In the Song and Han borders, as well as around the Dali Kingdom, lived most of the southwest Yi, at this moment in the autumn and July Wuchen, in the city of Kaifeng, the leader of the southwest Yi Dong Wei and other attached to the Great Song Dynasty, offering cattle and sheep and other items, Emperor Zhao Kuangyin gave the southwest Yi the money and silk of each department, and the Shu rice and wheat levy were exempted from this year's rent.

Zhao Kuangyin has also recently received secret reports from the (Southern) Han Kingdom from the Privy Council, Gong Chengshu, Fan Huzi and their affairs, Zhao Kuangyin does not know, the matter has been two months now, and Zhao Dezhao doesn't know what happened, but his left eyelid has been jumping recently, presumably something good has happened in the south.

During this period, Zhao Kuangyin went to the shipbuilding office again to inspect the supervision of the warship, went to Jinmingchi and Jiaochuanchi to see the training of warships, and then went to Yang Xin. Zhao Kuangyin found that Yang Xin was summarizing a kind of "form language [sign language]" Zhao Kuangyin also specially asked Yang Xin's boy Yunu to enter the palace to show him, and at the same time, he also germinated in his heart to train a group of dead soldiers loyal to the emperor, and these people must all be deaf and mute.

After a period of time, there was a drought in some prefectures and counties in Shu, and Zhao Kuangyin gave the soldiers of the Xichuan camp money and silk in view of the fact that Shu was not long after it was calmed down. The requisition of rice and wheat in the Jiannan area was exempted, and the land rent in Huazhou this year was exempted, and the number of state and county officials was increased.

……

At this time, it was in the south of Xiongzhou

The envoys of the Song and Han dynasties returned all the way to the north, and they were still in the territory of the Han State at this time. The hot wind blew, and the group looked listless, and in a field next to the official road, the wild grass grew aimlessly, originally a field here, but now it is overgrown with wild grass, and the red soil on the ground is broken into pieces, which shows that the weather is very hot.

The honor guard chariots and horses walked for a long time, and the front was about to arrive at the county seat of Xiongzhou [Liu Gong cut Shaozhou's Zhenchang County Zhixiongzhou, also known as Nanxiongzhou], and the chariot and horse honor guard began to speed up their feet and rushed towards the city of Xiongzhou.

Xiongzhou city is very tall, Liu Gong did spend a lot of effort to build this city, now this Xiongzhou city is as strong as a rock, and there is a lively scene everywhere inside and outside the city. Along the way, Dong Zhongyan and the others have changed their faces with smiles, and so have Tang Guo Gong Shenyi and them.

And in Guizhou, Xiongzhou and other places, Wu Yongzi, An Dongye and An Deyu also successfully completed the task, at this moment the three of them are rushing to Xiongzhou County, the Song envoys and Tang envoys have also arrived in Lingnan Xiongzhou.

It is recorded in the "Records of the Land":

Xiongzhou, the map is broad, a look at the plain, the road on both sides, the big river in the middle, the river as the boundary, then the name of the water east. The person who lives in the ground, there is a mountain in front, the back of the house is the river, its water is surrounded by the left and right, swirls and flows, the boat comes and goes, up to the Wuji, down to the Xiongcheng, the territory extends in all directions, the businessmen and pedestrians can meet near and far, the road leads to Jiangxi, Huguang, Fujian three provinces.

The terrain is open, like a row shape, there is a fairy tower to town, there is a stone pile to save it, there is Wenfeng Mountain in front of it, and there is a belt river to protect it in the back. The mountains and ridges on the left and right are beautiful, the dragon is still turned to the south to the north river in the south, and it is called the knotted body hole, so the houses of a township are all south to the dragon potential, and the upper and lower houses are connected by fireworks......

In Zhao Dezhao's view, Liu Gong thought that the land of Xiongzhou was advantageous to southern Jiangxi and southern Fujian, and he was also coveting the north to attack the Tang State and the east to attack the Fujian State, so this place is also easy to defend and difficult to attack. In Xiongzhou City, merchants from the south to the north are also frequent, which shows that the business here is very prosperous.

The envoys of the Song and Tang dynasties also stayed in the post station in Xiongzhou one after another.

At noon, the weather in the south is a bit hot and drowsy. At this moment, Xiao Guizi and several servants of the post station were feeding the horses, and suddenly at this time, three people wearing (Southern) Han official uniforms came out and patted Xiao Guizi on the shoulder, Xiao Guizi turned his head and saw that one person was Wuyongzi, he said: "What a coincidence, you have also arrived in Xiongzhou?" ”

"When I received a letter from King Wei, I estimated that the day was coming, but I didn't expect it to happen." Wu Yongzi smiled and asked, "King Wei is resting in the post house now, right?" ”

Xiao Guizi nodded and said, Wu Yongzi and the three of them had already swaggered into the post house.

In the post house, Zhao Dezhao was squinting and napping, and he dimly heard the footsteps of three people walking by, and he heard the footsteps of Wu Yongzi, so he woke up. The three of them stood still at the door, and just as they were about to knock on the door, Zhao Dezhao opened the door from the inside.

"I've seen Your Highness." The three of them arched their hands.

"You came at the right time, there are always people around the rest of the time, and while it's time for the noon break, you guys can come in and talk!"

Seeing that the other envoys of Song and Tang were resting in other rooms, the three of them strode into the house. The three of them were still wearing the official robes of the (Southern) Han officials, and they stood in the room solemnly, waiting for Zhao Dezhao's lecture. The conversation between the four of them was also cautious, trying to keep their throats as low as possible.

Zhao Dezhao said: "Now the generals of the northern states of the Han Dynasty have been transferred out of the important land, and the Han Dynasty has dedicated the land of Yi, Lian, Wu, Yan, Fu, Zhao, Liu, Xiang, and Gong Bazhou, which has become the same as my Great Song Fanbang. ”

An Dongye was puzzled: "Why doesn't Your Highness take this opportunity to let the entire territory of the Han Kingdom return to my Great Song Dynasty in one fell swoop, in that case, it will save a lot of effort!" ”

Wu Yongzi knocked on Antonye's head and said: "I will talk to His Highness, don't interject, not to mention that His Highness naturally has His Highness's reason for doing this." ”

An Dongye was stunned and stopped talking, but looked at Wu Yongzi angrily, at this time Zhao Dezhao saw this, and said: "Brother Dong'er also has his own opinions, this is not to blame him, even if he changes to someone else, Rao can't figure out the intention of this king." ”

Wu Yongzi then asked, "Your Highness, are you going to Jiangning Mansion next time?" ”

"Jiangning Mansion is going, and you are just keeping an eye on the situation in Jiangnan now and secretly creating opportunities." Zhao Dezhao explained the confusion of Fang Cai An Dongye, "But now the Song and Tang Dynasty are also harmonious, and the Great Song Dynasty will not find an excuse to deal with the Tang State in a few years, and Wu Yueguo and Chen Hongjin have always regarded my Great Song Dynasty as a Zhengbang, and they are not at fault for worshipping each year. And the Han State is, in the past few years, we have to let the Han State solve its own dilemma, and after a few years, the king will let the Han State officially incorporate into the territory of my Great Song Dynasty, and it is just right to give those countries that have diplomatic relations with my Great Song Dynasty to see, my Great Song Dynasty is the orthodoxy of the Central Plains, and if the Tang State is unwilling to sacrifice its land to return to Beijing and seal the pile into storage, let it take a good look at how the iron cavalry and sailors of my Great Song Dynasty stepped through Jinling City. ”

Zhao Dezhao didn't fully explain it, as for the rest, Zhao Dezhao's own considerations.

The other three people in the room listened quietly, under the words of King Wei, Anton Ye Shicai had already solved the doubts raised earlier, but he didn't expect His Royal Highness King Wei to have such a trick, but it would have to wait a few years.

The time for the conversation was almost over, at this moment Zhao Dezhao had already heard footsteps coming towards him outside the house, he immediately signaled the three of them not to speak, and when the footsteps approached the door, a voice said: "Your Highness, Gong Shenyi has seen Your Highness in the matter of the Tang Kingdom." ”

It turned out to be Gong Shenyi, Zhao Dezhao immediately got up to open the door, Gong Shenyi walked in, and saw three officials wearing Han official robes standing in the room, he said, "Your Highness, who are they?" Gong Shenyi didn't know these three people, so she asked.

Wu Yongzi arched his hand and said: "Xia Guan is a court official sent by His Majesty, I hereby greet the angels of the Song State and the envoys of the Tang State, and escort a small gift from His Majesty to the envoys of the two countries, and the Xia Guan will be presented later." ”

When Zhao Dezhao heard Wu Yongzi's excuse, he smiled and glanced at the past from time to time.

When Gong Shenyi heard this, there was no expression on his face.

Seeing this, the three of them immediately gave up.

"By the way, why did Master Gong come here?" Zhao Dezhao asked.

"Your Highness, it's nothing, the lower official just asks, after Xiongzhou, does His Highness plan to go to Chenzhou North or Chenzhou East?"

To the east of Chenzhou is to enter the territory of the Tang Kingdom, and to the north of Chenzhou is to go to the Hunan Song Realm, Zhao Dezhao is still very familiar with this route, but now Gong Shenyi asked himself and didn't know what he was thinking in his heart.

Seeing that Zhao Dezhao didn't say anything, Gong Shenyi said: "Your Highness traveled all the way to the Han Kingdom as an envoy, and asked Liu Gang to return to Beijing with our envoys. Gong Shenyi felt that he was imprisoned by Liu Gang, and during the period when the King of Wei of the Song State sent the Han State, many major events happened in the Han Kingdom, and finally Liu Gangken agreed to release himself and other envoys to return to China, perhaps there was a credit to His Royal Highness the King of Wei.

Vote for me with a peach, and repay it with a li...... Gong Shenyi felt that he should write something in return, and now that the envoy returned to the north, he asked the king of Wei to return to the north from the territory of the Tang Kingdom, and he didn't know if the king of Wei agreed to such a plan.

Zhao Dezhao thought that Gong Shenyi had some political intention to say this, it turned out that he just wanted to repay himself, but whether he should go to the Tang Kingdom or not, it was not up to him, and he had to agree with His Majesty the Emperor of Kaifeng, so he said: "Doctor Gong, it is estimated that this time it will not be possible, and now this king wants to send a letter of surrender to return to the country, and he has to go back to Beijing to resume his life, which can not be delayed." ”

However, Zhao Dezhao said again: "If this king is free next time, he will definitely come to Jinling to visit your master." ”

Seeing this, Gong Shenyi had no choice but to retract what he had just said, and he talked with Zhao Dezhao for a while before leaving.

After the envoys of the Song and Han dynasties stayed in Xiongzhou for a day, they went north on the second day when the morning was cool, and at the same time Zhao Dezhao sent a pioneer officer to Chenzhou to report that the Song and Tang envoys would leave for Chenzhou in three and a half days.

……

——

ps.

(1) Southwest Yi is the general name of the ethnic minorities distributed in the vast areas of present-day Yunnan, Guizhou, southwestern Sichuan and southern Gansu in the Han Dynasty. The two Han Dynasty placed eight counties under their jurisdiction. This title continued until the Song and Yuan dynasties.

(2) The Southern Han Dynasty died, the Northern Song Dynasty was established, Xiongzhou was changed to Nanxiongzhou, with jurisdiction over Baochang and Shixing counties, and moved the city to the present site.