Chapter 45 Section 3 The Battle of Names

With the help of the Liao Kingdom, both the Song Dynasty and Xixia agreed to a truce and peace talks.As a result, the two sides began to send envoys to exchange peace terms.So, what conditions did the Song and Xia countries offer respectively?Can they come to an agreement? Song Renzong told Pang Ji, the magistrate of Yanzhou, that you are responsible for negotiating peace with Li Yuanhao. As long as Li Yuanhao agrees to be a minister, we have no other conditions, and he will be the emperor.We don't have to force him to call Khan, Shanyu or Zanpu, but he must be a minister.Not professing a minister, absolutely not.Xixia is different from Liao. Liao is a country of brothers with us, and Xixia is my vassal of the Song Dynasty and must be a vassal.Pang Ji took the order and sent people deep into the border of Xixia to inquire about the news.

Li Yuanhao was also inquiring for news, and the two hit it off.Li Yuanhao sent a governor to talk to Pang Ji.When Pang Ji heard that Xia Guotan and the envoy arrived, he didn't dare to neglect and greeted him quickly.As soon as the guests and hosts were seated, the envoy of the Xia State said: "A few days ago, the Khitan envoy came to our country and told us that the Southern Dynasty and the Northern Dynasty had a good relationship. Only the western border was restless. The Khitan advised our country to establish a good relationship with the Southern Dynasty. But the country has already established itself. , establish their own year title, so, we can't be dismissed as a courtier, and I hope the Southern Dynasty will understand."

Pang Ji was born as a Confucian official, and he understood what the envoy of Xia Guolai meant when he heard it.There are quite a few Han officials in the Xia Kingdom. This envoy is a Han. He is too cunning. He said, "A few days ago, the Khitan envoy came to this country." Why did Xia Guo negotiate peace with you?It was my uncle who made me do it.The Khitan envoy told us, "The Southern Dynasties and the Northern Dynasties have been established, but the western border has not been peaceful."The Northern Dynasties, the Southern Dynasties, and the Western Territory can be said to be the Western Dynasties, obviously a trio of three.Moreover, our country has a year name, so I cannot write a letter to you as a courtier.

Pang Ji was very upset when he heard that, the only request of our emperor is that Li Yuanhao be a minister, if you don't, I can't return to the emperor.So he told Xia Guo's envoy, you first submit Yuan Hao's letter for me to see, how is the letter of state written?The envoy Xia presented the letter of credence.At the beginning of the national book, there is such a sentence: "Nan Bangni Dingguo Wuzu went to the sky to write to his father, the Emperor of Song." self-proclaimed.In the past, the father of the letter, the Emperor of Song Dynasty, I am the emperor of the country, but I am your son, and you are my father, and the son wrote the letter to the father, that is what it means.When Pang Ji saw it, his heart sank. Yuan Hao called him a man but not a minister.In ancient times, the status of the monarch and his ministers was the most important thing. You call someone a father. From today's perspective, it is a shameful thing to show your family, but it was not like this in ancient times. Calling someone a minister is even more embarrassing than calling someone a father.So Li Yuanhao insisted that he could call the emperor of the Song Dynasty Daddy, but he would never recognize you as my monarch.

Pang Ji said, Li Yuanhao is not a minister, and his name is not right. This book dare not be submitted to the emperor, so you should take it back. Yuan Hao's envoy became anxious when he heard that, if you don't submit it to the emperor, my task will not be completed. I came here with the mission of negotiating peace, and I can't explain to our lord after returning.So the envoy quickly explained: "The principle of a son serving his father is the same as that of a minister serving the emperor. Isn't it the same reason to honor the father and the emperor? Please let me go to Bianjing to meet the emperor anyway. If the emperor does not agree, we will go back and meet again." Discuss. You let me go to Bianjing no matter what.” Pang Ji hurriedly reported to the court that Li Yuanhao’s letter of credence said he was not a vassal, and expressed his opinion, saying that Li Yuanhao’s envoys were also Han Chinese, and their words were submissive. He went to Beijing to meet the king, I think there is room for change in this matter, Li Yuanhao might become a minister.Song Renzong was eager to seek peace and agreed.

After Yuan Hao came to Bianjing, of course he couldn't meet the emperor directly, so he first presented his letter of credence.After intense discussions, the ministers of the two governments of the Song Dynasty came to a conclusion that Yuan Hao came to the court to meet the emperor, but his name and words were not right, so he could not see him.Only when Li Yuanhao became a minister, the emperor could see Yuanhao's envoys and accept the letter of credence.Therefore, the Privy Council of the Song Dynasty summoned Yuan Hao as an envoy and put forward six opinions: First, in the national book, there is a word that violates the taboo of our Song Dynasty, so it cannot be submitted to the emperor, and you bring it back as it is.We are much more polite than Fan Zhongyan, and we didn't burn you face to face.

Second, although Li Yuanhao is very obedient and wants to be our emperor's son, there is no reason why he should not be a minister.Is there one of our emperor's sons who is not a courtier of the emperor?So you have to be a minister, and our emperor canonize you as Lord Xia, otherwise, this matter will not be discussed. Third, you are allowed to set up your own administrative agencies in the Xia Kingdom and appoint and remove officials yourself, but you cannot use the official names of the Central Plains.When Yuan Hao established the country, all the systems were the same as the Central Plains Dynasty, even the capital was called Kaifeng Mansion, and the chief was called Kaifeng Fu Yin.Yuan Hao's ministers once corresponded with Pang Ji, and the inscription on the letter was Taiwei XX.Pang Ji became anxious when he saw it. You will never be allowed to call yourself a Taiwei. A Taiwei is a third prince, a close minister of the emperor, and I am not a Taiwei.So you close the door and call it whatever you like, like Zhang Yuanguan worshiping Xixia Taishi, Guoxiang, Zhongshuling and Shangshuling, you close the door and enjoy yourself and no one cares.But when you wrote to us Da Song, you are not allowed to write like this.How to write it?It is necessary to transliterate official names in Dangxiang language into Chinese.The Song Dynasty also deceived itself.For example, you can call Ning Ling and Mo Ning Ling. Ning Ling is the king, and Mo Ning Ling is the king of heaven. Anyway, we don’t know what Ning Ling is. We understand that it is probably an official who is three levels lower than the magistrate of the Celestial Dynasty. .You are not allowed to use Taiwei, Privy Envoy, and Zhongshu Ling. We can't see this. Only the Celestial Dynasty can have such officials. How can you have them?

Fourth, the Great Song Dynasty rewards Xia Guo with 70,000 silver and silk every year, which is equivalent to war indemnity, but it is a reward from the Great Song Dynasty in name. Fifth, allow open border trade between the two countries. Sixth, the fortresses along the borders of the two countries maintain the status quo. These six opinions were handed over to Xia Guolai to bring them back.The envoy Xia didn't dare to argue, but how could he argue on this three-acre land?Therefore, the Xia envoy accompanied the envoys of the Song Dynasty to return home.