freenovelworld Chapter 220 Planning
Chapter 220 Planning
The time moves forward to the first day when the delegation arrived at the border. Liang Wenxin, the pacification envoy of the Xiongzhou and Xiongxian Border Pacification Office in the eastern Hebei Province, personally received the delegation.
Han Ming and others stayed in Xiong County for nearly three days, during which the border troops of the two countries submitted their credentials to each other for confirmation.
On the other hand, as relations between Song and Liao became increasingly tense, a spy war on the border between the two countries began again.
In this case, the danger of the delegation heading north was greatly increased. For Liang Wenxin, who was in charge of the relevant intelligence sources, the protection of the delegation must be given priority.
"Lord Liang's words are indeed wise and prudent. In my opinion, we should postpone our journey north until all relevant procedures are completed before leaving the country."
He Zhengru, the newly appointed Deputy Envoy of the Third Division and the second-in-command of the delegation, nodded slightly to express his approval of Liang Wenxin.
Then he turned his gaze to Han Ming, the head of the delegation, who had been silent and looking through the intelligence.
"Is this information from Sir Liang confirmed?"
"Although I am not afraid of death, it would be bad if I implicated the lords of the delegation."
After a long time, Han Ming sorted out the information and put it back on the table, then looked up and asked with a chuckle.
Hearing that Han Ming was still in the mood to joke at this time, everyone had no choice but to smile.
"Don't worry, my Lord. Although my Border Pacification Office isn't as powerful as it was during Lord Yunze's time, these basic sources of information are still accurate."
Liang Wenxin immediately bowed, and the affirmation in his words made Han Ming nod involuntarily.
As for the "Lord Yunze" mentioned by Liang Wenxin, it refers to General Li Yunze of the Taizong era.
Li Yunze (953-1028), courtesy name Chuifan, was a native of Yu County, Taiyuan Prefecture. He was a general of the Northern Song Dynasty and the son of Li Qianpu, the commander of the Jeju militia.
Li Yunze was appointed as the commander of the yamen and later changed to the left-hand palace guard.
In 982, he was ordered to manage the Jingrong Army's market, and later he was sent as an envoy to Hedong Road and Jinghu Road, and was promoted to the position of Cabinet Gate Attendant.
In the early years of Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty, he was transferred to the deputy envoy of the supply warehouse and served as the prefect of Tanzhou. After taking office, he vigorously cut excessive taxes and reduced the burden on the people. He was later promoted to the deputy envoy of Luoyuan and the prefect of Cangzhou. He organized defense and repelled the Khitan attack.
He was then transferred to serve as the deputy envoy of Xishanggemen and the military commander of the Zhen, Ding and Gaoyang camps, guarding the eastern border.
Later, he was transferred to be the magistrate of Yingzhou and Xiongzhou, and was transferred to be the deputy envoy of Xishanggemen.
After that, he served as the introduction envoy of Sifangguan and the training envoy of Gaozhou.
In the second year of Tianxi (1018), he was appointed as the governor of Zhenzhou as a guest envoy, and was later transferred to be the governor of Luzhou.
After Song Renzong ascended the throne, he was appointed as the Defense Commissioner of Kangzhou. In his later years, he settled in the capital. In the sixth year of Tiansheng (1028), Li Yunze died at the age of 75.
Li Yunze worked diligently for the people and was honest and upright. He served as an official for many years, but he "did not have any extravagant clothes, did not eat any delicious food, and did not hoard any money." He was also "approachable, understood human nature, and was good at caring for the local soldiers." He guarded the Hebei border for more than 20 years and made great contributions to consolidating border defense.
The greatest achievement of this "Duke Yunze" was to eliminate the harsh policies in Hunan and guard the northern border.
During the reign of Emperor Taizong, when he was ordered to manage the Jingrong Army's trading market, he used the opening of border trade between the two countries as a cover to steal and capture a large amount of intelligence from the Liao Kingdom.
As a result, Li Yunze was in control of all the military operations of the Liao Dynasty for twenty years, which made the Khitan in the north dare not go south easily. He can be called the king of spy warfare in the Song Dynasty.
Most of the "assassins" in the Border Pacification Office that guarded the border in later generations were trained by him, and passed down from generation to generation.
Liang Wenxin himself can be considered one of Li Yunze's disciples. Of course, the relationship between them is so complicated that it is difficult to explain it clearly in a short time.
"Well, since Lord Liang has offered Lord Yunze as a guarantor, I no longer have any doubts."
Han Ming's words made everyone breathe a sigh of relief. After all, if this gentleman insisted on going out of the border and heading north at the risk of his life, there would be nothing they could do.
"In this way, all matters concerning the delegation's departure will be handled by Lord Liang. I am an outsider and will not interfere."
Han Ming gave a brief summary at the end and asked the delegation to return to the inn to rest, leaving only He Zhengru and Liang Wenxin.
"This time, as an envoy to Liao, you two need to be mentally prepared for certain situations. This is not only about the public opinion in Liao, but also about the various dangers you may encounter along the way."
Han Ming poured a cup of tea for He Zhengru and Liang Wenxin respectively, and said in a deep voice.
"My Lord, you believe that the Liao Kingdom will send assassins..."
After all, Liang Wenxin was born as an "assassin", so these aspects can be immediately associated with him.
“It’s not a belief, but a certainty.”
"My current status and political and military sensitivities have made it difficult for Yelu Hongji and his gang to eat or sleep well!"
Han Ming stroked the rim of the teacup with a determined look.
"Then we shouldn't leave!"
As the deputy envoy of the Three Departments who was promoted by Han Ming, He Zhengru's first thought when he heard this was to protect the other party.
"If you don't leave the border, have you ever thought about the public opinion between the Song and Liao dynasties?"
"Then the Liao Kingdom will arbitrarily accuse us of something, and the situation could escalate into war."
Han Ming's words made He Zhengru and Liang Wenxin look nervous, knowing that the other party was not exaggerating.
Diplomacy is related to politics and military affairs. Once the other party seizes on diplomatic issues, it will definitely lead to chaos.
"I'm not saying this out of concern for my own safety, but rather to know, if the Liao Kingdom were to send assassins, where would they choose?"
Han Ming stared straight at Liang Wenxin who was in deep thought.
"My Lord, do you mean to strike first and gain the upper hand?!"
Liang Wenxin's words made Han Ming smile slightly, and he couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.
"Brother Wen Xin knows me!"
"Ah, this?"Σ(⊙▽⊙"a
“Uh(⊙o⊙)…”
He Zhengru and Liang Wenxin never expected that Han Ming would have such an idea and was ready to take action in advance to deal with the ambushing assassins.
"Instead of following the other team's pace, we should set the pace."
"They treat us as cicadas, why can't we be orioles?"
Han Ming waved his sleeves lightly, appearing very heroic, but this also made He Zhengru and Liang Wenxin fall silent.
After a while, Liang Wenxin came to his senses and took out a feng shui map of the Song-Liao border from the corner of the room.
"From the time I left the customs to the time I arrived at Xijin Prefecture, there weren't many places where I could carry out assassination missions."
"Especially because the route we planned has always been the best and safest official road, so there have been no accidents during the diplomatic missions over the years."
"The first place we'll visit is Guiyi City. This is a separate territory, mostly populated by Song citizens and some Song military forces. Khitans rarely live here."
"But it's worth mentioning that there are quite a few Liao spies in Guiyi City, and they are Song people, so I don't recommend staying here."
"After all, we can't tell the difference between the people of the Song Dynasty and these traitors, so it's better to be cautious."
"The second stop is Xincheng. This and Guiyi City are both territories, but judging by the garrison and population, they belong to the Liao Kingdom."
"Although this place is just as mixed as Guiyi City, due to the large Khitan population, it is easy to defend against. We can stay here to rest and recuperate."
"Beyond Xincheng, Zhuozhou and Wanping are both part of the Liao territory. Their safety is guaranteed. After all, the Liao cannot just kill people on their own land!"
Liang Wenxin is very familiar with this line of diplomatic missions.
"So if we were to ask where the best assassination location is, the first one would be Guiyi City. Because it is under the jurisdiction of the Great Song, any deaths there would have nothing to do with the Liao Kingdom."
"And the second one is Qigou Pass!"
When Liang Wenxin said this, a cold light flashed in his eyes.
"This place was once the frontline garrison of the Liao Dynasty. After the Yongxi Northern Expedition, Xincheng and other places were carved out as a military buffer zone, so this place was abandoned."
"Qigou Pass is strategically located and has been a battleground for military strategists throughout history. Locals claim that in ancient times, Qigou was called Qigou Prefecture, later renamed Qigou Pass and also Qigou Village. Ancient records claim that this pass was built in the late Tang Dynasty..."
"Guiyi City is close to the border. If we set out in the morning, we can reach Xincheng in the evening and don't need to stay here."
"Therefore, if the Liao Kingdom sends assassins to kill the envoys or the Marquis, the only place they can go is at Qigou Pass—!"
It must be said that Liang Wenxin is indeed a talent, especially when it comes to intelligence, he is not at all vague and immediately found the place Han Ming mentioned.
"In that case, things will be much easier."
After carefully examining the map, Han Ming stood up with his hands behind his back and walked to the window, looking at the corridor and courtyard through the gap.
"The delegation will be led by Brother Zhengru and will follow normal procedures to leave the border and head north to Liao."
"General Zhou Qian and others from the Central Imperial Guards will also be handed over to the delegation to protect you on your journey."
"Yong Zeng and I will be heading north with the 'assassin' from the Border Pacification Division. We'll set up an ambush at Qigou Pass and clear the way for the delegation!!!"
Han Ming's words made He Zhengru and Liang Wenxin look nervous, and they immediately objected.
"Why would you risk it yourself, Lord? We, the people from the Border Pacification Department, can handle them."
Liang Wenxin hurriedly walked up to Han Ming and said.
"Lord Liang's words make sense. The Marquis is not only the leader of the delegation, but also a senior official of the Song Dynasty. How could he risk his life and kill the enemy?"
He Zhengru also tried to dissuade him.
"The Liao Kingdom's goal is this Marquis. It can be said that the diplomatic mission and the Border Pacification Office are being dragged down by this Marquis."
"Since we can deduce their methods and location, we shouldn't let them succeed so easily."
"Besides, I'm personally leading the team. Firstly, I can rest assured, and secondly, I can catch the enemy off guard."
"I appreciate your concern, my Lords. Let's discuss our next course of action."
Han Ming's well-reasoned words made the two of them at a loss for words. Moreover, the other party's temper was known to the entire Song Dynasty. Once a decision was made, even ten oxen could not pull it back.
As the local leader and the chief in charge of intelligence, Liang Wenxin was embarrassed on the spot and could only look at He Zhengru, the second-in-command of the delegation.
"My Lord, are you really not going to reconsider this?" He Zhengru tried his best to persuade him again.
"Alright, Brother Zhengru, you know my abilities, how could a mere assassin possibly get close to me?"
"Just lead the delegation north and leave the rest to me!"
Han Ming patted the other person's shoulder vigorously and chuckled.
Seeing this, He Zhengru and Liang Wenxin could only smile bitterly at each other and shook their heads helplessly. They really didn't understand Han Ming's train of thought. Why did such a high-ranking official of the court always like to put himself in danger?
As the saying goes: A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall, but seeing Han Ming like this, it is not the way to act at all...