A ray of sunlight in the early morning shined through the misty paper window in the slightly messy room, and with the sound of chopping wood from outside the house, Liu Azhu woke up from his slumber again.

Staring at the curtain on the bed for a moment, he looked sideways at the layout of the room, and then let out a long breath.

Oh, this is Yinzhou.

The weather seemed to be fine today, and the sun was out, and looking out of the window, it was a bright scene.

It's time, right?

Oops, I'm up late!

Liu Azhu was about to sit up from the bed immediately, but he didn't want to move too much, causing a faint pain in his lower body.

"Uh-huh......" A flush immediately appeared on his face.

Last night, the man didn't know how long it took to let people sleep peacefully. When it was dawning, he woke up again, and finally collapsed from exhaustion, and fell asleep again.

Oops, what a shame!

I got dressed, got out of bed, and walked out of the bedroom.

Outside was a spacious hall with a few simple pieces of furniture, wooden tables and chairs, wooden cabinets, and a few wooden boxes.

Oh, and even the whole house is wooden.

In the kitchen, there are two pots on the stovetop, one large and one small, covered with lids.

The fire in the furnace had burned out, but with the residual heat, the two pots were still warm, and a hint of white gas emanated from the gap in the lid.

When the lid is lifted, there is hot rice porridge, which exudes an attractive rice fragrance, dense and soft and glutinous.

In another pot, there is a steamer wall, on which is placed a large porcelain bowl with several steamed buns and a hard-boiled egg.

Liu Azhu couldn't help but turn his head and look in the direction of chopping firewood outside the house, and a different kind of emotion suddenly surged in his heart, feeling an inexplicable steadfastness and peace of mind.

"Follow me, and you won't have to worry about going hungry anymore!"

This man actually prepared breakfast for him intimately!

Heaven is pitiful, in Qin's hometown, except for wealthy landlords and merchants, ordinary people will not eat breakfast at all after getting up in the morning.

The first meal of the day will be until noon, will simply eat something, a little rice porridge, mixed with a large number of vegetable leaves and grains, steamed bread is also available, but mixed with too many sundries, it is difficult to have the fragrance of wheat noodles, only to fill the stomach.

I took a bite of the steamed bun, soft and delicate, with a faint wheat aroma and the sweetness of the flour, although it was the leftover steamed bun from yesterday, it was still fragrant after being warmed, making people feel comfortable and warm, and increasing their appetite.

Xu consumed too much last night, and Liu Azhu, who had an empty stomach, ate two steamed buns and drank two bowls of rice porridge in one go, before putting down the dishes and chopsticks lovingly, and then touching his bulging belly, leaning comfortably on the wooden chair, and savoring the endless fulfillment and ...... Safe.

He washed the pots and bowls, cleaned up the house, cleaned out three or five dirty clothes, soaked them in the basin, and went outside the house to prepare the laundry for the man.

"Oh, you don't have to wash it in cold water." Xu Guangtian, who was chopping firewood in the courtyard, saw that she was about to wash her clothes under the eaves when she carried a bucket of water, so he hurriedly threw down the axe in his hand and walked over quickly, "The water in winter is particularly cold, don't freeze." If the fire in the house is extinguished, I will go and rekindle it for you. You laundry washer, you must get a pot of hot water first! ”

"No, you don't." Liu Azhu looked up at his man and showed a smile, "When I was at home, I also washed clothes in cold water in winter. …… If you boil water, it costs firewood! ”

"It doesn't cost a few sticks of firewood. …… There was wood in the woods, and it was hard to cut it. Xu Guangtian smiled.

This woman also knows how to save firewood for her man, well, a good woman to live by.

"Aren't there grizzly bears and wild wolves in the woods? You can still save a little firewood at home, don't go to the forest often......" Liu Azhu had a concerned look on his face.

In this wild Yinzhou Continent, there is no one who is familiar with it, and he can only rely on the man in front of him in the future, but don't have an accident and be injured by a wild beast.

Yesterday, when I returned home in an ox cart, a wild wolf that came out of nowhere slipped into the yard and was ready to eat the chickens raised by the family. Fortunately, although the family dog was small and weak, he was not afraid to rush up to bite the wild wolf and bravely defend the small family.

Waiting for Xu Guangtian to rush over with a musket, he fired a shot at the wolf. Although it failed to hit, the burst of gunfire still scared the wild wolf away and fled towards the mountains and forests in the distance.

Not long after, several neighbors living nearby heard the gunshots and rushed over with muskets and long knives.

After hearing that it was a wild wolf looking for food, everyone was relieved. However, after seeing Xu Guangtian's daughter-in-law who picked up from the fortress, he kept saying his joy and watched Liu Azhu for a long time.

In the evening, more villagers arrived, bringing wine, bacon, dried fish, and dried fruits to their homes to celebrate their husband's wedding.

Xu Guangtian was overjoyed, directly invited a few helpers, slaughtered a fat sheep, killed a few chickens, and happily held a "wedding banquet".

The banquet lasted from dusk to night, a huge bonfire, a few long tables, twenty or thirty dishes, and a few bottles of spicy soju, so that the whole courtyard was filled with a happy and peaceful atmosphere.

When the banquet dispersed, Liu Azhu carefully helped Xu Guangtian, who had drunk a few more glasses, into the house to wash, who knows, just wiped his face, revealing a little clear, he suddenly hugged himself to the bed.

After a few tosses, the man took a few sips of tea, then hugged himself tightly, chattered incessantly, and finally fell into a deep sleep.

Under the early morning sun, the man in front of him had a stocky figure, and there was an indescribable joy between his eyebrows. After taking off his felt hat, he revealed a simple face, and his deep eye sockets revealed a bit of perseverance and vicissitudes. Although he wears simple and crude clothes, he feels warm and friendly.

In the morning, he had already chopped a large pile of firewood in front of the firewood shed, scattered everywhere. On his forehead and nose, fine sweat was oozing, dripping downward, showing that he was a man with strength.

This is the man he will stay with for the rest of his life!

"Hehe......" Seeing his woman looking at him so intently, Xu Guangtian couldn't help but rejoice in his heart, stretched out his hand and wiped it on his face, wiped away the sweat, and smiled innocently, "That ......, that ......, what's your name?" ”

"......" Liu Azhu was stunned for a moment, then a flush appeared on his face again, lowered his head, bit his lip, and responded in a weak voice: "...... My name is Liu Azhu. ”

Shame on you!

This has become someone's daughter-in-law, and last night there was a husband and wife, and they still don't know each other's names!

"Hey, Liu Azhu! That's a nice name! Xu Guangtian looked at his daughter-in-law, and he became more and more happy, and an inexplicable desire suddenly rose in his heart.

It's nice to have a woman!

"That ......, my name is Xu Guangtian." Xu Guangtian stretched out his right hand, reached the woman's forehead, helped her brush the hair covering her eyebrows, and then slid to her smooth face, "Back then, when my father named me, most of them thought that the family could have a piece of their own land. Now, I have so much land in Yinzhou. In the future, I will definitely buy more, have more babies, and always make my name worthy of the name......"

"Hmmm......"

Liu Azhu buried her head deeply, but the man's fingers touched her face, making her feel inexplicably flustered and at a loss, and she only felt that her face and neck were very hot.

"Xu Guangtian!" Suddenly, a shout came from outside the yard, causing the little black dog that kept circling around the two of them to immediately prick up his ears and bark outside the yard.

"Xu Guangtian, are you up?" A thin man, wearing a felt hat and an old fur coat, shouted as he pushed open the courtyard door and walked inside.

"Zhang Erhei, what are you yelling at early in the morning!" Xu Guangtian squeezed a slight twist on his woman's face, and then turned around to meet him.

"Hehe...... Zhang Yongkuan glanced at Liu Azhu who entered the room, and then looked Xu Guangtian up and down with a slightly sullen expression, "You just got up?" Yo, look at the sweat on your head, I'm afraid it's a lot of effort in the house, right? Hey hey ......"

"If you have something to say, get out of here!" Xu Guangtian said angrily: "Later, I have to clean up the livestock shed, but I don't have time to talk nonsense with you." ”

"Hey, who knows if you're going to clean the barn or keep crawling on the bed to exert your strength?"

"......" Xu Guangtian was a little annoyed when he heard this, and glared at the other party, "Didn't wake up from last night's cat urine?" Do you want to put me aside? ”

"Hehe, excuse me?" Zhang Yongkuan continued to talk, "Damn, you toss all night, it's not enough!" ”

"Zhang Erhei, you fucking nonsense, Lao Tzu is not polite to you!"

"Yo yo yo, are you angry?" Zhang Yongkuan saw that the other party was a little discolored, so he hurriedly laughed with him, and informed him of the reason he found, "An order came from the fort, asking each of our families, each of them to give a ding, and carry their own muskets to the assembly. …… After five days, it is necessary to concentrate on the school parade and martial arts. ”

"Huh?" When Xu Guangtian heard this, he couldn't help but be stunned, "What's the matter, are you going to fight the natives, or are you going to the south to do the Spaniards?" ”

"Neither." Zhang Yongkuan shook his head and said, "I heard that we have a new deputy commander of the garrison in the Xuanzhou Governor's District, and he is still a serious army officer. He was to inspect the fortified settlements and inspect the local armed forces for self-defense. The colonization officer of our Chao'an Fort thinks that he can't let people look down on him, so he has to perform first, so as not to make a fool of himself. ”

"Oh." When Xu Guangtian heard this, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

At this time, he didn't want to go anywhere, so he wanted to guard his daughter-in-law at home.

Since it's just a drill for the township soldiers, it's okay. Although there was some delay in the family's farming, there was no need to bring their own dry food, and in this cold winter, they crossed the mountains and went to the mountains to clear the aborigines.

Hey, you said that our Xuanzhou Governorate has already occupied such a vast territory, and there are large tracts of vacant land everywhere, so why do we still want to explore and colonize the east.

It is said that many years ago, many immigrants who settled in several valleys in the East Kunlun Mountains (now the Rocky Mountains) were attacked by severe wind and snow weather, and many people died. Coupled with the armed conflict with the local aborigines, it seems that there are not a few left, and life is miserable.

It's also strange and pitiful to think about it.

Oh, by the way, there were many settlements in the south that relied on Spanish influence, and from time to time there were clashes and disputes with the Spaniards, which caused the whole Viceroyalty to mobilize the village soldiers several times, ready to teach the "aggressive" Spaniards a lesson. However, in the end, due to the power of our great qi, the Spaniards made concessions, so that the two sides have been at peace so far.

Alas, in this world, wherever we go, there are disputes and conflicts, so why should we, the little people who want to live a peaceful life, be helpless?

However, since he has settled down in Yinzhou, his own land, his own home, and his own woman, he must take up arms to defend it, and he can't let people destroy it in vain.

——

January 30, 3 p.m., Lechang (now Santa Clara, California).

"Disband!"

As an officer of the Imperial Military Colonel (Captain) of the Army shouted, the ranks of village soldiers lined up in a crooked formation immediately lost their momentum and scattered like a burst firework.

The villagers dragged their muskets, laughed and frolicked in groups, and even met together to sit down in a tavern in the city.

This Rausch can, but he is tired of the masters, and it is no less than a day of high-intensity farm work.

Is this necessary?

We are not a controlled army, where do we need to be as strict as those regular soldiers.

Could it be that there are still foreign enemies who can hit our Yin Zhou?

"A bunch of stragglers!" Tan Shunde, a training staff officer of the Xuanzhou Garrison Command and a captain of the Imperial Military Academy, shook his head and said with a wry smile: "Lao Tzu only needs to lead a platoon of army troops and launch a wave of bayonet charges to defeat more than 100 people!" ”

"yes, a bunch of rotten soldiers." Li Yanliang, the new deputy commander of the Xuanzhou garrison and captain (major) of Xuanjie, said expressionlessly: "To defeat them, where do you need regular troops." Sending a garrison from Hengguan can annihilate them all. It seems that the township soldiers in Xuanzhou can only rely on the advantage of firearms to bully the local natives. …… If you want to use it greatly, I'm afraid it won't work! ”

"Sir, do you want to ......," Tan Shunde asked cautiously.

I heard that this lord caused trouble in Hengguan and got involved in the war of Japan's downfall without authorization, so he was "assigned" to Xuanzhou by his superiors, so that he could reflect on it.

Why, listening to his tone, it seems that he is going to do something "big"?

"Just take precautions." Li Yanliang smiled, then turned around and walked towards the outside of the school grounds.

"Plan ahead?" The corners of Tan Shunde's mouth twitched, "The Spaniards are on good terms with us, and they are also jointly building the Panama Isthmus Railway, so we shouldn't be able to do anything to them." In this way,...... Sir, you don't want to go in the direction of Louisiana, do you? No, the steep East Kunlun Mountains stretch for hundreds of kilometers, even if we go over through the trail, we can't eat a huge Louisiana! ”

"The Spaniards are in decline, and they can no longer be an important opponent of our Qi country. Moreover, with the dense population of Mexico in the west, not to mention that our Xuanzhou Governorate cannot deal with it alone, even if we add the Yi Domain and the Pengzhou Governorate in the north, I am afraid that we will not be able to gnaw down. Li Yanliang walked to a carriage and sat down with his feet raised, "However, compared to dealing with French Louisiana, we have a lot of geographical advantages, and across the East Kunlun Mountains, we can face the vast plain area and rush down. More crucially, the number of French immigrants is quite small, and there is simply not much armed force. ”

"Sir, France is a big European country, with a population of more than 20 million, and its strength is the highest in Europe, so it is not so easy to deal with."

"It's because France is too strong, so for a long time to come, it will be the country that our Qi country will focus on containing in Europe." Li Yanliang patted the wall of the carriage and motioned for the carriage to start, "I'm afraid you don't know, France has a lot of opinions about our Qi country accepting Arcadia and Newfoundland, and thinks that it is unacceptable for a group of Catholic people to be ruled by pagans like us, and it also poses a certain threat to their Hardison and Canadian territories." In addition, in the Mediterranean, the French have developed a faint hostility towards the expansion of our Qi power in the region, and feel that the sea area where our Mediterranean detachment is roaming is too close to the southern coast of France. ”

"What does the chief mean that our Qi country will go to war with France at some point in the future?" Tan Shunde was still suspicious, "The French army has hundreds of thousands, I'm afraid we can't afford to provoke it." ”

"Unless you are the head iron, you will want to send the army to Europe to fight France." Li Yanliang said with a smile: "We don't need to entangle too much with the French on the European continent, just fight with them at sea." As long as our Qi navy can cut off the maritime connection between the French mainland and the New French territory, not to mention Louisiana, Canada and Hudison, it will be just a dish on the table, let us savor it slowly. ”

"However, the stretching East Kunlun Mountains ......"

"Over the decades, several expeditions, including our own in Xuanzhou, have been sent to the eastern region, and many passable valley roads and paths should have been discovered and mapped. In this situation, we can set up a number of colonies at certain key points, extending little by little to the east, and eventually laying a line of supply for the army to Louisiana. Oh, by the way, I heard that the Yi clan once sent an expedition as far as the Great Lakes region. Can we find a way to make use of this line as well? ”

"The Yiwang Mansion may not be willing to take out this route and share it with us. It is reported that every summer and autumn, Yizhou will send a caravan of dozens of people to the eastern mountains to collect furs. Oh, a nail can be exchanged for a good mink from the hands of the local natives. A few sharp steel knives can also be exchanged for a bear skin with a high value. They even traded muskets for indigenous women to marry immigrants in their territories. ”

"The Yi clan sent firearms to the natives?"

"It should be. …… But it's all second-hand, old muskets. ”

"Oh."

"Sir, where are we going now?"

"Back to Huaiyuan City."

"Huh? …… No more parades of the township soldiers? ”

"The New Year is just a few days away, and those township soldiers don't have much to think about it, so let's talk about it after the New Year. Also, when the weather is warm, we'll need to organize an expedition and head east to see what Louisiana is all about. ”

"Alas, it would be nice to build a railroad to the east in Xuanzhou, as the Panamanian Isthmus Railway had built. Everywhere the railway goes, it will be all the land! ”

(End of chapter)