When Lu Duosun arrived in Xiazhou, a large group of people from the Mo Zang clan came to pick up the body and wept bitterly. When they saw someone wearing Han'er clothes, they were full of hostility and anger. Lu Duosun could only stay at home and try not to show up on the streets of Xiazhou.
Occasionally, Khitans could be seen entering and leaving the royal palace near the inn.
After waiting for nearly a month, Lu Dosun was finally received by the Dangxiang leader Li Yiyin.
The meeting place was in a vegetarian room. Lu Dosun could hear the sound of wooden fish from next door. The peace and tranquility at that time was in stark contrast to the martial spirit of the Dangxiang people, where every citizen was a soldier.
Lu Duosun bowed deeply to Li Yiyin and said: "Greetings to the King of Xiping."
Before Lu Duosun finished speaking, Li Yiyin pointed to the futon opposite and said, "Envoy Lu, please sit down and talk." He was not in a hurry, but mainly because of some differences in etiquette. The northern tribes did not speak when they bowed and saluted, and only the Han people in the Central Plains would say some set words when they performed etiquette.
Thank you, King Xiping. Lu Duosun sat calmly opposite Li Yiyin and brushed his sleeves. Lu Duosun was born in a humble family and was only a minor official not long ago. He was never qualified to sit on an equal footing with the leader of a separatist region, but now he has adapted very quickly.
Li Yiyin said with a sullen face: We are sincere, this king even sent his most beloved daughter to Lingzhou, Mei Zang was the envoy to send the bride, and she went happily, why did the court treat us like this
His words were unkind and had a tone of accusation.
Lu Dosun said calmly: The court is also sincere.
Humph. Li Yiyin sneered.
Lu Duosun sat upright, his face not red, and said: "The King of Xiping should know my identity." He glanced at Li Yiyin and said, "You can ask around. The cabinet assistants are the candidates for the prime minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty. There are only a few of them. If you are not a close minister trusted by the emperor, you cannot enter the cabinet."
Before I came to Lingzhou, my colleagues and friends all advised me against it, thinking that my life would be in danger. But the government still sent me instead of just sending anyone to handle it.
Sure enough, Li Yiyin's tone softened a little: But the court still killed the envoy who escorted the bride.
The leader of the Mo Zang clan was not killed, but he was angry and had an accident. The emperor was also very sad. The facts are there, and the King of Xiping can see it clearly. Lu Duosun explained kindly that the killing of Lingge by the emperor was also a good thing for the King of Xiping.
Li Yiyin frowned and said: Good news
Lu Dosun said seriously: Concubine Li was dignified and beautiful, and the emperor loved her very much, so he killed Brother Ling who abducted her.
Lu Duosun looked at Li Yiyin with a serious face. Li Yiyin pondered and said: The emperor should do this for the sake of the royal family's face.
General Li was right. Lu Dosun slapped his thigh and said, "However, let's think about it simply. If a man's woman is targeted by others, will she be ashamed or calm? If a man only regards a woman as an unimportant concubine, will he be furious
The two looked at each other in surprise.
Lu Duoxun said in a deep voice: The emperor is very concerned about Princess Li. From the beginning to the end, he only killed a young man from the Mo Zang family. General Li really wants to take the whole family to risk and abandon the loyalty of the monarch and his subjects for the sake of a young man from the Mo Zang family. Does General Li think it is worth it
This sentence made Li Yiyin fall into long contemplation.
Lu Duoxun glanced at him and said earnestly: The Central Plains court is loyal, benevolent and righteous, and has always been kind to all ethnic groups. The current emperor governs the country with benevolence; the Khitans are barbarians on the grasslands, and believe in the law of the weak and the strong. General Li is also a Buddhist and kind person. He must have a judgment in his heart about who to associate with.
The Dangxiang have been ministers of the imperial court since the Tang Dynasty. They have always been treated with courtesy by all dynasties and there is no old grudge. The Great Zhou is very kind to the Dangxiang. We have never wanted to deal with you. The powerful enemy we want to deal with is the Liao Kingdom.
The Khitans have been threatening the Central Plains since the end of the Tang Dynasty. They have been plundering everywhere for many years, making the people miserable. This hatred forced our dynasty to resort to war. General Li, please do not be deceived by the Khitans and be driven by them in vain to become the vanguard of the enemy.
After a long pause, Li Yiyin asked in a low voice: How can we repair the relationship
Lu Duoxun said solemnly: The royal family and the Li family are already relatives, so why do we need to repair the relationship between the monarch and the minister? As long as we have more exchanges, General Li will send people to Tokyo to set up a posthouse for the Nanjun army to facilitate the exchange of gifts. It will definitely be passed down as a good story in history. However, I advise you that General Li still has a chance to make merit and get closer to the court. Last time, the Yeci family in Hexi killed people from the court and robbed tribute. If General Li puts pressure on them to hand over the criminals,
Li Yiyin said: The Yeci tribe is on the west side of the Yellow River. Although we have contacts with them, I cannot control them.
Lu Dosun smiled and said: General Li, it is too polite to say this. You are the King of Pingxi appointed by the court and have the highest prestige. All the Dangxiang tribes must rely on you for even the smallest matter. The Ye Ci clan will certainly listen to General Li's opinions.
Lu Duoxun said in a deep voice: The leader of the Yeci clan can just find someone he wants to kill and send him to Lingzhou to take the blame. Who will really investigate the culprit
This is also the case, Li Yiyin murmured.
Lu Duosun said: "I also want to find the culprit. The person who was killed was my man, and I almost lost my life. However, we still have to put the overall situation first. If we really ask Ye Ci to send important people to us to kill, it will be too much to ask them."
Li Yiyin nodded and said: Just do it this way, I have nothing to say.
After the two finished talking, Ludoson stood up and said goodbye, and walked out of the palace calmly. He looked very calm. But as soon as he entered the palace, he couldn't wait to find his entourage.
Lu Duosun's face flushed red. He hurriedly ground ink, wrote a memorial on the affairs of Xiazhou, and sent someone on horseback back to Lingzhou to report the good news and ask for credit.
In the lobby of Lingzhou, civil officials and military generals came to congratulate.
Yang Ye said: At first, Your Majesty suddenly shot and killed Mo Zang Lingge, and I was a little worried. It turns out that Your Majesty had long-term plans.
Wei Renpu said calmly: It wasn't Li Yiyin's son who was killed, so Li Yiyin didn't need to rebel against the court for the sake of the Mo Zang family. There was no benefit for him to rebel against the court at this time, and Li Yiyin was not stupid.
Yang Ye nodded and said: "Brother Jing has committed a capital crime. If we don't kill him, we will lose the prestige of the court. Killing him will not affect the major events. He should be killed.
People said: Li Yiyin is just a military governor, he should rely on the court's favor. Brother Ji committed the crime first, and it is justified to sentence him to death. How can we uphold the law if we don't kill him? The leader of the Meizang tribe died of anger, so should we blame the court? He didn't discipline his son strictly, and let him do whatever he wanted, so he was also at fault for not teaching him.
Yes, the court is justified in terms of justice, and Li Yiyin will never rebel because of such a thing. If he wants to rebel, he will find an excuse to rebel no matter what; if he does not want to rebel, he will never rebel because of a leader.
Although the imperial court is reluctant to start a war against the Tanguts, we want to win them over, but the Li family also wants to use the status and position recognized by the imperial court to enhance their prestige. If they do not seek the leniency and kindness of the imperial court, what benefits can they get once the war starts
Shi Yanchao looked at the people opposite him and sneered: It's really fun to see you guys talking after the fact. I remember that Brother Lu committed a crime, and you all said, "Oh, you can't kill him. What will happen if you kill him?" Haha
Yang Ye and others were very embarrassed, but Wei Renpu pretended not to hear.
Everyone spoke very convincingly and praised Guo Shao, saying that what Guo Shao did was just right.
Guo Shao sat there, not making any comment. Although he said nothing, he gave people an aura that he was confident and had everything under control.
In fact, Guo Shao was also very surprised at this time and breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking back, Li Yiyin really didn't need to completely tear his face off because of such a contradiction, but before the matter came to a conclusion, who could tell for sure
After stabilizing Li Yiyin, Guo Shao no longer faced much resistance in his goal of touring the west.
Only then did he speak: Lu Dosun made two deep expeditions into Xiazhou and made great contributions.
No one objected to this.
Just then, a civil servant came in and bowed, saying: Your Majesty, we have just received an urgent report from Tokyo.
Bring it up, Guo Shao said.
Wang Zhong, who was standing by, walked over, took the letter from the civil servant, and handed it to Guo Shao. Guo Shao unfolded it and immediately raised his head and said calmly: Cao Bin has captured Shaozhou.
After hearing this, everyone was in an uproar again, and congratulated excitedly. Guo Shao read it again, handed the report to Wang Zhong, and raised his head slightly, indicating that he should let the ministers pass it around.
Guo Shao was ecstatic, but just as he didn't want to show it when he failed, he didn't act ecstatic when he was ecstatic. The ancients emphasized not showing joy on one's face, Guo Shao couldn't do that, but he tried not to be too exaggerated in public, so that he would appear calm and composed, as if everything was under control.
The harm of miasma in Lingnan has been contained. Cao Bin fought a decisive battle with the main force of the Southern Han Army under the city of Shaozhou and won a great victory. He soon captured Shaozhou.
Wei Renpu said loudly: Shaozhou is between the corridors, and there is a waterway leading to the Xingwang Palace. The Southern Han army has no strategic location to defend. The Great Zhou army can take Southern Han as easily as taking something from a bag. Your Majesty, unify the country and create a prosperous era. The great cause is not far away.
Everyone echoed and sang praises.
Guo Shao said in public: I did not misjudge him, Cao Bin did not disappoint me.
All the ministers bowed together and said: Your Majesty is wise.
Guo Shao was so excited at this time that he couldn't help but stand up from his seat. He walked to the window with his hands behind his back, head held high and calmly, with a look of hesitancy and satisfaction.
Outside the lobby, the sun was shining brightly. Today's weather was very sunny. Guo Shao looked up and saw white clouds floating in the blue sky. A few birds of unknown species were flying in the sky. Only the shadows of their wings could be seen flapping under the vast sky.
Although all the preparations were bumpy, they were smooth in the end. Guo Shao had a vague feeling that he was getting closer and closer to something, and he was approaching it cautiously.