Chapter 508: Tribute From All Nations (3)

Bianliang in late winter is not bleak.

Because there are too many people.

From the moment you enter the city from Nanxun Gate, you will be accompanied by various smells.

There is the smell of fresh live fish caught from the Bian River or the Yellow River in winter, and there are also various spices shipped from the warehouse in the south city.

The most important of these is the smell of food from various food stores and people's homes.

In the early morning, whether living in the city or outside the city, everyone starts their day with a breakfast.

Before dawn, people get up from bed, open the bottom cover of the coal stove that was not extinguished last night, and then use tongs to add a piece of new coal into it.

Wait for the fire to burn, boil water first, wash your face and brush your teeth quickly, and then prepare today's breakfast.

Bianliang is located in the Central Plains, gathering all the world's delicacies, including southern rice noodles and northern noodles. A bowl of fragrant boiled noodles in the morning can provide carbon water for the whole morning.

If time is not abundant, those who have plenty of money will also choose to go to a restaurant.

The Imperial Street was built from Xuande Gate, the south gate of the imperial palace, all the way south to Zhuque Gate, the south gate of the inner city, then across the left and right night markets, and continued south for several miles to Nanxun Gate.

After entering from Nanxun Gate, there are many market shops on both sides of the Imperial Street, and there is a variety of restaurants and restaurants every few shops.

The breakfast shops will open their doors, and there are also small stalls selling breakfast on the street.

At this time, the yamen runners on duty in Kaifeng Prefecture on each street will act as the task of urban management, allowing these vendors to set up stalls on fixed streets and near the city gates to maintain order.

As a result, the most common aroma at each city gate in the early morning is the aroma of breakfast.

Various delicacies from the south and the north meet, including porridge, wontons, steamed buns, dumplings, sesame cakes, fried dough sticks, etc., and porridge is also divided into millet porridge, rice porridge, red bean porridge and other flavors.

In the past, wontons and fried dough sticks were the food of the rich, because wontons and buns were stuffed, and fried dough sticks needed a lot of oil to fry, so ordinary people could not afford them and could only eat steamed buns or sesame cakes to fill their stomachs.

But now the production of vegetable oil has exploded, dozens of times that of Jingyou years, and meat has also increased with the development of animal husbandry. Oil and meat have also entered thousands of households from the previous luxury goods, enriching the dining tables of the people of the Song Dynasty.

So when you enter the Nanxun Gate, the first thing you smell is the fragrant oil.

When the carriage team carrying so many foreign envoys slowly entered the Nanxun Gate, the fragrance near the gate had already spread quickly towards them.

"What's that smell? It smells so good?"

"This is the people of Song selling food on the street, and there are restaurants."

"It smells so good. I really want to try it."

"Don't worry, envoys. His Majesty the Emperor of Song has prepared a banquet for you. You can go for a walk after the banquet."

"Hmm, hmm."

Many envoys in the carriage lifted the curtains and looked out, curiously looking at every detail of Song.

In fact, they were already shocked when they arrived in Guangzhou.

The six- or seven-story buildings and the huge cannons that were taller than two-story buildings near the docks and ports all made them feel eye-opening.

This situation did not end until they arrived in Xiangyang and got on the train. The shock had reached its peak.

Many envoys even made jokes. When they saw the "woohoo" train coming, they thought it was some terrifying monster eating people everywhere, and they were terrified and wanted to run away.

However, when they arrived in Bianliang, they knew what a truly powerful country was.

The current urban area of ​​Bianliang has expanded several times. Before Zhao Jun went out of the capital for patrol in the ninth year of the Qingli period, the city area reached 382 square kilometers.

Now, four years later, the area has reached more than 500 square kilometers.

Although it is not even a fraction of the 16,400 square kilometers of Beijing in later generations, the main old city area is still maintained at about 50 square kilometers.

But this itself means that under the construction of industrial civilization, the city of Bianliang has developed extremely rapidly. In a few decades, it may reach the overall area of ​​Beijing in later generations.

And now those Western countries, including the so-called capital of the Roman Empire, are probably not even one-tenth the size of Bianliang today.

So when these foreigners saw these things, they were filled with an indescribable sense of shock.

Song Dynasty.

Too powerful.

For a time, many envoys sat in the car anxiously.

Thinking about how to gain benefits for their country in Song Dynasty.

The carriage continued to move north.

The old city of Kaifeng in the Northern Song Dynasty was about 7 kilometers from north to south, extending from the later Tokyo Avenue to the Kaifeng Airport area.

The new city area continued to extend five to seven kilometers to the southeast, northwest and northeast, which greatly expanded the area of ​​Bianliang, but in fact there were many lands in the wilderness, which were not considered urban areas.

Outside the city are often industrial areas, school areas, warehouses, docks, stations and other places, similar to the new areas of later generations, with those high-rise buildings, but not closely connected.

The urban area is different. The closer to the imperial city, the more compact the houses in the urban area.

The outer city is still good, with a large number of vacant land and abandoned houses - these abandoned houses are either the former garrisons of the imperial army or the government offices that have moved to other places, waiting for the court to develop because they are not allowed to be bought and sold.

The inner city is much smaller, with a length and width of only 2-3 kilometers, a total area of ​​about 5-6 square kilometers, and a large number of people living there, resulting in extremely compact houses and crowded people.

When the convoy entered the inner city, everyone was shocked by the prosperity of the inner city.

Although it was winter, all kinds of exquisite pavilions and towers stood tall, many of which were hung with ribbons, dragon flags on the towers fluttered in the wind, beautiful lanterns were hung high, and the crisp sound of wind chimes and bamboo horses resounded.

It was still early in the morning, and the sky had just brightened, but the busy streets of Yujie had already prospered. Countless small vendors set up stalls on both sides of the street, and pedestrians came and went.

"Respected Saladin, you have lived in the Song Dynasty all year round. Have you been here before?"

In the carriage, the envoy of the Abbasid Dynasty asked the translator Saladin, and even unconsciously, he had used the honorific.

Saladin smiled and said, "Of course I have been here."

"Have you seen so many people in the capital of the Song Dynasty before?"

The envoy asked in shock.

"I have seen it, or rather, there are fewer people at night and in the morning. You will know how many people there are in the capital of the Song Dynasty at noon."

"My God, is there still a few people at this time? There may be more people here than in Baghdad."

"Otherwise, why is the Song Dynasty the most powerful country in the world?"

Saladin had already settled in Guangzhou and had come to Bianliang to do business. His words were full of pride.

"Alas, the Abbasid state has just recovered. The people are affected by the war and are suffering from hunger and cold. It would be great if we could live and work in peace like the Song Dynasty."

The envoy sighed.

The Arab Empire was once a powerful empire with vast borders and a huge population.

But today, the Abbasid Dynasty only has a small area in the central abdomen of the former empire.

Although this part of the area has fertile soil, sits on the Mesopotamian Plain, has abundant grain production, and a large population, it may be possible to continue its former glory if it is properly managed.

But compared with the Song Dynasty, it was like a poor countryman meeting a wealthy businessman. There was no comparison between the two sides.

Entering through the inner city gate, the Vermillion Bird Gate, the envoys looked at the prosperity of the inner city.

Each of them showed shock and envy.

What surprised them most was that the guides and translators told them that this was when there were few people.

If it was noon, they might not be able to get from the train station to Xuande Gate in half an hour, because at that time most of the streets in the inner city would be blocked, full of people, and there was no end in sight.

This is the prosperous Bianliang, whose population exceeded three million in the ninth year of the Qingli period, and today, at the end of the twelfth year of the Qingli period, the population is close to the five million mark.

At the beginning of the morning, that is, around 7 o'clock in the morning, the Western envoys, who had slept on the train last night and had just woken up not long ago, and then looked shocked again, finally arrived at the Song Dynasty Palace.

The towering palace walls, exquisite and beautiful carvings, and various buildings with brackets and flying eaves are dazzling.

The strict guards also make everyone feel afraid.

There are bright guards patrolling at the foot of the imperial city and above the city walls, looking sternly at everyone passing by.

There is a huge square outside Xuande Gate. Originally, this square was the Imperial Corridor. To the east is the Jingling East Palace, and to the west is the Shangshu Province. The area is very large, even larger than Tiananmen Square.

Later, when the imperial city was expanded, Xuande Gate was demolished and rebuilt, expanding to the Baoci Temple area north of the Bian River. The square area is a little smaller, about 800 meters long from north to south and about 500 meters wide from east to west, basically the same as Tiananmen Square.

And not only is the Imperial Corridor in front of the gate paved with marble, but water is also diverted from the Bian River to circle the square. More than ten white marble arch bridges were built outside. Court officials went to the Chuigong Hall in the morning to attend court, and they all walked here.

At this moment, the square was full of people. Today's court meeting was cancelled. The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited all envoys from various countries who had arrived in the Song Dynasty to attend a banquet at the Changqing Hall of the Changqing Palace.

This was not a formal celebration, but just a banquet.

But even so, the kings and envoys of more than 60 countries, together with the accompanying guides and translators and the accompanying officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Rites, were more than 200 people, and the momentum was quite huge.

Soon everyone was there. Under the arrangement of the officials of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, many kings and envoys stood in the square outside Xuande Gate and lined up in an orderly manner.

There were also various whispers at the scene, but the languages ​​of the countries were not understood, so basically the kings and envoys of various countries were talking to the translators or accompanying officials, asking about something.

"Open the palace gate!"

On the Xuande Gate, the eunuch shouted in a loud voice.

"Creaky, creaky."

The majestic and tall middle door of the Xuande Gate slowly opened.

Then a group of guards came out and lined up outside the door.

Then there were dozens of loud bangs, and fireworks shot straight into the sky, blooming with brilliant colors.

That is, it was already early morning, and the beauty of the fireworks was not very clear. If it was at night, it would be very beautiful.

"Please!"

After the salute, Zhao Jun, Fu Bi, Wen Yanbo, Han Qi, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Rites led the way and entered the palace with everyone in a mighty manner amidst the shocked eyes of the kings and envoys.

Unlike the officials of the Song Dynasty who walked forward with dignity, the king and the envoys still looked wide-eyed and scanned the surroundings, and walked in carefully.

Enter from Xuande Gate, go to Youque Gate, and then go forward for more than 200 steps to Changqing Gate.

Behind Changqing Gate is a huge palace complex, which is the preserved building of the original Jingling East Palace. It is full of lush flowers and plants, beautiful gardens, countless pavilions, ponds and lakes.

Palace lanterns light up the darkness in every palace. These palace lanterns are no longer candles, but light bulbs connected to wires, which illuminate the whole room of the palace.

Including the guides and translators, even if they are merchants from various countries in the Song Dynasty, they have seen a lot of the world, but they are still shocked by this huge palace.

"Ding!~"

"Dongdongdongdongdong!~"

The sound of magnificent instruments suddenly appeared.

Outside the palace, there are more than a dozen huge speakers.

The wonderful music coming out of them makes the whole Changqing Palace shrouded in solemnity and solemnity.

This song is called "Floating Light", which is stored in Zhao Jun's notebook.

Zhao Zhen likes it very much.

So the court musicians were asked to learn the tune, and finally played it with instruments such as pipa, chimes, flute, and yangqin.

It happened that electromagnetism had made new progress, and the sound was amplified by electricity. The emergence of speakers made it more full of historical vicissitudes when it was played.

Many kings and envoys, even though they were powerful in their own country, had never seen such a magical thing.

Everyone was stunned by the solemnity and solemnity, and for a moment they felt full of admiration in their hearts. Under such music, coupled with such a majestic and magnificent palace, they would never forget it.

Entering through the palace gate, there was a long corridor in front. More than 200 people walked slowly in the corridor. Because the corridor was wide, it didn't seem crowded at all.

In this solemnity, everyone slowly came to the taller and more majestic Changqing Palace Hall.

This hall has two floors, but the first floor alone is three feet high, which is about ten meters. It is magnificent and covered with golden glazed tiles. The four corners are high and the brackets are densely packed.

The surrounding foundation was not dug into the ground, but on the ground, paved with three or four meters high marble. The white marble staircase went up, and there were three floors alone. There was a circle of marble fences around each floor, with exquisite carvings on it.

As the gate of Changqing Palace opened, kings and envoys from many countries followed the steps to the top. The ones walking in the front were the two closest allies of the Song Dynasty, King Duan Silian of Dali and King Wang Hui of Goryeo.

The two were also monarchs in their country, but compared with the imperial city of the Song Dynasty, even if it was just one of the palaces, their palaces were no different from a brothel in Bianliang.

Such a solemn and solemn feeling is incomparable to the palace of any country.

Everyone was led to the high platform, the gate of Changqing Palace opened, and everyone entered in a line. They saw that the space inside the palace was very large, occupying an area of ​​half a football field. It took a full fifty meters to walk from the door to the high throne at the end.

The two sides were also very wide, with many tables and chairs placed, and they were single tables and chairs. Behind each table and chair, there were two small tables and chairs arranged in a Chinese character "品", which were used to accommodate envoys, translators and accompanying officials.

"Your Majesty is here!"

At this time, Wang Shouzhong's high voice sounded again.

Zhao Zhen entered from the right gate of the palace, took slow steps, and slowly walked up to the throne on the high platform.

The room was brightly lit, and everyone saw a middle-aged man with a solemn face, standing majestically on it, overlooking the bottom.

That was the emperor of the Song Dynasty!

Zhao Jun and others slowly walked to the stage, then clasped their hands together, bowed their hands.

The envoys of all other countries, including the kings of the surrounding countries, even the Liao envoys who were once invincible, bowed their hands in such solemnity.

"Your Majesty!"

Some people bowed with their right hands on their chests. Some people raised their hands to their foreheads and bowed slowly. Some people learned the etiquette of the Song Dynasty and bowed their hands.

At the same time, "Floating Light" also reached its climax, and the tune suddenly became more magnificent and solemn.

Zhao Zhen stood on the high platform, in front of the dragon throne, with his long sleeves on his back, overlooking the envoys and kings of many countries below.

There was also a microphone in front of him.

After everyone saluted respectfully, his originally serious face melted like ice and snow in an instant, his hands were slightly raised, his mouth was slightly opened, and he whispered into the microphone.

"No need to be polite!"

In an instant, the voice spread throughout the hall.

The nine-day gate opened the palace, and the people of all nations bowed to the crown!

At this moment.

All nations come to pay homage!