In the Daqing Palace, the princes, hundreds of officials, foreign envoys, and envoys of the feudal states paid New Year's greetings to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, and the emperor rewarded each person with a collar of clothes and a branch of green leaves and golden flowers. After everyone thanked him, the emperor gave him a seat. Because of following the ancient etiquette, two people, Daqing Hall and the east and west two side halls, can accommodate hundreds of nobles, close ministers, guests and envoys. As for the other officials, they set up a banquet in the other hall to eat and drink.

At the banquet, there is also a 'hundred opera' to celebrate the New Year, which is not a servant raised by the palace music workshop, but a folk artist who enters the palace to perform. The so-called 'hundred operas' naturally have a wide variety, including singing and dancing, horn fighting, acrobatics, and puppet shows, and the level may not be as good as that of court entertainers, but it is better than the lively and joyful atmosphere, which is just right to set off the warm atmosphere of the New Year's celebration.

At first, the civil and military officials could follow the rules, but soon they couldn't hold it back, laughing and laughing, and they were all reckless.

Chen Ke seemed a little distracted, as if he was thinking about something. In fact, from the news that the Khitan envoy announced that Empress Xiao had given birth to the emperor's second son the day before yesterday, he was a little distracted. I quickly pushed backwards in my heart and found that it was only seven and a half months ago.

This reassured him a little, it should have nothing to do with me, but the abominable medical knowledge told him that if it was a premature baby...... The so-called 'seven lives and eight not live', born seven months prematurely, the organs of the fetus have basically matured, and it is very likely to survive.

However, the Khitan envoy is talking about full-term!

However, can this kind of official rhetoric be believed?

Bachelor Chen, who is full of wisdom on weekdays, is now stuck in a confused account.

The officials of the Song Dynasty next to him were busy eating and drinking. didn't notice his abnormality, but a Khitan envoy, because he paid extra attention, but noticed his abnormality. The main and deputy envoys whispered, and they all picked up their wine glasses and walked to Chen Ke's table.

Many officials of the Song Dynasty have been keeping an eye on the Liao envoys. Seeing this, the hall immediately fell silent.

"It's been a long time, Bachelor." The envoy headed by Chen Ke clasped his fists and saluted. The deputy envoy followed.

"It's been a long time since I've seen Lord Xiao." Chen Ke came back to his senses at this time, but he 'moved his body and raised his qi'. He was no longer the hairy guy he was at the beginning, but he just smiled faintly and said, "I didn't expect the Northern Dynasty to send such a high-level envoy." ”

The so-called 'Xiao Wangye' is the representative who negotiated with the Song people at the beginning, the king of Liaoyang County of Liao, and Xiao Feng, the Privy Council of the Southern Yuan.

What is incredible is that when talking to this Xiao Wangye, Chen Ke has been sitting there without the slightest intention of getting up, and Xiao Feng doesn't think that there is anything wrong with this.

But the deputy envoy apparently had a different view. His name is Yelu Dalin, and he is the uncle of the Liao Emperor. Because Yelu Chongyuan was not at ease, Xiao Feng, who belonged to the descendants and favored the emperor, sent him to be the deputy envoy, which was actually surveillance.

Chen Ke and Zhao Zongji. Stirring up Yelu Chongyuan's plan, naturally don't expect that Yelu Dalin can have good intentions towards the two of them, so he was outside, provoking the relationship between Zhao Zongji and Zhao Zongshi, and seeing Chen Ke at this time. In the main hall, he just accompanies the last seat, and naturally he will not miss the opportunity to go to the next city.

I saw that he first looked at Chen Ke, and then at the more than 100 Zhang Changji in the hall, and said with a look of surprise: "Why is Master Chen sitting here?" ”

"Arrange here by shift." Chen Ke said lightly.

"Scared." Yelu Dalin said with a fuss on his face: "I can't imagine that with the merits and abilities of the bachelor, I can only be willing to accompany the last ...... in the Southern Dynasty" He shook his head and said: "I can't think of it, I can't think of it......"

As soon as these words came out, the ministers of the Song Dynasty in the main hall whispered, and all the civil and military officers knew that Chen Ke was actually famous in the Liao State, but they never heard him mention it, and their impression of him couldn't help but be a little better. But this should not be said by the Liao people! Chen Ke's official position is indeed a bit 'difficult to reward' compared to his contributions, but everyone knows that this is because he is too close to someone. Although the monarchs and ministers of the Great Song Dynasty knew about this matter, after it was uncovered by the Khitans, it rose to the height of the relevant national system.

If Chen Ke's answer can't save face for the imperial court, or if there are resentful words in his words, it will be 'unscrupulous' and 'insulting to the national body', and the imperial history will impeach him when he turns around.

The people who cared about him couldn't help but sweat for him, but they saw Chen Ke smile neatly: "My Great Song Dynasty has strict regulations, and there are laws for the promotion of officials, and the lower officials are only in their twenties, and the Zhongjin Shi is less than three years old, and he can have a place in the Daqing Palace. As he spoke, he looked at Yelu Dalin and said: "Like the Northern Dynasty, the champion can participate in political affairs in less than three years, which is impossible in my dynasty." The North and the South have different histories, different cultures, and different regulations, and cannot be generalized. ”

His words were gentle, neither humble nor arrogant, and his counterattack was also very sharp, and the people of the Song Dynasty were relieved.

Na Yelu Dalin smiled even more and said: "My Da Liao has always been stingy with real talents, even if he is still young, he must be put in an important position to hone, so that he can take on the country's responsibilities as soon as possible, and he will never let Mingzhu secretly invest." After a pause, he looked at Chen Ke with a mocking tone and said: "Let a champion Lang go to the Martial Arts Academy, I'm afraid that only a place like the Southern Dynasty with a 'surplus of talents' can do it." ”

The monarchs and ministers of the Song Dynasty were embarrassed again, so they heard Chen Ke say lightly: "I insisted on going to the martial arts academy myself, and if the court can agree, it is the love and cultivation of young officials." Besides, the champion only shows that he did well in a certain exam, and it has nothing to do with ability, isn't the champion of your country the best example? Zhang Xiaojie was shot while lying down and sneezed twice thousands of miles away.

"Hey, hey." Yelu Dalin said with a smile: "The bachelor said it well, but the Southern Dynasty Wenzun martial arts is extremely serious, it is said that more than ten years ago there was a martial arts academy, but then because he couldn't recruit students, he closed his business in ninety days, I don't know how many days the bachelor can last this time?" ”

"I've been doing it for a hundred days." Chen Ke smiled and said: "Besides, there is no such thing as a scholar and a martial artist in our dynasty, but a martial arts cultivator, which makes the Northern Dynasty misunderstood." ”

"If you want to cultivate martial arts, what kind of martial arts do you do?" Yelu Dalin sneered.

"Although the world is safe, it will be dangerous to forget the war." Chen Ke was neither humble nor arrogant: "The evil neighbor is on the side, my big Song An can put swords and guns into the warehouse, and the horse will be put in Nanshan?" ”

"When the scholar says 'evil neighbor', do you mean our Da Liao?" Yelu Dalin sneered.

"I'm talking about the party." Chen Ke smiled faintly: "I heard that the Khitan people keep their promises the most, and if they can strictly abide by the covenant, they will naturally be friendly and good-neighborly." ”

Everyone in the hall could see that this Yelu Dalin was really not Chen Ke's opponent. Chen Ke seems to have always been covering up and defending, but he let Yelu Dalin's fists hit in the air, and after many rounds, the provocation of the Khitans became a dog-like entanglement, and evil deeds appeared, but Chen Ke himself would not be labeled as aggressive.

"What if we don't comply?" Yelu Dalin said in a rough voice.

"My Great Song Dynasty military and civilians look north to Yanyun every day, and have the idea of the integrity of Jinou, but the Great Song Dynasty is a state of gentlemen, since there is an alliance first, even if there is resentment in the country, it will be strictly abided by." Since it has been upgraded to a matter of national system, Chen Ke will naturally use his sword, and sneered: "If the Northern Dynasty betrays the alliance, our dynasty will naturally not need to be restricted by the alliance anymore, and it will definitely build a mansion in line with the identity of the Liao lord in Bianjing City as soon as possible." ”

"You ......" Yelu Dalin was angry, glared and laughed: "Just because you have that ability in the Southern Dynasty?" Saying that, he said to Xiao Feng: "It turns out that Master Chen is also a big talker!" ”

"In fact, we in Da Liao have also discussed building a mansion for the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty in the central capital, but our emperor is benevolent and sees that the two countries have been friendly for decades and can't bear to let the people suffer, so he is willing to live in good neighborliness with the Great Song Dynasty." When it comes to the national body, Xiao Feng can only say: "But if you really want to go to war, what will the Southern Dynasty take to resist the millions of iron horsemen of my Northern Dynasty?" ”

"Excuse me, envoy." Chen Ke smiled and seized the initiative and said: "In today's Liao Dynasty, can there be characters like the Holy Queen, the Holy Sect, Han Derang, and Xiao Darin?" ”

Xiao Feng had no choice but to shake his head, those characters who looked up to the mountains really made the juniors unable to raise their heads.

"Sixty years ago, they poured all the troops of the whole country into the south, what was the result? If it weren't for the mercy of Emperor Zhenzong, who couldn't bear to kill too heavily and make the people of the two clans suffer, I'm afraid that even if the mother and son broke through and went back, they would have died in civil strife! Chen Ke had a cold face and said word by word: "Does your country really have the courage to live and die with me, I think your envoy is a privy secret, and you should know better than me!" ”

Xiao Feng's face was difficult to look at. Because the person in front of him obviously saw the fatal flaw at the core of the Liao State system.

The founders of every country wanted to design a perfect system so that they could rule for generations. However, human wisdom is limited, and even the best design will be flawed, and if it is not properly corrected, it will eventually kill the dynasty.

The problems of the Song Dynasty are needless to say, just talking about the Liao side, in a word, its dead end lies in its military system. The so-called 'Huluduo', which was like a feudal town during the Tang and Five Dynasties, kept the country strong in its military and at the same time continued to grow a 'martial' atmosphere.

Because it allows the soldiers to show their faces, and allows the leaders of the Zarus to gain wealth, territory, and slaves. And the emperor is just the biggest one of them. In the final analysis, he was able to become an emperor because his clan was stronger than others. Therefore, in order to maintain the status of the imperial family, the emperor naturally had to be careful to protect his strength.

In the same way, the other lords of the Zarus...... Those princes, naturally, also have to preserve their strength. In the steppe peoples of the jungle, if they are weak, they will be eaten, and this is a truth that applies to everyone.

These characters turned around and held the military power, so they looked forward to fighting more, and the cycle continued, and every time a battle was fought, the real power of the army was constantly delegated to the hands of the head of the army and the leader of the Huluduo, and the emperor of the Liao State was gradually emptied.

Everything is like the Central Plains in the past, the feudal towns forged the strength of the Liao people's military power, but also made the empire always shrouded in the shadow of rebellion, and each time it endangered the survival of the imperial family. With this sword of Damox hanging high, how could the Liao lord fight against the Southern Dynasty...... (To be continued)