After seeing Zheng Chen off and agreeing to reunite with Shi Dejun another day, Guo Xin sat in the side hall for a while, thinking about the possible war with Shu and his marriage to the Wang family.
There was no one around, and there was no sound outside the hall. Guo Xin sat quietly, his eyes falling on the lone tree in the courtyard outside the hall. The leaves on the solitary tree had long since fallen off, so it was hard to tell what kind it was. Guo Xin felt that it looked a bit like a poplar tree, but also felt that the solitary tree was not that tall.
There was not even a breath of wind outside the hall, everything including the lone tree seemed to be at rest, and even the passage of time became elusive. Guo Xin suddenly felt very lonely. Whenever this happens, Guo Xin will feel that the few people in his family are too few for the huge Guo Mansion.
For no reason, a strange idea suddenly came to Guo Xin's mind: to abandon everything he had now and quietly leave Tokyo.
The world is so vast and the world is so chaotic. If he really wants to abandon everything and run away, it would be too easy. He can take the salary he has saved and go to the Southern Tang Dynasty, or to the more distant Shu Kingdom. These places are much more peaceful than the Central Plains, and according to history, they will probably not encounter too tragic military disasters.
And he believed that whether he cultivated a few acres of thin farmland with his own strength or did other activities to make a living, it would not be easy to starve to death. Maybe I can find a hard-working and capable farmer's wife and find a remote place to spend the rest of my life in peace, without worrying about the pressure of fate, let alone going through life and death on the battlefield...
After recovering from his wandering thoughts, Guo Xin quickly shook off this unwanted thought.
He may still have many escape routes, but the other people in the Guo family, the Zhang family, the Liu family, and the three younger brothers have no escape routes or escape options. My destiny no longer belongs to me alone, but has already been intertwined with the destiny of many people. But most importantly, he is not willing to give up on his unfinished ideal: to do his best to change this chaotic world.
…
It was close to Haishi when Guo Wei returned to Guo Mansion. However, he did not come back from his duty at the Privy Council. Instead, he had just answered the official's memorial in the palace, participated in the arrangement with Yang Bin and others, and then left the palace and returned home directly.
After returning to the Guo Mansion, Guo Wei walked directly into the Hou Mansion. Before entering the palace, he predicted that the memorial would not come out too early, so he sent people home early to prepare extra dinner.
Guo Wei's face was unusually stern compared to the past. The slaves quietly retreated to the side after serving hot meals. Guo Wei didn't take it seriously and ate alone in silence.
Even while eating, Guo Wei's brows did not relax for a moment, but he was still thinking about Liu Zhiyuan's anger towards the Lord of Shu during the Holy Age not long ago.
Everyone, including Guo Wei, thought that the imperial court's suppression of Du Chongwei was enough to deter the young people in the local feudal towns from causing trouble.
But unexpectedly, troublesome things came one after another. First, the imperial court had determined that the towns of Fengxiang and Jinchang had surrendered to Shu, and they were preparing to join forces with Shu soldiers to invade Guanzhong. In fact, there were signs of this matter before, and Guo Wei also mentioned it to Liu Zhiyuan, Yang Bin and others, but no one expected that the Shu Kingdom would decide to send troops so quickly this time. In October, Fengxiang Jiedushi Hou Yi was still fighting with The Kingdom of Shu has been flirting with each other, but less than two months have passed, and the Shu army has already left the border!
Moreover, according to reports from neighboring prefectures and counties, the Shu army seems to be quite powerful, numbering at least tens of thousands. One wave calmed down, and another wave rose again, which undoubtedly gave Guo Wei and others a headache. At present, the new dynasty is in its infancy. All funds are in short supply. The people are in poverty and hardship. They have not yet completely controlled the territory under their rule. It is not easy to maintain it. If it is dragged into continuous wars, no one can guarantee that the Han Dynasty can continue. How long does it last.
Fortunately, the place in Guanzhong is very far away from Tokyo, and the imperial court deliberately blocked it. The news of Shu's mobilization of troops has not yet spread. But when the imperial army is dispatched to the west, anyone can tell that a new war has broken out in the west.
However, although the war in Guanzhong is important, it is not actually Guo Wei's biggest concern. The imperial court did not fully control Guanzhong, and its basic base was still in Hedong and Henan. Even if Guanzhong was in chaos, it would not shake the foundation of the new dynasty. What's more, he didn't believe that the always weak Shu army could occupy Guanzhong in one fell swoop.
But another thing, Liu Chengxun's early death, was far more important to Guo Wei than the war with Shu.
Just as Guo Wei was deep in thought, a servant suddenly came in to report that Yan Erlang and Guo Xin wanted to come in and ask for an audience.
When Guo Wei heard the name of his second son Guo Xin, his frown relaxed slightly, and he called the servant to introduce him without hesitation.
"The child has seen his father."
The most outstanding son of the official family has died young, but Erlang's figure has become more and more upright, and he looks more and more like himself when he was young. Looking at the son who looked so much like him not far away, Guo Wei's heavy heart unconsciously found some comfort from the blood and family ties.
Thinking of this, Guo Wei rarely showed his tender side: "It's so late, why is Erlang still not asleep?"
"My child has something unclear, so I came here to ask my father for advice." Guo Xin looked at Guo Wei with a very sincere look, "But my child also knows that his father is busy with affairs in the court, and it is really hard to come home late every day. I hope my father will take care of himself. Go up. It’s already late today, it’s not too late for me to come back another day to ask for advice.”
When Guo Wei heard this, he sighed even more deeply, but he still said: "If you have anything to do, tell me, when did my second son become a girl?"
Guo Xin did not talk too much and said bluntly: "I heard that several towns in Guanzhong received favors from officials and did not know how to repay the favor. Instead, they tried to unite troops in Shu to confront the imperial court. It is really infuriating."
Guo Wei has been in the power field for decades and has a unique ability to recognize people. When he saw Guo Xin's slightly hesitant expression, he curiously put down his bowl and chopsticks and waited quietly for Guo Xin to continue.
Seeing that Guo Wei was speechless, Guo Xin seemed to think for a moment before he raised his head, clasped his fists and said, "My son wants to go on an expedition with me to relieve the imperial court's worries. I hope my father will fulfill my wish."
Guo Xin's eyes were full of burning desire, which made Guo Wei feel a little distracted for a moment. For some reason, he thought of the deceased eldest prince Liu Chengxun again. Maybe the officials looked at Liu Chengxun many times and felt the same way they looked at Erlang now...
Guo Wei fell into deep thought, while Guo Xin stood aside waiting for a reply, and the room fell into silence for a while.
"It's a pity." After a long time, Guo Wei still shook his head, "The military officials have decided to use Wang Jingchong and Qi Zangzhen to lead 3,000 people from the imperial army to Guanzhong."
Guo Xin looked very disappointed, but he didn't know that Guo Wei deliberately rejected him like this. You must know that Liu Zhiyuan only asked Guo Wei and others tonight about the strategy for resolving the war in Guanzhong. The decision that Wang and Qi would command the imperial army was only made an hour ago.
The reason why Guo Wei did this is very simple: Guo Xin has now established a firm foothold in the military. As long as he slowly passes the qualifications, he can continue to rise with his own help. Why should he take the risk of expedition? What's more, the Forbidden Army can't mobilize many troops at the moment. If the Shu army is really determined to capture Guanzhong, it may be another fierce battle. He was not willing to let Guo Xin follow Liu Chengxun, not to mention that he had already seen the official family's extreme grief over the loss of their son...
Seeing that Guo Xin seemed to want to say goodbye and leave, Guo Wei felt a trace of reluctance in his heart. He remembered the topic that Wang Zhang accidentally mentioned to him a few days ago, so he smiled and said in a questioning tone: "There is an only daughter in Wang Taifu's family. She has told me about her intention to get married several times. What does Erlang mean?"
Guo Xin was obviously taken aback, as if he didn't expect Guo Wei to take the initiative to mention this matter: "My child has no intention of..."
Before Guo Xin could finish speaking, Guo Wei interrupted him with a wave of his hand and said with a smile: "That's what I mean, my Erlang deserves a better one."
Before Guo Xin could recover from the shock, Guo Wei had already picked up the bowls and chopsticks again: "As for the daughter of the Wang family, I will be betrothed to your brother."
