Goodbye, Daming Prefecture.
Guo Shao and his party rode on horses and took a carriage along the main street of the Prince Wei's Palace towards the south gate, with a group of officials sent by the palace to see them off. Guo Shao looked back again, clasped his fists towards Fu Yanqing at the gate, and waved.
Of course, Fu Ermei couldn’t be seen, as it was impossible for her to come out to see him off.
But Guo Shao persuaded himself not to be sad, because parting is just to accumulate strength for the surprise and joy of the next reunion. He squinted his eyes and looked at the morning clouds in the east sky. She said: Morning is morning clouds and evening is walking rain, morning and evening are under the balcony.
The group left the city from the south gate and passed the post house at the edge of the city. The scene was now very different. The snow and wind that had come when they came were gone, and there was only a warm spring breeze with a hint of chill; the newly green willow branches on the moat bank swayed gracefully in the wind, delicate and weak.
It took longer this time because the carriage could not outrun the fast horse; but Guo Shao had the illusion that he was traveling more quickly.
It was quite convenient to rest at the posthouse. Hebei was close to the south, with a dense population and dense towns. Guo Shao made some arrangements on the way, letting Zuo You lead the group and go back to Guo's house to get something. They agreed to enter Tokyo through Chenqiao Gate and meet at the city gate.
Along the way, Guo Shao naturally treated Madam Gao very attentively, as if they were siblings. When they checked into the inn, they were full of laughter and chatter, and were extremely happy.
Guo Shao openly said that he liked Fu Yanqing's second daughter very much and wanted to ask a matchmaker to propose marriage. Mrs. Gao was immediately happy: I will be your matchmaker and will definitely say good things about your brother.
Mrs. Gao has status, so it would be even better for her to be a matchmaker. Guo Shao naturally had no reason to refuse, and they immediately hit it off.
They went all the way to Chenqiao Gate, where they met Zuo You who was waiting, so they joined together and sent Madam Gao back first. Guo Shao did not send Madam Gao to Dong Zunxun's mansion, but went directly to Gao Huaide's house.
Unexpectedly, Gao Huaide was still in the Guards Department in the south of the city. Instead, the old servant in the mansion recognized Madam Gao and was surprised and happy. He quickly sent someone to the Guards Department to find Gao Huaide. He also invited Guo Shao to enter the mansion and take a seat in the living room.
Guo Shao was not polite and waited. Mrs. Gao also sat in the living room with him, chatting with him. The fatigue of the journey did not affect her interest at all, but seeing the prosperity of Tokyo and the prosperity of Gao's mansion, she must be ready to enjoy the good life.
After waiting for a long time, a tall and strong man in his thirties wearing a purple robe hurried over. Who else could it be but Gao Huaide
Mrs. Di Gao was the first to stand up.
Gao Huaide stared at her with wide eyes, but did not greet her first. Instead, without turning his head, he ordered: Come here, go and find Dong Zunxun immediately and have him come to my house immediately.
Sister, you Gao Huaide are very emotional, how did you come back
Gao smiled with tears in her eyes and said: General Guo, the guard and cavalry commander, risked his life to rescue me from the Liao Kingdom. Now I can finally see my family. I thought this was all I would feel in my life. With that, her tears fell and she burst into tears.
Gao Huaide then recognized the dusty Guo Shao and hurried forward to kneel down. Guo Shao immediately stepped forward to hold his arm and said: "You must not do this, Brother Gao!"
Marshal Guo, please accept my kowtow, only then can I feel at ease. Gao Huaide insisted.
Guo Shao said: I saved Madam Gao not to take credit for it. First, I was touched by Dong Zunxun's filial piety. I felt quite emotional at that time. The tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop, the son wants to raise his parents but they are not there. Second, I thought that my sister and mother, who were high-ranking generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty, had fallen into the hands of the enemy in Hebei. I was angry and ashamed, and I had to do this. Brother Gao, you and I are generals in the same dynasty, wearing the same robes and armor. I regard you as a brother. If you continue to be so distant, aren't you not treating me as a brother
Gao Huaide listened to him speaking without hesitation, and he didn't know whether to thank him or not. Guo Shao pulled him to sit on a chair and sighed: You and I are both warriors fighting for our lives. On the battlefield, brothers are very important.
Yes, Brother Guo is right. Gao Huaide nodded and said, "Besides, you and I both work in the Imperial Guard Department. We may need to rely on each other someday."
Guo Shao looked serious, and on this topic, he told how he and his brother Yang Biao met, and how they shared life and death on the battlefield. After that, he sighed: That night, we talked. In this world, it is difficult to survive without brothers. In the mountains of swords and seas of blood, the back can only be entrusted to the brothers who can trust life and death
Gao Huaide said: During the battle of Haozhou, Brother Guo first broke through the east gate and then opened the south gate. We have fought side by side against the enemy once.
Haha, that’s true, Guo Shao laughed.
The relationship between the two military commanders, who were almost strangers to each other, heated up rapidly in just half an hour. Guo Shao could fully believe that Gao Huaide might not be willing to fight for him now, but he would definitely not do anything to take advantage of his misfortune, and his emotional inclination would be very obvious; to a certain extent, as long as he did not let him put pressure on the entire Gao family, Gao Huaide could be trusted. People are kind-hearted, and Guo Shao believed that even if a person was cruel, he would not really be willing to repay kindness with enmity.
This kind of relationship is just like that between Li Gu and Guo Shao. Li Gu prepared the raw materials of gunpowder for Guo Shao at the critical moment. Would Guo Shao be willing to stab Li Gu in the back? Anyway, he would never do such a thing.
At this time, Dong Zunxun arrived. This kid looked no younger than Guo Shao by two years. He was even more exaggerated. He fell to his knees and crawled over. He burst into tears. This scene made Guo Shao feel sad. After all, blood is thicker than water. From ancient times to the present, people still value family members very much.
The mother and son hugged each other and cried for a while, and then Mrs. Gao introduced Guo Shao to them.
Dong Zunxun said nothing, kowtowed three times, and swore directly: I owe you my life. If I need it in the future, you can use it to your benefit. If I frown, I will be a human being.
Guo Shao hurriedly helped him up and said: "Why are you saying these things? You should live well and be filial to your mother. If Madam Gao were to die before her, would she feel good about it?"
When saying this, Gao slightly side-glanced, as if to indicate that her hair was not yet gray.
She said: General Guo recognizes me as his sister, and calls me your uncle or brother, so you should just call me uncle.
My uncle Dong Zunxun is a really honest man.
Guo Shao's forehead darkened slightly. This boy seemed to be a little younger than himself, but about the same age. He blurted out: Why do I feel a little uncomfortable when you call me your uncle
Haha, Gao Huaide was also happy, he laughed loudly, slapped the coffee table and said, "Brother Guo, please stay tonight. Don't leave until you are drunk. Let's have a good chat."
Guo Shao said: "Some other day, some other day. My sister just came back, you and your family can chat more. You and I will see each other often in the future, there is a long way to go. So I won't stay any longer, don't be polite, I will leave now."
The whole family sent Guo Shao to the gate and then watched him leave on horseback.
After walking for a while and the surroundings were relatively quiet, Guo Shao took out the list in his arms. It was what he asked Zuo You to go back and get in advance.
Zuo You saw this and rode his horse side by side: My Lord did not give this thing to Gao Huaide.
Guo Shao said: When I entered Gao's house, their treatment of me was beyond my expectations, so I decided to put up with it for now. If we ask Gao Huaide for help right away, our utilitarianism will be too obvious, and it won't be a good idea anyway.
That's true. If Gao Huaide can treat the lord as his own, there will be a long future. Zuo You nodded.
Guo Shao smiled and said: I said the same thing when I was at home, there is a long way to go.
Guo Shao read the list on the paper again. After the Battle of Shouzhou, Li Chongjin rejected Guo Shao's list of appointments and sent someone to deliver a document in the name of the Imperial Guards. The document listed dozens of low- and middle-level military officers selected by Li Chongjin.
This is good. Li Chongjin directly exposed the foundation of his power, at least a large part of his subordinates, so there is no need to bother to investigate.
Although Li Chongjin is still the commander of the Imperial Guards, he is far away in Huainan as a military governor and cannot manage the affairs of the Imperial Guards. If I don't help him clean up the mess with this opportunity, I would be sorry for myself.
Guo Shao did not move the generals, but moved the foundation of the grassroots, which would be calm and peaceful without causing any trouble. It was so difficult in Shouzhou, and he survived with his head on his shoulders. The main person who took advantage of Guo Shao's misfortune and interfered with him was Li Chongjin. Guo Shao thought to himself: It is impolite not to reciprocate, so why should I be polite to you
Anyway, the grudge has already been formed, and it can't be resolved by being soft-hearted, so just throw the jar into the ground.
Guo Shao turned to Zuo You and said, "Among the surrendered Southern Tang soldiers in Huainan, there are more than 20,000 of them, organized into the Huaide Army, which is also under the jurisdiction of our Imperial Guards. I heard about it in the Imperial Guards before I left for Hebei at the beginning of the year. But it was difficult to do it at that time, and there was not enough time; this time Gao Huaide is willing to lend a hand, so it will go smoothly."
Zuo You said: It is a good idea to send all of Li Chongjin's men in the right wing to the Huaide Army, and let them go there in secret. The Huaide Army is a surrendered army of the Southern Tang Dynasty, so they will definitely be guarded and have little combat effectiveness. Li Chongjin's men must at least be excluded from the elite of the Imperial Guard.
Guo Shao nodded with great satisfaction: "That's right. The Huaide Army was originally under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Guards, so we have to transfer some people there. No one wants to go. If Li Chongjin's men don't go, who will go?"
After they finished speaking, they smiled at each other, but it seemed a bit like a sly smile.
Let's go back home first and talk about it another day. Guo Shaodao then kicked the horse's belly and shouted, "Drive!"
The group passed through the inner city's north-south streets. Guo Shao looked at the wide road and couldn't help but look south. Last year, he was working as a blacksmith at Longjin Bridge and a squad leader of the imperial guards. The first opportunity for promotion was also in the spring. Two years had passed before he knew it in the spring of the year before last.