Guo Shao said: Zhao Kuangyin was in Northern Han, slandering and insulting the emperor's sister-in-law unscrupulously. When I destroy Northern Han, I will capture him and bring him to apologize to the emperor's sister-in-law.
Fu Jinzhan listened to him and smiled in agreement. She looked at Guo Shao's bronze face and asked, "Is it like catching Meng Chang?"
Zhao Kuangyin is different from Meng Chang. I cannot forgive him. Guo Shao was relaxed at first, but as he spoke, his face gradually showed indignation. He was my mortal enemy before, and he was a great threat to my life, my family, and everyone around me. I must get rid of him as soon as possible. The situation in Tokyo was urgent and the outcome was a matter of seconds. At that time, I could not deploy a net, so he ran away and now he has become a great disaster.
He incited domestic troubles and insulted the imperial family. Last time, a spy sneaked into Tokyo and tried to steal military secrets for the enemy country. I suspect he was also responsible. Although he failed, his hatred has never disappeared.
Fu Ermei tried to persuade him kindly: Husband, please calm down.
Guo Shao was silent for a moment, his anger subsided a little, and he continued: I have asked the Privy Council to send people to sneak into the Northern Han Dynasty to track down Zhao Kuangyin's whereabouts. If we can catch him this time, we must first let him taste the humiliation and fear, and then let him die.
Fu Jinzhan had a vague sense of Guo Shao's brutal side, and he was also not merciful when dealing with Zhao Kuangyin's remnants. However, he was usually a very generous person, and it was said that he was regarded as a woman's kindness in the army.
Fu Ermei also seemed to sense that something was wrong with the atmosphere. The three of them fell silent and ate slowly.
Guo Shao finished eating, put down his chopsticks, and then slowed down his tone and said thoughtfully: "I have thought a lot about what to do now. In fact, we have enough. My decision to use military force against the Northern Han and Khitan is not entirely for ambition and vanity."
"What else?" Fu Jinzhan asked softly.
Fu Jinzhan was willing to listen to Guo Shao's thoughts, because that was the emperor's mind, and maybe he had no one else to talk to except herself. But Fu Jinzhan also felt that the positions between herself and Guo Shao had reversed. The trust and affection had not changed, but now she was no longer in the active position; Guo Shao was no longer her and the Fu family's subordinate, he became the master.
Safe. Guo Shao's voice brought Fu Jinzhan, who was a little distracted, back to her senses.
Guo Shaodao: There are only two types of forces that can threaten our security. The first type is the mortal enemy, such as Zhao Kuangyin, and the descendants of the Northern Han and the Later Han who have always been hostile to the Great Zhou at the national level and believe that the Zhou Dynasty robbed them of their kingdom. The second type is the forces that are stronger than us, such as the Khitan, who can oppress us or even threaten us to submit when they are strong. So if I stop here, I will not feel at ease.
At the south gate of Jinyang Taiyuan, Zhao Kuangyin turned around and said to Li Jixun: Guo Shao will definitely attack Northern Han.
Li Jixun rode faster and said, "Brother Zhao, why are you so sure that Guo the Blacksmith has just usurped the throne? Why didn't he govern the country and unify the world first?"
At this time, they had reached the city gate, where a group of soldiers guarding the city stood. Zhao Kuangyin did not say anything, but dismounted and led his horse and his men toward the city gate. He walked into the gate and could not help but observe the gate carefully.
The city wall was very thick. The bottom of the wall at the gate was at least twenty steps and twenty meters thick. So when Zhao Kuangyin walked in, it was like entering a tunnel. The light in the tunnel was a little dim, and the bright light outside the city gate was just ahead. At this moment, Zhao Kuangyin seemed to be seeing the light of day again from the cave.
Zhao Kuangyin casually praised Jinyang City as a majestic city.
After walking for a long time, they finally got out of the city gate. After walking on the post road, there were not many people on the road, and they didn't recognize them. Zhao Kuangyin then said: Northern Han has always been the mortal enemy of the Great Zhou, and its terrain hangs over the head of the Central Plains; since the end of the Tang Dynasty, several new monarchs who replaced the previous dynasty were all governors of Hedong, and Dongjing must regard Jinyang as a major threat. Moreover, the danger of Jinyang lies in the majestic city. The previous emperor Chai Rong attacked Northern Han and returned without success, which means he could not capture Jinyang City. Guo the blacksmith thought he was sharp in attacking cities, and he didn't want to try
Zhao Kuangyin paused and said: "It is of course important to unify the world, but since the two great powers of Shu and Nan Tang have been destroyed, it is no longer difficult to unify the world; other small countries cannot threaten and hinder the Great Zhou, and those small countries cannot delay the pace of Guo the Blacksmith's Northern Expedition. As for governing the country, Brother Li thought that how else to govern it
Li Jixun hesitated for a long time and could not answer for a while. After all, he was just a military general and probably rarely thought about those things.
Zhao Kuangyin said: "The power of the current military governors to interfere in the affairs of local officials has been taken back. The imperial edict during the Chai Rong period strictly prohibited the military governors from interfering in the affairs of prefectures and counties, and all the elite troops were withdrawn. The military governors no longer have much power, and their sphere of influence is only the city where they are governed. If they are to be weakened further, with only financial power left, the power of the military governors to amass wealth can be further taken back by setting up transport envoys. By then, the military governors will really become empty shells."
Guo Tiejiang's throne is the fruit of the previous emperor. Since the first emperor, Taizu has been restricting and weakening local military governors, implementing a strategy of strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches; now in the Central Plains, local military governors cannot threaten the capital at all, and the central government's dominance has been established during the time of the previous emperor. After Guo Tiejiang usurped the throne, the local governments had no strength, and there was no need to rush to move them.
Li Jixun said: So Brother Zhao already knew that Li Yun could not achieve great things.
Of course it won't work, but he is such an arrogant man, but I was not sure about it at first. Zhao Kuangyin said.
Why did he incite Li Yun when he knew it was impossible? No one mentioned it anymore because Zhao Kuangyin and others were very dissatisfied with Guo Shao and were very angry.
Zhao Kuangyin sighed: It is also because of Guo Shao's military power that he destroyed two countries in a row. I guess Li Yun is also a little afraid of this man who is too good at fighting. Therefore, from the perspective of Guo Shao's regime, the current way to consolidate its position is not to weaken the local forces but to further increase its power; these are the reasons why I judge that Guo Shao will continue to attack the Northern Han.
He thought for a while and said: Guo Shao's threat is not the local military governors, but the imperial army generals.
After hearing this, Li Jixun nodded in agreement.
Zhao Kuangyin said coldly: Guo Shao usurped the throne of the son of the previous emperor as a general of the imperial guards; the imperial guards are dominant, and the military generals are still powerful. If there is a threat to the throne, only the generals of the imperial guards can do it. I am afraid that Guo Shao is not targeting the place now, but the generals around him.
Li Jixun said: At present, I haven’t heard any news that the Zhou court wants to weaken the generals of the imperial guards.
Zhao Kuangyin said: I think that guy Guo Shao has become too proud of himself and might even want to take over the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.
Tsk tsk. Li Jixun said, you have big ambitions.
Zhao Kuangyin snorted: I'm just guessing, but the most likely thing to happen is that Guo Shao will find a way to weaken the imperial guards. As an emperor, he can trust those who may replace him. He also has to think about how he usurped the throne.
After talking for a long time, they rode to a pass and saw some Northern Han soldiers looking at a few dusty people. One of the big men with a round belly saw Zhao Kuangyin and hurriedly shouted: "My Lord, my Lord!"
Li Dutou is back, Zhao Kuangyin responded.
Li Dutou said: "I have a seal on me, but the people of Northern Han heard that my accent was wrong and insisted that I was a spy. I was sent here and waited for the lord to rescue me."
Zhao Kuangyin approached the Northern Han general and presented his seal and name. The Northern Han general looked at him and believed him immediately, because Zhao Kuangyin had been the second-in-command of the Great Zhou Imperial Army and had a great reputation. The Northern Han army knew that he had surrendered to Jinyang, and his dark appearance made him easy to identify.
Zhao Kuangyin helped Li Dutou and the others escape, and then he led them away. He observed that Li Dutou and the other three were his personal soldiers, and there was a middle-aged man who was a stranger, so he asked: Is this man a craftsman who is proficient in armor making
Li Dutou's face darkened after hearing this. He sighed and recounted the whole process of the trip. How he encountered an accident in Tokyo, how he was chased and intercepted; how he almost couldn't cross the Yellow River, and had to find a broken boat to force his way across.
That night, the wind was strong and the waves were high. The child was in my hand and I almost got thrown into the river. I accidentally dropped the child into the water. The guy got anxious and broke free and lay on the side of the boat to rescue him. He was also thrown into the river by the waves. The Yellow River water was muddy and fast, and it drowned the people in a blink of an eye. We only had a broken boat, how could we rescue them to the other side? The people who fell into the water might have drowned long ago. There was nothing we could do. Officer Zhou on the south bank was chasing closely. I didn't dare to look back, so I had to hurry back.
Zhao Kuangyin's eyes looked very ugly after hearing this, but his face could not change because it was too dark. He kicked the stirrup and immediately said: Now we have another account to settle.
Li Dutou hurriedly said: I deserve to die for ruining my lord's plan, but I really had no choice at that time.
I told you to sneak into Tokyo and slowly look for opportunities. But you went there in less than a month. You warriors are just too impatient. Well, Zhao Kuangyin said, it's not something that will bring down the world. Anyway, we have already had a grudge with Guo the Blacksmith, and this one is not too much. Remember, Guo the Blacksmith will never let us live. Think about the brothers who stayed in Tokyo that year, what happened to them
Everyone had a look of sorrow on their faces.
Zhao Kuangyin pointed at the man in the middle and asked: What are you doing bringing this man back
Li Dutou's expression was almost crying: he worked as a handyman in the workshop
Zhao Kuangyin looked at Li Dutou seriously: Are you serious about bringing such a person back from afar
Shi Shouxin, who was standing beside him, said: Chop that fellow up right here.
The craftsman surnamed Lu was very anxious and said: I have seen armor-making equipment and I know what it looks like.
Zhao Kuangyin gave a look, and a general next to him came forward to ask questions, but he knew nothing and couldn't even read.