Just after the New Year, the Zhou Dynasty began to actively prepare for war in the west. Merchants in Dongjing who traveled to Guanzhong were discussing that various states were gradually transferring grain to Fengxiang. In early February, scholars from Qinzhou traveled thousands of miles to Dongjing and wrote to the emperor to request that he send troops to recapture Qinzhou and save the people from the disaster.
The emperor was concerned about the suffering of the people in his homeland, so he accepted the request of the Qinzhou scholars and decided to dispatch troops to the west.
In mid-February, the emperor accepted the recommendations of prime ministers such as Wang Pu and appointed four people. Wang Jing was appointed as the main general of the Western Expedition; Xiang Xun led the elite troops of Zhen'an, Guo Shao led the 12 infantry commanders of the Imperial Guards, and divided them into deputy generals; Zan Jurun, the guest minister, followed the expedition and was in charge of foreign affairs.
Wang Jing was waiting in Fengxiang, Xiang Xun led the troops out of Zhen'an, Guo Shao and the guest provincial envoy led the imperial army out of Tokyo, and all the troops gathered in Fengxiang as soon as possible. The next day, Guo Shao went to the Imperial Guards Department and received a clear order from the Privy Council: to go to war in five days.
The commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guard Li Chongjin and the chief military officer Shi Yanchao personally met with Guo Shao and the generals of the Hujie Army in the government office. The commander-in-chief of the left wing, first and second armies of the Hujie Army and the chief military officer and others verified the troop mobilization order of the Privy Council on the spot, and then returned to the barracks to inform the entire army that it would remain the same as usual, and the middle and lower-level officers and soldiers only needed to obey orders; the generals above confirmed that the troop mobilization was true, and they would not be able to escape responsibility if anything went wrong.
Guo Shao went home as usual, notifying Li Chuyun to join him while preparing his belongings. Yulian helped him pack his clothes and daily necessities, and he only picked out the weapons and armor he wanted to bring. A short dagger, two melee swords, and three bows of different strengths. Guo Shao was not good at using long weapons, so he didn't bring any. The last time the Inner Palace issued him a brand new set of armor, which was a chain mail, he planned to wear this when he went to war. He also planned to bring a breastplate armor to the battlefield, as arrows and swords would not be able to see through him, so it was worth wearing two layers of armor.
Jingniang asked to follow him again. Guo Shao was reluctant to bring a woman into the army, but she said that she knew some Taoists in Shu. After thinking about it, Guo Shao no longer objected.
Just then, Huang the blacksmith came in and reported: There is someone outside the door asking to see you, it's a woman, and she handed this thing in.
Guo Shao took it and curiously unfolded the rolled paper. It was a six or seven inch paper with two characters written on it. Guo Shao, a semi-illiterate person in ancient times, could recognize them: Li Shi. He said casually: This is called a name card. This was the first time Guo Shao received such a thing. People who often came to visit, such as Zuo You, would just knock on the door and leave. There was no such thing.
When he heard the blacksmith Huang say it was a woman, Guo Shao immediately guessed that it was probably Li Chuyun's daughter, Li.
Guo Shao paced for two steps, thinking of what Madam Li said in Fengxiang: Thirty-two days of not seeing each other is like thirty-two years. Madam Li has been affectionate to him, and she is also Li Chuyun's daughter. Guo Shao felt that he should meet her and at least say something to reassure her.
He was just about to ask the blacksmith Huang to invite Madam Li in, but then he thought it was not a good idea to let an unmarried woman in alone, so he stuffed the paper in his hand into his pocket and turned to leave.
Guo Shao walked out of the gate and saw a carriage parked on the street, with a coachman sitting in front and a maid standing outside. Guo Shao recognized the maid and confirmed that the visitor was Li Chuyun's daughter, so he stepped forward and said, "But is Madam Li visiting?"
A clear voice inside said: Let's talk somewhere else.
There is a shop on the street where I have eaten. It is not the time for eating now, so it must be very quiet upstairs. How about going up to the shop to have some tea and some snacks? Guo Shaodao said.
Li's voice said: Follow the arrangements of Envoy Guo.
So Guo Shao walked and walked slowly with the carriage to the street corner, which was not far. When they arrived at the door of the wine shop, Guo Shao reached into his bag and took out a whole string of money and handed it to the maid: "You can buy whatever you want to eat."
The maid's face lit up, she giggled, nodded and said nothing. The waiter in the store was lazily resting on the table. When he saw a customer, he looked up and couldn't help but look at Li twice. At this time, the woman was still relatively free. Li was good-looking, but it didn't make people feel strange.
Guo Shao and Li found a place to sit down and ordered two cups of tea, a serving of fried almonds and a serving of glutinous rice snack.
Li lowered her head and said nothing, pinching the corner of her clothes. This scene affected Guo Shao, and made him feel a little nervous. He had never been in love in his previous life, and he had no time or extra money. Such experience only came from Yu Lian. For a moment, his mind was blank and he didn't know what to say. The cold atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward.
At this moment, Guo Shao was not as good as Li. Li took the initiative to speak, embarrassedly saying: "I sewed two pairs of insoles, one for my father and one for you; when a warrior wears armor, his body is heavy, and the insoles must be soft and strong. Most people don't sew such insoles. I heard that you were going to the war, so I hurried to give it to you." After she said that, she took out a beautiful pink silk bag.
Guo Shao stood there in a daze, not knowing what to feel.
Li added: “Since Envoy Guo has met me, I didn’t want to take the initiative to look for you again. I feel so humble in front of you, and doing this will make you look down on me; but after all, I spent a lot of effort on this pair of insoles.”
No, no. Guo Shao touched his forehead and said hurriedly, I am not saying that I didn't spend any effort, but I didn't look down on you. I think
Li couldn't help asking after he hadn't finished speaking:
Guo Shao was anxious and fidgeted for a long time. He pretended to be experienced and said in a gentle way: "I heard that Madam Li is very famous in Bingzhou and other places, and there are countless admirers. I just happened to recite a song in Li's house and let you meet by chance. After that, you and I met only two or three times. I am afraid that you don't know what kind of person I am. Most of it is based on your own imagination. When a person has a good impression, of course he will think good about everything. Some things are just illusions."
Hallucination Li frowned and thought about it. What did Envoy Guo mean by saying these words? Was he asking me not to bother you anymore
Guo Shao hurriedly said carefully: That's not what I meant. In fact, I'm so happy that I can't wait to see what kind of man would not feel complacent when being noticed by a pretty girl.
Lee looked confused.
Guo Shao felt that he had said a lot of useless things. He turned around and found that the bare branches outside the window were full of buds, so he said: Spring is here. Ancient poets often used things like falling flowers and running water to describe such feelings. They come quickly and go quickly. Keep the memories, and you will feel very beautiful when you think of them occasionally in the future; if you are not careful, they will be destroyed completely, they are too fragile.
Li followed his gaze to the tree branches, muttering "Flowing Flowers and Flowing Water", as if she was thinking seriously about what Guo Shao said. After a while, she became inexplicably angry: How can I be so fragile that I come and go so quickly? Are you trying to say that I am a fickle woman
Guo Shao was stunned.
Li pushed the beautiful silk bag on the table over and said angrily: Just wait and I will let you know what kind of person I am.
Guo Shao hurriedly said: Wait
When Li opened her eyes wide and looked at him. Guo Shao seemed a little embarrassed, and after a pause he said: It's not that I don't want to accept your kindness, nor do I think you are bad. It's just that I can't decide my marriage for the time being. If I accept your kindness and then abandon you in the end, it would be better to restrain myself from the beginning. Please forgive me, Madam Li.
When Lady Li returned to her residence in Tokyo, she was scolded by her mother, but she usually listened to her father, Li Chuyun, and was not afraid of her mother. However, Li Chuyun was also busy preparing for the war and had no time to pay attention to his daughter.
After dinner, Li couldn't help asking her father: Are Guo Dushi's parents still alive
Li Chuyun thought about it and said: No. Why are you still thinking about that matter? Your uncle Luo mentioned it last time. Since Guo Dushi has no intention of doing it, we can still force him to do it.
After hearing this, Li Niang murmured: My parents are gone, so I can't make the decision.
Li Chuyun stroked his beard and wondered: "Why didn't you go to Guo Dushi to make a decision?" His daughter blushed slightly and didn't answer out of anger. Li Chuyun stood up and paced back and forth.
The young lady was very familiar with her father's habits, so she asked casually: Dad, what do you think is strange
Li Chuyun pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice: Last time, your uncle Luo mentioned that Envoy Guo is not only related to the Prime Minister in Tokyo, but also the Queen's man. Are you sure Envoy Guo said in person that he cannot make the decision on the marriage
The girl frowned, nodded and said: He said it himself.
Li Chuyun immediately frowned and said sternly: You are not allowed to go to Guo Dushi anymore.
Her father doted on her, and she was also obedient and well-behaved. Seeing her father's unusual expression, she was shocked: What happened that made Dad teach me a lesson like this
Li Chuyun seemed impatient, and said with a wave of his sleeves: "Don't worry about the elders' affairs, just listen to your father. Whatever you think, I can tell from one look. Don't go out to pester her again. Suddenly, my mother's eyes were filled with tears of grievance. Li Chuyun realized that his words were too harsh, and he took a breath and said: "Dad is also guessing. If Guo Dushi is really your confidant, your nobleman may make a decision for him and arrange a marriage in the future. Why should our Li family interfere?"
Seeing that Li Xiaoniang couldn't help crying, Li Chuyun felt a little annoyed and said: Go cry to your mother, I still have a lot of things to consider.
After some preparations were made in Tokyo, the army left the capital in late February. The guest minister Zan Jurun also traveled west with Guo Shao.
Guo Shao rode on his horse and turned to look at Yu Lian in the crowd. She was walking with Dong Sanmei and several female Taoist priests along the street, following the army. Her eyes never left Guo Shao. Her reluctance to leave made Guo Shao feel a little uncomfortable. It was probably around this time last year, and it was the same this year.
But Guo Shao didn't think he had done anything wrong. He recalled his childhood when his parents went out to work and could only come home once a year. The scene and feeling of farewell seemed vaguely familiar to him now.