Chapter 222 Seeking Death Is Not Like This…

After leaving Daming Prefecture, Su Wu went to Hejian Prefecture and Zhending Prefecture, but he just went there for the formalities and did not even inspect the military camps.

Because Su Wu knew that it didn’t matter whether he patrolled or not. If he wanted to rely on the soldiers in Hebei to fight this war, it would be nothing but a foolish dream.

Even if the civilians were to be recruited, if the prefectures in Hebei cooperated, more people from Hebei would be used. If the prefectures in Hebei did not cooperate, Su Wu also thought that there were still civilians from Jingdong to provide a backup.

Now, Su Wu’s greatest confidence lies in the two routes of Jingdong. It is nothing more than spending more money and food, and the cost is not much. Jingdong is very close to the Liao-Song border in Hebei, and the nearest place is only four or five hundred miles away.

Su Wu also knew that he could not solve the military corruption in Hebei with his current status…

We are still waiting for the outcome of the fight between the gods in the court. Li Gang’s impeachment memorial has already gone to Tokyo. Let’s see the result first.

This also seems to be a test. If Liang Shijie can really fall, then it will make sense for Su Wu to do subsequent things in Hebei. If Liang Shijie is very strong, then no matter how much Su Wu patrols Hebei, it will be in vain.

Late at night, in Cangzhou, north of Nigu Fort, hundreds of people gathered here under the cover of darkness, on the south bank of the Nigu River, which is also the south bank of the Haihe River, which is the boundary river between Song and Liao.

This place belongs to the Tianjin of later generations. A few dozen miles to the east is the Bohai Sea. After crossing the Nigu River in front of you is the Nanjing Road of the Liao Kingdom.

The seat of Nanjing Dao was Yanjing City, which was the Beijing City in later generations and the Nanjing City of the Liao Dynasty at that time.

It is also the central city of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, and is the location of the imperial city of the Liao Dynasty. To the west of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, there is another Western Capital of the Liao Dynasty, which is Datong, Shanxi.

The border between Song and Liao was very complicated. After the Treaty of Chanyuan, the two countries did not fight. In order to maintain long-term peace and to resist the invasion of the Liao people, the Song people planted a large number of thorns along the border, almost covering the border between the two countries.

In order to facilitate trade between the two countries, the Song Dynasty opened four trading posts in Xiongzhou, Bian Jing and other places. The Xiongzhou trading post was the main one. Bulk commodity transactions between the two countries, and even the annual tribute that the Song Dynasty sent to the Liao Dynasty, were all handed over through the Xiongzhou trading post.

But at this moment, the Xiongzhou market had already been closed. The more difficult the situation was for the Liao Kingdom, the less the Song Dynasty would do trade.

There are many villages and towns on the border that are jointly managed by the Song and Liao countries. In name, they belong to both the Liao and Song countries. It sounds a bit strange, but this is the reality.

Even the people in these places will go to whichever country’s policies are good to them. Of course, there are not many such places, and the population is not large either, only about tens of thousands of people in total.

Therefore, illegal crossing and smuggling were not difficult on the Song-Liao border, and there was even intermarriage between the two sides.

There are many places where people can smuggle across the border. Even though the north of Nigu Village is still a field of thorns, there are already paths opened up by local people and smuggling gangs among the thorns.

Lu Junyi knew all about these things. Tonight, Lu Junyi and Yan Qing were here too.

Four or five hundred people gathered here and will smuggle across the country in several waves. After smuggling across the country, they will disperse.

There were only forty or fifty people around Su Wu, nominally led by Lu Junyi. They were a trading caravan, and even brought a lot of food and supplies. Their destination was to transport these food and supplies smuggled from the State of Song to Yanjing City to sell.

Lu Junyi has always been the boss of the caravan. Su Wu is Lu Junyi’s sworn brother and also the second boss of the caravan.

There is also Li Gang, who is the accountant of the caravan, and Wu Song, who is the leader of the caravan guards.

There is also Yue Fei, who is now following Su Wu and serving as his personal bodyguard.

Wu Yong was also in the caravan, and was regarded as the second accountant. Su Wu had an inexplicable thought in his mind just now, so he called Wu Yong here. He always felt that in this kind of situation, having Wu Yong around to respond to emergencies would provide more protection.

Another one is Ma Zhi, also known as Zhao Liangsi. He pretends to be a local guide. If there is anything that requires communication with others, Zhao Liangsi will be responsible for it.

The remaining 400 or so people, led by Yan Qing, were all elite men. A few of them followed him, while the majority of them hid in the mountains during the day and went out at night. Some also went in and out of towns to inquire about the situation in various places…

The night was deep enough, and on the other side of the Nigu River, a few faint lights were lit and flickered.

When Lu Junyi saw this, he immediately said, “Get on the boat and cross the river!”

Yan Qing led people across the river first. Although Lu Junyi contacted his old friends, this time was different. Su Wu crossed the river personally. Nothing was more important than safety.

As soon as Yan Qing got on board with a lantern, the dim light of the lantern swayed slowly on the river shrouded in the night.

This light will not be brought ashore, but will remain on the boat and be guarded by someone. The light cannot be extinguished, as it is a signal of safety.

Only when the lantern returns by boat will it mean that everything is normal on the other side of the river. If anything unexpected happens on the other side, the lantern will immediately fall into the water.

Fortunately, Lu Junyi’s old partner in the smuggling business was really good, and everything went smoothly. Obviously, the old partner didn’t know that Lu Junyi was not here to do business, and he didn’t know what kind of people were in Lu Junyi’s caravan…

Then, Su Wu got on the ship again. This time, they were only transporting forty or fifty people and a large amount of cargo, and Yan Qing would come back.

As for the others, arrangements were made and they were led by Yan Qing to smuggle across the border from various places, just to keep it secret and avoid suspicion.

Su Wu even thought of a retreat plan. If everything went well, he would come back from here. If not, and he encountered danger, he would go back directly from Xiongzhou.

It is only two hundred miles from Yanjing to Xiongzhou of the Song Dynasty. If you run away, you can get there in two days and nights.

Su Wu was even more confident. If these four or five hundred men rushed forward and headed south, they would be unstoppable in the area south of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

There is another point. At this moment, the Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty did not have a hostile relationship. In fact, their relationship was very good, at least on the surface.

Over the past hundred years, Song and Liao were brotherly countries. According to the written version of Liao’s “Chanyuan Alliance”, Liao was the elder brother and Song was the younger brother.

Of course, according to the text of the Song Dynasty’s alliance, the two countries are no different from brothers, but brother countries.

Moreover, the diplomatic relations between the two countries, although there were occasional disputes in the past hundred years, were generally getting better and better. Whenever there was something wrong with the Song Dynasty, the Liao Dynasty would send envoys to congratulate or mourn, and whenever there was something wrong with the Liao Dynasty, the Song Dynasty would do the same.

Even when Song Renzong died, the Liao emperor would set up a tablet for him in the imperial city to pay tribute to him, bathing him and burning incense…

During the Liao Dynasty, the Sinicization of the Khitans reached an unprecedented level. The Liao emperor said in person: “I have preserved cultural relics, and their etiquette is no different from that of the Chinese.”

There is also the great wish of the Liao Emperor Yelu Hongji: May generations to come be born in China!

Thousands of years later, the original inscription on the Buddha statue can still be seen: One thousand taels of silver, cast two Buddha statues. Mighty and solemn, compassionate and compassionate. Protect our Liao Kingdom, forever. Kaitai Temple casts silver Buddha, wishing to be born in China in the future. Yelu Hongji, pious and silver cast.

The Liao people now regard themselves as China. This is a recognition in terms of legal theory and even a form of competition with the Song Dynasty.

The Liao and Khitan were once the people of the Tang Dynasty. The emperor of Liao was now appointed by heaven to live long and prosper, and he also inherited the mantle of the Tang Dynasty.

Do people in the Song Dynasty accept this? They may not accept it verbally, but in their hearts, they have become accustomed to it. Habit becomes natural, which is also a disguised form of acceptance.

Take the poems, articles, and letters of the Song Dynasty, among all the written documents handed down from the Song Dynasty, there has never been a single word expressing the hatred towards the Liao people. Even Su Shi, when expressing his feelings, said “Looking northwest, shooting the wolf in the sky.”

In other words, in history, after the Battle of Chanyuan, Song and Liao were no longer enemies soon. Whether among the people or the court, there was no hostility or opposition in terms of emotions, and the relationship even became more positive.

This is also one of the real reasons why Su Wu dared to go to Liao. Even if Su Wu was really captured in Liao, Liao would not kill the direct scholar of the Privy Council of Song Dynasty…

When would the hostility begin? The Song Dynasty would have to mobilize an army of 200,000 to attack. Only then would the two countries begin to become hostile again.

At that moment, if we stand in the perspective of the Liao people today, how hateful are the Song people? They betrayed the covenant, the good relationship of a hundred years, and everything, becoming a complete villain!

At that time, the 7,000 Liao troops who hurried south to fight were extremely angry.

Su Wu came from the Song Dynasty to the Liao Dynasty, from one China to another China.

It is true. Just look at the people of Yanyun. They are no different from the Song people. Even their dress and working methods are exactly the same. Of course, they are Han people.

First, when you enter Wuqing City, you will find that everything inside the city is similar to that of the Song Dynasty, not to mention the writing. The Khitans also created the Khitan script and promoted it. But just by looking at the various plaques in Wuqing City, you will know that the Khitan dignitaries may not all understand the Khitan script, but they definitely understand Chinese characters.

There was even competition between the Song and Liao dynasties in culture and literature. The poems written by the Liao people were not bad, and their scholars were also very knowledgeable.

Even the royal family of Liao, including the empress and concubines, were proud of being able to write lyrics and sing songs. The empress of Liao was even famous for writing “erotic lyrics”…

It is also important to mention that the Liao Dynasty’s ethnic policy was extremely good to the Han people. There might be some differences on the surface, but in reality, it had reached the point of treating everyone equally. Even in the court, there were countless Han officials.

Before the Liao Dynasty was established, the Khitan were the dogs and horses of the Tang Dynasty. When the country was established, they received a large number of help from the Han people. Later, it was common for the Han people to serve as prime ministers, powerful officials, and even “regents”.

It goes without saying that the Han people of the Liao Kingdom had a strong sense of belonging to the Liao Kingdom. Even when the Liao Kingdom ruled the grasslands and frequently went on expeditions to suppress rebellions, the major military headquarters and military headquarters of the Liao Kingdom on the grasslands were filled with countless Han troops and officials…

Historically, once the Jin Dynasty destroyed the Liao Dynasty, the Khitans and Han people became indistinguishable. Some time later, after the Mongols destroyed the Jin Dynasty, the Khitan people were completely gone and were directly classified as Han people. From then on, the name of the Khitan people completely disappeared in the long river of history.

Su Wu followed the caravan and wandered around Wuqing City. In fact, he was also curious. If we really want to talk about how much hatred Su Wu had for the Liao Kingdom at this time, in fact, there was not much…

Therefore, Su Wu was in a relaxed mood, but he was not strolling around. He would look at the city wall and the city gate from time to time, and even intended to wander around the military camp where the troops were stationed in the city.

Li Gang was also beside him, and he was extremely surprised. He just said: “I didn’t expect that the Liao Kingdom city would be so short of troops!”

Zhao Liangsi answered, “In the past few years, we have gone through so many rounds of withdrawals. We lost Huanglong Prefecture, Dongjing Liaoyang Prefecture, Shangjing Linhuang Prefecture, and now Zhongjing Dading Prefecture is under siege. How can we have so many soldiers and horses left here idle?”

Li Gang nodded: “Yes, the country is destroyed and the family is ruined…”

Su Wu even heard a hint of sadness in Li Gang’s words.

Su Wu just said: “I have bought some vegetables, fruits and meat, and will continue to go north.”

This Wuqing is just a place to stroll around. Then, a hundred miles away, you will reach the city of Huangyin, where Yanfang Pond is located. For hundreds of miles, Yanfang Pond is lush with water and grass, and animals are roaming around. Deer are crowing, and wild geese are returning home…

Not far to the northwest, also about a hundred miles away, is the city of Yanjing. In the future, the Jin Dynasty would establish its capital here, the Yuan Dynasty would establish its capital here, Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty would establish its capital here, and so would the Qing Dynasty, until the new China was also established here.

The emperor of the Liao Dynasty at this time was named Yelu Yanxi. He was a difficult person to evaluate, but his life outcome was also interesting. In the end, he was captured by the Jurchens just like Zhao Ji, and perhaps he even met Zhao Ji, who was also a Jurchen prisoner.

I wonder what the scene will be like when the two fallen emperors of the brotherly countries meet.

When they arrived at Yanjing City, Su Wu looked up. The city was big. Although not as big as Bianjing City, it was comparable to Hangzhou City.

There weren’t many soldiers at the city gate, and there were only a few on the city wall…

Su Wu felt relieved. He knew that it was not that the Liao people wanted this to happen, nor that all the people in Liao were so naive as to not guard against the Song in the south. It was just that they had come to this point, at the end of their rope. Even if they tried their best, they could not stop the Jurchens from advancing southward. How could they care about anything else?
After paying the commercial tax at the city gate, the caravan of forty or fifty people, with twenty or thirty vehicles, entered the city without any trouble, and no one carefully checked for any Song spies. How could there be spies among the Song people?

For decades, the Song Dynasty merchant caravans were never subject to strict inspections. They were only required to show respect and pay enough money…

After Su Wu entered the city, his first impression was not anything else but the Liao people’s admiration for Buddhism. Within the city, there were Buddhist temples of all sizes. The large ones were naturally like the Daxiangguo Temple in Bianjing City, while the small ones were no more than one or two rooms. They were truly everywhere.

Zhao Liangsi explained to Su Wu: “The emperors of the Liao Dynasty were all Buddhists. There are countless Buddhist temples in various places in the Liao Dynasty, and even more in the city of Yanjing…”

Su Wu knew that Song and Liao were actually the same thing, and there was no difference between them, inside and outside…

To say that Liao is China is actually true.

Find a place to stay and then send people out. Lu Junyi went to sell grain, and Zhao Liangsi went to find a place.

To the west of the imperial city of Yanjing, there is a mansion where lives Li Chuwen, a Han official who was the Liao Dynasty’s vice-chancellor, the Prince of Qishui, and the Liao Dynasty’s de facto prime minister at the time.

Today, someone came to see me. I stood outside the door politely, took out a bunch of copper coins, bowed to the gatekeeper, and then said, “I have a letter with confidential information. Please deliver it to King Li in person. Please deliver it in person. This is related to my country, so please be careful!”

Nothing fancy, the man said, and took out the letter from his pocket.

The servant had already taken the money, then the letter, and asked, “What’s your name?”

The man was named Zhao Liangsi, and he answered: “My name is Song Lai, Song of Song State, Lai of Come and Go. If King Li reads this letter and wants to find me, just go to Decheng Tavern not far away. I will wait for you there today. If you don’t come to find me today, I will leave by myself! Please!”

The servant first put the bunch of copper coins in the hand of another servant beside him, then nodded and said: “Well, the king is at home, you don’t leave yet, I’ll be back soon. If the king ignores you, you can go by yourself. If he wants to look for you, it’s easy to find you…”

“Thank you very much!” Zhao Liangsi bowed repeatedly.

The boy rushed in.

In a moment, he really ran out again. The servant said, “Come in, the king wants to see you!”

Zhao Liangsi was delighted when he heard this, but he also felt a little nervous for some reason. He turned his head to look at the street corner on the right. There was also a person there, and he nodded slightly.

Zhao Liangsi took a deep breath and walked into the mansion.

He walked through the hall and the courtyard and went straight to a study room. There sat a man in the study room. He was quite old, with white hair and beard, a pale and plump face, and a pair of eyes that looked at people like an eagle.

Just wait for Zhao Liangsi to come in and pay his respects: “I am Song Lai, I pay my respects to the king!”

Li Chuwen, the Prince of Qishui County of the Liao Dynasty, waved his hand, signaling the servant to leave, and then said, “Your accent really shows that you are from the Liao Dynasty.”

Zhao Liangsi nodded: “I am a Liao person.”

Li Chuwen looked down at the letter in his hand and asked, “This letter has no beginning or end. It only has eight words: Li Li is an envoy and bows his head. What does this mean?”

Zhao Liangsi smiled and said, “Your Majesty is such a great man, how could he not understand this little trick?”

It was indeed a little trick. Zhao Liangsi called Song Lai and Li Li, who was just a child. How could Li Chuwen not understand it? If he really couldn’t understand it, he wouldn’t have asked Zhao Liangsi to come in…

“It seems that you are not this person. Where are you?” Li Chuwen was stern and serious. His hawk-like eyes only scanned Zhao Liangsi.

Zhao Liangsi hesitated a little…

Li Chuwen immediately said, “Since I’m here but don’t see anyone, why come?”

Zhao Liangsi replied, “I have the audacity to ask you something first.”

“You said…” Li Chuwen’s face darkened, but his hands moved. He was slowly tearing the letter paper with eight words on it.

“Brothers quarrel within the walls, will they jointly resist foreign insults?” Zhao Liangsi has a fixed line.

But Li Chuwen replied: “Brothers have been friends for a hundred years, how could we ever quarrel with each other?”

Zhao Liangsi was overjoyed when he heard this: “Your Majesty, please wait a moment. I will go and invite you right away!”

“Go quickly, why make so much trouble!” Li Chuwen said this, feeling somewhat unhappy. Since the envoy from Song Dynasty had come, he should have come openly. Why make such a fuss about it?

Of course, Li Chuwen also knew that this envoy from Song Dynasty was probably more troublesome than before.

Su Wu was also very bold. When did he have the emperor’s order? Even Tong Guan did not know what envoy he had sent?
A moment later, Su Wu entered Li Chuwen’s study and bowed slightly: “Greetings, Your Majesty!”

Li Chuwen also looked at Su Wu, thinking something, and said bluntly: “You, the envoy of Song, are so young!”

Su Wu asked with a smile: “Your Majesty, why don’t you let me sit first?”

“Just sit down!” Li Chuwen raised his hand.

Su Wu sat aside and continued: “In today’s world, the elderly are more cautious, and only the young are eager to make progress!”

“What’s your name?” Li Chuwen narrowed his eyes.

“Su Wu, the academician of the Privy Council of the Great Song Dynasty and the commander-in-chief of the two armies in Jingdong. My nickname is Ziqing. I bow again!” Su Wu was polite and decent.

“Su Wu…” Li Chuwen repeated, and said, “There is a lot of attention in the officialdom of the Song Dynasty. I have never heard of such a young Su Wu emerging in the past…”

“What kind of proof does Your Majesty want to see? The imperial edict or my official seal?” Su Wu asked. Li Chuwen was such an experienced man, how could he win people’s trust with just a few words?
“Since you are an envoy from Song, you don’t need anything else. Where is the letter from the credible government?” Li Chuwen asked.

“No!” Su Wu shook his head.

“This is not the way to seek death…” Li Chuwen’s tone turned cold, and there was only a gap between his eyes.

(Brothers, I was going to ask for leave today, but I can only finish this much. Sorry, sorry. Please don’t scold me. I rarely ask for leave, only one or two days a month at most. This month I only asked for leave for my younger brother’s wedding. There will be more leave later. The transition plot is almost done, and the pace will pick up again…)
(End of this chapter)