Shi Hongzhao accepted Guo Xin's visit in a small hall of the inner house. Shi Hongzhao sat in the upper seat. After the ceremony, Guo Xin handed Guo Wei's autographed letter. Shi Hongzhao accepted the letter, but did not open it immediately to read it. He just raised his hand and asked Guo Xin and Shi Dejuan to sit down separately.
Compared with Guo Xin's memory of the past two years, Shi Hongzhao has obviously gained a lot of weight. His originally strong torso has gained weight, and when he puts on his loose robe, he looks like an unshakable round tower.
When looking at Guo Xin, Shi Hongzhao's eyelids were slightly drooped, and his mouth opened and closed slightly with his breathing. His beard was no longer as dark and thick as before, and it could not completely cover the fat on both sides of his cheeks and chin. In addition, there were deep wrinkles on his face. , which makes his face look somewhat vain.
People change so quickly!
Guo Xin used to have a very deep impression of Shi Hongzhao as a martial artist. Thinking back to the time when he saw the scars on Shi Hongzhao's face, he still felt terrible, but now he no longer feels like he was under pressure.
In addition, not only appearance, but also since Guo Xin had dealt with many generals big and small in Guanzhong, Shi Hongzhao no longer felt that Shi Hongzhao was so outstanding in military skills.
But he was a junior after all. Guo Xin only looked at it briefly and stopped looking at it carefully out of courtesy. However, the fat on Shi Hongzhao's chin lingered in his mind, and he couldn't help but speculate: What if Shi Hongzhao is now If you want to lead troops on an expedition, your neck will probably feel very uncomfortable when you tighten your belt.
Guo Xin quickly thought of Zhao Hui in Guanzhong. If Zhao Hui were placed among the crowd, he would look like a little old man, but he was very fierce in leading troops.
Fortunately, Shi Hongzhao's voice was still very bright: "Long time no see, Guo Erlang has become more and more majestic as a warrior, good! Good!"
Guo Xin exchanged greetings for a while, and first mentioned something from his Qianzhou governor. Shi Hongzhao immediately agreed to send someone to deliver it to his house in person when he turned around.
The three of them chatted for a while, discussing the details of the war in Guanzhong. Mainly Shi Hongzhao asked questions and Guo Xin answered.
Since returning to Tokyo, his combat experience in Guanzhong and shooting tigers were two topics that Guo Xin was often asked about when attending banquets. But at this moment, he still talked patiently, but intentionally or unintentionally brought the topic to Hebei. military trends.
Shi Hongzhao soon shared his own views: "When a group of us were still in Hedong, we also fought with the Khitans, but there were not many battles, and we mainly defended. But Guo Gong and I fought against the Khitans We are all familiar with it, and it was Yang Bin and I's idea to use Duke Guo to go to Hebei. With Duke Guo leading the troops to guard us, we feel more at ease in Tokyo."
Guo Xin nodded in agreement, paused briefly, and continued: "It's just that the Khitans have become accustomed to running rampant in Hebei in recent years, and every state and county has been disturbed by them. My father now has troops in Hebei, and he really wants to protect the territory and the people." Make a difference…”
Shi Hongzhao was very direct and said without hesitation: "If Mr. Guo wants to take the initiative to go north, Su Fengji and Su Yugui in the court will definitely oppose it. Those people have recently become close to the petty officials and will not be willing to send out imperial troops to control Mr. Guo. Su Fengji, in particular, wanted the officials to learn the ways of Yao and Shun. A few days ago, he even petitioned the court to send people to Guanzhong to collect the dead bodies, and the officials agreed... Soldiers are killing people, and they only know how to play with awls. Damn it. I just relied on the late emperor's favor and good fortune, now besides leading officials to bad things, what else do you know?"
Guo Xin immediately followed his opinion and nodded: "The imperial court's decision to use troops should depend on the Department of Guards and the Privy Council. However, if Mr. Su insists on stopping him, he does not need to do anything more. He only needs to delay it for two more days." When the month came to summer, Hebei was short of food and grass, so my father had to retreat without retreating."
Shi Dejun on the side also said angrily: "Brother Yi is absolutely right. It's like a family moving into an old house. The wild dog that originally occupied the house, if it doesn't have to be taught a lesson with a hammer, how can it know what's going on now?" Who is the owner of the house? Why do you want wild dogs to run into your house and bite your family members all day long when you have already moved in?"
Shi Hongzhao looked a little troubled, scratching his beard and saying nothing for a while.
Seeing this, Guo Xin continued to hint: "Last year, my father came back from three towns to receive the reward. He said that the battle planning was mostly for the official. Later, my father also served as a minister, and the minister also served as a secretary. Everyone was very happy. We, the warriors, do not rely on the battlefield. Only by serving your life can you have the opportunity to serve the officials, be granted the title of Prime Minister, and defend the territory? My father also said in the letter that this time we have all the fighter planes, all we need is military orders. If there is support from the DPRK and China, we can at least regain the homeland of several states!"
According to Guo Wei's method of not living alone after quelling the rebellion, and letting everyone get promoted together, if he can make great achievements in Hebei, he will definitely do this kind of thing again! With military exploits as an excuse, everyone can continue to make progress, at least on the surface. As for whether new conflicts of interest will arise, that is all in the future, but the temptation in front of us is real!
Guo Xin's hint was indeed very effective. The hesitation on Shi Hongzhao's face quickly disappeared, and his mood became high, and his face turned red.
"Okay! If you want to use troops, you can't waste time. The sooner the better! It's better to do this. I will discuss it with Duke Yang first, and then invite the ministers of the DPRK and China to the mansion. Then I will persuade the princes together with Duke Yang. "
Guo Xin had guessed earlier that Shi Hongzhao was probably very interested in continuing to make progress. However, after pacifying the three towns, Shi Hongzhao only added the Zhongshu Order. What could a martial artist do in Zhongshu Province?
To put it bluntly, Zhongshu Province still has to rely on those civil servants and ministers in the end, but if the title of Taiwei can be added in the future, it will be completely different. Shi Hongzhao, who was already leading the Jiedushi Envoy, will completely You can invite people from Tokyo City to go to the feudal town at any time, and go to your own territory like Zhao Hui - as long as you can become a feudal lord, even if the dynasty changes, it will hardly affect your wealth and life, as the Fu family is proof.
After a while, Shi Dejue sent Guo Xin out of the house. Before he could leave the house, he heard a burst of laughter from a woman in front of him.
Guo Xin looked at Shi Dejun, and Shi Dejun explained: "It should be that the concubines in my father's house have returned from enjoying the snow. We'd better avoid them and go out through the moon gate over there."
Guo Xin was stunned.
After saying goodbye to Shi Dejun outside the mansion, Guo Xin took the horse and looked back at the eaves of the mansion that could not be blocked by high walls.
Although he persuaded Shi Hongzhao to take part in sending troops, Guo Xinli still had doubts about Shi Hongzhao. Especially when he saw Shi Hongzhao today, he felt that as one of the most powerful people in Tokyo, Shi Hongzhao was corrupt. Too fast.
After leaving the Shi family's residence, Guo Xin did not go home directly because he was meeting privately with Shi Hongzhao on behalf of Guo Wei. To keep a low profile, he came alone today, and even Guo Pu did not follow him. Since it was rare to have time alone outside, Guo Xin came alone. The letter then walked aimlessly on the street.
The heavy snowfall of the past few days has stopped, revealing the bright sunshine that is not warm in winter. At this time, the snow has not completely melted, and the unmelted state has been frozen together with the soil, making the long-unrepaired roads in Tokyo frozen solid. The horse's hooves would slip if it walked too fast, so Guo Xin simply got down and led the horse away.
Unknowingly, Guo Xin walked onto the eastbound street, followed the direction of the street flow, and gradually reached Madao Street, where there were a lot of people. When he looked up again, he realized that in front of him was Xinlingfang, where Xiangguo Temple is located.
Guo Xin immediately remembered Fu Jinlu. The last time he saw Fu Jinlu was in this temple. Fu Jinlu's worries when he left that day left a deep impression on him.
Although Guo Xin had asked Wang Shiliang to come here specifically to send a message to the Fu family with the help of Yuan Ren after he returned to Tokyo, he had not received a reply yet. He thought for a moment and then led his horse towards the mountain gate.
