The Ganzhou Uighur, Achai, Tubo and even the western Dangxiang tribes all responded actively, with their tribal leaders going to Lingzhou in person or sending important people to the Central Plains. The emperor personally came to the northwest, and the tribes still took it very seriously. Although the Tang Dynasty had declined and perished for many years, its influence in the west still remained; people at least believed that the Central Plains was very large and had many people.
Only the Jiedushi of Dingnan Army has not responded, and they are the most powerful force in the area.
What Guo Shao was waiting for was a report from an earlier envoy: Khitans were seen in Xiazhou.
When the officials in the camp heard the news, they were all very worried. Guo Shao thought for a long time and thought there was still a chance, so he immediately sent Lu Duosun to go along the way.
Half a month later, Guo Shao had arrived in Lingzhou and set up a palace in Shuofang Town, but he never showed up. He was waiting, waiting for the attitude of Xiazhou.
With the help of the route that the previous delegation had explored from the west, Lu Dosun arrived in Xiazhou soon after.
Li Yiyin heard that the second visitor was a cabinet minister. After asking, he found out that the so-called cabinet ministers were important figures who often gave advice to the emperor and were selected as prime ministers. He soon met Lu Duosun.
Although the customs and etiquette were different, the atmosphere was similar, and Lu Dosun also felt the importance and respect of the Xiazhou officials.
He was not modest either, and told the Tangut officials that he was the deputy envoy of the western tour army, second only to the minister of the Privy Council.
Unexpectedly, Li Yiyin said in fluent Chinese: If my clan members have been negligent in any way, I hope that Envoy Lu will forgive us.
Lu Duosun said happily: It turns out that King Xiping has not forgotten the words of his homeland.
Oh Li Yiyin looked at him in surprise.
Lu Duosun said: Your Majesty, I have heard from the ministers that the Tuoba clan is a descendant of Li Ling of the Northern Wei Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, they actually restored their original surname. They say that the people of Xiazhou are closer to them than any other ethnic group in the northwest.
After hearing this, Li Yiyin looked around but did not refute.
Lu Duosun saw this and knew that this statement would not cause any trouble to Li Yiyin. It was impossible for the Tuoba clan to let the Dangxiang people think that they had become Han people because of this sentence. However, this statement made Li Yiyin feel the goodwill of the Great Zhou court to some extent.
Sure enough, Li Yiyin responded: I have already known that the emperor was going on a western tour, but because the journey was long, I had not had time to send anyone.
Lu Duosun said: Your Majesty's western tour this time is aimed at resolving misunderstandings with various tribes, avoiding unnecessary incidents on the border, and allowing the people of various tribes to live and work in peace. You want each tribe to send people to Tokyo so that you can discuss everything in a timely manner; open a trade in Shuofang to exchange what you have with the tribes in the northwest.
Li Yiyin bowed and said: The current emperor is kind and benevolent, and all the clansmen are grateful.
Lu Duosun added: The Dangxiang tribes in Hexi have already sent people to Lingzhou to write a letter to the emperor to replace Feng Jiye, the governor of Shuofang. The emperor also wants to discuss this matter with King Xiping.
Li Yiyin's eyes immediately brightened: Is it true that the emperor wants to replace the Feng family
Lu Dosun said calmly: If the northwestern tribes are sincere in replacing war with tea, horses, jade and silk, everything can be negotiated.
Li Yiyin did not mention the matter again. He exchanged some pleasantries with Lu Dosun and ended the meeting for the time being.
In fact, Li Yiyin and the entire Xiazhou Dangxiang nobles were very concerned about Feng Jiye.
The armor and swords of the Dingnan Army were very sophisticated in the northwest, thanks to the high-quality iron supplied by the Dangxiang tribe in Shanzhou and Qinghai. Feng Jiye used the Lingzhou Plain as his base and had long been burning, killing and looting the Dangxiang tribe in the west, blocking the roads and seriously hindering the Dingnan Army's armament materials.
However, Li Yiyin did not dare to send troops to attack Lingzhou. Lingzhou was a military garrison set up by the Great Zhou. Once he used troops, wouldn't it be a war with the Great Zhou court? How was it different from rebellion
This matter has always been a headache for Li Yiyin and others. If the Great Zhou court can replace the governor of Lingzhou with a gentle one and improve the relationship, it will be of great benefit to the Dingnan Army.
Li Yiyin immediately summoned the royal relatives and nobles from various tribes to discuss the matter.
Because they had met the Khitans not long ago, the Khitans reminded the Dangxiang that once the situation between the Zhou Kingdom and the Liao Dynasty eased, they would be able to free up their hands to deal with the Xiazhou area; in recent years, the Dingnan Army has been very independent, and it only lacks a name, so some nobles believe that they should form an alliance with the Khitan and guard against the Central Plains in advance.
One noble said bluntly: The so-called tea-horse trade is what Zhou wants for war horses. If we agree to their terms, Han will have more war horses to deal with us in the future.
The leader of the Mo Zang clan said: Even if our Dingnan Army does not join the trade, the Zhou Kingdom can still exchange war horses from Hexi, the Western Regions and other places.
The man just now said: We have everything, but we are losing war horses. Although the tea in the Central Plains is good, it is useless in strengthening the military strength of Xiazhou.
Mei Zang said: In recent years, the Zhou army has a kind of armor that is quite good, which is said to be similar to the Mingguang armor of the Tang Dynasty. We can try to exchange the warhorse for the armor.
The armor of our Dingnan Army is not bad. As long as we kill Feng Jiye, why bother to change it
Mei Zang said: That still needs to be discussed with the State of Zhou.
After he finished speaking, he bowed to Li Yiyin and said: In the north, there are the Liao people and the fierce Datan tribes, and in the south, there is the Central Plains Dynasty. We Dangxiang people only have five states, including Xiazhou, to live in. Your Majesty, for the long-term sake of our people, please be cautious. The Zhou State is now growing in military strength and dares to compete head-on with the Liao State. It is often on the offensive and must not be easily made an enemy of it.
Li Yiyin nodded in agreement. In his heart, he also believed that the time had not come for the Dangxiang to establish a state and grow stronger, and the general situation was not good.
In fact, the Dingnan Army has been growing stronger over the years and is no longer under the control of the Central Plains, but as long as they pay tribute to the Central Plains in name, the Central Plains will also be generous and reward them. There is really no need to take risks.
As Li Yiyin pondered, he reached out and touched his hair and cheeks. The wrinkles on his face reminded him that age was not forgiving. The great cause and ambition in his heart would probably have to be handed over to his descendants to complete.
Now, if we can leave a relatively relaxed environment for future generations to recuperate and build up their strength, it will be within our power.
He couldn't help but look at his son Li Guangrui who was standing below.
Li Yiyin finally spoke: "The Khitans are just talking nonsense. The Great Zhou Emperor's western tour is not to start a war, otherwise there should be movement in Hedong. In my opinion, the emperor is still quite sincere about the Dingnan Army. You can send someone to Lingzhou to meet with the emperor and discuss matters."
Mei Zang said: You can propose these two conditions: trade in exchange for armor and the removal of Lingzhou Jiedushi Feng Jiye. Then we agree to pay tribute to you with war horses. If we have friendly exchanges, the imperial court will usually give you more valuable goods in return.
A noble said: We don’t want tea, we want armor, which will arouse the suspicion of the Great Zhou.
Mo Zang disagreed and said: The Dangxiang are threats from all sides, there is no need for us to conceal our martial spirit. If the Zhou people are really suspicious, there is nothing we can do.
Li Yiyin did not comment.