22. Shipboard Log II

I smiled and stopped disturbing the loving couple. I asked Ouyang Chun to follow them to the third ship to take charge of the team behind.

In this way, Shangguan Mei was the only one who accompanied me. I found that she was very beautiful and attractive in tiger-headed armor. No wonder the ancients talked about female heroes. It turned out that they were different, and there was a trace of masculinity in their gentleness.

I walked with her to the bow. There was no one here. Baoer was playing with binoculars on the boat tower in the distance and couldn't hear us say anything.

Only the white clouds in the sky look at us from afar.

"Two months!"

I said with emotion that Shangguan Mei knew what I meant.

We haven't talked for two months, because Shangguan Baoer has been entangled by her and is inseparable every day. She rarely has the opportunity to be alone with me. Even at night, it is difficult, because she doesn't want Baoer to 'misunderstand' and doesn't want to destroy her aunt's perfect image. She just wants to think about me silently like this and recall the past. The time I spent together.

If time can really go back, she really wants to go back to the past and be happy with me.

Shangguan Mei once asked me when I would marry her. I told her to wait and help the officials get married after finishing the reform draft.

However, I breached my promise, because the official said that he would marry the princess to me. I couldn't refuse. If I refused, I would lose the trust of the official. Because of him, we all knew something. He was still worried that I would betray the Song Dynasty, or him and his royal family, so the official wanted to marry him.

When I mentioned the marriage to Guan Mei, she nodded. I always felt that it was not like her, because she was very possessive and she didn't want to share me with other women.

Then how could she agree? I didn't ask, but I can guess who said something to her in private, maybe...

I didn't dare to think about it anymore, so I had to say love words to her, which really moved her and distracted our attention.

She quietly leaned in my arms and nagging me about Baoer's mind, saying that Baoer liked me very much and wanted me to marry her, but from her tone, I could tell that this was not her true words. Even in ancient times, not all women were willing to share their husbands with others.

Love is always selfish, and so is desire.

I remember there was a movie in which the hero and heroine stood in the bow of the boat, facing the sea breeze and hugging each other romantically.

I have forgotten when it was filmed. Maybe a long time ago, on a remote planet called Earth, it is said to be based on a true story.

A pair of lovers separated by the war finally reunited on the earth. They hugged each other tightly, and there was a blue sea under their feet. The only thing that impressed me was the name of the ship: Chang'e.

Because the Chang'e later hit an iceberg, the hero would rather sink to the bottom of the sea in order to keep his beloved lover alive.

Maybe the sad and beautiful love is always fascinating and never tired of watching, but what I don't understand is how a starship can hit an iceberg. Maybe this is fate!

Now she and I are also standing in the bow. The only difference is that we don't hug each other tightly. I just gently hug her shoulder and feel her breath and her heartbeat.

In my plan, I just wanted to sit quietly with her in my arms and not think about anything or do anything, but it was an accident.

When the fleet crossed Yongqiu, it passed the name of a small fishing village: Seven Steps, where I met a man who fell into the water.

After being rescued from the ship, I realized that it was Lord Fan Zhongyan who recommended him to study in Beijing. The name is Zhang Zai, and his name is thick. People from Hengqu Town, Yi County, Fengxiang Prefecture, Shaanxi Road.

When he saw me, he cried with joy and grinned for a while.

Look at his appearance, he should have suffered a lot. It's pitiful. Later, from the letter of Lord Fan Zhongyan, I learned that Zhang Zai turned out to be the military division of the new civilian regiment. When Yuan Hao's army broke through the Zhen Rong army, he and Jiao Yan suddenly came out of Yuan Hao's back and killed the Xixia army unprepared. The generals of Dushan were almost completely destroyed.

If it hadn't been for their fearless civilian army, it would have been completely finished, and even the Huanzhou musketeers could not have saved them.

I stared at Zhang Zai for a long time and sat quietly on the tiger leather chair. I saw that he was covered with patches. Although he was poor, he did not feel inferior. On the contrary, he was ambitious and had a spirit of not giving up, and his eyes were very bright.

"You!" I want to ask something, but I haven't figured it out yet.

"My lord, when the student was still in Huanzhou, I heard about your deeds and saw the musket you invented. The students thought that this musket would change the future of the Song Dynasty. At least the future war will be completely changed when the musket comes, at least, at least, the students think so!" Zhang Zai looked at me eagerly, as if waiting for my answer.

"Oh!" I nodded and asked him to go down and change into clean clothes first, and then reply on the deck.

A moment later, Zhang Zai, dressed in a gray robe, appeared in my vision. Although he was slightly thin, he was very energetic.

He saluted me respectfully and said, "Students know that adults take care of all the machines every day, and they also know that adults are dedicated to the country. Students are not willing to work for adults, dogs and horses. Please do it!"

"Yo! It's quite refreshing." I smiled. Shangguan Mei poked my spine in the back, indicating that I should pay attention to the language.

I quickly took my mind and said seriously, "I appreciate Zihou's cheerful personality very much. In Lord Fan's letter, I praised Zihou for becoming a great weapon, but I let my official persuade you to study wholeheartedly. I also said that Confucianism is famous. What's the matter with soldiers? I don't know if Zihou knows this!"

"Your Excellency, students know that students have also considered that it may be more suitable for students to study hard for ten years to get a meritorious service, but now the enemy is under pressure, and the people are suffering from the border of the Song Dynasty. I grew up there when I was a child, and I know that that kind of taste is not bearable by ordinary people, so I had a wish when I was a child. In order to dedicate this life to the people at the border gate, students should also aspire to become a figure like Huo Qubing, the general of the Western Han Dynasty. However, the students know that they have little talent and learning, and Lord Fan Zhongyan refuses to accept students as apprentices, so the students take the liberty to ask for a letter of recommendation to learn from Lord Zhao, the way of musket, hoping that they can learn in the future and be successful for the country. Effective, students die without regrets!"

Zhang Zai said so many words in one breath. I can't believe it, because so far, I haven't met a kind-hearted, simple and simple scholar like him. At least there is no such person among my subordinates. I don't blame them, because everyone has different beliefs in life and experience. In the same way, Zhang Zai is also an advanced young man of this era.

Zhang Zai saw that I looked at him for a long time and didn't say anything. He thought I was hesitating. In fact, I was not hesitating to think about what kind of person to cultivate him into.

Unexpectedly, just as I was thinking about it, he knelt down and kowtowed and said, "There are only three students kneeling in their lives, father, mother and Lord Fan!" My parents have the kindness of raising me, and Lord Fan has the kindness of introduction to me. Zihou can't repay me, so I have to give this big salute. Today, Zihou begged Lord Zhao to accept me as an apprentice!"

After saying that, he couldn't kneel down for a long time. His reckless behavior made the soldiers on the ship laugh.

Shangguan Mei came close to my ear and said, "I think this scholar is not bad. If you add time, it should be a big weapon. And have you found it?"

"What did you find?" I asked her in a low voice.

"This scholar is a little like you!" Shangguan Mei said with a smile.

"How come? You're wrong. I'm so tall and powerful, I don't think he's thin and thin," I boasted.

"It's not you now, it's you when you arrived in Luzhou!" Shangguan Mei told me.

I suddenly remembered and took a closer look at Zhang Zai. Don't say that you are really a little like Zhao.

In this case, I said loudly, "Zhang Zai obeyed!"

"The students are there!" Zhang Zai quickly got up and came to me, "I don't know what the adult has to say. The students are obedient!"

I told him: "First of all, I have agreed to your request"

Zhang Zai was about to answer when I raised my hand and didn't let him speak. Then he said, "When I finish speaking, you can talk."

"Yes, my lord!"

"Secondly, from today on, don't call me an official. Since you want to learn the way of musket from me, I am your teacher. Zihou might as well call me a teacher. This is the first of them. Second, the students I teach not only require him to have talent but also to be virtuous, but also to have good conduct. If the mind skill Once you are found by me, you will be expelled from the teacher. Don't have any ideas about this kind. It's not against you. This is a rule that must be followed when you enter our teacher."

"Students understand, teacher!"

"Well, thirdly, the way of muskets is not only to teach you how to use muskets, or how to arrange troops, but also a very systematic theory. You only learn to use muskets or send troops to arrays, you can only be a general. If you want to become the commander of the army, you have to learn a lot from me. I don't know if Zihou has this perseverance! "

"Teacher, since students have entered the teacher's door, they will follow the teacher. Until the teacher thinks that the students can come out of the mountain, the students will go down the mountain to show their strengths and never dare to be arrogant!"

"Okay, I am relieved that I have a son-thick sentence. The above three points are only my most basic requirements for you. Let's talk slowly on the rest of the way. Let me introduce a few people for you. They are all my generals. In the future, if you get along well, stay with me and serve as a military teacher for the time being!"

"Ah, student He De, how dare you be a teacher and your military teacher!" Zhang Zai was shocked.

I patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "This is also a test and exercise for you. I will start cultivating you from today. You need to be mentally prepared!"

"Ah, well, thank you, teacher. Thank you, teacher. Zihou will definitely study hard. It's not in vain. Please be worshipped by Zihou!"

This worship is affectionate. This worship is loyal and courageous. Maybe none of us realize it, but it is this worship that begins the friendship between our master and apprentice for many years, and also begins the years of our war for the imperial war.

From that moment on, I suddenly had an idea. Maybe Zhang Zai is very suitable to be my successor!