Lingzhou used to be a military town in the wilderness and desert, with low and rough houses and shabby clothes for soldiers and civilians. The same is true now, but a trip to the west by the Emperor of the Central Plains has made a difference here.

The city is more lively, and there are more people dressed in all kinds of fancy clothes, because there are post houses of various tribes and tribes, and there are mutual markets for trading. It is no longer a forgotten city, but has been given the status of a regional center.

After the arrival of the governor of Pingxia Province, the first person he met was Tubo Tusi Mabu.

The envoy Wo Ge came to Xingyuan 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 Governor of Dadu has dealings with many tribes, why did he choose us (for the first meeting)?" ”

The official said without humility or arrogance: "As your envoy knows, the people who stayed in the Lingzhou Post House are not important people of all ethnic groups, but the noble envoy is different, you are a nobleman who has just come here from your own land. ”

Brother Wo heard the respect in the words, and he was very useful, and immediately said: "The Tubo people have many horses, but we walked to Lingzhou. Do you know why? ”

The official said, "I would like to hear about it." ”

Wo Ge said: "Because I am not only a Tibetan nobleman, but also a monk. Walking is a sign of our devotion and sincerity. ”

The official clenched his fists and said, "This official will definitely report this matter to the governor." He turned his head and pointed to the corridor between the low houses, "Last time Emperor Xu Lingzhou, this mansion was used as the emperor's palace. ”

After hearing this, Brother Wo raised his head and squinted his eyes to look at the scenery on both sides of the corridor, and was speechless for a long time. It's a very ordinary building, and the dirt on the walls has been weathered to be uneven, but Wo Ge still thinks these houses are remarkable.

He felt a sense of fear in his heart. Fear is because of the unknown, Wo Ge has heard all kinds of rumors about Emperor Daxu and his forbidden army, and some people even say that those guards loyal to the emperor have three heads and six arms, and one person can fight ten...... Therefore, more than 100,000 people of the party's Khitan coalition army were cut off in a battle by the small Xu army. Of course, Brother Wo will not believe in all those nonsense, but he believes in Da Xu's strength, in his heart Han'er is full of cunning, hypocrisy, conspiracy, deception, does not believe in Buddhism and does whatever he wants, and has terrible martial arts that Brother Wo does not understand, he can really feel the smell of danger.

At this moment, the monk behind him said in Tubo: "I'm afraid they are not only because of your identity, but also because of the position of our tribe. Wang Jing and his son guarded Qinzhou, and they were already the farthest force in Longyou; Lanzhou is in our hands, and it can threaten the Daxu border and the war horse trade to the west. ”

Brother Wo glanced at the Han official, and was not sure if the official understood the language of Tusima, so he said in Tubo: "We'll talk after we leave here." ”

The group was taken to the lobby, and they saw a big man sitting on the public seat above. Brother Wo couldn't help but look at it twice, because the man was wearing a military uniform and armor, and the iron helmet was placed on the table above, and the master's dress itself carried some kind of signal.

"The Grand Governor, the envoy has arrived." The civil officials clasped their fists and said.

Brother Wo and others folded their hands and saluted.

Zhi Deyan said with a pleasant face: "Your envoy doesn't have to be polite, if the Lingzhou government has negligence in reception, I hope to forgive me." ”

Brother Wo smiled and said: "I hope that all ethnic groups in the Northwest Mutual City can abide by etiquette like the Daxu Mansion." ”

…… Zhe Deyan savored this sentence with great interest, sat on it with his legs apart, and finally responded: "Unfortunately, this is not the case, the Daxu Imperial Court is very dissatisfied with the situation in the northwest. ”

"Oh?" Brother Wo looked up. The atmosphere of courtesy gradually changed, and so did the expressions of the lamas.

Zhe Deyan said: "His Majesty the Emperor once came to the northwest in person and ordered all the departments to live in harmony, and everyone agreed. However, many of our trade road checkpoints are now repeatedly taxed, and the tolls are even higher than the price of the horses themselves, and we are in danger of being plundered along the way. ”

Brother Wo spread out his hand and said a little helplessly: "As the Metropolitan Governor knows, our ministry has no checkpoints, and there is no way to set up passes, and the trade routes do not pass through the territory of the various departments of Tuo Sima. What can we do for the imperial court? ”

Zhe Deyan leaned forward, as if this would bring his mouth closer to the Tubo people, and he said quietly: "The imperial court hopes that Tusima can be on our side...... Give Lanzhou City to the jurisdiction of Da Xu, and let your warriors on horseback fight side by side with Da Xu's warriors. ”

The hall immediately fell silent, and after talking for so long, the Metropolitan Governor of the Great Xu Dynasty finally said openly and honestly about the important place. Everyone looked at the Tibetan envoy and waited for his attitude.

At this moment, Brother Wo said in a calm tone: "The request put forward by the Governor of Dadu, our department must not only cut the land, but also work hard for Daxu, then...... What do we get? ”

People looked sideways, the lobby was deadly silent, and the breath suddenly became tense.

Originally, everyone was polite, and the guests of honor were happy, but when it came to the actual benefits, it immediately changed its taste.

Before he could reply, the Tibetan envoy suppressed his emotions and added: "At the beginning, the party members of Xiazhou also formed an alliance with Daxu in Lingzhou, and in less than a year, now Pingxia has become Daxu Province. ”

After hearing this, his face turned blue and white for a while, and he said coldly: "Li Yiyin is different, he was originally a great courtier, but he resisted the decree and colluded with the enemy to betray the country!" ”

The Tibetans finally endured it and did not refute the ridicule.

Zhi Deyan also exhaled, and said in a soothing tone: "The ministers of the imperial court, like this duke, also hope that the northwest can be harmonious and peaceful, so they 'discussed' with the envoy of Tu Sima, and everyone formed an alliance. Otherwise, if Longyou and Hexi are allowed to become a lot of land, why do we have to pay taxes, why should we be merciful to those bandits? ”

"You're threatening my department?" The Tibetan envoy said in a deep voice.

Zhe Deyan said noncommittally: "Today is a benevolent Ming Jun." What's more, if you want to persecute, you shouldn't first look for Toshimabu, and you will be more at peace with Daxu. ”

He was in control of the breath in the lobby, and he had a good grasp of the balance between his words.

The Tubo people also seemed reluctant to completely offend Zhe Deran, and said at the moment: "Of course, we respect the prestige of Emperor Daxu and agree with the prestige of Daxu; However, if we behave weakly and deceive, we will not only give away a city of Lanzhou, but soon the party and the Uighurs will threaten us to send more things. ”

Zhe Deyan said coldly: "Your envoy can decide the choice for the Tubo tribes, and you don't want to stand on Daxu's side?" ”

The Tubo people clasped their hands together and said, "The Governor has misunderstood what I meant. Please be aware that the tribes of Tusi Ma are not willing to be enemies of Da Xu, and they dare not obey their words, just to protect themselves. If the other tribes also agreed to 'stand by the court', Tuo Sima would not become an enemy of the Daxu court. ”

Zhi Deyan nodded, and he already understood the attitude of the Tubo tribe in Longyou, which was to watch the fire from the other side and look at the direction of the situation and the wind to be the grass on the wall...... But this is not the worst-case scenario, it is better than resisting the big forces with one mind.

Just when Zhe Delan was about to appease the Tibetan envoys, the Tubo suddenly said: "By the way, I don't know if the Metropolitan Governor already knows that Li Yiyin, the former leader of the Pingxia Party, seems to be in Hexi. ”

Zhe Deyan looked surprised for a moment, and blurted out: "Didn't he flee to the northern grasslands?" ”

The Tubo people said quietly: "All the tribes in the northern grasslands are under the orders of the Great Liao, if Li Yiyin can succeed, the Great Liao will definitely support it." It was no longer necessary for him to stay in the north, and it is said that he had recently arrived in Longyou, where he was sheltered by a party tribe; He was now plotting a marriage with the Uighurs in Ganzhou, hoping to enlist the help of the Hexi Uighurs. ”

Zhe Deyan immediately became angry: "The Longyou Dangxiang tribe has surrendered, and the leaders of the tribes have sworn to obey the orders of the Xiazhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion, and now they dare to blatantly shield the traitors!" ”

Tubo said: "It's useless to swear, the party members are not pious in believing in Buddhism, and their Dharma is also wrong." In addition, Li Yiyin's daughter is still a concubine of Da Xu, and the court does not seem to say that he is a criminal. ”

This Tibetan man doesn't know much about Daxu, and he can't explain it, he can't say that he is afraid that the center will suspect his origin? So he could only say: "But he betrayed the Son of Heaven and fought against each other, and everything he did was true, and although the court did not condemn it, it did not show forgiveness for his sins." Therefore, Li Yiyin is still a traitor. ”

Zhi Deyan asked, "Which tribe is Li Yiyin protected by?" ”

The Tibetan replied cautiously: "We don't know very well, after all, the people who are more concerned about his whereabouts are not the Tibetans, but the Han'er." ”

So why did he tell the news? Sure enough, the Tubo people immediately hid a needle in the middle and said: "For hundreds of years, there are many tribes in the northwest, and the various tribes that can still survive in the world are by no means just by obeying softness and seeking peace, keeping courtesy and being humble. If the persecution is too great and everyone has no way out, Li Yiyin will most likely have a chance to bring together many tribes, and everyone may take risks and try to resist the threat that frightens them. I also hope that the metropolitan governor will think twice. ”

A strange red color appeared on his face, and he sneered, "Thank you for your advice. ”

The Tibetan people saluted: "Daxu is the most powerful country in the world, and even the northwestern provinces think that Daxu is stronger than Daliao. However, the northwest is a big place and the road is long. ”

He paused and said, "Perhaps, we should deal with these things more calmly...... Fang is a wise move, what do you think? ”

After hearing this, he waved his hand and said with a bearing of bearing: "I hope that there will be a next time, and this prince can talk to your envoy." ”

"Farewell." The Tibetan people bowed and left the lobby.

The scribe beside him quickly said in a deep voice: "The news that Li Yiyin is in Longyou has not been confirmed, we have to send someone to find out as soon as possible." ”

Zhe Deyan pondered for a moment and said, "What should be done immediately now is to go to the imperial court, regardless of whether the news of the Tubo people is reliable or not. ”

"What Zhe Gong said is extremely true." The two of them glanced at each other in unison, and suddenly there was a tacit understanding of each other. The scribe clenched his fists and said, "Please draft a chapter for Zhegong." ”

Zhe De Yan put his hand on his chin, rubbed his hard beard, and nodded slightly.

The scribe obviously understood the fold of virtue, and did not admit it on the lips, but in his heart he agreed with the scribe's opinion: it is necessary to avoid getting involved with the party members as much as possible, and avoid being suspicious and ostracized by some people in Tokyo.