Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

It was only two days after the Liao Kingdom sent troops to the South Court from Shangjing. Explosions of "bang bang bang..." were heard from time to time in the north city, and it never stopped. It was the palace tent army training horses; the Liao people asked the craftsmen in the south city to make gunpowder, stuff it in a hard bamboo tube and tamp it with mud, and it exploded at a touch. The tent was filled with smoke, as if it was setting fire.

Yelu Xiezhen met at Xiao Siwen's residence and said: "That year when Duke Xiao was the king of the Southern Courtyard, he sent troops to the south in a hurry, and the Khan became more suspicious. Now brother Yeluxiu knocked on the side, but he didn't know if it was a merit or a mistake?"

Xiao Siwen said: "At the beginning, the three Lis in Zhou State wanted to rebel, so I should respond accordingly."

After hearing this, Yelu Xiezhen nodded and said: "Although I feel that Da Khan is a bit unfair, Yeluxiu is still very relieved to break through the city of Zhou, and he reported his anger at the beginning of the year! The people in the south are getting more and more arrogant, and they went north to tease|pushed a few times, really they didn't pay attention to Daliao?"

"Guo Tiejiang is not afraid of Daliao." Xiao Siwen said calmly, "This time when the big sweat comes back from hunting, I want to write a letter to warn him not to go on patrol again, and he has to stay in Shangjing to deal with the south."

After hearing this, Yelu Xiezhen pondered for a moment and said, "Will Blacksmith Guo come north to Youzhou?"

Xiao Siwen said: "Who can say for sure? But it doesn't hurt to be on guard."

Yelu Xiezhen bowed and said, "Duke Xiao is far-sighted."

Xiao Siwen said: "There is no need to worry too much. At the beginning of the year, Blacksmith Guo could not defeat Youzhou. It has only been more than half a year, and the situation is no different. It is said that the Southern Han Kingdom was destroyed by the Zhou Kingdom, and the Zhou Army added 100,000 troops. However, those people are still available to fight the Southern Han and other stupid small countries. It is a joke to be transferred to fight the Daliao!

Daliao has not lived in peace these years. I don't advocate that nothing should be done to harass and provoke Zhou Guo, but something has already happened, so we don't have to be afraid. The rules on the prairie still apply to the southerners, after all, we still have to use force to speak! "

Yelu Xiezhen bowed and said: "Xiao Gong's words are very true. If Daliao is invincible, how can the grassland tribes obey us?"

Xiao Siwen stood up and took a few steps back and forth: "Let's not criticize Brother Yeluxiu for the time being. In case the Zhou army takes the opportunity to go north, Brother Yeluxiu can use troops. This man has some brains on the battlefield."

Because when Xiao Siwen led his troops to invade the south, he did not break through the important towns in Hebei, that is, he came back after looting in the countryside. But Brother Yeluxiu managed to open the gate of Yizhou City, but he is not a brute force.

Thinking of this, Xiao Siwen said again: "Everything is based on the overall situation. If Blacksmith Guo wants to go to the Northern Expedition again, his situation will be even worse if he fails once. The old man will wait for him to die first!"

...

On the first day of September in the second year of Xuanren, the days get shorter and the nights get longer.

The huge metropolis of Tokyo has already woken up early. On the tower of Xuande Gate, a group of soldiers came up neatly, and under the dim and white sky, only shadows of the same height could be seen. A military general stepped forward to report the name of the official position, took the military talisman to check with the night duty general, and the two faced each other and bowed. Then a short military order was heard: "Change defense!"

Not long after, there was a long shout: "The time has come, open the city gate..."

As soon as the drum beat, it immediately disturbed the sleeping dreams of the surrounding neighbors. On the edge of the female wall, neatly armored soldiers were holding cherry guns and standing on top of their legs with their heads held high. Yellow, red, and blue pennants fluttered in the air, and a general walked on it with his sword, turning his head to look at the scene outside.

Outside the city tower, on the long imperial street, there is another scene. A long bright light stretches to the distance, like a huge lantern dragon, which is very spectacular. Today is the day of the Great Dynasty. There is no special reason. Officials above the fifth rank in Beijing have to go to the palace to pay homage. These people are the officials who came to the court, plus the accompanying guards and entourage.

"Wow..." The heavy city gate rubbed against the brick floor, slowly opened, and the lights in the city shone out.

People got off their horses, straightened their clothes, and strode towards Xuandemen.

Civil and military officials came to the main hall of Jinxiang Palace one after another, stood in the hall in order of height, and waited for the court.

But today the dragon chair and throne above have been empty for a long time. After waiting for a long time, the sky outside the hall has already brightened and the sun is about to come out, but there is still no movement on the throne. The eunuchs stood on both sides of the steps, and no one came up to explain or deliver orders.

Gradually, some people finally noticed the strangeness of today. Many seats in the front row were vacant, and some important ministers did not go to court.

However, the Beijing officials were quite calm, and everyone felt that the atmosphere was not right, but no one was making noise and whispering, just stood there and waited. These people may be able to stand for three days and three nights without eating or drinking at certain times. What they fight is perseverance and endurance.

... Of course Guo Shao has not slept, he is no longer in the court.

On the grounds of the Forbidden Army barracks, the gate of the camp was wide open, and Guo Shao, dressed in armor and wearing a high crown, rode in with a sword on his horse. On the left was Wang Pu, a privy envoy with graying sideburns and beard, and on the right was Li Chuyun, a red-faced man with a black mouth and thick beard. Behind them is a group of straight cavalry with distinctive armor.

There are a large number of iron helmets on the school field, and the swords and flags are like a forest.

Guo Shao patted his horse and rushed into the barracks. When all the soldiers saw him, they raised their swords and guns and shouted immediately. Encouraged by the atmosphere, Guo Shao drew his sword from his waist and pointed obliquely at the crowd to salute the soldiers.

The atmosphere became more lively, and the crowd shouted: "Long live! Long live..."

The generals from all around rode over and knelt down on one knee in front of Guo Shaoma to pay respects.

"The generals are flat." Guo Shao's voice was loud and powerful, full of energy, showing people that he was healthy and strong.

Everyone said: "The last general will wait to thank the emperor for his kindness!"

Guo Shao kicked his horse and rushed out. The generals hurriedly got up and got on their horses to catch up. A herd of horses galloped along the front of the army, and the shouts and hooves of the horses made people's blood rush like a torrent.

He reined in his horse and said loudly: "The people of the country are in trouble, only I and the warriors of the Great Zhou Dynasty are willing to fight to the end for the world!"

Dong Zunhui's voice shouted loudly: "The bloody battle to the end!"

All the troops were in an uproar, all staring and shouting, the barracks was busier than the downtown.

Shi Yanchao jumped off his horse, clasped his fists and said straightly: "Just as the Liao people invaded, please be the vanguard!"

Seeing this, all the generals expressed their opinions one after another: "Your Majesty's sword points, even if it is a mountain of swords and a sea of ​​fire, the last general will never frown..." "Your Majesty wants to use troops, and the ministers are ready to follow His Majesty at any time."

Guo Shao sat on the horse, feeling the attitude and breath of the army. In any case, he can at least be sure that he has the support of the military.

With the current system of the Great Zhou, warriors are quite supportive of wars. Only with wars can they rise up, get rewards, and be relied on. Otherwise, their right to speak and status will decline. There are also middle and low-level generals. Everyone knows that fighting will kill people, but it is better to fight a big battle in ten years. Just like the battle of Gaoping in the previous dynasty, how many people started fighting in one battle.

Only many civil servants may not be very supportive. They are different from military generals. Fighting is not good for them. To maintain the operation of the court in all aspects, it consumes too much resources, increases taxes and corvees, and expropriates the people, which is not conducive to stable rule. This is something they don't want to see.

The timing is also very appropriate. Usually, during the period when the country has just been established by force, the emperor personally leads the troops to win the world. He has higher prestige and familiarity in the army, and it is easier to mobilize the army to launch wars in person. If the future emperors cannot directly lead troops, and the military power is divided into the hands of the ministers, it will not be so easy to start a war. It will be a very complicated and troublesome matter.

Moreover, the powerful ministers around Guo Shao, such as Wang Pu, Wei Renpu, Wang Pu, Li Gu and other prime ministers, and even the cabinet ministers who participated in politics, have all gathered around him. If he must do something, he can easily get the support of his confidant ministers.

This is the situation before Guo Shao, he can mobilize the entire Forbidden Army with a single sentence, and his control is still very strong.

Guo Shao led his men and horses to inspect several barracks of the imperial army, and the morale and situation of the army were relatively good. After half a year of rest, the Forbidden Army has basically recovered its combat effectiveness.

At three poles in the sun, Guo Shaocai returned to the imperial city.

He first went to the East Hall to have a final discussion with more than twenty ministers. Wei Renpu hung up a map and explained to the ministers and generals the strategy that the court had put forward in advance. The discussion continued until noon. As for the civil and military officials in the main hall, they still stood there for a long time.

At noon, the emperor finally stepped onto the dragon chair in military uniform. Hundreds of officials in the main hall shouted long live.

Guo Shao asked the eunuch to issue an edict. The Liao army invaded, and the people of Hebei looked forward to the king's division in dire straits. The emperor decided to lead the forbidden army to patrol the border north.

The emperor made the decree directly, and it was obvious that the group of most powerful officials who were absent this morning had discussed it, and none of the officials below objected... According to the situation since the end of Tang Dynasty, ordinary officials were powerless to object, because during this period of time, it was for military purposes and the imperial court structure was very centralized. This time is different from the last Northern Expedition. The result of the last time is completely unknown, but this time with experience, the situation is clearer. Many people are not very optimistic about the recent Northern Expedition.

Now the start is relatively low-key, and the Northern Expedition did not claim to be a decisive battle with the Liao army in name. It seems that the original intention was to expel the Liao army from Yizhou.

However, that's where the war started.

... Fu Jinzhan went to the west hall, and saw Guo Shao waiting there on the stone steps at the back door, wearing an armor and a sword. She raised her head and looked at him, as if she saw the figure of the guard back then.

She gently lifted the hem of her skirt and walked up the stone steps step by step. Stepping lightly on the spotless embroidered shoes on the old stone slab, Fu Jinzhan's mood fluctuated a little.

Hearing the remarks of the ministers, Fu Jinzhan also lacked confidence in this war, because in just half a year, the strength of the Zhou army has not changed much.

Some failures have serious consequences and are not easily afforded.

In a short section of stone steps, Fu Jinzhan seemed to have gone through the ups and downs of these years, and how many times she escaped from the storm was accompanied by Brother Shao from above. It is not easy for them to get to where they are today.

"Your Majesty." Fu Jinzhan lowered his body slightly, and took the lead in saluting. Her voice was still so soothing and calm.

Guo Shao clasped his fists and said, "I am still a guard."

Fu Jinzhan raised his head, with a slight smile on his gorgeous face.

Guo Shao said in a deep voice: "I know the feeling of life and death. People in the world have their own families. It is something I cannot bear to let people watch their relatives being robbed and killed. After weighing it again and again, I am determined to go out again, and the soldiers are also willing to fight for the people of the world."

Fu Jinzhan smiled sweetly: "Your Majesty will surely win the battle, you never let me down."

Guo Shao was really relieved when he heard this, and he clasped his fists and said, "Empress Duanci only needs to wait for my success in Tokyo for this expedition!"

Fu Jinzhan nodded, and said: "I will take a bath and fast every day, pray for His Majesty and the soldiers ahead, and wait for the Imperial Army to return to the court with victory as soon as possible."

She came up, stretched out her hand to hold Guo Shao's sword hilt, pressed it lightly, heard a soft metal "dang", and slowly pulled it out. The blade is brand new, bright as a mirror, and very sharp. Fu Jinzhan is probably the only one who dares to hold the unsheathed sword in Guo Shao. Guo Shao did not move. With his appearance, even if Fu Jinzhan really wanted to stab him, he would not hide.

Fu Jinzhan looked down with a calm and smiling face, and looked down at the hilt of the sword, but the moment he lowered his head, he showed a gentle and shy feeling.

She gently pulled out a piece of red silk embroidered with gold thread patterns from her sleeve, slowly wrapped the red silk around the hilt of Guo Shao's sword with Ruyu's hand, then tied it with a button, and put the sword back into Guo Shao's scabbard.

After Fu Jinzhan finished this, he looked up at him, his face was flushed, and he was very nervous.

There are many palace people bending over behind her, this is the first time she has done such intimate things in front of Guo Shao in public. Guo Shao silently looked at the bright red on the hilt of the sword, which looked extraordinarily beautiful behind the simple and heavy hall.

This time, in the words of blessing, somehow, the breath is inexplicably a little tragic. \u003c