Volume 2 Clouds Chapter 35: Li Gu in front and Luo Youdu behind
In the council hall, Wang Pu, Fan Zhi and Li Gu were talking about Luo Youdu when they heard Luo Youdu asking for a meeting.
Wang Pu couldn't help but joked: "Speak of Luo Youdu, and here comes Luo Youdu. If we don't give him some blood this time, I'm afraid we won't be able to satisfy his appetite."
Li Gu tapped the table with his fingers and said with a smile: "Let alone bleeding, even cutting the flesh is fine. Let him in!"
Luo Youdu walked into the meeting room and saw three people sitting at the top of the hall. He greeted them one by one: "Greetings, Prime Minister Wang, Prime Minister Li, and Prime Minister Fan."
Wang Pu, Fan Zhi and Luo had met each other in their childhood, but Li Gu did not know them.
When he was emerging, the Yellow River burst its banks. Li Gu was ordered by Guo Rong to go to the front line to lead dozens of state workers to block the river and organize disaster relief. After the expedition, Guo Rong returned to Kaifeng.
There were only five prime ministers in the reign of Guo Rongxiande.
The most famous of them, Feng Dao, died of illness shortly after the Battle of Gaoping. The remaining four were Wang Pu, Fan Zhi, Li Gu, and Li Chongjin.
Originally, Wei Renpu could have replaced Feng Dao as prime minister, but he was not a Jinshi and was affected to a certain extent, so he was not included in the list of prime ministers for the time being.
Li Chongjin became prime minister due to his military achievements, but did not participate in administrative affairs.
The only one who could stand on equal footing with Wang Pu and Fan Zhi was Li Gu.
Even though they have never met, it doesn't stop Luo Youdu from saying hello.
Li Gu stood up from his seat and walked closer, looking at the man in front of him who had accomplished great things at a young age and was famous in Beijing.
"I have always heard Wen Su and Qi Wu talk about your promising young friend. Today I finally get to see him. It turns out that young people are indeed formidable!"
His voice is as loud as a bell. Although he is over fifty years old, he looks like a middle-aged man and does not look old at all.
A trace of surprise flashed across Luo Youdu's eyes. He slightly raised his head to look at the prime minister and secretly exclaimed, "Good fellow."
He was about 1.8 meters tall, which was considered tall in that era. But the Grand Duke of Zhou in front of him was at least 1.95 meters tall, maybe even 2 meters tall, almost a head taller than him, and had a very sturdy build, not like a scholar at all, but more like a military commander.
In fact, he felt quite right. Li Gu was a knight when he was young. He was very brave and good at riding and shooting. However, he felt that his personal bravery could not serve the country, so he gave up martial arts and studied literature, and then passed the imperial examination . With his outstanding courage and wisdom, he served in the Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, and the Four Dynasties, and gradually sat on the position of assistant prime minister. He was both civil and military.
Luo Youdu exclaimed: "Thank you for the compliment, sir. When I was young, I heard that you are both civil and military. From now on, I will be under your command. I hope to receive your guidance."
Li Gu said in high spirits: "You and I will have many opportunities to get along with each other in the future, so there is no need to be so polite." After saying that, he returned to his seat.
Luo Youdu was puzzled and a little surprised for a moment.
Wang Pu went straight to the point and asked, "What do you think about the establishment of the Imperial Camp Division?"
Luo Youdu said, "First of all, we need soldiers. I don't plan to recruit soldiers through conventional means, but from the public. The initial plan is to recruit mainly porters at the docks, supplemented by hunters who are skilled in archery. To recruit them, we need the support of the Ministry of Households. People like them are insecure from day to day, and what they need is a stable home. Having a settled household registration is a guarantee. As long as they are satisfied with this, it won't be a problem to fill up the Imperial Camp Division."
"However, quality is more important than quantity. I don't have any experienced officers. Too many inexperienced recruits would be difficult to control, so the initial number is set at 500."
Wang Pu, Fan Zhi and Li Gu looked at each other with admiration in their eyes. They never expected that the most troublesome problem could be solved just like that.
"The Imperial Camp Division has no roots and no foundation, so we need the Military Equipment Supervisor to collect equipment and machinery. According to an estimate, we need 500 sets of leather armor, 600 sets of weapons, including spears and swords, and 300 sets of bows and crossbows, preferably all brand new. And we also need some war horses, we are not picky, we take as many as we can, and..."
Seeing that Luo Youdu was about to continue speaking.
“Stop, stop, stop…”
Fan Zhi couldn't bear it anymore.
Among the six ministries, Wang Pu was mainly in charge of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue, Li Gu was in charge of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites, and Fan Zhi was in charge of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Justice.
The Military Equipment Inspectorate was under the Ministry of Works, and was exactly under the charge of Fan Zhi.
"I knew you had no good intentions when you came here today. Do you really think the national treasury is your own home?"
Fan Zhi held his forehead with his hand and said, "He wants everything, and he even dislikes the old ones and wants brand new ones. Even the imperial guards don't have this kind of treatment... and war horses. Do you know how scarce war horses are?"
Luo Youdu smiled and bowed, "Mr. Fan, how can this be the same? The six ministries are under the Council of State, and the Imperial Camp is also under the Council of State, and they are of the same lineage. The Palace Front Department and the Imperial Guard Department are not included. It's like a biological son and a godson, there must be some difference in treatment, right! I won't say anything about being bullied at their place. I can't let myself be wronged at home too! How can we live like this!"
Li Gu slammed the table and laughed: "My friend, what you said makes sense. Wensu, I think you should admit it. My friend has seized a lot of things in this expedition, and your Ministry of Works has benefited a lot. Leave those that can be repaired and refurbished to the other side, and give the newly built ones to you. Five hundred people, we can't match the quantity, so don't let the quality be inferior in the end."
Fan Zhi was angry and didn't say anything, which was considered as his agreement.
Wang Pu said with a smile: "I will take care of the household registration issue here, and I will discuss it with the Minister of Revenue later. If you have any needs, just tell him directly, and keep the process simple."
Luo Youdu bowed and said, "Thank you three gentlemen for your support."
Fan Zhi said with a green face: "Let me be frank with you. The three of us are giving you such great support, but you have to see results. Otherwise..." He snorted twice.
Luo Youdu thought: "Black and red face, I'll take it."
"I will never let the three gentlemen down."
Luo Youdu bowed again and said, "Then I'll take my leave now!"
Wang Pu nodded and said, "Go!"
Seeing Luo Youdu retreating and leaving, Fan Zhi suddenly smiled: "This kid is quite good at talking, he can be entrusted with the afterlife."
The metaphor of biological son, godson and family members really touched his heart.
As the prime minister of the current dynasty, it feels really bad that I can't even mobilize a single soldier.
Now that we have the Imperial Camp, we have to take good care of it.
Li Gu said: " Let up to me. After all, I have lived half a lifetime longer, so I can't let the younger generation outperform me this time."
He has received the news of the final decision today.
Guo Rong decided to send troops to attack Southern Tang at the end of November and prepared to lead the army in person.
However, he did not go there in person. He was first appointed as the commander-in-chief, and Wang Yanchao, the governor of Zhongwu, served as his deputy general. They cooperated with 12 generals to march south and break the situation.
For this southern expedition, the number of troops and supplies dispatched by the Great Zhou even exceeded that of the previous battle with the Northern Han, which shows how much importance it attaches.
In this crucial battle, Guo Rong appointed Li Gu as the commander, which shows his determination and attitude to suppress the arrogant and powerful generals of this era.
Wang Pu smiled with relief when he saw the grand scene before him.
He has been through a lot, and the current situation two years ago seems like a dream.
In front was Li Gu, and behind was Luo Youdu.
The time to restore the Tang Dynasty's culture of combining civil and military affairs is just around the corner.
