The next afternoon, Guo Shao, Wang Pu, Li Gu, Zuo You, Huang Binglian and five others gathered at Guo Shao's house and stayed there for the whole afternoon. They also had dinner here. There were no delicacies from the mountains and seas and no expensive wine, but Guo Shao said: The dishes were cooked by our Yu Lian in the kitchen, and the wine was the wine brewed by my wife years ago.
Suddenly, the meal was elevated to a new level. Everyone chewed their food slowly and savored their wine slowly. It seemed like they enjoyed it more than eating in a big restaurant. After all, it was not easy to taste the handicrafts of other people's families. It was impossible without a close relationship. Especially the magistrate Huang Binglian, he looked flattered and was very careful throughout the meal, not even a drop of soup was spilled.
However, Guo Shao only spent a few strings of cash.
When Guo Shao returned to the back garden where he lived, night had already fallen. Seeing him coming back, Fu Ermei went to make a pot of tea. She held the tea in Guo Shao's hands, then hugged Guo Shao's neck from behind and said: My husband, please taste my cooking skills.
Guo Shao took a sip and thought: Second sister is good at brewing wine, but her tea-making skills are indeed a little worse than Chen Jiali's. He had no interest in this at first, but nowadays, tea is the first thing people want to do when entertaining guests. After drinking a lot of different kinds of tea, he can taste the good and the bad.
However, as he sat there hugged by his second sister, he felt the softness on her shoulders was very comfortable. Of course, he would not compare her with other women in front of her. He smiled and said: It tastes good, I am enjoying myself.
As expected, Fu Ermei was very happy. She took a look at the notebook Guo Shao placed on the table and asked: Who is Lin Renzhao? Is your husband thinking about some other beautiful woman
Hey, it seems that the ancients often used beautiful women to describe talented and wise men, Guo Shao said.
Fu Ermei said: Yes, you know all this. The so-called Yi Ren is on the other side of the water. That Yi Ren is a beautiful woman, but some private school teachers also say that it is a wise man that the king desires. Lin Renzhao is a wise man.
He is a warrior, but a very powerful warrior. Guo Shao said patiently that the Privy Councilor Wang Pu specially arranged a spy to keep an eye on this person, and Wang Pu himself has been paying attention to his affairs for a long time and has made a special file. Didn’t we discuss matters in the front yard this afternoon? We mentioned this person again. A very famous military general in the Southern Tang Dynasty, my second sister has never heard of him.
Fu Ermei shook her head, then smiled and said: So you are from Southern Tang Kingdom. It's really like the woman you love is on the other side of the water. I can't wait to see her.
Guo Shaodao, who pieced together the Book of Songs like you, was praised by the late emperor for his courage and wisdom in the battle of Zhengyang during the Huainan Campaign. Since then, Wang Pu has started to pay attention to this man. You think, at that time, Lin Renzhao's position was not high, how could an ordinary middle-level general of the enemy country be praised by the late emperor himself
Fu Ermei nodded thoughtfully. Guo Shao knew that she had no interest in this, because she was willing to listen only when he talked to her, otherwise she would probably have no interest at all.
She smiled and said: My husband only thinks about his opponent all day long, and I want to be your opponent.
Not really, the person I like will also think about the time when he/she hasn't gotten him/her. Guo Shao joked that the opponent is the same, he will only think about it when he/she hasn't defeated him/her.
Fu Ermei muttered: If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have let you succeed so easily.
Guo Shao suddenly pondered and said: "It's true that we tend to ignore the women we have and the enemies we have defeated. For example, what is Zhao Kuangyin doing now?"
The next day, Guo Shao stayed in the Palace Front Office for the whole morning, and then went straight to the Privy Council. Wang Pu and Wei Renpu both received him very politely. It was probably rare to see a military commander who would go to the Privy Council from time to time, except for Guo Shao.
He asked Wang Pu for Lin Renzhao's files, and then found a room in the Privy Council to look through them, as not many things there were borrowed out.
Wang Pu recorded it in great detail, and wrote down many little things about this person. Guo Shao read it roughly, and then went back to read some of the places that he intuitively found interesting. One of them caught his attention: Lin Renzhao had been friends with Liu Renzhan.
Guo Shao certainly remembered Liu Renzhan. Enemies who left a deep impression on him were unforgettable. When Liu Renzhan was defending Shouzhou, he seized the opportunity to go out of the city and counterattack after the siege by the army. He was very skilled in using troops. If Guo Shao hadn't unexpectedly found gunpowder to blow up the city wall, he would have been helpless.
But now Liu Renzhan is no longer an enemy. Although he was not treated badly after being escorted back to Tokyo, he has been under house arrest. After all, there may be a war with the Southern Tang Kingdom, and it would be disadvantageous for the Zhou army to release such a powerful general.
After Guo Shao left the Privy Council, he could not help but inquire about where Liu Renzhan lived. He immediately asked someone to buy some wine and meat, and went to visit him with his entourage.
Liu Renzhan was a military commander in his fifties, with flowing white hair and beard. His attire and manners did not seem like that of a brave general who charged into battle, but rather someone who was in charge of the central army and made plans. He came to the door of the living room, greeted him and immediately called him "Guo Du Dian Jian".
Guo Shao immediately understood that he had been paying attention to the situation. He immediately clasped his fists and said, "Mr. Liu, are you used to living here? Is there anything you need?"
Guo Du Dianjian came in person, sorry for not welcoming you. Liu Renzhan smiled calmly, life is pretty peaceful, I have gained a lot of weight in the past two years, but I am a little boring. Please
Guo Shao followed him into the house and took the opportunity to say: "Since Mr. Liu feels bored, why not take an official position? Although the late emperor is no longer here, the empress dowager is still generous with rewards."
Liu Renzhan said calmly: "I have expressed my feelings before. The Liu family has been deeply indebted to the ruler of Southern Tang. We cannot abandon our ruler for glory. Now we are just living in the world."
After hearing this, Guo Shao knew that it was difficult to convince people, especially the older ones, who were very stubborn once they made up their minds. It was not easy for him to survive, probably because people have an instinctive desire to survive.
Guo Shao had no choice but to change the subject and asked: If the Zhou army conquers the Southern Tang Kingdom, how do you think the Great Zhou should be governed after the war? Do you have any advice for the Queen Mother
Liu Renzhan thought for a while and said: We cannot lose the support of the people by being bloodthirsty, and it is best not to change the policies, laws and taxes too hastily.
Guo Shao heard that these words were very similar to what Wang Pu said about the expedient measure to maintain the status quo, so he bowed and said: Although Mr. Liu has been unemployed, his words today are still a virtue to the people of Southern Tang.
Liu Renzhan could not help but say: "Guo Du Dianjian's words make it seem as if attacking Southern Tang is as easy as taking something out of a bag. I think it may not be that easy. The difficulty of Shu is the road, but the strength of Southern Tang is not the danger of the river. The people of Shu have not known how to fight for decades, but Southern Tang has been fighting intermittently, and the monarch and his subjects are of one mind and one heart, so they are not vulnerable."
Guo Shao did not want to brag in front of him, but instead agreed: The stability of a country does not lie in the dangers of mountains and rivers, but in virtuous governance and the hearts of the people. What Liu Gong said makes a lot of sense.
Liu Renzhan was quite moved after hearing this: he only lamented that he could not be a minister in the same court.
Maybe there will be a chance. Guo Shao smiled and said, if the ruler of Southern Tang goes to Tokyo to be a minister of the Great Zhou, Lord Liu can surrender with the ruler of Southern Tang, and there will be no more grudges between the ruler and his subjects.
Liu Renzhan said nothing.
Seeing this, Guo Shao felt that he and Lin Renzhao had been getting along well and didn't want to spoil the atmosphere, so he asked again: "Mr. Liu, do you still remember Lin Renzhao?"
Lin Huzi. Liu Renzhan suddenly realized that this man was a good man, but his foundation was too weak. At first, he was just a slave of the general of the Min Kingdom, and then he destroyed the country. I wanted to promote him but it was not possible in one go. Later, Pan Chengyou recommended him and he had the opportunity to make merit.
Guo Shao asked in detail: Who is Pan Chengyou
He asked about every little detail, and the two talked for a long time before Guo Shao said goodbye.
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