I studied in modern times

Chapter 963: Conferring the title of Dali
Yelu Gongchen and Yelu Yongchang hurriedly left Bian Jing and returned to their country early the next morning.

What’s interesting is that most of the members of the delegation brought by the two of them still remained in Bian Jing.

These people continue to buy, buy and buy, spending money like water.

These people would not go back until they had spent all the money they had brought.

After all, these people either spent a lot of money or used their connections to squeeze into the delegation.

How can I not make enough money?
What's more, the colorful world of Bianjing City is so fun!
These people simply don't want to leave!

Zhao Xu doesn't care about them!
Just ask Kaifeng Prefecture and the Ministry of Rites to protect (supervise) and keep an eye on these guys.

Zhao Xu himself continued his diplomacy.

On the second day of Yelu Gongchen and Yelu Yongchang's journey back home

In the twelfth month of the second year of Yuanyou (11),

Zhao Xu met with the Goryeo envoy Li Ziyi and the Goryeo monk chief Yi Tian in the Purple Palace.

They comforted, consoled and encouraged each other, as if all the previous threats, intimidations and alienations against Goryeo had never existed.

Li Ziyi and Yi Tianseng are indeed the elites of Goryeo.

Faced with Zhao Xu's consolation, pacification and encouragement, they burst into tears on the spot and promised that after returning home, they would tell everyone in the country about the kindness of the Emperor of Song.

Li Ziyi even said that after returning to his country, he would petition the King of Goryeo to change the East Gate of Goryeo's capital, Kaifeng, into Cheng'en Gate, to show that Goryeo would always be grateful to the Song Dynasty and its descendants would never forget it.

I can only say that people on the peninsula just need to think positively.

There is really nothing they can't do, only they can't think of it.

It is truly a country of concubines and slaves for thousands of years.

The next day, Geng Yin (twelve).

Zhao Xu also met with Gao Taisheng, the envoy of the Dali Kingdom, in the Chuigong Hall.

The relevant details and arrangements for the Dali monks to enter the Song Dynasty were negotiated with them.

As a wise ruler and protector of Buddhism, Zhao Xu took the initiative to propose that Dali monks could freely choose a temple in the Song Dynasty and practice Buddhism under a monk they recognized.

It was also promised that the food, accommodation and other expenses of the Dali monks' practice of Buddhism during their stay in the Song Dynasty would be borne by the Song Dynasty court.

Gao Taisheng was overjoyed and kept thanking him.

There is no way, Dali Kingdom is a Buddhist country.

In Dali, monks are a combination of scholar-officials and aristocrats.

It can even be said that in today's Dali, if a monk returns to secular life, he can definitely become a scholar-official or a noble, but a scholar-official or a noble may not necessarily become a monk.

Naturally, the status of Buddhist scriptures in Dali is equivalent to that of the scriptures of Confucius and Mencius in the Song Dynasty.

The eminent monk of Dali was equivalent to the great master of Confucianism in the Song Dynasty.

Political status and influence cannot be ignored.

The political status of the Duan family of the Dali Kingdom was accumulated by generations of kings becoming monks.

To the extent that even the Gao family now holds great power.

But he still didn't dare to talk about replacing Duan lightly.

There is no other reason - the Gao family just holds secular power.

But the highest spiritual power still lies in the hands of the Duan family.

The Gao family’s biggest shortcoming is naturally that they don’t have their own eminent monks.

it's good now!

The Emperor of the Song Dynasty allowed Dali monks to come to Song to seek Dharma, and also allowed Dali monks to choose famous temples and eminent monks to practice!

For the Gao family, this is simply pie in the sky!

All the monks must be replaced by members of the Gao family!

As long as these monks obtain the true scriptures and practice the correct Dharma, they will return to Dali.

The great monks are no longer just the property of the Duan family. The Gao family can also have great monks!
How could Gao Taisheng not be happy?
I became closer to the Song Dynasty.

Gao Taisheng then took the opportunity to propose the request to purchase armor and weapons from the Song Dynasty.

In response to this, Zhao Xu still readily promised and agreed in one breath. Gao Taisheng wanted to buy 500 pairs of Shenbi bows, 1,000 pairs of leather armor, and 1,000 pairs of other bows and crossbows.

And the price is very low, almost at cost price!

In addition, Zhao Xu also agreed that the Dali Kingdom could purchase a corresponding amount of armor and weapons directly from the Song Dynasty every year without the approval of the court.

This is adding fuel to the fire.

Let the Dali troops attack Myanmar, Laos or somewhere else.

It doesn’t matter who the Dali people attack, or where they can attack to?

As long as we make some progress, that's enough.

This is the biggest difference between Zhao Xu's previous life and his studying abroad in modern times.

In Zhao Xu's eyes now, it doesn't matter whether it is Dali or Daliao.

It’s all China!

They are all from Zhu Xia!

Although, they are not part of the Song Dynasty now.

It might even be the enemy of the Song Dynasty!

But what does it matter?
No matter what, after a hundred or two hundred years, everything will be unified!
This is the inevitability of Chinese history.

It has been like this for thousands of years since Dong Zhongshu, and it will be the same a thousand years later!
The only difference is who unifies whom.

Therefore, the expansion of the Liao Kingdom was the expansion of the Song Dynasty's territory, and the expansion of Dali's territory was also the expansion of the Song Dynasty's territory.

Gao Taisheng was so delighted to receive such conditions that he kowtowed repeatedly, praising the emperor for his wisdom and wisdom. He said that Dali was willing to be a vassal of the Song Dynasty forever, and his descendants would pay tribute to the emperor from generation to generation.

Zhao Xu then took advantage of the situation and issued an imperial decree to confer upon Duan Zhengming, the King of Dali, the title of Purple Gold Guanglu Doctor, Jianxiu Sikong, Jiedushi of Yunnan, Shangzhuguo, and King of Dali, and bestowed him with a golden seal, formally accepting Dali into the vassal system of the Song Dynasty and allowing it to visit Bianliang once every three years.

Then, Zhao Xu issued another decree, conferring the title of Acting Taiwei, Kaifu Yitong Sansi, Yunnan Surveillance Envoy, Commander-in-Chief of Yunnan Military Affairs, Shang Hujun, and granting the emperor a silver fish bag, and also conferred the title of Yunnan Marquis, with a fief of 3,300 households and a fief of 1,200 households.

At the same time, Gao Shengtai’s father and grandfather were posthumously awarded the titles of Grand Commandant, Surveillance Commissioner of Yunnan, and Generalissimo of Yunnan’s military affairs.

For Gao Taisheng, this is simply a blessing from heaven!

Without him!

Since the founding of the Song Dynasty and Emperor Taizu split the Dadu River with his jade axe, the relationship between Dali, located in the southwest, and the Song Dynasty has been reversed from that in the Tang Dynasty - the Song Dynasty no longer recognized and accepted Dali as its vassal state!
For the new Dali, this was the end of the world!

There is no other reason. In medieval East Asia, being expelled from China's vassal system was roughly equivalent to being expelled from the human race.

Therefore, the people of Dali were extremely anxious and sent envoys to pay tribute from time to time, carrying large amounts of wealth and treasures, and requesting to rejoin China's vassal system.

For example, in the first year of Baoyuan in the Renmiao era, Dali sent envoys to the court to ask for enthronement.

The Song Dynasty court responded by saying that "the land of Yan has not been leveled, rivers have frequently burst their banks", and that "many crops in Yang have been destroyed by floods".

This is really not the time to confer a title to your country or accept your country.

Please wait until our dynasty reaches a time of peace and prosperity before asking for a title.

By the ninth year of Xining, the Gao family had completely seized power in the Dali Kingdom. The powerful minister Gao Shengtai once again sent envoys to pay tribute, and offered "gold-clad and jade-clad king in the mountains, felt kitchens, swords, rhinoceros-skin armor, saddles and bridles" in an attempt to bribe the officials and return to the Xia civilization circle.

However, the Song Dynasty still refused.

Even last time when Gao Taiming came to the court, the Dali Kingdom did not receive official enthronement from the Song Dynasty.

Originally, Gao Taisheng had no expectation of being enthroned, he just said casually, "I beg to be your subject forever for generations, and my descendants will pay tribute continuously."

Who would have known that with just this one sentence, the Song Dynasty changed its attitude and directly issued an edict to confer the title.

Happiness came so suddenly that after Gao Taisheng bid farewell to the emperor, when he embarked on the journey back home with the golden seal, official seal and imperial edict bestowed by the court, he was still in a daze, as if dreaming.

For more than a hundred years, the Dali Kingdom had been longing to rejoin the Chinese vassal system and become a civilized country. But was this the way it was achieved?
This must be due to the Buddha’s manifestation and the Bodhisattva’s blessing, right? !

(End of this chapter)