Chapter 15 second quarter

The three accompanying officials sent by the Liao government are all veterans in handling diplomatic affairs, and have served as envoys or escorts more than once.They are proficient in etiquette, good at dealing with language, and dealing with diplomacy, and they all have a set of kung fu.Among them, only Xiao Kui was more rude, and Empress Xiao had thought about it for him.But in a certain climate, he can also adapt to the wind and restrain himself.If it was in peacetime, the few of them would be able to complete the task competently and happily, and they would definitely be able to earn a little bit of money.The so-called diplomacy in ancient times was nothing more than gaining some face and some real benefits for the dynasty without affecting the basic relationship between the two dynasties.But now the situation is different, the fundamental plans of the imperial court are still being discussed, and there is no consensus, and the foreign policy is even more indecisive, so the problem is not whether they are capable or not.

Before they set off for the new city, they did ask Empress Xiao for advice on the policy for Song envoys.Empress Xiao's instruction to them was the very abstract eight words, "Being strong and soft, take advantage of the situation and invite profit".This seems to be the same as the question of whether to receive the envoy of the Song Dynasty. It was also a conclusion reached after some court discussions and heated debates.But how tough can be tough?Which last line of defense can be retreated to?What kind of momentum?What kind of benefits do you invite?No one can give a clear answer to these questions, even Empress Xiao herself can't say why.The three of them are called companions, but they are actually negotiators. Since they have so many things in their minds, they have no choice but to go wherever they can.

All kinds of fantasies exist, as long as their small court can survive and continue, it is the greatest benefit, but none of the fantasies can stand the test of facts.Now that the two courts have mobilized troops, can they persuade the Song Dynasty envoys to make the Song Dynasty voluntarily withdraw their troops and protect each other's territory without aggression?Or can the Song Dynasty be persuaded to abandon the discussion of using troops, and the Liao and Song dynasties unite to deal with the Jin Dynasty?It's not only that a few of them don't have such a great ability, even the Song envoy who came to Yanjing in the name of envoy (a very ugly name) couldn't agree to this.

In addition, what other "benefits" can be "invited"? Yelu Dashi sent his deputy, front-line deputy commander, and Niulan army commander Xiao Yulu to the court to put forward a fierce proposal: detain the envoy of Song Dynasty, expressly refuse to negotiate, encourage morale, and fight to the death so that he can be killed. Seek to live.Otherwise, it would be false and submissive to relax the fighting spirit of the Song people, and then suddenly send troops to attack in order to reap the merits of the first battle.This suggestion was too dangerous in the eyes of the court ministers. Not only was there no way of defeating the Song army, but even if they were lucky, the Jurchens behind them were watching.With their limited strength, how can they act as a tiger in the front and a wolf in the back, attacking from both sides?Not only the ministers of the imperial court, but Empress Xiao herself obviously did not have the courage to accept such a desperate and desperate proposal.

There is also an extremist faction in the imperial court composed of clerks such as Zhongshu Shilang Pingzhangshi Zuo Qigong and Xijing Liushou Yu Zhongwen. I was also rumored to be in the army) negotiating surrender.Their reason was that if they surrendered to the Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty would be defeated by the Jin Dynasty in the future, and they would inevitably surrender to the Jin Dynasty again.Instead of surrendering again and again, how can it be straightforward and easy to surrender once?This group of people are all Haner Nanmian officials, and they are indeed willing to remarry Jurchen nobles as concubines as Zhao Jie deduced.But mentioning remarriage in front of my husband would be very harsh to the Khitan people.What's more, if they want to surrender, the Jurchens may not be willing to accept it.Yeluchun himself opposed this proposition, and most Xi and Khitan nobles also believed that it could not be considered, if there were other options rather than the only way to survive.

Empress Xiao is a realist in politics. Based on more realistic considerations, she is conditionally attached to the Song Dynasty, that is, she surrenders only in name but not in reality. This piece of land maintains relative independence.She thought that she still had 100,000 soldiers in her hand, which was the capital she could bargain with Song envoy.Her real purpose is to ease the conflict between Liao and Song, and push the Song Dynasty to the forefront of direct opposition to the Jin Dynasty. We will wait and see what happens in the future. Empress Xiao had hinted at this idea of ​​her elder brother, Xiao Qian, the king of the Fourth Army with the right to command the military, and Li Chuwen, the prime minister who played a decisive role in the Haner bureaucracy, and hoped to get their support.When the political situation is stable, the eyes of those below are all looking at the above, and what the above says is true. When the political situation is unstable, the above should look at the below more, and the opinions of the below will increase.Empress Xiao looked at the two of them now, but neither of them made a clear statement.Empress Xiao knew that her elder brother was largely influenced by his subordinate Yelu Dashi in terms of political views. To persuade her elder brother, she must first convince Yelu Dashi. Yelu Dashi was and still is a stubborn anti-Japanese faction. Subduing the Song Dynasty is simply impossible.Li Chuwen was in a delicate position. Although Empress Xiao's decision was beneficial to him, he could not express his position clearly because of various concerns.

Since the civil and military officials hadn't responded positively to her proposal, the realistic Empress Xiao had no choice but to suspend her proposition and wait for the limelight. The Liao government had a problem and asked the three accompanying officials to do it.The instructions they received were unclear and ambiguous.They had no choice but to figure out what the queen and ministers were thinking and act according to their own understanding. The only thing for sure is that they must quickly find out the true intention of the envoy Song's visit—is it really as serious as the "declared surrender" on the surface, or is there any loophole to take advantage of and earn some extra money?We must get to the bottom of the envoy Song.to take appropriate countermeasures.In order to achieve this goal, they went to the Jinggu Temple where Ma Kuo stayed in the hotel to pay their first official visit in the afternoon.

After some diplomatic greetings, Yao Fan, who was accompanying him, immediately asked: "Your envoy suddenly visited me in the midst of military affairs. I don't know what to teach you?" "Ma Mou was ordered to come to persuade the monarchs and ministers of your dynasty to surrender to our dynasty. He brought a handwritten letter of envoy Tong Xuan Fushi, and was ordered to hand it to His Royal Highness in person, so he asked the commander-in-chief to convey this to the king." The word "surrender" is obviously very severe, and even if exhortations are added, it may not be eased.Furthermore, Yeluchun had been proclaimed emperor by the ministers of the Liao court, and Ma Kuo, on the standpoint of an envoy of the Song Dynasty, only recognized the kings of Qin and Jin that he had received during Emperor Tianzuo, but did not recognize him as emperor.The title His Royal Highness also aroused the indignation of the accompanying staff.

"Ma Xuanzan's words were not thoughtful." Xiao Kui was the first to lose his temper, and said in a stern manner at that time, "The Southern Dynasty is known as a state of propriety and righteousness, and it is worthy of brothers in our state. It has been a good relationship for more than a hundred years. Now your Taking advantage of the dangers of the people, the court used troops in Yumeng first. The praise was also added with indecent words. Is it famous to come out with your court? Is this "declaration to surrender" morally justifiable?" "Xiao Shu wants to talk about morality, so I asked whether Zhang Chao is a famous teacher?" Ma Kuo heard Xiao Kui's outburst, calmly, and asked in turn, "I, Ma, also have a word to ask for advice."

"How dare you! Excuse me." Xiao Kui said arrogantly, as if he could withstand the collapse of the sky. "Excuse me," Ma Kuo pointed to the room with his finger, "Who will be in charge of the Jinggu Temple where I stay here to rest and talk with everyone?" "That still needs to be asked?" Xiao Kui replied haha, "This Jingju Temple is not under the management of my family's Yanjing Xijin Mansion. Could it be that your family's Kaifeng Mansion is under the management of it!" "Excuse me," Ma Kuo paused again, "Who is in charge of the Xijin Mansion in Yanjing?"

"Xuan Zan agrees strangely, Yanjing Xijin Mansion is the capital of our Daliao." Xiao Kui became a little irritable, "If it doesn't belong to my Daliao, who will take care of it?" "Okay!" Ma Kuo pointed to a long stele outside the window and said, "Xiao Shuzhi, please read what are the big characters engraved on this stele?" Xiao Kui didn't know what kind of medicine was sold in Ma Kuoman's gourd, he was suspicious for a while, he glanced at the monument outside the window, then looked at Yao Fan and Zhang Wei, and felt restless.Suddenly made up his mind, he laughed nonchalantly. "Ma Xuanzan must deceive me as an old man. Although I am old, I am full of energy and my old eyes are dim. I still can't see the big word 'Jinggou Temple'?" "These four big characters Xiao Shuzhi can be seen clearly," Ma Kuo encouraged from the side, "The inscription next to it is smaller, can Xiao Shuzhi still see it clearly?" "Is this envoy from the South trying to test the knowledge of a rough old man like me?" Xiao Kui thought to himself.It turns out that in ancient times, when the two courts sent envoys to each other, they had to quote scriptures and talk about the past and the present. Sometimes they caught an accidental mistake made by the other party and brought it back to the original court as a story.Xiao Kui, who was born in the Xi noble family, did not have any profound knowledge, but he knew a few Chinese characters, which is worth showing off.At this time, he stuck his head and neck out of the window, completely ignored the wink Zhang Ting gave him, and read aloud the inscription on the stele word by word: "In the first year of Jingyun in the Tang Dynasty, Xue, the governor of Youzhou, was rebuilt by imperial edict." Pointing to the number of words with his finger, he said, "These fifteen characters are very clear? It's a pity that there is a character in the middle, and the handwriting is blurred, so I can't read it clearly." In fact, he was not sure about the pronunciation of the middle character, so as not to be laughed at by the Nanshi. Made a mystery. "Ms. Ma can see the word Ne under the word Xue very clearly, and Xiao Shuzhi's eyesight is somewhat compromised." Ma Kuo stabbed it casually, and then asked, "The word 'Reconstruction by Fengchi' is correct. ?” "That's right, these four words." "Enough!" Ma Kuo suddenly said decisively, "Although Xiao Shuzhi's spirit is hale and hearty, his eyesight is dull, but his mind is not up to the task. Excuse me, you said that the Xijin Mansion in Yanjing is managed by your family. Xue Na, the governor of Youzhou in the Tang Dynasty, is he from your family? How could he build this Jingxu Temple on your land under the order of Emperor Ruizong?" Xiao Kui was dumbfounded by the question, and after a long while, he replied eagerly: "This is... this is an old saying hundreds of years ago, now don't mention it...don't mention it!" "How can we not mention the old sayings? This is exactly what our two envoys want to talk about. Today I want to tell you some old sayings," Ma Kuo said urgently, "I know that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty lived in the 22nd year of Zhenguan. , Khitan Handsome Kuge, and the old ancestor of your Xi family, Keduzhe, led his subordinates. That day Khan Tang Taizong named the Khitan tribe as Songmo Mansion, and Xi tribe as Raoyue Mansion. Both Kuge and Keduzhe were given Your surname is Li, and you were given the title of governor. At that time, your two families were in Yingzhou, Mowai, which was Pingfan in the northeast of Tang Dynasty. How can the land of sixteen states in Yanyun belong to your family?" At this time, it was necessary for a scholar to rescue Xiao Kui, Zhang Ting interjected cleverly and said, "This Xue Na was defeated by my family's Khitan in the second year of Kaiyuan, and he was the Jiedu envoy of Xue Po at that time?" Zhang Quan's question hit Ma Kuo's heart, he seized the topic and continued: "Zhang Langzhong only knows one thing, but not the other. In the second year of Kaiyuan, Khitan defeated Xue Na with a trick, and two years later, the Khitan chief Li was inactive. Shuai's subordinates came back again. The Tang Dynasty treated them well. They named Li Shihuo the king of Songmo County and Li Dajiu the king of Raole County. Meritorious service. Li Guangbi, who later became famous, was a descendant of Khitan. At that time, the people of Xi Khitan and the border people of Tang Dynasty lived in harmony. The love is more than flesh and blood. Tracing back the reasons, Li Shihuo and Li Dazhen are certainly heroes who know current affairs. Xue Na has been around for decades, and he has done most of the work in recruiting and approving. These people deserve the blessings of the people of the two families. How can they be together? The outcome of the battle is based on heroes?" "Sixteen prefectures of Yan belonged to your family when the Tang Dynasty was in its prime." Zhang Tang couldn't deny this fact, so he had to put aside a sentence and continue to argue, "But in the Five Dynasties, it was given to our Emperor Taizong by Shi Jingtang, the great ancestor of the later Jin Dynasty. The oath is like a mountain, how can it be regretted? Now it has been more than 200 years, and the hearts of the people have already turned. It has always been an alliance with the noble dynasty, and the monarchs and ministers of the noble dynasty have never discussed this matter. This old saying is suddenly mentioned in the praise, is it to be reversed? The old case two hundred years ago, ruined the friendship between your two dynasties?" "It's such a 'depressing and expensive'!" Zhang Ting, who is a Han son, assisted Xi and the Khitan nobles, which especially aroused Ma Kuo's indignation.He sneered and said: "Mr. Zhang, your ancestors must have been the people of my Han family for generations. You mistakenly regard the Khitan as the father of the emperor, and keep saying that 'the dynasty is yours'. So me. It can be said that I have forgotten my ancestors and recognized the enemy as me. Even if you are not ashamed of yourself, I, Ma, am ashamed of you!" Ma Kuo scolded Zhang Tang to the fullest, and before he could defend himself, he jumped ahead and said, "Besides, what is Shi Jingtang? He was originally the son of a small chieftain of the Shatuo tribe. In order to seize the title of emperor, He spared no effort to cede the land of the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun to Khitan. Those who don't know the land belong to the people of our family, how can they allow the two of them to give it away and accept it without authorization! This dirty account should be settled today." "This public case is indeed an old account from two hundred years ago," Yao Fan heard Ma Kuo's agitation, fearing that his words would not be easy to close, so he hastily came out and said, "Nowadays, the two families prioritize good neighborliness, let's talk about it." For the current matter, don’t mention that old story.” "Yao Taiwei said it so easily, you and I don't need to mention it, it's just that millions of ordinary people have suffered so much for two hundred years, the old creation has not been recovered, and the new creation is added, the blood and tears are stained, and the memory is fresh. Can you forget the old hatred? The hatred of the nation and the shame of the country are the fundamental issues that involve our two dynasties. As long as the previous account is not cleared, don't talk about it for two hundred years. After two hundred years, we must make it clear. Make it clear. Mr. Zhang, didn't you just say that people's hearts have changed for a long time?" Ma Kuo became more and more annoyed when he said this, and couldn't help turning around, pointing at the tip of Zhang Ting's nose and asking, "I, Mr. Ma, want to ask for advice. Who are the people the doctor is talking about? What kind of Hua are you talking about? If you are talking about those scum among the Han people who are greedy for wealth and honor and regard their enemies as their fathers, it is naturally different. If you are talking about millions of ordinary people, this is a big deal. The slander, deceitful talk. As far as I have come to the north, I have seen with my own eyes how many elders, with their children and grandchildren, are not afraid to travel hundreds of miles to the hotel to ask questions. Take a look at the majestic clothes of this court, and listen to the news of Master Wang. Some elders burst into tears when they saw me. When I came to Yanjing, even in the middle of the night, some people climbed to cheer. Zhang Lang Zhong was in the car, neither deaf nor blind, and he saw and heard it when he came to think about it. Besides, the survivors returning from the south flowed endlessly, like water returning to the sea. The rebel army entering the mountain was surging like a thunderstorm. You can see the signs of collapse. Zhang Langzhong, tell me which family is your favorite?" Ma Kuo's words were sharp and aggressive, forcing the three escorts so tightly that they couldn't turn around.They were unwilling to be reconciled, tough and dare not, so they had to show their housekeeping skills as diplomats, shifted their targets, and discussed specific issues. "As I said before, it is always what the predecessors did, and the future generations have to fill in the holes for him." Yao Fan said something in a hurry.Then he asked: "Xuan Zan is not easy to come by. Now that he has come to Yanjing, when do you plan to meet the king and queen?" The words of the companions were sometimes hard and sometimes soft, from which Ma Kuo got a glimpse of their hesitant mood.But Ma Kuo also has his own plans.It turned out that before he left the new city, he had sent Zhao Jie and Sha Jun with Zhao Liangsi's autograph letter to Yanjing City to find Li Chuwen and his son, hoping to establish a relationship and urge Empress Xiao to return.Ma Kuo attaches great importance to this chess piece, and it is estimated that they have not had time to contact him, and he also hopes to wait and see for two days before talking. "When I go to visit His Highness in Jin Dynasty, I have to listen to your court's arrangements," Ma Kuo replied casually, "I just heard that His Highness has violated your body in the past few days, and he will have to wait until he is seven or eight percent cured before he can speak. Don’t rush to see him in one or two days.” "That's very good," Yao Fan received the order, which also asked him to postpone the date of meeting with His Majesty, so he said smoothly, "After the Lord Wan'an is gone, I will ask the Queen to decide the date of the meeting. I heard that Xuan Zan brought me Why don’t you let us take the letters between Tong Xuanfu and the monarch and ministers of our country to the court for review? We and the officials who receive them have to see it first.” "I had to read the original letter face-to-face, listen to the king and princess, and hand it over to the king and concubine. It's too late to take it with the Taiwei." Ma Kuo flatly refused, and he couldn't help laughing secretly, "This letter, no matter where you are, I have seen it first, in my heart. It will not be 'soon', why rush to see it?" Then he said: "I have recorded a copy here, and if you really want to see it first, please take the copy with you. Li Menxia, ​​Zuo Zhongshu and others have a look together." "Best, best!" They took the copies.It can be considered that a task has been completed, and they all resigned together.