If the Tang Empire won, it would say to its opponents: "You damn well behave yourself in the future, or be careful that I wipe out your entire clan. Pay tribute obediently every year!"
<...The group enjoyed drinks and conversation at the table.
Wanyan Zongpan said, "Emperor of Song, I have come here today not only to present treasures and to reach a century-long peace agreement with the Song Dynasty, but also to discuss one matter with you, which is also for the benefit of the people of both countries."
“Jin Shi, please speak freely.”
"The Great Jin and the Great Song jointly established three prefectural cities at the border of the two countries as trading hubs, which would benefit trade between the two sides."
Zhao Huan immediately understood Wanyan Zongpan's true intentions; it would probably make it easier for the Jin state to conduct espionage activities.
“Very well then, we shall do as the Jin envoy has said.”
Wanyan Zongpan then shamelessly asked, "As I traveled south and entered the capital region, I saw that the road surface was flat and solid. When I asked the locals, they said it was paved with a material called cement. Could Your Majesty please tell me more about it?"
Zhao Huan smiled slightly. Sure enough, the Jin Kingdom had long been aware of the reforms and innovations within the Song Dynasty.
At first, they watched with disdain.
Even the Jin court believed that the Song Dynasty's reforms would repeat the mistakes of Wang Anshi, making the already turbulent Song Dynasty even worse.
Coupled with the internal and external troubles of the previous years, the Song Dynasty was in grave danger!
The Jin dynasty was prepared to wait for the Song emperor to kill himself so that they could launch a large-scale southward invasion.
But unexpectedly, the Song army not only did not weaken under the rule of the dog emperor, but became even stronger.
Internally, despite experiencing several upheavals, it has not only survived but has been rebuilt, showing unprecedented vitality.
Wanyan Zongpan's true purpose in coming to inspect the Song Dynasty was to investigate it.
After the Song state destroyed the Xia state two years ago, some Han people in the Jin state realized the strength of the Song state and began to advocate learning from the Song state to reform and innovate.
In the past year alone, the Jin state had a large number of spies infiltrated the Song Dynasty to collect information on the new policies and the reactions of the people, which were then presented to Wanyan Zongpan.
As a result, Wanyan Zongpan put forward the concept of sharp wisdom and innovation in the Jin court.
Furthermore, the Imperial Gazette of the Capital was established in the capital, starting with the export of ideology and the control of public opinion.
However, his idea was opposed by all the conservatives, who believed that the Song Dynasty's policies were not suitable for the Jin Dynasty and that the Jin Dynasty should resolutely march south with its army.
Whether due to political shifts or concerns about reforms in the Song Dynasty, Emperor Wanyan Sheng of Jin needed Wanyan Zongpan to personally travel to the Song Dynasty to investigate.
To demonstrate that he brought peace, Wanyan Sheng instructed Wanyan Zongpan to present Zhao Huan with both the Crimson Glazed Glass and the Green Gold Crystal.
Zhao Huan's smile was quite mysterious, the kind of expression that said "this matter cannot be discussed."
"Your Majesty, to benefit the people of both countries, why not sell the cement formula to me?"
Zhao Huan asked, "How much money does the envoy want?"
Five million strings of cash!
"Okay, deal!"
Wanyan Zongpan was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Zhao Huan to agree so readily, and he was momentarily unable to adapt.
"how?"
Wanyan Zongpan chuckled dryly: "Your Majesty speaks frankly..."
In fact, the method of making cement is very simple, and there are several cement manufacturing plants in Yanyun.
Zhao Huan had a thousand reasons to believe that the Jin state had already secretly acquired the formula, and that such a thing was beyond his control.
Faced with huge profits, how can those below resist the temptation?
Wanyan Zongpan's statement was merely a smokescreen; what he truly cared about was not cement, but cannons and muskets!
The artillery and firearms that were on the road during the war to destroy Xia must have already reached the Jin Kingdom, which is what the Jin Kingdom wanted most.
The manufacturing process of cannons and muskets was complex and had extremely high barriers to entry. They were also highly confidential matters of the imperial court, and the Ordnance Bureau and the Academy of Sciences kept everything strictly confidential.
This was something that the Jin spies could never obtain, yet the Jin court was extremely curious about and eager to acquire it.
Wanyan Zongpan deliberately brought up cement and other such things, even using lofty principles as a pretext, and offered to spend five million strings of cash to buy it, all to mislead Zhao Huan.
Since someone is offering five million strings of cash for free, why would I refuse?
Zhao Huan readily agreed, but Wanyan Zongpan chuckled dryly and didn't bring it up again.
At this moment, several military generals from the Song Dynasty came over to offer toasts, taking turns to do so.
Wanyan Zongpan was a Jurchen from Liaodong, raised in the land of Changbai Mountains and Heilongjiang River, so he naturally had a huge capacity for alcohol.
At first he wasn’t afraid at all, but the more time went on, the more he realized something was wrong.
After the emperor's military officers finished drinking, he sent some civil officials to offer toasts.
Thus began the spectacular scene of civil and military officials of the Song Dynasty taking turns to offer toasts.
It can be said that Wanyan Zongpan was a man of considerable prestige.
As he drank, Wanyan Zongpan felt that the wine was already down to his throat, and if he drank any more, his stomach and bladder would burst.
But seeing that Zhao Huan showed no sign of stopping, Wanyan Zongpan finally had no choice but to back down!
He slumped to the side and fell asleep.
When I woke up the next day, I was already in the embassy, and there was a brown-haired, blue-eyed foreign woman lying naked on the bed.
Over the next few days, Wanyan Zongpan led his men to deliver gifts everywhere, visiting all the ministers of the Song Dynasty, but no one dared to accept his gifts.
No matter how precious or novel Wanyan Zongpan's gifts were, they were not as important as his own head.
Wanyan Zongpan then sent people out to investigate in various places.
But almost every day, this group of people would be beaten up by a bunch of unreasonable spoiled brats who would appear out of nowhere.
For Wanyan Zongpan, the bustling city of Tokyo was like a living hell, fraught with danger.
However, he saw it with his own eyes.
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