Chapter 2 second quarter
Tong Guan's wonderful move was implemented after adopting the suggestion of his main staff member Zhao Liangsi, coupled with the careful planning of several cronies, and after repeated scrutiny and maturity.Because the matter is confidential, until now, those who fully understand the inside story are only limited to these few people.
Originally named Ma Zhi, "Zhao Liangsi" who got his current name after being granted grace twice by the Northern Song Dynasty court, was a bureaucratic aristocrat who fled from the Liao Dynasty and came to the Northern Song Dynasty. He was a mysterious figure full of legends. He is one of the very few senior aides who can actually play a role in Tong Guan's huge think tank.
Zhao Liangsi is the real founder and inventor of the diplomatic strategy of "Uniting the Jin Dynasty and defeating the Liao Dynasty".Later, because this suggestion was accepted by the imperial court, many people came to snatch its invention right, but they were all counterfeiters and shadowers. This real gold-lettered signboard should only be hung on Zhao Liangsi's store.
Although Zhao Liangsi was its true inventor, he was not its original executor.The first person to participate in the diplomatic activities of the Maritime Alliance was Ma Zheng, then Ma Kuo, and of course their entourage.Only when the initial dangerous stage had passed and the negotiations began to proceed smoothly, did Zhao Liangsi join in, and with his excellent negotiating art, this diplomatic move achieved remarkable results.
People rumored that Zhao Liangsi was a "spirited and benevolent man" who did not forget the Han family and cherished the memory of the old master. Even though the diplomatic activities of the Maritime Alliance had not yet started, and the Song and Liao states still maintained normal relations, Zhao Liangsi used this Its good reputation is well-known in the word-of-mouth of some scholar-bureaucrats in the Northern Song Dynasty.
Zhao Liangsi was born into a family of big bureaucratic landlords of the Han nationality who were ruled by the Khitan nobility and at the same time willingly helped the Khitan nobility rule the vast majority of the people in the north.For the rulers, they are slaves, and for the majority of the ruled, they are masters.They are a kind of slave-like masters who get in the cracks.The tameness of the slave and the ferocity of the accomplice, they have both.
Since Zhao Liangsi grew up in such a family, it is of course impossible for him to have a level of thinking that far exceeds that determined by this objective reality.What he said about not forgetting the Han family and remembering the old master is just a label he put on to raise his own value.Anyone who wants to sell himself to others—whether his ancestors sold himself to the Khitan nobles, or he himself sells himself to the Northern Song Dynasty, in addition to having a little ability to serve the new master, he also needs to put on a good-looking Only the labels can afford a good price.Since human society began to have transactions, advertising has also been invented at the same time.The so-called advertising is to make people believe that there is no such thing as something that actually does not exist or that it cannot exist at all.Zhao Liangsi's label is his advertisement.For the class to which he belonged has never been, and cannot be, the breeding ground for the noble sentiments he puts on his label.For both the ruling class of the Northern Song Dynasty and the Khitan nobles, he had no moral choices, only considerations of interests.All he has to choose is to see which group can give him more fame and wealth.
One thing is undeniable, Zhao Liangsi is indeed very talented and active.Unfortunately, he was born in such a "last days", when Liao's aristocratic ruling group had decayed to such an extent that it only needed obedient and obedient servants, not unconventional and up-and-coming accomplices.The "golden age" that needed capable accomplices to help them establish, consolidate and maintain aristocratic rule has long passed.Zhao Liangsi was eager for fame, and if he showed a little bit of talent, he seemed out of place with the other accomplices, and his master looked down on him, which made him feel that he was not born at the right time.Coupled with a series of personnel frictions, he stumbled and fell several times on the road to wealth and honor paved for him by his ancestors, which caused his official career to stagger and stagnate, and he was even brought on a "top hat". "Professionals do not cultivate" hat (in this class, how many people are experts in cultivation? This is nothing more than a hat picked up at random).This of course made him deeply dissatisfied, so he had the idea of finding another way out.
In addition, he was indeed very sensitive politically, and he saw earlier than anyone else that the rotten Liao regime would soon be on the road to collapse.He took a bold and decisive action, sneaking into the residence of Tong Guan, the envoy sent by the Northern Song Dynasty to the Liao government to celebrate the Shengshou, discussing the general trend of the world, and offered a plan to unite Jin and destroy Liao, which was appreciated by Tong Guan. Under Tong Guan's cover, they disguised themselves as the entourage of the mission and returned to Tokyo together.
Zhao Liangsi, who was thrown away like a rotten apple in the Liao ruling group, received attention and attention from all sides as soon as he arrived in Tokyo.First of all, he flaunted himself with a high profile of "not wanting to be a subject", which gave him a moral excuse for his prostitution.Then he played a full set of skills. He was so familiar with the inside story of Liao's rule, including the two aspects of the northern and southern officials, and he knew the political and military situation of Liao so well.The development trend of the Liao and Jin wars he predicted was confirmed one by one by the facts that happened in the next ten years, as if in agreement.A person's predictions can have such a high hit rate, which shows that his observation and judgment skills are indeed beyond the reach of ordinary generations.All of this made him an extraordinary and powerful faction among the scholar-bureaucrats in the Northern Song Dynasty, a "Khitan master" worthy of his name and reality.He convincingly argued that the Liao Dynasty was doomed and that the Northern Song government should benefit from it. In fact, he subtly provoked their greed and made them agree to his proposal of joining the Jin Dynasty to defeat the Liao Dynasty.
But others can only play the role of public opinion, and the key person is Tong Guan.Tong Guan's 100% approval must be obtained, and his ideal can only be realized with official approval.
Three years ago, the imperial court sent Ma Zheng as an envoy to the sea to start the activities of the Sea Alliance, and Zhao Liangsi's ideals were gradually realized.If he wants to benefit from it, he must rely on Tong Guan's push and pull, and Tong Guan also needs his help if he wants to get more wealth.The two of them took advantage of each other and got closer.
Ma Zheng, Ma Kuo and Zhao Liangsi successively participated in the Sea Alliance.Due to the different motives of each person, in the process of working together, it is inevitable that such and such disagreements will occur.Even so, Ma Zheng and Ma Kuo spoke highly of his mobility.Ma Kuo had to admit that in his disputes with Wanyan Aguda and other Jurchen nobles, his mind was clear and his words were sharp, and from the perspective of objective effects, it was generally in the interests of the Northern Song court.
Of course, Ma Kuo's evaluation of him is not based on moral meaning, but from practical affairs.Zhao Liangsi himself knew this very well, because after working together for a long time, his political labels had long since faded.In addition, although he is a man of fame and fame, he is not a hypocrite who can lie to the end, and will show his feet after a long time. He is satisfied with Ma Kuo's evaluation of him from practical affairs.
In the increasingly disintegrating Liao regime, Zhao Liangsi was obviously not the only one who had the same idea.Zhao Liangsi's cousin Li Chuwen is another example.
Li Chuwen's family background was even more prominent than that of Zhao Liangsi. His grandfather Li Zhongxi and uncle Li Yan were both given the surname Yelu, and they were named king and prince.But this counterfeit "Yelv" is a Xibei product after all, they have to hold on to the thighs of Xi and Khitan nobles, for example, his uncle Yeluyan held on to the thighs of his uncle Xiao Fengxian to keep Nanmian officials for more than ten years leadership.Li Chuwen was so proud of his youth that he even forgot this ancestral creed, and became a little carried away by his masters, which of course would not bring him good results.As a result, his status plummeted, and he embarked on the same hesitant path as Zhao Liangsi for a long period of time.
The common destiny produced common thoughts and emotions. At that time, cousins and nephews mingled together all day long, confiding in each other's hearts and talking about everything.Before heading south, Zhao Liangsi, Li Chuwen and his son Li Shi went to the famous North Pole Temple in Yanjing to drink wine and make an oath, agreeing that each other would be active in both the north and the south.
After Zhao Liangsi went south, he knew that Li Chuwen had improved slightly in his official career.Unexpectedly, in the recent turbulent political situation, Li Chuwen stood out, and because of his contribution to supporting Yeluchun and his wife as empresses, he jumped to the post of prime minister.The first step of this news was inquired by He Shen, and later confirmed by Zhang Bao and Zhao Zhong, relatives of Zhao Liangsi who fled from Liao Dynasty, and it was indeed true.They also found out that Li Shi is now serving as a guard in the palace and is favored by the empress. The power in the palace and the province is in the hands of his father and son respectively, and his momentum is extraordinary.This is a great opportunity, Zhao Liangsi decided to use his father and son as his political capital, just like Tong Guan took Zhao Liangsi as his political capital.He immediately suggested to Tong Guan to get through Li Chuwen's inside line, urge Yeluchun to surrender, or instigate them to launch a palace coup and capture Yeluchun, so as to achieve the goal of surrendering without fighting.
Zhao Liangsi firmly believed that this strategy was absolutely sure.It's not because he has a good relationship with Li's father and son, which is unreliable, and none of them will seriously believe in such nonsense as "if there is a Yumeng alliance, the gods will kill it", but because they are all men of meritorious deeds. They all know how to consider their own future from the perspective of real interests. The so-called "Where the benefits lie, pursue them", this is related to their lives, so they are very sure.Although Li Chuwen is currently the prime minister, the Liao regime is dying and dying. Its demise is just a matter of care.Yeluchun is clearly a swallow nesting on the flying screen, and a big fish swimming in the turmoil.He, Li Chuwen, has always seen things clearly, and knows what is good and what is wrong. Could it be that he is willing to be Yelu Chun's funeral object for the sake of this honor?He, Li Chuwen, and his cousin Li Shi, who had always hated the senior Khitan nobles because of personal grievances, were definitely not such big fools.As long as they are pulled together, they will definitely sell Yeluchun to the Northern Song court as a rare commodity. Zhao Liangsi knows this well and is sure of it.
Zhao Liangsi's suggestion deeply fit Tong Guan's heart.Because Tong Guan himself is also a political adventurer, "Throwing the bait of wealth and wealth, how can there be fish that don't take the bait?" This is his philosophy of life.He believes that it is indeed a good plan to judge others by oneself.They summoned Zhang Bao and Zhao Zhong, comforted them with warm words, filled out the report of the regiment training envoy on the spot, and rewarded them generously with gold and silk, asking them to sneak into the Liao territory and carry out secret activities.Go to Li Chuwen's relationship first, send Zhao Liangsi's letter to his father and son, and then act according to the situation, either positively persuade to surrender, or secretly instigate a rebellion, if the success is complete, the reward in the future will never be more than a thousand times the present.Because the envoy of the Xuanfu personally signed the ticket, and Zhao Liangsi was on the sidelines to encourage him, Zhang and Zhao were both surprised and happy, and their hearts were itchy. Use two pairs of wings to carry it back.
The letter of persuasion given to Yeluchun by the Xuanfu Department was an official article. Tong Guan also solemnly recruited the marching staff officer Liu Kai and wrote the draft. After Yeluchun became attached to him, his sons and grandsons will keep their wealth forever.In the end, Tong Guan also took special care to remind him, saying, "Guan and the king were lucky to have a one-sided relationship, and he dared not tell the truth, but the king thought it out and thought it out well, so don't be mistaken by mediocrity."
Tong Guan did meet Yeluchun once, it was ten years ago, when he went to the Liao court to celebrate his holy birthday, he met Yeluchun at the court meeting and state banquet, and they probably met more than once or twice.There are too many clans and nobles like Liao. There are so many Yeluhei, Yelubai, Yeluchang, and Yelushou that Tong Guan really can't remember.He didn't have a special impression of Yeluchun, who was a respected relative, an uncle of the emperor, and a king. He only remembered being told that Yejinchun's wife Xiao Puxian was the number one beauty in the Liao court.Among all the things that rich and powerful families like, beauties are the only one that Tong Guan is not interested in, and what impresses him more is the arrangement of "number one".Since Yeluchun has a beautiful wife known as the "No. 1" beauty, he must be a relative who will enjoy the blessings.Later, I heard the legend of the "returner" that Yeluchun died of illness not long after he came to the throne, and was in bed due to illness.The queen's surname must be Xiao, and when the emperor cannot be in charge, the queen mother or empress will take charge. Both of these are Liao traditions, and Tong Guan knows it very well.But other than that, he only had an abstract concept of Yelu Chun and Empress Xiao.All he had in his head was an old emperor with a false name and an empress who he imagined was younger and much more capable.In fact, not only the empress, but also the main generals of the Liao Dynasty, he is also very vague.Zhao Liangsi provided him with information many times, but he was able to enter his noble mind, which was not willing to pay too much attention to specific things, and there was only a grumpy, reckless pussy, the Fourth Army King Xiao Qian and Yelu Dashi, a former army commander who claims to be both wise and brave, is always controlled by others and powerless.Being good at transforming complex and concrete things into simple abstract concepts is a necessary condition for a court official to become a senior official.
But now the situation has changed.The implementation of this strategy brought him one step closer to reality, and this letter signed by him would become a piece of bait to catch two big fishes, the emperor and the empress.The distance between him and them shortened.It dawned on him that they were both real, not abstract figures.Even a more concrete image was produced in his consciousness.The emperor must be a short, fat old man with white beard and hair (this is based on memory and imagination), and the empress must be a slender and graceful woman (this is all based on imagination).Their actual presence is not only very necessary to him, but also becomes very dear.For they would provide him with an almost incalculable benefit.A senior official can only have a concept of reality when the objectively existing things are connected with his own interests.The closer the connection, the more concrete the concept.
But whether the decree can have an effect depends on whether Zhang and Zhao can get along with Li Chuwen.It seems that Zhao Liangsi's letter to Li Chuwen is more important. This letter is written like this:
"Drinking wine in the North Pole Temple in a short period of time, I swore to return to the court and destroy the captives. Ten years later, my wish was not fulfilled. Fortunately, the imperial court sent ministers to lead millions of troops, and they will be approaching the border. Quickly gather righteous men and open the door to welcome surrender. If you can hold captive chieftains, you can turn misfortunes into blessings. Capturing the five capitals, four of them have already been trapped! If you can complete our entire Yan people and return to the imperial court, you will be a sinner with one step, and the time will last forever, and you can sit back and enjoy wealth! Mian Zhan, Mian Zhan! People return to Xi to show their recovery."
This letter is expressed with affection, sincerity with benefit, fear with prestige, how can Li Chuwen remain indifferent after reading it?Li Chuwen is the prime minister, and the fate of Yeluchun and his wife is already in his hands. If he makes a move, is he afraid that he will not succeed?It seems that the Liao Bureau, which has been difficult to handle for more than two hundred years, is about to receive credit for it.
Two eight-line scripts are better than one hundred thousand soldiers. This is the basis for Tong Guan's hesitant declaration in the military meeting that he can win without fighting.
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