The clouds in the sky were so low that people were worried that they would fall onto the roofs of the attics in Bazhou City.
The small snowflakes in the air were blown by the wind, like willow catkins in late spring, or like paper money at a funeral, adding a bit of sadness to the atmosphere. The house was warm and busy.
Several ministers and officials were sitting in the main hall in the front yard of the palace, and there were also many military officials in the side rooms on both sides. People were very busy. The food, fodder, and military preparations of the 200,000-strong army had to be reported here for processing. The front camp military office was also responsible for issuing military orders and other matters. There was a lot of work to do.
There seems to be only one idle person here, Guo Shao.
From time to time, he would sit in the upper seat of the main hall to listen to Zuo You and others report important news, and then sit there for a while; from time to time, he would get up and go back to the signing room to look at the map. Anyway, he didn't have to do any specific things, and he did almost nothing all day.
Occasionally he would walk around in the courtyard behind the second hall, but there wasn't much to walk around, so he could only walk back and forth in a long corridor. It was snowing outside, and he didn't think of going out in the snow.
There is always a feeling of uneasiness.
At this time, Wei Renpu came in. Guo Shao turned around and saw him, so he stopped in the corridor and waited. Wang Pu did not come this time, and stayed in Tokyo. The person in charge of all the branches of the Qianying Military Office was Wei Renpu. Wei Renpu worked very hard, getting up early and working late, and was very attentive. After all, Wang Pu was too favored in recent years, and the emperor would ask Wang Pu first before making any decisions on any major issues.
Wei Renpu stepped forward to greet him, and then said: Your Majesty, based on the reports from the scouts at the front line of the Bingcaosi, I feel that it is certain that the main force of the Liao army is north of Jinzhou on the Sanggan River, and almost all of its troops are there.
A grand scene of endless camps on the snowy plain suddenly emerged in Guo Shao's mind, and he seemed to hear the heavy and dull sound of horses' hooves stepping on the snow.
He said in a deep voice: Has Jinzhou been attacked
Wei Renpu said: It has not been attacked yet.
Guo Shao looked up at the snowflakes floating in the air, was silent for a while, raised his hand and said: Send Zan Jurun to Jinzhou for inspection, and his report letter will be sent directly to my signing room.
Wei Renpu said: “As you wish.”
Wei Renpu could not help but say: Will the Liao army focus on attacking Jinzhou? The river flowing through this place connects to the south of Youzhou City, and the location is relatively important.
Guo Shao continued to look at the snow in the sky: This kind of weather is not suitable for a war of 100,000 people.
Yes, winter is too cold, Wei Renpu agreed.
Guo Shao frowned again and said: Will the Liao army really attack Jinzhou
In this relatively quiet place, he tried his best to catch some intuition. The military staff had already had enough inferences and strategies. Guo Shao didn't need them now. What he needed was something indescribable like inspiration.
Without reliable and detailed intelligence, one often needs some mysterious intuition and sense of smell to make judgments.
The whole game looks complicated, but one cannot be too hasty. Guo Shao is looking for a sense of relaxation and rhythm that is in tacit understanding with the Liao army. Because in this situation, Guo Shao does not have the initiative to set the rules, the initiative is in the hands of the Liao army; but he cannot set up a dead chess piece and let the Liao army break the game calmly.
Guo Shao's mind was in a mess, and he even thought of many gears rotating. They were meshing, matching, and moving.
Therefore, we must keep up with the pace and, in turn, restrict the power of the Liao army through bite force. We must not be led by the nose by the Liao army.
A few days later, the snow cleared. Guo Shao entered the signing room early in the morning and saw a group of ministers and generals waiting there. There were several memorials on the table. Zan Jurun, the military governor of the front camp, also reported that Jinzhou was under siege by a large number of Liao troops.
The officials were talking about it. When they saw Guo Shaoxian bowed, they continued to talk. The atmosphere was a little anxious. Some were discussing how many people and which troops to send for reinforcement.
Guo Shao carefully read Zan Jurun's report, then turned to look at Wei Renpu: It is confirmed that no fortress has been captured or destroyed.
Wei Renpu said: No local army’s fortress has been breached yet.
Guo Shaodao: Although the castles of all sizes in Jinzhou are well guarded, if the Liao army is determined to attack, it will still be easy to break through. After all, the local army soldiers are really lacking in close combat.
After hearing this, all the generals immediately agreed: Your Majesty is right. Defending a city is bound to involve fighting, not to mention that the local army's fortress is not built high.
Guo Shao said: No one mentioned in the memorial that the Liao army used large equipment such as catapults and ladders; since the Liao army attacked fortifications, they did not even use siege equipment.
Wei Renpu pondered and said: The battlefield chosen by the Liao army is not in Jinzhou.
Li Chuyun said: Where will the Liao army attack? Zhuozhou is indeed the farthest place to reinforce Zhuozhou, but the role of Zhuozhou does not seem to be worth the Liao army's huge investment.
Someone else said: "We have a defense line, but it also has weaknesses. The troops are too scattered, and it is difficult to gather them when the decisive battle comes. It doesn't matter. The four cities are heavily guarded. Even if the dozens of fortresses outside any city are taken down, it will be difficult for the Liao army to capture the city in a short time."
Shi Yanchao turned around and looked at the others and snorted: "You cavalryman, who the hell wants to fight you face to face? I will attack their weak spots even if I charge into the battle line."
Guo Shao's eyes swept across Shi Yanchao's face and stopped at Dong Zunhui's face. Dong Zunhui raised his head but Guo Shao said nothing to him.
At this time, the eunuch Wang Zhong came in from outside, and seeing so many people in the room, he bent over and walked along the wall, silently approaching Guo Shao.
Guo Shao turned around and saw Wang Zhong with a fur coat on his arm. Wang Zhong whispered: "It's getting colder these days. I heard that there is good leather in Hebei, so I asked someone to sew a fur coat according to your Majesty's body shape."
“Hey, it looks good,” Guo Shao said.
After hearing this, Wang Zhong's face lit up with joy, and he stepped forward and said: Your Majesty, please try it on to see if it fits.
Guo Shao stretched out his arm and asked Wang Zhong to put on the shirt for him. He touched the fur on the collar and said: This fur is quite soft and doesn't sting at all.
Guo Shao asked: What kind of leather is it
Wang Zhongdao: Fox skin and sheepskin.
Guo Shao nodded and looked back at the ministers: "You are all very attentive, I am very pleased. Don't worry, we have arranged everything in advance. I see that you are all working hard, and I feel at ease. Just keep calm, it's easy to make mistakes if you panic."
Everyone bowed and said: Your Majesty is wise.
The people who could stand here were familiar with Guo Shao. They were fully aware of Guo Shao's past achievements and abilities. Last time, he shot and killed the Xiazhou Dangxiang man with an arrow, but the incident was the most appropriate. Seeing that Guo Shao was fine, the crowd relaxed and calmed down.
Guo Shao stood up and said, "Everyone should do their job. Jinzhou is fine for now. Don't be frightened by the Liao army of more than 100,000 people. We have 300,000 people and we didn't say a word. The mountains of corpses and seas of blood are scary.
Suddenly Shi Yanchao burst out laughing. When he saw that people around him were looking at him seriously, he stopped smiling and stood there with a sullen face.
Everyone bowed and said: Farewell, Your Majesty.
Guo Shao walked out of the signing room, walked silently to the corridor, and paced forward slowly.
Guo Shao had never met Liao Emperor Yelu Jing, Xiao Siwen, Yelu Xiu'ge and others, but from previous encounters, he was gradually understanding each other's thoughts; perhaps after this time, Guo Shao would understand them better.
There is a saying that goes, the one who knows you best is your enemy; of course the purpose of understanding is to kill him. If you only indulge in hatred and do not treat your enemy calmly and attentively, you may be more likely to bring shame upon yourself.
The weather had been fine for several days, and news from Jinzhou kept coming in. Guo Shao still did not change the deployment on the front line. As long as the central government of Bazhou did not issue a military order, all the troops would follow the military orders issued by the military government in their original locations.
At this time, it was reported that the Liao army in Jinzhou was heading west and a large group of its troops were moving not far away. The news from the Zhou army was very timely.
The civil and military officials in the Bazhou Palace breathed a sigh of relief and began to discuss the matter.
Fortunately, Your Majesty is patient, otherwise, when we gather our main forces in Jinzhou, we will have to move them to Zhuozhou.
That's not good, being led around by the nose will affect morale. Dong Zun said, you know the soldiers below can read well, but they also have a lot of complaints, they will complain about the people above them.
While listening to everyone's discussion, Wei Renpu thought to himself: The emperor's mind is hard to predict.
He said calmly: Your Majesty's fur coat fits you very well.
Everyone echoed a few words. Now Zhuozhou was threatened again, but everyone didn't seem as worried as before.
Yang Biao said: Let’s go in and see the official.
Guo Shao met with the ministers in the signing room to discuss matters. Some people thought that the Liao army had bluffed once, so they might do it again. Prime Minister Li Gu was also there today, but he said: With so many Liao troops running around, it would cost them food, grass and horses, and they might really attack Zhuozhou this time.
Guo Shao did not express his opinion, and he himself was not sure what the Liao people would do. As long as the Liao people did not launch a substantial attack, Guo Shao would not panic. He would just wait and see who could outlast the Liao people in the snow and ice.
If a war really breaks out, Guo Shao is thinking about how the Liao army will fight. He can first take a look at the situation and then find an opportunity to join the competition between the two sides.
Guo Shao took a ruler and measured on the map, and said: The main force of the cavalry will go to Gu'an County first.
Everyone held their breath, and Shi Yanchao took half a step forward.
Guo Shao glanced sideways: Shi Yanchao is the main striker of the cavalry
Shi Yanchao was overjoyed and said loudly: "I understand your order!"
Guo Shao looked around again and said to Li Chuyun: Li Du Dianjian still has to be the commander-in-chief, controlling the main force of the elite cavalry of the imperial army. He usually acts according to the orders of the military government, but can act first when the situation requires.
Li Chuyun said: I will obey your order and will not fail your majesty's important responsibility.
After several battles, Guo Shao still trusted Li Chuyun, as he was quite aggressive in fighting against Southern Tang but very conservative and cautious in fighting against the Liao army.
Guo Shao looked at Dong Zunhui and said: General Dong and the Huben Right Wing Cavalry will stay in Bazhou for protection.
Dong Zunhui didn't say much, but clasped his fists and said obediently: "I obey your orders." Up to now, even the ministers of the central government didn't know what Dong Zunhui was going to do.
At this time, Guo Shao had a vague intuition that the war might really be approaching.