Volume 1 The Wind Rises Chapter 48: Be gentle...
When Guo Rong saw Luo Youdu responded, he raised his head and laughed out loud.
Luo Youdu finally got to know his boss better.
He is a born gambler who likes to gamble and dares to place big bets.
After he succeeded to the throne, when he faced the first test in his life, he chose to go all in.
Feng Dao tried to persuade him so much at the time, and almost died for it, but he still insisted on his own way and chose to personally lead an expedition against Northern Han.
In the end, he won the bet with great difficulty, which demonstrated his prestige, stabilized the government, and suppressed those military governors who were ready to make trouble.
This time he started gambling again, but this time his bet was on himself.
After laughing for a while, Guo Rong asked, "Sir, do you have any suggestions for the candidates for the expedition?"
Luo Youdu said very bluntly: "As long as Your Majesty does not appoint the general who attacked me in the palace that day as the commander, it will be fine. I am not familiar with the other generals in the army, and I don't know their abilities. Your Majesty can make the decision yourself."
Guo Rong patted his chest and said, "Okay, sir, don't worry. How can I put you in danger? I will select a reliable general from the army to serve as your bodyguard to ensure that you are safe."
Luo Youdu felt relieved immediately.
It is too risky for a military inspector to supervise the war alone .
The situation would be different if there was a troop that could be deployed, at least there wouldn't be too much risk.
Wang Pu was extremely efficient. At noon the next day after they decided on the Great Zhou strategy, a group of ragged and dusty Qinchuan people were already blocking the gate of the imperial city.
They were crying with great heartbreak, cursing Meng Chang's absurdity and tyranny, crying and shouting, hoping that Guo Rong, the Emperor of the Great Zhou, would send troops to rescue his people and save the suffering people of Qinchuan from the dire straits.
Luo Youdu didn't know how many people would believe this sudden situation, but what was certain was that no one dared to choose not to believe it.
Especially the generals, their eyes turned red, and they turned into messengers of justice, constantly recommending themselves and enthusiastically asking for battle.
As this trend emerged, Prime Ministers Fan Zhi and Wang Pu, who advocated recuperation and slowly conquering the world, could no longer control the situation and could only acquiesce to the suggestion of sending troops.
After some haggling, he finally decided on the candidates himself. Han Lingkun, the commander-in-chief of the imperial guards and cavalry and governor of Dingwu army, was appointed as the chief commander, and Zan Jurun, the guest minister, was appointed as the assistant. They attacked Meng Shu together with Wang Jing, the governor of Fengxiang.
After the major personnel orders were issued, Guo Rong also immediately announced the appointment of Luo Youdu, a scholar of the Duanming Palace, as the chief supervisor.
The appointment was made just as Luo Youdu had expected.
It was like a blockbuster bomb exploding among the group of military officials.
Chief Supervisor?
What era was this?
This general is all about doing whatever he wants when he is marching and fighting. Who can he win if he fights with his hands and feet tied?
Guo Rong has established his prestige since he won the Battle of Gaoping. Coupled with the planning he has done in recent days, he is confident that he can make the decision on his own.
That night, Han Lingkun's house was very lively.
Not to mention the generals such as Shi Shouxin, Li Jixun, Wang Shenqi and Han Chongyun who were already unhappy with Luo Youdu.
There were also General Zuo Shenwu, Envoy of the Southern Courtyard of Xuanhui, and Jiedushi of Zhen'an Xiang Xun, Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Li Hanchao, and Chief of the Inner Palace He Jiyun. Many prominent generals gathered in Han Lingkun's mansion without any prior arrangement.
Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Kuangyi were naturally among them.
On the surface, they were congratulating Han Lingkun on winning the position of head coach, but their real purpose was self-evident.
Because this was an imperial decree issued by Guo Rong himself, they did not dare to openly oppose Guo Rong.
Xiang Xun spoke sourly at the dinner table about the incident in which the military supervisor Bian Lingcheng forced Gao Xianzhi of the Tang Dynasty to death.
This high-ranking general had learned about the war early on and used many connections in the hope of getting the position of commander-in-chief. In the end, the position went to Han Lingkun, who had lower qualifications and status than him.
The same was true for others. Although none of them dared to point out that Guo Rong had made inappropriate use of troops, there were many examples in history of military supervisors causing chaos and turning victory into defeat.
The entire celebratory banquet was like a criticism meeting against the military supervisor.
As the host of the banquet, Han Lingkun felt embarrassed and helpless. He could not express his opinion, but deep down he was extremely unhappy with Luo Youdu.
Regardless of whether Luo Youdu would become a military supervisor like Bian Lingcheng, Han Lingkun, as the commander-in-chief, would never like to have someone around to control him and restrict his hands and feet.
But the imperial decree has been issued, what can we do?
Han Lingkun was in a dilemma and went to find his old boss Li Chongjin overnight.
Han Lingkun recounted all his sufferings.
"Sir, I am a rough man, how can I associate with a scholar? They are talking without thinking, and some even suggest that I kill Luo Youdu. Damn it, if I kill Luo Youdu, he will pay with his life!"
Li Chongjin listened to Han Lingkun's nagging quietly and asked someone to bring a cup of tea to Han Lingkun to cool down.
Han Lingkun was not polite either. He blew away the hot air, drank the tea and tea leaves together in one big gulp, chewed them and swallowed them into his stomach .
Li Chongjin smiled and said, "The emperor can't be blamed for this."
Han Lingkun said hurriedly: "We dare not blame the government, we can only blame ourselves for being unlucky."
Li Chongjin continued, "The current government is not as pampering as before. The government has great ambitions. Think about the habit of leading troops to fight in the past. Wherever they go, they kill people. When they see a rich village, they will plunder the entire village. When they capture a city, they will rob it for three to five days to let their soldiers eat meat. If they continue to do this, how can the government unify the country?"
Han Lingkun protested: "We don't do this kind of thing very often."
"So!" Li Chongjin said, "This time, the commander-in-chief will be you. Otherwise, do you think that with your qualifications and achievements, you can be the commander-in-chief? Xiang Xun and Shi Shouxin, who is not more suitable than you?"
Han Lingkun was speechless. Although he did not think that his abilities were inferior to Xiang Xun and Shi Shouxin, compared with them, he lacked the opportunity to stand on his own.
Li Chongjin said: "Next, the emperor will be stricter with military law. Some bad habits must be curbed. Wang Jixun is just the beginning, not the end. Why do you think the emperor let Luo Youdu be the military supervisor? If he dares to kill Wang Jixun for a few lowly guards, he dares to kill any one of you for the people."
Han Lingkun was overwhelmed after hearing this and complained, "Isn't that like an ancestor coming?"
Li Chongjin said, "Not yet. As for Luo Youdu, as long as you don't violate military law, he can't do anything to you. This guy is a smart man, he won't make things difficult for you and let you use it against him."
After a pause, he continued, "We can't let him off easy as a military supervisor. We have to make things difficult for him. Also, find a chance to put him in a sack and beat him up. Even if he's exposed, we'll help you take the blame. No matter what, we can't make an example of a military supervisor. I don't want to have an ancestor by my side telling me what to do in future battles."
This is what Han Lingkun wanted, and he said, "I understand!"
After a pause, Li Chongjin added: "Be gentle..."
