It is already ice and snow in Shangjing of Liao Kingdom, and the cold will continue until next spring. Yang Gun, wrapped in thick fur, walked into the tent and patted the snowflakes on his body, and saw someone inside laying bricks. He was a middle-aged man, wearing a short coat made of sheepskin, and his hands were covered in mud while working. Han'er turned his head and glanced at Yang Gun. He didn't even bow. He continued to work and said in Chinese, "This is called Kang. It is said that when Emperor Xu went to the north to fight, he couldn't bear the severe cold at night, so he built a stove with adobe bricks. , Build a bunk on the stove, no matter how cold the weather is, it won't be cold when you sleep. "" Are there any other spies in Beijing?" Yang Gun ignored his words and said in a deep voice, "If anyone else is caught, tell them. What are you going to do?" Han'er glanced at the goose-like snow outside the tent and whispered, "Don't worry, Mr. Yang, no matter who you catch, you can't accuse me." "How can you see that?" : "For such an important person as Mr. Yang, Bingcao Division has a separate route and a single line of communication. No one in Shangjing except Mr. Yang knows who I am. There is only one person in the branch above who contacts me and is responsible for delivering the news from Shangjing to Tokyo; and That branch is not within the territory of the Liao Kingdom Now that Mr. Yang has become an official, he has become more and more afraid of trouble." Yang Gun said angrily: "If Mr. Xiao falls, you can stop threatening me." He thought for a moment and then said angrily. , "What happened in Hedong is baseless and I will not admit it!" The Han man was not angry, but said nicely: "Mr. Yang, why did we ever want to threaten you?" Yang Gun looked at him with a sneer. The Han man said earnestly: "It is no longer appropriate to treat people as slaves. This is a matter of mutual benefit. How can it not be beneficial if Mr. Yang and us exchange knowledge? For example, now that Mr. Yang has taken over Fan Zhongyi's detailed work, I have some news I want to tell you that Xu Jun will send troops to the Northeast after the spring. "Who knows if the news is true? Even if the news in Hedong is true, no one dares to believe it now." It's Mr. Yang's business to find out the information. Believe it or not, it's someone else's business." After saying that, he took out a few pieces of paper from his arms and handed them to Yang Gun. Yang Gun grabbed him suddenly, strode out of the tent, turned around and said coldly: "After you finish your work, leave quickly!" He opened the thick curtain, and the howling wind suddenly became louder, but the wind and snow outside were still there. The undulating wilderness was completely white, and the houses, tents, people and horses in Shangjing seemed to be hidden in the wind and snow. Yang Gun looked up at the snowflakes in the sky and stood motionless in the snow, hoping that the cold wind would wake him up. He just said some tough words, but he was sure that the Xu people were unwilling to sell him because he had already joined the North Court and was of great use to the Xu people. However, how could Yang Gun dare to break up with Xu Guoren? The lives of those tens of thousands of soldiers are not a trivial matter. If there is even the slightest clue implicating Yang Gun, he will definitely be doomed! He stood for a while and then walked into another felt tent within the fence. A woman was kneeling on the ground, carefully blowing on the charcoal in the stove with a bamboo tube. Yang Gun said: "When the kang is repaired, stay there to keep warm." The woman nodded in agreement and continued to blow the flames. Yang Gun then took out the paper he had just written, held a lamp and looked at it carefully. On it was written the news reported by the "spies" placed in Xu State by the Liao Dynasty. The "spies" were written in Chinese characters because of Han'er. At this moment, someone shouted in the tent. Yang Gun went out to take a look. The person bowed and said, "The privy envoy invites the Yang family to come to the palace to discuss matters." "I will change my clothes and come." Yang Gun replied. The privy envoy of the Beiyuan is now Yelu Xiezhen. Yelu Xiezhen has held a high position for many years, does not live in a tent, and has a mansion in the north city of Shangjing. Most of the Khitan people still have nomadic customs, and only the central ministers have settled houses in Beicheng. When Yang Gun came to Yelu Xiezhen's house, he immediately felt much warmer. In addition to Yelu Xiezhen, there were also Xiao Siwen, Yelu Huer and several tribal nobles in the hall. Yelu Huer greeted Yang Gun very warmly when he saw him, because Yang Gun saved his life. Yelu Xiezhen said calmly: "We are talking about the situation in Dandong Kingdom (the old land of Bohai Sea). Yang Mansion is quite knowledgeable about Xu Jun, so I will send someone to ask you to come and talk." Yang Gun bowed and took the things in his arms. He took out the paper and handed it to Yelu Xiezhen: "Xiaguan just got the news not long ago." A few people looked at it, and sure enough, Yelu Xiezhen muttered: "Is this news true?" Yang Gun said: "It turns out that most of Fan Zhongyi's spies are They were all captured by Xu State. These are the people who were bribed again. They should not be found out so soon. " Yelu Xiezhen said: "Xu Jun built a fortress at Longshan (Huludao) in Jinzhou, and it is obvious that he has plans to advance eastward. . Dandong country is the place where Yi Zong is prosperous, and there must be no mistakes! " Yang Gun understood what Yelu Xiezhen meant when he mentioned Yi Zong. When Taizu destroyed the Bohai Kingdom, Yelubei, Emperor Yizong of Liao Dynasty, was the first king of Dongdan;After Lubei was killed, the successor to King Dandong was Yelu Ruan, the eldest son of Yi Zong. Yelu Ruan was the emperor of the Liao Dynasty Although the Dongdan Kingdom later abolished the king and the territory became directly under the Liao court, the lineage of Yi Zong was here. Many of their own people were resettled; therefore, the old land of the Bohai Sea in the northeast was the foundation of the Yi Zong lineage and an important component of the national power of the Liao Dynasty. Xiao Siwen said: "Xu State is short of horsemen. If we go deep into Dongdan this time, we will definitely defeat it!" But Yelu Xiezhen said again: "Daliao has suffered too much loss and consumption in the past few years, and Hedong has suffered a new defeat. We will fight again." I'm afraid it's not a good thing to go down." Xiao Siwen frowned and said, "Are we going to abandon Dongdan and the Khitan tribes to shrink their power and escape to the grassland?" "My commander-in-chief wants to negotiate a peace." Yelu Xiezhen said solemnly. Xiao Siwen's face turned red: "If Daliao seeks peace, where will its prestige remain?" The atmosphere suddenly solidified, and no one else said a word. Yang Gun was also unwilling to express his opinions easily to avoid being criticized. He had just gained a foothold in the Liao court with the help of his brother Yelu Xiezhen, but his foundation was not yet stable, so he had to act cautiously. Yelu Xiezhen said: "Daliao has been in civil strife for many years, but it has not damaged its muscles and bones. The two major defeats that really shaken its strength were the wars with the Xu State. One was the defeat of Brother Yelvxiu in Youzhou, and the other was the defeat of Xiao Duoli in Hedong. In the defeat, the elite troops suffered heavy losses and when Pingxia rescued Li Yiyin, Yang Gun also suffered a lot. If this situation cannot be resolved, it will be difficult for Daliao to maintain its current power. " Xiao Siwen still shook his head: "Da Liao must be weak. Showing people is the source of disaster for the subordinate tribes who want to take risks!" There was endless debate about this matter in the hall. Yang Gun came to make suggestions for tactics, but now he has no way to talk about it. Until the next night, everyone broke up unhappy. Yang Gun and Xiao Siwen went out of Yelv Xiezhen's mansion together. When they were leaving, Xiao Siwen held Yang Gun's hand and sighed: "I originally thought that Yang Ye's matter would be successful. If you have made a contribution, I will try to reinstate your official position and resume your duties." It¡¯s a pity that General Yang can only do a small job for his great talent!¡± After hearing this, Yang Gun cursed in his heart and bowed: ¡°Thank you, Mr. Xiao. When Xiaguan was defeated in Pingxia, he was lucky to survive." Xiao Siwen nodded and mounted his horse to say goodbye. ¡There seems to be no solid relationship in this world. The friends and allies in the past seem to be drifting apart now. Xiao Siwen felt that Yelu Xiezhen's political views were very different from his own. It cannot be said that Yelv Xiezhen¡¯s idea is wrong, it is just a matter of different considerations Xiao Siwen is not willing to believe that Yelu Xiezhen is a weak person! When Xiao Siwen closed his eyes, he seemed to be able to see the burning Youzhou City, the land that was taken away, and the countless Khitan people who were killed! He has never looked down upon the "southerners", and in the past few years, his worries have become a reality. Want to surrender to the enemy and the enemy of his life? Xiao Siwen still shook his head. The Khitan people built their country by force and would rather break than bend! There is one more difficult thing to solve Xiao Siwen is the chief culprit for plotting to assassinate the Xu Emperor Guo Tiejiang. What would happen if Daliao took the initiative to seek peace from Xu? Will Guo Tiejiang magnanimously ignore it for the sake of peace between the two countries, or will he regard Xiao Siwen himself as a condition for peace? Early the next morning, Xiao Siwen went to the Shangjing Palace. Emperor Yelvxian, accompanied by his attendants, had packed up the memorial and was about to process it. Xiao Siwen stepped forward and bowed, meeting each other with the courtesy of a monarch and a minister. After talking for a while, Xiao Siwen said calmly: "Blacksmith Xu Guoguo is an evil person. I'm afraid my daughter Yanyan can't escape from the clutches of the devil" Eighteen-year-old Yelvxian's face suddenly turned red. A look of shame and anger overflowed on his face. Xiao Siwen persuaded again: "It's just that Yanyan is not blessed. The Great Khan should have chosen someone from the Xiao clan to be his queen." Yelvxian was a little excited. He clenched his fists and said: "The country is like this, how can I have any thoughts? ?" Xiao Siwen said nicely: "It is a matter of national importance, and the establishment of the Great Khan is also a national matter." Yelu Xian was not a stubborn person. Although he looked very angry, he still gave in: "I will listen to what the ministers say. " Xiao Siwen stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "If the Great Khan misses Yanyan, there are many women in the clan, and there are always people with similar looks. " Xiao Chuo is Xiao Siwen's biological daughter. If she looks similar, she is probably a relative of Xiao Siwen Xiao Siwen was indeed the first to make Yelvxian sit on the throne of the Daliao Emperor, but Xiao Siwen was not the only one to help Yelvxian ascend the throne; now Yelv Xiezhen has become the Privy Councilor of the North Courtyard, and Xiao Yanyan has not become the queen as she wished. However, Xiao Siwen believed that he still had status in front of the Great Khan Yelu Xiezhen was very concerned about Xiao Siwen's opinions, and this was the reason. Yelvxian said: "I remember Yanyan in my heart, but it is not because of her beauty." Yelvxian woke up early in the morning and was in a bad mood because of the mention of Yanyan. He also put down the memorial in his hand. He walked to the window and looked at the snow outside for a long time without saying a word. The white light reflected in the snow made Yelvxian¡¯s face in the hall very clear. Xiao Siwen looked at Da Khan's side face calmly, trying to figure out the slightly changing emotions After all, Da Khan, who was only eighteen years old, would not be too deep even if he had a palace.