Less than ten days after Guo Wei led his army to Qizhou, he received an urgent edict from Kaifeng. Emperor Liu Chengyou ordered him to return to the court quickly.

Jiao Jixun, the former military envoy of the Fengxiang Army, returned to serve in the court, and Zhao Hui, the military envoy of the Shunyi Army, was appointed as the military envoy of the Fengxiang Army. He was also responsible for the deployment of the southwest camp and was fully responsible for the defense of the Shu army.

As a last resort, after Guo Wei and Zhao Hui completed the handover of military affairs, he and Jiao Jixun hurriedly returned to Kaifeng and went to the palace to see him in early July.

"Your Majesty, Guo Wei, come to see you!"

In the Zichen Palace, Guo Wei, who had rushed back after a long journey, had not even had time to take off his military uniform when he was urgently summoned into the palace by Liu Chengyou.

"Guo Gong, please wake up quickly!"

Liu Chengyou, who was wearing a new bright yellow Kowloon round-neck robe, sat high on the dragon chair on the jade steps, with a gentle smile on his face in the spring breeze.

Recently, his good uncle Li Ye found a stunning beauty with a skin as soft as fat and a graceful figure. Liu Chengyou loved her so much that she took her into the harem and named her Mrs. Geng.

Liu Chengyou and Mrs. Geng were in love with each other every day, and they had not been to court for half a month.

This time Guo Wei returned to the palace to pay an audience. This was the first time that he appeared in front of courtiers in half a month.

Liu Chengyou was nourished by the beauty, and he was naturally in a good mood. He smiled and said authentically: "Guo Gong marched to the west, defeated the rebellious ministers in one fell swoop, pacified Guanzhong, and made great contributions to our dynasty. I will hold a grand banquet in the Qingshou Hall three days later, together with the Manchu dynasty officials. Celebrate Duke Guo’s victory, and then spread the decree to all prefectures and counties to publicize Duke Guo’s illustrious military exploits to the world!”

Guo Wei hurriedly bowed down and said: "I accept the emperor's order to go out to fight and share the worries of the officials. This is my duty as a minister. Only with the prosperity of the officials and the soldiers' lives can we defeat the rebels. How dare I take credit! Please reward the officials and soldiers of the three armies. Generals who have made meritorious deeds are rewarded, but as for the trivial achievements of ministers, it is enough to be praised by the officials with golden mouths. I will never dare to receive rewards again!"

"Hey, Mr. Guo is too modest!" Liu Chengyou pretended to be displeased, "Mr. Guo is the pillar of our dynasty. This time he helped the country quell the rebellion and stabilized the people of the country. Mr. Guo has made great contributions. How can we not reward him?"

If Guo Wei wanted to say anything else, Liu Chengyou waved his hand and said: "I will allocate a sum of money from the internal funds to reward the army, commend the three armies, and then let the Privy Council, together with the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites, award meritorious officers according to the merit book. As for Guo Gong's reward, we will wait for it. After the celebration banquet, I summoned the four ministers of Gu Ming to discuss it before making a decision."

Guo Wei had no choice but to prostrate himself again: "I thank you for your kindness!"

Liu Chengyou casually asked some questions about the western expedition to Puzhou, and listened absently to Guo Wei's account of the war.

After a while, Liu Chengyou took a few sips from the tea cup and winked at another person standing in the hall, his uncle Li Ye.

Li Ye understood, cupped his hands and smiled and said: "The military report submitted by Duke Guo has been read by the officials. After gathering Prime Minister Su Fengji, Xuanhui Beiyuan Envoy Wang Jun and other important ministers to discuss it, they have several questions that I would like to ask Duke Guo for advice!"

"Uncle Guo, it's okay to say so." Guo Wei said solemnly.

Li Ye and Liu Chengyou looked at each other and said with a smile: "Well, this is about the selection of the military commander of the Tianxiong Army. Chai Rong was transferred to the military commander of the Yongxing Army and took charge of Chang'an to rebuild the Yongxing Army. Guo Gong asked Hu Yanke to take over temporarily. Take charge of the Tianxiong Army. Now that the Tianxiong Army has returned to Yedu, is it possible to consider appointing another Jiedu envoy?"

Guo Wei's eyes narrowed slightly. As expected by Wei Renpu, Li Ye was the first to talk about the Tianxiong Army. He wanted to take advantage of Chai Rong's transfer from Chang'an to completely take away the Tianxiong Army's military power and completely separate the Tianxiong Army from Guo Wei. open.

"Hu Yanke is mature and prudent. I think there is nothing wrong with him serving as the military governor of the Tianxiong Army!"

Guo Wei said in a deep voice, "I would like to ask the officials to ask Hu Yanke to serve for a period of time in the name of school inspection. If his performance is not good, it will not be too late to replace him!"

"This..." Liu Chengyou pretended to be embarrassed and glanced at Li Ye.

Li Ye hurriedly said: "Mr. Guo's words are wrong! The Tianxiong Army guards Yedu and controls the throat of Hebei. It is the center of Hebei's defense against the Khitans. The post of Tianxiong Army Jiedu Envoy is of great importance and must be selected. Talented ministers and famous commanders are appointed and cannot be changed easily.

Although Old General Hu Yanke is also a famous general of our dynasty, with his reputation and qualifications, I am afraid that he is not enough to command the Tianxiong Army. Guarding Yedu is our northern barrier. Moreover, Old General Hu is 64 years old and has limited energy. It is difficult to cope with the complicated affairs of Yedu, so it is better to choose a successor now."

Liu Chengyou also hurriedly said: "Old General Hu Yanke was recommended by Mr. Guo. I naturally believe that General Hu has the ability to lead the Tianxiong Army. However, the old general is old after all, and I am also thinking about his health.

General Hu was previously the military envoy of the Zhenning Army and was far away in Guanzhong. Now that he is back this time, he does not have to go far. I have appointed him as the military envoy of the Zhenning Army. He can go to Chanzhou to recuperate, and it is also convenient for him to spend time with his family and children. Reunion.”

Guo Wei frowned and seemed to be hesitating.

Liu Chengyou and Li Ye were a little nervous, fearing that he would not agree.

After a while, Guo Wei nodded, cupped his hands and said: "What the officials said is reasonable, but I didn't think it through carefully. So according to the officials' words, I transferred Hu Yanke to Chanzhou, and selected some capable officials to go to Yedu to take over the Tianxiong Army."

Liu Chengyou secretly breathed a sigh of relief, looking undecided, wondering: "But who should be sent to lead the Tianxiong Army?"

There was a strange light in the slits of Li Ye's eyes, like a poisonous snake dormant in winter. He just opened his eyes in early spring and said with a smile: "The Tianxiong Army has been commanded by Duke Guo before, so it is better to return it to Duke Guo."

Liu Chengyou pretended to think for a moment and agreed: "I think it is feasible. Let Guo Gong also lead the Tianxiong Army as a privy envoy!"

Guo Wei secretly became wary. The officials and Li Ye's singing seemed to be a deliberate test.

Fortunately, Guo Wei and Wei Renpu discussed it on the way back to Kaifeng and already had a way to deal with it.

Immediately, Guo Wei bowed his head and said solemnly: "I would like to thank the officials for their love and uncle Li Guo's recommendation! However, it is against the imperial system for me to lead the army as a privy envoy. When I return to the imperial court this time, I will return my military power." , perform the duties of the privy envoy with peace of mind. In the past dynasties, there has never been a precedent for the privy envoy to also take charge of a vassal town. I dare not violate the rules again, so I ask the officials to take back my order!"

Guo Wei dropped his cloak and knelt down on one knee.

Liu Chengyou sighed: "Guo Gong holds a high position but abides by etiquette. He is really a model of a wise minister! However, the selection of Tianxiong Army Commander is very important. If Guo Gong is not responsible for it, I don't know who to appoint for a while!"

Li Ye answered: "Don't worry about the officials, I have a candidate who I think is more suitable."

Liu Chengyou hurriedly asked: "Who is it?"

Li Ye smiled and said: "King Linqing, Taiwei, Gao Xingzhou!"

Liu Chengyou thought for a while and said: "Liu Taiwei is also a famous commander in our dynasty, but he is about the same age as Hu Yanke. This time he returned to Kaifeng to recuperate. I intend to keep him in Kaifeng for a long time. I really can't bear to let the old Taiwei go to Yedu again." , to work on national affairs.”

Li Yedao: "Yesterday, I just visited the Prince's Mansion of Linqing. The old prince's injuries are no longer serious. He eats wine and meat every meal and is as strong as a young man. He still wields a bow and practices swordsmanship in the mansion. His majesty is still the same as before! The old prince also asked me to express my gratitude to him. Your Majesty expressed his intention to return to Luoyang and continue to guard Xijing for His Majesty!"

"Haha~! It's a great blessing for the country that Lord Gao has recovered from his injury!" Liu Chengyou said with joy on his face.

Guo Wei smiled and said: "Captain Gao is getting stronger and stronger. It is most suitable for him to serve as the military governor of the Tianxiong Army, and he will be in charge of Ye."

Liu Chengyou smiled and said: "So, Mr. Guo agrees to hand over the Tianxiong Army to the command of Lord Gao?"

Guo Wei said solemnly: "No matter how prestigious the Tianxiong Army is, it is just a vassal town in the country, let alone a subordinate of the minister. How to deal with it depends entirely on the will of the officials. As a privy envoy, I only assist the officials in controlling military aircraft. The main thing is to provide consultation and advice to the officials."

Liu Chengyou announced impatiently: "Then it's settled that Gao Xingzhou will take over as the military governor of Tianxiong Army and take charge of Yedu! I will order someone to draft an edict later."

"The official is wise!" Li Ye flattered and smiled. The two looked at each other and both breathed a sigh of relief, each feeling a little proud.

In their view, this was considered as successfully taking away the military power of the Tianxiong Army from Guo Wei.

After that, the most powerful military power under Guo Wei's direct lineage will be returned to the state.

Guo Wei looked calm: "I dare to ask the officials about the military report. I wonder if the officials have any questions?"

Liu Chengyou winked at Li Ye, who hurriedly said: "For this second matter, the court has not yet decided how to deal with Jiao Jixun. The officials said they want to wait until Duke Guo returns to the court for discussion before making a decision."

Liu Chengyou said: "Jiao Jixun guarded Qizhou and failed to guard against the Shu army. I want to depose him as the training envoy of the Xinzhou regiment as a punishment. I wonder what Mr. Guo will do?"

Guo Wei thought for a while, then held up his hands and said: "Jiao Jixun did not notice in time that Wang Jingchong and Li Shouzhen colluded, which led to civil strife in Qizhou, so that the Shu army wanted to take advantage of the situation and invaded the pass. These crimes were all true. The officials were aware of them, and the ministers were not aware of them. Talk.

However, since the civil strife broke out in Qizhou, Jiao Jixun had always kept Wang Jingchong firmly involved in Qizhou and never let the war spread elsewhere.

When the Shu army was knocking at the pass, he still remained calm in the face of danger. He personally went out to attack the Shu army camp and forced the Shu army to retreat without losing the dignity of the official family and the majesty of our court. This can be regarded as a great achievement.

With such merits and demerits being balanced, I believe that Jiao Jixun should not be held too accountable for his crimes."

Liu Chengyou said displeasedly: "Jiao Jixun and Wang Jingchong worked together in Qizhou. Wang Jingchong secretly colluded with Li Shouzhen without telling him, but he had no idea about it, which caused civil strife in Qizhou and the strength of Fengxiang Army was greatly damaged. Shouldn't he be held responsible for this?"

Guo Wei said sincerely: "Wang Jingchong, as Fengxiang's inspector, is nominally Jiao Jixun's deputy, but he has been running Qizhou longer than Jiao Jixun, and he has a high prestige among the Fengxiang army. If he deliberately conceals it, it will be extremely difficult for Jiao Jixun to discover him." conspiracy.

To be fair, if I were in Jiao Jixun's position, I wouldn't have done better than him."

"Then what does Mr. Guo say we should do with him?"

Guo Wei said: "The officials might as well call him into the palace and reprimand him face to face, but instead of inventing a decree to convict him, they can confer him the title of General Inspector Zuoyu Linwei and stay in the imperial army. In this way, Jiao Jixun will definitely be grateful to the officials. Keep in mind the benevolence and power of the official family at all times."

Liu Chengyou nodded secretly, Guo Wei's words made him a little moved.

Although Jiao Jixun was implicated by Wang Jingchong and was troubled by the mess in Qizhou in the early stage of the Guanzhong rebellion, he still managed to get through the difficulties without any danger, trying to keep Qizhou intact and not letting the Shu army cross the border.

Jiao Jixun was also a famous general with great military exploits in the dynasty. If he could be brought back to his heart, it would be of great benefit to the consolidation of imperial power.

Liu Chengyou looked at Li Ye, who nodded slightly.

"As Mr. Guo said, when you are old enough to seek the country, I will issue an order later to summon Jiao Jixun to the palace." Liu Chengyou accepted Guo Wei's proposal with a smile.

"The third thing is about the reward given to Zhu Xiu of the Zhangyi Army in Jingzhou. Duke Guo ranked him at the forefront in the military merit book and asked the court to appoint him as the marching commander of the Zhangyi Army and the governor of Jingzhou. But as far as I know, This Zhu Xiu has not yet reached the age of weaklings. I am afraid it is not appropriate for a mere commoner boy to be suddenly promoted to a high position..."

Li Ye shook his head and raised his third objection.

Liu Chengyou said with a cold face: "This man is cunning, cunning and scoundrel. I learned this lesson deeply when I was in Cangzhou. If Chai Rong hadn't stopped him, I would have chopped off his head long ago. This man is hiding in Jingzhou, relying on Shi Kuangwei. To stir up trouble, he first offended Li Yiyin, the convict army, and then encouraged Shi Kuangwei to collect and sell salt privately, thereby grabbing the country's salt profits.

Li Yiyin and Wang Jun wrote many times, requesting the imperial court to depose Shi Kuangwei, arrest Zhu Xiu, and prosecute the two men. I am concerned that the rebellion in Guanzhong has not been settled, and do not want to cause trouble. Now that the war is over, it is a good opportunity to punish the Zhangyi Army.

Duke Guo is now asking for credit for Zhu Xiu, which really puts me in a difficult position."

Guo Wei hurriedly knelt down on one knee: "I went all the way west to Guanzhong to inquire about the rumors about the Zhangyi Army, but most of them were false. There is indeed a salt factory in Jingzhou, but most of the rock salt produced is distributed to the Zhangyi soldiers and civilians for free. The so-called Selling salt privately is just a result of rampant salt traders and repeated bans.

As for the death of the nephew of Li Yiyin of the Dingnan Army in Jingzhou, there are many mysteries. The court should not listen to Li Yiyin's words. Since the founding of our country, the Dingnan Army has relied on force and stayed away from the Central Plains. It has become more arrogant and arrogant, and has no regard for the official will and the court. Government orders are followed and disobeyed.

If the Changyi Army is dealt with in order to appease the Dangxiang Li family, I am afraid it will chill the hearts of other feudal vassals and make the subjects complain a lot, thinking that the officials and the court have nothing to do with the Dangxiang people, but will only increase their domineering arrogance!"

"This..." Liu Chengyou hesitated. Guo Wei was right. If Zhang Yijun and Shi Kuangwei were punished based solely on Li Yiyin's complaint, I'm afraid the people all over the world would say that he was a dignified Han emperor, but he couldn't suppress them. Live with unruly party members.

Li Ye hurriedly spoke out and said: "Let's not talk about the grievances between Dangxiang and the Changyi Army for the moment. Let's take Shi Kuangwei and Zhu Xiu as an example of collecting and making salt privately. They have violated the imperial ban. Shouldn't they be punished?"

Guo Wei glanced at him and said in a deep voice: "What's the real situation? Sushi Li is far away in Kaifeng. He must not listen to what one family says. He should send people to investigate more and draw conclusions.

Before that, Zhang Yijun and Zhu Xiu were meritorious soldiers of our Western Expedition. As the commander-in-chief, Guo Wei should take credit for his subordinates! If the rewards and punishments are unclear, how can you show your kindness? How can you establish the prestige of the imperial court? How can you subdue the three armies? "

After Guo Wei went out to fight for more than a year, Li Ye finally overcame all difficulties and became the coveted post of Third Secretary Envoy. He controlled the country's financial power and was known as the "planning prime minister" in the court.

I thought I would have the confidence to compete with Guo Wei from now on, but I didn't expect to be swept away by that powerful gaze, and I still had a chilling feeling of being watched by a tiger.

Li Ye gritted his teeth and forced himself to argue: "But Zhu Xiu is only a young man. Duke Guo actually ranked him at the forefront of the military merit list and reported to the imperial court for a large reward. If word spreads, it will be difficult to convince the soldiers of the Western Expedition."

Guo Wei solemnly said: "Zhu Xiu's contribution is well known to all the military. Qizhou destroyed Wang Jingchong, Huazhou pacified Zhao Siwan, and destroyed Puzhou City. Zhu Xiu played a decisive role in each of them! If Li Si If you don’t believe it, you can call the generals of the Western Expedition to ask! With Zhu Xiu’s merits, if he is not even rewarded by the imperial court, it will chill the hearts of the officers and soldiers of the three armies and question the unclear rewards and punishments of the imperial court!”

Liu Chengyou looked at Guo Wei who was kneeling in the hall, his eyes darkened, and he secretly clenched his fists.

Guo Wei's attitude of arguing hard was something he had not expected. If the stalemate continues like this, I'm afraid he won't compromise easily.

Li Ye wanted to argue a few more words, but Liu Chengyou coughed to stop him and forced out a smile: "Guo Gong has always given strict orders and clear rewards and punishments. I believe that there is no trace of fraud in the military report sent to the court by Guo Gong! There is no need to argue about this matter anymore. , according to the request of the military report, reward the soldiers based on their merits!"
To be continued...