Across the Water Margin: Officials of Ximen

Wanyan Wulu told Ximenqing with a charming smile that this knife was captured from the Khitan army's central barracks after the Jurchen army defeated a 70 Khitan army in the battle of Hubu Dagang.It is said that this knife was originally the saber of the Khitan dog emperor, Emperor Tianzuo Yelu Yanxi.

After Wanyan Wulu's father, Wanyan Agu, got the knife, he originally wanted to give it to a warrior with military exploits, but it happened that Wanyan Wulu, who likes to wield knives and guns, saw it.

Wanyan Wulu asked his mother, Tang Kuoshi, to come forward and ask for this saber for himself, and he has kept it with him ever since.It was the first time Wanyan Wulu used this precious saber to assassinate the big bear out of desperation last night.

After hearing this, Ximen Qing understood why the Jurchen, who advocated a simple life, had such a luxurious saber. It turned out that the prodigal emperor Yelu Yanxi gave it to the Jurchen!

Khitan is a large country with a territory of thousands of miles. It is famous for producing ironware in its territory, and it is known as the country of iron.Even in the ancient legends of the Khitan people, their ancestors also forged iron.Therefore, it is not difficult for the Khitan people to forge such exquisite and sharp iron short knives.Tian Zuo Emperor Yelu Yanxi lived a life of extravagance and luxury, so of course so many precious stones would be inlaid on his saber.

The hardest thing to bear is the grace of a beauty!The knife is a good knife, but Wanyan Wulu asked me to wear it on my waist, which is too eye-catching!Hey~ let's hang it up for a few days, and make this little Jurchen girl happy in Huining City!

After Ximen Qing put away his saber, he chatted and laughed with Wanyan Wulu and returned to Huining City.

After parting from Wanyan Wulu in the city, Ximenqing hurried back to the camp and asked his subordinates to inquire.Sure enough, as he expected, Brother Jiao Ting waited for him in the camp all night, but they didn't see him returning to the city, so they rushed to Hu Kaishan to pick him up early in the morning with twenty guards.Ximen Qing and Jiao Ting missed it on the way down from Songpeng Mountain.

As for Qiao Yunge and Wang Yiweng's son-in-law, they were still busy at the Huntong River and did not return to the camp.

After Ximen Qing asked about the situation, he immediately sent a few people to ride fast horses to report to Jiao Ting, telling him that he had returned to the camp safely, and asked him not to worry.Ximen Qing also gave the two bear paws he brought back to his chef, asking him to keep them safe and process them into delicious dishes for him someday.

After arranging his subordinates, Ximen Qing returned to his tent, lay down on the couch with all his clothes on, and fell into a dream in an instant.After a night of fierce fighting with Miss Wanyan Wulu in Songpeng Mountain, even the iron body couldn't stand it!

"Faceless" Jiao Ting received the notification from the camp, and hurried back with his guards. Seeing that Ximen Qing was safe and sound, he finally let out a long breath, and a stone fell from his heart.

However, seeing the slightly haggard face of Ximen Qing in his sleep, Jiao Ting also felt some resentment in his heart: it was Wanyan Wuye and Tang Kuo who made Ximen brother look like this.Seeing brother Ximen being so exhausted, I don't know how much he suffered on the mountain last night!

Ximen Qing slept for most of the day, until the sun went down, a bonfire was lit in the camp, and after the lanterns were lit, he woke up from his dream amidst the anxious call.

Seeing Ximen Qing woke up, Jiao Ting ordered someone to fetch water for Ximen Qing to wash, and at the same time said to him: "Brother Ximen, Brother Ma Kuo from Dengzhou has already prepared a banquet in his tent, waiting for you to come over Let's talk."

Chapter 6 Seventeen: The Alliance at Sea

Ma Kuo and Zhao Liangsi have been negotiating with the Jurchens of the Kingdom of Jin for several days, did they finally have some clues?

Ximen Qing heard that Ma Kuo had invited him to a banquet, and knew that it was probably for the purpose of negotiating an alliance with the Jurchens, so he immediately changed into new clothes, left the tent, and walked to Ma Kuo's tent alone.

"Brother Ximen, you are here, please take a seat! Brother heard that you went hunting with the Jurchen nobles and did not return all night. Drink. Brother Ximen, what kind of good prey did you hunt on the mountain?" Ma Kuo saw Ximen Qing open the felt curtain and walk into the tent, and immediately came forward to meet him.

"I didn't hunt any good prey, but I just killed a big bear by chance yesterday. Tomorrow, I will treat my brother to eat honey bear paws!" Ximen Qing said to Ma Kuo.

This time up the mountain, Ximen Qing's biggest prey was not the stupid bear, but Princess Jin Guozhang Wanyan Wulu.However, Ximen Qing didn't know how the Jurchen nobles headed by Wanyan Aguda would view this matter, so he could only keep this secret in his heart temporarily.

When Ma Kuo heard that Ximen Qing had hunted and killed a big bear, his eyes widened in surprise, and he was full of praise for Ximen Qing's bravery.

While chatting, the two sat down, ate the food and wine served by Ma Kuobei, and talked at night with open arms and candles.

During the conversation with Ma Kuo, Ximen Qing learned about the results of the recent negotiations between Zhao Liangsi and the Jurchens of the Kingdom of Jin.Now it can be said that the effect is very little, and Zhao Liangsi, the secret envoy, is devastated.

Because Wanyan Aguda, the emperor of the Jin Kingdom, personally led troops to attack the Shangjing Road of the Liao Kingdom, so in the city of Huining was the crown prince who acted as the agent of state affairs. Yan Sagai, Wanyan Wuye and other left-behind ministers received Zhao Liangsi and started preliminary negotiations with him.

Wan Yansa transformed himself into Hulubo Jilie, who was originally in charge of the army and horses of the whole country, equivalent to the military commander of the Kingdom of Jin.It was time for Wan Yansa to go out to fight against the Liao Kingdom this time.

However, Wanyan Sagai was in poor health during this period and was unable to go out with the army, so the Emperor Wanyan Aguda took charge of the expedition instead.Wanyan Sagai dragged his sick body, barely managing the logistics for the army.

Because Wanyan Sagai was ill, he did not participate in the meeting because he had an open-minded attitude towards the state of Song.The ones negotiating with Zhao Liangsi were mainly the hardliners who knew Banbo Jilie Wanyan Wu begging for money.In this way, how could Zhao Liangsi not hit a wall everywhere and get burned?

Ma Kuo told Ximen Qing that Wanyan Wu Qimai didn't have much enthusiasm for the alliance with Song.Although he ordered people to treat Song envoy Zhao Liangsi and his party warmly, he was not in a hurry to discuss and negotiate.Zhao Liangsi went to visit him these few days, but he shirked him because he was busy with state affairs.

Today Wanyan Wu was begging to buy, but he couldn't shirk it, and finally met Zhao Liangsi and Ma Kuo in his village.

However, at the beginning of the negotiation, Wanyan Wu Qimai said condescendingly that the Kingdom of Jin did not need to form an alliance with the Kingdom of Song to defeat the Khitans of the Liao Kingdom.Therefore, this alliance is dispensable to Dajin.If Song Guo insists on forming an alliance, then the alliance should be led by the Dajin Kingdom, which actively attacked the Liao Kingdom, and it is suggested that the alliance between the two countries be called the "Jin-Song Alliance".

To be honest, even though Jin Guofan, Banbo, Wanyan and Wu Qimai had a tough attitude, what he said had some truth.

About ten years ago, Zhao Liangsi presented the timing of "Uniting the Jin Dynasty and defeating the Liao Dynasty" for the first time. The Jurchens hadn't yet raised the banner of rebellion against the Khitans of the Liao Kingdom, and they didn't know enough about their own strength.At that time, if the State of Song had firmly implemented this national policy and provided support to the Jurchens before they became prosperous, they might have truly made friends with these Jurchens and used their status as a big country to take the initiative in the alliance between the two.Even, the division of interests after the war should not be limited to the Yanyun states.

However, Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty was afraid of wolves before and tigers later. He wanted to plot the Yanyun area, but he did not dare to provoke the Khitan people of Liao.After Zhao Liangsi offered his plan, Song Huizong just kept Zhao Liangsi in the court as an official, but put his clever plan on the shelf, and missed the best time to make friends with the Jurchens.

A few years later, under the leadership of Wanyan Aguda, the Jurchens flourished and rose between the white mountains and the black waters. They defeated the Khitans of the Liao Kingdom alone in several decisive battles, and completely occupied the advantage over the Khitans of the Liao Kingdom. Only then did Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty restart the strategy of "Alliance with the Jin Dynasty and defeat the Liao Dynasty" and sent people to the north to form an alliance.

When the Jurchens needed it most, they couldn't "send charcoal in the snow", and when the Jurchens were strong at this time, there was not much "icing on the cake".What Song Guo did was really suspected of picking up the fruits of the Jurchens' victory, and he was a brazen person and couldn't do it!

Because of this, it’s no wonder that the Jurchen aristocratic hardline party headed by Wanyan Wu begging to take an attitude of contempt for the belated Song State—we 70 Jurchen warriors sang in the Hubu Dagang with the determination to die. When Zhange was facing the [-] Khitan army, why didn't you see that Song Dynasty sent a soldier to form an alliance?Now that our Jurchen warriors have won the bloody battle, the situation of the Jin and Liao Dynasties is set, but you Song Kingdom came to meddle, wanting to get a share of it.I bother!What kind of bird people are you in Song Dynasty?

Why didn't Zhao Liangsi understand that he had lost the opportunity to join the alliance with the Kingdom of Jin at this time, and that Wanyan, Wu Qimai and others' tough and indifferent attitude towards him, the envoy of the Song Dynasty, was in the process of being cleaned up.However, since he was a diplomatic envoy, Zhao Liangsi had to make the unreasonable things reasonable, turn black and white, confuse the public, and complete the alliance task entrusted to him by Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty.

The Khitans of the Liao Kingdom were defeated by the Jurchens of the Jin Kingdom, and the main contributors were the people of the Jin Kingdom. This alliance involving the division of interests after the war was named the "Jin-Song Alliance", and there was nothing wrong with it in practice.

However, for Song Huizong's monarchs and ministers who regarded themselves as the celestial kingdom, they would never accept that the Jin Kingdom ranked ahead of the Song Kingdom.

When sending envoys last time, Song Huizong still sent an imperial edict to the Kingdom of Jin, treating the Kingdom of Jin as a vassal state, which angered the emperor of the Kingdom of Jin, Wanyan Aguda, and led to the detention of Ma Zheng and Hu Yanqing.Although this time he was reluctant to treat Jin Guo as an equal, Zhao Liangsi knew in his heart that it was absolutely difficult for the imperial court to accept that Jin Guo ranked ahead of Song Guo.

The helpless Zhao Liangsi had no choice but to muster a solid tongue and fight with Wanyan Wu Qimai, saying that the alliance between the two countries was proposed by Song Guo and sent envoys to contact him first, so Song Guo should be ranked first , named the alliance between the two countries the "Song-Jin Alliance".

After hearing this, Wanyan Wu Qimai immediately rejected Zhao Liangsi's proposal with a sullen face.He told Zhao Liangsi and Ma Kuo categorically that the Song State had not contributed to the attack on the Liao State so far, and this joint alliance to attack the Liao State ranked the Song State at the front, which was completely inconsistent with the facts, and the king and ministers of the Jin State would never agree .

Zhao Liangsi and Wanyan Wu begged to argue for a long time. Seeing that they had reached a stalemate, Wanyan and Wu begged to be unhappy, so he had a quick wit and proposed to Wanyan and Wu begging that this alliance began when the two countries crossed the sea and met. It's better to call it the "Alliance of the Sea".

Wanyan Wu begged for a lot of money and thought about it for a long time, and finally persuaded Zhao Liangsi, agreeing to call it "The Alliance at Sea".

Chapter 6: Zhao Liangsi Asks for Help

"Brother Ma Kuo, in this way, even though you and Zhao Zhongfeng faced a lot of resistance today, you finally persuaded Wanyan Wu to beg for it during the negotiation, which made him make a little concession. Zhao Zhongfeng did indeed He is a man of great eloquence and skill! It seems that you and Zhao Zhongfeng will soon reach a consensus with the Kingdom of Jin and conclude a covenant of friendship between the two countries without my brother's help." Ximen Qing said to Ma Kuo Said.

Ma Kuo heard this, and said with a wry smile: "Brother Ximen doesn't know something, Zhao Zhongfengzheng is worried about forming an alliance. For several days, Wanyan Wu Qimai, who is acting as the agent of the state affairs, has not received me. He met once, but he couldn't agree on the name of a covenant, arguing for a long time. As for the specific terms of the covenant, he didn't mention it at all today. I don't know how many days it will be until the next time we see that Wanyan Wu begging for money Afterwards. After such a delay, I really don’t know when we can negotiate the terms of the covenant with the Kingdom of Jin? Today, after leaving the Dazhai where Wanyan Wu begged to buy, Zhao Zhongfeng tested a few Jurchen nobles and came up with a plan that would be beneficial to us in the Song Dynasty. Extremely unfavorable conclusion."

Ximen Qing put down his wine glass and said, "Oh, what's Zhao Zhongfeng's opinion?"

Ma Kuo said: "The two of us have already inquired clearly. Now that the Jin army has won successive victories against Khitan of the Liao Kingdom, they have already invaded the hinterland of the Shangjing Road of the Liao Kingdom. It is clear that Wanyan Wu's begging for money is to delay the time and wait The Jin army captured the Shangjing Road, and after Emperor Wanyan Aguda returned to Huining City, he will discuss with us in detail. At that time, the Jin Kingdom occupied the Liaoyang Mansion in Tokyo and the Linhuang Mansion in Shangjing among the five capitals of the Liao Kingdom, especially the Linhuang Mansion in Shangjing. It can be said that it owns half of the country of Liao, and its power is growing, and the situation of Liao's defeat is becoming clearer. Until then, our Great Song Dynasty has not made an inch of success in the battle of destroying Liao , in the negotiation with the Jurchens of the Kingdom of Jin, I will definitely be more passive, I am afraid that it will be difficult to achieve my Great Song's goal of asking for the land of Yanyun. Therefore, Zhao Zhongfeng is full of worries about this, and it is really difficult to sleep and eat. "

In history, when Zhao Liangsi was sent to the Kingdom of Jin, was it so difficult to negotiate with the Jurchens?Ximen Qing fell into deep thought.

In the words commonly used by later generations, the time is on the side of the Jurchens of the Jin Kingdom. The more it is delayed, the better it is for the Jin Kingdom, but it is even more unfavorable for the Song Dynasty.If it was as Ma Kuo said, it would be unknown whether Song and Jin would be able to form an alliance at sea after Wanyan Aguda's victorious team returned to the court, and Wanyan Wu Qimai was by his side to instigate provocations.

However, despite the twists and turns in history, the Song and Jin Dynasties still formed a maritime alliance!What is wrong?

Ximen Qing began to try hard to recall whether it was because of his actions that he unintentionally flapped the wings of a butterfly, which led to the change of Zhao Liangsi's situation after he came to the Kingdom of Jin.

My one-night passion with Princess Jin Wanyan Wulu?No, this matter has not been rumored yet, and there is no such fast butterfly effect.So, it should have happened before coming to the Kingdom of Jin?

Ximenqing suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and asked Ma Kuo: "Brother Ma Kuo, I remember that you once told me something on the way from Yanggu County to Dengzhou. The moon sent you and Zhao Zhongfeng to the Kingdom of Jin to secretly discuss the alliance, but because there were successive rebellions on the East and West Roads of Beijing and Jiangnan, and the court officials and Taiwei Tong were busy with quelling the chaos, they sent you here as an envoy. The matter of the Kingdom of Jin has been delayed for several months?"

Ma Kuo replied: "Brother Ximen remembers well. Brother did say so. Because he was worried about losing half of the south of the Yangtze River, and the officials had no intention of cooperating with Jin to conquer Liao, they temporarily put on hold the trip to the Kingdom of Jin. Until Tong Taiwei The news of the great victory in Hangzhou came from there, and the Liangshanpo bandits on the East and West Roads of Beijing were also suppressed, so the officials sent Zhao Zhongfeng to the Kingdom of Jin. Therefore, this trip is already several months behind schedule."

After hearing Ma Kuo's words, Ximenqing understood in his heart that it was indeed himself who caused the Fangla Rebellion in advance, which caused Song Huizong's emperor and ministers to be in chaos, which in turn affected the departure time of the envoys to the Kingdom of Jin.After Zhao Liangsi came to the Kingdom of Jin, he also faced a more passive situation.It seems that it is really the butterfly effect caused by myself!

Since it started because of me, let's quickly make amends, and don't let history go astray here.Ximen Qing thought to himself.

"Brother Ma Kuo, why don't you discuss with Zhao Zhongfeng, go directly to the front line of the Jin army to meet Emperor Wanyan Aguda, and discuss the alliance with him as soon as possible?" Ximen Qing asked.