Lingzhou used to be a military town in the wild grassland desert, with low and rough houses and shabby clothes for soldiers and civilians. It is still the same now, but a western tour by the emperor of the Central Plains brought changes here.
The city became more lively, with more people wearing all kinds of strange clothes, because there were post houses of various tribes and tribes, as well as trade markets. It was no longer a forgotten city, but was given the status of a regional center.
After the arrival of Zhe Dejian, the Grand Commander of Pingxia Province, the first person he met was the Tuosima tribe of Tibet.
The envoy Wo Ge came to the headquarters with a group of seven or eight people, all of whom were lamas wearing Buddhist robes and holding staffs. Wo Ge asked the Han official who led them: "The Grand Commander has contacts with many tribes, why did he choose us to meet for the first time?"
The official said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: As your Excellency knows, the people who stay in Lingzhou Posthouse are not important people of each ethnic group, but your Excellency is different. You are a nobleman of Tuosima and have just come here from your own land.
Wo Ge was very pleased to hear the respect in the words, and immediately said: The Tibetans have many horses, but we walked to Lingzhou. Do you know why
The official said: I would like to hear the details.
Wo Ge said: Because I am not only a Tibetan noble, but also a monk. Walking is our etiquette to show our piety and sincerity.
The official clasped his fists and said: "I will report this to the Grand Commander." He turned around and pointed at the corridor between the low houses. The last time Emperor Daxu visited Lingzhou, this house was used as the emperor's palace.
After hearing this, Wo Ge looked up and squinted his eyes to carefully look at the scenery on both sides of Langwu, and remained silent for a long time. It was a very ordinary building, and the mud on the wall had been weathered and uneven, but Wo Ge still thought these houses were amazing.
He felt a sense of fear inexplicably. Fear is due to the unknown. Brother Wo has heard various rumors about Emperor Daxu and his imperial guards. Some even said that those imperial guards loyal to the emperor had three heads and six arms, and one person could beat ten people. Therefore, the Tangut-Khitan coalition army of more than 100,000 people was wiped out by the small Xu army in one battle. Brother Wo certainly would not believe all those nonsense, but he believed in the strength of Daxu. In his heart, Han'er was full of cunning, hypocrisy, conspiracy and deception, did not believe in Buddhism and did whatever he wanted, and possessed terrible martial arts that Brother Wo did not understand. He could really feel the smell of danger.
At this time, the monk behind him said in Tibetan: I am afraid they are not only attracted by your identity, but also by the position of our tribe. Wang Jing and his son guard Qinzhou, which is the farthest force of Daxu in Longyou; Lanzhou is in our hands, which can threaten the border of Daxu and the war horse trade to the west.
Wo Ge glanced at the Han official, not sure whether he understood Toshma's language, so he said in Tibetan: Let's talk after we leave here.
The group was led to the lobby, where they saw a big man sitting on the upper seat. I couldn't help but take a closer look, because the man was wearing military uniform and armor, and his helmet was placed on the table above. The owner's attire itself carried some kind of signal.
Grand Commander, the envoy of Tuo Sima has arrived. The civil official clasped his fists and bowed.
Wo Ge and others saluted with their hands clasped together.
Zhe Dejian said in a friendly manner: "Your Excellency, there is no need to be so polite. I hope you can forgive me if the Lingzhou government has been negligent in our reception."
Brother Wo smiled and said: I hope that all ethnic groups in the Northwest Trade Market can observe etiquette as strictly as the government of Daxu.
Zhe Dejian savored this sentence with great interest, sat on it with his legs apart and looked very proud, and finally responded: Unfortunately, this is not the case. The Daxu court is very dissatisfied with the situation in the northwest.
Oh Wo brother raised his head. The atmosphere of courtesy was gradually changing, and the lamas' expressions also changed accordingly.
Zhe Dejian said: His Majesty the Emperor once personally visited the northwest and ordered all tribes to live in harmony, and everyone agreed. However, now there are many checkpoints on our trade route and we are repeatedly taxed. The toll is even higher than the price of the horse itself, and we are also in danger of being robbed along the way.
Wo Ge spread his hands and said helplessly: As the Grand Commander knows, our army has no checkpoints and cannot set up passes. The trade routes do not pass through the territories of the Tuosima tribes. What can we do for the court
Zhe Dejian leaned forward, as if this would allow his mouth to be closer to the Tibetans. He said calmly: The court hopes that Tuo Sima can stand on our side and hand over Lanzhou City to the jurisdiction of Daxu, so that your mounted warriors can fight side by side with the Daxu warriors.
The hall immediately fell silent. After talking for so long, the Grand Commander of the Great Xu Dynasty finally spoke frankly and got to the important point. Everyone looked at the Tibetan envoy, waiting for his attitude.
At this time, Wo Ge said calmly: The Grand Commander has asked us to cede land and work for Daxu, so what can we get
People looked sideways, the hall was dead silent, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Originally, everyone was being polite and the host and guests were having a great time, but as soon as the actual interests came into play, things immediately went wrong.
Before Zhe Dejian replied, the Tibetan envoy suppressed his emotions and added: At that time, the Dangxiang people of Xiazhou also formed an alliance with Daxu in Lingzhou. In less than a year, Pingxia has become the province of Daxu.
After hearing this, Zhe Dejian's face turned pale and blue, and he said coldly: Li Yiyin is different. He was originally a minister of Daxu, but he disobeyed the order and colluded with the enemy country to commit treason.
The Tibetans finally managed to hold back and stopped refutation and ridicule.
Zhe Dejian also exhaled, and said in a slow tone: "The court officials, like me, also hope that the northwest can be peaceful and harmonious, so I discussed with the Tuo Sima envoy and formed an alliance. Otherwise, if Longyou and Hexi become Daxu's territory, why should we pay taxes, why should we be lenient to those bandits?"
You are threatening our Tibetan envoy said in a deep voice.
Zhe Dejian said without comment: "The emperor is a benevolent and wise ruler. Moreover, if you want to force them, you should not go to the Tuosima tribe first. You are more harmonious with Daxu."
He was in control of the atmosphere in the hall and knew how to measure his words.
The Tibetans did not seem to want to offend Zhedejian completely, and they said: We certainly respect the majesty of the Emperor of Daxu and acknowledge the power of the country of Daxu; but if we appear weak and can be bullied, we will not only give up the city of Lanzhou, but the Dangxiang Uighurs will also threaten us to give up more things soon.
Zhe Dejian said coldly: Your Excellency can make the choice for the Tubo tribes, and is unwilling to stand on the side of Daxu.
The Tibetans put their hands together and said: "The Grand Commander has misunderstood my meaning. Please understand that the Tuosima tribes do not want to be enemies with Daxu, and they dare not obey our orders just to protect themselves. If other tribes also agree to stand on the side of the court, Tuosima will definitely not become an enemy of the Daxu court."
Zhe Dejian nodded. He understood the attitude of the Tibetan tribe in Longyou. It was to watch the fire from the other side of the river and act as a fence-sitter depending on the direction of the situation. However, this was not the worst situation. It was better than trying to resist the Daxu forces with all his heart.
Just when Zhe Dejian was about to appease the Tibetan envoy, the Tibetan suddenly said: By the way, I wonder if the Grand Commander already knows that Li Yiyin, the former leader of the Pingxia Dangxiang, seems to be in Hexi.
Zhe Dejian was immediately surprised and blurted out: Didn't he escape to the northern grasslands
The Tibetans said calmly: All the tribes in the northern grasslands are under the command of the Liao Dynasty. If Li Yiyin can succeed, the Liao Dynasty will definitely support him. There is no need for him to stay in the north. It is said that he went to Longyou not long ago and was protected by a Dangxiang tribe. He is now conspiring with the Uighurs in Ganzhou to marry and win the help of the Uighurs in Hexi.
Zhe Dejian was immediately furious: the Tangut tribes in Longyou had already surrendered, and the leaders of the tribes had sworn to obey the orders of the Xiazhou Grand Commandery, but now they dared to blatantly shield the rebels.
The Tibetans said: "It is useless to swear. The Dangxiang people are not devout in their belief in Buddhism, and their Buddhism is also wrong." In addition, Li Yiyin's daughter was the imperial concubine Daxu, and the court did not seem to say that he was a criminal.
This Tibetan didn't know much about Daxu, and Zhe Dejian couldn't explain it. He couldn't say that he was afraid that the central government would be suspicious of his background, so he could only say: But he betrayed the emperor and fought against him, and everything he did was true. Although the court didn't punish him, it didn't forgive his sins either. Therefore, Li Yiyin was still a traitor.
Zhe Dejian asked: Which tribe is protecting Li Yiyin
The Tibetan answered cautiously: We are not sure, after all, the people who care more about his whereabouts are not the Tibetans, but the Han people.
Why did he tell this news? Sure enough, the Tibetans immediately said: For hundreds of years, there are many tribes in the northwest, and the tribes that can still survive in the world cannot just rely on being soft, seeking peace, and being polite and humble. If Daxu is forced too much, leaving everyone with no way out, Li Yiyin will most likely have the opportunity to bring together many tribes, and everyone may take risks and try to resist the threat that scares them. I hope the Grand Commander will think twice.
A strange red color appeared on Zhe Dejian's face, and he sneered: Thank you for your advice, Your Excellency.
The Tibetans saluted and said: Daxu is the most powerful country in the world, and even the tribes in the northwest believe that Daxu is more powerful than Liao. However, the northwest is a large place and the road is long.
He paused and said: Perhaps, it would be wise for us to deal with these matters more calmly. What do you think
After hearing this, Zhe Dejian waved his hand and said calmly: I hope there will be a next time when I can talk to your Excellency.
Farewell. The Tibetans left the hall politely.
The scholar beside him quickly said in a deep voice: The news that Li Yiyin is in Longyou has not been confirmed, we must send someone to find out as soon as possible.
Zhe Dejian pondered for a moment and said: What we should do immediately now is to report to the court, regardless of whether the information from the Tibetans is reliable.
Mr. Zhe was right. The two looked at each other at the same time, and suddenly there was a tacit understanding between them. The scholar clasped his fists and said: I request to draft a memorial for Mr. Zhe.
Zhe Dejian put his hand on his chin, rubbed his hard beard, and nodded slightly.
The scholar obviously understood Zhe Dejian. Although he did not admit it, he agreed with the scholar's opinion in his heart: to try to avoid having anything to do with the Dangxiang people, so as to avoid being suspected and excluded by some people in Tokyo.