Married Thrice to Salted Fish

Chapter 44

As early as when Gu Fuzhou’s first resignation letter was sent to the capital, the Emperor and his confidants have been discussing the matter. They’ve been discussing for a long time.  Some were of the opinion that since Gu Fuzhou has commanded the army for many years, and has won the hearts and minds of the soldier; if things go on like this, the soldiers might grow to obey only military orders and not the Emperor’s. Since Gu Fuzhou himself asked to return to the capital, releasing any military power he had, the Emperor could simply follow his wishes and take the opportunity to take back the military power. It could be regarded as removing a hidden danger to the Dayu.

Another faction, headed by Xiao Cheng scoffed at such a statement. Now that the war in the northwest was at a stalemate, letting Gu Fuzhou come back would only shake the heart of the army and give the enemy an opportunity. Gu Fuzhou was stationed in the northwest border throughout the year. He has won countless victories. Just his name was enough to deter part of the enemy. If Gu Fuzhou was not in the northwest, the Xixia army would definitely take the opportunity to attack the city and capture their stronghold. Let Zhao Mingwei protect it? Was he even capable of that?

The Emperor had yet to make his imperial decision. Gu Fuzhou’s resignation letters went from every five days, to every three. In recent days, it came almost daily. At the same time, Zhao Mingwei’s impeachment request changed from one every five days to one every ten. He used to insist on impeachment but he suddenly stopped. He even said in his report: Although the general is very lazy, nevertheless, he is able to lead our army to score one victory after another. It was over, he no longer wishes to get to the bottom of this matter.

While the messenger soldiers were desperately running between the capital and Yongliang, the Xixia army was not idle either. They attacked the city three times within the span of a month. Every day that went without the Emperor’s approval of his request was another day that Gu Fuzhou was still the general of the Zhengxi Army. Every time the enemy attacked, he would grumble and swear for a while. Then, he would reluctantly get up from bed, strategized in front of the sand table, and plan victory from a thousand miles away.

What? The Emperor asked why General Gu wouldn’t go into battle himself to cut down their enemies? That was absolutely impossible. Let’s put it this way, the Qingyun Jiuzhou Spear bestowed by the Emperor has long since been gathering dust in the corner; his steed, an extremely rare Ferghana horse, he has overfed and allowed to grow fat, he’s even dubbed it a very shameful nickname.

What was puzzling was that Gu Fuzhou could lead them to win every time. And not only to win, but also to win beautifully. There was even one time that while Gu Fuzhou was commanding the city defenses, he dispatched a team of elite soldiers at the same time, taking advantage of the enemy’s all-out attack to launch a secret raid on the town where the enemy stored their military provisions. No one knew how General Gu knew that the enemy were storing their provisions in a small town less than a day’s ride away. In short, halfway through the siege of the city, news of the stolen provisions suddenly reached the enemy. They couldn’t advance not could they retreat. In the end, they lost their army after having given away a bride.

This was the first time Gu Fuzhou took the initiative to attack after having been cured of the residual poison. Everyone thought that he had reverted back to his old personality. Their highly respected and noble General Gu, who got up early in the morning and worked late into the night, was back. Who would have thought that Gu Fuzhou, having worked hard for only a day, after winning, threw down this statement “let everyone rest for a couple of days and we’ll discuss it afterwards” and then lay in bed for two days.

The generals and military officers were confused, heartbroken, filled with bitterness; but they also couldn’t help but be convinced. In any case, for the soldiers on the battlefield, the most important thing was to be able to win the battle and keep the number of their casualties and their wounded to a minimum. Only then did Zhao Mingwei write in his report: Forget it, forget it. We no longer wish for his impeachment. His Majesty also shouldn’t look into this matter any longer.