Zhang Dun, who knew Dingzhou and was also the pacifier of Dingzhou, actively prepared for war and rectified the border preparations since his arrival.

As he said, Zhang Dun prepared a field army in Dingzhou, including a horse army.

In fact, although the Song Dynasty was short of horses, the Dingzhou Army always had no shortage. Uighur, Dangxiang, and Zang all gave priority to equip the Dingzhou Army when buying horses. Now that the imperial court has conquered Liangzhou, it transferred two hundred Liangzhou horses last month.

Priority will be given to soldiers and horses in Dingzhou.

But Zhang Dun still felt that the gift was too little.

Zhang Dun was very active in Dingzhou. He eliminated the old army and formed a new army. Others asked him why he did not organize and train the old army but used the new army.

Zhang Dun said: "The old army is rotten and cannot be used. The only way is to dismantle and reform the new army."

Now the Khitan has repeatedly invaded the border and caused many troubles. Soldiers and horses escorted the people across the border to cut trees and drove the servants to collect water.

The border was troubled, but Zhang Dun was able to calmly serve as a chariot. The general was well-trained and everyone admired him.

On this day, Zhang Dun and other generals were inspecting the military situation in the mountains outside Dingzhou City. From here, they could faintly see Khitan soldiers invading the Song Dynasty.

However, Zhang Dun didn't take it seriously and brought dozens of cavalry, together with Zhou Qianjia, Lu Dujian and other generals, to inspect the situation.

Around noon, they caught two black dogs from a nearby village, killed them on the spot, and cooked the dog meat in a large pot.

Zhang Dun and other generals were eating dog meat from the pot and drinking strong wine.

The early spring in the North is still extremely cold. In this weather, eating a pot of boiling dog meat with a fragrant aroma is really a first-class luxury.

A general laughed and said: "Dog meat is not on the table. We thought that a fairy like Jieshuai would not eat it. Unexpectedly, the general ate it very happily."

After enjoying the feast, Zhang Dun said: "When I was young, I was fond of seeking immortality. I often ate and drank with a few monks who did not abide by the rules and precepts."

"So not only dog ​​meat was eaten, but snake meat was also eaten."

"What about dog meat? In the past, Fan Kuai killed dogs to make a living, and he still won generals."

All the generals laughed when they heard this and praised Zhang Dun for saying it well.

"This dog meat contains one black, two yellow, three white and four flowers! Thanks to the commander-in-chief, we can eat black dogs today. It is really a blessing!"

The generals laughed again.

Zhang Dun's informal behavior is also very popular.

However, none of the generals dared to be rude in front of him. Although the generals had not read much books, they instinctively smelled a very dangerous smell from Zhang Dun.

Different from ordinary scholars, a scholar with a charlatan attitude should never be provoked. This kind of person is very scary. If he really dares to kill someone, he can still survive.

Offending such a person will lead to endless troubles.

While he was talking, a staff member sent a newspaper to his residence.

Zhang Dun wiped the grease from his hands with a cloth, and after reading the Di newspaper, he said angrily.

"He always refuses and avoids his position, but he doesn't know how to do his best. If those who do great things don't do it fiercely, how can they be more ambitious?"

All the commanders and ministers present looked embarrassed. They knew that Zhang Dun was scolding the center again.

The person he scolded was none other than his stupid and good-for-nothing brother, who was the prime minister of the dynasty, Zhang Yue. After Zhang Dun became a high-ranking official, he had no good words for Zhang Yue. Moreover, there was also a fixed project that he would do whenever there was someone in the place or passing by.

Officials came to visit.

After Zhang Dun chatted with him for a few words, he criticized the government and then criticized Zhang Yue.

Many officials were very embarrassed after hearing Zhang Dunzhi's words.

Many of them have worked under Zhang Yue. Even if they have not worked under Zhang Yue, they would not dare to agree with you if you criticize the prime minister of the dynasty.

However, they did not dare to refute Zhang Dun's accumulated power.

Therefore, they did not sit or stand in front of Zhang Dun. They often found an excuse and left immediately.

As for the staff and generals in the commander's mansion, they were not so lucky.

They can't leave!

Every day when this festival comes, the generals can only hang their heads and say nothing. If Zhang Dun calls their names and asks them to echo a few words, then the game is over.

Zhang Dun said: "How can such a person abandon his righteousness when he sees small profits, and cherish his own life when doing great things? How can such a person entrust the world to him?"

"You are really cowardly if you don't dare to serve as a leader of the country. I have never misjudged you. You have really lost the face of the Zhang family!"

After scolding Zhang Dun, it seemed that Zhang Dun was still angry.

He was angry that Zhang Yue left when trouble came, instead of sitting down and adhering to his political views, continuing to maintain a tough attitude towards Liao, and now allowing Sun Gu to come forward to negotiate peace with Liao.

Zhang Dun walked around for a moment with his hands behind his hands, and said to the generals: "The matter has come to this, and if we keep forbearing, the Khitan will only kick his nose in the face."

"No one in the court can take on the responsibility. I am the only one who can shoulder this heavy burden."

"From tomorrow onwards, if any Liao people cross the border again to fetch water or cut firewood, they will be expelled!"

Under Zhang Dun's order, all the generals were shocked. The Khitan troops gathered heavily at the border. How could it be better if you were to expel them like this and fight against each other?

The generals did not dare to disobey and had to stand up and accept the order.

The generals didn't know that Lu Huiqing wrote to Zhang Dun, and since there was no one in the court to restrain them, the two of them could do things easily.

As for negotiating a peace with Liao?

Needless to say, both Lu Huiqing and Zhang Dun absolutely refused.

…

The intention of the Liao envoy to raise an army to investigate the crime is obvious.

After the envoy Xiao Xi and the deputy envoy Xiao Delit arrived in Bianjing, the emperor first met the envoys in Zichen Hall, and then held a banquet in Chui Gong Hall.

Xiao Xi still spoke with caution when facing the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, and asked the Song Dynasty and Dangxiang to stop fighting and return Dangxiang to his old place.

Then Xiao Xi handed over the letter of credence and said that the emperor of the Northern Dynasty told the emperor of the Southern Dynasty that it would be best if the affairs of Xixia were settled as soon as possible, otherwise the diplomatic relations between the two countries would be harmed.

Up to this point, everyone is fine and no skin has been broken.

The official did not answer, but asked Cai Que to come forward and answer on his behalf: "The Westerners have violated the rule of law for many years, and they need to be punished. Why bother sending envoys to the Northern Dynasty?"

Xiao Xi was dissatisfied with Cai Que's answer, and asked again: "I heard that the attack on Dang Xiang was all made according to the rules and regulations. Why don't you see him here today?"

As soon as this statement came out, Cai Que replied that the Prime Minister had announced that he should recover from illness.

Xiao Xi and Xiao Delit left without saying anything after hearing this.

Cai Jing, a scholar from Zhizhi, reported that the Liao envoys must have a conspiracy when they arrive in Beijing, and the imperial court should convene hundreds of officials to discuss and decide whether to make war or peace.

The officials did not listen, but gave gifts to the Liao envoys after the banquet, but they were found to be too little.

Later, Song and Liao negotiated.

Sun Gu served as the chief negotiator. His right-hand men were Zhao Tingzhi and Li Gefei, both of whom were sent by Wang Gui.

Sun Gu knew that every move he made was under Wang Gui's instruction.

Sun Gu was also very aggrieved. He did not have any party members in the court and was always known for his integrity and self-preservation.

Therefore, although he was a privy envoy, he was not powerful enough to compete with Wang Gui and Zhang Yue in the court, so he had no choice but to be at their mercy.

Even Sun Gu knew that it was only an expedient measure for the officials to ask him to negotiate peace, and they just used him as a pawn.

However, out of loyalty to the emperor, and more importantly, he was worried that if Song and Liao went to war, the people of Hebei would suffer, so he could not turn a blind eye.

In line with the intention of caring for the people and being loyal to the emperor, he has a sense of endurance and humiliation, but even if the sword is thrown at him, he still has to complete his mission.

As soon as Xiao Xi came up, he said aggressively: "In the end, when Han Zhongyan insulted our leader, was it his intention, your official's intention, or your Song Dynasty's intention?"

Sun Gu was also an experienced negotiator, so he avoided these words and said, "My Majesty once said that when provocations start, military disaster will not be resolved. How can this be the intention of the ruler to love the people and be compassionate?"

"Now that His Majesty intends to cease the war, we will do our best to facilitate this."

"Then why did those stubborn people along the road dare to insult the envoys in the street? This was only known to the instigators of the Southern Dynasty?"

When Xiao Xi mentioned that he was insulted in the street, he still felt aggrieved.

Sun Gu said: "Your country killed our soldiers in Cangzhou for no reason. The people of this dynasty were filled with righteous indignation and wanted to seek justice. In the past few days, they beat the drums of Denwen and Fucheng to encourage the court to engage in war with the Liao Dynasty."

"Fortunately, Your Majesty thought of the centuries-old harmony between the two families and issued an order to appease the people and prevent the people from causing trouble. How can your envoy say that it is this dynasty that instigates the people?"

Yes, the common people are willing to fight with your Liao Kingdom, but we in the Song Dynasty are the peace-loving people who take it upon ourselves to stop it.

"Really? This is the same as the situation in this dynasty."

Then Xiao Xi sneered and said: "Stop talking nonsense, Dang Xiang reported to this dynasty that it has been invaded by the Southern Dynasty for nearly 20 years since Xining, and many strategic points have been invaded and built. Since this year, more and more cities have been built."

Build more. Nowadays, the territory is being reduced day by day, and we have repeatedly begged our dynasty to send troops to help."

"This dynasty has been closely associated with Dangxiang for many generations, and the ruler of the country is His Majesty's son-in-law. It is necessary to rescue him. Since the Northern and Southern dynasties have been in good relations for many years and their oaths have been entrenched, it is difficult to comply with his request. Now I am specially sent here to propose a refund.

Liangzhou and Yuanfeng all invaded Dangxiang's land two years later."

Sun Gu was shocked when he heard this. The Liao Kingdom did not act according to common sense. It had previously said that it would only return Liangzhou, but now it suddenly changed to saying that it would occupy Dangxiang's territory in the second year of Yuanfeng.

In this way, not only Liangzhou, but also Lanzhou and others will be lost.

Before that, Sun Gu had used Xi'an Prefecture and the Deshun Army as bargaining chips in exchange for Liang Prefecture.

After Sun Gu drank tea with a sullen face, he continued to sit at the negotiation table and argue.
To be continued...