Guo Shao picked up the teacup and took a sip, suddenly stretched out his tongue and took a breath, and then the taste was not quite right, and he frowned slightly. He's not a person who pays attention to the tea ceremony, and he doesn't pick at all, but he can still notice that something is wrong when he is used to drinking it.

At this time, Dong Sanmei's voice said timidly: "Your Majesty, is it too hot?" ”

"It's okay, just cool down for a while." Guo Shao said kindly, and casually mentioned, "If the water is boiled, it's best not to make tea right away." ”

Guo Shao heard her whisper, so he ignored it, picked up a cloth bag on the table, and took out a large stack of papers inside. Then sit there and flip through it as you like. Seeing this, Dong Sanmei carefully withdrew from the study, not daring to disturb him.

These papers are military orders left during the battle to defeat the Southern Tang Dynasty. It was not a military order of the Chinese army, but an important military order recorded by the civilian scribes sent by the "Jiangnan Qianying Military Government" to all levels of formation. Guo Shao had already read it once when he appreciated the merits of the soldiers, but he only had a rough look, mainly because Wang Pu and other military officials carefully studied it in order to evaluate the merits of the military.

This "command system" is an evolved version of the herald system that Guo Shao tinkered with a few years ago. During the Battle of the Southern Tang Dynasty, Guo Shao found it very easy to use...... Compared with the previous system, after the Privy Council dispatched officials to form the "Jiangnan Qianying Military Government", a staff group integrated into all strata of the army, military orders were issued more formally, and a large number of written materials were retained, which was more convenient for the management of rewards and punishments after the war.

However, the essence of military power has not changed in any way. The decision-makers are still the main generals, and the staff officials and heralds only play an auxiliary role; It is mainly an effective transmission and perfect management of the record, which can also play a role in supervision.

…… Now Guo Shao has a new idea. If the power of the staff group system and generals is differentiated, the generals with military talents will have the decision-making power, and the staff group will have the executive power; The subordinates only obey the official military orders of the staff group, so isn't the military power of the generals restricted and weakened?

Guo Shao hurriedly recorded this idea on paper. It is even possible to further improve the distribution of powers, dividing the executive power of the staff group, the power of rewarding and punishing military law, the right to manage weapons and armor, and the power to dispatch military money and food, and so on, and subordinate them to different departments, and then integrate them in wartime. As a result, it is almost impossible for any one side to control the army and wage war alone.

Even for the army of the main force of the central field, the military generals who command and organize training in peacetime and the military generals who go out to lead the troops can be separated. When the generals take charge of the army and go to war, their subordinates are not the people who are usually attracted by the commander, and it is even more difficult to gather the generals to rebel.

…… But Guo Shao soon realized that this approach was at least not suitable for the current situation.

He remembered a typical military general, Shi Yanchao. Shi Yanchao's cavalry is very powerful in the battle array, and it has always been a sharp knife blade of the forbidden army; However, if Shi Yanchao had not led the troops, or those cavalry soldiers went into battle, the combat effectiveness would have been greatly reduced!

Guo Shao looked at the shadow of the tea cup swaying slightly, and a lot of pictures appeared in his mind for a while.

He got up step by step from a pawn and a low-level general, experienced all kinds of battle formations, and colorful battlefield scenes came to mind. Cold weapon battlefield, face-to-face fighting, very violent and brutal, courage and morale play a key role.

He seemed to be in a chaotic battlefield, with sharp arrows flying on his head, and crazy enemies with sharp knives and guns in front of him stabbed people indiscriminately! It's not easy to run away without being scared or dodging, especially when a murderous enemy rushes head-on.

After the battle, the privy envoy Wang Pu went to the battlefield where the war broke out to organize people to count the wounds of the dead and wounded. One thing was confirmed, although there was armor protection, the number of long-range casualties such as ballistas and bows and arrows was far greater than that caused by melee weapons; But the decisive moment of victory and defeat is not long-range, but melee charge. And the most important test of melee rush is courage and morale...... Think about the heavy war horse rushing towards him, and the psychological feeling of being hit by a car in the middle of the road, and the person who can still be there and decide to fight hard, it is not something that can be done casually.

At this time, the prestige and ability of the generals who lead the soldiers are particularly important, and the familiar good generals can give the soldiers a sense of trust and security.

Guo Shao now truly understands why "soldiers don't know generals, generals don't know soldiers" on the battlefield of cold weapons will greatly reduce combat effectiveness.

So at least not now, and not too much of a decentralization; Otherwise, the actions of the army and generals will be dull and inflexible...... In order to maximize the combat effectiveness, Guo Shao planned not to be in a hurry to change the structure of military power, but only to fine-tune and improve the "heralds" and "shogunate".

……

In a house next door, Yulian stopped her needlework, looked up and asked, "I told you to stay by Ah Lang's side to serve, what are you doing here?" ”

Dong Sanmei said embarrassedly: "Ah Lang is busy reading and writing, I am clumsy, I am afraid of disturbing him and making him angry." ”

"Then you can go over in a moment, don't stick to me." Yulian didn't say much, and continued to do her own work, seemingly without thinking about everything.

Dong Sanmei stayed for a while, then picked up a rag and wiped the furnishings in the room. She is also used to doing housework, and she is very quick to do it.

However, there are still many things that will make her "lazy", and then the two pots of flowers on the window attract her attention, the green, red and yellow in the pots are very bright and beautiful. She stopped, stooped down and looked closer at one of the pots of flowers, which was not really a flower, but artificially made; But it is very delicate and vivid, which makes Dong Sanmei very curious and rare.

On closer inspection, the flower pot is carved from jade. The green leaves are made of jade, the flowers are precious stones, and the stems and branches are golden! The materials are precious and very finely carved...... How much work does it take to make such an ornament?

Dong Sanmei couldn't help but sigh in admiration: "It's so beautiful." ”

Yulian said: "No matter how beautiful it is, it's fake." ”

Dong Sanmei said: "It's much more valuable than the real thing, right?" ”

"That's right." Yulian didn't raise her head and said, "I found that this is the case in this palace, even there are few trees, everything is valuable, but after staying for a long time, it feels a little lifeless...... But it's the only thing that's beautiful in winter. ”

Dong Sanmei said: "It's so small, what should I wipe it with?" ”

Yulian said: "Don't care about those things, there are people who specialize in these things." ”

Night had fallen, and the courtyard was quiet, but there were actually dozens of people on duty here. However, without Yulian's nod, those women couldn't get close to Guo Shao's suite, and of course they didn't dare to make a noise.

After a long time, it was almost time for Guo Shao to take a bath and change clothes. Yulian supported Dong Sanmei to work and asked her to serve Guo Shao alone. Yulian said: "I'm not bullying you, I'm giving you a chance." ”

Dong Sanmei's face turned slightly red, and she lowered her head and said, "I know that Sister Yulian is good to me." ”

Yulian suddenly asked again: "Are you willing?" ”

Dong Sanmei was silent, and Yulian glanced at her: "If you really don't want to, I won't force you." ”

Dong Sanmei was silent for a while, and muttered, "I am willing...... Ah Lang treats me so well, I always want to repay the favor. ”

"You think, you think it's to repay the favor. You are reluctant, there are many people who are willing, if I send someone to serve in front of Ah Lang, that person must not remember me as a big favor? Yulian smiled, "Besides, when he was in Guo's mansion, Ah Lang didn't seem to pay much attention to you, how could he treat you well?" ”

Dong Sanmei's mind came to mind when she met a gangster in Hedong a few years ago, the moment Guo Shao covered her eyes, his palms were rough but warm, and Dong Sanmei still remembers the faint warmth. But she didn't want to mention it to anyone, including Yulian.

She thought for a while and said, "Sister Yulian, I couldn't eat enough when I was a child, and all the people around me couldn't eat. The house is broken and dark, I am afraid every night, and I am hungry and cold and afraid of ...... in winter."

Yulian stopped what she was doing and couldn't help but look at her.

Dong Sanmei pursed her lips and said, "No one can survive the hard days, I heard that some people went out to be thieves, but most of them died later...... There is still a long way away, there is a little lady who was accepted by a big family as a concubine, and from the age of thirteen to the age of nineteen, she was bullied very badly; But I was finally kicked out by the owner because I was too old, and I saved up some money, and my life was a little better when I came back......"

Yulian sighed.

Dong Sanmei continued to whisper: "With our background, it is difficult and difficult to live a better life; But I didn't do anything, I didn't use anything, but Ah Lang gave me such a good day, and he didn't scold me lightly. ”

Yulian said: "This world is like this, so many people have not suffered anything in order to be full, and in the end they can't even afford a coffin; Some people are well-dressed and well-fed, and they don't know how to have fun. ”

Dong Sanmei said: "Sister Yulian, I'm not that kind of person, I'm very happy in the Guo family's mansion and in the palace." I think it's nice here......"

She looked left and right, and saw the elaborately carved window lattices, the gold and jade furnishings, the emerald green screens, the silk draperies, and the many candles on the brass lampstands, which illuminated the house beautifully, from the tables, chairs, cabinets, to the floor, clean and clean, and spotless. Although the clothes worn by Dong Sanmei are relatively plain, the materials are also very good, and the daughters of many large families may not be as good as the materials on her body.

Dong Sanmei showed a smile on her face, but she had a very secret emotion, as if a person wanted to dedicate something. She said softly, "Sister Yulian, then I'll go first." ”

"Hmm." Yulian answered, without much to say.

Dong Sanmei gently lifted the hem of her skirt, stepped out of the door, and walked along the corridor illuminated by lanterns under the eaves. When I arrived at the door of Guo Shao's suite, the door was open, revealing a warm orange glow.