In May of the eleventh year of the Qingli period, King Aqifuluo of Gaochang ordered the imprisonment of the Song envoy.
The three envoys were Sun Youtong, a doctor at the Ministry of Rites; Li Tao, a doctor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Liu Bingyan, a deputy director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
When they learned about this, they showed great anger towards the rude Gaochang soldiers.
Even when tied up, he kept cursing, saying things like "the angels of heaven cannot be insulted, and if you have the guts, kill them."
Hearing that the Song envoys were stubborn and kept shouting and cursing in prison, Aqifuluo was also very surprised. At the instigation of Princess Jingyang, he wanted to kill them to vent his anger.
Fortunately, Gaochang ministers Hu Duoge, Turuhe, Sijie and others privately persuaded him hard and finally he gave up.
But what Aqifuluo didn't know was.
These three people are the tough bones specially picked by the Political System Council of the Song Dynasty.
When the Constitutional Council issued the decree to send an envoy, it had already made it clear.
It is said that this mission to the Western Regions was intended to bring the Western Regions Uighurs and the Kara Khanate to submission, much like the Han Dynasty, when there were thirty-six kingdoms, all of which submitted to the Han Dynasty and were placed under the jurisdiction of the Western Regions Governor's Office.
This mission not only visited the Western Region Uighurs, but also the Kara Khanate. The Song Dynasty's goal was to make both countries submit and become vassals of the Song Dynasty in the Western Regions.
Moreover, the diplomatic mission required them to be firm in their attitude, to demonstrate the majesty of the Song Dynasty, and not to humiliate the national dignity of a great country.
But at the same time, the Constitutional Council also pointed out the danger, telling them that the Western Region Uighurs and the Black Khanate were likely to disobey, and that the envoys would likely be in a very dangerous situation.
It was originally thought that the degree of danger had been indicated and that only a few people from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would respond. However, after these words reached the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, applicants flocked in and broke through the thresholds of the two ministries.
Not only middle and senior officials such as Langzhong and Yuanwailang signed up, but even the assistant ministers of the two ministries responded and requested to go to the Western Regions as envoys.
Zhao Jun was still very surprised when he learned about this. Are all the officials of the Song Dynasty so strong-willed?
Only afterwards did I realize what this incident meant.
Successfully completing the mission means that they have single-handedly made the two major powers in the Western Regions surrender with just a few words, and made them vassal states of the Song Dynasty and incorporated them into the Anxi Protectorate of the Song Dynasty, just like Ban Dingyuan, leaving their names in history.
Even if the mission was not successfully completed, the Western Region Uighurs and the Black Khanate refused, and even at the most dangerous moment, endangering their lives, it was also a contribution to the Song Dynasty.
They were not stupid and naturally understood that they were a bait. Once the Western Uighurs and the Black Khanate used violence against them, it would give the Song Dynasty an excuse to send troops.
Even if he died in the Western Regions in the end, his name would still be recorded in history, and his achievements would be enough to bring honor to his descendants.
This is definitely a good deal.
Therefore, the three of them were ready to die and had already prepared to sacrifice their lives for the country.
Although this situation is the worst, since it is part of the plan, I can look at it in a positive light.
They wished that Aqifro would do so.
Soon, more than ten days later, the official document was delivered to Bianliang at an urgent speed of 800 miles, with the knights running 300 to 400 kilometers every day.
In late May, the weather was very hot and it was the flood season of the Yellow River.
Heavy rains in the upper reaches and melting snow mountains caused the water level of the Yellow River downstream to rise sharply. This period was a vacuum period for trade between the two sides of the Yellow River.
The Yellow River was flooded and the waves were surging. Trade ships could not get through at all and could only temporarily stay in various canal ports to wait out the flood season.
For this reason, the Yellow River Bridge that had been planned had to be temporarily halted, and at the same time, the Yellow River bridge piers cast by the Ministry of Industry could be tested to see if they could withstand the baptism of the flood.
"Very good, very good. Despite the flood, the bridge piers we built are safe and sound, standing tall in the river without being affected at all. Dean, take a look."
In the Constitutional Court, Jia Changchao, who was in charge of the construction affairs of the Ministry of Works, showed a look of delight after reading the official documents sent by the Ministry of Works this morning.
This Yellow River Bridge is actually the fifth reinforced concrete cross-river bridge in the Song Dynasty, and it is also the third large-scale cross-river bridge built using the caisson method. Construction began at the end of last year and the beginning of this year.
Before this, the biggest difficulty encountered by the Song Dynasty's craftsmen and designers from the Ministry of Works when building the first railway in the Song Dynasty was how to get the railway to pass through the river.
As for those small and medium-sized rivers, it is easier to deal with them. We can build dams upstream to store water and artificially reduce the amount of water downstream. This will not only make it easier to build bridge piers, but also allow the gates to be opened to release water during the dry season, solving the water problem in the downstream rural areas.
But it is difficult to deal with medium and large rivers like Yingshui and Rushui. Even if a dam is built, the water flow during the dry season is still high and the water depth is often around ten feet, making it inconvenient to start construction.
To this end, many designers brainstormed and created the caisson method, which uses large boxes to sink to the bottom of the water, and then put steel bars and pour cement into the boxes to complete the construction of the bridge piers.
The most surprising thing is that this method was not found by Zhao Zhen or proposed by Zhao Jun.
Rather, it is the result of the designers' own thinking, and it is similar to the caisson method designed by the famous railway engineer Zhan Tianyou in the late Qing Dynasty.
It can be seen that the wisdom of the ancients must not be underestimated.
Hearing that the piers of the Yellow River Bridge were safe and sound, Zhao Jun nodded with satisfaction and said, "Well, that's great. Large bridges like this are long-term projects, so many things must be taken care of before they happen. Various tests and measurements are essential. This time, the flood is also a test for the Yellow River Bridge."
"Yes, if everything goes well, I believe it will be a valuable experience for us in building the Yangtze River Bridge in the future."
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