The small room next to the dining room was dimly lit, without even a window. There were some tables and benches inside, and a lot of ceramic utensils on the cabinets. Fu Jinzhan pulled down her clothes and tidied them up a little. She deftly tucked a strand of messy black hair that fell on her cheek behind her ear, looked back at Guo Shao, her cheeks flushed, and she exhaled and said: "Get out quickly, I'll be there later."
After she said that, she took a look at the situation in the dining room through the crack in the door.
Guo Shao asked: My second sister hasn't come back yet.
Fu Jinzhan whispered: "She is not feeling well, so she usually asks the palace maid to bring some hot water to wash her body and change into small clothes, which will take a while." Her face looked strange. She was too impulsive just now. She shouldn't have done that. We
Guo Shao was speechless, he unbolted the door, and sneaked out of the door nervously. At this moment, he felt like a thief. He had never been a thief, but he could imagine that this was what it felt like, worrying about being caught at any time.
When Fu Ermei returned, Guo Shao and Fu Jinzhan were already sitting on stools in the dining room, talking without any signs. Fu Ermei's eyes swept across their faces, and she seemed to have a feeling that something was wrong. Guo Shao noticed her eyes from the corner of his eye, and felt that he and Fu Jinzhan did not seem to have revealed anything.
Last month, the court sent people to Nanping State to meet Gao Baorong, the king of Nanping, who was named after Zhou Dynasty. The court envoys advised him to surrender, but he seemed reluctant. Fu Jinzhan said calmly.
During the festive occasion, they had no intention of talking about serious matters, but she brought up this matter. Guo Shao felt that Fu Jinzhan was deliberately covering up what had just happened. When he looked at her expression, he felt that she was dignified and calm. Not only did she act as if nothing had happened, but she also looked as if she could not be violated. If Guo Shao had not just kissed her, he would have been almost frightened. He had to admire Jinzhan's performance.
Fu Jinzhan continued to speak softly: Nanping and Wuyue are places with small land and few people, and they have always adopted the strategy of serving the powerful, serving whichever country is strong. They want to wait for the unification of the Central Plains, and then rely on their merits and obedience to surrender and seek wealth. But they are still unsure of the general situation, so Nanping is eager to offer land, and Gao Baorong is reluctant.
Guo Shao also said seriously: The Queen Mother is right. However, I think that the national policy of Wuyue is more coherent, and the system formed by the monarch and ministers is more formal; Da Zhou should take the diplomacy with Wuyue seriously. However, Nanping does not have a long-term and reliable national policy, and it is not even a country, but just a force. As far as I know, since Nanping became a separatist, it has often robbed the property of envoys from various countries by relying on important transportation routes, and has also paid tribute to all the kings, trying to please them in the cracks, which is not very respectful.
Fu Jinzhan was thoughtful: "You reminded me of the Huainan War. Wuyue did send troops to attack Southern Tang, but Nanping was slow to act and lied about military intelligence many times. In fact, the troops were just a show without any actual achievements."
Guo Shao said: That's right, although Gao Baorong is not the King of Nanping, he is not very smart. Guo Shao pointed to his forehead. He originally wanted to say that he was brain-dead, but in the end he was more polite. He left all matters to his brother Gao Baoxu, who didn't seem to be a very smart person. I think that we can take advantage of this attack on Shu from the east to include Nanping in our territory.
Fu Jinzhan pondered and said: It would be a good thing if we could get that place. Jingnan controls the eastern route of Shu State, which is upstream of Nan Tang State and is indeed a strategic location.
Guo Shao smiled and said: "All is fair in war. Since Nanping has pledged allegiance to the Great Zhou, the Queen Mother can issue an order to borrow the passage to attack Shu. Once the army arrives, it will be up to him to decide whether he wants to or not. Next year, according to the strategy proposed by Wang Pu, we will attack Shu from Hanzhong and the Yangtze River, and take over Shu in one fell swoop. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has allocated a lot of extra money and grain for me to forge armor recently. After we take over the rich Shu, I will definitely get more money for the Queen Mother."
Fu Ermei listened to them talking about state affairs and looked a little confused. She didn't know much about these things. When she heard this, she asked: How long will it take for my husband to go to war next year
Guo Shao said kindly: It must not exceed three months. There is no need to calculate. I also know that the imperial treasury does not have the strength to support tens of thousands of elite troops for long-term combat. We must fight quickly and decisively, otherwise it will mean the failure of the attack.
Fu Jinzhan asked: How many troops does General Guo need
Guo Shao said: Xiang Gong has 20,000 garrison troops in Fengzhou. If you transfer troops from the Imperial Guard Division, Xiang Gong's force will reach 40,000. Attack the north road. I need 20,000 infantry and cavalry to go upstream along the Yangtze River to attack Dongchuan.
General Guo only wants 20,000 people to follow the Jinzhan Dao.
Guo Shaodao: Too many people will increase the logistical burden, and the road over there is difficult to travel. I need 20,000 elite troops, the most elite and combat-capable ones, so I'd better use the Tiger Guards and a part of the Control Crane Army.
War is risky, no matter which side it is on. The danger to the Zhou army did not come from Shu, which could not possibly counterattack the Zhou Dynasty; it came from within the country. The contradictions caused by the long-term war, which showed the weakness of the military force and consumed a large amount of national treasury and human resources, would cause Guo Shao to suffer unpredictable backlash.
Naturally, he was fully prepared for these problems before he launched the military operation.
Guo Shao and his second sister stayed in the palace for half a day and returned home that day.
Then he prepared for the New Year. He was a bit busy recently, so he didn't care about other things. After New Year's Eve, he visited people every day. The Fu family in Hebei was too far away, so he didn't need to go. He just wrote a letter and brought some gifts. Guo Shaoxian and Li Yuaner went to Li Chuyun's house, and then went to several brothers and colleagues in the Palace Front Department.
There were more people he wanted to meet, but he couldn't go in person. He just sent people to deliver gifts and congratulations. He couldn't come in person. Because once he arrived, he couldn't just sit and leave. At least the host would prepare a table of food and wine. He could only meet one person a day, and he had to go in the morning. People in the world had many taboos. On happy occasions, they had to meet in the morning, and on funerals, they had to meet in the afternoon.
He personally went to the home of his adopted sister, Madam Gao; the Dong family not only had his adopted sister, but also Dong Zunhui, who was also Guo Shao's capable general, and the general of the Imperial Guard, Gao Huaide, who was Madam Gao's younger brother.
Guo Shao gave Dong Zunhui four sets of plate armor as a gift. Compared with the fine horses from the Western Regions that Dong Zunhui gave him last time, Guo Shao's gift was obviously cheaper, but that was the intention.
After all the work, Guo Shao felt annoyed and tired. It was okay to attend a banquet occasionally, and it was still a happy thing, but it was hard not to be unhappy if he did it every day. He was restless and his appetite decreased, because every day the banquets were full of fish, meat and wine.
But there is no way, people in this world live like this, and after thousands of years, society has changed, and it is not much different. As the saying goes, you have to visit relatives and friends. If you don't visit them and keep in touch with them from time to time, the relationship will fade over time. If you contact them suddenly, they will immediately be wary of you asking for money.
Fortunately, he didn't have to work, and Guo Shao usually came back early in the afternoon, and he preferred to be with his wives and concubines. Yu Lian would make dumplings and various glutinous rice snacks by herself, and Guo Shao and Fu Ermei would help at this time; they were also very interested in the new clothes they bought.
The spring of the fifth year of Xian De, AD 958, arrived unknowingly in the midst of the busyness.
There was snow everywhere, but the red lanterns and the mess left by the festive banquets in the city made the atmosphere of spring come early. Inside and outside the capital, it seemed no different from the past few years. The emperor changed, but it had little to do with the people.
The streets were bustling, but it still couldn't cover up the various problems that the Zhou Dynasty was gradually exposing: too few people and too many troops. In those cold corners, the city god temples and the foot of the city walls, there were still some people who were starving and cold and couldn't even get enough food during the New Year. They took advantage of the festival to get some rice and ask for porridge. Usually on such a good day, Kaifeng Prefecture would receive an order to open its warehouses to provide relief to the poorest people, claiming to share the joy with the people, but the power was very limited; there were also wealthy families who would set up porridge stalls to give alms, calling it accumulating good deeds.
Yulian knew the affairs of the market very well, and she hired people to set up a porridge stall at the gate of the outer city in the first month of the year to do charity. But Guo Shao didn't care about that kind of thing. Compared with what he could do with the power he had, setting up a porridge stall to let a few people have a full meal was almost negligible. He felt that there was a simple and direct way now. Because Shu had not been in war for a long time, it had been peaceful and stable for decades and the population was dense and very rich. He could persuade them to share the benefits. Since they were all people of the same clan, they should share the happiness and difficulties. It would not be good if the gap between the rich and the poor was too big.
The people of Shu should also be willing to contribute to the northern national defense line, but the Meng Chang regime was unable to do so due to its separatist rule.
After the grand court session on the 16th day of the first lunar month, all government offices resumed their duties. In the side hall of the Jinxiang Palace, a group of core ministers began to discuss how to persuade the Kingdom of Shu with reason.
The tall Wei Renpu was explaining something to a map: Order Gao Huaide to lead 20,000 troops of Zhang Guanghan's left wing of the Imperial Guard's Longjie Army to leave the capital and move to Fengzhou in early February, and cooperate with the front camp to fight in the north. Hanzhong must be captured, and from here, they must advance to Jianmen Pass.
It is planned to appoint General Guo, the Grand Marshal of the Army, as the Eastern Route Army Recruiting Envoy, and lead 20,000 elite troops of the Palace Guards to advance westward along the Yangtze River via Jingnan in early March. Luo Yanhuan, the commander of the Imperial Guards Infantry Division, will mobilize the left wing of the Tiger and Swift Army to station south in mid-March and reinforce the Eastern Route. Zhang Lingduo's troops of the right wing of the Dragon and Swift Army will be mobilized to station in the three cities of Heyang.
The meeting ended at noon, and Guo Shao came forward to ask Wei Renpu: Why didn't Wang Shumishi come
Wei Renpu said: General Guo doesn't know yet that Envoy Wang has written a letter saying he is sick and is now recuperating at home.
Guo Shao asked hurriedly: When did it happen? What disease did Wang Shumi have? Wei Renpu said: Almost ten days. He probably caught a cold and didn't get well.
Merry Christmas to everyone. I have some personal matters these two days, so I can only update one chapter a day, and I will resume updating twice a day the day after tomorrow. Sorry.