The singing girls sent by the Southern Tang Kingdom will perform tonight. We will have a banquet in the big tent. You can set up the place. Guo Shao walked to the door of the nearby central army tent and suddenly turned around and said something to the generals around him.
Lu Chengyong had a blank expression on his face. He clasped his fists and bowed, saying: I understand.
When Guo Shao raised his head, he first saw a square flag embroidered with a tiger hanging on a tall flagpole, with the words: "General Guo, the Inspector of the Army and Horses of the World, in front of the Palace." The red flag was embroidered with gold thread, and it was particularly eye-catching under the pale sky. The gray clouds and small snowflakes were floating in the air, like falling white petals. The central army tent was larger than all the surrounding tents, and the shape was also different. Only this tent was round like a granary.
Guo Shao walked to the door, and the two rows of soldiers spread their legs and raised their spears to show respect. Guo Shao also nodded to them, but the other generals around him ignored the sentry.
As soon as I entered the tent, I saw a wide and empty space. This was where the central army would select generals or discuss military affairs, which was equivalent to the lobby of a government office. There was a chair on the top and some rough wooden benches on both sides. However, there was no battle today, and the generals were all in their respective barracks. There was no one inside, and it looked very empty.
There was no one in the big tent. Guo Shao carried a sack of paper, walked around the upper chair, opened the curtain and walked in. Inside was a slightly cramped place with a wooden table and bench. These things were made of rough new wood and were made by the craftsmen after setting up camp.
Guo Shao threw the sack on the table and turned around. There were many small pieces of paper on a vertical blackboard. The highest piece of paper had Li Yu written on it, and below it were the names of Liu Cheng, Chen Qiao, Han Xizai, etc., placed in different positions, connected by lines in the middle. There was also a map hanging on the right side of the board. Guo Shao stood there, looking at those names without saying a word, then turned to look at the map, and found the place of Jingkou with his skilled eyes.
At this time, someone outside the door said carefully: My lord, General Li is coming in.
"Hmm." Guo Shao made a sound without turning his head.
Soon, Li Chuyun came in after lifting the curtain. Guo Shao had his back to him, but he knew that Li Chuyun was standing there instead of sitting down. General Li had a completely different temperament from Shi Yanchao, and he was very polite.
General Li, please take a seat. Guo Shao said this and then turned around.
Li Chuyun then clasped his fists and said: Greetings, my lord.
Guo Shao bowed slightly, found a wooden stool to sit down, and said: Southern Tang deployed Liu Cheng in the east, and his knowledge and ability are very average; a while ago, Cao Bin followed the Wu Yue army westward, and used a little trick to make him lose two important towns. This shows that Liu Cheng is just an average person.
Li Chuyun nodded in agreement.
Guo Shao added: “During the period when this man was in charge of the Jingkou navy, it was a very appropriate time for us to launch the Jingkou naval battle.”
Li Chuyun said: Jiangning Prefecture's spies have recently sent some secret reports. I saw them when Envoy Wang Pu sent them to me. Has the lord read them
Guo Shao nodded.
Li Chuyun stroked his thick black beard and said: After Lin Renzhao was defeated and returned to Jiangning, Liu Cheng had added insult to injury, and there was a rift between Lin and Liu; Chen Qiao was on good terms with Lin Renzhao when he was assisting the government. From this, it can be inferred that Chen Qiao might have attacked Liu Cheng in the court, and it is impossible to predict whether Liu Cheng would lose his military power in the east.
General Li's words made sense. Guo Shao nodded and looked back at the notes. However, it was said that Li Yu trusted Liu Cheng very much, and it was Li Yu who ordered Liu Cheng to be deployed in the east. After all, Chen Qiao was a minister, and it was not easy to criticize the commander-in-chief appointed by the king.
Li Chuyun pondered and said: Li Yu looks humble, but he is not a docile person. He is in the deep palace and is a little incapable of facing the situation of Southern Tang, but he will not give in easily. What the lord said is very true, I am afraid he will not completely listen to the ministers.
When Li Chuyun said this, he was thinking about the Southern Tang peace envoys and the group of singing girls who were suspected of being assassins. It was said that Guo Shao had kept a singing girl in his tent last night, and Zuo You strongly advised and disobeyed Guo Shao and stayed in his tent all night, which basically ruined someone else's good thing; Zuo You was very worried about Guo Shao's safety, and there was nothing wrong with what he did.
Li Chuyun actually cared about Guo Shao's safety. Guo Shao was the core figure in this circle of people, so who doesn't care? But Li Chuyun didn't persuade him as loyally as Zuo You. Because he felt that Guo Shao's actions might have been calculated. What kind of person is Guo Shao? Li Chuyun looked up and saw the notes and maps on the wooden board. He was a meticulous and cautious person who thought about countless small things in the entire battle. Such a person would not be able to see the hidden dangers of that group of people.
Li Chuyun estimated that the main reason for Guo Shao to stay with the singing girl was that he was confident in his ability to judge people and that he trusted and loved the woman, and that he was sure someone would persuade him. The civil and military officials around him could not just sit back and watch, and Zuo You played that role.
However, Guo Shao also had his own personality. He was indeed a person who trusted his subordinates. Therefore, Li Chuyun and others were very safe under him and were hardly suspected. Li Chuyun led the troops and was boldly entrusted with the power to make decisions on the spot. No one could say whether Guo Shao's approach was a strength or a weakness.
At this time, Zuo You and Dong Zunhui also came in. Guo Shao said casually: "Mr. Zuo is very patient and is not sleepy now."
Then Shi Yanchao came in, and the small room suddenly became lively. It was strange to think about it, there were big places outside, so a group of people would not stay, but squeeze into this small place, because Guo Shaoxian came here.
Shi Yanchao said: I heard that Wang Pu will arrive at the military camp tomorrow.
Li Chuyun didn't say anything, Zuo You responded. Although Shi Yanchao only called Wang Pu by his first name, he was respectful to him when they met. There are indeed many strange things in the world. Wang Pu and Shi Yanchao were both difficult to get along with among the civil and military officials in the Zhou court. However, Shi Yanchao, a big man with thorns all over his body, rarely had conflicts with Wang Pu and was polite to him. He even remembered when Wang Pu would arrive.
Guo Shao listened to this and thought that Shi Yanchao might be a typical arrogant general. He was not undisciplined, but only respected those he considered strong. Although Wang Pu was a civil servant, he was obviously not a man with a false reputation. Shi Yanchao, this rough man, was quite knowledgeable.
The group of people started discussing since Guo Shao himself did not say anything.
The people around were discussing military affairs, mainly the naval battle at Jingkou that was being deployed. Guo Shao was a little distracted for a moment, and he thought of Zhou Xian again. Although this woman could not be compared with the Fu sisters, she was indeed a woman that he cared about.
How to get Zhou Xian is a test of your heart.
Of course, it is very easy to possess her whole, just like what men do in the world, just imprison the woman. The three obediences and four virtues in the courtyard are meant to imprison women. But by doing so, I am afraid that I will never get the truly good things from her; if the woman is unwilling, it is difficult for her to show her charming side.
Guo Shao has always believed that the highest enjoyment lies in emotions. Otherwise, she would be no different from a doll if she was left lying on the bed to endure the insult.
For a moment, he was distracted in the army. In his mind, he recalled Zhou Xian's pitiful tenderness and her attentive service to this woman. She was born with something that inspired men's masculine feelings. She would swell up in front of him and he couldn't help wanting to protect her. There were other good things that Guo Shao missed. He thought of a soft place, and his heart seemed to be stroked by a rough brush; and her unbearable performance, so Guo Shao felt extremely powerful.
Guo Shao exhaled, thinking about the banquet tonight. If there are indeed assassins among these people, it is better to give them a chance to expose themselves. In this way, Jiangning Prefecture cannot blame Zhou Xian and others; whether to take action is a question of loyalty, and no one can be sure whether it will succeed. The pressure Zhou Xian will face in the future should be reduced. Guo Shao understands that a person is not an independent existence when living. She has various identities and various concerns.
Moreover, until now, he was still puzzled and surprised that Li Yu had the courage to send assassins, and he was still not sure about the reliability of those signs.