Chapter Twenty The Northland in winter is empty and vast.The new wind howled in the wilderness, and the frost-stricken leaves fell off suddenly in the cold wind, spinning and flying on the dry sandy ground. Riding on his horse, Tang Kang looked around. As far as he could see, except for the missions stretching behind him and the Khitan army escorting them, the whole world seemed to be deserted.Only a few crows landed on a few poplar trees by the river in the distance, spread their wings and screamed desolately.Although he spent most of his life in the north, for Tang Kang, this big black bird was always an ominous symbol, which showed that he was still a southerner at heart.However, this made Tang Kang feel even more desolate.

Twenty miles further, it is the place where Emperor Dong Nabo (Note 1) of Guangpingdian Khitan (Note 1) walked (Note 2). Tang Kang still couldn't understand the thinking of the Khitan people.As an emperor who actively promoted Sinicization and was determined to innovate, Yelujun further strengthened the status of his Zhongjing Dading Mansion as the administrative capital. Go around.Such a ruling method may not have been necessary when Khitan was dominated by tribal autonomy in the past; however, after Yelv Jun's determined reforms, the Liao court directly controlled and managed more and more counties. It seems a bit old-fashioned to do anything about holding down the bowl at four o'clock.

Of course, this is only Khitan's internal affairs.If Yelujun can't manage his own country well, Tang Kang will only gloat, and will never have the slightest sympathy or worry.It's just that the Khitan system is also a kind of torture for the envoys of various countries.Today, when countries are sending resident envoys to each other, Yelujun's four-seasonal control also means that the envoys of various countries in Liao must follow him every year.For a special envoy like Tang Kang, it meant that he had to go to a place where nothing shit happened to visit the emperor of Khitan in the cold and windy season.

Tang Kang cursed in his heart.But when I think of my mission, I feel a kind of excitement. This year is the eleventh year of Taiping Zhongxing in the Daliao Dynasty, and the sixth year in the Song Dynasty.Tang Kang, who was thirty-six years old at the time, had excellent grades in his tenure in the Daming Mansion, and moved to the Wujing Pavilion to serve as a student. The deputy capital of the Privy Council accepted the decree. This time, he was envoy to Liao for the purpose of negotiating with Liao. Modify or terminate the mutual market treaty signed by the current Ministry of War Minister Zhang Dun with the Liao State six years ago.

The treaty signed by Xining in the 18th year was originally supposed to be terminated after the expiration of five years last year, but the negotiations between the Song and Liao parties failed. Zuo Prime Minister Sima took care of the friendship between the two dynasties and made a compromise, so the agreement was extended for a year.However, this incident aroused great dissatisfaction among the court and the public in the Song Dynasty, and caused many disturbances. Under pressure, the two governments finally decided that the treaty must be amended or terminated no matter what.That's why Tang Kang was sent as a special envoy to the Liao Kingdom to express his sincerity to Yelujun and explain it properly.

Well explained! Tang Kang couldn't help sneering in his heart. In the final analysis, this is just Sima Guang's wishful thinking.Since the third year of Shaosheng, the Empress Dowager changed the left and right servants to the left and right prime ministers, the seventy-year-old prime minister of the left, Sima Guang, has become more and more conservative and timid in the hearts of Tang Kang and others. up First, in the third year of Shaosheng, he submitted a letter to request the recall of Lu Gong's works, but when Lu Gong's works returned to Beijing, he could not speak clearly, and died of old age in the mansion within a month.Then, he asked Wen Yanbo to be recalled, but Wen Yanbo refused. Instead, he asked to be appointed as an official. Finally, the Jiedu envoys of Taishi and Jia two towns became official and lived in seclusion in Luoyang.

Based on this alone, Tang Kang felt that Sima Guang was not as rich as Wen Yanbo. This is not because Tang Kang is the grandson-in-law of the Wen family, so he favors Wen Yanbo.Taking the mutual market treaty with the Liao Kingdom as an example, the signing of this treaty six years ago may have been a last resort. However, by the sixth year of Shaosheng, the Song Dynasty had already overcome the predicament of Emperor Gaozong's grand tour at an unexpected speed. . First, in the first year of Shaosheng, Song Xia discussed peace.Together with Sima Guang, Shi Yue and Sima Guang sent Cai Bian to Xia Guo as an envoy against the pressure of domestic opponents, and negotiated an alliance with Li Bingchang in Heishui City. Opened an exchange market, re-canonized Li Bingchang as the king of Xixia, and agreed to a total of five concessions between the two countries' mutual diplomatic envoys, in exchange for Bingchang becoming a minister of the Song Dynasty and adopting the reign title of the Song Dynasty.In the second year of Shaosheng, Wang Anli and Li Xian were ordered to negotiate the border with Xixia. The two sides also made a verbal promise that Bingchang would not go east to seek the old land of Xixia, while the Song Dynasty acquiesced in Bingchang's annexation of the Western Regions.

Since then, Bingchang has been able to manage the Western Regions with all his strength, and has no worries about going east.Under the strategy of comprehensive contraction, the Song Dynasty was also happy to exchange for the tranquility of the northwest border. From then on, it could focus on digesting the recovered Hexi land and further consolidate its rule in Hexi. This strategy has achieved remarkable results. Although there is information that in the fifth year of Shaosheng, Gaochang and Qiuci have been annexed, and the black sweat has been broken several times. Seeing that Xixia, who is about to annex the entire Western Regions, moved its capital to Gaochang, quietly The year number was restored.But in the past few years, the border between Song and Xia has indeed achieved peaceful coexistence.The direct result is that the scale of the mutual market between the two countries has continued to expand. In the Song Dynasty, from Hexi to Hengshan and Hehuang, household registrations were multiplied, treasuries were filled, rice paddies were connected, and sheep and cattle flocked.The conversion of the Song army to the Tiantian army in large numbers not only greatly reduced the financial burden of the imperial court, but also gave the hinterland of Shaanxi a rare time to recuperate since the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty.In the fifth year of Shaosheng, the imperial court did an unprecedented event in Hengshan, Hehuang, and Hexi: the imperial court recruited 3,000 monks and Taoists, and performed great deeds in these areas to save the souls of the dead who died in the war This is not without precedent, but after that, Shi Yue ordered these monks to go deep into the various tribes to treat people and animals for free. The imperial court also allocated 300,000 yuan for this purpose to buy herbs and give them to the tribes.

Shi Yue's move certainly shows that the relationship between the various ethnic groups in the northwest of the Song Dynasty is unprecedentedly harmonious, and it also indirectly shows how good the financial situation of the Song Dynasty is. Indeed, even today, Bianjing’s prices have not recovered to the level of seven or eight years ago. However, since Xining issued salt bonds in 18 years, despite the constant disputes surrounding the salt bonds, there are even occasional tensions. However, the salt debt supported by Sima Guang and Wang Anshi was successfully issued after all. The huge amount of funds obtained by the imperial court could not only provide guarantees for banknotes and bank deposits, but also help the imperial court through the period of financial difficulties.

After the banknotes were handed over and the bank was stabilized, although wars broke out in the overseas Lingzhou and Jinzhou soon, the sea merchants and the southeast workshops, which were expected to operate poorly, also gained new opportunities because of feudalism.Since the 18th year of Xining, there have been different numbers of clan vassals every year. They sold a large number of assets in Bianjing and Hangzhou to buy needed items and recruit talents and labor. The wealth of the clan has accumulated over the past 100 years in the Song Dynasty. Almost all of them will be put into the circulation market within a few years, which in itself is enough to make the transactions between Bianjing and Hangzhou active and prosperous, and the prosperity of each region and industry driven by this is even more immeasurable.And after the closure of the country, in order to raise the initial funds, the vassals did not hesitate to sell a lot of benefits, from the most common contracting of the city's shipping duties, to the opening of the mines, and what's more, they even hired military companions as mercenaries to conquer for them Yi people, then the princes and mercenaries sit on the ground and share the tax

Maritime merchants either held important positions in the vassal states, or fought against the vassals, but most of them were still willing to be subjects of the Song Dynasty, and they also brought considerable taxes to the Song Dynasty court.In the fifth year of Shaosheng, the imperial court spent more than 10 million yuan in revenue from the city's shipping tariffs and the prohibition of monopolizing overseas goods.And this was achieved when Song Nian turned against each other and the east-west trade route was almost cut off. The roads in the southeast are becoming more prosperous. Not only the roads in Liangzhe and Fujian are far better than the old ones, but the household registration, number of cultivated fields, grain output, and tax revenue in Huguang Fourth Road are increasing year by year.After five or six years of recuperation, Yizhou Road has gradually recovered.After the delineation of the Shu currency area and the large-scale withdrawal of the forbidden army to the north, the prices in Yizhou gradually stabilized. In the next five years, the imperial court carefully recycled paper money in Yizhou. By the fifth year of Shaosheng, the situation in Yizhou seemed to be reversed compared to the past. More optimistic when in the money zone.Although the imperial court has not yet opened the exchange of Shu coins and banknotes, it is useless for people to carry banknotes when entering and leaving Yizhou, they can only bring goods or yellow and white things, but this is the same as when the iron coin district was implemented in the past. Yizhou's trade with the outside world.The advantage that Shu coins do not have as iron coins is that the cost of issuing Shu coins is much lower than that of iron coins, while iron coins are easy to steal and mint and are inconvenient to carry, while Shu coins are not easy to steal but easy to carry.In the past five years, not only the soldiers and civilians in Yizhou had already accepted Shu coins, but as far as Tang Kang knew, even businessmen broke the law and exchanged cash and Shu coins for travelers entering and leaving Yizhou in private.Among those merchants, one consistent Shu coin can even be exchanged for a consistent twenty Wen banknote.In other words, in fact, Shu coins are more valuable than banknotes. Indeed, Yizhou's self-recovery ability is amazing.As long as the court settles down, the people will pick up the hoes and support themselves.It took Chen Yuanfeng less than two years in Yizhou to pacify the thieves throughout Yizhou with the combination of suppression and appeasement, and was promoted to the deputy envoy of transshipment. After the rebellious Southwestern Yi attacked and harassed several times and was defeated by Wang Hou and Murong Qian, they soon did not dare to provoke the Song Dynasty.Seeing that the Song Dynasty will conquer in the future in a year or two, these rebellious tribes have resumed their vendetta against each other. During the years, these tribes either returned to the Song Dynasty, or had hung their heads on the gate of Rongzhou. In the fifth year of Shaosheng, Chen Yuanfeng even made an ambitious memorial requesting the imperial court to allow him to send soldiers from Yizhou to liquidate the leading tribes during the Southwestern Barbarian rebellion, and even to punish some tribes that had accepted to surrender Dali Kingdom. In the Zhengshitang where Sima Guang is in charge, it is of course impossible for this memorial to be adopted.In order to fear that Chen Yuanfeng would cause trouble, Sima Guang simply promoted this now well-known capable official to the post of Hebei Road Xuezheng Envoy in the name of experience. Sima Guang in the fifth year of Shaosheng was Sima Guang who was in full swing.No matter what he does, no one in the two governments will object. In this year, the imperial court redeemed the batch of five-year salt debts as promised, without a penny in arrears.The group of people in the old party who are gradually alienated from Sima Guang, although there are also a very small number of people, regard this as a victory in their five-year struggle, claiming that the court has only reluctantly done what should be done, but most people, Some have kept silent and closed their mouths, while others have publicly changed their attitudes and praised Sima Guang. It seems that this is all due to Sima Junshi!Tang Kang thought indignantly in his heart. In fact, everyone knows that if it were not for Shi Yue, or even Wang Anshi who presided over the salt debt and feudal affairs in the southeast in Hangzhou, the current situation would not be possible.However, the old party members in Bianjing couldn't remember Wang Anshi who was far away in Hangzhou, and took Shi Yue's achievements for granted. In their view, the key to all this was that Sima Guang firmly supported Shi Yue. Things in the world are so ridiculous. So this year, Sima Guang's prestige reached its peak. But Sima Guang, who lived in the fifth year of Shaosheng, was also a depressed Sima Guang. This seventy-year-old Sima Xianggong can no longer go to court every day, only once every five days.Shi Yue and Fan Chunren presided over almost all the government affairs of the Zhengshitang.And what the Prime Minister Zuo did was to reject Chen Yuanfeng's petition to liquidate the Southwest Yi's rebels, to reject Wen Huan's and Xue Yi's petitions for the Western Expedition to the Kingdom of Chariots, and to acquiesce in Li Bingchang's restoration of his reign in Gaochang. Continue to implement the treaty with Khitan that should have been terminated long ago! The only major event he supported was the issuance of another five million yuan in new bonds to raise funds to repair irrigation channels in Shaanxi.In Shaosheng five years, the treasury of the imperial court was not short of money, but Shi Yue and the two governments believed that more savings should be kept in the treasury for emergencies. Before issuing some banknotes again, the two governments are still undecided.At this point, everyone is frightened. No matter how many theories put forward by Shihuosha, how Taifu Temple advises, even Shi Yue stubbornly believes that before the gold, silver and copper reserves in the treasury are at least one to three to the issued banknotes , It is absolutely not suitable to issue banknotes again.Sima Guang obviously also has this kind of mentality, so it is easier to get the support of the two governments by issuing moderate bonds. All in all, Sima Guang still adhered to the strategy he had set up in Xining for eighteen years, and refused to make any changes.As long as no one comes to invade the Song Dynasty, he does not want to start any side affairs, no matter whether it is beneficial to the Song Dynasty or not; as long as there are no financial problems, he hopes to continue the current policy, and it is best not to have any new ones. adventurous policy emerges However, Sima Guang is willing to do so, but it does not mean that this country is willing to do so! These are not quiet times. Nor is it an era for people in their seventies. The captive tent is winter in Shatuo, Cable sheep and weave reeds are called palaces. From the official star Sanyi Zhongfu, The felt reed grotto deceives the frost and wind, Spring beams boil snow to be full, Hit the rabbit and shoot the deer to exaggerate the hero, The court manages a little poor Haiyu, old legacy Suddenly, in the convoy behind Tang Kang, the clear voice of a singing girl came. During this silent and boring journey, the melodious singing voice can indeed boost people's morale sometimes. But the singing made Tang Kang slightly frowned. The lyrics of this song are the poem "The Captive Tent" written by Su Zhe after he went to Khitan in the past. The ten official prostitutes in his mission were gifts from the Song Dynasty to the Liao Lord. It is human nature to feel sentimental in this land in the north of the Great Wall.However, the most taboo thing about being an envoy to Khitan is to be proud of China, which often leads to disputes between the two countries. Su Zhe's poem also talks about captive tents and stubbornness, so he doesn't have much respect for Khitan. He glanced at the accompanying Khitan officials and soldiers, they were also listening attentively, but there was no displeasure on their faces.Tang Kang couldn't help being taken aback for a moment, and then he remembered that the singing girl was singing in Wu dialect. Even if the Khitan officials around her could understand Chinese, at best they could understand Bianjing official dialect. It is absolutely impossible. Tang Kang gave a self-conscious smile, let go of his heart, and turned his mind to the lyrics again. The days of the imperial court managing the poor and the sea, and the relics of the old age eliminating the stubbornness, such days will never come back. At this moment, only the sound of the horn came from the front, and Tang Kang saw a Khitan military officer escorting the mission pick up the horn from his waist, and began to blow the horn. The mission stopped.In an instant, in the deserted wilderness just now, a group of cavalry suddenly came out from nowhere and galloped towards the mission. The Khitan escort officer rode his horse to Tang Kang's side, clasped his fists and said with a smile: "Master Tang, General Yeluchong's defense zone is ahead. Brother Yeluchong?Tang Kang almost blurted out, with a hint of anticipation in his voice.But it's no wonder Tang Kang, Brother Yeluchong, indeed, he has admired him for a long time, the most famous general in the world since Shaosheng! Master Tang, Master Tong, you have worked hard all the way. Tang Kang saw the team of cavalry dismount when they were five or sixty steps away from him.A man in his twenties, dressed in a white Hu suit, with a strong physique and the appearance of a leader from the Northern Dynasty, strode over and greeted himself and Deputy Envoy Tong Guan with clasped fists.He clasped fists with Tong Guan to return the salute, he was thinking in his mind which Khitan official had this appearance recorded in the Privy Council's files, but he heard that Khitan escort officer had already stepped forward and saluted: "Duke Zhuangyuan" When Tang Kang heard these three words, his heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly said: So it was him! Sure enough, while listening to the companion officer introduced with a smile: Lord Tang, Lord Tong, this is the military champion of this dynasty last year, and is the second son of Lord Wanyan Impeacher Libo, General Wanyan Aguda . Tang Kang nodded secretly in his heart, and smiled back: it turned out to be the champion.Turning around to Tong Guan, he said with a smile: A few days ago, he was brave and good at fighting with the enshrined and straight men who gave birth to daughters. While looking carefully at Wanyan Aguda, he saw that although Aguda wore a wolfskin cap on his head, he still had a few locks of hair on the back of his head, which was completely different from Khitan.Tang Kang had known for a long time that most of the various ethnic groups in the Liao Kingdom had the custom of kunfa, but there were still differences in the kunfa among the various ethnic groups.For example, female straight hair is left behind the skull, while Khitan is shaved off the top of the skull, leaving hair around or mainly on both sides of the skull. He also looked at the cavalry behind Aguda, and saw that their hair and hair were the same as Aguda's. He knew in his heart that they must all be soldiers from the tribe who gave birth to women, so he couldn't help but pay more attention. A few years ago, Han Tuogulie, the envoy of the Liao Kingdom in the Song Dynasty, returned to the country and was promoted to Dulinya in the north.Under Han Tuogulie's suggestion, the Liao State further reformed the imperial examination system.Referring to the system of the Song Dynasty, Han Tuogulie perfectly combined the imperial examination system with Khitan's world selection system, and divided the Jinshi subjects into Wen, Wu, and Miscellaneous. Astronomy, geography, medical arithmetic, etc.In addition, the Khitan, Han, Bohai, Xi, and other tribes were separated, and three separate examinations were conducted, in order to win over and use all the elites of each tribe through the imperial examination.In the past, the Khitan’s system of world selection was to select virtuous officials from the children of nobles, but it was more similar to the Chaju in the Han Dynasty. By the time of Yelu Hongji, it was unsustainable, and the selection of talents by the system of world selection was limited to the core tribes such as the Khitan , but Han Tuogulie's reform not only transformed the imperial examination system into the world election system, but also opened up the political power to all tribes in the Liao Kingdom for the first time and shared power.This reform has indeed had a significant effect on alleviating the contradictions between Khitan and various tribes in the country. Shengnvzhi had always had great hatred for Khitan. Many tribes accepted official positions in the Liao Kingdom on the surface, but they were quite ashamed of it. It is still unavoidable for all tribes to let their children take part in the imperial examination, because this is related to the competition among the tribes in the birth of a daughter. Interests.Like Wanyan Aguda, who won the champion of martial arts examination or even only the top three in each subject, the direct benefit is that Wanyan Department can be exempted from taxes for three years. Because of this, Wanyan Agu beat the No. 1 Scholar, which aroused Tang Kang's great interest. This reform of Han Tuo Gulie may be a reform related to the fate of Khitan.Perhaps, the entry of the elites of various ethnic groups into the Liao state will weaken the opposition forces of various ethnic groups against the Khitan, and even eventually ease the fierce conflicts among the ethnic groups in the Liao state; The country has always been a tribe with a small population. If it is not our tribe, its heart must be different.If the conflicts among the various ethnic groups cannot be really alleviated, or even become more intensified on a certain day, then when the elites of these ethnic groups return to their tribes, they will no longer be comparable to the barbarians who have never seen the world before. It brought unprecedented trouble to Khitan. What's more, the open regime will also damage the vested interests of some Khitan people, even the Han people in the Liao Kingdom.Although they welcome the selection of more officials by the Liao Kingdom through the imperial examination, they also discriminate against other scholars in other disciplines. They also criticize these forces a lot if the information about Han Tuo Gulie's reform is correct. Will there be a counterattack one day?Will they one day settle this account on Wanyan Aguda and lead to greater conflicts? All these are questions in Tang Kang's heart, or in other words, expectations. Although Shi Yue believed that this was a good thing for the Song Dynasty, Shi Yue believed that not only the Khitan, but also the Song Dynasty were more willing to deal with the more civilized barbarians.But Tang Kang didn't care about these, whether they were civilized or barbaric, he only cared about those barbarians who could cause trouble for the Khitan people.Although Shi Yue did have a great influence on Tang Kang, Tang Kang was completely different from Shi Yue in this respect. His sense of superiority over the barbarians was engraved in his bones and was completely inseparable from his way of thinking. He carefully observed Wanyan Aguda and his subordinates, as well as their attitudes towards the Khitans who were with them, or the attitudes of the Khitans who were with them towards these virgins.Look for mutual discrimination, hostility, and opportunities to exploit them. He noticed that the Khitan army escorting them and the cavalry of Wanyan Aguda had no intersection at all, as if they regarded each other as passers-by.There was no conversation between them, as if they were two completely unfamiliar armies, but they couldn't feel the tense and hostile atmosphere. Compared with the indifference of the subordinates, the escort officer had a strange enthusiasm for Wanyan Aguda, and Tang Kang understood the reason.In fact, the Khitan people are no different from the Song people, and they are full of inexplicable admiration for the so-called number one scholar.But this feeling made Tang Kang, who was not a Jinshi Gaodi, a little disdainful, which made him easily think of the discrimination he suffered in the Song Dynasty.No matter how capable he is, even ignoring what kind of background he has, he is not an official from Jinshi Gaodi, as if he is destined to be inferior to others, even if the position of serving as a servant of Wujing Pavilion protects him from being subjected to such a situation when he is promoted. kind of discrimination. However, what surprised Tang Kang was that Aguda was neither humble nor overbearing. Since its founding, the Staff House has been paying close attention to collecting information on important figures in the Liao Kingdom.Especially after Zhong Jianzhong took over the Zhifangguan, he paid more attention to the Liao Kingdom. He had the foresight to collect information on the tribes belonging to the Liao Kingdom, such as Zoubu, Nvzhi, and Shiwei. However, the information collected by the Zhifangguan was after all limited.Although Aguda's father was the daughter of the Liao Kingdom, Zhijiedushi, it was no different from General Guide of the Song Dynasty, it was just a name.The Wanyan tribe is not considered an important tribe. If Aguda hadn't won the champion of martial arts, and was selected by Brother Yeluchong to become a marching staff officer under the account of this famous general, Tang Kang would not even know that there is such a person in the world The presence. In Tang Kang's heart, the Khitan is already a barbarian, and even in the eyes of the Khitan, the female son is also a barbarian. The second son of the Zhibu Jiedushi who gave birth to a daughter, but in Tang Kang's eyes, this identity is equivalent to the second son of an unknown chieftain's family in the Yong Kingdom of the South China Sea.What's more, he is only the second son after all, not the eldest son. Even if he is the No. 1 martial artist!But most of the time, people will only feel strange because of his identity.Han Tuogulie's reforms called the imperial examinations taken by the Khitan people the National Ke, the Han people and the Bohai people the Han Ke, and the Xi people and other tribes the Zhubu Ke.But the common names among the people are more direct. They call these three families Beike, Nanke, and Yike respectively.So in the final analysis, Aguda is nothing more than a champion of barbarians and martial arts. What's more, he is only in his twenties.Tang Kang couldn't remember what the file said, was he twenty-three or twenty-four years old? Tang Kang couldn't imagine at all, how did he get his bearing? That kind of feeling is that you can't feel the traces of his arrogance, but he can still make you feel that all the praise of him is taken for granted, and even, he will make you feel that if you want to criticize him, he He definitely wouldn't take it seriously, even though Tang Kang could still see caution and humility in his eyes. A very strange feeling.Like a young man from a remote village, when he arrives in Bianjing, he will instinctively have a kind of defensive humility. He carefully observes others and deals with everything he encounters cautiously.This is not unusual, Tang Kang has seen countless young people like this.But what's really strange is that at the same time, he can still make you feel that he can stand up to everyone, yes, it's so natural, everyone! The second son of Zhibu Jiedushi, who gave birth to a daughter, has an aura that surprised Tang Kang. If it was in the Song Dynasty, I would definitely recommend this person to the imperial court.He will become the names that Tang Kang has flashed in his mind, but he can't find a suitable name, Han Qi?Fu Bi?He shook his head in his heart, denying each one.Soon he decided to give up. In any case, this is just a piece of rough jade. Even if the Liao Kingdom gets him, even if he is honed one day, it will be a long time before he becomes a threat to the Song Dynasty. He let his mind leave the man who gave birth to a daughter. After Wanyan Aguda and his party arrived, the mission became more lively. The deputy envoy Tong Guanzheng was talking loudly about the battle of Yili River with the escort officer and Wanyan Aguda. It turns out that I have really crossed the Tianshan Mountain. I thought it was a rumor in the market before. Tsk tsk, I have never seen Tianshan Mountain, but I have seen Helan Mountain. I heard that Tianshan Mountain is higher than Helan Mountain. A Guda, General Wanyan, I think this journey must be thrilling? Mr. Tong didn't know about it. At that time, he was not under Mr. Yelu's subordinates. Well, that's such a pity, I've never been able to figure out what method General Yelu used to hunch those five cannons over the Tianshan Mountains Tong Guan's casual question made Tang Kang's heart move, and he pricked up his ears immediately, and he heard A Guda say with a faint smile: Lord Yelu uses soldiers like a god, but I haven't followed them for a long time, and I really don't know these inside facts. General Yelu is indeed worthy of the four words of using soldiers like gods.But the accompanying officer seemed dissatisfied with his reservation, he couldn't wait to take over the words, and boasted: Ten thousand cavalry marched westward, smashed the Northern Court, and flew over the Tianshan Mountains. On that day, more than a hundred thousand black men waiting for work had gathered by the Yili River Khan's army, General Yelu's subordinates plus Xixia people, all do not exceed 50,000.The number one scholar can serve under the command of such a famous general, and his future is limitless. In the future, he will surely make greater contributions to Daliao with General Yelu Is there really an army of 100,000 black sweaters?Tong Guan's astonishment was tinged with distasteful suspicion. The accompanying officer glanced at Tong Guan, and said proudly: What is a mere enemy of 100,000 people?It's not just bragging. Although this cannon was first made in the Southern Dynasty, General Yelu was the first to use it in a big battle. If it is to make good use of the cannon, General Yelu would be the second. I'm afraid no one would dare to use it. Recognize first. Tong Guan and Tang Kang exchanged glances quickly, and what the escort officer said could not be easily refuted. In the past five or six years, Brother Yeluchong's reputation has indeed spread far and wide. First, he led an army of 8,000 horsemen, under the pretext of disrespectful tribute, and went deep into the bitter cold land of the extreme north alone, smashing Orangai and Xiajiasi, and from then on included Xiaohai<Note 4> into the territory of the Liao Kingdom, expanding the land tens of thousands of miles. Since then, in the official system of the Liao Kingdom, there have been no more nominal Orangai King's Mansions and Xiajiasi King's Mansions, but two more veritable Orangai King's Mansions, The Palace of the Great King of Gass. Afterwards, the Liao and Xia formed an alliance, and Bingchang asked Khitan to send troops to assist them in conquering the Uyghurs and the Black Khans.Brother Yeluchong was ordered to lead 10,000 cavalry to the west to aid Bingchang, break through the Beiting, cross the Tianshan Mountains and attack Gaochang with Xia's army, and defeated the more than 100,000 Black Khan troops who came to interfere with Xia's army on the banks of the Yili River.Li Bingchang had no worries about going east since he was repaired with the Song Dynasty. Since then, he has won the help of Khitan, and he has no fear.Bingchang personally led the Xia army to go south and annexed the old place of Khotan. The soldiers pointed directly at the city of Kashgar where the Heihan Khan was stationed; As a result, even the city of Bala Shagun, which was originally built by the Black Khanate, was not spared. In just a few years, the name of Brother Yelu Chong has shocked the Western Regions.He ran rampant in the Western Regions, fought hundreds of victories, and became famous both at home and abroad for his steady use of troops, not being greedy for profit, and knowing how to advance and retreat.The soldiers under his command are able to bear hardships and stand hard work, endure hunger and hunger, which is rare among the Khitan people.Brother Yeluchong has another advantage, even in the Song Dynasty, he was quite praised as the general in the Khitan army who valued craftsmen and equipment the most. When heading to the Western Regions, Brother Yeluchong worked tirelessly and brought five cannons. In the battle of Yili River, Brother Yeluchong placed the cannons on high, and used the artillery to surprise the Black Khan army. He attacked and defeated the Black Khan army.The Liaoxia Allied Forces were able to win more with less, thanks to the contribution of these five artillery pieces. This campaign was extremely shocking in the Song, Liao, and Xia kingdoms. The Khitan iron cavalry is invincible in all directions, but if they encounter the Han people who form a phalanx with heavy troops or defend firmly, there is nothing they can do. If they want to attack by force, both sides will suffer.That's why the Liao army has the tradition of forming a line and not fighting.However, ever since Brother Yeluchong used artillery in field battles for the first time, the Privy Council of the Great Song Dynasty has been alarmed that their previous advantages no longer exist.This battle made the Privy Council truly aware of the role of artillery in field battles. The Privy Council had also taken some precautions against the Khitan's possession of artillery, but they never thought that a Khitan general who was good at using artillery would be able to fight in the field. The most serious threat ever to their heavily armed phalanx. The Khitan's artillery is indeed inferior to that of the Song Dynasty, but if it is used properly, it is more than enough to destroy the enemy's formation and blast the enemy's city gate.Da Song didn't really realize until now that the artillery invented by Da Song may not be the one who profited the most from it. In addition, Brother Yeluchong also imitated the Shenwei camp of the Song Army. It is said that there are various craftsmen hidden in his army. In normal times, fighting is no different from ordinary soldiers, but in times of emergency, there is always no shortage of various craftsmen in his army.Unlike other generals in Khitan, he never complained that too much luggage slowed down his marching speed, even if it was useless sometimes, and he was forced to abandon it halfway, but whenever he had the opportunity, Brother Yeluchong would take the trouble to replenish the discarded baggage. All of these make Brother Yeluchong look more like a general of Song Dynasty. In other words, a general who has both the strengths of Song and Liao. This is why Tang Kang and Tong Guan are so interested in him.The staff office spent a lot of money and collected countless information about the battle of the Yili River. Tang Kang alone participated in the sand table deduction in the Privy Council four or five times. The number of horses in the Song Army is indeed much greater than in the old days, but because of the high cost of training cavalry, and under financial pressure, the Song Dynasty pursued a policy of maintaining a certain number of elite cavalry, and infantry was still the main force of the Song Army.The phalanx was the main method for the infantry of the Song Dynasty to fight against the Khitan cavalry. However, what kind of phalanx can maintain its formation under the bombardment of artillery? This is a difficult problem that Brother Yeluchong posed to all the generals of the Song Dynasty. Tang Kang and Tong Guan didn't know whether the general of Song Dynasty had found the answer. However, although Tang Kang didn't mind praising Brother Yeluchong, Da Song now has the grace and confidence to praise his opponent. No matter what troubles he caused Da Song, he didn't intend to let him The escort officer was so proud, he didn't say anything to refute what the escort officer said, and Tong Guan also shut his mouth knowingly.This is what Tang Kang likes most about him. Tong Guan always knows when to speak and when not to speak.The two just suddenly smiled inscrutablely.It was as if the escort officer had made some joke about Yelang's conceit, and the two of them just cared about his face and didn't bother to refute. The escort officer was laughed so that he felt guilty, but he didn't want to ask rashly, so he also kept his mouth shut.Wanyan Aguda seemed to suddenly become interested. He glanced at Tang Kang and Tong Guan with great interest, but finally didn't ask any more questions. Because of the heavy luggage, under the guard of Wanyan Aguda's Ministry, the mission traveled for another hour before finally arriving in Guangpingdian.When he arrived in Guangpingdian, Tang Kang suddenly realized that the so-called winter bowl was actually just the Khitan emperor leading his officials to avoid the cold.Guangpingdian is located in Yongzhou of the Liao Kingdom. It is a flat sandy plain more than 20 miles from east to west and more than ten miles from north to south. This place was originally a desert wasteland. Make Guangpingdian a unique place.Because it is surrounded by desert, it is a very warm and comfortable place in winter.In addition, it is not far from the holy mountain Muye Mountain in the hearts of the Khitan people. The Khitan people firmly believe that Muye Mountain has a very important relationship with its ancestors and the origin of the tribe. Every October, the Liao Lord and the Queen of the Liao Kingdom will lead their officials to worship the mountain.Dong Nabo chose Guangpingdian, not only for the hidden meaning of praying for the protection of Muye Mountain, but also for convenience. Khitan was established longer than the Song Dynasty. Guangpingdian was the place where the Liao rulers would visit every year. Although the Khitan monarchs and ministers did not deliberately build palaces and palaces at this time, it has its own scale after all.Since entering Guangpingdian, Tang Kang saw that the tents were connected together, almost covering the sky and the earth.All the tents are facing east and west.The Khitan people planted more trees here, so that the elms and willows became forests, making people forget that they were in the desert. The Wanyan Aguda Department escorted the mission to Guangpingdian, then resigned and went back to work.The accompanying officer led the mission into a tent.唐康諸人也不以為異，這一路以來，他們所住的驛館，幾乎全部都是氈帳館。驛館的官吏們顯然早已得到宋朝使團前來的消息，準備得亦頗為妥當，幾十名兵吏使婢幫著宋朝使團的隨從搬卸行李，幾名通譯跑前跑後，幫著翻譯交流。驛館特意撥出來五座帳篷給宋朝使團，唐康與童貫各佔一座，其他隨從兵吏佔兩座，歌妓佔一座。接伴官待到他們安頓下來之後，也告了個罪，吩咐幾個小吏在那裏聽候差遣，便辭了出去交差。 前前後後又忙碌了一陣，伴當伺候著唐康洗了臉，換過乾淨衣服，又有遼國北樞密院、敵烈麻都司<注五>的官員前來問候，唐康心裏掛念著正事，免不得要詢問遞交國書及覲見遼主之事，但那兩個官員職位低微，只是一個勁請他們好好歇息，明天再行接風之宴。唐康又問他們能否拜見北樞密使衛王蕭佑丹或者敵烈麻都趙思茅，二人亦是支支吾吾；又問能否去會見大宋朝駐遼正使朴彥成，二人也是一問三不知。 唐康頓時疑心起契丹有心輕視，他使前雖然花了很大功夫，翻閱密院檔案，記熟外交禮儀，但這些小事，卻是檔案裏所不會記載，禮儀裏沒有規定的。他心裏雖然惱怒，卻到底也不敢孟浪，只得耐著性子，計議著權忍一日，待到明日見了重要官員再做計較。 打發了那兩個契丹官員，唐康眼見天色還不算太晚，正是夕陽將落未落之際，他好不容易來一次契丹，雖然知道身處廣平甸內，契丹人必不會允許他隨意離開驛館，但他卻也不想躲在帳篷之內，吩咐過伴當便信步出了帳篷，在驛館內閒步。一路所遇，館內的契丹人見著他，有認得的也有不認得的，或欠身行禮，或是對他視若無睹，仍舊大聲說笑，只是他們都是用契丹話交談，說的是什麼，唐康卻是一句話也聽不懂。他細心觀察他所遇契丹人的神情、衣飾，卻也察覺不到什麼憂容，館內人眾自小吏到廝役，所穿衣鞋也看不出破舊之處。他又回想一路前來之所見所聞，雖然這廣平甸驛館之內，或的確可能是遼人刻意粉飾，但自南京至中京，至中京至廣平甸，沿途所過驛館，所遇百姓行人，他的確也是沒見過一人面有飢色。到了這時候，唐康終於不得不承認，契丹如今的確也是處於治世之中。 契丹不可促圖！唐康心裏，突然冒出他的頂頭上司、樞密使韓維這兩年常說的一句話來。在汴京時，唐康和他的同僚們，私下裏都對老眼昏花的韓維頗有微詞，他們覺得韓維越老越怯懦，全無當年智勇。但是唐康心裏面突然有一點動搖。 沒有親身到過遼國的時候，無論從紙面上看到多少檔案、情報，又從別人那裏聽到多少傳聞，唐康心裏面對遼國能處於治世，也始終是懷疑的。這種心態在大宋非常普遍，即便是承認契丹處於治世，沒有親眼看到這一切的人，心裏也是不曾將夷狄之治世當一回事的，夷狄畢竟只是夷狄而已，他們的治世又怎能與中夏相比？絕大部分的宋朝士大夫，終其一生都從未到過遼國，因為他們對遼國的瞭解，來自於摻雜著真實與誇張的傳聞，還有一些書面的記載。但所謂秀才不出門，能知天下事，其實亦不是那麼靠得住的。任何親身到過遼國的人，都會有完全不同的感覺。從南京到中京所見到的富庶，從中京到廣平甸所見到的廣闊，的確能讓唐康真正體會到，契丹是一個可以與大宋相提並論的大國。 在宋朝的官員中，唐康已然是屬於對契丹有相當認識的那群人，是樞密院內所謂的知北事者，但即便如此，當此前間接的認知與此時直接的觀察，一一相互印證之後鮮活起來的遼國，仍然讓唐康感覺到驚訝。 唐康原本準備用一種最強烈的態度，終止條約，並趁機狠狠的羞辱契丹人一次，替大宋出一口悶氣。如若契丹人惱羞成怒，那正中唐康下懷，若契丹膽敢興兵，大宋正好趁機一舉恢復幽薊故地！ 但他畢竟已經不是當年輕狂不可一世的少年，這一路的旅途，讓唐康不知不覺的收斂起心中的那種只求快意的衝動。他永遠都不會接受那種條約，他也絕不會委曲求全的妥為解釋，大宋理當理直氣壯的終止條約，如此才能讓契丹人明白這個世界已經有了新的規則。但是，他也願意在這個過程中，給予契丹人合理的尊重。 他不懼怕因為談判失敗而挑起戰爭，也不會刻意去迴避戰爭，但是，他也不會再去尋求戰爭。 那樣可有點愚蠢。 （注一）捺缽為契丹語，指行宮。所謂冬捺缽是四時捺缽制度中的其一，皇帝行宮隨四季而遷移。 （注二）行在，指天子行鑾駐蹕的所在。 <注三>即翰林學士承旨之別稱 <注四>即蘇武牧羊之所謂北海，今貝加爾湖。 <注五>敵烈麻都司，其長吏稱敵烈麻都，據《遼史．百官志一》，其執掌是總知朝廷禮儀，總禮儀事，亦即此司略相當於宋之禮部。 然而，契丹人卻並沒有體諒唐康的心情。 次日，敵烈麻都趙思茅在前來接受了唐康所遞交的國書與禮物，並且設宴宴請了唐康與童貫之後，從此便如人間蒸發般消失不見。此後日復一日，唐康與童貫幾乎是被軟禁在了驛館裏，二人被限制離開驛館的範圍，每日雖然總有幾個官員前來作陪，大宴小宴不斷，但是契丹人卻既不肯與唐康開始談判，也避而不談何時可以讓他覲見遼主與北樞密使蕭佑丹。甚至連朴彥成那邊也杳無音信。 唐康與童貫幾次商議，都覺得甚為蹊蹺，二人有時甚至疑心契丹已經南下。但無論唐康據理力爭，還是赤裸裸的威脅，甚至是私底下行賄他用盡所有的手段，終究是得不到半點線索。而遼人始終是以禮相待，只勸他稍安勿躁。 這裏始終是契丹人的地方。唐康無可奈何之下，只能暗自懊惱，使團內原有一個通譯，但過了遼國南京後，便染上疾病，因為漢語本是當時各國外交場所之通用語言，遼國、西夏、大理、高麗、交趾諸國，無不採用漢字，社會上層更是普遍會說漢話，所以當時唐康也不以為意，將他留在了中京使館養病。他設想過使遼會遇到的種種困難，卻不曾想到會遇到這種窘境。甚而，原本驛館之內的兵吏廝役，是最易收買、最易露出蛛絲馬跡的，但不想他這驛館內的契丹兵吏廝役，竟沒有一個人會說漢話，更不用說識漢字了，整個驛館內的遼人，只有四個通譯懂漢話。 這一切都透露著，契丹人是刻意為之。以遼國境內懂漢話的人口之眾，似乎這種廣平甸內的驛館，已略相當於大宋都亭驛的地位了，在這裏聽差的兵吏別說是漢話，只怕天下四方各國之語言，都有人懂得。所以要麼是這些人裝聾作啞，要麼便是有人故意挑了一批不懂漢話的人來招待他們。 定是出了什麼事情！ 但究竟出了什麼事情，唐康卻是想破腦袋也想不出來。 若說契丹已決意翻臉，甚至已經興兵南下，可他們雖被軟禁，但除了與外界隔離之外，遼人到底還是以禮相待。若兩國真的開戰，遼國不將他們放逐到小海，也應當將他們移入上京，斷無還讓他們留在廣平甸之理，更何況他們雖然被軟禁，卻也沒聽到外面有大軍行動的動靜，真是大軍開動，廣平甸再大也大不到哪去，遼人既無必要瞞他們，也沒有瞞得住他們的可能，除非是他們到此之前，遼人早已南下了，但若真是那樣，那不僅職方館可說是無能之極，便是大宋河東、河北的文武官員，卻全部成為了草包。因此雖然偶爾難免疑神疑鬼，但雖被軟禁，唐康到底還沒失了冷靜，仔細分析之下便覺得這些極不可能。 而若說契丹有意想以此來挫折他們的銳氣，作為一種談判手段，可談判既未開始，又何來此說？何況遼人也不曾斷水斷糧加以威逼，契丹雖說常自居中國，僭稱正朔，但畢竟脫不了夷狄的野蠻習氣，談判時斷水斷糧借此威逼使者屈服，這種下三濫的手段，自他們老祖宗匈奴<注六>時代便已屢見不鮮，如今故技重施也不稀奇。因此，這也不合情理。 還有一個可能，便是契丹內部有大變。然而這更加匪夷所思，唐康只想想都覺得荒唐，他雖然日夜盼著契丹倒楣，但無論他來遼國前所聽到的傳聞，所讀到的檔案，還是他來遼國後親眼所見親耳所聞，哪怕他極不願意，也不得不承認遼國正是太平之世，稱得上在朝君明臣賢，在野百姓安居樂業。契丹北樞密使衛王蕭佑丹，更是天下少有的智謀之士，自遼主耶律濬登基以來，執政十五年間政通人和，令契丹中興，連大宋都有許多士大夫將之比為諸葛武侯第二。雖說近幾年來，遼國的元老勳貴，如耶律寅吉、蕭素、蕭岩壽、蕭惟信、蕭奪剌、蕭迂魯等人相繼去世，但遼國朝中依然還有蕭禧、蕭阿魯帶、蕭忽古、撒撥這樣的老臣，至於正當壯年的名臣名將，如韓拖古烈、趙思茅、室得臣、韓何葛、馬九哥、耶律信、耶律沖哥、韓寶等等，可說不計其數。便是那些後起之秀，也不容小覷，如南院大王蕭嵐，雖是外戚出身，乃遼國太子的親舅舅，皇后的親弟弟，但是職方館的情報也說他在遼國深孚眾望，屢次率軍平叛皆得克捷，頗有名將之風更何況，還有一個威望極高的蕭佑丹在。要說是契丹內部有變，唐康倒更相信契丹已經南下了。 唐康與童貫設想了各種各樣的可能，卻始終猜不透發生了什麼事。 在這度日如年的軟禁之中，唐康與童貫莫名其妙的度過了十天。 宋紹聖六年，遼太平中興十一年，十一月十八日。morning. 唐康與平時一樣，起來洗漱之後，便開始找了個空曠地舞劍。練過劍後，童貫也和往常一樣，帶了弓箭前來，樹好靶子開始練箭。唐康一面在心裏想著今天要如何折騰契丹的接伴官，一面指導童貫練習弓箭。 童貫雖然只是他的副使，但如今身份卻大不相同。內西頭供奉官、內東門司勾當官，在內侍中也是有頭有臉的人物了。更何況他是立過大功的內侍，皇太后與小皇帝跟前的小紅人，便是高太后也對他另眼相待。唐康也素知道童貫與石越有些來往，但自從李向安被高太后趕到瑞宋島後，宮中主事的宦官，便成了陳衍和李舜舉。陳衍是高太后身邊的老人，自不必說；李舜舉算是先皇帝高宗時那些得寵的宦官中碩果僅存者，其餘的大貂璫<注七>死的死了，活著的都如李憲、李向安一樣，遠遠在外頭，看起來只要高太后不死，他們便沒什麼機會再回汴京，李向安還算好的，李憲在先皇帝在位時，頗得罪了一些舊黨君子，若非石越念及當年伐夏之時，李憲在他麾下安分守己，也立下些功勞，他早已不知道被舊黨的君子們怎麼個作賤法。但李舜舉卻與李向安、李憲這些人不同，他是個頗得舊黨好感的宦官，此人雖是個宦官，骨子裏卻是與舊黨的君子們一個作派，根子上稱得上是個士大夫，但偏偏他還懂得分際，又不肯真把自己放到和君子們一個位置上，外面上還守著宦官的本份。像這種人，舊黨的君子們要不喜歡他才奇怪。然宮裏自從有了這兩人主事，以往所謂的中外交通之弊，的確是驟然收斂了。陳衍的家挨著范純仁府，平時這位大貂璫回到府上，竟連話都不敢高聲說，每日裏就會嚇唬那些小黃門，說若犯了事被相公們拿住，便被取劍斬了，也只能自認倒楣。不必說漢唐，便是有宋以來，內侍們見著外朝的士大夫們，也是從來都沒有這麼誠惶誠恐過。 想先朝之時，新黨舊黨無論說得多好聽，實際無不與內侍有千絲萬縷的聯繫，而石越在交結宦官上，便是他平夏之後蟄伏的那段時間，暗地裏也不曾間斷過。但自垂簾之後，一來石府與清河郡主的關係非同小可，而來有了陳衍和李舜舉這兩位的主事，也的確有所忌憚，為免落人口實，連石越也不得不收斂起來。因此這幾年來，石府與童貫也漸漸疏遠，少了往來。 只不料童貫卻是個膽大的，此番一同出使，他便對唐康十分親熱，凡事又讓著唐康三分，只是安於副使之位，早已得唐康好感。他又機伶曉事，唐康本是自視甚高之人，對宦官原是不太待見的，更不願落個交通宦官的話柄，但自出使來，朝夕相處這麼一陣日子，二人關係，卻是想不熟絡起來都難。童貫因找了機會，與唐康提及，以大宋祖宗家法，內侍若不立軍功難以升遷，他知道唐康的武藝，多得名家指點，因求他趁便教習箭法。汴京的士大夫，大抵都知道唐康的箭術得自陽信侯田烈武親傳，在文官當中，也是小有名氣的神射手。唐康推脫幾次還是情面難卻，到底答應下來，只想內侍都是養尊處優，哪裡吃得了練習之苦，裝模作樣幾日也就罷了。卻不料這童貫與尋常內侍不同，他力氣較常人就要大一些，得了唐康指點，又肯每日苦練，十數日間箭術便突飛猛進，連唐康也不免刮目相看。 這番二人遭契丹軟禁，困於異國他鄉，倒是成全了童貫，他每日閒得無事，早中晚要練三次箭，每次都要射六十枝箭，至少射中三十枝方才罷休。 這日早上，唐康照舊挑了六十支箭給童貫，又糾正了一番他捏箭的姿勢，便在一旁袖手觀看童貫練箭，看了一會兒，見他射了二、三十枝箭，五十步的箭靶已可十中六七，再看他雖然黑臉微紅，額頭泛汗，但呼吸均勻，顯然沒有氣力不繼，因止住童貫，笑道︰供奉且稍歇息一會，今日咱們試試六十步如何？童貫接過旁邊一個小黃門遞過的汗巾，抹了一把汗，正要答應，忽聽到後面有人笑道︰唐大人、童大人，好雅興！ 二人轉過身去，卻見說話的，乃是一個四五十來歲，身材微胖，頷下留著三縷黑鬚的契丹官員，唐康見那驛丞站在旁邊畢恭畢敬，已知又是一個新的接伴官，又見他既未髡髮，穿的又是漢服，便知定是個漢人。契丹官分南北，但契丹人也做南面官，漢人也做北面官，這個倒未必一定按族類而論，因此雖然唐康的接伴官理當由北面官擔任，卻未必見得一定要是契丹人。 故唐康也不以為異，只是以他目前處境，對契丹官員也難有什麼好臉色，只冷冰冰地說道︰這位大人卻是誤會了，我二人素不懂什麼雅興，練習射弓，怕的是有一日要去小海射雁，故此因知道對方是漢人，唐康的語氣中就更多了幾分諷刺之意。 唐、唐大人那驛丞聽到唐康這麼說，似是被嚇了一跳，慌忙打斷唐康，但那契丹官員卻笑著擺了擺手，示意驛丞不要插嘴，又望著唐康笑道︰都承<注八>雖有做蘇武之志，不過我大遼卻不是匈奴 唐康不待他說完，冷言譏道︰難不成你們還要自稱禮儀之邦不成？ 不料那官員卻是一本正經的點了點頭，這個敝朝自是居之不疑。最起碼，比南朝的一些見不得人的事，要來得光明正大些。 唐康見來人情形，與平素的接伴官皆不相同，早已暗暗留心，此時又聽到他話裏有話，心裏一怔，與童貫互相使了個眼色提醒，口裏卻不示弱，冷笑道︰嘿嘿，原來這便是禮儀之邦的待客之道。Been taught a lesson!Been taught a lesson! 那人卻不生氣，只朝身後的隨從招了招手，一個隨從便即捧著一幅卷軸上前幾步，那人嘿嘿乾笑了幾聲，道︰都承且莫生氣，先看看這卷軸，此人都承想必是識得的？ 說罷，揮手令隨從將卷軸遞給唐康，唐康不知他葫蘆裏賣的什麼藥，哼了一聲，接過卷軸來，緩緩打開，心裏立時啊了一聲。童貫也早已棄了弓箭，這時湊過來看得一眼，他卻是不認得，但從唐康的眼神中，已感覺到不對，因此亦不作聲，只聽由唐康應付。 唐康神色卻依舊從容如常，只在心裏計議，他腦子飛快計算一回，便知這事斷難抵賴得過，況且又想起此事說起來與契丹人也沒什麼關係，倒不如光棍些，因冷笑道︰這人我自是識得，又有何稀奇？ 便見那人鄭重其事的點了點頭，道︰自然是不稀奇。這位文郎降夏之前，說起來畢竟也曾是南朝的武狀元 童貫在旁，心裏也不由得啊了一聲，這才知道原來畫中之人，竟然是如今在南海任凌州知州的文煥。便聽那人又說道︰聽說此後他又歸了南朝，奇怪的是，南朝竟也不曾降罪處罰，也不曾大加宣揚，倒似此人就銷聲匿跡了一般，此事實是讓敝朝文武納悶了好幾年 Yeah?想不到北朝上下倒愛多管閒事。勞煩操心了！ 都承見諒，這等閒事，實是非管不可。那人反唇相譏，又道︰到了前兩年，方才有人聽說，突然冒出來一個文煥，做了大宋南海凌州知州。又聽說給事中本來準備封駁，可不知為何，卻又突然改變了主意，反私下與人說，文郎是奇男子。這可更叫人納悶了。我們費盡心思，才得了文郎的畫像，又機緣巧合，才終於猜到其中原委只是不知都承知不知道為何一個敗軍辱國、做過降將的人，會被南朝的給事中讚為奇男子？ 我大宋簡任官員，是遷是罷，是賞是罰，倒不想還要勞累貴國費心了。 dare not.南朝的家務事，原本亦容不得外人置喙，只不過，若是這文大人原來竟是大宋樞密院職方館的細作，甚至還曾經做到河北房知事，這種大事，敝朝卻不得不多費點心！那人嘿嘿笑道︰都承久在西府，想來對職方館河北房的職掌不會太陌生吧？ 饒是童貫也算見過大場面的，聽到這話，亦不由得驚訝的張開了嘴巴，呆呆地望著唐康。 唐康這時已知否認無用，況且大宋朝用間於西夏，其實也輪不到契丹來指手畫腳，要損害的也是宋夏的邦交。雖說多一事不如少一事，但如今宋夏之形勢，卻不是大宋要顧忌西夏，李秉常正在全力圖謀兼併黑汗，他便知道了，也只能怪自己當初無識人之明，縱是惱羞成怒，也只好唾面自乾，難不成還敢與大宋翻臉不成？其實當初兩府決定讓文煥去做凌州知州時，便已經想到這一層了。 因此他也不屑否認，傲然譏道︰其時西夏叛逆，不奉正朔，妄自尊大，竟敢犯我邊界，正是兩國交惡之時，無所不用其極，用間之道，不過兵家之常，孫武子《十三篇》，早有明訓。縱然足下所說確有其事，此又何足為奇？聽足下言中之意，莫非北朝的通事局是專門翻譯九經的所在不成？ 都承說的極是。唐康再也不想，那人竟是很誠懇的點了點頭，兩國交惡之時，互相用間，原是無可非議。若似党項人那般，只好怪自己瞎了眼，須怨不得旁人。但在下卻有一事相問，自統和<注九>之後至今，大遼與南朝，可稱得上交惡？兩國是否以兄弟相稱？ 這又何須多問？唐康一時沒弄明白他的用意。 那人嘿嘿冷笑數聲，忽厲聲道︰若是名義上則以兄弟之邦相稱，實則趁人之危，挑撥父子，離間骨肉，乃至謀弒君上，這等惡行，是否便能用兵家之常四個字承擔？ 這邊廂童貫聽得一頭霧水，唐康確是霍然一驚！司馬夢求之事，大宋雖執宰親王也少有人知，但唐康因為身份特殊，卻是略略知道一些，不過他卻是萬萬料不到，在十六年後，此事幾乎連他也淡忘了之時，又被舊事重提，而且還是一個契丹官員，當著他的面來質問！ 但唐康自十幾歲起，心機城府，便是連潘照臨也讚不絕口，他在石府這麼多年，也算得上是潘照臨半個入室弟子，兼之半生皆身處宋朝最高層的權力爭鬥當中，心思敏捷更異常人。此時如此突兀地聽這契丹官員提起這件大事，心中雖然又驚又疑，但整個人卻反若本能一般，突然便冷靜下來。 雖然實情頗有出入，但當年的馬林水，的確乃是遼國君臣公開宣稱的弒殺遼主耶律洪基的兇手，是耶律乙辛差遣的細作，早被正法，屍骨亦已被挫骨揚灰。因此，若是被證明司馬夢求便是馬林水，那真是了不得的大事。 但唐康卻首先就隱隱感覺到其中