In the Tokyo market, some shops open late, and shops selling cloth and the like usually have no business in the morning. In Guo Shao's eyes, the wooden boards embedded in the storefronts on the roadside are equivalent to rolling shutters being taken down, and the day's business has not yet begun; but at this time, Guo Shao has already handled the day's affairs of the Palace Front Office and is riding a black horse towards the imperial city.
In the imperial study room of Jinxiang Hall, Guo Shao walked outside the inner door and saw Fu Jinzhan still processing memorials. There were many memorials on the table covered with a yellow tablecloth, but they were all neatly placed there. Jinzhan was wearing a purple round-necked robe and a futou, looking very calm, and her movements were elegant and unhurried.
An eunuch nearby saw Guo Shao, bent down beside Jinzhan and said something, then withdrew with a few others. Fu Jinzhan also raised her head and smiled at Guo Shao.
I pay my respects to the Queen Mother.
Stand up straight.
Guo Shao walked to the table, and Fu Jinzhan pointed to the round stool next to him and said, "Sit down and talk." Guo Shao said, "Thank you, Queen Mother." He sat down on the stool. "Yesterday, I sent someone to the palace to report a private matter. The Queen Mother heard about it."
Fu Jinzhan gently placed the brush in her hand on the inkstone, and then used a paperweight to press down a piece of paper in front of her. She wore a golden ring on her finger. Her finger was jade-white and slender, but the thin part was very round and integrated. If there was such a thing as infusion in this era, her veins must be difficult to find. The sunlight came in from the window, and at a certain angle, the reflection of the ring flashed.
Aren’t the second sister and Li Yuan’er both pregnant? If you can give birth to a boy, your Guo family will have a successor. Fu Jinzhan did not have much emotion when she talked about this, and narrated it calmly.
Guo Shao bowed and whispered: If Jinzhan also has one day
A trace of shame flashed across Fu Jinzhan's face. She looked out from the inner door and said softly: I don't want to.
Why Guo Shaodao.
Fu Jinzhan said: "General Guo has a successor, so you should fulfill your duty to the ancestors of the Guo family; our Fu family has male heirs. I don't need to bear this responsibility now."
Is it just fulfilling one's duty? Guo Shao thought thoughtfully.
Fu Jinzhan said: I have never liked children.
Guo Shao thought for a while and said: It is said that when Wu Zetian wanted to pass the throne to someone from the Wu family. Di Renjie suggested that after a hundred years, if your descendants are still in power, they will place their mother's tablet in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. As a result, Wu Zetian gave up the idea of passing the throne to someone from her mother's family.
I don't need others to remember me, it's enough for you to remember me, Fu Jinzhan said.
Guo Shao was stunned after hearing this, and then said: What if I am not here
Fu Jinzhan looked at his face and said: Won't you let me go with you
Guo Shaodao: That would be too much, it would be like being buried alive with the dead.
Fu Jinzhan had a half-smile on her face: I've been to the gates of hell twice, and at that time I wanted you to be buried with me.
Guo Shao didn't understand Fu Jinzhan's words for a while. He often felt that his knowledge was more advanced, and he always thought that the ancients might not understand some of his remarks. He rarely encountered things that he didn't understand the ancients' thoughts, as long as they spoke spoken language instead of classical Chinese. But now, he found that he didn't necessarily understand Fu Jinzhan's words.
Wang Pu also wrote a letter, suggesting that the army should continue to be deployed in the south first. Fu Jinzhan changed the subject and said that after conquering Shu, the court had gained a lot of benefits. If the attack on Southern Tang continued, the civil and military officials of the whole country would support this strategy.
Guo Shao came back to his senses and said: The Great Zhou was founded on military power. As long as the army does not strongly oppose, we do not need to listen to the will of the people of the world. The truth is sometimes in the hands of a few people.
After hearing the last sentence, Fu Jinzhan raised her delicate black eyebrows on her fair skin and said: "General Guo's meaning is to go north first and then south."
Guo Shaodao: No, I have expressed my attitude before, and I support the next step of dealing with the Southern Tang Kingdom; what I said just now means that my attitude is not to conform to everyone.
Fu Jinzhan propped up her chin with her wrist, looked at Guo Shao's face with bright eyes, and asked with interest: Why did General Guo make such a judgment
I have read a history before that after Zhao Kuangyin unified southern China, he wanted to take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, but he never did so. He set up a storage warehouse and claimed that he wanted to buy back the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun from the Liao Kingdom. Some people also said that he secretly saved money to reward his soldiers with heads. Regardless of what the warehouse was used for, it at least shows that Zhao Kuangyin was very cautious about going to war with the Liao Kingdom and fully recognized the strength of the Liao Kingdom.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for Zhao Kuangyin to be unwilling to take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. It is estimated that he wanted to take it back even in his dreams. If such a great achievement that could be exiled for a hundred generations could be achieved, no emperor would refuse it.
Although Zhao Kuangyin was Guo Shao's mortal enemy, Guo Shao would not deliberately discredit his ability in his heart. Zhao Kuangyin was a real hero. People like him believed that the Liao Kingdom was difficult to defeat and did not dare to act rashly. He must have had his own insights.
After thinking for a while, Guo Shao said: Liao Kingdom is now at its weakest, the timing is relatively appropriate, but we cannot be too impatient. If we fail in one attack, the external pressure we put on Liao Kingdom will most likely affect its internal motivation; the successive failures last year when Chai Rong occupied several peripheral states in the Northern Expedition will further weaken our confidence in victory.
Fu Jinzhan nodded slightly: That makes sense.
Guo Shao added: Second, the risk. After the victory of the war against Shu, the Great Zhou was relatively stable, the authority of the court increased, and the internal conflicts were eased; but it was not as stable as Mount Tai, and it still could not withstand a big failure. Once defeated, it might lead to internal turmoil and weaken the elite strength accumulated by the Great Zhou over the years.
It is not easy to gather elite soldiers who are good at fighting. I was born as a low-ranking general, and I know very well how rare it is to have a combat-ready soldier; not every man can become an elite soldier. The average person's arm strength is only 20 to 30 kilograms, and a qualified elite soldier should at least be able to pull a strong bow of 1.2 stone and fight. The physical strength is not at the same level. It requires a strong body, long-term training and accumulation of practical experience. It is not possible to fight a tough battle in just a few months or one or two years of training. The Shu Kingdom's 100,000 or 200,000 troops were still too weak to fight against my more than 20,000 troops in the east. This is the reason.
Guo Shao continued: "Thirdly, we are not well prepared, and we still need some time. Attacking Southern Tang is also a kind of preparation. Attacking a country whose military strength is not as good as that of the Great Zhou will not lose money, but will make money, and we can continue to expand our armaments; successive victories in wars will continue to raise the status of our court, and the layout will be more stable. At that time, our resilience to withstand losses will increase."
Fu Jinzhan said: The three principles mentioned by General Guo are all very real. I agree with your idea.
Guo Shao nodded and said: So we have to prepare well in advance, concentrate our strength, and then take action, and we need to go all out.
Fu Jinzhan said softly: If we really can't take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, forcing it is useless. There will be other ways to continue to maintain it.
The Queen Mother is right. If there is really nothing we can do, then no one can do anything about it. Guo Shao said, but I want to try. The Queen Mother is in power in the Great Zhou Dynasty now. If such great achievements are made during her reign, the world will remember her, and this will be recorded in the history books for generations to come.
He looked into Fu Jinzhan's eyes and whispered: Not only will I remember the Queen Mother, billions of people will remember you.
A smile immediately appeared on Fu Jinzhan's face. The moment I left, she probably wouldn't be so scared anymore.
The two were silent for a while, immersed in the vision just now. Guo Shao said: To attack Southern Tang, we can first attack Wuping in the south, and approach Southern Tang from the upper reaches. Wuping Jiedushi originally belonged to Chu State, which rebelled after being conquered by Southern Tang. The remnants of Chu State are not strong enough, so there is no need to put too much effort. Luo Yanhuan's guards stationed in Jingnan, plus some of the navy returned from Shu State, are enough to deal with Wuping.
Fu Jinzhan nodded.
Guo Shao pondered and said: How about letting Li Chuyun take charge and go to Jingnan to mobilize troops and take charge of the battle of Wuping
This time Fu Jinzhan did not answer immediately. She said nothing, reached out and played with her ring, as if thinking about something.
Many people in the Imperial Guards thought that those in higher positions would keep an eye on Shi Yanchao. In fact, Guo Shao and Fu Jinzhan didn't care about him. Guo Shao had thought about Li Chuyun last year. Now seeing Fu Jinzhan's hesitation, he realized that some thoughts were not unique to him. Fu Jinzhan might have the same idea in his mind; although the two of them had never talked about Li Chuyun.
Fu Jinzhan finally whispered: If Li Yuaner gave birth to a boy, and Li Chuyun was powerful, how would you end up
Guo Shaodao: Li Chuyun at least cannot reach my level.
Fu Jinzhan still didn't give in: "Shao Ge'er, you'd better think about it carefully. The court is not short of capable generals. Xiang Gong is also very useful. Although he failed to break through Jiannan Pass, it would be easy for him to take Hanzhong."
Guo Shaodao: In my opinion, Li Chuyun is a rare general. But he does not have much prestige in the army and is not very good at leading troops. If he is left idle like this, his abilities will not be fully utilized in the future Northern Expedition. We will not be going all out in the Northern Expedition.
You would care if you used one or two fewer people, Jinzhandao.
Guo Shaodao: Man proposes, God disposes, but we must do our best before leaving the judgment to God. Li Chuyun cannot live to the day when he becomes a hidden danger.
Jinzhan moved a little and asked softly: What do you mean
Guo Shao said: Once the external military pressure on the court is reduced, the current military system will no longer be safe. The two departments of the Privy Council concentrate all the power of the army, just like a sword that is always unsheathed. In the future, we need to divide the power of the army and separate the power of commanding troops, mobilizing troops, and logistics. Weaken some of the war capabilities and add more insurance; in peacetime, of course, we should not use the system of the war era, and it is difficult for anyone to use force casually.
After hearing this, Fu Jinzhan said: Since you have said so much, let Li Chuyun take charge this time.