White-robed Minister

Chapter 255 0253 [What I Saw and Heard Along the Way]

The mission crossed the Yellow River by official boat, landed at Chenqiao Town on the opposite bank, and then passed through Pan Town to Changyuan County.

The bumpy ride in the carriage wasn't a big deal; the main problem was the heat.

The sun was blazing down, making the train carriage feel like a sauna. Xu Lai felt like he was about to be cooked alive.

When they arrived in Changyuan County, the sun had not yet set, and Xu Lai immediately took a bath upon entering the inn.

He also instructed the innkeeper to summon two master craftsmen. One would provide massages, and the other would trim his nails.

After the whole process, I finally felt refreshed.

The magistrate of Changyuan County, whose faction was unknown, never appeared from beginning to end; only the registrar and the county constable came to accompany him for the meal.

The registrar also brought out the first and second issues of "Duo Sheng" and asked Xu Lai for his teachings in person.

Xu Lai inquired about the implementation of the Green Sprouts Law, the Baojia System, and the Exemption from Service Law, but unfortunately, he found it difficult to ascertain the truth. At most, one could only believe a fraction of what local officials said.

After a hearty meal, Xu Lai sat in the guesthouse garden to cool off.

Deputy Envoy Guo Ruoxu ran over and whispered a reminder: "It seems the Liao envoy took some books back with him."

Xu Lai explained, "It was granted by His Majesty."

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the export of gold, silver, and copper was strictly prohibited, and the control over books was also very strong.

Only books on Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism are permitted for free cross-border trade. Other books on astronomy, geography, military affairs, medicine, agriculture, etc., are not.

Water conservancy products — all are prohibited from being exported.

The magazines and literary collections purchased by Xiao Xi were reported by officials at the Duting Post Station and identified by the court as Confucian books. The emperor granted him special permission to take them away.

However, Xiao Xi could only take a portion of the two sets of official documents with him. The contents of memorials and congratulatory messages were confiscated by the officials in charge of the inspection.

As for the books "Mathematics" and "Geometry," Xiao Xi couldn't even buy them. When he inquired about them, the officials at Duting Post Station flatly refused him.

Even the mathematical articles serialized in the magazine "Duosheng" were torn up by Song Dynasty officials.

Guo Ruoxu then asked, "What should I be careful about during this mission to the Liao Kingdom?"

Xu Lai smiled and said, "Brother Guo can discuss painting with the Liao people and inquire about their lives while he's at it. The rest is up to you."

"I understand," Guo Ruoxu nodded.

The delegations from the Song and Liao dynasties were generally headed by a civil official and a military official, respectively.

Guo Ruoxu came from a family of military generals; his great-grandfather was Guo Shouwen, a famous general in the early Song Dynasty. His wife was the Princess of Yong'an County, making him a true member of the imperial family.

Guo Ruoxu himself was a connoisseur, theorist, and critic of calligraphy and painting, and this year he just completed his masterpiece, "Notes on Painting".

Xu Lai and Guo Ruoxu's mission this time could not be directly stated as a peace negotiation; rather, it was disguised as a birthday celebration for the Liao emperor. The birthday gift was a complete set of gold wine, food, and tea utensils, totaling thirty-seven pieces.

Yelü Hongji was concerned about his reputation, and having received such a valuable gift, he would definitely send someone to reciprocate to Zhao Xu.

After chatting with Guo Ruoxu for a while, Xu Lai went back to his room to sleep as the weather cooled down a bit.

The next day at breakfast, Xu Lai said to Chen Xiaoyi, "I'm not taking the carriage today. I'll find a straw hat and ride a horse; it's too hot inside the carriage."

The chief and deputy envoys can bring a maximum of two personal attendants, and may even bring two relatives.

There were more than forty armed security personnel.

There are also personnel from various other systems, including translation, etiquette, medical, catering, vehicle management, horse management, and craftsmen.

In total, the Song Dynasty delegation consisted of about eighty people.

Seeing that Xu Lai had switched from riding a horse to a carriage, Guo Ruoxu, Xiao Xi, and others followed suit, none of them wanting to be steamed and roasted in the carriage anymore.

We arrived in the suburbs, and it was still early.

Guo Ruoxu looked at the farmland beside the official road, where a farmer was gently poking at the millet seedlings with a small stick, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is he getting rid of pests?"

"Clear the dew in the early morning," Xu said.

Guo Ruoxu found it even stranger: "The weather is hot now, wouldn't it be better if there was dew?"

Xu Lai explained, "Sorghum seedlings are delicate. When the heartwood is just sprouting, dew can damage the seedlings. Therefore, more diligent farmers will remove the dew from the millet seedlings in the morning. Before the millet heads emerge, they are also afraid of heavy rain, as rainwater may prevent the heartwood from forming grains."

"I see," Guo Ruoxu exclaimed. "Xu Tianzhang is not only well-versed in military strategy, but also so knowledgeable about agriculture."

Xu Lai said, "The dew is heavier in the south. When I was a child, I often went up the mountain with my parents to remove the dew from the millet seedlings. The millet in this field was planted relatively late, so I guess the farmer was delayed by something. If the cold wave had come early, the harvest from this field would probably have been poor. If millet were planted after the wheat harvest, it would have already started to grow tall by now."

Guo Ruoxu rode his horse slowly, watching the farmers work with great interest.

Xu Lai asked, "Old man, why did you plant your millet so late?"

The farmer said resentfully, "I have three able-bodied men in my family, and one of them was conscripted as a constable and forcibly taken to the county commandant's office for training. Doesn't this delay the millet planting?"

Xu Lai said, "The Baojia system only allows the training of local militia during the off-season. From the beginning of February to the end of September, it is the off-season, and the county government is not allowed to train local militia."

"How should I know?" the farmer said irritably.

Xu Lai then asked, "Has the county magistrate been changed this year?"

The farmer replied, "I heard they changed it."

Xu Lai roughly guessed what had happened.

The original magistrate was mostly a conservative, so he was unwilling to implement the Baojia system. As a result, he was dismissed and replaced by a reformist magistrate.

Because the reformist county magistrate took office relatively late, in order to demonstrate his firm support for the new laws, he forcibly conscripted laborers for training during the busy farming season. This resulted in some farmers' families not having enough manpower, delaying the planting season on certain lands.

It was purely for the sake of reform.

"Damn it," Xu Lai thought, growing angrier and angrier.

He planned to write an impeachment memorial tonight and send it back to the emperor via the post station.

The mission traveled north from Huazhou and Xiangzhou.

As he passed through Xiangzhou, Xu Lai suddenly thought of Yin Ruins. After all, his graduate thesis was related to oracle bone script.

It seems that it's only about 10 or 20 li from Xiangzhou City to Yinxu, so you can visit it on your way back.

After traveling and stopping frequently, we finally arrived in Baoding.

That is, the area around Baoding in later generations.

About a hundred miles from the border, one can see forests, lakes, ditches, and swamps. These are, of course, man-made wonders, built to guard against Liao cavalry advancing south.

Xu Lai found it very strange. Given this terrible terrain, why were the Liao cavalry still able to raid the border this year? Why were the Song army still able to be lured into an ambush? Why were the people on the Song border in some prefectures and counties forced to retreat a hundred miles?

Upon arriving at the Great Wall Pass (Water Great Wall), Xu Lai raised his questions.

The military officer guarding the Great Wall explained, "The Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty have been at peace for many years, and the Liao army has not raided the border for a long time. As a result, some Song people have migrated to the border to cultivate the land. Some people have even diverted water from the Baigou Canal to grow rice. Others have drained the ditches and marshes to grow wheat. This year, the Liao cavalry marched south from those wheat fields."

Well, Xu Lai has certainly learned something new.

The military officer added, "There are even Liao people who cross the border to cultivate our land. The soldiers are afraid of provoking a border conflict, so they dare not drive them away on their own and have to report to the court for a decision each time."

As Xu Lai rode his horse along the official road, looking at the forests, canals, marshes, and lakes along the way, a fantastical and absurd feeling arose in his heart.

Baoding has such beautiful scenery!

Stretching from Baoding in the west to Tianjin in the east, for hundreds of miles in length and over a hundred miles in width, the entire area is filled with such absurd scenes.

After crossing the Juma River, the Song Dynasty delegation stayed in Rongcheng, while Xiao Xi and his entourage continued north.

Xu Lai waited for half a month before the Liao Kingdom finally sent an envoy to lead the Song delegation further north.

The Liao envoy was named Xing Xigu, and he and the Song Dynasty's deputy envoy Guo Ruoxu hit it off immediately because they were both avid calligraphy and painting enthusiasts.

While the two were discussing calligraphy and painting, Xu Lai observed the Liao Kingdom villages along the way.

First, there is the difference in official routes.

The official roads along the border of the Song Dynasty were regularly repaired and maintained by conscripting laborers. In contrast, the official roads on the Liao Dynasty's side were uneven and potholed, and were basically left unattended.

In the rural areas along the border between the two countries, the houses, clothing, and crops are all quite similar.

However, it is possible that due to the long period of isolation, although the two sides are very close, the accents of the people have become different.

When the group arrived at Xincheng County of Liao Kingdom, they saw a large number of people gathered in the distance.

The Liao envoy, Xing Xigu, paled terribly. He immediately rode into the county town, found the magistrate, and angrily rebuked him: "I told you before I came that a Song delegation was heading north to offer birthday greetings. How come there are still starving people outside the city?"

The magistrate looked distressed: "Your Excellency, please calm down. I have already sent men to drive them away, but those starving people have returned."

"Fool! Don't you know how to kill a few to establish your authority?"

Xing Xigu rebuked, "The Song envoy came to offer birthday greetings to His Majesty, but encountered so many starving people on the way. What will it look like when the news gets back to Song? This concerns His Majesty's reputation and the prestige of the Liao Dynasty. Can you bear the responsibility?"

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The magistrate quickly replied, "I will take care of it immediately."

Xing Xigu cursed again, "Fool! Do you want to drive out and kill civilians in front of the Song envoy?"

"This—" The magistrate was speechless.

Xing Xigu said, "Immediately distribute porridge and grain to the starving people. After the Song envoys have settled into the city, we will drive away the starving people in the middle of the night!"

""

"yes!"

The magistrate knew what to do.

Many areas in the Song, Liao, and Western Xia dynasties are experiencing famine this year.

The famine was most severe in the Western Xia Dynasty!

Xu Lai led the delegation into the city and settled down. When they woke up, the starving people outside the city had disappeared without a trace.

Xing Xigu explained, "Our Great Liao Dynasty has already ordered disaster relief in various places. The county magistrate dared to embezzle and deduct from the relief supplies, and I have severely reprimanded him. The starving people outside the city have all received their relief grain and returned home."

Because of their shared love of calligraphy and painting, Guo Ruoxu and Xing Xigu had a very good relationship. Guo Ruoxu immediately praised, "Your Excellency is truly benevolent towards the people. I wonder how many starving people you have saved this time."

Xing Xigu looked ashamed: "I'm ashamed. I should have discovered it sooner. Otherwise, the people wouldn't have been starving until now."

"This is not your fault, Your Excellency," Guo Ruoxu comforted him.

Xu Lai also offered a few words of praise, but inwardly he kept sneering.

They were still distributing porridge yesterday evening, but they all disappeared early this morning. Did those starving people grow wings and fly away?

Led by Xing Xigu, the Song Dynasty delegation soon arrived in Nanjing, the capital of the Liao Dynasty.

That is, Beijing during the Ming Dynasty, more than 300 years later.

Xu Lai gazed at the city wall and couldn't help but wonder: I wonder what the housing prices in Beijing are like now.

The population must be very large.

Xu Lai asked, "How many people live in Nanjing, your country?"

Xing Xigu boasted smugly, "Three or four hundred thousand!"