The Jinxiang Hall is quite old, and the corners and window frames have obvious signs of wear and tear, but it is an important building after all, and should be repaired frequently. So the environment in this side hall does not look new, but it is clean and beautifully decorated. The chair Guo Shao sat on was inlaid with gold decorations on the wood, but the armrests and cushions where the body could touch were sewn with soft and delicate brocade. It was gorgeous and not expensive compared to the dragon throne made entirely of gold, and the details were very thoughtful.
Such an environment made Guo Shao feel calm and steady, noble but not ostentatious. The yellow dragon robe and futou he wore were new clothes tailored for him, with the patterns on the ribbons carefully carved and the material soft and bright; but the coppery and slightly rough skin on his face did not match the exquisite attire, and he even had a small scar on his cheek, which he himself did not know when he was scratched in battle. Guo Shao did not look like a man with a good life at all.
The men sitting on both sides below were similar to Guo Shao, wearing fine silk and satin, but they were all rough men, especially the bearded Li Chuyun and the horse-faced Yang Biao, who looked like silk wrapped around an old tree trunk. Even the civil servant Wei Renpu had dark skin and a sturdy figure, and the muscles on his arms could hold up the silk.
At this time Wang Pu said calmly: I think that under the current situation, we should attack the north first and then the south.
After Shu and Nan Tang were destroyed, there was no force in the south that could threaten the Zhou Dynasty. Wu, Nan, Han and other places did not have the strength to attack the Zhou Dynasty, so there was no need to rush for success in these places. In the early stage, the Wuyue Kingdom should be mainly appeased and persuaded to surrender; this place was a quagmire. The navy and infantry of the Southern Tang Dynasty were not weak, but they were also trapped in Wuyue and had difficulty in making progress. The two countries had been at odds for decades, and the Southern Tang Dynasty had not been able to destroy Wuyue so far. It would be troublesome for the Zhou Dynasty to use force. As for the Southern Han Kingdom, I heard that its king was incompetent and its ministers were incompetent. We could first persuade them to surrender and then use local troops to attack their land; and our main forces in the Central Plains should conserve their strength to prepare to deal with the great enemy in the north.
At this moment, Guo Shao was sitting in the front, and the ministers were sitting on both sides. They spoke directly and no one quoted from classics. It was a bit like the style of Guo Shao's meetings in the hall in front of the palace.
Guo Shao believes that each circle will gradually form a unique way of communication, which is related to the members' backgrounds, habits and thinking. For example, in the pre-Qin period, if a gentleman did not quote the Book of Songs when speaking, he would be considered uncultured; in the writings and speeches of ancient civil servants, there would always be words from the sages of economics; in the officialdom of later generations, there would always be a set of grand words derived from Marxism-Leninism or some ideological theory.
But no matter what method is used, there will always be some hidden meanings.
Guo Shao heard the hidden meaning in Wang Pu's remarks. He habitually picked up the brush and recorded what he heard in the book.
He sat very straight, with his back straight, writing seriously. He used a brush, unlike a hard pen, so he could write even when lying down. Wang Pu advocated first writing north and then south, and there should be a very important reason: to restrict the military power of generals as soon as possible. In addition to going to war with the Liao Kingdom, the Central Plains Dynasty did not need to continue the previous military system and still had the strength to recover the south; but unlike the war with the Liao Kingdom, it was originally a strong enemy, and restricting the military generals would dampen their enthusiasm. As long as the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun were recovered, the steps of fully restricting military power could be taken.
Wang Pu glanced at Guo Shao slightly and saw that he was taking notes while listening to his proposal. His expression was very helpful and encouraging. Wang Pu continued: The Khitan leader is stupid and cruel, and the people are unstable. Our dynasty cannot waste time for the remaining small countries in the south and miss the opportunity; we should seize the opportunity, march north as soon as possible, and push the northern defense line to the Great Wall while they are weak.
He thought for a moment and said: "The world has been through war for a long time, and the imperial army has been honed in battle for many years, and is good at fighting. But if they stay in peace for ten or eight years, whether they will still have the current fighting power is still uncertain. Therefore, the old minister believes that the Northern Expedition should be launched sooner rather than later. Once the internal situation is stable, we can deploy matters in the north."
Guo Shao asked: "What do you think our dynasty should do
Wang Pu glanced at Wei Renpu, who then stood up, clasped his fists and bowed, then took out a roll of blueprints from his arms. Guo Shao saw this and realized that the people in the Privy Council had already prepared for this matter.
Wei Renpu hung the blueprint he brought on the wooden frame at the top, and Guo Shao and the ministers looked over. Wei Renpu was calm, pointed at the blueprint and said: Your Majesty and colleagues, please look here, the location of the Northern Han.
This thick line is the Taihang Mountains, with the Northern Han Kingdom on the west and the Hebei region of our dynasty on the east. First, the Northern Han army coming down from the south will directly approach the Yellow River, which is a hidden danger hanging over the heart of the Central Plains. If it advances southward, it can threaten our heartland. Secondly, if our dynasty attacks Youzhou, it must dominate the north of Yizhou, cross the Juma River, and use it as the base camp and the rear of the army; the main force of the Northern Han army can enter the Xindai Basin from Jinyang Taiyuan, and then enter Hebei from the west of Yizhou. If it goes eastward, it can threaten the rear of our Northern Expedition Army.
The Northern Han Kingdom is a wedge inserted into China, and we must remove it before we can have peace.
Guo Shao listened attentively. Wei Renpu was still as graceful and elegant as before, and his words were powerful. Guo Shao had always admired Wei Renpu, who had both martial spirit and etiquette.
Wei Renpu said: If we seize Youzhou, we must advance further north to seize Yunzhou and Datong in the West Mountain of Yanshan. This section is the area of the Ming Dynasty's Xuanda defense line. Only by pushing the border to the Great Wall can we have a safe haven. The Northern Han is a threat to Yunzhou from both sides, and it must be eliminated.
Therefore, the common proposal of Wang Shijun and I is to conquer Youyun and attack Northern Han first.
After he finished speaking, he bowed to the emperor again, and Guo Shao nodded in response. Wei Renpu then returned to his seat. Guo Shao looked around and asked, "What do you think?"
Li Chuyun and Yang Biao had no intention of speaking, and the two civil servants, Wang Pu and Li Gu, remained silent. Shi Yanchao, who was as big as a small mountain, sat among the people, looking like a larger person, or like an orangutan, staring blankly with his eyes wide open.
Without commenting on the Privy Council officials' proposal, Guo Shao stopped asking questions. Seeing that it was getting late and everyone had to return to the government office to work, Guo Shao asked about Tokyo's defense military orders and then dispersed.
Today was the day for the deployment of troops. After the meeting, Guo Shao did not even look at the memorials, but went straight to the Donghua Gate of the Imperial City on the imperial sedan chair and climbed up to the top of the city wall to watch the troops being deployed. As expected, he chose the right location. On the Maxing Street on the east side of the Imperial City, many troops were being deployed according to military orders.
Guo Shao watched for a while and was very satisfied with the strict military discipline and appearance.
Soldiers in Tokyo City did not need to carry a lot of food and marching equipment, and their clothes and armor were very neat, which of course looked much better than when they were fighting outside. The neat queues and the dull and heavy footsteps were full of power. Guo Shao thought it was more beautiful than singing and dancing.
At this time, someone noticed that the yellow umbrella on the city wall was covered, and they shouted. The soldiers looked sideways, and there was an uproar on the street for a while, and the shouts of "Long live the city" seemed to echo throughout the city.
The emperor had great military power and a high status, and the soldiers in the ranks held their heads high and were very imposing. The common people and pedestrians on the Ma Xing Street all stepped aside and watched the imperial guards with a mixture of respect and fear.
Since the Han and Tang Dynasties, the status of warriors has always been high and they have never been discriminated against. In the Tang Dynasty, making great achievements and becoming a general or prime minister was even considered the greatest honor in the world. That is why there are so many frontier poems and sayings like "a scholar would be a marquis with ten thousand households."
At this time, after the chaos of the late Tang Dynasty and the five dynasties that followed, warriors were even more outspoken. The war made people fear and hate warriors, but the Zhou army was okay, with strict military discipline and few disturbances, so the people of Tokyo did not have much prejudice against these imperial guards.
The imperial guards were not the lower class like serfs. In fact, they were the young and strong class with higher quality in the Zhou Dynasty. They were selected for height, strength and age. Many soldiers were literate, and they were quite wealthy now. The court gave priority to the military, and a lot of social resources were tilted towards the army. In the recent battles against Shu and Southern Tang, Guo Shao also rewarded them with a lot of money.
The image of the soldiers is not due to the profession of warriors, but the fact that the imperial guards themselves include a group of elite young people in society. If it comes to an era that values culture over military affairs, young people with high qualities will go to study and take the imperial examinations, and the world will think that scholars are glorious and respected.
The road was blocked and some young women were waiting there. When they saw the soldiers in the queue, many of them were very happy and watched excitedly. Even the old women praised them. There were men in the world, young and old, tall and short, fat and thin, but the soldiers of the imperial army were all tall and strong young men. They had land, money, and the emperor's food. They had the opportunity to be promoted to the bureaucracy based on their merits, and they could see the emperor whenever they wanted. No wonder they were loved by the women.
Yao Erniu, who was standing by the road, was also very excited when he saw this scene. Regardless of whether the people standing next to him were strangers or not, he would say to everyone with a sense of superiority: I am also a member of the Imperial Guards, and the people over there are all my brothers.
Someone couldn't help but mutter: It doesn't look like it. If you are a member of the Imperial Guard, why are you standing here
Yao Erniu was like being poured with a bucket of cold water. Thinking about how he had just submitted his resignation to the commander, he felt uncomfortable. Commander Zhang Jiankui already knew about his family situation. Yao Erniu was the only young and strong man in the family, so he would probably agree.
Yao Erniu returned from the Southern Tang Dynasty with a fortune. His Tiger Guards' Left Wing Third Army won many battles, and Yao Erniu was sent to the front line to charge at the Battle of Dangtu. When the merits were judged, he was given a lot of money, which was more than he had ever seen in his life.
He used the money to buy a house and a shop in Tokyo, and a piece of farmland in Kaifeng. Since he already had money, he might die in the battlefield, so he didn't want to do it at that time. He just proposed to retire.
However, at this time Yao Erniu sighed and looked quite unhappy.