Chapter 646 Initiates Division

However, the first sentence that Xiao Duolu didn't say made the people present feel that they were out of touch. "The current situation in Western Xia, Taiwei must be clear."

He wasn't asking, he was pointing out something. Xu Wei also made no secret of it: "Of course." ”

The next sentence disappointed everyone. I only heard Xiao Duolu not say: "I can't hide it, I came to Sichuan this time on the orders of my lord to mediate and mediate for Song and Xia." ”

Xu Wei thought that he was still a personable person, but when he heard this, his face immediately changed. Mediate? Conciliation? Did I hear me right? The Khitans came to make peace for the Song and Xia sides? What's wrong? Are you trying to dissuade me?

Xiao Duolu probably didn't expect his words to cause such a reaction, and when several officials in the hall stared at him with questioning eyes, he still calmly said: "You must know about the exchanges between the party and the Khitan people for many years. After my lord's expedition to the west, he also maintained close contact with Western Xia. This time, the Western Summer disaster continues, and the Western Army is involved, so ......"

Xu Wei risked being rude and cut off his words: "Does the envoy know who the people who raised the army against Xia are?" ”

Xiao Duolu was not silent for a moment, and said truthfully: "I know, Li Heda, who protected Princess Cheng'an in the past to marry the party. He called Xiao Heda "Li Heda" because Xiao Heda "has eloquence, is brave and long-riding shè, stays in Qianshun, and gives the country a surname". In other words, Li Qianshun, the father of the current Xia Lord, liked Xiao Heda very much when he was in power, so he left him in Western Xia and gave him the surname "Li".

"Then do you know about Princess Cheng'an?" Xu Wei asked again.

Xiao Duolu was silent for a while this time before he reluctantly nodded and said: "I also know that Princess Cheng'an married Xia Chongzong Li Qianshun and gave birth to a son Li Renai." On the eve of the country's break, Li Renai asked for help from Liao, and the army was defeated and returned. Princess Cheng'an was not only injured by the country, but also lost her son, so she decided to eat and die. ”

Xu Wei snorted loudly: "A descendant, a fù Dao, the former please resist Jin, and the latter will eat Mingzhi, this mother and son are really admirable." However, Xu was disappointed that ......"

Ma Kuo knew what the Taiwei was going to say later, so he quickly grabbed the conversation: "Honorable envoy, the party is subservient to Jin, why does your country mediate for him?" ”

Xu Wei didn't mind, he just listened to Xiao Duolu and said: "Although the party is subordinate to gold, it is forced by the times, and in the past ten years, I have helped my lord a lot." Since the Lord of Xia has sent a book to Hu Siqian's ears, how can my Lord refuse? ”

Xu Wei frowned when he heard this, and said in a deep voice: "Honorable envoy, for your lord, Xu is admired. At the time of the Hajj, you reported the deeds of your Lord to the emperor of our dynasty, and the Son of Heaven was also fascinated and was known as the 'hero of the world'. But this time, if you come to mediate for Song Xia, I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you. The party members surrender to Jin, this is his family's business, and we can't control it. But in response to the call of Beiyi, Chen soldiers bordered, and provoked conflicts, this is the enemy of our dynasty, Xu was personally sent by the Son of Heaven to sit in Sichuan and Shaanxi, how can he turn a blind eye? ”

Xiao Duolu was speechless, and after a long time, he said: "Forgive me for one more sentence, Shaanxi will not be recovered soon, and all kinds of waste will be lifted." The Western Army has been fighting for many years, and the discount must not be small, so why should the captain cause more trouble? ”

"What? The Western Army is not even afraid of the Jurchens, but will they be afraid of the party members? Since we have done this, we should think carefully about the consequences, and this will not disrespect the heart. Xu Wei chuckled.

Xiao Duolu said again: "This time the Western Xia disasters continued, and the national strength was greatly damaged, so I guess I can't afford to embarrass your country, and I ask the captain to see ......."

"That's it!" Xu Wei interrupted. "If the envoy is a guest, Xu and his colleagues are welcome. If you are a lobbyist for the party, then you don't have to open your mouth, and this matter is not negotiable. ”

His attitude was so tough, there was no need for Xiao Duolu to stop talking, so he kept silent. Seeing this, Xu Wei was probably in a bad mood, so he said, "Let's talk about it here today." After finishing his words, he brushed his sleeves and left.

Xiao Duolu couldn't see it, so he could only say goodbye and leave. Wan Qiaoyu was not very interested in this matter, so he also stood up, shook the hem of his clothes, and left the flower hall with his hands behind his back. Leaving two horses in the hall, it is not puzzling.

"It's strange, the Khitan people are lobbyists for the party members? What kind of reasoning is this? Ma Kuo was puzzled.

Zhang Qing replied: "Didn't you say that the party has an old relationship with the Khitan, and our side is actively in contact with the Khitan, so the Xia lord sent someone to Liao with a book and let Dashi do the work on his behalf." ”

Zhang Jun questioned at this time: "How many times have we only been in contact with Dashi?" Why did the Xia lord invite the Khitans to come forward? ”

"I don't think it's right, it's too far-fetched. Besides, Xiao Heda is an old minister of the Liao State, and now he is calling for the resumption of Liao, and Dashi actually sent people to lobby us not to interfere in the internal affairs of Western Xia, wouldn't this be equivalent to cutting off Xiao Heda's back road? Dashi isn't old and confused, is he? Ma Kuo became more and more suspicious.

"In addition, I feel that Lord Xia asked Lord Liao to mediate, which in itself is full of flaws." Zhang Jun analyzed again.

Zhang Qing's face was huddled: "So, didn't Xiao Guolu tell the truth?" After a pause, he said quickly, "The captain is angry about this matter, and must hurry to explain the situation." ”

The three of them left the flower hall together, went to the second hall, and entered Xu Wei's office hall. I thought that the captain must have been thunderous. Because he thought at first that Xiao Duolu would definitely bring good news if he didn't come this time, who knew that people were here to make peace with the mud.

But as soon as the three of them entered, they found Xu Wei sitting behind the desk, full of suspicion. Seeing the three of them coming in, Xu Wei hurriedly said, "You guys came just in time, why do I think more and more I feel that this is wrong?" Lord Xia asked Lord Liao to mediate? This, that doesn't make sense, does it? ”

Ma Kuo took over the conversation: "Exactly, the three of them were discussing in the hall, and they also felt that this matter was full of loopholes, and Xiao Duolu's statement was doubtful. ”

Then, Zhang Qing and Zhang Jun respectively expounded the reasons, and after Xu Wei's comprehensive analysis, he determined: "Xiao Duolu has nothing to say." ”

"Then why don't you go to him and ask him about it?" Ma Kuang Road.

Xu Wei thought for a while, shook his head and said, "Don't worry, he will naturally come again." You and him are old acquaintances, you can go to the pavilion more these days, but he has a request, you just have to agree. Ma Kuo responded.

In the next two days, Ma Kuo accompanied Xiao Duolu in the pavilion, or talked about the current situation, or recounted old things, Ma Zichong tried several times, but Xiao Duolu did not keep his mouth shut and did not understand the essentials. In the conversation between the two, Xiao Duolu inquired about the recent situation in Sichuan and Shaanxi unintentionally or unintentionally. Such as the army, morale, popular will, financial endowment, strategy, all aspects are being tested. Ma Kuo is a sincere person, what he can say, he will admit it frankly, and if he can't say it, he will also tell the other party unmistakably that this is confidential and not sloppy.

On the 18th day of May, Xiao Duolu also booked a table in the restaurant where Xu Wei received them that day, and sent invitations to Xu Wei and other officials of the Xuanfu Disposal Department, inviting them to a banquet as a tribute. Xu Wei readily agreed.

"Qi didn't?" In the afternoon, after leaving duty, Xu Wei asked Zhang Jun at the door of the Xuanfu Division. In fact, what Xiao Duolu did not invite was the five chiefs who received him that day. At this moment, Xu Wei, Zhang Jun, Zhang Qing, and Ma Kuo are all there, and Wan Qiao is missing, Xu Wei obviously knows, but he deliberately asked.

Zhang Jun replied: "Judge Wan Qian said that he was unwell, so he didn't participate. ”

"Really unwell?" Zhang Qing sneered. That old man definitely doesn't want to get involved with our group of people, damn, without him, Lao Tzu is still more comfortable.

Zhang Jun smiled and did not answer.

"That's it, there's no need to force this kind of thing, let's go." Xu Wei said casually, then went down the stairs and got on the horse.

When he arrived at the restaurant, the shopkeeper saw Mrs. Xu coming, greeted him in person, and sent him all the way upstairs. In fact, although it spans thousands of years, Xu Wei feels that there are still many similarities between this era and later generations. For example, this restaurant is simply the designated place for the official reception of the Xuanfu Disposal Division, and the same fight is once every six months. This, of course, was paid for by his "minister's money".

The minister's money, in fact, is the official reception fee, which is placed in later generations and belongs to the "three publics" criticized by the media. However, in the Song Dynasty, the minister's money was clearly stipulated that this money was a special expense of the local governor, mainly used to entertain and feed past officials, and "the minister's money had to be sī in", that is, if you didn't use it, you should collect it yourself.

At Xu Wei's level, the minister's money is tens of thousands every year, but just for eating and drinking, it will definitely not be used up. Therefore, sometimes he collects it himself, and sometimes when the finances are tight, he will also take it out for public use, subsidizing military funds and pensions, etc., and no one supervises him anyway.

When he was studying, he had studied "The Story of Yueyang Tower", and the first sentence was "In the fourth year of Qingli, Teng Zijing guarded Baling County", why was this Teng Zijing degraded? It was because of his Hu Luàn's use of "minister's money" that he was unfortunately impeached by the official. Although the minister's money can be "sī in", you don't need to even use the minister's money to reimburse your wife for buying fat powder, right?

said that the shopkeeper Le introduced a group of officials into Xiao Duolu and did not charter the private room, and the people had already arrived. As if agreed, Xiao Duolu didn't bring four people, and there were four people here, just to get together at a table.

As soon as the guests arrived, Xiao Duolu got up to add wine, and said with a smile: "I was entertained by the captain and the commanders a few days ago, and I will also talk about it today." ”

"You're polite, you're a guest, how can there be any reason for a guest to invite the host?" Ma Ku laughed.

"Hey! Why bother with each other? Come on, come on, fill up. Xiao Duoli didn't persuade anyone.

Adding wine, Xiao Duolu didn't raise his glass and said, "Come!" Fill this cup! ”

"!" Xu Wei drank and swallowed the wine.

Xiao Duolu filled three cups in a row, and after drinking three cups, he took a deep breath and saluted Xu Wei: "Taiwei, here, let me make amends." ”

"Where do you start?" Xu Wei took the initiative to pick up the wine jug and filled it for him, and asked with a smile.

Xiao Duolu said incorrectly: "It's not a secret, I came here not to mediate for Song Xia. The summer lord has never asked my lord to lobby. A few days ago, he made a lie, which displeased the captain, so he made amends. ”

Xu Wei had known it for a long time, so it was not surprising. Zhang Qing pointed to his wine glass and smiled: "Who can't say empty vernacular?" It's all in the wine! It's all in the wine! ”

Xiao Duolu didn't refuse, and after drinking a full drink, Zhang Jun asked: "It's not mediation, so what is the envoy here for?" ”

"Lord Xia did have a letter, but only mentioned the change. My lord knew that the Song and Xia were at odds with each other, and he was anxious to find out the situation, so he ordered me to come to Sichuan and Shaanxi through Western Xia in the name of mediation. If not, how would you be here? ”

Everyone suddenly sees, I see! Indeed, when the Khitan came to Sichuan and Shaanxi, he must pass through the summer realm, and it was at the time of the Song and Xia exchanges, if Dashi directly said that he would send an envoy into the Song Dynasty, the party members would not let him go.

Xu Wei smiled when he heard this: "Since you are here to find out the situation, what else do you not understand, or want to know?" ”

"Song and Xia, both sides, already know about it. But I don't know ...... Jurchens now," Xiao Duolu asked.

Xu Wei pointed at Zhang Jun: "You have to ask Senator Zhang about these things, there is nothing he doesn't know." ”

With a modest sentence, Zhang Jun explained the situation in Song and Jin in the near future. For example, the Jin army marched south to attack Xianghan, and now because of the intervention of the Western army in Western Xia, it took the initiative to propose a truce and withdraw to the Jin State. Right now, troops are being sent to attack Lin Mansion.

When Xiao Duolu didn't hear that the Jin army was moving south, he couldn't help but lament: "It's hateful that the mountains and rivers are dangerous, and the road is far away!" Otherwise, such a great opportunity...... implication is that if Dashi knew the news earlier, he should really take advantage of the situation to go east!

After a pause, he said to Xu Wei again: "Taiwei, when we met a few days ago, Taiwei mentioned Princess Cheng'an and Li Renai, and I felt guilty at that time!" I want to become a princess, but I am just a woman, but I died by eating and dying, and I also expressed my loyalty to Da Liao! Li Renai, the grandson of Liao, was able to ask Ying to send troops to fight against Beiyi, and after the country was broken, he died of depression. As Taiwei said, one fù way, one posterity, and so, if I don't think about recovering the country, what face will I have in heaven and earth? ”

Xu Wei nodded in approval.

"Let's talk about Xiao Heda! Maybe you don't know that before he raised his army, he had actually sent Xizuo to the Western Regions for a secret visit. But because he was not familiar with the situation, he returned in vain. Our lord only learned about this matter after the fact. Xiao Heda received the grace of Li Qianshun's acquaintance, and he was tired of being a regular official to command the army in Xiazhou, and the party members were kind to him. But he can understand the righteousness, take the restoration of the country as his own responsibility, and act against Xia, and he is a great husband! Now that he has the support of the Captain, how can I cut off his back? ”

Xiao Duolu doesn't talk about jī moving, he has to move, and he is heroic!

"This time, I came on order to clear up the situation and prepare for the expedition on another day!" Only then did he tell the truth.

Ma Kuo saluted him with a glass of wine, and then said, "The last time I was received by your lord, he said that he was worried about two things. First, the Jin country is powerful and cannot be shaken. The second is that Western Xia is a vassal of Jin, and will not help. I wonder if your Lord is still worried right now? ”

Xiao Duolu took a sip of wine, thought for a moment, and nodded: "To be honest, in recent years, the situation has indeed changed a lot. And we are also actively preparing. Jin Guo is no longer unshakable, but it is still impossible for the party members to help. "Western Xia, between the Jin Kingdom and Dashi, if Dashi sends troops to the east, without the support and assistance of Western Xia, I am afraid it is a question of whether he can see the Jin army, after all, the road is too far away, supply is a serious problem, and there is a vast desert in the middle.

"I don't understand one thing, since you are determined to restore the old frontier and welcome back the old master, why don't you make careful preparations? I heard that the capital of your country is thousands of miles away from the Golden Realm! Wouldn't it be a waste of time and money to start from there? Why don't you gather in a border town? Zhang Qing asked the question that he had been entangled for a long time.

Xiao Duolu smiled helplessly and did not answer the question. In fact, although Dashi has laid a big country, its money and grain are all in the capital Hu Sihan's ears. Moreover, in order to avoid the sharp edge of the Jurchens, Dashi's army and supplies were far away from the border, and the last time the troops were dispatched, they were also a little hasty, without careful preparation. In the past two years, Oishi is working on this problem.

Xu Wei was pondering one thing, but he was hesitant to do so. For a long time, although his eyes were fixed on the table, he said: "The difficulty of your side is that the road is too far away, and it is difficult to replenish. In other words, if there is no foothold in the middle, it is almost unrealistic to even meet the Jin Army, right? ”

"What the Captain said is very true. Last time, my father led his troops on an expedition to the east, but he encountered storms and plagues in the desert, and more than half of the cattle and horses died of illness. And the Jurchens, for the same reason, sent troops to invade the west several times, but they all returned in vain. Xiao Duolu said frankly.

Xu Weishen said: "Now that Xixia is pinning its hopes on the intervention of the Jin people, it is completely impossible to think of it. But I have a suggestion, why don't you say it and discuss it? ”

"Captain, please come in." Xiao Duolu didn't say.

"The party is subordinate to Kim, and from this point of view, they are the enemies of you and me. Although the relationship between Liaoxia and Xia has always been good, Da Liao has married the princess Yu Xia three times. But think about Princess Cheng'an, think about Li Renai, you should know how to do it. Xu Wei said vaguely.

Xiao Duolu didn't know if he really didn't understand, or pretended not to know, and asked, "Please also ask the captain to make it clear." ”

In fact, Zhang Jun, Zhang Qing, and Ma Kuo have already heard Xu Weixian's voice. I can't help but guess in my heart that this is indeed a method, a practical method, but the key is whether the Khitan people are willing or not.

Xu Wei didn't answer for a while, and later, he gave Zhang Qing a look. Xiao Duolu didn't see it in his eyes, and hurriedly said: "Captain Tai, just rest assured, I have covered this entire floor, and my guards are guarding it, and no one is allowed to approach, even if it is to pass the dishes, the soldiers will do it for you." The lieutenant doesn't have to worry about the wall having ears. ”

Xu Jiu nodded and didn't speak for the time being. Although Zhang Qing had received the other party's assurance, he was still not at ease, so he went out to visit and inspect in person, and then came back to signal the captain.

"Honorable envoy, your lord has established a country in the Western Regions, and I have no doubt that your soldiers are strong and strong, and your morale is a hundred times greater. But the worst thing is that the road is far away and there is no way to replenish it. So, you need a place to stay, a place to shorten the distance of your attacks. Once you have it, I think, it's time for you to return to the country. Xu Wei said seriously.

Xiao Duolu doesn't think he's talking nonsense, who doesn't understand this truth, the question is, where do we find a place to stay?