When Xiao Bao and Cuckoo saw Xiao Bei and the rest, Xiao Bei and the rest also saw the brothers and sisters in the car. They held hands and rushed forward, tumbling as they ran.
Xiao Bao and Cuckoo finally couldn't sit still. They jumped down from the car, ran to the front, and squatted down to kiss each and every one of them.
Xiao Bei's eyes were red as he threw himself into Xiao Bao's arms. He panted and said, "Brother, I-I was afraid that you and Sister wouldn't come back."
"Isn't that so? I didn't want to come back, but when I thought about how Xiao Bei was still waiting at home, how could I not come back? In the end, I taught them a lesson and came back. I also brought a lot of good things for Xiao Bei, including food and toys."
Zhang Xiaobao rubbed Xiao Bei's face that was red from the wind and said with an exaggerated expression.
"Really?" Xiao Bei immediately put on a smiling face. There were still tears in his eyes as he asked curiously.
"Really. I even caught a few big fish from the desert lake. I dried them and brought them back. Xiao Bei, how do you want to eat them?" Zhang Xiaobao said with certainty.
Back then, he and Wang Juan were indeed thinking of bringing something back for the little ones. If the Tubo people knew about this, who knew how they would feel. The two of them actually considered bringing something back for their younger siblings when they were fighting. They were really looking down on others.
Wang Juan's younger brother, Xiao Yuan, who was waiting for his brother to carry him, anxiously stood on the other side of Zhang Xiaobao and said, "It's my turn, it's my turn. Make way, it's my turn."
"No, I … I'm just making some space. My brother asked me to eat fish. Make fish slices." Xiao Bei originally didn't want to make way, but after thinking about it, he moved to the side and left half a space for Xiao Yuan.
Zhang Xiaobao hugged Xiao Yuan again and nodded in agreement. "Then make fish slices. Make big fish slices. Big fish."
"Yes, big fish slices. Let Xiao Yuan eat the fish bones." Xiao Bei was happy and said while shaking his head.
"I'll let you have it. The bones are delicious too." Xiao Yuan argued.
"Why are you still squeezing me?" Xiao Bei snuggled into Zhang Xiaobao's arms.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were extremely busy. They hugged one, kissed one, and kissed another. They had to tell every child that they had brought something good.
Their words did not count. The members of the protection team even brought over all the food and toys that they had found in the desert. There were big dried fish, lake pearls, beautiful shells, grasshoppers woven with needlegrass, dried Desert Cistanche, and even four living animals, wild camels.
He didn't know how Xiao Bao and Cuckoo had kept the four camels for their younger brothers and sisters. There were two males and two females, so they could ride the camels and play with them. They also brought back a lot of loot from the camels they killed.
Zhang Xiaobao also didn't lack the cured ham. He used wild boar intestines to make smoked sausages. It gave people the feeling that the two of them didn't seem like they had just returned from a battle in Tubo. Instead, they seemed like they had just returned from a vacation.
Old Man Pi and the other two also came over. Even if they didn't understand military warfare, they also understood how precious the things that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo brought back were. They were kept while they were fighting with their lives on the line.
"Cuckoo, don't you want to live anymore? If you want to go to war, then go to war. Why did you bring so many things? What are you trying to do? "
Old Man Pi was anxious and asked with his eyes wide open.
Wang Juan smiled. "Is there a conflict between going to war and bringing things? I brought more than ten camels and gave them to Tubo on the way. So what if they are camels? They can't run on their own. Can't I tie them up and use a few horses to carry them? Two of them even froze to death on the snowy mountains. I'll cook them later and give them to Xiao Bei and the others. "
Zhang Xiaobao also echoed from the side. "Isn't that right? It's just dealing with Tubo. There's no need to be so serious. I'll cook the camel humps tomorrow. Everyone, try it."
"That's right. Try it." Xiao Bei didn't know what it was like to bring a burden like camels to war. He also chimed in.
Zhang Zhong watched from the side and thought that Xiao Bei and the others weren't worried about their brother and sister in vain. These two kids were too bold. It seemed that they dared to do anything and could do anything. Just to bring back something fun for Xiao Bei and the others, they actually took such a big risk and really faced the Tubo army. They could do whatever they wanted.
Old Man Pi was speechless for a moment. He felt that he should release the news of Cuckoo and Xiao Bao's gifts to Tubo. Through these things, they would inform Tubo. Do you see? This is the commander-in-chief of Yizhou's logistics camp, Cuckoo. She sneaked in and ambushed you while you were surrounded. She even brought camels for her younger brothers and sisters to play with.
Should the army that was preparing to intercept Pengzhou withdraw or not? Be careful that if Cuckoo was happy, she would bring her younger brothers and sisters to lead 100,000 elite soldiers and kill their way back.
Chu Tou, who was pulling the carriage, also saw the scene of Xiao Bao and Cuckoo reuniting with their family. He wiped the sweat that continuously flowed out from his tired body as he rushed over and laughed foolishly.
While Wang Juan was enjoying her family, she turned her head and saw Chu Tou. She hugged Xiao Bei and asked, "Xiao Bei, this uncle brought brother, sister, and father back. He's very tired. What should we do?"
Xiao Bei was still holding a pearl in his hand. When he heard his sister's words, he raised his head and looked at Chu Tou. He left his sister's embrace and walked forward. He raised the pearl with both hands and said to Chu Tou, "Thank you, uncle. Xiao Bei will give you this pearl."
Chu Tou didn't expect such a young child to be so sensible. He wanted to take the pearl, but he knew how precious it was. He wanted to refuse, but he couldn't face Xiao Bei's expectant gaze. He sweated even faster and said nervously, "I don't want money. I'm willing to pull. In the future, as long as Little Master and Little Miss want to sit in my carriage, I'll pull."
"Take it. This isn't money. It's Xiao Bei's gratitude and blessing. In the future, if you encounter a problem that you can't solve, take this pearl out."
Old Man Chang was more direct. He lifted Xiao Bei up and let Chu Tou take the pearl.
When Hoe Tou obediently took the pearl, he still didn't fully understand the value of the pearl. Xiao Bei was the youngest princess of the two families. How could the blessing she gave be treated lightly? The meaning behind it was too great. Not to mention ordinary people, even if they disturbed the Emperor under impossible circumstances and offered him the pearl, Li Longji would still have to give face to the Zhang and Wang families after knowing the meaning behind the pearl.
Zhang Family and Wang Family had contributed a lot to the Tang Empire. In the future, when Xiao Bao and Cuckoo grew up, they would make good use of the pearl.
Of course, even if Chu Tou offended someone in the future, the other party wouldn't care who gave him the pearl. Chu Tou could use the pearl to make a deal with Zhang Family and Wang Family. As long as he didn't rebel, even if he committed a crime of beheading, they could protect him. However, they had to look at the situation before deciding whether to protect him.
Wang Juan didn't believe that an honest person like Chu Tou would take the initiative to offend others. In order to build a better reputation for the two families, she asked Xiao Bei to send the pearl.
*****
The soldiers who followed Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan back were arranged to rest outside the city.
Zhang Zhong was very happy. His son and daughter-in-law were back. The two of them were a little tanned, but they would recover after some rest. His heart was finally at ease.
Hence, he took out the best wine and dishes at home to entertain the soldiers, merchants, and commoners who came to congratulate them. The people from the nearby villages also rushed down the mountain to celebrate with the soldiers. At the same time, they wanted to see how the warriors who fought in Tubo looked like and ask about the specific situation.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan chatted with their families for a while before finding a place to sleep. They were tired. Not only did they have to follow the troops to battle, but they also had to be responsible for formulating battle plans. They had to be firm.
Xiao Bei and the rest of the children didn't know how to have their own house, and they didn't join in the fun. They gathered outside their brother and sister's house and got someone to wake them up to sleep. They were afraid that when they woke up, their brother and sister were gone. What should they do? They were still waiting to hear the story.
Old Man Pi and the other two were also happy. They returned to their courtyard and started writing letters to be sent to the capital. Xiao Bao and Cuckoo were back. Of course, they had to report the good news and give the imperial court some time to react. When the time came, they would be rewarded.
They couldn't treat it as if nothing had happened, right?
*****
Three days later, during the morning court session in the capital, Li Longji and the officials discussed one matter after another. Just as they were discussing the most important matter, the letter arrived.
Li Longji attached great importance to the matter they were discussing. If they were to discuss the topic, it would be whether it was better to expand through military force or through commercial means when obtaining overseas resources.
It was all because Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had people find Luzon Island in the future. In the beginning, most people only thought that the island wasn't bad. It produced more grain and had copper and gold mines.
However, as the merchants obtained more and more benefits from the island, they couldn't ignore it even if they didn't want to. In terms of enjoyment, the merchants brought back many good local specialties and made a huge profit. They were already selling them to the capital.
In terms of the people's livelihood, the land there was not bad. The grain yield was high, and the crops could be harvested three times a year. In addition, the area was rich in resources, so even more people were tempted.
If it was in the past, or in normal times, the imperial court wouldn't be able to control the transactions there.
However, the ones who had the most say over there were the people from the Zhang Family and Wang Family. The Zhang Family and Wang Family were good. They weren't ambitious and knew when to advance and retreat. They didn't cause others to worry. More importantly, the Zhang Family and Wang Family were very capable. Any merchants who came to the island to make a fortune had to be monitored by the Zhang Family and Wang Family.
The clever merchants thought of several ways to exploit loopholes, but they were useless under the watchful eyes of the Zhang Family and Wang Family. The officials couldn't help but admit that the Zhang Family and Wang Family were ancestors in this aspect. Although it seemed like a good method, it was embarrassing to use it on the Zhang Family and Wang Family.
However, some time ago, news came back saying that as the natives came into contact more and more, they actually discovered many hostile tribes. This had to be dealt with.
Thus, whether to solve this through military force or normal commercial means became a hot topic in the imperial court.
In the end, everyone said that they were right, and everyone argued that they were right. It was very noisy.
Li Longji listened from above. The more he listened, the more annoyed he became. He patted the armrest of the luxurious chair sent by the Zhang Family and said, "If you really can't think of a solution, ask the Zhang Family."
The officials didn't know what to say for a moment. At this moment, Gao Lishi saw the hand gesture from his subordinate and said to Li Longji, "Your Majesty, there's news from Wing Prefecture."
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