Chapter 328: Return to Dragon Head

Ahead of the Great King's carriage there was still a unit of personal guards; among them, the junior squad leader Sun Hu was from Dragon Head County. In this western campaign he had been promoted to squad leader thanks to his battlefield merits. People like them, considered minor leaders, still hadn't gotten their turn for leave—only ordinary soldiers were allowed to take rotating leave to go home.

This assignment to Dragon Head County was specially given to him by his superior colonel.

Since joining the army, this was the first time he had left that poor little Dragon Head County; previously, when the Great King went on campaign, he had also let them go home, and the last time he passed through Floodwater County he had felt envious.

A coal mine had revived Floodwater; watching the carts pushing coal and the porters carrying loads on the highway, their faces all bore smiles, and he thought Dragon Head County didn't know when it would also be like that, with a livelihood to rely on, giving the whole county something to depend on.

Sure enough, later the Great King built a military dock near Dragon Head, and the nearest Dragon Head County finally had something to look forward to.

The dock had a lighthouse, and from then on the fishermen of Dragon Head County who returned late at sea had a clearer direction in the vast ocean.

Warships would go out to sea for training, and letters from home said that now the people of Dragon Head felt much safer when going out to fish. Word got out that when someone had an accident at sea, the dock's sailors went to help rescue them, and everything was improving.

This time, passing through Floodwater again, he found it even livelier.

The city wall construction hadn't officially started yet, but the idle villagers voluntarily came out to help demolish the old wall. Even though the crew was still some distance away, the noisy bustle from the worksite could already be heard.

The able-bodied men worked with smiles, hearing that the Great King's newly repaired city wall had been expanded considerably, so their Floodwater would become a major county, perhaps even be upgraded to a city—who knows?

With something to look forward to, the people worked amid cheerful voices and laughter.

Anyway, the Floodwater County that had lived under the shadow of Rock Sparrow Stronghold was gone completely; they no longer had to live in constant fright, fleeing to the mountains at the slightest sound, nor did they have to worry all day just because their daughters looked a bit more presentable, fearing they'd be snatched by Rock Sparrow Stronghold.

If we were to rank the Great King's reputation among local areas in the Northern Border, the Floodwater that he had rescued from bandits and brought new life to would surely be near the top.

Sun Hu didn't notice, but he had been grinning the whole time.

The squad leader beside him kept glancing at him sideways a few times; when Sun Hu noticed, he whispered teasingly, 'How come, after getting promoted you still haven't finished celebrating?'

"Get lost! … Lao Yu, I was thinking… Our Secluded Prefecture now truly has something to look forward to~"

"That's right, ever since His Highness was enfeoffed, things have changed!"

"That's why I fight extra hard on the battlefield—I need to protect the Secluded Prefecture behind me that's getting better and better…"

The farther south they went on the imperial road, the more people they encountered; the Great King hadn't expected that just a casual remark would draw such crowds in the dead of winter to that distant seaside to see the spectacle.

The encountered people followed behind the Great King's entourage laughing and smiling; this time there were also over two thousand infantry behind them, selected to be assigned to the Northern Border fleet.

Originally the infantry column behind was already long, but now it stretched even further, its end disappearing from sight.

The Great King noticed that there were elderly people, and would order the rear carriages to give them a ride.

If there really was no room, the students were young enough that walking posed no problem.

They only rested a few hours that night; by the time the Great King reached Dragon Head it was already noon the next day, and those marching on foot behind could no longer be seen.

The Great King had slept in the carriage for a night plus a morning, and upon hearing it he immediately jumped down from the carriage!

"I haven't used my legs in ages—my legs aren't agile anymore!"

Hearing this, Zhao Bao hurriedly tried to arrange for him to go rest, but the Great King's head swelled. "Still resting? You look after those who came from afar to see the spectacle—prepare some hot food and drink for them… I, the King, was just saying that—I meant to let the locals nearby come have a look, I didn't expect there would also be people from Secluded Prefecture coming to see." The Great King had no notion of military enthusiasts; he just felt these people were too flattering, and felt deeply uneasy.

The Great King went in to see Ke Tu, and upon knowing everything was settled he felt relieved. Unable to stay idle even a moment, he changed clothes and went to stroll around Dragon Head County.

"This King's last visit to Dragon Head was when I first arrived in Secluded Prefecture to take up my fief—I was only six then, and in a blink so many years have passed."

Changli: ……

He gave the Great King a look, utterly speechless.

Faced with such a genuine old man, hearing a child reminisce about his six-year-old 'past' made him want to laugh.

How could a child have such deep feelings!

Zhao Bao smiled and took up the conversation: "I still remember, when His Highness first saw the sea, he was extremely excited, and furthermore…"

The Great King shuddered, recalling the glorious feat of being pinched by a crab at the seaside and crying out, and immediately interrupted: "I also made a friend! I haven't seen Wan Qie in ages—this time, This King will conveniently go to the county to look for him!"

Zhao Bao, who had served the Great King since childhood, knowing his thoughts, laughed and said: "What I want to say is, His Highness still bought a few dolls from human traffickers here, very cheap!"

The Great King nodded vigorously like a pecking chick: "Exactly! It was only after Zhang Tu drew his knife and threatened that I could buy it—no easy feat—and the person is still being raised at the manor, right?"

"Yes, it'll be needed in a few more years."

The Great King was quite pleased, and his little head perked up again.

Wei Shen interjected: "Why does it still need a few more years? Haven't several years already passed? Did you buy a milk doll?"

The Great King: ……

"None of your business! This King is going to the county to play—are you coming?"

Wei Shen, eager to show enthusiasm, also wanted to go along, but Wei Ke was still in shock, so he decided to stay and inspect the dock.

Wei Ke came to Secluded Prefecture and saw the dock the Great King had built there, feeling his horizons broadened. An inland person seeing the sea and a dock for the first time marveled at the lively crowds and grand architecture of Secluded Prefecture's dock.

He first saw the towering lighthouse and marveled at Secluded Prefecture's architectural level. Only upon seeing today the military dock at Dragon Head did he realize that the Secluded Prefecture one was nothing by comparison!

Six large ships lined up at the berth left his eyes insufficient!

On the day Wei Ke went to the dock, the treasure ship wasn't home; he only saw the fishing boats coming and going.

Now seeing the warships neatly arranged at the berth, he finally realized this was the proper way to make use of a dock. He had said that Secluded Prefecture's dock with those little broken boats was terribly out of place—turns out he had just missed the point.