novelAbuy Chapter 116 Old Hawk Tames the Sparrow
Chapter 116 Old Hawk Tames the Sparrow
How much meat could a skinny dog possibly have? The group devoured it, quickly finishing it off and drinking all the wine.
One of them patted his stomach and said, "The outcome is for you generals to decide, what does it have to do with us? If we can win, we might as well fight with all our might; if things turn bad, we'll just run for our lives. We, the Imperial Guards, have four legs, surely we can outrun the two-legged infantry?"
"A lazy bum."
Brother Li laughed and scolded, "It's only because Minister Zhang was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Cavalry that he brought us over. Otherwise, we would still be the two-legged infantry you described, carrying shields and gnawing at the city walls."
Zhang Yanqi was appointed as the Inspector of the Ministry of Works, hence the title, which was merely to indicate his rank and did not signify that he was actually a Minister.
The soldier surnamed Guo asked, "Which unit is it to attack the city today?"
"I heard that Zhang Shengtie personally supervised the battle, and the newly arrived Yiwu Army attacked the city."
As they were talking, a group of soldiers passed by the entrance of the ancestral hall, cursing and swearing.
"Every time we try to build a long trench, it rains heavily. As soon as the weather clears up, we have to work hard again. The generals above have offended the heavens, but we soldiers have to suffer."
"If the Holy Mother were truly effective, why didn't she stop the rain? The camp has been submerged for so long, the people are practically rotting."
One of them peeked inside and recognized the soldier surnamed Guo: "Hey, isn't this Guo Que'er? We're fighting to the death, and you're here having a good time."
Several people rushed in, and seeing the embers of the campfire and the scattered bones, the lingering aroma of wine and meat filled their nostrils. They felt a sudden hunger pang and their jealousy rose even higher.
One soldier sarcastically remarked, "His wife was the emperor's woman before she married into the family. How can you and I compare to her?"
The two companions, working together, deliberately asked, "How could the emperor's woman have taken a liking to him?"
What kind of nice words could a rough soldier have? The first man to speak said, "Most likely it's because you've taken a liking to his big sparrow? Right, Guo Que'er?"
"His wife will have to work hard tonight."
The group that followed burst into laughter: "How do you know you weren't screaming with pleasure?"
The soldier known as Guo Que'er suddenly flew into a rage, leaped up, rushed into the crowd, and started punching, yelling, "You're the one who provoked the master! Go ask your mother if you're not serious!"
Arrogant and fierce soldiers, who are they afraid of?
The soldier who had mocked him was punched, staggered back a few steps, regained his footing, and then stepped forward again, grabbing Guo Que'er by the chest. Two soldiers came from behind, grabbed his hands, and a book from his sleeve fell to the ground with a thud.
"Ha, Guo Que'er is still studying. No wonder his wife has raised him so well; he'll be a prime minister someday."
Guo Que'er was cornered by three people and couldn't use her skills. She was about to suffer a loss, so how could the others stand by and watch?
Before Brother Li could speak up to mediate, the others, without asking any questions, rushed forward to join the fight, shouting as they beat him: "Dare to mess with the ten brothers? You don't want to live!"
Guo Que'er broke free and unleashed her skills, her fists flying like shuttles. With more men on her side, she soon gained the upper hand, knocking all the soldiers to the ground.
They jumped up and fled to the temple entrance, still seething with anger, cursing, "Guo Que'er, you just wait and see!"
In the midst of the melee, the collar of the soldier surnamed Guo was ripped open, revealing a lifelike blue swallow with wings poised to take flight tattooed on his neck.
Guo Rong, who was in Yedu, once mentioned to Jie Die: "My adoptive father has a blue sparrow tattooed on his right neck and a grain of rice tattooed on his left. A fortune teller said: 'If the sparrow eats the grain of rice, it will soar into the sky!'"
……
Guo Que'er was about to chase after him to fight again when Brother Li stopped her, saying, "Guo Wei, don't chase after him."
The soldier called Guo Wei was somewhat willing to listen to Brother Li's advice, and angrily cursed, "The brothers are enjoying their meat and wine, but those bastards are spouting nonsense and ruining the fun. How can we not be angry?"
Brother Li was about to persuade him again when he heard the sound of drums beating loudly outside the ancestral hall, followed by the sound of horns. He exclaimed in surprise, "The one carrying the drums and trumpets must be a general in the army. I wonder who has come here?"
After only a few rounds of drumming and horn blasts, everyone felt a sense of awe, and the previously restless and chaotic atmosphere became solemn.
A moment later, dozens of black-clad soldiers escorted a general, leading the group of soldiers who had just been fighting into the room.
A soldier shouted, "Gao Taifu, the Pacification Commissioner and Commander of the Encirclement and Execution in Taiyuan, is here before you. Whom do you belong to? State your names!"
Before Brother Li could reply, Gao Xingzhou spoke up: "No need to ask, I recognize them, they are soldiers under Minister Zhang."
Although he had only been in office as the commander of the Imperial Guards for a short time, he had already recognized many of his subordinates during the prior investigation of their resumes.
For example, this Brother Li's real name is Li Qiong, and he is from Youzhou. His grandfather served as the governor of Zhuozhou, and his father was an official in Zhuozhou, so he can be considered to come from a local powerful family.
He swore brotherhood with Guo Wei and the other ten men, drawing blood from his arm as a pledge. Raising a cup to toast, he said, "We ten are a mixed bag, like dragons and snakes; if we ever become rich and powerful, we will not forget each other. If I break this vow, may the gods punish me."
The ten brothers were somewhat famous in the army, and Gao Xingzhou knew about them.
Guo Wei glanced at Gao Xingzhou and saw that he had not yet removed his armor, with an arrow stuck in his arm guard. The latter half of the arrow shaft had been broken off, indicating that the battle was fierce.
Looking up again, Gao Xingzhou's face was covered in dust, and his sharp gaze met Guo Wei's.
Guo Wei was well aware of the name of Bai Ma Yin Qiang, a general under Liu Rengong, and their little-known history.
His father, Guo Jian, served as the prefect of Shunzhou under Li Keyong. When Guo Wei was ten years old, Shunzhou fell to the Yan army, and Guo Jian was killed in battle. (Note 1)
As a child, Guo Wei lived with his mother in Taiyuan and never witnessed the events firsthand. However, in his mind, the boy had imagined many times the scene of his father's death in the line of duty and hated the people of Youyan. It wasn't until Guo Wei grew older and befriended Li Qiong, who was both his teacher and brother, that the hatred in his heart subsided somewhat.
Although Gao Siji had already died at the hands of Wang Yanzhang when his father passed away, and was not his direct father's killer, Guo Wei still felt somewhat resentful and defiant towards Gao Xingzhou, who came from the Yan army.
On the eve of the Lantern Festival, the emperor hosted a banquet at Gao Mansion. Guo Wei, who was serving as a guard, was actually defeated by a ten-year-old child. He was ridiculed by his colleagues and felt deeply ashamed.
He was in his prime and didn't yet know how to conceal his thoughts; his arrogant expression was evident on his face.
Gao Xingzhou was nearly twenty years older than Guo Wei, and their seniority and titles were vastly different, leading to completely different thoughts and ideas.
He was concerned that the Imperial Guards were the emperor's private army, and everyone took pride in this, so they were always arrogant and domineering, and never took other friendly forces seriously. Today's fight was an example of this.
According to the Tang Code, anyone who engages in fighting shall be punished with forty strokes of the cane; anyone who injures another person by striking them with an object shall be punished with sixty strokes of the cane; anyone who injures another person by pulling out a hair of more than one inch shall be punished with eighty strokes of the cane. If blood comes from the ears or eyes, or if there is internal injury resulting in vomiting blood, the punishment shall be increased by two degrees.
The laws in the military vary, and can be lenient or strict. If they are lenient, one may turn a blind eye; if they are strict, beatings or even beheadings as a warning to others are not out of the question.
This group was under Zhang Yanqi's command, so Gao Xingzhou could certainly deal with them, but he had to consider Zhang Yanqi's feelings. Guo Wei and his group relied on this to believe they wouldn't be severely punished.
Having served in the military for decades, Gao Xingzhou was well aware of the thoughts of these ruffians. He smiled slightly and said, "With a formidable enemy at hand, it is not appropriate to punish brave soldiers for trivial matters."
Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Gao Xingzhou continued, "Since I am the commander of the battle formation, it is my duty to arrange the troops. Someone, inform Minister Zhang that when we face the enemy, your two troops should line up next to each other."
!! ?
The two groups, who had just fought and were now black and blue, looked at each other in bewilderment. War is no child's play; if neighboring teams don't support each other, they're risking their lives.
Gao Xingzhou made such an arrangement, so unless they didn't want to live anymore, they had to put aside their grudges and unite to fight the enemy.
But the matter was not over yet.
"You lack teamwork and coordination; sending you into battle might cause problems."
Gao Xingzhou calmly ordered, "Starting today, we will move to the same campsite to enhance mutual communication. I believe Minister Zhang will not refuse my suggestion. Go."
Zhang Yanqi would never offend Gao Xingzhou over such a trivial matter as changing the lodging camp for a few soldiers.
Making them eat and sleep in the same place, constantly on guard against the other party's underhanded tactics, is extremely draining on their mental and physical strength.
Gao Xingzhou was not punished openly, but Guo Wei wished he would be beaten forty times. He had heard that Gao Xingzhou's nickname was "Old Hawk Gao," which was really insidious.
Just as he was filled with resentment, Gao Xingzhou bent down to pick up the book that had fallen during the fight, glanced at the cover, and asked whose it was.
Everyone looked at Guo Wei.
"Now that you have read this 'Spring and Autumn Annals of the Outer Gates,' you should understand the principles of governing the country with righteousness, using unorthodox tactics in warfare, survival and destruction, order and chaos, and the wisdom and folly, success and failure."
Gao Xingzhou brushed the dust off the book and handed it back to Guo Wei, earnestly admonishing him: "The fortified city of Jinyang has not yet fallen, and the Khitans are eyeing us covetously. We should be working together with one heart and one mind, but instead, our comrades in the army are fighting each other. How unwise!"
Guo Wei always carried this book with him wherever he went, and would read it whenever he had free time. He subconsciously reached out and took it from him. (Note 2)
Gao Xingzhou did not immediately let go, his sharp gaze fixed on Guo Wei, and he uttered a harsh remark.
"Many of you probably know the predecessor of the Imperial Guard Cavalry, or perhaps even originated from it. Where is its former military designation now?"
This statement was quite veiled, but Guo Wei, who joined the unit at the age of twenty-one, understood Gao Xingzhou's meaning perfectly. (Note 3)
The bodyguard Ma Jun's original name was Cong Ma Zhi, the same Cong Ma Zhi who kidnapped Li Siyuan and shot Li Cunxu!
"The Emperor appointed you as his personal guards, yet you have acted lawlessly and rebelled. Just look at the fates of Zhang Pobai and Guo Congqian in the past; do you really think that national laws and military discipline are merely for show!"
Zhang Pobai was killed on the spot. Guo Congqian was appointed as the governor of Jingzhou. Li Siyuan then ordered an imperial envoy to execute him and exterminate his clan, because he was the ringleader of a major treasonous plot to kill Emperor Zhuangzong.
Everyone, including Guo Wei, understood Gao Xingzhou's unspoken meaning. Under the imposing pressure of the general, they immediately knelt down in unison, bowing their heads and saying, "Your subordinates dare not!"