Lu Duxun stayed for a short time and was about to return to Tokyo. Guo Shao asked a few people and collected some gold, silver and copper coins to give to Lu Duxun as travel expenses, and sent several scouts to escort him out.
After seeing the people off and returning to the central army headquarters, Guo Shao heard a commander cursing: We have been fighting at the front for more than half a month and haven't seen a penny, but that civil official came over to say a few nice words, took the money and left.
Wang Zhang immediately rebuked: "Money, money only knows how to make money. Brothers, do you have to carry a few sacks of money when you go to war? The court will not reward you."
The commander was scolded by his superiors, so he dared not say anything. Of course, they would be rewarded if they won the battle, but the whole army had nearly 6,000 people, and the superiors would just bring a few carts of money as rewards. How much could each person get? The Great Zhou was powerful, but it was far inferior to Shu and Southern Tang in terms of wealth; when the Central Plains was in chaos, these places had enjoyed good weather and abundant harvests for decades, and were not affected by the war.
A few days later, news came from Fengzhou that Wang Jing's troops had captured Fengzhou City and obtained 150,000 hu of grain.
When the generals of Guzhen heard the news, Wang Zhang muttered to Guo Shao: Is it 150,000 hu or 250,000 hu? Who knows
Sitting in the main room of the tile-roofed house that served as the headquarters of the Central Army, Guo Shao could not help but think of another sentence Wang Zhang said a while ago: There is oil and water in the bones. The imperial guards from Tokyo could not carry the captured grain back, but the Fengxiang garrison troops were different. Transporting grain out of the Qinling Mountains was hard currency; grain was sometimes more useful than gold, silver, and copper coins. The Hujie Army could not sell the captured military rations either. As an outside army, they were unfamiliar with the place, and if the news leaked out, it would have a very bad impact.
Damn it, after fighting for so long, all the real benefits were taken away by others, and my group of people got nothing. It turns out that the old ones are still the wisest. Xiang Xun and Wang Jing's subordinates took over Qin Chengjie, and I'm afraid they got a lot of benefits.
Guo Shao did not doubt Wang Jieshuai's character for no reason. His troops climbed the wall without thinking, and suffered heavy casualties. He did not believe that Wang Jing did not consider his subordinates at all.
When Lu Duosun returned to Tokyo, he first met Wang Pu, who taught him how to speak, and then he went to Quecheng to meet the emperor.
Under the gaze of many high-ranking officials and nobles, Ludoson's face was already frozen, unable to control his expression. He walked into the main hall and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I am your humble servant. May your Majesty live forever."
Stand up straight, a voice from above said. The voice was rough but lacked strength.
Although Lu Duosun was nervous, he still spoke clearly. If you can't speak clearly as a civil servant, then don't do it. Lu Duosun immediately got up, bowed again and said: "I am ordered to go to Fengxiang to deliver the appointment letter. I was invited by Wang Jing, the Minister of the Imperial Court, to patrol the front. At that time, Qin Chengjie had already returned to our court."
A general next to him completely ignored etiquette and interrupted him: Fengzhou has also been taken.
Lu Duosun hurriedly said yes. Of course, he didn't dare to argue with the military generals who were qualified to enter the palace. Even the Privy Councilor could be a military general and also serve as the Prime Minister. Ordinary civil officials had nothing to show off here.
The noble above was a little impatient at this time, and said: "Just meet the person. I will ask the ministers to recommend someone later, and then go to the front to reward Wang Jing and others."
Lu Dosun had a lot of ideas in his mind, but when he heard this, he didn't dare to say much. He bowed again and walked to the end of the line on the left.
At this time, Wang Pu came out and saluted: Your Majesty, the battle to attack Shu captured tens of thousands of people, but the most crucial part was just one or two major battles. The first battle of Weiwu City was a success, and the battle of Huanghua Valley was a great victory, which was indeed a decisive battle.
As far as I know, the vanguard Tiger and Swift Army led by Guo Shao left Sanguan in March, and the rear had not yet prepared the food and supplies. Wang Shizhong wanted to win by playing it safe; Guo Dushi thought that the Shu army was caught off guard and had not yet deployed properly, so he wanted to fight quickly and make a quick decision. After the war, it was confirmed that Guo Dushi's view was correct. There was no general to lead the Qinfeng area in March, and the two town governors were each fighting for their own battles and could not take care of each other, and the use of troops was in chaos.
Guo Dushi besieged Weiwu City for ten days, and the army was running out of food and grass. He also defeated the Shu army in Huanghua Valley and captured 20,000 hu of food from Tangcang Town. Only then could he advance to Guzhen and cut off the Shu army's retreat.
Wang Pu spoke in a proper manner at first, but then, seeing that the officials were listening attentively, he began to brag about it. He exaggerated how Guo Shao had seen the battle opportunities and how he had accurately seized the opportunity, as if he, Wang Pu, had seen it with his own eyes at the front line. In Wang Pu's words, Guo Shao had become a man who used troops like a god and made every possible plan.
His words were full of exaggerations, but they were quite logical. If the facts were not as he said, they would be unbelievable. These remarks were basically consistent with the report of the frontline envoy a while ago. Lu Dosun, one of the ministers, was stunned by the prime minister's power.
Moreover, Wang Pu was the prime minister, and he knew almost everything in the court. He talked about the fact that Shu refused to submit to him. Two days ago, the King of Jingnan of Nanping sent an envoy to Tokyo to report secretly that the Emperor of Shu refused to submit to him.
Wang Pu said: The Lord of Shu has no good generals under his command, but he is arrogant and conceited
The man on the throne suddenly uttered a sound, his voice full of indignation. Of course, this anger was not directed at Wang Pu.
Nanping State secretly reported that the Shu Kingdom Emperor Meng Chang slandered the royal family Guo family in front of many people, saying that they were like dogs that had lost their homes. Chai Rong was also a mortal with emotions. How could he not be angry when he knew this
Shi Yanchao, the imperial guard and the commander of the imperial guards, came out and said to Wang Pu: "Your Majesty, please send more troops to destroy the Kingdom of Shu. I am willing to be the vanguard."
At this time, Wang Pu hurriedly said: No, just scare Meng Chang. The envoy of Nanping said that the envoys of Shu who were seeking peace had arrived in Jingnan. When the envoys of Shu arrived in Dongjing, His Majesty did not meet them or respond to their request for peace, so the Lord of Shu naturally knew that he was afraid.
Shi Yanchao insisted: "I heard that Shu is very rich, but the ruler is a fool, he keeps thousands of women and has sex with them every day. Lady Huarui is even more famous. Let me go and capture Lady Huarui and present her to your majesty."
Shi Yanchao, do not be rude, and step down, the Privy Councilor Wei Renpu shouted.
Shi Yanchao then left in dismay. Chai Rong did not reprimand him, but was extremely generous to Shi Yanchao. Chai Rong simply waved his sleeves and said: "Dismiss the court."
So everyone had to kowtow and express their gratitude, and there was no chance to argue anymore.
Cao Tai, the eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, sang the order to adjourn the court, and then went directly to the harem to see the queen, without any need to cover up. The court was held in the palace, and ordinary people could not participate, but the content was not a military secret, and the eunuchs could hear it with their own ears.
Cao Tai described the situation and conversation in detail. Fu Shi smiled and said casually: Shi Yanchao is really brave but not wise. He said a lot but none of his words were right.
Cao Tai agreed, "That's right, Shi Yanchao is really powerful, and Wei Renpu and Wang Pu of the Privy Council couldn't help but come out to stop him. In my opinion, the emperor and the ministers of the Privy Council are eager to take Huainan first; the road to Shu is difficult, so there is no time to attack and destroy Shu. Wang Pu let it slip, and it will be enough to scare Shu.
Fu smiled but said nothing, with a hint of coldness in her smile. Not only was Shi Yanchao's words wrong, but his claim that he had captured Lady Huarui and presented her to the emperor was also a lie. Lady Huarui was the most favored concubine of Meng Chang, the Lord of Shu, and she must have often served him in bed. Even if she was as beautiful as a fairy, what was the use? The emperor would not be interested. Shi Yanchao's random display of loyalty really didn't hit the point.
However, Fu was in a good mood recently. Guo Shao's performance not only satisfied her, but also surprised her. During these long days, no matter how turbulent the outside world was, the palace was as calm as water every day. Surprises could make Fu's mood a little more agitated and less numb.
In her mind, Guo Shao had gradually become a crucial chess piece. Although she thought the word chess piece was not a good word, it would not do any harm to Guo Shao. On the contrary, it would benefit both sides greatly.
A long-term and good chess game has gradually come alive in Fu's heart. She not only wants to consolidate everything she has obtained, but also likes the process of playing chess itself; compared to the uninteresting prizes on the chessboard, the grand chess layout in the world is more exciting.
If she could be favored by the emperor again, Fu felt that she would truly surpass all the women in the world. Lady Huarui was just a plaything of a singing girl. What good was her fame? It was really ridiculous that she could be compared with herself.
A while ago, at the turn of spring and summer, Fu caught a cold and suddenly thought of a small plan. If she said that she had abdominal pain in the past few days, could the imperial physician diagnose from her pulse that she had not had sex
It should be difficult to diagnose, but you can inadvertently hint at this when describing the symptoms, and then let the imperial physician tell the emperor; the only problem is that the emperor in the palace will not pay attention to such trivial matters, and will not specially send an imperial physician to diagnose your pulse, so some vague hints cannot be made known to the emperor.
Fu figured out the relationship: when he needed the emperor's concern, he would personally send the imperial physician to diagnose him, and then the imperial physician would have to report back to the emperor.
There are such opportunities. On the way to the battle, she felt that there was still a lot of time, so there was no need to rush with her little tricks. The imperial court was going to attack Huainan in the near future, and the emperor would definitely lead the army in person. She would find a way to go with him when the time came. She pretended to be sick on the way, as she had a terrible stomachache anyway, and she wanted to see how anxious the imperial doctors would be.
Fu thought quietly for a long time, and seeing Cao Tai still standing beside him with his hands down, he said: "You should pay extra attention to the expedition to Huainan. Next time you see Wang Pu, you can remind him: Shu is threatened by force and will definitely try to ask for help from the Eastern Han, Northern Han, and Southern Tang; ask these two countries to contain our country together. Once Southern Tang agrees, it will give our dynasty a pretext and a legitimate reason to go to war."
Cao Tai hurriedly whispered: "Your Majesty is wise. In my opinion, none of the male prime ministers in the court can compare to your Majesty."
Hehe, Fu couldn't help laughing, and for a moment her expression revealed some charm that was different from her usual dignified look.