Wei Zao said, "You are a good general, you should know better the saying that the right ti is not as important as the right place, and the right place is not as important as harmony among people."
He said, "Qingzhou City is not low, the moat is not shallow, the armor is strong and sharp, and there is no shortage of grain. So why do we keep retreating? It’s because geographical advantage is not as good as people’s unity. General Gou Chun has lost the people’s support in Qingzhou, and further attacks would be difficult. It would be better for the Great General to take a step back."
Gou Xi was stubborn by nature and imdiately rejected the idea, but his advisors, who were more thoughtful, asked, "What does General Wei an by taking a step back?"
Wei Zao said, "Divide Qingzhou in two, but incorporate Luo’an County into Yan State."
The advisor’s eyes flickered, thinking it a feasible plan, but they wanted more than just Luo’an County. He said, "In addition to Luo’an County, there’s Jinan County. Divide the remaining Qi State, Beihai County, Chengyang County, Donglai, and Changguang into two halves."
Wei Zao looked at Gou Xi.
The advisor quietly urged Gou Xi, "Master, the situation in Qingzhou is such that further fighting would harm us more than benefit. It’s better to compromise, as spring plowing is important."
Wei Zao, on the side, reminded, "Great General, Governor Zhao might not intend to take advantage of the situation, but Liu Yuan and Shi Le may not be gentlen."
Gou Xi’s expression darkened. After more persuasion from the advisor, he finally agreed to take a step back.
He agreed, but Wang Jun and Wang Dun didn’t. If Jinan County were also incorporated into Yan State, both Wang Jun and Wang Dun would have to withdraw.
They had fought for their territory, so why should Gou Xi’s words force them to retreat?
However, all three parties eventually relented, and they temporarily ceased hostilities to negotiate.
Finally, with Zhao Hanzhang and the emperor as diators, Jinan County was also divided in two, with one half going to Gou Xi and the other to Wang Jun. As for Wang Dun, the court offered him the Guangzhou Governorship in exchange for relinquishing two counties from Jinan County that he had occupied.
With the war at peace, the emperor finally breathed a sigh of relief and issued three edicts: first, dividing Qingzhou into Qingzhou and Guangzhou, each with their own jurisdictions; second, appointing Wang Jun as Qingzhou Governor and Wang Dun as Guangzhou Governor; third, incorporating specific counties from Jinan County and Luo’an County into Yan State’s jurisdiction...
Zhao Hanzhang, seeing the conflict resolved, then submitted an impeachnt of Gou Chun, requesting the emperor and Gou Xi to severely punish Gou Chun, arguing that his harshness and cruelty had lost him the people’s support, causing the disaster, and demanding a change in the officials managing Luo’an County.
The emperor agreed with Zhao Hanzhang and specially summoned Gou Xi, hoping he would take control of Gou Chun and appointed a new Prefectural Governor for Luo’an County.
Due to the Qingzhou affair, Gou Xi and his brothers lost significant support, with Gou Xi’s prestige greatly diminished. He could feel the dissent from his subordinate generals.
This feeling had only been experienced once before, after killing Yan Heng, and this ti it was even more apparent.
Thus, Gou Xi did not agree with the emperor’s orders. He did not trust the Prefectural Governor selected by the emperor, choosing one himself instead, but he recalled Gou Chun to Yun City.
After a year of indulgence, which nearly ruined his will and health, Gou Xi finally felt a sense of crisis and left his General’s Mansion to inspect his troops.
However, he was accustod to rising late in the morning, how could he, like in the past, get out of bed before dawn in the bitter cold to train in the crude, chilly barracks?
He was used to soft and comfortable bedding, so how could he sleep on a plank in the barracks, with only a thin quilt?
He was used to fine foods; his stomach soaked with richness, so how could he still stomach coarse grain buns?
So he persisted for less than a few days. When his stomach and heart clamored for delicious food, he could not resist and ordered fish and wine. After a hearty consumption, he could not help but sleep as he wished; when he awoke the next day, it was already near noon...
Gou Xi’s newly taken concubine brought chicken soup to see him, and along with a group of maidservants, helped him rise, softly saying, "Great General, this chicken soup was personally simred by since early morning, slowly cooked for three full hours. Please taste it and see if it’s flavorful enough?"
The chicken soup had been skimd of oil and was not greasy, but clear and fragrant. After a taste, the impulse for at due to recent thriftiness was greatly relieved, more so than the big fish and at last night.
Gou Xi leaned back comfortably against the upright pillow, exhaling a long breath and asked, "Where is Second Son?"
The concubine answered, "The Little General left early, I heard the county governnt caught several thieves yesterday, and he went to handle it."
Gou Xi frowned slightly, got up, and dressed, "He is the Prefect, judging thieves is the County Magistrate’s business, why is he involved?"
The concubine smiled, "To vent, perhaps. The Little General has been quite temperantal these days, punishing several people in the mansion. Outside, whenever anyone commits a cri, he tes out flogging and punishnt..."
Before she finished, the maidservants in the room had already turned pale, dropping to their knees, trembling.
The concubine was puzzled, not understanding what was amiss.
Gou Xi coldly glanced at her and called outside, "Soone, take her away and teach her so manners."
Before she could speak, two trusted aides entered, not looking at Gou Xi, and covered her mouth, dragging her out.
Gou Xi, with a gloomy expression, dressed himself, then glanced at the kneeling maidservants, frowning slightly, "Go and receive your punishnt. If any of the mistresses do wrong, it’s because you haven’t taught them well."
The maidservants, trembling, responded affirmatively, only daring to rise and attend to Gou Xi after he left. Once he was gone, they reluctantly went to the punishnt room to receive their penalty, no one dared to shirk it.
In the dining room, food was already prepared, and since Gou Xi hadn’t risen at 5 a.m., the steward sensed trouble and imdiately sent people out to buy a large amount of ingredients, preparing since morning until they finally managed a barely presentable al.
There were twenty-eight dishes, so cold, so hot, so with soup, so with at, and even so rare tender vegetable sprouts of the season.
Gou Xi sat at the table with an unchanged expression, and the steward, realizing he had guessed correctly, secretly sighed in relief and imdiately stepped forward to serve the al.
Seeing the steward’s old face, Gou Xi frowned.
The steward instantly understood, imdiately bowed, and withdrew. With a wave, the beautiful maidservants waiting outside entered, two on each side, picking up chopsticks to serve him, their movents graceful, chopsticks flying rapidly as they delivered whatever dish his eyes lingered on...
Gou Xi had a very satisfying al, feeling that this was life.
After eating, it was already past 1:00 PM, and the sun outside was brighter. But having just eaten his fill, he couldn’t help but feel sleepy, also feeling his shoulders were slightly sore from horse riding and archery practice in recent days.
So he sat outside, sunbathing while allowing the maidservants to massage him.
Since he was sunbathing, how could he be bored? Music and dance were necessary.
In Gou Xi’s mansion, there were over two hundred maidservants, many gifted in the arts. So singers sang, dancers danced, and musicians played, restoring the General’s Mansion to its forr liveliness.
An official happened to pass by the General’s Mansion’s wall, deliberately stopping his carriage to listen to the music and songs inside. After a mont, he shook his head in disappointnt, his eyes filled with inextinguishable worry. "The Great General is ruined."
User Comments
0 comments from readers