end song

Ships of all sizes sailed up the river from Huangzhou to Ezhou.

Most of the people on the boat were ragged refugees, squatting there numbly, too tired to speak.

Occasionally someone couldn't help but speak.

"The rebels won't let us go to attack the city to die?"

"I heard that the bandits rebelled by chasing the captives first..."

Cao Xi listened to these whispers among them, spat, and secretly scolded these unscrupulous people for being ignorant and ungrateful. Li Xia is a person with great ambitions, can he be the same as those bandits?
From this, we can also see the popular sentiment in the Song Dynasty at this time.

Although the honest people had a difficult life, they still didn't understand the rebels, and they still obeyed the rules and order given by the court.

On the contrary, some high-ranking officials and dignitaries are more well-informed, and they don't talk about style like literati. Seeing that the rebel army is overwhelming, they have already become speculative...

Finally, the river boat slowly arrived at the Ezhou Wharf.

There was a lively scene on the pier. Cao Xi and his crew disembarked and formed a line of more than ten people, but they were only a small team among hundreds of refugees.

"Everyone over there gets a cotton coat and line up!"

Turning his head to look, he saw a row of wooden houses standing in front of them. There were several large boxes in front of the wooden houses, filled with cotton clothes, and someone was distributing them in an orderly manner.

Cao Xi was about to follow the refugees, when suddenly a soldier came and patted him.

"Let's go."

"This utility, we..."

"What? You also want to get a cotton coat? Do you want to go to the front and have some hot porridge?"

Cao Xi knew that he was going to take him to see Li Xia.

After all, he was different from those refugees.

As far as the material he is wearing is actually made of fox fur inside, it is tight to keep warm, so why should he wear a cotton coat?
The high official from the palace was led by the soldiers, walked through the busy and orderly wharf, and headed for Ezhou City.

The refugees who came with him were given cotton clothes, drank hot porridge, their names were recorded, and they were assigned errands, either as logistics for the Tang army, or arranged to go to Jiangling Mansion or even Sichuan and Sichuan.

Cao Xi went further and further away.

The eunuch's rare journey of being knocked down by the people in his life is over.

From time to time, the shouts of soldiers of the Tang army could be heard behind him.

"Don't worry, we are Master Wang, we won't drive you to die..."

Walking through the streets, Cao Xi found that Ezhou City was not as devastated by the war as he imagined. Except that there were more Tang soldiers patrolling the road, this city was not much different from other places.

It can be seen that the news that Lu Wenfu led the army to fight in the street and was arrested is not true.

These warriors reported the military situation in a panic, and the destruction of the country was in their hands.

Being led all the way to the front of the office, the soldier stepped forward to report.

"General, this person claims to be sent by Queen Zhao Song..."

"Sent someone privately?"

"It was sent privately, otherwise I would not have dared to bring it."

"Give it to the Public Opinion Department."

Cao Xi was about to go forward to speak, when Tang Military Academy General who was guarding the yamen gave him a cold look, a murderous look came over him, Cao Xi was startled, and dared not speak more.

~~
"Dog Shacai, this person is up to you to interrogate."

Gou Shancai turned his head, glanced at the pale and beardless Cao Xi, and asked, "Where did the eunuch come from?"

"Finally someone recognized us as eunuchs, we want to meet..."

...

"bring it here."

Gou Shan responded, took Cao Xi directly from the soldier's hand, immediately reached out his hand, and touched Cao Xi all over his body.Touched out all the tokens and other things...

Three days later, Gou Shancai took Cao Xi to meet Li Xia.

This is the second time Cao Xi sees Li Xia, and he obviously feels different from the last time.

After Li Xia proclaimed himself emperor, it was inevitable that even the ostentation would be different. Everyone who could see him had to go through such careful scrutiny.

From this link, it may be seen that this just
The founding of the Tang Dynasty is gradually forming norms.

……

"Slave Cao Xi, I pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty."

"You're here again." Li Xia didn't take time off alone, flipping through an account book without looking at Cao Xi, "Why does an eunuch in the palace have to visit so often?"

Cao Xi glanced around, and said, "The officials of the Great Song Dynasty... have inner wisdom, and all state affairs are in the hands of the officials in the court. The empress has been watching it all the time, and there is nothing she can do about it. Also, the servants also said last time that the empress Offended Jia Sidao..."

"Without further ado."

"Yes, yes. The queen said that she is willing to agree to the conditions of His Majesty the Tang Emperor."

"Can she be the master?"

"As long as His Majesty is backing, the Empress will be able to make decisions. If Your Majesty is unwilling to negotiate with Chen Yizhong, the imperial court can send Quan Yongjian as an envoy..."

"She wants me to support her?" Li Xia asked, "Internal and external collusion, I help her gain power, and she betrayed Zhao Song's interests to me?"

Cao Xi couldn't tell from Li Xia's words whether he was happy or unhappy, and was a little nervous.

But I have to say that Li Xia understood it very well, that's what Quan Jiu meant, but it didn't sound so ugly when he said it.

What Quan Jiu said was too nice to hear. Because she cared about Zhao's family, understood Li Xia's ambitions, and sympathized with Li Xia, she had no choice but to contact Li Xia in private, hoping to reach a consensus with Li Xia, so that the people would not only be saved from war, Protect Jiangshan from being taken advantage of by foreign enemies.

Cao Xixian smiled, and said, "The empress also said that she had met His Majesty when she was in her boudoir, and she knew that His Majesty was determined to recover at the Cuju field that year, and she is no match for the cowardly Zhao family..."

"Do you recognize my throne?" Li Xia suddenly interrupted Cao Xi and asked.

He didn't need to listen to Cao Xi anymore.

He could feel that Quan Jiu was a very admirable woman, and he also felt her intention of showing favor and cooperating.

But whether to accept it or not, he will consider it himself.

"Of course I admit it!"

Cao Xi was in a hurry and smiled apologetically, "As long as Your Majesty understands the empress' painstaking efforts, she will not only allow Song Ting to recognize His Majesty's throne, but also allow Song Ting to honor His Majesty as a minister and pay New Year's coins. ..."

"Empty glove white wolf."

Li Xia shook his head and said, "I can cooperate with Quan Jiu, but the premise is that she takes power first. Instead of taking advantage of my power first, and then taking over the power of Da Song. Why should I let her go?"

Cao Xi was taken aback for a moment, because he hadn't thought through the matter so thoroughly, and he didn't know how to respond to these words, so he could only respond, "After all, the empress is the mother of the world..."

"Go back and tell Quan Jiu, don't take yourself too seriously, only the name of Empress Zhao Song is nothing, not worthy of being on the table."

...

Cao Xi was taken aback again.

Li Xia waved his hand and ordered someone to take Cao Xi down.

Not long after, Yan Rong turned around from behind, put his arms around Li Xia's neck, and lay down on the whole body, laughing, "Your Majesty, the concubine really hit the mark, right?"

"Satisfied?"

"I'm not satisfied. I agreed to humiliate that little bastard severely, but His Majesty only said, 'It's nothing, it's too gentle."

"I seldom utter evil words, because you begged for this one, so be it."

"When Your Majesty breaks through Lin'an, she will have her own fruit to eat." Yan Rongyou was full of resentment.

Li Xia had already put down the account book in his hand, and said, "Get ready, we will go to the main residence of the Lu family in Mount Xisai."

"Take it?" Yan Rong was pleasantly surprised.

"It's almost time, I'll take you there to see if Lu Jiafu is richer or Zhao Song Gongcheng..."

xx
In the evening of that day, Li Xia and Fang Yankai walked up to the city of Ezhou, looking at the sight of the soldiers arranging the refugees.

"You know, Fang Qing, what is my purpose in this war against Song Dynasty?"

"For the establishment of the country, for the people of the world to recognize the Tang Dynasty and recognize the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. "

Li Xia nodded, and asked again, "How can people in this world understand?"

"Southern, Northerner." Fang
Yan Kai said, "There are people from all over the world, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and all kinds of people."

Li Xia didn't speak for a while, thinking about himself.

In the battle against the Song Dynasty, he already felt the different attitudes of the various classes in the Song Dynasty towards him.

Ordinary people did not accept him so quickly. Although he has won the hearts of the people in Ezhou, the hearts of the people in Ezhou are far from enough for 250 four prefectures in Zhao and Song Dynasties and 230 [-] four counties.No matter how well he did, the news spread too slowly among ordinary people who were illiterate and living in a closed life.

Literati and officials were even more unwilling to admit him, thinking that he had betrayed the monarch and ministers, and regarded him as a traitor.

However, on the contrary, the top officials and nobles in Zhao Song Dynasty were more likely to succumb, because they knew in their hearts that the so-called "emperor" was not so sacred, the emperor was just a title, and the interests were the most important.

Li Xia did not agree to Quan Jiu's cooperation because it was too easy and worthless.

Quan Jiu has no power, but just wants to cling to him.Like a vine, seeing that the tree it was attached to was about to wither, it wanted to replace it with a bigger tree...

~~
The next day, Cao Xi was taken out of Ezhou.

He crossed the pier again with a sad face, and heard the refugees talking again.

"Emperor Tang is better than Emperor Zhao Song..."

"It's so much better..."

Cao Xi thought he had heard wrong.

How is Li Xia?
What a fart.

He didn't understand what Li Xia was good at.

Cao Xi turned his head, looked at those beaming people in new clothes, and secretly scolded these unscrupulous people for being ignorant and ungrateful, for forgetting the great kindness of Song Dynasty.

After all, he is different from these refugees...

end song