Guo Shao was preparing for his trip, and Zuo You had been in and out of Guo's residence frequently these days, often checking for omissions and making some pertinent but easily overlooked suggestions. Guo Shao once joked that it was very cost-effective to have Zuo You under his command, and that he was very capable but asked for very little salary.
In fact, Zuo You's salary under Guo Shao has far exceeded his income as a minor official in the government, and he doesn't seem to care about the money in front of him. Zuo You was born in a humble family and had no other choice. Holding on to someone like Guo Shao is of course the best choice for Guo Shao's current strength. Those capable people with high positions will certainly not condescend to join Guo Shao, and Guo Shao can't afford it; and most of the people with humble status have no ability at all, just like standing on the street and looking at the bustling crowd, it is not so easy to find out who has real ability among them. It is not so easy to pan for gold in the sand.
This time, Guo Shao returned home from the Imperial Guards and had just taken off his armor when he heard Zuo You asking for an audience. He asked Huang the blacksmith to bring him into the yard, as Huang the blacksmith had long known Zuo You.
Zuo You walked into the living room and said directly: Today I am meeting my lord, but not to give advice. Recommending talented people is still my job.
It may be because Guo Shao was surrounded by military officers, Zuo You also picked up many of the habits of military men. For example, he was more direct and straightforward in doing things and speaking, and it was rare to see him speaking in a flowery way and keeping people in suspense.
Guo Shao was a little surprised after hearing this. This was the first time he had recommended a talented person. So he asked casually, "What kind of person is this?"
Zuo You shook his head and said, this man is really unlucky, he has fallen into such a miserable state that makes people sigh.
How miserable is it? Guo Shao immediately asked with interest.
Zuo You said: How pitiful! A general who became famous in the Jin Dynasty and then served in three dynasties. What position do you think such a person should hold
Guo Shao thought that he had been a soldier for most of his four years in the army, and had entered the lowest level of the ten generals. He was far from famous, but now, less than a year later, he has concurrently served as the commander of the second army of the imperial guards. The man Zuo You mentioned had experienced three dynasties. In the war-torn era of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, if he had not died, he must have fought countless battles and made countless contributions. How high should he be promoted to based on his merits
At the very least, he should have left the ranks of mid-level officers and entered the ranks of senior generals, but from what Zuo You said, it was obviously not the case. Guo Shao could only shake his head and said: I can't guess.
Zuo You glared and said: He has reached the point where he only has to go to the military office every day to get a free meal.
Guo Shao:
Zuo You added: The military office provided meals for the morning and lunch. Every day after he had his fill, he had nothing to do so he wandered around until the evening, pretending to have finished a day's work and was returning home.
After hearing this, Guo Shao thought to himself: It is true that comparison makes one angry. If this guy were to compare himself with me, he would be so angry that he would bang his head against the wall.
It seems that just relying on seniority is not enough. Some people have been through three dynasties and have only managed to make a living. However, once some people encounter an opportunity, they will rise to prominence like a rocket. Not to mention Guo Shao himself, even Zhao Kuangyin was just a middle-level officer who no one knew a few months ago. Now he is the person in charge of the two main forces of the Palace Front Division and countless armies.
However, Guo Shao was also very puzzled, so he asked: "To be able to reach this point, I'm afraid he doesn't have much ability. If he is a talented but unappreciated talent, there are so many powerful people in the three dynasties, but there is no one who can scout him."
Zuo You shook his head and said: "As long as a general who has experienced three dynasties is still alive, he doesn't need to be a thousand-mile horse or a good horse trainer. He doesn't need to be so successful even if he has accumulated military merits. This person is just unlucky and hit the vital point."
He paused and continued: This man is Luo Yanhuan, his father was already a governor, he was promoted to the position of Nei Dian Zhi in the Jin Dynasty, the lord naturally knew that Nei Dian Zhi was easy to be promoted, Luo Yanhuan's future was limitless. Moreover, he was indeed courageous and brave in battle, and soon became famous as one of the ten warriors. Later, when the Khitan attacked and destroyed the Jin Dynasty, he took the 1,000 war horses originally given to the Khitan and defected to the Han Dynasty, which was quite courageous and righteous.
But last year, he finally fell on hard times. The privy councilor Wang Jun was arrogant and domineering, and attempted to blackmail Taizu Guo Wei. Taizu demoted him and he died. Then Wang Jun's followers were purged. Luo Yanhuan was implicated and regarded as a follower of Wang Jun, and was demoted to Dengzhou. Then he suffered a miserable fate.
Guo Shao pondered and said: He is really a traitor to the party.
Zuo You said: Wang Jun was the Privy Councilor, and he was so powerful that he dared to hold Taizu hostage. When he was in power, many people in the court had to look up to him. If you count them, not many people can completely escape responsibility. Taizu cleaned up the family just to make an example of some people, and Luo Yanhuan was just unlucky to run into him. Zuo You sighed, I occasionally understand that it is difficult to predict the world. If you are unlucky, no matter how well you predict, it will be useless.
Indeed. Guo Shao also agreed with Zuo You's statement, and then echoed that luck is hard to predict, and accumulating good deeds is useless. This has been discussed in the biography of Boyi by Taishigong.
Zuo You was a little surprised when he heard Guo Shao's casual quoting of history. However, he did not ask any more questions and continued: At the beginning of this year, the emperor ascended the throne and expanded the army to prepare for war to deal with the threat of the Northern Han and Khitan. He continued to recruit talented generals. The court transferred Luo Yanhuan to Tokyo and placed him in the Military Head Office. This office had almost nothing to do. It was used to place those officers without real positions and give them a small salary for food.
After the Battle of Gaoping and Jinyang, the government issued an order to severely punish and kill a large number of officers and soldiers. Some of them died in the battle, and there were a lot of vacancies at first. Even in this good time, Luo Yanhuan did not get a real job and was still working in the military department. In my opinion, he is only in his thirties, but his future has come to an end.
Guo Shaodao: How did Mr. Zuo get to know him? He was willing to join me.
Zuo You replied: Last time we were on the wall of Chenzhou Gate, I was angry and had a conversation with Shi Yanchao. Some people cheered below, and then I walked around to see if I could find that person. Unexpectedly, he was still waiting for me. That person was Luo Yanhuan.
Guo Shao slapped his forehead and suddenly realized: "No wonder my second and third brothers and I were walking and turned around and didn't see Mr. Zuo. It turned out that you went to look for someone."
Zuo You smiled and said, "That's right." Luo Yanhuan didn't clearly express his intention to join the lord's camp. I told him that the lord was going to Guanzhong to explore the customs and habits of Qin and Fengzhou. He volunteered, saying that he had relatives in Fengzhou and was willing to go to Guanzhong with the lord to visit relatives and friends to help the lord inquire about the terrain. But I can guarantee that he is 100% willing to join the lord's camp, otherwise he will never see the day of success.
The people involved in the rebellion were only from the Taizu Dynasty, so there was no need to be too taboo after the emperor ascended the throne. Guo Shao nodded.
Zuo You chuckled and said: Just as my lord said that day, this kind of people is very cost-effective.
Guo Shao immediately said: "Mr. Zuo can bring him to see us some other day." Zuo You said: "Luo Yanhuan is already waiting outside the door. I will recommend him first. If the lord is willing to see him, please invite him in now."
Guo Shao pondered for a moment and said: Come with me out, I will meet him at the gate.