Not long after, the eunuch Cao Tai left the palace to do some business and went straight south to meet Guo Shao.
At this time, Emperor Li Jing, the retired emperor of Nanchang, the southern capital of Southern Tang, died of a serious illness. The civil and military officials of Nandu led officials from all over the country to surrender. At this point, large tracts of land in the west and south of Southern Tang that had not yet been conquered were incorporated into the territory of Great Zhou.
In the government office of Jiangning City, Guo Shao specially asked people to set up a mourning hall, hung white banners on the doors and windows, and paid tribute to the Southern Tang Dynasty's Grand Lord, and invited officials of all levels of Jiangning Prefecture to attend. Many people came. This was an invitation signed by Guo Shao, the commander of the Zhou army, and it was to pay tribute to Li Jing. No matter what position the civil servants had, it was inconvenient to refuse.
Guo Shao, Wang Pu and other generals stood under the eaves next to the lobby, greeting the officials from the Southern Tang Kingdom who arrived one after another. More and more people arrived.
At the turn of February and March, the plum trees planted in the government yard were in full bloom, contrasting with the white banners and paper money. The white petals, which had blossomed to the extreme, fell sporadically from the trees, making even spring seem a bit bleak and sad. There were also a few soldiers digging holes in the yard with hoes, and the officials who came by all looked at them quietly, curiously to see what those people were doing digging holes in the government yard.
Because they were visiting a funeral home, Guo Shao and the others naturally could not laugh casually. During the formality, everyone had a stern face and the atmosphere was solemn and heavy.
At this moment, a bearded man in mourning clothes came from the gate. Who else could it be but Han Xizai? When Li Gu saw his attire, his expression suddenly changed, while Guo Shao watched without saying a word.
Han Xizai walked to the door of the lobby, and without paying any attention to Guo Shao and other Zhou army civil and military officials standing under the eaves, he knelt down on the ground and burst into tears, muttering sadly while crying, and was more sad than if his parents had died.
The Zhou army was in an uproar, and Dong Zunhui looked angry. Guo Shao turned around and glared at Dong Zunhui, and then everyone stopped moving and just looked at Han Xizai, who was in mourning, crying.
Guo Shao really didn't understand how people could be so sad. It was true that the old master had done him a favor, and if we think rationally, everyone should be grateful, as people advocate loyalty and filial piety. But the master was not his parents after all, and they didn't live together day and night, so how could they have such deep feelings? Anyway, if it were Guo Shao, he wouldn't be sad at all in this situation. Perhaps the emotional components of the ancients were different from Guo Shao's.
The capital of Southern Tang became that of Great Zhou, but Han Xizai was still there crying for his old master, which really embarrassed the civil and military officials of Great Zhou.
However, Guo Shao did not stop Han Xizai at this time, and he thought it was not a bad thing: the ministers of the Southern Tang Kingdom were all people with dignity. Even if many of them wanted to face reality and continue to serve as officials under the name of the Great Zhou court, they still had to talk about being loyal to their old master on the surface. If Han Xizai did not show that he was nostalgic and fearless of power, how could he maintain his reputation among the literati? Since Guo Shao was determined to win over Han Xizai, he thought he was useful. If Han Xizai was notorious and could not call on the officials, what was the point of winning him over
At this time Guo Shao walked up to him with a friendly face, held Han Xizai with his own hands, and sighed: The deceased is gone, Mr. Han, please accept my condolences.
Han Xizai was helped up, but he was still wiping his tears and sobbing. If Guo Shao hadn't been trying hard to hold it back, he would have laughed out loud because the scene in front of him was too funny. A big bearded man in his fifties, crying in grievance and sadness, it was really unbearable.
When the countless officials below saw this scene, instead of laughing, they all looked sad and some even sighed.
Outside the door, a sapling was carried into the yard. Guo Shaosui walked out from under the eaves and went to the pit in the yard. The sapling was also carried to the side. Everyone looked at it, and someone whispered that the pit was for planting trees. Finally, they understood its purpose. But everyone was probably wondering why they would plant trees at a funeral.
Wang Pu and others looked at Guo Shao calmly, and no one asked any questions.
Guo Shao raised his voice and looked around. Everyone was attracted and looked at him. After all, everyone was curious and wanted to find out what Guo Shao was trying to do.
The first ruler of the Southern Tang Kingdom governed Jiangnan for more than ten years, and now he has passed away. I feel deeply sorry when I hear the news, and I can understand your grief even more. Guo Shaodao, in the past, the world was in chaos, and the heroes divided the land and occupied the mountains and rivers. The Li family of the Southern Tang Kingdom guarded one side of the land, saving the people in Jiangnan from the suffering of war, which should be felt by the world.
When people heard what Guo Shao said, most of them looked puzzled.
Guo Shao said calmly: "However, the Chinese are originally one race. The division of borders and the chaos are only temporary. The civil war should not continue indefinitely. The people of today have suffered from wars and chaos for a long time. The trend of unification is overwhelming. The unification of all countries is the will of heaven and the will of the people. Everyone, don't forget the greater good because of loyalty. The people of Jiangnan did lose their country, but they did not lose the world. The Great Zhou was not established by foreign races, and the recovery of the land of Southern Tang was not conquest. Only when the people of the same race and comrades in arms of all countries unite as one can we reduce unnecessary internal friction. Which is more important, a country in a corner of the country or the world
After Guo Shao finished speaking, he clapped his hands a few times, and some people came over with shovels and distributed them to everyone. Guo Shao also took one. He even personally handed over the shovels, and some officials did not dare to refuse and accepted them. There must be a gap between the Southern Tang nobles and the Zhou army generals who destroyed the country, but after all, the two sides had been in contact for a long time, and on the surface they were still polite to each other.
Shovel the soil and plant this tree in the courtyard of Jiangning Mansion.
Guo Shaoxian shoveled a small shovel of soil into the pit. Everyone didn't want to offend him, so they all helped plant the tree. Planting a tree together was a bit novel.
Everyone hurriedly planted the saplings in the pit, and Guo Shao scooped water from the bucket in public. When everyone felt bored, Guo Shao took the ladle and said: I think that the empire is like a tree, it is a living thing, and living things will take root, sprout, grow, and get sick. Now Shu and Nan Tang have been incorporated into the Great Zhou one by one. Our dynasty already has the seedlings of the empire. The people of the world will govern together and water the saplings, and it will grow and become strong, and the Han and Tang dynasties will appear and the glory of the empire will be restored. This is the common effort of all the people, and no one has the right to destroy it without authorization; if the person in power does not exercise benevolence and does not water it, the living thing will get sick and wither. You and I are planting this tree of the empire, and we should also work together to govern the local area.
When Guo Shao spoke, his expression was sincere and his voice was full of emotion. After hearing this, the Zhou army officers and soldiers applauded. Only then did the officials of the Southern Tang Kingdom understand the meaning of planting trees together, and looked at each other in surprise.
After Guo Shao expressed his position and said a few more nice words, he immediately left the lobby yard with his entourage.
When they arrived at the Central Army Headquarters, Wang Pu praised: "What an empire is like a tree. General Guo's metaphor is very appropriate. Throughout history, many dynasties were strong at first, but later declined due to lack of benevolence. There are also many kings who worked hard to govern the country and then had a prosperous revival. Living things will not remain unchanged.
Guo Shao sat down on the chair and said with a smile: Han Xizai was originally a northern scholar. Now that the Southern Tang capital has been destroyed, I guess he would still be willing to surrender after weighing the pros and cons. It's just that everyone in the world is constrained by reputation and public opinion and has no choice but to do so.
After hearing this, several people nodded in agreement.
Guo Shao said seriously: "However, since we are sincere in trying to win him over, we should also consider others. Even if Han Xizai is tempted, he doesn't want to be blamed. I have thought of a way to help him."
As he spoke, he looked at Li Gu: "There is a painting of Han Xizai's Night Banquet in the palace of the Southern Tang Dynasty. The painting is exquisitely crafted; however, the value of such things is not only determined by the level of skill, but also the reputation of the person in the painting. I know a big merchant, I can sell the painting to her, and remind her to find a way to make Han Gong famous, so that the merchant can also benefit from the famous painting."
Let's put it this way: Han Gong was loyal to the Southern Tang Kingdom, but because his wise political views were not valued, he often lamented that his ambitions could not be realized and was instead suspected, so he was depressed and indulged himself in drinking all day. In fact, he was a famous minister with a sincere heart.
Li Gu was very interested after hearing this and said: "General Guo is indeed a person who understands Han Gong. Han Gong is that kind of person."
Yes, this is not fabricated, it is the truth. Guo Shao said seriously, but in order to let more people know, this bad idea came up with this bad idea to ask merchants with more connections to help, starting with the painting.
Li Gu nodded in agreement.
Guo Shao immediately said: Nandu has surrendered, and the entire territory of Southern Tang belongs to Da Zhou. There is no need to send a large army here, and the imperial guards will return to the capital soon. I think it is more appropriate for Lord Li to stay and preside over the situation.
Li Gu clasped his fists and said: I should do my best.
Guo Shao added: "Cao Bin will command the garrison troops, and Gao Yanchou's Jiannan Army will also stay for the time being. Let Cao Bin do his job well. After I return to the court, I will definitely recommend him for merit and will not treat him unfairly."
Wang Pu and Li Gu nodded. Wang Pu seemed to have something to say, so Guo Shao did not speak for the time being and looked at him sideways. Wang Pu said: Wu Yue Kingdom tried its best to attack Tang this time, and our dynasty can show its benevolence by withdrawing its troops first.
Guo Shao understood what Wang Pu meant. The army was in the south of the Yangtze River, which was also a threat to Wuyue. He could gain more territory by combining kindness and force. However, Guo Shao was preparing to return to become emperor, so he could not spare time to deal with Wuyue for the time being. The remaining places in the south were relatively weak in military strength, and they probably dared not make any rash moves under the strong power of the Great Zhou. The threat was already very small.
Li Gu said: If any officials from Wuyue Kingdom come to Jiangning Prefecture to make friends, I will not threaten them with force at first. I will just say that the court is kind to them because of their merits, and persuade them to surrender and come to the court of the Great Zhou to be granted titles and official positions.
Guo Shao said: Very good, the court will also issue an edict to commend the King of Wuyue.
He picked up a ruler, turned around and pointed at the large map on the wall behind him: The route back to Beijing must also be decided in the central army. This time the army will have to transport a lot of things and a lot of baggage, so it is best to go back by water so that the warships can carry supplies.
The civil servants and military officers who had been talking just now suddenly fell silent and silently looked at the picture that Guo Shao was pointing at.
Guo Shao used a ruler to tap twice on a spot above: The Imperial Army land soldiers will go from here and here, take the stone floating bridge to Jingkou, cross the Yangtze River first, and then gather in Yangzhou. The Imperial Guards Navy warships will go north from Jingkou and enter the Caoqu, where the land and water will merge and return north along the waterway. When they reach the Huai River
Everyone immediately listened attentively to the important route. If they wanted to go along the waterway, there was no choice but to go south. The key was which waterway to take across the Huai River.
Guo Shao glanced around and decided that since the army was still in the Great Zhou territory, there was no need to take a detour, so he could just take the Bian River.
After Guo Shao finished speaking, he observed Wang Pu's gaze again. However, there were too many place names on the map, so he couldn't tell where Wang Pu was focusing on. But he could guess that it was Songzhou. Going along the Bian River, Songzhou was the closest place to Tokyo.
Wang Pu asked whether the counties and cities along the way should prepare military food and fodder.
Guo Shaodao: With tens of thousands of troops advancing by land and sea, their whereabouts cannot be concealed, and we don't need to conceal them either. In the name of the Jiangnan Front Camp Military Headquarters, we will order each state to prepare food and fodder for the army, and the prefectures and governments to prepare five days' worth of food.
After he said that, he picked up the teacup on the desk, but pretended to look at the file in front of him and was reluctant to drink.
Li Gu stood up first and said: If there is nothing else, we will take our leave.