At the Tokyo Imperial Army Station, Guo Shao, along with two princes, and a group of civil and military officials were in the lobby of the camp. The emperor randomly pointed at a soldier and asked him how much he had received in the past three months, and the amount of money and goods was very detailed.
Guo Shao thought about it and nodded slightly. He knew how much benefit a soldier in the Imperial Guards should get. He could judge the internal management of the Imperial Guards by the situation of an ordinary soldier.
At this time, Guo Shao said in public: The situation in Dongdao Island has deteriorated, and the court has two countermeasures. First, I have been urging the Jiangning Shipyard to build warships day and night, preparing to use the Daxu regular army to reinforce the soldiers and brothers in Iwami Fort. Second, the envoys of the Ministry of Rites have discussed with the envoys of Goryeo to strive for the Goryeo navy to reinforce Zhang Jiankui's troops in Iwami Fort as soon as possible.
A military general immediately bowed and said: Your Majesty, you have personally commanded the troops and worked hard and worried about everything, and we, your subjects, feel ashamed.
Immediately, a cabinet minister whispered: Minister Zan of the Ministry of Industry is also in Dongdao.
After hearing this, Guo Shao said in a loud voice: The soldiers of the Imperial Guards fight for me. Let alone hundreds of people, even if there is one person trapped in the enemy country, as long as there is a way, I will do my best to reinforce and rescue him.
If our own family members also sit back and watch the dying without helping, I am afraid that no Warrior will be able to fight with peace of mind in the future.
The soldiers were deeply moved after hearing this and bowed one after another, saying: "It is a great honor for us to serve Your Majesty!"
Guo Shao was not just saying this for the sake of courtesy, he actually personally inquired about the progress of things in the east every day.
After returning to the palace, Lu Duosun met with the emperor and said: The Goryeo envoys did not refuse to send troops, but kept bargaining with the court. The Goryeo people meant that Daxu should recognize and send troops to help them obtain the old land of Bohai Kingdom. The Goryeo army then formed an alliance with the Xu army and sent troops to Dongdao.
Guo Shao asked: How can we send troops to help them
Lu Dosun said: We are talking about it.
Guo Shao frowned and said: The Koreans have made a good calculation. The Liao Kingdom is the most difficult to deal with. How much money will it cost for us to send troops to the expedition? Now we have not gained any benefits from Dongdao. What can we use to help them? What's more, the situation in Dongdao has deteriorated. This war is inevitable.
Lu Duosun bowed and said: "I think that the Koreans and the Japanese have always been at odds, and they are happy to see our dynasty go to war with Japan. However, the Koreans want the vast land of Liaodong, and they are not interested in Japan at the moment; what's more, they know that conquering Japan will also benefit us, Daxu. So we took the opportunity to bargain with Daxu."
Guo Shaodao: Continue to negotiate with them. Even if the Koreans are unwilling to send troops, if they can mobilize ships to help our dynasty transport supplies to Dongdao for reinforcement, we can also make appropriate compromises for mutual benefit.
Lu Dosun bowed and said: “As you wish.”
Guo Shao said: "The Japanese first killed our officials, then attacked our warships and killed our imperial guards. They didn't take the Daxu court seriously at all. This is extremely bad. We must not give in. Send an imperial decree to send Japanese envoys to inform the Heianjing court to explain the matter and take responsibility. Otherwise, the Daxu court will raze Heianjing to the ground."
After hearing this, Lu Dosun's expression froze.
Guo Shao did not want to compromise with Japan at all. Japan was different from the previous Southern Tang and Shu, and had no intention of compromising. If the negotiations failed, the only solution was war. He read history books, and found that wars in ancient and modern times were generally fought in this way. Moreover, it was difficult to reach an agreement without making the other side see an unbearable price. Ancient politicians had said the consequences of using land to serve Qin. It seemed that it was the instinct of the strong to maximize their interests. What morality is something that can only be discussed after restraining and weighing the pros and cons.
In an era without nuclear weapons, it is impossible to save the emperor's face without the basis of force. It is absurd and ridiculous to say that other tribes are barbaric and unreasonable when you can't defeat them.
At Shijianbao on Dongdao Island, Zhang Jiankui stood on the top of the city wall, looking westward at the sea in the distance, and remained silent for a long time.
A voice came from the side: Commander Zhang, I think the reinforcements may not arrive for a while.
At this moment, Zhang Jiankui did feel a little uneasy.
He turned around and saw that it was General Yu Liang. Zhang Jiankui knew all the generals here, and he had a deeper impression of Yu Liang because he was the most handsome among the hundreds of men in the command.
Zhang Jiankui let out a breath and pretended to be relaxed and asked Yu Liang: What did that Japanese girl give you as a token of love
Yu Liang was stunned and didn't know how to answer.
Zhang Jiankui smiled and said: Don't be impatient, there is no rule in the military law of the Imperial Guards that prohibits soldiers from visiting prostitutes.
Yu Liang said embarrassedly: I can't be considered a prostitute, that woman is not a prostitute.
Zhang Jiankui laughed: I heard that woman was receiving customers.
Seeing her expression, Yu Liang breathed a sigh of relief and chatted: "General Zhang, you don't know that their customs are different from those in the Central Plains. They don't value chastity as much as we do. What did she say the other day? Many warriors are poor and can't get a wife, or can only marry ugly girls and can't afford to support beautiful girls; but beautiful girls are unwilling to live a hard life, and at the same time they interact with many warriors, so there is nothing wrong with accepting their gifts. Warriors don't have to bear the expenses of beautiful girls alone, so it's useless to require women to be chaste."
Zhang Jiankui laughed and said: Damn it, a woman can still come up with such self-consistent nonsense.
Yu Liang also laughed along for a while.
Just as he was talking about that woman, he saw Meizi walking towards the city wall. Zhang Jiankui stood there watching calmly, and Yu Liang beside him didn't say a word either.
Soon, a soldier came forward to report: General Zhang, the woman in the camp wants to see you.
Let her come up, Zhang Jiankui said, standing on the wall.
Meizi climbed up the sloping earthen steps onto the city wall, knelt down and said: "I am here to meet General Zhang."
That's all. Zhang Jiankui turned around and glanced at Yu Liang.
Meizi pondered for a moment and said: I have something to ask of you today and I would like General Zhang to allow me to leave here.
Zhang Jiankui couldn't help asking: "Miss Meizi thinks the soldiers have no money."
When Meizi heard this, her face suddenly became embarrassed and she lowered her head and said: To be honest, I feel that this place is becoming more and more dangerous.
Zhang Jiankui said calmly: Why do you say that
Meizi said: "The Japanese army will attack this small fortress, not to mention that there are hundreds of men crowded together, and I am a woman. If something happens, I will not be able to bear it. General Zhang, please let me go because Meizi has helped you."
Zhang Jiankui thought that this woman didn't look like a spy, after all, she was originally from the Takasaki family, so he waved his hand tolerantly: You are not a prisoner, you can leave if you want.
Yu Liang couldn't help asking: Where is Meizi going
Miko said softly: Find an acquaintance in Omori first, or maybe stay in Omori, or go to Erma County City.
Yu Liangdao: Meizi has a place to stay
Meizi whispered: "General Yu, don't worry, I have my own way of survival." Then she said goodbye to Zhang Jiankui and others.
After a while, Yu Liang also said goodbye to Zhang Jiankui. Zhang Jiankui guessed that this guy would go to see the young girl off, but he ignored him.
The surrounding forests were very quiet, with few people around. But at this time, Zhang Jiankui had already smelled the smell of gunpowder from various signs, and even a young girl was sure that there was danger of a fight.
He stood alone on the wall for a long time, and the surroundings were very quiet. Only the soldiers on duty from Xu's army were standing nearby. Although there were scouts outside, the soldiers in the earthen fort were more serious than usual. The soldiers standing sentry stared with their eyes, seemingly motionless, but their eyes were always moving, quietly observing the movements in the distant mountains and forests to the east.
Zhang Jiankui noticed that the soldiers were on duty attentively, walked down the city wall with confidence, and came to the command office, where he saw Zan Jurun writing furiously.
Our forces are too few, so we can only retreat to the fortress and abandon the periphery, Zhang Jiankui said.
Zan Jurun looked up and said: Commander Zhang, please continue. I will finish writing soon.
Zhang Jiankui sat down on a rough wooden bench and said: To defend the city, we must be prepared for the enemy's attacks day and night, so I think the deployment of troops needs to be revised.
Hum. Zan Jurun made a sound to indicate that he was listening, but his pen did not stop. Zhang Jiankui did not know what he was writing.
Zhang Jiankui said: "Excluding the civil servants, there are a total of 516 soldiers in the fort. I have two ideas. First, if the enemy attacks day and night, we can divide these troops into three shifts, each with about 170 people. In wartime, two shifts will be on duty, with 340 defenders on duty in rotation. The remaining shift will rest and prepare. If the defense is dangerous, we will rush to the city to reinforce."
Second, the Japanese army may not be able to attack from all six sides at the same time, so our defenders should remain mobile when deploying their defenses and prepare deployment rules in advance.
Although Zan Jurun had his head buried, he looked up and praised: Commander Zhang, your method is very good and you have made great progress. I can say that you have more than just command talent.
Zhang Jiankui took the opportunity to say: I have been trained quite a lot under Minister Zan's command, and I have made real progress.
After hearing this, Zan Jurun said meaningfully: I cannot manage the imperial guards, nor do I know much about military tactics and battle formations.
Zhang Jiankui was silent for a while, and seeing that there was no one else here, he continued: The girl we captured last time was afraid of the danger of war and has begged to leave. It seems that this war is a foregone conclusion.
Zan Jurun was surprised and said: Commander Zhang is a veteran of the battlefield, and he is afraid of the war.
Zhang Jiankui hurriedly said: I am familiar with charging into battle, but to be honest, this is the first time I have been on my own since I joined the army. I realized that the responsibility is huge and it cannot be done by just being brave.
Zan Jurun placed the brush on the inkstone and patted the big man in front of him on the shoulder: Commander Zhang has done a great job and lived up to the important task entrusted to him by His Majesty.
When Zhang Jiankui heard His Majesty, he realized why he was a little nervous, because the emperor had personally ordered him to guard this fortress. He clasped his fists and said to the east: "I dare not betray the emperor's grace."
Zan Jurun nodded: "It is rare to see a monarch like the present emperor. This is the opportunity for you and me to make achievements. Commander Zhang does not need to worry too much."