Guo Shao did not leave the country during his western tour, but only toured the northwest of the Great Zhou territory, with the final destination being the Yinchuan Plain in Lingzhou. Prior to this, Wei Renpu and others had sent officials to Lingzhou to arrange for the emperor's arrival and to contact the northwestern tribes.
At this time, Wei Renpu bid farewell to Guo Shao, left the team early, and went to Lingzhou in person to preside over all matters.
The emperor's ceremonial army then slowly continued to march northward. The commander of the Jingnan Army, Zhe Dejian, brought a team of people with him and accompanied Guo Shao all the way. As they got along, their personal relationship became more and more familiar.
Within two days, Wang Jing, the military governor of Qinzhou, and his son arrived at the army and requested an audience with the emperor.
Guo Shao immediately met him in the central military tent.
Wang Jing was already 72 years old. When Guo Shao met him, he was walking unsteadily and his physical strength was obviously not as good as when they met five years ago. There were many gray and black age spots on his face, his cheeks were sunken, and his eyes were a little cloudy.
General Wang Laojie, excuse me. Guo Shao was the first to excuse him from the formalities, and then said, "Come on, please take a seat, and put a softer cushion under General Wang Laojie."
"I, your old minister, thank you for your grace." Wang Jing clasped his fists and turned to say, "Tingxun, please come and pay your respects to Your Majesty. Your Majesty has been very kind to our Wang family."
A young man in military uniform and armor knelt on the ground and kowtowed, shouting "Long live the Lord". Guo Shao asked him to stand up in a friendly way, and praised him: "A good father will have a good son."
More than five years ago, during the Qin-Feng battle, Guo Shao not only fought alongside Wang Jing, but also met his eldest son, whose hair had turned gray by then.
Today, Wang Jing came to see the emperor, but he brought his youngest son with him for court training instead of his eldest son. Guo Shao had a thought in his mind: the old man really still liked his youngest son.
Wang Jing's family was also a warlord in the northwest. Qinzhou was almost the westernmost part of the Great Zhou territory, so Wang Jing also had a mission called the Western Division. However, Wang Jing was considered a relatively reliable warlord because he and Guo Shao had fought together and established a friendship. When Guo Shao destroyed Shu, Wang Jing also made the greatest contribution in the north, and his troops worked very hard.
In addition, Wang Jing was old, so Guo Shao spoke in a very nice and polite tone: Mr. Wang is old and handsome, there is no need for you to come here in person.
Wang Jing sighed: Tokyo is too far away. The emperor has come to the northwest with great difficulty. This time, I will ask people to carry me here to see the emperor. Age is not forgiving. This time, perhaps, this will be the last time I see the emperor.
When Guo Shao heard this, he suddenly felt a pang in his heart.
His voice was a little distorted: Wang Jieshuai, please take care of yourself.
When the civil and military officials around heard the emperor's voice, their expressions became gloomy.
Wang Jing smiled and said: "Birth, aging, illness and death are inevitable for everyone. All good things must come to an end. I, as an old minister, have the opportunity to come and say goodbye to you early."
His smile was complicated, a little sad and a little helpless. He added: It's just a pity that I have been a soldier all my life, running around, but I haven't achieved anything. Now the emperor wants to build a great cause, but I can't keep up.
When Guo Shao heard this, he felt even more sad. He was caught off guard by the sudden sadness and dared not speak. Guo Shao felt that he was unworthy of being a warrior. Sometimes he really couldn't harden his heart.
After Wang Jing finished speaking, he turned and looked at his youngest son.
Guo Shao saw the look in his eyes and understood what Wang Jing meant. In fact, the biggest purpose of Wang Jing's trip was to entrust his descendants to the emperor and let Guo Shao take care of them in the future.
In front of everyone, Guo Shao was the emperor. He felt that he held public power and could not care too much about personal feelings. He did not say it clearly, but only said: "Marshal Wang Laojie's contribution to the country will always be remembered in my heart."
After he finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Wang Tingxun and asked him what martial arts Wang Ting had trained in and what military books he had read. He asked in great detail. Wang Tingxun answered fluently and clearly, causing Guo Shao to nod frequently.
Wang Jing didn't say it explicitly, and Guo Shao didn't mention it either, but everything was just a part of the family gossip.
Wang Jing's old face also showed a look of relief.
After talking for a while, Guo Shao smiled and said: I am going to Lingzhou this time, let Wang Tingxun accompany me.
Wang Jing said happily: "It is a blessing for Tingxun to be able to lead the horse and whip for the emperor, and I can also learn from the emperor." Wang Tingxun knelt on the ground again and kowtowed in gratitude.
Guo Shao hurriedly called him up.
Wang Tingxun accompanied the emperor northward, and not long after, some other people asked for permission to accompany him.
The five military governors of Fengxiang Army, Zhangyi Army, Tongyuan Army, Zhangwu Army and Baoda Army came to the camp with their guards to meet the emperor and request permission to serve as the emperor's escort for his western tour.
These people are all the Northwestern Military Governors, who are the military preparations deployed deep in the border area by the Great Zhou. Compared with the military governors in the inland areas whose power has been mostly stripped away and their elite troops have been almost completely withdrawn, these military governors are people with some real strength and have relatively independent power in their respective territories.
Guo Shao allowed them to accompany him, and they gradually became familiar with each other along the way. Guo Shao was considered to be a relatively easy-going person at this time, because he did not care about many of the etiquette details that the ancients cared about, and was also relatively easy to talk to; plus he had been in the army for more than ten years, and he could talk to the generals about military affairs.
The king and his ministers got along very well, and the journey was not so boring.
The system and rules at that time were not very detailed, and the generals could increase their trust by establishing a personal relationship with Guo Shao, just like relatives who often visit each other, and the relationship between them would be completely different from that between relatives who do not visit each other often.
Before the Western Tour started, Wei Renpu and Lu Duosun had already arranged many envoys to find local guides in Shuofang and try to contact various tribes, including Ganzhou Uighur Achai tribes, Tubo Tuosima tribes, western Dangxiang tribes, Guiyi Army Cao family, and various tribes in the Western Regions.
Of course, the Tangut Li family, the most powerful family in this area, will not be left behind.
It was not easy for the Privy Council's envoys to go to Xiazhou. Except for the pastures in the central part of Xiazhou and the grasslands in the north, there were many gullies along the way, making it very easy to get lost.
Fortunately, the government system in Xiazhou of Dingnan Army was relatively complete. The envoys were quickly received and escorted to Xiazhou by a special person. The Zhou Dynasty, the central government of Dingnan Army, had never appointed officials to the Xiazhou area. These government offices and officials were all appointed by themselves. No wonder some people in the court talked about Xiazhou, saying that although it was not called a country, it had had its king for a long time.
The envoys were worried that recording what they saw and heard would lead to unexpected events and cause suspicion among the Dingnan Army, so they kept a record of everything they saw along the way. Lu Dosun was given an important position after he brought back the map of the west, and the envoys knew this, so they were very careful when doing their work.
The places in Dingnan Army were completely incomparable to the beautiful inland cities with pavilions and towers. At first glance, they were rough and poor, with low houses, all made of earth. Some were like earth caves, and some had roofs covered with animal fur, which looked like patches on torn clothes. There were only a small number of houses with tiled roofs. The Dangxiang people who accompanied us said that people who lived in tiled houses had status and could not be provoked.
However, if you pay close attention, you will find that the Dangxiang people in the Xiazhou area are relatively well-off. They have fewer luxury goods but have no shortage of livestock, food, ironware, tools, salt and other daily necessities. They are much better off than some disaster-stricken areas in the inland area.
Some Dangxiang people shaved their heads, while others tied their hair up like people in the mainland. Their clothes were shorter, smaller and narrower. Although their customs were obviously different from those of the Central Plains people, they were not drastically different. Traces of the Central Plains could be found in their cross-collar styles and farm tools. According to historical records, the Dangxiang were descendants of the Sanmiao people and had been in contact with the Han people for a long time, so their customs were greatly influenced by the Han people.
The envoy also had a feeling that these people were obviously not as submissive as the people in the Central Plains, had almost no etiquette, and were rather wild and belligerent.
However, the man who led the envoys was named Chi Lingzhe, and he was a cheerful and kind person. He could speak Chinese and was very talkative, and he talked nonstop all the way. The envoys sometimes felt that he was noisy, but they also learned a lot about the customs and taboos of the Dangxiang people from him, which was very helpful.
Of course, most of the time they were just talking nonsense, and the envoy could only pretend to be excited, as he was unfamiliar with the place and wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Chi Ling was talking eloquently. One moment he was talking about some mountain legend, but the envoy was not interested. The next moment he was talking about some women. The envoy thought to himself: I didn't come to Xiazhou for barbarian women.
Her hair is jet black, her clothes are like sunset, and her skin is like satin. Hey, if the envoy talks about her with the people of Xiazhou, they will definitely be able to talk about her. Chi Ling said excitedly with a red face.
The last sentence aroused the interest of the envoy, who thought it was not bad to find a topic to talk about with the Tanguts. He immediately asked, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you clearly just now. Who are you talking about?"
Chi Ling was a little unhappy for a moment, but he was indeed a cheerful person, and soon he said with relief: Maybe it's my accent that's hard to understand.
The messenger smiled.
Chi Ling said: Your Majesty, you are the governor of Dingnan, the daughter of Li Yiyin, the king of Xiping. Have you not heard of this
The messenger thought: This is my first time in Xiazhou, how can I know
The messenger said: I am ignorant and I am sorry to make you laugh, Brother Chi Ling.
Chi Ling was a little disappointed and said: People in the Central Plains have never heard of such a person.
messenger:
Chi Ling said: "Then you should wait a little longer at Xiazhou Ranch. If you take a look, you will understand what I mean. Alas, I am not good at speaking and cannot explain it."
The messenger thought: Damn, you are so good at talking even though you are dumb, what would happen if you were not dumb
The messenger said: "I have official business to attend to. When I arrive in Xiazhou, I will trouble Brother Chi Ling to report to the Dingnan Army Headquarters and ask the King of Xiping to meet me. If this is accomplished, I will definitely reward you generously."
Chi Ling smiled and said: People in Central Plains are rigid.
At this time, the messenger heard a burst of singing on the hillside. When he looked up, he saw a group of sheep running down the hillside, but he could not see the singing boy. The messenger did not understand the lyrics, but he could tell from the melody that it sounded like a love song, with a feeling of lingering affection.
The messenger was somewhat touched, and thought of the ballad about the graceful lady in the Book of Songs. Thinking of the uncertain future of his mission, he felt homesick.