The old lieutenant arrived at the camp. After announcing his name and showing his waistband, he was quickly led to the tent where Kou Ji was.
As soon as the old captain walked to the entrance of the tent, took a deep breath, and was about to shout, he heard Kou Ji's voice coming from inside the tent.
"You mean, after you passed my message to those Xixia people, they refused to leave?"
"Yes, Master!"
"If you give me too much face, the dogs will feel like wolves. Since they don't know how to live or die, don't blame me for being cruel. Tomorrow I will take the soldiers of the Hengshan Army to divide the area east of Dejing Town first. You can rush back to Yin overnight. Prefecture, send a thousand Liao prisoners from Yinzhou, and bring a thousand swords with them."
"The young master plans to..."
"Let those Liao people enter Dejing Town and tell them that whether they can escape back to Liao Kingdom and survive depends on their luck. Guess what they will do?"
"One thousand...I'm afraid it's not enough..."
"Then two thousand, or ten thousand if that doesn't work... We have 30,000 Liao captives. If we neglect supervision and are escaped by them, whoever they harm will have nothing to do with us...
The people of Xixia can let the people of Liao enter Xixia, why can't I let the people of Liao enter Xixia?
The Xixia people do the first grade of junior high school, and I can do the fifteenth grade."
"..."
The conversation between Kou Ji and the guard was understated.
But the old captain who was standing at the door of the tent was sweating coldly when he heard this.
Did I hear some military secrets that I shouldn't hear?
Have I discovered the true face of Kou Jinglue’s hypocrisy?
Will Kou Jinglue kill me to silence me?
With Kou Jinglue's current power, killing me is no different from killing a chicken.
Is it still too late to run now?
The old captain had cold sweat on his forehead and was thinking wildly in his mind.
Just when he had the idea of escape, Koji's guards came out of the tent.
After seeing the old captain, he coughed lightly.
As if stung by a bee, the old captain suddenly stood upright and shouted loudly: "Guo Shoude, the captain of the Hengshan Pass, wants to see you!"
After the old lieutenant finished shouting, he discovered that a man in armor and a bodyguard was staring at him with a strange look on his face.
The old captain suddenly blushed.
Without waiting for the two of them to speak.
Ko Ji's voice came from the tent.
"Guo Shoude, the guard of Hengshan Pass?"
Guo Shoude hurriedly said: "It's a humble job!"
"Come in!"
Guo Shoude wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurried into the tent.
As soon as he entered the tent, he saw Kou Ji holding a military book upside down and lying lazily on a couch.
Kou Ji casually dropped the military book, pointed to the Hu stool not far away from him, and said: "Sit down and talk."
"Here!"
Guo Shoude bowed respectfully, walked over and sat on the bench, sitting very evenly, staring straight ahead without blinking.
Seeing this, Kou Ji pondered for a moment and said, "No need to be formal..."
Guo Shoude replied again, "Well..."
Kou Ji glanced at his mouth and didn't speak again.
When you meet a subordinate who does things strictly, it is impossible for you to expect him to be open-minded in front of you.
Kou Ji slowly made himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and then asked: "Why did you come here to see me when you were not guarding Hengshan Pass?"
Guo Shoude was stunned and said quickly: "I heard that the bandits had arrived outside the Hengshan Pass, so I naturally wanted to come to see him. This is the courtesy."
Kou Ji nodded slowly, "Since I've seen it, let's go back."
"Um?!"
Guo Shoude looked stunned.
Kou Ji glanced at him and said calmly: "Is there anything wrong?"
Guo Shoude hesitated for a long time and slowly shook his head.
Kou Ji waved his hand and said: "Go down, I'm tired..."
Guo Shoude got up and walked out. After taking two steps, he could no longer move his feet.
Guo Shoude gritted his teeth, turned around, bowed to Kou Ji, and said in a deep voice: "Kou Jinglue, I am humble and courageous, and I want to ask Kou Jinglue something."
Kou Ji put down the teacup he had just picked up and glanced at the old captain, "What's the matter?"
Guo Shoude said in a deep voice: "Kou Jinglue wants to provoke a war between the Song Dynasty and Xixia?"
Kou Ji said calmly: "Does it have anything to do with you?"
Guo Shoude opened his mouth, but was stunned and speechless.
He was a guard guard, but in Kou Ji's eyes, he was just a bigger soldier.
There is no need to explain to him what decisions and thoughts Kou Ji has.
Guo Shoude was silent for a long time, gritted his teeth and said: "I am just worried that Kou Jinglue's war in the northwest will affect Cao Shuai's war in Yanyun."
Kou Ji stared at the old captain and said, "How long have you been outside the tent?"
Guo Shoude said in a deep voice: "Half a stick of incense..."
Kou Ji nodded slowly and said, "Then you should have heard everything I told the guards. Through those words, couldn't you guess what I was thinking?"
Guo Shoude took a deep breath, stared at Kou Ji and said: "Kou Jinglue really wants to start a war in the northwest."
For this reason, there was no need for Kou Ji to hide it.
Kou Ji said frankly: "Yes... the Xixia people let the Liao people enter and massacred the people of our Song Dynasty. This was a blood feud and had to be avenged. When I was in the Western Regions, Cao Xianshun, the Uighur Khan of Shazhou, once sat back and watched our soldiers of the Song Dynasty starve.
More than ten thousand people died.
I emptied the city of Shazhou to avenge the soldiers.
This time the Xixia people let the Liao people enter and massacred our people in the Song Dynasty. Naturally, I will not let this blood feud go unpunished."
Hearing this, Guo Shoude solemnly said: "Kou Jinglue, if you start a war in the northwest, Commander Cao, who is far away in the land of Yanyun, may be in a very worrying situation."
Kou Ji raised his eyebrows and said, "Are you teaching me how to do things?"
Guo Shoude hurriedly said: "I don't dare to do this because of my humble position."
Kou Ji stared at Guo Shoude and said: "From Jiayu Pass in Suzhou to Ningbian Pass in Ningbian Prefecture, on the Great Wall of thousands of miles, there are as many as a thousand school captains guarding the city. There are many people who want to see me, why don't I see others?
People, only meet you?"
Guo Shoude thought of many answers in an instant, but he seemed unprepared for each answer, so he could only look at Kou Ji with a questioning look on his face.
Kou Ji didn't give in and helped him clear up his doubts: "Among these many captains, you are the oldest. When I came here, I read your file and found that you are not only the oldest among them, but also the oldest among them.
He is also the most conservative among them.
It has been thirty-four years since you joined the army.
In thirty-four years, you have experienced countless wars, big and small.
There are countless missed opportunities to make meritorious deeds.
You are too conservative, so conservative that the credit slips away from you and you don’t know how to catch it.
Previously, when the Song Dynasty conquered Xixia, everyone lost their minds and went to Xixia to make contributions.
Only you, leading your men, guard your own one-third of an acre of land and don't move at all.
Therefore, after the Song Dynasty’s war against Xixia ended.
Your colleagues have become generals, but you are still a captain.
In the past, the Song Dynasty needed people like you to guard the borders.
Because people like you are stable enough and can defend the city.
But today’s Song Dynasty is different.
We attacked Xixia, attacked Hexi, and attacked Liao.
We are expanding our territory.
We need the kind of lieutenants who dare to charge in front of the battle line, not the kind of lieutenants who lead the troops and remain motionless.
The reason why I meet you is to give you a chance.
It also gives others a chance.
I have found a suitable guard captain of Hengshan Pass.
If you feel that you cannot serve in the military, then take the initiative to give up your position.
If you feel that you can still serve in the army, then bring your cronies to the Hengshan Army. You will definitely have a place among the ten military leaders of the Hengshan Army.
But I need to remind you.
Next, the Hengshan Army faced fierce battles.
Each battle is more ferocious than the last."
When Guo Shoude heard this, his eyes widened, as if he had heard something unbelievable.
Kou Ji wants to fire him?
But he was not guilty, so why did Kou Ji fire him?
Kou Ji said at the end of what he just said, the Hengshan Army will face a fierce battle?
Koji thinks he can't face a fierce battle?
Kou Ji thinks he's... afraid of death?
Guo Shoude thought of this, stared at Kou Ji, and said without hesitation: "You are not afraid of death if you are in a humble position!"
Kou Ji said calmly: "I don't care whether you are afraid of death or not. I will give you two paths now. You can either serve as a commander in the Hengshan Army, or you can be expelled from the army and return to your hometown to farm."
"Humble job..."
Guo Shoude hurriedly wanted to speak.
Kou Ji interrupted him and said, "Okay, you don't have to answer me now. I'll give you one night to think about it. Since you have done some hard work for the court, I will leave you some dignity.
Tomorrow, I will send the guard captain I selected to take over at Hengshan Pass.
If you want to stay, take your people and your clothes and rush here to see me.
If you don’t want to stay, then you can quietly leave with your cronies.”
"Humble job..."
"Go down..."
Guo Shoude walked out of Kou Ji's tent in a daze.
His eyes wandered aimlessly.
He didn't understand how he came to warn Kou Ji not to start a war in the northwest, but in the end it was Kou Ji who expelled him.
Guo Shoude walked away from the tent where Kou Ji was sitting in a daze.
Completely unaware, a man stood beside him and looked at him several times.
After Guo Shoude left, the man entered Kou Ji's tent.
The man entered the tent and hurriedly asked Kou Ji, "Fourth brother, is that Guo Shoude really afraid of death, so he doesn't dare to go out to fight the enemy and has been living in the army?"
Kou Ji glanced at Liu Heng, "Is he afraid of death? He is not afraid of death at all. He just has the heart of a Bodhisattva and is afraid of the death of his men."
Liu Heng said unexpectedly: "Is it mentioned in his file?"
Kou Ji nodded slowly, "I glanced at it occasionally and saw that this person had killed many enemies when he was in the army, and he was the leader of the battalion due to his meritorious service. In the fourth year of Yongxi's reign, Emperor Taizong went on a northern expedition, and this person led his troops to escort grain and grass. Going north, they encountered a group of Liao soldiers and horses. This man led his soldiers and wiped out all the Liao soldiers and horses. He led the soldiers and horses, and there were less than ten people left.
He was also promoted to captain because of that battle.
However, after that battle, he never led his soldiers to charge again.
Therefore, in these years, most of the soldiers under his command are alive and well, except for the scouts who are used to detect the enemy's situation, and the old and weak who died of illness in the camp."
Liu Heng said in shock: "Then he is useless."
A school captain who loses the desire to lead troops and kill is no different from being useless.
Kou Ji heard Liu Heng's words and nodded slowly, "Absolutely."
Liu Heng asked: "Then you will also insert him into our army?"
Kou Ji rolled his eyes and said: "He is useless at leading troops in battles. But he is better than you at regulating military discipline, training soldiers, arranging troops, building cities and assisting in defense, etc."
From the time he was promoted to captain until now, I have experienced countless battles, big and small, that I can't even count.
In such a situation, he can still protect his soldiers from serious harm. He is a person with special abilities.
There are countless captains in our Song Dynasty, but he is the only one who can do this.
Those captains who were stationed in the hinterland of the Central Plains would occasionally suppress a bandit, but they would also suffer numerous casualties.
He is stationed at the border and can protect his soldiers from harm, which is very valuable."
Liu Heng said with a wry smile: "What special ability does he have? It's just hiding in a turtle shell and not daring to come out."
On the battlefield, Liu Heng was the kind of person who liked to ride on horseback and rush to kill, so he didn't really like people who huddled in turtle shells.
Kou Ji glared at Liu Heng and cursed in a low voice: "You can't even see the talent in front of you. Your eyes should be dug out. If he really shrinks into a turtle shell and doesn't get out, then his position will be long gone."
It was cut to the bottom."
When Liu Heng heard this, he was completely stunned.
Kou Ji was right. If Guo Shoude had really been hiding in a turtle shell, he would have been cut into a pawn long ago, and he might even have been beheaded.
It should be noted that in every war, when the general gives the order to charge, if anyone stops moving forward or cowers, the war supervisors led by the civilian officials will chop off their heads.
Therefore, Guo Shoude must be exceptional in being able to retain his own position while retaining the soldiers under his command.
Kou Ji saw that Liu Heng realized how powerful Guo Shoude was, so he babbled: "To do what he does, he must have a sense of smell far beyond that of ordinary people. He must be able to smell every crisis on the battlefield, and he must grasp it tightly.
War situation, quickly through the chaos on the battlefield, infer the direction of the war, and follow the trend.
More importantly, understand the court's military laws and laws.
Know the military laws of the imperial court and the loopholes in the laws.
Know under what circumstances to protect yourself without being considered by the court as a waste of opportunity."
Guo Shoude is actually a very qualified staff member and military advisor.
He is too benevolent and is not suitable for commanding soldiers, let alone heavy soldiers.
He is suitable for helping the leader behind the scenes to make suggestions and take care of trivial matters.
Liu Heng currently lacks such a person.
Kou Ji read a lot of files on his way out of Beijing and found a lot of useful talents, but he didn't bother to remember some of them with low official positions.
He was preoccupied with the chaos in the northwest and the conquest of Xixia. He had no time to pay attention to a person whose official position was so low that he was not qualified to write his name in the memorial he handed to Bianjing City.
If Guo Shoude hadn't taken the initiative to meet him today, Kou Ji wouldn't even be able to remember him.
Now that Guo Shoude took the initiative to send him to his door, and Liu Heng's men happened to be short of such a person, Kou Ji naturally had to help Liu Heng get him.
After Liu Heng realized the value of Guo Shoude, his eyes sparkled and he said: "Then he is really a talent..."
Liu Heng looked at Kou Ji and hesitated: "But just now, fourth brother, you gave him two choices. What if he chooses to leave?"
Kou Ji said calmly: "He is already fifty and has stayed in the military camp for most of his life. Can he really abandon the military camp and leave happily?"
Liu Heng smiled and said: "That's good..."
Kou Ji warned Liu Heng: "It is true that he is a talented person, but you should not rely too much on him. Although he has a keen sense of smell and knows how to observe the battle situation, he has never led a large number of soldiers and horses, so you do not need all of his suggestions.
listen to.
You can use his eyes, use his nose, but don't rely too much on his brain."