The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 237: Letter Soldiers, Meeting

A few days later, a cast iron coffin nearly an inch thick was pulled into the prison.

Zhao Ti ordered the soldiers to place the coffin in the middle of the cell, and then asked people to carry Murong Longcheng into the coffin.

This iron coffin was cast using a mold made in the Military Equipment Bureau. There were seven small holes for air vents on the top of the coffin lid, shaped like the Big Dipper.

He looked at Murong Longcheng in the coffin for a moment and said, "Bring me some paper and pen."

The jailer was about to turn around, but after thinking for a moment, he said, "Guangzu should go back to the mansion to get the parchment."

Zhou Tong agreed, and after a while he took the parchment. At this time, the jailer set up the table and he sat behind the table to write.

He didn't know whether Murong Longcheng would wake up suddenly or take a long time to wake up. He planned to leave the book next to him, and the parchment could be preserved for a longer time and would not be easily damaged.

After a little thought, Zhao Ti wrote down the word "senior".

Then he smiled and shook his head. If this senior woke up and became amnesiac like last time, he would have to choose his words carefully.

I have to remind this senior what his name is, his identity, and why he faked his death and ended up in a metal coffin.

The reason for faking death is probably because of going too far in practicing martial arts.

Why was it put into a tin coffin? It is because according to legend, the tin coffin can shed its skin and remain in the world, and one will be reincarnated in this world in the next life and will not go anywhere else.

Senior, you made these arrangements because you were worried that I would not wake up. You hoped that even if I did not wake up, I would stay in this world in my next life.

Of course, this statement has a basis. When Bao Zheng was dying, he asked his young son's family to put him in an iron coffin, hoping that he would be reincarnated in the Song Dynasty to serve the country again.

But he was the God of Literature who had descended to earth, and maybe after returning to heaven, the iron coffin would be of no use to him.

Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes when he thought of this. Where is Bao Zheng's youngest son now? He is nearly 40 years old. He seems to be the magistrate of Tanzhou. He married Wen Yanbo's daughter and is a member of the old party.

As for the layers of iron chains tied around the coffin, it was naturally you who requested that I do this, fearing that I would turn into a zombie and bring disaster to the world. Senior, you are doing this for the sake of justice...

After a moment, he left behind nearly a thousand words.

As for whether Murong Longcheng would not lose his memory after waking up? That didn't matter. The senior was a gentleman, and a gentleman probably wouldn't pretend to have lost his memory and plot against me... As for being furious and wanting to seek revenge on me, it was inevitable.

However, even if I'm disguising myself, I can still tell.

Zhao Ti blew the writing on the parchment dry, but still felt something was not right, so he asked someone to go to the shop under the Zhou Bridge outside to buy the Yin-Yang, Water, Fire and Eight Trigrams Purple Ribbon Fairy Robe for Murong Longcheng to wear.

Next, he put the parchment into his arms, closed the iron coffin lid, and tied the coffin body with layers of iron chains as thick as forearms.

Then he called all the jailers together, gave them detailed instructions, and then took the two genealogy books of the Murong family and left the military prison.

Zhao Ti returned to his palace and nothing happened that night. The next day, he went outside the city to train the imperial guards after court.

At this moment, the four imperial guards stationed in Jingji Road, Jingdong Road, Jingxibei Road, and Jingxinan Road took turns coming to Tokyo to receive training.

These are the imperial guards directly under the imperial court. All four routes are set up to protect the capital. The so-called six armies generally refer to these armies directly under the imperial court.

As for the local regular troops, they are actually also called the imperial guards, while the wing troops are the wing troops, and the local soldiers are the local soldiers, and they are not confused.

The number of local imperial guards varies. There are fewer in the south where there is no war, and more in the northwest where there are many wars.

The Song Dynasty had only 5,200 imperial guards in the Jiangnan East Route, no more than 4,000 in the Liangzhe Route, and only 4,500 in the Fujian Route.

This does not include those who are drawing salaries without working; the actual number is probably about 20% to 30% less.

The Hedong Road facing the border in the north has 80,000 troops alone, and the Hebei Roads have 70,000 troops. If the garrison troops and local soldiers are added, the two roads will each have over 100,000 troops.

As for the imperial guards of the four routes in the capital, they are directly under the command of the Imperial Guards, and the cavalry has staff directly under the command of the Reconstruction Department, the Dragon Guards' left and right wings, the Central Dragon Guards, the Cloud Cavalry Army, and the Xiaojie Army.

The directly-controlled infantry troops include the Left and Right Wings of the Divine Guard, the Tiger Wing Army, the Wuwei Army, the Xiongwu Army, the Fengjie Army, and the Buwu Army.

The so-called Dragon and Divine Guards of the Song Dynasty refer to the left and right wings of the Dragon Guards and the left and right wings of the Divine Guards of the Imperial Guard.

In addition to the Yulong guards and the palace guards, the Dianqian Division also had jurisdiction over the cavalry and infantry.

Among them are the directly-controlled cavalry troops including the Bongri Left and Right Wings, the Gongchen Army, the Xiaoqi Army, the Khitan Army, the Longmeng Army, the Shenqi Army, the Xiaoxiong Army, the Tuhun Army, the Anqing Army, the Qingshuo Army, the Qinrong Army, the Xiaosheng Army, the Ningshuo Army, and the Feimeng Army.

The cavalry of the Palace Front Department seems to be more numerous than that of the Imperial Guard Department, but in fact, except for the left and right wings of the Sun-Bonding Department, most of these cavalry are not organized as legions. They are just a command organization and the number of people is not large.

The infantry directly governs the Tianwu left and right wings, Guangyong Army, Shenyong Army, Xiongwei Army, Xuanwu Army, Guangde Army, Guangjie Army, Xiongwei Army, Xuanwei Army, Shenshe Army, and Bianjian Army.

The so-called Song Dynasty's Pengri Tianwu refers to the Pengri Army of the Palace Front Department and the Tianwu Army of the Ministry of War.

At this moment, not only the troops under the Imperial Guard came to Tokyo for training, but also the troops under the Palace Front Department came.

The commander-in-chief of the Palace Guard and Grand Marshal Miao Shou also came to the outside of the city. Miao Shou was the son of Miao Jing, a frontier general during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, and a descendant of Miao Jinqing, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty. He was the real founder of the Miao family generals, one of the main culprits of the Miao Liu Rebellion, and the grandfather of Miao Fu.

He was now nearly seventy years old, with white hair and beard, but he wore a helmet and armor, a battle robe, and rode a war horse. He and Zhao Ti inspected and taught the troops together.

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the four regions of the capital were rotated almost every day and transferred to Tokyo for training. These soldiers had not fought on the battlefield for dozens or even hundreds of years.

Since Emperor Zhenzong personally led the expedition to Chanzhou, the imperial guards in the capital of the Song Dynasty could only suppress mountain bandits and local rebellions at most, and no more than a few thousand people were sent at that time. Often, when the troops arrived, the enemy would either scatter or accept the amnesty, and there was not much fighting.

Therefore, their actual combat effectiveness is almost non-existent, and their courage is far less than that of the Western Army and the Northern Border Army.

Even though these imperial guards were equipped with the best clothes and armor of the Song Dynasty, holding the most elite weapons produced by the current military equipment bureau, and riding the strongest Hequ Qingtang war horses, they were actually unable to fight.

However, it would be a bit too modest to say that they were completely incapable of fighting. But according to Zhao Ti's observations over the past few days, at least one Western Army soldier could easily defeat three Imperial Guards soldiers of the Capital.

This is after excluding factors such as battlefield command and coordination, military discipline, courage and strategy, and only looking at the quality of individual soldiers.

If those were added, it might be possible for the Western Army's 8,000-man force to defeat the 50,000-man army of the Capital's Imperial Guards.

At this time, the sun was setting and the sky was dim and yellow. Miao Su's face looked a little unhappy. He could find an excuse for one or two armies, but the imperial guards who had come to Tokyo for training in recent days were all like this. He felt a little uneasy.

He turned his head and looked at Zhao Ti: "Prince Yan, this..."

Zhao Ti looked at the endless dark mass in front of him, the imperial guards who were so tired that they were staggering, had their helmets and armors removed, and were breathing heavily with their tongues hanging out, and he sighed.

"Take your time." He shook his head. "We are not asking them to fight Xixia. If a war really breaks out, they can at most go north to support the Liao border, or just protect the capital. They can still be of some use."

"But this, this is too..." Miao Shou was quite distressed on the horse. In fact, he had been in charge of the Palace Front Department for many years and had some responsibility. Usually, the military coaches would practice the martial arts of the Tokyo garrison, which was a daily routine.

The real large-scale military training requires the emperor's order. Without the emperor's order, he cannot dispatch all the troops to Tokyo for training.

In fact, Zhao Ti had no better solution for this. After all, elite troops are not made in a short period of time, and real elite soldiers have experienced battlefields. The duty of the Capital Imperial Guards is to guard Tokyo and protect the court. How could they be sent to the border to fight at will?

Emperor Taizong's Northern Expedition during the Yongxi period and Emperor Zhenzong's Battle of Chanzhou were both led by the emperor himself, so he brought many imperial guards from the capital to the front lines. Otherwise, he would never have been allowed to act without authorization.

Zhao Ti said: "It is better to sharpen your spear before the battle. After all, even if the war breaks out in the future, it will be in the spring after the New Year."

Miao Shou sighed: "That's all I can think of."

Seeing that it was getting late, Zhao Ti said, "Let's stop here today. Old General, please go back home and we will continue tomorrow."

Miao Shou nodded, clasped his fists on the horse, then pulled the reins, turned the horse's head and walked away. He was wearing an old red cloak, and his figure was extremely lonely under the setting sun. Zhao Ti also turned Black Rose, who cried out and walked reluctantly towards the city, and returned to the palace after a long while.

As soon as he entered the palace, Tong Guan came to report: "Your Highness, there is a foreigner who wants to see you. Su Da said he knows him. Your Highness must meet him. I will arrange for him to wait in the front hall."

"Oh?" Zhao Ti asked, "Who is it and what's his name?"

Tong Guan said: "He is said to be a Jianghu person, his last name is Xiao and his name is Feng."

"Xiao Feng?" Zhao Ti smiled. There had been no news about Xiao Feng since last year, and he thought he was in Liao Kingdom, but he didn't expect that he had already returned.

He went straight to the front hall, and as he stepped through the door he saw a big man, about thirty years old, with a very sturdy build, wearing an old grey cloth robe, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, a high nose and a wide mouth, a square face, and a weathered look.

The big man was none other than Xiao Feng. After coming down from Mount Song, he went straight to the capital. One reason was to thank Zhao Ti for rescuing him at the bank of Luo River, and the other was to thank Zhao Ti for sparing Xiao Yuanshan in Shaolin.

Xiao Yuanshan attempted to steal the Yi Jin Jing in Shaolin, but was knocked out of the window by Zhao Ti with a palm, but he survived. He then asked Xuan Ci to take care of him and handed him over to the Sweeping Monk to resolve the hatred in his heart.

Xiao Yuanshan killed many people, some of whom had nothing to do with the incident at Yanmen Pass. Some of them even used Xiao Feng's name. He deserved to die, but Zhao Ti left him a glimmer of hope, which was considered a great favor.

At this time, Xiao Feng fell to the ground and bowed respectfully: "I, Xiao Feng, pay my respects to Your Highness. I thank Your Highness for your kindness in sparing my father's life and giving him a safe place to live."

Zhao Ti nodded and said, "Why do you have to do this, Mr. Xiao? Hurry up and get up, sit down and talk."

Xiao Feng stood up and stood aside: "Your Highness is here, I cannot sit down without courtesy."

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "Didn't everyone in the posthouse drink alcohol that day? Why are you talking about not being able to sit down now?"

Xiao Feng said rather embarrassedly: "Your Highness, I didn't know your identity at that time, it was really impolite..."

Zhao Ti shook his head: "Please sit down. It's a good opportunity for you to talk to me about what I've experienced in the past one or two years."

Seeing that Zhao Ti would not allow him to refuse, Xiao Feng had no choice but to sit down and said, "I am rude, Your Highness, please forgive me."

After a while, tea was served, and Zhao Ti said, "Let me tell you about my journey north through Yanmen Pass."

Xiao Feng nodded and started to talk immediately, detailing every detail until he mentioned that he had gone to the Jiedushi Division of Jian'an Army, Khatun City, where the chief shaman of the Liao Dynasty was located.

This is an important town in the northwest of Liao and a place of Houqi. Since the founding of Liao, it has been valued by successive Liao emperors and was the headquarters of Liao Northwest Road Recruiting Office.

Zhao Ti knew this place. Even during the war at the end of the Liao Dynasty when the Jurchens conquered the Liao Dynasty, this place remained relatively stable, with more than 20,000 cavalrymen from various armies and hundreds of thousands of war horses.

Later, the Liao Dynasty was destroyed and Emperor Tianzuo was captured. The so-called story that Yelu Dashi led two or three hundred cavalrymen on a westward expedition and conquered the vast Western Liao territory with only a few hundred people is nonsense and untrue.

Yelu Dashi came to Khatun City with several hundred cavalrymen, and only after summoning the kings of seven states and eighteen tribes did he proclaim himself king. Later, he led Khatun City and more than ten thousand elite cavalrymen from various tribes to counterattack. By the seventh year of Tianhui, he had recaptured two camps of the Jin Dynasty.

But later, seeing that the Jin Dynasty was in its heyday and unable to recover the lost territories of the Liao Dynasty, he decided to destroy the Jin Dynasty and restore the Liao Dynasty. After much thought, he led tens of thousands of troops and horses to start the Western Expedition, and finally established the Western Liao Dynasty.

"Khotun City." Zhao Ti nodded: "The headquarters of Shamanism is indeed in Khotun City. Have you fought with them?"

Xiao Feng said: "I have fought against more than one shaman, and I had several battles with one of them."

"Oh?" Zhao Ti knew that Shamanism was led by a high priest, who had seven priests in charge of the four directions. However, it was just a priest who could fight with Xiao Feng for several rounds, which showed how strong his martial arts were.

"Can a mere priest have such high abilities?"

Xiao Feng said, "Your Highness, this shaman is the leader of the seven shaman priests. He is nearly a hundred years old and has profound skills. He is especially good at the Shan Zi Jing internal skills. He fought with the Shen Fang Eighteen Fights and is the best person under the Shaman High Priest."

"Shan Zi Jing..." Zhao Ti tapped the table with his fingers and heard the name again.

This martial art is clearly from the Shanhaiguan of the Southern Tang Dynasty, but for some reason it ended up in the Liao Kingdom and was obtained by the Shamanism. Was it Xiaoyaozi who taught it back then?

But why did Xiaoyaozi pass down this skill? If he had taken refuge in Shamanism and the Liao Kingdom, it would be understandable, but he obviously fled to Tianshan and to a mysterious place like Changchun Valley, and did not settle down in the Liao Kingdom. How could he have passed down such a unique skill?

He asked, “Are there many shamans there?”

Xiao Feng pondered, "Although the Liao people worship Buddha, everyone believes in Shamanism. Every family has a Shaman tablet to worship. Even poor families write the names of various gods on yellow paper, burn incense devoutly, and offer sacrifices every day. If these can be considered believers, then they are indeed a huge number."

Zhao Ti nodded. Almost every ethnic group on the grassland believed in shamanism. Even if they believed in Buddhism or other religions, it did not prevent them from believing in shamanism.

Once people on the grassland get sick, they often collect herbs. If the herbs don't work, they will ask shamans to come and perform a ritual. Shamans have special methods of treating diseases, similar to the thirteen branches of incantations, which are very strange and often work miraculously. Therefore, people on the grassland cannot do without shamans.

As for the gods they worship, there are many kinds. Most families do not worship gods of heaven or earth, as these are too big for ordinary people to afford. Ordinary people often worship mountains, water, trees, stones, etc. They also worship some wild beasts and insect spirits, such as foxes, snakes, rats, etc.

Zhao Ti said: "These can be considered believers, but they are different from true believers. True believers will fight to the death for the Church. They only have the gods they worship in their hearts and will not tolerate external things. If there is a real chaos, how can these ordinary people protect their religion? They also have to take care of their families."

Xiao Feng said: "Your Highness is absolutely right."

Then he talked about Xiao Feng's mother's family in the Southern Dynasty of Liao. It was getting dark. The east kitchen had prepared wine and food, and the two went to drink.

When the banquet was over, the moon was already high in the sky. Zhao Ti arranged for Xiao Feng to live in the Golden Wind and Rain Tower, and he would visit him every day to chat with him.

Seven days later, Xiao Feng left. Zhao Ti pondered and asked, "Xiao, are you willing to work in the army?"

Xiao Feng was stunned when he heard this, and bowed his head and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for not looking down on me as a foreigner. Xiao Feng also wants to do something, but I have not done anything at the moment, so how can I care about Your Highness's reputation? If I rashly join the army, I am afraid that people will criticize me and affect Your Highness's reputation."

Zhao Ti nodded: "Where are we going?"

Xiao Feng said, "Your Highness cleared me up in front of the Beggars' Sect members on the bank of Luo River that day. Now that I have returned to the Central Plains, the Beggars' Sect has also spread the news, asking me to go back and continue to manage the affairs of the sect. I want to see if I can reorganize it and make achievements in the northwest, which will not disappoint Your Highness's efforts."

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "That's fine, but the Beggars' Sect is full of good and evil people. Some are loyal and righteous, some are cunning and deceitful, and some are sinister and vicious. We should use thunderous means and not be soft-hearted. If necessary, we can seek help from the government."

Xiao Feng nodded and said, "I'll save it. Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness."

Zhao Ti thought for a moment and said, "I have one more thing to tell you, so that you can put your mind at ease."

Xiao Feng asked, "Your Highness, what is this matter?"

Zhao Ti said: "You already know the cause and effect of the Yanmen Pass incident. The culprit, Murong Bo, was imprisoned last year. He died in a prison break before you arrived in Tokyo."

Xiao Feng was stunned when he heard this, then he became excited and prostrated himself on the ground: "I would like to thank Your Highness for avenging Xiao Feng and fulfilling his wish."

Zhao Ti reached out his hand to help him up: "This was also an accident. Murong Bo was supposed to be beheaded the next day, but he died the night before. However, it was what he deserved, so there is no need to discuss how he died."

Xiao Feng clasped his fists again and said, "Your Highness, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. Wherever Your Highness asks me to do, I will follow you and will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Zhao Ti shook his head and said, "Why bother talking about repaying? Military affairs count all the time. You can come anytime. If you want to make merit, you can come again."

"I understand, and I will keep it in mind." Xiao Feng bowed again, then left and gradually disappeared.

Jiangnan, Liangzhe West Road, Suzhou.

Murong Fu and the man walked out of a restaurant. He already knew the man's name, which was Zhou Yan.

At this time, he led the way, out of the west gate and headed straight for Taihu Lake. After heading south from the capital, he led the man through many places, but no matter how many twists and turns they took, they finally arrived in the south of the Yangtze River.

Now that Taihu Lake is within reach, it is not appropriate to walk around aimlessly. I can only walk on in silence, feeling anxious.

When we arrived at the shore of Taihu Lake, we hired a small boat and soon saw Qinyun Cottage in the distance.

(End of this chapter)