Guo Song ordered Pan Liao to be fully responsible for the resettlement of refugees, and ordered Li Bing to lead 2,000 soldiers to assist in arranging refugee affairs, Guo Song set off with more than 100 cavalry overnight, and rushed back to Zhangye County two days later.

At this time, Zhongguan Pang Xiu had already arrived in Zhangye City for a long time, and he brought back a large amount of property this time, and he walked for a full month before arriving in Ganzhou, which really exhausted him and rested for several days before gradually recovering.

In the morning, as soon as Pang Xiu finished breakfast, an entourage came to report, "Guo Dudu is back!" ”

Pang Xiu was overjoyed, and hurriedly asked people to prepare horses, he took the holy decree, surrounded by a large group of entourage, and went to the official office of the governor's mansion, Guo Song took several officials to greet him in front of the official office.

Most of the officials went to Jiuquan, and the main civil officials of the Governor's Office were only Zhang Qiu'an, who joined the army, and a few who joined the military.

Pang Xiu had been to Guo Song's Mansion and had seen Guo Song, he recognized it at a glance, and said with a smile: "Guo Dudu, I haven't seen you for a long time!" ”

Guo Song hugged his fists and saluted: "My father-in-law has worked hard all the way!" ”

"It's a little hard, but the things that the saint has explained, our family has to handle it properly, otherwise we won't be able to explain it when we go back."

Pang Xiu turned over and dismounted and said with a smile: "Why don't we hurry up and read out the holy decree?" ”

"An incense case has been placed in the lobby, Pang Gonggong, please!"

Everyone walked into the lobby, and Pang Xiu saw that the incense case had been arranged, so he took out the holy decree and said loudly: "Announce Your Majesty's will, and Guo Song, the governor of Ganzhou, will receive the decree!" ”

Guo Song knelt down in front of the incense case, several officials also knelt down behind him, Pang Xiu unfolded the holy decree and read aloud: "Since ancient times, the important town of Hexi, the gateway of Chang'an, the rich land of the Tang Dynasty, the splendid of the society, has been repeatedly hit by military disasters, and the lives have been devastated, Guo Song, the governor of Ganzhou, shouldering the heavy trust of me, generously went to the border, tried to save the situation, defeated the border chief Shatuo, with a loyal and brave attitude, with an iron-blooded wrist, and then revitalized the Tang Dynasty. The governor of the three prefectures of Su will be rewarded with 10,000 taels of gold, and the rest of the generals and officials of the governor's mansion will be promoted to one level, and at the same time, the three armies will be rewarded with 500,000 yuan and 300,000 horses of silk to celebrate their achievements! ”

Guo Song is overjoyed, everyone is looking forward to it! This reward could not have come at a better time.

"Weichen thank Your Majesty Longen!"

Guo Song kowtowed to receive the order, and Pang Xiu smiled and said: "Congratulations to Governor Guo, it should be Guo Envoy!" ”

Guo Song took the holy decree and said with a slight smile: "It is the good news that Gonggong Pang brought us, we must thank Gonggong Pang again!" ”

Pang Xiu was overjoyed, and said to Guo Song: "There is also a will, which is to canonize Mrs. Zun, I heard that Mrs. is pregnant, so there is no need to announce the will, I will directly bring the will back to the envoy." ”

"Thank you! Thanks a lot! ”

"In addition, the Son of Heaven has an edict, I want to dictate it to Guo Yuanjun!"

"Father-in-law, please speak!"

Pang Xiu thought for a while and said slowly: "It has always been the last wish of the first emperor to recover the Hexi Corridor, and I hope that Guo Dudu can judge the situation and make a decision according to the changes in the situation." ”

Guo Song asked in a low voice: "What does the Son of Heaven mean, is it for me to decide whether to recover the Hexi Corridor or not?" ”

Pang Xiu nodded, "That's what it means!" ”

.........

Guo Song distributed the reward of the Son of Heaven to the three armies, the three armies were thunderous, the generals and civil officials who were promoted were also jubilant, the soldiers had the reward, they went to the street to consume, all the shops were opened, and the whole Zhangye was like a festival.

Guo Song also followed Pang Xiu to Liangzhou and handed over the military power of Liangzhou with Zhang Guangsheng, who was also promoted to the envoy of Yansui Jiedu, in charge of the armies of Yanzhou and Suizhou.

For Guo Song, the biggest advantage of being promoted to Hexi Jiedu Envoy is that he can take Hexi as a game of chess, comprehensively consider the layout of the Hexi Corridor, and the total number of troops has reached 30,000.

Although Liangzhou is the rear, it cannot be taken lightly, especially to prevent the sneak attack of the party people, Liangzhou must garrison at least 3,000 troops, in fact, it is the Great Dou Tugu, at least 5,000 troops are stationed, Zhangye can be a little less, not less than 2,000, and the remaining 20,000 troops will be stationed in Suzhou.

At this time, Guo Song was faced with a new problem, that is, how to settle the more than 4,000 prisoners of war who were exchanged from Sha Tuo?

If they were reorganized into the army, but the imperial court had already removed them from the army as if they had been killed, that is, no longer allocated for them, how would the 4,000-strong army be resolved?

This is one of them, and the second is that Guo Song soon encountered the common problem faced by all the Jiedu envoys, that is, insufficient military spending, which did not happen to the Ganzhou army, but the Liangzhou army was not spared.

"What do you mean?"

Guo Song banged on the table very dissatisfied, and said angrily to Shi Liluo, the governor of Liangzhou, who had come from Guzang to report: "Before, the generals of the Liangzhou Army told me that the imperial court still owes the brothers three months, and now you say that the imperial court does not owe the concubines, what is going on?" ”

Li Luo said helplessly: "Qi Yu envoy, the imperial court has indeed allocated the Liangzhou army's salary, but the imperial court is in financial difficulties, and can only pay half a salary to the army that did not participate in the war, but Zhang Dudu did not dare to tell the soldiers the truth, can only say that the imperial court owes three months, in fact, the imperial court's military salary has been allocated to last month, we are all anxious, I don't know what to do, at this time Zhang Dudu was transferred away, and the mess can only be left to the envoy to solve." ”

"When did the half-money start?"

"It started in October last year, and the Ganzhou army was also half a salary, but it happened to encounter the invasion of Shatuo, and Ganzhou allocated all the money, and I estimate that soon the Ganzhou army will also implement half a salary, unless it is Jiangnan and Jianghuai's tax power to be transported to Chang'an in time."

Guo Song pressed his head lightly, no wonder Zhang Guangsheng lent 10,000 troops to him so happily, it turned out that he was waiting here for digging a pit!

If the soldiers know the truth and have to rebel, the other half will definitely have to make up for it by themselves, then there are 6,000 people, plus more than 4,000 Tang Army prisoners of war who will be exchanged, they have no soldiers, in fact, the soldiers of 10,000 soldiers need to find a way to solve it by themselves.

30,000 guan a month, 360,000 guan a year, and it will be doubled in wartime, who can afford so many military salaries?

Thinking of these headaches, Guo Song realized the root cause of the division of feudal towns in the late Tang Dynasty, and the envoys of the festival had to solve the problem of military affairs by themselves, of course, within their own jurisdiction, they would deduct all the taxes to raise the army, in the final analysis, after the military system of the Tang Dynasty went bankrupt because of land annexation, and the imperial court finances could not take out a huge military expenditure to support the army, didn't the Anshi Rebellion break out like this?

In fact, there is no way, the only way is to disarm, let the soldiers disarm and return to the field, and reduce the military strength to the range that the imperial court's finances can bear, but who is willing to disarm in the major feudal towns? If only the army directly under the imperial court is cut, it will undoubtedly be self-defeating, this is the question of the chicken or the egg, this unsolvable problem has always plagued the Tang Dynasty for more than a hundred years and cannot be solved until its demise.

Guo Song paced back and forth in the room with his hands in his hands, where should he get the money from?

Generally speaking, it is to rely on the mountains to eat the mountains, rely on the sea to eat the sea, in the Hexi Corridor, you can only rely on the Hexi Corridor to eat, the army can be tuntian, solve the source of food and meat, the military can only rely on the sideline, what is abundant in the Hexi Corridor, leather, livestock, and Zhangye's wine.

But the immediate urgency is the arrears of 12,000 Liangzhou troops for three months, almost 110,000, which must be resolved in the near future.

Guo Song pondered for a long time, but still decided to walk on two legs, on the one hand, continue to ask the Son of Heaven for military expenses, since the Son of Heaven let himself recover the Hexi Corridor, then at least the army should ensure it, on the other hand, brainstorming, everyone sat down and thought of a way together.

Guo Song suddenly remembered that he had another reason to recover military expenses, to recover the Great Dou Tu Valley and annihilate the 8,000 Tubo army, and he had not reported it yet, but the Liangzhou army also participated, not to mention the reward, then at least the military expenses of the Liangzhou army had to be made up!