In late May, Cao Bin returned to Tokyo from Jiangnan. This was not a very eye-catching event, because there were so many high-ranking officials and nobles in Tokyo, and the return of a military commander like Cao Bin, who was neither big nor small, was not very eye-catching.
However, Cao Bin was immediately summoned by the emperor in Jinxiang Hall. After a round of courtesies between the emperor and his subjects, and a report on his work, Guo Shao gave him some gifts as a reward, which were nothing more than saddles and scabbards. They were not worth much, but because they were given by the emperor, they looked more noble.
As soon as the scene was over, Guo Shao stood up and left the throne.
Although Cao Bin couldn't look up, he could see Guo Shao leaving the table from the corner of his eye. He was at a loss for a moment and didn't thank him and say goodbye.
At this time, Guo Shao casually said: General Cao, please come to the inner hall and play a game of Go with me before leaving.
Cao Bin suddenly realized that he wanted to talk alone.
The Yangde Hall was originally a place where the emperor would rest after working in the East Hall. There were no documents or officials on duty, and it was very quiet.
Guo Shao was sitting on a couch waiting, pointing to the seat opposite him and said: General Cao, please sit down.
Cao Bin clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for allowing me to sit down."
Guo Shao reached into the porcelain cup and grabbed a handful of chess pieces. With a rustling sound, black chess pieces emerged from it. Guo Shao raised his head and said with a smile: "I don't need to be modest. To be honest, I just learned to play Go from Zuo You not long ago. I am still a novice and don't know how to play very well."
Cao Bin clasped his fists and said: Your Majesty, your heart is with the world, not a small chessboard.
Guo Shaodao: General Cao is a Confucian general, and I'm afraid he is quite accomplished in playing chess, so it will be easy for him to play against me.
I dare not. Cao Bin answered carefully. The emperor meant that he was a bad chess player, so Cao Bin did not need to focus on chess and could focus on other things.
As expected, Guo Shao soon stopped talking about chess and asked, with the chessboard empty, "What is the situation in Jiangnan?"
Cao Bin pondered for a moment and said: Jiangnan was originally a part of China, but it was established only decades ago due to wars and divisions. It is like a biological child who was adopted away for a while and then brought back to be raised after a few years. As long as you don't break his legs for no reason, it will only take time for him to be tamed.
Guo Shao immediately laughed: I just found out that General Cao is a humorous person and someone who speaks in an interesting way.
Cao Bin said: I have been disrespectful, please forgive me, Your Majesty.
Guo Shao didn't take it seriously and ignored it, but his expression showed no sign of losing face. He took the black chess piece and made a move. Anyway, the first few moves were fixed regardless of whether they were advanced or not, so there was no need to think too much.
Seeing this, Cao Bin also picked up the white piece and placed it on his own right side.
Guo Shao seemed to be talking to himself: There are some things recently that General Cao may not have heard of in Jiangnan. The court still felt that the military strength was insufficient. First, the government soldier system was discussed, but the government soldier system had been corrupted since the Tang Dynasty, and many troubles were revived; then the local militia was discussed. During the reign of Taizu of the Great Zhou Dynasty, an order was issued to recruit local militia, but later, because the local militia was unusable, it existed in name only.
As Cao Bin listened, he nodded in agreement, his eyes fixed on the chessboard.
Guo Shao continued: The specifics have changed a bit. The militiamen were first registered, regardless of their status or occupation, and were not restricted from doing business or taking the imperial examinations. The court would appoint civil and military officers to conduct regular assessments and training. They had no military pay and brought their own food and fodder. However, the soldiers and their immediate family members were exempted from corvée labor and were free to build riverbanks, palaces, city walls, and other jobs for the country.
When they gathered to form an army or went out to fight in wars, the national treasury would pay for all the expenses such as weapons, armor, horses, food, etc., and reward them according to their merits.
After hearing this, Cao Bin clasped his fists and said: "I dare to say that this will increase the morale of the soldiers and generals, and they may be more useful than the local militia in the past; but by comparison, the expenditure of the national treasury will also increase. In the past, the court basically did not spend money on the local militia, and the burden was passed on to the local areas and the people."
Guo Shaodao: General Cao's words are pertinent. When the imperial edict is issued, it can also promise that the soldiers who fought for the country will be given preferential treatment in the future in terms of science, commerce and other matters. The specific preferential treatment will be implemented later.
Cao Bin said: Your Majesty's move will inspire the world to value martial spirit.
General Cao is indeed a Confucian general, and his vision seems to be different from other military generals. Guo Shao glanced at him and asked, "General Cao, are you interested in this matter?"
I dare not, I dare not. Cao Bin was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly said, "I mean I dare not be picky. I serve Your Majesty. Your Majesty has ordered me to do my best.
Guo Shao nodded and said: "The Southern Han Kingdom is disrespectful to the Great Zhou. I want to attack it. I need 100,000 local militiamen to build a large camp in the south of the Yangtze River. All regular soldiers must be equipped with crossbows and firearms. You don't need to worry about military supplies and equipment, you can take care of the soldiers. General Cao, go back and think about it, come up with a plan, and report what you need and what power you need first."
Cao Bin glared and said: "How can I be so virtuous as you?"
Guo Shao said calmly: If you do a good job, you will be virtuous and capable. With a hundred thousand troops, no matter what kind of soldiers they are, the rank of the commander will not be low.
Cao Bin hurriedly said: "I dare not. I will just do my best to fulfill your majesty's mission, even if it means sacrificing my life."
As he spoke his face was already flushed.
Guo Shao didn't know that Cao Bin was a famous general, he only remembered those who were most familiar to him. Guo Shao had many capable generals under his command, and Cao Bin himself probably didn't expect that such an important opportunity would fall on him. He looked very surprised and excited.
Guo Shao looked him over, hoping that he had made the right choice. Ever since the attack on Shu, Guo Shao had been following Cao Bin from Xiang Gong, and had also noticed from military reports and memorials that Cao Bin had never won a brilliant battle, but he had one strength that caught Guo Shao's attention: he was very steady and rarely made mistakes.
In all the battles, big and small, Cao Bin would never lose a battle that he could win, and he would never lose a battle that he could not win. He also never gave anyone a surprise and generally could not win.
Guo Shao felt that the militia, an army with very poor individual combat effectiveness, needed such steady and solid generals to play their due value. A brave general who could use ingenious strategies might not be able to accomplish such a task.
Guo Shao didn't say anything eloquent, just said: "Do a good job." But his eyes were full of expectation and high hopes.
Cao Bin bowed again, his voice a little distorted: Your Majesty, I will repay your kindness in this life.
Guo Shao smiled but said nothing. In fact, in his opinion, this matter was just a two-way choice. He gave him a chance, but at the same time he also needed that person. Sometimes it was even hard to come by and there was no other choice. If he really wanted to get things done and didn't care about the outcome, then of course the emperor would use whoever he wanted.
Guo Shao pointed at the chessboard and said: Let's finish the game. Now that the game has begun, no matter how stupid my moves are, I have to finish it.