Chapter 41: New Acquaintances

  That autumn, Dou Jian laughed twice: "Han Zuo Shi went to Liao State and seemed to have changed into a different person. He was obsessed with advocating for the alliance with Jin to destroy Liao, and even sent you two to check on things in the Eastern Capital. It seems he wants to become an envoy!" Zhou Ping heard this and felt that Dou Jian's words were not quite right, as if he was dissatisfied with Han Xizong. Originally, after Han Xizong returned from his mission to Liao State, he felt that Liao was internally worried and externally threatened, and the Song Dynasty had an opportunity to take advantage of it. Therefore, he immediately changed his stance and vigorously advocated for it in his memorial to Emperor Daozong. Dou Jian was originally a palace official and had some connections within the palace, so he naturally had some inside information. When he was in the palace, he served Zheng Guifei, so he was naturally on the same side as Zheng Zhong, who claimed to be Zheng Guifei's younger brother. Zheng Zhong was originally on the same side as Cai Jing, but they became enemies due to a struggle for power. Therefore, regarding the matter of invading Liao, Cai Jing and Tong Guan held different views. Han Xizong switched sides to support the invasion, so he was naturally seen as a traitor by that faction, and Dou Jian looked at him with great disfavor.

  Zhou Pingzheng was worried that Autumn Watch would intentionally make things difficult, but he heard Autumn Watch laugh twice and say: "It's all right, whether to conquer Liao or not is all for the sake of serving the emperor. My family is just a gatekeeper dog, handling some official business! Come on, take two strong men to take a look around the neighborhood!" Then he turned his back and left.

  Zhou Ping couldn't help but feel overjoyed, and he didn't know why the eunuch had suddenly let them in. He hadn't expected it to be so easy to enter the most advanced arsenal of the time. As a transmigrator, although his mind held scientific knowledge exceeding that of the current era by nearly a thousand years, theory was one thing, and practice was another. If he could carefully observe and compare later, he would surely gain something. The eunuch, however, had no integrity to speak of. Although he was in cahoots with Zheng Juzhong, it was only for the sake of colluding with external officials for personal gain. Seeing that the faction advocating for war against Liao was gaining momentum in the court, he naturally wouldn't cling to Zheng Juzhong's leg for dear life. Anyway, this matter was a small thing for him, so why bother offending Han Xiaoquan and cutting off his own path?

  Zhou and Xue entered the East Market, where they saw workshops lined up on both sides of the road. There were workshops for making clothes and armor, bows and crossbows, and oil lamps. The craftsmen inside were busy working amidst a flurry of activity. It turned out that the Song dynasty had inherited the weaknesses of the Five Dynasties, and the founding emperor was most afraid of military officers causing trouble. Therefore, he implemented the strategy of "strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches", concentrating the country's strong troops in the capital, and keeping a watchful eye on all sides. The same was true for the manufacture of military equipment, with the famous workshops of the world concentrated in Bianjing, the capital city. The armory stored countless sets of armor and helmets, but after the disaster of Jingkang, they were all taken away by the Jin people. As a result, after Jingkang, the Jin army was known throughout the land for its strong armor and sharp weapons.

  The one leading the way was a small inner attendant, with a slightly impatient expression on his face. He asked in a cold tone, "You two, this military equipment is made up of 251 items, even if you look at it for several days and nights, you won't be able to finish it. Where are you two going?"

  Zhou Ping hastily took out a cloth package from his bosom and handed it to the little eunuch, saying with a smile: "Please trouble you, young master, to lead us two. It's an offense, an offense. This small thing will let you have a cup of tea. We just want to take a look at the clothing workshop and the knife workshop. I hope you'll agree."

  The little servant took the bundle, turned his body to open it, and found that it was two strings of money. The little servant's rank was low, and his monthly salary was only one or two strings of money. He couldn't help but be overjoyed, and hurriedly turned around with a smile: "Good, good! Where do you want to go? I'll take you wherever you want to go!"

  Zhou Ping and the other person strolled around for a day, reaping quite a few rewards. At dinner time, they returned to their residence, and as soon as they reached the entrance, they heard the old gatekeeper say: "Ah Ping, hurry back quickly! A certain Taifu (during the Song Dynasty, military officers were often referred to as Taifu) wants to see you both. He only said that he brought a letter and is waiting inside."

  Zhou Ping was taken aback, he had no relatives in this world, who would write him a letter? Could something have happened on the An Yang side? He hastily thanked the old man and walked towards his own courtyard. Still more than ten steps away, he saw a young man sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard with his back to him, his back straight as a pen, and beside him was Luo She'er, the orphan brought back from Yan Di. Perhaps hearing the footsteps, the young man stood up, looked Zhou Ping up and down twice, and asked: "Is that Zhou Ping of Xiangzhou An Yang?"

  "Not bad, right under here!" Zhou Ping cupped his hands, and at this time he had already recognized the person opposite him. It was the young military officer who accompanied the Jin people's envoy on the second floor that night. After the Jin people's envoy was strangled by Li Bao, it was this person who led the crowd of yamen runners and soldiers to chase Li Bao. He came to his place, wasn't he looking for a clue and chasing him here? Thinking of this, Zhou Ping's heart couldn't help but feel a wave of panic, his eyes wandering to find an escape route later.

  "It's you, that's good." The young man smiled and took out a letter from his bosom and handed it over. Suddenly, he flipped his right hand and grabbed Zhou Ping's right arm. Zhou Ping, who had been on guard, grabbed the other's hand and twisted his wrist, wanting to break the other's hand. The two of them instantly became entangled. Zhou Ping's back, Xue Liangyu, hadn't reacted yet, but Luo She'er had already picked up a rod leaning against the wall and heavily hit Ma Kuo's inner knee, causing his right leg to bend. However, Ma Kuo reacted extremely quickly, and with a swift movement of his right leg, he used a "mandarin duck hook" to knock Luo She'er to the ground. He shook off Zhou Ping's arms, took two steps back, and bowed with a smile: "My surname is Ma, my name is Kuo, I have no ill intentions. This time, it was at my father's behest that I brought this letter for you."

  "Letter?" Zhou Ping stretched out his hand to stop Xue Liangyu who was about to pounce on him, and asked: "Then what were you doing just now?"

  "It's just a test!" Ma Kuo laughed: "Jia Yan is an old friend of Master Shi De, and this letter was entrusted to Jia Yan by Master Shi De. If you don't believe it, take a look and you'll know!"

  Zhou Ping picked up the letter that had fallen to the ground, opened it and saw that it was indeed written in the handwriting of Zhishan. He believed it a little more now. He put the letter into his bosom and asked: "Where is Master Chan now? How did you know I was here?"

  Ma Kuo saw Zhou Ping's expression and knew that the other party still had some doubts about himself. He explained how he and Ma Zheng met by chance in Dengzhou and traveled together to Liaodong, and now he was staying in Liaodong to clarify everything. However, he omitted the purpose of their trip to Liaodong and the fact that Zhi Shan was being held as a hostage by the Jin people.

  Finally, Ma Kuo bowed deeply to Zhou Ping and said: "My father sent someone to deliver a message to Xiangzhou, but the people in your village said you two had gone to the Han Mansion in Dongjing. When I asked the Han Mansion, they said you had followed the Han Left Envoy to Liaoguo. It wasn't until today that the message was delivered. Zhi Shan praised you as a rare and extraordinary man of the world in front of my father, and when I heard this, I felt a bit competitive, so I took action to test you. Please forgive me for any offense!"

  "Ah, I see!" Zhou Ping nodded his head. He wasn't a fool either, and connecting the dots from that night's events, he could guess that this young man in front of him was at least involved in the secret diplomatic mission of forming an alliance with Song Jin on the high seas, and even held a relatively high position within the delegation, otherwise he wouldn't have been entrusted with the task of accompanying the Golden Envoy. Whether it was to obtain firsthand information from the Golden people or to pave the way for future interactions, it was essential to maintain good relations with this young military officer named Ma Kuo.

  "Trouble Brother Ma to run a few trips, I'm really sorry, just prepared some light wine, just to show my heart!" Zhou Ping stretched out his right hand and invited Ma Kuo to sit down on the stone bench, and also asked Luo Xueer to go outside to buy some wine and dishes. Ma Kuo didn't decline either, smiling: "It's okay, today I'm free anyway, so I'll stay and have a good drink with Brother Zhou."

  Zhou, Ma and Xue sat down on the stone bench. Soon after, Luo She'er bought some wine and dishes back and arranged them on the stone table. The three of them drank wine while chatting. Ma Kuai learned that Zhou and Xue were already officials who had escorted Han Xiao to Liaoguo as envoys. He hurriedly stood up and bowed: "I didn't know you two were envoys, please forgive my previous disrespect!"

  "However, it's just a ninth-grade Chengxin Lang, a small official like sesame and green beans. Brother Ma, please laugh!"

  Ma Kuo said with a serious expression: "Brother Zhou, you're wrong about this. This is an official position of the imperial court, and it's not something to be taken lightly. Moreover, starting from the ninth rank means entering the ranks of officials, and promotions based on military merit are very fast in our dynasty. If certain people's expectations aren't off the mark, the two of you will definitely be promoted several ranks this time when you return from your mission to Liao country. It's not impossible that you'll even become a Protective Guard or an Assistant Guard!" As he spoke, Ma Kuo's expression became more relaxed, and he smiled: "Since both of you are envoys, and you're going on a mission to Liao country with Han Zuoshi, I don't need to hide certain things from you. There's something else that my family wants to thank the two of you for..."

  "Thank you?"

  "Alright, to be honest with you, this time General Han went to Liaodong, it wasn't just to buy horses, but to form an alliance with the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty to attack the Liao dynasty and recover the Yan-Yun region. Now that the Jin envoys have arrived in Dongjing, the court has yet to respond, clearly due to the internal struggle between the pro-war and pro-peace factions. But just a few days ago, news came that the court is preparing to send an envoy to Liaodong, I heard it was because of the strong advocacy of Han Zuoshi before the Emperor, and also thanks to your two efforts, isn't that right?"

  "Really!" Zhou Ping nodded and asked: "If that's the case, then Master Zhishan staying in Liaodong isn't so simple, is it?"

  Ma Kuo's face showed a hint of embarrassment, and he replied: "That's right. The Zen master voluntarily stayed as a hostage with the Jurchen people. This matter is quite confidential, and I didn't know your identities until now, so I didn't mention it."

  "Left as a guarantee?" Zhou Ping was taken aback by the words, and then sighed: "The Master is always like this, for the sake of the people in the world, he forgets himself, I don't know if he's safe now."

  "As far as I can see, the Jurchen people are simple and honest, with a deep-seated grudge against the Liao State, and their intention to form an alliance with our Great Song is quite sincere. However...". At this point, Ma Kuo sighed: "The court has been indecisive for a long time, delaying for many days, I'm afraid of having too many dreams at night!" By then, he had already looked up towards the northeast direction.

  "Hesitating?" Zhou Ping was taken aback and asked in return, "What's the reason for this again?"

  Ma Kuo hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice: "A few days ago, a public document from the Liao State was transmitted from Zhi Xiong Prefecture and Xian's side, which stated that the Liao people were negotiating peace with the Jin people. As a result, the Emperor recalled the envoy, but only allowed someone to send the Jin envoy back to Liaodong."

  "It's just that I'm afraid this is a treacherous plan of the Liao people!" Zhou Ping said in a low voice: "He found out that I have an alliance with the Jin people, so he sent false news to drive us apart, it's a plot to sow discord!" Seeing many rewards and recommendation votes from book friends, I'm very happy! Whether it's old book friends from "Tian Xia Jie Du" and "Xin Shun Zhi Gang Tie Shi Ji", or new book friends who have just started reading, thank you all very much. After all, writing books can't be done without everyone's support, one person can't do it alone!