After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhao Ta still did not return to Beijing, and the country could not be delayed for a long time, so after the chiefs discussed the matter of the decision, they prepared a good article, put forward their opinions, and sent it to Xiangyi for the emperor to decide.

Zhao Ta didn't seem to understand everyone's meaning at all, and got up early every morning to walk early and learn martial arts with Yang Feng and others. After breakfast, it is often to lead a few internal guards alone or take their wives and children to wander around in the Zhuangzi without a purpose, for the people of the world who rarely see the emperor's honor, maybe this is the place with the highest chance of meeting the emperor, maybe when, the emperor will appear in front of you.

Generally at noon, Zhao Ta will go back to the house for dinner, and after the lunch break is the time for him to deal with official business, at this time the messengers should also be busy, whenever a batch of imperial recitals are sent, they will quickly send back to the Beijing Division. After a simple lunch, he would spend a long night in the small study of the Winter Garden, and sometimes the candlelight would not be extinguished all night, declaring that their emperor was not derelict in his duties, but thinking about the future of the country and planning the direction of the Great Song Dynasty.

For the Great Song Dynasty, which had always dreamed of rejuvenation, as its military, economic, and political strength gradually recovered, it was natural to strive to restore its strategic buffer zone. In addition to the military tentacles of the Great Song Dynasty gradually extended to the surrounding countries, the political and economic tentacles also gradually penetrated into other countries, from intervening in the domestic affairs of Dali, participating in the development of copper mines, to assisting the Mongol tribes against the Jurchens, uniting with the Western Xia to repel the Western Liao's power in the Gaochang Uighurs, supporting the pro-Song group, and opening up the Eurasian land trade route.

In the face of the Jurchen power, the force gradually withdrew. The desert region has relapsed into a situation of competing for hegemony, and Zhao is worried that the powerful force will take the opportunity to rise rapidly. It seriously affected the security and stability of the northern part of the Song Dynasty, so it must be prepared to undertake the 'great task of heaven'. But this task is long and difficult. In addition, the weakening of Jurchen rule does not mean that they will withdraw the scope of their forces from Mobei, and the game of all forces in the region will be more fierce. And now the Western Regions, which had just calmed a little, made waves again, and it was not the Jurchens, nor the Khitans and Tatars of Western Liao, but the Gaochang Uighurs, who had just formed an alliance with the Great Song Dynasty, and did not know that the Jin State had sharpened its sword and was preparing to use force against Goryeo......

A Uighur detachment of the late Tang dynasty of the Gaochang Kingdom established a regime in the eastern Tien Shan region after migrating westward. After 300 years, during which the power of the Tang, Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties all touched here, but unlike other countries that were looted in the war, although they were influenced and even exploited by the surrounding powers, Gaochang has always maintained its independence. The main reason for its rare independence is related to the external force effect of the balance of power between the Central Plains regime and the minority regime in the northwest, but its flexible response and adaptation to the strong country are also important factors.

After Gaochang was founded in the Tang Xiantong period, he sent the Central Plains regimes such as the Northern Zhou and Song dynasties, and at the same time paid tribute to the Khitan. But maintained close relations with the Khitans. This was partly due to the fact that the Guiyi and Ganzhou Uighur regimes in Hexi had hindered communication between Gaochang and Song, and on the other hand, the traditional position of the Uighurs in the Khitan was conducive to exchanges between the two sides. Many of the Khitan concubines were Uighur and had Uighur camps, and Shangjing was dedicated to Uighur trade.

Exchanges with Liao began during the Abaoji period. The Khitan expedition to the west of Gaochang shocked the Gaochang people, but the Khitan did not eliminate the Gaochang regime. Instead, according to his own traditions, he regarded Gaochang as his own vassal country. Let its monarch continue to rule his subjects, using his important position in East-West trade to continue his traditional role. Trade with the Khitans.

Gaochang's interaction with the Song began during the Taizu period, when the Song eliminated the Northern Han, the most reluctant secession regime in the Central Plains, and took the initiative to send troops to the Khitan in an attempt to recover Youyun, showing his consolidation and a certain degree of strength, and Gaochang's attitude towards the Song also became enthusiastic, sending tribute. Before the envoy, the Gaochang monarch also expressed his title in Chinese, and added the word 'nephew' to emphasize the harmonious relationship between the two sides in the Tang Dynasty to show closeness.

It can be seen that Gaochang adopted a 'bamboo in the wind' strategy against the two powerful neighbors, and whoever is stronger will be attached to whom, using its own advantages in order to survive in the cracks. With the fall of the Liao State and the rise of the Jin, Gaochang vigorously helped the Khitan royal family Yelu Dashi on the way to the west, and after Yelu Dashi established the Western Liao Dynasty, the Gaochang Kingdom was accepted as a vassal. The Western Liao sent young eunuchs to Gaochang to supervise state affairs and collect tribute. Later, the Uighurs remained semi-independent. The title of its monarch is "Yidu Hu", which means lord of happiness......

At this time, the territory of Gaochang is roughly the land of the eight miles of unification, north to the Ashu River, south to Jiuquan, east to Wudun Jiashiha, west to Xifan, its belonging Qiuci is one of the hubs of the Silk Road, choke the important trade route to Central Asia, connecting the Middle East, become an important transit point for trade between the East and the West, and all countries can not be underestimated.

In such a critical area, Zhao Tan, who started as a trader, naturally did not despise it, and after he ascended the throne, he focused on opening up this channel, but due to the intervention of Western Liao, the previous Great Song caravans had to pay heavy taxes, which caused the Song to suffer huge losses in the transaction. However, after the Song Dynasty defeated the Jurchens with troops several times, the power continued to move westward, and Gaochang sent an envoy to the court, calling it the 'Han soil', and willing to rebuild the old good.

Gao Chang has always been dissatisfied with the revenge of the Western Liaoen and the seizure of power, and the two sides have friction from time to time, and the contradictions are deepening. Of course, Zhao Tan was unwilling to let go of this opportunity, he presided over the righteous union of Western Xia to send troops through the road, expelled the young eunuch sent by Western Liao to Gaochang, and restored his country name, in order to show that the Great Song Dynasty had no intention of his land, he withdrew the army after completing the task, and the two sides mainly focused on economic and trade exchanges. For a time, Gaochang became the general agent of the Great Song Dynasty's land trade with Western countries, and profited greatly from it.

However, Gaochang, who leaned on the big tree of the Great Song Dynasty, did not completely sever relations with Western Liao, and they still paid annual tribute to Western Liao every year in exchange for the understanding of the 'old master'. And Zhao Ta didn't pay attention to it after knowing that the two sides of the road were covered openly and secretly, all he wanted was that this trade route was unblocked. But Zhao Ta's kindness was not rewarded, and Gaochang began to intervene in Mobei and wanted to expand northward, while the Jurchens, who were in economic difficulties, saw an opportunity to cede the area south of the Altai Mountains in exchange for transiting from Gaochang to carry out foreign trade and break the economic blockade of the Great Song Dynasty against them.

In the face of Gao Chang's 'capital enemy' behavior, Zhao Ta of course could not tolerate it, and sent an envoy to warn him, asking him to sever relations with the Jin State. However, Gao Chang rejected the request of the Great Song Dynasty, and instead threatened the Great Song Dynasty with 'closing the trade route and returning to Western Liao', which made Zhao Tan not only uncomfortable, but very angry......

"Second master, are you still worried about Gaochang?" After the second watch, the candle in the study was not extinguished, Zhao Xin got up in his clothes, and went to the small kitchen to bake two cooking cakes for the emperor as in the past, and said.

"Well, the trip of the villain in Gaochang is disgraceful, and he dares to blackmail the Great Song Dynasty!" Zhao Ta picked up the cooking cake and took a bite and said.

"Second master, now your identity is different, don't be angry at will!" Zhao Xin poured tea for the emperor again and said.

"Hehe, you have something to say, if you can be willful, I don't have to bother so much!" Zhao Tan smiled and said with a smile, he knew what Zhao Xin meant - the anger of the Son of Heaven bleeds thousands of miles, his authority is important, and the throne is no longer shakeable, and the opinions he put forward, few people in the court dare to advise, although it is said to be conducive to his dictatorship, but the reverse is arbitrary, and it is not necessarily a good thing for no one to raise objections, so Zhao Xin advised him to be cautious and calm.

"Is Gao Chang really hard to subdue?" Zhao Xin saw that the emperor broke it, and asked with a smile, she knew that the emperor of the Dao Dao supported Gaochang to get rid of the Western Liao in order to open up the westward trade route, and also to establish a bridgehead for the defense of the Western Liao, and the deeper meaning was to extend the power of the Great Song Dynasty to Central Asia.

"Yes, Goryeo's highly flexible foreign policy and the fact that it always puts its own interests first make it difficult for the outside world to develop it into a reliable ally and as a strategic fulcrum!" Zhao Ta nodded and said, he is well aware of the importance of Gaochang in geopolitics, and the significance of fighting for it goes without saying, and he has paid a relatively large price, but he still has not succeeded.

"In that case, why don't we follow the example of Dali, replace Bi Luo Ge, and support the Uighur chieftain of Qiuzi to govern!" Zhao Xinyan said that she was the emperor's pillow and could provide some advice. The Qiuzi Uighurs were part of the Qocho Uighurs, so the locals also called themselves the Xizhou Uighurs, who often paid tribute to the Song dynasty alone when relations between the Qocho Uighurs and the Great Song Dynasty were cold, and were considered pro-Song people.

Although there were frequent infighting among the Uighurs, it often began and ended in internal affairs, and it was unlikely that the outside world would borrow from them. Generations of monarchs have been faithful executors of the 'Bamboo in the Wind' strategy, and behind these seemingly changeable and ready to change at any time, it is essential and fundamental to always serve the country's own interests! Zhao Ta shook his head and said, he had considered this plan, and sent the Intelligence Department to go deep into his country to investigate in detail, the chance of success was too small, and the cost was too great.

"Then what about forcing them to comply by severing trade with them? This is related to their fundamental interests, and they will not take it lightly, right? Zhao Xin pushed the dinner plate towards the emperor and said.

This seems to be the most effective way to influence Gaochang's tendencies, but its geographical location is in the center of the Western Regions, it is a country that extends in all directions, and the external channels of economic and trade will not be restricted by a certain direction, and it is unlikely that anyone will get closer to it through the economic blockade. This determines that if any country exerts economic and trade influence on it, other countries and regions can quickly take measures to make a strategic balance! Zhao Ta shook his head with a wry smile and said...... (To be continued......)