When he first entered the big tent, Guo Shao could observe the emperor from a distance. He knew that it would be extremely rude if he approached and looked directly at the emperor.
There was a man and a woman sitting on the upper seat. The man must be an official, as only he could sit facing south in such an occasion. Guo Shao had good eyesight and could see clearly from a distance. In his impression, the two emperors of the Later Zhou Dynasty, Guo Wei and Chai Rong, were both wise and good emperors. However, when he saw Chai Rong in person, he was a little disappointed. It was true that appearance was not the best indicator of a person.
The official was not wearing a yellow dragon robe or armor, but a purple round-collared official robe and a lacquered hat with long wings. At first glance, he did not look like an emperor, but more like an official sitting in the hall. No wonder people do not like to call him the emperor, but often call him the official. Is it because of this reason
Chai Rong looked very old. This emperor should be in his early thirties, but he looked like a man in his forties or fifties. His body was not very straight, his back was a little hunched, and his neck was short and thick. At first glance, his eyes were big and his facial features were regular, but he had heavy bags under his eyes, and he looked a little tired. His face looked a little frosted, probably because he often went on expeditions.
Next to him sat Empress Fu. The two sat side by side in public, not like a couple, but like father and daughter. Empress Fu was indeed very beautiful, with skin as white as jade. She wore a wide and tight brocade robe that covered her body tightly. The old-fashioned robe and the delicate face looked a bit abrupt, like a bright jade bead placed in an old-fashioned box. Her facial contour was very round, but her chin was a bit pointed. Modern people think this kind of chin is very delicate, but according to the ancients, a woman's pointed chin is a small flaw.
Guo Shao took a few steps forward, but did not dare to get too close. He immediately knelt on one knee, buried his head and looked at the ground and said: "Your humble servant Guo Shao pays respect to the Emperor and Empress. I wish the Emperor and Empress good health and a long life."
He really didn't know if it was proper to do this or say this, but it seemed that the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms didn't pay much attention to etiquette such as three kowtows and nine bows. He was a military general and the emperor was the commander-in-chief. It should be reasonable to meet him with the highest level of military etiquette, kneeling on one knee.
Stand up. Chai Rong said just one sentence. Then he asked the people around him to publicly commend Guo Shao for his three meritorious services, and he was generous with his praise. Among them, there was an imperial decree to promote him. The Inner Palace Direct Yuhou was appointed as the Governor of Qianzhou. The Governor was a remote position with only a small salary. It was too far away for the generals of the imperial guards to basically not be able to manage the affairs.
Then Chai Rong issued an imperial decree to reward Guo Shaoyin with a brocade robe, a set of gold ingots and twelve silver ingots.
Guo Shao hurriedly kowtowed to express his gratitude.
At this time, a clear, soft and pleasant voice said: Guo Yuhou, the emperor has been very kind to you, so don't let him down.
Just one sentence immediately changed Guo Shao's impression of Empress Fu. She said it so politely and generously, and she could say it in front of all the civil and military officials. But when Guo Shao thought about the powerful Zhang Yongde who inexplicably took care of him and Xiang Xun who talked about Empress Fu speaking for him in front of the emperor, he immediately understood the profound meaning of her high-sounding official language.
In my memory, there was a young man named Guo Shao who loved Empress Fu so much that he was willing to die for her. Guo Shao once thought he was a little childish, but now he finally understood that there was a reason why the young man loved this woman so much. Not only the young man, but all the soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty, including Xiang Xun, respected Empress Fu. This respect was probably like treating a sister or a mother, because Empress Fu could really make people feel sincere love.
Is this the demeanor of a mother who rules the country
Guo Shao was a little nervous and a little excited, and answered without thinking: I am willing to be a guard of the Emperor and the Empress, and I am always ready to repay your kindness with my life.
Why did he say that? Because he thought that the Inner Palace Guard was a guard unit of the emperor.
But at this moment, he vaguely felt Empress Fu's slender-leaf eyebrows slightly raised in the corner of his sight, and Guo Shao remembered: He had indeed been Fu's guard before, and not just once, but had followed her from Prince Wei's Mansion to Li Shouzhen's Mansion and tried every means to guard her.
Chai Rong nodded slightly, and the officials took out a brocade robe with a silver belt and asked Guo Shao to put it on the spot as a sign of the emperor's grace.
Guo Shao knelt down again and kowtowed, then walked backwards to stand in the line of generals.
Several more generals came to accept the rewards, and then everyone dispersed. Those who received the emperor's rewards were led by special officials to give gifts, and people were sent to carry the gifts and escort them back to the camp.
When Guo Shao came back, he saw that all his soldiers were waiting at the camp gate. When they saw Guo Shao coming back with a box of things and wearing a brocade robe, they all cheered and jumped for joy.
All soldiers who participated in the war were rewarded, but there were too many people, so the lower-level generals could only be rewarded with a few dozen strings of money, and the soldiers were even less. This extra reward was also a large sum of wealth for an ordinary family, which was not a small amount.
Especially Yang Biao, who was so fierce in the battle, he was the one who rushed forward and fought to the death, but Guo Shao got the honor of being personally awarded by the emperor. For a moment, Guo Shao felt that it was a bit unfair, although everyone thought it was fair, after all, not everyone could be appreciated by a high-ranking official, and not others could kill a fierce general of the Northern Han in battle.
As soon as Guo Shao entered the military camp, he opened the box without saying a word. Immediately, a yellow-white glow appeared inside, and everyone fell silent.
Zuo You, you divide it, divide it equally, and give double to the generals. Guo Shao didn't say anything nice, just said this.
Luo Mengzi touched his head: Everyone got a reward, and we divided the boss's money. It's not good that the money looks like a lot, but with so many people, it won't be much for the boss.
Guo Shao ignored Luo Mengzi and said: I am the chief guard of the Inner Palace Guard and have certain powers. First, find out who the commander-in-chief is. You will be my personal guards temporarily. If there is a vacancy in the Inner Palace Guard, I will try my best to get it for you.
Yang Biao immediately said: We brothers should follow the eldest brother, it would be bad if we separate.
Luo Mengzi said: It is not bad to be an official. It does not affect the friendship between brothers.
When Guo Shao heard this, he thought that the two men's vision and insight were clearly distinguished by just one sentence. Yang Biao had a far-sighted vision, and he must have thought that his elder brother was more than just an inner palace guard.
At this time, someone muttered: Zuo You will not take everyone's money, so he should weigh more for himself.
After hearing this, Guo Shao turned to look at Zuo You, who smiled but said nothing. Guo Shao then said with a smile: Mr. Zuo wants to do bigger things with me, and he doesn't care about these little things. Zuo You immediately gave him a look of approval, as if he wanted to treat Guo Shao as a confidant.
After hearing this, everyone burst into laughter and laughed for a while, and suddenly became very happy.
But soon Guo Shao said something that affected the happy atmosphere: Mr. Zuo, the seven people who died in Wuqi Town and the three people who died in Xinkou should all be counted as one. Dead brothers are still brothers. Do you have a list of military personnel? Ask someone to find out where their families are. I'll leave this matter to you.
The laughter soon died down, and everyone was silent, but no one objected. Yang Biao's eyes widened and he said: "For the money of risking one's life, everyone may die. Big brother, you did the right thing and thought it through."
Guo Shao explained the matters here and wanted to go to see the leader of the Inner Palace Guard first. He was promoted too quickly and his foundation was really shallow. He was completely in the dark and didn't know who the Inner Palace Guard generals were. He first found the official who gave him the reward and asked him, only to find out that Wang Shenqi, the commander-in-chief of the Inner Palace Guard, was the chief general.
So he hurried to pay his respects to Wang Shenqi and asked to see him first, saying hello to him just after he took office. Because it was already late, he didn't dare to say much, and they just got to know each other and left, saying that there was a long way to go.
The next morning, the army set out to continue their march. They walked forty miles for a whole day, and when the sun was setting, they entered Tokyo from Chenqiao Gate.
Although it was late in the evening, the streets of Tokyo were still bustling with people watching the excitement and families looking forward to seeing their loved ones. The scene was as lively as when they went to war. However, this day was probably a mixed bag of joy and sorrow. War meant death, and after the families of the fallen soldiers confirmed the news, they probably felt bad that their families had no trace of their bodies left.
The saying "die on the battlefield wrapped in horsehide" is not just a saying. When fighting thousands of miles away, it is considered good to dig a grave and bury the body. If the battle is lost and there is no time to collect the body, it is normal for the body to be exposed in the wilderness for many days.