The hall was very quiet. The ministers had different expressions, but most of them looked at Guo Shao with a smile, including the military version of Justice Bao. Chai Rong spoke, but the first sentence he said was: Guo Shao, I heard that you ordered the plunder of Shouzhou and divided up the government treasury.
Guo Shao was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly explained: "Your Majesty, the soldiers have been besieging the city for a long time and have suffered heavy casualties. I am afraid that the city will be massacred after the city is captured. I am young and inexperienced, and I am worried that I can't control the soldiers, so I have to do this. There are millions of soldiers and civilians in Huainan. If the Great Zhou army kills innocent people as soon as it occupies Huainan, I am worried that it will provoke resistance, and the loss of manpower will outweigh the gain."
Chai Rong asked calmly: You have taken a lot yourself, right
A black line appeared on Guo Shao's forehead. He thought about it hurriedly and had to tell the truth: I have dozens of people in my family. It's not that I think the salary is not enough. Of course, the more money the better.
You are a person who likes money. Chai Rong laughed.
The emperor smiled, and everyone else followed suit. The originally depressing atmosphere suddenly relaxed. Guo Shao also breathed a sigh of relief.
However, Chai Rong shook his head and laughed, "Our dynasty has been engaged in military operations for many years and has insufficient funds. Zhao Kuangyin has made no less contributions than you, but he was able to consider sealing up the treasury for the sake of the country and confiscating all the money. You are very brave. Without saying a word, divide it first and talk later. I am short of money now, but can I still ask the soldiers to spit it out?"
Guo Shao pleaded guilty. Chai Rong said: Forget it, forget it. You are better than Shi Yanchao. You should change your love of killing rather than greed for money. Shi Yanchao, the tallest among the crowd, touched the back of his head and was speechless.
The dark-faced man Zhao Kuangyin hurriedly said: I dare not take credit for it.
Chai Rong then said to Guo Shao: I will not argue with you about the fact that capturing Shouzhou is beneficial to the military and national strategy. I will not only pardon your crime, but also reward you.
Guo Shaodao: I have scored enough points
Chai Rong smiled and clapped his hands twice. At this moment, two palace maids from the Southern Tang Dynasty came out from the inner door of the hall with a woman wearing a tight silk dress.
The woman's head was covered with a light red veil, and only the outline of her face could be vaguely seen. But she immediately gave people a feeling that she was as soft as water, and her steps and movements were so light that she seemed to be floating. The well-cut dress just wrapped around her graceful figure, which was round and soft, and the shape of her waist and hips was the most attractive. Several ministers were stunned by the sight.
Chai Rong said with a smile: This is the woman presented by the Southern Tang general Ma Xi Chong when the Zhou army conquered Yangzhou. What do you think of her
Guo Shao hurriedly said: "She has delicate bones and strong muscles, worthy of the beauty of the country. Congratulations, Your Majesty."
Haha, I'll give it to you as a reward. Chai Rong laughed.
Guo Shao was overjoyed and said: “I thank Your Majesty for your grace.”
Zhao Kuangyin, who was standing next to him, was stunned. Since Guo Shao paid more attention to him, he thought Zhao Kuangyin's behavior was strange. Isn't he not interested in women? Suddenly, a general said, "General Guo, you really dare to ask for it without any hesitation."
Haha Chai Rong laughed happily and waved his hands. Everyone couldn't help but look at Guo Shao with a smile on their faces. Perhaps in people's eyes he was greedy and lustful.
Guo Shao was confused and didn't know why. The generals of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms treated the women they robbed as toys and gave them away. Couldn't they accept the emperor's reward? But seeing that the emperor looked happy and not unhappy, he felt relieved.
At this moment, Li Chongjin came out with his face as red as pig liver, and bowed, saying: "I keep my word. I will fry a fish for him right away. Please ask the guards to catch a raw fish."
The ministers looked at each other. Guo Shao stood in the hall in silence, just glancing at Chai Rong's expression out of the corner of his eyes.
At this time, Chai Rong said with a relaxed look: "It's just a dispute of arrogance, don't hurt the harmony. If General Li really uses his hand to fry fish, the fish will be cooked, and your hand will also be cooked; you haven't made a big mistake, so should I watch the general lose one hand? The world's major events are not over yet, and the generals in the court have a big grudge because of a small matter. How can I deal with it, Guo Shao, you give General Li a word.
Guo Shao was silent for a moment and said: I dare not disobey your majesty's order.
Unexpectedly, at this time, Wang Pu said: General Li has said it, it is not good to just let it go. Your Majesty, I have a way. Cao Mengde said that those who trampled on crops would be beheaded; unexpectedly, his own mount trampled on crops, so he had to cut off his hair instead. Now General Li threatened to fry fish with his hand, it is not necessary to cripple one hand, but he must do something to take back what he said.
Li Chongjin glared and asked:
Wang Pu said calmly: "Put the fried fish on your plate and serve it to General Guo. It's just a token of appreciation."
Li Chongjin was furious. He was the commander of the Imperial Guards, while Guo Shao was only a lieutenant commander, several levels higher than him. If he lowered his status to serve him food, what prestige would he have in the army in the future
Chai Rong said nothing and watched the show from his seat as if it had nothing to do with him.
Wang Pu, the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, was notoriously difficult to get along with in the court. He did not get along well with anyone and was not afraid of offending anyone. Wang Pu looked directly at Li Chongjin and said, "General Li, are you going to offer fish or break your promise?"
Don't go too far, Li Chongjin scolded.
Wang Pu said: "But I asked you to send a fish, General Li, you are too stingy. A real man should be able to bend and stretch.
Just then, an eunuch came up with a plate and said: The fried fish is here.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Li Chongjin stood awkwardly among the ministers. Finally, he stomped his feet, walked up, grabbed the fish and put it in his hand. He came to Guo Shao, turned his face away and stretched out his hand.
Guo Shao was not polite. He took the chopsticks from the eunuch and picked up the fish from Li Chongjin's hand. He put it into his mouth and ate it with relish. He nodded with satisfaction and tried to reach out for the chopsticks. Unexpectedly, Li Chongjin had already thrown the fish to the ground and bowed angrily to the upper position, saying: "I will take my leave now."
Guo Shao bowed to Chai Rong and thought of finding a place to stand with the others. He was quite happy when he first came in, but the neat and tidy and childish behavior in the hall made him feel that there was an undercurrent.
Wang Pu said: General Guo, I am satisfied with having a beautiful woman.
Guo Shaodao: Your Majesty said that the national treasury is not well-off, so I dare not ask for any more rewards.
Wang Pudao: Shouzhou’s achievements can establish a festival.
Guo Shao was stunned. He had long guessed that he might be promoted to Jiedushi this time, but when he heard the people from the Privy Council say it, he was immediately very excited.
Immediately, Chai Rong echoed the question and asked: "Where are the vacancies?"
Wang Pu walked to the map next to the wooden stand and said: Your Majesty, how about the southern region near Tokyo
Very good, Chai Rong answered straightforwardly.
Wang Pu looked at Wei Renpu again: "My lord, what do you think of the governor of Xuzhou?" Wei Renpu said: "That position happens to be vacant, and your lordship has made a very good arrangement."
When Guo Shao heard this, he knew that he would still serve in the Imperial Guard. There were not many soldiers in the military towns near Tokyo, and all the elite soldiers were transferred to the Imperial Guard; but being close to Tokyo also showed the court's trust and favor to the Imperial Guard generals. The biggest role was not to let him have his own troops and rule a place, but to give him an identity, and secondly, he could open a government.
Wang Pu, however, was very ostentatious. He tore off a piece of the map and handed it to Guo Shao. Guo Shao took a piece of paper and kowtowed to Chai Rong to express his gratitude.
Wang Pu added: General Guo can be promoted to the commander-in-chief of the Infantry Division of the Imperial Guard.
Chai Rong remained silent, and everyone looked at Li Jixun. There were many impeachments, and many people asked for his removal to punish him for his responsibility in losing the morale of the Zhou army at a critical moment. But the emperor did not agree, thinking that Li Jixun had only made a mistake for a moment, and he was still a great general and had made many military achievements in the past. So he rejected all objections and only removed Li Jixun from his post in the imperial guards and changed him to the governor of Heyang.
Such a major personnel change was decided by Chai Rong and a few people in a casual conversation. Therefore, everyone should be grateful for the emperor's grace. Although Li Chongjin was angry, Chai Rong also excused him. Wang Pu made him lose face. However, Li Chongjin could not blame others. He was too full of words, and it was not long ago.
Guo Shao's face glowed red. In a blink of an eye, he became one of the few high-ranking generals in the Great Zhou Dynasty and was appointed as a military governor. Holding a piece of torn paper in his hand, his mentality completely changed in an instant. He had to realize that people's mentality really changes with their status. No matter what position you are in, even if it's just for a while, the feeling and self-positioning are completely different.
It was as if he had drunk some medicine to strengthen his body. In an instant, he felt a greater power surging in his body. Although the real feeling was not as good as Li Chongjin's, he had no fear at all now.
Soon, Liu Renzhan was summoned to see the emperor. Chai Rong was very polite, and wanted to appoint Liu Renzhan as the acting Taiwei and the military governor of Tianping Army. Liu Renzhan refused and said that he had not surrendered.
Chai Rong was not angry, but praised him in public: "Liu Renshan was loyal to his duty and never lost his integrity. He was a famous minister of the previous dynasty, and few could compare with him." So he sent people to escort Liu Renshan back to Tokyo and treat him well.
That night, Chai Rong ordered a banquet to be held in the Yangzhou Palace to celebrate Guo Shao's success, and rewarded him with a fine horse and a jade belt inlaid with gold. Guo Shao got drunk at the banquet and had a good chat with Zhao Kuangyin. He then remembered that after the Battle of Gaoping, Zhao Kuangyin said that he would have a drink with him in the next day, but Zhao Kuangyin had forgotten about it long ago after returning to Tokyo; tonight Guo Shao was finally qualified to drink with him, which was a belated chat.
After the banquet, Guo Shao was taken by the eunuchs to a private house outside the palace, which was already guarded. When he entered the bedroom, he suddenly saw a woman sitting on the bed. He thought he had come to the wrong place, so he hurriedly backed out. After a moment, he slapped his forehead and said: Isn't this the beauty given by the emperor
A total stranger, but she had a nice figure and temperament. Previously, when he got the beauty in the palace, he forgot about the promotion; now that he got the promotion, he almost forgot about the beauty again.