When Lu Fei heard this, his heart became more and more sad. The pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info suddenly sad and defenseless, and he didn't dare to speak out...... Lu Fei felt that he was a martial artist in vain, and sometimes his heart was really hard.

Wang Hao said and turned his head to look at his youngest son.

Lu Fei looked at his eyes and understood what Wang Hao meant, in fact, the biggest purpose of Wang Hao's trip was to entrust his descendants to the emperor and let Lu Fei take care of them in the future.

In front of everyone, Lu Fei was the emperor, and he felt that what he held in his hands was actually public power, and he couldn't care too much about his personal feelings. He didn't know what to say, but said: "I will always remember the merits of Marshal Wang for the country." ”

After he finished saying this, he turned his gaze to Wang Zhishe and asked Wang Zhishe what martial arts he practiced and what military books he had read, and asked in great detail. The king's house replied like a stream, and his speech was clear, so that Lu Fei nodded frequently.

Wang Hao didn't say it explicitly, and Lu Fei didn't mention it either. But it's all in the gossip.

Wang Hao's old face also showed a look of relief.

After speaking, Lu Fei smiled again: "I want to go to Lingzhou this time, and let Wang Zhishe follow me all the way." ”

Wang Hao said happily: "Being able to lead a horse and hold a whip for the emperor is a blessing from the cultivation of the house, and I can also follow the emperor for a long time." The king fell to his knees again and kowtowed in gratitude.

Lu Fei hurriedly called him up.

…… Wang Zhishe drove north, and not long after, some people asked for orders to drive with him.

Subsequently, the envoys of the towns in the northwest came to Xingying with their guards and asked for an order to be the emperor's escort on his western tour.

These people are all Jiezhen in the northwest, and they are the military preparations deployed by the Tang Dynasty in depth near the national border, compared to the Jiedu envoys in the mainland, who have been cut by most of their power and exhausted their elites, these Jiezhen are people with some real strength, and their power in their respective territories is relatively independent.

Lu Fei allowed them to accompany them, getting along day and night along the way, and gradually became familiar with each other. Lu Fei is a relatively easy person to get along with at this time, because he doesn't care about the details of etiquette that many ancients care about, and he is easier to talk; In addition, he has also been in the army for more than ten years, and he can talk about the affairs of the horses and horses very well with the generals.

The monarchs and ministers got along very happily, and the journey was not so boring.

At this time, the system and rules are not very detailed, and the establishment of personal relations between military generals and Lu Fei can increase trust...... It's like relatives who move around a lot are completely different from relatives who don't move around a lot.

……

Before the Western Tour had even started, Pan Mei and Lu Guangxiao had already arranged a lot of envoys to find local guides in Shuofang and try to contact the tribes. It includes the Uighurs of Ganzhou, the Achai tribes, the Tubo Tusi Ma tribes, the western Dangxiang tribes, and the Western Regions.

Of course, the most powerful party in this region will not be left behind.

It was not easy for the Privy Council's envoy to go to Xiazhou, except for the pastures in the middle of Xiazhou and the pastures in the north, there were many ravines along the road, and it was very easy to get lost.

Fortunately, the government system in various parts of Xiazhou was relatively perfect (it was subdued by Dane), and the envoy and his party were quickly received and escorted to the center of Xiazhou......

At first glance, the houses are rough and poor, the houses are very low, all of them are mud houses, some are like soil holes, and some are covered with animal fur roofs, which look like patches of broken clothes; There are only a small number of tiled-roof houses, and I heard the accompanying party members say that the kind of people who live in tiled houses have identities and cannot afford to provoke them.

However, as long as you pay attention to it, the party members in the Xiazhou area are relatively solid, and there are few luxury goods, but there is no shortage of livestock, grain, iron tools, salt, etc., which is much more solid than some places in the interior where there are disasters.

Some of the party people have hair, some are tied like the mainlanders, the clothes are shorter and narrower, although it looks obviously different from the customs of the Central Plains, but it is not different to the point of being very different, and the styles and agricultural tools such as the collar can find traces of the Central Plains, and the Han people have been in contact for a long time, and the customs have been influenced by the Han family a lot.

The envoy also had a feeling that these people were obviously not as deferential as the people of the Central Plains, and there were almost no etiquette, and they were more wild and aggressive.

Xiazhou, known as "Tongwan City" in ancient times, is a very ancient city. After the Song Dynasty's Western Expedition, Tuoba Deming was named the king of Xiping, and the palace where Tuoba lived was called the Dingyan Military Mansion to the outside world, but it was actually similar to the palace city.

At this time, the sound of wooden fish "tuk tuk" was heard from the place where Tuoba Deming lived. A young woman in a multicolored round hat took three sticks of incense and lit them on a candle and placed them in Tuoba Deming's hand.

Tuoba Deming took the incense and reverently closed his eyes to a mud bodhisattva, whispering the scriptures in his mouth.

The few people standing around were very quiet, and only the monotonous sound of wooden fish was left in the hall.

Tuoba Deming's sideburns have turned gray, and his face is not very different from that of the Central Plains. Their family had a meritorious role in quelling the rebellion at the end of the Tang Dynasty, and only then did they change their surname from the Tuoba clan to Li, and it is said that the ancestral paternal line was originally surnamed Li.

He was intently reciting the scriptures, as if praying for something.

Just then, a man with a tapered top hat hurried to the door. The woman next to her looked back, gently put her index finger on her lips, and made a soft "shhhhhhh

The woman's eyes were bright and agile, as if she could speak. The visitor immediately understood, hurriedly bent down, and carefully walked in and stood aside.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Tuoba Deming suddenly spoke: "What's the matter?" ”

The person who came hurriedly took a few steps forward and whispered in Tuoba Deming's ear: "The Tang officials have arrived in Xiazhou and asked the king to receive them." ”

Tuoba Deming was not surprised at all, and said indifferently: "The emperor of the Tang Kingdom will naturally send someone to the west on his western tour." Then he opened his eyes, bowed to the Bodhisattva three times, then inserted the incense into the incense burner and sat down cross-legged on the futon next to him.

The nobleman who had just come in said: "We haven't responded to the Khitan side yet, does the king want to see the envoys of the Tang Kingdom?" ”

"I want to see you." Tuoba Deming said without hesitation, "You ask someone to arrange it and report it to me." ”

The nobleman said in a deep voice, "The king is wise. The Khitan envoy was sent by Xiao Daling, the privy deputy envoy of the Northern Court of the Great Liao, and I heard that Xiao Daling was a defeated general under the current Tang Emperor (Battle of Hedong)......"

Tuoba Deming made a voice, noncommittal.

When the nobles saw this, they bowed and bowed. At this time, the woman next to her said, "I'll send Uncle Nori Toshihide." ”

After the two of them left the palace one after the other, their expressions relaxed.

Yeli Junxiu Junshen smiled: "Before I entered the palace, Black Eagle also asked about Tuoba Agarwood. ”

The little lady named Tuoba Agarwood was white-skinned, and a hint of red on her face was particularly conspicuous, her eyes flickered, and she looked left and said: "Both the Khitan and the Han'er want to form an alliance with their father, which side does Uncle Yeli Junxiu prefer?" ”

Nori Junxiu said: "If you want to talk about preferences, I don't like either side." Han'er is loyal and kind, but in fact he is extremely cunning; The Khitans are barbaric and violent, and they are unreliable. It's better for us to be our own people. ”

Tuoba Agarwood nodded yes.

Nori Junxiu said: "But the tribes come and go, and you can't look at your preferences; I'm more inclined to come and go with the Tang people. Xiao Daling sent people to the intention that he wanted us to raise troops against the Tang Dynasty, and the Liao State was willing to borrow troops to help......"

Tuoba Agarwood said: "Brother Wang believes in Buddhism and is unwilling to use troops in vain, not to mention that Xiao Yuanhao is still hostage in Bianliang." ”

Yeli Junxiu was noncommittal, and said: "Whether it is the Tang people or the Liao people, they are all strong, and our party is sandwiched between the two tigers, and the difficulties are ......."

……

At this time, in Beijing, Xiao Daling saw the messenger sent back from Xiazhou. The messenger brought back the news, and the negotiations did not go well.

The party members first questioned whether the Liao State could really send troops and horses to help them, and then thought that the Liao State's statement that the Tang State forbidden army would attack Xiazhou on its western tour was not true.

Han official Fan Yi said straightforwardly: "The reason of the party is just an excuse, but in fact, it is a person who sees the wind and makes the rudder, and when he sees that the Tang State is strong, he will pay tribute to the Tang State." ”

Xiao Daling thought so, and sighed: "After all, the great Liao is still weak, and the prestige has declined. ”

Fan Yijin said: "At this time, the Tang State's armed forces are becoming stronger and stronger, and the target is our Daliao, and we will not be too persecuted by the party. At this time, it may not be easy to persuade the party to rebel again, so it is better to change the strategy and ask them to expand their territory when the Tang army has no time to look west, and the Liao State is willing to help...... As long as there is movement over there, at least it can contain the Tang army, which is beneficial and harmless. ”

Xiao Daling said: "This plan is very good, I immediately asked someone to rush to Xiazhou as soon as possible." I also had to tell the envoys to remind Tuoba Deming to see more clearly, once the Tang State Lord freed up his hands, he would not trust the party members, let him look farther! ”

Fan Yi wanted to speak again and again, and finally couldn't help but say: "The Great Khan treats Xiao Gong like this, Xiao Gong is still loyal to Da Liao, hard work, and his mind is really admirable. ”

Xiao Daling said quietly: "There is nothing unfair, I should ask for the title of Hedong's shame, okay, let's focus on the overall situation." ”

Fan Yi bowed his head and was silent. As a Han official, Xiao Daling also knew that it was inconvenient for him to say more.

With this transfer, isn't Xiao Daling angry in her heart? The defeat of the Central Plains is also like a bamboo, only a few cavalry will go deep into the Han land for thousands of miles, breaking nearly 100 cities, if it is not for the Yelu Tige on the side of the Yanmen Gate to stand still, can not form a two-sided attack on Bianliang, why worry about the Central Plains; This is human cause, and providence, the ghost knows that the Song army (Lu Fei has not yet been called the emperor during the battle of Hedong) generals used very divine weapons, just as soon as the battle started, the battlefield was like a thunderstorm, black smoke billowing, when did our Da Liao horses see such a terrifying battle, the war horse was shocked, which led to my Da Liao iron cavalry in the chaos of the defeat in a daze, to say grievances, I Xiao is really wronged, to say that if not wronged, it is indeed defeated, the general of the defeated army is also brave.

Xiao Daling was transferred to the North Court as a privy deputy envoy, and he didn't even have decision-making power...... Compared to being the king of the Southern Courtyard, his power is now greatly weakened!

Xiao Daling took a breath and said, "You can rest assured, I have never done anything wrong, and the Great Khan will not do anything to me?" The Queen Mother will reuse it for me in the future. ”

In fact, he didn't have a bottom.

…… A few days later, the Liao general Yelu Xian led his troops out of Beijing, and Xiao Daling picked up the wind and washed the dust for him.

After drinking in the evening, when Yelu Xianzhen and Xiao Daling were alone together, Xiao Daling said: "When I stepped down as the king of the Southern Courtyard, I wanted to recommend the general to preside over the Southern Courtyard, but after thinking about it, I didn't play it. If I come forward to recommend it, I am afraid that it will be detrimental to the general. ”

Yelu Xian suddenly looked annoyed, he was born in a high position, and he was much bolder, so he immediately said straightforwardly: "When Xiao Gongshang was in Youzhou, I sent a confidant to ask you, but you didn't agree, what now?" ”

Xiao Daling said: "If I promise the general, whether Youzhou is still the land of Daliao now, I'm afraid it's hard to say." ”

Yelu frowned and said nothing.

Xiao Daling said: "If Youzhou is lost, the fortunes of the Great Liao State are worried. If we reach such a situation, not only will it be harmful to the overall situation of Da Liao, but how can we, as the nobles of Da Liao, be any better? ”

Yelu listened to the bow, and said worriedly: "I am only afraid that the Queen Mother will be unfavorable to Xiao Gong, and it will be too late to regret it!" ”

"If this is the way it should be, I have no choice but to admit it." Xiao Daling sighed, "But I am thinking about Da Liao, and it has not harmed the clansmen, and the tribesmen will comment on it, and give me justice!" ”

Xiao Daling owed under the lamp, and said in a deep voice: "I expect that Lord Tang will not give up on Youzhou!" His trip to the west is probably to stabilize the rear. If Da Liao doesn't prepare early at this time, it will be too late to regret it! ”

Yelu slanted and said boldly in a low voice: "Although the current Emperor Daliao is young, all state affairs are decided by the Queen Mother, and the heroine is in power, which is ...... It is inevitable that there will be times when things are not done well, if there is a great Khan in Daliao who is as wise and powerful as Taizu......"

Xiao Daling shook her head: "I'm afraid it's not that simple." ”

He said in his heart: The chaos in Da Liao at this time is not a matter of changing masters at all, it is really the bane of many disputes between the two veins of the royal family. If you just drive the queen mother and the little emperor down, the new emperor will be able to control the situation?

According to Xiao Daling's consideration, it is necessary to fundamentally solve the grievances of many years. There's only one way......

Let the little emperor carry all the faults down! If the son is at fault, the mother will be at fault for not teaching strictly, because of the lead to get out.

If an emperor makes mistakes again and again, it is not far from the title of tyrant and faint monarch, or even that.

Only those who replace the "tyrant" are the virtuous rulers who put things right. At that time, the new monarch will be supported by all parties, the general trend will be the times, and the situation will be truly reorganized!

Until then, instead of continuing to seize power in civil strife, it is better to support the little emperor and reduce unrest.

Xiao Daling thought about it and hurriedly said: "You must not act rashly, you must not cause a rebellion and civil war at this time, and beware of the Tang people taking advantage of the situation." We have to try our best to resolve internal grievances and support the Great Khan in order to compete with the Tang people! ”

Yelu frowned and said, "Why is Gong Xiao so jealous of Han'er? ”

Xiao Daling said: "Because Lu Fei is in power." In my opinion, this person's actions must be ambitious, and he will fight in Hedong, hey! ”

Yelu nodded thoughtfully.

Xiao Daling said: "These years have been difficult in Da Liao, as long as we get through it, and when the situation in the Tang Kingdom changes, it will be our Da Liao world next." ”

Yelu was persuaded by Xiao Daling, and the deacon agreed.

Early the next morning, the Liao Emperor Yelu Jing couldn't wait to meet Yelu Xuan, who had just returned to Beijing, in the main hall on the hill.

Empress Dowager Xiao hung the curtain on the side.

Above the main hall, the atmosphere was very dull, and the nobles were terrified. At this moment, Yelu slanted to play the tour, with a respectful attitude, and sang praises to Yelujing many times, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Later, Xiao Daling also stood up to talk about Xiazhou, and there was no complaint about his position transfer. The people in the hall gradually began to talk about things, and they expressed their opinions, and they had to scold Han'er and the party members together.

Xiao Sui was silent, a pair of phoenix eyes looked at the faces of the nobles, and gradually her expression relaxed slightly.

At this time, Xiao Daling pressed his hand on his chest, bowed and said: "Da Liao is favored by the gods, and the Khitan warriors are brave and good at fighting, as long as everyone is united, they will be able to defeat the Tang people." ”

Yelu Hugo on the side said in a big way: "The emperor and the queen mother only hope that those betrayals in the past will not happen again. ”

Xiao Daling said: "Whoever has two hearts and does something that makes his relatives and enemies happy, the ministers can't let him go!" ”

...

The Uighurs, Achai, and Tibetan tribes of Ganzhou, and even the party tribes in the west responded positively, either by the tribal leaders themselves to Lingzhou, or by sending important people...... The emperor of the Central Plains personally came to the northwest, and the ministries still attached great importance to it, although the Tang Dynasty declined and perished for many years, but the previous influence in the west still remains; People at least think that the Central Plains is very big and there are a lot of people!

Now another Datang has risen impressively, who of them dares not to be afraid of three points.

What Lu Fei was waiting for was a report sent back by the early envoy: I saw the Khitans in Xiazhou!

When the ministers in the camp heard the news, they were very worried. Lu Fei thought about it for a long time, thought that there was still a chance, and immediately sent Lu Guangxiao to go along the road in person.

Half a month later, Lu Fei had arrived in Lingzhou and set up a palace in Shuofangjie Town, but he never showed up. He was waiting, waiting for the attitude of Xia Zhou's side.

…… With the passage that the previous mission poked out from the west, Lu Guangxiao arrived in Xiazhou soon after.

Tuoba Deming heard that it was the cabinet ministers who came for the second time...... Upon inquiry, the so-called cabinet ministers were important figures who often gave advice to the emperor and served as pre-selected personnel for the prime minister. Soon met with Lu Guangxiao.

Although the customs and etiquette are different, the atmosphere is similar, and Lu Guangxiao also felt the importance and respect of the officials in Xiazhou.

He was also not modest, and told the party officials that he was the deputy envoy of the Western Tour, second only to the Privy Councillor.

Unexpectedly, Tuoba Deming actually said in fluent Chinese: "If the clansmen are negligent, they still hope that Lu will envoy Jun Haihan." ”

Lu Guangxiao hurriedly said happily: "It turns out that King Xiping has not forgotten the words of his homeland!" ”

"Oh?" Tuoba Deming looked at him in surprise.

Lu Guangxiao said: "The emperor heard from the minister that after the Tuoba clan was Li Ling (Northern Wei), the Tang Dynasty actually restored the original surname, and the people of Xiazhou were closer to all ethnic groups in the northwest. ”

Tuoba Deming listened and looked back and did not refute.

Lu Guangxiao saw it in his eyes, and knew that this statement would not cause any trouble to Tuoba Deming...... It is impossible for the Tuoba clan to make the party members feel that they have become Han'er because of such a sentence. And saying this, it can make Tuoba Deming feel the goodwill of the Tang Dynasty court to some extent.

Sure enough, Tuoba Deming responded: "Previously, this king had learned that the Son of Heaven was touring the west, but Lu Yuan had not yet had time to send someone to leave. ”

Lu Guangxiao said: "The emperor's trip to the west this time is aimed at resolving misunderstandings with all ethnic groups, avoiding troubles in the border areas, and allowing the people of all tribes to live and work in peace and contentment. I want all ethnic groups to send people to Bianjing so that they can discuss things in a timely manner; In Shuofang, open the mutual market, and communicate with the northwest departments. ”

Tuoba Deming bowed: "Today is benevolent, and the clansmen are all grateful. ”

Lu Guangxiao said again: "The Hexi Party has sent people to Lingzhou, and the emperor has written to remove Feng Jiye, the envoy of Shuofang Jiedu, and the emperor also wants to discuss this matter with the king of Xiping." ”

Tuoba Deming's eyes immediately lit up a little: "Do you really want to replace the Feng family today?" ”

Lu Guangxiao said quietly: "If the northwest tribes sincerely replace the war with tea horses and jade silks, everything can be discussed." ”

Tuoba Deming didn't mention it again, and after a polite conversation with Lu Guangxiao, he ended the meeting for the time being.

…… In fact, Tuoba Deming and the entire Xiazhou party and nobles were very concerned about Feng Jiye's family.

The armor and swords of the Dingyan Army (the departments controlled by the Dangxiang people, sealed by the Tang Dynasty) are very sophisticated in the northwest, thanks to the high-quality iron delivered by the Dangxiang tribe in Shanzhou. Na Feng Jiye took the Lingzhou Plain as a stronghold, and burned, killed, looted, and plundered the Dangxiang tribe in the west for a long time, blocking the road, and seriously hindering the armament raw materials of the Dingyan army.

But Tuoba Deming did not dare to send troops to attack Lingzhou, Lingzhou was a Fang town set up by the Tang Dynasty (set up by the Zhao and Song dynasties after Dane's expedition to the west), once the troops were used, wouldn't it be to tear their faces and start a war with the Tang Dynasty again?

This matter has always caused Tuoba Deming and others to have a headache. If the Tang Dynasty can change the festival of Lingzhou to a mild one and improve the relationship, it will be of great benefit to the party members.

Tuoba Deming immediately convened the royal family and the nobles of various ministries to discuss.

Because they had seen the Khitans not long ago, the Khitans reminded the party that once the affairs of the Tang State and the Great Liao eased, they would free up their hands to deal with the Xiazhou region; Over the years, the Dingyan Army has been really independent, just one name short...... So some nobles thought that they should ally with the Khitan and guard against the Central Plains in advance.

A nobleman said bluntly: "The so-called tea and horse market, the Tang Kingdom just wants war horses." If we promise them, the Tang people will have more war horses to deal with us in the future. ”

However, the leader of the Yeli Junxiu clan said: "Even if we don't join the mutual market, the Tang State can also exchange war horses from Hexi, Western Regions and other places. ”

The man just now: "We don't lack anything, but we have to lose our horses." Although the tea in the Central Plains was good, it was useless to enhance the military strength of Xiazhou. ”

Yeli Junxiu said: "The Tang Army has a kind of armor but it is good, it is said to be the same as the Mingguang armor of the former Tang Dynasty. You can try exchanging your horse for armor. ”

"The armor of our Dingyan Army is not bad, as long as Feng Jiye is slaughtered, why bother to change it?"

Yeli Junxiu said: "Then we have to negotiate with Tang Guo." ”

He said that he bowed to Tuoba Deming, and said: "There are Liao people and fierce Dayuan tribes in the north, and the Central Plains Dynasty in the south. At this time, the Tang State was becoming more and more powerful, and it dared to compete head-on with the Liao State, and it must not be easily made an enemy. ”

Tuoba Deming nodded yes. He also believes in his heart that the time has not yet come for the party to build a strong country, and the general trend is not good.

In fact, over the years, the Dingyan army has continued to grow and is no longer subject to the control of the Central Plains, but as long as the Central Plains is nominally worshipped, the Central Plains will also be rewarded. There is really no need to take risks.

Tuoba Deming pondered, while reaching out to touch his sideburns and cheeks, the great ambition in his heart, I am afraid that he will have to hand over to future generations to complete, and unconsciously he remembered Yuan Hao, who was far away in Bianliang as a proton, and was in a trance for a while.

Now, if we can leave a relatively relaxed situation for future generations, we will have the opportunity to recuperate. It's all you can do.

Tuoba Deming finally spoke: "The Khitan people are just talking, the Tang Emperor's western tour is not going to make a move, this king looks at it, the emperor is still quite sincere to us." You can send someone to Lingzhou to meet and discuss matters. ”

Yeli Junxiu said: "You can put forward the two conditions of exchanging armor in the market and removing Feng Jiye, the envoy of Lingzhou Jiedu, and then we will promise to pay tribute to the war horses and come and go in harmony...... Usually the imperial court also gave away goods of greater value in return. ”