Dawn of the Empire

Episode 418

The Khitan camp was filled with the smell of suet fat, and the palace tent army distributed suet pancakes in the camp with leather bags on their shoulders.It will be New Year's Eve in a few days. This pancake made of glutinous rice and white sheep marrow oil is His Majesty's grace, and each account will reward 49.The faces of the Khitan people who received the grace were all full of smiles, the grace bestowed by His Majesty is glorious.This trip to the south was different from the previous ones. All the money looted and distributed by the various ministries and horses were recorded and registered, and they were collected and transported back to the Liao Kingdom continuously.The soldiers and horses in the front save the burden, and the family members in the back are also rejoicing.Therefore, since the Southern Expedition, the soldiers and horses of the Northern Academy did not have the slightest desire to return. Instead, they mustered up their energy and wanted to conquer the richest city in the world.

The longer the expedition, the more loyal the Khitans from various tribes are to the emperor rather than the tribes. They are used to obeying military orders, and marching and fighting have become part of their lives. Many people will not be able to adapt to the life of weaving, fishing and hunting.About 900 million Song people were swept by the Liao army on the roads in Hebei alone. The Liao army plundered countless treasures along the way, and carts full of various supplies were continuously transported back to the north. How could there be such a huge profit from grazing, fishing and hunting.

Walking in the camp of the Liao Kingdom, Li Ruobing observed the words and expressions, and seeing the high morale of the Khitan, a dark cloud rose in his heart.Suddenly, in an open space not far away, two Khitan men were tied behind their backs on the ground, and the execution whips "slapped" on their bodies, and bloody whip marks criss-crossed and covered their backs.A general with a stern face was in prison, and when he saw Li Ruobing looking this way, he gave him a hard look.At this time, a soldier who was being tortured couldn't stand it anymore, and fell to the ground, but the executioner didn't care about it. He went up and kicked him a few times, but the whip was still merciless, and lashed him harder and harder.

"What military law did these two commit?" Li Ruobing asked seemingly casually.Along the way, he kept making indirect remarks, seemingly unintentionally, but in fact he wanted to find out as much as possible about the situation of the Liao army.Unexpectedly, the Liao army would be so cruel to its own people. Li Ruobing was even more worried when he thought of the loose discipline in the Beijing camp, and the officers asked the soldiers in the camp to undertake all kinds of hard labor and even do business.

Liao police officer replied impatiently: "'Tranny'. For the first-time offenders, the first-time offenders will be whipped and sent to death camps, and the second-time offenders will light sky lanterns."

Feng Chen nodded secretly, whether it was buying people's hearts, he finally implemented a benevolent government.But Li Ruobing thought in his heart, the Liao army wanted to make a plan to stay for a long time. He had some dealings with Yelu Dashi at the beginning.While thinking, the two followed the officers of the Liao Army to the outside of Yelu Dashi's imperial account.

The imperial tent was covered with tiger, leopard and bear skins. Yelu Dashi sat cross-legged in the center, with a Bianliang figure on the table in front of him. He raised his eyes to look at Feng Chen and Li Ruobing, and after a long silence, he opened his mouth and said, "Song Did the emperor send you two here to beg for peace?"

Li Ruobing frowned, but Feng Chen spoke first: "My emperor is sorry for the war between the two countries, and the people are dying. God has the virtue of good life, so he sent me to make good friends. I hope that the two countries will become brothers and last for a hundred years together." good."

Yelu Dashi smiled slightly and said: "However, the Taizu of the Southern Dynasties had a saying, how can you allow others to sleep soundly on the side of the couch."

Li Ruobing frowned, and said in a deep voice: "The Taizu of this dynasty started at the end of the 'turbulent' times of the Five Dynasties, when the people of Si were in a state of misery, and received the destiny with great virtue, so he issued an order to flatten the kingdoms of the four directions in order to block the turbidity." The source of chaos. After success, rest with the world. This dynasty has made rituals and music, and studied the governance of cultural relics. For three generations, morality, benevolence and righteousness are worthy of the Han and Tang Dynasties. The so-called "side of the couch" is just a joke, how can it be taken seriously? "He originally planned to enumerate the tragic situation of the Liao army since the southward march of the Liao army, the ruins of the city and the ruins, which are completely different from when the Taizu won the world, but he was quickly interrupted by the envoy Feng Chen.

"Yes, yes," Feng Chendui laughed, and he could only avoid the words, "It is said that one side of the water and soil nourishes the other side. The land of the Southern Dynasties was rainy and hot, with crops for food, mulberry and hemp for clothing, and boards for construction. Settling down and governing the city. The land of the Northern Dynasties was very cold and windy. Animals were raised and fished for food, furs and furs were used for clothing, and they could be moved at any time, with chariots and horses as their home. This is the right time and place, so it is limited to the north and the south. It coincides with the northerners returning to the north , the southerners return to the south. Your Majesty has been herding horses in the south for a long time, and the soldiers are exhausted. Why not turn the fighting into jade and return to the north with the horses."

"Feng Xianggong's words are wrong," Yelu Dashi shook his head, and said with a playful smile: "The Khitan people are the descendants of the Yin and Shang dynasties. The area around Bianliang and Luoyang can also be regarded as the place where our ancestors built their capital. Became an unworthy descendant of our ancestors." He paused, and said meaningfully, "But having said that, the Southern Dynasty used Song as the country name, and if it goes back to the Spring and Autumn Period, the Song Kingdom was built by Wei Zi after the Yin and Shang Dynasties, and it was governed by the remnants of the Yin and Shang Dynasties. In this way, the Khitan and the Song Dynasty, after both the Yin and Shang Dynasties, were an ancestral tribe thousands of years ago, but they were truly brotherly countries. The Khitan people want to return to the place where their ancestors grazing and managed, and fought with the Song people. It might be regarded as brothers leaning against the wall. On the contrary, the Xia Kingdom, which took Xia as the country name, built the foundation in Guanzhong, and inherited the old place of the Zhou family. Both Zhou and Xia had hatred with our ancestors of the Yin and Shang Dynasties. Our Liao and Song Dynasties We should be united in the same hatred against the enemy, and defend against their insults."

His nonsense, specious words.Feng Chen and Li Ruobing couldn't help but feel worried, Yelu Dashi's ambition was not small, and this southern expedition was not just about fighting for land and plundering money, but also about fighting for the right of the world.But Song State was retreating steadily on the battlefield, and this time it sent envoys to discuss peace, seeking an alliance under the city.According to the "Historical Records", it is said that "the princes were not available since the Yin Dynasty", but the Xiongnu also gave Ann a "Miao descendant of the Xiahou family".In such a situation, the emperor of the Liao Kingdom said that the Liao and Song Dynasties were originally a country of brothers, but it was not easy to refute his face in person.

Feng Xie gave Li Ruobing a wink, to persuade the Liao army to retreat, not to get entangled in the inexplicable issue of the ancestors of the Khitan people, so as not to offend the Liao emperor.However, after a moment of silence, Li Ruobing sighed: "The ancestors of the Khitan have looked at the north for more than 200 years, and they have their own orthodoxy, which may not be inferior to the Central Plains. Your Majesty is also a martial artist, so why bother to force the orthodoxy of the Central Plains on the heads of the Khitan ancestors?" Come on." He looked at Yelu Dashi without any fear in his eyes.Feng Chen groaned secretly in his heart, he thought, the Khitan people don't understand history books, Yelang is just arrogant, why bother Master Feng to have the same knowledge as the barbarians.

A strange look flashed in Yelu Dashi's eyes, and he pretended to be angry and said: "You are an envoy, how dare you speak rudely. This unscrupulous person will stay in the royal account as a hostage. You, the envoy, will go back and report the news, and then replace it with someone else." Come." He paused, and then said, "If you want to persuade our army to return to the north, you must find some truly sensible ministers to come, at least the vassal prince as an envoy."

When he got angry, he really had the evil spirit of laying down millions of corpses and bleeding for thousands of miles.Trembling, Feng Xie hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, calm down, Your Majesty, calm down." He pulled Li Ruobing's sleeve, fearing that if he said something wrong, Yelu Dashi would also leave himself in the Khitan camp like a den of tigers and wolves.Li Ruobing stood up neither humble nor overbearing, without saying a word, and slowly retreated according to the etiquette of the envoy.

Yelu Dashi looked at Li Ruobing's back, and said with a wry smile: "This sensible person didn't say that I have forgotten my ancestors and won the crown after bathing in monkeys. I have saved my heart, but it is a pity that I can't use it for myself." He pondered for a while, He waved his hand to invite Lin Ya of the North Court to teach him the opportunity face-to-face.This humiliation of the envoy of Song Dynasty was accomplished in one fell swoop.One is to demonstrate to Emperor Song, even if they want to make peace, Emperor Song will have to pay the greatest price.The second is to use the excuse of changing the envoy to delay the time and wait for the artillery battalion to arrive.The third is to ask for a vassal king of the Zhao family to keep it to appease the people, which is more effective than recruiting more local tyrants.The fourth is to put pressure on Emperor Song through envoys according to Tong Guan's list, and wipe out all the main battle officials in Bianliang City.

The first time Bianliang sent envoys to negotiate a peace, the deputy envoy Li Ruobing was taken hostage, and the envoy Feng Xi was detained for three days before being released.Feng Xie brought back the request that the emperor of the Liao Kingdom thought that the status of the envoy was not honorable enough, so at least the vassal king should be the official envoy.The Khitan envoy who accompanied Feng Xie to meet Song Emperor directly conveyed Yelu Dashi's intention, asking Zhao Ke to execute the ministers who were in charge of the battle, as a demonstration and sincerity.

"The northern captives don't know that our dynasty is a scholar-bureaucrat, Mr. Feng is the deputy prime minister, and one more step will be an extremely human minister," Zhao Zhifu murmured. He seemed to have deliberately ignored Yelu Dashi's previous envoy to Bianliang, and his understanding of the dynasty's system It can be said that he knew it well, "Since Liao wants a vassal king to go on an envoy, and he has to ask his majesty's brothers, in order to preserve the country..." Liao has already detained an envoy and asked the vassal king to go on an envoy , it is likely to be deducted again, and the plan in it is quite intriguing.As it was related to the clan of the Song Dynasty, neither Zhao Zhifu nor Shao Wu dared to suggest it at will.

The silence in the Chuigong Palace was so quiet that a needle could be heard. Zhao Ke sat high on the dragon chair, his face cloudy and cloudy. Brotherly love. King Jing Zhao Qi is the envoy to go out to negotiate a peace with Deng Su, Minister of Rites." After making this decision, Zhao Ke seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.It is extremely difficult for soldiers to come to the city to negotiate a peace. Jing Wang Zhao Qi was taken hostage by Yelu Dashi and brought back to the Northern Dynasty to settle everything.Even if he came back with his life, he couldn't escape a crime that would make him irreparable.As for Deng Su, it was Zhao Ke's sincerity to Yelu Dashi.On the day when Bianliang scholars gathered to beat the Dengwen drum, he disobeyed Shangyi and was so arrogant and domineering. Zhao Ke still felt a dull pain in his chest when he thought about it.For several other officials who were in the main battle, Zhao Ke just planned to demote them from Bianliang, out of sight and out of mind, and also maintained the court-centered pattern.

Two days ago, the decree of the Xinli Baoyi Army had been issued.The officers are all filled with soldiers from the Communist Party.The so-called bravery, most of the recruits are market rogues who are greedy for money.The imperial court said that it was only an emergency measure, and the scholars of the Baoyi Army still kept their student status in the Taixue, and continued to study after the battle.The scholars have spoken big words about the main battle, and when things come to an end, they dare not refuse. They can only grit their teeth and abandon literature and follow the military.