Yang Ye stayed in the mansion and did not go out. The most loyal old servant in the mansion said: "I have been looking at the streets these days. There are soldiers everywhere, but it is not a riot. There is no burning, killing or looting. It's just that the streets are more deserted than usual. The people may be afraid of those warriors and generally dare not go out."
Yang Ye nodded calmly.
The old servant lowered his voice and said in a deep voice: "But after Prime Minister Guo Yuanwei was arrested, I heard that Feng's mansion was also raided.
Yang Ye was not surprised, but his expression became more solemn.
The old slave said: The crime is that treacherous ministers have misled the country. These people used clever words to confuse the king, and put the king and the people of Hedong into injustice, making them suffer greatly from the war.
Yang Ye couldn't help but say: At least I know Feng Jinke. He has always been a loyal and trusted minister of the king and is very trustworthy.
Alas. The old slave sighed.
Yang Ye then left the tea room and walked towards the inner house.
He had been thinking that the Zhou court had sent spies to his mansion specifically with the intention of persuading him to surrender; otherwise, if they had conquered the country, they could have simply confiscated his property and arrested him, just like what happened to Feng Jinke. However, judging by the crimes committed, Yang Ye's crime was more serious than Feng Jinke's. In the first field battle near Baigu, he was the commander-in-chief and the main planner and implementer of the strategy. He also held an important position in the defense of Jinyang.
However, there is another layer of relationship. Yang Ye's wife Zhe Jinhua is the daughter of Zhe Dejian, the governor of the Northwest Jingnan Army. The two families have a friendship between their ancestors, and now they are getting married.
Zhe Dejian was a local governor who surrendered to the Great Zhou. It was said that the Great Zhou had gradually taken back and weakened the power of the governors over the years; but the northwest border was different. There were complex problems such as foreign races, and it was far away from the center, so the court's control was weak. At present, it was very troublesome for the Zhou court to move.
If the Emperor of Zhou dealt with the Yang family, he would definitely offend the Zhe family. This is also the reason why the wealthy and powerful families in the world are willing to form marriage alliances. Involving a large number of people, it can make the opponent hesitate to act when they are in trouble. But just because of this, the Zhou court will be afraid to offend the Zhe family, but it must do it, and there is no fear. Even if the Zhe family is alienated, they are not a match for the Tokyo court, and they are not willing to risk the extinction of the clan and rebel against the court.
Yang Ye walked into Hongying's room. Hongying had a bad leg and usually stayed in the room, but she was still there. She came up and bowed politely: "Welcome, General Yang."
Hmm. Yang Ye responded as usual, lifted the hem of his robe slightly, and stepped over the threshold. His eyes swept across Hongying's face, and compared with her previous soft and sweet attitude of flattery, he knew that she had understood: the truth of the matter was known to both parties.
It is really difficult for two close people to hide their true feelings. After a long time, as long as the other person has a little emotional fluctuation, the other person can easily sense it without having to put in much effort.
But Yang Ye never exposed her, let alone abused or punished her. He used to have resentment in his heart. Anyone who found out that the whole thing was a scam would not feel good, at least they would be dissatisfied with this woman; but he also knew that Hong Ying was from the Zhou court, and he did not want to offend anyone from the Great Zhou. At the same time, he also understood that the Lord of Zhou did this because he valued him.
Now, Yang Ye was even more unwilling to offend this little woman. The country had been destroyed, and his life and property depended on her words. He would not only think about himself, but also about the wife and children of the Yang family.
Jinyang has been in turmoil for many days, and now there is chaos outside. I hope Hongying is not disturbed, Yang Ye said.
This simple caring word immediately changed Hongying's expression, and she shook her head without saying a word. At this moment, Yang Ye suddenly realized that there were more signs of his intention to make friends in his words. He confirmed one thing again: it is really difficult to hide anything between two close people. It is impossible for a person to think carefully about every word and action at every moment, and there will always be signs.
Sure enough, Hongying suddenly spoke with a resentful tone: You will only be nice to me when you need me.
Yang Ye was stunned and speechless.
Hongying whispered again: But I like you like this.
Yang Ye was not a talkative person, and he would remain silent unless talking about military affairs.
Hongying came closer and whispered: How about I help General Yang contact his superiors, maybe you can even meet the Emperor of the Great Zhou.
Things have come to this point, even Hongying, a woman, knows that there is no need to disguise anymore. Yang Ye did not argue. He frowned and pondered for a moment and said: Wait a little longer, one can't be too impatient.
As soon as he finished speaking, a servant came to the door and said hurriedly: "Finally we found Alang. The Zhou people are here."
Yang Ye was slightly startled, but he remained seated and asked: Who is this person and what are they doing here
I don't know. The maid blushed. This maid is ignorant, but the male servants in the inner house cannot come in casually.
I'll go take a look. Yang Ye stood up.
General Yang. Hongying called out, her voice a little strange, if anything happens, don't worry, I will try to save you.
Yang Ye stopped and looked back at her. Suddenly, he felt a little touched. He couldn't tell whether it was true or not, but he also thought that although he was not very good to this woman, he was not bad either. After a long time and physical intimacy, there must be some friendship.
People were probably like this; they all came for their own ends in the beginning; Hong Ying was a spy trying to persuade the enemy to surrender, and Yang Ye was leaving a way out for himself; and a woman of unknown origin was not important in his eyes; but in the end, he still felt a little uneasy.
Thank you. Yang Ye bowed his hand casually and strode out of the room.
As soon as he saw the person coming, he immediately judged that there was no danger. Because the person coming was a civil official, and even his followers were all clothed and unarmed. The civil official directly explained his purpose, and the Emperor of the Great Zhou summoned Yang Ye to come and convey his order.
Yang Ye changed into a round-necked robe and put on a fu hat, and then followed the officials of the Great Zhou to the emperor's residence.
The emperor lived in an ordinary government courtyard at the county level. Yang Ye did not see any civil or military officials, and was taken directly to the back hall. As soon as he entered the door, he saw only two people inside, a young man in old purple clothes sitting at the top, and an old and thin civil servant sitting at the table below.
The person who entered the room bowed and said: Your Majesty, General Yang has come to see you by order.
Yang Ye walked in, first knelt down and then prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed, saying: I am Yang Ye, the guilty general, and I kowtow to the Emperor of the Great Zhou.
General Yang, I have been waiting for you for a long time. Guo Shao's voice was getting closer and closer, and he walked over from his seat. Although Yang Ye knelt down when he met him, he behaved neither servilely nor arrogantly. In his mind, he was a minister of the Han Dynasty, but the king was dead and the country was destroyed. The respected status of the Emperor of the Central Plains was there, and kneeling down was in accordance with etiquette. This also made Guo Shao very pleased, and it could be heard in his tone of voice. Yang Ye did not want to die for his country, and of course he did not want to disobey the Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty in person.
Guo Shao walked up to him, held Yang Ye's arm with his big hands, and lifted him up with great force. As he said, "Please get up quickly."
The crime will be blamed on the Great Zhou Emperor. Yang Ye responded calmly and stood up from the ground.
Guo Shao then allowed Yang Ye to sit opposite the civil official. Yang Ye didn't know who that person was, but he did not forget to clasp his fists and say: I'm sorry.
The other party returned the greeting with an arrogant look on his face that made him difficult to approach, and said: Wang Pu, the Privy Councilor of the Great Zhou.
Guo Shao sat down again, his face without a smile, but very gentle, he said slowly and calmly: "I love talents, I have heard of Yang Wudi's name for a long time, and I have always wanted to get General Yang, but it's a pity that you are in Northern Han. I am very pleased to meet you today."
I dare not. Yang Ye bowed and said, "The great Zhou emperor's reputation is known all over the world. I feel honored to have the opportunity to see him. Besides, I am just a defeated general of your majesty."
While Yang Ye was responding, he was paying attention to this famous general and emperor whom he had heard of for a long time. The first impression Yang Ye had of this person was that he spoke directly and concisely and had a very clear mind. The first sentence after the greeting immediately showed his attitude that he had always wanted to get General Yang, without too much nonsense. But what he said was also very interesting, and his expression was very smooth, which did not make people feel hurried.
Moreover, he was much younger than Yang Ye had imagined, strong and powerful, with a clear mind. Even if he did not know Guo Shao's reputation, Yang Ye intuitively felt that this was a leader who could achieve great things.
Guo Shao took over the topic and said in a friendly manner: The Battle of Baigu was the first field battle after the main force of the Zhou army entered the Northern Han Dynasty. It took place near Baigu. General Yang used his troops very skillfully. From grasping the movements of the Great Zhou army before the battle to choosing the ambush point successfully and concealed, the most important thing was the grasp of the opportunity. General Yang made his side take advantage of the weather and terrain before the battle, and he had fulfilled the greatest responsibility of the army's commander. I admire him very much.
Yang Ye sighed: But we still lost.
I was just about to say that. Guo Shao said, victory or defeat on the battlefield may not be determined by the commander. The Han army lacked people's support. It was because the Eastern Han and the Northern Han colluded with the Khitan, which lost the righteousness and the people's support; while the Great Zhou, on the one hand, followed the general trend of unification, and on the other hand, it was to resist foreign humiliation for the people of the world, and the people's support was very clear. As a son of the Han family, General Yang was determined to defend his country, and when he came under the command of the Great Zhou army, he abandoned the dark and joined the light.
Yang Ye nodded thoughtfully, as if he was thinking about the greater good. But in addition to that, he also lamented that Guo Shao was able to persuade him to surrender in such a short time by appealing to his emotions and reason.
Yang Ye frowned and said: "Your Majesty's words are of great justice, and I understand them. It's just that my predecessor, the Emperor of Northern Han, was very kind to me and could not bear to abandon me, so I served the Emperor and fought against the Great Zhou Army."
I know that men serve their masters. Guo Shao nodded seriously, so I won't blame you at all. It's just that the Eastern Han Dynasty no longer exists, and it's a pity to waste General Yang's skills.
The Great Zhou Emperor had said so much, Yang Ye had originally wanted to switch sides to protect himself, and as Guo Shao said, the master was dead, loyalty was enough. He stopped nagging and simply knelt on the ground: If Your Majesty does not mind, I am willing to follow you and serve you like a dog or a horse.
Guo Shao was very pleased, but this time he did not act politely, but nodded with satisfaction: "General Yang, please stand up. The surrendered soldiers of the Eastern Han Dynasty will be selected to form a new army. I will order you to be the commander-in-chief of the Han army. Are you willing?"
Yang Ye was greatly surprised, even a little bit unbelievable. He had just surrendered and immediately took the troops from his own territory, but he forgot to reply.
Guo Shao looked at him for a while with a smile and said: You trust me sincerely, so I will repay you with trust.