Guo Shao did not bring any officials with him. When he entered the living room, he was accompanied by a girl from Beijing. She was wearing a lapel robe and a fu hat. Of course, one could tell at a glance that she was a woman.
Please take a seat, Your Majesty. The three men bowed together.
Guo Shao naturally did not accept the resignation, so he sat down on the chair facing south and invited Liu Renzhan and others to sit down. Liu Renzhan said: Thank you, Your Majesty, for letting me sit down.
As soon as Guo Shao sat down, he felt that Liu Renzhan's furnishings were really ordinary, and even the edge of the coffee table next to him was peeling. Liu Renzhan was also a figure in the world. Of course, his courtyard was arranged by the government; but Guo Shao had also been to the homes of high-ranking officials such as the Privy Councilor Wang Pu, and had the same feeling. Guo Shao used to think that the homes of bureaucrats should be very sophisticated, but after seeing it, he realized that in fact, most official residences were far less sophisticated than those of merchants like Chen Jiali. Chen Jiali's home looked simple, but it was carefully decorated, deliberately for a certain temperament.
At this time, Jingniang went outside, and then the servants came in to serve tea. Guo Shao remembered what Jingniang said when he left the palace, that he should not eat anything outside.
He ignored Jingniang and watched Liu Renzhan recall the battle of Shouzhou, with a sense of mutual respect in his words.
Then he immediately looked at Lin Renzhao and said with an appreciative expression: In the battle of Caishi, if the ruler of Southern Tang had appointed General Lin as his general, it is hard to say whether the Great Zhou army could have kept the ferry. They might have been forced to temporarily retreat upstream and fall into a long-term war of attrition. What a pity!
Lin Renzhao was relatively calm, and immediately said: Your Majesty, you are too kind. Even if I could influence the Cai Shi battle, the process might be different, but the outcome of the war would still be the same.
Guo Shao added: "When the late emperor first attacked Huainan, he met General Lin in Zhenggu and praised him, saying that the Southern Tang State had such a general, and Huainan should not be attacked quickly. I have heard of General Lin's talent for a long time."
There was a younger man next to him, Liu Chong, the son of Liu Renzhan. Guo Shao did not ignore him and said with a look of sudden realization: "I led troops to besiege Shouzhou, but the troops in the city went out to counterattack and destroyed many siege equipment. The general who led the raid was General Liu."
Liu Chong was not as calm as Liu Renzhan, and even less calm than Lin Renzhao. Liu Chong was immediately flattered and excited, and replied: That's exactly what I said.
I was a general of the Great Zhou Dynasty back then, and it was because of that incident that I was forced to sign a military order. Guo Shao smiled and said that General Liu was able to take the enemy by surprise and was courageous, which was commendable.
Liu Chong pretended to be modest and said: It was my father who gave the military order, I am just leading the troops out of the city.
Guo Shao nodded seriously, looking very excited. This kind of greeting was to set a good atmosphere for this meeting. He would not ignore anyone who was qualified to see him, and his words and deeds would make the people below feel appreciated. Officials all hoped to be appreciated by the centralized authority, and Guo Shao's actions did not violate the principles and skills of getting along with others, just to make everyone feel more comfortable.
He was not such a person at first, and did not know much about the rules of officialdom. But Guo Shao was a person who was good at learning by integration, which he had learned after seeing the ancient times in recent years; and he did not learn superficial manners, but only understood the ways of civil and military officials, integrated them into his own understanding, and handled things accordingly. So now Guo Shao often gave the impression to the ministers that his etiquette was simple and casual, but he seemed to understand the world very well.
Wang Pu once said, "Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish." Guo Shaoben's dream has not changed, but he gradually realized that he is no longer a warrior and can no longer rule the country with passion alone. In this country ruled by man, it is difficult to achieve anything if you don't understand and integrate the old things. For example, you can't win people over and control them.
When the three warriors present truly felt the emperor's sincerity, Guo Shao led the topic to the second step that he had prepared in advance. He turned to look at Liu Renzhan, and without any nonsense, he asked directly: I want to obtain the Northern Han Dynasty, and I came here today to ask Mr. Liu for his advice.
Liu Renzhan immediately bowed and said: I am a defeated general and dare not interfere in the important affairs of the court.
Guo Shao said: Mr. Liu, there is no need to be so humble and polite.
Liu Renzhan's expression was very serious. Under a dictatorship, the power of the central government was very great, and the right to participate in major decision-making was not something that ordinary people had; Shi Yanchao might not really understand this, but Liu Renzhan was able to thrive in the complex political situation of the Southern Tang Kingdom, so he must have understood this.
Liu Renzhan didn't know what the Tokyo court was doing, so it was hard for him to make suggestions. Guo Shao didn't care about what he said, but that he understood that if he could speak in front of the emperor, the emperor would be willing to listen carefully.
But Guo Shao was surprised by what Liu Renzhan said soon after. He could say something useful when he knew very little about it.
Liu Renzhan pondered for a moment and said: "I am an old man of humble talent, but I have two humble opinions. First, I dare to ask Your Majesty, which is stronger, the Northern Han or the Southern Tang.
The Southern Tang is strong. Guo Shao said without hesitation. No matter how strong the Southern Tang is, it has a large area of land in the south of the Yangtze River and hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Where did the Northern Han get hundreds of thousands of soldiers? Even if they had them, they would not have food to feed them.
Liu Renzhan asked again: So, Your Majesty, which one do you think is easier or harder, attacking Northern Han or Southern Tang
Guo Shao hesitated for a long time before saying: We haven't attacked Northern Han yet, so I'm not sure how difficult it will be.
Liu Renzhan said: The power of the Northern Han Kingdom is far inferior to that of the Southern Tang, but the difficulty of Your Majesty's conquering the country is not less than that of the Southern Tang. Why was there fierce internal fighting among the ministers of the Southern Tang Kingdom in the past, and many people dragged their feet; but the Northern Han Kingdom is small but strong, and the internal strength is relatively solid and united. Moreover, the Northern Han Kingdom has experienced elite soldiers, and there has been no major war since the Battle of Gaoping. Now there are important towns as barriers to recuperate and wait for the opportunity. Therefore, this country is small but strong, and it is a tough nut to crack.
Guo Shao nodded repeatedly after hearing this.
Liu Renzhan glanced at him, clasped his fists and said: "I think that before using troops, we can take advantage of the situation and try to put ourselves in an advantageous position and the enemy in an unfavorable position. The Northern Han is strong internally, so we should try to alienate them; they are waiting for us to tire themselves out, so we can tire them out first."
Mr. Liu's words made sense. Guo Shao agreed from the bottom of his heart.
In fact, Guo Shao's idea coincided with Liu Renzhan's, and he was doing the same thing. However, Liu Renzhan was an experienced veteran who had read a lot of military books, and he could clearly explain what to do, while Guo Shao only relied on analysis and screening strategies.
Guo Shao added: I have benefited a lot from Mr. Liu’s words.
Liu Renzhan hurriedly said: I dare not, I dare not.
Guo Shao took this opportunity to move the topic forward and looked at Liu Renzhan sincerely: The German army lacks a talented general. Are you willing to put on your armor again and condescend to be the commander of the German army
Liu Renzhan was slightly stunned and blurted out: As far as I know, the Gan De Army is composed of surrendered soldiers from Huainan.
Liu Gong, you know that Gao Yanchou, the commander of the Jiannan Army, is a Shu general and can also lead Shu soldiers. Guo Shao smiled and said, "If you employ someone, trust him. If you don't trust him, don't employ him. I have always been able to see things clearly. Gao Yanchou has not let me down."
After hearing this, Liu Renzhan stood up from his chair and knelt on the ground. The other two followed suit. Liu Renzhan said: Your Majesty has come to my humble home in person and treated me with courtesy. You have also trusted me without holding a grudge. I am grateful for your kindness and am willing to sacrifice my old body to serve you on the battlefield.
"Mr. Liu, please stand up quickly." Guo Shao laughed and said, "Today we have Mr. Liu, and this trip is enough. You two can stand up. You can all serve Mr. Liu, serve him, and be loyal to the court."
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Guo Shao smiled and said: Lord Liu, please come to the palace another day to meet and discuss military affairs in detail.
He was in a very good mood. Gaining Liu Renzhan not only gained a talented general, but also at least 30,000 soldiers of the Gan De Army, which enhanced the strength of the Gan De Army. The Gan De Army had existed for several years, but the combat effectiveness of this army was very poor, and the Zhou court did not really win the hearts of the soldiers. Once Liu Renzhan became the commander of the Gan De Army, Guo Shao foresaw that this army would become truly useful.
This is how the soldiers of this era were. The Huainan Army was able to withstand the siege of hundreds of thousands of Zhou troops in Shouzhou, but those same people, after being incorporated into the Huainan Army, became a scattered army that collapsed at the first blow; because it was difficult for people to trust the generals sent by the Zhou court. There was also the Shu Kingdom's imperial army, which had even weaker combat effectiveness at the beginning, but after Guo Shao used Gao Yanchou, they were able to withstand the attack of the fierce general Lin Renzhao in Huainan.
Guo Shao believes that if useful people are put in the right places, a few people can influence the performance of tens of thousands of people.
He immediately looked at Liu Renzhan and hinted: Lord Liu, don't be anxious. Lead the troops well first. I will definitely use you when I lead the army in person.
Liu Renzhan said: This old minister will only obey Your Majesty’s orders.
Guo Shao looked at Lin Renzhao and said: General Lin will not be bullied this time under Lord Liu's command. Haha, after hearing this, several people laughed awkwardly. Guo Shao then said to Liu Chong: Father and son will fight together. General Liu will follow your father. I hope he will be as brave as before.
Liu Chong said with gratitude: "I am willing to serve Your Majesty and sacrifice my life for him."
Guo Shao nodded with satisfaction, thinking: In this way, the commander of the Gan De Army Liu Renzhan and the commander of the Long Jie Army Zhang Guanghan are both veterans with rich experience in battle. As Fu Zhaoxu's deputy commander, at least there will be no low-level mistakes in specific battles. Although Fu Zhaoxu has no talent in marching and fighting, he is a relatively humble and steady person; plus Guo Shao has taught him the strategy in person, as long as he knows what to do, grasps the goal of the battle, and controls the advance and retreat, there will be no problem.
Guo Shao sorted out the personnel arrangements in his mind. Fu Zhaoxu was a person who was easy to get along with and willing to listen to others; Liu Renzhan was a person who understood the overall situation; Lin Renzhao was rather stubborn and self-willed when fighting, but Liu Renzhan was able to control him.
After thinking about it, Guo Shao gradually felt more at ease.
He then said calmly: You should try your best to put the overall situation first.