It had been about five years since Guo Shao last visited Guanzhong. It was on the eve of the Qin-Feng War when he passed through Guanzhong to survey the terrain. At that time, the commander of the Jingnan Army was still Zhe Dejian's father, so Guo Shao didn't have much impression of Zhe Dejian.
He did have an impression of Zhe Deliang who was standing beside him, but Guo Shao was too lazy to pay attention to him now, nor did he want to take revenge, so he just let him stand there. In the past, this guy did some despicable things because of his admiration for Li Yuaner. Now, he has offended not only the current emperor, but also Li Chuyun, the highest-ranking general of the Great Zhou.
Guo Shao saw him trembling from the corner of his eye and thought: When a man seems to be willing to do anything for a woman, it is only because the threat is too small and he thinks the woman is easy to bully. Now Zhe Deliang wants to do anything for Li Yuaner.
Guo Shao dropped a piece and said, "Sir, I stopped at Bingzhou during my western tour. Do you know why?"
Zhe Dejian's face suddenly changed, he bowed and said: I am stupid.
He held his breath, waiting for the next words. But he saw Guo Shao looking at the chessboard in deep thought, as if he was concentrating on it.
There were several vassal states in the northwest, but the emperor chose to target the Jingnan Army. Zhe Dejian had a lot of thoughts in his mind. One reason might be a personal grudge from the past, and the other was that the emperor did not trust him.
And now the emperor actually said it to his face. Is he going to turn against him
The wind from the window blew on Zhe Deqian's face, and he almost shivered. The wind in late summer was so cold. In this deep house, Zhe Deqian felt isolated from the world. He was in his own territory, but for a moment, he seemed to have been stripped of all his power and influence, and felt like he was in a dream.
At this time, Zhe Dejian was very panicked. Perhaps his previous expectation of being stripped of his military power and moved to Tokyo might not be fulfilled.
In a moment, it seemed like ten years. In the quiet courtyard, it was like a leisurely and calm afternoon, but at this time, countless people in Bingzhou were waiting for the result.
Guo Shao raised his head and said: At the beginning of the year, Li Yun rebelled, and he sent people to find General Yang.
He paused and said slowly: This matter is very simple. Li Yun contacted Yang Ye and was willing to let his own son take the risk, which shows that he has high hopes of winning over General Yang.
Yang Ye seemed to be hesitant to speak and did not utter a word easily.
Guo Shao continued: General Yang did a good job in this matter. Not only did he come to Tokyo to report in person, but when he reported, the court did not know that Li Yun would rebel at that time. General Yang's loyalty was obvious.
Yang Ye finally bowed and said: Your Majesty has been very kind to me, how dare I forget your kindness
However, Guo Shao changed the subject and said, since Li Yun values General Yang so much, and Mr. Zhe is General Yang's father-in-law, how can we not try to get Li Yun to contact Mr. Zhe
Zhe Dejian felt very uncomfortable when he heard this. His head was buzzing and he was about to stand up. He said: "I am guilty. I was negligent for a moment.
Guo Shao stretched out his hand and gently pressed down in the air, "Sit down, sit down and talk. Let's just talk. Many things can be talked about openly. What do you think?"
Yes, yes. Zhe Dejian had three vertical lines between his eyebrows, and his heart was choking. I did receive a letter from Li Yun at that time, but he was in Hebei and I was in the northwest, thousands of miles apart. I just thought it was nonsense and ignored it.
Hebei is indeed far away from Bingzhou, so it is reasonable that Mr. Zhe did not pay much attention to it. Guo Shao nodded.
Zhe Dejian said: I was really negligent. When I heard that Yang Ye was going to Tokyo to report, I felt that Li Yun’s affairs would be made public.
Then Guo Shaodao, Mr. Zhe does not need to come to Tokyo in person, can you just write a letter and say something
Zhe Dejian hurriedly said: Yes, yes.
At this moment, Yang Ye stood up, clasped his fists and bowed, saying: I am also guilty.
Guo Shao looked at Yang Ye with interest. One was standing and the other was sitting. He looked up and asked: What crime has General Yang committed
Yang Ye said: "I don't understand the great principles, and I don't know the difference between loyalty and filial piety. Because I was concerned about my father-in-law, I didn't report in advance that Li Yun had contacted my father-in-law."
Guo Shao nodded: General Yang is still a man of justice.
Yang Ye said: Please punish me, Your Majesty.
Guo Shao said: "It is indeed a sign of loyalty and integrity to kill one's own relatives for the sake of justice, but people are not plants or trees. It is not easy for a person who does not recognize his own relatives to do such a thing. I am not a person who does not understand family affection, and I will not blame General Yang."
Your Majesty’s grace is great, Yang Ye was moved.
Zhe Dejian sat there in a daze, his mind was almost blank for a moment, he felt that his hands and feet were out of control, and he couldn't say a word. After a long time, he almost cried and said, "I have never had two hearts.
Guo Shao said: Actually, this is just a small matter, so just talk about it. I just think that Mr. Zhe was indeed a little negligent in this matter.
Zhe Dejian said: I regret it too late
After playing chess, it's time to play chess. Guo Shao said.
Zhe Dejian's mind was in a mess, and he had completely forgotten the situation on the chessboard. He looked at the matter for a long time without paying attention. Fearing that the emperor would get impatient, he carefully placed a white piece, his hands shaking slightly.
Things turned out to be completely unexpected. Zhe Dejian was caught off guard and was unable to guess the emperor's thoughts in advance.
I originally thought that the emperor had only caused the estrangement and distrust in the past few years because of personal grudges; I also guessed that I had not done anything harmless, and at most I would lose my military power and go to Tokyo to enjoy wealth and luxury. But now...
He is waiting for the verdict of fate.
The atmosphere at the beginning was gone. Just a moment ago, the king and his ministers were still talking and laughing. Now the study was very quiet, and the sound of the ceramic chess pieces falling on the board was crisp and clear.
After all the trouble, Zhe Deqian's chess game was a mess, and Guo Shao had already taken control of the winning position on the chessboard. It was not because Guo Shao's chess skills were very high, but because Zhe Deqian's mood was too bad.
At this moment, Guo Shao said: Mr. Zhe can no longer serve in Bingzhou.
Zhe Dejian said in a trembling voice: "I know I am wrong, please punish me, Your Majesty."
Guo Shaodao: Feng Jiye, the governor of Shuofang in Lingzhou, has a violent personality and lacks self-discipline. He has been burning, killing and looting the Dangxiang people in the northwest for years. Such actions are not in line with the court's national policy towards the northwestern tribes at that time, and he cannot continue to stay in the border.
Guo Shao paused and said, "Let Zhe Gong move to Lingzhou to replace Feng Jiye."
Zhe Dejian was stunned for a while and didn't react.
This Zhe Dejian made two meaningless sounds.
Guo Shao glanced at him and said: "Mr. Zhe still has some prestige in the hearts of the northwestern tribes, especially the Dangxiang people. When the Zhe family was in Fuzhou, they should have dealt with the Dangxiang people. I think letting you go to Lingzhou will be beneficial to stabilizing the border."
Zhe Dejian came to his senses at this time, and said with tears of gratitude: Your Majesty not only did not punish me, but also entrusted me with an important task. I will die and still cannot repay your kindness.
Guo Shao frowned and said: Why should I punish Zhe Gong
Zhe Deqian:
Guo Shao said: "You are talking about that matter. I just said it, it's just a small matter. Mr. Zhe did nothing, he was just a little careless for a moment. I can't punish you for a small negligence of an important official."
Zhe Dejian said hurriedly: Your Majesty's mind is as broad as the East Sea.
Guo Shao said kindly: You can rest assured, as long as it's not serious, nothing will happen. Men won't be petty and angry. If they are unhappy about something, they will forget it in a blink of an eye.
The relationship between our ruler and his subjects is very rough, but very real and reliable. Rewards and punishments are real. Only when subjects do something that causes serious consequences will they be punished. Everything is subject to the law.
After hearing this, Zhe Dejian and others bowed again.
After finishing the game, Zhe Dejian and the other three said goodbye to Guo Shao and walked out of the palace. Many people outside were paying attention to the major events in Bingzhou, so Zhe Dejian naturally told everyone the result to reassure the tribesmen and generals.
Wei Renpu and others were also paying attention and soon found out the result.
After hearing the news, Wei Renpu looked very strange and said: "It's a bit unexpected. But your majesty's handling of the matter is very appropriate. Well, it should be the best way. Why didn't I think of it?"
Lu Dosun said: This is because His Majesty did not discuss this matter with us.
Wei Renpu glanced at Lu Duosun and nodded. He said in a deep voice that the northwest was in a mess and too far from Tokyo. It took a long time to send messages back and forth, and it was difficult for the court to intervene directly. It was not a bad thing to leave some powerful Han vassal towns on the border. It could also help the country resist harassment from various tribes and provide a deep relief zone.
Zhe Dejian could not possibly rebel, he was not that powerful, and there was no benefit. Moreover, the Zhe family was quite prestigious in handling relations with the border tribes.
Lu Duosun whispered: "Vice Envoy Wei's words make sense. I think Feng Jiye's actions are comparable to Shi Yanchao's. The court did not want to conquer the northwestern towns by force at this time, so it was inappropriate to keep him in the key place of Shuofang."
Wei Renpu paced back and forth in the lobby for a while, and inadvertently recalled his private friendship with Guo Shao a few years ago, and Guo Shao's sincere appreciation and respect for him. For a moment, he sighed: It is rare to have a close friend in life and to have such a relationship between a monarch and a subject. I am very fortunate.