A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 462 Setting Up a Hongmen Banquet
Ma Yuan felt somewhat grateful for the trust the King of Yan had placed in him.

After all, he lacked confidence when faced with questions from the other three major families.

However, the intelligence sent back by the spies hidden in Tokyo, while lacking specific details, generally yielded the same result.

Han Lu looked doubtful:

"Prince Yan, what's wrong with you to make such a judgment?"

After all, in his view, the King of Yan was an extremely cautious person, so how could he possibly believe Ma Yuan's one-sided story?

Xiao Xiaomu clapped his hands and ordered his commander's flag to be brought up.

After his personal guards planted the commander's flag aside, he pointed to it:
"Look, everyone, this is what Song Xuan shot across the river. It arrived in an instant and it wasn't far, only about seventy paces."

Everyone stood up and carefully examined the mark left by the arrow.

"Seventy steps, and you arrived smoothly; that's quite an achievement."

Han Lu nodded slightly.

He himself couldn't be that accurate.

"What's so difficult about that?"

Zhao Weigan chuckled:
“Prince Yan, many warriors of our Liao Dynasty are capable of such accuracy.”

Liu Liufu, however, felt alarmed.

After all, Song Xuan was a scholar, so how could he be so skilled at archery?

"Yes, many warriors of our Great Liao can do it too."

Xiao Xiaomu agreed, then said:

"But within fifty paces there was someone blocking the flagpole's view, and Song Xuan was able to accurately shoot the hat on the hat's head, the arrow hitting the flagpole with the hat attached."

"How many warriors do you think my Great Liao has that can do this?"

"what?"

Even Zhao Weigan, who had established himself in the Liao Dynasty with his bravery, subconsciously exclaimed "Ah!"

He instinctively retorted, "Prince Yan, how could that be!"

If it were simply a matter of hitting the flagpole, many skilled Khitan archers could do that.

However, with the river in between and people in between, the arrows would inevitably have their flight paths affected by the hats they were flying through.

If even that can be successful, Zhao Weigan wouldn't dare to guarantee it.

Han Lu then squinted, thought carefully for a moment, and then shook his head:
“The Prince of Yan wouldn’t lie; Song Xuan’s archery skills are truly remarkable.”

"I remember the last top scholar of the Song Dynasty, Wang Zeng, who achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations. Although his archery skills were excellent, none of them were as good as this."

Han Lu had served as an envoy to the Song Dynasty and had received many Song envoys, so he knew them quite well. He had never actually encountered a scholar like Song Xuan who was both a scholar and a warrior.

Xiao Xiaomu then described in detail how Song Xuan first discovered their ambush on the mountaintop and attacked them under the pretext of being traitors.

Then, as a civil official, he rode alone with a spear, shot off Xiao Ge's hat, and pierced through the flagpole of this Prince of Yan.

The arrow terrified Xiao Ge, rendering him unable to utter any more threats. Instead, he hid behind the army formation, fearing that the arrow would kill him.

With such precise archery skills, Xiao Xiaomu didn't think Song Xuan was just lucky!
Instead, Xiao Ge was lucky; Song Xuan actually met the Emperor, and according to his story, Xiao Ge's death was in vain.

Song Xuan shattered his prejudice against the Song people as weak by using tough measures.

After hearing this, everyone found it unbelievable.

But these words came from the King of Yan, who was always cautious in his actions. He handled Han government affairs in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun with great skill. How could he possibly praise a Song person for no reason?

That means this actually happened.

No wonder the Prince of Yan asked about Song Xuan as soon as he arrived.

Han Lu said with considerable emotion:

“Your Highness, Song Xuan is a bold man, yet he is also quite cautious in his actions.”

"The key point is that he was a top scholar in the civil service examination, yet he displayed the bravery of a military general. The strength of the Song Dynasty today is truly not to be underestimated!"

"No wonder His Majesty has repeatedly discussed with Lü Demao whether the young Song emperor would start a war after ascending the throne. He truly had foresight."

Although the emperor was not present, the others all agreed with Han Lu's praise of the emperor.

After all, he was the emperor of the Khitan.

That must be a wise and enlightened emperor!

Everyone was afraid that someone would report their disapproval of the emperor's praises to His Majesty, and they would be in deep trouble.

Liu Liufu felt that those Song soldiers had been ordered to raise dust, deliberately mocking the soldiers of the Great Khitan, causing their formation to break down, which enraged the Prince of Yan, but he was helpless to do anything about it.

This young man will surely become a great figure in the Song court in the future. Should I take the opportunity to befriend him and gain more support for my family?
After all, he himself was destined to take the imperial examination and become an official, continuing the Liu family's tradition of civil service.

If war were to break out between the Song and Liao dynasties, Liu Liufu believed it would benefit his family.

Anyway, it will be the others who rush in and fight to the death, while the Liu family can get more benefits just by talking.

Xiao Xiaomu stroked his beard and smiled:

"Indeed, I thought I had been defeated by an unknown nobody, but after hearing Vice Commander Ma's introduction, I realize that my defeat was not entirely unjust."

Han Lu nodded in agreement.

He had just said that Song Xuan was an unknown nobody and not worth investigating.

It seems we still need to send a message to Tokyo immediately to gather all the information about Song Xuan.

Only in this way can we better understand this opponent.

Of course, in Han Lu's view, since Song Xuan had caused His Highness the Prince of Yan to suffer a loss, then for him to further belittle Song Xuan would be to humiliate the Prince of Yan.

Although he is arrogant, he would not do such a thing, needlessly making enemies.

In officialdom, one still needs to be mindful of interpersonal relationships and social interactions.

Xiao Tali thought everyone would criticize Song Xuan, but not only his father, but everyone else praised Song Xuan highly.

She doesn't understand!

The Song people were clearly the enemy, so why didn't everyone share the same hatred for them?

They flipped through the pages and started praising them, unnecessarily boosting the morale of others.

“Father, I don’t think Song Xuan is very reasonable.”

Hearing his daughter's words, Xiao Xiaomu burst into laughter:

"Reasonable?"

Everyone had smiles on their faces.

Only the weak struggle to reason; the reasoning of the strong is the most correct reasoning.

You just need to tell him what to say.

Xiao Xiaomu felt that his daughter was deeply influenced by Han Chinese culture.

"Why are you laughing, Father and everyone else?"

"I laughed at my daughter for being a bit naive."

Xiao Xiaomu didn't continue, but in fact, when reasoning is possible, the weak should listen to the strong.

How much patience does the strong have to listen to the reasoning of the weak?

Actually, the most vulnerable defense right now is still Du's defense.

He was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) from the Liao Dynasty, and after many years of hard work, he finally managed to get in touch with the Prince of Yan.

Du Fang knew that although the Prince of Yan was quite kind to the Han people, he was also able to discern the arrogance in his bones.

That's why he tried every means to get close to the Prince of Yan's daughter, hoping to become his son-in-law, climb the social ladder, and win the heart of the beauty.

With such a good life, how could he not want to live it?
But Du Fang never expected that Song Xuan was also a Han Chinese.

Instead of submitting to the Liao Dynasty, he directly took action and became enraged.

He immediately won the "respect" of the Prince of Yan and others!
Those who are compliant are not valued, while those who are angry are praised.

This sense of gap.

Du Fang really doesn't understand.

They were both Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), but one served in the Liao Dynasty and the other in the Song Dynasty. Was the difference between them really that great?

Is it really true that oranges grown south of the Huai River are sweet oranges, but those grown north of the Huai River are bitter oranges?

Listening to Ma Yuan's account, it became clear that Song Xuan was not only so domineering in the Liao Dynasty, but also in the Song Dynasty court.

Not to mention that the Song emperor was young and could tolerate such a person.

But even the Empress Dowager of the Great Song Dynasty, Du Fang had only heard of her going through several political struggles before she managed to defeat several prime ministers of the Great Song Dynasty.

How could she allow such an unconventional new top scholar to be in the imperial court?
She didn't dare utter a word when her in-laws were killed by Song Xuan, and when she failed to stop him, she didn't dare blame Song Xuan either.

In the Liao Dynasty, who would dare to do this unless ordered by the emperor?

Even if she's the Empress, that won't do!

Du Fang knew that the Song Dynasty highly valued Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), but did becoming the top scholar in the Song Dynasty truly bring such favor?

Because he had firsthand experience of being a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) in the Liao Dynasty.

No matter how powerful you Han Chinese are, you will never surpass the hereditary descendants of the Khitans.

However, Han Derang creatively forged a new path.

Therefore, many Han Chinese, such as Du Fang, were willing to form marriage alliances with Khitan nobles.

If the Empress Dowager could take a liking to him, that would be the best thing.

Everyone would love to be Lao Ai for a moment, how exciting!

Not only themselves, but their families can also reap huge benefits.

In any case, the Khitan people were quite open-minded about these things.

If a wife sleeps with another man after her husband dies, it's no big deal.

There were also women who had sex with others before they died; in the Khitan people's ideology, that aspect was extremely open.

Sons are required to marry any of their father's women other than their biological mother. If a son has no son, his nephew or brother will inherit the women.

Moreover, if his wife died, he would marry his sister if he had one, or his niece if he didn't.

This is also to protect the interests of the family and the interests of one's own descendants.

Yelü Hongji's empress was unable to have children, so he directly forced the empress's sister to divorce her and re-enter the palace as a concubine, where she bore him a son and a daughter.

Although Emperor Taizong of Liao had long ago abolished this practice of continuation of marriage, the entire Liao state was still very superstitious about this concept.

Therefore, it not only became popular within the Khitan, but also indirectly influenced the Han people in the Sixteen Regions of Yan and Yun to imitate it.

This explains why the Khitans were a fragmented tribe before establishing their state. Even when they formed alliances under the rule of power, the hatred between the various tribes still existed.

Therefore, such levirate marriages and cousin marriages were all intended to unite clans that were originally divided.

After several generations and decades of development, everyone has become blood relatives.

With everyone's interests tied together, it was less likely that the regime would be overthrown from within, thus better maintaining the Khitan people's internal rule.

Prince Xiao Xiaomu of Yan ignored the secretly distressed Du Fang and stared at the flagpole:

"Song Xuan's attitude is so tough, no wonder even the Southern Chancellor is willing to believe him but not me."

Han Lu raised an eyebrow: "Prince Yan, what do you mean by that?"

He felt that Yelü Gou'er and the Prince of Yan had worked together very well before Yelü Gou'er went on a mission to the Song Dynasty, so why didn't he trust the Prince of Yan?
"That treasure is, after all, something His Majesty likes. If the Prime Minister is just careful, there shouldn't be any problem."

Xiao Xiaomu chuckled lightly:
"I just didn't expect that Song Xuan is not only brave and resourceful, but also quite eloquent. He should not be underestimated."

No one answered. Whatever conflict arose between the Prince of Yan and the Chancellor of the South was not something they could easily meddle in.

Besides, without knowing the whole story, it's best not to speak carelessly.

Xiao Xiaomu didn't pay any attention and sat back down.
"I have lost the first round this time. You all need to give me some advice on how to win back the score."

"I wonder what kind of victory the Prince of Yan desires?"

Han Lu first inquired about the matter, since His Majesty greatly admired that treasure, and Yelü Gou'er and Song Xuan were escorting it.

Moreover, as the Prince of Yan is currently the envoy for receiving and escorting the guests, he cannot afford to make any mistakes.

"I don't know either." Xiao Xiaomu sat down in his chair and chuckled softly.
"To be honest, it has been a long time since I have encountered such a bold and reckless Song person."

"Especially since he was in the procession escorting His Majesty's favorite treasure, it was as if he had a talisman."

"The Southern Chancellor doesn't even want to have contact with me, so how can I single them out?"

Since the Prince of Yan had spoken in this way, they naturally racked their brains, trying to help him win back some ground without making any mistakes.

However, he was somewhat constrained, since that precious glass item was fragile, and if something happened to it, he feared he wouldn't be able to withstand the emperor's wrath.

"This Song man is truly cunning!" Zhao Weigan commented.
“Prince Yan, if it were a one-on-one duel, I would definitely make that Song man suffer a defeat.”

Xiao Tali blinked.

She witnessed Song Xuan charging forward with his spear, and his posture was far from being just for show.

Besides, Song Xuan's father-in-law is the supreme commander of the Song Dynasty. How could he possibly be interested in a son-in-law who doesn't have any martial arts skills?
"This is unacceptable."

Xiao Xiaomu didn't think that Song Xuan's archery skills were good, but his horsemanship skills were good. He could tell that Song Xuan's horsemanship skills were just average.

"No matter what, they were envoys of the Song Dynasty. The Song and Liao Dynasties signed the Treaty of Chanyuan more than 20 years ago, and there has never been a war since."

"If you, Zhao Weigan, were to accidentally stab Song Xuan to death, do you think His Majesty would spare your life?"

Xiao Xiaomu waved his hand again: "Even if you say you'll pay with your life, won't the rest of your Zhao family be affected?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Weigan dared not gamble anymore.

He dared not open a breach of the border and provoke conflict.

“Especially for such a trivial matter, if I, as the Prince of Yan of the Great Khitan, were to take such drastic measures, it would be too much for the Song people to underestimate me.”

Xiao Xiaomu smiled and said, "Haven't you thought of any way to defeat Song Xuan?"

"Use your brain, not your knife!"

Liu Liufu stood up:
"Your Highness, I have a humble idea."

"speak."

Xiao Xiaomu knew that the Liu family had been civil officials for generations, and that civil officials had a family tradition of dealing with each other.

"Why not set up a trap here in the Prince of Yan's mansion to intimidate Song Xuan and the other Song people?"

"Hongmen Banquet?"

Han Lu glanced at Liu Liufu, thinking it was just the view of a scholar.

"Even if the Prince of Yan summons warriors to set up a trap, does he really intend to have someone perform a sword dance to assassinate Song Xuan?"

When questioned by powerful figures like Han Lu, Liu Liufu naturally dared not refute them:

"This banquet is certainly not a pleasant one; it all depends on whether Song Xuan dares to attend."

"What if he dares to attend the banquet?"

Han Lu and others continued to ask questions, but Liu Liufu remained unfazed:
“We should treat him well, first lower his guard, find his weakness, and then force him to drink a lot of wine. It would be best to find a man dressed as a woman and send him to his bed.”

Hearing Liu Liufu's words, Xiao Tali frowned; she disliked this kind of thing the most.

They always greet people in that direction.

Xiao Xiaomu shook his head slightly:
"As far as I know, this is not a big deal in the Song Dynasty. I have heard that many scholars and officials have page boys, and it is a common occurrence."

Han Lu narrowed his eyes slightly: "Prince Yan, the most important thing is not what you do to Song Xuan at the banquet."

"Oh?" Xiao Xiaomu raised an eyebrow slightly: "Third Brother, have you thought of another method?"

"Naturally, we must clear up the misunderstanding between the Prince of Yan and the Chancellor of the South."

Han Lu stroked his beard and said:
“If we invite Song Xuan to the banquet, he will definitely be very wary of the Prince of Yan, but Yelü Gou’er is different.”

“I can go and communicate with Yelü Gou’er on behalf of the Prince of Yan to clear up the misunderstandings here.”

"Only with such internal and external cooperation can we better find Song Xuan's weaknesses and exploit them to achieve the goal of turning the tide."

Now that Song Xuan has united with Yelü Gou'er to deal with the Prince of Yan and others, Han Lu believes that it will be much easier to do things later if they break up the two of them first.

In this way, His Majesty's treasure would not be damaged, and the amulet that Song Xuan had voluntarily draped over his body disappeared.

At that time, the King of Yan will be able to turn the tables and take the initiative while on his journey.

After listening to Han Lu's idea, Xiao Xiaomu nodded slightly. The most important thing was to make Yelü Gou'er believe in him again.

In this way, Song Xuan would become completely unfamiliar with the territory of the Great Khitan, and would be at their mercy.
"Okay, let's do it according to Third Brother's idea."

After Xiao Xiaomu finally made the decision, he also praised Liu Liufu, who had thrown out the first idea, and commended him for his youth and talent.

Such empty words as "He will surely achieve more political accomplishments for the Great Khitan in the future".

Liu Liufu expressed his gratitude.

However, he was thinking that when he got back, he should write to his second brother to ask if his family had inquired about Song Xuan's whereabouts.

Song Xuan will be staying in Zhongjing for a while, so his older brothers can make preparations.

Xiao Xiaomu then asked his daughter if she had any good ideas at the banquet that could stall Song Xuan for a little longer.

This way, we can buy Han Lu more time.

Xiao Tali shook his head:

“Father, my thoughts are very simple. Forget about poetry and songs; there’s probably no one in the entire city of Nanjing who can compare to him.”

"As for other ways to strike him down, I haven't thought of any."

"Am I really going to have to go on stage and perform a sword dance?"

"You'll perform?"

Xiao Xiaomu thought for a moment, then shook his head:

"That won't do. My daughter is the most beautiful woman in the Liao Dynasty. How can she be allowed to dance with a sword for him?"

"If he becomes infatuated with you, it will be bad for your reputation."

"There's no need for that. Third Brother is right. If we can just get Song Xuan to come to the banquet, we'll have already succeeded more than halfway."

"As for attacking him or anything like that, there's no need."

"If we anger him and make him leave early, that would be undesirable."

Xiao Tali nodded slightly.

She was the most beautiful woman in the Liao Dynasty, and she was also unwilling. How could she perform a sword dance for the Song people?
The Khitans were discussing how to break the brief alliance between the Song and Liao envoys.

The mission was extremely large at this time.

In the middle were Song Xuan and his group, with Khitan people leading the way and protecting the rear.

Song Xuan continued to have his soldiers ride their horses, constantly observing the Khitan army's movements and their weapons and equipment.

The drum cart sounded again.

Song Xuan saw someone counting in the records, but he turned his head away.

"Song Twelve, what do you think of the scenery within the territory of my Great Khitan?"

Yelü Shucheng chuckled lightly. In reality, he hoped that Song Xuan could compose more poems so that he could appreciate them.

"generally."

Song Xuan, riding on his horse, looked around and said, "Liu Liu, I've already seen the territory of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. There's nothing special about it."

Yelü Shucheng laughed twice, not believing a single word of Song Xuan's words.

How could he have possibly been to the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun?

This place has belonged to the Central Plains dynasties since ancient times, but it has now been acquired by the Great Khitan.

"Once you get to Zhongjing, you, Song Twelve, might get a feel for it."

Yelü Shucheng was certain that Song Xuan was not very happy, and he felt that he had finally won back a point.

After all, he went to Tokyo, a city that the Great Khitan couldn't compare to in many ways.

Yelü Shucheng found it extremely rare that a city had a population of one million.

Such a thing was simply unimaginable in the Great Khitan.

Although Zhongjing was newly built, under His Majesty's rule, it has become the de facto political center of the Liao Kingdom in its later period.

Yelü Longxu drew inspiration from the Northern Song Dynasty, the Western Xia Dynasty, and envoys from various regions, and the area's prosperity far surpassed that of the capital.

But Yelü Shucheng knew that the population of Zhongjing had never exceeded 150,000.

Not to mention compared with the capital city of Kaifeng, it is not outstanding even compared with other cities in the Song Dynasty.

Fortunately, its geographical location makes it a transportation hub, connecting the Northeast grasslands, the Han-dominated areas of Youyan, and the Mongolian Plateau, making commerce extremely developed.

Of all the cities in the entire Liao Dynasty, none was more prosperous than Zhongjing, not even Nanjing (present-day Beijing).

Song Xuan, still on horseback, said, "Liu Liu, there's something I don't understand."

"what's up?"

"I observe the people around me farming, why don't many of them have oxen?"

Song Xuan, pulling on the reins, pointed to the fields on both sides of the official road:
"Your Liao Kingdom raises a great many cattle, horses, and sheep, so why are there so few oxen here? It's not as bad as my Great Song Dynasty, which is short of oxen."

Yelü Shucheng glanced at it and said indifferently:
"I guess the fertile fields on both sides of the official road belong to the four major families of Yan and Yun, as well as other smaller families, but I don't know which family they belong to specifically."

"They prefer to use people to farm, but not oxen, and I don't know why."

Song Xuan caught sight of someone using a whip to supervise: "You mean all these people working in the fields are slaves?"

"Not all of them, are they?"

Yelü Shucheng reined in his horse and ran towards the people repairing the ditch and preparing to draw water to ask them questions.

No one dared to speak until the man with the whip came over.

Upon seeing Yelü Shucheng's hairstyle, he immediately bowed.

When Yelü Shucheng introduced himself as a member of the royal family, the whip-wielder became even more respectful.

Within the Khitan, neither the Yelü nor the Xiao families could be offended casually.

So when Yelü Shucheng asked him questions, he answered them one by one.

Song Xuan didn't stop, but he found it strange that the local people didn't use oxen.

Even in the Song Dynasty, one could hire oxen to do chores, which was efficient and allowed one to use the saved time to do odd jobs to supplement their income.

After receiving some answers he didn't understand, Yelü Shucheng returned directly.

"Song Twelve, I've gathered enough information."

Yelü Shucheng pointed his horsewhip at the people working in the fields:
"Most of this land belongs to the Han family, and a small portion of these people are retainers and slaves."

"They are all descendants of people captured in the war."

"Oh," Song Xuan replied, "Then they should have inherited the land laws of the Tang Dynasty."

"Not bad." Yelü Shucheng lightly nudged the horse's belly.

"Most of them are tenants who rent land from the Han family. They have to give 60% of their land to the Han family every year and cannot leave here at will."

"That's alright, not too harsh."

The equal-field system of the Tang Dynasty had been damaged, and the Liao Dynasty fully recognized and inherited the landlord-tenant production relationship left over from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

The Liao people did not adopt Liao culture in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, nor did they change the original social structure and land relations there.

Instead, the Liao dynasty recruited Han Chinese elites into its bureaucratic system through the imperial examinations, and local powerful families were also employed to help govern the region and maintain the smooth operation of the regime.

It is also appropriate to delegate power to them.

These people represent the actual ruling power in the Yan-Yun region. If they were to follow the Khitan methods of herding, fishing, and hunting here, they would not be able to manage it, and there would only be more and more rebellions.

"Don't think they're handing over too much grain."

Yelü Shucheng also knew that the common people of the Song Dynasty did not pay such high land rents:
“When the sons of local prominent families become officials, they will fight for the interests of the villagers, reduce or exempt taxes, and open granaries to provide relief to the people in years of disaster.”

Song Xuan raised an eyebrow:
"You mean that after they hand over 60% of the grain to the Han family, they still have to pay additional taxes to the imperial court?"

"I don't know," Yelü Shucheng shook his head. "I didn't ask."

"Good guy."

Song Xuan exclaimed, "Wow!"

Would a large landowner like the Han family really take 60% of their grain and hand it over to the Khitan court?

Song Xuan thought it was unlikely.

Once some money is in your pocket, it's unlikely you can get it out again.

Moreover, in order to govern the Yan-Yun region, the Khitan court still valued these Han people for its united front work, and both the Song and Liao dynasties frequently reduced or exempted taxes.

Therefore, Song Xuan did not believe that it was these landlords who were fighting for the interests of the local people.

Instead, they replaced the benefits that the Khitan emperor had given to the people of Yanyun with those that local powerful families had fought for and then promoted them to the outside world.

Yelü Shucheng didn't ask, and he also felt it was unlikely that the information was given by the Han family.

However, Song Xuan felt that the powerful families who had sided with the Khitans were truly like local emperors.

Not to mention that the Song Dynasty's imperial power did not extend to the countryside, even the Khitans had to rely on local Han Chinese aristocratic families to control the Yan-Yun region.

It can be said that it has inherited the fine traditions of the Tang Dynasty.

Song Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't know whether Yelü Longxu had collected money from the people of Yanyun after suddenly increasing taxes.

I'll find a chance to ask about it later.

If we can persuade these people to flee this place, that would be good.

When Song Xuan was inspecting the court's arrangements for the Jurchens, he discovered that some areas within the Song Dynasty were sparsely populated, so he relocated them to the south.

At this time, there was no need to develop the more remote Pearl River Delta region. Even the Dongting Lake Plain was a barren area before the Song Dynasty and only began to be developed slowly.

The 800-li Dongting Lake frequently appears in poems and lyrics.

At this time, the area of ​​Dongting Lake reached its second peak, exceeding 5,000 square kilometers. Until the Southern Song Dynasty, a large number of people migrated into the lake, and reclamation activities accelerated, which slightly reduced the area.

As the war progressed, the population dwindled, reaching a peak area of ​​eight or nine hundred li during the Ming Dynasty.

There are currently no major problems with relocating people to the areas surrounding the Dongting Lake Plain.

However, the area is mostly shallow water and wasteland.

If it's about reclaiming wasteland, it's definitely not something that can be accomplished in one generation.

It wasn't until the mid-to-late Northern Song Dynasty that the problem of too many people and too little land became extremely serious.

That's why the imperial court vigorously developed the Dongting Lake Plain where Jinghu Road is located and the Pearl River Delta Plain where Guangnan East Road is located.

These two places, which were once desolate and plagued by wild winds and miasma, suddenly became rising stars in terms of population density during the Northern Song Dynasty.

The group walked slowly, and when it got too hot at noon and they rested by the roadside, Song Xuan finally had a chance to ask the locals for some information.

It turns out they've raised taxes too.

"Two million strings of cash?"

"Yes."

The old man held up his finger and whispered:
"Someone from above came and said they were collecting two million strings of cash to buy a fine treasure for His Majesty, and everyone was to participate."

Song Xuan nodded and didn't say anything more.

Good heavens, who said the Khitans wouldn't make money off the emperor?
However, they were not as greedy as the Yan faction; they chose to split the spoils with Yelü Longxu, so there was still hope for them.

Looking into the distance, Song Xuan saw the sun shining brightly, and people were still working in the fields.

As expected, they were already used to it.

As long as taxes aren't increased year after year, they won't resist; they think they can just endure it and it will pass.

Next year will be better.

Song Xuan shook his head slightly.

Many ordinary people think this way; it's only a minority who would actually raise their arms and shout for rebellion.

The pressure wasn't enough!
Song Xuan leaned against a large tree. The Khitan soldiers around him had long since driven away the local people, preventing them from approaching to rest.

But none of this concerns him.

Song Xuan wouldn't easily draw the conclusion that the local people hated the Khitans; perhaps they disliked the local powerful families even more than they disliked the Khitans.

Therefore, it is highly unlikely that they will cause any unrest.

Seeing Song Xuan leaning against a tree in deep thought, Yelü Shucheng walked over and asked, "Song Twelve, do you think this tax is too heavy?"

"I don't have tax information for the Yan-Yun region, how would I know whether it's been cleared or duplicated?"

Song Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly:

"I just think that your Prince of Yan has lost face, and he probably already has a plan in Nanjing to set up a trap and invite me to the banquet to regain my face."

"That can't be."

Yelü Shucheng explained to Song Xuan that the Prince of Yan's character was beyond reproach.

There must have been some misunderstanding when we were lying in ambush on the hilltop that day.

This was definitely not the King of Yan's intention.

"Innocent."

Song Xuan glanced at Yelü Shucheng:
"Have I ever told you that I'm an expert in political infighting? With your bookish attitude, you probably can't even outmaneuver your wife at home."

"That can't be done!"

Yelü Shucheng stiffened his neck, his face turning deathly pale in an instant:
"My wife is well-educated and reasonable; how could we possibly fight amongst ourselves?"

Song Xuan chuckled but didn't say anything more.

Yelü Shucheng was indeed falsely accused by his wife in his later years, stripped of his royal status, dismissed from his post and sent as an envoy to Tibet for twelve years, until he was restored to his royal status during the reign of Yelü Hongji.

As expected, Song Xuan didn't have to wait long.

The envoy of Prince Xiao Xiaomu of Yan arrived in the procession and found Han Yi, the chief envoy, hoping that he could bring Song Xuan and several other deputy envoys to the banquet.

There is some misunderstanding between the two parties, which urgently needs to be resolved through communication so that they can travel together to Zhongjing.

Han Yi didn't care. He had heard about the Prince of Yan's character and knew that it was better to resolve conflicts than to create them. So he first reassured the visitors and then went to ask the three deputy envoys if they were feeling well.

After all, when you get here, not being able to adapt to the local environment can be used as an excuse.

When Han Yi sent someone to find Song Xuan to discuss the invitation from the Prince of Yan to a banquet, Song Xuan glanced at Yelü Shucheng but said nothing.

Yelü Shucheng subconsciously squatted down.

"Have I really become the kind of bookworm that Song Twelve talks about, someone who just studies to death?"

Yelü Shucheng found it difficult to accept this assessment for a moment.

He considered himself to be the most learned person in the Liao Dynasty, even surpassing the top Han Chinese scholars from the Yan-Yun region.

As a result, not only did they not know that Confucius was both a scholar and a warrior, but they also did not know that he was a tall and strong man.

The portrait of the old man he had been worshipping turned out to be fake.

The successive blows from the top scholar of the Central Plains made Yelü Shucheng lose his previous arrogance.

"Could it be that I'm really no match for my wife, and she saw through my disguise?"

Yelü Shucheng looked up at Song Xuan as he walked away and said, "Despite my hard work in learning Central Plains culture, am I still too incompetent?"

"Should I become his apprentice and have him teach me?"

No one paid attention to Yelü Shucheng's true feelings.

Han Yi said he was gathering three people, but in reality he was looking for Song Xuan to discuss the matter. He didn't immediately agree to the Prince of Yan's request.

"That's the gist of the matter. What do you think?"

"I think."

Wang Chong was stopped by Liu Congde as soon as he opened his mouth:

“I don’t care what you think. What you think doesn’t matter. I’ll listen to Twelfth Brother.”

Wang Chong felt his breath catch in his throat again, and he felt extremely uncomfortable.

But even his brother-in-law didn't object, which made Wang Chong feel even worse.

Song Xuan blinked:
"Envoy Han, I personally believe that even if it wasn't a trap, it was still a banquet with no good intentions."

"No banquet is ever a good banquet?"

Han Yi chuckled a few times:

"Indeed, ever since we entered the territory of the Khitans, every banquet we've attended has been utterly unpleasant."

"These Khitans are just hoping we'll make a fool of ourselves."

He quietly pointed to the eunuch in the ranks:
"These people are responsible for recording our words and actions. If we collude with the Khitans, are bribed, or say something wrong, there will be clues to investigate."

"Is there anything else going on?"

Song Xuan was somewhat surprised for a moment:

"What if they embellished their accounts?"

"Then we'll see whose story the Emperor believes."

"Twelfth Brother, should I go and take care of them?"

Liu Congde flicked his sleeves:
"I'll make sure they behave themselves and don't write down anything they shouldn't, or I'll make sure they all suffer the consequences."

"Hey, Liu Dalang, it's always best to be friendly when you're out and about. There's no need to threaten them."

Song Xuan waved his hand and smiled:
"We won't side with the Khitans. At most, we'll curse them. Maybe after the prime ministers see this, they won't let us do this kind of work again."

"Haha, that's a good idea."

Liu Congde also nodded with a big laugh.

He believed he could control those eunuchs.

Seeing how obedient Liu Congde was to Song Xuan, Han Yi felt that as long as he communicated with Song Xuan, he would have Liu Congde under control.

Otherwise, he would still be having a headache over Liu Congde before he set off.

After all, the person in front of them doesn't take most people in the court seriously, including Han Yi.

Therefore, Han Yi is self-aware.

"Shall we go to the banquet?"

Han Yi returned to the final question.

"Was the banquet a separate event for us, or were Yelü Gou'er and the other Khitans also invited?"

Upon hearing Song Xuan's question, Han Yi glanced at the Khitan envoy who was waiting for news.

He shook his head and said, "This person came to find me alone, probably to host a private banquet for us. The Khitan dogs are already very familiar with each other."

"wrong."

Song Xuan narrowed his eyes:
"Yelü Gou'er holds the official position of Southern Chancellor, and Prince Yan, Xiao Xiaomu, is the Governor of Nanjing. The two of them should be working together. How can we shake him off?"

Song Xuan had not forgotten how he had sown discord between Yelü Gou'er and Xiao Xiaomu, thus prompting Yelü Gou'er to form a brief alliance with him.

Although the banquet was not a pleasant one, Xiao Xiaomu was a capable man, and he managed to kill two birds with one stone, giving them an opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding with Yelü Gou'er.

"Please wait a moment, Envoy Han, I'll go ask him."

"it is good."

Song Xuan stood outside the carriage:
"Yelü Gou'er, I have something to ask you."

Yelü Gou'er personally changed his son's dressing.

Fortunately, nothing too serious happened, and he survived.

He had developed a certain level of trust in Song Xuan's medical skills.

Therefore, his attitude towards Song Xuan softened: "Song Twelve, what is it?"

"Did the Prince of Yan send someone to summon you to a banquet at his residence tonight?"

"No."

Yelü Gou'er sat in the carriage: "Are you going to a banquet?"

"I do have that idea. Let's see what he's up to."

Song Xuan pointed to the car:
"That treasure is extremely rare, so they'll inevitably try to get information out of me."

Yelü Gou'er nodded.

This treasure is unparalleled in the world; it was truly a gift from heaven to the Khitan people.

He would not allow anyone else to interfere and affect his future.

The Prince of Yan is no longer the Prince of Yan he once was.

Do you think he'll send someone to look for me?

Yelü Gou'er quickly realized what was happening.

"I didn't have this idea at first, but it's a pity he didn't invite you to the banquet."

Song Xuan spread his hands and smiled:

"I'll be tested by him personally, while you'll probably find someone eloquent to come to you."

"I'll just refuse to see you."

"That won't work."

Song Xuan shook his head slightly:

“There are complex factions within your Khitan community. Some people don’t want you to successfully present this treasure to your Khitan emperor, so they will inevitably test you or even sabotage you.”

Yelü Gou'er's expression grew increasingly solemn. He believed Song Xuan's words; it wasn't Song Xuan trying to sow discord, but rather that these things were genuine.

"So when faced with a test, you should not only not refuse, but also have a heart-to-heart talk with him. It would be best to have a few drinks and say something like, 'This treasure has a crack, and it's not actually from the Tang Dynasty.'"

Yelü Gou'er immediately became excited:
"Song Twelve!"

"What do you mean?"

How could I say that?

Yelü Gou'er would not allow these two rumors to circulate; they would be extremely detrimental to him!

Song Xuan snorted and laughed:
"You're such a fool. I've said it before, when it comes to infighting, do you think someone who wields a knife can compete with someone who wields a pen?"

Yelü Gou'er truly had no way to refute him. He knew Song Xuan was right, but he just didn't understand:
"Then tell me, why did I say that?"

(End of this chapter)