After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 697 Sending Letters
The Hu people have been engaged in internal strife in recent years.

Ever since the third prince of the Hu people was assassinated inexplicably, the conflict between the uncle and the new Khan and the old Khan Queen could no longer be eased. The two sides fought several battles, during which countless people died and heavy losses were suffered in terms of soldiers, horses, cattle and sheep.

After a few years, both forces have suffered heavy casualties and are no longer able to fight, but this does not mean that they can reach a truce and negotiate.

The new Khan had grown up, but his mother was still unwilling to give up power, and the conflict between them became more and more serious. His mother wanted to train her confidants to take charge of the military power, but the new Khan had other ideas. The generals supported by both sides fought openly and secretly, making the Hu capital a mess.

At the same time, due to the endless war, the Western Regions caravans that had been using the Hu people's trade route also changed their routes, which made the new Khan lose a lot of income and very angry. In order to seize power and make money, he might use some unconventional means, such as sending people to plunder the border towns of Da Chu, or sending a small group of troops to invade the border of Da Chu, etc.

On the other hand, the Hu people's uncle is old. The pain of losing his son four years ago hit him hard. After several years of fighting, he became older and weaker. In order to strengthen his own strength, he successively adopted four adopted sons, all of whom were young talents with some talent and able to fight. He originally hoped that these four adopted sons could help him, but he was old and didn't know how long he could support himself. Without an heir, these four capable adopted sons became ambitious and thought they could inherit their adoptive father's property and army and become the overlord of the Hu people's kingdom. They were not convinced of each other, and they often dragged each other down in secret, made small moves, and also fought openly and secretly. In order to make contributions and overwhelm other competitors, any of them might launch an attack on Da Chu to make a name for themselves.

As a result, the border of the Great Chu was invaded several times by the Hu cavalry, and the border troops also captured many spies with suspicious behavior. The experienced generals felt that the wind was not right and were worried that the Hu people were going to cause trouble, so they reported it.

If General Zhou had not received an urgent report from Chang'an, urging him to return to Shaanxi to take over the position of the commander-in-chief, he would not have wanted to leave Ganzhou at this time. However, the Duke of Zhenguo had already chosen his youngest son, General Zhou Liu, to take over the position of his eldest son. With General Zhou Er and many of his nephews and generals guarding the important border towns, the situation on the border was still under the control of Chang'an and there would not be any major problems.

However, General Zhou Liu, who originally planned to stay in Chang'an for another New Year and leave for Ganzhou to take up his post in the spring of next year, had to leave early. As for his wife, Mrs. Zhou Liu, because her child was still young, less than three years old, she was worried about taking the child on a long journey, and she didn't want to leave the child to her mother-in-law to take care of him, so she had to stay in Chang'an first. It wouldn't be too late for her to go to Ganzhou to reunite with her husband in a few years when the child was older.

Tu Jinbao casually explained why he wanted to follow General Zhou Liu to Ganzhou in advance, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. His father Tu Rong returned to Beijing in advance, and there was only an old concubine, some servants, and personal soldiers left in Chang'an. It was meaningless for him to stay in Chang'an for the New Year, so he might as well leave early to Ganzhou to play with his elder brother Kan Jinbao. He was far away from Chang'an, and it would not be as convenient for his father Tu Rong to write a letter to scold him in the capital. He felt happy just thinking about it, and he couldn't wait to leave tomorrow!

Hai Jiao looked at his heartless appearance and really didn't know what to say, so he could only say: "Although Ganzhou is far from the border and there is no big risk, the opportunities to make meritorious deeds are much greater than Chang'an. Even if you eliminate a few horse thieves and sand bandits, it can be considered a military merit. When you have accumulated enough merits and can be promoted, your father will definitely find a way to transfer you back to the capital. Don't think your father is nagging, he always hopes that you will become a talent. Even if you don't like the capital, you still have your grandmother. Are you really willing to stay in the border for ten or eight years, and let your grandmother in the capital worry about you and can't see you even if she wants to?"

Tu Jinbao was originally smiling, but he stopped smiling when he heard this, and felt a little uncomfortable: "How can I do that? I was thinking of bringing my grandmother to live in Chang'an. When I have made achievements in Ganzhou, I will find a way to transfer back to Chang'an." He also took Kan Jinbao with him. Haijiao sneered: "The old lady is old, how can she withstand a long journey? You are not as strong as you, who can ride a horse for two thousand miles. Besides, your father is still alive, how can he let you support his mother? If he really lets you bring the old lady to Chang'an, where will he put his face? I am afraid that as soon as you say this, he will immediately send you back to the capital. So you have to work hard and quickly get promoted to a higher official rank, otherwise when you return to the capital, your family will still not take you seriously and will always say that your brother is better than you."

"That's impossible!" Tu Jinbao frowned, "I am better than them in every way! Only a blind person would say that I am inferior to others!"

Tu Jinbao was inspired by Haijiao's words and became serious: "Don't worry, I will do my best. I am also a son of a general. I can do what others can do, and I will never embarrass my father! When I have made great achievements and been promoted and return to Beijing, I will make my grandmother happy. She raised me up so big, I must let the world know that her efforts have not been in vain, and I am not a hopeless person!"

He took out a sealed letter from his bosom and handed it to Haijiao: "This is the letter I wrote to my grandmother. Please take it for me." He also told the address of a temple and the name of an old monk who was familiar with his grandmother. "My grandmother would go to his temple to burn incense and pray for blessings on the first and fifteenth day of every month, and also listen to the old monk's lectures. Pick a day to go there and tell my grandmother that I asked you to take the letter. Just watch the letter reach my grandmother with your own eyes, and that's all."

Hai Jiao said unhappily, "Do I have to go to this temple to see your grandmother on the first or fifteenth day of the lunar month to deliver the letter? Can't I just go to your house to ask for an audience? Can't I just ask this old monk to pass it on? What if your grandmother doesn't go to the temple on the day I go there, won't I have to wait another half a month? I'm not going there to deliver the letter for you, I have other things to do! What else can I do if I just spend my time in the temple?!"

Tu Jinbao smiled and apologized: "Good brother, please help me this time. I don't trust others, and I'm afraid that if I trust others, there will be a chance for them to do something. Don't worry, my grandmother will definitely go to the temple to listen to the sutras. Even if she doesn't go, she will send her confidant to add incense. If you see someone she sent, let that person tell my grandmother and leave your address. Even if my grandmother can't spare the time, she will send her confidant to find you for the letter. If the person who goes is a round-faced nanny with a very festive smile, you can rest assured to give the letter to her, and don't pay attention to others. In short... it's a bit troublesome, but it concerns my life and property. Good brother, at least help me this time, I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life!"

Haijiao rolled his eyes and said, "You are going to Ganzhou soon, and I have to go to Beijing tomorrow. I don't know if we will ever see each other again in this life. What's the point of you being grateful to me? We should keep this a secret from General Tu. If your family gets into trouble because of your letter, and your family is in turmoil, I'm worried that General Tu will blame me for being nosy!"

Even so, he still put the letter away, without any intention of refusing. Seeing this, Tu Jinbao was scolded, but he was not angry at all. Instead, he was more grateful in his heart: "Good brother, I am grateful for your kindness! When I return to the capital, I will definitely treat you to a drink. We will go to the most famous restaurant in the capital and order the best dishes! We will not leave until we are drunk!"

(End of this chapter)