At the end of December of the second year of Baoyuan, Fan Zhongyan, the envoy of the Hebei Road of the Song State and the alternate of the Political Yuan, led the troops of the Hebei Road and defeated the Liao army.

The Liao army suffered heavy casualties, lost at least 70,000 or 80,000 soldiers and horses, and fled back to the country in disarray.

Such a big loss, even for the strong Liao State, can be said to be a great injury, which makes the Liao Emperor Yeluzong really frightened.

He gathered a large number of defeated soldiers, reorganized morale, and coupled with the 30,000 soldiers left behind in Nanjing, he barely deployed 200,000 people in the surrounding towns of Xijin Province to defend against the attack of the Song army.

However, unexpectedly, when they learned that the Song army was coming, the Han people on the Song-Liao border line were frightened one by one, and fled north with their belongings overnight.

I don't even want land and houses, and I drag my family one by one, and some of them dislike their chickens, ducks, sheep and livestock running slowly, and they carry chickens, ducks and sheep all the way.

And not only the people in the border areas, but even the Han people in Xijin Mansion heard that the Song State was coming, and they all enthusiastically joined the army and asked to go to the front line to kill the enemy, as if the Song State, which was also a Han Chinese, had a deep hatred with them.

So in less than half a month, more than 100,000 people in the counties south of Laishui fled empty, and they didn't even want the grain to be harvested next year, so they just wanted to flee for their lives.

Fan Zhongyan was also speechless when he saw this, although he had already found a way to post a notice to calm the people, saying that the Han people would not beat the Han people and would never oppress the people.

But apparently the Song army was famous in the past, which made the people panic and uneasy, and had little effect.

In fact, if it were only the harsh taxation, in order to make a living, the people would not have abandoned all their belongings, even the land they cultivated, and left their homeland and fled their homeland.

After all, for the people, land is the foundation. In an agrarian society, no one wants to throw away what they eat.

Unless there's something else that's more important than land.

What could it be?

That's their life, of course!

In addition to the Song State's three-foot tax that made the people of Liao feel afraid, what scared them the most was the problem of killing good and risking merit.

This belongs to the old incurable disease of the five dynasties and ten countries.

It was a chaotic era that was no less than the chaos of the Five Wants, the generals plundered, the people were in dire straits, and it was not uncommon to kill the good and take the plunge.

Even when the Northern Song Dynasty was first established, Zhao Kuangyin fought the Northern Han Dynasty and Zhao Guangyi went on the Northern Expedition.

Therefore, the local people were extremely frightened, fearing that the Song army would return to the old things and have to flee their hometowns.

In fact, there is already such a problem, the Northwest Frontier Army is fine, after all, Fan Zhongyan has been governing there for two years, the Northwest Army is strictly disciplined, and there has been no slaughter of Han people, in order to kill the good and take the merit.

But the Hebei army had such a situation, and some troops actually slaughtered the villages, sent the heads to the military merit office, and said that they killed the Han army of the Liao State.

Fortunately, Lao Fan was strict about military merits, and someone reported that the villages of the people in Liao were slaughtered, and these problems were discovered, otherwise, the situation might have further expanded.

Even so, Fan Zhongyan was furious, and all the troops involved were dealt with by military law, from the generals to the soldiers who did it, and all of them were punished with death.

But that's all for another time.

At least for now, due to the invasion of the Song State, the Han people of the Liao State are still quite afraid, and even if Fan Zhongyan sends someone to pacify them, it will still be to no avail.

No way.

He wanted to send troops to intercept it.

But the army on the front line had to confront the army on the front line of the Liao State.

The army in the rear was either transporting grain or cleaning up the remnants of the Liao State, and there was really no way to take care of the people.

Therefore, we can only let it go for now.

After all, there are still some people who are not afraid of death, who are reluctant to give up their family's property and continue to stay.

As long as these places are occupied in the future, the people are appeased, and the people's livelihood is well managed, those who have escaped will eventually come back when they see the situation here.

Soon, this year's war slowly came to an end with the arrival of the New Year.

Yeluzong really fled back in embarrassment.

Fan Zhongyan went north and went deep into the Liao border and held on to the Liao army.

The time also came to the second year, in January 1040 AD, the Great Song Emperor changed the Yuan Kangding.

Kangding.

It means abundance and stability.

I pray that after the war is calmed down this year, the country will become rich and strong.

In January of the first year of Kangding, Fan Zhongyan basically wiped out most of the remaining Liao troops in the rear, and a large number of Song troops crossed the border line and entered Liaotu.

Although the Liao State actively responded, it was already in decline. In particular, the soldiers of the subject tribes were demoralized.

They suffered the greatest losses in this battle, and in a sense, this seriously shook the rule of Yelu Zongzhen, and caused the prestige of the Liao State to fall sharply in these subject states and tribes.

But there is no way.

The war is so cruel, just like when the Jin people rose later, these subject countries and tribes could not bear the oppression of the Liao State, and finally joined the Jin State and destroyed the Liao State.

Once those subordinate states and subordinate tribes find that the suzerainty is in decline, then it is inevitable that the lord will be devoured.

Fan Zhongyan's army pressed the border, but did not attack the city.

Strictly speaking, the Song army's siege of the city is its strength, after all, from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the war history of the Han people is often a siege history.

Around the siege and defense, like the duel between Mozi and Lu Ban, countless wonderful stories have been derived, and a large number of siege tactics and equipment and defensive tactics and equipment have also appeared.

But the siege war is not better than the defensive war, the grenades of the Song army have no effect, and it is impossible to break the city by relying on those cannons alone, like the Nanjing city wall after the Japanese army bombarded with modern artillery fire, except for a little loss of the outer wall, the inside is still very thick.

Therefore, if the Liao State attacks and the Song State defends, the advantage of firearms is fully revealed. If the Liao State defends, the Song State attacks. The two sides still have to return to the original point, and in the siege battle, the Liao cavalry may also carry out flank harassment and raids, and the uncertainty of the battle is too great.

In the end, after careful consideration, Lao Fan only controlled Fanyang and the surrounding cities, and did not cross Laishui to attack the heavily guarded Xijin Mansion of the Liao State, so as not to make mistakes and make the hard-won victory fall short.

I have to say that this attitude of accepting what is good is correct.

Because at this time, the pressure on the treasury in the rear of the Song Dynasty was also very large, and before Lao Fan fought the battle of Baosai, he had already received a request from the Constitutional Yuan, hoping that if he had the opportunity, he would definitely fight quickly and not continue to drag on.

The price of rice in Bianliang has risen from the original three or four hundred wen and one stone to five or six hundred wen and one stone. Although it has not yet reached the point where it has soared to seven or eight hundred wen and one stone in history for a few years, it is estimated that it will be about the same next year, and the financial pressure on the imperial court is also very great.

If he continues to fight, the offense will cost much more than the defense, so Lao Fan also has to consider whether the national strength of the Great Song Dynasty can continue to hold on. Even if it can survive, I am afraid that the people in the country will not be able to make a living, and there will be countless rebels.

"It's also time to go back and preside over the New Deal reform."

In Fan Yang City, looking at the vast northern land, although Lao Fan was excited to recover the Han land, he was still a little melancholy when he looked at the latest documents sent over.

The war is fought by national strength, and the people's livelihood is fought.

Not only has the country been unstable in recent years, but the most important thing is that the people's livelihood on Hebei Road has been very bleak, and there has even been a famine in some places.

The ancients said that heaven and earth were unkind, and all things were used as dogs.

He also said that he would rather be a peaceful dog than a troubled world.

Humans and animals are being displaced by such wars.

If you just look at the war report, you may not feel anything about the grand narrative of battlefield changes.

But for ordinary individuals, it is a catastrophe.

In addition to fighting these days, Lao Fan is also concerned about the governance of Hebei Road, which also makes him feel melancholy.

Only a country with strong national strength can have the capital to declare war on foreign countries.

If we continue to fight even when the people's livelihood in our own country is withering and the people's lives are very difficult, it will only lead to the destruction of the country.

"That's what I'm going to reform."

Fan Zhongyan put his hands behind his back, looked at the north and thought in his heart, "Now, it depends on whether the Liao side continues to fight." If they continue, then I will have to grit my teeth. If they agree to my conditions, they will allow me to return to Bianliang in peace. I must make the Great Song Dynasty strong and prosperous, and let the country and the people be safe! ”

The sky gradually darkened, and a group of men and horses slowly appeared in the north. When they faced the Song reconnaissance cavalry, they did not show hostility, but raised their hands to them, indicating that they were coming with sincerity.

Tang Qi stopped them outside the city of Fanyang and informed Fan Zhongyan of the arrival of the Liao envoy.

Lao Fan immediately understood that the Liao State side couldn't stand it, so he didn't hesitate much, and returned to the original Liao County Ya Mansion in Fan Yang City, and asked people to bring the Liao State envoys over.

This mission is really heavyweight.

It's Zhang Jian himself.

The old man is seventy-six years old this year, but he is not as old as an ordinary old man, but he is in good spirits and quite strong.

In history, he lived to be ninety-one years old, and he has always been respected by the Yelu Sect of Liaoxingzong, never calling his name or position, but the father of things.

It is because of his assistance that the Liao State during the Liao Shengzong period was extremely prosperous and reached its peak. It can be said that among the martial arts of Liao Shengzong, at least Zhang Jian has to account for half of the credit.

Therefore, even if Liao Shengzong died and Liao Xingzong succeeded to the throne, he also entrusted Zhang Jian with a heavy responsibility.

Three years ago, due to his old age, he was awarded Luojing to stay behind, Shang Father, and Henan Yin, and entered the title of Duke of Qin. Last year, he was promoted to the throne of Han Wang, which can be described as quite a favor.

Therefore, it can be said that even if Zhang Jian is Zhishi, he is still the right-hand man of Liao Xingzong and the minister of the humerus. The status may still be above some royal relatives with the surnames Yelu and Xiao.

Knowing that it was Zhang Jian's envoy, Fan Zhongyan unexpectedly went to the yamen to greet him in person.

He had also heard of this person's reputation, not only for the incorruptibility of the officials and the good governance, but also for the Han people under the rule of the Liao State to live a very comfortable life with very low taxes, but also thanks to his frequent persuasion of Yelu Zongzhen's father and son to reduce the people's taxes.

Therefore, it is reasonable to be able to get Fan Zhongyan's respect.

After Zhang Jian got down from the carriage, Fan Zhongyan greeted him and said, "Fan Zhongyan has seen Zhong Baogong." ”

"Fan Xianggong is polite."

Zhang Jian returned the salute and said with a smile: "The old man is ashamed to have Minister Lao greet him in person." ”

Fan Zhongyan said with a smile: "Zhongbao is highly respected, not only an important minister of the Liao State, but also a well-known Confucian, who should be welcomed. ”

"Hehe, Fan Xianggong has lifted the old man."

Zhang Jian smiled.

"Please!"

Fan Zhongyan stretched out his hand to signal inside.

The two men walked into the palace, and then entered the inner hall and sat down.

In the face of Zhang Jian, Fan Zhongyan gave enough respect, and as soon as he sat down, a cup of light tea was served.

He heard that Zhang Jian likes to drink tea.

Zhang Jian smelled the fragrance of tea, his eyes lit up, and he praised: "Is it Longfeng group tea?" ”

Fan Zhongyan smiled: "Zhong Baogong also drank this tea? ”

"yes."

Zhang Jian licked his tongue and said, "Your Majesty once rewarded me with half a catty, and the old man regards it as a treasure." ”

The status of the dragon and phoenix group tea is comparable to the big red robe of Wuyi Mountain in later generations, and it is a tribute tea exclusive to the royal family, which can basically be rewarded by the emperor.

Although the Emperor of Liao was also an emperor, he actually had no access to it at all, and it was not included in the New Year's coin.

That is, every year on the birthday of Empress Dowager Xiao, the Song Congress sends a little bit of congratulations to the royal family.

Since then, after Empress Dowager Xiao was placed under house arrest, the birthday banquet was not held, and the Song Kingdom naturally did not give any more gifts, and the dragon and phoenix group tea was more precious in the Liao Kingdom.

For this reason, many ministers of the Liao State persuaded Yelu Zong to welcome back his mother, in order to "benefit from China's employment".

"Zhong Baogong likes it."

Fan Zhongyan said with a smile: "After defeating Yuan Hao, Your Majesty has rewarded me a lot, if the prince loves tea, when he leaves, I will give the prince a catty." ”

Hearing his words, Zhang Jian was moved, and the wealth of China made him breathtaking.

This tea is claimed to be the same price as gold, both one or two teas and one or two gold, and it has doubled several times or even ten times in Liao, and this catty of tea is sold to the nobles of Liao, I am afraid that it will be exchanged for several catties of gold, so it is generously sent.

"Thank you for your kindness, the old man understands it."

Zhang Jian shook his head and refused, although he was very moved, it was undeniable that he was also a very principled person.

Fan Zhongyan didn't continue to be more polite on this, but got straight to the point, and went straight to the point: "Since Zhong Baogong doesn't want to be courteous, it's okay. I guess I didn't come here to drink tea today. ”

Zhang Jian got straight to the point and said: "In this battle, my Daliao is willing to make peace with the Song State and rebuild the old good." We are willing to agree to even some of the conditions of the Xianggong. ”

"Tell me about it?"

Fan Zhongyan said.

Zhang Jian said: "First, the Great Song Dynasty shall not cancel the New Year's coin. Second, my Daliao can return the ten counties on the south bank of Laishui in the Great Song Dynasty, but it must be increased by 200,000 yuan. Third, the Liao and Song dynasties signed a non-aggression pact. Fourth, Song Liao was bounded by Laishui, and both sides withdrew their troops; Thereafter, if there are thieves who have crossed the border, they shall not hide from each other; The border cities of the two dynasties, everything is as usual, and no city gods are allowed to be built. ”

This is not much different from the four requirements put forward by Fan Zhongyan, which is equivalent to three things agreed. But in the matter of the New Year's coin, Liao did not let go, and made one more request.

This is clearly not something that a defeated country should be able to mention.

Old Fan was happy and said with a smile: "The Liao State was defeated in this battle, should you really still ask for the Great Song Na New Year's coin?" It would be good if the Great Song Dynasty did not let the Liao State accept the New Year's coins. ”

"Ugh."

Zhang Jian sighed: "Is Fan Xianggong really going to go that far? Do you know that if you continue to fight, you will lose both. The Liao Kingdom is destroyed, and the Great Song Dynasty will not feel good. ”

"This is not Lao Zhongbao's concern."

Fan Zhongyan said lightly: "Even if you continue to fight, Da Song will definitely be the final victor." ”

"The old man believes that Da Song is the final victor."

Zhang Jian said in a deep voice: "But the consequence of doing so is nothing more than the poor livelihood of the people in the hinterland of the Great Song Dynasty, the endless border wars, and the death of the Han people in the sixteen states of Yanyun." ”

Fan Zhongyan retorted: "The Han people of the Song State and the Han people of the Liao State are from the same origin, so why is this? ”

"Huh."

Zhang Jian said with a smile: "You know better than me how the Song people cheat the people. This time you went north to Zhuozhou, how many Han people learned that the Song State was coming, dragged their families with them, and left their hometowns, and they were unwilling to live under the rule of the Song State? ”

These words directly silenced Fan Zhongyan.

Because it's a fact.

Not to mention now, even the Liao State, which has completely declined decades later, in the Battle of Yanjing, countless Han people of the Liao State fought bravely, as if the Han people of the Song State were invaders, you can know how disgusted the Han people of the Liao State were with the attitude of the Song State at that time.

Therefore, after learning through Zhao Jun about the treatment of the Han people of the Liao State when Tong Guan entered Yanjing later, and now he has seen the attitude of the Han people of the Liao State towards them with his own eyes, Fan Zhongyan could not fight back forcefully.

"A few decades ago, Zhao Guangyi's Northern Expedition was vigorous, and many Han people hoped to return to their homeland. As a result, he returned defeated, which disappointed countless Han people. ”

Zhang Jian stabbed Fan Zhongyan again in the heart, and said, "Now that you want to disturb our peaceful life, do you want you to be happy that all the Yanyun Han people are dead?" At the end of the day, we just want to live, so what's wrong with that? ”

"This matter is indeed my big Song Li's fault. After I return to Kaifeng, Your Majesty will let me preside over the reform of the law, reduce redundant fees, and cancel excessive taxes and miscellaneous taxes, so as to alleviate the urgency of the people. ”

Fan Zhongyan said with some confidence: "If the Yanyun Han people trust me, I am willing to make a promise, as long as I return to the Han soil, all taxes and forced labor will be the same as in the Liao Kingdom, and I will never add them." ”

Zhang Jian shook his head and said: "The Yanyun Han people will no longer believe in you, when you Han people in the Song Kingdom can live better, let's talk about these things again." ”

"Ugh."

Fan Zhongyan took a deep breath, then picked up the teacup and drank tea to hide his embarrassment.

He knew that this matter was indeed the fault of the Great Song Dynasty.

Although he could accuse these Han people of turning their backs on the Han country and defecting to the empire established by Di Yi, he could not really make a fuss about it.

People always have to be worthy of their conscience, and the people just want to live, and they lose the concept of the state, so what's wrong?

So there is really no reason for Da Song to stand on the moral high ground to attack them.

Although Lao Fan is a politician, politicians can not talk about conscience and cheekiness, but at most they are playing scheming with juniors like Liu Liufu, and it is better to be honest with people like Zhang Jian, so as not to be humiliated.

"Therefore, the old man still said that for the sake of the people of the two countries, peace is precious, and it is the best policy to accept the party when it is good."

Zhang Jian continued to persuade: "If we continue to fight, the old man believes that the Song people can win, but even if the Liao people are defeated, they can withdraw from Yanshan, but when the time comes, what the Song State will get will only be the devastated Yanyun, as well as the emptiness of the treasury and the withering of the people's livelihood. ”

Fan Zhongyan was silent for a moment and said, "If there is a war, what will happen to the Liao Kingdom?" ”

"Raise an army of 500,000 and fight to the death!"

Zhang Jian said without hesitation.

"I know that Liao has such a force, but does Liao still have the national strength to support an army of 500,000?"

Fan Zhongyan asked again: "I'm afraid that after only a few months, the Liao State will collapse on its own." ”

"Shang Junshu Agricultural War": "The national strength is strong." "The New Tang Dynasty Book: The Biography of Li Deyu": "When the soldiers of the Dao go out, they will be given support and will be delayed to trap the national strength. ”

The ancients recognized early on that wars between countries of the same level have always been about fighting for national strength.

The Liao army was strong and strong, and controlled the Mongolian steppe to the west, the three northeastern provinces to the east and north, and the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun to the south.

However, it is still the same sentence, Liao State does not have much money, and the annual coins given by Song State every year have become the pillar economy of Liao State, even if Liao State can pull out so many troops, he does not believe that Liao State can have the national strength to fight.

But Zhang Jian's next words made Fan Zhongyan even more silent.

Because Zhang Jian said: "You have to understand, if this war is canceled, my lord has no money and food to appease the tribal vassal states, then my lord's prestige in the tribal vassal states will fall to the bottom, and civil strife will inevitably occur in the Liao country, so it is better to fight to the death." ”

"If you bring all the grain and grass of the whole country, and all the troops go south, bypass your cities, go deep into your hinterland, and plunder, I believe that even if the Song State wins this war and destroys the Liao State, the entire north and even the south are attacked, and the Song State will not be much better!"

His tone was very flat, but in this flatness, there was a resolute emphasis. Because Zhang Jian is not bluffing, but saying a cruel truth in an extremely bland tone.

That is, if the war continues, the Liao State will only use the method of losing both sides, or even ending up together, to play with the Song State.

It would be a big mistake to think that most of the losses of the Liao State in this war were subject countries and tribes, and the casualties of the main elite leather room army were not large, which was more conducive to the rule of the Liao State.

In fact, the tribes that were willing to obey the dispatch were often loyal tribes that were completely subordinate to the Liao State, otherwise they would not follow the Liao State to fight.

As long as the Liao State remains strong, then these tribes will always remain loyal and will not have any rebellious intentions.

But once the Liao State is defeated and they are not appeased in time, then these tribes are likely to have a grudge against the Liao State, and the seeds of rebellion may sprout, which will inevitably lead to domestic turmoil at that time.

Even if the leather room army can suppress it for a while, it can't be suppressed for a lifetime.

Even the leather room army is not necessarily reliable, because as early as the Liao Shengzong period, the leather room army was not only the Khitan tribe, but the elite composition selected by various tribes.

Therefore, in order to prevent such a thing from happening, and at the same time to avoid domestic collapse and civil strife, the Liao State will not stop causing civil strife, and then let the Song State watch the play on the side, and wait for the Liao State to be in the endless civil strife, and then take advantage of the fisherman, and the Liao State will inevitably choose to fight to the death.

It is commonly known as barefoot and not afraid to wear shoes.

Fan Zhongyan squeezed out a few words from between his teeth and said: "What a ruthless strategy, you want to transfer the internal contradiction into an external contradiction." ”

"What is an internal contradiction and what is an external contradiction?"

Zhang Jian was puzzled.

Fan Zhongyan didn't explain, but said: "If you continue to fight like this, the Great Song Dynasty may be greatly damaged, but the Liao Kingdom will definitely be destroyed." ”

"That's better than letting Song Guo watch his internal strife perish and let Song Guo get cheap."

Zhang Jian said sharply: "What's more, we are not without a chance of winning this battle, from the year before last when you fought with Yuan Hao, and then to this year's war with us, how many grenades do you have?" Can your artillery really hold back hundreds of thousands of troops? ”

"Daliao is going south, Yuan Hao will never let go of this opportunity, at this time, the elite of your Northwest Army has been transferred to Henan, can you really defend us with all your strength and fight to the death with Yuan Hao?"

"And even if you can defend the city, what about the people in the wilderness? Under the disaster of war, the entire northern Li people will be involved. ”

"Even if you don't care about the people of the north, you just want to fight us to the death. In order to maintain the cost of the army, it is inevitable that taxes will continue to be levied. We may not be able to fight in the south, but if the majority of the taxes are levied on the heads of the people in the south, will they rebel and resist the government? ”

"At that time, what will be left to you Song Kingdom will only be internal and external troubles. It is not a situation of the fall of the Liao State and the fall of the Western Xia. ”

Therefore, in the face of this life-and-death situation, I hope that after a little justice, it is up to you to live or die millions, tens of millions, or tens of millions of Li people. Whether the two countries can continue to be stable in the future also depends on you alone. ”

His gaze was indifferent, and he still said such extremely cruel words in that flat tone.

Only this kind of flat tone can make people feel that the other party is just stating a fact, not any threat or intimidation.

Fan Zhongyan's brows suddenly furrowed.

He didn't expect Liao Guo to be so ruthless, this move is really a jade burning game.

Let's be honest.

If the Liao people want to continue fighting, he is not afraid.

The problem is that the current Great Song Dynasty does not have overwhelming force, and although grenades and artillery alone can decide the direction of a war, they cannot decide the demise of a country.

The size of the Liao State is very large, so large that although the economy is far inferior to that of the Song State, the strength of the soldiers and horses is even better, otherwise it will not suppress the Great Song Dynasty for a hundred years.

Especially now there are indeed very few grenades left on the Hebei Road, and after the end of this battle, there are only tens of thousands left in the army's inventory.

If the Liao State launched an attack immediately and played with the Song State, his only way was to retreat back to Hebei and resist the invasion of the enemy with the layers of fortresses in Hebei.

But what if the Liao State gave up the siege and abandoned its rear, and there was no need for heavy grain and grass at all, so it rode all the way south, ran to the Hebei Daimyo Mansion to plunder, ran to the Kaifeng Mansion in Henan to plunder, and ran to burn and loot wherever it could?

Nomads are not like agrarian peoples, who need to grow food to keep them logistically supplied. Wherever their horses ride, they plunder. Later, the Mongol army relied on this method of fighting all the way to Europe.

At that time, even if Fan Zhongyan took advantage of the emptiness of the Liao Kingdom and occupied the entire Great Liao?

The hinterland of the Song Kingdom was shattered.

It is equivalent to hundreds of thousands of rogues destroying everywhere in the hinterland of the Song Kingdom, so what if the territory of the Song Kingdom is doubled?

Can it be governed?

What about so many rogues in the hinterland?

I am afraid that when the Liao Kingdom went south, it was all of a sudden that countless people who were affected by the army were waiting to be fed.

Millions of people have been displaced and even lost their lives.

The thought of such a scene made Fan Zhongyan already feel a deep headache.

I have to say that Zhang Jian is worthy of being the minister that Yelu Zongzhen relies on the most, and compared with Liu Liufu, he is really too scheming.

If you are not afraid to fight with the enemy, you are afraid that the enemy will play with you.

I am hundreds of thousands of dollars a month, and you have 300 yuan a month, and if you win, you don't make money, and you lose everything if you lose.

It really made Fan Zhongyan feel embarrassed.

It's just that the conditions proposed by the Liao State made it a little difficult for Fan Zhongyan to accept.

Zhao Jun once ridiculed Zhao Heng of Song Zhenzong, saying that the Song State won the Battle of Lanzhou, but signed the condition of losing power and humiliating the country, and it was really embarrassing to give so much money to the Liao State every year.

This time he won the battle of Baozhou, and he also wanted to increase the New Year's currency to Liao, wouldn't that make trouble?

When the time comes, don't say that he is not happy, even if this matter is sent back to Kaifeng and handed over to the official family and Zhao Jun to deal with, they probably can't accept it.

Therefore, in the face of such a loss of power and humiliation of the country, Fan Zhongyan never dared to agree, lest Zhao Jun come to poke his backbone.

"The matter of the year's coins. I can reserve it to Your Majesty. ”

After pondering for a long time, Fan Zhongyan said: "But don't mention the matter of increasing the currency." In the battle of Lanzhou, we defeated the Liao army and killed your Liao generals, but we changed the alliance of the Yuanyuan, which is already a national shame. ”

"The New Year's coin must be increased, because if it is less, my lord will not be able to appease the vassal countries and tribes, so he can only take those vassal countries and tribesmen who are dissatisfied with the defeat in this battle, and then go south to fight to the death against Song."

Zhang Jian shook his head and said: "For Da Song, this is at most a matter of face, but for Da Liao, it is the foundation of survival!" What's more, you won't lose face at all, you have recovered so much land on the south bank of Laishui in this battle, and after returning to China, you are afraid that the prestige of the Song Kingdom has reached the point of no return, if you cancel the New Year's coin, are you not afraid of high merit? ”

"Huh."

Fan Zhongyan said with a smile: "This is not to worry about Zhongbaogong, His Majesty my lord does not doubt the use of people, and does not need to be suspicious." I can gain the trust of the government, and I will not lose. ”

Joke.

No matter how high the work is, can you cover Zhao Jun?

As long as Zhao Jun is there for a day, Zhao Zhen will never be suspicious of him.

Therefore, Lao Fan knows very well in his heart that his hole cards have never led the Song army to win the battle, but has Zhao Jun behind him.

"The old man is not provoking, just reminding the economy to be fair."

Zhang Jian didn't blush after being exposed, but said lightly: "It's a good thing that the prince has this loyalty, but there are some things, what should be done and what should not be done, I hope the prince can understand, and I believe that the emperor of the Great Song Dynasty can also understand the painstaking work of the prince." ”

"Hmm"

Fan Zhongyan groaned, he knew that Zhang Jian was reminding himself, and there was no need for Zhao Zhen to suspect him.

Although Zhao Jun is sure to be safe and sound, the credit for recovering part of Yanyun's land is indeed too great, plus the cancellation of the New Year's coin, I am afraid that the government and the opposition will let him resign at that time.

In the Northern and Southern Song Dynasty, for the courtiers who have made great contributions, regardless of whether they are civil officials or military generals, it has almost become a common practice to suppress them at the peak. Not to mention anything else, didn't Zhao Jun tell him that Tong Guan recovered the sixteen states of Yanyun, and the queen was dismissed in the blink of an eye?

Thinking of this, Lao Fan really felt that what the other party said made sense, but he finally shook his head and said: "It's not just face, this is an increase of 200,000 yuan in taxes, and how much more people will be fated and anointed, I don't want to increase the burden on the people." ”

"You're really brainless."

Zhang Jian frowned and said: "The old man asks you, if in the past, when the Empress Dowager Xiao was in the past, how many gifts would you give on her birthday every year?" ”

"This is all sent by the royal family, unless I ask Your Majesty, but I don't know."

Fan Zhongyan replied honestly.

"There is no fixed amount per year, but basically it will not be less than 200,000."

Zhang Jian chuckled and said: "Now that Da Liao and the Song State have rebuilt the old friendship, and our Majesty's birthday is approaching, the Song Kingdom has come to congratulate His Majesty's birthday, and secondly, to celebrate the resignation of the Liao and Song Dynasty and send birthday gifts, which is also a matter of course." No matter how bad it is, it's a big deal that His Majesty invites the Queen of Heaven to return, and then the Queen of Heaven will celebrate the Holy Day. ”

Fan Zhongyan immediately understood.

In addition to the New Year's coin, there were actually other mutual gifts between the Liao and Song dynasties. For example, the Liao State and the Song Emperor and the Queen Mother celebrated their birthdays.

According to historical records, more than 100 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Liao and Song dynasties, the Song Dynasty sent a total of 680 Liao envoys and 671 Liao envoys.

Among them, the cost of receiving the envoys of the Liao State alone reached 20,000 to 40,000 guan, and then giving gifts to the emperor and the queen mother, which was basically maintained between 100,000 and 200,000 guan.

It's just that because of the reciprocal relationship, the emperor of the Song State and the Queen Mother celebrate their birthdays, and the Liao State often gives back, but there are not as many as the Song State, but there are still tens of thousands to more than 100,000 guan, and it is barely enough that the Song State will lose too much.

As recorded in the "Khitan National Chronicles", on the birthday of the Song Emperor in a certain year, the Liao State sent a large number of gifts, including horses, animal skins, gold boxes, silver boxes, crystal belts, Haidongqing and so on.

The list of gifts is very long, basically all of them are Northeast specialties, and there are hundreds of boxes of wild meat such as cattle, sheep, wild boar, fish, and deer bacon.

Although it is not as generous as the silk cloth, gold, silver and copper coins directly given by the Song State, but Lin Lin finally calculates it, it is actually worth a lot of money, and it is not completely the Song State to give the Liao State a generous gift, and the Liao State sends the Song State to give the Song State a small profit like a flower child, otherwise the Song State will not be able to hang on his face.

Obviously, Zhang Jian's meaning is very simple.

Since you don't directly give the New Year's coin for the sake of face, then treat the 200,000 yuan as a birthday gift, and the two sides will give each other a step.

That is, the Song State did not increase the currency, and achieved a big victory, because of the brother state of the Liao State, I don't want you to live or die, and still maintain the original 300,000 yuan, what is the extra 200,000 yuan?

It was a gift from the Song State to the Emperor of the Liao State to celebrate his birthday.

If you think that the birthday of the Emperor of Liao is a little extravagant, then let the Empress Dowager Xiao come back, anyway, the Empress Dowager Liu of the Song State has died, and the Liao State will not give the Empress Dowager of the Song State a return gift, and the Song State only needs to celebrate the birthday of the Empress Dowager Xiao as before.

In this way, one of the two sides took the actual benefits of the land and gained face. The other one has an extra 200,000 yuan, and he can also have money to pacify the tribe. It can be regarded as everyone who not only saved the inside, but also saved face.

For a while, Fan Zhongyan was in a dilemma.

This money.

Should I give it?

Let's discuss rationally whether we should give it or not.

(End of chapter)