It was only two days since the news of the Liao Kingdom's dispatch of troops to the Southern Courtyard was known. From time to time, there were explosions from the North City, which never stopped. It was the palace army training war horses. The Liao people asked the South City craftsmen to mix gunpowder and put it in a hard bamboo tube and compact it with mud. It would explode at a touch. The tent was filled with smoke, as if it was set on fire.
When Yelu Xizhen met Xiao Siwen at his residence, he said: When Xiao Gong was the King of the Southern Court that year, he hurriedly sent troops south, and the Khan became suspicious. Now Yelu Xiu'ge is attacking the border on a large scale, but I don't know whether it is a merit or a fault.
Xiao Siwen said: When the three Lis in Zhou wanted to rebel, I should have responded and supported them.
Yelu Xizhen nodded after hearing this and said: Although I feel that the Khan is a bit unfair, it is still a relief for Yelu Xiu'ge to break through the city of Zhou. He avenged the bad breath at the beginning of the year. The southerners are getting more and more arrogant. They have come to the north to provoke several times. They really don't take the Liao Dynasty seriously.
Guo the blacksmith was not afraid of the Liao. Xiao Siwen said calmly, "When the Khan returns from hunting this time, I will write a letter to persuade him not to go on tour again and to stay in Shangjing to deal with the affairs in the south."
Yelu Xizhen pondered for a moment and said: "Blacksmith Guo will come to Youzhou from the north."
Xiao Siwen said: No one can say for sure, but it never hurts to be on guard.
Yelu Xizhen bowed and said: Lord Xiao has far-sightedness and foresight.
Xiao Siwen said: There is no need to worry too much. At the beginning of the year, Guo the blacksmith failed to conquer Youzhou. It has only been more than half a year and the situation is no different. It is said that the Southern Han Kingdom was destroyed by the Zhou Kingdom, and the Zhou army has added 100,000 troops. However, those people can be used to fight against a small and incompetent country like the Southern Han. It would be a joke to transfer them to fight against the Liao Dynasty.
The Liao Kingdom has not been at peace in recent years. I do not advocate harassing the Zhou Kingdom for no reason, but since it has happened, we do not need to be afraid. The rules of the grassland still apply to the southerners. In the end, we still have to use force to speak.
Yelu Xizhen bowed and said: "Mr. Xiao is right. If the Liao Dynasty is not strong enough to fight, how can the tribes on the grasslands be submissive to us?"
Xiao Siwen stood up and paced back and forth for a few steps: Let's not attack Yelu Xiu'ge for the time being. What if the Zhou army takes the opportunity to go north? Yelu Xiu'ge is still capable of commanding troops. This man has some brains on the battlefield.
Because when Xiao Siwen led his troops to invade the south, he never broke through the important towns in Hebei, and just looted the countryside and returned. However, Yelu Xiuguo successfully earned the city gate of Yizhou, but he was not a brute force.
Thinking of this, Xiao Siwen said again: "The overall situation is the most important thing. If Guo the blacksmith wants to go north again, his situation will be even worse if he fails. I will wait for him to die first."
On the first day of September in the second year of Xuanren, the days became shorter and the nights became longer.
The huge metropolis of Tokyo had already woken up. On the top of the Xuande Gate Tower, a group of soldiers walked up in an orderly manner. Under the dim white sky, only shadows of the same height could be seen. A military officer stepped forward to report his official title and took the military token to check with the night duty officer. The two faced each other and bowed. Then a short military order was heard: Change of guard.
Soon, a long shout was heard: The time has come, open the city gates!
The drumbeats immediately disturbed the sweet dreams of the surrounding residents. On the side of the parapet, neatly dressed soldiers holding spears stood cross-legged and with their heads held high. Yellow, red and green silk flags fluttered in the air. A general walked on top with his sword pressed, turning his head to look at the scene outside.
Outside the tower, the long Imperial Street was a completely different scene. A long line of bright light stretched into the distance, like a huge dragon of lights, extremely spectacular. Today was the day of the grand court. Without special reasons, all officials above the fifth rank in Beijing had to go to the palace to pay homage. These people were the officials who came to the court, plus the accompanying guards and attendants. The Imperial Street was already crowded with people before dawn.
The heavy city gate rubbed against the brick floor and slowly opened, and the lights in the city shone out.
People got off their horses and cars, straightened their clothes, and strode towards Xuande Gate.
Civil and military officials arrived at the Jinxiang Hall one after another, standing in order of rank, waiting to attend court.
But today, the dragon throne was empty for a long time. After waiting for a long time, the sky outside the palace was already bright and the sun was about to rise, but there was still no movement on the throne. The eunuchs stood on both sides of the steps, and no one came up to explain or convey the emperor's orders.
Gradually, some people finally noticed that something was wrong today. Many seats in the front row were empty and some important ministers did not attend the court.
However, the officials in Beijing were quite calm. When they noticed that the atmosphere was not right, no one was talking or making noise. Instead, they just stood there waiting. Sometimes, these people could stand for three days and three nights without food or water. It was all about perseverance and endurance.
Of course Guo Shao had not slept with him, he was no longer in the palace.
At the training ground of the Imperial Army camp, the camp gate was wide open, and Guo Shao, wearing armor and a tall crown, rode in with a sword. On his left was the Privy Councilor Wang Pu, whose hair and beard had turned gray, and on his right was the red-faced Li Chuyun with a thick black beard. Behind them was a team of Inner Palace Cavalry in distinctive armor.
On the parade ground, there was a sea of iron helmets, swords, spears and flags like a forest.
Guo Shao rushed into the military camp on horseback. When the soldiers saw him, they raised their swords and guns and shouted. Inspired by the atmosphere, Guo Shao drew his sword from his waist and pointed it at the crowd to salute the soldiers.
The atmosphere became more lively, and everyone shouted: Long live the
The generals from all around rode their horses over and knelt on one knee in front of Guo Shao's horse to pay their respects.
All the generals stood up. Guo Shao's voice was loud, powerful and full of energy, showing people that he was healthy and strong.
Everyone said: We will thank the emperor for his grace.
Guo Shao rode out on his horse, and the generals hurriedly got up and mounted their horses to chase after him. A herd of horses ran in front of the army, and the shouts and the sound of horses' hooves were like a torrent that made people's blood boil.
He reined in his warhorse and shouted: The country and the people are in trouble, only I and the warriors of the Great Zhou are willing to fight to the end for the world.
Dong Zunhui's voice said loudly: Fight to the end
The soldiers were in an uproar, everyone glared and shouted, and the military camp was more lively than a busy city.
Shi Yanchao jumped off his horse, clasped his fists and said: "When the Liao people invade, I will serve as the vanguard."
Seeing this, all the generals expressed their opinions: "Your Majesty, wherever the sword points, even if it is a sea of fire and a mountain of sword, I will never frown. Your Majesty wants to use the army, and we are ready to follow your Majesty at any time. Your Majesty has given me warm clothes and food, and I will fight to the death for my country and be your vanguard. I will repay your grace with my life."
Guo Shao sat on his horse, feeling the attitude and atmosphere of the army. No matter what, he could at least be sure that he had the support of the military.
Under the current system of the Great Zhou Dynasty, warriors are quite supportive of war. Only with war can they rise and be rewarded, and only with war can they be relied upon. Otherwise, their voice and status will decline. There are also middle and low-level generals. Everyone knows that war will kill people, but it is better to fight a big battle once every ten years. After ten years, the lower-level soldiers will be old, just like the Battle of Gaoping in the previous dynasty. Many people started their careers with one battle.
Only many civil officials may not be very supportive. Unlike military generals, war is of no benefit to them. To maintain the operation of all aspects of the court, the resource consumption is too great. Increasing taxes, corvee labor and conscription of civilians are not conducive to stable rule, which is something they do not want to see.
The timing was also very appropriate. Usually, during the early period of the establishment of a country through military force, the emperor personally led the army to conquer the country. He had a high prestige and familiarity in the army, and it was easier for him to personally mobilize the army to start a war. If the emperor of the later period could not directly lead the army, and the military power was divided among the ministers, it would not be so easy to start a war, and it would be a very complicated and troublesome matter.
Moreover, powerful ministers around Guo Shao, such as Wang Pu Wei Renpu, Prime Minister Wang Pu Li Gu, and even cabinet ministers who participated in politics, have been lured around him. If he is determined to do something, it is easy for him to get the support of his trusted ministers.
This is the situation facing Guo Shao. He can mobilize the entire imperial guards with just one word, and his control is still very strong.
Guo Shao led his men to inspect several imperial army camps in succession, and found that the army's morale and condition were relatively good. After half a year of rest, the imperial army had basically recovered its combat effectiveness.
It was already past noon when Guo Shao returned to the imperial city.
He first went to the East Hall to have a final discussion with more than 20 ministers. Wei Renpu hung up the map and explained the strategies that the court had come up with in advance to the ministers and generals. The discussion lasted until noon. As for the civil and military officials in the hall, they still stood there for a long time.
At noon, the emperor finally stepped onto the throne in his military uniform, and all officials in the hall shouted "Long live the emperor".
Guo Shao asked the eunuchs to issue an imperial edict. The Liao army invaded, and the people of Hebei were desperately looking forward to the imperial army. The emperor decided to lead the imperial army to the north to patrol the border. During his absence from the capital, Fu Jinzhan of the West Palace was the regent, and the Privy Council and the Political Affairs Hall jointly managed the state affairs.
The emperor issued an order directly, and it was obvious that the most powerful officials who were absent this morning had discussed it. No one among the officials below objected. According to the pattern since the end of the Tang Dynasty, ordinary officials were also powerless to object, because the court structure was very centralized for military purposes during this period. This time was different from the last Northern Expedition. The result of the last time was completely unknown, but this time with experience, the situation was clearer. Many people were not optimistic about the recent Northern Expedition.
The start is relatively low-key now. Nominally, there is no claim of a northern expedition and a decisive battle with the Liao army. It seems that the initial intention is to drive the Liao army out of Yizhou.
However, the war had begun.
Fu Jinzhan went to the West Hall and saw Guo Shao, who was waiting there in armor and carrying a sword, on the stone steps at the back door. She looked up at him and seemed to see the figure of the guard from that year.
She lifted her skirt slightly and walked up the stone steps. Her spotless embroidered shoes stepped lightly on the old stone slabs, and Fu Jinzhan's mood fluctuated.
After hearing the ministers' comments, Fu Jinzhan also lacked confidence in this war, because in just half a year, the strength of the Zhou army had not improved much.
Some failures have serious consequences that cannot be easily afforded.
On this short flight of stone steps, Fu Jinzhan seemed to have gone through all the ups and downs of the past few years. Shao Ge'er had always accompanied her through so many times when she had to escape death. It was not easy for them to get to where they are today.
Your Majesty. Fu Jinzhan lowered her body slightly and took the lead in bowing. Her voice was still so soothing and calm.
Guo Shao clasped his fists and said: I am still a guard after all.
Fu Jinzhan raised her head with a faint smile on her beautiful face.
Guo Shao said in a deep voice: I know the feeling of separation and death, and everyone in the world has their own family. I cannot bear to let people watch their loved ones being robbed and killed. After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to go to war again, and the soldiers are willing to fight for the people of the world.
Fu Jinzhan smiled brightly: Your Majesty will surely win the battle, you never let me down.
Guo Shao was indeed relieved when he heard this, and he clasped his fists and said: "On this expedition, Queen Duanci only needs to wait for my victory report in Tokyo."
Fu Jinzhan nodded and said: I will bathe and fast every day, pray for your majesty and the soldiers at the front, and wait for the imperial army to return victoriously as soon as possible.
She walked up, stretched out her hand to hold Guo Shao's hilt, pressed it lightly, heard a metal clang, and slowly pulled it out. The sword's edge was brand new and shiny like a mirror, very sharp. The only person who dared to hold an unsheathed sword in front of Guo Shao was probably Fu Jinzhan. Guo Shao did not move. He looked like he would not dodge even if Fu Jinzhan really wanted to stab him.
Fu Jinzhan looked down with a calm smile, lowered her eyes to look at the hilt of the sword, and the moment she lowered her head, she revealed a hint of gentleness and shyness.
She very gently pulled out a piece of red silk embroidered with gold thread patterns from her sleeve. Her jade-like hands slowly wrapped the red silk around the hilt of Guo Shao's sword, then fastened it with a button and put the sword back into Guo Shao's scabbard.
After Fu Jinzhan finished doing this, she looked up at him, her face flushed and very nervous.
There were many palace servants bending over behind her. This was the first time she had done such an intimate thing in front of Guo Shao in public. Guo Shao silently looked at the bright red on the hilt of the sword. It looked particularly beautiful behind the ancient and heavy hall.
This time, there was an inexplicable sense of tragedy in the words of blessing.