those who betray the country and the nation. It is said that until the Ming Dynasty, all descendants with the surname Liu who participated in the imperial examination had to declare that they were not descendants of Liu Mengyan before they were eligible for the examination. After Liu Mengyan was demoted to the Yuan Dynasty, he also became the prime minister of the Yuan Dynasty, which shows that he also had certain abilities. .
For these prime ministers, I should use their strengths to avoid their weaknesses.
"Dear ladies, please take a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
I told Jia Sidao and others in detail the content of the letter from Chen Huang, the king of Annan. Then I said: "Ma Aiqing, please tell me about Nong Zhigao first."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Ma Tingluan stood up and said. "Nong Zhigao is from Tangyouzhou. About two hundred years ago, Nong Zhigao's father, Nong Quanfu, was the founder of Tangyouzhou (now Jingzhou, Guangxi) at the junction of our country and Annan. Later, Nong Quanfu became more powerful and called himself Emperor Zhaosheng. At that time, Annan was still in the era of the Jiaozhi Kingdom. The king of Jiaozhi then sent troops to conquer. Nong Quanfu was beheaded after his defeat. Zhigao inherited his father's legacy and established the Dali Kingdom in Tangyou Prefecture with the intention of fighting against Jiaozhi. He was later defeated by Jiaozhi. Not long after he was captured, he was released by the king of Jiaozhi. In the next four years, he established the Nantian Kingdom. He fought with Jiaozhi and won and lost. At the same time, he sent a letter to our court. But our court was at war with the Khitan and Xixia at the time, so there was no reply. After several back and forths with our court, he launched a war with our court and defeated several local defenders of our court. .For a time, they occupied the southern part of our Liang-Guang Road. Emperor Renzong had no choice but to send troops to conquer. He appointed Di Qing, the deputy envoy of the Privy Council at that time, as commander. He led an army of 200,000 people south to quell the rebellion. In the end, under the command of Marshal Di, he fought hard for several times. His Majesty can check the historical records of our dynasty for details of its destruction."
Nong Zhigao was the leader of the Zhuang and Tong tribes. He opposed the greedy King of Jiaozhi, but also did not tolerate the Song Dynasty. Whether he was a hero or a rebel can only be judged by future generations.
China is a multi-ethnic country. Therefore, it has always wavered between "unification" and the Han nation, making many things difficult to determine.
After listening, I said: "My dear friends, please tell me your opinions."
Ma Tingluan first said: "Your Majesty, although Annan accepted the Mongolian canonization, it is unjust, but it is understandable. Now the enemy of our dynasty is Mongolia in the north. As for the barbarian land of Annan, I think we can ignore it. As for the descendants of the Nanong family, .Your Majesty should send someone to find out. If there is any rebellious intention, it should be investigated strictly."
I nodded and motioned for everyone to continue.
Wang Yao stood up and said: "Your Majesty, I think Master Ma's words are reasonable, but they are not advisable. Annan is a vassal state of our dynasty. How can we accept the canonization of others? This trend cannot last long. Your Majesty should order troops from Guangdong and Guangdong to attack." It will be destroyed unexpectedly. As for Nong Fu, I agree with Lord Ma’s view."
Liu Mengyan objected: "What Mr. Wang said is inappropriate. Annan is full of mountainous areas. If our army cannot subdue them quickly, there is no guarantee that the Mongols will not be attracted. Annan will not be destroyed by then. Our country and Mongolia may go to war first." Already."
Wang Yao showed displeasure on his face and said without mercy: "Master Liu, are you afraid of the Mongols?"
Chen Yizhong said: "Master Wang, this is not a matter of fear. Master Liu is right. If we get caught in the conflict with the Mongols in Annan, then our government will have to have an extra front. This is not cost-effective."
Wang Yao also knew that what Liu Mengyan said was not completely unreasonable. It was just that he was the main militant. Liu Mengyan had always disliked the leader. Wang Yao snorted and sat back on his chair.
Seeing that the atmosphere was tense, Zhang Jian said: "Your Majesty, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Liu have their own truths. I think we should discuss the latter issue first."
"Okay. That's fine." I smiled. It seems that this chapter is indeed as stated in the history books. He is a good gentleman.
Regarding the latter question, everyone has the same view. After all, the Nong Zhigao Rebellion caused great losses to the court. No matter what the reason was, the Nong Zhigao Rebellion was considered a rebellion.
"Weng Aiqing. Immediately send an edict to the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Punishments. Order the Guangnan West Road Prison to prepare a secret investigation for Nong Fu."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
I then asked: "Shichen, what do you think of the first question?"
When Jia Sidao saw me calling his name, he nodded slightly and said: "Back to your majesty, King Annan sent an envoy to visit. It is enough to show that his heart is towards the Song Dynasty, but he is afraid of the Mongol force. So he secretly visited our court. Therefore, the old minister agreed with Ma Sir, although the actions of the King of Annan make our court uncomfortable, Mongolia is the great enemy. Your Majesty should give top priority to appeasement, lest Annan completely surrenders to Mongolia. Although the land of Annan is barbaric, if it is occupied by the Mongols. . Our dynasty is bound to be attacked from both sides. Moreover, our dynasty is a huge country. It should have the demeanor of a big country and the spirit of being ambitious. I think it is inappropriate to take advantage of people's danger and send troops to Annan. It is better to use the method of appeasing Sui to influence them."
Wen Tianxiang also said: "Your Majesty, I also agree with the words of Grand Master Ma. Comforting is the top priority."
Among the ten ministers, only Wang Yao and Wu Jian believed that it was unforgivable and that troops should be sent to fight against it. The rest agreed that appeasement was the priority.
Judging from the debate between the two factions, the pacifier faction indeed makes more sense. Although the views of the crusade faction are righteous, they appear to be too radical and give people a sense of being ill-considered.
No wonder the emperors of the Song Dynasty did not like war. As Jia Sidao said, appeasement is a sign of great power, and there is no need to fight with others. Isn't it just a matter of spending some money?
"Could it be that comforting is really the best option?" I thought.