"The will to cultivate, the virtue to be thick, the wisdom to be wise, this is the reason why the emperor conquers the world." [Xunzi·Honor and Disgrace]
After dinner, all the soldiers in the camp took advantage of the excitement of the new victory. Soon after the moon rose in the east and night fell, they returned to the camp to sleep under the orders of their respective uncles. The huge camp suddenly fell into silence, but it was a little quiet.
There was no sound, except for a few specific camps and roads, all the lights and candles were turned off, and the firelight flickered in the camp.
As winter gradually entered, the weather in the north became colder and colder, and the cool night wind also became chilly. The emperor finally discussed the next military plan with Jia Xu and others in the tent, and used it with others.
After dinner, he took the time to deliver Zhao Wen from Chang'an, replied to the memorials he had accumulated for a long time, and then read for a while. It was almost late at night.
Mu Shun carefully picked up a thick cloak and put it on the emperor's shoulders. He glanced at the hot water where the emperor's feet were soaking and said softly: "Your Majesty, this water is getting cold quickly. Please add more, please?"
The emperor rested his hat on one hand and looked at the book in his hand, lost in thought. He seemed completely unaware of Mu Shun's considerate care. His eyes did not move on a line of words for a long time, and then he asked in an instant: "Is it cold outside?"
The tent was closed, and the emperor did not allow Mu Shun to light charcoal and make a fire inside, so he had to cover it with a thick felt blanket outside to protect it from the cold frost.
The emperor had not gone out since nightfall. Naturally, he did not know the weather in the early winter in the north. Mu Shun replied, "Jinnuo, everyone said it would freeze tonight. I think it won't freeze, but frost will."
Most likely."
"It's really cold on the ground. The hot water that was just poured became cold after a layer of blankets." The emperor said softly. He finally rolled up the book and moved his eyes to the next line. He moved his white
He lifted his feet from the warm water and placed them gently on the edge of the copper basin. Fine water droplets as big as beans condensed on the smooth insteps: "That's it."
Mu Shun hurriedly bent down, picked up the emperor's feet, and wiped them carefully with soft silk cloth. The emperor only brought one eunuch with him to serve in daily life, and he had no right to call out the sergeants, so he had to do everything himself.
, life in the army was very difficult, and he could not even take a few showers, but Mu Shun was happy with it.
"Bring some thicker and lighter clothes." The emperor pulled on his shoes, put the book on the desk, and ordered again.
When Mu Shun heard this, he immediately understood what the emperor meant. He took out some thicker clothes from the suitcase and asked, "Your Majesty wants to patrol the medical hut of the wounded camp at night, but do you want to recruit Duke Jia to accompany you?"
"You know again?" The emperor glanced sideways at Mu Shun.
Mu Shun lowered his head in fear. Every time after a war, the emperor would visit the wounded soldiers in the camp after nightfall. Many wounded soldiers were in unbearable pain and could not sleep at night. The emperor held candles and comforted them one by one, so their morale remained high.
Soaring and unstoppable.
The scale of today's battle was the largest of the previous battles, and the casualties were also the highest. Mu Shun mistakenly thought that the emperor would go to visit the soldiers, but he said something he shouldn't have said, which made the emperor somewhat unhappy.
Mu Shun quickly shut up and put on the emperor's clothes honestly. Fortunately, the emperor didn't care too much and allowed Mu Shun to put on the clothes for him and went out. You don't have to take your personal entourage with you.
There must always be guards. Xu Chu, the tiger guard in front of the palace who was on duty outside the tent, noticed the movement behind him. He immediately turned sideways and saluted the emperor with clasped fists.
The cold moonlight in the sky poured down on him like water, illuminating the layers of tents in front of him. The emperor stood in front of the tents and raised his head to look. The moonlight and stars in the wilderness seemed to be much farther away than in Chang'an, thousands of miles away.
, and I don’t know whether moonlight is generally the same in ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad.
After the emperor expressed his emotion, he did not go to the wounded barracks for a routine visit as Mu Shun expected. Instead, he ordered Xu Chu to lead the way to Gao Shun's camp.
Gao Shun was seriously injured in his arm during the battle with Wen Chou today. The emperor did not expect that his usually steady and cautious general would uncharacteristically rush to the front of the battle to fight with the general. He could figure out the reason in a second thought. He just wanted to
If you understand, you must understand that you have to untie the knots you have tied.
"I will see your majesty at the end." Gao Shun clasped his fists injured, surprised by the emperor's late night visit.
The emperor carefully looked at the white-faced, short-bearded, and extraordinary general in front of him, and saw that his arm was shaking slightly, and Yin Ran's blood was faintly seeping on the silk cloth that bandaged the wound. It was obvious that the injury was serious: "The medicine was just changed? What did the doctor say?
"
"The doctor just came here and said that he cannot touch the water or use force during this period of time." Gao Shun looked calm, as if he was not worried at all about the impact of this injury on his future battle.
"It would be great if Hua Tuo was brought with the army." The emperor said regretfully. He pulled Gao Shun up, and the two of them moved to sit on the couch in the middle. Xu Chu and Mu Shun retreated and stood outside the tent. They just listened.
The emperor comforted him under the lamp: "Fortunately, you don't often go into battle to kill the enemy like Zhang Shuwei. As long as you sit in the army and dispatch your orders, you will still have the merits you deserve."
The emperor's articulation was extremely clear, and his speech was neither urgent nor slow but could easily calm people's hearts.
Thank you very much, Gao Shun.
The emperor briefly chatted with him about the morale of the army, and then asked Gao Shun to speak freely about the future direction of the war, and then talked about the scenery of Bingzhou. Hearing the emperor talk about the deep loess in Bingzhou and the vast grassland of Wuyuan, Gao Shun
His eyes showed a hint of longing, and as he talked, his expression unconsciously became more relaxed and comfortable than before.
The atmosphere quickly became harmonious and lively. The emperor consciously guided the other party to tell some emotionally touching stories. The two of them were like a normal chat between friends, so starting another topic would not seem out of place: "Yan Xibo said
You want to invite him to drink after the war, why, aren't you not a drunkard?"
Gao Shun was stunned for a moment, and then quickly replied frankly: "Your Majesty is joking, I just don't drink in the army. In the past, when I met relatives at home, I would have a few drinks. Lieutenant Yan has a stable temperament and never strives for credit."
, the promise made during the war was also meant to inspire him to fight hard."
"It's hard to worry about you." The emperor responded lightly, but he didn't believe it in his heart. He said: "But you are not just trying to motivate your subordinates, but more importantly, you just want to find someone to drink with you, right?" Seeing Gao Gao
Shun's face froze, and the emperor continued to ask: "Why do you want to find Yan Xibo, who is just a colleague, and not Zhang Wenyuan, who has a closer relationship?"
Gao Shun knew that the emperor had read through his thoughts. He left the table and stood up with a look of shame on his face. He knelt down and bowed to the emperor: "I don't dare, general."
"That's the truth." The emperor saw that not only Gao Shun's injured arm, but also his whole body was trembling, and he didn't know what mood the other person was in. He said, "It's cold on the ground," and then stretched out his hand to help Gao Shun up.
He sat down on the couch again and said jokingly: "Am I a suspicious and jealous person?"
Gao Shun even said he didn't dare.
"I don't know you." The emperor said in a very small voice, and then sighed slightly, and said slowly: "Lü Bu was kind to you. We built up a family and built a state together, and relied on each other. Now that he is dead, even if there is a negative relationship,
At the imperial court, it is not wrong for you to mourn him in private with old friendship."
"Lü Bu failed to live up to the great trust of the imperial court. He forgot about righteousness for small profits, committed himself to be a thief, and died in the East China Sea. He brought it upon himself." Gao Shun was moved by the emperor's thoughtfulness and generosity, and said with a firm gaze: "It's just that this person has an affair with me.
Even if he is not bad, he may not be able to change his mind, so it is a pity to hear the sudden news of his death."
The emperor's eyes wandered over Gao Shun's face, not missing even the slightest change in Gao Shun's face: "Lü Bu is considered a hero. He worked with Wang Situ to kill Dong and helped rebuild the Han Dynasty. Even if he later faced the strong
The enemy abandoned the court and ran away, so I pardoned him completely. It is sad to see him first fighting Yuan Shao, and then being driven by Yuan Shao, and now defeated. It is a pity that Taishi Ci had met him several times and was willing to give up the south.
Conquer Yangzhou and rush to the East China Sea to persuade him to surrender."
Gao Shun did not understand the hidden meaning of the emperor's words, so he said to himself: "What Taishi Ci did was too much!" He shook his head and expressed his disapproval of Taishi Ci: "There is a war on all sides now, and General Xu is marching to Huainan.
Is his army more powerful than Qing's, Xu's and other armies? Taishi Ci sacrifices the near and seeks the far, just for the sake of 'righteousness', and ignores his responsibility of assisting General Xu in the southern expedition. It is really unacceptable."
The emperor was attracted by his words. He blinked and said with interest: "Many people are praising Taishi Ci for his actions, but you are the only one who doesn't think so. I thought Lu Bu was so arrogant.
Touching, Taishi Ci is like this, how can you not be the same?"
"The last general never thought of persuading Lu Bu to surrender." Gao Shun said with certainty. Since the expedition, he had been under the emperor's eyes, and his every move could be detected by the emperor. Therefore, he did not do much to prove himself. He only said: "He
If they are willing to surrender, there is no need to send people to persuade them. If they are not willing, why should they promise benefits and tell them to come back?"
"Well said." The emperor couldn't help but praise him. After a deep conversation, he truly understood Gao Shun's character: "The so-called loyalty means that loyalty must come first."
He did not come here to ask for help, but because he thought Gao Shun would be guilty of Lu Bu's death, so he came here to explain it. After all, in the history that the emperor knew well, no matter how suspicious Lu Bu was of Gao Shun, Gao Shun would rather die than die in the end.
Surrendering Cao Cao shows that there is indeed a deep friendship between the two of them.
Now after talking with Gao Shun, the emperor knew that he was overly worried. Gao Shun was a loyal man and would never have any other opinions about the emperor because of Lu Bu's affairs or after learning the inside story of Lu Bu's defeat.
The emperor always hoped to firmly control the military power, and at the same time he could not do without the generals Gao Shun and Zhang Liao. They had great prestige in the Northern and Southern armies and were closely related to Lu Bu, so this was what he was particularly afraid of. There were many reasons for Lu Bu's death. The emperor
I don't want any of them to involve him. This is a precautionary measure. Not only does it involve having strong military support when the reform encounters obstacles in the future, but it also involves the near future, after Cao Cao, Sun Ce, and Huang Zu surrender.
People like Xu Huang can act as a sufficient deterrent for him to smoothly integrate the troops of Cao Cao and others.
"It's not dark yet, come with me to the wounded camp." The emperor asked Gao Shun to put on more clothes, then got up and took him outside.
The wounded camp and the medical hut were placed at the back of the main camp, close to the auxiliary barracks. When they came out, they looked at the silvery moonlight on the ground and walked for dozens of steps, talking in a low voice. Gao Shun later found out
After realizing something, the emperor paid close attention to his subordinate's psychological trends. For such a trivial 'little matter', he came to enlighten and comfort him, telling him not to worry too much and just to express his condolences.
This kind of behavior has gone far beyond the scope of a monarch and a minister. The emperor treated him like this, but he was complaining about himself and falling into self-conflict. Gao Shun was a man of few words, and there was rarely such a private contact and opportunity to exchange feelings with the emperor.
At this moment, he suddenly wanted to express his absolute loyalty to the emperor. But he knew that this kind of thing needed to be put into action. Gao Shun secretly made up his mind. No matter Yuan Shao or anyone else, he was willing to fight against all major enemies.
Standing in front of the emperor.
This is not only loyalty, but also another kind of righteousness.
Thinking of this, Gao Shun suddenly regretted that he was injured in a fight with Wen Chou today because of his anger.
The emperor seemed unaware of Gao Shun's psychological changes. He and Gao Shun and others quickly walked to the nearest wounded soldiers' camp. As expected, the seriously injured soldiers could not sleep due to pain almost all night, and the wounded and wounded soldiers crouched in the dark.
They groaned loudly. When they saw the emperor and his entourage holding candles coming to visit, they were so happy that they were about to cheer and salute, but they immediately heard an older veteran warning: "Keep your voices down, don't disturb the camp."
"I should have come to see you during the day." The emperor looked around, and everyone stared at him with bright eyes. Their eyes were brightly illuminated by candles: "But our army won a battle, and I really can't sleep.
Just come here for a walk.”
Everyone was amused by his joking tone.
"You are all heroes. The victory of the imperial court today is all due to your hard work to kill the enemy." The emperor walked leisurely to the middle and sat on the edge of someone's bed. At this time, lamps were lit all around, and inside the tent
Becoming bright and warm: "Don't think that if you are seriously injured and cannot go to the battlefield, the court will forget your contribution. When you recover, you will be provided with arrangements and compensation."
"Country, can I still be the director of a pavilion like this in the future?" said a young man with a tiger-like head.
The emperor was not displeased by the other party's interruption. He looked at the other party's severed arm and said softly: "Of course, the pavilion chief wants more than just the legs and feet when hunting down thieves."
Seeing that the emperor was so approachable and easy-going, everyone's fear immediately disappeared. They all wanted to talk to the emperor. The emperor also communicated with them one by one. Most of these people asked about the topics of greatest concern at the moment, about
Whether the wounded soldiers can be appointed as thieves, pavilion chiefs and other officials based on merit as stipulated in the military system? Because the Northern and Southern armies have not fought a major battle since the system was established. Now that there are many wounded in the First World War, many people are thinking about the imperial court.
Whether there is enough place for resettlement, after all, the system is just a system, whether it is implemented or not depends on the people.
The emperor was keenly aware of the rumors in the army. Once county officials like thieves were easily assigned to veterans, it would harm the interests of too many people. When the system was originally established, it was difficult to speak out because of the majesty, but now it is no longer possible.
He returned to his old ways. Here, the emperor patiently reassured everyone, emphasizing that wounded soldiers and veterans were the same, and there would be no difference due to physical disabilities. While calming people's minds, the emperor also used insinuations to find out the public opinion in the army.
, collected a lot of useful information.
At this time, a 'veteran' in his thirties suddenly asked: "Country, when will this battle be over?"
Xu Chu stood behind the emperor, always paying attention to the expressions, movements, and atmosphere of every wounded person present. They were too close, and the emperor liked to have close contact with people at the bottom, which often made Xu Chu very distressed.
.
The emperor's eyes swept across the wound of the young man's broken arm, and reached out to pat his shoulder, as if this would alleviate the other person's pain: "In another two or three months, I will defeat the enemy for you, and from then on the world will be at peace.