Chapter 2 For the first time, a scholar in central Hunan wakes up from his dream and realizes the truth

In the spring of the fourth year of Song Renzong's Tiansheng, Zhao Xingde came to the capital Tokyo from his hometown in rural Hunan in order to take the Jinshi examination. At that time, it was the era when "everything is inferior, only reading is high". In order to prevent the military officials from being domineering, the imperial court put a lot of emphasis on civil servants.Since Taizu, through Taizong, until Renzong, this national policy has not changed at all.Therefore, most important positions in the army are held by officials with civilian background. "Excellence in learning leads to official career", this has become the only way to be born in the world.As the saying goes, "No one asks in the cold window of ten years, and the title of the gold list is known to the world."

Song Zhenzong once personally wrote a "Poem to Encourage Learning", showing to the world the shortcut to gain fame and fortune through reading.The poem says: As long as a person has obtained the honor of Jinshi, he can "ride a good horse and be a high-ranking official", even if he becomes a prime minister.Officials such as general judges in various states are more selected from the new subjects, so everyone in the world believes in the saying in Zhenzong's poems that money and beauty can be obtained through reading. In the year when Zhao Xingde went to Beijing to rush for the exam, as many as 33,800 candidates gathered from all over the country.But there are only about 500 people who are expected to hit the target.Zhao Xingde has been detained in Beijing from spring to early summer, staying at the home of a fellow villager near Xihuamen.The streets and alleys of the capital are full of people who come to catch up with Chunwei. They are of different ages, some are old and some are young.During this period of time, Zhao Xingde has passed the examinations of the Ministry of Rites, such as post scriptures, essays, current affairs policy theory, poetry and Fu, and has excellent grades in all subjects.

It's summer, and the weather is getting hotter.The sun shone on the road through the leaves of the elms.One day, Xingde received a notice to go to the Ministry of Officials to take the examinations of body, speech, writing and judgment.This kind of examination is a comprehensive examination. The so-called "body" refers to the stalwart appearance; long.After passing this exam, all that remains is to go to the Golden Palace to answer questions from Emperor Ce.The person who wins the first prize in the Golden Palace response is called the No. 1 Scholar, the second named Tanhua, and the third named the No. 2 Scholar.In fact, it goes without saying that such outstanding people, even other people who have achieved excellent results, are sure of a bright future.

Zhao Xingde never thought about how many talented people like himself were among those who took the test, and he was always quite conceited about it.Xingde was born in a scholarly family for generations, and his family has a long history of learning. It can be said that no matter when and where in the thirty-two years since he was a child, he has never dared to leave his books.All previous examinations were easy for virtue.This time in Beijing, although thousands of candidates have been gradually eliminated by various examinations, Xingde thinks that it would be unthinkable for him to lose his name.

On this day Zhao Xingde came to the examination room, which was set in a Shangshu mansion.Many candidates gathered in the atrium surrounded by corridors to wait for the exam. The invigilator on duty called the names one by one, and then led the candidates who had been called to the examination room along the long corridor.The candidates waiting for the roll call were scattered around the atrium, each frowning in thought, some sat in a chair, and some walked around an old locust tree.The cool breeze blows in the dry air, which makes people feel a little more comfortable.Zhao Xingde hadn't called his name yet, he was leaning against the big locust tree, feeling uneasy, he just felt that the time was hard to bear.Unknowingly, drowsiness hit him, he simply closed his eyes, folded his hands in front of his chest, and turned his face to the sky.The reputation of singing continues to spread, and Xingde seems to be fading away.Before I knew it, he had fallen asleep.In his dream, he was led to the emperor. On both sides of the examination room stood high-ranking officials and ministers in fine costumes, with a chair in the center.Xingde had no time to think about it, so he went straight to the chair and sat down.After sitting down, Xingde realized that the thin curtain on Danchi not far in front was drooping, presumably Tianyan was close at hand.

"What did He Liang's An Biance say?" The loud questioning came from behind the scenes, Xingde was taken aback and broke out in a cold sweat.The so-called He Liang's border security strategy refers to a memorial about the border issue that He Liang submitted to Song Zhenzong in the third year of Zhidao, when the Yongxing Army inspected the fields in Lingzhou at that time.At that time, the imperial court was helpless for the Xixia people's repeated violations of the western border.The problem of Xixia has been a big problem for the Song Dynasty since the founding of the country from the later years of Taizu until today.When He Liang inspected, it was the most critical time at the border.Since then, there is still no good solution to solve it in one fell swoop.

Xixia is a small country established by the Tibetan Tang Gutuo tribe.They have been squatting in the east of Wuliang place since a long time ago.Wuliang is a so-called place where "Yi and Xia live together". In addition to Tang Gutuo people, there are also other ethnic minorities mainly Uyghur (now Uighur) and Tubo.Several of them have also established small kingdoms of their own.But in the era of Taizu, only the Xixia clan became strong. They not only oppressed other small ethnic groups, but also repeatedly invaded the western border of the Song Dynasty.On the surface, Xixia expressed surrender to the Song Dynasty, but on the other hand, it accepted the canonization of Khitan, the old enemy of the Song Dynasty.Its capricious attitude has become a serious problem in the Song Dynasty.Lingwu, which is adjacent to Wuliang, is ravaged by the Xixia cavalry almost every year, so in the year before He Liang's Anbian plan, some people in the court even advocated giving up Lingwu.

He Liang divided the past Xixia countermeasures into three categories in his An Bian Policy, and refuted them one by one. The three countermeasures that He Liang criticized refer to abandoning Lingwu, launching divisions and conquests, and appeasement.If Lingwu is abandoned, the land of Xixia will only increase, and there is a risk of Xixia joining forces with the barbarians in the Western Regions, and the horses produced in the east of Wuliang will never be recovered.Due to the shortage of frontier soldiers and lack of food and grass, it is difficult to carry out the expedition.If a small number of troops are dispatched, the food supply will not be guaranteed.The brigade was dispatched and had to consider the confusion of disturbing the people.Taking the policy of appeasement and restraint is expected to find a moment of peace, but if the ambitious Xixia annexes several other scattered ethnic minorities, it will definitely become a problem for raising tigers in the Central Plains in the future.Obviously, this kind of bad strategy will only hit Xixia's arms.

In the end, He Liang made a statement based on the facts.He suggested that a city should be built first in the aquatic and grassy area where Xixia is the base for the invasion, and then take the opportunity to attack when the Xixia army moves.Yizhu failed to win the battle with Xixia because he could not fight with the main force.Pursuing the enemy army on the endless desert will only consume troops in vain.If the other party came to challenge, it would not be difficult to annihilate them in one fell swoop.When the Xixia army is not moving, build another village outside the city, one city and one village form a horn to take care of each other.It costs a lot to maintain a city.But if there is a city and a village, the poor people in the vicinity can be allowed to cultivate their own fields.Choose another general to take on the important task of defense, and then gradually grant him kindness and trust, so as to appease the barbarians over time.

"At that time, the imperial court not only failed to adopt He Liang's suggestion, but also adopted the policy of appeasement and restraint that He Liang rejected. Therefore, it is really unwise to delay the worries of the Western barbarians until now. Looking at the situation in the Western Frontier today, what is the truth?" Liang's prophecy, how can it not make people sigh." Zhao Xingde supported He Liang's An Biance, and unconsciously his voice became excited.Xingde has already heard that someone around him overturned the chairs, and someone jumped up and cursed.But he thought in his heart that since he had started, he might as well talk it out quickly and finish it.He collected himself, and went on:

"Now, Xixia has conquered the other barbarians around it, and it is becoming stronger and stronger. In the future, it will definitely become a major problem for China. The imperial court must have an army of 800,000, which wastes money and food. Moreover, the production area of ​​​​the army and horses is still in the hands of the enemy, so there are times The embarrassment of making ends meet occurred." Suddenly, Zhao Xingde saw that the screen in front of him suddenly lifted up, and a large group of people rushed towards him.Xingde stood up abruptly, but couldn't help himself, staggered, and fell forward. Zhao Xingde woke up, it turned out to be Nan Ke Yimeng.He found himself lying on the ground, and hurriedly stood up and looked around.Under the strong sunlight, all the previous examinees in the atrium were gone, and only one invigilator in official uniform was left watching him standing aside in a daze.Xingde quickly brushed off the dust from his hands and asked: "take an exam……" Xingde muttered, not knowing what to say.The invigilator glanced at Xingde contemptuously, but said nothing.Only then did Xingde realize that he had fallen asleep just now and dreamed that when he was answering the emperor's questions in the Golden Palace, he had lost the precious opportunity to take the exam.Maybe the invigilator called his name, but he was in a dream at the time, how could he hear it? Zhao Xingde walked slowly towards the exit in dismay.After walking out of Shangshu Mansion, he walked through the quiet and deserted Fuqian Street.He staggered distraughtly through the streets and alleys.The conversations in the golden palace are fluent, the royal banquet is suave and suave, and the white-clothed public officials are top-ranked. These supreme glory of Guangzong and Yaozu have now turned into a spring dream, and they are gone forever! Zhao Xingde suddenly remembered Meng Jiao's seven-character quatrain "The spring breeze is proud and the horseshoe is eager, and you can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day."This poem was written by Meng Jiao when he was a Jinshi in the year of knowing the fate and expressing his feelings.At this time, Zhao Xingde only felt that there was no "Chang'an Peony" in the huge city of Kaifeng, only the hot sun shining on him, who was listless.What is even more depressing is that the Jinshi examination is only held once every three years.Xingde wandered aimlessly on the long street, and unknowingly came to a market outside the city.It was getting late, and a large group of men and women in shabby clothes were crowded on a small road and they didn't know what they were watching.Most of the roadside shops sell food.In some shops, chickens and ducks are being boiled in large pots, emitting oily smoke, mixed with the smell of sweat, mixed with dust, and suffocating.Some shops hang pork and mutton barbecues at the door.Only then did Zhao Xingde feel hungry.I haven't eaten anything since morning. After turning a few alleys, Zhao Xingde walked towards the crowded crowd.Usually, this small road is too crowded with people coming and going, but at this time it is completely impassable.Zhao Xingde had no choice but to stand behind the human wall and look in.At first, Xingde only saw the lower body of a woman lying on a plank on top of a wooden box.Xingde squeezed in hard.Look from behind the shoulders of the onlookers, so that you can see the upper body of the woman.Unexpectedly, the woman was lying there naked.One could tell at a glance that she was not a Han Chinese.Although the color of the skin is not white, it feels very plump and has a luster that Xingde has never seen before.She was facing the sky on her back, her cheekbones were prominent, her jaw was slightly pointed, and her eyes were sunken and dull. Xingde struggled to get in front of the woman, only to find that there was also a burly man shirtless, holding a sharp knife, standing by and watching the onlookers.At first glance, this big man has a hideous face. "Hey, you can buy any piece you want, tell me quickly!" The big man looked at the onlookers and said.There was a burst of noise in the crowd, but their eyes never left the stunner for a moment. "Why don't you buy it? What are you going to do? A group of cheapskate, no one wants to buy it." The big man was still yelling, but the people around him didn't say a word.Xingde stepped out from the crowd. "What the hell did this woman do?" He couldn't help asking.The big man with a sharp knife stared at Xingde and said: "This slut is a Western Xia woman. She seduces a man to sleep, and even kills that man's old friend. Today I cut her up and sold her meat. You can buy any piece you want. Ears, noses, breasts, thighs, take your pick. Just sell it for the price of pork." This big man is not Han Chinese either.His eyes glowed blue, and the fur on his chest was tinged with yellow.The muscular, bronzed shoulders are tattooed with amulet-like designs. "Does she admit it?" Xingde asked again.The man was about to answer when the lying woman opened her mouth and said: "It's my fault!" She spoke in a rough, high-pitched voice.Seeing the woman open her mouth, there was a commotion among the onlookers.Xingde didn't know if this woman was ashamed and self-defeating, or if she was really a slut. "She's a slut, just tell me what you want to buy, don't waste your time. Just point at whichever piece you want." After speaking, the man shook the knife in his hand, it shone brightly, and then slammed it on the chopping board.At this time, the woman made a strange sound that seemed to be moaning and crying.Xingde only felt blood splattering in front of his eyes, he thought that one of the woman's hands had been chopped off.But her hand was not cut off, only two fingertips on her left hand were missing. The onlookers exclaimed and took a step back.Zhao Xingde didn't have time to think about it, and shouted: "Come on, I'll buy it! Buy them all!" "take them all?" The big man was a little surprised.At this moment, the woman supported the chopping board with her bleeding hand, and sat up suddenly.She turned her blood-splattered face to Xingde and said: "I'm really sorry, I can't sell them all. You misunderstood Xixia women. I'm sorry. If you want to buy them, you have to buy them piecemeal." After she finished speaking, she lay down again.Xingde didn't know what the woman meant by these words.After a while, he realized that she had misunderstood his attitude. "Forget it, I just want to redeem you, and I don't have any malicious intentions. After buying you from this person, you can go wherever you want." While explaining to the woman, he negotiated the deal with the man.It's not a huge sum of money, so it's settled after a negotiation.Xingde took out the silver from his pocket, put it on the chopping board, and said: "Let this woman go." The man grabbed the silver and yelled at the woman, but he couldn't understand what it meant.The woman slowly raised her body from the chopping board. The onlookers were stunned by this sudden incident, Zhao Xingde squeezed out and walked towards the entrance of the alley.Just walking halfway, he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind, so he turned around again, only to see that woman walking over.Wrapped in a rough Hu suit, and wrapped her fingers with a rag, the woman walked up to her and said: "Young Master, you have spent money. Please accept this, I don't have anything else." While talking, he took out a small piece of cloth and handed it over.Due to a lot of blood, the woman's face was a little pale.Xingde took the piece of cloth and unfolded it, there were three lines of characters written on it, ten in each line, but he didn't recognize any of them. "What is this?" Xingde asked. "I can't read it either, but I know it's my name and place of birth. If you go to Iruga, you can't do without this. It's useless to me, so I'd better give it to the young master." "Where is Iruga?" "You don't even know Ilugai? Ilugai is Ilugai. It means the city of jewels. The capital of Xixia." In the deep eye sockets of the woman, the black pupils shone brightly. "Who was that guy from before?" Zhao Xingde asked about that man again. "He's a Uyghur. A villain." After the woman finished speaking, she turned around and mixed into the crowd, and left without looking back. Zhao Xingde also walked away.As he walked, he felt that he was now a little different from his old self.He couldn't say exactly what was different, but in short, the most important thing before seemed to have been replaced by something else in his mind.After thinking about it, Zhao Xingde finally realized that it was simply vulgar for him to devote himself to his official career.It's ridiculous to feel hopeless about it.What I saw today has nothing to do with learning or books.At least, it is difficult to understand with the knowledge he has learned so far.Therefore, Zhao Xingde gained a powerful force that fundamentally shakes his previous outlook on life and the world. What was that Western Xia woman thinking when she was lying on the chopping board?What's the use of killing that woman?Why on earth did she refuse to sell her whole body?This is probably a sense of chastity.Zhao Xingde also felt incomprehensible to the tragic behavior of that man who cut up a person to sell and chopped off a woman's fingers.But the woman was able to deal with it indifferently, which shocked Xingde even more. That night Zhao Xingde returned to the residence, took out the piece of cloth that the woman gave him, and looked carefully through the light.There were only thirty characters written on it, which looked a bit like Chinese characters, but they were not Chinese characters. I had never seen them before.Could this be the writing of the Western Xia that the woman was born in?Only then did Zhao Xingde realize that the Xixia people already had their own writing. Zhao Xingde looked at the piece of cloth given to him by the woman, and the figure of the chief examiner he saw in the examination room emerged in his mind.An old man over sixty years old, since he is the chief examiner, he must be a great person.His profound knowledge of classics, classics and history can be glimpsed from only a few words of his.Xingde has seen this old man in the examination room many times, but he has no friendship with him. Xingde thought, maybe he could understand these strange characters.The next day, Zhao Xingde found out that the old man was an official of the Ministry of Rites, so he went to visit him in the yamen of the Ministry of Rites.Incredibly, the shock of failing to take the exam seemed to have dissipated by then.I went to the yamen of the Ministry of Rites three times to ask for an interview, and finally got permission.Xingde came to the old man, and after saluting, he took out the cloth and asked him to interpret it.But seeing the old man's embarrassed face, he lowered his head and stared at him, and remained silent for a long time.Xingde explained to him the ins and outs of this small piece of cloth.The old man raised his head and said: "The old man has never seen this kind of writing. I can read the writing of Khitan and Uyghur, but I don't know that Xixia has its own writing. If it is a recent creation, it is very similar to Chinese." Xingde replied: "It should be a great event for a nation to have its own language. In the future, once Xixia becomes strong, the classics from the West will be translated into their own language in Xixia. All cultures that have passed through Xixia in the past will be They are all blocked outside, and they can no longer come to the Central Plains from the east.” The old man was silent, and after a while he said again: "There is no need to worry too much, I am afraid that Xixia may not be able to become a big climate." "However, there is already a written language. Based on this alone, it is not enough to say that Xixia has become a big country?" "The Yi people have always been like this. When their territory expanded a little, they would boast about themselves. Xixia is only a state of Jieshan, not an outstanding nation." "Forgive the students for disagreeing. Xixia possesses the essence of growing into an outstanding nation. Sincerely, as He Liang said, at some point, Xixia is bound to become a serious problem for the Central Plains." Xingde replied without hesitation.When he was in the atrium of the Shangshu Mansion, he answered correctly in his dream. He accused the court of failing in the Western Xia strategy, and now he felt that his reasons were more sufficient.Isn't the factor of Xixia's prosperity reflected in the strange woman he met in the market?In the face of life and death, he is courageous and calm.This is probably not due to the personality of the individual.Like her dark pupils, this character must be melted in the blood of the nation. "In short, the old man is full of tedious work now, and he has no time to talk about it one by one." The old man's implication is to drive away with virtue.Xingde also knew that his words made the old man very unhappy.But Xingde came to the conclusion that this is a language that no one in the country can understand.So far, the visit has been a great success and satisfaction. Although the old master has no interest in Xi Xia's writing, Zhao Xingde thinks that the thirty characters that he finally obtained should not be disposed of casually.From then on, no matter day or night, these words always flashed in front of him. For Xingde, staying in Beijing is meaningless, but he has no intention of cheering up.Although you won't be able to return home, it's not worth moping about it.At this time, he had neither the abjection of failing the Jinshi examination nor the ambition to try again after three years of hard work.The previous mentality of seeking fame and fame has been replaced by something completely different. Zhao Xingde took out the piece of cloth to look at it several times every day.Judging from the woman's brief description, it may be an official symbol of the Xixia Kingdom, used as a proof of identity or a pass.What is written in this text is certainly irrelevant, but there must be a deeper meaning hidden in it, which is not even contained in any existing books.Looking at these words, the plump body of that Xixia naked woman will appear in front of Xingde's eyes, and he will feel distracted and unable to hold himself. Zhao Xingde thought, how to pronounce these thirty characters?In order to learn to read these words, no matter what kind of effort you put in, it is worth it! .In the past, Zhao Xingde's spiritual pillar was the title on the gold list, and he returned to his hometown with honor.Now, this pillar has slumped down, replaced by the thought of going to Xixia for field investigation.I want to learn their characters, and I also want to set foot on the land of Xixia and see it with my own eyes.It would be even better if he could join the Xixia people living in groups to live. Half a month after meeting a Xixia woman in the market, Zhao Xingde made up his mind to visit Xixia.At this time, what about He Liang's An Bian Policy and what Xixia will inevitably become a hidden worry in the Central Plains in the future have disappeared from Zhao Xingde's mind.But what he cared about was that Xixia already had written characters, but he didn't recognize them.People of this ethnic group all have the bloodline of that woman, which is completely a mystery in the northwest land.Isn't this an extremely valuable but volatile pursuit goal that I never dreamed of?Xingde thought to himself, he must experience it for himself.The Xixia women he saw in the market inspired Xingde's inherent stubborn nature in Hunan. He was looking forward to the tragic scenery outside the Northwest Pass of "the long river with the sun set, and the desert with solitary smoke straight". The heroic pride of letting go came to my heart, and I could hardly restrain it.