The sky is full of stars.
Wang Qiang's yard is even more lively than during the Chinese New Year.
The three thousand soldiers of the garrison set up barracks in the village, but Fu Xiaoguan, Yan Beixi and others all lived in Wang Qiang's house.
There was a bonfire in the yard, and Yu Ruoxing, Wang Qiang's daughter-in-law, Wang Xiaozhuang's wife, and Peng Yuyan's daughter, was roasting a sheep.
Everyone sat around the campfire very casually. Yu Ruoxing made a cup of tea for everyone. Only then did she look at Fu Xiaoguan carefully and said with a pout:
"Your Majesty, Xiao Zhuang and I got married, but you didn't come!"
Fu Xiaoguan laughed. "I certainly didn't come. I was already out on an expedition at sea at that time, so it was impossible for me to come back! But the Queen and the others did come, right?"
Yu Ruoxing also laughed. Her mother said that Emperor Fu Xiaoguan should be the most easy-going emperor in history. In the evening, she saw him harvesting rice in the fields. This made Yu Ruoxing believe her mother's words and she admired Fu Xiaoguan very much.
"I was just joking, don't take it seriously. It's a great blessing that the ladies are here, but I, I feel a little regretful because mother often talks about you, and I want to know what you look like."
"Is your mother doing well in Chi Le Chuan?"
"Didn't she tell you? Isn't there another expedition this time? My two brothers are both in the First Army, and they're both going to the war. Mother was worried about them, so she decided to go with the army too. I'm afraid she's already in the First Army."
Fu Xiaoguan was slightly stunned. He really didn't know about this.
But he changed his mind and thought that it was not a bad thing for Peng Yuyan to join the army. This battle was indeed a long way away and would take too long. As a mother, she could not feel at ease in Chi Lechuan.
"Your mother is a great person, and your father is also a great person!"
"Back then, when I traveled from the Yu Dynasty to the Wu Dynasty to attend a literary gathering, I visited them at the southern border military camp on the Cangxi Plain. We were friends, and even after the war, in my heart, they were still my best friends!"
Yu Ruoxing was silent for a moment. "Mother also said that at that time, each of us served a different master, and she didn't want to be your enemy. But father, father is the general of the southern border army after all, and he has no choice but to fight."
"Well, I know his difficulties. Ruoxing, will you hate me?"
"...At first, I hated you, but then Mother told us so much. We witnessed the prosperity of Chi Le Chuan with our own eyes, and we knew that the fall of the Yu Dynasty was inevitable. We also learned that Great Xia was becoming increasingly prosperous, and everyone's life was getting better and better. So, I didn't hate you anymore. In fact, I even admired you immensely. My two brothers were the same. They said that fighting for Great Xia was the honor of their lives!"
"That's good. General Peng is a true heroine! Having her accompany us on this expedition makes me feel much more at ease."
Wu Tianci didn't know these stories. He sat next to Fu Xiaoguan and asked curiously, "Who is General Peng? Is she a woman? Is she powerful?"
Fu Xiaoguan rubbed Wu Tianci's head and said, "Well, she is very capable, and more importantly, she has the overall situation in mind."
Having said this, Fu Xiaoguan looked at Wang Qiang and said, "I have something to discuss with you."
Wang Qiang was stunned. "Master, I will obey your orders in everything."
"Young Master can't force you into this matter. Listen first, don't rush to agree, and then think about it carefully."
Seeing that Fu Xiaoguan was speaking so seriously, not only Wang Qiang, but everyone pricked up their ears. They wondered what important matter Fu Xiaoguan could have that required him to seek the old farmer's opinion.
"I shall be setting sail about the beginning of next year... to some very distant land."
"I want to settle down in that faraway place. Don't be surprised. This is my true thought."
"I'm going to take some people over there, and I'm also going to bring some seeds. Master, I'm going to farm over there. This time, I'm really going to farm!"
"Master Zhuo, Master Yan, and Master Qin all know about it, and so do the three chancellors in the court."
"Next year, after I go on the expedition, Daxia will be handed over to Tianci. The ministers in the court are aware of this, but I haven't officially announced it yet, so they are just guessing."
"During this expedition, I will stop in Yingtian... I gave that place a name. I will stop in Yingtian, take a look at it firsthand, and then occupy it."
"It should be a large area, which means that I, the young master, will have a lot of fields, which will require many people to cultivate them."
"Next, ask the people at this royal farm to count how many people are willing to follow me, the young master, to open up wasteland and cultivate land in a foreign land."
"Remember, this journey is extremely long and the journey is risky, so it is a voluntary expedition, including yours. If you don't want to go, I will not force you, nor will I blame you."
Wang Qiang and Yu Ruoxing were both stunned.
The emperor is no longer the emperor?
Aren’t there many fields in Daxia?
Why is it not good to farm here?
Why go to the sea to farm?
Could it be that the fields over there are better?
"Master, I have been your tenant since the Western Hills, and now I am serving you at this royal farm. If you want to go to a distant place to farm, I will definitely follow you."
Wang Qiang took a deep breath of his cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said, "Tomorrow I will go to each village to ask and give you a piece of news as soon as possible."
"Well, there's no rush. After all, there's still a few months to go. Ruoxing, is the mutton ready by now?"
Yu Ruoxing finally came to her senses. She quickly took a knife and cut slices of mutton and distributed them to everyone's plates.
"Your Majesty, can I go?"
"What are you going to do? Xiaozhuang wants to stay here."
"oh……"
"Don't think too much, just eat. Let's eat first and talk about it later."
Yu Ruoxing has lived in the grassland for many years, and her skills in roasting lamb are excellent. Fu Xiaoguan enjoyed the meal very much, and Wu Tianci also felt that the taste was much better than those made by the chefs in the imperial kitchen.
Qin Bingzhong and the others were old and had bad teeth. Yu Ruoxing poured them a bowl of well-cooked mutton soup from the pot. Qin Bingzhong took it, but looked at Fu Xiaoguan and said earnestly, "This matter...you should think about it carefully again."
"Brother Qin, I've been thinking about this for many years. Back then, when Daxia was just established, I couldn't leave even if I wanted to. Now, Daxia's foundation is solid, and the four directions have been pacified. As long as we pay attention to the administration of officials and focus on scientific education, Daxia's trajectory will not change significantly. Tianci can be diligent in his work, and with the assistance of the three prime ministers and the cabinet..."
"I really hope to live the life I want to live. In fact, this time, the route from Daxia to Europe will be fully developed. I will set up Daxia's seaport bases along the way. After we conquer Europe, Daxia will open up to Europe."
"The place I'm talking about, Yingtian, is right on this route."
"After the navigation is opened, travel will be extremely convenient. Maybe you can take a boat to Yingtian to have a look, or maybe I will come back to Daxia one day to take a look."
"So the distance issue we're thinking about now won't be a problem in the future. Just like the train, by then, it might only take a month or so to get from Daxia to Yingtian."
"When that day comes, I'll take you to that foreign land."
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