Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1005 Cooperation
Wu Zengdu didn't know whether it was the medicine he offered that worked, or whether King Xia really cared about the Bohai Kingdom, anyway, he got an interview soon.

On the seventh day of October, he came to the fifth square of Dingdingmen East First Street: Xiuwenfang.

There is a place named Hongdao Temple in Xiuwenfang, which has been abandoned.Master Sandong, the master of the temple, was born in Guancheng, Zhengzhou, and his cultivation base is quite deep.

This Taoist temple occupies a huge area, covering almost the entire Xiuwenfang.The reason why it is so outrageous is because before this, this was the palace of the king.

In the third year of Xianheng, all the land of one square was merged into King Yong's house.Wang Shengchu was established as Hongdao Temple.

The Hongdao Temple was destroyed by the war, and now it has been completely cleaned up, and a house was built, which was given to Shao Chengjie, the eldest son of King Xia.

The princess is also here today.

Five months ago, she gave birth to a son.After more than ten years of marriage, she has given birth to three sons and a daughter for Shao Shude. The eldest son is 15 years old, the eldest daughter is 11 years old, the second son is six years old, and the third son is one year old. Known as virtuous and intelligent.

Dalang got the house, so as a mother, of course he wanted to come and have a look.Not only watching, but also directing the servants to bring in boxes of goods and decorate everywhere.

Shao Shude sat in the middle hall, watching all this boredly.It wasn't until Li Yixian, the commander of Yin An Zhi, came to report that he finally felt a little bit of fun.

"Let him come in." Shao Shu Dean ordered without moving.

Logically speaking, since Wu Zendu is the Prime Minister of Bohai, he still needs to show some face and go out to greet him.But Shao Shude thought about it, but still didn't move.It's a gesture, it's a political signal, it's a way of negotiating.

Wu Zhengdu didn't think there was anything wrong.After so many years of ups and downs in the officialdom, I don't care much about personal honor or disgrace.In the hands of an old bureaucrat like him, there is nothing that cannot be traded. Everything can be negotiated and the price can be clearly marked.

"See Your Highness King Xia." Wu Zendu saluted together with Gao Yuangu who accompanied him.

"Wu Xiang is very polite." Shao Shude stood up and returned the greeting, and said with a smile: "Sit down. The mansion is newly built, and the furniture is not yet ready. I'm neglecting the distinguished guests."

After all, he ordered Yang Hongyin, the deputy envoy of Yin Anzhi, to make tea—to work beside Shao Shude, he needed to learn a lot of skills.

"Wu Xiang came from Longquan Mansion in Shangjing this time?" Shao Shude asked.

Neither party mentioned the gift that Wu Zendu had given before.

To be honest, Shao Shude didn't like this very much.Of course, there is interest in trying it out, but Xiao Shi, who served him last night, knew about it and took it away, saying that it was a medicine for tigers and wolves, which would be harmful to the body.Then, he used the charm technique of the aristocratic family, which is more effective than medicine.

"Exactly." Wu Xingdu said.

"How is the scenery of Longquan Mansion?" Shao Shude asked with interest.

"Our country has a very large territory. There are five capitals and fifteen prefectures, more than sixty prefectures, more than one hundred counties, and a population of two million. Taking Sushen's hometown as the upper capital, it is called Longquan Prefecture, leading the three prefectures of Long, Hu, and Bo, and governing Longzhou. , the city is facing a sea of ​​sweat." Wu Zendu introduced.

"I heard that there are warm kangs in Bohai Sea, so it's very cold. Can farming be done in Beijing?" Shao Shude asked again.

"Your Highness, Bohai sea is densely covered with fertile land. The main crops are rice, but also beans, wheat, millet, millet and other crops. They can also graze horses, hunt, fish, and collect. They are known from far and near." Wu Zangdu replied.

The more proudly he introduced the agricultural achievements of Bohai, the more interested Shao Shude became.

"Bohai can also grow rice?" Shao Shude asked in surprise.

In his impression, the ability to grow rice in the Northeast was cultivated by Korean farmers who crossed the border in the late Qing Dynasty. How could this be possible?Is it the high temperature?
"Your Highness, the Bohai Sea produces grain, and seven or eight of them become rice. Don't you hear about 'rice in Lucheng'?" Wu Zendu said, "There is a saying in "Zhou Li": 'The Northeast is called Youzhou, and there are three kinds of grains', that is, Ji , millet, and rice.”

Lucheng rice is a special product of Bohai, and it is said to taste very good, but it is rarely sold to the Central Plains, and it was only sent as a tribute.

Youzhou mentioned in "Zhou Li" should include part of Liaodong, but most of them are limited to the south, that is, the area of ​​Liaoning.Millet is sorghum, millet is millet.That is to say, rice was planted in large quantities in at least Liaoning a long time ago, which refreshed Shao Shude's cognition.

The main rice-growing areas of Bohai State are in the Huhanshui, Subinshui, and Meituo Lake basins.That is to say, the area around Mudanjiang, Suifenhe, and Xingkai Lake is an important agricultural town in Bohai State, and the heartland is also the most fertile place.

"So, Shangjing, Dongping, and Shibin are the sources of wealth for your country?" Shao Shude obviously did his homework and knew the approximate geographical location.

Things were indeed beyond his cognition, one surprise after another.At the same time, he was also a little helpless. Guochao had never studied the Bohai Kingdom in depth, and his knowledge of its inside information was limited.

Shao Shude originally thought that the essence of Bohai State was in Liaoning, but now he discovered that it was actually in the Mudanjiang and Xingkai Lake areas, which is its core location.Otherwise, the capital would not have moved to Beijing at the end of Tianbao.

"Exactly." Wu Zendu replied: "In the early years of our country, we made a general plan to concentrate on going north. After several generations of conquests, the barbarians in the northeast feared their ministers."

Wu Zhengdu's words were too simplistic.In fact, Balhae still wanted to go south at the beginning, but there are Datang and Silla in the south, which are very powerful and very inconvenient.So he went north to conquer Heishui Mohe, and expanded the land for thousands of miles.

Heishui Mohe is the predecessor of Jurchen, who was beaten into a dog by the Bohai Kingdom.In the Goguryeo era, they were also severely suppressed by Goguryeo, and their lives were very miserable.So he sent envoys to Datang to express his submission, and wanted to use the power of Datang to attack the Bohai Kingdom.

However, the tribes of Mohe were quickly conquered by tens of thousands of troops from Bohai Sea, and the matter was lost.

At this time, the Jurchen's combat power was weak, and Datang, Bohai, and Goguryeo sent a partial division, and they could conquer them at will. In fact, there was no sign of being able to fight.Perhaps the real reason is not that Jurchen can fight, but that the opponents he encountered during his rise could not fight.

"I have heard about the war between your country and the Khitan." Yang Hongyin brought up the brewed tea, Shao Shude invited Wu Zendu and Gao Yuangu to taste it, and asked, "The Khitan is becoming more and more arrogant, I must not tolerate it." Yes. But the Bohai Sea is far away, and it is not easy to contact once, so there is no other way."

Finally got to the point!Wu Zendu was excited, and immediately stood up and said, "Your Highness, it's actually not far away. If you sail from Dengzhou, you can reach our country in three days."

Shao Shude was noncommittal, and asked, "Who owns the old Anton Mansion now?"

After the Anshi Rebellion, marked by the Pinglu army's crossing of Hainan to Ziqing, Tang court forces completely withdrew from Liaodong.Faced with such a superior land of no man, the surrounding regimes and tribes naturally covet it very much.In the multi-party competition, the Bohai State clearly has the upper hand.

The Dezong Dynasty revived for a short time, and once reset the Andong Dufu Mansion in Xiangping City of Han Dynasty.Gao Zhen, the son of Gao Lian, also served as the guardian.

But this is only the west of Liaoning, but the east of Liao has been occupied by the Bohai Sea, and the former four counties of the Han Dynasty have been occupied by Silla.

The Anton Protectorate's Mansion has existed for a long time and is mainly attached to Youzhou Town. When Zhang Jianzhang was sent to Bohai in 835, the Anton Governor's Mansion was still there.

In the fourth year of Emperor Xuanzong's Dazhong (850), Anton Dufu was still governed in Liaoyang. At that time, the imperial court awarded Zhang Yunshen the Youzhou Jiedu envoy to make a book, which mentioned that "the hero of Liaoyang's armored soldiers is far away from the control of Youdu."

The fall of western Liaoning should have happened in the last 30 to [-] years, and it was mainly obtained by the Bohai Sea.But this piece of land is not within the five capitals and fifteen mansions of Bohai State, and has been facing fierce competition from the Khitan.

"History of the Liao Dynasty" records that "after fighting hard for more than 909 years, it was won and built as Tokyo". In 909, "On the first month of spring, (A Baoji) was lucky in Liaodong." That is to say, before [-] at the latest, Khitan had already taken all the land in western Liaoning.

Shao Shude didn't know the actual situation in western Liaoning at this time, so he asked.

"Your Highness, Duli Town is still in the hands of our country. Last year, the Yalu Mansion sent troops to fight against Khitan, and the bandits retreated after a plunder." Wu Zendu replied: "Duli Town was originally the hometown of the Great Tang Dynasty. Our country is willing to dedicate it to the Celestial Dynasty, and the sages of the Tang Dynasty are requested to send troops to guard it."

Duli Town is later known as Lushun, a military town under the jurisdiction of the Anton Governor's Mansion.

Wu Zangdu is also interesting, is this trying to get rid of the hot potato?

It seems that the Bohai Sea has indeed weakened in the past 30 to [-] years.In the past, it was able to snatch Liaodong from all kinds of heroes, but then slowly eroded Liaoxi.Now most of Liaoxi has been snatched by Khitan, and Liaodong is almost lost, so are you in a hurry?

Duli Town is a small place, it doesn't hurt to lose it, it was snatched anyway.But if the Yalu Mansion and Nanjing Nanhai Mansion are lost, it will be distressing.

"How many people are there in the old Anton Mansion?" Shao Shude asked.

"Since the Khitan invaded to the east, the military towns in prefectures and counties have been dilapidated, and there are only tens of thousands of people. However, don't worry, Your Highness, there are far more than these people. Our country is weak and unable to control, and the old people are all hidden. If we clean it up properly There may be one hundred thousand households." Wu Zendu replied.

"It turns out that Wu Xiang doesn't know the real situation of Anton Mansion." Shao Shude said in surprise: "If I send troops to Anton, the food and grass will be insufficient, so what can I do?"

This was a blatant request for military expenses and supplies, but Wu Zendu was overjoyed when he heard it.

I'm not afraid of bleeding and spending money, but I'm afraid you won't come.The internal problems of Bohai State are very serious, and in recent years it has become more and more powerless to deal with Khitan.Fuyu Mansion was breached this year, and the junior high school is mobilizing the frontier troops to suppress Heishui Mohe from the north to help, and it is not known whether they can win.But with this national situation, even if we win this time, what about the next time?

Wu Zendu could see very clearly that Bohai State was on the decline, while Khitan was on the rise.If we fight for another two or three years, the entire territory of Andong Mansion will inevitably fall, and if we fight for another five years, Yalu Mansion and Nanjing will not be able to keep it.In another ten years of fighting, Bohai may be about to perish.

This is still an optimistic forecast when Khitan does not attack them with all their strength.

Considering that Khitan suffered losses at the hands of Li Keyong and Shao Shude in the past few years, it is likely that they have lost their desire to go south to the Central Plains, so why not go back and beat Bohai hard?In such a situation, ten years is more than enough.

"I heard that the silk in Bohai Sea is also good, and the ironware is also very good." Shao Shude said: "Every year, we supply 20 war horses, 20 soldiers, 30 pieces of cloth, [-] bundles of hay, and [-] grains. Send troops to the town, how about it?"

Wu Zangdu did the math, the amount of goods looted by Khitan every year is far more than this amount, so what doubts there are?Immediately replied: "I will send my envoy back to Shangjing to share with my king, there must be no problem."

Shao Shude smiled without saying a word, with the appearance of stabbing at both sides of Bohai and his righteousness.

(End of this chapter)