King of Song

Chapter 45 Landing in Liaodong
There is a beautiful legend about the origin of Khitan. According to legend, a fairy who came from the Xilamulun River in a green ox cart and a fairy who came from the Tuhe River and rode a white horse met at the confluence of the two rivers. Falling in love and getting married, they are the ancestors of the Khitan people.

Khitan actually belonged to the descendants of Donghu and Xianbei, and they were of the same race as Shiwei and Kumoxi, who also spoke Mongolian.In the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of Tang set up Songmo Governor's Mansion in the residence of the Khitan people, and the chief served as the governor and gave Li the surname.

In the late Tang Dynasty, Yelu Abaoji, the leader of the Dieci tribe of the Khitan, took advantage of the civil strife in the Tang Dynasty to unify the various tribes. In 916 AD, Yelu Abaoji established the Khitan Kingdom, the Taizu of the Liao Dynasty.

After his son Liao Taizong Yelu Deguang came to the throne, he unified the Khitan tribes and established a powerful country on the northern grasslands.At that time, the Central Plains coincided with the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. In order to ascend to the throne, Shi Jingtang of the Later Jin Dynasty exchanged the support of the Liao Kingdom with the embarrassment of the son emperor and the sixteen prefectures of Youyun.

Since then, Youyun Sixteen Prefectures have fallen into the hands of the Liao Kingdom.Not only did the Central Plains lose an important military barrier, but the Liao Kingdom also gained a territory with superior natural conditions, rich products, and a developed economy, which promoted its development and greatly enhanced its national strength.

Chai Rong, Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty, had intentions of the Northern Expedition, and had just made some achievements in Guannan.Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin intends to send troops to recover, but before he can do it, the shadow of the candle turns red and he dies for no apparent reason.As for Song Taizong, his army went to the north, but it was a pity that Gaolianghe was defeated in the first battle. He was bitten by a snake for ten years and was afraid of well ropes, so he did not make any achievements.

Since then, the Northern Expedition to regain Youyun has become empty talk. It can be said that the Sixteen States of Youyun were not really recaptured until the end of the Song Dynasty.Especially during Song Zhenzong's time, Liao Shengzong and Empress Dowager Xiao led a large army to invade the south, killing near Chanzhou and approaching Bianjing.Prime Minister Kou Zhun supported Song Zhenzong's imperial conquest and repelled the Liao army.The two countries stopped their troops and signed the Chanyuan Alliance. From then on, they became a country of brothers. In fact, it was a peace bought with a lot of old coins every year. The brand of humiliation could never be removed.

Since then, Song and Liao have also entered a period of relative peace, especially during the decades of Renzong's reign, there was no sound of war on the border between the two countries.

But peace is always relative, and it is an indisputable fact that Liao posed a serious military threat to Song.Especially after losing the Yanshan barrier, the Song Dynasty was inherently at a disadvantage defensively, and the situation became even more severe.Frequent little disturbances, or the occurrence of some unexpected situations, will cause the conflict between Song and Liao to increase, and even lead to large-scale wars.As a result, the Song army had to stand on guard from time to time, and even the grass and trees were all soldiers.

It is precisely because of this that when Xiao Jie died in Bianjing, the emperors and ministers of the Song Dynasty were so anxious.Now, although the case is solved, it is necessary to negotiate with the Liao State, and the responsibilities on the shoulders of Zeng Gong, Lin Zhao and others are even heavier.

Two days later, the wind and waves gradually subsided, and the mission boarded the sea ship that had been prepared, and set off to the northeast.As a port, Dengzhou also has a small amount of communication with the port of Liao State. Xu Zun chose experienced boatmen and helmsmen, because the journey was very smooth.In August, the monsoon from the south has not yet receded, and it happened to reach Liaodong smoothly.

In August, the ship docked at Chenzhou on the inner side of the Liaodong Peninsula, and the mission finally set foot on the land of the Liao Kingdom. The destination was Nabo near Liaoyang Prefecture, Tokyo, Liao Kingdom.

This is also the first time for an envoy from the Great Song Dynasty to come to Liaodong. Usually, the state affairs and ceremonial exchanges between the two countries are mainly concentrated in Youzhou, Nanjing, and Shangjing, the capital of Liao, and rarely in Liaoyang.

A big reason for this situation comes from Yelu Hongji, the current leader of the Liao Dynasty.As the grandson of Yelu Longxu, the great emperor of the Liao Kingdom, this master lacked a lot of wisdom and martial arts, and was more curious and playful.They seldom stay obediently in Shangjing, and it is common to hunt and hunt bowls in the outskirts of the year.

It is precisely because of this that the control of power and the country is not tight enough, which caused the chaos of the emperor's uncle Yelu Chongyuan.After suppressing the rebellion, although Yelu Hongji restrained himself somewhat, his attitude remained unchanged. Taking advantage of autumn, he came to Liaodong to hunt.Perhaps it is precisely because of Yelu Hongji's inability to remember things, his bad habits continued, leading to even greater tragedies many years later...

Of course, as far as this trip is concerned, the Liao Lord may have other purposes for such an arrangement.

Before the mission was sent out, there was a fast horse handing over the documents by land. The Liao Kingdom had already prepared and sent people to wait at the port of Chenzhou.

The official name of the official from the Liao Kingdom who came to receive him was Yeluji, who may have some connection with the Liao clan. Who made the main surnames of the Liao Kingdom only Yelu and Xiao?
This Master Yeluji was relatively ordinary, and he said immediately after meeting: "On behalf of my Majesty the Emperor Daliao, I welcome the Song envoy!"

"Thank you Lord Liao for your kindness!" Zhang Zongyi was in charge of the front work!

Yeluji said: "His Majesty the Emperor of our country is in Liaoyang Mansion in Tokyo, not too far from here. Everyone, take a rest in Chenzhou now, and leave for later."

While saying hello, Yeluji saw Lin Zhao, and there was a trace of imperceptible hatred in his eyes, but he pretended to be surprised and said: "Hey, your Excellency is an envoy from the Southern Dynasty? Is there no one in the Southern Dynasty? They even sent a little baby on an envoy?" !"

"Deputy Envoy Lin is young and promising. This mission is to let your country see our country's young and promising talents." As the leader of this mission, Zeng Gong will naturally not let Lin Zhao suffer. Ouyang Gong His disciples are naturally good at eloquence.

Lin Zhao said with a smile: "I'm not very old, but in my court I can only reluctantly do such vulgar things. Alas... Unlike your country, Lord Yelu is old enough to be in charge of escorting the mission. Such a big deal..."

Yeluji, who choked on a single sentence, was quite uncomfortable, but it was not easy to have a seizure.At the same time, he also realized that the envoys of the Southern Dynasty were probably good at fault.Especially Lin Zhao, Yeluji's gaze stayed on him intentionally or unintentionally.

Yeluji said in a deep voice: "Since that's the case, let's take a rest in the inn now! It coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the inn has prepared thin wine, please!"

Unexpectedly, the first Mid-Autumn Festival across the Song Dynasty was spent in the Liao Kingdom. It is a pity that I cannot be with my uncle, aunt, Meng Ruoying, Gu Yuelun and others during the reunion.Being alone in a foreign land as a stranger, he misses his relatives a lot during the festive season. Now that he is in a "foreign land", Lin Zhao has a deep understanding.

Looking up at the moon in the sky, I wonder if uncle Gu Qi is missing his nephew and daughter?My aunt's belly should have been bulging. Is it a cousin or a little cousin?How is Jiangnanju's business today?Cousin is going out for the first time, will she feel homesick?Meng Ruoying, what about her?Do you think of me when you are homesick?

Standing under the moonlight, Lin Zhao couldn't help sighing!
At some point, Zeng Gong appeared behind him and said softly, "Do you miss home?"

"Well, it's a bit!" Lin Zhao nodded truthfully.

Zeng Gong said: "There's no way, it's inevitable that you will have to make some sacrifices if you bear the emperor's order. The most urgent thing is to finish this errand well!"

"Ok!"

"You must have experienced something today. Liao people are not so friendly!" Zeng Gong said earnestly: "This is just the beginning. After meeting Liao Lord in Liaoyang, this kind of thing will happen often. You must deal with it calmly and tactfully!"

Zeng Gong was afraid that Lin Zhao would be young and thoughtful, so he came to comfort him, and at the same time gave advice.The trip to Liaodong has just begun, and there are many difficulties that are destined to follow...

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When Yeluji returned to his room, someone asked in the darkness, "Did you see Lin Zhao?"

"I see, it's a brat!"

"Boys can't be ignored either. Yelu sent the news back to Youzhou on a fast horse. Xiao Jie's situation was solved by this person."

"Yeluzhi is back? Where is he now?"

"Now in Nanjing (Youzhou), sickness delayed the trip."

"What should I do? It can be delayed for a while, but not for a lifetime. He is going to come to Liaoyang after all. How should he explain it to Yelu Hongji?"

"Yeah, either sacrifice him, or we risk being exposed..."

"It's a pity that everything we have painstakingly arranged, Youzhou has been preparing for a long time, but it is a pity that it all fell through! This damn Lin Zhao, I will definitely not let him leave Liaoyang alive!"

"No, although Youzhou has failed, we still have a chance. It's not just Lin Zhao, Liaoyang's scenery is so beautiful, no one should leave!"

(End of this chapter)