The Liao Embassy is located in the middle of Tokyo City, on the side of Imperial Street, only two or three miles away from the Imperial City, and can be regarded as the most prosperous area in the city. Although the environmental decoration here is not comparable to the mansions that some dignitaries spent several or even ten years to build, it is also a rare high-class courtyard in the capital. It not only covers an area of three or four acres, but also has pavilions. The terraces and pavilions are dotted with various exotic flowers and stones, allowing people to feel the wealth and splendor of the Song Dynasty.
However, the elegance and demeanor of the Song Dynasty seemed worthless in the eyes of the Liao people from the north, and they seemed to be showing their charming eyes to a blind man. To these rough and strong Liao people, this The lotus ponds and curved corridors scattered throughout the courtyards have actually affected their own activities, and I wish they could all be bulldozed. As for the officers and soldiers sent by the Ministry of Rites to ensure the safety of the mission, they were immediately kicked out by the Liao people. From the time they moved into the embassy, they took full control of the security matters here, leaving only twenty or thirty people. The servants are here to serve Sasou.
Because of this, the current Liao Embassy has actually become the Liao people's own territory, and outsiders have no idea what is going on here. This made Chen Xiangnan no longer put on the posture of a Liao envoy when he saw the tall and dignified warrior in front of him. Instead, he seemed quite restrained. He only sat down carefully at the bottom, looked at him and said: "Lin Ya, I just got the news that Xiao Guo asked the three of them to be detained by the Song government for fighting with people in Dongshi. What should we do?"
On the surface, he, Chen Xiangnan, was the official envoy sent by the Liao Kingdom to the Song Dynasty, but in fact, the person in front of him was the one who could really make the decision, because the other party was one of the top officials in the northern part of the Liao Kingdom. Mao's existence has a much higher status than him, a Han minister from the south.
After the Khitans founded the country and gradually unified the north, in order to better rule the vast territory, especially in order to allow the northern Han people, who were much more numerous than their own people, to obey their arrangements, the Liao Kingdom started from Taizong Yelu Deguang. The strategy of divide and rule, using Han to rule Han, was adopted. Two sets of ministerial classes were set up in the northern and southern Liao and Han Dynasties. The Khitan people were even asked to speed up their sinicization. Taking Chinese names and learning Chinese characters became a must for many high-status Liao people. path through.
The effect of this set of policies is quite remarkable. Now the Han people in Liao have long accepted the reality of being ruled by the Khitan people. There are also many learned Han people who are willing to pass the imperial examination to become ministers of the Liao Kingdom and serve the Liao wholeheartedly. Service, Chen Xiangnan in front of me is one of the representatives.
However, after his status was improved, Chen Xiangnan gradually understood some hidden truths. In fact, the Liao people had always been wary of the Han people in the north, so if they wanted to be an official safely and be promoted, it was best to obey them. The officer in the north acts according to his wishes. For example, this time, when he came to the Song Dynasty as an envoy with an order, he followed the wishes of this senior official from the north and took him with him. At the same time, all his actions along the way were actually carried out under the instructions of the other party. However, only a few people knew all this. In the eyes of others, the person in front of him was just a guard captain beside him.
But when they encountered a problem, Chen Xiangnan came to the senior official immediately to discuss countermeasures. Whenever he thought about the possibility of friction between Liao and Song Dynasty over this trivial matter, he felt frightened for a while.
The soldier in front of him was slightly startled after hearing this: "I don't
Are you being asked to warn the Guards not to cause trouble in Tokyo? Why did Xiao Guo let the three of them dare to disobey orders? "
Chen Xiangnan smiled bitterly: "I don't dare to say this, this subordinate." He is just a Han official. Even though his official position is much higher than that of those Khitan soldiers, in fact, he has no control over them at all. Whether he obeys the orders or not depends entirely on these people. Feeling.
"Well, now that the matter has happened, it is useless to delve into it further. By the way, do you know which yamen of Song Ting arrested them?"
"It's the Kaifeng Prefecture leader named Sun Tu who you asked me to send people to investigate before. Now the officials of Honglu Temple in Song Dynasty are waiting for the letter outside, saying that as long as we open our mouths, they can directly arrest people. I want it back."
The military man suddenly grinned: "This Sun Tu is really capable and a good person. I heard you talk about his various actions in Tokyo a few months ago and thought it was a bit exaggerated. Now it seems that these things It may really be his fault, he actually dared to arrest and convict all our envoys from the Liao Kingdom."
Seeing his nonchalant look, Chen Xiangnan became a little anxious: "Lin Ya, what should we do next? Do we need to put some pressure on Song Ting and let them hand the person back immediately and punish him severely? That little official from the Song Dynasty named Sun Tu?"
"Why punish him severely? Didn't you say that it was Xiao Guo who let the three of them fight with others in Tokyo that led to such a result? He was just following the rules. But just let them learn a lesson. Tell Song Just ask them to bring the people back as soon as possible. Also, I am very interested in this Sun Tu, please invite him to meet me."
"Ah... Lin Ya actually wants to meet such a small official?" Chen Xiangnan opened his mouth with a look of disbelief on his face. He was a very respected person in the Liao Dynasty, how could he treat a small Song Dynasty like this? Is the clerk interested
"To see whether a person has the ability is not just based on his current status, but what he has done. Horses of thousands of miles are rare, but more importantly, there must be people who know how to look at horses to promote and cultivate them. In my case, It seems that the current kings and ministers of the Song Dynasty are all stupid and incompetent people. How can they recognize the ability of this little official named Sun Tu, so I want to see him and tell him that I admire his courage and methods."
Only then did Chen Xiangnan understand. He nodded in agreement, and at the same time flattered: "Lin Ya is indeed very discerning, and I admire him very much. I will make arrangements right now, and let Sun Tu come to see you tonight at the latest." "
The other party nodded, waved his hand, and sent Chen Xiangnan out of the room. Then, a strange light appeared in his eyes: "Xiao Guorang, can't you bear it after just five days here? It seems that the person behind you is about to do something. Then I will simply I will put the opportunity in front of you to see if you are brave enough to give it a try."
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In the Chengdong Police Station, after some interrogation, the whole story became completely clear. It is true that these three Liao people were at fault first. They actually wanted to exchange bad horses for property with Dongshi merchants. The conflict only occurred after the two parties could not reach an agreement, and finally they took action.
But what made Sun Tu feel a little strange was that when his officers rushed over after hearing the news, they were just mediators and had no intention of taking advantage of them, but they were suddenly ordered to do so by the man named Xiao Guo.
The Liao people launched a sneak attack, which turned into an uncontrollable outcome.
"Tell me, why did you hurt me from Song Dynasty for no reason? What is your purpose?" Sun Tu once again asked the interpreter to question the three criminals. But this time the other party only responded with a sneer, with no intention of explaining at all. Instead, he said a little arrogantly: "I think you should let us go quickly, or else you really want me, the Liao Ambassador, to come forward, and you, a small official of the Song Dynasty, I can’t bear the consequences!”
When these words were translated, the surrounding brothers were furious at first, but then everyone calmed down and looked at Sun Tu with worry: "Du Tou, these three prisoners have special identities. I'm afraid it will be difficult to make progress in continuing the interrogation. , why not just forget it?" The prisoners are all Liao people, and the laws of the Song Dynasty are really difficult to apply to them.
But Sun Tu shook his head: "I have set rules outside my security station early in the morning. They should be punished if they break my rules this time. Otherwise, how can they convince the public? I don't care about their crime of hurting me, but Those who disobey the order must be severely punished. Drag all three of them outside and give them fifty punishments with a cane in public. No mistakes."
The men hesitated for a moment, but then agreed loudly. Then they ignored the struggles of these Liao people, dragged them outside the security station, took off their lower body clothes, and surrounded them in front of many people who were concerned about the matter. The people outside were severely criticized.
For a time, the sound of slapping boards, the groans of those being beaten, and the cheers of the surrounding people filled the entire street.
Just after the half-way punishment, a group of soldiers and horses from Kaifeng Prefecture hurried over. When he saw the three members of the Liao envoy being tortured in public, Xue Yuanpeng, the leader, was so anxious that his eyesight went dark and he almost jumped off his horse. Drop it.
When he learned that something happened in the east of the city and that several troublemaking Liao people were captured by Sun Tu, he immediately went to see Han Changzhou. After receiving the order, he rushed over without any delay, just because he was worried about Sun Tu. What kind of irreparable thing would this stupid young man do
But now, others have arrived, but the most worrying thing has happened. Sun Tu actually went about business and humiliated and beat these Liao envoys in public. The consequences of this would be too great.
At that moment, Xue Yuanpeng no longer cared about the calm demeanor that an official should have. He didn't even get off his horse, so he shouted loudly: "You all stop, let Sun Tu come out to see me!" Following his roar, others followed. The officers and soldiers from the government office who arrived quickly stepped forward and pulled aside the few officers who were still executing the execution and controlled them. At the same time, someone else quickly walked in and gave orders to Sun Tu.
After a moment, Sun Tu came out, held his fists at Xue Yuanpeng and said, "Tongjian forgives me, but I am injured and cannot perform the full salute..."
"Sun Tu, you are so brave. Who allowed you to execute these Liao envoys at will?" Xue Yuanpeng was already out of anger and shouted with a livid face. Without waiting for Sun Tu to give any explanation, he waved his hand: "Come here, capture this bold maniac. I will now remove you from your position as the general magistrate of Kaifeng Mansion. At the same time, I will also report to the court to remove you from your ninth rank official status!"
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was in an uproar. Even Sun Tu was completely stunned. He really didn't expect that Xue Yuanpeng's reaction on this matter would be so intense...