When Guo Shao returned to the lakeside house, he saw Dong Sanmei squatting in the hall, wiping a table leg vigorously, with a wooden basin filled with water next to her. She heard someone coming in, turned around and saw that it was Guo Shao, but without saying anything, she threw the rag in her hand into the basin, picked it up and was about to leave.
Dong Sanmei. Guo Shao called her.
Dong Sanmei lowered her head and responded with a "hmm".
Guo Shao thought about how her father had been murdered and her second brother was in prison for a capital crime, and she was the only one left in the family. She felt very sorry for him.
I don't know if she knows these things, but she may have known them. Even if Yulian and others don't say anything, there are still some women doing rough work in the backyard. Although Dong Sanmei is a maid, Guo Shao brought her back to Tokyo from Hedong himself. She is young and pitiful, and has been in the mansion for more than two years. Guo Shao is now adapting to the local customs. He doesn't treat everyone equally, but he treats Dong Sanmei differently, treating her a little like a little sister.
Guo Shao called her, but he didn't know what to say, because he seldom talked to this little girl. He just asked casually: How old are you
Dong Sanmei said timidly: I am thirteen years old this year.
After hearing this, Guo Shao casually said: He is two years younger than Qingxu. You should do less work, there are others to do it.
Dong Sanmei looked very timid and responded with a "hmm". Guo Shao sighed and looked at the girl. For a moment, he felt that the girl had grown beautiful. She was not as pale and skinny as she was when she first came from Hedong. Now her skin was getting plumper and her face was white because she ate well.
Guo Shaodao: You don't have to be afraid of me. I have never beaten or scolded you. Why should you be afraid of me
At this moment, Dong Sanmei raised her head, looked at him and suddenly said: Will Alang chase me away
Why should I drive you away? When Guo Shao heard this, he immediately guessed that she already knew about Dong the bricklayer and Dong Er. He had no choice but to say, it's not that I don't want to save your second brother, it's just that the crime he committed is too serious for ordinary people to save.
I heard Dong Sanmei respond in a low voice: I know.
He pondered for a moment, then said no more and let her go.
Guo Shao's mood has been up and down recently, and he can finally relax temporarily after being tense. There is really no entertainment that interests him in this era, so that night, he asked Yang to sleep with him and indulge himself; because compared with Yu Lian, Yang is more open. Usually when sleeping in the same room with Yang, Guo Shao felt that the noise was too loud, so he used a cloth to let her bite it to prevent it from making too much noise; but tonight he didn't care much.
As soon as it got dark, an unbearable sound rang out from the house by the lake in the back garden. Yang's voice sounded like a long sigh or a painful call, and her charming and soft voice drifted in the breeze, and the whole house could hear it. The doors and windows of this house were wide open, and there was no sound insulation at all, so it couldn't be hidden at all.
In the bedroom, Yang's face and neck were covered with sweat, a strand of black hair was stuck to her mouth, she looked pitiful, lying on her side, breathing hard, complaining in a delicate voice. But she felt Guo Shao hugging her from behind again, Yang couldn't help but said faintly: I really can't stand it, it's more uncomfortable than anything else, how can you torture people like this
Guo Shao didn't take it seriously. Instead, he thought of what his future father-in-law Fu Yanqing had whispered to him, and said complacently: I can also have sex with ten women at night.
After hearing this, Yang turned around softly and whispered: How about asking Yu Lian to come over
After hearing this, Guo Shao hesitated and said: Women would resist this kind of thing, especially a woman like Yu Lian. She is very shy and never screams as loudly as you do. She always endures it.
Yang said: If we are like sisters, then it’s okay.
Guo Shao was in high spirits and a little confused, so he agreed and said, "Put on your clothes and go call her."
After a while, Yulian came over wearing a middle-length dress and an outer shirt. Her hair was loose, but she didn't look asleep. As expected, as soon as she came in, she said: "Can't you speak more quietly? It's really embarrassing if everyone in the garden hears it."
Guo Shaodao: Yang Yue'e couldn't bear it anymore and left, you come and accompany me.
Yulian blushed, pursed her lips and said nothing, looked back, then walked out quietly, bolted the door of the hall, and came in. She and Guo Shao were already very familiar with each other, so she took off the clothes on her back and quietly climbed onto the bed.
She came up and sat in Guo Shao's arms, and the two of them talked quietly. Unexpectedly, the back door of the hall was not locked, and Yu Lian didn't pay attention. Soon Yang came in and looked at Guo Shao with a smile on her face.
When Yang came behind her and covered her breasts from behind, Yulian was startled and her face turned red. Yang smiled softly and said: Sister Yulian's is so big and soft. Yulian was speechless and stretched out her hand to grab Yang's palm and pry it open.
The next day, Guo Shao continued to work at the Imperial Guards. No matter what happened, he could not let go of his work. This promising career as a military commander was the barrier on which he depended for survival.
As for Zhao Kuangyin, Guo Shao thought that he should have written a letter of mourning for his father's death, but the emperor would probably not allow it; Zhao Kuangyin might have taken the opportunity to be retained. Because Zhao Kuangyin was not the kind of person who would give up his military post and become idle. But if he wanted to remarry the daughter of the Hebei King, he would probably have to wait a long time.
When Guo Shao walked into the Imperial Guard Department, everyone from the generals to the officials had strange looks on their faces when they greeted him. When it was time to roll call, the military commanders of each army paid attention not to Han Tong, the actual boss of the Imperial Guard Department, but many of them paid attention to Guo Shao.
He knew the reason, it was nothing more than that he had been caught up in a dispute recently and people were talking about him. Guo Shao felt very embarrassed, as if he had taken off all his clothes and was only wearing his underwear to go shopping in a supermarket and was being looked at like a monkey. Sometimes people really have to live their lives with a thick face. If they are afraid of being talked about, they can only hide at home and not face people.
After the roll call, Han Tong, Gao Huaide and other generals from various wings would have a small discussion in the lobby. No matter if there was anything to do or not, they would meet and talk for a few words. This was a habit formed by the generals on the battlefield, and it was still the same in the government office. After the battle formation was deployed on the battlefield and before the battle began, the generals of each department would always gather together to listen to the deployment and instructions of the main general.
In the lobby, seven people sat together, divided into two sides. The upper chair was empty, which was where Li Chongjin sat, but Li Chongjin was far away in Yangzhou, Huainan, and could not sit on that chair. Han Tong was in charge of the Imperial Guard Department and was nominally the deputy commander-in-chief, so he was unwilling to sit on that chair rashly.
The sun was relatively low in the morning, and it shone through the doors and windows, casting its shadow right on the upper chair. For a moment, the ordinary chair seemed to be shrouded in light.
Han Tong then said: "Two days ago, Wang Pu from the Privy Council came to me and told me something good. The court will allocate 2,000 war horses to the Imperial Guards and increase military spending."
Everyone was amused when they heard this, and immediately began to discuss it. A general of the Longjie Army said with a smile: "Our Great Zhou Army is short of war horses, and the Guards are even more short of them. This is really a timely help." It's a big deal, 2,000 horses at once.
Han Tong said directly: There are exactly four wings of elite soldiers under the Imperial Guards' Cavalry and Infantry Division. When the war horses come down, 500 horses in each wing will be divided equally.
The general who spoke just now looked a little embarrassed, because Longjie Army had more cavalry, so it was under the management of the Horse Army, and he might have thought that most of the war horses would be transferred to Longjie Army. Unexpectedly, Han Tong did it simply and crudely, and directly divided it equally.
If two thousand war horses can form a cavalry of more than a thousand people, it will also be a very powerful force. However, five hundred people cannot be ignored. Cavalry is not like infantry, it is difficult to increase; because the cost of raising a cavalryman with a horse can support a whole team of infantry, and the legs of war horses are easily injured, and the loss is relatively serious. Anyway, all departments are in short supply of cavalry. However, in this era where there are no other means, cavalry is completely irreplaceable. Whether it is a scout who transmits messages to inquire about military intelligence, or a tactical need to quickly maneuver and seize opportunities on the battlefield, cavalry is required to achieve it. Therefore, the Central Plains Dynasty used food to feed the horses, which was a heavy burden, but also maintained a considerable number of cavalry.
At this time, Gao Huaide said: The court has transferred horses to us. It seems that the emperor has gradually begun to pay attention to the Imperial Guards. In the past, we couldn't compete with the Iron Cavalry of the Palace Guards for horses. It was all because of the poor performance of the Imperial Guards during the Battle of Gaoping. They fled at the first blow. Now, thanks to the performance of the Imperial Guards during the Battle of Shu and the Battle of Huainan, they have demonstrated their combat effectiveness, which has re-established the image of an elite in the minds of the emperor and ministers.
When everyone heard this, they nodded in agreement, thinking that this was the truth.
Gao Huaide added: "The Hujie Army of the Imperial Guards captured Shouhao, and their contribution to the entire Huainan battlefield was no less than that of the Palace Guards; but with so many of us, the military expenditure was less than half of that of the Palace Guards." He laughed and said, "It seems that we eat less and work harder, which is both useful and economical."
Everyone laughed and looked at Guo Shao. The most important battle was the Battle of Shouzhou, which was done by Guo Shao. For a moment, the generals noticed Guo Shao's expression, which was no longer the gossipy and strange expression just now, but more respect and admiration. They finally remembered that Guo Shao had made a great contribution to stabilizing the status of the Imperial Guard Department.
However, people have overlooked one thing. Before attacking Haozhou, Gao Huaide was the commander of the Iron Cavalry Army of the Palace Front Division. He was only kicked to the Imperial Guard Division by Zhao Kuangyin a few months ago.
Han Tong stared with his eyes and said coldly: Don't be happy too soon. The government has increased the military budget, not to fatten us up. Once the Northern Expedition begins, we must not let the government down.
Everyone bowed in admiration.
Guo Shao heard this and felt that Han Tong was right. In order to fight the Northern Expedition, Chai Rong was making full preparations. Last time, Wang Pu said that he had to wait at least a year for a good harvest, and the war should still be a long time, but the pressure came early.
Yesterday morning, Chai Rong said in the hall that whoever contributed the most to help me recover Youzhou, I will rely more on him, without any bias. This should not be a joke.
Guo Shao couldn't help but think: If his performance was much worse than Zhao Kuangyin's during the Northern Expedition, the situation would seem to become very bleak.