White-robed Minister

Chapter 256, 0254: [Diplomatic Insult]

Inside the guesthouse, Xu Lai was recording the itinerary.

This is something many envoys do, similar to a captain writing a daily log of navigation.

The main content recorded yesterday was the distance and location from Liangxiang County to Nanjing of the Liao Kingdom, as well as the post stations and distances encountered along the way.

Among the records of this kind from the Song Dynasty, if we consider only the geographical content, Shen Kuo's "Xi Ning Shi Lu Tu Chao" is the most accurate.

Because the Liao envoy accompanied them throughout the journey, it was inconvenient to use professional surveying tools. However, Shen Kuo could determine the location and distance of adjacent cities, passes, inns, and post stations simply by visual estimation and mental calculation.

What Xu Lai wrote today was about the outer city of Nanjing in the Liao Dynasty, its defensive fortifications, basic prices, local customs, and so on.

"The city of Youzhou is thirty-six li in circumference (according to the Liao envoy, this has not been verified). The city wall is three zhang high and one zhang and five chi wide."

"One gate on the south side is called Kaiyang, and the other is called Danfeng. The watchtowers and battle turrets on the walls are all in place, with an estimated two hundred or so watchtowers on the south side."

A direct assault on the city walls is difficult, and artillery would also struggle to destroy them. A possible solution is to dig tunnels filled with 10,000 jin of gunpowder to blast the foundations. However, the city is surrounded by three moats, making tunneling extremely difficult; the moats would have to be completely filled in.

"The city's residences are scattered like chess pieces, the alleys are straight, and there are hundreds of shops. The city's layout follows the old Youzhou city of the Tang Dynasty, with a cross-shaped main street as its framework —"

"The people of Youzhou are mostly Han Chinese. They all wear Han clothing, but the men wear boots and headscarves with sashes hanging down, while the women wear long skirts, which is different from those in China—I saw eight or nine out of ten people in the streets wearing Han clothing. Among them are those wearing Hu clothing, probably mixed with Khitan and Bohai women—"

After Xu Lai finished writing and revised it twice, he carefully put away the paper and pen.

"My lord, it's time to attend the banquet," Chen Xiaoyi called from outside the door.

Xu Lai said, "Coming right away."

Officials in Nanjing of the Liao Kingdom are hosting a banquet for Xu Lai today.

The leader was Yelü Renxian, the Nanjing Garrison Commander and Prefect of Xijin Prefecture, along with other officials including the Assistant Garrison Commander, Commander-in-Chief, Commissioner of the Three Departments, and Transport Commissioner.

Officials such as the Xuanhui Envoy.

Xu Lai and Guo Ruoxu went together.

Xu Lai talked about poetry, Guo Ruoxu talked about calligraphy and painting, and remained silent on other topics.

The guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely.

The following day, they left Nanjing, the capital of the Liao Dynasty, and continued northward, entering the Yanshan Mountains through Miyun and Gubeikou, eventually arriving at Zhongjing, the capital of the Liao Dynasty. Most of the Liao officials and civilians they encountered in the Yanshan region were Xi people, with a smaller number being Bohai people.

The situation changed once they reached the Zhongjing region, where the population was predominantly Khitan and Han Chinese.

Zhongjing, the capital of the Liao Dynasty, was also a huge city. The outer city was mainly inhabited by Han Chinese, while the inner city was entirely inhabited by Khitans.

Xu Lai attended two more banquets before continuing his journey north.

After passing Songshanguan (Chifeng), there are no more cities ahead, and the settlements are all tents.

Xu Lai saw the vast, boundless grassland and longed to gallop freely on horseback. However, as the chief envoy of the Song Dynasty, he had to manage his team. Moreover, he needed to calculate distances and directions, so he couldn't simply indulge his whims.

"Scholar Xu, the Shanyu Court is just ahead," Xing Xigu said, pointing into the distance.

The Chanyu court was located at the foot of Yong'an Mountain, probably in the area of ​​West Ujimqin Banner in Inner Mongolia in later times.

There were no cities, no palaces.

There were soldiers stationed on the outer perimeter, but only a few dozen felt tents inside. The deep mountains were covered with lush grass, and cattle and horses roamed freely.

This place is a great place to escape the summer heat and relax.

Upon arriving here, Xing Xigu's mission was completed, and he was replaced by Xiao Wugu, who was in charge of receiving Xu Lai.

The Song Dynasty delegation was to rest for three days, during which time they were not allowed to wander around.

Xu Lai was also responsible for communicating with Xiao Wugu, which involved exchanging preliminary negotiation terms in addition to matters of etiquette.

The Liao Dynasty emperor's tent.

Yelü Hongji convened a meeting with several ministers.

Besides Yelü Yixin, there were several other envoys who had contact with Xu Lai: Xiao Xi, Yelü Xiaochun, Xing Xigu, and Xiao Wugulin.

Yelü Hongji, while perusing the books and magazines Xiao Xi had brought back, casually asked Yelü Yixin, "Why have our Great Liao army suffered repeated defeats in Wuzhou?"

The emperor's tone was relaxed and calm, but Yelü Yixin was quite nervous.

Yelü Yixin, as Grand Tutor, even had the power to mobilize the entire nation's troops, yet he hesitated to launch a rebellion. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but rather that he dared not!

Yelü Hongji, who hunted every day, was by no means as incompetent as he appeared.

Yelü Yixin cautiously replied, "The Song army's firearms are extremely fierce. According to reports from the front-line generals, the Song army uses chariot formations to protect their main force. Their crossbows and cannons can inflict damage from a great distance. Closer up, they have crossbows. And even closer, they have three-eyed mortars. Our Liao cavalry simply cannot reach the chariot formations."

"What cavalry would be foolish enough to charge straight into the enemy formation?" Yelü Hongji was extremely dissatisfied.

Yelü Yixin explained, "The soldiers of Wuzhou also attempted a surprise attack, but the Song army was extremely cautious, always sending light cavalry to scout around during their march. Moreover, the Song army's chariots could transport supplies, and upon encountering our army, they would immediately form ranks on the spot."

"On one occasion, before the chariots had even formed a battle formation, our Liao cavalry charged forward. However, the Song cavalry maneuvered around them, buying time for their main force to deploy. A detachment of our Liao cavalry bypassed the Song cavalry and attacked the Song army, which was still not fully deployed, but they were still routed by the divine crossbows, arrows, and three-eyed muskets. Some of our troops managed to get close, but were stopped by the Song infantry."

On Cai Ting's side in Hedong Road, they fought three more field battles against the Liao army. All three were victorious!

The Liao army in Shuozhou and Wuzhou had been terrified of the Song army. No one dared to charge into battle again, and they didn't even dare to get too close to the Song army, let alone harass them with mounted archery.

Yelü Hongji found it hard to imagine such a battle scene, because he had never seen what firearms looked like: "Were those firearms all made by Xu Lai, who was on this mission?"

Xiao Xi replied, "I have already found out. It was Xu Lai who came up with the idea, and Shen Kuo invented it. The two of them worked together to not only create various military weapons, but also to invent movable type printing."

"What is movable type printing?" Yelü Hongji asked.

Xiao Xi explained in detail: "The magazines in Your Majesty's hands are printed using movable type."

Yelü Hongji then asked Xiao Wugulin, "What does the State of Song want to discuss this time?"

Xiao Wugulin replied, "The Liao and Song dynasties have ceased hostilities and made peace, with their borders marked by the Treaty of Chanyuan. Annual tribute and trade will continue as before. The Song dynasty is willing to release its captured soldiers and civilians. And—"

"What else?" Yelü Hongji asked.

Xiao Wugulin said, "The Song envoy Xu Lai said that our Great Liao must no longer interfere in the war between Song and Xia, nor can it allow its army to cross the border and plunder the people of Song."

Yelü Hongji then asked, "What did the Western Xia envoy say?"

The Western Xia envoy was also at the Shanyu court at this time, and his mission was to congratulate the Liao emperor on his birthday.

Yelü Hongji is really going to have his birthday.

Xiao Wugulin said, "The Western Xia envoy requested the Liao Dynasty to send troops to help, and also wanted to buy some more grain. In the Hengshan area of ​​Western Xia, the last fortress has been captured by the Song army. The Western Xia envoy said, 'If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.'"

Yelü Hongji remained silent in thought.

In the first few years after he ascended the throne, he implemented sweeping reforms, but when he encountered too much resistance, he simply abandoned the regime. Yelü Hongji did possess basic political and military skills.

The sudden increase in the Song army's combat effectiveness has given Yelü Hongji a major headache: what if the Western Xia is really destroyed?

After careful consideration, Yelü Hongji decided to continue to slack off.

The Western Xia's terrain is terrible, mostly desert. We can deal with it later when the Song army launches its war of annihilation. At that time, the Liao Dynasty can take the opportunity to send troops to help the Western Xia. Perhaps the Liao Dynasty can even extort land from both sides, demanding it from both the Song and Western Xia.

Even the most powerful emperor, after ten years of continuous stagnation, will have developed a habit of thinking that leads to inertia.

Yelü Hongji is now facing a problem, and his first reaction is to avoid difficulties and delay as much as possible.

"I understand, you may all leave." Yelü Hongji picked up the magazine and continued reading.

The ministers present were already used to this, and immediately bowed and withdrew from the emperor's tent.

Yelü Hongji truly stopped thinking about those things and focused entirely on reading "The Sound of the Bell" and "The New Voice." He then read the poems and essays that Xiao Xi had brought back, and especially liked several of Xu Lai's poems.

As he read, Yelü Hongji strolled out and headed straight for the tent of Consort Xiao Tansi.

Xiao Guanyin had long been neglected and even found it difficult to meet Yelü Hongji, being left in the Zhongjing Imperial Palace for a whole year.

Xiao Tansi was very favored and had just been made a Noble Consort.

Xiao Tansi also had a younger sister named Xiao Wotelan, who was now the daughter-in-law of Yelü Yixin. Later, Yelü Yixin was eliminated, and his daughter-in-law Xiao Wotelan was taken in by Yelü Hongji.

The elder sister became the empress, and the younger sister became a concubine.

They're really good at it.

"Your Majesty!" Xiao Tansi bowed slightly and then stepped forward to take the emperor's arm and lead him inside.

Yelü Hongji took out the poem "Qing Yu An: Lantern Festival": "This poem is extremely well written. I plan to go back to Nanjing next year for the Lantern Festival and enjoy the lantern festival there."

After reading the lyrics, Xiao Tansi immediately went to get her pipa. Although she didn't have Xiao Guanyin's literary talent, she was quite skilled at playing the music and singing the lyrics, because everyone knew that Yelü Hongji liked this kind of thing.

The Liao emperor's birthday was approaching, and the Chanyu court was becoming increasingly lively.

Officials from various capitals and local governments of the Liao Dynasty sent people with gifts to offer their congratulations, and even some Jurchen chieftains arrived.

In addition to the envoys from the Song Dynasty, there were also envoys from Western Xia and Goryeo.

Even the neglected Xiao Guanyin was brought to Yelü Hongji's attention; a grand occasion cannot be without the Empress.

Xu Lai rested for three days before being taken to meet the Liao emperor.

Xu Lai formally presented the letter of state and the congratulatory gifts from the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. The whole process was incredibly tedious.

After the ceremony, Yelü Hongji hosted a banquet in his honor.

More than twenty Liao officials attended, while only two Song officials, the chief and deputy, were present.

Xu Lai and Guo Ruoxu were led to their seats.

There were no stools in the tent; each person had a low table in front of them, and the emperor and officials sat on felt rugs.

Xu Lai and Guo Ruoxu's tables were noticeably shorter than the others'.

Furthermore, their seats were arranged on the east side. In the Liao Dynasty, the west was considered the place of honor, and the south the place of nobility. Distinguished guests usually sat on the south side. Sitting on the east side was the most lowly position!

Xu Lai smiled to himself, thinking, "Here we go again."

He spent his time in the imperial city of Kaifeng reading extensively on Song-Liao diplomatic documents. The Liao dynasty had employed this tactic twice in the last decade alone.

Chen Xiang was the most unlucky.

Four years ago, when Chen Xiang was an envoy to the Liao Dynasty, he also encountered this situation of being given a small seat. He argued his case and refused to sit down, which angered Yelü Hongji and caused a diplomatic incident.

Logically, Chen Xiang had upheld the dignity of the Song Dynasty and should have been rewarded upon his return. However, given the tense situation between the Song and Xia dynasties at the time, and the fear of Liao invasion, the Song Dynasty demoted Chen Xiang and banished him from the capital.

Emperor Zhao Xu, who had just ascended the throne, certainly wouldn't want to do such a thing. Either Zeng Gongliang urged him to do it, or Wen Yanbo suggested it; in any case, it wasn't brought up for public discussion.

Guo Ruoxu knew, of course, that Chen Xiang had been demoted for refusing to sit in the small seat. He was at a loss and subconsciously looked at Xu Lai.

Xu Lai stood calmly beside the small seat, patiently waiting for Yelü Hongji to appear.