Chapter 737: The National Funeral of the Liao State

This "informal" consultation between Ma Kuo and Bi Zheyuan ended successfully in a strange atmosphere. The reason why it is strange is because Ma Kuo is worried that the Khitans have been in a foreign land for decades, and they will return to the east after nine lives and one death, and they will inevitably be in a hurry to restore the country.

And Bi Zheyuan was also worried that when the Western Army was going well, it would capture half of the east wall of Hedong and carve up a country in Western Xia, and its momentum was unstoppable, and it had the posture of recovering the lost land in one fell swoop. Once he proposed to the other party, after the Liao army obtained the land of Western Xia, it would be temporarily suspended for a while, and the matter of the eastern expedition to the Jin State would be discussed later, and Ma Kuo would probably be unhappy when he heard it.

However, the result of the incident caught both sides by surprise, and neither Ma Kuo nor Bi Zheyuan had any objections. This can't help but make Ma Zichong a little suspicious, we are because the people of Sichuan and Shaanxi have exhausted their strength and urgently need to recuperate, what are you Khitans for?

In July, the Jingyuan army withdrew to Shaanxi, and Xu Weitong ordered a commendation. In the same month, a military conference was held with the participation of the principal officials of the six commanders and one pacification department. At the meeting, he formally proposed a temporary truce and a strategy of production, and ordered all divisions, in addition to the regular army, to return to the fields of cultivation, such as soldiers, archers, village soldiers, and brave soldiers. In addition to training, the regular army should also intensify its camps, which is intended to lighten Sichuan's burden and make Shaanxi self-sufficient.

Subsequently, he summoned the Transshipment Division, the Criminal Division, and the Changping Division, as well as the main prefectural officials of Sichuan and Shaanxi, to report on this matter, and said that the wartime finances would be ended, in order to change the status quo that most of the revenue from Sichuan and Shaanxi was used for the army.

Xu Wei's move is in line with public opinion and the situation. The successive years of conquest not only caused a great burden on Sichuan, but also affected the reconstruction of Shaanxi to a certain extent. The Song army was different from the Jin army, the Jurchens originally engaged in fighting to feed the war, looting every place they went, and forcing the Song court to pay huge indemnities, and each time they made a lot of money. And every time the Song army is carrying out reconstruction work, to put it bluntly, it is throwing money.

However, Sichuan and Shaanxi are financially self-sufficient, and the central government will not bear a single penny. Sichuan and Shaanxi have the largest army in the world, and it is not easy to hold on for so many years.

Xu Wei's move has won the welcome of all walks of life, especially Sichuan. He is the deputy envoy of Sichuan and Shaanxi Xuanfu, and the power in his hands is so great that it is almost in a state of semi-separation. Just imagine, the administrative, military, financial, and personnel power of a region is concentrated in the hands of one person, if he doesn't nod, what can you do?

Tell the court that Xu Wei has too much power and is a potential threat? Forget it, when Zhao Chen was alive, there were already ministers in the DPRK and China who mentioned this problem, but they couldn't solve it at that time, and now Zhao Jin has only been on the throne for a few days? It is impossible for him to immediately solve this "historical legacy" problem.

"King, Liao envoy Xiao Duolu can't be reached." An adjutant said outside Xu Wei's office hall.

"Xiao Duolu: No? Where is it? Xu Wei looked up and asked.

"I went directly to the Xuanfu Disposal Division, and I have been invited to the flower hall to serve tea." The adjutant replied.

This made Xu Wei a little strange, as an envoy, Xiao Duolu was not sure that he should be received by the relevant officials first, and went to the pavilion to stay, why did he rush directly to the yamen? Isn't there something urgent? As soon as he thought of this, he didn't hesitate, put down what he was doing and rushed to the hall.

As soon as the curtain was lifted, the purple gold tiger was stunned. Because although Xiao Duolu is still loved by the Khitan nobles, he has a white belt around his waist, which looks very eye-catching. White has a specific meaning in the customs of the Han people, and although Xu Wei didn't know what was going on, he still stopped for a while before going out.

"I've seen the king." Xiao Duolu said without hesitation. His tone made Xu Wei feel a little bad again, because the other party often ran between Song Liao, and he could almost be regarded as an old friend, every time they met, they were smiling and not restrained, why did they look like this this time?

Xu Wei didn't sit down, just stood in front of him, frowned and asked, "Why is the envoy like this?" ”

Xiao Duolu's face was not gloomy, and he bowed his head and said, "There is an important matter here. ”

Xu Wei had a premonition that something was wrong, took a few steps back, slowly sat down, and beckoned him again: "Sit down and say." ”

After Xiao Duolu didn't sit down, he still lowered his head, as if he was full of worries, although Xu Wei was eager to know the reason, he was not easy to ask, so he kept waiting.

After a while, the other party raised his head and said in a strange tone: "I am here, not only for the Marshal Du, but also on behalf of the Great Liao Imperial Court." ”

Xu Wei picked up the teacup and was about to drink, but after hearing this, he put the cup back, sat upright, and waited for the following.

"In March of this year, Emperor Tianzhi unfortunately died, and the young lord succeeded to the throne, and the Empress Dowager Xiao was regent. This time, under the order of the Empress Dowager Xiao and the Young Emperor, he came to the Southern Dynasty to report the funeral. Xiao Duolu didn't say.

Yelu Dashi and Xu Wei have never met, but the latter has a lot of respect for this hero who led the remnants of the army to the Western Regions, went through countless hardships, laid down thousands of miles of rivers and mountains in other towns, and continued the Great Liao Kingdom. Therefore, when Xu Wei heard the news of Yelu Dashi's death, he couldn't help but be shocked! I forgot to comfort the envoy of the Liao State for a while!

Fortunately, he quickly came back to his senses and said solemnly: "The Song-Liao Alliance, recount the brotherhood, just when the strength is going hand in hand, I don't want the emperor of your country...... Please also pay your respects. ”

Xiao Duolu did not bow down and thanked: "Thank you to the king, although the Emperor Daxing abandoned his subjects, the young emperor is smart, and the Empress Dowager Xiao is wise, and she will be able to inherit the will of the Emperor Daxing and restore the homeland." ”

"It's nature." Xu Wei echoed. "It's ...... nature"

"In addition, there is one thing that I have to tell the king truthfully, and I ask the king to forgive me." Xiao Duolu didn't say.

"Please tell me." Xu Wei nodded.

"Frankly speaking, after the destruction of Xia, our marshal originally planned to join forces with the Western Army again, and on the grounds that the Jurchens had kidnapped Li Renxiao, the army would attack Jin. But now, I'm afraid it's out of time, and besides, Sichuan and Shaanxi also need to recuperate. Therefore, I bring a message from Marshal Du. In the short term, our army aims to stabilize the old situation of Western Xia, and it may ...... There are also some things to take care of in the west, and I can't take care of them for the time being. Xiao Duolu didn't say.

Xu Wei nodded frequently: "I fully understand." ”

"Okay, since that's the case, it's inconvenient to delay any longer, I need to leave for Jiangnan immediately." Xiao Duolu was not in a hurry to leave. Although it is said that Xu Wei has always been in contact with the Liao people, he is only a member of the central court after all, and he is still in Jiangnan. For such a major event as reporting the news of Dashi's death, Xiao Duolu, as an envoy of the Liao State, still had to go to Hangzhou to meet Emperor Song.

Xu Wei didn't hold back, and said: "The corresponding procedures, I will immediately ask someone to handle it for you, and you can leave within today." ”

"King Xie." Xiao Duolu didn't salute, so he walked out, Xu Wei got up to see him off, and watched him out of the yamen. Only then did he sit back in a bit of a daze.

Think of Dashi, but also a generation of heroes, on the eve of the defeat of the Liao State, led the remnants of the Western Regions, with the Khitan people who lived there to get up, so many years, laid a big country, and put up the banner of the Liao State. His perseverance, bravery, and wisdom are admirable. It's a pity that such a hero died when the great cause of recovering the country had just made progress, and his ambition died before he was paid, which is suffocating!

I just heard Xiao Duolu not say it, it seems that the son of Yelu Dashi, who succeeded to the throne, is still young, so his mother Empress Dowager Xiao is regent. The three words "Empress Dowager Xiao" are not unfamiliar to Xu Wei, and even some people in the era in which he lives are not unfamiliar, because this character often appears in film and television works, especially in works related to "Yang Jiajiang".

But Empress Dowager Xiao is not the only one, after the Khitan and Xi people become a family, the world is married, and the emperor of the Liao State will generally marry a Xiao woman as the queen. may be because of the influence of later film and television works, Xu Wei's first feeling is that he thinks that Empress Dowager Xiao must be an extraordinary woman.

But if you think about it carefully, no, he doesn't know anything about this Empress Dowager Xiao. Now that she has the power of the Liao State, it is still unknown whether she will continue Yelu Dashi's policy. And one thing is for sure, Dashi's eloquence is by no means comparable to a woman. Dashi can strengthen his determination, overcome all difficulties, and raise a large army to march eastward, but Empress Dowager Xiao may not.

This also means that from now on, the Song-Liao Alliance will fight against the Jurchens, and there will be variables! This is not what Xu Wei wants to see, in order to join forces with the Khitans, he spent a lot of time, and finally united the Liao army to destroy the Western Xia, and then, it was to recuperate for a period of time, and then cut gold on a large scale, but Dashi died at this juncture, laying an uncertain foreshadowing for the Song-Liao relationship.

The reason why the two years have been smooth on the battlefield is because of the joint efforts of Song Liao, which has caused strong pressure on the Jurchens, not to mention an overwhelming advantage, but it is enough to make the Jurchens passive. If the Song-Liao Alliance goes bankrupt...... Of course, he was confident that he would be able to ensure that the west was not threatened by war, but the Northern Expedition was not so easy to succeed.

And think about it carefully, Xiao Duolu didn't say a word before, but he had actually mentioned something vaguely. He said that "there are also some things to deal with in the west", so the Liao army cannot go east for the time being. What does that mean? Could it be that Empress Dowager Xiao asked them to withdraw or divide their troops? This is not impossible, although Dashi has laid a large territory, but the Western Regions also know that the population is definitely not as large as that of Middle Earth, this time the Liao army marched eastward and recruited 110,000 horsemen, which may be the army of the Liao State.

Now that Dashi has died, the new emperor has ascended the throne, and the queen mother is regent, it is very likely that the army will be transferred back. After all, it is more important to stabilize the current territory than to go to the East.

Moreover, according to this situation, if you want the Khitans to send envoys to the Jin Kingdom to ask for people, I don't know that it is the Year of the Monkey, and I believe that there is nothing more urgent than the national funeral.

But then again, now that the Khitans had acquired the vast lands of the four prefectures of Hexi, the urban agglomeration of Xingqingfu, and the states where Xiao Heda was based, it was impossible for them to give it up. In the eyes of the Song people, Western Xia is already a barren land, and I believe that the Western Regions are no better. No matter how many sesame seeds there are, they are always sesame seeds, and they can't compare with watermelon.

Taking 10,000 steps back, even if the Khitan people withdraw, with his current strength, in addition to ensuring that Sichuan and Shaanxi are safe, given time, he still has the strength to enter the east of the river and advance northward. Jinghu Han Shizhong Yue Fei is not a thing in the pool, and the climate is gradually formed; Jiangxi Zhejia was originally a big warlord with strong strength; Huaixi has Liu Guangguo, Liu Guangyuan's brothers, and Li Xianzhong, a brave general; The central government is ruled by the main battle factions such as Zhao Ding and Xu Liang, and the Northern Expedition will be a matter of time.

Even if the Western Army does not move, the light pestle is here, which is already a great constraint on the Jin Army. The Jurchens must focus their defense on the west, and this gives Zhi Yanzhen, Han Shizhong, Yue Fei, the Liu family brothers, Li Xianzhong and others an opportunity, and perhaps in the next few years, it will be a good opportunity for them to show their talents. For the future, Xu Wei is optimistic.

In the first year of Song Xingxi, a generation of heroes Yelu Dashi died, and his son Yelu Yi was listed to Chong Ling Jianqi, according to Dashi's edict, his wife Xiao Ta did not smoke "Quanguo", weighed the system, changed the Yuan "Xianqing", and called "the Empress Dowager of the Emperor", and controlled the power of the Liao State.

As soon as the Empress Dowager Xiao came to power, she immediately issued an edict to summon the king of the Southern Courtyard who was leading the troops, Marshal Xiao Lira, and the deputy marshal, who knew the affairs of the Privy Council, Xiao Cha Ra and Abu led the army back to China, and the Liao army in Hexi that was left behind was led by Yelu Yanshan and Yelu Tiege, the capital supervisor, to continue to deal with the follow-up matters of Western Xia.

Xiao Lira and Xiao Cha Ra Abu took away 50,000 horses, which Xu Wei soon knew. When the Liao army marched eastward, there were 110,000 horsemen, fighting Hexi, courting the Jurchens, and destroying Western Xia, all of which had losses, even if they were replenished on the spot, these two Xiao returned to China, at least they took most of them. Yelu Yanshan and Yelu Tiege, who stayed behind, are absolutely powerless to start the war against the Jin State again, at most, it is just to stabilize the vested territory, and this has to be done with the assistance of Xiao Heda, and even, if necessary, they also need the help of the Western Army. Xu Wei is also very clear about this.

How Song Liao goes after him depends on what the Empress Dowager Xiao thinks, and this should not be the answer that can be obtained in the near future. It also happened that he was planning to give Sichuan and Shaanxi a chance to recuperate, so he had time to wait for Empress Dowager Xiao's opinion. At the same time, Xu Wei also knows one thing, that is, the treasure cannot be bet on others, even if there are no Khitans, what should be done still has to be done.

It was based on this idea that Xu Wei embarked on a journey to inspect Shaanxi after holding a series of important meetings. As an official, especially as a magistrate, it is certainly not enough to just sit in the office hall and review official documents, but you must go deep into the people and visit the people's livelihood. In particular, Shaanxi is in the process of reconstruction, and there are many problems. Are officials responsible, and are there any dereliction of duty? How has agricultural production recovered, what have been the achievements, and what are the shortcomings? To what extent has the account been restored?

You can't just listen to the reports of the officials below to know the truth, you have to see it with your own eyes. Since you have decided to recuperate with the people, you have to show the appearance of engaging in internal affairs.

However, what Xu Wei didn't know for the time being was that when he decided to temporarily suspend the army and restore the economy,! ~！