Not long after, at the end of October, what Guo Wei said in his study became a prophecy. Chengde Jiedushi Wu Xingde, Henghai Jiedushi Wang Jing and others in Hebei really sent envoys to the court and declared that The Khitan cavalry have recently invaded various prefectures and counties, killing and looting wherever they went. Some cavalry have even approached Yedu.
So Guo Wei, who had just taken off his military armor and was not yet a full month old, was soon ordered to control part of the Tokyo Imperial Army. Wang Jun, the Xuanhui envoy, supervised the army and sent troops to cross the river and go north to defend the Khitans. As for the right wing of Fengguo to which Guo Xin belongs, it is not in the order of this expedition because it is under repair.
The weather in the north was getting colder. Guo Xin took Guo Pu and Wang Shiliang together, and the three of them walked along Nanmen Street straight out of the Zhuque Gate in the south of the city. They took the Longjin Bridge and crossed the Cai River across the outer city, which is the south of the city. A civilian handicraft area.
There are various shops facing the street here, all half-open to the street, and door banners with the store's business description are floating casually on both sides of the street. The streets and alleys are crowded with people, traders and lackeys are running for their livelihoods, and occasionally businessmen and jugglers from far away can be seen.
The atmosphere of the city here is far more prosperous and lively than that of the inner city. Because Shi Hongzhao's bodyguards were domineering in the inner city and used torture to the extreme, they did not care much about the affairs of the outer city.
On the street next to Longjin Bridge, there is a half-open blacksmith shop under the archway. There are all kinds of ironware on the stalls facing the street. Inside, an old man who is not young is beating the anvil very hard. What are you wearing?
After walking through the archway, Wang Shiliang pointed to the blacksmith shop: "This is it. What do you think of the location, my lord?"
Guo Xin looked along and saw that the location of the blacksmith shop was indeed good. The shop was diagonally facing the long street and it was on the street. It should be very suitable for doing business. It's just that he didn't come here to do business, but to use such an ordinary shop as his "stronghold" to collect intelligence in the city.
Guo Xin turned around and asked, "Have you made an agreement with the people in the store?"
Wang Shiliang: "As agreed, the blacksmith's surname is Huang. There is only one daughter in the family, and no one will inherit the family business. He is already old and plans to sell the shop, so his subordinates made the decision without any trouble. But Ming Ming On the surface, I am in charge, and I asked him to forge iron here to hide it from others... I just spent a lot of money on this matter."
"We are not short of money," Guo Xin nodded, "Commander Wang is very thoughtful."
Guo Xinxin thought to himself: Wang Shiliang really knows how to find a place. It seems very reasonable for a Forbidden Army warrior to open a blacksmith shop with the reward from the court. It is not surprising that some soldiers come and go occasionally.
The three of them walked to the blacksmith shop, and the old blacksmith inside greeted them: "I wonder what you guys want to buy or hit?" When he saw Wang Shiliang in a blink of an eye, the blacksmith quickly rubbed his hands and smiled a little awkwardly: "It turns out it's The master is back, do you have anything to tell me?"
Wang Shiliang looked at Guo Xin with a smile: "My Shangfeng heard that I bought this shop, so I stopped by to take a look."
While talking, Guo Xin had already walked up to the stall and observed with interest the iron tools for sale - sharpening knives, plows, chisel heads, etc., which were all ordinary farm tools. Since the iron ban was lifted in the late Tang Dynasty, ordinary people have been able to make their own iron farm tools. However, the source of folk pig iron is often the leftover defective products after the government craftsmen supervised the making of military armor, so many of them are often shoddy.
Although the quality of the ironware made in the blacksmith shop in front of me is far inferior to the short-blade horizontal knives commonly used by Guo Xin, it can be seen that the quality is quite good. I guess since I can open a shop in Tokyo, it is probably a relatively powerful "high-end" one. After all, it is not a time when everyone can afford iron farm tools.
He picked up and put down various farm tools, played with them for a while, and casually praised: "Blacksmith Huang's skills are good."
After hearing this, the blacksmith on the side also had a slightly proud expression on his face: "I can't hide it from the military master. I am an old blacksmith of forty years. Even if I can't do this subsistence business well, I dare not call him a blacksmith anymore."
Guo Xin asked him again: "I wonder how skilled Blacksmith Huang is in making iron swords?"
The old blacksmith looked at Guo Xin doubtfully and smiled apologetically: "Master Jun is joking, I can only make some ordinary iron weapons. As for swords and armor, I can neither fight nor dare to violate the rules."
Wang Shiliang pointed to the back of the shop: "It's noisy outside, why don't we go in and talk."
So Blacksmith Huang led Guo Xin and the others to the backyard, and then returned to the front to continue working on the iron. Shops facing the street often have the place where the owner and his family live behind the shop, but they are somewhat cramped.
Wang Shiliang invited Guo Xin and Guo Xin to the main room in the north of the courtyard. There were a lot of debris inside, and there were traces of Blacksmith Huang living here before.
"It's not taken care of properly right now, so it makes the lord laugh."
Guo Xin casually took a bamboo chair and sat down: "It's okay, there will be plenty of time to clean up in the future."
"Commander Wang has always done things properly." Guo Xin paused, suddenly raised his head and pointed at Guo Pu, and said: "It's just that things will be busy in the future, so you don't need to be the commander anymore, let him do it."
Wang Shiliang's face changed slightly, and Guo Xin took his expression into his eyes and continued: "I plan to divide the command of my soldiers into left and right banners. The left banner will be led by the commander Guo Pu, who still assumes the original responsibility of guarding and warning. . The right flag will be handed over to you. The right flag does not need to be strong. The most important thing is to choose someone you can trust. It is best to choose a brother who has been with us since Taiyuan. I rely on the left flag in battle. Outside of battle, I rely on you to serve me.
Commander Wang did a lot of personal things for me, which I will never forget. Among the generals in the Shehu Army, I trust you the most, and I can only rest assured if I hand over the right flag to you. "
Wang Shiliang immediately knelt down on one knee and expressed his allegiance: "My lord has promoted me, how dare I not sacrifice my life? I just don't know what my lord wants the right flag to do specifically, and how to do it?"
The fact that Guo Wei had an informant in the palace had already reminded Guo Xin that if he wanted to break the crisis, he must be proactive and defensive. In addition to having a way out at the last moment, he also had to launch an operation in Tokyo, which seemed prosperous but was actually full of dangers. Eye.
Guo Xin pondered for a while and revealed what he had been thinking about recently: "I leave it to the king to command the right flag. The most important thing at the moment is intelligence. The senior officials of the dynasty, the generals of the Forbidden Army, and those Li Ye, the military envoy of military ethics - where these people often go and who they often interact with, I need Youqi to help me gradually find out. As for the property I gave to the king, even if it is the funds for business, as long as it can be used Don’t be stingy, just check it out with me later.”
"The general understands that the arrangements must be made properly so as not to disappoint the lord."
Guo Xin stood up and patted Wang Shiliang on the shoulder, looking at him with encouraging eyes: "These things are done well and they will be of great use in the future. Commander Wang will definitely take credit for it."
Leaving Wang Shiliang behind and leaving Longjin Bridge, Guo Xin strolled on the street. The crowds were bustling and the shouts and hawking sounds around him were endless, giving him a vague illusion that he was shopping. A thought suddenly came to his mind: If he took that plate of golden bamboo shoots and disappeared into the countryside, he might still be a safe and wealthy man.
The wheel of history may move forward as in memory. Zhao Kuangyin is already the commander now and should become successful earlier, but these things have nothing to do with him anymore.
"Look at the way!"
At this time, a loud shout from behind pulled Guo Xin out of his thoughts. He looked back and realized that while he was in trance, he had walked into the road at some point, blocking the path of the carriages and horses behind him.
He smiled and made way for the carriage, and then shook off the absurd thought. He had to go down this road, not only to save the lives of his family, but also to change the outcome of more things.
Guo Xin took a deep breath, and his breath dispersed into a cloud of white mist in the cold air.
