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

Chapter 646 Persuasion
Tu Jinbao stood up for Kan Jinbao: "The New Year is almost here. Even if we set off two months later, what's the big deal? Why does Brother Kan have to set off at this time?!"

He felt that his father was a little unkind, but no matter how he rolled over in front of his father and begged for mercy, his father refused to give in. He also said that this was not something he could decide on his own, that military orders were as heavy as mountains, and that everyone had to obey orders once they came down from above, and told his son not to act recklessly.

Tu Jinbao wanted to make more trouble, but the personal guards around him reminded him: "Young Master, if you continue to make trouble, you will anger the general. What if the general takes his anger out on Kan Jinbao? Kan Jinbao is destined to travel in the wind, snow and severe cold, but after reaching the high platform, whether he can go up again depends on the approval of the commander!"

Tu Jinbao was therefore afraid and dared not to do anything rash again, but he felt very aggrieved in his heart. He secretly made up his mind to accompany Kan Jinbao. After all, there would be someone to accompany Brother Kan on the road, and they could take care of each other, so that Brother Kan would not have such a miserable life on the road.

After hearing this, Haijiao raised an eyebrow and sneered in his heart.

Kan Jinbao almost killed Tu Rong's son and injured his personal soldiers. How could Tu Rong not react? Did he really think he was made of clay? The Kan family's connections tried their best to find a way to arrange for someone to go to Gaotai, where Tu Jinbao was jumping around. Tu Rong didn't want to make a big fuss because of his son, so he didn't do anything, but he did have ways to retaliate. This time limit for taking office was his punishment for Kan Jinbao.

From Chang'an to Ganzhou, it's a 2,000-mile journey. There are many deserts and yellow sands along the way. There are countless horse thieves, sand bandits, wild animals and poisonous insects. It's the coldest time of the year now. Kan Jinbao has to brave the wind and snow to hurry on his way. He doesn't know how much hardship he will have to endure. But if he is delayed on the road and fails to arrive at Gaotai on time, he will definitely not have a good result. Even if the commander of Gaotai is an old friend of his parents, the military law is there, and not everyone can be partial to him.

If he didn't even have a traveling companion, the journey would be even more difficult.

In order to investigate the evidence of Madam Ma's crime, Tu Rong had personally gone to Liangzhou to investigate, and he must have suffered a lot on the way. Gaotai was farther from Chang'an than Liangzhou, and if Kan Jinbao had to go alone, the suffering he would have to endure during the journey could be imagined. Since Tu Rong knew this, how could he let his eldest son suffer this? Although Tu Jinbao kept saying that he would accompany Kan Jinbao on the journey, when they really set off, Tu Rong would definitely find a way to detain his son.

Thinking of this, Hai Jiao said to Tu Jinbao, "Take it easy. You want to abandon your father and run after an outsider during the New Year? Do you think your father will not be angry? With Captain Kan's current situation, Tu Tongzhi can suppress him with just a flick of his finger. Can't you be quiet and let Captain Kan have an easier time? He has relatives and elders to take care of him. As long as he can successfully reach Gaotai and find an opportunity to make some contributions, he can return to Ganzhou City in just three or two years. By then, he can regroup his family business, marry a virtuous wife, and live a good life. Why do you have to make him offend his boss? Who knows when someone will make things difficult for him?"

Tu Jinbao was stunned for a moment, and said quickly: "Not really? My father is not that stingy! I am worried that Brother Kan will be too lonely traveling alone in the winter. What if he encounters something on the way, there will be no one to take care of him!"

Jin Jiashu said, "What is it like to travel a long distance in winter? Have you ever tried it? That's two thousand miles, not just from the countryside to the city to attend the market. I think that even if Tu Tongzhi agrees to let you go to Gaotai, you can't stand the hardship. If you really want to go with Captain Kan, it's hard to say who will take care of whom on the road. Don't hold Captain Kan back."

At this time last year, Jin Jiashu followed his father and stepmother from Zunhua Prefecture in Zhili to Chang'an, and suffered a lot on the way. They passed through many prosperous towns along the way, but the road from Chang'an to Gaotai was much more desolate than the inland of the Central Plains. He didn't think that Tu Jinbao, who had been pampered since childhood, could survive.

Tu Jinbao was a little unconvinced: "What's so difficult about this? I walked two thousand miles from the capital to Chang'an, and it was smooth sailing, right? I'm not as delicate as you think!"

Jin Jiashu sneered: "How can this be the same? You were sitting in a carriage at that time, with servants serving you, a heater in the carriage, and you stayed at post stations along the way, so you came here comfortably. If you want to accompany Captain Kan to Gaotai, can you bring so many people to serve you? Do you think Tu Tongzhi will agree?" Tu Jinbao choked, and after thinking about it, he felt that his father would never agree. But he felt that he had learned horse riding and archery for a while, and thought he had learned it well. Two thousand miles... should be able to handle it, right? So he said stiffly: "Then I won't bring any servants, and I will accompany Brother Kan by myself!"

Hai Jiao couldn't help rolling his eyes, "Stop joking. When have you ever been on a long journey alone? Will you take care of Captain Kan, or will Captain Kan take care of you? If you encounter a pack of wolves on the road, will you help Captain Kan kill the wolves, or will you protect him and escape? If something happens to you, will Tu Tongzhi not settle the score with Captain Kan? Don't make things more troublesome for him!"

Tu Jinbao knew that he was telling the truth, but he still felt unwilling: "I don't want to cause trouble for him! I'm just worried that he will be too lonely on the road alone! If he gets into danger, there won't be anyone who can save him!"

Haijiao sighed, "You underestimate Captain Kan. He grew up in a border town. What's a big deal for him about traveling? He can handle horse thieves and wild beasts. Look at his size, his strength and skills. What can ordinary people do to him?! Whether he goes alone or finds someone else to travel with him, you don't have to worry about it. Instead of going with him and holding him back on the road, you might as well stay in Chang'an and learn skills to please your father. As long as Tu Tongzhi is happy, you can find an opportunity to speak well of Captain Kan in front of him in two years. Maybe you can transfer him back? If you learn well enough and get a military position in Chang'an in the future, you may be able to transfer Captain Kan to you. Then, won't you be able to stay with your good friend for a long time?"

Tu Jinbao was moved: "Is this...really possible?"

"Why not?" Hai Jiao tried to coax him, "As long as you can satisfy your father, this kind of thing won't be a matter of his words. Not to mention the distant future, if you can really make your father happy, when the weather warms up next year, you can ask for a chance to go to Ganzhou to see the world. Then, write a letter to Captain Kan in advance and ask him to reunite in Ganzhou City. How difficult is it to meet him?"

Tu Jinbao was immediately surprised: "Is there a way to do it? Is it possible?!"

"Of course it's possible!" Haijiao dangled a carrot in front of him, "But I heard that the commander-in-chief will send someone to patrol the border next year, and it will most likely be Tu Tongzhi. Now it's not a time of war, so he doesn't have to rush, just walk slowly. You are his son, and you can follow your father around to broaden your horizons without breaking any taboos. In the past, it was customary for generals patrolling the border to bring their nephews and nephews with them to gain some experience. If you don't believe it, just ask someone!"

Tu Jinbao's eyes flickered, and he was very excited. He didn't bother to say more to Haijiao and Jin Jiashu, and turned around and got on his horse and went home.

Jin Jiashu watched him leave, then turned around and asked Haijiao, "Can this really be accomplished? Will Tu Tongzhi agree to it?"

"Whether they agree or not is a matter between them." Hai Jiao adjusted his cuffs nonchalantly. "As long as Tu Jinbao is willing to learn skills honestly and stop making trouble all day, we will have succeeded in persuading him. Tu Tongzhi will only be happy. How can he be angry with us?"

(End of this chapter)