Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The spring breeze stirred the dragon claw locust tree in front of the palace, causing the newly sprouted locust leaves to sway back and forth.

A figure dressed as a eunuch bowed and carefully led the way from the side.

Behind him, Yang Pu, dressed impeccably, followed the eunuch in front without looking to the side. Behind him was Li Shanqing, a junior official of the Ministry of Rites. Wang Yin and Shi Bao, two generals of the Wolf Cavalry, followed behind the two with their hands on their sword hilts.

The imperial guards standing in the palace gripped their spears, straightened their chests, and raised their heads to look at the figures entering. Then, they lowered their heads again under the sweeping gazes of the black-armored soldiers.

"A mere showpiece." Shi Bao curled his lip, leaned closer to Wang Yin and whispered, "We lost somewhat unjustly back then, it's pitiful... Third Brother's brothers have disappeared without a trace, and we don't even know if they're still alive."

“The Western Army is much stronger than these people. We didn’t lose to them.” Wang Yin made a sound, paused, and continued, “Say less here, don’t embarrass yourselves. We can settle our scores later.”

"There's no grudge..."

Shi Bao glanced at Wang Yin speechlessly, but didn't say anything more.

The group turned and walked through the palace, entering a hall where several figures came out to greet them, bowing and saying, "I am Li Ye (Zheng Wangzhi) (Yuwen Xuzhong) and I greet Minister Yang."

Yang Pu and Li Shanqing stepped forward together and returned the greeting: "Yang Pu (Li Shanqing) greets you."

The three men gestured for them to come in, saying, "Please come in and talk."

Yang Pu smiled and extended his hand, saying, "Please."

The group walked in with smiles on their faces. Wooden chairs and tables were placed on both sides, and tea and snacks were laid out on the tables, arranged in a very nice manner.

Wang Yin and Shi Bao exchanged a glance. They weren't stupid, so they naturally saw through the forced smiles among the scholars. They looked at each other again, and before they sat down, they leaned closer to Yang Pu in front of them: "Minister Yang, weren't you supposed to see that corrupt official? Why are you here?"

"It's not that easy." Yang Pu chuckled and leaned back slightly. "We can only meet with that Zhao Ji after we've reached an agreement with them. Otherwise, why would an emperor like him personally argue with us?"

Wang Yin was stunned for a moment, and Shi Bao muttered beside him, "Isn't this just like having to deal with the little devils before meeting the King of Hell?"

“That makes sense.” Li Shanqing chuckled beside him. “The lower-level officials have to settle things first, and the higher-ups just need to make a show of it.” He paused for a moment, then added, “If things go quickly, it should be tonight; if not, we’ll see them tomorrow or the day after.”

Yang Pu glanced at the two generals and said, "General Wang and General Shi, do not make any moves in the future. This is a gentleman's contest. If you two make a move, the nature of the contest will change."

Wang Yinshi nodded: "Don't worry, Minister."

Turning around, the four sat down on one side. However, Song Chen's gaze was only focused on Yang and Li, and he didn't even bother to look at Wang Yin and Shi Bao. The two of them weren't angry. Not to mention that Yang Pu and Li Shanqing had given instructions, even without the two military officers, it would be difficult for them to come out and banter with the scholars over there.

"Gentlemen, your country has broken the agreement and attacked our northern border. Shouldn't you give an explanation?" Yang Pu slowly took a sip of tea and placed it beside him.

"Oh? What explanation does your country seek?"

"Cherish the areas of Xining Prefecture, Lanzhou Prefecture, Qingzhou Prefecture, Taiyuan Prefecture, Zhending Prefecture, and Zhide Prefecture to my Great Qi, and pay three times the annual tribute to the Liao Kingdom!"

"You are robbing us! Our Great Song Dynasty has failed to capture even a single inch of land in the northern frontier, and has instead suffered heavy losses. You should be the ones compensating our army for its losses."

"That's because you're incompetent! You couldn't guard it yourselves, so who can you blame? How can you be so shameless? The thieves didn't steal anything, yet they blame the victim for guarding the goods too closely." Li Shanqing stood up and slapped his own face repeatedly: "Where's your face?! Have you fed it to the dogs?"

"These compensations are too high, we cannot afford them. We hope you two can put yourselves in our shoes and think about it."

"If you can't do it, then rob it. The one who should pay compensation is your Song state, not our Qi state. Why should I stand in your position?"

"A barbaric country, how come they want to take everything!"

A piece of pastry flew by, and Yang Pu dodged it by tilting his head.

"You were the ones who started the war, so compensation is only right and proper!"

Snap——

The teacup shattered at Zheng Wangzhi's feet, and his legs, clad in court boots, immediately retracted.

Bang bang bang—

Wang Yin and Shi Bao sat blankly in their seats, watching the cups, plates, and pastries flying around. Suddenly, someone's boot hit them, which made the two people on both sides even more agitated. They jumped up and down, their faces red, and started cursing loudly.

This is no better than negotiations between two groups of idle men in the martial arts world.

A thought flashed through his mind, and Wang Yin reached out and caught the flying crystal cake in his hand. He took a bite without expression and sat there staring blankly at the scene in front of him.

Shi Bao's lips twitched: "What happened to the gentlemanly debate? Is this how gentlemen debate? I heard storytellers in brothels say that Zhuge Liang's verbal rebuke of pedantic scholars was elegant and refined, using only his words."

The person with the fixed gaze moved slightly: "Probably..." He stuffed half a piece of crystal cake into his mouth and chewed slowly: "That kind of gentleman only exists in books."

The two warriors stared blankly at the five men dressed as civil officials, one hand on his hip and the other pointing at the other, cursing loudly. The spittle they spat out left water stains on the stone bricks on the ground. They didn't know when the five men had gotten closer, and the finger they were pointing at would occasionally switch from one man's face to another.

Wang Yin and Shi Bao were initially worried that the five men would fight, so they kept their eyes on them and their hands on their sword hilts. After watching for a while, they saw the men in the middle start talking, and they gradually relaxed.

The sun was shining westward. Eunuchs came in and brought water to the three Song officials several times. Wang Yin and Shi Bao watched as they handed the now-cooled water to their colleagues. Bored, they counted the number of porcelain shards on the ground and took turns going out to urinate.

As the sun began to set, the sunlight streaming into the room dimmed. Wang Yin and Shi Bao, having sat for a while, stood up to stretch their arms and legs, while the voices of the five people in the middle, who were cursing each other, subsided.

It's finally coming to an end...

The two bored generals exchanged a glance, reading the same thoughts in their comrade's eyes.

"Then I'll trouble the three of you to deliver this agreement to your esteemed ruler." Yang Pu's breathing was a little heavy as he wiped the sweat from his forehead and cheeks and handed over the written agreement.

"Humph--"

The three who lost the argument turned ashen-faced. They reached out and accepted the plain silk offered to them, tidied their somewhat disheveled hair, and bowed, saying, "Please go back, gentlemen. We will inform the Emperor and he will summon you."

"Very well, then we will take our leave. We hope your country will be swift in its preparations."

Yang Pu and Li Shanqing, their faces beaming, walked confidently towards the door. Wang Yin and Shi Bao quickly followed, only relaxing once they returned to their residence. Inside, Li Tianrun came out to greet them, his eyes scanning the crowd before focusing on the figure walking ahead: "Minister Yang, has the deal been reached?"

"I suppose so." Yang Pu nodded and smiled. "The rest is up to the Song people to report the matter, and then we can go back."

"Thank you for your hard work, Minister Yang and Vice Minister Li. This negotiation must have been extremely difficult." Li Tianrun smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to Yang Pu and Li Shanqing.

"It's nothing much, just a gentleman's dispute." Yang Pu straightened his posture, stroked his beard, and looked completely calm. Li Shanqing next to him also looked proud.

Behind them, Wang Yin and Shi Bao looked at the two figures in front of them with complicated expressions. They opened their mouths as if to say something, but then thought that there was nothing to say, so they shut their mouths. Their faces turned ashen, and their expressions were a mixture of amusement and sarcasm.

"Wine and meat dishes have been prepared inside. Minister Yang and Vice Minister Li, please go in and rest for a while." Li Tianrun, who was opposite him, raised an eyebrow as he looked at the expressions of his sworn brothers and comrades. He did not ask the question immediately, but simply stepped aside and gestured for them to go in.

"Thank you for your help, General Li." Yang Pu and Li Shanqing bowed to each other. After arguing for a while, they realized they were indeed hungry and walked in with their heads held high.

Li Tianrun quickly pulled Shi Bao: "Second brother, what's wrong? Why do you look like that?"

Shi Bao's face scrunched up, his head swayed from side to side for a while, then he patted Li Tianrun on the shoulder and said, "It's a long story..."

……

Inside the palace, lights were lit in every corner, and the twilight of the night did not affect the place in the slightest. Palace maids and eunuchs moved about cautiously, glancing occasionally at familiar houses, where the shadows of several people were reflected in the windows.

"...So, you just agreed to it like that?"

Emperor Huizong sat behind the dragon throne and shook the plain silk in his hand: "Three hundred thousand taels of silver, three hundred and fifty thousand bolts of silk, and we also need to pay him eight hundred thousand taels of silver for breach of contract. The silver can be offset by grain. We also need ten thousand craftsmen. Is that all?"

Li Ye, Zheng Wangzhi, and Yuwen Xuzhong, the three men opposite him, lowered their heads and did not know what to say. Li Ye, who was on the far side, stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, the Qi Kingdom originally wanted us to cede dozens of military prefectures to them, otherwise they would send troops to attack us. We are afraid that the flames of war will spread to our Great Song territory, so we have no choice but to agree."

“The Censor is right.” Yuwen Xuzhong then cupped his hands: “Your Majesty, the Qi Kingdom is ambitious and treacherous. After swallowing the Liao Kingdom, they will set their sights on us. We must be on guard.”

Snapped--

The white silk was still on the table. The Song emperor, whose hair was turning gray, stood up and said, “There is no need to worry. My Song Dynasty may not have much else, but it has more money, grain and silk than those barbarians in the north can imagine. They are delusional to think that they can weaken the strength of my Song Dynasty by paying tribute.”

The three courtiers opposite him exchanged glances, their expressions varied. Zheng Wangzhi finally couldn't help but cup his hands in a gesture of respect: "Your Majesty, I fear that the money and grain we've given out might end up feeding a vicious tiger, which could then launch another southward attack..."

"How do you know that they weren't ruined by being fed?" Zhao Ji smiled frivolously, his eyes filled with disdain: "A bunch of bandits and pirates, how could they have the ambition to devour the sky and the earth? They're nothing but pigs and dogs."

Zheng Wangzhi raised his hand: "But..."

"Alright." Zhao Ji interrupted impatiently, "The Khitans were once our mortal enemies, but we haven't fought a war for over a hundred years since the Treaty of Chanyuan. Could the Qi Kingdom be more hostile than the Khitans were back then?"

The minister who had offered the advice remained silent for a few moments, then lowered his hands and retreated.

Zhao Ji glanced at the three men, and seeing that they had nothing to say, he nodded: "That's settled then. Summon Qi Shiqian to bring the treaty the day after tomorrow."

"Yes, I will take my leave."

The three men clasped their hands in a respectful bow and stepped back.

After watching the three walk away, Zhao Ji stood in the room for a while, then went to the table, picked up the plain silk, looked at it again, and said with a sneer, "The handwriting is really ugly."

He casually put it down and raised his voice: "Someone, help me change my clothes, I want to go out of the palace for a stroll."

"Yes."

A eunuch carried in the clothes of the common people.

The fifth year of the Qi Jianwu era and the seventh year of the Song Xuanhe era.

In midsummer, the war between Qi and Song ended with Song paying tribute, bringing the conflict between the two states to a close.

The two sides agreed that each year, under the guise of rewarding the army, Song would pay Qi 300,000 taels of silver and 350,000 bolts of silk, and pay in full the 800,000 taels of silver lost by Qi due to the breach of the alliance. Ten thousand skilled craftsmen, along with their families, totaling more than 30,000 people, would embark on the road to the north with the returning Qi delegation.

The Song soldiers who saw them off followed them to the border between the two countries, watching them enter the territory of Qi. They didn't know that a man named Shi Xiu came down from the Taihang Mountains, carrying a book full of names.

……

north.

After spring arrives, the weather in the north warms up much more slowly than in the south. Plants that are suitable for growing in cold regions have already sprouted tender buds, and soon the green of the mountains and fields will catch the eye of passing merchants and travelers.

Nowadays, it is rare to see armies in black armor in the wilderness. The only people walking around are merchants driving carts and lone travelers coming and going in search of a living. Even the chivalrous heroes who roam the world have restrained their tempers because the previous dynasty has just been destroyed, for fear that they will be dragged to the execution ground by the officials of the new dynasty and used as a typical example of a demonstration.

In mid-spring, the Goryeo delegation set off for Yanjing. Instead of traveling by land, they crossed the strait by ship and landed in Pingzhou, where they reported to the local government.

Han Tao and Peng Qi, who had been transferred to Pingzhou due to Zhang Jue's rebellion, dared not be negligent. After all, this was the first time since the founding of the new dynasty after the fall of Liao that an envoy from another country had come. The two quickly mustered their troops and escorted the envoy's procession from the east toward Yanjing.

Naturally, this foreign envoy also aroused a lot of curiosity.

"Your Excellency is a poet from Goryeo. Oh, is Goryeo poetry the same as ours? I heard that your country used to send envoys to Tang China, specifically to study Confucianism. I wonder if that's true? Oh, by the way, do they still do that now? Are you sending people to my Qi Kingdom or to Song? Let me tell you, Song isn't very interesting. Why don't you send someone over so we can see... no, I mean, to learn from you? We're neighbors, let's get to know each other better, don't you think?"

As Peng Qi rode on his warhorse, he turned to look at a Korean man with a flat face. The man watched as Peng Qi opened and closed his mouth, his facial muscles twitching several times. He opened his mouth several times as if to answer Peng Qi's question, but then heard the other man quickly ask other questions. For a moment, he was at a loss for what to say. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the reins, and his teeth clenched so tightly that they made a "crunching" sound.

On the other side of Peng Qi, Han Tao, listening to his old brother's words, couldn't help but urge his mount to move a few steps to the side, away from the incessant noise. He watched as the Korean man named Zheng Zhichang's face turned ashen, and he slowly raised his head to look at the sky.

I think the military had some beef liver and offal a while ago. How about we get some snacks to go with our drinks tonight?
"Hey, Brother Zheng, why aren't you saying anything? Are you thinking about poetry? Pingzhou doesn't have much scenery, it's not even as good as the place where I used to be stationed, let me tell you..."

Should we invite this guy surnamed Zheng over tonight as well?

Han Tao continued to drift off into thought, expressionless. Hopefully, Brother Peng won't be paying attention to me tonight...

Sure! (End of Chapter)