With the sound of a chain being pulled, the wooden door of the Shangjing dungeon opened, and dazzling light immediately shone into the darkness. Shadows moved inside, as if countless ghosts had been awakened.
A bald old man limped down carrying two wooden barrels. The prison bars on both sides were soon filled with people so dirty that their skin could not be seen. Khitan language with various accents came from all over the place, and it seemed that they only knew this one Khitan word.
The old man remained unmoved and scooped a spoonful of sticky stuff into each of the extended clay bowls.
The bald old man walked to a cell and couldn't help but stick his head inside to look, because there were many people in other cells, but there was only one person in this cell. It was a man with messy hair, and it seemed that he had a bun on his head and didn't shave his head. He sat there in a daze and didn't even take out the bowl.
Eat! The old man called out.
The man came back to his senses and stared at the contents of the wooden barrel, which still emitted a stale stench. His throat moved. He sighed, stretched out a bowl weakly, and said in fluent Khitan: Give me some water, thank you.
After hearing this, the old man looked at him coldly, said nothing, and scooped a spoonful of turbid water into the bowl.
At this moment, the bright hole above dimmed slightly, and several people appeared there. The old man turned around and looked over: Who
The Khitan warriors guarding the door said: "Song Wang Yelu Xiyin Yue Wang Yelu Bishe is coming."
After hearing this, the old man dropped the spoon and bent down to face that side.
"Where is it?" asked a big man with a stiff beard. That man was Yelu Xiyin, one of Yelu Abaoji's grandsons. Walking behind him was the King of Yue, Yelu Bishe, whose face and robes were much gentler.
"Your Majesty, come this way," an official said.
As they walked over, the man inside was putting down the bowl of muddy water. The official outside said, "This man is Fan Zhongyi."
Fan Zhongyi sat on the ground for a moment, then suddenly stood up and grabbed the wood with his palm. He looked excited and his eyes were red. The guards were startled and quickly stood in front of the nobles, shouting: What are you crazy about
Fan Zhongyi shouted in a hoarse voice: King of Song and King of Yue, I have something important to confess. Yang Gun is a traitor. Don't trust him. The Khitans are not more trustworthy than the Han people.
Yelu Xiyin pushed aside the guards in front of him and looked at Fan Zhongyi with a sneer. Fan Zhongyi glared again and said: I want to see Lord Xiao, let me see Lord Xiao
Unexpectedly, Yelu Xiyin ignored him and turned to ask the King of Yue: Why do you still keep this traitor
The King of Yue thought for a while and said: It is said that a man like Fan Zhongyi could not bear the heavy responsibility for the defeat in Hedong, so he was not executed in time after being imprisoned. I am afraid that there are instigators.
Yelu Xiyin was displeased and said: Get him out, and his whole family, and skin them alive for public display.
The King of Yue hurriedly advised: "King of Song had better not make such a big scene. There are many Han people living in the southern part of Shangjing, all of whom serve the Liao Dynasty."
Fan Zhongyi also suddenly knelt on the ground and said anxiously: "Prince, please spare my life and my children. I will do anything for you. I am still useful."
Worse than a dog, what's the use of a dog? At least a dog won't harm its master. Yelu Xiyin was angry and contemptuous.
Fan Zhongyi hurriedly said: Please let me see Mr. Xiao
The King of Yue also advised in a deep voice: "We don't need to worry about this matter for now, but we should prepare to deal with the people in the king's tent. I heard that Xiao Siwen has gone to Xu State to negotiate peace. Once they have time, they will definitely return to Shangjing to deal with us."
After Yelu Xiyin was skinned, he said, "Find someone who is experienced in skinning sheep, so that they won't die too easily." Then he turned away.
The King of Yue stayed for a while and said to Fan Zhongyi: The King of Song has broken with the royal tent, how can we see
Fan Zhongyi desperately banged his thin body against the wooden fence, shouting and crying bitterly. His voice echoed in the dark dungeon like the howling of ghosts.
Chanzhou City on the south bank of the Yellow River. Xiao Siwen and other Liao envoys were not formally summoned immediately. They were received by Lu Duosun, an official from the Ministry of Rites. Lu Duosun had to negotiate the terms with Xiao Siwen and others in private first.
At this time, Xiao Siwen was very dissatisfied. He picked up a piece of paper, pointed at it and asked Lu Duosun: What does "brotherly country" mean? Why did the Liao emperor have to be a brother
Please be patient, Lord Xiao. Lu Duoxun was very calm, and said in a gentle tone: If Daxu withdraws its troops and talks about peace at this time, it will obviously put Goryeo in a disadvantageous position. If Xu and Liao do not turn enemies into friends and call each other brothers, how will the court of Daxu explain to Goryeo
Lu Duoxun's tone gradually became heavier, and his expression became serious: the two countries did not call each other father and son, monarch and minister, or uncle and nephew. In the past, the Liao Kingdom and the Northern Han Kingdom did not call each other father and son, monarch and minister, or uncle and nephew. Instead, they were brothers of the same generation. Xiao Gong and the Liao Kingdom's monarchs and ministers should put aside their old ideas and look at the current strength and weakness. Who is attacking and who is supporting the Liao Kingdom? If the Liao Kingdom does not call itself a younger brother, it will continue to be the elder brother.
Xiao Siwen suddenly stood up and said, "I dare not agree to such an alliance."
Lu Duoxun retracted his fierce gaze and advised: Lord Xiao, you should weigh the pros and cons before expressing your opinion. The Liao Kingdom has only suffered a small loss in reputation. Daxu did not ask the Liao Kingdom to pay tribute. At this time, the Liao Kingdom still wants to take advantage of it. What else can we talk about? Lord Xiao might as well take the letter back and ask the Liao Kingdom to continue to gather troops to fight.
Xiao Siwen took a deep breath, as if to suppress the evil spirit, and said: Let us discuss it.
Ludoson, who was seeing off the guest, shouted decisively.
When Xiao Siwen and others returned to the inn, he immediately said angrily: If I agree to this covenant, wouldn't I be a sinner
Yang Gun said calmly: "Lu Duosun is right. Given the current situation, it would be unreasonable for the Liao Dynasty to not suffer any loss. Of course, we would rather send some money and goods, but what is the difference between paying tribute and recognizing the superiority of the two countries?"
Xiao Siwen still refused to give in. He fully understood what responsibility he would bear and that he was actually being blamed. Negotiating peace was not his idea.
The four of them didn't even bother to eat dinner in the inn, and kept arguing until midnight. Later, they got tired of talking and leaned back in their chairs in silence.
At this moment, there was a sudden "ah" outside, which startled Xiao Siwen and the others. They all sat up straight and listened to the noise outside. The shouting continued, and it seemed that there was still a fight.
A man stood up and said: I will go and see what is going on.
Xiao Siwen said: Be careful of fraud.
Just as he finished speaking, there was a bang on the door. Then there was a loud bang, the door bolt broke, and a warrior in armor and holding a spear stumbled in, followed by two more people.
Yang Gun had already picked up a waist-shaped stool and called out in Chinese: "Who is coming?"
The warrior with the cherry spear walked in backwards and turned around and said: There is an assassin. We guard the door, and you wait to watch the window.
Xiao Siwen was observing the sudden incident in confusion, when suddenly there was a bang, and he saw the warrior who had just spoken fell on his back, with a crossbow arrow stuck in his forehead. The feather tail was still shaking due to the strong force, and a pool of blood seeped out from under the warrior's helmet. The remaining two warriors hurriedly closed the door and waited for the battle.
Xiao Siwen stared at the corpse, forgetting to close his mouth. He originally thought it was a trick, but when the Xu State guard was killed alive, Xiao Siwen realized the seriousness of the matter.
At this time, Yang Gun rushed forward, pulled out the single knife from the corpse's waist, turned around and threw it in front of Xiao Siwen. Then he pulled out a spear from the man's back and threw it to another messenger, and took the spear in his own hand.
With a crackling sound, short crossbow arrows suddenly pierced through the window. The window was covered with paper except for a few pieces of wood.
Before Xiao Siwen could react, his face felt hot and a crossbow arrow flew past his face. Xiao Siwen's face changed, and he overturned the coffee table and hid behind it. Yang Gun and others followed suit and quickly overturned the coffee table.
Bang! An axe swung across the window, sweeping the wooden strips and window paper everywhere. Then a big man in black came out halfway.
Yang Gun yelled, jumped up and grabbed the spear and stabbed. Unexpectedly, with a ding, the spear stabbed the armor, and the metal of the collar of the plate armor under the man's black robe flashed under the light.
Yang Gun glared with anger, spread his legs and stood on his lower body, and stabbed again with his spear. The man swung his axe, but was a beat late. This time the spear pierced the big man's armor. The man screamed in pain, and the axe smashed down, breaking the wooden handle of the spear with a bang.
At this time, the remaining two guards ran over, and the strong man swung his sword again, chopping it on an iron-covered round wooden shield, making one of the guards retreat several steps, and the other guard swung his sword and chopped at him. At this time, another black-robed assassin also climbed in through the window.
The guards retreated to protect Xiao Siwen and others, and angrily said to the two people at the window: You are soldiers from Daxu, but you killed the soldiers of Daxu!
The strong man said: You are actually protecting the bandits
The guard said: It is my duty. Where do you put the emperor's will
Yang Gun had already discarded the wooden handle, picked up a waist-shaped stool, and shouted, "Let's talk in the bedroom." Then he turned around and ran with Xiao Siwen and others. The two guards also turned around and ran over, holding swords and shields and turning around to fight.
There was a loud metallic collision at the door, sparks flashed, and then there was another loud roar.
There was a rapid clattering sound outside, the sound of many horse hooves hitting the brick floor. Yang Gun said: The cavalry is coming, guard the door and wait for help.
This bedroom has only one rear window, which is very high and small. The only opening is this small door, which can be guarded by a few people. The soldiers at the door are wearing plate armor, so it is not difficult to delay a little.
Xiao Siwen ran here in shock, and then he came to his senses. Yang Gun was indeed very good at using troops in times of emergency. No matter what, Yang Gun did save his life tonight.