Chapter 1000 The ambition to destroy Xia (two updates in one)

The first month of the tenth year of Xining.

In the first month of the first lunar month, envoys from the Liao Kingdom, Xixia, and Goryeo also came to congratulate the officials of the Song Dynasty.

In terms of etiquette, in the Liao Kingdom and Xixia, they did not bow to their monarch when they saw them, while in Korea and Huihe, they had to bow down as a vassal.

After the pilgrimage, the emperor would give a banquet to the envoys of Liao and Goryeo, but other envoys such as Xixia did not receive this treatment.

In short, the Liao Kingdom is on one level, and the Xixia and Goryeo Kingdoms are on another level, but there are differences due to the closeness and distance between the two countries.

There are also high and low levels of accommodation. Envoys from the Liao Kingdom, Xixia, and Korea all have fixed residences, while other envoys are arranged to live in concierge hotels.

In addition to paying homage to the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, the Liao envoys also had to burn incense at Daxiangguo Temple the next day, and then go to the South Imperial Garden to shoot arrows. The Song Dynasty also selected military ministers who were good at archery to accompany the Liao envoys in archery.

This time the military officials accompanying him were Zhong E, Liu Changzuo and Yao Lin.

They made great contributions in last year's Taoshui victory, and were rewarded for being recommended by Li Xian and Zhang Kai to the capital.

In the past, when watching the shooting competition in the Imperial Garden, people would go to the Imperial Garden to watch the excitement.

Now that I heard that he was a famous general from Xihe Road, countless people from the city went to the imperial garden to watch, and the crowds of people were a grand occasion.

Seeing this, the officials slightly raised the corners of their mouths, and immediately ordered the shooting contest to begin.

Feng Jing, Wang Gui, Zhang Yue and other prime ministers sat aside, while Wang Anshi asked for leave. After the banquet that day, Wang Anshi began to gradually fade away from the court.

Zhang Yue took a sip of tea and watched Zhong E, Liu Changzuo and Yao Lin riding into the imperial garden. In the past, shooting was a false response. Both the Song and Liao sides waited for the soldiers to string the crossbow arrows before handing them over to the Liao envoys and

To compete with Song Chen, both sides only need to activate the crossbow fangs.

But today is different, this kind of competition with false stories has been cancelled.

The three men of Zhong'e all entered the imperial garden on horseback. Their horses were filled with arrows. It seemed that they were trying to shoot on horseback.

Zhang Yue saw the surprised expressions on the Liao envoy's side. They did not expect that the Song people would actually play it real this time. This was a skill that was better than real swords and spears.

Zhang Yue knew this well, and it seemed that the official family was gradually showing its edge.

Immediately, each side sent three people to ride and shoot, and the competition officially began. Once the three accompanying archers hit the target, the surrounding people all cheered. On the contrary, no matter whether the Liao envoy's shot hit or missed, there was silence in the field.

.

When a Song official succeeded in shooting, the official sitting on the throne was very happy, and then gave a reward to the stone next to the throne.

Silver pommel horses, clothing, gold and silver utensils, etc. were given one after another.

In the end, the three of them were better than the Liao archers brought by the Liao envoy, and the people shouted, as if the Song army had defeated the Liao on the front line, and they were very proud.

Zhonge, who was the last to appear, proudly raised his riding bow and rode around the shooting garden three times.

Wherever Zhong E passed, the people burst into enthusiastic cheers.

At this moment, the officials whispered: "This act of planting is really taking over the host."

"If you get carried away with your complacency, there will be disaster."

"It is not a good thing for a military official to succeed."

"In the beginning, I built the city of Suizhou privately, recruited Weiming brothers to rebel against Xia, and was promoted to an official family for his military achievements. If this person succeeds, the imperial court will have trouble with Xixia again in the future."

"Encouraging side work is not a blessing to the country."

At this time, the Liao envoy, who had failed in the archery competition, just said that Song Dynasty's bows were not good. The officials laughed and gave the Liao envoy the same reward.

The official looked at the three military ministers in the field with happy faces, and said to the Prime Minister on the side: "Zhang Kai is really good at selecting talents."

Zhang Yue sat on the chair and was speechless. These three people were discovered by Zhang Yue when he was the envoy of Xihe Road.

Li Xian and Zhang Kai used the talents they cultivated and the soldiers and horses they worked hard to build, and achieved world-shaking achievements. However, the officials did not know whether they forgot or something, and praised Zhang Kai in front of Zhang Yue and several prime ministers.

The credit comes.

Of course, Zhang Yue would not talk about these merits at this time. As a governor and an administrator competing for merit, such a pattern would be small.

According to official advice, he decided to promote Zhong E to the position of deputy capital commander in front of the palace and transfer him to the capital to command the imperial army.

Zhang Yue thought to himself that the officials had poached Zhang Kai from him, and they had poached Zhang Er from Zhang Kai.

But thinking about the differences between the official family and Empress Dowager Gao, I understood his intention. The Forbidden Army must have its own trusted generals.

Officials are now building their own team, whether it is to exterminate Xia, establish a prince, or create new laws.

Officials must all "cut off my will" and never take advantage of others. After Wang Anshi's death, there will be a situation of group ministers, and there will be no independent minister.

The three military ministers left Shinan Imperial Garden with great honors, and the common people lined the streets to see them off.

The officials and several governors also left the imperial garden.

On the way, Feng Jing said: "Your Majesty, this time the envoy from Xia has decided to stay until after the Lantern Festival."

The official asked: "Does Li Bingchang really want to attach himself to the Song Dynasty?"

Feng Jing explained that it turned out that Li Bingchang, the leader of the Xixia Kingdom, sent an envoy to express his goodwill to the Song Dynasty.

It turns out that after Xixia's defeat at Taoshui last year, Xixia also immediately adjusted its stance towards the Song Dynasty.

Li Bingchang, the leader of the Xixia Kingdom, began to rule personally. In the past, the affairs of the Xixia Kingdom had been controlled by the Empress Dowager Liang and her brother Prime Minister Liang Yimi.

The two brothers and sisters have always advocated uniting with the Liao Kingdom to reject the Song Dynasty. This time, Li Bingchang took office and actively improved relations with the Song Dynasty.

First of all, Xixia once again offered money and sincerity to the Song Dynasty.

But Li Bingchang did not simply kiss Song Dynasty. He was also prepared for war and war.

To be able to make peace, you must first be able to fight. Xixia's thinking is very clear. Therefore, Xixia continued to send troops to the Fourth Road of Shaanxi to show off its military power. At the same time, it built a ancestral city near Huanqing Road of the Song Dynasty.

At the same time, Li Bingchang expressed his sincerity in negotiating peace to the Song Dynasty through Yu Zanghuama, the current deputy general manager of troops and horses in Qinfeng Road.

However, the officials did not fully believe in Li Bingchang's sincerity. Instead, they asked Feng Jing and Zhang Yue: "The Xia State has always been cunning and changeable, and the rebellious minister Li Yuanhao betrayed his trust many times back then. This time Li Bingchang showed kindness to me, the ministers thought that

how?"

Feng Jingdao: "What your Majesty said is absolutely true. The barbarians are cunning and repeated and should not be taken lightly. The Xia Kingdom is always in a state of obedience and rebellion. We must accommodate them. We must not get involved in their political affairs."

The official was quite dissatisfied with Feng Jing's words and said: "I heard what Yu Zanghuama said. Li Bingchang did resume the practice of Han rituals in the palace and wanted to change the Han system. This is not a Chinese intention? What does Zhang Qing know?"

Zhang Yue said: "At first, Yu Zanghuama was a minister who wanted to surrender. Later, he was very determined to follow the Song Dynasty. His words should be credible."

The official asked: "Looking from this point of view, can Li Bingchang succeed in changing the imperial system?"

Zhang Yue said: "I believe that the way to control chaos is both from the basic point of view and from the practical point of view."

"The new defeat of Xixia made the people and scholars feel depressed. Li Bingchang wanted to change to the Han system, intending to change his laws and save the country. This was done by changing his affairs."

"But the customs of the Xia Kingdom are very different from those of China. If you change the customs without changing the basics, this reform is not in line with people's hearts and will definitely fail!"

Li Bingchang changed Xixia to the Han system, which was exactly the same as the emperor's reform, in order to regain power from the old forces and strengthen the imperial power.

Zhang Yue said that Li Bingchang's reform would definitely fail.

Wang Anshi's reform proposed "change customs and legislate laws." To change the system, we must first change the customs.

Unless Li Bingchang could imitate Emperor Xiaowen of Wei and move the capital to Luoyang, he would not be able to successfully change customs.

Changing the law without changing the customs is a waste of time.

Ignoring the traditional governance methods and long-held cultural traditions of the Xixia nomadic people, this was undoubtedly putting the cart before the horse, so Zhang Yue concluded that his restructuring would fail.

The officials were overjoyed after hearing Zhang Yue's words, and still said: "But Li Bingchang supports the Han system and shows his favor to me. If he doesn't support it, how can he be allowed to explain to the people? Even if his reform fails, he can still be made Internal friction and loss of national strength."

Zhang Yue's original intention was that Li Bingchang's reform would definitely fail, and the odds of us betting on him were very low. But the officials believed that no matter whether he won or lost, we must train him well to make him consume Xixia's national power.

Zhang Yue thought to himself that the official idea could not be said to be wrong, but it seemed too straightforward.

Instead, I would kindly advise Li Bingchang, I know you admire China, but the Xia Kingdom is different from Chinese folk customs. Your sudden restructuring will definitely arouse opposition from the country, and the son of a man is more precious than his mother. Please listen carefully. What your mother and uncle say is king.

Anyway, the conflicts between Li Bingchang, Empress Dowager Liang and Liang Yimi were irreconcilable, and Li Bingchang would definitely not listen.

When the official saw that Zhang Yue didn't answer, he was about to show his displeasure.

Zhang Yue, however, had noticed his words and immediately said: "Your Majesty, congratulations!"

When the official saw what Zhang Yue said, he looked satisfied and said, "Qing Zhang, the envoy from the Xia Kingdom asked to see you when he came to the court, so you will find out what Li Bingchang means for me!"

Immediately, the official said to Sun Gu, the magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture on the side: "All the envoys of the Xia Kingdom must make careful arrangements for their entry and exit in Kaifeng Prefecture."

Zhang Yue and Sun Gu both said it was.

…

The Song Dynasty also tried its best to receive Xixia envoys.

Being received by Zhang Yue, the prime minister, can be regarded as an extraordinary treatment. This shows that the officials attach great importance to this and are determined to win over Li Bingchang.

The Xixia envoy has been active in the Song Dynasty in the past few days and has made a request to visit the Song Dynasty market.

This made the accompanying envoy very distressed, but the officials responded to the Xixia envoy's requests and allowed him to have a look at Chinese customs.

Of course, the courtiers had objections to this, thinking that the Xixia envoys were doing something bad for me by prying into Chinese customs. However, the officials had made a decision and did not listen to the officials' advice, allowing the Xixia envoys to visit Bian accompanied by their envoys.

Free access to and from Beijing.

The official style of conduct is also becoming more and more vigorous and decisive, and one person is dictatorial.
To be continued...