Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 149 White Sunset Kunming (5)

"I've heard," Zhao Xingde said with emotion, "the skin, fat, bones, and even beards of whales are very useful. Catching these giants in the world can also make a country rich."

"You also saw it in some strange book?" Li Yong clapped his palms and laughed, "There is a man who is most suitable for this whaling business. It's a pity that he is my eldest brother, and he will inherit the title of Marquis of Bowang in the future. The days and nights are coming to an end." Jubei and Zhao Xingde each drank a full glass of wine, then said with a smile: "I've heard the funniest saying from Lumei, what do you say?"

"I would like to hear the details." Zhao Xingde filled up both of their wine cups.

"The Lumei people actually complain about the Franks, the Turks, and the big cannibals are robbers." Li Yong said with a smile, "You know, there is a saying among the barbarians in the West that two-thirds of the world's wealth is in Lumei, what do you think? Did all this wealth come here by himself?" He curled his lips and said in a deep voice, "The Lumei people's ancestors didn't snatch it. Not only did they rob women of wealth, but they also occupied many important places. It is only through accumulation that such an astonishing wealth can be found." He and Zhao Xingde raised their glasses to the brim, and sighed, "Small wealth can still be obtained by merchants. But when the wealth reaches a certain level, the weak will be unable to live there. Only those who are strong can live in it. Back then Lumei destroyed Carthage, and the Great Meat destroyed Persia, it would be the same." He grinned and said, "When I, the Great Xia, is powerful in the world, it will be the time when we wait for the Xia people to be the richest in the world. .”

The two of them narrated their past experiences, their interest became more and more intense, and they talked freely all night.Fortunately, Zhao Xingde came out this trip with the whole battalion of sergeants to entrust, and he was not blamed by the school captain.At dawn, Zhao Xingde bid farewell and went back to the camp.

Li Yong's elder brother, Li Sihai, the lieutenant of Chengying's Fourth Battalion, was sitting in front of Dali Prime Minister Gao Shunzhen at this moment.The kingship of Dali fell to the side, Duan Zhengchun, the lord of the country, was originally established by the Gao family, and he had nothing to do with the state affairs.All the power of the country is 'operated' by the Gao family.Therefore, after Li Sihai arrived in Dali, he came to see Gao Shunzhen, the head of the Gao clan, Xiangguo.

At that time, the theory of the five virtues was prevalent in the Central Plains, and the Song Dynasty even claimed to be a fire virtue.And Xia Guo also had a scholar who advocated the theory of the five virtues, thinking that the Tang Dynasty won the earth virtues, and the Hou Liang, Hou Han, and Hou Zhou were not unified in the world, so they could not enter the five virtues.Then the Song Dynasty destroyed the Southern Tang Dynasty, and it should be Jinde.And the Xia Dynasty will take the Guandong to dominate the world and live in the virtue of water.No matter from the point of view of water conquering fire or the five virtues, the world will be unified by the Xia Dynasty in the future.Although the royal family of the Xia Kingdom and the Prime Minister's Mansion never agreed with the theory of the five virtues, since the era of the Tax Collector's Mansion, the official court uniforms customized by the Prime Minister's Mansion for officials are still black.Even Gao Shunzhen, the Prime Minister of Dali, deliberately changed into a dark gray court dress.

Li Sihai, who was wearing the court uniform of the state envoy, behaved well and looked very solemn.If Li Ruobing saw his 'touch' appearance, he would be shocked.Li Sihai's face was serious, and he said carefully and carefully: "My emperor and the two governments attach great importance to the return of Dali. In addition to canonizing Duan's family as Zhennan King, Gaoxiangguo was also conferred as Marquis of Shanchan. In addition to revising the middle school system, such as Shu Kingdom In addition to general naturalization, Dali is still governed by Dali people. In addition, the checkpoints between Shu and Dali are gradually cancelled, and people and goods can be exchanged at will."

He raised his head and took a sip of the teacup, and said with a slight smile, "Gao Xiangguo, how do you think?" These conditions have already been disclosed by the Meng family in Shuzhong, and all we need to do now is to confirm again.

Gao Shunzhen nodded and said: "Very good." His subordinate Zhang Lejin added: "From today on, there will be no taxation on the goods exchanged between Dali and Sichuan."

Li Sihai nodded slightly, and heard Gao Shunzhen say again: "I don't know how to deal with Annanxing's invasion of our territory, please show me, Master Li?"

Li Sihai picked up the teacup, took a sip, raised his head and smiled, and said, "Annan violated our territory, and Wang Shi will naturally punish the people for crimes. The three armies of Jincheng, Baizhan, and Xuanjia in the middle of Shu have already gone south to cross Lushui. He paused for a moment, and then said, "As long as the Jincheng army arrives in Dali, they will join forces with Dali to attack Annan. After Annan is pacified, Wang Shi will choose a good port in Annan's old place to deter Xiao Xiaobuchen, and Xu Xu immigrated from the middle of Shu to settle the land, and then I have to be kind and wait for a lot of help."

He intentionally only talked about Xia Kingdom's request for Lianggang, and how to deal with other Annan counties would depend on how much Dali Kingdom contributed in this war.Xia Guo only sent soldiers and horses from the middle of Shu to the south, indicating that the governance of the south will also rely on the great power of the country.The Gao family is the true master of the Dali Kingdom. The descendants of the Gao family are spread all over the imperial court, prefectures and counties, and the few armies in the country are also controlled by the Gao family.Therefore, it is still given respect.The Duan family was conferred the title of Zhennan King, but they were still Xujue to appease the hearts of the people.

"Master Wang saved my thousands of people in Dali from fire and water." Gao Shunzhen raised the wine cup in front of him, and said in a deep voice, "I will definitely devote myself to sending all the soldiers and food in the country to help Master Wang to manage Annan in the east." This time in Dali The return of the country to the Xia Dynasty was also the most important decision Gao Shunzhen made for the family.

Li Sihai toasted with him, and said in a dignified and dignified voice: "The people of Dali are the people of our dynasty, Master Wang must not sit back and watch them suffer from the barbarians."

As soon as Gao Shunzhen heard the name of Xia Guoguo's envoy, Gao Shunzhen sent his subordinate Bao Wenzhong to inquire about Li Sihai's background from the Meng family, so as to determine the grandeur of the reception.However, when Li Sihai arrived in the capital of Dali, he actually visited the mansion directly.It wasn't until after he left that Bao Wenzhong came to inform him that this Li Guo envoy worshiped the school lieutenant, and he was the son of the founder of the country.

Gao Shunzhen sighed: "The imperial court thinks highly of Dali too." He ordered all the reception etiquette to be in accordance with the most honorable.The subordinate official Zhang Lejin asked: "This envoy is only a famous school lieutenant, and he did not inherit the marquis. Why is he treated so courteously?" Gao Shunzhen shook his head, and said slowly: "The hereditary Marquis of Bowang is the descendant of the Tang Dynasty. Although he did not abdicate him However, everyone in the world knows that Xia’s Sheji is based on virtue, and it’s not usurped by "chaotic" officials and thieves. The imperial court sent the son of Bo Wang Hou to Dali, probably with the intention of knowing where Zhengshuo is."

After returning to the post and retreating the servants of Dali Kingdom, Li Sihai let out a long breath, tore off the lace of his hat, waved his wide sleeves with both hands, and sighed: "It's been a long time since I bowed and bowed. You must be tired." He said in a deep voice, "Nanzhao Dali is a newly attached land, and it is inevitable that there will be people with ulterior motives, you must be careful to guard against it, don't capsize in the gutter, even the young birds of the Tiger Wing Army Not as good."

The surrounding centurions all laughed. For this mission, the General's Mansion allocated a sum of money and asked Li Sihai to customize the military robes and armor for the Chengying Camp according to the standard of the Tiger Wing Army's guard of honor.Although they did not lose their dignity, the sergeants, including Li Sihai himself, were not used to such solemn attire.

In the next few days, the court uniforms of the important ministers of Dali Kingdom were changed to green and black to show their attachment to Shuide.In order to cooperate with the attack on Annan, the Gao family selected [-] elite soldiers to form an army.The officials of various prefectures and counties in Dali Kingdom and the leaders of the Fan tribes all began to collect grain, grass and pack horses, preparing to supply the army going south from central Shu.At the same time, the imperial court also enlisted a large number of civilian men to transport the luggage while repairing the important roads that were damaged earlier because of the fear of Annan's attack.

The news of Dali's attachment to the Xia Kingdom was calm among the people in Dali and central Shu. The customs of the people on the border of these two places were similar, weddings and funerals, and human relations remained as usual.But the businessmen in Shuzhong who heard the news were moved after hearing the news.The northern gate of Dali Kingdom, in front of Xiaguan, which guards the key pass between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, before dawn, caravans and caravans waiting to enter the customs lined up in a long line.

Some merchants rushed to Dali to open a branch, some heard that the imperial court was about to use troops against the south, and sent supplies in advance to prepare for a good price, and some heard that the customs duty was about to be abolished, so they hoarded the goods outside the customs, and now they just rushed to Dali seized the market.Although merchants in Central Shu have been running along this ancient tea-horse road all year round, and have waited in front of Xiaguan more than once, their mood today is very different.

"Old Li, look at the plaque in front of this pass, it seems to have changed?" He Laosan of Heji Tea Shop pointed to the plaque and murmured: "Zhen-South-Guan"

As soon as he heard the news that Dali was about to surrender, he immediately collected enough money and rushed over without stopping, planning to buy a tea garden in Cangshan.In the past years, when he bought tea in Dali, he had long been optimistic about several places, and the local patriarchs were willing to sell it, but they didn't dare to make a move. This time, Dali and Central Shu became one, if it was too late, he might be caught by the tea merchants nearby Robbed.

"Third son, you are so ignorant," Li Liangren said proudly, "Dali belonged to our court, and Duan's family was granted the title of King of Zhennan, so the name of the pass was changed to Zhennan Pass." Guess, but it makes sense.He Laosan looked up at the newly hung plaque on the top of the weeds-grown Guancheng, and laughed loudly: "It's still the Nanguan that is so majestic." He paused, and then said, "I'll hurry up , I thought I could have a drink of soup, but before this pass, there are so many people waiting."

Li Liangren smiled and said: "Don't be too greedy. The Dali Kingdom is so vast that you can't do without you. I heard that three days ago, this was the scene in front of the South Pass of the town. In this way , those leaders of the Tibetan tribe are going to make a fortune." He Laosandui smiled and said: "What my brother said is, get rich and get rich, and get rich together." Zhennanguan is filled with a festive atmosphere, and the business travelers While happily talking about how to expand their business, they talked ambitiously about "Dali and Shuzhong have canceled the checkpoints, and the national use is insufficient. At least [-]% of the heavy tax on goods from the Kanto will be imposed, and the Kanto people will be restricted from doing business here. The dross brought by the wind will make the market 'chaos' again."

Ten days later, the news that Dali had fallen to Xia reached Bianliang, and the emperor Zhao You was furious again. He threw a jade ax and almost hit Taiwei Tongguan on the forehead.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to get angry with Nanman." Tong Guan persuaded in a low voice.Zhao You was still furious.After Pingshu, Taizu used a jade ax to draw the Dali Kingdom outside the southern border, saying that "the rest is not my property", and the Song army no longer marched south.Over the past hundred years, the Dali Kingdom paid tribute diligently and privately proposed many times to be attached to the Song Dynasty as a vassal, but the Song Dynasty court refused due to worrying about troubles.It was not until a few years ago that Zhao You thought that the return of the vassals would better demonstrate the peace and prosperity, so he proudly agreed.Unexpectedly, in just a few years, the Dali Kingdom turned its back on Song and threw Xia in the blink of an eye because of the conflict with Annan.

"It's really the villain of Chaoqin Muchu." Zhao You said out of breath. The servant had just brought a bowl of ginseng tea, and he dropped it again.

"I have always cultivated benevolence and virtue to cherish the distant country. Which time the vassal's tribute was not ten times the reward, but because of a little dispute with Annan, Dali actually fell to Xia Guo, it is really unreasonable!" Zhao You panted, "Private Wang, crusade Is Dali feasible?"

The privy envoy Wang Fu's expression turned pale and he said: "Your Majesty, the southeast has just been pacified, and we still need to stay in to deter the barren land. The cost of this southern expedition to the barren land is not small. During the Xining crusade against Annan, the epidemic was prevalent among the [-] troops, and the dead Nearly half..."

"Shut up!" Zhao You's face was ashen, the southeast has always been a dull pain in his heart.Having learned the lesson of this turmoil, he had to be cautious about the government.The third prince, Zhao Qi, strives to win the first place in the imperial examination, but Zhao You disqualifies him from taking the imperial examination because of the opposition of Qingliu officials.Even the matter of Donggong Yichu has been delayed again and again.But the heart of Yi Chu cannot be shaken.

"Your Majesty, calm down," Tong Guan persuaded, "The fact that the Dali Kingdom fell to the Xia Kingdom is nothing more than a dispute with Annan. It seems that Xia Kingdom and Dali's crusade against Annan is already inevitable, and we can do the opposite. Let’s do this, use food, grass and military equipment to help Annan, so as to consume the strength of Xia Guo." As soon as Tong Guan said this, before Zhao You could speak, the expressions of the other important officials all changed.Just because Annan was the scourge of the southern border of the Song Dynasty. During the Xining period, Annan invaded Guangnan Prefecture and killed more than [-] soldiers and civilians. The book, the culprit who slaughtered the people of the Song Dynasty, was not executed, but was quite popular in Annan.

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely impossible." Yushi Zhongcheng Qin Hui said in a deep voice, "the tombs with the bones of more than [-] soldiers and civilians in the three prefectures of Yong, Qin and Lian are still there. If the imperial court does not crusade against Annan, it will be fine. How can it help the tyrant to do evil?" He turned his head and looked at Tong. Tong, scolded angrily, "You villain, do you intend to trap Your Majesty in injustice?" Tong Guan was intimidated by his aura, and dared not argue, and said in a low voice: "I am just thinking about the court, and the Dali Kingdom repeatedly Impermanence, you have to be taught a lesson." He came back from Hebei, he had secret thoughts, he didn't want to make enemies, his arrogance in court was much weaker, and he seldom argued with others.Even Qin Hui, whose official position is far lower than his, is unwilling to offend easily.

Qin Hui was still about to scold, but Zhao You said in a deep voice, "Okay, Dali was also confused for a while, and this matter of aiding Annan must never be mentioned again." The monarchs and ministers deliberated for a long time, and finally decided to cut off the mutual market in order to punish Dali's betrayal.Order Guangnan two roads to close the negotiation field with Dali, and prohibit business travelers from this dynasty to go there.After several foreign ministers withdrew, Tong Guan offered another pill of tranquility. It is said that it was made by searching for many precious medicinal materials according to the fairy recipe, and refining it after untold hardships.