What did Zhao Kuangyin want to do? Guo Shao asked again after Zuo You came in.
The two were silent for a while. Guo Shao thought: Zhao Kuangyin's hard power is definitely the strongest among the military commanders of the entire Zhou Dynasty. Perhaps there are still some people in the court who have not figured out the situation yet and think that Zhao Kuangyin's qualifications and status are not very high; but Guo Shao will not be confused by such superficial phenomena.
In terms of seniority, only Fu Yanqing and Wang Zhang of Hebei, the military governors of the various towns in the northwest, and other military governors of the outer towns dare to talk about seniority, as they have experienced several dynasties. But now, with the overwhelming advantage of the imperial army, the military governors are no longer the warlords of the late Tang Dynasty, and it is useless if they are not in the central government and have a level of seniority that is as old as a turtle. Zhang Yongde, the most senior general in the imperial army, dare not talk about his seniority. Zhang Yongde has only been in office for a few years, not much earlier than Zhao Kuangyin, and was promoted by Taizu Guo Wei at the beginning.
The Zhou Dynasty lasted only seven years from the time Guo Wei led his army into Tokyo. It has been less than four years since Chai Rong ascended the throne. The most senior generals who were promoted during Chai Rong's reign were those who rose to prominence during the Battle of Gaoping, including Zhao Kuangyin, Guo Shao, and others. They were the generals that Chai Rong relied on. The rest of the generals promoted by Taizu, if they did not stand in the right position during the Battle of Gaoping, were either killed (more than a hundred generals were killed one after another after the Battle of Gaoping), or were sent to military governorships.
Chai Rong had great prestige in the army, and his imperial guards were relatively cohesive. The key was that the imperial guards were eliminated and the remaining ones were all his supporters. The distinction during the Battle of Gaoping was of utmost importance. The Battle of Gaoping was a representative event of Chai Rong's domineering performance. Both externally and internally, he made decisions quickly and effectively.
It is meaningless to talk about the rank of the generals. Zhang Yongde and Li Chongjin are the highest-ranking generals. Li Chongjin is not to be mentioned. He has been in Yangzhou since the Battle of Huainan. He was transferred to Hedong on the eve of the Northern Expedition. He and Xiang Xun are still there to guard against the Khitan and have not returned to their hometown. Zhang Yongde is not as powerful as Zhao Kuangyin, the commander-in-chief of the palace.
The Iron Cavalry was almost Zhao Kuangyin's direct line
The Zhou Dynasty's imperial army had two major systems and four main forces, totaling about 140,000 people. The imperial army was the most elite force in the entire country, and the Iron Cavalry was the most elite among the imperial army. The two main forces of the Palace Front Department, the Control Crane Army, had always performed poorly, and the Iron Cavalry was the one that truly supported the status of the Palace Front Department.
Of course, if one had to obey the rules and military law, Zhao Kuangyin was really nothing, and anyone in the Privy Council above Zhang Yongde could veto his actions. But if everyone was not following the rules, Zhao Kuangyin had a clear advantage in control and prestige over the Iron Cavalry.
Guo Shao also believed that if there was no life-and-death feud, the future Queen's regime would not specifically target Zhao Kuangyin; the risk of Zhao Kuangyin's direct mutiny was too great, and the chance of winning might be less than 50%, so he would definitely not be willing to do it; and it would be wise to engage in a game first and then gradually gain the upper hand.
But now, everything is different.
Guo Shao also had 20,000 men under his command, including many generals, but he could only conspire with Zuo You here. It was too dangerous to tell anyone about this. The walls of this hall were thick and isolated, so Guo Shao chose to discuss it here. He had deployed several trusted soldiers nearby to prevent ordinary people from approaching.
Guo Shao pondered for a long time, and finally said: If I were Zhao Kuangyin, I would also give him a try at this critical juncture.
Zuo You also agreed with his statement: If you try, there is still a chance; if you don't try, you will definitely fail.
Yes, if he missed the chaotic situation at this critical moment, once the new and old powers were completed, Zhao Kuangyin would be unable to move. Guo Shaodao, the queen in power, would first conduct a strict defense, weakening and purge of Zhao Kuangyin. He had no military and political power in the court, not even the power to mobilize troops and station troops, so what was the point of playing the game
Guo Shao pondered and said: If he is unwilling to give up power and run away, he will have to resort to real swords and guns in the end. Anyway, he will definitely take action, and he will be restricted everywhere in the future. Why not take advantage of the opportunity now
If it were any other mediocre person, he would not have the courage to give it a try, just like a pig that is about to be killed and dares not bite anyone, but can only wait for death in fear; but because his opponent is Zhao Kuangyin, Guo Shao believes that he will make the wisest and only choice, the one that tests his courage and bravery.
The most risky method is sometimes the lowest risk and most effective approach.
Zuo You asked the same question again: My Lord, what do you think Zhao Kuangyin's strategy is and what does he want to do
He wanted to mutiny, Guo Shao said directly.
The two looked at each other in bewilderment. All that was left was the howling wind outside, rustling the trees.
Guo Shao said in a deep voice: I tried to guess his intentions and imagine what would be the wisest choice for Zhao Kuangyin to find clues to his strategy.
If I guessed correctly, Zhao Kuangyin believed that I was the biggest and most thorough rebel, because if I didn't resist, I would die without a burial place, just like him. I had no choice. Zhao Kuangyin's current goal was to transfer me, the most stubborn rebel, away from the capital, so that the left wing of the Tiger and Jie Army under his direct lineage would be leaderless or completely unable to coordinate and react; then he would forge an imperial edict, fabricate a name such as "purging the emperor's side" or something like that, with his confidants as the core, not too many people, and use the Iron Cavalry Army's camps to increase their momentum and intimidate other people in the capital. The ultimate goal was to use some of the elite troops to capture the Jinxiang Palace and control the two key points of the Privy Council and the Political Affairs Hall, especially the Jinxiang Palace. Then he would hold the center hostage to clean up the mess.
After saying this, Guo Shao said coldly: If I were Zhao Kuangyin and were in my current situation, I would do the same.
Zuo You's face had turned pale.
Guo Shao added: Timing is very important. Once the Iron Cavalry is dispatched, no one except the emperor has the prestige to repel them. Zhang Yongde Zhang Yongde does not need to take such a big risk to fight with Zhao Kuangyin, he may be detained in the Palace Front Department. The Privy Envoy Wang Pu has good strategies and wisdom, but the other party is unreasonable and wants to fight to the death. What can he do? Who in the army knows him? After the Battle of Gaoping, Wang Pu's job is to write articles in the room. The prime minister and civil officials are even more of a joke. The warriors have picked up swords and guns, it would be strange if they would listen to the civil officials. Only the emperor can curb the situation
So Zhao Kuangyin had to choose the right time. Not too early. It would be best if the emperor was bedridden and had just lost consciousness or could not speak. However, if the palace did not directly pass on the news, it would be difficult to choose the right time. Now that the emperor was bedridden and could not speak loudly, he could take the risk.
It can't be too late. If it's too late, once the emperor dies, the people in the central government will immediately obey the queen's orders. The queen will directly dispatch my troops and the more trustworthy troops of the various squads to garrison. Zhao Kuangyin will have no chance, so we are already in danger.
Guo Shao sighed: Our most stable situation, of course, is for everyone to live in peace and harmony. Once the Queen takes power, there will be nothing to be afraid of. We will have a greater chance. However, if we are careless at this critical moment, no matter how many chances we have, it will be useless and we will be defeated all at once.
Zuo You said: What does the Lord want
Guo Shao said coldly: If they want to use force, we still have reason to talk. We need to start deployment and prepare to use troops directly in Tokyo. But seeing Zuo You's fear, Guo Shao comforted him kindly, Mr. Zuo, wealth and honor must be sought in danger. If you succeed, you can also become a prime minister and enjoy wealth and glory.
Zuo You said nothing.
Guo Shao stroked his back again and said: "When I was a young general, Mr. Zuo was my aide. Everyone knows it, and Zhao Kuangyin probably knows it too. If we are defeated, none of us can escape."
Zuo You raised his head and said seriously: "I am a man who wants to join a man with great ambitions. Why would I come out to do anything if I am afraid of death? I might as well go home and take care of my children."
Good Guo Shao smiled, his words were rough but true. Let's do it.
Zuo You hurriedly asked: What should we do about leaving the capital to look for the elixir
What else can we do? We have to fool people for as long as we can. If that doesn't work, we'll just start a rebellion. Whoever leaves Tokyo is a fool, Guo Shao cursed quietly.
At this time, someone else came to ask for a meeting. Huang Tiejiang, an old man from Guo Shaofu, sent a visiting card. The two people in the room stopped talking in low voices, and the sound of rain and wind filled the room.
Guo Shao took a look and said to Zuo You: "Zan Jurun, you came really quickly. I guess he would not dare to neglect the imperial edict."
Bring the person in. Guo Shao said. Then he sat for a while before calling Zuo You to go out of the hall and greet him at the door. As a general of the Imperial Guard, it was considered very polite and enthusiastic to greet the guest envoy at the door.
After a while, a civil servant in his thirties came over with an umbrella. He clasped his fists and bowed at the bottom of the steps and said, "General Guo, how are you?"
Guo Shao was still able to smile, and he smiled and said, "Nothing is wrong. Envoy Zan, please come up first to avoid the rain."
Zan Jurun walked under the eaves to collect his umbrella, and saw a wooden barrel at the door with several wet umbrellas in it, so he put his wet umbrella in it. Guo Shao said: I came back from the palace not long ago, but I didn't expect Envoy Zan to arrive so soon.
Zan Jurun turned around and sighed: "This is an imperial edict directly from the palace, and it is an urgent matter to find the elixir for the emperor. How dare I delay? As soon as I received the imperial edict, I quickly prepared the carriage and came here; I have to ask General Guo when he plans to leave, so that I can prepare the expenses for the journey and leave the capital with General Guo."
It's almost six in the afternoon now. Guo Shao pondered, it's definitely too late today, or the day after tomorrow
Zan Jurundao: Why not tomorrow
Guo Shao acted as if he was about to say something but stopped himself: "There are some things, forget it. Anyway, we have to prepare, we have to select some trustworthy followers and soldiers and horses for protection. General Zan, this matter is very important, and if we rush, it may cause chaos. Tomorrow is a day to prepare, and we have to go to the military camp to select soldiers and report, so even one day is very tight."
But I'm afraid that others will say we're delaying. Zan Jurun said, it's better to leave tomorrow. We don't need to report the selection of soldiers. At most, we can have one or two hundred people. We can't take an army out of the capital. Otherwise, we can leave tomorrow afternoon.
Guo Shao hesitated for a moment and said reluctantly: "Okay, I will go to pick people tomorrow morning, hurry up and set off in the afternoon." So he did as Envoy Zan said and did not need to report it.
Good. Zan Jurun turned back and said, "This rain is really coming at a bad time. It is very inconvenient to travel on a rainy day."
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