Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

The military camp on the south bank of Zhuo River.

"Shang said, teach the guard Mabu Sidu Yu Hou Guo Shao to lead the Tiger Jie Army and the Sixth Army on the left side to defend Zhuozhou. This is it." A fat eunuch read. Accompanying him was Wang Pu, Deputy Privy Envoy, who came to inspect military affairs.

When Guo Shao heard the word qin this, it seemed that the meaning was like the emperor coming in person, so he could only kneel down and receive the order with both hands. Wang Pu came forward to help him: "The officials have finished talking, General Guo, let's get up."

Guo Shao really didn't want to get up and knelt down for them!

He finally stood up and looked up at the slowly flowing Zhuo Shui in front of him. Two soldiers of the Zhou army were rushing from the opposite bank, and the place where the tiger army was defending was the place where the river was clear and shallow; the two riders slowed down when they rushed to the river, and then rode straight down the river, wading to the center of the river. But the horse didn't know how to be sad. When it got into the river, it drank water and shook its head, throwing the water to splash on the river surface.

Seeing this, Guo Shao turned back to the south, a green field... The Juma River was far away, and he couldn't see it in sight.

"Alas." Guo Shao sighed and had nothing to say for a while.

Seeing this, Wang Pu knew that it was not a good place to defend Zhuozhou City. The Zhuo River in front is shallow and cannot stop the army; the Juma River in the back is deep, which brings inconvenience to reinforcements and grain transportation.

Wang Pu quickly said: "You wait. No matter whether the officials will make another northern expedition in the near future, since our dynasty is at the beginning of war with the Liao Kingdom, we must keep people on the border for defense. Since ancient times, there is no reason why two countries are only allowed to fight against others and not allow others to counterattack." will make an order."

Guo Shao understood everything when he heard it. If Zhao Kuangyin didn't do it on purpose, he wouldn't believe it at all!

He looked down at the river, pondered for a while, then turned his head and said: "I went to see Gu'an County, the city wall is low, and it is separated from Zhuozhou by the river; I am afraid that it will be difficult to divide the troops into a corner, and instead disperse the troops...

I want to abandon Gu'an, concentrate my forces to defend Zhuozhou, and concentrate on maintaining the western front; I also ask Long Jie's left side to garrison at Qigou Pass. Such a concentration of troops to actively attack and defend the north bank of the Juma River is more secure than passively defending the city. For this request for instructions, I also hope that Deputy Envoy Wang will speak well in front of the officials and support them. "

Wang Pu pondered for a moment after hearing this, and said: "General Guo's strategy is quite defensible. I will report it to the officials when I go back."

When Wang Pu left the barracks. Guo Shao summoned his generals and ordered the entire army to retreat to Zhuozhou, to prevent the infantry from being divided and surrounded in the wild... Before the court could reply, he directly abandoned Gu'an; anyway, he had already communicated his intentions to Wang Pu, an official of the Privy Council, and Wang Pu also said that it made sense.

The main force of the Liao army is huge, and Guo Shao doesn't know how many there are; but he knows that more than 60,000 elite cavalry were used in the decisive battle of the Zhou army a few days ago, so the army also claimed that "the Liao army has many cavalry", so it can be guessed that the main force of the Liao army should be no less than 100,000 cavalry. One hundred thousand Khitan cavalry, usually accompanied by Xi Bing, the most trusted servant of the Khitan people, is very powerful... One can imagine the consequences if they are divided and surrounded by so many people.

But as long as you rely on Zhuozhou City, you are not afraid. The total strength of the Zhou army on the south bank of the Juma River is estimated to have reached 200,000, more than 100,000 elite forbidden troops, and many local soldiers from Jiezhen.

When the army entered Zhuozhou City, Guo Shaozhun Zuoyou's suggestion was to first try to maintain the hearts of the people. So military laws were posted everywhere in the city, and those who bullied the people were severely punished from whipping to beheading. The army does not occupy the houses by force, and sets up tents in the four gates; and occupies the official state government offices.

Sure enough, the effect was good. Not only was the Zhou army stationed in the city not harassed, but it also received the support of Han'er in Hebei, and it was easy to summon the people to build fortifications.

But how long will he stay in Zhuozhou? Guo Shao remembered the advice given to him by Empress Fu: After the Northern Expedition, return to Beijing "at any cost"!

He couldn't think of a good way for a while, worried that Chai Rong would keep him in the Hebei frontier defense for a long time. According to the past practice, only the two armies of the Guards Division of the Imperial Army will be stationed outside from time to time; the Dianqian Division belongs to the emperor's real guards, and unless the emperor himself conscripts, they are basically in Tokyo.

The Guard Division has only two armies: Tiger Jie Army and Dragon Jie Army. Guo Shao's troops were originally stationed in Zhuozhou, so the probability of letting him stay on the border is very high.

... I don’t know if it’s because of my low mood, maybe I lived in a tent to catch the cold; Guo Shao also lived in a tent with a floor on the floor in order to show his determination to share weal and woe with the soldiers. Not two days after entering Zhuozhou, he fell ill.

The high fever persisted, and he knew he had a bad cold without a doctor taking his pulse. All the generals sent a doctor to visit, and they asked for their health, but Guo Shao ignored them. He didn't care about a little cold at all, and he was still thinking about how to return to Beijing.

Are you taking the opportunity to call yourself sick now? But I was afraid that Chai Rong would let him cross the Juma River to recover from his illness and leave the army behind; this is the most likely situation, there is no need to transfer the 20,000 troops... It is enough for another person to come to Zhuozhou, such as Gao Huaide;

Therefore, Guo Shao decided not to act rashly, and just waited to see the situation.

The physical discomfort of illness exacerbated his depression, and he felt that this time the Northern Expedition performed very badly. In Tokyo, I was filled with righteous indignation and fighting spirit, but in Hebei, I didn't make an inch of merit. Sure enough, it was useless to denounce and resent the foreign invaders and enemies, but everything was nonsense. And still stuck here may not be able to go back!

"Damp poison invades the body, and I sometimes feel wind evil..." A doctor was taking a pulse before the collapse, and said, "The general can no longer live in a tent, he must find a comfortable and dry house to recuperate."

"The state government and officials' homes have housed a large number of wounded soldiers left over from the past few days. I'm afraid it's hard to recuperate with the screams and noises every day. My lord, we can only requisition the nearby houses." Zuo You said softly.

Guo Shao didn't speak up, and let them arrange this matter.

At this time Langzhong said: "Oh, the generals of the Zhou Dynasty have no place to live. It really makes me feel bad in Zhuozhou. I have a shabby room. Although it is a canopy wall, it is quiet. There are only two people inside and outside. If the general doesn't mind it, it's better to live in the old man's house."

After hearing this, Zuo You immediately said: "It's very good, it just makes it convenient for the old man to visit his illness... A little reward is not a respect. Please do your best to make the master recover quickly."

In a daze, Guo Shao was sent to a house near the military camp. Sure enough, the environment was clean and quiet. It was a very ordinary tile-roofed house.

There are no specific medicines in this era, and a cold can kill a person with poor physical fitness. Guo Shao didn't try to be aggressive at all, and he didn't object to living in a private house, and he just drank the medicine. However, there are relatively few rooms, so the personal soldiers and generals Luo Mengzi and Lu Chengyong took turns to watch and take care of them; the guards could only be stationed outside.

Guo Shao sweated profusely in the evening, and found that his fever had subsided early the next morning, and he immediately felt that this folk doctor really has some skills. Fever and cold may also require hospitalization and injections in later generations; this doctor boiled a pot of herbs for him to drink, and it was cured in one day and one night.

Immediately, he asked Luo Mengzi to call the doctor to thank him, and then asked: "What is the old man's name?"

The doctor said: "Don't dare, the old man's surname is Lu, the general can just call me Lu Laoer." A smile appeared on his face, "People in Zhuozhou often call the old man Lu the genius doctor, haha, it seems exaggerated, but for some minor illnesses and pains, the old man can be cured with medicine."

Guo Shao saw his luggage on the bedside cabinet, so he got up and brought it over, and found a gold belt buckle. Immediately put it on the table in the room, and said: "I'm out on an expedition, I don't have any valuables on me, a small thing thanks to Dr. Lu, please accept it."

Doctor Lu hastily declined.

Seeing this, Guo Shao picked up the inlaid buckle, pulled the old man's hand, and clapped it in his hand: "I'm a martial artist, so I really don't have any polite words. I said thank you for the gift, and I must give it to you. Just take it."

He got up and tidied up, then got up and dressed. The doctor said: "Although the general's condition has improved, he should be able to take care of himself. You can stay here instead of living in a tent."

Guo Shao pondered for a moment: "Does Miracle Doctor Lu have any family members?"

Old man Lu said: "Jie Nei has passed away for several years, and the only family member is the little girl."

"It's inconvenient for officers and soldiers to stay for a long time with female family members at home," Guo Shao said.

Old man Lu said: "You can tell what the general is doing in Zhuozhou City. I am not worried." After hearing this, Guo Shao said, "I will talk about it when I get back. Now I have to go out. Third brother, send someone to call Li Chuyun to the Chinese army."

Guo Shao went out and took a carriage to the camp of the Chinese Army. After seeing Li Chuyun and other generals, he inquired about the city defense and the enemy's situation, and was relieved when he learned that there was no movement for the time being; he also asked Li Chuyun to send more rangers under his command to patrol the north and south of Zhuoshui and set up sentries everywhere.

Not long after, I reported to general Zhang Ying for an interview, and Guo Shao invited him in.

Zhang Ying is a newcomer to Guo Shao. When the Zhou army advanced across the board in the early stage, the Han generals in Zhucheng surrendered after hearing the news, and a small number of Khitan troops garrisoned and fled north hastily; Zhang Ying was the owner of a livestock farm near Waqiaoguan. Guo Shao then rewarded Zhang Ying with those horses, appointed him as the head of the capital, compiled dozens of brothers in his hands into a capital, and gave him a generous reward.

"Greetings to Marshal Guo." Zhang Ying was a thick, broad-faced man in his thirties.

Guo Shao said kindly: "Excuse me."

Zhang Yingdao: "The general has a friend in Gu'an. In the morning, the friend sent someone to quietly send a letter, saying that the Liao army has occupied Gu'an city, and it is Xiao Siwen, the military commander of the Southern Academy of Youzhou. The general thinks this is military information, so he hastened to report to the lord."