Across the Water Margin: Officials of Ximen

Page 304

Zhao Mingcheng had seen Ximen Qing's method of suppressing the bandits in Qingfeng Mountain in Qingzhou, and heard that the Dengzhou traitor Sun Li and the bandits in Dengyun Mountain were all wiped out by Ximen Qing. He also had high hopes for Ximen Qing, hoping to borrow Ximen Qing's help The power to suppress the reckless young people in Laizhou.

Therefore, at the banquet, Zhao Mingcheng said that he hoped that Ximenqing would also build a manor in Laizhou like he did in Dengzhou.There is Laizhou Bay on the Bohai Sea in the north of Laizhou, and Laoshan Bay and Jiaozhou Bay facing the Yellow Sea in Jimo to the south, both of which are suitable for shipbuilding and going out to sea.If Ximenqing wants to carry out cross-sea trade, he can also build his own wharf in Laizhou.It is closer to Yanggu County by land than Dengzhou, which is more beneficial for Ximenqing to transship goods.

Zhao Mingcheng told Ximen Qing that he and Ximen Qing had been good friends for many years, and that Laizhou would naturally take good care of Ximen Qing and provide a lot of convenience.

Li Qingzhao also helped Zhao Mingcheng persuade Ximen Qing to set up a separate business in Laizhou.

After hearing Zhao Mingcheng's words, Ximenqing laughed secretly in his heart. If Zhao Mingcheng's words today were placed in later generations, they could be regarded as attracting investment by the local government, right?

Ximen Qing thought to himself, if you and your wife let me come to Laizhou, don't you want to "recite poems against me" again?snort!High official, I have the ability to copy the public Dafa, so why should I be afraid of Li Qingzhao, you kind of ancient poet?

In fact, Ximen Qing would not refuse the invitation from the prefect of Laizhou, Zhao Mingcheng, no matter whether it was for the purpose of building an additional naval base, or to strengthen the control of Shandong.It can even be said that Zhao Mingcheng's invitation hits Ximen Qing's wishes.

Ximenqing raised his glass immediately, and agreed to Zhao Mingcheng neatly, telling him that after returning to the Song Dynasty from the Kingdom of Jin this time, he would come to Dengzhou to buy property and be neighbors with Zhao Mingcheng and his wife.

Zhao Mingcheng was overjoyed, and drank the wine in the glass with Ximen Qing.For a while, the three of them laughed and laughed...

When Ximenqing finally came to Dengzhou City, Wang Shizhong, the prefect, was already eager to see through.After Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty made a grand plan to unite the Jin Dynasty against the Liao Dynasty, he ordered Wang Shizhong, the magistrate of Dengzhou, to recommend a person who could cross the sea to contact the Kingdom of Jin. Wang Shizhong immediately thought of Ximen Qing and recommended him to the court.

Now, Wang Shizhong is looking forward to Ximen Qing crossing the sea as soon as possible, and conveys the intention of the Song court to confirm the alliance with the Jin Dynasty to the king and ministers of the Kingdom of Jin, Wanyan Aguda, and asks them to release Ma Zheng and Hu Yanqing.If the Kingdom of Jin intends to form an alliance with the Song Dynasty, the imperial court will send official envoys to the Kingdom of Jin to negotiate a specific alliance agreement.

At the gate of the magistrate's yamen, Wang Shizhong grabbed Ximen Qing and said to him: "Your official Ximen, you really made me wait!"

Chapter 482 Borrowing a Boat to Cross the North

After meeting Ximen Qing, Wang Shizhong, the magistrate of Dengzhou, invited Ximen Qing into his mansion and told Ximen Qing that the imperial court was determined to join forces with the Jin Dynasty, but now it is impossible to know the wishes of the king and ministers of the Dajin Kingdom, so Ximen Qing needs to visit the Jin Dynasty in the name of doing business. , to euphemistically convey the meaning of the court to the nobles of the Kingdom of Jin.

Wang Shizhong told Ximen Qing that this matter is of great importance, and those who are not familiar with the Kingdom of Jin cannot be competent.I have already recommended Ximen Qing to Emperor Daojun.As long as this visit goes well and wins the favor of the officials, it will be easy to get promoted and make a fortune in the future.

Ximen Qing said in his heart, if I want to be an official, I can get a high official and generous salary at my fingertips!It's a pity that your emperor is a rare and stupid emperor, and his ministers can only follow his bad luck and bear the blame.snort!Let Song Huizong owe me a favor first, and then repay it with interest in the future!

Ximenqing told Wang Shizhong that he had no intention of becoming an official, but only wanted to be a rich man and live a happy life.Therefore, after I went north to make meritorious service, I ask the court not to grant fame, fortune, or official name to sue myself.I would like to ask the magistrate to tell the officials of the Ming Dynasty that I have always admired the unparalleled calligraphy of the officials. I only want a set of calligraphy from the officials, so that my family can lead the way in Shandong, and I am satisfied.

Wang Shizhong heard Ximen Qing say that he didn't want to be an official, so he knew that Ximen Qing was not bragging.Ximenqing's export in Qingzhou was successful, and the poems he wrote made Li Qingzhao and others admire, which has long been spread among scholars.Huang Wenbing, who was far away in Jiangzhou in the south, had heard of Ximen Qing's name. Who would doubt Ximen Qing's literary talents among scholars in Hebei and Shandong?

I heard that Qin Hui, who had recently passed the examination of Ci and Maoke, once said to Mizhou students: "If Ximen Qing, an official from Yanggu County, Yunzhou, takes the exam, he will definitely win the first prize! The light of the firefly is hard to compare with Haoyue. Zhenghui, we are all mediocre, how dare we stand shoulder to shoulder with the officials of Ximen Qing?"

Wang Shizhong looked at Ximen Qing and thought to himself, it is a pity that such a talented person does not want to take the imperial examination and only loves to run a business. What a waste of talent!But who would have expected that this son would be able to do business well, and he would go to the side of the King of the Kingdom of Jin!Now the heavy responsibility of the imperial court has to be entrusted to him!Ximenqing from Yanggu County is truly a man of the world!

After sighing in the prefect Wangshi's center, he asked Ximenqing when he would cross the sea and go north.I didn't want Ximen Qing to cry out at this time.

Ximenqing complained to Wang Shizhong that his caravan came to Dengzhou, but found that there were not enough sea ships in Penglai Port, and he could not cross the Bohai Sea with his caravan at one time.If you go back and forth for several days, it will really delay the trip, not only consume more money and food, but also miss the important affairs of the court.

The prefect Wang Shizhong heard this, and immediately held Ximen Qing's hand, promising to raise enough ships for Ximen Qing within a day to ensure his caravan travel north.He asked Ximen Qing to just pull the goods to the pier in the morning.

After Ximen Qing made an agreement with Wang Shizhong, he returned to Ximen Village and met with Xin Zuo of the Xin Zan family who arrived two days earlier.

Xin Zuonai is Xin Zan's younger brother, and he had a relationship with Ximen Qing once in Xinjiazhuang in Licheng, Qizhou.Xin Zan worked in Licheng and was unable to go north to the Kingdom of Jin, so he asked his brother Xin Zuo to lead a hundred troops to escort the caravan to practice with Ximen Qing.

After chatting with Xin Zuo, Ximen Qing recruited the old supervisor Ximen Zhong and asked him to choose dozens of people who grew up by the sea and were familiar with sailing from Ximen Zhuang to accompany him.

Everything was ready, and after a peaceful night in Dengzhou, Ximenqing, Jiao Ting, Shi Jin, Yanqing, Zhu Biao and others arrived at the port of Penglai with a caravan of thousands of people.

Wang Shizhong, the magistrate of Dengzhou, really had great powers. He persuaded the richest families in Dengzhou, Ma and Sun, to provide dozens of sea ships for Ximenqing's caravan for free.Coupled with the Ping Navy warship called by Wang Shizhong, it was enough for Ximen Qing to cross the Bohai Sea in one go.

In order to make a contribution to the Lianjin matter, the prefect Wang Shizhong really spared no effort!For Wang Shizhong's kindness, the official Ximen Qing naturally accepted it with a smile.

It is also God's help, the autumn sun is shining brightly, and the wind direction is just right.After Ximen Qing bid farewell to Wang Shizhong, he set sail and headed for Tieshan Port in the north.

There are also some pirates in the Bohai Sea, but facing Ximen Qing's huge fleet, which unscrupulous pirate would dare to provoke them?

After the fleet passed Salmon Island, where the imperial court imprisoned a felon, it accidentally bumped into a pirate ship from Koryo.This unlucky pirate ship was too slow to avoid Ximen Qing's fleet in time.

Senior official Ximen Qing was looking for an opportunity to practice his navy. When he heard that the wrecked ship in front was full of Korean pirates, he immediately ordered the ships under his command to approach and let his men launch an attack.

Shi Jin, Yan Qing, and Zhu Biao are all young, energetic and good-for-nothing people. Although water warfare is not their strong point, the three of them are the first to jump on the pirate ship and wield their swords to kill all directions.

These three people are the three big worms, even if they can't exert their full combat power on the sea ship, they are not unstoppable by those unknown Koryo soldiers.In a short while, a ship of pirates was killed by the three leaders.Those who jumped into the sea to survive were also shot to death by Ximen Qing's men, and all sank to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish and shrimp.

An unexpected small encounter at sea made Shi Jin and the others inexplicably excited, staring around.It's a pity that no pirate was seen until the landing at Tieshan Port.

After the caravan came ashore, under the envy of many Koryo and Japanese merchants at the port, Ximenqing and his party entered Suzhou Pass in a hurry, and went straight to Hesuguan.

At this time, Ximen Qing's identity as a gold medal merchant bestowed by the Great Jin Kingdom and his good relationship with Yu Li played a role.Ximen Qing swaggered into the Suzhou Pass with hundreds of heavily armed guards, and the guard of the State of Jin at Suzhou Pass, Hesi Hanmeng An Yuli, opened the door for him without hesitation.

Shi Jin, Yan Qing, Zhu Biao, Xin Zuo and others saw that the legendary Jin Jun, who was like a wolf like a tiger, also respected Ximen Qing so much, and they all cast admiring eyes on Ximen Qing.

The official Ximen Qing was also secretly proud of himself on the horse, no matter what time it was, it was great to have privileges in his hands!

Bojingoushi, the governor of Hosuguan, and Hesi Hanmeng'anyuli, the governor of Suzhou gate, had different responsibilities.Yu Li was only responsible for guarding the customs and cracking down on businessmen from various countries who smuggled into Liaodong and Liao Kingdom by sea.But Hook Shi is a senior member of the Jin Kingdom's governing side. It not only manages the army, but also manages the people.

Therefore, when Ximen Qing's huge caravan arrived at the Huosu Pavilion, the keen Hook Room warmly received Ximen Qing and his party, and at the same time, immediately sent someone to report the news to the king of Huining City, Wanyan Aguda.

When Wanyan Aguda gave Ximenqing a lot of convenience, it was originally to support him to become a civil envoy between the two countries, so as to facilitate the curve transmission of news.

At this time, Wanyan Aguda, who learned that Ximenqing had left and returned, and guessed Ximenqing's intention, immediately summoned all the ministers and nobles in the city to secretly discuss the current national policy of the Song Dynasty.

Chapter 483 Argument at the Noble Meeting

In Huining City, in the emperor's stronghold, outside the wooden house where the emperor lived, Wanyan Aguda sat in the middle on a tiger leather chair, and the Jurchen nobles sat in a circle on the grass with the blue sky above their heads to discuss state affairs.

All the Jurchen nobles who stayed in the capital participated in this discussion, among them were Wanyan Wu Qimai, Wanyan 谢都, Wanyan Pujianu, Wanyan Alihesui, Wanyan Wuye, Wanyan Talan, Wanyan Xieye, Wanyan Wudubu and other high-ranking nobles of the Wanyan tribe, as well as the descendants of Aguda's nephew Wanyan Moulianghu, Wanyan Shenguo, Wanyan Wulibu, Wanyan Wuben and other clan descendants of the Wanyan tribe. His other important generals Wanyan Loushi, Wanyan Gushen and others.

Because of Wanyan Sagai's illness, he stayed in the Guoxiang village to recuperate. His son Wanyan Nianmei sat beside the emperor Wanyan Aguda as the representative of the Guoxiang.

Wanyan Agu looked around the civil and military ministers around him with piercing eyes, and said to them: "Our Great Jin Kingdom was able to split the land of Liao and stand on its own in the east, all thanks to the virtues of your lords. I will drink a spoonful of wine with you. , and bathe in the same river, have you ever separated each other? Therefore, today I invite you to come here to discuss state affairs and decide the future national policy of our Dajin Kingdom. I hope you will have no scruples and speak freely. You all know that the Khitan people are despicable Shameless, you have deceived us many times. When I negotiated peace with the Liao Kingdom, I have already proposed that the Liao Kingdom canonize me as the emperor of the Dajin Kingdom, and that the Emperor of the Daliao Kingdom Yelu Yanxi respect me as a brother, and take the Dajin Kingdom as his elder brother. However, Emperor Yelu Yanxi of Tianzuo sent Taifu Xinilie to come here in May to make me the emperor of Donghuai Kingdom. It is really hateful! After our country rejected the canonization of Liao Kingdom, when Taifu Xinilie returned I once agreed with me to come back to Dajin before July and a half for further discussions after returning to China for business negotiations. However, the envoys from the Liao Kingdom never returned. It is already August and there is still no envoy from the Liao Kingdom. The Khitan people have broken their promises So, it’s really not as good as pigs and dogs! I don’t want to pay any attention to the Khitan people of Liao’s false peace, marching troops to attack Liao, and punish them for their unfaithful actions. I don’t know what you think?”

The Jurchen aristocrats present here have been oppressed by the Khitan people for generations, and they have always had hatred with the Khitan people. Moreover, most of the Jurchen people at this time are simple and honest, and they least like people who break their promises and promises. Therefore, when Wanyan Aguda finished speaking, All Jurchen nobles unanimously supported the use of troops against Liao.Obviously, when it comes to killing the Khitans, the Jurchens don't need to be mobilized.

Seeing the excitement of the crowd, all clamoring to beat the Khitan dog, Wanyan Aguda waved his hand to signal the crowd to stay calm.When everyone calmed down, Wanyan Aguda announced that the first state affairs had been agreed upon, and sent troops to attack Liao.Immediately afterwards, Wanyan Aguda told the people about the coming of the Great Song businessman Ximen Qing again, and asked them what they thought.

The Jurchen aristocrats talked a lot, saying that crossing the sea from the Great Song Dynasty to Ningcheng, our Dajin Congress, was much farther than coming from the Dading Mansion in Zhongjing, Liao Kingdom.The envoys of the Liao State never returned, but the merchants of the Song State returned so quickly, which shows that the Song State in the south is different from the Liao State, and really wants to make friends with our Dajin State.Behind Ximen Qing, it is obvious that the monarchs and ministers of the Song Dynasty are hidden.

The King of Jin and his ministers all share the same mind and have similar views on Ximen Qing's coming.But when it came to discussing whether to accept the Great Song Kingdom's overtures and form an alliance with the Great Song Kingdom in the south, disagreements arose.

Wanyan Wuye, Wanyan Talan, Wanyan Moulianghu, Wanyan Gushen and other important ministers who are proficient in Chinese supported exchanges with the economically and culturally developed Song Dynasty, and established friendship between the two countries through the alliance.

But Wanyan Wu Qimai, Wanyan Yanduhe, Wanyan Pujianu, Wanyan Loushi and other hardliners who are superstitious about the combat power of the Jin army believe that the alliance with the Song Dynasty is not beneficial to the Dajin Kingdom, and instead binds their own hands and feet. .Wanyan Wu Qimai said that the Jurchen warriors who were able to recruit good fighters from the Dajin Kingdom were enough to defeat the Khitan people and destroy the Daliao Kingdom.At that time, the entire territory of the Great Liao Kingdom will be owned by our Great Jin Kingdom, so why bother to form an alliance with the Great Song Kingdom and distribute Yanyun's land to them?It has long been heard that the army of the Southern Great Song State is weak in combat power. Since the founding of the country, the wars with the Khitan army of the Liao State have more defeats than victories.Even if we form an alliance with the Great Song Dynasty, how can we expect their army to defeat the Liao army and help our Dajin army in the battle?

During the meeting, the faction that advocated an alliance with the Song State and the faction that advocated fighting alone expressed their views, and it was difficult to distinguish between the superior and inferior, while some other Jurchen nobles were between the two factions, and they were hesitant for a while.

After arguing and debating among the people, it occurred to them at the same time that Wanyan Nian, who represented the Prime Minister Wanyan Sagai's faction and was most valued by the emperor Wanyan Aguda, hadn't expressed his opinion yet.

Therefore, the Jurchen nobles, including Wanyan Aguda, all turned their attention to Wanyan Nianbudao, wanting to hear his opinions.

Wanyan Lou Shi believed that Wanyan Nian Wudao was the tough main fighter in the army and would definitely stand on his side, so he asked first: "Nian Wudao, you know the strength of our Dajin Army best. I The army is all over the world, even breaking the Khitan army is invincible! As soon as my army arrives, the Liao Kingdom will be destroyed, so why should we form an alliance with the weak Song Dynasty? If you are sticky, you must agree with my Lou Shi's words, right?"

Wan Yanjian didn't laugh and said: "General Lou Shi is a famous general of our Dajin Kingdom. You are right about our Dajin Kingdom's Jurchen athletes. Our Dajin Army is indeed invincible in the world. However, although the Khitan has decayed , can no longer compete with our army, but it is a big country with a territory of thousands of miles from east to west, and it has no fewer than one million soldiers. If our army wants to completely wipe out the Khitan army, I really don't know how many girls will have to sacrifice. What a good man. Song Liguo was in the place of the Four Wars, surrounded by Khitan and Xixia without falling, how could he have no soldiers? I believe that it is the best policy to form an alliance with the Great Song Kingdom now, and we can make an appointment with the Song Kingdom Attack the Liao Kingdom from the north to the south, and use the Song army to contain and consume the Khitan army for our Jin army, so as to reduce the losses of our Jurchen sons and daughters."