Chapter 3452
Although Langkawi Island has beautiful scenery and pleasant climate, it is an excellent place to rest, but in Qian Shaobao's view, since there are no planned industrial projects and various infrastructure projects are still in the construction stage, there is no It takes too much time to investigate.
After Li Yuande's fleet completed loading and unloading the cargo, Qian Shaobao took the initiative to urge him to set off as soon as possible to Phuket, the final destination of the trip.
The sailing distance between Langkawi and Phuket is about 500 miles, and it can be reached in one day at normal sailing speed. Qian Shaobao was so eager to see his father that he didn't want to wait any longer even for a day.
At the end of the year 1657 in the Haihan calendar, just before the arrival of the New Year, Qian Shaobao and his party finally arrived at Phuket Island at the northern end of the Malacca Strait.
Before the ship even docked, Qian Shaobao saw the familiar figure among the people waiting on the pier and waved quickly.
After the springboard was set up, Qian Shaobao was the first to get down to the shore impatiently. He ran all the way to Qian Tiandun, knelt down on the ground with his legs bent, and kowtowed to his father first.
Qian Tiandun did not show such excitement. He stretched out his hand to help Qian Shaobao up, dusted off the dust on his clothes, and said with a smile: "Okay! Just come!"
Brothers in the iron war, father and son soldiers, Qian Tiandun has to face many difficulties if he wants to open up the situation in the Indian Ocean. At this time, bringing Qian Shaobao to his side will undoubtedly give him an additional general who he can fully trust. , there will be more options available for troop formation in the future.
Qian Tiandun then asked about his family's situation, and Qian Shaobao also told the truth.
Qian Tiandun and Luo Wudan had two sons and one daughter, Qian Shaobao was the eldest son. Before that, Qian Tiandun and Qian Shaobao were in the military all year round, while Luo Wudan lived in Sanya with his two other children.
After Qian Shaobao briefly exchanged greetings with his father, he immediately introduced him to Li Dechang, who came to Phuket on the same boat.
Qian Tiandun had obviously received the appointment notice about Li Dechang before this, so he took the initiative to reach out and shake his hand, and said in a deep voice: "Your father Li Dagui is a capable man. As the saying goes, a tiger father has no dog son. I am looking forward to you." performance!”
Li Dechang was flattered and bowed in response: "In this humble position, I must do my best and not let you down!"
His father Li Dagui was definitely a powerful figure in the Xingdao area, but compared with Qian Tiandun, his status was still far behind. Qian Tiandun commented that Li Dagui was a capable man, which was a great honor for Li Dechang, the son of a man, and even for the Li family.
However, Qian Tiandun gave such a high evaluation, which caused the pressure on Li Dechang's shoulders to increase sharply. What was waiting for him now was not only the performance appraisal of the Security Department, but also Qian Tiandun's ardent expectations.
The reception banquet prepared by Qian Tiandun to welcome Qian Shaobao's arrival was far less grand than that of Xingdao. Only a few close subordinates attended, and together with Li Dechang and Li Yuande, it was only enough to fill a table.
However, for Qian Shaobao, there is really no need to make a big scene for the father-son reunion. An occasion with fewer people is less restrictive. He can drink less drinks during the dinner and spend more time talking with his father.
Qian Shaobao noticed that his father's number one general Gao Qiaonan was not present, so he took the initiative to ask about it.
Qian Tiandun said: "Gao Qiaonan has gone to sea to perform a mission. It will probably take a few days before he comes back."
Qian Tiandun did not elaborate on what kind of task it was. Qian Shaobao knew the rules and did not continue to ask questions during the dinner.
Even though most of the people present are close subordinates of Qian Tiandun, if it involves high-level military secrets, it should not be discussed in such a public place unless Qian Tiandun takes the initiative to mention it. These subordinates were very discerning and knew that when the Qian father and son reunited after a long separation, there must be many things that needed to be discussed in private. After three rounds of wine, five dishes, and a round of toasts, they stood up and left one after another.
Upon seeing this, Li Dechang also took the initiative to resign. Qian Tiandun ordered his men to arrange accommodation for Li Dechang and his entourage.
After the guests dispersed, Qian Tiandun called Qian Shaobao into the study.
The conditions on Phuket Island are limited. Even the place where Qian Tiandun lives is just a small courtyard with two entrances in the military camp. Business is done in the front yard, and residence is in the back yard.
In the study room, except for the bookcases, a few chairs, and a few nautical charts hanging on the wall, there are basically no other furnishings. It can be described as extremely simple.
However, Qian Shaobao was already used to this. When he was in the north, Qian Tiandun's office was also like this. He knew that his father had never been very particular about the living and office environment. Unless it helped improve the combat effectiveness of the army, any extravagant and complicated furnishings were unnecessary in Qian Tiandun's opinion.
After Qian Tiandun's soldiers brought him hot tea, he exited the study and closed the door.
Qian Tiandun took the initiative and asked: "How is your mother's health? How are your younger brothers and sisters doing with their studies?"
Even though he knew that his father and mother had been in contact with each other by telegram twice a month and were not completely ignorant of the situation at home, Qian Shaobao still replied very respectfully: "My mother's health is okay. It's just that her waist and legs hurt every time it rains." The pain is severe. My younger brothers and sisters will be well supervised by their mother.”
Qian Tiandun nodded slowly and said: "Your mother is the root of the disease that caused you three brothers and sisters to have children. She has seen many doctors and used a lot of external and internal medicines, but she has never been able to cure it. I am away from home all year round and cannot accompany you. She often feels that she owes too much.”
Qian Shaobao said: "Father, don't worry. You won't have to worry about food, clothing, housing and transportation at home. There are servants for the work, so mother won't be tired. Besides, mother has never complained about you, so father doesn't have to blame himself too much." .”
Qian Tiandun said: "It is precisely because your mother never complains that I feel sorry for her. Recently, I have been thinking about whether the natural environment here in Phuket is quite good. Is it possible to take care of you at the right time?" My mother came here to stay for a long time.”
Qian Shaobao said with a smile: "My mother is used to the convenience of Sanya, I'm afraid she doesn't want to come to this remote island to suffer."
Qian Tiandun said: "That's not necessarily true... When your mother was young, she was also very happy to travel around the country. Phuket was one of her previous goals."
Qian Shaobao asked curiously: "I have never heard my mother mention this...she knew that there was such an island thousands of miles away from Sanya when she was young?"
Qian Tiandun said: "Your mother's generation and I have known about astronomy and geography since childhood. What's so strange about knowing about Phuket Island?"
Qian Shaobao said: "In that case, father sent troops to conquer this place out of selfish motives, right?"
Qian Tiandun smiled and said: "If it can make your mother happy, then what's the harm?"
Although this was just a joke, Qian Shaobao was quite surprised when it came from Qian Tiandun, who always put military affairs first. He felt that as his father got older, he seemed to miss his family more than before.