Guo Shao took a sip of the teacup and immediately stretched out his tongue because of the heat. He took a breath and then felt that the taste was not right. He frowned slightly without noticing. He was not a person who paid attention to the tea ceremony and was not picky at all, but he could still sense that something he was used to drinking was not right.
At this time, Dong Sanmei said timidly: Your Majesty, is it too hot
It's okay, it will be fine after a while. Guo Shao said kindly, and casually mentioned that it's best not to make tea right after boiling the water.
Guo Shao heard her whispered answer, but ignored her and picked up a cloth bag on the table, took out a large stack of papers, and then sat there and read them casually. Seeing this, Dong Sanmei carefully left the study, not daring to disturb him.
These papers were military orders left behind during the war to conquer Southern Tang. They were not military orders from the central army, but important military orders recorded by civil servants and clerks sent by the Jiangnan Front Camp Military Office to various levels of the organization. Guo Shao had already read them once when he was evaluating the merits of the generals and soldiers, but he only read them roughly, and it was mainly Wang Pu and other military office staff who carefully studied them in order to evaluate the military merits.
This command system is an evolution of the messenger system that Guo Shao had worked on a few years ago. During the Southern Tang War, Guo Shao found it very useful. Compared with the previous system, after officials from the Privy Council were sent to form the Jiangnan Front Camp Military Office, a staff group that integrated all levels of the army, military orders were issued more formally. A large amount of written materials were retained, which was more convenient for post-war reward and punishment management.
However, the essence of military power has not changed. The decision maker is still the commander-in-chief, and the staff and messengers only play a supporting role; it is mainly to improve the management of effective transmission and filing, and can also play a supervisory role.
Now Guo Shao has a new idea. If the power of the military officers in the staff system is divided, the military officers with military talents will have the decision-making power, and the staff will have the execution power; the subordinates will only obey the formal military orders of the staff, then the military power of the military officers will be restricted and weakened.
Guo Shao hurriedly wrote down this idea on paper. It is even possible to further improve the distribution of power, and separate the executive power of the staff, the power of military law, the power of reward and punishment, the power of weapons and armor management, the power of military supplies and money dispatch, etc., and assign them to different departments, and then integrate them in wartime. In this way, it is almost impossible for a certain force to control the army and start a war alone.
Even for the main force of the central field army, the generals who usually commanded and organized the troops and the generals who led the troops on the expedition could be separated. When the generals took control of the army and went on the expedition, their subordinates were not the people the general usually won over, so it was even more difficult for them to gather together to rebel.
But Guo Shao soon realized that this method was at least not suitable for the current situation.
He thought of a typical military commander, Shi Yanchao. Shi Yanchao's cavalry was very powerful in battle and had always been a sharp blade of the imperial army; however, if Shi Yanchao was not leading the troops, and the cavalry soldiers went into battle, their combat effectiveness would definitely be greatly reduced.
Guo Shao looked at the slightly swaying shadow on the teacup's surface, and many images suddenly emerged in his mind.
He climbed up step by step from a small soldier to a low-level general, and experienced all kinds of battles. The colorful battlefield scenes came to his mind. The cold weapon battlefield, face-to-face fighting, was extremely violent and barbaric, and the role of courage and morale was crucial.
He seemed to be on a chaotic battlefield, with sharp arrows flying above his head and crazy enemies holding sharp knives and guns in front of him. It was not easy to not be afraid or want to dodge and run away when they stabbed him, especially when the murderous enemies rushed towards him.
After the battle, the Privy Councilor Wang Pu once went to the battlefield where the war broke out to organize people to count the wounds of the dead and wounded soldiers. One thing was confirmed, although there was armor protection, the number of casualties caused by long-range weapons such as crossbows and bows was far greater than that caused by close combat weapons; but the moment of victory or defeat was not the long-range, but the close combat. And close combat is the most challenging test of courage and morale. Think about the psychological feeling of being hit by a car in the middle of the road, and still being able to stand still and fight to the death is not something that can be done casually.
At this time, the prestige and ability of the generals who lead the soldiers are particularly important. A familiar and good general can give the soldiers a sense of trust and security.
Guo Shao now truly understood why soldiers who did not know their generals and generals who did not know their soldiers would have their combat effectiveness greatly reduced on the battlefield of cold weapons.
Therefore, at least we cannot do that now, nor can we disperse power too much; otherwise, the actions of the army and generals will become rigid and lack flexibility. In order to maximize combat effectiveness, Guo Shao plans not to rush to change the military power structure, but only to make minor adjustments to the messenger shogunate.
In the next room, Yulian stopped sewing, looked up and asked: I told you to stay with Alang and serve him, why did you come here again
Dong Sanmei said embarrassedly: Alang is busy reading and writing, and I am clumsy. I am afraid of disturbing him and making him angry.
Then you go over there later, don't stick to me. Yu Lian said this, and then she didn't say much, she continued to do her work, and seemed to have no idea about everything.
Dong Sanmei stayed for a while, then picked up a rag and wiped the furnishings in the room. She was used to doing housework and was very efficient.
But there were still many things that made her lazy. At this time, the two pots of flowers on the window attracted her attention. The flowers in the pots were green, red and yellow, very bright and beautiful. She stopped and bent over to look at one of the pots of flowers. It was not a real flower, but an artificial one; but it was made very lifelike and delicate, which made Dong Sanmei very curious.
Upon closer inspection, the flowerpot is carved from jade, the green leaves are made of jadeite, the flowers are gemstones, and the stems are made of gold. Such precious materials are carved very delicately. How much work must have been put into making such a decoration
Dong Sanmei couldn't help but exclaimed: It's so beautiful.
Yu Lian said: No matter how beautiful it is, it is fake.
Dong Sanmei said: It is much more valuable than the real thing.
That's right. Yu Lian said without raising her head, I found that this is the case in the palace. There are few trees and everything is precious. But it feels a bit lifeless after staying here for a long time. But it's only this kind of thing that makes it so beautiful in winter.
Dong Sanmei said: It's so small, what can I use to wipe it
Yu Lian said: Don’t worry about those things, there are people who are specifically responsible for taking care of them.
Night had fallen, and the courtyard was very quiet. In fact, there were dozens of people on duty here. However, without Yu Lian's nod, those women could not approach the suite where Guo Shao lived, and of course they did not dare to make any noise.
After a long time, it was almost time for Guo Shao to take a bath and change clothes. Yu Lian sent Dong Sanmei to work and asked her to serve Guo Shao alone. Yu Lian said: I am not bullying you, I am giving you a chance.
Dong Sanmei blushed slightly and lowered her head and said: I know Sister Yulian is good to me.
Yu Lian suddenly asked again: You are willing, right
Dong Sanmei didn't say anything. Yu Lian looked at her and said: If you really don't want to, I won't force you.
Dong Sanmei was silent for a while and murmured: Of course I am willing to do so. Alang treats me so well and I have always wanted to repay him.
You do think that it is a way to repay a favor. You are unwilling, but many people are willing. If I send someone to Alang to serve him, that person must remember a big favor from me. Yu Lian smiled and said, "Besides, Alang didn't seem to pay much attention to you when you were at Guo's house. How could he treat you well?"
Dong Sanmei's mind flashed back to the moment when Guo Shao covered her eyes with his hands when she encountered a gangster in Hedong a few years ago. His hands were rough but warm. Dong Sanmei still remembers the warmth in his hands. But she didn't want to mention that to anyone, including Yulian.
She thought for a moment and said, "Sister Yulian, when I was a child, I didn't have enough food to eat. People around me didn't have enough food to eat. Our house was shabby and dark. I was scared every night. In winter, I was hungry, cold and scared.
Yu Lian stopped what she was doing and couldn't help but look at her.
Dong Sanmei pursed her lips and said: No one can get out of the hard times. I heard that some people went out to become thieves, but most of them lost their lives later, and they went to far away places. There was a young girl who was taken in by a wealthy family as a concubine. She lived from the age of thirteen to nineteen and was bullied terribly; but she was finally driven out by the master because she was too old. She saved some money and her life was better after she came back.
Yulian sighed.
Dong Sanmei continued in a low voice: With our background, it is very difficult to live a better life; but I have done nothing and am of no use, but Alang has given me such a good life, speaking softly to me without beating or scolding me.
Yu Lian said: This is how the world is. So many people have gone through so much hardship just to have enough food to eat, but in the end they can’t even afford a coffin; while some people are living a life of luxury, and don’t know how to have fun, complaining about everything.
Dong Sanmei said: Sister Yulian, I am not that kind of person. I am very happy in the Guo family mansion and in the palace. I think this place is also very good.
She looked around, the intricately carved window frames, the gold and jade ornaments, the emerald green screen curtains, and the candles on the copper lampstands, all lit up the house. From the tables and chairs to the floor, everything was clean and tidy, spotless. Although the clothes Dong Sanmei wore were relatively plain, the material was also very good. Many daughters of wealthy families might not have as good material as she wore.
Dong Sanmei smiled, but there was a very secret emotion, as if she was about to make a sacrifice. She said softly: Sister Yulian, I'll go over first.
"Hmm." Yu Lian responded without saying anything more.
Dong Sanmei gently lifted the hem of her skirt, stepped out of the room, and walked along the corridor lit by lanterns under the eaves. When she arrived at the door of Guo Shao's suite, the door was open, and a warm orange-yellow light shone through.