In early July, Guo Shao met Zhou Duan who had returned from Youzhou, and now he became busy.
Recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun was of great significance from all aspects, and Guo Shao was willing to work hard for it; at the same time, it was also a way to help Emperor Chai Rong accomplish his great cause and to curry favor with him in order to continue to maintain a place in the Zhou Dynasty.
He couldn't remember the specific year of the historical event, but the circumstances of the Battle of Shouzhou were enough for him to infer that history had changed.
Because the crucial Shouzhou battle was completely different, the Huainan Campaign should have been much smoother than in history, saving the Zhou Dynasty a lot of time. In other words, Chai Rong should now have enough time to complete the Northern Expedition without leaving any regrets.
The Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, this crucial place that directly affects the country's destiny for one or two hundred years, and has a far-reaching indirect impact that may even last for a thousand years. If it can be recovered and the northern national defense line can be completed, what will the Central Plains Dynasty be like? Guo Shao is very much looking forward to it.
In personal feelings, Guo Shao did have hostility and vigilance towards Chai Rong, but this did not prevent him from highly recognizing the ability of Emperor Chai Rong of the Great Zhou Dynasty. This emperor was one of the few wise rulers in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. He was very courageous and resourceful in both civil and military affairs, and he was also an emperor who rose to prominence as a warrior. To recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, it was quite reliable to pin his hopes on Chai Rong. If even a powerful ruler like Chai Rong who was aggressive and able to maintain the situation could not be recovered, what hope was there for Youzhou
Therefore, Guo Shao had no intention of dragging Chai Rong back, and even decided to spare no effort in this matter. If his personal feelings affected the Northern Expedition, Guo Shao would not be able to get over the hurdle in his heart in terms of his sense of responsibility for the overall situation. However, he could not affect it. If he dared to drag his feet in the Northern Expedition, he would probably die faster.
Yingmo, Ningyi and other border states have stored military rations. The Khitans seem to have changed their previous strategy of looting before fighting, and have stored food and grass in advance in various places. Zhou Duan talked freely.
As Guo Shao listened, he wrote down his narration in a scribble, a draft that only he himself could understand.
Zhou Duan also wrote a lot of his own experiences. Guo Shao took a look at a copy and thought it was quite organized at first glance. However, it was only organized in the article, and the information of the intelligence itself was fragmented.
Guo Shao is not good at writing ancient articles, but that does not mean he is uneducated. His logical thinking in summarizing information, classifying and stratifying it is not inferior to that of the ancients.
Guo Shao collected and sorted out the articles and drafts of the questions and answers, and sorted them into categories, from terrain, climate, water sources to fortifications, military food, and troop strength estimates. The value of this is actually incalculable; it should be of great reference value to the Privy Council in formulating combat strategies and preparations.
Guo Shao used his clumsy calligraphy to write this intelligence summary, from maps to classified descriptions, with pictures and texts, nearly a hundred pages. It was all written in neat small regular script, the calligraphy must not be very good, but because it is neat, it should be easy to read.
It was not completed until the beginning of August. He thought about it and prepared to present this thing to Wang Pu, the deputy privy councilor. Although Wang Pu was the deputy privy councilor, the general steps of the Zhou Dynasty's unification of the world were mainly proposed by him. Recently, the emperor was also easy to listen to Wang Pu's advice on military and national affairs; and Wang Pu was also a minister who strongly advocated the Northern Expedition.
Guo Shao considered it carefully, and when he was on the right track, he sent the things directly to the Privy Council and gave them to Wang Pu. Of course, he spent so much effort and signed it under his own name.
Then he waited for the emperor to commend him for his active contribution to the Northern Expedition. Regardless of whether the gift would be adopted by the court or not, his attitude was quite positive.
Unexpectedly, what arrived was a military order from the Privy Council: ordering the Imperial Guard Sima Bu Du Yuhou Guo Shao and the left wing commander of the Hujie Army Qi Tingxun to lead the left wing troops of the Hujie Army to leave the capital before September and head north to Qizhou first to patrol the border.
When Guo Shao received the military order from the Imperial Guards and checked it with the generals at all levels, he was a little confused as to whether he should be happy or worried.
Logically, the Northern Expedition should have been launched at least after the ice melted in the spring of next year. Why was Guo Shao transferred out of the capital so early? He couldn't help but think of Li Chongjin, the top commander of the Imperial Guards, who was in charge of cavalry and infantry and held a very high military rank in Huainan. However, Guo Shao was better than Li Chongjin, as he led the imperial guards out of the capital. Even if the left wing of the Hujie Army was not as good as the other armies of the Palace Guards, it was at least one of the few elite troops in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
It doesn't seem to be a bad thing, because under Chai Rong, actively making military contributions is encouraged.
As expected, Wang Pu came in person when it was almost noon. Wang Pu was in his fifties, but he looked not as healthy as Wei Renpu. He was thinner and had many wrinkles on his face. His small eyes were not cloudy but rather bright.
He seemed to see that Guo Shao had some doubts, so he went to the study in the government office to talk alone. Wang Pu was a civil servant, but because he had been dealing with the military in the Privy Council for a long time, he spoke more directly, and he said simply: This is a good thing.
Guo Shao nodded in response.
Wang Pu said: The emperor knows that General Guo has a high prestige in the left wing of the Tiger and Jie Army and can command well, so he asked you to lead the left wing of the Tiger and Jie Army to Qizhou. He asked you to lead the army and be the chief general, and did not send anyone to hinder you. This shows that the emperor trusts you. And what kind of person is Qi Tuo? Don't I know him
Guo Shao bowed in response, speechless to this remark. As expected, the emperor knew exactly what he was doing in the imperial guards but he just didn't ask.
Wang Pu added: “General Guo’s troops will be stationed in Qizhou first, and when the Northern Expedition begins, I will recommend you as the central vanguard.”
After hearing this, Guo Shao had no choice but to say: Thank you, Deputy Envoy Wang.
Wang Pu had no personal relationship with anyone and didn't talk much, so he said goodbye after he finished speaking. Guo Shao walked him out to the gate of the government office before returning.
Guo Shao couldn't tell what he felt at the moment, but he thought it shouldn't be a bad thing. Wang Pu spoke few words but made his point very clear: first of all, letting him lead the imperial guards to travel and giving him military power was a sign of trust; then, playing as a vanguard in one direction was also a recognition of his ability.
Qizhou Guo Shao roughly recalled it, because he had drawn maps of Youzhou and other places, and remembered the location of this place. It was indeed near the border, and to the north was Xiong County of Waqiaoguan. There was a strong pass there. Could it be that when the Northern Expedition started, the emperor would order himself to directly attack Waqiaoguan
At this time, Guo Shao thought to himself: I hate attacking fortifications.
But what can he do? In the emperor's mind, his only value is probably that he can take over an important city.
Another thing attracted Guo Shao's extra attention: Fu Ermei.
According to the transfer order, they must leave the capital before September; the main force of the Northern Expedition should advance by land and sea, so they can only set out in February or March next year, and there is still five to six months or half a year in between. In addition, it is unknown how long the war will last. Guo Shao led the troops outside, leaving his wife in Tokyo for half a year. If the emperor finds a reason to summon her, or if the second sister is caught by the emperor when she sees the empress, wouldn't it be a great opportunity
Guo Shao was very sure that Fu Ermei was an unparalleled beauty and everyone who saw her would salivate over her; moreover, Fu Ermei was the emperor's sister-in-law, and his preconceived notion made him always feel that the emperor might have his eyes on his sister-in-law.
Sometimes he imagined the loving scene of Empress Fu serving the Emperor in the palace, and he felt very unhappy, but there was nothing he could do because the Empress was in name only; and now Second Sister Fu was openly his woman, and it would be unbearable if she were still occupied by him.
Guo Shao completely believed in Fu Ermei, whose heart was all on her husband; the most important thing was to guard against the strong men in Tokyo. He didn't trust Chai Rong and Zhao Kuangyin's family at all.
However, he soon thought of a solution: send Fu Ermei back to her parents' home.
Thinking of this, Guo Shao finally felt relieved. When he returned home from the government office, he hurried to discuss this matter with Fu Ermei. As long as Fu Ermei was settled, he would have no worries and could concentrate on preparing for the Northern Expedition.
Seeing Fu Ermei's happy face, Guo Shao said helplessly: The court has ordered me to lead the vanguard of the army north before September, so I have to go to the expedition.
Fu Ermei's joyful expression froze on her face.
Guo Shao felt sad when he saw this, and continued: "It's almost a month away from September, but there is one more thing before the expedition. I want to send you back to Daming Mansion to live for a while, and after the battle, I will go to Daming Mansion to pick you up. I feel more at ease if my second sister stays with King Wei. It's not good to take my wife with me on the journey, so we have to go to Daming Mansion early, send you there, and then I will rush back to Beijing to lead the troops before September. With this calculation, time is very tight, so we'd better prepare to set off in the next few days."
Fu Ermei held his hand and asked: How long will the war last
Guo Shao sighed and said, "I don't know either. But there is still half a year before the official Northern Expedition, so we will be separated for a long time."
Fu Ermei suddenly became depressed, as if she was in great pain, and said quietly: Life would be so boring without you by my side.
Good days do seem too short, Guo Shao said, but I will write to you.
After hearing this, Fu Ermei suddenly became a little more energetic, raised her head and looked at him with watery eyes: "Then you must write to me often, I need your news to survive. Also, it doesn't matter whether you win or lose the battle, but you must not get hurt, and remember to take care of your own life."
Guo Shaoqiang said with a smile: "There are 20,000 people in the left wing of my Tiger Army, so there is no need for the commander to go up and fight, don't worry. Generally, people will not lose their lives in the battle. On the contrary, if they lose, their own people will be in the most danger when they return."
Fu Ermei said: I will pray to God every day for you to return victoriously.
Guo Shao touched her tall, white nose and said: You are so beautiful, God will definitely favor you extra.
Fu Ermei thought for a moment and said, "I have to tell my sister that I am going back to Damingfu. We can't just leave Tokyo without saying anything."
After hearing this, Guo Shao nodded and said: Don’t say anything else, just say that you want to go back to your parents’ home and send someone to deliver a letter to say goodbye.