Chapter 1169: Mr. Guo’s Choice
The westward-migrating team was still sailing mightily, and Guo Ziyi's army far away in Caozhou also experienced some subtle changes.
In the deployment of Emperor Li Heng last year, Wang Sili took over Li Guangbi's 70,000-strong army stationed in Yingzhou, preparing to annihilate Li Xilie and open up the water transportation channel in the south of the Yangtze River.
At that time, Li Xilie and Li Zheng had formed an alliance. In order to prevent Li Zheng from attacking the Tang army from behind, Emperor Li Heng sent Guo Ziyi to lead an army of 50,000 to Caozhou and Yanzhou.
Unexpectedly, a great epidemic swept across Jianghuai, and more than 10,000 Tang troops died of the disease. They had to retreat to Songzhou and canceled their plan to exterminate Li Xilie.
Guo Ziyi's 50,000 troops stayed in Caozhou and were responsible for monitoring Li Zhengyi.
Of course Guo Ziyi knew about the "Three Kings' Rebellion Incident" and publicly expressed his support. However, he fell silent after Li Ye's army entered Luoyang.
Silence does not mean opposition, nor does it mean support. It is more of an attitude, indicating that one is waiting and watching.
Guo Ziyi, who has gone through various official struggles, certainly knows what it means for Li Ye's army to enter Luoyang?
This means that the Tang Dynasty has changed, and the branch of the Tang royal family has replaced the orthodox one and won the country of the Tang Dynasty. This is like the side concubine of the family becoming the head of the entire family.
It is a big deal for the family, and it is also a big deal for the country. It might stir up wars everywhere, collective opposition from the clan, and even lead to a serious bloody coup.
Therefore, Guo Ziyi is not in a hurry to express his position. He observes the changes in the court in a silent way. At present, it seems that there are no major changes in the court and the royal family is also very stable. Li Xian is even appointed as the Prime Minister and Li Lin is appointed as the Minister of Zongzheng Temple.
These are the two leaders of the royal family. Their loyalty to Li Ye means that the royal family recognizes Li Ye.
At this moment, Guo Ziyi encountered big trouble, and Wang Sili came to him with Prince Yun Li Rong.
To put it simply, it was Wang Sili who dumped the big trouble of King Yun Li Rong on him, Guo Ziyi.
Guo Ziyi had no choice but to bite the bullet and take over Li Rong, the king of Yun. She also had to show enough respect for him to give up the position of coach to Li Rong and serve as deputy coach herself.
Of course, Guo Ziyi was not a fool. He just gave Li Rong the seal of command, but the military symbol and arrow still held Guo Ziyi's hand.
If he gets military power and immediately orders an attack on Luoyang, it will be a big deal.
It has been almost ten days since Li Rong, the king of Yun, came to Caozhou. He came to Guo Ziyi every day, asking him to contact the armies and horses of all the towns in the country to fight against the usurper Li Ye together.
Guo Ziyi was so troubled by him that she had to agree verbally, but in fact delayed it for various reasons.
That afternoon, deputy general Ma Lin found Guo Ziyi angrily.
He took off his sword and slammed it on the table, "I am here to resign to the old general!"
Guo Ziyi was shocked, "General Ma, why is this?"
"I can't understand why the old general values Yun Wang Li Rong. Who is he? The new government office of the imperial court has been established. King Qi has been appointed as the superintendent of the country. He has won the support of everyone in the court. Even Tian Shengong surrendered to the imperial court. This Yun Wang Li Rong He still wants to overthrow the imperial court and become the emperor, but the old general actually allows such an ignorant kid to be the coach. Isn’t this an insult to us? "
Guo Ziyi stepped forward and put the sword on him again, and persuaded him softly: "Don't be angry. I just gave the late emperor a face. Being a marshal for him was also a nominal commander. I didn't really let him take charge of the military. In fact, I have sent people to I have contacted the imperial court to see if the supervisor will recall me to Luoyang or allow me to continue to be in charge of Caozhou. I cannot go to Beijing without permission."
Hearing that someone had been sent to contact the court, Ma Lin's anger subsided a bit. He sat down and said, "There is actually another reason why I am angry today. Maybe the old general doesn't know it."
"What's the reason?" Guo Ziyi asked with a smile.
"That bastard is wooing my men to work for him, promising them kingships, princes, and glory. As soon as he leaves, my men will report to me."
Guo Ziyi frowned, feeling really dissatisfied. How could King Yun win over his subordinates without permission? This is a taboo in official circles, but this is the army. If the army jumps over the hierarchy to win over his subordinates, it would be considered a mutiny, and its nature is ten times more serious than in officialdom.
‘Maybe he doesn’t understand! ’ Guo Ziyi explained to herself.
"Commander, what should I do with this person?" Ma Lin asked reluctantly.
Guo Ziyi pondered for a moment and said: "Ignore him for now and wait for news from the court. If the court orders me to come to Beijing, I will take him back with me."
This plan was acceptable to Ma Lin. He sighed and said, "To be fair to the old general, I received a letter from Lai Yi."
"How did he decide?" Guo Ziyi asked.
"He has pledged allegiance to the King of Qi. This is why the King of Shu fell out with him. He was afraid that I would go the wrong way, so he wrote to me to persuade me that the King of Qi is already popular and will soon unify the world, and will station the Tang army in Xian The sea will be the beginning of the resurgence of the Tang Dynasty."
Speaking of this, Ma Lin couldn't hold back her inner excitement and said: "Commander, I am from the Anxi Army. I once went to Suiye. The Aral Sea is still thousands of miles away from Suiye. I know the Aral Sea very well." What it means to garrison is a dream that makes every Anxi general's blood boil.
The Aral Sea was only the nominal boundary of the Tang Dynasty. In the northern part of the Sogdian countries, no Tang Dynasty officials or soldiers had ever been there. Once troops were stationed in the Aral Sea, it meant that the nominal boundary became an actual boundary. The Tang Dynasty really It will become the most powerful dynasty in history. Although I am a veteran, I want my son to go to the Aral Sea to garrison and realize my lifelong dream. "
Ma Lin left with his dreams, and Guo Ziyi was also quite uneasy. As a soldier, opening up new territory was also his dream, so he introduced his nephew Guo Xin to Li Ye, who is currently serving as the deputy governor of Hezhong and the envoy of Suiye.
But Guo Ziyi is famous for his steadiness after all. He has encountered countless difficulties and obstacles in his life, but he has not taken a wrong step. Sometimes he would rather compromise himself than violate the rules of the court.
In history, Guo Ziyi was able to have a good end with his amazing achievements because he always adhered to principles and had insight into human nature. He knew that if he took a step back, the world would be vast. He did not fight for honor or disgrace, but only for peace.
It was the same when dealing with Li Rong. He gave Li Rong enough face and let him be the commander-in-chief. If Li Rong could bring these 50,000 troops back to the court, Guo Ziyi could give the credit and glory to Li Rong, and he could compromise himself.
But Li Rong did not appreciate his favor and contacted the generals privately, trying to seize the military power, which violated Guo Ziyi's bottom line and principles.
Guo Ziyi did not say anything, but he had made a decision in his heart. Whether Li Rong was willing or not, he had to send Li Rong back to the capital.
Two days later, Guo Ziyi received a handwritten letter from Li Ye, ordering Ma Lin to temporarily replace the commander-in-chief and asking Guo Ziyi to return to Chang'an to report on his work and to be assigned another important position.
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[Sorry, there are still two chapters today]