Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

In the first ten days of July, Guo Shao met Zhou Duan who had returned from Youzhou, and now he was busy.

The recovery of the sixteen prefectures of Youyun is of great significance in all aspects, and Guo Shao is willing to work hard for it; at the same time, it is also helping the emperor Chai Rong to complete his great cause.

He couldn't remember the exact year in history, but the circumstances of the "Battle of Shouzhou" were enough for him to deduce that history had changed.

Because the key Shouzhou battle was completely different, the Huainan battle should have been much smoother than in history, saving the Zhou Dynasty a lot of time. In other words, now Chai Rong should have enough time to complete the Northern Expedition without leaving any regrets.

Youyun Sixteen States, this crucial place that directly affects the fate of the country for one or two hundred years, and the far-reaching indirect influence may even be measured in thousands of years! If it can be regained and the northern defense line is complete, what will the Central Plains Dynasty look like? Guo Shao is looking forward to this very much.

In terms of personal feelings, Guo Shao is indeed hostile and wary of Chai Rongbao...but this does not prevent him from giving great recognition to the ability of the Great Zhou Emperor Chai Rong. This is one of the few Ming emperors of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. He is very courageous and skilled in martial arts and martial arts, and he is also an emperor who was born as a warrior. If he wants to recover the Sixteen States of Youyun, it is quite reliable to pin his hopes on Chai Rong. If even a powerful ruler like Chai Rong, who is militaristic and able to maintain the situation, cannot be taken back, what hope is there for Youzhou?

Therefore, Guo Shao had no intention of dragging Chai Rong back, and even decided to spare no effort in this matter. If it was for personal feelings that affected the great cause of the Northern Expedition, Guo Shao would not be able to pass the hurdle in his heart in terms of overall responsibility... But he would not be able to affect it either. If he dared to delay the Northern Expedition, he would probably die even faster!

"Ying, Mo, Ning, Yi and other border states have hoarded military rations. The Khitans seem to have changed their previous strategy of looting after fighting, and they have stockpiled food and grass in advance." Zhou Duan talked eloquently.

As Guo Shao listened, he recorded his narration like a ghost drawing amulet. I'm afraid there is only a draft that he can understand.

Zhou Duan also wrote a lot of his own experience, Guo Shao casually read a copy, and at first glance he still thought it was quite organized. But it is only the order of the article, and the information of the intelligence itself is fragmented.

Guo Shao is completely incapable of writing ancient articles, but it does not mean that he is uneducated. His logical thinking of summarizing information, classifying and stratifying is not inferior to the ancients.

Drafts of these articles, insights, and Q\u0026As. Guo Shao has to collect and sort out, sort out the categories, and sort out information from various aspects such as terrain and climate, water sources, fortifications, military rations, and military strength estimates. The value of this item cannot be calculated in detail; it should be of great reference value to the Privy Council in formulating combat strategies and preparations.

Guo Shao used his jerky brush to write this information summary. From the map to the description of the categories, there are nearly a hundred pages full of pictures and texts. They are all written in neat teeny lowercase letters. The calligraphy is definitely not very good, but it should be easy to read because of the neatness.

The work was not completed until the beginning of August... He thought about it for a while, and planned to dedicate this item to Wang Pu, the deputy envoy of the Privy Council. Although Wang Pu was the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, the general steps to unify the world in the Zhou Dynasty were mainly based on his ideas. Recently, the emperor tended to follow Wang Pu's suggestions on military and state affairs; and Wang Pu was also a minister who advocated the Northern Expedition.

Guo Shao considered it properly, so he sent the things directly to the Privy Council and gave them to Wang Pu. Of course he spent so much effort, the signature is written by himself.

Then he waited to be rewarded by the emperor... Actively contribute to the Northern Expedition, regardless of whether the thing will be adopted by the court, his attitude is quite correct!

...

Unexpectedly, what was waiting was the military order of the Privy Council: order the guard Sima Budu Yu Hou Guo Shao, and the commander of the left wing of the Hu Jie Army Qi Tingxun to lead the left wing of the Hu Jie Army out of Beijing before September, and go north to Qizhou to patrol the border.

When Guo Shao received this military order from the Department of Guards and checked the transfer order with generals at all levels, he felt a little confused... Should he be happy or worried?

It stands to reason that the Northern Expedition should at least start next year after the spring ice melts. Why was Guo Shao transferred out of Beijing so early? He couldn't help but think of Li Chongjin and Ma Budu commanders who were the top guards in Huainan, with extremely high military ranks;

It doesn't seem to be a bad thing, because active military service under Chai Rong is encouraged.

Sure enough, when it was almost noon, Wang Pu came in person. Wang Pu is in his fifties, but his body is not as good as that of Wei Renpu's. He is thinner, with many wrinkles on his face, and his small eyes are not cloudy, but rather energetic.

He seemed to see that Guo Shao had some doubts, so he went to the official office's study room to talk alone. Wang Pu was born as a civil servant, but because he had dealt with the military in the Privy Council for a long time, he spoke more directly, so he said simply, "This is a good thing."

Guo Shao hurriedly nodded in response.

Wang Pudao: "The officials know that General Guo has a high prestige in the left wing of the Hu Jie army, and his command is impressive, so they asked you to take the left wing of the Hu Jie army to Qizhou. They asked you to lead the army out and be the leader yourself, and did not send anyone to restrain you. This is not because the officials trust you. And who is Qi Tuo, don't I know?"

Guo Shao bowed in response, and was speechless to this sentence. Sure enough, the emperor knew exactly what he was doing in the imperial army, and he just didn't ask.

Wang Pu said again: "General Guo's headquarters will be stationed in Qizhou first. When the Northern Expedition begins, I will recommend you as a striker in the middle."

After hearing this, Guo Shao had no choice but to say, "Thank you, Deputy Envoy Wang."

Wang Pu had no personal relationship with others, and he didn't talk too much, so he left after speaking. Guo Shao went out and sent him to the gate of the official office before returning.

Guo Shao couldn't tell what mood he was in right now, but thinking about it shouldn't be a bad thing... Wang Pu's words were few and concise, and he made it very clear: first of all, he was asked to lead the imperial army to travel, and giving military power was trust; then playing a forward in one direction was also an affirmation of his ability.

Qizhou? Guo Shao roughly recalled it, because he had drawn maps of Youzhou and other places, and remembered the location of this place. It is indeed close to the national border, and the north is Waqiaoguan (Xiong County). There is a very strong pass there... Could it be that when the Northern Expedition starts, the emperor will order himself to directly build Waqiaoguan?

At this time, Guo Shao thought: I hate attacking fortifications!

But there is no way, in the emperor's heart, he estimated that the only value is to be able to eat an important town.

...

Another thing caught Guo Shao's extra attention: Fu Ermei.

According to the transfer order, they will leave Beijing before September; the main force of the Northern Expedition should advance both by water and land, so they will not be able to set off until at least February and March next year, and there will be about five or six months in between... Besides, it is not known how long the war will last. Guo Shao led his troops away and left his wife in Tokyo for half a year? If the emperor finds a reason to summon her, or if the second sister is bumped into by the emperor after seeing the talisman, wouldn't there be a lot of opportunities?

Guo Shao was sure that Second Sister Fu was a peerless beauty, everyone would covet her when they saw her; besides, Second Sister Fu was the emperor's sister-in-law, so his preconceived notions made him feel that the emperor might be planning on her sister-in-law.

Sometimes he imagined the affectionate scene of Empress Fu Shi serving the emperor in the palace, and he felt very upset, but there was nothing he could do, because the Empress had a name; now Fu Ermei was his woman, and it would be unbearable if she was still occupied.

Guo Shao completely believes in the second sister Fu, and her heart is all on her husband; the most important thing is to prevent these strong men in Tokyo, he doesn't trust Chai Rong and Zhao Kuangyin's family at all!

However, he soon thought of a way: send Fu Ermei back to her natal home.

...Thinking of this, Guo Shao finally felt relieved. After returning home from the official office, he was anxious to discuss this matter with Second Sister Fu. As long as Second Sister Fu was settled well, he would have no worries and could only concentrate on preparing for the Northern Expedition.

Seeing the happy second sister Fu, Guo Shao said helplessly: "The imperial court ordered me to lead the vanguard to go north before September, and I have to go to war."

Fu Ermei's expression of joy froze on her face.

Seeing this, Guo Shao felt sad for a while, and continued: "There is still nearly a month before September, but there is one more thing before the expedition. I want to send you back to the Daming Mansion for a while, and when the battle is over, I will go to the Daming Mansion to pick you up. I feel relieved that the second sister will stay with King Wei... It is not good for the army to go out with my wife, so we have to go to the Daming Mansion early and send you. Just get ready to go in a few days.”

Second Sister Fu held his hand and asked, "How long will the war last?"

Guo Shao sighed: "I don't know either. But there is still half a year before the official Northern Expedition, and we have to be separated for a long time."

Fu Ermei was suddenly depressed, as if she was in a terrible state of distress, she said quietly: "Without you by my side, life would be so boring."

"Good days do always feel too short..." Guo Shao said kindly, "But I will write to you."

After hearing this, Second Sister Fu became a little more energetic, and raised her head to look at him with watery eyes: "Then you must write to me often, I need your news to survive. Also, it doesn't matter whether you win or lose in the war, but you must not get hurt. Remember to take care of your own life."

Guo Shaoqiang smiled and said: "There are 20,000 people in the left wing of my Hu Jie army. It is impossible for the general to go up and fight. Don't worry. Generally, you will not lose your life in the battle. If you lose, it is the most dangerous for your own people to come back."

Fu Ermei said: "I will pray to God every day, so that you will return with great victory."

Guo Shao touched her small, jade-white nose and said, "You are so beautiful, God will definitely spoil you extra."

Second Sister Fu thought for a while, and then said: "I have to tell my sister that I'm going back to the Daming Mansion. We can't just leave Tokyo without saying a word."

After hearing this, Guo Shao nodded and said: "Don't say anything else, just say that you want to go back to your mother's house and send someone to send a letter to say goodbye."