Murong Qiu Zui, Fang Zhengnan, Cheng Yu and Cheng Dexuan rushed back to the capital.
In the Qingxin Tower of Nanya, Cheng Yu and Cheng Dexuan were sitting at the bottom. Listening to Zhao Guangyi recounting to them everything that had happened in the capital recently, Cheng Yu couldn't help but worry: "Qiansui, Zhao Pu illegally sold Qinlong trees, and the officials did not punish him.
Instead, Zhao Pu, the general of the left prison guard who enforced the law impartially, was demoted to a small dental school in Ruzhou for falsely accusing the minister. Wu Yue's secretary sent gold to Zhao Pu, but the officials still did not question him about his crime, but asked him about his plan.
From him, it can be seen that the official family's love for Zhao Pu has not diminished, and Zhao Pu's holy family is still strong. I feel that it is not easy for us to take action now."
Zhao Guangyi smiled and said: "That's not necessarily true. Dislike for a person is accumulated bit by bit. It would be strange if the current prime minister could be brought down just because of these two things. These things are just accompaniments.
It only planted some suspicions in the hearts of the officials and gradually made them feel disgusted with Zhao Pu. What the officials feared most was for the ministers to take over the throne and offend the authority of the emperor. Officials should treat others kindly. This is his only
These days, I have secretly deployed in Kaifeng to find Zhao Pu's handle. Next, I will start from this aspect and attack him continuously. The embankment of a thousand miles collapsed in the ant nest, each small ant nest.
If we dig further, Zhao Pu's long embankment may be washed away."
He smiled coldly, bowed his head slightly and said: "Zhong Yuan, you came back just in time. You are steady and eloquent. I am asking you to arrange this important matter. Zhong Yuan, come here..."
On the Bianhe pier, Zhao Pu and Yang Hao looked at the Tang Dynasty ship approaching from afar. They dusted off their official robes in unison, and the ritual and music team beside them also made preparations.
This time, the Tang Dynasty sent an envoy, the seventh son of Yuan Zong, Li Yu's brother Zheng Wang Li Congshan, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs Minister Xu Xuan. Such a grand diplomatic mission was unprecedented in scale. Needless to say, Li Congshan was the current emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty.
The brother of the Tang Dynasty, his status is naturally noble. Xu Xuan is a famous talent in the south of the Yangtze River. He can write poems at the age of seven and write at the age of ten. He became a minister of the Tang Dynasty at the age of sixteen. He specializes in calligraphy and is good at Li Si Xiaozhuan. With
His younger brother Xu Kai both had a literary name and was known as "Jiangdong Er Xu". After he became an official, he was as famous as Prime Minister Han Zaixi and was known as Jiangdong Han Xu.
In order to decide who to send to receive the Tang envoy, there was a serious discussion at the court meeting. The Tang State sent a prince and a minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. According to etiquette, the Song State should also have people of corresponding levels to receive them.
But that's nothing more than King Zheng of the Tang Dynasty. This Xu Shangshu is famous all over the world for his writing and eloquence. This man is knowledgeable, outstanding literary talent, sharp-tongued, and is known as "Su Qin is reborn and Zhang Yi is reborn."
When dealing with a diplomatic envoy, these officials in the Great Song Dynasty were a little frightened.
Nowadays, there are only two princes in the Song Dynasty, one is the King of Wei and the other is the King of Jin. The King of Wei is still young and is far from Xu Xuan's opponent in terms of knowledge and qualifications. This time he went to Jiangnan as an envoy and had just created a reputation. Zhao Kuangyin cherished it
I didn't want him to behave badly in front of Xu Xuan, so I deliberately protected my son's feathers. As for the King of Jin, he is still serving as the prefect of Kaifeng, so it is not suitable to be an ambassador. Furthermore, when I think of having to talk to Xu Xuan
When dealing with him, Zhao Guangyi was really frightened by his mouth, and Zhao Guangyi was unwilling to come forward.
In this way, the officials sent by the imperial court to welcome the envoys had to choose a high-ranking and powerful person from the officials in the imperial court, who would be of equal standard to the other party. The name of a person is like the shadow of a tree, and Xu Xuan's reputation for being as sharp as a knife has long been known.
The news spread all over the world, and the important ministers of the Song Dynasty were afraid that they could not speak up to Xu Xuan, which would bring shame to the court and damage their own reputations, so they tried every means to shirk the responsibility, but no one was willing to take up the responsibility.
After many choices, Zhao Pu finally had no choice but to take action personally. Although he had never met Xu Xuan, he had heard of Xu Xuan's reputation.
"The Analects of Confucius" has only been studied for half of the time. If you ask him to compete with Xu Da, a talented scholar from Jiangnan, how can he have the confidence?
However, he accepted bribes from the Wu Yue Kingdom and was bumped into by Zhao Kuangyin. Now was the time to atone for his sins, so why did he have the nerve to refuse? He had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree. Fortunately, the officials also said that according to the specifications, he had to
Zhao Pu was relieved to have such a chief minister who was as good as the prince to greet him. After the greeting, I was busy with official duties as the prime minister. Honglu Temple was responsible for the details of accompanying me throughout the whole process. Zhao Pu felt relieved.
As for Honglu Temple, Dahonglu Zhangtai Liu, who was always sick, was so sick that he couldn't get out of bed when he heard about the lineup of the Southern Tang envoys. But Gao Xiang, the right minister, couldn't get out of bed.
Those who wanted to compete with Yang Hao showed their integrity this time and showed no intention of competing for favor.
Yang Hao didn't know who Xu Xuan was. Ignorant people are fearless. As soon as Zhao Kuangyin told him, he readily agreed. When he came home and told him about the mission he had received, Wu Wa'er hurriedly said: "Officer, I heard about this
Xu Xuan's iron mouth was as sharp as a spear and an arrow. All the officials in the court were trying to blame each other because they were afraid of his mouth.
Officials are resourceful and resourceful, and of course they are not inferior to others. However, this scholar from Xu University is not only a good eloquent person. Li Yu built a building in the south of the Yangtze River and searched for all the unique and unique books in the world. Only Xu University scholar has read ten thousand volumes of them.
The series of books is well versed in countless rare allusions, classics and history from ancient and modern times. If he tells the truth, the officials will be ignorant, answer rudely, and lose their own face. But this is extraordinary, and it represents the Song Dynasty court.
There are so many erudite scholars in the court, why can't one of them come to the fore? It's up to the officials to take the lead."
Yang Hao was furious when he heard this and immediately went to the palace to say goodbye to the envoy. He admitted that his knowledge was shallow and he could not cope with the most talented person in Jiangnan.
Zhao Kuangyin laughed loudly and said to him: "When Yang Qing was in Guangyuan, he laughed and scolded Lu Renjia, a talented man from Jiangnan, until he vomited blood. Can't he deal with Xu Xuan now?"
Yang Hao smiled bitterly and said: "The officials, when I scolded the famous people in the mainland, I used some rogue methods. Anyway, I am a commoner, so I am not afraid of lowering my status? But now... Now I am Honglu Shaoqing, and I represent
How can we, the imperial court of the Song Dynasty, use means that harm the state?"
Zhao Kuangyin smiled slyly and said: "When it comes to the art of expediency and change, few officials in the court can match you. Naturally, the national system and national character must be preserved, but to deal with an eloquent and wise debater like Xu Xuan, even if
Even if we choose a learned man from our dynasty, it is really difficult to find his opponent. In this case, it is better to let you go freely and accept it. Yang Qing is not good at studying. Everyone in the Song Dynasty knows that if there is any flaw, it does not count.
Shameful."
When Yang Hao heard this, he thought you were too bad. I bet you couldn’t pick out a capable person who could deal with Xu Xuan. You also thought that everyone knew that I, Yang Hao, was a big stick who didn’t study, so I came up with the following: Si vs. Si.
The idea was to use me, a dead pig, to pour boiling water on, so I had to hold my nose and agree.
Just like that, the two officials Zhao Pu and Yang Hao reluctantly took up their posts and took on the role of welcoming the ambassador. Of course, Zhao Pu worked part-time and Yang Hao worked full time, which was more difficult.
The envoy ship of the Tang Dynasty was slowly approaching and was about to enter the pier. King Zheng Li Congshan and Minister of Civil Service Xu Xuan were all neatly dressed and walked onto the bow deck. They looked towards the pier from a distance and saw that the pier had been guarded by soldiers, with a boat in the middle.
Under the red shed stood two ministers of the Song Dynasty. Li Congshan and Xu Xuan were busy dressing up and getting ready to go ashore to meet each other.
Naturally, they had a very important diplomatic mission when they came this time. The Song Dynasty attacked the Han Dynasty in southern Fujian, and the war went smoothly. They were in Jiangnan, and they understood the war situation in southern Fujian faster than Kaifeng. The detective reports were reported to Jinling City every day.
All the news was about the Song Army's victory, and Li Yu couldn't sit still.
The situation was as expected by Lin Renzhao. The Han State, which had long lost its popular support, was no match for the Song State. The Southern Han State did not have a powerful Khitan to back it up. I am afraid it would be difficult to save it this time. Once the Southern Han State was wiped out,
At that time, the Tang State was trapped on three sides by the Song State. If the Song State found another excuse to attack the Tang State...
Thinking of this, Li Yu couldn't sleep or eat well. He thought about it in various ways and finally decided: strike preemptively!
Li Yu's preemptive strike was different from Lin Renzhao's original request to take advantage of Song Ting's troops to send troops to southern Fujian and the empty rear to attack Kaifeng. Li Yu's preemptive strike was to subdue the weak first and overcome the strong with softness. So he sent his brother and academician Xu Xuan, and sent them
He came to meet the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, paid tribute to him, cut his country's title, and changed the title of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to the King of Jiangnan.
As long as the title Song is accurate, then Tang will be demoted one level and become a vassal state of Song. In Li Yu's view, Tang State has become your vassal state of Song State, and I, the king of Jiangnan, have become your emperor of Song State.
Your Majesty, as the emperor, you are too embarrassed to send troops to attack me, a courteous and docile minister who has never had any objections, right? Li Yu made a careful plan, prepared a large amount of property, and selected a group of beauties from the south of the Yangtze River.
Someone has been sent.
Li Congshan is just a young man in his early twenties. He is talented, refined and generous. Xu Xuan is a famous scholar from the south of the Yangtze River. He is also elegant in conversation and has first-class literary talent. He is a real celebrity. He has been in the officialdom for a long time.
, far from being comparable to Lu Renjia, a person who relies on his talent and is arrogant and has nothing to spare.
They talked and laughed happily, and when they entered the city hand in hand, they saw that the streets of Bianliang were wide, the market was prosperous, grain boats and ants gathered under the river, and there were no soldiers on the street. The market was prosperous, and all kinds of goods were gathered. It was a peaceful atmosphere. Li Congshan and Xu Xuan saw it in their eyes and couldn't help but feel
I am secretly shocked by the rapid development of Zhao and Song. I recall that at its peak, the Southern Tang Dynasty covered thirty-five states, spanning Jiangxi, Anhui, Su, Fujian, Jing, and Hu. It had a population of five million and strong soldiers and horses. Now it is declining.
When it comes to this, I can't help but sigh secretly.
Zhao Pu and Yang Hao sent the two envoys to the Concierge Courtyard and hosted a banquet in honor of them. They inquired about the purpose of their visit and found out that the Tang State had hired its own ministers to invite them to submit. They were overjoyed and immediately handed over the news after the banquet.
After entering the palace, Zhao Pu returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion and immediately summoned his staff to analyze the Tang Dynasty's intentions and discuss countermeasures.
In the early morning of the next day, Li Congshan, the king of Zheng of the Tang Dynasty, held the letter of credence and went to the palace to meet the emperor with Xu Xuan. All officials of the fourth rank and above from the Manchu Dynasty attended to witness. Li Congshan and Xu Xuan also saw the emperor of the Song Dynasty for the first time.
Zhao Kuangyin on the dragon throne has a big face, a graceful demeanor, bright eyes, no anger and self-power, and his conversation is crisp and graceful. There is no evil spirit in his martial arts. The officials in the court advance and retreat in an orderly manner, and their movements are in accordance with etiquette, and the order is in order.
Thinking again about the weather in Kaifeng that I saw on the streets yesterday, I know that the Song Dynasty has achieved peace, and I hope that the day of rule will be set, and I can't help but feel a sense of awe.
The envoys of the Tang State came here to request that they reduce their country's title and status, and request that they become a vassal state of the Song State. From then on, they would respect the Song Dynasty, calm down the troops and care for the people, and provide a salary of one hundred thousand taels of silver to the Song Dynasty every year. The emperor was renamed the king and went to
The yellow robes were changed into purple robes, the dragon decorations everywhere in the palace had to be removed one by one, the sons who were originally titled as "kings" were reduced to "gong", and all the yamen that were equivalent to those in the Song Dynasty also had to be renamed one by one, as in
Shu Sheng, Menxia Sheng, Shangshu Sheng, Yushitai, etc. were all renamed as "Zuo and You Nei Shi Fu", "Si Hui Fu", "Si Xian Fu", etc. All official names were also changed one by one to avoid suspicion.
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After hearing all these conditions, Zhao Kuangyin was delighted, and the civil and military officials of the entire court were full of joy. Of course, at this time, they only expressed the intention of the Tang State. The Song court also had to come up with equal conditions. It was impossible to sign the credentials immediately and establish the status of each other's monarchs and ministers.
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But some of the gifts were presented in court. Thirty beauties from the south of the Yangtze River were brought to the main hall, each with cloudy buns and misty temples, bright eyes and white teeth. They were all beauties in their twenties and eighties. The fragrant breeze filled the air.
Demanchao Wenwu straightened his eyes. Zhao Kuangyin smiled faintly and waved his hand to lead him into the harem without mentioning it.
Xu Xuan also asked people to bring ten boxes of gold, ten boxes of jade, ten boxes of gems, ten cages of pearls, and all kinds of treasures with thousands of glowing lights and thousands of auspiciousness. Zhao Kuangyin also smiled and accepted it. Then Li Congshan presented another jade belt, inlaid with gold.
Jade is extremely gorgeous.
When the waiter presented it to him, Zhao Kuangyin touched it and asked doubtfully: "Compared with the treasure just presented, there is no difference between this object and it, so why present it separately?"
Li Congshan bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, please try pressing the pearl in the belt buckle."
Zhao Kuangyin was suspicious, so he took the jade belt and pressed the pale golden bead in the buckle, which was worth thousands of gold. He heard a clang, the jade belt was straight, a sharp blade popped out half a foot, and a cold air rushed towards him.
, Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but his eyes lit up, and he praised: "What a sword!"
Li Congshan had a look of satisfaction on his face and said: "This sword was made by a famous craftsman from Longquan using elite hardware. It is as soft as cotton, tougher than steel, and extremely sharp. It can be hidden in a jade belt when nothing happens. In case of accidents,
Once you pull it out, it will be a sharp weapon for self-defense, and I would like to offer it to you."
Zhao Kuangyin laughed loudly after hearing this and said: "I am the emperor. When I need to fight at close quarters with my sword, do I still care about the overall situation?"
Li Congshan choked and quickly confessed in fear. Zhao Kuangyin laughed but did not respond. He drew his sword out of its sheath, and a three-foot dragon spring was like a pool of autumn water, with a cold light. Zhao Kuangyin raised his wrist, and the sword wind rustled. He only heard a clear dragon's roar, and the sword blade unexpectedly flew by.
Break in the middle.
The civil and military officials who knew swords all over the dynasty could not help but be shocked and marveled at how wonderful Zhao Kuangyin was with the sword. The sword was a soft sword and was not easy to break, but he was able to break it with just one swing. It was obviously the master's ingenious technique that made the blade swing quickly.
When the force is directed to the left and right, two opposite powerful forces act on the sword blade at the same time to achieve this effect. Immediately, someone shouted and praised: "Your Majesty is brave!"
Li Congshan's face was earth-colored, but Zhao Kuangyin smiled and comforted them, and asked them to stay in the Concierge Courtyard for a while, and then discuss in detail the matter of the Tang Dynasty reducing its national title and belonging to the Song Dynasty.
As soon as the court meeting was over, "Yang Quanpai" accompanied Li Congshan and Xu Xuan back to the Concierge Courtyard to hear the detailed conditions for the Southern Tang Dynasty to reduce its imperial title. Zhao Pu stayed, however, and went to Wende Hall with Privy Councilor Li Chongju with Zhao Kuangyin.
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As soon as he entered the Hall of Wende, Zhao Kuangyin's cheerful face disappeared, and he said solemnly: "Two dear friends, look at what kind of trouble Li Yu is causing?"
Li Chongju said disdainfully: "Officials, this is obviously because Li Yu saw the great military power of the Song Dynasty and felt timid, so he asked himself to be demoted to the king in order to calm down the war. At first, when his father Li Jing was the emperor, he was afraid of the Zhou Dynasty.
Didn't Emperor Shizong's bravery also send envoys to demote the country once? Now Li Yu is just imitating his father and repeating the same tricks."
Zhao Kuangyin muttered: "Maybe, or maybe... it's just a delaying tactic. I just received a tip. Not long after I sent troops to southern Fujian, the Tangguo Town Navy's 100,000-strong army suddenly got ready to go. There seemed to be something strange, but not long after, the emergency was suddenly lifted.
I don’t know why, but now that I think about it, I’m afraid that Li Yu once wanted to take advantage of the empty situation in Kaifeng when my troops sent troops to southern Fujian to attack my heart. But later, for some unknown reason, he gave up this idea.”
Speaking of this, Zhao Kuangyin said with lingering fear: "Fortunately, he gave up his idea again. Otherwise, at that time, the army was out and the crisis of food shortage in Kaifeng had not been realized. As soon as 100,000 elite soldiers of the Tang Dynasty rushed towards Kaifeng, the capital was shaken and the whole country panicked.
The morale of the Southern Fujian army has been completely depleted, and now there is news that there is a shortage of food and grass. By then, it will be defeated in one place and in every place. It is not known whether the country of Song Dynasty will change its owner, and I really don’t know how to deal with it."
Zhao Pu smiled and said: "The great opportunity was given up by the Tang State. This was their own destruction. It was also God's blessing for the Song Dynasty. The officials did not take advantage of such a good opportunity. Now the military power of the Song State is unparalleled.
How dare Li Yu dare to take advantage of him? In my opinion, the Tang Dynasty sending envoys to the court was not a plan to delay the war. I am afraid that as Privy Secretary Li said, it was just following his father's example, intending to surrender and become a minister in order to preserve the national destiny of Jiangnan."
Zhao Kuangyin sneered and said: "Today is different from the past. Now the whole country in the Central Plains is almost in my hands. How can I allow him to sleep soundly next to his bed?"
Zhao Pu smiled and said: "Your Majesty, please don't forget the agreement you made with me before. If you want to break this last hard bone with the minimum loss and the fastest speed, you might as well act accordingly. When our court is ready, we can go back."
Carrying out a crusade."
Zhao Kuangyin frowned slightly and said: "What I am worried about is that the crusade against the Han State is in the name of the Han Dynasty's perverse actions. The whole dynasty is full of eunuchs and exploiting the people to suffer unbearable hardships. I am crusading on behalf of heaven. If I agree to Li Yu's request,
After being reduced to a minister, there will be no disrespect in the Tang Dynasty from now on. Isn’t it true that I am a disciple with no reputation?"
Zhao Pu had made plans with Murong Qiuzui and his staff last night. At this time, he was confident and said: "Guan family, Li Yu is just shooting himself in the foot. Does he think that by paying tribute to the official family, the official family will become unknown? Hey?
, I have a plan. If they have any conditions, I might as well agree to them. Then I will give King Zheng Li Congshan a house and an official position, and keep it in the capital. Since he is a minister of the Song Dynasty, he dare not accept the official position granted by the official family.
What?
When our court was ready, we summoned Li Yu of the Tang Dynasty to see him. It was natural for him to face the emperor as a minister. However, with Li Congshan's experience, he would never dare to come. Even if he dared to come, the officials of the Tang Dynasty would not dare to let him come. At that time, if the minister does not obey the edict and the king wants to attack him, this is the right thing to do."
Zhao Kuangyin laughed: "Then Ping Zhen is still my son's wife, okay, let's follow your plan."
The three monarchs and ministers discussed again, and Zhao Pu and Li Chongju said their goodbyes and left. Zhao Kuangyin processed some official documents and was about to return to the back hall to rest. A fast man from Honglu Temple was brought to the hall. Zhao Kuangyin quickly asked: " Did Li Congshan and Xu Xuan say anything or put forward any conditions when they returned?"
Na Kuai bowed and said: "Back at the official house, Li Congshan didn't talk much, but Xu Xuan talked endlessly. Although the Tang Dynasty wanted to become a minister, Xu Xuan still didn't want to compromise his majesty. His words were soft but firm, soft and hard. At the same time, he intends to force our country to sign a treaty to never invade the Tang Dynasty."
Zhao Kuangyin's eyes flashed and he asked hurriedly: "Then how should Yang Shaoqing respond?"
After hearing this, Kuaijiu curled up the corner of his mouth and showed a strange look that was half a smile but not a smile...
