The Three Kingdoms: The Cold Gate World

Chapter 297
In the twelfth lunar month of winter, there was heavy snow.

The southern part was completely pacified, and the imperial examinations for the coming year were already on the agenda. Guo Jia led his army northward.

Gan Ning was recruited back from Hanzhong by Guo Jia and led the Yinling Flying Rider to go north with him. The purpose was very clear, which was to make the Northwest a strategic goal in the next period.

Guo Jia, who was sitting in the carriage, was dressed very warmly, but occasionally shivered a few times, and cold wind would rush in from his sleeves and necklines from time to time.

"Ying'er, don't lift the curtains all the time, the heat in the car will be gone."

Xiao Qiao made gestures to hug Guo Ying from under the window of the car, but the little girl nimbly avoided her.

This time going north to Chang'an, Guo Jia brought Xiao Qiao, Cai Yan, Wu Cheng and daughter Guo Ying.

Maybe it was the first time to go out for a long time. Guo Yingan couldn't get down, she lay on the car window and opened the curtain to look into the distance. Exclaim aloud.

Looking at the scenery from the car window, Guo Ying suddenly looked down and saw a familiar figure among the accompanying soldiers on both sides of the carriage.

Waving her small arms, Guo Ying yelled at the man: "Big brother! Big brother!"

Guo Ye, who was dressed as an ordinary soldier, winked helplessly at Guo Ying, hoping that she would not attract so much attention, especially so that he would not be followed by attention.

Guo Ying was still saying hello, but was carried back from the inside, Xiao Qiao held her tightly in her arms, bowed her head and said, "Ying'er, remember, Ye'er is a pawn now, don't pester him .”

Along with Guo Ye, Xu Yi, Dianman, and Gan Gui also joined the army. Among them, Dianman was promoted the fastest, and now he is a small capital. Even Guo Ye, Xu Yi, and Gan Gui have to obey Dianman.

This time going north, besides Gan Ning leading the Yinling Flying Cavalry, Wu Yi led a new army of [-], Guo Ye and others were among the new army.

Guo Jia, who was wearing a cloak and reading in the car, sometimes had a headache for Guo Ying, who was jumping up and down and couldn't calm down for a moment, but more often than not, she smiled knowingly, as if seeing herself when she was a child.

The snow was long and peaceful, and the cold wind was cold. These did not affect the grandeur of welcoming Guo Jia's arrival.

In Chengdu, most of the people who lined the streets to greet Guo Jia were common people, but in Chang'an, there were more rich and powerful families who wished to hand over all their daughters to Guo Jia.

Guanzhong is recovering and rebuilding on the road to its former glory. The people who have returned to Guanzhong have settled down, and after a year or two of savings, they are also moving towards prosperity. The most merchants are naturally the Yizhou Chamber of Commerce. The planned commercial street in Chang’an is almost monopolized by the Yizhou Chamber of Commerce. This is also a temporary situation. In the future, the population will increase and the consumer demand will increase. At that time, businessmen from all over the world must come to Chang'an to do business.

Xu Shu, Fazheng, Zhang Liao, and Zhang Ji, who had been promoted all the way in Chang'an in the past two years, lined up at the south gate of Chang'an to welcome Guo Jia. On both sides of the road, most of them were representatives of the wealthy clan in Yizhou.

Chang'an was right in front of him, Guo Jia gently hugged Guo Ying into Cai Yan's arms, the girl was finally tired from all the fussing all the way, she slept in Guo Jia's arms for a long time and still didn't wake up.

Getting out of the carriage and pulling the thin belt of the cloak, Guo Jia stepped up to the crowd, saluted civilly and military, and the nobles also greeted in unison. Such a scene might have satisfied Guo Jia's vanity ten years ago, but now he feels a little Superficial waste of manpower and material resources.

"Let's go to the city. Those who catch the cold here in the winter, whoever catches the cold and gets sick again, it's my fault."

Xu Shu on the left, Zhang Liao on the right, left and right followed Guo Jia into the city.

Arriving at the Chang'an government office, Guo Jia took off his cloak and sat down directly on the main seat. Even though he was riding in a carriage, the bumpy journey made him a little tired.

"Let's talk about the recent political affairs in Chang'an first, pick the key points, and I will read the detailed documents later."

Guo Jia sat leaning back and listened with his eyes closed.

The person who came out to reply to Guo Jia was Zhang Ji. He was a native of Guanzhong from a humble background. Instead of going to Xuchang to take up his post, he stayed in Guanzhong. He is a talented person, but Guo Jia did not promote him out of the ordinary. From being outstanding in the imperial examination to being gradually promoted to become Xu Shu's right-hand man in governing Guanzhong in a few years, he relied on his diligence and pragmatism. work effectiveness.

After Zhang had finished his report for a while, Guo Jia leaned on the main seat motionless, with his eyes closed as if he had fallen asleep.

Zhang Ji looked at Xu Shu, his eyes seemed to be asking what to do?
Xu Shu came out and called out in a low voice, "My lord, my lord."

"I'm thinking. Yuanzhi, how many years will it take before Guanzhong can really help me?"

Guo Jia still had his eyes closed.

Guanzhong has now reached a state of self-sufficiency, and Guo Jia does not need to transport grain and grass from Yizhou to maintain it, but what Guo Jia wants is a Guanzhong that can provide him with grain, grass and soldiers, otherwise he will send troops eastward from Hangu Pass , The military supplies for the war were all transported from Yizhou, and the consumption was incalculably huge.

Xu Shu didn't dare to boast that Guanzhong's rapid development depends on its population. A larger population means more output and more soldiers.

"At least three years."

Sigh softly.

Guo Jia seemed a little helpless with this answer.

If Yuan Shao hadn't come to fight Guanzhong back then, perhaps the recovery and development of Guanzhong would have been much faster.

"My lord is going north this time, is it because you want to move your army east?"

Zhang Liao asked tentatively.

The south was pacified, Han Sui and Ma Chao in the northwest were not worth mentioning, and Guo Jia had no worries in Yizhou. Zhang Liao thought that Guo Jia went north in winter because he wanted to send troops to the east in spring.

"It's easy to tear up if you take a big step. Let's clean up the northwest first."

Guo Jia's words stunned the few people present, and then their expressions were astonished.

Perhaps no one thought that Guo Jia would use such a vulgar description.

"Then my lord is planning to attack Han Sui and Ma Chao this time?"

Xu Shu's mind was working. At this time, Guo Jia's strength would not be a problem if he wanted to beat Han Sui and Ma Chao, but fighting would mean consumption. If the reserves accumulated for several years were consumed, it would be equivalent to starting all over again.

"Let's prepare for the war in secret. If there is no change in the situation in the northwest within two years, I will take over the northwest directly. If Han Sui and Ma Chao give me an opportunity during the period, then I will take advantage of the situation."

The official business came to an end temporarily, Guo Jia, Xu Shu and Zhang Liao talked about the past, and then they also delayed their work.

Guo Jia has always been very conscious of this, and he hates being surrounded by others.

Returning to Mount Li, this time Guo Jia brought his family here for a winter vacation.

In the natural hot spring, Guo Jia was very comfortable soaking in it. The three beautiful concubines were completely cleansed, and their natural beauty was enough to captivate the world.

pat pat
Guo Ying, who couldn't settle down in the water, patted the water splash and hugged Guo Jia's arm tightly, and said to him, "Daddy, teach me to swim."

Under the star-studded moonlight, Guo Jia originally wanted to enjoy this rare time, but unexpectedly, Guo Ying would give him a headache again.

Wu Cheng came to Guo Jia's side, gently stroked Guo Ying's small face, and said softly, "Ying'er, how about I teach you?"

Guo Ying tilted her head, she hugged Guo Jia's arm and did not let go, she shook her head and said, "No, I want Daddy to teach me."

Cai Yan and Xiao Qiao, who were leaning on the shore not far away, showed teasing smiles. After seeing Wu Cheng return in vain, Cai Yan said: "Ying'er likes to pester her husband like this, sister don't mind."

Both Xiao Qiao and Cai Yan were self-aware, knowing that it would be useless for anyone to try to persuade Guo Ying at this moment, and Wu Auntie had gained experience after bumping into a wall, and would never try to stand up in such a situation next time.

The pool was not deep, but it was enough to submerge Guo Ying's head. Guo Jia laid her flat on the water surface, explained to her the essentials of swimming postures, and tried his best to maintain her body balance.

In the misty hot spring pool, Guo Jia looked at Guo Ying, who had just learned how to swim and kept splashing the water with joy, and suddenly felt a sense of accomplishment welling up in his heart.

……

After the winter, Guo Jia did not return to Yizhou, but stayed in Chang'an.

Many people speculated that this was a signal that Guo Jia wanted to move the government office to Chang'an.

Although Chengdu is now more prosperous than Chang'an, it is impossible for Chengdu to have the political significance and status of Chang'an as the capital of the Western Han Dynasty. Guo Jia wants to compete in the Central Plains, and Chengdu is not as strategic as Chang'an. Many people have inferred that Guo Jia will one day place his ruling center in Chang'an.

The Yuan family has not officially withdrawn from the stage of history, Cao Cao has not crossed Hebei, and Guo Jia has been staying in Chang'an. There will always be people who misunderstand that Guo Jia is preparing the army for the Kwantung Expedition.

In late May, Guo Jia was discussing with Zhang Ji the plan to invest in water conservancy construction in Guanzhong in the second half of the year. This investment will consume manpower and material resources, and the effect will not be immediate. It often takes several years to make a qualitative leap.

Zhang proposed to complete the water conservancy construction in Guanzhong in one step. Guo Jia disagreed. He had to consider many aspects. Zhang only focused on Guanzhong. Guo Jia couldn’t do it. To build and develop, to coordinate the overall situation, not to be top-heavy.

After Guo Jia informed Zhang Ji of his consideration, Zhang Ji took a step back and said that the infrastructure construction in Guanzhong should be completed within three years at least. Guo Jia thought about it before agreeing to his suggestion.

Both of them seem to be refined scholars, each holding their own opinions, they will not get angry, and when discussing issues, they are both calm and calm.

After the matter came to a conclusion, Guo Jia and Zhang Ji chatted casually about some trivial matters in Guanzhong. At this moment, Xu Shu walked into the hall with a serious face.

"Yuanzhi, your expression tells me that something big has happened."

Guo Jia took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, as if he was mentally prepared to listen to Xu Shu's report.

As Guo Jia expected, Xu Shu cupped his hands and said in a deep voice, "Master, I just got the news that Yuan Shao died of illness."

Yuan Shao, who was famous for a while, died.

(End of this chapter)