People in the Song Dynasty were lawless

Chapter 507: Tribute from All Nations (2)

In the 1053th year of the Qingli period, which was AD, the Song Dynasty would hold a grand celebration.

This celebration is of great significance.

In addition to deepening ties and trade with countries around the world, there were also activities such as military parades and awarding of military titles to showcase the power of the Song Dynasty to countries around the world.

At the invitation of seven or eight envoys, kings and envoys from various countries came one after another.

By mid-December, most of the countries within a thousand kilometers of the Song Dynasty had arrived.

In addition, there are also Brunei, Java and Srivijaya, one thousand kilometers away.

Especially Srivijaya, which was the farthest away, but arrived first.

After all, the former king had a conflict with the Song Dynasty over the interests of the Malacca Strait, and eventually the grass on his grave was three feet high.

The new king, Pu Jin, used to be a businessman living in Guangzhou for many years, so he naturally knew the power of the Song Dynasty.

Therefore, almost as soon as the diplomatic envoys left Srivijaya, Pu Jin spent half a year stabilizing the domestic situation and hurried to Bianliang in October.

December 19th, today there are much fewer people outside the Bianliang Railway Station.

Because the Ministry of Railways cancelled all passenger trains on that day, people were unable to buy tickets and naturally could not take the train, and the pick-up staff outside the station did not come.

Although this will affect people's travel, there is nothing that can be done about it.

Because the diplomatic delegation that had gone far away to the West had finally returned, they arrived in Guangzhou by ship, and then took a ship from Guangzhou up the Lingqu Canal, passing the Xiangjiang River, Yangtze River, and Han River, and finally arrived in Xiangyang on December 17th.

Today, the telegraph has been successfully installed. Although the line has not yet been extended all the way to Guangzhou, the telegraphs along the Beijing-Xiangyang Railway have been installed, and information has long been exchanged.

So Guangzhou sent fast horses to Xiangyang first. The imperial court learned about this in early December and booked the journey for that day.

There is really no other way.

After all, there are more than thirty Western countries that returned with the diplomatic corps this time. Small countries are better off, as they may only bring a few dozen people, and including the gifts, they can be gathered on one ship.

It is troublesome for big countries. For example, in order to thank the envoys for their help, the Abbasid Dynasty gave gifts of 300,000 kilograms. In addition to the goods brought for trade, the Abbasid Dynasty alone had to bring more than 2,000 people and 600,000 kilograms of goods.

Although the other dynasties were not as exaggerated as the Abbasid Dynasty, they still had more than a thousand people and three or four hundred thousand kilograms of goods. It can be said that the number of personnel and ships in the fleet more than doubled when the delegation returned from the West.

How can the transport capacity of trains be compared with that of ships?
Therefore, just to deliver gifts and trade goods to Bianliang, the Song Dynasty not only had to stop passenger cars for several days, but even the trains originally used to transport goods had to stop to serve these foreign guests.

They gave too much.

Since there were so many people coming this time and they all brought valuable gifts, the Constitutional Council even sent the prime minister to meet them in person to show their importance to them.

This is a courtesy that even the current Liao Kingdom has not received.

After all, in Zhao Jun's view, destroying the Liao Dynasty was only a matter of time. It would take three to five years at the fastest, and seven to eight years at the slowest. It was only a matter of time before the Song Dynasty went north to destroy the Liao Dynasty and recover the Mongolian grasslands.

In the early morning of the 19th, there were almost no people at the train station. The porters who used to work as laborers near the train station had all left, and the rickshaws and horse-drawn carriages that picked up and dropped off passengers outside had also gone to other docks to find work.

There are always safety risks in hiring private carts to receive foreign guests.

Therefore, these workers may have to work harder in the next few days. They may have to either find something else to do or just rest at home for a few days. At least there is no work for them at the train station in the next few days.

However, with so many guests coming from afar, it was impossible to just let them walk by, so the court prepared official carriages for them for ceremonial reception.

Again.

Diplomacy is a big deal. First, you have to ensure the safety of foreign guests in your own country, and then the reception standards. Otherwise, if it is said that the public security in Song Dynasty is in chaos, wouldn't it prove that the country is not strong enough?

Therefore, in addition to the official carriages, there were also imperial guards leading the way, and the entire perimeter of the railway station was blocked off, creating a rather large-scale scene.

It was nearing the end of the year, and the streets of Kaifeng Prefecture were all decorated with lights and colorful lanterns.

Even the buildings in the outer city were hung with colorful ribbons, the streets were crowded with people, and the bustling streets were full of people preparing to buy things for the New Year.

When the roar of the train stopped at the station, the originally quiet South Railway Station seemed to wake up from its slumber.

The carriages of Zhao Jun, Fu Bi, Wen Yanbo and Han Qi slowly stopped at the station entrance, and then, surrounded by many imperial guards, the four of them strolled to the exit.

According to convention, the Constitutional Council would send its youngest prime minister to such welcoming activities. After all, the other prime ministers were in their seventies and eighties and would try not to go to such crowded places if possible.

The four of them are the youngest people born in the 00s in the Constitutional Yuan today.

After 1000.

Zhao Jun had just turned 23 when he traveled through time. Now he has been in the Song Dynasty for 17 years. He will be 40 years old after the New Year. According to the Song Dynasty age, he was born in 1013 AD.

Fu Bi is 1004, Wen Yanbo is 1006, and Han Qi is 1008. Why don’t they move around a little? Are they going to let those old men in their sixties and seventies come?

So at this moment, everyone could only stand in the cold wind and wait.

"It is said that there are many small countries in these Western countries. We have suffered a lot for them."

Han Qi laughed jokingly.

“Although there are many small countries, there are also many large countries.”

Zhao Jun said with a serious face: "If this arms trade and other normal commercial trade are negotiated, it will be enough for our Song Dynasty to eat for several years. Besides, the soldiers are also suffering from the cold in the wind."

"It's just a joke. I know how important they are to our Song Dynasty."

Han Qi quickly adjusted his state and changed the subject, "It is said that the Abbasid Dynasty alone brought 500,000 to 600,000 kilograms of goods. I wonder how long it will take for the train to transport them."

"Although the cargo capacity of a train is not as good as that of a sea-going ship, it is still possible for a carriage to carry several thousand kilograms. A train has more than 20 carriages, so it is no problem to carry kilograms, not to mention that it can run multiple times a day."

Wen Yanbo had worked in the Ministry of Railways before, so he was naturally familiar with the details. He smiled and said, "There are many countries coming, and even if the gifts and the goods they bring add up to tens of millions of kilograms, it will take seven or eight days to transport them all, and we can catch up with the New Year celebrations."

"That's good. I was worried that the train wouldn't be able to finish pulling the train."

"You still underestimate the power of trains. Our Ministry of Industry and Ministry of Railways are now stepping up the construction of trains across the country. Several lines designated by the Constitutional Yuan will soon be opened to traffic in the next two years. This will greatly promote domestic trade."

"It would be a blessing to see such a scene in my lifetime. Unfortunately, my father passed away a few years ago. It would be a great thing if I could take a train."

As they chatted, the topic turned to state affairs.

In the seventeen years of the Song Dynasty, the changes are comparable to those from 2000 to 2017.

of course.

What is referred to here is change, not the improvement of national strength and productivity.

If we take national strength and productivity into account, the total improvement of the Song Dynasty in these 2000 years is not as good as the progress of my country from 2001 to .

After all, although my country was backward before the millennium, it had already laid the foundation for industry. Whether it was heavy industry or light industry, it was already ranked among the top in the world at that time. The rest was just to go all out. The Song Dynasty can be said to have started from scratch. It was not easy for Bianliang to have the changes it has today. Naturally, it would not be possible to catch up with the pace of my country's reform and opening up in just 17 years.

However, that is compared with ourselves a thousand years later. Compared with the world a thousand years ago, the changes in the Song Dynasty were a leap forward, and no country in the world can compare with it.

No matter how backward the Song Dynasty was, it had barely become the only industrial country in the world and possessed a certain industrial capacity, which crushed other countries in the world.

Everyone was chatting, and a few minutes later, with the sound of the train "whooshing" to a stop, the direction of the exit in the distance became noisy and bustling with people.

The main envoys of the diplomatic corps, Tan Wenxue and Zhang Youwei, walked at the front of the team, followed by sixty or seventy people.

These people are messengers and translators of their countries.

Basically there are only two people from each country, equivalent to an ambassador with an interpreter.

As for other members, such as deputy envoys, counselors, and attendants, they are not even qualified to be here.

Some were picked up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through other channels, and some were taken away by the next, next, and next channels.
"Master, I am glad that you have fulfilled your mission."

When Tan Wenxue and Zhang Youwei saw Zhao Jun and the others were already waiting at the exit, they hurried over and bowed to them.

"Well, you did a great job. I also heard about what happened in Baghdad. You helped the Abbasid Caliph to restore order. You defeated tens of thousands of people with just a few thousand men. You shocked the West."

Zhao Jun said with a smile.

"It was the Supreme Court that gave us the power to act at our own convenience. The Seljuks insulted us when we invited them. We dare not insult the dignity of the state."

The two said modestly.

"You are the pride of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The country will share the honor and disgrace with you on this mission."

"Xie Zhiyuan."

The three of them exchanged a few pleasantries.

Then they introduced the country they were visiting to everyone.

"Minister of Finance, Minister of Literature, Minister of Korea, this is the Chola envoy, Pradeep."

"These are the four prime ministers of our Song Dynasty. This one is the chancellor, and this one is..."

"Hello."

Zhao Jun and others shook hands and nodded with each other.

This was the etiquette that the Constitutional Council asked the Ministry of Rites to formulate when the diplomatic mission set out.

Because the handshake etiquette in later generations is a customary etiquette based on international rules, there is no need for each country to teach, everyone knows how to do it.

But it certainly wasn’t possible in ancient times.

Every country has its own unique etiquette. Some bow by placing the right hand on the chest, some bow by clasping both hands in front of the chest, and some simply hold the other person's hand and kiss.

It would be too troublesome if each country had its own etiquette.

The Song Dynasty's salute was OK for a few people, but it would be very sore to deal with such a large delegation of envoys, with more than 30 countries each performing the salute with fists clasped together.

So after discussion, it was decided that the Song Dynasty should formulate the international order and uniformly adopt a handshake etiquette to reduce diplomatic red tape.

After these people arrived in the Song Dynasty, people from the Ministry of Rites would teach them a series of etiquette after adapting to local customs.

When meeting with high officials of the Song Dynasty, the main way of greeting should be handshake or bow. When meeting the emperor at a celebration event, the etiquette of one's own country should be used.

of course.

The etiquette of some countries is definitely not acceptable. For example, kissing Zhao Zhen's hand or forehead is not acceptable. If there is no such etiquette that requires a distance, you can also replace it with the Song Dynasty's bowing gesture.

This is also the main reason why personnel from the Ministry of Rites are involved in diplomatic affairs.

If diplomacy is not equal and etiquette standards and systems are not strictly followed, it will undoubtedly be a disrespectful act between countries and can easily cause diplomatic accidents.

The envoy of Chola had witnessed the power of the Song Dynasty all the way here. Apart from anything else, the salute fired by the locals to welcome their fleet when it entered the Guangzhou Port was enough to scare him.

Therefore, after meeting Zhao Jun and others, they shook hands with their upper bodies leaning forward, almost like a bow, and their attitude was very respectful.

"Respected Dean, the Song Dynasty makes me feel majestic and vast. I really want to stay here for a while longer."

The Chola envoy said respectfully.

"Okay, welcome."

After hearing the translator's words, Zhao Jun smiled and patted the back of his hand, with a humble and gentle attitude.

joke.

These are all big money sponsors. In the future, the Song Dynasty will become the world's factory. We may even have to do post-war reconstruction for them, provide them with loans, and trade with them continuously. How can their attitude be bad?
"Master, this is Dranatha, the envoy of the Chalukya Empire."

"Hello."

"Respected Dean, the prosperity of the Song Dynasty is great, and I also hope to stay here for a few more days."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"Minister, this is the envoy from the Ghaznavid Empire."

Tan Wenxue, Zhang Youwei and others introduced the ambassadors one by one. They remembered the names of these ambassadors and the countries they came from clearly, demonstrating strong professional capabilities.

Even Zhao Jun almost forgot which countries the previous ones were from.

After all, many countries here come from the Indian Peninsula, the Middle East, North Africa and Central Europe.

There are white people, black people, and yellow people. Some countries come from the same country as their neighboring countries, and some even have similar races and names. It is really difficult to distinguish them in a short period of time.

However, as the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Jun and his colleagues were not obliged to remember which country the other party came from. They could just meet and have a brief chat.

By the time the introduction was finally finished, almost half an hour had passed.

Zhao Jun then smiled and said, "On behalf of the Great Song Dynasty, I welcome you all. His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty has prepared a banquet for you in Changqing Palace. Please come with me."

As they were speaking, a group of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Rites came up. Almost every envoy was accompanied by an official, who chatted with them and were very polite.

Then, under their leadership, many envoys and translators left the train station in a mighty procession, got on the carriages arranged by the court, and headed for the city.

(End of this chapter)