"When the birds are gone, the good bow is put away; when the cunning rabbit is dead, the hound is cooked. Governor Zhang, you and Adjunct Wang are truly formidable. You first stabilized the Tubo, and now you've dealt with the tribes of northern Hebei Province. From the looks of it, you're planning to deal with the Turks as well. This general congratulates you in advance. "
But Tuyu propped up his weak body, looked at Zhang Xiaobao with a pitiful gaze, and said word by word.
"Congratulations to you, congratulations to you. It turns out that General Ke Tuyu also knows how to burn the bridge after crossing the river and get rid of the donkey after it has left the millstone. General isn't trying to persuade me to raise a thief for self-respect and quickly send General back, right? General, please eat slowly. I'll go out and teach General's words to Xiaobei and the others. "
Zhang Xiaobao said to Ke Tuyu indifferently. He no longer cared whether he could eat or not.
Looking at Zhang Xiaobao's departing figure, Weiwei's eyes welcomed the sunlight shining in through the door. Ke Tuyu ignored the piercing tears that fell from his eyes. Seeming to have thought of something happy, the corners of Weiwei's mouth curled up.
When he turned his head back, he picked up the bowl and began to eat in big mouthfuls.
The weather was getting colder. After the autumn harvest, the river became busier.
The 40,000-strong army was stuck in the middle of the originally wide river, unable to pass through the surging Yellow River.
"Order the ships in front to change to small boats. From Dingping to the small river, pass Sanshui County and enter the capital. Along the way, ensure that the troops are provided with food and drink and deepen the relationship between the army and the people."
When Wang Juan heard the news from the front, she issued a new order, emphasizing the relationship between the army and the people. These words were for the generals who stayed on the ship to hear.
The person in charge of delivering the news understood that the operation had begun and hurriedly left.
Wang Juan turned around and said to the helpless and angry generals who knew about the unforeseen event in their homeland, "Everyone, the new year is coming. If we do our best to return, it will definitely be tiring. There's not enough time, so why don't we celebrate the new year in the capital and go to Mount Hua to enjoy the snow?"
No one responded. The generals looked at Wang Juan with unkind eyes, as if they wished they could eat Wang Juan alive.
Wang Juan didn't care how much others hated her. She didn't say anything when she saw them. She hummed a song and went to find Zhang Xiaobao.
"Xiao Bao, they hate me so much. Hmm, Li Longji is not bad. He knows how to cooperate with us. With this, at least a third of the 40,000 people will be able to survive. That's quite a force to be reckoned with.
When they see how the people of Sanshui County live, they will reconsider their original way of life. This winter, the off-season vegetables in Sanshui County will not be overstocked. Let them eat it and let them know that the Tang Empire can also eat vegetables in winter. "
Wang Juan found Zhang Xiaobao, who was hiding in the cabin and writing with his head down, and happily said to him.
"Oh," Zhang Xiaobao replied.
Wang Juan poured herself a cup of water and held it in her hands. She looked in the direction of Sanshui County and said, "Xiao Bao, I haven't been back for a long time. What do you think Zhuangzi is like now? If they can hear the sound of reading on the shore and the smoke from the small building rising into the fog when they pass by, won't it scare them again? "
"Oh," Zhang Xiaobao replied.
"Also, the lotus seeds in the pond are hanging their heads shyly. The reeds by the lake are covered in frost. Isn't it beautiful?" Wang Juan continued asking.
"Oh," Zhang Xiaobao replied.
"What are you doing? I'm asking you a question. "Wang Juan was dissatisfied.
"Oh, oh? I'm listening, I'm listening. The smoke from the small building rising into the fog is not good. It's easy to get respiratory diseases. The lotus seeds should have been cut long ago. Otherwise, they would all fall into the water. It's the right time to eat lotus roots. "
Zhang Xiaobao reacted quickly. He raised his head and looked at Wang Juan.
"What are you busy with?" Wang Juan didn't care about what Zhang Xiaobao said. She moved closer to take a look.
"I'm busy with the rebellion. I'm looking for a suitable place to start the army. The best place is Jinchuan," Zhang Xiaobao moved his body away and pointed at the map to Wang Juan.
Wang Juan looked at the map. It was indeed Tubo's Jinchuan. "You want to be the emperor?"
"Yes, it's impossible not to be the emperor. Childe Zu Zan, Mo Ji Lian, and Ke Tuyu will definitely praise our army there. It's good there. There are mountains and rivers, and the yield of barley is high. It can be said that we can attack or retreat.
Zhang Shuoshuo, who has escaped the wheel of history and still hasn't been ousted, Wu Huifei, who has watched other people's children grow up and can't hurt them, and there are also other people with bad intentions. Can we cooperate with them and not rebel? "
Zhang Xiaobao touched the Jinchuan line and said faintly.
After hearing Zhang Xiaobao's complaints, Wang Juan laughed. "Serves you right. Who asked you to solve everything at once and prepare to give up the place?"
"Yes, give, give it to Li Longji. We'll continue to head northwest. The Tarim Basin is not bad. Who said that the Anxi Protectorate should be given to others? We'll go and take it. In any case, Li Longji can't control it.
Perhaps after the Sword Meet on Mount Hua, the Great Tang people will go to the Potala Palace like a tourist. Oh, it's called the Red Mountain Palace. Why should we give it to the Tibetan Buddhists? Now is the best time to take it. How much money is wasted there every year? "
"Let's not talk about religion. You can choose not to believe it, but you can't talk about it," Wang Juan hurriedly persuaded.
"Why can't I talk about it? No one is more sacred than the other. I've decided that the Red Mountain Palace will not be allowed to have any religion in the future. Once they make a move, we'll give up the Jinchuan line. If Li Longji still wants to expand, then we'll continue to head northwest.
I think he will support us. He can't wait for us to occupy the Mediterranean Sea in one go. There is a lot of oil there, so we can extract it all. We can find a place near the capital and dig a big hole. We can pour the stones in for future generations. "
Zhang Xiaobao began to paint a picture of the future.
Wang Juan was so amused that she hugged Zhang Xiaobao's arm and giggled. "Even if you flood the capital, it won't be able to hold the oil. Where do we take it? Where do we use it? Slaves bought from Tubo? When we're old, can our future generations still hold on?
How many Chinese are there in the world? How many countries recognize China? Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and other countries. Do the Chinese recognize them? Back then, England was called the empire where the sun never sets. What about now? In the face of time and power, everything will change. "
"I'll use the slaves for now. I don't care what happens in the future. As long as I'm alive, I'll do what I want to do. What's that saying again? When the world is divided for a long time, it must be united, and when united for a long time, it must be divided. Now that the Great Tang has me, I'll do my best to bully others.
What does it have to do with me? "" Right, it has nothing to do with you. You're a good person, a very good person, so good that you use your will to judge others. Then we'll use the slaves first and spend a lot of money on roads. Will we be in the capital this New Year? "
"Mm, in the capital. We'll bring our parents over to celebrate the New Year together. Next year, I'll think of a way to get a job near the capital. Xiaobei and the others can't always be away from their parents. You should help us choose a good job. My father will be in the capital next year. I think Li Longji will give him a minor rank 1 official, but his actual position will be at rank 3.
We'll see what Li Longji and the others think about Jili Province. If they want to give it away, we'll have the people of Jili Province continue north and occupy Mohe. Aiya, where can we find a good official like me? I'm a pillar of the country. After I die, I should go to Babaoshan, the type that gathers the flag. "
As Zhang Xiaobao spoke, he used a pen to draw a spot on the map that he wanted to occupy.
Wang Juan pinched Zhang Xiaobao's face. "Thick, thick as expected. If all the officials of the Great Tang are like you, Li Longji will be worried to death. You're giving up the land, but you're taking the people with you. Northeast, northwest, and south. Holding a large number of soldiers and shouting loyalty, what is it that you're loyal to?"
"Of course, it's my people, the Chinese people. Help me think of something. There are too many things to do, and I'm afraid that I'll be confused and forget. Build a training base. When the conscripts reach the age limit, send them to the training base first, in case they can't find a job after they return from the army. We can't make the same mistake that others have made before."
When another rain fell and the weather turned cold again, the generals from the north of Hebei Province finally stood on the land of Sanshui County.
Their faces were as gloomy as the weather.
The troops could not be contacted. Looking around, it was all the protection teams of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family.
The wharf of Little Luoshui was still bustling with activity. Carriages and horses came and went without stopping. Pedestrians jostled shoulder to shoulder, and the sound of hawking rose one after another.
"General Ke Tu, have you had a good rest recently? Over there is the first restaurant in Linshui. The chef's skills are good. Why don't you go and try it? "
Ever since Zhang Xiaobao's feet stepped on this land, his whole demeanor changed. He had a feeling that the world was so big, and who else could do it but him? He was full of confidence when he spoke to Ke Tu.
Ke Tu of course understood why he was like this. If it was the Commander-In-Chief's Mansion of Song Mo, he would not be worse than Zhang Xiaobao.
Who didn't know that Sanshui County was the foundation of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family?
"Thank you, Governor Zhang, for taking care of me along the way. If Governor Zhang lost somewhere else, would you still have the face to come back?" Ke Tu clenched his teeth and said.
"Come back, of course I'll come back. I'm not Xiang Yu. Why should I be afraid of losing? I don't care about face. There is only hope as long as I'm alive. General Ke Tu, please take care. "
After Zhang Xiaobao finished speaking to Ke Tu, he pulled over a child who was running like crazy. He took out a piece of candy and stuffed it into his mouth. Before the child was about to spit out the candy in his mouth in fright, he said, "I am the young master of the Zhang Family, Zhang Xiaobao." After knowing that no one dared to pretend to be a member of the Zhang Family in Sanshui, the child raised his head and smiled sweetly at Zhang Xiaobao. "You're back?"
"I'm back." Zhang Xiaobao grabbed another handful of candy.
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