"My husband will definitely win," Fu Ermei asked softly.
Guo Shaodao: The chances of winning are very high. He was telling the truth. The battlefield changes rapidly. No one can be completely sure until the result is revealed, so some people will take risks. Think about the battle of Gaoping when half of the Zhou army collapsed and they were able to turn defeat into victory. What is impossible
Fu Ermei raised her head, her eyes sparkling with tears, and looked at him expectantly: My husband will definitely win.
Looking at her gentle and sad face, Guo Shao was stunned for a moment, then realized that she just wanted comfort, and said with a smile: "Yes, I will definitely win. Because I am not only fighting for myself, but also my second sister and everyone else are waiting for my victory."
The window was still covered with a light mist in the early morning, and the morning light made the antique room brighter and brighter. Fu Ermei's fingers, like peeling onions, gently tied his cloak, and Guo Shao felt soft and warm in his heart.
Her movements were gentle and slow, as if she was deliberately delaying the time she spent with him. She threw herself into Guo Shao's arms again, stood on tiptoes and whispered in his ear: I'll wait for you. After that, she took a deep breath in the crook of Guo Shao's neck.
Guo Shao reached out and gently stroked her shoulders and back a few times, then picked up the helmet on the table, made up his mind and walked out of the bedroom with his head held high.
Guo Shao's face was no longer gentle, but full of murderous intent. He suppressed the softest part of his heart and soon became a warrior who killed people without hesitation. He told himself: I am no different from a warrior in troubled times. At this critical moment, only iron and blood can defend the things he cares about.
The tall figure in iron armor stepped out of the door, and suddenly Jingniang Yulian, Yangshi Yuqing, even Qingxu and Dong Sanmei were all in the hall, a room full of women, and a few stout and very dark women. When everyone saw him, their expressions changed and they all bowed.
I am waiting for Alang's triumphant return, Yang said softly.
No need to be polite. Guo Shao waved his hand, turned around and stretched out his hand to help Fu Ermei, who was wearing a red half-sleeve floral light-colored skirt.
Fu Ermei comforted them with kind words, saying that the battle would be won and her husband would be back soon, so they didn't have to worry.
The couple's second sister walked out of the hall door, and a group of people followed her out, bowing and watching them for a long time.
They left the gatehouse and went to the middle courtyard. Fu Ermei rode in a carriage and Guo Shao rode a horse. Fu Ermei stood behind the carriage and held Guo Shao's arm, but did not go up. Suddenly, she could not help asking: "My husband's waist ornament is so ugly. No woman would embroider it like that. Why do you wear it?"
Guo Shao looked down and said: "A woman would pay attention to such things."
I will definitely pay attention to it. Fu Ermei smiled and said, "A woman may not care about the big things you do, but she will care about your subtle details. Don't you understand, husband? Doesn't Li Chuyun's daughter know how to sew?"
It was not given by Li Yuaner. I wear it because it brought me good luck during the last battle in Hebei. I think it is auspicious. Guo Shao hurriedly explained.
Fu Ermei's eyes rolled slightly, and she pondered: Speaking of which, my eldest sister doesn't know how to do needlework. She didn't want to learn it before, saying it was useless.
Guo Shao hesitated and said: Get in the car, you will see your elder sister soon.
Yeah. Fu Ermei no longer cared and tried to keep smiling.
Guo Shao got on his horse and arrived at the gate. He saw dozens of cavalrymen already wearing armor and ready to go. People were standing in front of their horses. Zhou Tong and Dong Er were also in the crowd. Guo Shao rode up to him, helped him lift his breastplate, patted him on the shoulder, and said nothing. Zhou Tong clasped his fists and said, "I am willing to follow the inspector Guo to fight the enemy."
Okay. Guo Shao waved and said, let's go.
The group swaggered onto the Imperial Street. Passersby along the way, officials and civilians gave way one after another. People were all afraid of a group of armored cavalrymen. When Guo Shao and his companions arrived outside Xuande Gate, they saw a group of people and horses beside the Imperial Street. Li Yu was standing on the side of the road and bowed to him. Guo Shao rode on a horse and returned the greeting with a fist. The sound of horse hooves was loud and far away, and neither of them spoke.
But he saw a sedan chair behind Li Yu, and the curtain seemed to be lifted at one corner. Guo Shao couldn't see the person inside, but immediately guessed that Zhou Xian was inside. He remained calm and pretended not to know.
In front of Xuande Gate, warriors were not allowed to enter without permission, and non-royal members were usually not allowed to ride in carriages or on horses. Guo Shao did not want to break the rules, so he jumped off his horse. He did not have time to ask Li Yu at this time, and walked directly to the back of the carriage and opened the wooden door of the carriage. He covered the top of the exit with one hand and reached out with the other hand to support Fu Ermei.
Surrounded by warriors in armor, the scene was originally very bleak, but the graceful red color that appeared in people's sight was particularly eye-catching. Fu Ermei gently held her veil and got off the car with the help of Guo Shao's arm. She looked up at the towering palace, turned her head and whispered to Guo Shao: When I am with my husband, I often feel like a princess, a very noble woman.
Guo Shaodao: My second sister is very noble.
An eunuch and several followers were waiting at the door. Guo Shao and Fu Ermei followed them into the imperial city.
When they arrived at the wide square outside the Jinxiang Palace, it was already crowded with people. Seeing this, Fu Ermei paused for a moment and hurriedly followed Guo Shao. There were at least several thousand people on both sides of the square. Judging from the flags, they were mainly the troops of the Inner Palace Guards and the Control Crane Army; in addition, there were also civil and military officials, especially many military generals.
The sound of dong dong dong drums sounded first, and then the faint yet grand music of Zhongshao was played on the steps of Jinxiang Hall. Next to the yellow umbrella canopy, Fu Jinzhan, wearing a purple round-necked robe and a futou, led the little emperor, who was a few years old and wearing a dragon robe, to the steps and sat down dignifiedly on the wide imperial couch placed under the canopy.
The sun was rising, as red as blood in the winter. Thousands of people knelt on the ground, shouting loudly: Long live our emperor!
Guo Shao and Fu Ermei also knelt on the road and kowtowed together.
After a long while, the voices from above could not be heard clearly in the distance, but the people in front stood up one after another, and the people behind followed suit. Several voices came from far to near: "Announce, the Palace Guard Inspector Guo Shao is here to see you."
Guo Shao led Fu Ermei to the Jinxiang Palace under the watchful eyes of the crowd. He did not look around, but he also found that countless eyes were focused on him; Fu Ermei followed behind him and seemed very nervous, but she was the daughter of the King of Wei after all, so she remained calm and did not have any problems with her manners.
When they came to the bottom of the steps, Guo Shao and Fu Ermei bowed. Then Fu Jinzhan's voice was heard saying: "Second sister, come to me."
"As you command." Fu Ermei responded softly, stood up and looked back at Guo Shao, then she put her hands on her stomach and walked up the stairs slowly.
At this time, Yang Shiliang stood up and said loudly: The Queen Mother's decree. Li Chongjin and Li Jixun were deeply favored by the emperor, but they rebelled. They are disloyal and unjust thieves. I am extremely sad. If I don't kill these two people, it will not be enough to show the majesty of the country and will not be enough to appease my anger.
The court now has Guo Shao, the chief inspector of the imperial court. He is loyal and brave, and is good at using troops. It is appropriate to appoint Guo Shao as the Grand Marshal of the Army of the World and the Recruiting Envoy of Hedong; Shi Yanchao as the vanguard of the camp; and Zan Jurun, the guest minister, as the military supervisor of the front camp of Hedong, to lead the troops to suppress the rebellion. I and the emperor are waiting in Tokyo for the news of victory to arrive in Beijing as soon as possible.
Guo Shao bowed and said loudly: "I accept your order."
Guo Du Dianjian stepped forward to receive the seal. Yang Shiliang said.
Guo Shao strode up the high steps and saw Fu Jinzhan holding a large seal with a yellow silk cushion in his hand, so he knelt on one knee in front of the imperial couch. Fu Jinzhan took the seal and said: I hope you will fight hard and repay the emperor's grace by serving the country.
We will definitely fulfill our mission and live up to the trust of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. Guo Shaodao.
At this moment, Fu Jinzhan's gaze lingered sharply on Guo Shao's waist ornament. She was slightly startled, and her cheeks suddenly turned light red.
Then the eunuch Yang Shiliang took out a yellow flag with a dragon pattern and wrote on it: "The Grand Marshal of the Army Guo Shao is summoned to suppress the rebellion." He rolled it up and handed it to Guo Shao along with the imperial edict.
I thanked Guo Shao and bowed again. I took the things and stepped back a few steps, then walked down the steps in public.
Yang Shiliang shouted loudly:
Guo Shao couldn't help but look back at the bottom of the stairs, only to see Fu Jinzhan had left and Fu Ermei was also looking back reluctantly. He and Fu Ermei looked at each other, and there was no chance for them to talk anymore.
The civil and military officials all bowed and thanked the emperor. After Fu Jinzhan and the emperor disappeared in the Jinxiang Palace, everyone got up again. A group of military officers gathered around, and Guo Shao handed the things in his hand to Yang Biao first, saying: The left wing of the Tiger Guard Army, the crane bow and arrow, the direct horse army, and all the generals should go to the office in front of the palace, and the rest should take their troops and disperse.
Everyone followed Guo Shao out of the palace on foot, and then led their horses to the Dianqian Division.
Dozens of military officers filled the hall with chairs, and some could only stand. Guo Shao said: All the troops have been assembled in the past few days.
Each general reported his report. Guo Shao nodded and asked someone to put up a vertical map. They had a final meeting before the troops were dispatched. They would start the battle tomorrow. The goal was to rush quickly and target Jinzhou.
The total number of the imperial guards was 20,000, with 16,000 from the left wing of the Tiger Guards, 2,000 from the crane archery and 2,000 from the cavalry, and more than 20,000 war horses. They traveled lightly, with nothing but the necessary equipment.
The route is to go to Luoyang, the Western Capital, and then cross the Yellow River from Luoyang to the north; in this way, Li Jixun's spies in the three cities of Heyang will most likely not know what is happening before we cross the Yellow River. After crossing the Yellow River to the north, turn west from Nanli, Taiyue Mountain, cross the mountains here and enter the Jinzhou Basin, heading straight for Jinzhou.
The whole army only carries five days of rations, and we will arrive in Luoyang with light equipment and rest for one day. Li Gu has already prepared the logistics of the army; we will get another ten days of rations after arriving in Luoyang. After crossing the river, we will rush to Jiangzhou within five days; that is to say, Jinzhou Xianggong will be reinforced in eleven days. The average daily march is nearly eighty miles. Our troops are elite and have a large number of horses, so we should be able to do it. Guo Shao found that the strong ancient people had much better endurance in walking than modern people, but the general army carried too much and walked slowly without motor tools.
After we cross the river, soldiers and civilians from Hezhong Jiezhou and other places will rush to help us with food. Before we consume the remaining five days of food, Li Gu will definitely be able to deliver food to the front line. I believe in his ability. I hope you all can encourage each other.
I would like to ask for a free monthly ticket at the beginning of the month. Thanks to the great book author Courage Pig丨Du丨Banzhuan II for his large reward this month, and other book friends for their continuous reward.