In the second year of Shaoming, AD 947, on the third day of August, after being deceived by Zhang Shengren, Shu Luping still did not believe that Zhang Gao would not covet the land in eastern Liaoning and western Liaoning, but he also initially believed that Zhang Zhou did not launch an attack on the fortress in a short period of time.
The ability to attack.
This was indeed the case, but Shu Luping underestimated Zhang Hao's appetite.
Zhang Yan not only wanted to cover Liaodong and Liaoxi, which in Luping's eyes were the homeland of Goguryeo, but also the peninsula, the Japanese state, Mobei, and the Tunguska wilderness.
However, Shu Luping didn't believe that Zhang Xi was useless, but the Khitan nobles she brought believed in Zhang Xi. After all, Zhang Shengren's acting and directing abilities have almost reached their peak.
And according to general circumstances, it is very dangerous to arrange for Zhang Yan to direct and act in an almost military admonishment style.
Even the founder of Khitan, Yelu Abaoji, didn't dare to play like this. Who knows if someone would fake it and actually do it?
But Zhang Zhang dared to do so because his control over his subordinates was far beyond that of Yelu Abao.
So these Khitan nobles who were unwilling to retreat to Jingbian City and other places to eat snow immediately influenced Shuluping's decision.
After Shushan's army, which was directly under Shuluping, was defeated, the usually tyrannical Empress Dowager had to listen to her subordinates' voices.
Similarly, Zhang Gao also gave in on some issues. For example, when determining the Khitan master, Zhang Gao had no objection at all to Shu Luping's self-confessed suggestion that Yelu Lihu be the Khitan master.
He didn't even take away the Yelu Sage that was brought to his mouth, as if he really didn't want to leave.
Are you kidding, Zhang Shengcai is not stupid, that is to say, Shu Luping is confused and thinks that her beloved youngest son is a wise and tyrannical master.
But in fact, everyone knows that Yelu Lihu is a fool who has everything except a brain.
Even if the Khitan was still in the Yelu Deguang period, Yelu Lihu and the leader could bring down the country, let alone now.
At this time, the Khitan had actually been in chaos for a long time, because it had only been more than thirty years since Yelu Abaoji forcibly unified the eight Khitan tribes.
There are countless people who are internally dissatisfied with the Yelu Abaoji lineage occupying the position of Khitan Khan. The rest of the Bohai, Jurchen, Shiwei, and even the Wang family south of the Yalu River in the old forests of the Northeast also do not have a fuel-efficient lamp.
If Zhang Gao were to attack the situation with a large number of troops, they might unite and fight to the death. But if Zhang Gao lets go, God knows how much trouble will be caused.
With Shulu Ping, who was about to be in his 70s, and the mentally retarded Yelu Lihu, Zhang Xuan doubted that their mother and son, let alone building up strength, would not be easy to deal with internally.
And if Yelu Lihu doesn't come to power, and someone else, even Yelujing, Zhang Hao will be a little worried.
This is because the sleeping king of the Liao Dynasty is actually not bad at governing the country, and he has not suffered from the psychological abnormality caused by the long-term suppression during the Yelu Ruan period. His ability is far stronger than that of Yelu Lihu.
So in this case, Zhang Yan quickly reached an agreement with Shuluping. The Khitan was removed from the title of Daliao Kingdom, the monarch was renamed the King of the Great Khitan without the title of emperor, and Zhang Yan recognized that the Great Khitan King was Yelu Lihu.
The two sides are bounded by Chengde Prefecture in the north and Jinzhou in the east. Yuguan in Chengde Prefecture and Hepingzhou is open to mutual markets.
Zhang Gao returned more than 2,000 Khitan captives who had been detained as slave labor in the Central Plains, and returned the corpses or ashes of dozens of generals, including Yelu Ruan, Yelu Wuzhi, Xiao Han, etc.
The Khitan returned more than 18,000 people kidnapped from the Land of Clouds.
Before leaving, Zhang Gao secretly ordered Zhang Xibao to lead 500 horses out of Yunzhou to Yuerluo, and notified Yelu Yaliguo, the youngest son of Yelu Abaoji, who had been secretly communicating with Zhang Zhou, and asked him to lead the tribe to Fengzhou.
settled in the Hetao area.
Because Zhang Gao knew very well that Yeluyaliguo's private account, which had more than 10,000 people, would definitely become the next best offensive opponent of Shuluping who was eager to regain its strength.
At the same time, Zhang Gao appointed Yelu Yaliguo's eldest son, Yelu He, who sent Yelu Abli to Liangzhou, as the governor of Fengzhou.
If Yelu Yaliguo is willing to lead his tribe south to Fengzhou, then the tribesmen can only be handed over to Yelu He, while he himself goes to Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo to become a wealthy idler.
Of course, if Yeluyali is unwilling to come south, then I hope he can withstand Shuluping's plan.
Subsequently, Zhang Gao established four of the eight new Khitan tribes to be established first, and handed over Yelu Sizhong and others to the command of Murong Nobunaga, leaving Murong Nobunaga to stay in Pingzhou.
He was also appointed as the Governor of Andong, fully responsible for the strategic compression work towards western Liaoning. The Tuyuhun tribe in Hedong also began to slowly gather towards Pingzhou and Chengde Prefecture.
At the same time, Pei Yuan, Pingzhang of Hexi Province, Jia Yanchang, Pingzhang of Longyou Province, and Zhe Deke, Pingzhang of Shuofang Province, also received orders to mobilize Tuyuhun, Dangxiang and other herdsmen in their jurisdictions to prepare to move eastward.
The reason why these Tuyuhun and Dangxiang people were moved first was because they were originally nomadic or semi-nomadic people, and it was much easier for them to move than the Han people. At least it was not easy for them to reach a certain place and to reclaim wasteland.
Wu Luan, the defense envoy of Ningxia Province, was also ordered to start recruiting strong and tough Hengshan party members in the Hengshan area. After basic training, he was transferred to the Youzhou area. The famous Hengshan Bubazi seemed to be appearing in advance.
After arranging everything, Zhang Gao led his army and began to return to the army.
In the Northland, Yan Jin, Pingzhang of Hedong Province, Gao Xingzhou, the military commander of Fan Yangjun of Beiping Prefecture, Fu Yanqing, the military commander of Zhangde Army of Changshan Prefecture, and Murong Nobunaga, the governor of Andong, Pingzhou, will form the Four Musketeers of the Northland.
The entire north suppressed disobedience and defended the Khitans.
When Zhang Gao led his army back, Guo Wei also took his family from Taiyuan Prefecture, Hedong Province, back to his hometown of Yaoshan County in Xingzhou, Hebei Province, which later became Longyao County, Xingtai, Hebei Province.
What can I say about the war between Hedong and Zhou? Guo Wei felt that the war he fought was quite frustrating at first.
Because except for Shi Hongzhao who died in the battle, his teammates Bai Zairong and others can be said to be standard pig teammates.
But when Guo Wei calmed down and conducted careful deductions, he found that no matter how he deduced, the defeat of the Hedong Army was inevitable.
The difference is just that the deal is settled in one fell swoop, or slowly being surrounded in Taiyuan. Anyway, there is no chance of winning.
As for Liu Zhiyuan, Guo Wei cannot say that he has no feelings, because he was indeed promoted by Liu Zhiyuan, but he does not have particularly deep feelings that he would not eat Zhou Su.
So after thinking about it, Guo Wei was ready to take the initiative to move closer to Zhang Yan.
However, he knew very well that for someone who was in his forties and was once a powerful enemy general, it would be difficult for him to be reused again.
Looking at the entire Zhang Zhou Dynasty, the only veterans from the previous dynasty who can be reused are Gao Xingzhou, Fu Yanqing, and An Shenqi.
Among these three people, two married their daughters to Zhang Yan and were very favored. One of them had already made a bet on Zhang Yan when he was still an unknown person.
More importantly, these three people all had a reputation for fighting loyally and bravely during the Jin-Liao War. This was what Zhang Gao admired the most, and it was also the biggest reason why the three of them were reused.
Even half of Li Shouzhen's family property was left by Zhang Yan to Li Shouzhen's mother and wife. It is said that the emperor was thinking of Li Shouzhen's first attack on the Khitan during the battle of Bai Tuanwei Village in Yangcheng.
As for Guo Wei, he was loyally helping Liu Zhiyuan in his attempt to seize the throne of emperor. He didn't even think about attacking the Khitan, so he didn't even have the merit of size.
After thinking about this, Guo Wei basically gave up hope that he could be reused in Zhang Zhou.
But he could live a good life relying on the remaining property that Zhang Zhi had not confiscated.
But the younger generation of soldiers who followed him, including his nephew Li Chongjin and his son-in-law Zhang Yongde, couldn't just stay like this all their lives!
Guo Rong was not with Zhang Yan at this time, because he wanted to move his family from Taiyuan like Guo Wei, but instead of moving back to his hometown in Xingzhou, he wanted to move to Luoyang, the sacred capital.
Because Guo Rong is now the Marquis of Yu, the capital of Zhang Zhou's personal army Zuo Bao Tao Wei, he naturally has to place his family in Luoyang, the sacred capital, or Kaifeng Mansion in Tokyo.
When Guo Wei saw Guo Rong coming to say goodbye to him, he pondered for a moment and finally asked: "I heard that the saint called you Sanlang instead of Dalang in Taiyuan Mansion?"
Guo Rong hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly, because ethically speaking, Guo Rong was Guo Wei's adopted son, so Zhang Yan should call Guo Rong Da Lang.
But if Chai Rong is counted as Chai Shouli's son, Chai Shouli has five sons, Guo Rong ranks third, and the order of Sanlang is exactly Guo Rong's order in the Chai family.
Guo Wei let out a long sigh, "I adopted you in the past, it seems, firstly because I have no children, and secondly because your biological father, Chai Shouli, was a wanderer, and you were lonely and young at the time, so I gave you a place to stay.
But these are all superficial reasons, the main reason is because your mother cannot have children, and a certain family is afraid that she will be helpless in the future, so the adoption of Brother Rong is to give Ying Niang a support."
Speaking of this, Guo Wei couldn't help but shed tears in his eyes, "Who knew she would leave me early."
"My lord, I would like to express my condolences. My mother is flying to the west of Hexi and has arrived in bliss early. I think she must have lived a very happy life in the immortal realm in heaven." Guo Rong even burst into tears.
His mother left him and ran away when he was two or three years old. His father was a libertine and didn't care about him at all. Little Guo Rong often had one meal but no one.
He only had a family after his aunt Chai took him to the Guo family, so his feelings for his adoptive mother and aunt were even deeper.
"Three years ago, it was we who harmed you! If you had not been recalled from the Hexi Army that day, you would at least be in the position of guarding Yunzhou Zhe Deyuan, and you would not be still a small Du Yuhou.
.”
Guo Rong immediately bowed down and said, "There are no bad parents in the world. Besides, if my son doesn't come back from Hexi, how can he fulfill his filial piety in front of his mother's bedside and send him on his last journey?"
"You are a good boy!" Guo Wei sighed, "But I can't keep you. From today on, you will change your surname back to Chai, right?"
"Are you going to kick the child out of the house?" Guo Rong's voice began to tremble.
He has been following Guo Wei and Chai since he was ten years old, and it has been sixteen years now. He has already regarded the Guo family as his own home. Although he had a premonition in his heart, it was still difficult to accept it for a while.
Guo Wei shook his head, "It's not that I want to drive you away, but you have a great future now. There is no need to ruin your future for such an old man."
Guo Rong knelt on the ground and said with some choking: "In the world, I have never heard of anyone leaving his father for glory and wealth. This is extremely unfilial! If someone behaves like this, how can he live in the world?"
Seeing this, Guo Wei stamped his feet on the ground anxiously, "It's not that you want to leave now, but that I can't tolerate you, you know?"
I already have a son, and I want to pass on this family property to my son, so I want to drive you away, do you understand?"
Guo Rong raised his head, glanced at Guo Wei with tears on his face, and then calmly shook his head.
"It's true that my father wants to drive me away, but it's not for this reason. Besides, if it's for the family property, I can swear in front of Brother Qing and Brother Yi that I will never be greedy for a penny of the family property."
Guo Wei was silent and didn't speak for a long time. After a long while, he sighed, "But if you continue to follow a certain family named Guo, what will the emperor do? You are only twenty-six years old, will all your abilities be wasted?"
Guo Rong was also silent, but after a moment of silence he shook his head firmly, "The saint has a broad mind and governs the country with loyalty and filial piety. Maybe he is trying to test his words, but as long as I tell the truth, the saint will not mention this matter again.
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On the contrary, Your Excellency is Liu Zhiyuan's confidant, and many heroes in the Hedong Army have received His support and favor.
If we don't get the saint's reinstatement, those people will feel uneasy, and it will be dangerous if one or two people arrange slander."
Guo Rong's words hit Guo Wei right in the heart. This was what he was most worried about.
With Guo Wei's position in the Hedong Army, if Liu Zhiyuan became emperor, it would be the capital for his rapid rise.
But now, I am afraid that many people wish that Guo Wei would die early, so that he would not be ignored by the emperor because of the favor he received from Guo Wei.
If one or two insidious and ungrateful people come out to make a false accusation, as Guo Rong said, it will be really dangerous.
"Then take Brother Jin and the others with you. I heard that the saint has set off south. Let's go to Beizhou to see him."
....
Zhang Yan did have the idea of wanting Guo Rong to restore his surname Chai, and even considered whether to adopt Guo Rong as his adopted son.
But in the end, considering Guo Rong's lifespan and the extensive involvement, I finally gave up.
It's just that Zhang Hao didn't expect that his little idea would cause such a big fluctuation in the Guo family.
That night when Zhang Yan was stationed in Beizhou, Guo Wei took Guo Rong outside to ask for an audience.
Of course, Guo Wei would not stupidly say that he did it to prevent Guo Rong from changing his surname, nor would he say that he asked for an official position to gain Zhang Yan's trust.
Guo Wei came under the pretext of recommending talents to the country.
Zhang Yan did have some feelings toward Guo Wei, well, I can't say he was afraid of him, at least he was a little afraid to use Guo Wei until he figured out Guo Wei's methods.
Because once such a person is used, it will be used in a big way and he will be in a high position. It is impossible to appoint Guo Wei as the governor. That would be an insult.
As for Guo Wei's personal likes and dislikes, Zhang Hao has no idea, and he even knows Guo Wei's abilities very well.
In terms of governing the country, Guo Queer, who was a bit of a rogue in his youth, was very capable. Even compared to the bad-tempered Guo Rong, Guo Wei was even better at governing the country.
Therefore, Zhang Yan just didn't want to use Guo Wei for the time being, but he was still very polite to him. When he heard Guo Wei asked for an audience, he immediately summoned him even though it was already late.
The monarch and his ministers were sitting in the Fu family's house, discussing matters very affectionately.
In fact, since ancient times, etiquette among Chinese monarchs and ministers has not been as great as later generations thought.
Before the Tang Dynasty, people often knelt down and worshiped. This was because they had been kneeling before. So kneeling and worshiping accordingly was not a strange thing and had no special significance.
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, or in other words, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, after the popularity of high stools, kneeling and worshiping only occurred on rare occasions.
Even kneeling at all times will be considered as inconsistent with etiquette and rude. Ministers who kneel indiscriminately in court will be punished.
Only in the Ming Dynasty did the etiquette between monarchs and ministers begin to be deliberate and cumbersome. In the Qing Dynasty, it reached its peak, with three kneels and nine kowtows, and kneeling in response to requests became the norm.
Guo Wei sat on a slightly shorter brocade stool, while Guo Rong stood behind him with his hands tied.
Zhang Gao was sitting on a large hut bed, and they chatted for a while. Guo Wei smiled and said to Zhang Gao.
"I have always had foot problems, and recently it has become even more difficult to walk. I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to serve us all again.
But there are still many civil and military heroes who followed me in the past, so I want to recommend these talents to Your Majesty so that they can serve as His Majesty's minions."
At this time, the imperial examination was not yet established, and recommendation was a very important channel for seeking talents. With Guo Wei's status, he did have the right to recommend talents to Zhang Wei.
Zhang Yan was also very happy when he heard this. He didn't want to use Guo Wei for the time being, but he was still very interested in the talents that Guo Wei had recruited with Guo Wei's vision.
"This is a statement for the country. I wonder how talented he is to win the favor of the Qing family?"
Guo Wei cupped his hands on the stool and said, "In the past, Lu Yan, the secretary-general beside me, was born in a family of officials. He had a bright and intelligent temperament, and had profound opinions. He was able to respect the Lord through his work, and he was able to protect the people and manage the country. I ask your majesty to use it."
Of.
The famous celebrity Pan Mei and Pan Zhongxun were close followers of the ministers. They had beautiful appearance, were familiar with the art of war and had strategies, and were loyal and courageous. They were not famous because they had no stage to show off. If they met King Yan Zhao, they would be Leyi.
Shi Yanchao, a native of Yunzhou, was brave, swift, and perseverant. He was able to make soldiers fight to the death, and he was a pioneer and fierce general.
My son-in-law, Zhang Yongde from Bingzhou, is unparalleled in bravery, well versed in poetry, astronomy and geography, and is courteous to others, so he can be a general in the field."
Zhang Gao's eyes lit up. Among the four people recommended by Guo Wei, there were two that Zhang Gao admired very much, namely Lu Yan and Pan Mei.
Lu Yan was knowledgeable and talented as a prime minister. He was a famous official of his generation, whether he was governing local areas or sitting in the central government.
Not to mention Pan Mei, an absolutely famous general. If the Northern Song Dynasty hadn't been too small, Pan Mei's fame in history would have been even greater.
More importantly, these two people can be said to be the only ones among the officials of the Later Zhou Dynasty in history who still have some conscience.
In history, Zhao Kuangyin, Chen Qiao and Huang Paojia were followed by the rebel generals and Zhao Pu who followed Zhao Kuangyin. They tried to figure out Zhao Kuangyin's intentions and felt that among Guo Rong's disciples, Chai Zongxun certainly could not be killed.
But if the remaining children of a few years old die, no one will pay attention to them, and it will be used to scare others.
So they arrested Chai Rong's concubines King Ji and King Qi, intending to kill them.
The two children were so frightened that their faces turned pale and they cried loudly. Their condition could be described as miserable.
But in order to save their lives, everyone even dared not persuade Fan Zhi and Wang Pu, who were deeply favored by Chai Rong, against their will.
Only Lu Yan and Pan Mei couldn't bear it and risked their lives to dissuade him. Lu Yan shouted to Zhao Kuangyin: "Yao and Shun did not abolish Zhu Jun. How can I accept Zhou Chan now and not survive him?"
Zhao Kuangyin hesitated and asked his most trusted general Pan Mei. Pan Mei did not dare to disobey Zhao Kuangyin, but she really couldn't bear to kill the two little babies. After a long silence, she replied: "How dare I think it's impossible! But Yu Li
The ears have not been installed.”
With the objections of Lu Yan and Pan Mei, Zhao Kuangyin finally failed. Seeing Zhao Kuangyin hesitate, Pan Mei quickly took away King Xiao Ji, while Lu Yan took away King Xiao Qi and went home respectively.
Later it was recorded that Pan Mei adopted King Ji Chai Xijin, but this may be false.
However, in order to protect Qi King Chai Xijie, Lu Yan resigned and returned home to adopt Chai Xijie and renamed him Lu Xuan. When he came of age, he married his daughter Lu Jin to him, thus preserving the bloodline of Guo Rong, Shizong of Zhou Dynasty.
, this should be true.
It's not easy to do this! In a yellow robe, they risked their entire family's lives to save two little babies that everyone thought deserved it. It is evident that the two knew their kindness and kindness.
"Unknown, are Lu Yan and Pan Mei in Beizhou?"
Of course, the more such talents the better, Zhang Yan's mood immediately improved a lot, and his impression of Guo Wei also improved a lot.
Guo Wei nodded, "When I arrived in Beizhou, I brought them here and are now waiting for the summons outside the palace."
Zhang was overjoyed and "called Lu Yan, Pan Mei, Shi Yanchao and Zhang Yongde to meet him."
After saying that, Zhang Hao suddenly looked at Guo Wei as if he had remembered something, and said with a smile.
"Since Mr. Guo does not avoid relatives when promoting talents, he recommended his son-in-law Zhang Yongde. But I heard that Mr. Guo's nephew Li Chongjin is also brave and decisive, so why not recommend him?"
Guo Wei looked at Zhang Yan and replied: "My nephew Li Chongjin is indeed a man of merit. Unfortunately, he is impatient and is not good at studying. He can only be a brave general. He is not a king's assistant, so I do not recommend him."
If it were another emperor, Guo Wei would definitely be suspected of having reservations, but Zhang Yan knew that Guo Wei was telling the truth.
Historically, after Zhao Kuangyin usurped the throne, Zhang Yongde survived in all aspects, and was still alive and well. However, Li Chongjin did not know the people in Huainan, and he was unable to advance or retreat, so his family had to die in the Later Zhou Dynasty.
However, it can also be seen that although Li Chongjin is less capable than Zhang Yongde, he is more straightforward.
So Zhang Yan also said to Guo Wei: "Even if he is just a brave general, he is still a talented person in the Zhou Dynasty! Summon Li Chongjin to come to the palace to see him."
When Guo Wei heard that Zhang Gao not only had no suspicion at all, but also called Li Chongjin in, his impression of Zhang Gao immediately changed greatly.
After the five people came in, Zhang Yan asked them carefully one by one, and it turned out that Lu Yan was indeed knowledgeable and knowledgeable. Pan Mei was not only handsome and upright, but she also dealt with them appropriately.
Zhang Yongde is talented in many fields, and Shi Yanchao and Li Chongjin are also brave generals who can at least compare with Zhao Yanjin, Wang Quanbin and others.
Zhang Zhang became so heroic that he immediately promoted Lu Yan to the post of Zhongshu Zhizhizhi. Pan Mei went to Ganshan Mountain as a general to accompany him, Zhang Yongde came out as the governor of Cangzhou, Shi Yanchao, and Li Chong entered the left and right Long Xiangwei as a general.
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When Guo Wei saw Zhang Xi's magnanimity, he certainly didn't know that Zhang Xi knew the reputations of these people from history, and thought Zhang Xi was giving him face, so he immediately choked up with emotion.
"I used to follow Liu Zhiyuan, but I didn't know the right time. I often had fights with the saints. I didn't expect the saints to be so magnanimous. Your Majesty is really a wise master, and Liu Zhiyuan is not as good as your Majesty!"
Zhang Hao laughed. If Guo Wei could really be used by him, it would actually be good. At least Zhang Hao would be able to use it when he planned to capture Ma Chu and Nanping and then attack Shu in three directions.
Because Zhang Gao planned to transfer Jianghuai Province to Pingzhang and Xuzhou Prefecture’s Wuning Army Jiedu Envoy Ma Zhaoyuan (Ma Yaozi) to be the commander-in-chief of the southward army.
It just so happened that Guo Wei was sent to guard Xuzhou to test his ability and see if he really surrendered.
At this time, Zhang Xichong, the prime minister of Tokyo, sent an urgent envoy. It turned out that Ma Xiguang could not wait any longer and wanted to return to Chu.
Zhang Gao immediately ordered Guo Wei to accompany him to Tokyo, and the army accelerated its advance.
Ma Chu's matter has been planned for more than half a year, and it's time to close the net.