Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

In Jinyang, the capital of the Northern Han Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin had just returned home from the court, when Li Jixun, Shi Shouxin and other brothers greeted him outside the door, and quickly welcomed him into the house. It's really because Zhao Kuangyin's status in Jinyang is not good now, and he is not qualified to go to court at all, but today is unprecedented.

Li Jixun was the first to ask: "What does the lord mean by inviting Brother Zhao to go?" Shi Shouxin also asked anxiously: "Could it be that they are going to take the opportunity to go south?"

Zhao Kuangyin shook his head and said, "The current ruler is not the former ruler of the Northern Han Dynasty (Liu Chong). I have guessed their plans for a long time. They want to unite with the Khitan to protect themselves. They have no aggressive intentions. Therefore, it is temporarily impossible to take the initiative to send troops to fight the Great Zhou. Besides, Guo Shao was so good at fighting in the Southern Tang Dynasty.

Shi Shouxin didn't take it seriously, and let out a snort: "What he holds in his hand is the elite that Da Zhou has fought for many years, and he has occupied the upper reaches. It is the trend of the times, and it is not uncommon to be able to defeat Nantang."

Li Jixun said: "But it's too fast."

After hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin murmured: "This man is somewhat capable in fighting."

Only then did Shi Shouxin ask: "Then the Lord of the Northern Han Dynasty asked Brother Zhao to go, why?"

Zhao Kuangyin frowned after hearing this, and said: "Before Li Chongjin led troops across the Northern Han territory, and then encountered Guo Shao's tribe (Pinger Li's rebellion battle). The Northern Han army sent scouts out of the border to watch the battle, captured a Zhou army scout, and seized a pair of armor. The armor is forged from a single piece of iron, very strong, and smooth and flat..."

Li Jixun immediately said: "I have seen this armor in battle."

Zhao Kuangyin continued: "The Lord of the Northern Han Dynasty, Qizhi, wanted to know the method of forging this armor. He thought I knew it, so he asked me."

Shi Shoudao: "It must have been obtained by Guo Shao from a master, we have never seen this armor when we were in the imperial army."

"That's right." Zhao Kuangyin said, "But the Lord of the Northern Han Dynasty didn't believe it, and he didn't want to persecute me face to face. He mentioned that we lived in Tokyo for a long time, we are familiar with the place, and we should be able to find old friends. He told me to send someone to Tokyo to make contact and bring back two armor-makers."

Shi Shoudao: "Since the Lord of the Northern Han Dynasty suspects that we have secret armor-making skills, it may not be good not to agree to him. After all, everything is under the control of others. Brother Zhao, why not follow the Lord of the Northern Han Dynasty."

Zhao Kuangyin said: "I had to agree first. However, if the Lord of the Northern Han Dynasty obtained this armor, it is very likely that he would offer armor-making skills to please the Khitan people... It is really helpless for us to seek refuge in the Northern Han Dynasty. Although the Northern Han Dynasty is the mortal enemy of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it can be regarded as an internal struggle; the Khitan people are not my race, and they always have the intention of destroying me. It is a shame for me to send this kind of armor to the Khitan people."

Shi Shouxin didn't think too much, and said: "Then what can we do? We have to obey the Northern Han Lord. Besides, it's not a big deal. The (later) Jin Dynasty ceded Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures and led Khitan to go south. The Southern Tang Kingdom and Duofan wanted to form an alliance with Khitan to restrain the Great Zhou. Who cares so much?"

Zhao Kuangyin shook his head and said: "In today's world, if you disregard righteousness, you will lose people's hearts. There is no way out, and it is impossible to win... Otherwise, you and my brother are treated like this in the Northern Han Dynasty, and you should have joined Khitan long ago; why not?"

Several big men looked at each other in blank dismay, all silent. Zhao Kuangyin also knew that it would be difficult to find a chance to make a comeback, and he felt a little frustrated.

Zhao Kuangyin thought of something, his face turned blue and white, "Guo Shao is in a good mood now, this time he will rebel against himself on the way back to Beijing!"

"Oh?" Shi Shouxin was surprised.

Zhao Kuangyin said coldly: "It has been a great achievement since ancient times to open up territories. He even conquered the two southern countries, cultivated party members inside and outside the court, and the army alone controlled the military power outside. Taking advantage of his fame and holding a large army, if he didn't seize the opportunity to stand on his own, when will..."

He remembered that after the death of the late emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he was once a powerful figure in the army of the Dianqian Division, ranking only under Zhang Yongde. This opportunity should have been his, but now he watched others gradually approaching that position; the feeling in his heart, the frustration, pain, and sadness, really couldn't be resolved.

How many people and how many chances are there to win the world with commoner clothes? What you get is not only the glory, wealth, power and status, but also a place in the history of Evergreen, and you can fight for the supremacy for many generations of descendants. This kind of thing is really a once-in-a-lifetime, rare achievement!

Now that Zhao Kuangyin sees Guo Shao's opportunity, he has a dead heart and can't calm down! I only thought in my heart that if I make a wrong step, I will regret it for the rest of my life and die with regret!

Li Jixun said: "Brother Zhao is justified. It's no wonder that such ambitious people don't usurp the throne. It's a pity that the Taizu and the late emperor had a hard time in starting a business, and finally got a foundation, which made it easier for outsiders. This person can only bully orphans and widows. He is not a good man!"

Zhao Kuangyin's face was ugly and said: "The widowed mother can't be counted in it, then the Fu family has already shared the same nostrils with Guo Shao; if there is no Fu family, how can Guo Shao have today with his little foundation?"

Shi Shoudao: "Brother Zhao, when and where does Guo Shao rebel?"

Zhao Kuangyin pondered for a while: "To defeat the Southern Tang Kingdom, the time for the class teacher to return to the court is the most appropriate...for the locality, Songzhou." When he said this, he felt even more uncomfortable, because he had served as the military governor of Songzhou to return to the German army.

His voice was filled with sadness, and he sighed together: "The army that conquered the Southern Tang had a large number of sailors, and the ships of the sailors could also help the army transport its luggage. When the Zhou army marched, they should choose the road along the water; after crossing the Huaihe River from the south of the Yangtze River, the Bianshui River is the closest and the river is the widest. Since the squadron marches on the Bianshui River, the closest place on this river to Tokyo is Songzhou; he can be supported there, and then return to Beijing."

Not only Zhao Kuangyin was annoyed, but even Shi Shouxin and other brothers were also very angry. Even if they are not on the throne, it is only natural for them to be a founding hero, a marquis and a prime minister, but now they are like a bereaved dog here, who is comfortable?

Sure enough, Shi Shouxin patted the table and said, "I just don't want to see him fulfill his wish!"

Zhao Kuangyin and Li Jixun almost raised their hands and feet in agreement, everyone felt the same.

Shi Shouxin said: "Since Brother Zhao has guessed his time and place correctly, why don't we think of a way to let him fetch water from the bamboo basket in vain, at least let the world see this guy's face clearly! I make you proud, make you proud..."

Li Jixun couldn't help but asked: "There are people from Guo Shao inside and out, and he has a lot of soldiers in his hands. What's more, the people who do such important things, if they don't make arrangements early, how dare they allow their subordinates to support them casually? What can we do?"

Zhao Kuangyin paced back and forth a few steps: "How deep is Guo Shaocai's foundation? There should be some way, let's make a total calculation."