Chapter 1727: Pro-government

In autumn, when the grass is high and the horses are fertile, it is a good time to attack.

In October of the eighth year of Yuanyou, Renzi and Liao sent envoys to Zhulu, and ordered Yelu Shenjia, the envoy of Wukujiedu, to lead troops to aid Tailing Ridge.

In Jiayin, the Lord of Liao stationed himself in Ousidian and Yimao, and ordered three thousand horses to be given to the Wuku tribe.

After the autumn grain of the Liao Kingdom came down, Yelu Hongji finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the army began to gather on Jinshan North Road to prepare for a decisive battle with Zubu.

However, Wang Jing reported that because the autumn harvest consumes a lot of manpower, the iron plant is once again seriously short of materials, and he implores to postpone the implementation of the iron plant by half a year.

There is nothing that can be done about it. With the current situation of the Liao Kingdom, if a large ironworks is really built, I am afraid that it will not be able to burn for two months and the furnace will have to be shut down.

However, Su You refused and took out the Song-Liao Agreement and demanded that the Liao Kingdom implement it in accordance with the contract.

It can be postponed, but the Liao Kingdom is asked to pay the Song Dynasty one percent of the daily "liquidated damages".

This is such a huge pit. When Wang Jing received the letter from Su You, he felt as if he was struck by lightning - when did the agreement contain anything so unfavorable to Daliao?!

I asked my subordinates to take out the original agreement between the two countries and check it. Sure enough, it was clearly written on it - if one of the two parties, for whatever reason, causes delays and prevents the factory from being completed and started on time, then the party at fault will pay the other party.

One party’s daily “liquidated damages”.

One day is 35,000 guan. If it really takes half a year, the Song Dynasty will not only have to give nothing to the Liao State, but the Liao State will also owe the Song Dynasty 2.8 million guan!

Wang Jing couldn't help but flew into a rage, and arrested and tortured the officials responsible for the specific negotiations - tell the truth, why was there such a clause at that time? Why betray the country?!

The officials cried and complained, saying that this was done in accordance with the will of the Prime Minister and His Majesty!

At that time, the Prime Minister and His Majesty said that in order to make the people of Song Dynasty irresponsible, the date of production can only be brought forward and not delayed, so this clause was formulated!

Situ of the Song Dynasty also protested at the time, saying that this provision was too harsh and demanded that the liquidated damages be adjusted from one percent to one thousandth.

We reported this to the Prime Minister, who personally gave instructions and said that this rule cannot be changed.

These are all available in archival documents at the time!

Now Wang Jing finally remembered it, and it seemed that this was indeed the case at that time, but in his own understanding, this clause was clearly formulated to restrain the Song Dynasty and prevent it from delaying the construction period for any reason.

The devil...the devil knows that today, two years after the contract was signed, the Liao Kingdom has become the party that does not want the iron plant to start construction as soon as possible!

There was no way to reason about this matter, so Wang Jing had no choice but to write a letter to Yelu Hongji, crying and pleading guilty while asking for help - Your Majesty, we really can't reason about this matter, so you have to come forward...

Yelu Hongji had no choice but to quickly send a condolence envoy to the Song Dynasty, and then took advantage of the opportunity to meet Zhao Xu to ask for an extension.

This was the first request of the Liao people after Zhao Xu took office, and this time the Liao people took the initiative to admit their mistakes, admitting that the problem lay on their own side, but also stated that it was caused by the spring floods and subsequent civil unrest.

There is nothing we can do about it. Please forgive the Song Dynasty for this mistake for the sake of harmony and friendship between the two brotherly states.

It was Zhao Xu who kindly reminded them that legally, disasters and civil unrest should be called "force majeure".

Also, although the agreement stated "no matter what the circumstances", it was obvious that your dynasty's subjective wishes at the time did not realize that this clause would restrict itself in the future, but only wanted to use it to restrict the Song Dynasty.

In Bi Aiqing's legal interpretation, this should also be called a "major misunderstanding."

At that time, Situ did not clearly explain that this article was also valid for the Liao Kingdom, and he did not inform your dynasty and verify that you had subjectively realized that if you encountered a situation like today, your dynasty would also have to pay liquidated damages. This was how the agreement was formulated at that time

The work was not done carefully.

Of course, we have to talk about it in two ways. Such a clear clause did not realize its binding force on both parties. The Liao Kingdom still has to bear the main responsibility for this matter, which is very inappropriate.

However, since I have just taken office, Your Majesty and King Yan have made such a request. This is the first time that I cannot refuse.

And I heard that Concubine Yan Wang Yuan also gave birth to a son? Then our court agrees to postpone it for half a year so that Situ will no longer pursue the matter of liquidated damages. It can be regarded as a congratulatory gift to my nephew from my uncle, okay?

The Liao envoy was in tears. He was extremely grateful to Zhao Xu. His Majesty the Song Dynasty was so considerate. Let us also sue Situ Yi.

So he said that Su You had nothing to gain, and claimed that promises, trust and obligations were the basic characteristics of the contract. He also said that if these could not be guaranteed, then he would have doubts about the binding force of the Song-Liao trade contract.

It will cause Zhangzidao Customs to lower the credit rating of the Liao Kingdom, and there will be countless countermeasures against the Liao Kingdom - such as increasing the contract deposit, increasing the lending interest of Liao merchants, reducing the scale of trade, and no longer handling consignments for the Liao people...

…

It scares a person to death.

Zhao Xu couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly, and told the Liao envoy that what Situ did was indeed the normal practice of customs trade in the Song Dynasty, and it was also the correct approach. The measures he mentioned did exist.

But this time there are extenuating circumstances, so forget it. Don't make such mistakes again in the future. Otherwise, there are laws and regulations, and I can't help you.

A "trade crisis" was finally resolved with Zhao Xu's intervention.

At the end of the day, Fan Zuyu reported that the Liao people were rude, and it was called condolences, but it was actually seeking profit. The Song Dynasty should not perpetuate the arrogance and wantonness of the Liao people. Please pay attention to it.

Zhao Xu put on a poker face and explained that this was clearly a trap dug by Situ for the Liao people. There was no need for the Song Dynasty to take advantage of their lack of experience in business contracts to design such traps for the other party.

This would make the Song Dynasty lose its demeanor as a great power, and would also reduce the Song Dynasty's credibility in surrounding foreign countries.

However, Fan Aiqing was right. The Liao people had indeed lost etiquette in this matter and showed insufficient respect for the Empress Dowager. Honglu Temple should be ordered to admonish them, so that one thing would be the same thing.

All the ministers bowed to him.

In that month, Yang Wei, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, wrote: "Shenzong has updated the law and established the system to last for eternity. I beg for blessings and instructions to complete the way of continuation."

In addition, he wrote thousands of secret memorials, reflecting Chen Shenzong's intention to establish the legal code and the beauty of Wang Anshi's scholarship, and begging Zhang Dun to be his prime minister.

Yang Wei was the "official of Xu's residence". After the death of King Xu Zhao Hao, Yang Wei was frightened and took refuge with Lu Dafang.

Lu Dafang always said that he was afraid to speak out, so he secretly made a secret appointment with Yang Wei to help him, and then recommended him to Zhao Xu.

When Zhao Hao was alive, Zhao Xu was extremely vigilant against "official Xu", but these dark things could not be clearly stated in court, and at that time, Gao Taotao hired all the officials recommended by Zhao Hao.

In order to embody the "two palaces in one", Zhao Xu did not express any objection.

Later, Yang Wei became so arrogant that he impeached Su Shi and Su Che, but Zhao Xu still did not touch him. However, Gao Taotao came to his senses and transferred him to the Imperial Academy.

Now he has been moved to the post of Minister of Rites by Lu Dafang.

Gao Taotao was going to use Fan Chunren to restore his appearance. Yang Wei tried to say something inappropriate, but Fan Chunren didn't know it.

Before Lu Dafang promoted Yang Wei, Fan Chunren once advised him: "When you come to the new government, you should look for a righteous person; Yang Wei is too evil and cannot be used."

Lu Dafang sneered and said, "How can you be afraid of speaking out against evil?" Only then did Fan Chunren realize that Yang Wei had said bad things about him.

As a result, Lu Dafang served as the envoy of Shanling. As soon as he left the country, Yang Wei knew that Lu Dafang would never come back, so he immediately betrayed him and prepared to join another big boss. So he handed in a letter of surrender and recommended Zhang Dun to Shangshu.

It should be said that Yang Wei was still discerning and clearly saw Zhao Xu's intention to protect Zhang Dun when he was released.

Because Emperor Shenzong was also mentioned in Yang Wei's memorial, Zhao Xu immediately summoned him and asked him which of his former ministers could be summoned.

Yang Wei then listed Zhang Dun, An Tao, Lu Huiqing, Deng Wenbo, Li Qingchen and others for their righteous deeds, and each added a title.

There is no sour oil.

Zhao Xu expressed that he understood, so he followed Yang Wei's wishes and restored Lu Huiqing, a bachelor of Zhang Dun's Zizheng Palace and a senior official. He was afraid that the court meeting would be passed, so he deliberately released a private item of his own and restored the king's Zhongzhengyao County regiment training envoy.

Wang Zhongzheng has been unlucky recently. The censors found out about the child's stay in Jialu River before, but this time they impeached him for bribing Shi Deyi, so that Shi Deyi concealed the truth about the massacre of civilians for him.

Gao Taotao happened to dislike Shi Deyi, so he demoted both Shi Deyi and Wang Zhongzheng.

As a result, Su You wrote a letter to speak favorably for Shi Deyi, meaning that Lao Shi was already old and frail and could not live more than a few years, but he worked diligently on Zhangzi Island and built a garden to express his intention of never returning.

Zhangzi Island is a place further away than Salmon Island. He has merit and attitude, so let him go.

Gao Taotao stopped pursuing Shi Deyi, but Wang Zhongzheng was unlucky enough to take the blame for an activity involving Shi Deyi.
Chapter completed!