At the gate, there was indeed a man in his thirties, with big eyes, a round forehead and a narrow chin, wearing a cloth robe and a fu hat. He recognized Zuo You first, then his eyes stayed on Guo Shao, and his eyes suddenly lit up. It was not because Guo Shao was so handsome, but he might have recognized Guo Shao. According to Zuo You, Luo Yanhuan was also watching the hat shooting at Chenqiao Gate that day.
Guo Du asked the big man to come forward and pay his respects.
Guo Shao smiled, but before he could speak, Zuo You said, "It's the person I mentioned to you last time. My lord, he is Luo Yanhuan."
The big man immediately clasped his fists and said excitedly: I have met Envoy Guo.
Haha Guo Shaoxian laughed loudly, and somehow the scene of his first encounter with Zhao Kuangyin in the Gaoping Injured Soldiers Camp emerged in his mind. In some situations where people lack experience, they will unconsciously imitate what they see and hear; Guo Shao is no exception. This is the first time for him to be so respectful to others, and of course he remembered what he had seen and heard before.
Guo Shao immediately praised Zhao Kuangyin like he was praising someone, saying: "I have heard about your deeds from Zuo You. You once took away a thousand war horses that were originally intended to be sent to the Khitans in Youzhou. In times of chaos and national crisis, you were able to understand the greater good and had the courage to act decisively. I admire you very much."
No, no, no. Luo Yanhuan seemed to be getting more and more agitated, and his articulation was not as fluent as before.
General Luo, please ask Guo Shao inside to act cheerful and happy.
I dare not. Luo Yanhuan seemed to be afraid to address himself as a general, and Guo Dushi personally went out to greet him. I felt really ashamed.
After hearing this, Guo Shao thought to himself that although both Luo Yanhuan and Yang Biao were military generals, they were somewhat different.
The three of them walked into the living room. Guo Shao remembered that another great general, Xiang Xun, had invited guests to his house. Xiang Xun was so happy and cheerful that he did not pretend to be so. Guo Shao also smiled, which added to the atmosphere of hospitality. As he walked, he said: When Zuo You mentioned you just now, I felt respect for you and wanted to make friends with you. Unexpectedly, I heard that you were already in front of the mansion, and I couldn't wait to see the hero.
Luo Yanhuan quickly replied: I am really ashamed and ashamed.
Zuo You spoke very little at this time. He just smiled and looked at Guo Shao calmly.
After entering the living room and taking a seat, a stout black woman came up with a tea tray and set out the tea. Luo Yanhuan sat on the chair with only half of his buttocks, and said: "I thought that Envoy Guo treated my brothers well, but I didn't expect him to be so polite and humble, and not look down on me for my humble position.
Guo Shao smiled and said: Apart from beautiful women, I only treat brave men well, but I am not polite to everyone.
When Luo Yanhuan heard the word "beautiful woman", he couldn't help but look at the burly black woman who had just put tea and walked to the door. At this moment, Luo Yanhuan might have been thinking that this Guo Dushi had a special taste.
At this time, Luo Yanhuan seemed a little impatient, and even ignored Guo Shao's topic, and hurriedly said: "I remember a good friend who I have known since the Jin Dynasty, and I know him very well. If Guo Dushi treated him as honestly as he treated me, he would definitely follow him regardless of his life."
Oh Guo Shaodao.
Luo Yanhuan continued: His name is Li Chuyun, and he has been following General Zhe Congruan, who was then the governor of Jingnan. Brother Li's situation has always been rather embarrassing, but he is indeed a brave, resourceful, loyal and courageous general. During the reign of Emperor Taizu, Zhe Gong's nephew Zhe Deliang falsely accused Brother Li, causing him to be demoted and almost imprisoned; fortunately, Zhe Gong submitted a petition to exonerate him, and he was exempted from the crime and served under Zhe Gong again. However, Brother Li and Zhe Deliang have not yet resolved their grievances, and his situation is also very embarrassing now.
Guo Shao asked: Why did Zhe Deliang use such a despicable method as false accusation to deal with the generals under Zhe Gong
Luo Yanhuan said: "Alas, a man is innocent but guilty of possessing a treasure. Brother Li has an eldest daughter who is very beautiful and has a good reputation far and wide. Zhe Deliang is a lecher and has long coveted her, and wants Brother Li to marry his eldest daughter to him. However, not to mention that Zhe Deliang has a bad character and is full of desires that neither Brother Li nor his daughter likes, Zhe Deliang already has eight wives and concubines at home, so Brother Li's daughter can only be the ninth concubine after she marries him. Brother Li was born in a military family and is well-educated and polite, so how could he bear to abandon his precious daughter in a dark room to be someone's concubine
Zhe Deliang wanted it so much that he first slandered him in front of his uncle Zhe Gong, who did not believe him. Then he reported the false accusation to the emperor.
Guo Shao also felt angry when he heard this, and thought: There really is no shortage of all kinds of people in this world, both good and bad.
He calmed down and turned around to ask Zuo You, who was completely ignored: Where is the seat of the Jingnan Jiedushi
Zuo You replied calmly: It’s in Guanzhong, not far from Fengxiang.
Guo Shaodao: We are just about to go to Guanzhong, so we can visit Li Chuyun first and ask brother Luo to introduce us.
Luo Yanhuan hurriedly said: I would be delighted to do so.
Guo Shao did not plan to bring too many people with him on this trip. He just thought that he was going to Guanzhong to visit relatives and friends just like he was taking leave from the Imperial Guard. Yang Biao, Luo Mengzi, and six of his personal soldiers, plus Zuo You and Luo Yanhuan, made up a group of about ten people, so it was just right to travel light.
After Jingniang knew their itinerary, she wanted to go with Guo Shao, but Guo Shao refused, thinking it was inconvenient and unnecessary to take a woman with him on a long journey.
But Jingniang said she could help. When she returned to Tokyo from Mount Emei last year, she stayed overnight on a mountain in Fengzhou. Out of sympathy, she had sponsored a nunnery there. She could send people there to set up a place to stay.
Guo Shao was somewhat tempted after hearing this, and since Jingniang was so persistent, he might not be able to stop her from following him, so he reluctantly agreed.
They were ready and set off in early August.
It was more than a thousand miles from Tokyo to Guanzhong, but the team rode horses and reached Guanzhong in just half a month without rushing. The Mid-Autumn Festival was spent in the post station. In order to seek fame and future, the group left home thousands of miles away but did not feel much, because most of them were warriors and did not have much leisure and interest.
On the way, Guo Shao and others stopped at Qianzhou Post Station. At this time, they remembered Guo Shaoling's matter. The Qianzhou Governor had received the salary of the Qianzhou Governor for several months, but this was the first time he came back to the territory he governed. As expected, a large group of officials from Qianzhou came to the post station in the evening of that day to welcome Guo Shao first to the state capital, and then to inspect the government affairs of various counties.
Hard to refuse such a kind invitation, Guo Shao and others had no choice but to attend the banquet arranged by the Chief Secretary and other officials. They spent the whole night drinking and chatting, and of course, singing girls were also provided to sleep with them. They were simply presented to Guo Shao and others in broad daylight for them to choose from.
Guo Shao asked Zuo You if this was legal. He thought:
Seeing young women swaying around in front of him with their clothes exposed, Guo Shao said that it was difficult for young people to control themselves. But Jing Niang was around, so he thought about it and postponed it.
As for the invitation from the prefectural officials to inspect local government affairs, Guo Shao politely declined. It didn't matter to him whether Qianzhou was well governed or not. Although he was the governor of the prefecture, he had no responsibility or achievements. Even if Qianzhou was in chaos and there were uprisings everywhere, Guo Shao had no pressure. So the next day they said goodbye to the officials and continued their journey west.
They first arrived at Fengxiang, and after discussing with his entourage, Guo Shao decided to first visit Fengxiang Jiedushi Wang Jing as a courtesy of respect; and then go to Bingzhou to visit Luo Yanhuan's good friend Li Chuyun.
Wang Jing still sent people to warmly entertain his colleagues from Tokyo, but he only met with them briefly, and then the officials below him accompanied him. This was reasonable because Guo Shao was several levels lower than Wang Jing.
Guo Shao and others originally came from Tokyo to learn about the battlefield terrain and customs, but they spent nearly a month on the road and entertained people at banquets. These social etiquettes are indeed difficult to omit. As officials of the same dynasty, since they have already arrived at someone else's territory, if they do not entertain them, they will leave a bad reputation for being rude inside and outside the court.
Sure enough, once he arrived in Bingzhou, he had to spend a whole day seeking to meet with the Jiedushi Zhe Congruan, and had a lot of nonsense with the reception officials in Zhe Congruan's court.
It was not until the end of August that Luo Yanhuan met his good friend first, and then brought his good friend Li Chuyun's cordial invitation to Guo Shao.
Guo Shao changed into clean clothes at the Bingzhou Posthouse, and then brought five followers to visit as invited. Except for the six personal soldiers, there were already quite a few people. If the personal soldiers were to eat together, a dozen people would seem too many. Li Chuyun was not a military governor like Wang Jingzhe and Cong Ruan, and everyone was visiting for the sake of personal friendship.
Li Chuyun opened the gate and waited outside in person. It seemed that his position was far lower than that of Guo Shao, the military commander.
When Guo Shao and his companions arrived, they saw a large group of at least 20 to 30 people waiting at the door. Most of them were dressed like scholars, some in brocade and silk, and some in cloth robes. They looked rich or poor, but none of them looked like warriors. Some of them looked like weak scholars with thin arms and legs. Guo Shao was very puzzled at first, thinking that Li Chuyun's family had so many scholars. Didn't Luo Yanhuan say that he was doing very badly? How could he support so many retainers? Soon he realized that perhaps these people were not Li Chuyun's retainers, but were invited from far and near to accompany him for the sake of ceremony.
Guo Shao had attended many social events since his trip to Tokyo, and was already familiar with the rules of such occasions. According to the host's idea, the more people sitting with him, the more he valued the guests. When there were many people at the banquet, a compliment from everyone could make the atmosphere more joyful.
But Guo Shao guessed wrong again.
When Luo Yanhuan introduced everyone's names and official titles, Li Chuyun came forward to greet them, and then he talked about the origin of this group of people: Although Li is a military man, he is also a dilettante and respects celebrities. It happened that Master Zhe mentioned that he invited celebrities from far and near to come to Bi's house to meet friends with poems and essays. I think today is a great day for friends, so I set the day to invite Guo Dushi to today. I hope you can forgive me.
It is rare to make friends through poetry and prose. Guo Shao said that everyone around him was a warrior, including his good friend Luo Yanhuan.