Zhuozhou City, which is under the jurisdiction of Youzhou, has been an important city in the north for thousands of years. Too many stories have been staged here, and countless heroes have risen and fallen here, and the representative among them should be For a straw sandal seller and a pig butcher and meat seller, they met a fugitive here and became sworn brothers, starting a magnificent history and life.
The current leader of Zhuozhou, Guo Yaoshi, is obviously above those three in terms of his starting point, but his situation at this time is far from comparable to that of the heroes who have been passed down to future generations for thousands of years. At present, Zhuozhou is no longer as prosperous and accessible as it used to be. Not only are there weeds and fields outside the city, but even inside the city, the people are in dire straits. Nine out of ten houses are empty. Only 20,000 soldiers of the Ever Victorious Army are still here, doing their final work. Struggle, or it can be called struggle.
But as time goes by, they have reached the end of their rope. At least for now, there is not much way out. Especially when the envoy from the Liao Kingdom in front of them broke down their difficult situation bit by bit and explained it in detail, it made Medicine Master Guo's face turn blue, and the subordinates accompanying him were even more shaken.
"General Guo, I have said everything that needs to be said. I hope you can make the wisest choice, so that both of you and I can benefit and be protected. If you are still determined to fight with me, Daliao, Enemy, I can guarantee that in less than a month, our fine cavalry from the Liao Kingdom will conquer Zhuozhou. By then, the entire city will be destroyed, and you will definitely make the same mistake as Dong Xiuo and other rebels!" Xiao Sixun, the envoy from the Liao Kingdom, said slowly. As he spoke, his aura became stronger and stronger.
The last words full of threats shook Yaoshi Guo's body again, but he still managed to calm down and said with a smile: "What the ambassador said is that we do know our situation. But, let me wait. You can't be so hasty in re-submitting to Daliao, right? I wonder what arrangements the court will make?"
"Arrangement? You will know when the time comes. There is only one thing I can guarantee. As long as you surrender at this time, the court can forget the blame and protect your troops."
"Is that just like this?" Medicine Master Guo sighed with some disappointment.
"What? Aren't you satisfied? You rebelled and conspired. In the past two years, you have killed innocent people and occupied cities in Daliao. Which of these crimes is not a capital crime? It is the biggest concession for the imperial court to let things go by the wayside. If you push further, once the court becomes angry, you will have to bear the consequences!" Xiao Sixun spoke again and shouted aggressively.
After a pause, he added: "I don't have much time and my patience is limited. I will wait for you for three days at most. If you still refuse to give me a clear answer, don't blame the court for killing me! You can think about it again so that you can take care of yourself!" Without the other party's pressure, he stopped entangled, quickly stood up and wanted to leave.
The generals in the hall all had tangled expressions on their faces. Some of them opened their mouths to say something, but after seeing Yaoshi Guo's still gloomy thin face, they didn't say anything. They knew how bad the situation in Zhuozhou was at the moment. Not to mention the Liao army coming to quell the rebellion, even if no one came to attack, they might not be able to hold on for a few more months with the little food stored in the city. And looking at it, at least for now, there is no way to get money or food.
What Pharmacist Guo just asked was actually to see if he could start with
The other party asked for some benefits, but now it seems that the Liao people are not willing to give themselves a chance at all. Now that the mountains and rivers are exhausted, is it really necessary to return to the Liao Kingdom again
Just when he was hesitating and about to compromise, a person hurriedly arrived from outside the hall. He didn't care that his general was talking to the Liao envoy, so he quickly came to Guo Yaoshi's side, leaned over and whispered a few words in his ear. What sentence.
As soon as he said these few words, the expression of Pharmacist Guo, who was still full of tangles, changed, and he looked at Xiao Sixun: "Then please first ask your envoy to stay in my Zhuozhou city for two days. This is the matter. Big, I have to discuss it with my brothers before I can make a decision." After saying that, he made a gesture of invitation and sent him away directly.
This change made Xiao Sixun frown suddenly. He had clearly felt the panic and hesitation of Medical Master Guo just now, and it seemed that he might agree to surrender at any time. But why did it suddenly change, just because that person said a few words
Although he had many doubts in his heart, because what the man said was so soft, he couldn't hear it at all, so he could only put it down temporarily and snorted: "Three days, I only give you three days, you have to think about it, don't You've made a mistake by mistake!" He finally threatened before standing up and leaving.
After he left, Pharmacist Guo chuckled and said: "There is really no end to the road, and our opportunity has come. Wu Junzuo, go to the city gate for me to bring the envoy from the Song Dynasty into the city. Remember, it is also the same as before. Likewise, only twenty of them are allowed to enter the city, and the rest are stationed outside."
His order finally solved the doubts in the minds of others. All the subordinates who were worried at first felt overjoyed: "The Song Dynasty finally thought of using us? This is really God's help for our ever-victorious army!" "
After a tall general was called and left with his fists clasped, Medicine Master Guo quickly swept over the crowd and said in a serious tone: "Brothers, please be alert and don't make the same mistake again. If the Song envoy is allowed to touch it accurately again, If our fate is destroyed, the consequences will only become more serious. Now is the time for us to seek the greatest benefit. We must not let the opportunity slip away in vain, let alone make mistakes!"
"What the general said is that I will be careful!" All these people agreed solemnly. Before, it was because they were accidentally touched by the Liao envoy that they became so passive and restrained in every aspect. They were about to be forced to surrender. This was not the result they wanted to see.
After giving a few instructions to everyone, Medical Master Guo quickly started thinking about how to deal with this Song envoy. It would be best if he could get a lot of benefits without actually having to grovel to others. The most important thing was that he could get a lot of benefits. Yes, you cannot get involved in the battle between Song and Liao! His ambition has never been small, but he doesn't want to be used as a tool.
Half an hour later, someone came to report again that the envoy from the Song Dynasty had arrived at the gate of the garrison. Only then did Pharmacist Guo Shi Shiran stand up, put on a good show, and led people out to greet him - these were all lessons he learned after suffering losses with the Liao envoy, and now they were all applied to the Song envoy.
Sun Tu and the others had already stood in front of this seemingly intact garrison. Looking at the surrounding houses and courtyards, many of them were burned down and collapsed. There were no people walking around on the broad streets, which always made people feel uncomfortable. The entire Zhuozhou City is lifeless and depressing.
This feeling is outside the city
Yes, but it became more obvious after entering the city gate. However, when the other party proposed that only twenty people could enter the city, Sun Tu did not object. After all, there was not much difference between three or four hundred people and twenty people in front of an army of tens of thousands. However, for the sake of safety, he took Lu Dawu, Song Hua Rong and others with him, and only let a few of Fan Qi's brothers stay in the army on his behalf, which was a kind of trust in them.
After entering the city and seeing the scene inside, Sun Tu gained a better understanding of Zhuozhou and Pharmacist Guo - both Pharmacist Guo and his subordinates have very limited abilities. . They actually caused such a disaster to the good Zhuozhou City. It was impossible for them to be a big deal. And just by letting himself wait for twenty people to enter the city, we can also see his petty side, which may not even be comparable to Zhu Meng who was in Jinling City back then.
This knowledge made Sun Tu feel more relaxed and at ease when he actually saw Pharmacist Guo. He smiled and clasped his fists in front of him: "General Guo, Sun has been admiring you for a long time. When I saw you today, you are indeed extraordinary. Your appearance is extraordinary." Tangtang is worthy of being the leader of the Han righteous army who can stir up chaos in the Liao Kingdom with one army."
Speaking of which, Pharmacist Guo's appearance is indeed extraordinary. He is tall, slender and has long cheeks, and with a beard and beard, he really has the demeanor of a famous ancient general. Even in this desperate situation, his face was still clean and there was no trace of embarrassment. After listening to Sun Tu's words at this moment, he, who was sizing up the envoy, also laughed: "General Sun, you are too praised. Your name is also well-known among me. You can be regarded as a rare famous general in the Song Dynasty army."
"Haha, that's just other people's flattery. I, Sun Tu, can't bear it." Sun Tu smiled and said modestly, and then the two of them walked into the Yamen, hand in hand, like old friends they hadn't seen for many years. , but many people around him were dumbfounded.
After everyone sat down and exchanged some greetings, Sun Tu went straight to the topic: "General Guo must have already known the purpose of my visit, right? Speaking of which, he is also a righteous general. Even today, he can still Thinking of his identity as a Han, he went to the court several times and wanted to surrender. I just lamented that in the past, there were many treacherous people in the army and the court who blocked it, which delayed the general's sincere loyalty. But now, everything is possible. The conclusion has been reached, so Tong Shuai specially ordered me to come and negotiate with the general about surrendering to the Song Dynasty, but I don’t know what you want, General Guo?"
"Haha, the Song Dynasty court can recognize me as a foreigner and be willing to accept my brothers, which is also a blessing for my ever-victorious army of tens of thousands of troops. Since we are Han ministers, how can we dare to put forward any conditions for surrendering to the court? But..." Pharmacist Guo first said a few words, then changed the subject and wanted to ask some questions.
But at this moment, someone beside him coughed lowly, interrupting his words. When Pharmacist Guo looked at him, he shook his head and winked. He instantly understood what he was talking about and quickly changed his words: "But your new envoy is here today. He must have been working very hard. Why don't you go to Zhuozhou first?" Stay in the city and wait until you have enough energy tomorrow to talk about business."
Naturally, their flirtations could not be hidden from Sun Tu, which made him feel moved. Sure enough, things were not that simple. But since the other party said so, he didn't want to be too pushy, so he smiled and said: "In that case, it's up to you to do whatever you want, General Guo."