It's late autumn.

Everything is bleak, a gust of autumn wind sweeps by, and the leaves on the road rise one after another. Except for some evergreen pines and cypresses, only the wheat seedlings in the field are still green.

The old farmers in the field are always a little frightened, the rain around the Mid-Autumn Festival is not small, and a small autumn flood has been formed in the Yellow River. But after September, the rain and snow are not seen much again. In Kaifeng Fuzhong, a few days ago, there was a light snow that stopped in a moment, and it disappeared when it fell to the ground.

If there is no snow this winter, there is no hope for next year's harvest. At that time, the Chang Ping of Kaifeng Mansion could no longer support hundreds of thousands of displaced people like this year.

However, a sunny day is a good time to travel.

Autumn is crisp and clear. The blue canopy of the sky is as clear as if it were transparent.

Shen Kuo was riding on a horse, and there were hundreds of people behind him. This large contingent appeared on the official road and galloped all the way north. When pedestrians saw the flag held in front of the queue, they all avoided it.

Shen Kuo was at the time of complacency.

The day before yesterday, he successfully dug out evidence from the pile of old papers in the Privy Council, proving that the land claimed by the Liao people belonged to the Great Song Dynasty in the past. After presenting it to the imperial court, the Son of Heaven was overjoyed, and now he sent him to the Liao State to meet with the Liao lord Yelu Hongji and explain the matter clearly.

In the near winter, going to Liao to negotiate is a chore.

Although the Liao State is divided into five capitals, Tokyo Liaoyang Mansion, Xijing Datong Mansion, Zhongjing Dading Mansion, Shangjing Linhuang Mansion and Nanjing Xijin Mansion, these five capitals are not like the four capitals of the Great Song Dynasty, they exist as capitals and accompanying capitals, but can only be regarded as the central city of the region - that is, the core of Wujing Province, it is more appropriate to say that it is the capital.

The Liao lord of the past dynasties maintained the habits of nomads, and took his palace guards known as Huluduo, as well as civil and military officials, to live in the country in four seasons. Except for the enthronement, canonization and other ceremonies, it is rare to enter these capitals.

The nomadic behavior of the Liao lord cannot be regarded as a political affair. This is their custom, and it is also a necessary means to deter and win over the alien races from all directions. Most of the camps of the four seasons of the Liao lord parade have a fixed location, called the bowl - this is the capital of the Liao State. Spring is in Yazi River, summer is in Tu'er Mountain, autumn is in Fuhu Forest, and winter bowls are in Guangpingdian.

Walking on the grassland on the ice and snow, it was difficult for the Song people to get used to such a cold place, but Shen Kuo's heart was hot, but he couldn't wait to see the emperor of Liao.

"How long will it take to get to the county seat of Whitehorse?" Shen Kuo beckoned his companion and asked.

"If you go back to school, the front is it!"

Shen Kuo narrowed his eyes, he was a little short-sighted, and a little farther away was a blur. However, he also had a way to solve it, and took out a crystal round mirror with a slightly concave middle and silver around his bosom - this was a gift from the Son of Heaven as a reward for his work in clearing the old files and offering the whole map of Xihe Road, and held it in front of his left eye. Suddenly, a city on the horizon appeared in a frame.

From the capital to Liao, or from Liao to the capital, as long as it is not when the Yellow River freezes in winter, the envoys of the two countries usually use the pontoon bridge in Mengzhou. But now that there is a pontoon bridge in Hakuba County, there is no need to make a detour.

The group was all on horseback, and the distance of seven or eight miles was quickly completed. When I entered the county seat of Baima, I stopped in the post house.

Shen Kuo is an envoy with the imperial order, so it is inconvenient to leave the post house at will. He thought that Han Gang, who was already in a high position, would respect his identity and send at most one family member to give him a gift of practice. Unexpectedly, not long after resting, Han Gang came to visit in person in his old capacity and went to the post house to meet Shen Kuo.

Shen Kuo went out to greet him in surprise, only to see Han Gang saluting in front of the door: "Brother Cun, I haven't seen you for a long time, it's always been good?" ”

Shen Kuo hurriedly returned the salute, "I have always been greeting for a long time, and I hope that Yukun is no wonder." ”

After sitting down and greeting a few words, Han Gang praised: "The material of the middle brother is far better than the younger brother." Earlier, the geographical map of Xihe Road and mountains and rivers presented by the middle brother, after the younger brother read it, he sighed to himself. Yesterday, I heard that the Son of Heaven ordered the middle brother to search the Privy Council, and the younger brother knew that the middle brother would be able to gain something. ”

Seeing that Han Gang was talking about his proud act without any guilt, Shen Kuo said modestly: "I can't afford the praise of Yukun." Yutu sand table was first advocated by Yukun, and the foolish brother was just Dongshi's imitation. As for the search and seizure of the letters from the territory discussed by the two countries in the old years, it was because of the blessing of the Son of Heaven, not the ability of a foolish brother. ”

"Brother Cun is too humble. With the material of the brother, make Liao, the mountains and rivers of the Khitan should be in the chest. ”

Han Gang could see that Shen Kuo was now on the rise.

Wang Anshi has been to Liao, Fu Bi has been to Liao, and he can visit Liao as an envoy - although he is not an official envoy of He Zhengdan and He Shengchen - to visit Liao, and the future can be described as bright.

Shen Kuo is naturally full of enthusiasm now, and he wants to fight for who is right and who is right in front of the Son of Heaven of Liao, reject the unreasonable demands of the Liao people, live up to his mission, and return to the dynasty in triumph.

But Han Gang had already learned the true intentions of the Son of Heaven from Wang Yan - he was ready to give in - in this way, no matter how well Shen Kuo behaved in front of the Liao Lord, it was useless.

The Khitans could be persuaded by reason, but that was when the Great Song monarchs and ministers insisted on their positions.

The story of the wolf and the lamb, Han Gang heard it when he was three years old. Han Gang never thought that when the lord of one side had already yielded, the envoy as a representative could still resolve the dispute through negotiation. If you have already written the word weakness to your opponent, then don't expect to take advantage of it in the negotiation.

In fact, this time, the Khitan side just had a blackmail attitude, just wanting to get some cheapness. But who knew that Zhao Dao Zhao Ji took it seriously, thinking that the Khitan was really going south to invade, but he was confused and wanted to allocate the land to the Liao.

Several of these veterans and important ministers have really made 'great contributions'.

Song Liao fought eighty-one battles, and only one battle was won? Is there such a thing as a mouthful?

Han Gang wanted to see what kind of face Zhang Fangping had when he mentioned this matter in front of the Son of Heaven, and Shen Kuo pulled Han Gang to talk about his proud move, "Brother Fool spent seven days in the Privy Council to find the official letters sent by the Khitan Xijing Daoshuo, Ying, and Wei Prefectures, and the letters were all bounded by the ancient Great Wall, which was thirty miles away from the place of contention. ”

The three states of Shuo, Ying, and Wei in the Xijing Road of the Liao Kingdom correspond to the east of the Great Song Dynasty, and have always been bounded by the ancient Great Wall. However, in fact, there is no lower boundary monument for this border, and there is no official national document to determine it, and it is only mentioned in the official correspondence between the two countries. The armies of the two countries guarding the border generally maintain a certain distance, and the vacated middle ground is not occupied.

Occasionally, the troops on the border will also set up military patrol shops in the blank area, but without exception, they will be dealt with by the other side. Either send troops to demolish it directly, or send a document through the state and county to let it be demolished by itself. In fact, both countries have such a situation, but a little border friction will be resolved under the glory of the alliance of the abyss.

This kind of boundary relationship has always become a common practice. The so-called situation of fighting the grass valley that Han Gang had heard of in later generations was actually rare after the alliance of the Yuanyuan. Xiao Xi's now insistence on a watershed – the mountain range that divides the Hutuo and Sanggan rivers, two of the lower tributaries of the Yellow River, – is breaking with established conventions.

However, Xiao Xi was just talking about it, and he came to ask for land without even knowing the slightest knowledge of the local geography, which was obviously a casual excuse.

"Xiao Xi said at the beginning that it is bounded by the soil ridges on the watershed, but there are no soil ridges on the watershed of the Changlian City!" Shen Kuo laughed as he spoke, and after laughing, he continued, "If the foolish brother is not bad, Xiao Xi must have praised Haikou in front of the Liao lord, and now it is difficult to ride a tiger, so he is not willing to be accommodating at all." As long as he can explain it in front of the Liao lord and make him know the truth of the truth, there will definitely be no other discussion. ”

"When it is." Han Gang nodded, echoing Shen Kuo.

But he sneered in his heart, what does it mean to be inseparable? Did Yelu Hongji believe the words of his courtiers, or did he believe in the Song people?

'Alas. Han Gang sighed secretly. In fact, it is still weak. Otherwise, no matter what he thinks of the Khitan monarchs, there will be no problems if he is hard.

How can the land be easily granted, and if the final result of the negotiation is really to cut the land, Shilin will definitely turn the sky upside down.

Even the Huns knew that the land was precious.

Mao Dun was the male lord who surrounded Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, in Baideng, and he beat down the policy of harmony in the Han Dynasty. The Donghu people asked for a BMW and a woman, and Mao Dunshan Yu gave them all, but when the Donghu people came to ask for land again, he immediately raised troops and led his troops to destroy Donghu, so that the Xiongnu dominated the grassland.

If Shen Kuo is smart enough, he will simply add a sum to the New Year's coin, even if it is 100,000 or 50,000, presumably the Khitans will agree. Anyway, with the Xiongnu Khan Maodun as an example and Fubi as a precedent, even if he promised a little New Year's coin, he could still maintain a little reputation in Shilin afterwards.

However, Shen Kuo only conveyed the opinions of the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, and was not a plenipotentiary envoy presiding over the negotiations. The people who were really in charge of the negotiations on the Hedong border were Han Jin, Lu Dazhong, and Liu Chen. Whether they can withstand the pressure of the Khitan and Zhao Ji is unknown.

It's just that Han Gang felt that Shen Kuo himself didn't seem to realize this, and mistakenly thought that the Son of Heaven would support him, so he had a majestic attitude, if he knew Zhao Ji's true intentions, I was afraid that he wouldn't be able to laugh now.

For Shen Kuo, being able to help solve this crisis with the Son of Heaven - although it only exists in the mind of the Son of Heaven - will inevitably be favored by the Son of Heaven and then reused.

Han Gang thought about it, but still didn't say anything more. His friendship with Shen Kuo has not reached that point, if he is shallow and deep, Shen Kuo will not keep it secret for him afterwards. Let Shen Kuo continue to maintain his fantasy, maybe he can really do what he wants.