In the evening, Guo Shao stopped what he was doing, walked out the door and looked up at the half-circle setting sun, hanging above a hard-gable roof. Looking at it, he could feel it slowly descending. The day was about to end.
A gust of wind blew, and he suddenly heard the rustling of leaves. His attention was distracted, and he couldn't help but turn his head slightly to look at the swaying branches. The pink flowers between the branches had bloomed, and the fragile and unstable petals fell to the ground from time to time. The old stones in the yard were covered with a layer of green mud, and there were light red petals. At this moment, the surroundings were so quiet, but Guo Shao's ears were filled with noise from time to time, as if he heard shouts on the battlefield.
He lowered his head and his rough fingers stroked the belt around his waist. There were also flowers embroidered on the silk.
At this moment, a man from Yangkan came over with powerful strides. It was Lu Chengyong, a personal soldier beside Guo Shao. Guo Shao turned his head and looked over there, waiting for him to come over.
Lu Chengyong came over, bowed, clasped his fists, and said with his eyes downcast: Your Majesty, Hongying, who was once sent to the side of General Yang Ye of the Eastern Han Dynasty, said that she wanted to see Your Majesty.
Guo Shao immediately thought of the woman because Jingniang had mentioned her this afternoon.
He subconsciously felt that something was a bit strange. Jingniang was in charge of the spies of the Bingcao Division, and Hongying was sent by Chen Jiali to work for the Bingcao Division. Why did Hongying go to Lu Chengyong instead of Jingniang for help? However, Guo Shao quickly thought: If Hongying asked Jingniang for help, he might not be able to get the news. Jingniang might simply refuse to report it. Women are indeed very thoughtful about this kind of thing.
Guo Shao suddenly wanted to see the woman who was loved by Yang Ye, so he said: Bring her to the study to see me now.
Lu Chengyong clasped his fists and said: Yes.
Guo Shao continued to look at the scenery in the yard while waiting for the person he wanted to meet.
After a long time, Lu Chengyong came over pushing a chair with wooden wheels. Guo Shao was not surprised, as he already knew that Hongying was disabled.
When she came close, Hongying held the armrest of the chair and tried to stand up to salute, but Guo Shao immediately pressed her shoulders and said, "No need to salute." It was not polite to have physical contact with a woman in public at this time, but Guo Shao was not very particular about Hongying. He just didn't touch her hands or other parts of her body when they touched each other, and it was better to cover her shoulders with clothes.
After he said that, he looked at Hongying and took her into the study.
I didn't expect His Majesty would really meet me. Hongying was still sitting on her chair, a little stiff, but she could still speak clearly when meeting the emperor, which showed that she was a person who had seen the world. It should be difficult to meet the emperor. After General Yang Ye met His Majesty and went back, his attitude towards me changed immediately.
Guo Shao listened to her very seriously, and then said gently: There are so many people in the world, but there is only one emperor. If I want to see everyone, I will be too busy.
After hearing this, Hongying looked at Guo Shao quietly.
Hongying was not someone Guo Shao was close to. After talking for several sentences, she still didn't say what she wanted to see the emperor for. Guo Shao wanted to ask, but he didn't ask in the end. He just said: Although Hongying is a woman, she sacrificed her reputation and risked her life for the court to recover the lost territory. I will never forget your contribution to the country.
Hongying shook her head and said softly: What reputation do people like me have? Your Majesty treats me with courtesy, so you say this. In fact, I know myself well.
There was some sadness on her face, and she lowered her head and choked up: General Yang looks down on me, and I don’t blame him, it’s all my fault.
Guo Shao was silent for a moment, then comforted: It's not your fault, it's my fault.
Hongying raised her head and looked at him in confusion.
Guo Shao whispered: Our power is not strong enough, so we cannot protect our people. It is my fault that you have suffered the brutal ravages of foreigners.
His Majesty Hongying looked at Guo Shao with emotion, pursed his lips, and was speechless.
In early April, Li Chuyun of Xinzhou received a report that the Liao army had abandoned Xinkou and retreated to Yanmen. He conveyed the military situation to the generals present, and his eyes swept around, mainly at the faces of Shi Yanchao, Dong Zunhui, and Zan Jurun.
Shi Yanchao immediately said: Let me lead the cavalry to go straight out of Xinkou, chase the Liao army from behind, and we can defeat them.
Li Chuyun said: "No. The emperor is still in Jinyang, and the order is to confront the Liao army and wait for them to withdraw. If General Shi chases them, it will go against the general plan of the court. This matter is not within my authority."
Shi Yanchao was very dissatisfied: "We have been in Xinzhou for more than a month without firing a single arrow. The Liao army was in Xinkou a while ago, and it was fine if they did not move; now that they have retreated, how can we still defeat them if we pursue them from behind?"
Li Chuyun looked at Shi Yanchao without saying a word, neither scolding nor explaining.
The two looked at each other for a long time. Shi Yanchao said angrily: You are the commander, you have the final say.
Dong Zunhui and others were very obedient and clasped their fists in agreement.
Li Chuyun said: The vanguard followed the Liao army, occupied Xinkou, and kept the troops still. Dong Zunhui led the third army of the left wing of the Huben Army as the vanguard.
Dong Zunhui immediately clasped his fists and said:
Shi Yanchao immediately glared at Li Chuyun. Li Chuyun said: Since we don't plan to fight the Liao army, General Shi can just follow the army.
Li Chuyun ignored Shi Yanchao and told Dong Zunhui: "General Dong, after arriving at Xinkou, most of your troops will be stationed in the military town south of Xinkou to defend the pass. After the Liao army leaves Yanmen, you will continue to march north and occupy Daizhou first."
Dong Zunhui clasped his fists and said: Yes.
Shi Yanchao couldn't help but say: General Li is sure that the Liao army will definitely give up Yanmen Pass.
Li Chuyun said: Yanmen Pass is located in the north of Daizhou and faces north. It was originally built in the Central Plains to defend against the north. Since the Liao army retreated to Yanmen Pass, the Han generals in Daizhou would surrender. Although the Liao army occupied Yanmen Pass, they had no intention of moving south. They could only keep the pass by stationing a large army and continue to be trapped in a confrontation. Since the Liao army abandoned Xinkou, they would definitely abandon Yanmen Pass.
Everyone bowed in admiration. Shi Yanchao had nothing to say. He obeyed Li Chuyun's military orders because, firstly, his military position was not as high as Li Chuyun's and he had to abide by the rules. Secondly, Li Chuyun's performance in the wars since the conquest of the Southern Tang Kingdom was convincing.
As expected, half a month later, the Liao army continued to abandon Yanmen and retreat to Datong, Yunzhou. Li Chuyun immediately sent someone to report to Jinyang.
At this point, the war in the Northern Han Kingdom was a foregone conclusion.
The Liao army and Youzhou army in the north retreated one after another, and the military towns in Zhucheng had no choice but to surrender to the Great Zhou.
Guo Shao also planned to stay for a few days before returning to the capital. The aftermath had not yet been completed, but he did not need to deal with it personally; there was no need for the main force of the Zhou army's imperial guards to stay in Jinyang.
The civil officials of the Qianying Military Office wrote a letter to the emperor, proposing a strategy, to have Yang Ye lead the newly reorganized main force of the Hedong Army to be stationed at Yanmen Pass, and concurrently take charge of Daizhou; another military general was sent to take charge of Xinzhou and be in charge of the defense of Xinkou. Yang Ye's retreat was in the hands of others, which served as a way of checks and balances.
Guo Shao rejected this strategy and proposed that Yang Ye should concurrently lead Dai and Xin states, control two important passes on the corridor of Xin-Dai Basin, and give Yang Ye the greatest trust. Many civilian officials in the army understand military tactics, but some things are still taken for granted. Guo Shao, based on his own experience and the performance of Gao Yanchou and Liu Renzhan, determined a fact. In this era, the role of the commander is very important. In an army, whether the soldiers trust their generals is directly related to morale and loyalty; the commander's position also has a great impact on the entire army.
If Guo Shao wants Yang Ye and the Hedong Army to truly play a role, he must give Yang Ye a sense of trust.
The key issues regarding the aftermath of the Northern Han Dynasty had been decided. Guo Shao ordered the imperial guards to prepare to return and wrote a letter to Tokyo to inform them of the schedule.
The atmosphere of celebration was very strong in the army, and the soldiers were in high spirits. Returning home after a victory was always a happy occasion. The Northern Han Dynasty was a warlike and poor country, and the wealth gained from this war was very small, but the court still rewarded the soldiers according to their merits, which was one of the reasons why people quickly forgot the cruelty of the battlefield and were in high spirits.
Civil and military officials in Jinyang wrote letters of congratulations one after another, and even officials from various parts of Hedong who surrendered submitted memorials.
But Guo Shao felt that the people who could really share the joy were not those who spoke the most beautiful words, but those who could share the fruits of victory. For example, the civil and military officers and soldiers who followed the army, as well as Fu Jinzhan and the second sister in the court. Otherwise, if he won or not, and others didn't get any benefits to share, how could he be happy
There was a chaotic mobilization in Jinyang, and the return date was getting closer.
I wrote this chapter on the train. I'm going on a long trip today and won't be back until the 23rd, so I might be a little slow in updating these days. Sorry.