On the bank of the muddy Yellow River, a group of ragged and disheveled people were carrying wooden boards and walking slowly. They were in groups of two and walked very slowly because they had shackles on their feet. These people were prisoners sent from nearby counties and prefectures.
A prisoner raised his head, the wind blew his messy hair away from his forehead, and he squinted his eyes to see a long floating bridge on the river extending to the other side.
The official supervisor, who was walking by the side in a tall hat and black boots, urged them to hurry up, raising the stick in his hand as if to hit them. The prisoners lowered their heads and took a few more steps faster with difficulty.
Soon, the overseer stopped staring at the prisoners and turned his head to look south. The prisoners were also very curious and looked sideways when the opportunity arose.
The tower of Chanzhou stood in the distance, which was nothing special, as it had always been on the south bank of the Yellow River. However, on the post road in the north city of Chanzhou, the clouds of flags and carriages attracted everyone's attention, and there seemed to be many people outside the city gate.
A corner of the yarn rope woven curtain on a large carriage was lifted up, and Fu Jinzhan also looked at the floating bridge on the Yellow River from afar. She only took a glance and then let go of the curtain. Fu Jinzhan had straight shoulders, a dignified demeanor, and a faint smile on her face.
There were two women sitting opposite her, facing the opposite direction of the carriage. They were Mrs. Du and Mrs. Zhang. Outside the carriage were some civil officials and the military officer Du Chenggui, who was Mrs. Du's younger brother and the commander of the inner palace.
Soon there was a commotion outside the carriage, and someone shouted: "The Queen has come to Chanzhou. The officials and people of Chanzhou are all honored. We respectfully welcome the Queen to come."
Then there was a civil servant's reply, and the person who came out seemed to be the Privy Councilor Wang Pu. Fu Jinzhan sat in the car and didn't pay any attention to it.
Mrs. Du spoke carefully: The Central Plains and the Liao Kingdom have fought for so many years, and this time we really need to negotiate peace.
Fu Jinzhan opened her red lips and immediately corrected: The Liao Kingdom is seeking peace, not negotiating peace.
Yes, yes, Du said hurriedly.
Zhang also echoed: "The Daxu army is approaching and breaking through Jinzhou. At this time, the Liao Kingdom wants to talk. Isn't it seeking peace? Zhang paused and said, "Is the official coming to Chanzhou soon?"
As soon as she spoke, she saw a teasing smile on Du's face, and Zhang suddenly felt awkward. Fu Jinzhan's eyes were bright, and she saw the subtle expressions of the two people. She felt a little unhappy, but soon she was relieved.
Everything may not be so perfect now, but Fu Jinzhan accepted that Guo Shao's existence would make the country strong and stable both inside and outside. Even though Fu Jinzhan sometimes felt jealous, she also got more happiness.
After Guo Shao's health improved, no one dared to threaten Jinzhan, including the powerful foreign invader Fu Jinzhan of Liao, who felt extra safe whenever he thought of him.
Zhang looked at Jinzhan in fear, then looked around and said: "Why did the emperor choose Chanzhou on the south bank of the Yellow River to accept the peace proposal from Liao? Is there anything special about it?"
Mrs. Du took over and said: I don’t know either.
Fu Jinzhan said nothing, she didn't know what was special about Chanzhou.
A few days later, Guo Shao led a cavalry to the Yellow River. The floating bridge had been repaired. He rode across the Yellow River and saw a large group of people waiting to greet him on the south bank.
At this time, Fu Jinzhan was seen getting off a carriage and looking over from a distance.
Guo Shao gently kicked the black horse's stirrup, and the horse ran forward briskly. He urged Guo Shao to rein in the warhorse in advance and let it stop slowly.
Fu Jinzhan looked at him with joy, but she still maintained her etiquette. She clasped her hands in front of her belly, bent her knees and squatted down, saying: I respectfully welcome your Majesty and wish you a victorious return from your expedition.
At this time, the civil and military officials around him all clasped their fists and bowed, saying: "Your Majesty, I welcome you. May your Majesty live forever."
Guo Shao strode forward and saw Fu Jinzhan wearing a loose dress, but the lining was open-necked, the skin on her collarbone was white and smooth, her round face was very beautiful with red lips and white teeth, her posture was dignified and elegant, and her expression was slightly shy. Guo Shao suddenly felt his blood boiling, and his whole body was full of energy to have sex with ten women at night, just like a person who has been hungry all day sitting at the table, always feeling that he can eat a whole table of dishes.
He stretched out his dirty big hand, grabbed Jinzhan's soft body and helped her up, then said to everyone: Stand up.
Guo Shao abandoned his horse and rode in the same carriage with Jinzhan. A large group of guards and horses marched towards Chanzhou City. Chanzhou was one of the countless cities on the south bank of the Yellow River, and it was particularly lively at this time. Drums were beating on the city walls, and the people lined the streets to watch. Someone on the city wall loudly read out the emperor's achievements in this expedition.
Amid the commotion, Guo Shao did not show up. He sat in the carriage, only interested in Jinzhan, looking carefully at every line on her body.
Anyway, I already know it. When she sees my clothes, she can imagine what I look like underneath. Doesn't that reduce a lot of expectations? Jinzhan looked at him with a smile.
Guo Shao had been on the expedition for many days, and he could not control himself as she said, so he put his hand on the knee of his skirt. Unexpectedly, Fu Jinzhan held his hand, blushed and smiled, saying: There are at least tens of thousands of people outside, and there will be people getting off the car in a while, so don't lose your manners.
I will listen to Jinzhan and bear with it for a while. Guo Shao had no choice but to say.
Jinzhan couldn't help but ask: Your Majesty, why didn't you choose Hebei to negotiate peace with the Liao Kingdom, but had to come to Chanzhou
Guo Shao smiled and said: If we were in Hebei, we wouldn’t have met so soon.
Jinzhan glared at him and said: I'm serious, I'm just a little curious.
Guo Shao pondered for a moment and said: This peace agreement is of great significance. It must be a historic landmark event that will definitely go down in history. In order to give this matter a catchy name, it is completely worth the little trouble.
Jinzhan recited the Alliance of Chanzhou in a soothing and pleasant voice, which made it sound quite catchy.
But Guo Shao still felt that it was not smooth enough, so he shook his head slightly and said: There is an ancient lake to the east of Chanzhou City, named Chanyuan. So this peace talk can be called the Chanyuan Alliance.
Jinzhan read the Treaty of Chanyuan once and said with a smile, "Your Majesty always has wonderful ideas, and sometimes he is as stubborn as a teenager."
Guo Shao smiled and said: My body is also like that of a young man, you will know after trying Jinzhan.
He quickly talked nonsense to divert Jinzhan's attention, otherwise it would be difficult to explain why he had to use a less famous ancient lake called Chanyuan Alliance, which was a much more catchy name.
After hearing this, two red clouds appeared on Fu Jinzhan's face and her breathing seemed to be a little heavier than before.
On the Hebei Plain, another group of people heading towards Chanzhou were also on their way.
On both sides of the post road, large tracts of farmland were lush and green. After the cavalry raids in Hebei Plain were over, it seemed as if every inch of land was planted with food. There were a few smoke drifting in the fields, which was the smoke from cooking manure with coal or firewood.
Farmers wearing straw hats stood up from the fields from time to time, holding sickles in their hands and watching the soldiers on the post road vigilantly. Hebei was just settled, and the people here were still very nervous when they saw the soldiers; unlike the people in the Central Plains, they would just watch the fun when they encountered such a situation.
In front of the people and horses, Dong Zunhui rode his horse with a swagger, and the flag bearer beside him was holding the flag of the Tiger Guard Army. Behind him, a group of armored cavalrymen were protecting a carriage and a group of Khitans on horseback. Those in the cavalry were the Liao envoys.
There was one chief envoy and three deputy envoys, all sitting in the carriage.
Among the deputy envoys was Yang Gun, who was very silent but appeared to be very calm. The atmosphere in the carriage was dull, and the chief and deputy envoys were not in a hurry to discuss countermeasures; because the chief envoy Xiao Siwen had hardly said a word since leaving the king's tent.
Xiao Siwen sat upright in the carriage, eyes closed, his body swaying with the bumps of the carriage, as if he had fallen asleep. But his eye bags were heavier than usual, and it was obvious that he had not slept well for several days.
Although many Khitans were unwilling to negotiate with the southerners, it was useless. The national policy advocated by Yelu Xizhen and his party was decisive. Yelu Xizhen also convinced most of the nobles, because compared with the Xu Kingdom, the rebellion of the Shengnuzhen and the insults to the Liao princesses and the killing of the Khitans made people more angry; the Goryeo Kingdom took advantage of the fire and looted, which also made the Liao nobles angry. This kind of mentality is like being beaten by a tall and strong person, but being slapped by someone you completely look down on will make you furious.
Xiao Siwen could no longer influence national policy, so he had no choice but to go to the enemy's door. If he didn't come, would Yelu Xizhen come in person
The people of Xu would demand that Liao submit to him, and a deputy envoy finally spoke.
Another deputy envoy immediately said: "What are we talking about? Since the founding of the Liao Dynasty, only other ethnic groups have paid tribute to it. When will it pay tribute to others? If they make such unreasonable demands and bring humiliation to the Liao Dynasty, we will immediately refuse."
Xiao Siwen opened his eyes and said: Negotiating peace under the threat of the enemy's army is simply a humiliating treaty. Negotiating peace at this time is a humiliation in itself.
The two deputy envoys who had just spoken changed their tone and said one after another that the Northern Courtyard Privy Councilor meant that they should try their best to reach a peace agreement during their visit this time.
Xiao Siwen said: That depends on what the conditions are.
Having said that, Xiao Siwen observed Yang Gun calmly. Yang Gun was also one of the deputy envoys, but he did not express his opinion.
Deputy Envoy Yang Xiao Siwen looked at him.
Yang Gun immediately showed respect and said: Lord Xiao is the chief envoy, so it is still Lord Xiao who makes the decision. However, the Northern Court Privy Councilor believed that competing with the State of Xu was not a long-term solution. At this time, the Liao Dynasty was in trouble both internally and externally, so a decisive decision had to be made.
After hearing this, Xiao Siwen suddenly realized that a wise bird chooses the right tree to inhabit. Deputy Envoy Yang himself was quite talented, and being appreciated by the Privy Councilor was also quite beneficial to the Liao Dynasty.
Yang Gun said casually: The Privy Councilor is an official in the same dynasty as Lord Xiao and is not an outsider.
Xiao Siwen was speechless. Looking out from the gap in the carriage, he saw an endless plain and a post road that was pale and stained with shit-yellow, winding its way forward, like a road of no return with an unpredictable future.