Chen Jiali did not stay overnight, only left a few strands of long hair and a little smell on the pillow.

In this wooden house by the lake, there was soon another person, Mrs. Dong's Gao. Gao gave Princess Jinsuo a pair of jasper bracelets, and Jinsuo opened his mouth to call his aunt, Gao was stunned at first, and then laughed and praised. She likes Guo Shao's youngest daughter very much, and spends most of her time here playing with Jin Suo.

At the beginning of the month, a fleet of Jiaolong troops would move south from Haizhou to transport more armaments for Cao Bin in Quang Nam. Guo Shao planned to go a little further away from Beijing and personally go to the harbor to inspect his warships and practice for the generals of the Jiaolong Army.

The first snow in Tokyo has cleared again, and it's a good weather to get around. The branches of the trees on the side of the street are still covered with snow, like white flowers blooming, shining with delicate colors in the bright sunshine, and the wind blows like catkins, adding a bit of vitality to the silent winter day of all things.

Longjin Bridge connects the north and south central axis avenues of the outer city, looks north at the inner city gate Suzaku Gate, the brigade umbrella flag honor guard passes by here mightily, the horse armor of the guard is shining, and the fiery red shoulder scarf flutters in the wind, which is very eye-catching.

With such a pomp and circumstance, it looks like a royal family traveling. Pedestrians all avoided the intersection of Hengjie Street to give way to watch, and the people in the market also stood on the side of the road to watch the excitement.

A troika was surrounded by palace people and military generals, and the curtain on the carriage was gently lifted to a corner.

Guo Shao looked out of the carriage and saw a familiar scene. In front of a shop at the corner of Hengjie Street, hoes, shovels, kitchen knives, etc. were placed outside the shop, smoke was rising from the roof, and the fire was flickering inside.

At the door of the blacksmith shop hung a banner with only one word written on it: Yellow. There is no need to write the words blacksmith shop, etc., the things on the stall and the things on the shop are the signs.

On the bench outside the blacksmith sat an old man with gray hair, looking up with dimly dull eyes. At this time, a middle-aged man who was still shirtless in the winter came out of the shop to watch, followed by a woman with her hair wrapped and walked to the old man with a bowl.

Guo Shao showed a casual smile on his face, as if he was greeting the old man, there was no condescending mood at all, maybe look at life from a different angle, the old man's complete and peaceful life is not more humble than anyone else. Guo Shao observed for a while, there was only one acquaintance left, there was no longer anyone he cared about, and the carriage and horses gradually drove across the street, so he lowered the curtain.

There was also a person in the wide carriage, Zhaorong Lu Lan, who was also the only woman on the trip. Guo Shao saw that she was also looking at the scene outside, so he spoke: "Did Lu Zhaorong see that blacksmith shop?" ”

Lu Lan turned his head back and nodded, "I see." ”

Guo Shao smiled: "My former home is there. ”

Lu Lan was stunned, covered her mouth and smiled: "Didn't Your Majesty live in Guo Mansion before?" I also lived in Fujo when I first arrived in Tokyo. ”

Guo Shao suppressed his smile and said seriously: "Earlier." When I was young, I spent time in the Daimyo Mansion and the River Prefecture without a house of my own, and lived in barracks with the soldiers. After moving to Tokyo, the original old house was the blacksmith shop. The forbidden army's salary and reward money were issued in cash, and I saved up military salaries to buy them. ”

There was a look of surprise on Lu Lan's white and red face: "I have never heard His Majesty mention it." ”

Guo Shao said: "I don't believe you went back and asked Yulian." I don't have to mention it to others, because there weren't many people I met in those days, and I didn't mean anything to others. ”

Lu Lan hurriedly said: "What Your Majesty said, how can I not believe it." ”

Guo Shao said in a casual tone: "There is a small alley behind that side street, where Yulian's family used to be, and I hired her to do laundry, cooking, and chores. The white-bearded old man sitting at the door just now was surnamed Huang, and he was also an old blacksmith I had hired. Now that the world is becoming more and more peaceful, the yellow blacksmith's family has a shop and craftsmanship in the downtown area, and it is estimated that it is still solid. ”

Lu Lan said softly: "It turns out that Your Majesty still has many memories. ”

Guo Shao reached out to hold her little hand, and Lu Lan's palm also had calluses, the same as Yulian. He rubbed the cocoon and said, "I also have a lot of memories with you, I remember that you were a teenager when we first met. Sometimes I feel that human beings are not just a shell, but a process, and memories are the process of identifying oneself. ”

Lu Lan listened quietly, thoughtfully. Guo Shao stayed with her, and the most special feeling was that he could always find a peaceful state of mind.

Outside, the wooden wheels of the carriage "cooed", and the carriage shook slightly, and the road continued, and the process was not interrupted. Guo Shao looks back on the past and is also looking forward to the journey that has not been taken.

…… When the brigade left Tokyo, it was necessary to first go along Bianshui to Songzhou, then pass through Xuzhou, and then go to Haizhou.

Outside of Tokyo, there are also a large number of houses and towns, and the market is bustling and densely populated. The population of the big cities is very large, but the settlements are relatively concentrated, and the country with a predominantly agricultural population has not yet been able to form an urban belt. When people and horses walk through the city, there is a large area of farmland and villages.

From time to time, there is a smoky mud yard above the wilderness village, which is a workshop that cooks dung from charcoal. The ** saltpeter used by Xu Jun is not much from saltpeter mines, and more is from such a manure workshop; The scraps are the fertilizer needed for the nearby farms.

On the banks of the water, there are several castles towering, like the Acropolis of Tokyo, but above the castle, many puffs of black smoke rise. Far away on the post road, you can also hear the huge metal impact sound of "clang".

In the quiet of the farmland, these smoking monsters are very abrupt. After many years, people in the neighborhood may have become accustomed to it.

But in Guo Shao's eyes, these workshops are sparks. They will break the tranquility of the rooster and dog, and will wake up the sleeping earth, Guo Shao believes that one day greater productivity will make the Daxu Empire more prosperous and lively.

The smoke was staining the black blue sky, like the distinctive traces that Guo Shao had engraved here.

Guo Shao went east along the post road, inspecting his own rivers and mountains along the way, and the land along the way was just a corner of the country, and it took several days.

By the time they arrived in Haizhou, the Jiaolong army was already in the port and ready to go, and it was because they were waiting for the emperor that they postponed their trip. Guo Shao transferred the pigs and sheep to the army, and the Jiaolong army in the port was given a banquet that night, and the commander of the south was invited to the generals. Haizhou Port was lively and noisy all night, as if celebrating a festive season.

Early the next morning, Guo Shao sent the generals on the beach to board the ship, but he did not get on the ship. Guo Shao has done a lot of things to establish the Jiaolong Army, whether it is the organization, weapons, and warships, but he has never been on a sea ship, and he may not be on a sea ship in the future...... No one allowed such a thing, no matter how big the Jiaolong Army's warships were, the sea route was still the riskiest route at the moment.

So he could only stand on the shore and watch. The sea breeze on the pier is constant, but the weather is sunny and the sea and sky are clear. Guo Shao's cloak and sheepskin coat were blown by the wind and swayed against his body, and he was still standing firmly on the dock in his prime of life.

Under the bright sun, the blue color of the sky and water became more and more beautiful, and the white sails covered the sea, like white clouds in the sky. The bells, drums, and horns are played in unison with the roar of the waves, the countless soldiers on the ship shout and shout, and the graceful wings of seagulls glide across the water to leave their chirps, and the sea is the most lively place.

Guo Shao squinted his eyes as the giant ship and light ship slowly moved away, looking at the boundless journey of the fleet, and his chest was unprecedentedly open.

This is not the end, but a new beginning for the world.

(End of book)

……

……

After the book is written, there are good places and unsatisfactory places, in any case, the companionship of book friends for such a long time is the most important thing, and I am most sincerely grateful and moved.

Zephyr's codeword career is not the end, but a new beginning. In the short time after the completion of this book, I will summarize my experience and lessons, draw nourishment and insights from my knowledge and life experience, and strive to make progress in the new book. Take a breath of relief, new books are uploaded about a month later, and the updates of new books are generally more stable than those in the later period.

Dear book friends, Zephyr is looking forward to reuniting in a new chapter after a short separation, and feeling your familiar heartbeat again.

West Wind Tight 2016.7.26