On the top of the city wall of Jingzhao Prefecture, Guo Shao stood there admiring the scenery of Guanzhong. Below the city, a group of officials stood there with their heads bowed, and there were many guard posts inside and outside the city. At this time, Guo Shao could go wherever he wanted, as all these lands were his own.
The yellow flags on the top of the city waved weakly, adding a touch of brightness to the gray scenery.
Jingzhao Prefecture is the former Chang'an. It was the heart of the Qin, Han and Tang dynasties. The climate was very adaptable. Guo Shao and the imperial guards did not feel uncomfortable when they came to Guanzhong. But the scenery was not so beautiful. Chang'an at that time was completely inferior to Tokyo Daliang. Chang'an was dilapidated, and even the entire Guanzhong was not the 800-li fertile and moist Qinchuan during the Qin and Han dynasties.
The Daming Palace in Chang'an, where Yang Guifei lived in the Song of Everlasting Regret and where flowers and birds chirped, no longer exists. Now, all that can be seen are old houses, and the city is in a gray state.
Time has changed the appearance of the once prosperous place.
Lu Duosun and Wei Renpu were whispering to each other. When Guo Shao turned to look at them, they came forward and bowed. Wei Renpu said, "Envoy Lu is worried about changes in Bingzhou. I was just telling him about this."
Lu Duosun hurriedly said: Your Majesty's power is so great that the Jingnan Army should not dare to act rashly. I am only afraid that they will be disrespectful for a moment.
Guo Shao said directly: I am bringing the imperial guards with me on my western tour, but I don’t want to fight.
Wei Renpu stood aside and said no more.
Most of what Guo Shao did was discussed with court officials, and many things were arranged by the ministers. However, he did not discuss everything with others, and even Wei Renpu was unaware of some of his subtle actions.
For example, when Guo Shao suddenly appointed Yang Ye as the vanguard during his western tour, it was his idea alone. Then he ordered Yang Ye to lead his troops into Bingzhou, and the ministers realized that the emperor valued Zhe Dejian. The Zhe family rose from the prefecture and state, and was originally a powerful warlord. Moreover, Zhe Dejian had a grudge against Guo Shao. I am afraid that Zhe Dejian will not have an easy time during this western tour.
Seeing that Wei Renpu said nothing, Guo Shao guessed that Wei Renpu did not think that a war would happen, otherwise, as a senior official of the Privy Council on this trip, Wei Renpu would definitely make suggestions on military operations.
Zhe Dejian should not dare to move. Although most of the towns in the northwest are semi-independent, they have relatively strong internal power, but they still obey the Great Zhou court. If Zhe Dejian moves rashly, he will not only have to face the imperial army but also be besieged by the towns in the northwest under the order of the emperor.
However, just as Guo Shao said just now, he did not want to mobilize troops against Zhe Dejian. Not only would it be a waste of money and manpower, but the forced destruction of the Jiezhen would also bring a bad atmosphere in the northwest.
At this moment, Lu Chengyong walked up to the top of the city wall, clasped his fists and said: Your Majesty, the vanguard has reported.
Guo Shao waved his hand. Wei Renpu and others all looked sideways at the entrance to the upper city.
After a while, Lu Chengyong's voice was heard saying: "There is an order to send people to the city." At this time, a messenger with a pennant on his back came up from the sentry posts, knelt on one knee, held up a document and said: "General Yang reported that the vanguard has successfully entered Bingzhou and received hospitality from the commander of the Jingnan Army."
The people around Guo Shao were obviously relieved. Lu Duosun said: Congratulations, Your Majesty!
Guo Shao stood on the top of the city wall, looking far to the north without saying anything. Wei Renpu then went up to take the document.
After a long time, Guo Shao said: Pass the order, the army will set out to Bingzhou.
In the headquarters of Jingnan Army in Bingzhou, Zhe Dejian sat on a mahogany chair, holding a teacup, stroking the water surface with the lid, and doing some trivial movements.
Sitting below were several civil and military officials as well as the descendants of the Zhe family.
Zhe Dejian is already 44 years old, an age that he is inexplicably taboo about, as the homophony of the number is not very good. As expected, he finally ran into trouble.
The previous head of the family, Zhe Congruan Changshou, and Zhe Dejian took over the position of head of the family and the Jingnan Army when they were over 40 years old, and they had just taken power for a short time. In the northwest, unless there are unexpected events, the position of the military commander is almost hereditary and is passed on to the son.
Zhe Dejian finally spoke: "In this case, everyone should prepare well to receive the emperor and the imperial guards. The emperor's visit to Bingzhou is also a blessing for the people of Bingzhou."
There were some sighs from below.
At this point, what can be done? Thousands of elite imperial guards have already entered the city. If they are not obedient, the imperial guards will work together from inside and outside, and Bingzhou can hold out for a day. Zhe Dejian can then let Yang Ye's troops enter the city. He has already weighed the pros and cons.
At this moment, everyone looked at a young man named Zhe Deliang. Zhe Deliang blushed and muttered: Who knew that the throne would be passed to the present emperor? At that time, he was just a military general of mediocre level.
Zhe Dejian put down the teacup and finally spoke: Wulang, when the emperor arrives in Bingzhou, I will go to see him, and you should come with me.
Deliang suddenly looked worried and looked at Zhe Dejian with pleading eyes: Cousin
Zhe Dejian said: You can't hide from it.
Deliang’s face was as pale as paper. Even the head of the Zhe family couldn’t save him. He looked very helpless.
Zhe Dejian glanced at him and said: You don’t have to be too afraid.
Deliang's voice was distorted and he said in a trembling voice: Can the government really spare me
Zhe Dejian said: During the Three Kingdoms period, there was a madman who had seen many powerful rulers and even dared to scold Cao Cao, but Cao Cao still let him go; in the end, this man died at the hands of Liu Biao. The current emperor is already the emperor, why would he bother with you? Not to mention that you have some personal grudges with him, even if he scolds the current emperor in public, he will not necessarily kill you.
After hearing this, Deliang nodded slightly and looked relieved.
Zhe Dejian added: “No matter what your Majesty does to me, he will not do anything to you.”
At this time, a civil official pondered and said: "My lord, you should not worry too much. I think my lord will move to Tokyo and still be given an official title and a title. For example, the Lord of Shu once proclaimed himself emperor and still gave him the title of Duke of Qin. The current Lord is quite kind to others."
Everyone discussed the matter and agreed with this judgment.
Zhe Dejian also thought so, so he quickly opened the city gate. However, for a man like him, even if he became an official in Tokyo, he would not have a good life without real power.
Amidst the anxiety, Zhe Dejian led the civil and military officials of Bingzhou to wait for the emperor's carriage. A group of officials went out of the city ten miles to welcome him.
Guo Shao's procession was very grand, with majestic cavalry guards wearing yellow umbrellas, banners and flags, and bright armor. Zhe Dejian and others walked in front of the imperial carriage, bowed on the side of the road, loudly announced their official positions and lives, and then said "Long live the emperor".
Even the emperor's people were not seen, only a magnificent carriage with four horses. Then a fat white eunuch came out and said: The emperor said that you are willing to sacrifice yourself to protect the country and stabilize the border, which makes me feel happy.
Zhe Dejian was very happy to hear this and said excitedly: Thank you, Your Majesty!
Although it sounded like official jargon, the emperor meant it as praise and did not express dissatisfaction, which was already a very good sign.
Zhe Dejian and others got up, followed the imperial carriage on foot, and walked ten miles back to Bingzhou.
From the city gate to the temporary palace, Yang Ye's men had deployed guard posts, and Guo Shao's carriage went straight into the large mansion that served as the temporary palace. Zhe Dejian did not see the emperor that day. According to the eunuchs, the emperor was tired from the journey and took a rest first.
Zhe Dejian hastily arranged for a dozen virgins to serve the emperor, but they were sent out again.
He waited in anxiety.
The next day, someone finally came to the military office to convey the order, asking Zhe Dejian to meet the emperor. At this time, more than 20,000 elite imperial guards were already in Bingzhou City. Zhe Dejian didn't need to think about the consequences, so he quickly dressed up and took Zhe Deliang to the palace.
Zhe Dejian, wearing a military uniform, took off his sword outside the gate, searched himself and walked in. There were many guards around, but after being led into a moon cave by the eunuch, there were no people inside. It was surprisingly quiet and he met almost no one along the way.
Soon they arrived at the study and saw Guo Shao, wearing an old purple robe, sitting on a chair. Next to him was a tall and plump woman who was making tea.
The fat white eunuch bowed and whispered: Your Majesty, you are so humble.
Guo Shao called Zhe Dejian into the house, and Zhe Dejian hurriedly clasped his fists and bowed, saying: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty live a long life."
After the game of chess at the Zhe Guild, Guo Shao's first words were these.
Zhe Dejian said hurriedly: I know a little about elephant games, chess and go, but I am not very good at it.
Come and sit down, Guo Shao said with a smile.
Zhe Dejian walked over nervously and was allowed to sit in front of the emperor. He gently sat on the edge of the chair with a respectful look. Zhe Deliang stood behind him and could not say a word.
Guo Shaodao: I like playing chess with warriors the most. Do you know why
Zhe Dejian pondered for a moment and replied: I am stupid and don’t know.
Guo Shaodao: Because civil servants are generally proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and they are too good at chess to be defeated.
Zhe Dejian almost laughed out loud and his face turned red instantly.
Guo Shao grabbed the black piece and said: Let's play a game first. Don't say it, no matter what kind of game you play, you like it best when you first learn it.
Your Majesty's words make sense.
Zhe Dejian stretched out his sleeve and gently wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was a man who had seen a lot of big games, so he was not scared. It was indeed very tiring to play chess. The hardest thing was not playing against top players. The worst thing was to lose. The hard part was playing against the emperor. It seemed that you could not win, but you also could not lose too badly and make the emperor lose interest.
Some people may not be afraid of defeating the emperor on the chessboard, after all, it is just a pastime; but Zhe Dejian cannot. If he makes the emperor feel better at this time, maybe he can be given a better official position in the future when he goes to Tokyo.
After a few moves, Guo Shao said: A true gentleman watches chess without saying a word.
The Zhe Dejian brothers were stunned for a moment, and Deliang finally said hesitantly: Yes, yes
Zhe Dejian hurriedly said: His Majesty praises you.
Deliang then said: Thank you, Your Majesty
No wonder people in this world are chasing fame and power. Deliang's appearance at this moment is because Guo Shao has great power.
Just then, the fat white eunuch came to the door and said again: Your Majesty, General Yang is here.
Guo Shaodao: Ha, just right, let him come in. Let's make a rule, whoever loses gets to watch the game, we take turns playing.